McKeil Expands With Purchase of Algosea From Algoma

McKeil Marine has purchased the tanker Algosea from Algoma Tankers. While at Sarnia Saturday she was renamed Kathy McKeil in honor of the wife of McKeil’s vice-chairman Blair McKeil. The change has also been registered at Transport Canada. She is expected to head to an overseas shipyard soon for conversion to either a self-unloader or a bulk carrier.

The 472-foot-long Algosea was built in 1998 at Alabama Shipyard Inc., Mobile, AL, as Aggersborg. The vessel was purchased by Algoma in 2005.

John J. Boland Grounds at Grand Haven

UPDATE: John J. Boland was freed during the night and was outbound to Lake Michigan at 8 a.m. Sunday.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Reports late Saturday indicated the self-unloader John J. Boland was aground mid-channel off the Municipal Marina while headed inbound on the Grand River.

11/18/2023

Harvest season grain gains lift Duluth-Superior tonnage

DULUTH, MN. — Boosted by an 18-month high for grain shipments, total maritime tonnage
through the Port of Duluth-Superior climbed 3.9% ahead of last season’s pace through Oct. 31,
2023.
   More than 141,000 short tons of grain transited the port in October, as fall harvest season
ramped up throughout the Upper Midwest. Almost 92,000 ST sailed for export, including more
than 66,000 ST of durum wheat.
  Iron ore, the port’s king cargo, also moved briskly in October, topping 2.2 million ST for the
month and 16.5 million ST for the season. That season-to-date total exceeded the 2022 pace by
15%.
  “Despite the eight-day Seaway strike, October tonnage topped the September total and set the
stage for what should be a strong finish to the navigation season,” said Deb DeLuca, executive
director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. “The Seaway Management Corporation set its
latest closing date ever – January 5 – so if the weather and markets cooperate, we could see
some later-than-usual oceangoing ships mingling with the lakers, which aim to continue sailing
until the Soo Locks close for the winter on January 15.”
   More than 700 vessels and 30 million short tons of cargo move through the Port of Duluth-
Superior each year, making it the Great Lakes’ largest tonnage port and one of the nation’s top 20
The port supports more than 7,000 jobs and contributes $1.3 billion in business revenue to the regional economy. Learn more at DuluthPort.com

Environmentalists concerned over late St. Lawrence Seaway closure

CLAYTON, N.Y. –The St. Lawrence Seaway is preparing for its latest seasonal closing date in its
64-year history. Although the international waterway typically shuts down at the end of
December, U.S. and Canadian authorities have agreed to extend this year’s navigation season,
according to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.
Officials said this is due to a strike of unionized Canadian Seaway workers that shut down the
Seaway for one week.
  Weather permitting, the projected closing date for the Montreal/Lake Ontario section is
January 5, 2024, and for the Welland Canal section is January 7, 2024.
  However, this has sparked concern among environmentalists along the St. Lawrence River.
“Every time that the closings get pushed later in the season, it increases the risk to the
environment, the risk to the river,” Save The River Executive Director John Peach expressed.
Save The River was a key player in stopping winter navigation in the late 1970s. The
organization specifically got its start following the infamous “Slick of ’76” incident, which
occurred after a vessel carrying oil went aground on the St. Lawrence River.
  Peach emphasized that winter navigation is a major environmental threat because of the
products on board vessels. “There’s very little technology or experience in collecting any of the
chemicals or the oil that spilled in icing conditions,” Peach explained. “And if those chemicals or
if the oil were to get underneath ice on the shorelines, they could stay there all winter and it
could be an even bigger mess in the spring.”
  All closing dates are weather permitting. GLS has confirmed that the extended season will not
impact ice control booms throughout the Seaway and officials will continue to monitor
conditions.
  But Peach said an unprecedented accident could put many in danger. “If there ever was a
grounding or a fire on a ship or a shipboard incident, the first responders to that are going to be
our local first responders,” Peach added. “And for them to launch a boat in icing conditions is
when the shoreline is icy. When the docks are icy, it’s a very risky proposition. They could fall,
they could injure themselves. They could go into the water. The consequences could be
disastrous.”
  All issues that he said span out of the St. Lawrence River into the entire Great Lakes system on
an issue Save The River thought was over. “I thought we were beyond this one, but extenuating
circumstances have brought it back,” Peach concluded.
  An opening date for next season’s shipping season has not been announced.
  GLS said that several factors will be considered to decide next season’s opening date. These
include vessel safety, emergency response capability and coordination, weather and
environmental conditions, water levels and water management, domestic and international
trade forecast models.
ACB 50

