Sun. August 11, 2007, Boatnerd Excursion on Detroit River

(many of the ships and boats mentioned in this narrative can be seen on www.shipspotting.com although the photo nazis have deleted a bunch of them)


There is a group of Great Lakes shipping enthusiasts known as the "boatnerds". It is an organized and active group and has an outstanding and excellent (except for messages being censored-they do not believe in free speech!) website, www.boatnerd.com. If that address does not work just Google "boatnerd" and it will come right up.

The following paragraph is a rant about the idiots in boatnerd - skip it if you wish
(I am not a "boatnerd" and do not care to be -- I prefer my ships in solitary comfort and have never been big on group participation in my hobbies - just me and maybe a few close friends. Besides some of the boatnerds range from being complete idiots to flaming assholes, alot of people trying to prove to each other how much they know about ships -usually very little-- and trying to outcool everyone and show that they are in the "in-crowd". The boatnerds have an image problem! Like the know-it-all wannabe that just about ruined the trip for me by parking himself near me, drinking beer all day, and constantly talking with no one talking to him or listening to him. He just stood in one place and started talking not caring if anyone listened to him or not. The more beer he drank, the more he talked. Not only an idiot but a total loser. Zug Island _________ was the name he went by. Next year I will be on the other side of the excursion boat. For some reason these kind of people seem to be attracted to me like moths to a candle. Nuff said. I am a loner!

Ok, back to the trip narrative!
At any rate, the boatnerd group is sponsoring an excursion on the Detroit River from Wyandotte, Michigan, which is south of the large city of Detroit, downriver on the Detroit River to Lake Erie and then back up again, taking a different channel for part of the way. In other words, its a no brainer so we are up very early and on the road, about a 3 hour drive north from our home in Delaware, Ohio. (Wyandotte is a Native American word which appears a few times in both Ohio and Michigan -- its spelling varies but the city of Wyandotte, Michigan has 2 T's and an E!).

Toledo
A stop at Toledo is mandatory to see what ships might be docked along the Maumee River, especially since it is a beautiful sunney day. Bingo right off the bat. The Canfornav bulker Eider, imo 9285938, is sitting broadside to a perfect low angle early morning sun at the Anderson's older grain elevator. We saw this ship a week ago unloading steel pipe at the Port of Toledo under dark gray and very scuzzy skies. It has moved a few miles up the Maumee River and is now loading grain. In a perfect photo location.

The Eider at the Anderson's on Maumee River in Toledo

We do not see any other large ships that are accessible so move on. If one is going north it is very easy to get off I-75 at the turning basin by the 3 large grain elevators and drive parallel to the river to the port. A large new bridge makes it easy to get on Interstate 280, cross the river on a huge new bridge and glide right back onto Interstate 75 going north to Detroit.

Finally the excursion!
The excursion boat we are taking seems to have its operations tied to a dockside restaurant, Portofino's, and we find that in downtown Wyandotte with no problems and get there in good time. While standing in line to check in we see our friend Steve and his grandson who are also from Delaware, Ohio --- I had met them a year ago way up in northern Michigan when we both were on an excursion. He was sitting in his red pickup truck and Ohio license plates have the names of the counties on them so I knew right away he was from Delaware, Ohio. It is indeed a small world. His grandson is Zack and is quite a character, junior high age. He always manages to get himself invited into the wheelhouse and soon is steering the boat.

Sam Laud upbound on Detroit River

While waiting to get on the excursion boat we see the Great Lakes self unloading bulker Sam Laud, go by out in the river, some distance away due to an island, upbound. I will defer details on the Sam Laud). Grosse Ile is home to some of the wealthiest people in the Detroit area and the houses, nay mansions/estates are amazing.

A decorative lighthouse, built to go with the house!

