Shipping Season Opens Soon

I found this article in the Battle Creek Inquirer today.

The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie are scheduled to open three weeks from today, signaling the traditional start of the Great Lakes shipping season.

Unfortunately, it appears that there won't be a boatload of traffic. Many freighters don't expect to return to the Great Lakes until later in the spring, as the recession slows demand for shipment of materials.

Dismal as the economic picture appears, there is reason for hope when it comes to Great Lakes shipping.

National interest is being revived in promoting marine highways. Expanded use of the nation's 25,000 miles of navigational waterways could help to alleviate truck traffic on congested roadways while at the same time providing a more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly means of transport.

For example, one cargo container on a barge removes a truck from crowded highways. A 15-barge tow can contain as much material as 1,050 tractor-trailers, according to the Associated Press. A barge uses only one gallon of diesel to move a ton of cargo 576 miles. That same amount of fuel only moves a ton of cargo 413 miles by rail, and 155 miles by truck.

Tugboat companies are showing signs of growth along the Atlantic coast, offering the prospect for similar expansion along the St. Lawrence Seaway and into the Great Lakes.

There are hurdles to clear in making short-sea shipping competitive with other forms of transportation. Not the least of these is the need to update locks to accommodate increased freight traffic, a venture that would cost tens of billions of dollars. Rail and truck shippers also don't face as many hefty fees, such as harbor maintenance taxes.

But with heavy truck traffic becoming a growing concern on our nation's highways, and the push for better fuel efficiency, promoting greater use of our Great Lakes waterways for shipping could help bolster Michigan's economy in the years ahead.

Summer Cruises

I found the following article in the Duluth News Tribune today. It makes me so excited for summer. I hope to see the Clelia II many times and I will keep you updated.

I'm currently in Phoenix Arizona but start back to Michigan tomorrow. Can't believe shipping season starts next month-29 days.






Clelia II yacht will be docking in Duluth about every two weeks between July and September. It’s the first time Duluth will be the starting and ending point for a passenger cruise. Duluth officials are hoping cruise operators will increasingly use the port here as a place to conclude or kick off their trips.

Historical Picture

This picture from the Soo came into my possession some time ago. The date is 1891 and shows laying the first block in a new lock. I have no information about a lock being built at that time.
W.J. Bell from Sault, Michigan is the photographer and I have no information about him.

If any of you can lend a hand with additional information, it would be appreciated.

Sea Gull Diet Problems

I read an article today in the Toronto Globe and Mail about sea gulls. It caught my attention because sea gulls really cause us trouble in the summer at the cabin. Just out from us in the St. Marys River is a small island that was formed when the Corp of Engineers last dredged the channel. They dumped what they took from the channel in close to shore and this formed into a series of small islands. The islands have become hatchery for hundreds of sea gulls in the summer. They bother us with their 24/7 squawking and also their dirty droppings which go into the water.

This article, Herring Gulls Face Trans-fat troubles, tells that trans-fats are now showing up in gull eggs because of diets consisting of human garbage. But I have another idea where all the fat is coming from. Clyde's Drive-In at the Sugar Island ferry dock is one of our favorite eating spots in the summer-both for the food and the good view of ships. But I know the food isn't healthy. If you have ever eaten at Clyde's, you know that the sea gulls are hanging around looking for any scrap of food. They will even swoop down and take food right off the tray when it is attached to your car window. (Clyde's is an old-fashioned drive-in and they bring food to you car.)

I find it difficult to feel sorry for the gulls. But if we could get them on low fat diets, maybe they would move on and leave us alone.

Any of you out there have any sure-fire gull repellents? I would appreciate hearing about them.

Who Owns the Griffin Shipwreck?

Here's an interesting turn of events in the squabble over who owns the Griffin, the 17th century ship supposedly in northern Lake Michigan.

France Asserts Ownership of Griffin shipwreck

Now France is saying they own the shipwreck and joins the legal battle that has been going on between the State of Michigan and Great Lakes Exploration LLC who claim to have located the Griffin.

The Griffin was built by LaSalle and disappeared on its maiden voyage in 1679 loaded with furs when it departed Wisconsin near Green Bay.


It never ceases to amaze me that the waters of the St. Marys River are the same waters sailed by early explorers and must look somewhat the same.


I read a poem by Jane Johnston Schoolcraft that was written about 200 years ago. The thoughts remain true even today.

Fair land of the lakes! thou are blest to my sight,
With thy beaming bright waters, and landscapes of light;
The breeze and the murmur, the dash and the roar,
That summer and autumn cast over the shore,
They spring to my thoughts, like the lullaby tongue,
That soothed me to slumber when youthful and young.

January Shipping Numbers

I found the following post on a web site called SNAMeMarine News Daily. It is not good news.


Shipments of iron ore on the Great Lakes in January plunged 80 percent compared to a year ago, totaling only 700,000 net tons. The last iron ore cargo was loaded on January 13. Even though the locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, close on January 15, the iron ore trade, from Escanaba, Michigan, usually continues until the end of January, and often into February. Instead, that dock loaded its final cargo on January 9.
The 700,000 tons that did move in January do not even represent a full month’s shipments from any of the largest iron ore ports on the Lakes. The January ore float also only represents enough cargo to keep two and a half of the largest U.S.-Flag lakers busy for a month.
Lake Carriers’ Association represents 16 American corporations that operate 63 U.S.-Flag vessels on the Great Lakes. These vessels carry the raw materials that drive the nation’s economy: Iron ore and fluxstone for the steel industry, limestone and cement for the construction industry, coal for power generation. Collectively, these vessels can transport more than 115 million tons of cargo a year when high water levels offset the lack of adequate dredging of Great Lakes ports and waterways.

Interesting Blog

I love to hear stories from others about life on the St. Marys River. I found an interesting blog today that describes a visit to the Locks. You can enjoy it too at Caracolina.

I am in Phoenix right now enjoying the sunny, warm desert. We drove here from Michigan. On the way we crossed the Red River in Shreveport Louisiana.

I read that the Red River had been navigable many years ago but in recent years is was not. However, the Corps of Engineers worked on the Red River and installed a series of dams and locks and since the 90's the Red River is once again navigable.

We have to love the Corp of Engineers.

Please send me any pictures you have of the St. Marys River from any season and I will be glad to post them. Thanks, Brenda