Using Technology to Follow Great Lakes Shipping

I have been writing this blog for many years although I have fallen off in the number of posts in the past several years because we no longer own our cabin on the St. Marys River.  It has been painful to post about shipping because I miss the cabin so much.

However, I still follow shipping closely.  The use of technology allows me to see what boats are in 'the system'.

I use an app called MarineTraffic.  They call themselves the "World's #1 ship tracking app!"

I have found it to be accurate and time sensitive.  It's capabilities are much greater than I need.  It covers world-wide shipping.  But that came in handy recently when I was visiting Tampa, Florida and saw a ship in the harbor.  I was able to identify it using the app.

What apps do you use to help inn enjoying Great Lakes Shipping?  I'd love to hear from you.

Email me at Saultboatwatcher@gmail.com

Regards and happy viewing,
Brenda

January at the Soo

I'm on my way home after a short trip to Soo to spend time with my parents. It was bitterly cold yet beautiful while we were there. I thought you would enjoy some photos. 

There was an interesting controversy happening in the Soo this week. We noticed some huge piles at the Carbide dock. They appeared to be coal. But later I read in the Evening News that perhaps it was pet coke. Pet coke is more hazardous than coal. I know both Chicago and Detroit are struggling with disposal of huge amounts of pet coke. I had real concerns about pet coke sitting next to our  precious St. Marys River. 

I contacted Jeff Stafanski , a city commissioner and received the following reply this morning. 

Dear Brenda

    It is not petcoke that is pile at the dock.  It is just normal coal going to Essar Steel across the river.  The ice got thick and the ships could not deliver past the locks.  It is safe coal from west virginia that was delivered to Sandusky Ohio then brought here.  It is being hauled across the bridge in covered trucks , there is no harm to people , pets or they would have had to close for 2 months which could have had a impact on both communities.  The City also gets paid a rate on the tonnage of material that is dropped off at the dock, which goes to a fund repairs to the old Carbide dock.  Also a Michigan based trucking company is hauling it too.  I hope this settles any concerns you may have and thank you for contacting me.

 

  Jeff Stefanski

That is good news.

The shipping season is done. I stopped by the Locks Park. The sidewalks were cleared into the park but there wasn't much to see. 

St. Marys River on NBC Nightly News

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams did a piece on the low water levels of the Great Lakes called Deep Impact on Tuesday, June 18, 2013. 

They interviewed Mark Barker of Interlake Steamship Company and had some footage of the Mesabi Miner.

The piece also mentioned the St. Marys River and how the water levels in the river control the amount of cargo a greighter can carry.

Interesting and worth listening to.

This photo shows the low water level of the St. Marys River.  The green grass was river bottom a few years back.  Now we mow it to keep it from filling in with scrub vegetation.

Busy Day on the St. Marys River

I stayed home all day today working in my flower beds.  The weeds always get a head start before we move up here for the summer, so I'm doing part of the beds every day.

A strong thunderstorm blew through about dinner time.  We didn't get hail here but down in DeTour there was hail.  The air is cool with low humidity tonight.  We'll be closing the windows tonight and it will be a great night for sleeping.
 
So being at home allowed me to watch the boats all day.  And it was a busy day.  I spotted 17 boats during the day and into the evening.  I know I don't see every boat that passes but even so 17 makes for a good day.

Here's the list of what I spotted so far today:

Lee A. Tregurtha

CSL Assiniboine

Kaye E. Barker

PML 9000

PML barge

Burns Harbor

American Spirit

Algoma Navigator

Canadian Olympic

Federal Power

Walter J. McCarty Jr.

Edwin H. Gott

Ojibway

American Integrity

Walter J. McCarty Jr.

Indiana Harbor

Grande Mariner

Michiganborg

2009 Compared to 2010

There are many economic experts who analyze numbers to make predictions about trends and the upcoming future of any industry. I'm sure Great Lakes shipping has its own set of pundits. But I'm going to step out on a limb and make my own observation and prediction.

My observation isn't based on economic indicators or anything from Wall Street. Rather, my indicators are the ships that are passing by our cabin here on the St. Marys River.

