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.