New buoys in Great Lakes will remain all winter, provide novel data on ice and fish

(FOX 2) – They aren’t just normal buoys that will remain in the Great Lakes this winter.
New technology has enabled scientists that study the region’s hydrology to do so during the harshest times of the year by allowing buoys to operate during the winter and even under the ice.
“These are smaller buoys that are very robust. They’re all encased in a plastic container. They can handle the icy conditions, we hope,” said Steve Ruberg, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told FOX Weather. “This is a first we’re trying to do this.”
The buoys are designed to survive sub-zero temperatures and withstand ice cover. They’re capable of measuring temperatures, wave height and direction. Meanwhile, there will be robots that can collect data underneath ice that forms over the lakes.
Ruberg, who works as a Great Lakes researcher for NOAA, says they’re going to put the buoys to the test in Lake Michigan this winter and plan on expanding the operation to Lake Erie next.
He said the data they collect will be helpful to the commercial shipping industry and the coast guard, which will be breaking ice.
The robots that will travel underwater will measure things like ice thickness, chlorophyll content, temperatures, fish, and zooplankton – all data points that until recently scientists could never study.

Gale warnings send vessels to anchor

With gale warnings in effect, Clyde S. VanEnkevort and her barge Erie Trader were at anchor off Paradise, MI, in the lee of Whitefish Point Friday night. Saginaw and the tug Sharon M 1 with her barge were on the hook above DeTour.

In other Soo traffic Friday, Oakglen and Algoma Strongfield were downbound in the mid-afternoon, with Kaministiqua and Vancouverborg downbound in the evening, followed by Algoma Discovery. Federal Beaufort and Kaye E. Barker were upbound.

To the west, Philip R. Clarke and Walter J. McCarthy Jr. were hugging the south shore of Lake Superior Friday night, with American Integrity and Presque Isle sheltering in the lee off the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Algoma Compass and tug Albert/barge Margaret were anchored east of the Mackinac Bridge. Great Republic appeared to be seeking calmer waters behind Bois Blanc Island.

Gale warnings were in effect for most of Lake Michigan from 7 p.m. on Thursday through 4 a.m. Friday with the highest waves expected to be around 14 feet.

Saturday marks 65 years since Bradley sank

ROGERS CITY — For the better part of 25 years, the Carl D. Bradley was called the “Queen of the Lakes” as the Great Lakes’ longest and largest freighter. The 638-foot self-unloader was built in Lorain, Ohio by the American Ship Building Co. The Bradley’s maiden voyage occurred in July 1927. The freighter’s flag was then flown under the Bradley Transportation Co. and was named after the then-president of Michigan Limestone.

Based in Rogers City, a significant percentage of the crew were from the community of nearly 4,000 residents.
In 1943, the Bradley was the first freighter to pass through Sault Ste. Marie’s new MacArthur Lock.
In April 1957, the Bradley sustained damage during a collision with the MV White Rose on the St. Clair River. Subsequently, the freighter entered the dry dock for repairs. The following year, the Bradley experienced two groundings.

In 1952, the Bradley’s ownership was transferred under the U.S. Steel Corp.

On Monday night, Nov. 17, 1958, after delivering a cargo of crushed stone at the Port of Gary, Indiana, the freighter set course for Manitowoc, Wisconsin for dry dock repairs and upgrades, specifically a new cargo hold.
Onboard were a crew of 35, with Capt. Roland Bryan commanding the 31-year-old freighter.

