Boatnerd Discussion Forum

I haven't spent a lot of time on it yet, but GREAT JOB ON THE NEW WEBSITE. Such accomplishments require a whole lot of work by an amazingly few dedicated folks. THANK YOU. Love the new AIS maps by the way.

Much earlier, I read on this site that Alpena was undergoing some repairs and that is why it is still showing in lay-up in Cleveland. But weeks have turned into months. Does anyone have a current status or educated projection on Alpena's future in 2025 and beyond? I have always enjoyed seeing Alpena ...

As of 2300 on Sunday, it looks like the Mackinaw led the Manitoulin to the western end of Lake Erie, just south and east of the Detroit River entrance. They appear to be anchored for the night. Just guessing, but perhaps they did not want to tackle the Detroit River and Lake St Clair ice in the dark.

Based on AIS, it looks like Manitoulin is stuck in the middle of Lake Erie northeast of Cleveland. AIS shows them at 0.2 knots. Long trip for sure. Hope the USCG and CCGS icebreakers have a sense of humor and are still available.

Thanks Denny. I just was curious as to why the Sam Laud spent the better part of four days at Port Gypsum. That is quite unusual.

The Sam Laud docked at Port Gypsum on Friday, October 18. I personally saw Sam Laud there at about 11:00 on Sunday morning. As of 22:00 hours on October 20, AIS reports the Sam Laud is still there. The Sam Laud is a frequent visitor to Port Gypsum, and usually travels from there to Waukegan after ...

I see on AIS that the Samuel de Champlain left its Detroit lay up and is showing a destination of Toledo. The cement ATB with its barge Innovation made an early run into the Saginaw River last year. I wonder if they will be first on the river this year?

The video of the Hulett Unloaders in operation that was linked from today's (01/30/2024) Boatnerd News is outstanding. They were giant examples of amazing engineering.

Cannot help on whether or not Lake Superior employed them. Sorry.

On Friday, October 6, 2023 the Sharon M I was pushing the barge Huron Spirit as it went downbound (south) by Oscoda, Michigan with a full load. The mounds of stone were clearly visible on Huron Spirit. On Sunday, October 8, the Sharon M I was upbound (north) passing Oscoda but was clearly towing ...

Today the Sam Laud is in Port Gypsum, near Tawas City MI. Their destination after loading at Port Gypsum is often Waukegan.

September 8th seems like a particularly brutal day in the history of the Great Lakes. The loss of life on the LADY ELGIN (297-350), the HIPPOCAMPUS (36) , and the ADVANCE (7) are described in the current edition of "Today in Great Lakes History - September 8." Be careful out there!!

There is a very interesting article on the new Mark W Barker's cargo holds in today's (9/1/23) Boatnerd News. The article mentions the cargo holds are square rather than "V" shaped. I always assumed the "V" shape was used to direct bulk cargoes to the moving conveyor for unloading. With the flat ...

Great question. While I don't have an answer, I have often wondered about the access to the raised pilot houses on ATB Tugs. On some I see exterior ladders, but I have suspected that there may be another access as well.

I believe the boom was out about 12:30 pm on June 25. And, as of about 9:45 pm, the M/V Sam Laud is upbound off of Oscoda, MI. Not sure the nature of the delayed loading, but they are definitely underway once again.

I have noticed the M/V Sam Laud has been in Port Gypsum near Alabaster and Tawas City, MI since Thursday, June 22. While the Laud is a regular visitor to Port Gypsum, this seems like an unusually extended stay. Anybody know of any problems?

I whole heartedly agree. Some fantastic photography in today's Port Reports.

The Olive L Moore/Menominee has loaded in Cedarville before. That said, I notice that sometimes ships loading in this area are shown as being loaded at Port Dolomite. Perhaps Cedarville and Port Dolomite are two names for the same place? Port Dolomite ships stone comprised of calcium carbonate that ...

Thank you Sir. I learned something new today.

Thank you for your great response. And it makes sense.

Interestingly, on Monday May 29 both the Olive L Moore/Menominee (upbound) and the Mark W Barker (downbound) passed by Oscoda relatively close to shore.

Your comment about strong western winds makes a lot of sense. I've noticed even ships ...

From my place on Lake Huron near Oscoda, Michigan, I often see both upbound and downbound freighters. Traditionally, they passed by close enough to get a pretty good view of them through the binoculars, particularly those going to or from Saginaw River ports. That said, I have very recently noticed ...