Clearing Welland Traffic

As you may know, a power outage on the Welland Canal led to a daylong closure of the waterway for repairs.  Since we were among the vessels affected, I had a front row seat when the canal reopened, an ideal location to see heavy traffic and all its variety. 

John D. Leitch was the first after daybreak.

After Leitch had been there  a few hours, Atlanticborg passed.  

Then an upbound Fuldaborg passed after Wilf Seymour stopped by in berth Leitch had vacated.

Algoterra passed Atlantic Huron and Ocean Voyager, followed by 

Algoma Innovator.

Spartan and Spartan II headed up bound for Ludington.

USCGC Hollyhock came through.

And as we were departing,

Algoma Mariner came and docked in our location. 

All photos, any errors, WVD, who missed a few vessels before sunrise.  Some of these vessels will eventually be focus of upcoming posts.

 

LL2 Escanaba to Sugar Island

Let’s start with Poverty Island . . . and the light considered the US most endangered lighthouse.

Candace Elise used to operate as Stephen Dann.

Manitowoc makes its way west into Lake Michigan. 

Buckthorn backs out of Mackinac Island and heads for Lake Superior.

In a short time, two footers passed by:   American Integrity headed west. 

Corsair brought in the hay and flowers . .  for horses and bees maybe.

Burns Harbor made its way back up to Superior.   Burns and Integrity are two of the 13 “footers” working on the upper Lakes.

John D. Leitch has an unmistakeable profile.

Two more “footers” awaited us before we got to Sugar Island.

 

That’s Sugar Islander II in between the two boats, and that’s where we’ll start next post.

 

I love the hanging benches and bicycle on the balconies of American Century. 

All photos and any errors, WVD.

Three Lakers & Three Lights

Daylight hours are getting very short, reiterating summer 2019 is no more, but I’ve still got photos left from gallivants of warmer and brighter days this year, like this one of a

downbound Thunder Bay passing Rock Island Light, once legitimately tended by an erstwhile pirate William Johnston.

 

Later as we continued towards Lake Onrario, we followed Atlantic Huron, an ore boat we seem to have encountered frequently this season, here leaving Carleton Island to port and

Wolfe to starboard.

Soon after passing Tibbetts Point Light, we entered the NE corner of

Ontario.  By the way, the hostel beds previously available at Tibbetts Light will soon be no more.

And as Atlantic Huron disappeared in the distance, we passed John D. Leitch,

passing the light at Charity Shoal, a light over an impact crater.

I love that steering pole.

 

Then Leitch entered the funnel, leaving Wolfe Island to port and downbound waters become the Saint Lawrence.

All photos from a few warmer months back by Will Van Dorp.

 

 

 

Lake Loop 5: The Straits Eastbound

Now and then I see something that intrigues me more than a routine amount.  This lighthouse looked to have been bombed.  It turns out . . . it had!  Waugoshance Light was used for bombing practice during WW2.  The light is at the west end of Wilderness State Park, home to wolves and bears.

Farther west is White Shoal Light.  At one time, lightships marked Grays Reef Passage.

Overtaking us was   . . .  name it?  . . .

John J. Boland. 

While Boland heads for the Soo, John D. Leitch headed west and then south.

Leitch is six years older than Boland, and although 50′ longer, she has the same capacity as Boland.

 

 

 

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

Go West 10

Daylight on leg 10 saw us near the Ontario, Ohio, and Michigan border, where we met GL Ostrander pushing Integrity.

We pass the abandoned amusement park at Bois Blanc,

Canadian Coast Guard’s Caribou Isle,

and ferry Ste. Claire moving cars between the Amherstburg, ON and Bob-lo “island marina community.”

Here’s the channel looking south.

Furuholmen heads north to Sarnia,

and our vessel’s twin, Grande Caribe, meets up in Wyandotte.

 

Meanwhile traffic continues down bound–like Sam Laud and John D. Leitch.

 

This post closes out with a regular down in the sixth boro . . . Calusa Coast pushing Delaware.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.