Boatnerd Discussion Forum

She's on the move, passing marysville currently.

JohnH wrote: This is evidently a new feature in marinetraffic.

Yes, new to Marine Traffic, but other free AIS services like SiiTech have offered it for years. Unfortunately SiiTech's Great Lakes coverage can be very spotty.

If you go close enough in on marinetraffic.com it will show the ships in real size. It shows that while the Cresswell is heading upriver, it at times is backing downriver. You can also see the two icebreakers in their real size as well. This is evidently a new feature in marinetraffic.

The AIS data that a ship sends out usually gives its length & beam, as well as where the GPS antenna that feeds the AIS is located, and the heading from the ship's gyro.

I have been watching, on AIS, Peter Cresswell with the Neah Bay and Risley fight their way up the lower St Clair River all day and they seem to be making very little progress.

At times the Cresswell appears to be moving backwards. I don't know if they are intentionally backing down or the ice is pushing them. I am not familiar with the area but I suspect there is a very strong current in the South Channel in the area where they now are, possibly made worse if the other channels are obstructed by ice.

It looks like they are in for a long struggle unless conditions improve once they get past Harsens island and into a wider channel.

On Friday the Peter Cresswell was in convoy with the Algosea. The Algosea arrived Sarnia with apparently no problems. The Peter Cresswell is still in the lower St Clair River. I assume the USCG Neah Bay and CCGS Risley are breaking ice in the lower St Clair River. Is it ice or does the Peter Cresswell have mechanical problems?