With the weather becoming more challenging, the Bradley hugged close to Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline. At midpoint, the Bradley received a call from U.S. Steel redirecting the ship to Rogers City for one final load versus the scheduled layup.

As the Bradley prepared to veer northeast toward the Straits of Mackinac, the Great Lakes waves became massive. The freighter was nearing Gull Island.According to Elmer Fleming and Frank Mays, who survived Bradley’s plunge into 375 feet of Lake Michigan’s waters, two large thuds occurred at approximately 5:35 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18. The first mate issued a “mayday” distress call heard by the U.S. Coast Guard, commercial stations, and other Lake Michigan vessels.

Four crewmembers were able to reach the Bradley’s life raft located in the bow. Two lifeboats were located in the stern, where crewmembers desperately attempted to launch. Within fewer than 25 minutes, the Bradley’s stern sank, quickly followed by the forward section. Of the four crewmembers on the life raft, only Fleming and Mays survived.

Hearing the Bradley’s distress call, the nearby German MV Christian Sartori crew through their personal vision and with binoculars saw the Bradley sink. Immediately, the Sartori set course toward the Bradley’s last known position. The Sartori’s crew reported waves at 35-plus feet, with many waves following in rapid succession, known as the “three sisters.”

A 36-foot Lifesaving Station boat was launched from nearby Plum Island, Wisconsin. Because of the massive seas, the boat was forced to nearby Washington Island. A second Cost Guard 36-foot rescue boat was launched from Charlevoix, Michigan, but, because of the rough seas, it, too, returned to port. Subsequently, the Coast Guard cutter Sundew departed Charlevoix and the Coast Guard cutter Hollyhock from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin toward the Bradley’s last known location.

During the rescue attempt, 33 crewmembers perished, with 15 bodies remaining missing. The most significant loss of life on the Great Lakes over the past 65 years, more than the 1975 sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior. The Sundew rescued Fleming and Mays and recovered crewmembers who perished. That evening, in Rogers City, 23 women became widows and 54 children fatherless.

During the rescue process, a number of Rogers City residents quickly drove their vehicles to the Lake Michigan shoreline near Charlevoix. They pointed their headlights toward the lake in hopes crewmembers would see them.
In the following days, Rogers City crewmembers’ remains were taken to lie in state at the high school auditorium. Later, they would be transferred to numerous houses of worship.

During the services, a number of Great Lakes ships dropped anchor at noon as a tribute to the Bradley and its crew.
Fleming sailed again on the Great Lakes. He passed away in 1969. Mays never returned to sail on the Great Lakes.

Decades later, Mays went on an expedition with experienced divers and specialized remote underwater video equipment. Mays stated he saw the Bradley’s separated hull and the ship’s bell. Mays passed away in 2021.
Slightly more than a year after the Bradley sank and the crew was lost, U.S. Steel reached a lawsuit settlement of $1.25 million for crewmember families. The settlement did not guarantee lifelong financial security to the claimants’ families.

The Coast Guard Marine Board conducted an investigation. It found fault with the Bradley’s captain, along with structural issues. However, the then-Coast Guard commandant, Vice Admiral A.C. Richmond, disapproved the report and stated the Bradley broke up because of “undetected structural weakness or deflect.”

Subsequently, the Coast Guard Marine Board implemented recommendations, which for the most part, related to lifesaving equipment on Great Lakes ships.