A variety of archetectural styes are seen and some of the houses are just plain huge and ornate with large lots. One has its own "private" lighthouse built just for the effect and many have large boats and yachts docked along the river. A truly splendiferous display of wealth. I cannot help but think of all those in the world who are starving to death. Not much else to see, especially after we leave Grosse Ile. Soon we are photographing navigation buoys since there is nothing else!

A "typical" house on Grosse Ile

We see another excursion vessel, the Clinton. It works out of one of the state or regional parks and offers naturalist type tours dealing with the quality and ecology of the water and wetlands adjacent to the mouth of the Detroit River.

Soon we are entering Lake Erie and leaving the Detroit River. We don't go very far out into the lake due to Coast Guard regulations on vessels such as the Friendship being on the open lake. Unfortunately we don't get out far enough to get really close to a very nice lighthouse and soon turn around and head towards the upbound channel of the Detroit River.

While on the lake we could see a Great Lakes bulker in the distance. In 30 minutes or so it overtakes us -- really in a hurry to get somewhere. It is the upbound American Courage, imo 7634226 built in 1979 and until last year the Fred R. White Jr. Owned by American Steamship Co., of Williamsville, New York, the American Courage is 636 feet long and equipped with a self unloading boom and conveyors.

American Courage upbound

Unfortunately the American Courage would prove to be the only ship, laker or saltie, that we would see during the boat cruise. Major bummer on that.

The American Courage, Stern View

After the American Courage began to disappear upbound we approach Boblo Island and Amherstburg, Ontario opposite it. Boblo Island is famous as the location of a large amusement park which attracted tens of thousands Detroiters and others each summer, all arriving by steamboat. The amusement park is long gone and now the island is a refuge for those lucky enough to have houses there.

Amherstburg has several small work boats that make it quite an interesting place.

Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a small town on the east side of the Detroit River across from the locally famous Boblo Island. From the boat it appears to be a very pleasant small Ontario village worth a trip by auto and some foot time wandering around. An old fort was located there once and there seems to be some remains and a museum but am not sure of that.

Boblo Island, as mentioned above, was for many decades the home of an amusement park which had a fleet of steamboats to take patrons to and from Detroit/Windsor. Today it has disappeared except for one or two things still standing. There are several homes on the island and it is served by a ferry from Amherstburg. What I found interesting was that the dock on the island was an old "canaler" filled in, the Queenstown. It had grass and trees growing out of it and on the hull painted in large letters were "Bois Blanc Island Resort Community". That would translate, I think to "white woods". An old sign also existed that said "Welcome to Boblo Island." The ferry The Ste. Claire crosses in front of us and with the American Courage in the near distance upriver from the ferry it makes a great photo but the flag gets in the way!.
The Ste. Claire was built in 1997 and is 86 feet, 6 inches long and is owned by Amherstburg Ferry Co., obviously of Amherstburg. Their other ferry is at the dock in Amhertburg not being used, the The Columbia V, a much older vessel built in 1946 and 65 feet long.

The old canaler Queenstown now a dock at Boblo Island

An older tug-like ship is docked in Amherstburg, the Kayvee. I suspect it is privately owned as it does not show up in "Know Your Ships".

Kayvee with older ferry behind it

There is a small Canadian Coast Guard boat, a SAR vessel that is operated with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the "Mounties" of fame and legend "the Mounties always get their man". In the 1950's before television we always listened to the radio show, "Sargeant Preston of the Yukon", a classic if there ever was one. Cannot get is number. And completing the maritime protection of Amherstburg is an Ontario Provincial Police vessel with no name but with a registration number, C04906ON.

Right behind it is the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Limnos in the CCG bright red and white livery. The Limnos, imo 6804903, is classified as a research vessel --its name kind of hints at that. It was built in 1968 and is 147 feet long.

Canadian Coast Guard Research Vessel Limnos

An old canaler that has been converted into a barge, a tanker, is quite interesting even though it has no superstructure in its present configuration. No name either. I posted a photo of it on shipspotting.com and received an email stating that it was the former Cape Transport which fell victum to a gale in Lake Huron. This barge is far more interesting than most barges and was one of the better sights on this trip.

