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In Bayfield WI, this park adjoins a complex named Reiten Boatyard condos,
but the namesake is a gentleman who–with his crew–partook of the food intended for their own wake. The story? Click here.
Now you’d imagine that this fish tug–Dawn–would have been built at the Reiten boatyard. Nope. She’s another Burger Boat product from 1928.
South Twin was Bayfield-built, 1938. It fished until 1995 but since then has been a yard ornament in Red Cliff.
Heading south on the Bayfield peninsula, we come to Washburn WI, where I saw John D, which appears to be a greatly modified fish tug. Maybe I’m wrong but I find no info on her from my sources.
The fish tug site has this to say about H. W. Hocks: “built at Milwaukee, Wis., in 1935, by Harry W. Hocks, the 50 ft. x 14 ft. all-steel vessel was originally equipped with a 100-120 hp. Kahlenberg oil engine. By the early 1940s the boat had been sold to Reuben Nelson, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Nelson re-powered with a Model D13000 Caterpillar diesel. In 1955 Clyde and Clarence Anderson, Algoma, Wis. purchased the boat, and fished her up until 1991, when she was sold to Cliff Parrish, Brimley, Mich.”
In the village of Cedar River MI, I spotted Art Swaer VI, which I believe was built as late as 1974.
Nearby trap net boat Robert J tied up.
Now way over by the Bruce Peninsula, it’s Mamie and
Anzac K.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
I still have lots of these. If I were to spend money for a boat and lived in a place where I could walk to it every day, I’d get a fish tug. All boats today are within a three-minute walk of the market at Bodin Fisheries.
Let’s start with the 1938 Ruth, which has become a static display at the Bayfield Marine Museum, which–to my disappointment– was closed when I visited.
Noree Jo was built in 1948.
Let’s have a look from all angles.
Cassie-K is slightly older, a 1945 boat.
John R seems to have gone to the birds . . . She’s from 1942.
The smaller red-hulled boat beside John R gave no clue of her name.
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She was still self-propelled and earning cargo credit in September 5, 2017, when I saw her near Mackinac Island . . .
Ditto two days later in windsor and a bit later
she was running down bound past Wyandotte,
allowing me a close-up of her oxidation.
But today, thanks to Fred Miller II for these photos, she’s down bound again, but behind a tow line of Evans McKeil, with
tail steering provided by the iconic Cheyenne.
Many thanks to Fred for the last two photos. All others by Will Van Dorp.
How about some irony: Evans McKeil, shown here n Montreal in October 2017 with barge Metis,
was built in Balboa, Panama in 1936!! Algoway‘s keel was laid in 1972 in Collingwood, and she’s headed out for scrapping in Turkey.
Cheyenne has appeared on this blog many, many times, most recently after I caught her in the Oswego River in September 2017 as she headed for Detroit.
I’ve posted enough photos of “lakers” that you might know what they look like. In fact, I posted a photo of “queen of the lakes” only a few days ago. So the photos today below are the reason I’m late posting.
Note the self-unloader. This gear gives these boats enhanced versatility, as they can unload wherever, and fast.
Note the logo. “Algoma Central Corporation owns and operates the largest fleet of dry and liquid bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Waterway.” That’s a quote from here.
And here’s the answer . . . Algoma Integrity is doing Alice‘s run for now, and is therefore operating in salt water. I last saw her upriver of Montreal last fall.
Back in April another self-unloader came to the sixth boro . . . CSL Frontier.
I’m posting a bit late today because I had an idee fixe of what the post should be.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Just east of the dock featured a few days ago here is another dock.
Eleanor B might be among the “newest” of the fish tugs I’ve seen, 1950. Click here for photos of her christening at Peterson Brothers in Sturgeon Bay and more.
In the same fleet colors–I think–and two years older than Eleanor B is Twin Sisters, a trap net boat. If my info is correct, she was once known as Sue Carol.
Kristin Beth . . .I can’t find any info about her. I’m wondering if the shelter forward is original or a repurposed portion of an old boat.
Crews were mostly working on the three boats above, even though I caught these photos without them. Obviously, no one earns money when the boat’s at the dock. There were boats–fish tugs–moving toward and away from the docks, like this unidentified one, and
this one, Gary. If I may borrow from “the fish tug” site, here’s their info on all the modifications done to Gary: “GARY 247461 .Built by Burger Boat Co. in 1945, for William Yauger, Jr., Algoma, Wis. The 40 ft. x 11 ft. steel hulled fish tug was equipped with a 45-54 hp. Kahlenberg oil engine. The cabin was of wood, over steel frames, with pilot house mid-ship. Yauger was owner until 1951, when she was sold to Canadian owners, and renamed BARRY MCKAY. In 1962 the boat came back to the U.S., retained her original name, and was owned by William Heward, Rogers City, Mich., until 1969. Bought by Gilmore Peterson, Bayfield, the Kahlenberg was removed, and a Cummins diesel installed. The wood cabin was replaced with steel, and the pilot house moved to the stern. Gilmore sold the boat to his nephew, Michael Peterson, who still has ownership.”