GREAT LAKES FREIGHTER DISASTERS, 1953 TO 2023
5/11/1953: Henry Steinbrenner (426 feet), floundered in gale off Isle Royale in Lake Superior, 17 lost
6/20/1953: Scotladoc (426 feet), lost near Thunder Bay, Ontario in Lake Superior, 1 lost
11/18/1958: Card D. Bradley (638 feet), broke up in storm near Gull Island in Lake Michigan, 33 lost
5/6/1965: Cedarville (590 feet), sank in fog after collision in Straits of Mackinac, 10 lost
11/29/1966: Daniel J. Morrell (580 feet), broke up near Harbor Beach in lower Lake Huron, 28 lost
11/10/1975: Edmund Fitzgerald (729 feet), sank near Whitefish Point in Lake Superior, 29 lost

Source: Great Lakes Center for Fresh Waters and Human Health and Historical Collections, Bowling Green State University, Ohio

National Museum of the Great Lakes announces expansion, change in leadership

Toledo, OH – After several years of capital fund-raising, the National Museum of the Great Lakes plans to add about 5,000 square feet to its East Toledo home beginning in the spring, museum officials said during a first-ever State of the Museum presentation Wednesday morning.

The new year will also mark a transition in the museum’s leadership, with Kate Fineske, now its senior director of institutional advancement, to be promoted to executive director Jan. 1.

Christopher Gillcrist, the current executive director, will become emeritus director and focus on “driving the museum’s historical programming,” according to a statement from the Great Lakes Historical Society, which operates the museum in a building leased from the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

Ms. Fineske told the gathering of supporters, Maritime Academy of Toledo students, and other guests in the museum’s front theater area that the museum has raised just over $4 million of the $5.5 million it expects the expansion to cost, and more than 75 percent of that money has come from outside Lucas County. The expansion, in development since 2019, is driven by the need for more space for both permanent and short-term exhibits and capacity to conduct more community-related programming, Mr. Gillcrist said.

In 2019, he and Ms. Fineske said, it was expected to cost $3.8 million, but a sharp increase in construction prices since the coronavirus pandemic has inflated the estimate. “We have so many more stories to share, but not nearly enough space to share them,” Mr. Gillcrist said.

Museum attendance has grown robustly since Metroparks Toledo’s Glass City Metropark opened its second phase next door, with 30,000 admissions projected this year and growth to 42,000 annually forecast within five to seven years.

Since the park’s expansion opened, the museum has experienced a 46 percent increase in visitors, a 22 percent increase in admission revenue, 54 percent growth in on-site membership sales, and 18 percent growth in gift-shop purchases, according to historical society data.

“It’s a world-class riverfront park, and one of our closest allies,” Ms. Fineske said, remarking that park visitors are drawn to the museum while the park entices museum members to explore more of Toledo.

The historical society moved its museum out of cramped quarters in Vermilion, Ohio as a result of conversations between Mr. Gillcrist and Paul LaMarre III, who in 2006 became the port authority’s caretaker for the then-S.S. Willis B. Boyer after the city of Toledo surrendered the ship after declaring inability to pay for its upkeep.

The historical society initially studied the possibility of moving to neighboring Lorain, but when that idea foundered, Mr. LaMarre suggested the vacant building on the Toledo waterfront, which the port authority had built using federal funds designated for ferry terminals.

The museum’s move there gave the port authority a tenant, solved the museum’s space problem, and gave the Boyer, rechristened after cosmetic restoration to its original name, S.S. Col. James M. Schoonmaker, a home.

Continuing support from historical society members who live in the Cleveland area has been vital to the museum’s success, society officials said. Prominent among them are Larry and Karen Betcher, Vermilion residents who successfully provided a $1 million challenge-match donation to the capital fund drive that will pay for much of the planned expansion, Ms. Fineske said.

They and others “didn’t need to live in Toledo to understand the value of this museum and its mission,” Ms. Fineske said.

The museum has gotten corporate support as well from Cleveland-Cliffs, a major steel-industry customer of Great Lakes shipping, and Interlake Maritime Services, operator of Interlake Steamship Co. Its president, Mark W. Barker, is chairman of the historical society’s board.

The capital budget also includes two appropriations totaling $900,000 from Ohio’s state budgets for fiscal 2017 and 2021.

