A Pair of Ships Refuelling

 There are two fuel docks near Detroit.  Ships will typically stop at them on their upbound journey.

This is the Sterling in Windsor.  It is typically used by Canadian (or Canadian flagged) ships.  The Kaminisiqua was pulling into the docks as I was down there.

This is the Maumee.  She is the barge portion of a tug/barge.  She was docked at the Mistersky Fuel Docks.  I think she pulled in after the American Century left.

And Then There Was the Pathfider

This is one that I did not expect to catch.

The Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder was stopped in the Belle Isle Anchorage when I first got here.  I wasn't sure why she was waiting there.

I initially thought she was waiting to go up the Rouge or something.

But it turns out that she was waiting for an opening at the fuel dock.

So she started to head down the river.

I'm surprised they didn't bring the tug to her but I imagine that might cost extra.

She starts to pass the Ambassador Bridge.

The tower in the middle.

One more with the Bridge.

She continues to the Mistersky fuel docks.
 

Next Up, a Tug/Barge

 This one was kind of a bonus.  I was not expecting it.

Tug/barges are generally shown using the tug icon and usually the name of the tug.  In this case that is the Clyde VanEnkevort.

I don't normally look for tugs, so I completely missed this one.  At first, I thought it was another ship that was heading upbound but it seems that I completely missed that one.

I'm not sure where this one was coming from.

But she was heading up to Stoneport which means she is going up to pick up stones.  Likely limestone.

She was pretty loud.

One more shot as she passed.

The Prentiss Brown/St Marys Challenger Passes By

 I think this was another last journey of the season, but I'm not sure.

She was heading to Toledo as I was taking this picture.

I assume that means she was delivering to the cement plant there.

As I look her up on AIS, I see that she is in Cleveland now.

I think that means she's got at least one more trip in her because ships don't typically lay up in Cleveland.

The Prentiss Brown/St Marys Challenger Makes an Appearance

 The next vessel was actually moving.

As I was about to take pictures of the Frontenac from another spot, I saw this vessel moving by.  The vessel in question was the Prentiss Brown pushing the St Marys Challenger.  The barge used to be the ship St Marys Challenger (amongst others), she was the oldest self powered freighter on the Lake at 106 years old.  I think her owners tried to save her as a freighter but found it to be economically unfeasible (I suspect she needed work in the engine room).  She was then converted to a barge and soldiers on as such.  She's not nearly as pretty as she was as a freighter but she's doing what she was built to do, so that's good I guess.

The Defiance/Ashtabula Passes By

 The next vessel is kind of a bonus for me since I wasn't expecting to catch her.

This is after she passed the Alpena.  I continued to follow her with my drone to get some shots of her.

I kind of like the looks of her but she is another vessel that people consider as ugly.

She does need a little paint work.

But she is kind of neat looking.

She looks good in the golden light.

The beam shot.

I think she was heading up from Detroit.

I was not sure where she was heading to though.

The Victory and her Barge the Maumee

 As I was getting ready to leave, I saw that there was one more vessel coming up.

I was almost going to pass because I saw that it was a tug/barge.

But I figured, I was here and she was here and it was another ship, sort of.

The tug is the Victory and the barge is the Maumee.  She used to be the Lewis J. Kuber.

I think they changed the name in keeping with how they name their ships after rivers.

The Maumee is one of the rivers they visit.

She was coming up from Detroit but again, I'm not sure if that was the last port she visited or her port of origin.

She was heading up to Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.

I'm not sure what she was going to pick up though.

The beam shot, sort of.

A picture of her tug.

I think her tug looks kind of cool.

One more before moving along.

A Suprise Visitor

 As I was waiting for the ship that I was interested in, I heard the sound of something behind me.   I turned around and I saw this.

The Dororthy Ann/Pathfinder was coming upbound.  I'm not sure where they were heading from but they were heading up to Calcite.

the Dorothy Ann is the tug portion.

Old Glory flying proudly in the breeze.

A better shot of the tug portion.

I couldn't get a front shot but I did get one as she continued up the river.

A Defiant Ashtabula Makes an Appearance

 I don't usually look for tugs, so this one was also a surprise.

As I was waiting for my next ship, I saw that this one was heading up, so took pictures of her.

The Defiance/Ashtabula was heading up from Fairport.

I'm going to guess she was delivering stone.

She was heading up to Port Dolomite.

That means that she is picking up stone.

She's a cool looking vessel.

but I wont call her a good looking one.

She is built for what she does.

And it seems she does what she does very well.

An almost beam shot.

She continues on.

And heads out to Lake Huron.