What to my wondering eyes...

[Bookworm]

Afternoon traffic on the St. Clair River continued to flow like pearls on a string!

[Bookworm]

So you have any American Victory pictures?

From years ago. I follow current ships along the St. Clair River.

[Guest]

So you have any American Victory pictures?

[Bookworm]

A rainy, windy, and gloomy Saturday on the St. Clair River, but vessels are moving the entire length of the system.
Easter Blessings to all -- on land or the Inland Seas!

[Bookworm]

When I checked AIS first thing this morning, Olive Moore was at the Bluewater Aggregates Dock in Marysville. Ten minutes later, her distinctive horn sounded, and I knew she was underway. From then on, it was a day of sandwiching boats and domestic duties -- definitely not boring!

[Bookworm]

This Callaway ship looks beautiful. I have never traveled on a so big ship.

Nick, if you get the opportunity, you can cross Lake Michigan on the classic carferry Badger.
Go to the website and check out the cost, dates and times. It's a great experience!

[Nick]

This Callaway ship looks beautiful. I have never traveled on a so big ship.

[Bookworm]

What an unusual and interesting morning along the St. Clair River! For starters, the sun was shining -- albeit through haze!

[Bookworm]

Every ship, tug, tanker, Coast Guard boat, and saltie on the Great Lakes is someone's favorite. Maybe it's because that was the first one they saw and it evokes good memories; or maybe it was one they sailed on; or maybe a family member or friend is on the crew. So, here are fleet-mates, going in opposite directions, on a very rainy day on the St. Clair River. I know of at least one former mariner who will smile.

[Bookworm]

Great pics! Keep them coming, always enjoy them.

Thanks. I try to post a few each day.

[Guest]

Great pics! Keep them coming, always enjoy them.

[Bookworm]

Three first-timers for the 2019-20 shipping season.

[Bookworm]

Weather-wise, a day fit for neither man nor beast, but this (new to me) saltie was on the river and the rain had dwindled to drizzle, so I made a quick trip to photograph her.

[Bookworm]

A great day to clear flower beds and play in the dirt, but also to take a break every so often and chase freighters! However, I just read a weather advisory regarding N-NE gales developing on southern Lake Huron tomorrow afternoon and persisting into Monday, with the potential for "coastal flooding." What's with the strong winds? They've been a constant since early last Wednesday!

[Bookworm]

Rain moved out and temperatures increased nicely, but wind remained blustery most of the day. Can only imagine what it was like out on the lakes.

[Bookworm]

So windy I had to brace myself to keep from being blown over, which made it a major challenge to keep a steady focus on the ships I photographed!

[Bookworm]

A brr-rr-rry cold and windy day along the St. Clair River, which saw a lot of tanker activity.

[Bookworm]

First ship of the day was a bit before daybreak. The river was unbroken by wind and every light on the US and Canadian sides reflected in its mirror surface. Lee A. Tregurtha's reflected lights -- bow to stern and each a pale shade of a variety of colors -- made it appear she was moving on a curtain of light. Since I've not mastered night-time photography, the camera was at home, but I have the awesome memory to revisit. Here are the daytime captures.

[Bookworm]

Surprise was expressed because so many people are interested in shipping. For us in the Great Lakes, ships are vital to our economy. I've seen a graph showing how many trucks and also railroad cars it would take to transport the same tonnage of product carried by just one thousand foot ship.
Many towns in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio, as well as Canada, have a Maritime history. For generations, in some families, the men have been sailors -- some commercial and others with the Coast Guard.
With today's technology (radar, communications, etc.) safety is vastly improved. Schools have been established for the purpose of training men and women in maritime careers.
Also, you may be very surprised to learn that many of the newer ships traveling on the Great Lakes were built in China.
So, for many reasons, there is a large group of people who enjoy watching and learning about the ships and the ways they affect our lives.

[Guest]

An incredible day weather-wise. Afternoon high was 64° but within three hours it had dropped to 48°! A fair amount of ship traffic during daylight hours, but I was hoping to see Pierre Radisson, still in Detroit as the sun goes down.

Hello, I'm the Chinese visitor we met today. Glad to find this thread and these amazing pictures. These pictures are great! Way better than what I took.

Hello Nick. It was my pleasure to talk with you. I hope our meeting by Lake Huron and seeing some boats will give you a new interest.
I will post pictures from today this evening.

Yes, it shocks me there's so many people are paying attention to these boats. I do some searching about "boatnerd" on Youtube, and find this amazing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U15Fwo9 ... dex=2&t=0s.

It's about how this huge guy pass the lock. Now I know what a "lock" is. :) I'm wondering too, how to avoid the boat bumping the river bank? It's so hard.

By the way, my email is zzp_buaa@hotmail.com. If you have some questions about China or if you need some help what I can offer, I'll be there.