Catching the M.S. Westcott

 Since I was right next to the Westcott Building, I was able to get some different shots of the Westcott.

It was the M.S. Westcott though.

She was delivering something to the Great Republic.

It was kind of cool to see.

They have a wreath on it.

The M.S. Westcott

 One of the things I like about photographing from Riverside Park is that I get a chance to see the Westcotts in action.

Today, they were using the M.S. Westcott as they were mostly doing pilot changes.

But she is still pretty cool to see.

I especially like it since they've painted her in similar colors to the J.W. Westcott.

She is returning from one of her trips.

And she is going out for a trip.  The Whitefish Bay is behind her.

Catching the M.S. Westcott

One of the reasons that I like Riverside Park is because I get a chance to get pictures of the Westcott.

I caught a glimpse of the M.S. Westcott as she was returning to the dock.

The Westcott people have been selling tours on both of their boats.  I'm not sure how many they sell or how much it cost per tour.

Anyway, they cover about the same ground as the other tours.

It is cool this is painted in the same scheme as the J.W. Westcott.

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.

At the Westcott Dock

 I was still waiting for my ship.

The J.W. Westcott is already docked.  I think they needed to do more work on her.  The M.S. Westcott can do the same things.  I think she will be docked soon.

The Curtis Randolph is one of Detroit's fireboats.  I'm not sure if they pull her out for the winter.  I'm pretty sure they do though.

A Mail Boat and a Pilot Boat

 As I was watching the boats pass, I got a few opportunities to get pictures of the Westcotts.

The J.W. Westcott is the famous mail boat for Detroit.  They have been doing some work on her and this is the first time I've see her this season.

the M.S. Westcott is a pilot boat.  They have been using her to do some of the same things that the J.W. Westcott does.

They have also been using her to take people on tours of the Detroit River.  I presume that is when they aren't doing other things.

It was a little on the wavy side.

Another shot of her.

Somebody pointing up at the Ambassador Bridge.

The Westcott going out on a mail run.

The M.S. Westcott in Action

 Just some pictures of the M.S. Westcott as she returns from changing pilots.

I think the J.W. Westcott is still undergoing repairs because I didn't see her at the dock.

The M.S. Westcott still looks pretty nice.

She passes the Maxima.

A nice backdrop.

The Oberstar in the background.

And a bow shot.

The M.S. Westcott in Action

 I decided to get some shots of the Westcott in action.

Transferring a pilot to the Federal Yukina.  It's amazing they climb the ladder like that.

About halfway.

Waiting for the pilot from the ship.

Coming back from a mail run.

These are pretty cool colors.

One more shot.

The M.S. Westcott

 As I was waiting for my ship, I was able to catch the M.S. Westcott as she headed out.

The M.S. Westcott is mostly used as a pilot boat but she has been filling mail boat duties lately as the J.W. Westcott gets work done on her.

The J.W. Westcott should be back in action soon though.

Catching the M.S. Westcott

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

Unfortunately, the boat that I think of as the Westcott is still getting work done on her.  I believe they said they were doing some steel work on her.

I also believe they said that it would be three more weeks before she is ready.

Oh well, I like the paint job on this boat and it looks pretty cool.

Returning from another trip.

I kind of like this shot.

Another angle.

After she slows down.

A Rainy Day Boatwatching

 So I decided to go boatwatching today.  It was fine as I started to head out but I could see the gray in the sky to the west.  I thought I would have plenty of time.

First I thought I was going to catch the Leitch in Marine City but I didn't leave in enough time because I had some errands to to.  Then I thought I would catch her in Algonac but I saw her passing by.  I wasn't sure about catching her in Detroit as the rain was getting worse.

So I headed up to Port Huron where I saw that there were a couple of ships coming down.  I got to Port Huron in time.

the Huron Spirit was coming back after delivering a pilot to the first ship that I would see.

The next ship would be a saltie, as such she requires a pilot.

Port Huron is one of the pilot transfer points.

So occasionally, I get to see the pilot boat.

The straight on shot.

And one more.