The M.S. Westcott Makes an Appearance

 The other ship was going to be passing Riverside Park.  That gave me the opportunity to catch one of the Westcott boats.

It was the M.S. Westcott which also functions as a pilot boat.

Not sure what they were delivering, but it was pretty cool.

The M.S. Westcott Returns to her Dock

One of the things I like about going down to Riverside is that I get a chance to catch the Westcott.

It seems like they have been using the M.S. Westcott lately.

But that is fine, she's a pretty nice looking boat.

The M.S. Westcott Makes an Appearance

 One of my favorite things about boatwatching from Riverside is the fact that I get to see either the J.W. or M.S. Westcott in action.

The M.S. Westcott is named after the wife of the Westcott Company's founder.  It was recently repainted and looks really nice.

It mostly serves as a pilot boat but it can also serve as the mail boat and has been as the J.W. Westcott just got out of her drydock.

She had just swapped pilots for the Federal Asahi, as Detroit is one of the pilot swap points.  Downbound ships will use this pilot until they reach the Welland Canal.  Upbound ships until Port Huron.

The M.S. Westcott

 Since the Westcott was paying a visit to the Gott, I had a chance to get a couple of pictures of her.

The M.S. Westcott is named after the wife of J.W. Westcott.  It is mostly a pilot boat, but they will use it to deliver stuff to other ships.

It is kind of cool looking.

The Calumet Passes By

 As I was getting ready to leave, I noticed that there was one more ship coming down.  So I looked it up to see what it was and it turns out that it was the Calumet.  

I like the looks of the Calumet and her sisters.  For some reason, they remind me of warships.

This particular ship was coming down from Calcite.  I'm guessing that she head a load of rocks.

She was heading down to Fairport which is east of Cleveland.  She was getting a visit from the Westcott.

Everything looks pretty cool lit up.

It was starting to cloud up though.

I had to pull back to get a full picture of the bridge with the ship.

Probably my favorite of the set.

The beam shot.

She is looking a little rough.

It about 9 hours from this picture, she'll be in Fairport.

Catching Up with the J.W. Westcott

One of the things I like about going to Riverside Park is that I can catch the Westcott as she makes a delivery.

 I think that not only was she making a delivery but she was also picking up somebody.  I didn't see that part of the operation but I did see an extra person in the boat.

 It was a little windy but it wasn't too rough out there today.

 She is still kicking up some waves.

 I don't think she is going to be out much longer as they usually pack her in before it gets too icy.

 But as you can see, there was a pretty stiff breeze.

And one more shot of her.

The J.W. Westcott in Action

These are some pictures of the Westcott as she was delivering to the Oberstar.

 She makes her way to the waiting ship.  The Westcott will deliver many items.   Her primary function is to deliver the mail but she will also deliver pizzas, newspapers, items the ship may need, etc.  I think this is the company's 149th year.

And she pulls away from the ship.

Some Shots of the Westcott

One of the things I like about Riverside Park is the fact that I can catch the Westcott in action.

 And I did end up seeing the Westcott going to greet the Callaway.

 The St Clair fading into the mist.

 Here she is leaving the Callaway.

And she heads back to her dock.

Transferring a Pilot to the Federal Leda

Next up was a pilot transfer.

 As I said, one of the other services that the Westcott provides is pilot transfer.  Sometimes these are done on the J.W. Westcott II, but I think lately they have been using the Huron Maid.  This is a picture of her control station.

 The Federal Leda is one of several ships that is operated by Federal Navigation of Canada.  I don't think she has appeared on this blog before.

 She was built in 2003 and has similar characteristics to other Federal Navigation Boats.  She is also one of several salties that ply the Lakes.

 She is off our railing.

 If you notice the ladder to the side, that is what the pilot will climb (or go down).  It looks pretty dangerous.

 The crew of the Leda.

 Getting close to the ladder.

 The pilot scales the ladder.  The speed of the Huron Maid is matched to the speed of the Federal Leda, so it almost like we are not moving.

 A view of the Ambassador Bridge.

 The other pilot starts to come down.

 A shot of her pilothouse.

And the Federal Leda continues on.

Greeting the James L. Oberstar

Interestingly enough, the Oberstar was the first ship that I saw the Westcott visit all of those years ago.  So I guess it would be fitting that she would be one of the ships that we would greet during the day.

 I think my pictures from the shore are pretty nice but I think pictures from a boat are better.

 Granted, I'm getting roughly the same angles.  But it was nice being on a boat.

 the Westcott approached her.

 Off the starboard bow.

 Again, an idea of just how massive these vessels are.

 The crew lowers the pail to the Westcott.  Hence the term, "mail by pail".

 Burt puts the package in the pail and then it is lifted up.

 A view of the pilothouse.

 The pail is retrieved.

 Looking down the length of the Oberstar.

 Another shot of her pilothouse.

 The Oberstar continues down the Detroit River.  She wasn't going too far because she was headed to the Steel Mill in Dearborn.

One more shot of the Oberstar.