Boatnerd Discussion Forum

In Lake Ontario, north of Rochester, NY

The Manitoulin is approaching St Lambert Lock now. Their ETA for the Welland Canal is the evening of 11/26.

I see on AIS this morning the Manitoulin is upbound the St. Lawrence below Quebec City making 13 knots. It doesn't give an ETA for the Soo as of yet.

She is supposed to be taking over for Frontenac, running from Two Harbors to the Soo.

I don't mind being called garbox. I've been called worse by my kids;)
About the only place you can get photos are at the parking lot at the boat launch near the lighthouse. If it were summer and a boat was loading at the belt dock, you could walk out on the breakwall, weather permitting. I've done that in the past.You would have to time it right and be there as the boat was coming into the harbor, but that parking lot offers some good photo opportunities. Otherwise, the only thing you would get if the boat was at the belt or gravity docks would be a not so good stern shot. Living as close to Two Harbors as I do I haven't been up there in probably 3 years. If the Manitoulin ever loaded there, weather permitting, I'd drive the 20 miles.
Check out the satellite photo and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.bing.com/mapspreview

I seen where garbox posted about driving up to Two Harbors to see the Manitoulin. I haven't been there in years, but "what exactly are the photo opportunities there now as I know you can't get near the docks without a TWIC card. I know you can shoot from the upper side, but those photo's aren't the best. Unless its a real good opportunity, it's really not worth the drive up there "or am I wrong?". TIA

Hopefully we'll see you load either here in Duluth or Two Harbors. If you make it to Two Harbors, I'll have to drive up the Shore, weather permitting, to get a look at her.

Welcome back to familiar turf & fresh water! I have enjoyed following your journey from here in Michigan.

Pete

Well, we made it. We have arrived in Sept Iles after a 53 day journey.

In the annals of epic voyages, such as Cook, Magellan, Vancouver and others, ours was just a minor jaunt. After all, sailors have been crossing the Pacific for hundreds of years, and they continue to do so.

But to those of us on board since China this has been an epic voyage. There were times when it seemed as though we were not moving on the chart and we wondered if the world had ceased to exist except for our little piece of the ocean. But we persevered and laughed often, lied heartily, consumed tonnes of coffee and here we are!

I am grateful to Lower Lakes Towing for hiring me as part of the delivery crew. It has been a most wonderful adventure.

Nov 21. 1200 position 49.9 degrees north, 065.7 degrees west
14,242 nautical miles since China.

At 1534 Eastern (3:34 PM) we anchored in Sept Iles.

Once we get to Montreal we start to make small crew changes. The company, in consultation with the Captain and Chief Engineer, and with due regard to the Manning Regulations, decides who comes and goes. The various crew members also have some input as everyone has their favourite ship. Some of those on the delivery crew have decided to stay with the Manitoulin, others have requested a move back to their former ship.

For the few of you who do not visit Boatnerd.com this will advise you that in the near future I will be posting a number of photos of the ship on my Blog, http://shiphotos.blogspot.ca/ and on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/shiphotos as well as on my Shiphotos page www.Shiphotos.com

In addition I will be producing a 2016 Laker calendar that I will attempt to have ready for Xmas.
If anyone wants a 2016 calendar with specific ships / fleets please contact me at shiphotos@hotmail.com and I will get that done for you.

Thank you all for your encouragement and positive feedback. I appreciate it.

There will be one more Manitoulin report today.

Our time in Sept Iles will be full with various inspections, customs, working with new equipment. Loading and departure times are unknown right now.

Once I am home I will do up a number of photos to share on Boatnerd and my Blog and Facebook pages. I will also put together a Lakeboat calendar for 2016. Keep an eye out for those.

Paul

I second that and would also like to congratulate Paul along with the captain and crew of the new Manitoulin for bringing her safely home and to Canada! A job well done and two thumbs up along with a hearty 3 Long and 2 Short as well. Thanks also from me as well for providing all of us here with bits and pieces about the trip from China to Canada and the pictures as well. Hope to see more pictures from the voyage and journey and maybe you could try to post them here in the Public Gallery or the News Photos sometime for all of us to see an enjoy. Will you have any photos posted on the Ship Photos website that you do? Looking forward to them and again Welcome Home to you Paul and the cap and crew of the new Manitoulin. God Bless and God Speed to you and the Manitoulin.

Will the delivery crew also be the ongoing operating crew for the lakes?
Did you need a different type of crew for the ocean passage than you will for the lakes operation?
Does the captain get to choose or have a major part in the decision about who will serve under him in normal operation on the lakes?


Thanks for the nice thread about the boats delivery, well done!

Being a steady AIS watcher it's rare not to see a ship loading or ships anchored waiting to load at Seven Islands. The only other boat that I see heading there to load, that's relatively near, is the Baie St. Paul and they are due there 6 hours after the Manitoulin. It will be interesting to see if the Manitoulin can off-load their ballast cargo and get to the ore dock before the Baie St. Paul.

