The Manistee Again....

The sad part about boatwatching during the winter is that you are likely only to have one ship at a time.  Generally the Lakes are pretty frozen over and the shipping companies use that as their opportunity to do maintenence.  Also the Locks are closed for pretty much the same reason as the shipping season tends to take a toll on them.

I do have to admit that when you do see a ship at this time of year, it is a treat because you have the ice in the foreground and sometimes the ship trying to break through the ice.  It makes for a fairly dramatic picture.  It is even more dramatic if the ship is covered with ice.

 At any rate, this is only the second time that the Manistee has appeared on this blog.  And the first time didn't really count because I only got a picture of her backside.

 Of all the ships that sail the Lakes, I think I like the classic freighter look the best.  And I'm glad that this company is trying to maintain a fleet of those.

 A shot where the lens is pulled back a bit so that you can see the ice on the Detroit River.  It's amazing that it keeps it's odd blue color.

 A closeup of the pilothouse.  You can see a little ice on the bow and around the Manistee name on the front.

 I tried to get a little closer shot but I didn't want to get too close.

 Another shot as she plows through the river.

 My favorite shot, where she is almost straight on.  Unfortunately, this isn't the best spot for that shot.

 A closeup of the pilothouse.

 A little more straight on shot.

 As she passed by, the snow started to pick up.  You can almost see it going straight back.

 And one of the interesting phenomena where you get a little bit of sun with your snow.

 As she moves a little further down the river.

One more shot before she slipped behind the Dossin pilothouse.