A Pilot’s Life 2

Algoma Mariner (2011) heads upriver with a load of ore.  This time of year and until the St. Lawrence Seaway opens, Montreal is the head of navigation, so that’s where the ore will be discharged and sent further by rail.

Pilot exchange at Quebec City is facilitated by Ocean Ross Gaudreault (ORG).

 

 

Minutes after the exchange, ORG (94′ x 37′) cuts a swath back to the base

using its 5000 hp through the freshwater ice that’s come down from

Lake Saint Pierre.

Back in September, I got these photos of the pilots’ exchange.

 

For some info on the Canadian Pilots, Laurentian Region, click here.

 

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

 

Cold Port No Mystery

Thanks for all the guesses, and here are some photos from the past week.  This was taken at the outset of a steep grade descending into St. Joseph de la Rive and the Isle aux Coudres ferry.

See the ship in the ice between the mainland and the island above;  farther upstream here’s a closer up of Algoma Mariner, and here

an even closer look at what constant ice against the bow does to the paint.

And here’s the winter version of yesterday’s post, looking back at Quebec City.  Some of you were right even down to the street address of the pier.

And traversiers aka ferries between Quebec City and Levis. 

Yes, I love winter.  And this is southern Quebec.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.   For more previous Saint Lawrence photos on tugster, click here.   For photos from Jean Hémond, a Quebecois whose expertise is this environment, click here.

Océan Blue 1

A jolly tar sent me some photos that could be a continuation of Other Watersheds 17.  He was there recently, and these photos add to my desire to get back up there, since it’s been 25 years since I last saw this place.

Note the pilot boat.  Now I’ll use his words:  “MAERSK PALERMO northbound on St. Lawrence possibly bound for Nova Scotia or proceeding to sea.
Bridge in background connects mainland to Ile D’Orleans.  River SMOKES when it ebbs – 5+KTS.”

To see Ocean Charlie (1973) in exactly the same location in February, click here. Quebec City has an average January temperature of 9 F, compared with 30 for the sixth boro. If you want cold, go up to Quebec’s north country to Inukjuak, where the average January temperature is -12 F.

Ocean Tundra (2013) was built at Ocean’s own shipyard.   To her stern is Ocean K. Rusby (2005).  And the grain silos have also served as a projection screen.

Ocean Echo II (1969)  is a pin boat.

Ocean Guide returns from a call, fighting a current.

From a month ago, here are some other Ocean tugs, these in Hamilton.

For the entire Ocean tugboat fleet, click here.

Again, many thanks to the jolly tar.

For some stats on Canadian ports, click here.  Montreal–upriver from Quebec City– is one the the big four Canadian container ports; for info on the four, click here.