I am a compulsive person when it comes to boat watching. Since I was a child, I have kept a record of the boats I see. Back in the 1950's and 1960's all I had to use was a notebook, a Know Your Ships book and my eyes. I couldn't identify individual ships but only shipping company based on the smokestack. My grandfather wouldn't let me use his binoculars for fear that I would break them.

When my husband & I purchased my grandparent's cabin in 1998, the first thing I did was buy a pair of binoculars with the money I inherited. Since that time, I've gotten a telescope for better boat watching. I keep my log on an Excel spreadsheet and we've also gotten a scanner.

So I'm using my boatwatching list to make an observation on Great Lakes shipping. I picked a day- July 26 and I compared the 2009 number of ships to 2010. I can say based on these facts that shipping in on the increase.

Ships passing the Cabin
2009- 7 boats
2010- 16 boats

So the Wall Street experts might be saying that our economic future is very uncertain. But things are looking up here. At least for the joy of boatwatching!

Prospects look good for 2010 Shipping Season

The shipping season for 2009 hit a level of ore shipments that was record-breaking but not in a good way. The tons of ore shipped was the same as that of 1938. That can't be good. You can read about it in this article from Superior Telegraph: Ore Shipments at Great Depression Levels.

But the good news in the article is that the 2010 shipping season is already looking up because steel mills are ramping up production and the mines in Minnesota are calling workers back from layoff.

That's great news for boat watchers on the St. Marys River this year. The shipping season is just drawing to a close this week. The Soo Locks will be closing on Jan. 15. From the pictures I'm seeing, it looks like ice is forming quickly. They've had some really cold mornings according to my parents.

There have been some great pictures from boatnerds on the Internet of boats in the ice. Today I posted two taken by Cathy K. near DeTour of the Lee A. Tregurtha, a boat with an illustrious history including service in WWII for which she received 2 battle stars. You can read a more detailed history at http://www.boatnerd.com/ and put the name Lee A. Tregurtha in the search box.

Since being converted to an ore carrier, she has sailed the waters of the Great Lakes under several names. Lee A. Tregurtha became her name in 1989. Mrs.Dorothy Lee Anderson Tregurtha was the wife of Paul R. Tregurtha, the owner of Interlake Steamship Co. at that time.

You Know You're a Boatnerd When

You know you're a boatnerd when your friends take pictures of boats just for you. My friend Bonnie was calling on clients in northern Michigan this weekend and send me these photos with this message:

Took this just for you! Off the harbor just north of Rogers City.

Can’t see the name of her though…

OK, readers, now I'm challenging you to identify this freighter for me. I know you can do it.

Following Blogs & the Linda Lou

How many blogs do you follow regularly? I follow many and although I don't read them every day, I do check to see if there is any news I might be interested in. I follow blogs that represent all my interests-Great Lakes Shipping, Michigan tourism, teaching, freelance writing, cupcakes (that is a story in itself), gardening, spiritual writings, NASCAR, blogs of friends and then blogs that are just fun to read. Yooper Yarns is one of the fun blogs.

While reading a blog called The Ship Watcher today, I learned about a ship that I had heard about recently. The Linda Lou is the yacht pictured above and it was recently near Michigan. You can see some more interesting pictures of her on his blog. The name intrigued me because one of my favorite cousins is Linda Lou.

Shipping has been very slow today. Early this morning while drinking my first cup of coffee, Indiana Harbor went up. The Grand Mariner went up around 10 am and down again about 5 pm. It must have been a short stop in the Soo. The Dongeborg, one of the Wagenborg salties, went up this afternoon. It was my first sighting of the boat.

Let me know if you have any blogs to recommend. I'm always up for another good read.

Enjoying Boat Watching

I was sent a direct tweet from Michael Purvis, a reporter for the Sault Star, and someone I follow on Twitter. He alerted me to an article in a Fort Wayne newspaper/website titled "Boatnerd reveals childhood obession." You might enjoy reading the reporter, Jeff Jones, reactions to a recent visit to the Soo Locks. Jones stated, " There’s something so indescribably tranquil about sitting beside the water, listening to the waves crash against the beach, the cries of seagulls and the quacking of ducks."

