Catching Up With the Frontenac

I thought that the USS Detroit would be passing Port Huron after work because she was heading down to Detroit for her commissioning ceremony.  While I was waiting, I had the chance to catch a few ships.

 First up was the Frontenac.  It has been over a year since I've seen her last.  I think she went into early lay up last year and recently was put back into service.  Allegedly, she may have been spared from a scrap tow for a while.

 I still have a feeling that the Frontenac is not long for this world but I'll try to enjoy her while I can.

 She is headed up to Duluth/Superior.  I'd imagine she is going to pick up grain there but I'm not sure.

 It was a pretty nice night for boatwatching but a little chilly.  I have a feeling we aren't going to have too many more days like this.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

 She is almost framed by the Blue Water Bridge.

 A better frame.

And one more shot of her before she moves on.

And the Baie St. Paul

The next ship was following pretty closely to the Puffin.

 The Baie St Paul has appeared on this blog a number of times.

 She is one of the ships build in China for Canada Steamship Lines.

 Despite the politics, I do like the looks of these ships.

 She passes the Stockhorn.

And one more shot as she continues down the river.  I think she was on her way to Montreal.

The CSL Welland Passes Belle Isle

I was up at the Troy office today and before I left, I decided to check AIS to see if there would be any ships passing at around the same time that I was.  There were in fact two ships that would be passing Belle Isle, so I decided to stop there.

 Sadly, I couldn't get to the island soon enough to catch the ships at the end of the island.  so I opted for a better spot.  This spot is a little down from the fishing pier.

 The first ship that I caught was the CSL Welland.  Based on the fact that she's heading to Montreal, I'm guessing that she is coming from Thunder Bay with a load of grain.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

 The beam shot.

She continues on her way.  She will continue down the Detroit River and cross Lake Erie.  She will then pass through the Welland Canal and cross Lake Ontario.  She will then head down the St. Lawrence River and end up in Montreal.

Happy Canada Day

Because of the proximity of Canada to Michigan, I end up taking pictures of many Canadian related things.

Today is Canada Day and is celebrated all over in Canada.  It marks the formation of Canada as a single nation.  On July 1, 1867, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada were joined to form the Dominion of Canada.  This entity was divided into four provinces.  Over the years, the provincial structure would become what we know today.  It also marked the day that Canada would start it's march towards independence from the British.

So in celebration, here are some Canadian things....

 The Maple Leaf.

 The Snowbirds in a fairly impressive formation.

 A Canadian paratrooper.

 I like this picture because it shows how closely aligned the United States and Canada are.  I think its amazing that we still have one of the longest undefended borders after all of these years.

 Air Canada.

 A Canadian freighter.

 Another picture that shows the cooperation of two nations.  When the Lakes were frozen over, Canada was able to provide icebreakers to help break that mess up.

A Canadian frigate passes Detroit.

Ending the Day With Whitefish Bay

Even though I ended the day with the Cort, the Whitefish Bay was the last ship of the day for me.

 She was waiting patiently to enter the Locks.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

 She's in the Locks.

 After lowering 21 feet to go from Lake Superior to Lake Huron, she leaves the MacArthur Lock.

 She passes by the Cort on her way out.

 I headed down to Mission Point to catch her.

 If you can see the contrail to the left, this picture represent a bifecta, sort of.

 Probably one of my favorites of the day.

 A shot of her pilothouse as she passes.

And she continues on her way.

This concludes the pictures from my first day Up North.  I will post more from the weekend tomorrow.

And the Thunder Bay Again

I believe this is the second time that I've seen the Thunder Bay in the last week. 

 I last saw the Thunder Bay on Sunday.  At that time, she was heading up to Superior, Wisconsin.

 While in Superior, she would have picked up either a load of taconite or coal.  I think she picked up a load of taconite based on fact that she was on her way to Nanticoke as I was taking this picture.

 I believe there is a steel mill either in or near Nanticoke.  So from Port Huron, it's about 2 days up to Superior and roughly two days back.  That gives you a pretty good idea of the side of the Lakes.

 Makes for lots of miles.

 but it was pretty cool to see her.

 And it was a pretty nice day.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

And she continues on her way down the St. Clair River.

Thinking of the Thunder Bay

Next on my list was the Thunder Bay.

 The Thunder Bay was on her way to Superior, Wisconsin, which is about three hours driving time from the place she is named after.

 I'm not sure where she was coming from.

 The light was almost perfect though.

 She starts to make her way under the bridge.

 Framed by the Bridge.

 I kind of like the colors in this shot.

And she starts to enter Lake Huron.