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For the past three days, despite sunny skies, brisk winds from the north and northeast have kept temperatures unseasonably cold. Today it never got into the 30°s!

Drove to the lakeside park and walked the length of the pier but didn't stay long because the wind gave me a headache -- like when you eat ice cream too fast.

Some serious consideration went into choosing these footer fotos. The only one missing is Burns Harbor, because she generally runs from Superior to Burns Harbor. Presque Isle is with the tugs & ATBs I posted yesterday. Enjoy!

For a change-of-pace, today's fare is tugs & ATBs.

More salties: from April 2014, all up-bound on the St. Clair River.

With a month to go until the shipping season officially opens, I can't deny it, I've got a bad case of ship "withdrawal." So, took a bit of time from the daily routine to search out photos of salties I've captured (and posted to Boatnerd) over the years. Enjoy!

A few more Gone Forever images from the Great Lakes.

A trip through "Memory Waters" with these captures of friends from the past.

This might make a great jig-saw puzzle.

So today I'm revisiting years of saved digital photos and come across this one, taken Christmas Day, 2015. I love reflections. Anyone who posts ship photos with reflections -- and a lot of really good ones come from along the Welland Canal -- really gets my attention! This is the Canadian petro-chemical facility, across the St. Clair River, from Marysville, MI.

Drove to Alpena this morning and discovered their "Ice Tree." It may be a yearly event, but I'd not seen it before.
Lovely, but doesn't come close to those photos of ice sculptures on freighters & tug/barges, posted online in recent days!

It's been a year since I last watched ship activity on the St. Clair River and with the fast and deep freeze now in place, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go where the action was.
Left at 06:45 yesterday morning, knowing Lee A. Tregurtha and Manitoulin had stayed the night in the Harsons Island area. Calculating my 4 hour drive and slowed river speed, I estimated the convoy might be between Marine City and St. Clair when I got to Marysville.
Wrong! USCG Neah Bay was plowing through the large ice plates and CCG Samuel Risley followed, leading Lee A. and Manitoulin.
The air temperature was in the mid-teens but that wind!! I'm pretty tough but couldn't stand out it in more than 20 seconds without feeling the pain in my hands and had to return to the protection of my car within 2 minutes.
Still, the trip was worth the reward but I'm sure the crews of every vessel still trying to make it to lay-up will be relieved and thankful once this season is over.
With so many excellent photographers following the action (lots of vehicles all the way to Port Huron) and posting on FB, I'm keeping my submissions to one per vessel.
At the moment (Monday evening) Edwin H. Gott (Detroit),Walter J. McCarthy (Zug), Calumet (Detroit), Mesabi Miner, Nanticoke, and Philip R. Clarke (Conneaut) remain at anchor in lower Lake Huron, while Great Republic and the tug Michigan are down-bound above the "Thumb."

First sighting of a ship in 2018 was the Robert S. Pierson (Soo) around noon. Depending how close they track, this afternoon I hope to see/photograph American Century (Two Harbors) and Mississagi (Soo).

Correction: KEB's destination is Algoma.

Christmas Day broke with mostly sunny skies, frigid temperatures, and a bit windy.
AIS showed JRB (Duluth) coming close to the shore -- couldn't miss the chance to see a footer close-up -- and "Ms. B" (Alpena) was following at a distance. I had dinner guests coming so couldn't wait for her.
Headed to the lakefront and watched (from the warmth of my car) for the tell-tale scrubber "plume" to appear and chose these two shots of the many I took.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to the captain & crew of "Mr. B"!

Fun ice sculptures! Merry Christmas Bookworm.

AIS showed H. Lee White (Hamilton) down-bound not too far out, so I grabbed the camera and went out into temperatures hovering around 20°. I could see only maybe 1/4 of the top of the superstructure on the horizon, but there were some interesting scenes on shore. Also, although I couldn't capture the effect, maybe 200' out it looked like a wave swell was frozen in motion. I kept looking at it, but nothing changed. This side of it, the water was calm. Enjoy!

Early morning delight to watch Herbert C. Jackson riding the horizon, down-bound from Stoneport to Bay City/Saginaw.

Winds on Lake Huron became quite brisk through the night and before first light Frontenac (Thunder Bay), and Kaye E. Barker (Marquette), passed my vantage point. Their cheerful lighted forms added to my festive mood. Much earlier, Manitoulin (Milwaukee) slipped past as I slept and the Canadian Coast Guard cutter, Sam Risley headed to ice operations on the St. Marys River.

An increase in winds Friday saw a shift in traffic patterns for vessels off Michigan's "mitten." Walter McCarthy (destination St. Clair) was visible in daytime hours and the lights of tugs Michigan (Nanticoke) and Joyce Vanenkevort (Detroit), and Lee A Tregurtha (AK/Rouge) twinkled on the horizon after dark. While I slept, tanker Dara Desgagnes (Sault Ste. Marie), Buffalo (Mainstee) and H. Lee White (outdated destination) slippied past. This morning traffic patterns appear to be returning to normal.

As winter storm Chloe moved through, bringing a lovely early Christmas snow and frigid temps (0° this morning), in only two days Lake Huron's appearance changed from open water to this (as viewed from the Oscoda pier):