The former canaler Cape Transport, now a barge

Back to the excursion
Back out on the river we meet the downbound tug Salvor pushing its orange barge Lambert Spirit. Both are owned by McKeil Work Boats Ltd of Hamilton, Ontario a large firm with a few dozen tugs and other work boats. The Salvor was built in 1963 and is 120 feet long and has been outfitted with the tall bridge or whatever it is called so the captain can see over the barge. The Salvor was built as the Esther Moran in 1963 and retained that name until 2000. This is the Moran of east coast tugboat fame, especially in the New York City harbor where just about every old photo of a classic ocean liner has alongside it at least one tug with a bright white M on its stack.

The tug Salvor pushing the barge Lambert Spirit

We continue upriver with only recreational boats and navigation buoys to take pictures of. I enjoy photographing the recreational boats and some of the photos come out pretty good. I also enjoy seeing the sometimes scantily clad young women in the boat. Zack, my friend Steve's grandson, has talked his way into the wheelhouse and is now the helmsman of the Friendship. Zack has done this on just about every excursion boat he has ridden.

Captain Zack

Ecorse
I am surprised but pleased that the Friendship does not turn to return to Wyandotte but continues upriver past the large steel complex at Ecorse, formerly owned by U.S. Steel. We pass close enough to a diesel switcher with 3 hot metal cars to get good photos of it. Steel mills and all the associated infrastruture all the way back up to the iron ore mines fascinate me. The locomotive, DC 65 is painted a nice blue and is not all beat up the way many steel mill locos are. It is stenciled as being remote controlled (i.e., it has no engineer in it but is controlled by a man on the ground).

Remote controlled locomotive and hot metal cars

We turn into an inlet at the Nicholson Docks, a favorite place of mine on the waterfront due to the very old rail mounted cranes at the dock. I do not think they are used any more but the dock is still used to unload imported steel from salt water vessels. Unofrtunately there are none docked her today. The reason for our visit seems to be the old and laid up in poor condition steamboat Columbia which was one of the steamboats that transported people to the park at Boblo Island. Old boats of this type do not interest me for whatever reason. The Columbia is quite literally wrapped up tight in plastic to protect it from the elelments. It supposedly is being restored but seeing is believing - it last operated on Sept. 2. 1991. It was built in 1902 by the Detroit Dry Dock Co., and is 216 feet long with a capacity of 968 passengers.

Two of the old cranes at the Nicholson Dock

A real surprise is the City of Detriot Fire Department fireboat the Curtis Randolph in a drydock no less. It had come in for some repairs and while they were at it gave it a new paint job-- it was looking pretty spiffy in the drydock. Built in 1979, the Curtis Randolph is 77 feet, 10 inches long.

Detroit Fireboat Curtis Randolph

In front of the drydock was Malcolm Marine's tug the Manitou. Supposedly it was there for a Coast Guard inspection. We usually see it docked in Sarnia, Ontario. The Manitou was built in 1943 for the Coast Guard as the USCG Manitou, WYT-60, and stayed with the Coast Guard until 1984. It is 110 feet long. Sadly its owner and the founder of Malcolm Marine passed away a week after we saw this tug.

Manitou

Also tucked in between barges and the drydock was the Helene, a rather stately yacht like vessel from the good ol' days. Built in 1927and 96 feet, 9 inches long, the Helene is listed as an excursion vessel and is obviously undergoing some kind of repairs which are probably pretty extensive. It is a beautiful, long wood boat.

Helene

We photo a few barges. One is the C-1802; another is the LSC 236 of Grosse. It seems to be a fuel barge and is probably used for bunkers for the ships that come in to the various steel mills -- there are three of them in this area.
Lots of coil steel lying around the dock indicating that a saltie has unloaded imported steel in the recent past.