According to society data, more than 60 percent of society members live outside Lucas County, and more than 60 percent of its visitors also come from elsewhere. More than 70 percent of the people who spend more than an hour at the museum also spend at least one night in a local hotel, those data show, and visitors have come from 30 countries as well as all 50 states.

Mr. LaMarre, now vice chairman of the Great Lakes Historical Society’s board as well as director of the Port of Monroe, said the museum also has thrived because of the story-telling nature of its exhibits, which engages visitors. “Stuff is not enough,” he said. “It needs to be an experience. It needs to get you in your heart.”

Mr. Gillcrist, the historical society’s executive director since 1999, has commuted from Vermilion to head the museum in its current digs since it opened there in 2014. He said his new role will allow him to do more of the historical research and programming that appeal to him the most as a historian. Ms. Fineske will fully take over administrative functions, including fund-raising that is her strong suit.

“I have complete faith in her ability to take us to the next level,” Mr. Gillcrist said.

Ellen Kennedy, now director of education and visitor experience, will become director of museum operations, and the museum plans to hire several new staff to support its expansion.

The museum receives about 35 percent of its operating revenue from admissions, gift shop sales, and other “earned” sources, 15 percent from memberships, and 50 percent from donations.

The expansion space is to be built out on the building’s north side and connect to the pilothouse from the St. Marys Challenger freighter, which the museum received after that lake vessel was converted into a barge. The pilothouse, already being renovated, will be accessible to all museum visitors in a way the Schoonmaker’s pilothouse cannot accommodate, Ms. Fineske noted.

Holly Kemler, the port authority’s spokesman, said no action by that agency’s board of directors is required for the museum to add space to the port-owned building. The port leased it to the museum in 2012 for 25 years plus five 5-year option terms. The lease provides for the museum to pay rent if its ticket revenue exceeds a certain threshold, but Ms. Kemler said that threshold has not been met.

Mr. LaMarre said that even its current status far exceeds what he had imagined when he and Mr. Gillcrist sketched out a possible layout for the Toledo location more than 15 years ago, and it’s poised for the future.

“That’s the goal: that the history lives on long after you are gone,” he said Wednesday afternoon.

David Patch, Toledo Blade

Obituary: Capt. Jeffrey Calvin Pink

Jeffrey Calvin Pink, age 55 of Deer Lake, NL (formerly of Ramea), passed away November 13, 2023. He worked in various positions on the Great Lake vessels and for the last number of years was a captain with Algoma Central Marine, most recently on board the Algoma Conveyor. He was an avid outdoors person who loved hunting, camping, and boating. His death was the result of an accident while on vacation from the his vessel.

Leaving to mourn are his three children, daughters Lindsay (Chris) of Edmonton and Kailee of St. Johns; son Tristan (Kavita) of Steady Brook; his parents Jane and Calvin Pink of Ramea; two brothers Keith (Gus) of Edmonton and Hughie (Shawna) of St. Catharines; 5 nephews; 1 niece; as well as a large circle of aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He was predeceased by his grandparents Hughie and Fanny Pink and George and Myra Rossiter.

A visitation for family and friends will be held at Fillatre’s Funeral Home, 10 Clinic Drive, Deer Lake on Friday, November 17, 2023, from the hours of 2:00-4:00 pm. A funeral service will take place at St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church, 21 Farm Road, Deer Lake on Saturday, November 18, 2023, beginning at 2:00 pm with Rev. Canon Jeffrey Petten officiating.

Sign the guest book here: https://fillatre.ca/tribute/details/13675/Jeffrey-Pink/obituary.html?fbclid=IwAR1-k0PtdrPZB2yIDCoisHDaVODVdPdT0OqcfOzXs7_E1fZVZICk31cTOhI

Obituary: Capt. Tim Dayton

Timothy J. Dayton, 69, of Marco Island, Florida died Nov. 11, 2023.

He sailed as a deck officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine on the Great Lakes, initially being hired by Ford Motor Co. as master. His last command before he retired in 2014 from the Interlake Steamship Co. was the Paul R. Tregurtha. He was also an instructor on the training ship State of Michigan, where he mentored future Merchant Marine officers.