Incredible to follow the voyage of the Manitoulin.

Will you be posting more photos from the voyage any time soon?

Nov 20 1200 Position 47.1 degrees north 059.9 degrees west
Mile 13954 since China.

Just off Scatarie Island, Cape Breton, we passed Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S St Laurent on her way back from the Arctic and North Pole. On their way to Dartmouth Nova Scotia. She and the CCGS Terry Fox worked at the North Pole for a while this summer / fall. This is quite late in the season to be leaving the Arctic.

Once into Cabot Strait we also passed the Algoma Mariner, bound for a load of gypsum in Little Narrows NS, and the Rosaire Desgagnes bound for Gibralter.

Maritime Magazine of Montreal has asked me to write a short article about the delivery voyage of the Manitoulin. This should be available in the next 6 weeks or so. This will be similar to the article I wrote two years ago about the spring breakout in the St Mary's River.

Link to that article, which starts on page 77:
http://www.maritimemag.com/index.php?option=com_flippingbook&view=book&id=29:magazine-73&catid=1:default-category

We are once again on your favourite shipwatching AIS site, although some of them still have us shown as a tanker. As we cross the Gulf of St Lawrence we may disappear for a while. Our ETA to Sept Iles is early afternoon on the 21st. Once we unload our ballast cargo of stone the Manitoulin will officially start her cargo-carrying career for Lower Lakes Towing. First cargo will be a load of iron ore for Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.

Only one more month till winter solstice and the daylight hours will start getting longer!

Until tomorrow....

Paul Beesley

Had the" channels"" many times as its a wonderful feeling knowing that pay off is near and going home imminent.

Sept Iles website has Manitoulin's ETA as 12 noon Saturday the 21st.

Nov 19 1200 Position 42.9N 063.3W
Mile 13627 since China.

"Are we there, yet? Are we there, yet?"

"Not quite, but soon. Just over this hill and around a corner.
Why don't you sleep for a while and we will soon be there."

But we're close, really close. We heard Halifax CG radio on VHF
this morning so we are definitely in Canadian waters.

And, the temperature outside is now in the single digits,
about 8 of them in Celciuses.
In the Height of Fahrens that's about, oh, um, about, Cold!

Definitely Canada, at least the Maritimes portion.

But the wind is low and any time you can be on the western Atlantic
with little wind and no swell in November is a joy, so we are
enjoying this.

I am developing a great case of "The Channels". That's what English sailors used to call it when their ship entered the English Channel after many months or years away from home. You get very agitated and excited and can't sleep or hold a thought or concentrate.

This has been a wonderful adventure. It will be good to be home.

Paul

Thanks Paul for the great reports that you have been giving to all of us and the photos as well. Your photos are very good, great and excellent and I have really enjoyed and appreciate them along with your postings as well. Please keep them coming as far as the posts and photos of the trip as you guys bring the Manitoulin home and to Canadian waters. Looking forward hopefully to see her in 2016 out along the St. Clair River someday. I am sure she is a fine ship and hopefully will sail and be around for many seasons to come. Get ready for cold weather, snow and wind as it is coming from the West and will arrive here in the Detroit area and Great Lakes by the weekend. The temps will be dropping here from the 60s to the 30s by the weekend. Have a good and safe trip and say hello to the captain and crew for me. Cheers and 3 Long and 2 Short and also Happy Holidays to you and the captain and crew as well. Stay Safe!

Nov 18 1200 Position 38.4 degrees north 067.2 degrees west
Mile 13,307 since leaving the yard in China.

Doors are closed, heat is turned on. Only 15 degrees outside and a stiff breeze from the northeast.

We are a few hours away from Canadian EEZ waters.

The sea is looking more and more like the North Atlantic now, heavy and grey.

Each morning, before sunup, we are amazed at Venus and Jupiter and how bright they are. So bright, in fact, that they are reflecting off the surface of the ocean.
Even if you are not a morning person it might be worth it to get up early, bundle up, go outside and be awed by these two planets as they rise in the East.

After sunup we hit the area where the Gulf Stream starts to head east.
Suddenly we needed 14 degrees of helm to port to keep us on track as the current set us off to starboard. The below photo shows our electronic chart and how it depicts the course we want to follow and our course over the ground.
[attachment=0]IMG_3051.JPG[/attachment]


The dashed line is the course we are 'making good' and the solid line from the bow of the ship is the course we are steering. I have zoomed in enough to show the ship' s body shape and you can see how it is canted to the left to overcome the current. The Vector (a bad word in my household!) shows the track the ship will follow in the next 15 minutes. It is an extension of the ship shape and shows we are sliding through the water somewhat sideways.

Until tomorrow.