Back to Wyandotte
Tucked into this industrial landscape is a small marina that I believe is for the employees of the steel mill. Next to it is a dock for three "G" tugs , from the Great Lakes Towing Co., of Cleveland, by far the largest tugboat operation on the lakes. Almost all of their tugs are named after states and we can id the Vermont and the larger Superior. These are real oldies, and very traditional, with the Superior being built in 1912 and the Vermont in 1914. Cannot id the third tug. They are used mostly for assistance to salties that need help docking or negotiating locks; the lakers are usually pretty self sufficient when docking, etc.

"G" tugs at Ecorse

Also present is the rather unusual looking bun-boat Marine Trader which I beleive is retired and up for sale. A bun-boat is one that takes supplies to include groceries, newspapers, mail, etc. out to passing salties and lakers so they do not have to stop for resupply. The Marine Trader was built in 1939 and is 65 feet long and rather odd looking, somewhat like a Great Lakes fish tug. It is owned by Luhta Chandlery of Detroit.

Bun-boat Marine Trader

The next vessel we see is one of our favorites, the excursion vessel Diamond Jack outbound on an excursion from Wayandotte. We have logged in many an hour on this vessel, one of three excursion vessels owned by Diamond Jack's River Tours of Detroit. The Diamond Jack was built in 1955 and is 72 feet long and has a capacity of 82 passengers. Its owners are good people and we recommend their excursions, especially the special and infrequent all day affairs. Do a google on Diamond Jack and you can probably find their website.

We swing into a narrow channel separating an island from Ecorse, Michigan. Part of the shoreline is a nice park with several people fishing (we will return here by car in an hour or so) and then a long stretch of mostly marinas with hundred and hundreds of recreational boats. Love to take pictures of the masses of boats. Lots of people out today and we take alot of photos of them as we are quite close to shore.

Garish but strangely attractive and doing a lot of business!

We are always on the lookout for old Chris Crafts and see one or two of those. We then go along a residential area with houses on the waterfront and most have boathouses or docks. These are always fun to look at for a variety of reasons. The most interesting house started out as an old passenger steamer. Quite a house! Then more marinas and a group of 12-15 inflatibles with outboard motors that some group is taking out into the waters.

House made from old steamboat

A real treat is going by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tug Demolen and its crane ship the Veler, complete with crane. Belonging to the Detroit District of the USACE, they seemed to be docked for the weekend. The Demolen was built in 1974 for the U.S. Navy as the USS Metacom, YTB-829. It was decommissioned in 2001 and was purchased and named the Metacom and in 2002 assumed its present name. The nice looking tug is 109 feet long.
The crane ship Veler was built in 1991 and is 150 feet long. We pass these two close in and get some excellent photos although the sun angle is against us and the tug pretty much blocks the crane ship.

USACE Tug Demolen & Crane Ship Veler

As we head for the dock at Portofino's restaurant in Wyandotte we pass a few more marinas, condos on the water and finally comes the end of our excursion. After disembarking I sit with my friend Steve and his grandson at a table on the dock and we catch up on a few things. As we talk the Greenwing, imo 9230921, chartered by Canfornav and owned by Navarone SA Marine Enterprises of Limassol, Cyprus passes by going downriver. It is an attractive green-hulled bulker built in 2002 and 611 feet long. Like most Canfornav charters it is named after a duck, the green-winged teal.

Canfornav's Greenwing downbound at Wyandotte

The Greenwing is attractive enough that it is my idea of what a modern bulker should look like --it also is very similar to Fednav's bulkers except for the color. A nice stately ship.

The Friendship, our excursion vessel backs away from the dock for a private cruise.

