The Paul R. Tregurtha came under the Lift Bridge late Wednesday evening. By 1 am Thursday morning, she was tied up at the Port Authority (above) to repair ice damage to her bow that occurred in Green Bay after she left winter layup at Sturgeon Bay. By Thursday evening, people from Interlake and Fraser Shipyards indicated it may take at least several days for the repair, perhaps longer. A Discovery Channel Canada production team was onboard and got a little bit more action than they figured. Here Tregurtha captain Tim Dayton, 2nd from left in 2nd row, gathered some of his crew to join the team, entire first row, and second row, for a group picture in the officer's mess. Click here for more pictures
Captain James Nuzzo took his Lee A. Tregurtha out for his (not the boat's) last season on the Great Lakes early this afternoon (March 23, 2008). That's him up there in the pilot house. I can't see him but I know he is in there.
The Edwin H. Gott departed Duluth on Sunday morning, March 23, 2008, going to Two Harbors to load taconite pellets.
Often the first sign of spring up here is the first boat coming under the Lift Bridge for the new season. This year, the bridge was painted during the winter recess between mid January and mid March. So the first boat to leave, the Mesabi Miner, departed by way of the Superior entry (below). Today, on the first day of spring (March 20, 2008), the Lift Bridge went up for the first time since the season ended in January. No ships yet; the bridge crew needs to do their routine testing and maintenance that they could not do while the bridge was down and being painted. In a day or so, it will be open for business, so above, we see the first lift of the year, only about 5 days after the first ship left. Two way traffic opened up about an hour before this first lift at noon.
The Mesabi Miner cleared the Superior piers at 11:30 am on Sunday, March 16, 2008.
Alder commander Kevin Wirth (left) invited Captain Scott Briggs (right), captain on the Mesabi Miner and his first mate and relief captain Tom McMullen (middle) to go out with them today (Saturday, March 15th, 2008) while they break ice in the harbor. They will be working on the track the Miner will take when she departs at 9 am on Sunday morning. Above, they are comparing notes on the ice in the Alder wardroom.
The Alder moved away from her dock this morning (Tuesday, March 11, 2008). She will be breaking ice in the harbor, the Superior channel and out into the Lake. First stop: Murphy Oil Fuel Dock (below) to replenish their supply of fuel. That's Rodney Graham from Murphy, on the left, making sure the connection is secure before they start pumping fuel into the cutter. (Improved video, from Tuesday)
On January 21st, the Alder assisted the Mesabi Miner as she came into port and went over to Midwest Energy Resources for winter lay up. The Alder then returned to her dock, backing in as you can see above. Today, above, she remains in the same spot. Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 11, 2008), at 8:30am, she will start up her engines and break out from there, moving into the ice of the Duluth harbor to start the new season.
The steamer Reserve knows where to spend the winter lay up, nestled beside the birch trees in a north woods front yard. (Click here for more information and pictures)
The folks at Fraser Shipyards in Superior are working hard getting 4 boats ready for the new shipping season, destined to start middle to late March. Above, you see the Frontenac, Edward L. Ryerson, Lee A. Tregurtha and St. Clair, the boats they are working on at the shipyard this year, on Friday, February 22, 2008.
Click here to see the YouTube video taken from the deck of the US Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay while she broke ice in the Duluth Superior harbor on Decmeber 12, 2007.
Click here to see YouTube video of the James R. Barker coming in this morning (January 2, 2008)