It is always fun to see how people enjoy the boats and their wonder and excitement at seeing them for the first time. When we introduce visitors to our cabin to the boats, it usually takes about a day and a half and they are hooked. They are out watching for what is coming up the river and I often see them looking in Know Your Ships for more information on the sighting.

Jeff Jones says that

"Many years ago, before I was 10, my grandparents had a summer cottage at DeTour Village, next to Lake Huron, where the big freighters would pass either to or from the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

While the boats were at a great distance from the cottage, a telescope enabled the grandchildren to zoom in and read each ship’s name. At night, reading the names was impossible, but we could still see ship lights in the darkness."

Many of us started our boat nerd obsession at some place along the river where we watched ships as a child. For many of us it was at our grandparent's cabin. I loved having my grandchildren here last week because I hope to pass on this 'obsession' to them.

I'd like to hear your stories about where your love of boats or the St. Marys River or just the Upper Peninsula began. Please share them with us.

The boat traffic has been light but rather steady. The Clelia II is making her trips right on schedule. Last night, a full moon rose over the river and gave us a spectacular show. I always look forward to the full moons during the summer. The show this year was perfect.

I saw the Lee A. Tregurtha in the Locks last night. Because of the technology of my new phone, I snapped a picture and sent it to Facebook. Are you on Facebook? There are lots of boat watchers and people who are on the boats. The sailors are sharing lots of great pictures from their travels that I am loving. If you need any assistance navigating Facebook, just send me an email at saultboatwatcher@gmail.com.

Thanks, Brenda

Summer Happenings

We've been having an incredibly cool, wet summer here. Last night was a long night with several hours of thunder, lightening and rain. I'm used to that kind of storm down state but not here.

This is the James R. Barker going down the St. Marys River earlier in the week when we had some sunshine.
Friday-The Algolake with my Facebook friend as the captain. That is also our neighbors out on their waverunner.

Saturday -This is the Kurt Paul, a saltie from Germany that is now docked in Sault, Ontario. I don't think I have seen it before. It passed the cabin during the night so I was glad that I got to see it today.


While I was photographing the Kurt Paul, I snapped these pics of the waterfront. We've had a cloudy, rainy day here with several hard storms passing through.

We're expecting a 'boatload' of company starting tomorrow and Monday. It is going to be great fun. My oldest daughter, my second-born and his wife and four kids will all be arriving. I'm hoping for great weather and lots of boats in the river. Is that too much to ask?

Rock Cut Picture & Painting

Last weekend I attended the 40th wedding anniversary party of some friends. I had been a bridesmaid in their wedding and it was one of the first trips that Tom, my future husband, had made to visit me here in the Sault.

At the party, I was reacquainted with Randy Krause who had also been a bridesmaid in the wedding. I had not seen her since the wedding. We found that we both lived on the St. Marys River not far from each other. Some things have changed in 40 years and we found that we are both on Facebook. When I got home, I sent a friend request which Randy accepted. Randy posted the picture I have above on Monday and gave me permission to share it with my blog friends. But she took it a step further and painted the picture in one day. She is selling the painting for $200 at the Sault Art Festival in a week. If it goes to the gallery, she said it will cost $300.

If you are interested in more information, just email me and I'll send you the contact info.

Point Counterpoint II Meets Canadian Progress

7:50 AM

Just as the Canadian Progress was ready to proceed up the river after having anchored here since yesterday afternoon, Point Counterpoint II came motoring down the river. I quickly research and found it was a 195 foot self-propelled barge that travels around the world presenting concerts by the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. The vessel is equipped with a hydraulic bandshell and an art gallery with pieces from around the world from locations the vessel has visited. Apparently she is making her last world tour.

The captain of the Canadian Progress was waiting for Point Counterpoint to pass before leaving the anchorage area. His comments were very entertaining. He said, "That is one ugly little thing. A sailor had too much time on his hands with spare parts." That was followed by someone from Point Counterpoint II explaining that they were a self-propelled vessel.

It sounded to me that Point Counterpoint II wasn't getting any respect from the 730 foot lake freighter.

Apparently, even in the world of lake freighters there is a pecking order of respect!