The Friendship, our excursion vessel

Ship watching from a park in Ecorse:
The afternoon is still young so I bid adieu to Steve and Zach and go in pursuit of a place to sit and watch ships on the river. I do not want to go too far north as not only is it further from home but there is the large steel mill at Ecorse which means I will have to make a huge detour away from the river and go several miles north into Detroit which I do not want to do. I head out along the river zigzagging when necessary in search of a park I saw from the boat. About the time I get there I see one of the new Fednav charters heading downstream. Have to turn left, then left again through a residential area with stop signs at every block then head south to get ahead of it as it is now ahead of me. It is rather hectic driving and looking for a photo location in an area you have never been before but finally we are able to get photos of the downbound Federal Pride, imo 9190107. It is a 469 foot, 2 inch general cargo ship, much smaller than the other Fednav vessels, built in 2000 and owned by Athena Marine Co., Ltd of Limassol, Cyprus. In November, 2006 Fednav announced a longterm charter, to begin in 2007, of several Chinese built ships, the Federal Patriot, Federal Patroller, Federal Pioneer, Federal Power, and Federal Pride. This is the first sighting of any of those new charters so I am quite pleased about it.

Fednav charter Federal Pride off Ecorse, Michigan

I head back to the park, find a parking place, get the folding captain's chair out and set it up in the shade of a tree and get my cameras, scanner, a bottle of water, etc. and settle in to await whatever fate will send our way. I don't have long to wait because two vessels are upbound: one is a traditional laker and the other is a tug/barge combo. The laker is the Canadian Miner, imo 6601674, not only a very traditional laker built in 1966 but it is one of the few "straightdeckers" (i.e., no self unloading boom) left on the lakes. As the name implies (Canadian) it is one of the Upper Lakes Shipping boats

Canadian Miner off Ecorse, Michigan

The tug is the Bayshore Service out of Covington, Louisiana, north of New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain. It has been working the Great Lakes with its tanker barge Energy 6505 for a year or two.

Bayshore Service and Energy 6505 off Ecorse, Michigan

We are able to get some interesting meet photos of either the two ships or all three vessels, albeit from a considerable distance.

Canadian Miner overtaking the Bayridge Service off Ecorse, Michigan

Bayridge Service, Federal Pride, and Canadian Miner

As mentioned previously I am in a narrow park along a narrow channel of the Detroit River in Ecorse, Michigan. There is a wooded island just off the shore then a large open area with a view of the main river and navigational channel. Ecorse is a multi-ethnic community and there are all sorts of people in the park. Most of them are fishing. There are blacks, rednecks, Hispanics and so on. Everyone gets along and fishing seems to be the common thread. There are two young women, one white, one black, who must work for the state who are going among the people fishing and asking them to complete a questionaire about their perceptions of water quality and how much fish they eat from the river. They hand out information sheets about the polluted river and possible contamination of the fish. Note to Europeans: Don't believe everything you read or hear about race problems in the United States. Most of us just want to get along and do our own thing, live our lives in peace and quiet, etc. The park in Ecorse is a good example of this and is quite common- this is not the first time I have photographed ships from a park with various minorities in the majority -- I have never had any problem - people are always very friendly once they know what you are doing. Fishing is a tremendous equalizer and provides common ground.

Showing off her catch: in this photo are blacks, a white, and a Hispanic --everyone is getting along. Don't believe everything you hear about the horrors of living in the United States

Before long another salty appears downbound. Because of the island downbound ships appear with no notice other than hearing Sarnia Control on the scanner mention the presence of a ship. You just have to be constantly looking for them and not falling asleep which is starting to be a problem on this warm afternoon! The Barbro, imo 8307686, is a very nice looking salty with a dark blue hull lined with red, white superstructure and 3 cream colored cranes. Built in 1985 which is getting old for a saltie, the Barbro is flagged in Malta and owned by Blue Bird Shipmanagement Co. I have been pretty lucky in seeing salties this afternoon but it really would have been nice to see them close up from the ship this morning.

The saltie Barbro downbound off Ecorse, Michigan
That is Canada on the other side of the ship

To be continued -- not finished with this trip yet!