The Harry Potter Boat Makes an Appearance

 I decided to head out boatwatching today.  For part of the day, the weather wasn't cooperating.  As I was traveling on I-94 to Port Huron, I was just about ready to give up as the water was covering the road.  I ended up getting off at M-3 to take that the rest of the way to Port Huron.  It was much nicer and probably safer.

First up was the Radcliffe R. Latimer.

I call this the Harry Potter boat because of the similarity of the name to Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played Harry Potter.

The Radcliffe R. Latimer was coming from Burns Harbor, but I wasn't sure what she was picking up.

She was heading to Port Cartier, Quebec which is almost on the Atlantic Ocean.

According to Marine Traffic, she has another four days in her journey.

I think that gives you an idea of how long the St. Lawrence Seaway is.

The beam shot.

She continues down the river.

One more shot.

My First Ship of the Season

I was going to head down to Ohio to catch some eagles and then I took a look at AIS and saw that it was pretty busy today.  Since it's been a couple of months since I've caught a ship in action, I decided to head up to Port Huron to catch some.

 First up was the Radcliffe R. Latimer.  She's been this blog a number of times it the past and has my distinct nickname of the "Harry Potter" boat.

 I think she was laid up in Hamilton, Ontario and is heading up to Two Harbors, Minnesota. 

 I presume that while she is in Two Harbors, she will pick up a load of iron and head to Nanticoke but I'm not sure.

 I headed over to the spot by the Blue Water Bridge.  I was hoping to get my normal head shot but she was moving too fast for me.

 I did get my shot of her framed by the Bridge.

 And probably one of my favorite angles.

 Another shot with the bridge.

She continues her way up into Lake Huron.  It will take her approximately two days from the time I took this picture to get to Two Harbors, Minnesota.

The Radcliffe R. Latimer

There was one more ship to take pictures of before I headed back home.  Since she was a ship I hadn't see before, I decided to stick around.

 The Radcliffe R. Latimer began life as the Algobay.  She was born at the Collingwood Shipyard in 1977 after Algoma decided they needed a ship to support a contract from Ontario Hydro.

 She was built to a configuration that allowed her to run along the eastern seaboard if necessary.  Her bow was also designed in a way that allowed her to break the ice.

 Her original dimensions were 730 feet long by 75 feet wide.  She could carry almost 34,000 tons of cargo.  She was originally powered by two Pielstick Diesel Engines.  In 1978, she had a collision with the Italian ship Cielo Bianco which was being towed.  Later she collided with the Montrealais.

 In 1987, she was upgraded to allow her to work on the high seas. 

 In 2002, she entered long term layup.

 In 2009, she was towed to China for some radical reconstruction.

 A shot as she approaches Joe Louis.

After completion of construction, she was re-christened in 2012 as the Radcliffe R. Latimer after a former Algoma Chairman.

And that concluded my trip over into Canada.  I wish I could say me entry back into the United States was uneventful but it wasn't.  But that wont deter me from future trips to Canada.  I'm guessing that as I build up a profile things will get easier for me.