Cruise Ships & River Traffic

Clelia II, I wrote about this ship in a previous post. Sounds like a great trip.

Grand Mariner, a vessel of the American Canadian Caribbean Line cruises the Great Lakes during the summer. Their schedule shows some very interesting trips. The itinerary looks interesting but pricey.


Today's pictures were taken by Bill K., the faithful reader and commenter. Bill enjoys boat watching from the Soo and is great at keeping us updated when I'm away.

Yesterday we were home all day working in the yard. I think weeds grow faster and taller here in the north. I was working on the seawall we have that is made of rocks. It was full of weeds at least two feet tall. Luckily, the roots don't grow deep which makes them easy to pull. However, the sheer number of them is overwhelming.



Yesterday's ships that I saw were:
Upbound
Cedarglen
H. Lee White
John J. Boland
Cason J. Calloway
American Integrity
Downbound
Indiana Harbor
Gordon C. Leitch
Presque Isle
Paul R. Tregurtha

Tree Causes Some Excitement

In the early morning we heard about a tree that was floating near the shipping channel out front of our house. Several ships passed by which seemed to be looking for the tree. The Lake Guardian, an US Environmental Protection Agency vessel, the Katmai Bay, a US Coast Guard vessel and the Kiyi, a research vessel from the Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor all were in the area. I never heard that the tree was recovered.

Also downbound today was:
Charles M. Beeghly
Adam E. Cornelius

Upbound:
Walter J. McCarthy Jr.
Canadian Prospector
Burns Harbor

It was cool here all day and began raining around 6 PM. This week has been below normal temps and the forecast for the next few days seems to be more of the same. Great weather for working outdoors. Tom got by garden rototilled tonight and it is doing well.

Early Morning Fog and American Integrity

I awoke yesterday morning with a headache and I didn't even have to open my eyes to know that we were fogged in. I don't know why that happens but it frequently does. (The headaches from the fog, I mean). The fog hung on all the many webs that are outside every morning. But the fog quickly lifted and we had a beautiful day with the breeze coming off the river and making it perfect.




Last night was my two oldest grandkids last night here at the cabin. Today I'm taking them back down state to their parents. There will be more trips with more kids later this summer. But as a treat for the day we went to Clyde's for dinner. Clyde's in a drive-in restaurant right at the best boat watching spot around here.

We were watching the Sugar Island ferry and marveling about what life on an island must be like. The kids were amazed that the school bus crosses every day to pick up the students.

Just then a small Border Patrol boat was speeding up the river, probably ending the day and heading back to port. They suddenly stopped and turned around. We watched as they fished a huge log out of the river-it took two men to pull it in. For a minute, we thought we might be observing some act of international intrigue but I guess it was just a log.

The American Integrity made a beautiful sight coming up the river.


Jay, my 9 year old grandson, even got the captain to wave to him. But who could resist such an enthusiastic boat watcher.





It was a great close to a fun day to watch the American Integrity sail off into the sunset.

Training Young Boatnerds

We arrived back at our cabin on the St. Marys River yesterday afternoon. Two of my grandchildren came with my daughter and me. We began seeing boats right away. Traffic has been brisk, by today's standards, since we got there.

Madelynn is using the telescope to get a close-up look at the boats this morning. Last night we were returning from my parents in the Soo and we saw the Paul R. Tregurtha heading down the river and the supply boat was along side transferring supplies to the 1,000 footer. It is amazing to see because both are still moving while all the work is going on. The kids are learning to love boat watching too. Madelynn enters our sightings into my spreadsheet on the computer and even adds cute notes. Pretty good for a 10 year old.

Along with our fun, we have lots of yard work to get done because we were gone for a week. Everything grows fast and lush here. The short growing season along with the extra sunlight here because we are so far north makes for plants that rush to grow and mature. Here Jay is weeding the flower bed outside my backdoor and even the sidewalk needs weeding.

This is the Montrealais heading up the river. We have also seen the Dorothy Ann and Pathfinder, the Ojibway, Frontenac and Agawa Canyon.
Jay and I spend a wonderful hour sitting in the front yard this morning, watching the boats, reading and enjoying my fragrant trees-this rose and the mock orange in the next picture.

