Boatnerd Discussion Forum

I see duluthboats.com has gotten more specific with the Sykes. To load a partial cargo of blast furnace trim at Hallett, then a partial of pellets in Two Harbors. We shall see what happens.

See if it happens this time, but I see the Sykes is on duluthboats.com
schedule to load blast furnace trim at Hallett #5 here in Duluth on
Sunday.

[quote="Guest"uote="Guestquote="Al"]The year we did 149 loads, there were times we were at 3 docks in 24 hours. There were times we thought the Deck crew would fall asleep on the job. What stopped other loads was slag loads because of the time it took to load them either at Inland Steel dock 6 or if they had a load of slag from Buffington Harbor. It didn't take long to unload any loads given the size of the Sykes but loading slag took a long time with lots of shifting.[/quote]

sir I tot. understand, that is what had to happen, all of those small (3 in 24 hrs) that would tend to burn out the crew, I would think.
a side bar, I was surprised when I heard she was going to Duluth, at one time the owners didnt want her on lake superior, that was 3rd party.[/quote]
I don't know why the owners would not want the Sykes on Superior. While I was aboard, we made trips to Superior. The only reason I can think of is there were always a lot of trips to be made on Lake Michigan. The Sykes is the perfect size for the smaller ports, and tying her up for trips to Duluth or Superior with her small capacity would seem to be a waste. Too expensive for the pay back.[/quote]

That is what I was thinking, when was the last time she was up on superior?

I notice looking at my log, example,
The Block unloads I H, goes up loads stone, goes up to Duluth, unloads , loads ore all the way to I H.

Meanwhile, sykes has gone from I H to Grand Haven, to north for stone, unloads I H, over to G H, to esky or more stone, back down, and to G H, depending, she passes the block, or she gets the stone, and is ahead of the Block. to I H.......... all depending on timing of course (no storms etc) like a jitterbug.....

This is a little bit off subject here and my apologies for being so but I do have a question about the Wilfred Sykes. It has been talked about and mentioned on here in the past but, it has not seem to have gotten much attention lately. Therefore I decided to bring back this question about her once again. With Interlake doing its repowering of its steamers to diesels and GLF doing the same now with the Munson and Lower Lakes Towing has also done it with some of their ships as well, "Why hasn't the Sykes been talked or mentioned more for a re-powering job also since she is also steam powered?" It seems odd to me that many other steamers have or in the case of the Munson, are in the process of getting diesels put into them yet the Sykes still carries on as a steamer. Correct me if I am wrong but, wasn't there at one time a mandate like 2020 or 2025 to where most if not all of the steamers had to be converted to another source of propulsion? This is just me being curious is all.

Guest wrote:

Al wrote:The year we did 149 loads, there were times we were at 3 docks in 24 hours. There were times we thought the Deck crew would fall asleep on the job. What stopped other loads was slag loads because of the time it took to load them either at Inland Steel dock 6 or if they had a load of slag from Buffington Harbor. It didn't take long to unload any loads given the size of the Sykes but loading slag took a long time with lots of shifting.

sir I tot. understand, that is what had to happen, all of those small (3 in 24 hrs) that would tend to burn out the crew, I would think.
a side bar, I was surprised when I heard she was going to Duluth, at one time the owners didnt want her on lake superior, that was 3rd party.

I don't know why the owners would not want the Sykes on Superior. While I was aboard, we made trips to Superior. The only reason I can think of is there were always a lot of trips to be made on Lake Michigan. The Sykes is the perfect size for the smaller ports, and tying her up for trips to Duluth or Superior with her small capacity would seem to be a waste. Too expensive for the pay back.

Why would the owners not want her on Lake Superior? Is there a valid reason for that restriction?

Al wrote:The year we did 149 loads, there were times we were at 3 docks in 24 hours. There were times we thought the Deck crew would fall asleep on the job. What stopped other loads was slag loads because of the time it took to load them either at Inland Steel dock 6 or if they had a load of slag from Buffington Harbor. It didn't take long to unload any loads given the size of the Sykes but loading slag took a long time with lots of shifting.

sir I tot. understand, that is what had to happen, all of those small (3 in 24 hrs) that would tend to burn out the crew, I would think.
a side bar, I was surprised when I heard she was going to Duluth, at one time the owners didnt want her on lake superior, that was 3rd party.

E J B wrote:Sykes left Grand haven yesterday heading north.
Seems like she is here once a week or so...one of our regulars for sure !

Yes, that has happen this yr., unlike pass years, where it was an occasional visit during the summer.

