Day 92: All Done!

First semester at sea complete! I had a chance to experience three boats, delivered 672,000 tons of iron ore, burned 816,000 gallons of fuel, sailed on all but one of the Great Lakes, and learned so much. Now back to school on Monday... 

Day 91: Sunset Week 13

Wednesdays are usually reserved for the sunrise of the week, but just as the sun is setting today, so the sun sets on this summer at sea. This is my last night on the boat before heading back to Traverse City tomorrow morning. It has been an awesome summer!

Day 90: Boats of the Summer, Part III

Built in 1975, the M/V Sam Laud was named after the chairman of the board of American Steamship's parent company, GATX. She is the smallest boat of the summer and is powered by two 3,500 hp Diesel engines and is 635 feet long by 68 feet wide. It's been a short trip, but I've seen more new ports in 10 days on this boat than the whole summer combined!

Day 89: Stone

For the first time all summer, we are loading a different cargo! This time we are loading stone for Cleveland instead of iron ore. It's the same process, but cool to see something different. 

Day 88: Boats of the Summer, Part II

The M/V Presque Isle was named after the peninsula that forms the harbor in Erie, PA. She is an integrated tug/barge (actually two separate vessels that are attached as a rigid unit) and measures just over 1,000 feet by 104 feet and is powered by 14,840 hp. It was a quick 10 days on this boat, but learned a lot and enjoyed it. 

Day 87: When All Else Fails...

This handy reminder is posted in the pilot house next to all of the controls:

Day 86: Boats of the Summer, Part I

Named after the chairman of the board of the US Steel Corp, the M/V Edgar B. Speer was home for 70 days this summer. She is 1,004 feet in length by 105 feet in width and is powered by 19,320 hp and was a great first ship to sail on!

Day 85: Rocky Taconite

Meet "Rocky Taconite" - he is the town mascot for Silver Bay, Minnesota where we are loading taconite (iron ore) pellets for a trip to the steel plant. At least they are proud of their mining history around here! 

Day 84: Sunrise Week 12

A beautiful and calm morning with the sunrise over the Algoma Steel Plant in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. 

Day 83: Chart Corrections

Today's task: chart corrections. Once a week we receive updates by mail for navigational charts we carry on board and then we (aka the cadet) go through all of the charts and update the corrected area with a label. 

Day 82: Bow Wake

I was walking around the deck while we were steaming across Lake Erie today and decided to stick my phone over the bow and see what it captured. Turns out I didn't drop my phone in the water and came up with this photo of the bow wake. 

Day 81: Little River, Big Boat

As part of the itinerary on this new, somewhat smaller (only 600 feet!) boat that I am on, we take a load of ore up the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, OH. The river has some really tight turns and it's so small that we have to back all the way out. It is also a river that burst into flames back in 1952. Here is a photo with downtown reflecting off the river last night. 

Day 80: Welcome to Detroit

It's my first new day on my new boat, the M/V Sam Laud and I'm on a new river passing through Detroit. It's great to have some new scenery. 

Day 79: Perfect Timing

Off one and on the next. Today I switched boats one last time for the summer and had perfect timing in the Soo locks. The two boats met in opposite directions in different lock chambers at the same time and it worked perfectly for the swap. Out with the red boat and in with the black one! The chances of this happening - two specific boats with perfect timing - is super rare. 

Day 78: So Long, Gary

Today looks like it will be my last trip to Gary, Indiana for the summer. This is the 10th unload I've had in Gary; offloading over a half million tons of iron ore at US Steel. Headed to Ohio for the rest of the trips this summer!

Day 77: Sunrise Week 11

It is hard to believe that 11 weeks have passed already! This week's sunrise is from Lake Superior with a lakes freighter in the distance.  

Day 76: USACE

The hardworking US Army Corps of Engineers line handlers at the Soo Locks. These guys (and gals) let our lines go once we have locked through so we can continue on our way through the river.

Day 75: CAT Repair

CAT diesel service - there day or night to service the generator when it dies. 

Day 74: Uncle Time

I had to share one more photo from my afternoon off the boat with my new niece who I met for the first time and my awesome little nephew. So thankful I had a chance to spend a little time with them!

Day 73: Hello, New Boat!

On my new boat - the M/V Presque Isle (named after the peninsula forming the harbor at Erie, PA). Three weeks left and then back to school for the semester. 

Day 72: Goodbye, Mighty Speer

After a fun-filled and educational 70 days aboard the Edgar B. Speer, I am changing to a different vessel to get a couple of trips in to Lake Erie before the end of the summer. The Speer was a great ship to introduce me to life on a big boat and I'll miss it and all of the crew over there!

Day 71: Family Visit!

I was lucky to have my sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece visit me on the "big boat" while we were in Gary. 

Day 70: Sunrise Week 10

From the St. Mary's River. 

Day 69: The Gott

This is the Edwin H. Gott - the nearly identical sister ship to the Speer that I am sailing on. 

