First Boats Arrive For Soo Locks Opening

UPDATE 7 p.m. Monday: Tug-barge Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader and John G. Munson were upbound at Mission Point about 5 p.m., each blowing a salute to a small but enthusiastic group of ship fans. They tied up below the locks waiting for the official opening time of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Tuesday a small group of local officials and others will board the Dirk S. VanEnkevort and present the captain and crew with plaques, First Boat baseball caps and copies of the new Know Your Ships book. Edwin H., Gott will be next in line after the first two vessels pass through.

UPDATE 3:15 p.m. Monday: As is often the case where the boats are concerned, plans have changed. Tug-barge Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader and John G. Munson are now heading up the river.

UPDATE 12:15 p.m. Monday: looks as if vessels headed to the Soo Locks for Opening Day will convoy up river Tuesday morning. Tug-barge Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader and John G. Munson are at anchor near the south tip of Lime Island, with Edwin H. Gott and Paul R. Tregurtha due at DeTour near midnight. Four icebreakers have been busy maintaining the upbound channel, readying a track for the vessels. As of this writing, James R. Barker was departing Sturgeon Bay with the assistance of USCG Mackinaw, which had earlier helped the Algocanada into Green Bay. At Duluth, Mesabi Miner was loading taconite pellets at CN Dock 6 .

UPDATE: The U.S. Coast Guard has asked the tug-barge Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader to remain anchored south of Lime Island until Monday. CCSG Vincent Massey locked downdound around noon Sunday and headed down river.

UPDATE: Tug-barge Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader arrived at DeTour late Saturday. They dropped the anchor off the south end of Lime Island while USCG cutters Biscayne Bay, Katmai Bay and Neah Bay work to prepare a track therough the ice. If all goes well they will head up to Soo Harbor Sunday and moor at the lower Poe Lock pier to wait for the locks to open at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. CCSG Vincent Massey is above the locks working ice there. Elsewhere, the John G. Munson left Toledo Sunday morning headed to Marquette to load. She was followed by Edwin H. Gott and Paul R. Tregurtha.

UPDATE: Saturday evening tug-barge Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader were approaching DeTour and the St. Marys River and, with no other vessels headed for the Soo, seems assured to be the first passage of new season when the locks open at 12:01 a.m. March 25. U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard vessels have been working the ice in in upper and lower St. Marys River in preparation for the opening. On Saturday, the Mackinac Straits saw the eastbound passage of Algoma Intrepid and the westbound passge of Whitefish Bay and Alpena, assisted by USCG Morro Bay. Algocanada was headed for Green Bay, with the icebreaker Mackinaw standig by to escort her.

ORIGINAL POST: The tug-barge Dirk S. VanEnkevort/Michigan Trader of the VanEnkevort Tug & Barge fleet left their winter dock at Toledo, OH, headed for the Soo Locks, to begin their season late Friday morning. They have already fueled and may be the season’s first passage, arriving at the locks March 22 or 23 depending on ice conditions in the lower St. Marys River. Capt. Eric Sawyer,
was master of the Clyde S. VanEnkevort, which opened the Soo season last year. The locks open at 12:01 a.m. on the 25th.

DRE Designs, AIS and Boatnerd Staff