Charlie wrote:there is some comment about the Block going out the seaway again. This does not look like it can happen with weather and the closing date. If any delays happen anywhere she could get stuck of lakes for the winter. Also think she run's late every year and leaves early to run to the mills.
I thought is it's a one off trip

charlie

It's due back up here in the Twin Ports on 12/9 to load. With weather permitting that would giver her until 12/24 at 23:59 to be up bound thru the Montreal-Lake Ontario section and thru the Welland on 12/26 at 23:59. I think if my math is correct, it would be possible.

Seaway doesn't close until 12/31, she will be back in Superior on 12/9 to load. Plenty of time.

there is some comment about the Block going out the seaway again. This does not look like it can happen with weather and the closing date. If any delays happen anywhere she could get stuck of lakes for the winter. Also think she run's late every year and leaves early to run to the mills.
I thought is it's a one off trip

charlie

The year we did 149 loads, there were times we were at 3 docks in 24 hours. There were times we thought the Deck crew would fall asleep on the job. What stopped other loads was slag loads because of the time it took to load them either at Inland Steel dock 6 or if they had a load of slag from Buffington Harbor. It didn't take long to unload any loads given the size of the Sykes but loading slag took a long time with lots of shifting.

Sykes left Grand haven yesterday heading north.
Seems like she is here once a week or so...one of our regulars for sure !

pcolachap wrote:In the fall of the year, both the Sykes and the Block have had coal loads for Milwaukee. Regards, Mike

Yup, no more coal for Milwaukee, been a while now. Didn't seem to garner too much attention.

I had heard The Sykes is going to layup early!,and the Block has a couple of Seaway loads to do!,They were always the last ones done!,and the first ones out when Esky was going strong! a little change of subject!, The pellet pile at C N in Duluth is sure small!,a couple of Boats would clean up the reclaiming pile! mn brett

Guest wrote:

Guest wrote:I believe the Sykes often calls on South Chicago for coal. If taken to Indiana Harbor that would be a very short voyage.

Yes that would be, thank you

I dont have any loads for s. chic. for the sykes, (could be wrong) I have her First load, being in Esky, on March. 30, That means to me she prob took 2 partial days to get from the wall to esky, (guessing) this is the 279th day out. I have her, on her 71 ld/unld, (give or take) that means 3.9 days per ld/unld.
She has been in I H, since Friday, as per ais..... I am not there, so all my figures are approx. and done as a hobby. I track 4 boats, for fun.

Guest wrote:

Guest wrote:

Al wrote:I was aboard the Sykes one year and they made 149 loads and never went under the Big Mac.

149 loads, wow...as of right now, unofficially I have her at 71 loads, I am sure I have missed a couple, give or take.. I do count a load into I H or B H and then she stops at (?) Grand Haven, with a load out of B H or I H, then goes north for stone. (when she stops at two different stone yards, for partials, I count both as one load. in my mind it is going to one spot, usually. thats a lot of loads.

Remember also there would be pellet loads out of Escanaba.

I have the escanaba loads, those take some times , long load times days, and travel time, is 4 days...... what I noticed was 149 vs 71, that is twice the loads of this year. and I have not caught any S. Chicago visits, does not mean there weren't any, I just didn't catch any, I watch pretty closely, but not exactly.

Back in the day I was on a boat that loaded coal in Toledo took it to South Chicago and unloaded, moved further down the river and loaded coal for Milwaukee

This makes sense, if I remember correctly. The Toledo coal was probably Appalachian, brought up from southern Ohio and Kentucky, and bituminous for use at the mills at Interlake, Republic, and Wisconsin Steel with low sulphur content. The coal loaded at Rail-to-Water would have been probably from southern Illinois and Indiana and western Kentucky, also bituminous, but higher in sulphur content, generally (then) for power plant use. You probably brought it to Oak Creek. The Joseph H. Frantz was on a shuttle between there and 101st Street back in the day, as I recall.

Obviously, use of high-sulphur content coal would become problematic as the concerns about "acid rain" and other environmental issues heightened in the last few decades, which is why Western coal, low in sulphur, is more widely used now.

pcolachap wrote:In the fall of the year, both the Sykes and the Block have had coal loads for Milwaukee. Regards, Mike

I assume you are talking in years past. If I recall correctly coal is no longer shipped to Milwaukee, since the Valley power plant converted to natural gas.

In the fall of the year, both the Sykes and the Block have had coal loads for Milwaukee. Regards, Mike