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.

Asian Carp in the St. Marys River Update

Yesterday's post brought up the idea of Asian carp entering the Great Lakes system. I had an interesting post which you might want to read from a follower in France. I used Google Translate and posted the comment in English in case you don't read French. Thanks to Mr. Beamish's French class at Sault High, I could read most of it.

Last night I was watching our local weather and there was a segment on Asian carp. Thanks to my broken ankle, I'm sitting and watching TV news. Our local anchorman was interviewing Dr. Dan O'Keefe from the Michigan Sea Grant organization. I had never heard of this organization but they are involved in 'promoting understanding and intelligent use of the Great Lakes".

I emailed Dr. O'Keefe about the Asian carp problem and the chances of Asian carp reaching the St. Marys River. His response was:

As for the St. Marys, it is probably too cold for successful reproduction of either Asian carp species - but they could still potentially enter the St. Marys from other areas if breeding populations do become established in other rivers.

The words 'could still potentially' strikes fear in me.

The rest of Dr. O'Keefe's explanation follows:

Hi Brenda,

It is hard to say how long it will be before Asian carp are documented in Lake Michigan. The bighead carp has already been documented in Lake Erie, but has not established a reproducing population. Silver carp have not been documented in any of the Great Lakes, but are now (along with bigheads) within 7 miles of Lake Michigan with nothing but a navigational lock between them and the Great Lakes. The sample that verified their presence at that location was taken between Sept. 23 and Oct. 1, so it is possible that they have moved closer already.

Here's an article from the Freep.com site. Varocious carp could quickly take over Great Lakes. It has some good basic info about the carp.

The Wall Street Journal also did an article on the carp today. Asian Carp could hurt boating, fishing industry in Great Lakes.

The New York Times is also featuring an article. Varacious Eater may be nearing Lake Michigan.

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.

Shipping Industry

I had to be the bearer of such bad news about the shipping industry so I won't quote the statistics but simply give you a link for the latest data. Recession Hits Great Lakes Hard from the Journal of Commerce will fill you in on the current state of Great Lakes Shipping.

If you're not up to that news, the good news is that we are moving Up North on May 28th and then I will be posting reports on what I'm seeing on the St. Marys River.

I'm also going to try Twitter with SooBoatWatcher and do updates on boat sightings through there.

Soo Locks Web Cam

As you may have noticed, the Soo Locks web cams are not operating. I asked my helpful sister-in-law at the Sault Visitors and Convention Bureau what was going on. This is what she said,

"Now the Soo Locks webcam has had a upgrade and when they do that they have to wait until the government gives them permission and we know how long it takes the government to do anything all I can say is I keep calling Detroit Army Corp and get the same answer."

So that is the scoop there. It may be a while before we can watch shipping. But once I get to the Soo on May 29 I will begin twittering the ships as well as posting on my blogs. Can't wait.

Picture from April 15

I received this picture from my sister-in-law, Linda, of the Sault Visitors and Convention Bureau. She took the picture on her phone while sitting at a meeting. I know she sent it to make me jealous that I'm not up to the Soo yet. But it won't be too long and I'll be there.

Any of you planning trips to the Soo this summer? We should have a blog party sometime.

Sault Coast Guard on Flood Relief

The Sault Coast Guard is assisting in the flooding along the Red River according to this press release from the Coast Guard.

Units from the Ninth Coast Guard District are assisting units from the Eighth District in response to flooding along the Red River, which runs through Minnesota and North Dakota.

Coast Guard crewmembers are working closely with both local and state officials from response centers in the Red River region and have saved 16 lives as of approximately 1:30 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Ninth District assets responding include an Air Station Traverse City, Mich., HH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter and crew; and 20-ft.airboats from Coast Guard Stations Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.; St. Clair Shores,Mich.; Sturgeon Bay, Wis. and Marblehead, Ohio.

Algosar Due at 8 PM

The latest update just came from Linda at the Sault Convention and Visitors Bureau. She took this picture of the Mackinaw locking through this morning, I believe. Linda says the Algosar is due at 8 PM tonight. If any of you take a picture of it, would you please email to me at saultboatwatcher@gmail.com. Thanks

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.

The Living Great Lakes

What is there to do now that winter is setting in? The long winter nights give us a chance to reflect and plan for next summer.

I've been reading a great book about the Great Lakes called "The Living Great Lakes." I have to recommend this book to everyone.

Traverse City author Jerry Dennis wrote this book in 2003 describing a trip he made in 2000. He sailed from Traverse City to Bar Harbor Maine aboard the Malabar, a 100 foot tall-masted schooner that was moving to her new home after being a teaching ship in Traverse City.

Dennis expands his book to include chapters on all 5 Great Lakes. This is more than a story but rather a study on the Great Lakes including history, geology, and biology. This is not a textbook study. Dennis writes with a poet's eye for details and his love for the lakes is very evident.

I will expand on the book in future posts. Please let me know if you have read this book or plan on reading it. I'd love to post reactions from readers. Maybe we could be a cyber-book discussion group.