Understanding and honoring his request, no funeral or memorial service will be held. Read his full obituary here:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/marco-island-fl/timothy-dayton-11536455?fbclid=IwAR2e-BXF6aOwB99X5XkSiENTlf0L5_V-3dzvkQbje73zfq_ew2-YU5Ux83g

Executive Officer USS Marinette Died While Ship Was in Cleveland

The former executive officer of the Littoral Combat Ship USS Marinette (LCS-25) died late last month while the ship was moored in Cleveland, USNI News has learned. According to an obituary, Cmdr. Jonathan Michael Volkle, 44, died aboard the ship on Oct. 27.

“[Volke] was found unresponsive and later pronounced deceased,” reads a Tuesday statement from U.S. Surface Force Atlantic. “Our thoughts go out to the Volkle’s family during this incredibly difficult period, and we would ask their privacy be respected. Littoral Combat Ship Squadron (LCSRON) 2 is providing chaplain and mental health support to the ship’s crew. Cmdr. Janet Brooms will be assigned as executive officer.”

According to his Navy biography, Volkle enlisted in early 2007 and later commissioned in May via officer candidate school. A career surface warfare officer, he served aboard guided-missile frigate USS Kauffman (FFG-59), guided missile destroyers USS John McCain (DDG-56) and USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) and commanded the Avenger-class mine countermeasure ship USS Patriot (MCM-7).

Ashore, he served at Naval Surface Force Pacific, Japan-based Destroyer Squadron 15 and Littoral Combat Squadron 2. His decorations included the Meritorious Service Medal, three awards of the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal and two awards of the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

An investigation into the death is ongoing, but two defense officials confirmed to USNI News that an initial report showed Volkle died by suicide. In 2022, the service saw its highest increase in death by suicide since 2019, USNI News reported last month.

Marinette, one of the last planned Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships, was commissioned on Sept. 17 in Menominee, Mich.

En route to the ship’s homeport at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., Marinette was waylaid in Cleveland because of a Canadian workers strike that blocked the St. Lawrence Seaway, USNI News reported.

USNI News

St. Lawrence Seaway sets latest closing date ever

The St. Lawrence Seaway announced Friday the shipping channel’s St. Lawrence River section will close on January 5, 2024. That’s the latest scheduled closing since the Seaway opened in 1959, according to the Seaway Ship Watchers Network.

The Seaway closed on January 2nd in 1984. An unscheduled delayed closing happened on January 12th in 2018 when a ship got stuck in Massena’s Eisenhower lock.

The Seaway allows freighters to transport mostly bulk goods between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. The shipping lanes close every winter to allow maintenance of the locks in Massena.

Cleveland Fire Boat Anthony J. Celebrezze is up for sale

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here’s your chance to buy a piece of Cleveland history as the Anthony J. Celebrezze Cleveland Fire Boat is up for sale. The fire boat has been around for decades. It was on the scene when the Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969.

It was named after the city of Cleveland’s 49th mayor, who later was part of President John F. Kennedy’s cabinet and appointed to the federal bench by President Lyndon Johnson. The boat was decommissioned on June 28, 2023, and removed from service.

Built in 1961, the boat is currently in the water in Newburgh Heights. The buyer will be responsible for getting it out of the water and moving it, according to an ad on GovDeals.

This boat has four Detriot diesel engines and measures 61 feet long and 16 feet wide, the ad says. As of Saturday there were 10 bids on the boat, but no had met the reserve price of $5,000.

Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek, told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Saturday a new fire boat already has been put into service.

The new boat is named after Garrett Morgan. Morgan was an inventor, responsible for the gas mask and the traffic light. The Garrett Morgan School of Leadership & Innovation, located on Detroit Avenue in the city’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, is named for him, as is one of the city’s water treatment plants.