Boats came and went at the dock. An arrival was Thomas C. Mullen, a 1946 Burger built boat. Click on the link in the previous sentence for info on all her modifications since 1946. I may have mentioned this before, but Burger–still in Manitowoc–has built many vessels since 1863.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who plans many more posts on fish tugs and is fully to blame for any errors in info here.
This road trip was partly about seeing more fish tugs, the focus of the next few posts. One of the current hubs of fishing tugs still fishing is the Bayfield Peninsula, jutting out of northern Wisconsin into Lake Superior. Bayfield still had chunk ice in the harbor on May 9!
Let’s start out at Bodin Fisheries, and the docks there.
Visible here from l to r, it’s Miss Madilynn, JJC, Twin Disc, and Alicia Rae.
And circling around to the other side, more views from different angles of this set.
Mackenzie May, partly visible here, is astern of Miss Madilynn.
Looking out of the cove, that’s Madeline Island–the only inhabited island of the Apostles–visible only when the fog is lifted. Part of the island is home to the Bad River band of the Ojibwe.
But back to the fish tugs. Note JayJayCee is abridged on the stack.
A major resource I use to learn more about fish tugs is here, compiled by Harvey Hadland and Bob Mackreth. A second one is Great Lakes Commercial Fishing Forum here.
Miss Madilynn might be the newest of this set, built (I believe) in 1964 in Black River Harbor MI. Previous names are Isle Royale Queen, Jean-Maur-B II, and Jean Mor B. She’s 31′ loa.
Mackenzie May was built in 1940 at Burger Boat, 42′ loa. The Burger family has been building boats since 1863 in Manitowoc WI.
Twin Disc, 45′ loa, carries the original name as when she was built in Sturgeon Bay by Peterson in 1937.
Alicia Rae was built as C. W. Lind in 1945. The 42′ boat was also once called Kelly. She was built as hull 209 at Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Drydock.
I skipped the Garden Peninsula on my drive out to Bayfield, but from George Schneider a few years back, here’s a fish tug he photographed there.
All photos by will Van Dorp, who takes the blame for any mis-processed info here.
Click here for a short video on commercial fishing on Lake Superior.
Yup . . . that’s a crankshaft. And yup, that’s a full size 6’2″ version of myself.
Here’s the connection to the title. Yankcanuck . . . cool word.
From 1963 until 2016, she worked in different trades, even spending some time in the Arctic. With her interesting history, I’m glad that a portion of her has been preserved for folks like me who missed her arrivals into Detroit, for example, and can now learn of her. Preserve, preserve, at least some parts.
These photos by Will Van Dorp, who’s now facing a corrupted card.
How fortunate to catch Paul R. Tregurtha on her first upbound trip through the Soo! She’s the last product of the shipyards in Lorain OH, which was the first stop on this gallivant.
Just ahead of Tregurtha was James R. Barker, another product of Lorain, here waiting to enter the locks.
An impulse stop in Sault Ste Marie ON was the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, a great stop.
To get from Manitoulin Island to the Bruce Peninsula, we boarded “the big canoe,” aka Chi-Cheemaun, a replacement for SS Norgoma, featured here a few days ago. Chi-Cheemaun is a product of Collinwood ON shipyards, about which I’ll comment later.
Tobermory has erected a plaque to Le Griffon, the will-0-wisp of the Great Lakes, the first full-sized sailing ship built on the Lakes above Niagara. She disappeared on the return from her first voyage, one of the many vessels lost on the Lakes without a trace.
Is it true that Dawn Light, docked here in Tobermory, was built in 1891? !! Here’s the suggestion and history.
Georgian Bay . . . and here’s a cairn built in honor of those past.
Just east of Georgian Bay in Gordon Lightfoot country, there are lots of apple orchards. Are there any Lightfoot songs referring to them or to farming there?
Here is part of the area that used to be Collingwood Shipyards, now living and shopping space. At least they painted a mural of a laker on the supermarket wall.
Itinerary and all photos by Will Van Dorp, who offers this poem in respect for this day..
SS and then MS Norgoma worked for Owen Sound Transportation Company from 1950 until 1974. Now it’s been voted out of town.
I hope something can be learned from the public process that “directs staff to look for options to remove the former steamship.” A public process is to be admired.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, with thanks to Greg for suggesting I look her up.
Even gallivants have destinations, and her it is, the Bayfield peninsula,
one of the best places to see fish tugs, to be included in a number of upcoming posts, following on these past ones. South Twin was built in 1938 in Bayfield and is now out of the water,
but many more like Gary (1945) still fish. Recall that Urger was once a fish tug.
Obviously, this is not a fish tug, but an excursion vessel.
Bayfield’s Devil’s Island was once visited by one President, and here’s why.
The town is itself spectacular, even when the fog prevents excursion boats from heading out. Radar and other navaids can get you out there, but don’t guarantee
that you’ll see much.
Was this Bartholdi’s inspiration . . .?
… just kidding.
Anyone recognize this ferry?
Here’s the story.
This kit saw me and ran for its mother, lurking in the bushes.
John D is one more fish tug, and not mentioned in this site, but we’ll leave you here. As Robert E. Keen says . . . the road goes on forever….
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who has crossed a border by now.
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