Day 68: Rock Cut

Here we are headed through the rock cut on the St. Mary's river. It's quite narrow and a tight fit for a ship this size. 

Day 67: Load Time

Every six days we arrive back in Two Harbors, Minnesota for a new load of iron ore for the steel plant. It takes 7-10 hours with the cargo pouring into 20 hatches on deck to load the boat into 6 cargo holds. 

Day 66: Life Ring

They say this thing is supposed to help save your life if you fall overboard. The water is really cold though, so I'm not sure how much this orange ring will help. 

Day 65: Take the Stairs

This appeared on the bulletin board in the break room after there was so much complaining following the 12 hours of elevator shut down. We don't even have that many stairs. 

Day 64: Anchor Chain

We've had to anchor a couple of times over the past few days and this a link on the chain that holds the 22,500 lb anchor. 

Day 63: Sunrise Week 9

Reflections all around the pilot house for the early sunrise this morning!

Day 62: Paint

It takes a lot of red paint (and time) to cover 105,000 square feet of steel deck. I'm not disappointed that painting isn't in the cadet job description. 

Day 61: The Chadburn

We do have more modern engine controls to control engine speed, but still use this to ring engine commands to the engine room. Before the invention of modern throttle controls, these engine order telegraphs were the primary engine speed communication device between the pilot house and the engine control room. 

Day 60: Wind Power

It was a sailboat that partially inspired this career change and I always enjoy seeing them out. There was some great wind today and nice to see people out enjoying it. 

Day 59: Camp!

For the past couple of years, I have had the opportunity to volunteer at the American Cancer Society's "Camp Goodtimes" - a camp for childhood cancer survivors and their siblings. I was supposed to be there this week, but couldn't make it work due to my sailing schedule. Wishing I could be there and thinking of all the volunteer staff and campers this week!

Day 58: Fluffy Clouds and Blue Skies

Another beautiful day on the open water of Lake Michigan!

Day 58: Fluffy Clouds and Blue Skies

Another beautiful day on the open water of Lake Michigan!

Day 57: Reflection

Looking off the bow into the water. 

Day 56: Sunrise Week 8

This week's sunrise from approaching the Soo locks with the international bridge over the St. Mary's river. 

Day 55: Northern Michigan Summer

It is finally summertime in northern Michigan and we've just had our first couple of days in the 80's. Everyone is out to play in their little boats and campers on the water. 

Day 54: Taconite

This is what we haul around in this boat - loads of iron ore pellets that are the size of marbles. We just finished loading 57,000 tons of the little things and headed for the steel plant. 

Day 53: Run Time

I really enjoy my time on the water, but I always look forward to my once a week run when we can get off the boat in Two Harbors. There is something about being on land that is really nice and it is especially great to soak in some summer heat and humidity for a run! Also, it looks like I mastered the art of running on water this week. 

Day 52: Another Big Boat

As we were departing the Gary breakwater, this was the view standing outside the starboard bridge wing looking  at the Presque Isle with the Chicago skyline in the very distant background. 

Day 51: Hold On Tight

This little bollard (along with six others) keeps 75,000 tons of ship from drifting away at the dock. 

Day 50: Student Driver

They actually let me drive this thing!

Day 49: Sunrise Week Seven

This week's sunrise is from transiting the St. Mary's river with lighted buoy #13 and Sailors Encampment ranges off in the distance. 

Day 48: Passengers?

I guess if you are well connected in the iron ore industry (or win a charity raffle of some kind) you and your lucky companions can find yourselves aboard a ship like this. We just took on 4 passengers that will be making the 6 day trip to Gary and back with us. I hope they realize this is a work boat and that work boats and cruise ships have only one thing in common: they float. 

Day 47: Engine Control Room

I rarely make it down to engine room area, but sometimes I make the trip to see what is happening down there. Here is a photo from the engine control room where the engineers do their thing. 

Day 46: Chart Time

As part of this ongoing homework project this summer, I have to draw charts of each of the lakes including lights with characteristics, shoals, reefs, courses, islands, etc. I'm just basically duplicating the NOAA chart by hand all so I can prepare to be licensed as a first class Great Lakes pilot when test time comes in a couple years. 

Oh yeah, and today is day 46, which means I'm halfway done for the summer! Just 92 more days to go. 

Day 45: Nice Evening in Gary?

I never thought I would say this, but it is actually a beautiful evening in Gary. Of course, that is if you can ignore the terrible smell of steel pollution in the air. I guess sunsets make everything look better!

Day 44: Tunnel Time

The unloading "tunnel" is at the bottom of the ship under all of the cargo holds and is where the cargo is released from gates at the bottom of the hold. From there it goes to a conveyer belt, up an elevator system, through the shuttle boom, and off the ship into the hopper at the steel plant. 

It's rather dusty down in the tunnel and it's safety first around here: