Catching Up With the Griffon

 I was kind of waffling if I wanted to go anywhere last Saturday.  That got quickly settled when I looked at Marine Traffic.

I saw that the Griffon and two other ships would be passing.

It has been a while since I've seen the Griffon.

I'll have to say that she is a pretty cool looking icebreaker.

If I remember correctly, she is roughly the same size as the current Mackinaw.

It seems like she always hangs around Lake Erie up to Lake St. Clair.

There are other icebreakers for the St. Clair River and Lake Huron.

However, they keep busy because there is still some shipping in the off season.

Not as much though.

Plus, I think the icebreakers relieve some of the pressure on the shore and help prevent some flooding.

As I was taking pictures of her, I got a treat.  If you see the little dot under her bow, that's an eagle.

And then I saw a trio of them.

And she headed up.  I think she ended up docking near Dieppe Park in Windsor.

A stern shot as I moved on to the next ship.

The Griffon Passes Belle Isle

 So all week last week, I heard that there was a considerable amount of ice on the St. Clair River.  I also heard that it was causing some flooding along the river.  As a result, some icebreakers were sent up in order to break that ice.  I saw that they were still doing their thing last Saturday but it was a little on the snowy side Saturday morning, so I didn't feel like heading up there.  Then I saw that there were a pair of ships heading down, so I decided to catch them at Belle Isle.

I was watching the Griffon as she broke the ice ahead of them and I thought that maybe she might reach the end of Belle Isle and turn around.  But then I remembered that the Canadian folks can't work after dark.

So the Griffon continued past Belle Isle.  I think she ended up docking in Windsor.

Anyway, this is one of Canada's medium icebreakers.  I think she stays on the Lakes but is capable of breaking light levels of Arctic ice.

I think this ship is roughly the same side as the US Coast Guard's new Mackinaw.

It was nice to see this ship because it's a pretty nice looking ship.

Despite the weather in the morning, it was a pretty nice afternoon.

It was a little on the cold side though and that was kind of messing with me.

But I guess that's why there are gloves and heavier coats.

As you can see there was a nice layer of ice on the Detroit River but I don't think it was that think.

You could still see a few spots of open water.

And you could hear the ice sliding against itself and that was kind of cool to hear.

Unfortunately I was shooting into the sun here.

One more shot of her.

The Griffon Taking a Breather

I was hoping that I would catch the Griffon as she passed by.  She was escorting a tug/barge that was heading up to Cheboygan.  I think the tug/barge needed fuel, so she stopped at Mistersky.

I also think that the Risley would be taking up icebreaking duties as she was hanging out near Belle Isle.  The Griffon ended up staying in Windsor.  Oh well.  This was the best picture that I could get.

Catching the Griffon

The next ship was following fairly closely to the Frontenac.

 I also saw that the Griffon was heading down.  Normally I don't see her unless she is breaking ice.

 So I was kind of nice to not see her in the ice.

 She was heading down from Sarnia to Amherstburg.  Amherstburg is better known as Boblo Island.  It is at the mouth of the Detroit River.

 I think she was doing buoy tending and is close to being done.

 I also think they are positioning her in case there is some ice.  It seems like western Lake Erie is one of the places where there is quite a bit of ice.

 A beam shot.

And one more shot as she continues down to Amherstburg.  I think her journey would have been about three hours longer.

My First Ship of the Year...the Griffon

I decided to head up to Port Huron this morning.  I was hoping to catch a ship so that I could call it my first ship of the year.  As I was leaving Ypsilanti, it started to snow and continued to snow on my way over to Port Huron.  Fortunately, it wasn't sticking to the ground, so it wasn't too bad driving.

 As I arrived at Marysville, the ship that I was chasing was pretty much getting out of view, so I headed down to St. Clair in order to catch her.  As I was parking, I noticed that this ship was approaching.  It was one that I was hoping to catch but I actually thought it was a little further down the River.  Still, I will take it.

 The ship in question is the icebreaker belonging to the Canadian Coast Guard named the Griffon.  She has appeared on this blog before but usually she was working. 

 She was heading up to Sarnia.  I think it was in case she was needed to break ice somewhere.  However, given that it is has been a pretty warm winter that may not be needed.  But circumstances on the Lakes can change quickly.

 If I remember correctly, it wasn't too icy at this time last year either but then the lakes ended up freezing over about two weeks later.

 At any rate, she continues on her way.

 After I caught the ship I was looking for at St. Clair, I decided to double back to catch this one as she passed Marysville.

Hopefully she wont be needed but I'm glad she is around just in case she is.

And the Griffon Again

Next up is the larger icebreaker, the Griffon.

 With the Risley getting repaired, it was up to the Griffon to great the Arthur M. Anderson around St. Clair.  This is where the ice started to get really thick.

 As I said in my last posts, I think she is a nice looking boat.  It seems like the Canadian Coast Guard knows how to build nice looking ships.

 The light was starting to cooperate with me.

 And she pulls away.

 From this angle, she almost looked like a Fisher Price boat.

 Here she is leading the Arthur M. Anderson past Marine City.  I loved the light for these shots.

 Fully illuminated.

 And she passes by.

 And as I got to Algonac.

 The setting sun shining on her nicely.

And one more shot.