The Anthony J. Celebrezze Cleveland Fire Boat has served the city well, but became outdated, Polensek said. The Garrett Morgan fire boat, with newer technology, has “the capacity to respond quicker and to pump more water,” he said.

Cleveland.com

                It’s official: Algoma latest is now Algoluna

The Algoma Central Corp.’s newest vessel has had her name painted on the hull while moored at Sarnia, ON. The formerly Norwegian-flagged product/chemical tanker Birgit Knutson, purchased last year by Algoma, is now the Algoluna. See images in the photo gallery.

                              Seaway lists closing dates

The Montreal- Lake Ontario portion of the Seaway will close January 5. The Welland Canal to be clear by January 7. Read the Seaway notice in the gallery below.

Why some new weather buoys are being left in the Great Lakes this winter

As we head into winter, almost all of the buoys that have been bobbing in the Great Lakes during the warmer months have been retrieved and will stay out of the water until springtime. However, the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory is testing out new buoys that can stay in the water all year long. And while they’re floating out there in the cold water, they’ll be collecting data.

Buoys make up an important part of weather forecasting for the Great Lakes and Michigan as a whole. Many buoys record and report weather information like temperatures of the air and water, wave height, and wind speed in areas where normal weather stations can’t be used. This weather data is then used to create forecasts by the National Weather Service and other meteorologists across our state and nearby states, as well as to monitor real-time conditions out on the water.

Lake and air temperatures and wind speed especially are useful for lake effect rain and snow forecasts, while wave heights and wind speed can help determine if conditions on the lake are safe for boaters and ships. However, many buoys can get damaged during the winter months on the Great Lakes due to ice on the water, and need to be retrieved. This leaves us with blank spots in our data during that time of year. NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, or GLERL, has been looking into a solution for this.

This year, GLERL is going to test out brand new buoys on the waters of Lake Michigan that are built to survive the harsh conditions on the lakes during the wintertime. They are smaller, stronger buoys that can withstand the ice buildup on the lakes and will hopefully supply weather and water information year-round. Besides the buoys, robotic vehicles are also going to be used on the surface of the water and below it to test out gathering data about the ice thickness, underwater temperatures, and other scientific data throughout the winter season.

This is exciting research for weather forecasting. If the buoys and system of robotic vehicles work out, gaps that are normally present in meteorological data during winter will be able to be filled. This data can then be used to make better weather forecasts during the winter, and to help people whose hobbies and lives depend on the Great Lakes.

Longer dock means more boaters can visit this lighthouse island in Straits of Mackinac

HELENA ISLAND, MI – An historic island lighthouse in the Straits of Mackinac will be more accessible with the installation of a new roll-out dock extension.

Previously accessible only by dingy, boats of all sizes will be able visit the St. Helena Island Light Station when the dock is extended by 48 feet to a total of 140 feet from shore, the Cheboygan Daily News reports. The project is funded by a $19,550 grant from Enbridge.

The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association owns and manages the light station, the report said. Tours are provided by volunteers from mid-June to mid-August.

The lighthouse began operations in 1873, according to the association. Restoration efforts began in 1986. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It’s located about 10 miles west of Mackinac Island.

Mrs. Lee A. Tregurtha passes at age 86; was namesake of Great Lakes vessel

Lee A. Tregurtha, 86, of Darien, CT, peacefully passed away at home on November 6, 2023, surrounded by her adoring family. Her name is familiar around the Great Lakes since she has a Great Lakes vessel named in her honor, as does her husband, Paul R. Tregurtha.

Interlake Steamship Co. wrote on its Facebook page: “It is with deep sadness that we share that Mrs. Lee A. Tregurtha, 86, wife of our Vice Chairman Paul R. Tregurtha and beloved namesake of our storied M/V Lee A. Tregurtha, passed away earlier this week. She was an important member of our Interlake family and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

“In her honor, our fleet is flying our U.S. flags at half-mast and her namesake is also flying the Lee A. Tregurtha house flag.”