What a wonderful time in the Upper Peninsula when the flowers are in all their glory and the weather is delightfully cool and sunny.

Freighter traffic down

The published an article about the sorry state of the Great Lakes shipping industry and it talks about how the bad economy is played out on the Great Lakes.

Freighter business sinks in less than ship-shape time.

The article quotes Roger LeLievre, publisher of Know Your Ships and boat watching enthusiast.

The numbers coming from the Lake Carrier Association. The article states:

Freighter traffic on the Great Lakes is down about 40% this summer. There were 47 freighters plying the lakes last month compared with 75 during the same time last year, said Glen Nekvasil, vice president for corporate communications for the Lake Carriers Association.

The boat watchers know that this is true but it is still startling to see the 40 - 50 % reduction in freighter traffic.

Thanks to Bill K. for keeping us up-to-date on the boat traffic. It seems to have been a busy time. I hope to be returning to our cabin Monday or Tuesday.

We have a Czar!

I just read that President Obama has appointed Cameron Davis from Chicago to be the Great Lakes czar. The South Bend Tribune has a good article, "Czar a gain for the Great Lakes".

I returned to our cabin last night after being downstate to take care of some family business. Ship traffic has been slow according to the neighbors but I saw three ships last night.
CSL Niagara and Vaasarborg were headed down around 9:30 PM and the Paul R. Tregurtha was up just after dark. I heard them call in on the scanner and then enjoyed seeing the lights from the 1,000 footer passing out front in the dark.

The only traffic this morning has been the Niagara Spirit upbound around 6:30 AM. A small U.S. Coast Guard vessel was out front for a bit this morning but other than those two, it has been very quiet.

The river is calm this morning but the level is quite a bit higher than last year.

My friend, Bonnie, from Caledonia is coming up next week. She is in college textbook sales and is making a trip across the Upper Peninsula to call on clients. We have decided to make an adventure out of it. I'm going to accompany her all week. She will work in the mornings and we will explore in the afternoon and evenings.

Do you have any suggestions for sights or activities we should see? We know the big ones but we're looking for unusual or beautiful or out of they way things. Thanks for you input.

Busy Day on the St. Marys River

Today has turned out to be a beautiful day here on the river. After a cold morning of 43 degrees, the clouds moved out and our temperature reached 63 degrees with a partly cloudy sky. I was able to get lots of flower garden work done. The soil is still quite cool so my hostas that are on the north side of the house are just emerging out of the ground. My apple tree is just starting to blossom, so you can see we are a bit behind in the vegetation department.

I've counted 12 boats passing by today.

Robert S. Pierson-up			9:45 AM		Going to Algoma Steel
Joseph L. Block -down			7:45 AM
American Courage-up			12:15 PM		saw in the Locks
Michipicoten-down			9:12 PM
Indiana Harbor-down			12:00 into system at Gros Gap
John J. Boland-up			4:45 PM		sunny & cool 62 degrees
Edgar B. Speer-down			8:49 PM		called leaving Lock
Burns Harbor-down			4:50 PM
Cuyahoga-up			5:20 PM
American Century-up			8:00 PM
Quebecois-down-only heard on the scanner
Indiana Harbor-down			5:55 PM

Wind, Rain & Fog

We arrived back at the Cabin around 9:30 PM yesterday after having been gone downstate for several days to take care of some business. The wind was blowing here from the east harder than I had ever seen it in the summer. The water was being pushed in and came right up to our bonfire pile of brush. It is actually good to see the water level rising.

I saw two beautiful ships passed last night-American Spirit at 10:40 PM and the Algolake at 10:55. If there were other boats after that, I was gone to the land of sleep and didn't see them or hear them.

This morning things have calmed down and it is quite foggy but not foggy enough to close the River System. The James R. Barker just passed up and I could barely see it but heard it on the scanner.

It is going to be too wet today for much yard work. I'm working for the summer at the EUP Learning Center in the Sault teaching classes on writing and tutoring students in reading comprehension. Today is my first day of work there for this summer.


This photo was taken last summer at the opening of the Sault Campus. The other campus is near Brimley. I'm on the right in the yellow shirt and those are my grandkids in the picture too.