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| Anchored freighter -- Saturday, January 28, 2012 -- 7:13 am |
A ship is anchored just off of White Rock Shoal this morning. Both Ed and I usually scan the horizon when we get up and this morning there is a ship, probably a 700 foot freighter, whose lights we could see very clearly through the faint dawn light before sunrise.
As I write, around 8:30 am, there are snow squalls that obscure the shape of the ship. From time to time it emerges as a dark line on the snowy horizon, then disappears.
Great Lakes shipping slows considerably in the winter months as ships go into layup for repair and refitting. The winter months are risky times to be working on the Lakes as ice and snow and heavy waves complicate navigation.
So, seeing this ship today is unusual. It might be carrying road salt from Goderich, Ontario to Detroit or Toledo. It could be moving aggregates (gravel, sand, cement). For sure, something weather related or mechanical has caused it to anchor close to shore along the Michigan's East Coast this morning.
Copyright 2012
Wanda Hayes Eichler
UPDATE: The freighter turned out to be the Algowood, an Algoma Central ship that hauls salt from Goderich, Ontario to Lake Michigan ports, most recently, Milwaukee and South Chicago.
ReplyDeleteHigh winds and snow squalls had apparently caused the ship to lay up just south of White Rock Shoal for a day. On Sunday morning, just before sunrise, we could see a ship headed east from the shoal, probably about 5-6 miles out. Through a telescope the lights resembled the Algowood's structure, safely on its way.