Her obituary follows:

Lee was born to James and Dorothy Anderson on February 5, 1937, in Lake Forest, IL. She was pampered by her brothers Edward (Ted) and James (Bim) Anderson, who felt she walked on water. Raised in a family of engineers, Lee stood apart as a creative artist, enjoying acting and music in high school and studying Architecture at Cornell University.

She continued to pursue her wide-ranging creative interests throughout her lifetime and was a prolific creator of art, practicing photography, oil painting, pastels, acrylics, pen and ink drawing, sewing, knitting, paper-mache, garden design, flower arranging, and even poetry. After her children were grown, Lee studied at the New York Botanical Garden, becoming a Certified Botanical Illustrator, and she was appointed to the Johnson Museum of Art Board at Cornell University. She also wrote and designed charming books for her grandchildren and, each year, created a unique and much-anticipated family Christmas card depicting the prior year’s highlights.

Lee met her husband, Paul R. Tregurtha, at Cornell University, and the couple married in 1958. They enjoyed 65 years of travel and adventure together, moving from Lake Forest, IL to Portland, OR, then Boston, MA, Ann Arbor, MI, Beaconsfield, England, East Greenwich, RI, and finally, Darien, CT, where they have resided for over 50 years. She and Paul (Trig) also spent many happy years in Sunapee, NH, and North Palm Beach, FL, where she will be missed by her many dear friends.

The matriarch of the Tregurtha clan, Lee loved her family more than anything. She found her greatest joy in surrounding herself with family members for fun gatherings that might include skiing, tennis, golf, boating, board games, and, of course, good food and lots of laughter. Wherever the family travels took the group, all locations were promptly considered “LeeLand” as she held sway over her unruly offspring and oversaw all the details and planning that made these events so special. Lee was always the heart and soul of the family circle.

Lee was kind to all, had a quiet, gentle disposition, and a wicked sense of humor she kept until the end. Her generous nature was evident in the ways she gave back to the community, serving on the School Board and as a room parent, acting as a Cub Scout Den mother, volunteering as a reader to the blind in Boston and at the Darien Community Association, a reading aide to Florida elementary school students, helping with the Darien Garden Club, and supporting Goodwill and many other charitable organizations.

One could not have known Lee without knowing of her four-legged friends. She had many pets over the years and loved them all, but Scamper, Patches, and Tugger were her best buddies in the years after her children were grown, and she mothered them well.

Lee leaves behind her devoted husband of 65 years, Paul R. Tregurtha, and their children, Dory Tregurtha Croskey, Ted Tregurtha, Susan Tregurtha Marshall, and Tracy Tregurtha Child. Her love and devotion will be forever remembered by her children’s spouses, Tom Croskey, Marci Tregurtha, Newt Marshall, and David Child, as well as her fourteen grandchildren, Annabelle Croskey Nielsen and Jonathan Croskey, Katie, James, Jack, and Andrew Tregurtha, Cooper, Wyatt, and Payton Marshall, Hayley, Maxwell, Benson, Dennis, and Kirby Child. Her older brother, Ted Anderson, with whom she was very close, will also miss her deeply, as will the rest of her extended family of many nieces and nephews. Her loss will be acutely felt by the many others in her vast group of family and friends.

A memorial service will be held on November 18, 2023, at 11 a.m. at the Noroton Presbyterian Church, 2011 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT 06820.

Read the obituary, and find out where you can send memorial contributions here: https://lawrencefuneralhome.com/tribute/details/3646/Lee-Tregurtha/obituary.html

Algoma’s tanker Birgit Knutson renamed Algoluna

The formerly Norwegian-flagged product/chemical tanker Birgit Knutson, purchased last year by the Algoma Central Corp., will be renamed Algoluna. The name and registry now appear on the Transport Canada website. The tanker, which was built in 2010 in China, is currently moored at Sarnia, ON, undergoing modifications and renaming. Her AIS signal has yet to be updated to the new name.

Link for watching Whitefish Point museum’s Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony