Boatnerd News
Martha L. Black To Start Seaway Icebreaking Monday
Martha L. Black in 2013. [René Beauchamp]
Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) advised stakeholders this week that icebreaking operations are expected to begin as soon as March 16 with the Martha L. Black entering at Montreal and breaking through Cape Vincent. US Seaway will be overseeing the conditions in and around the US locks in Massena.
Source: St. Lawrence Seaway Ship Watchers Network – Michael James Folsom
2026 Annual Boatnerd Picnic
THURSDAY June 25 – FREE Join us for the annual Boatnerd picnic at the Sherman Park Pavilion, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. All are welcome! Setup starts at 11 am, feasting starts at noon. Bring a dish to pass. Boatnerd is providing burgers, hot dogs, buns, condiments, and coffee for free. Bring your own non-coffee beverages. The event will be held rain or shine, but let’s hope for sunshine. Join us!
Directions to Sherman Park: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=sherman+park+sault+ste+marie
2026 Annual Freighter-Chasing Cruise
FRIDAY, June 26
6-9 pm, rain or shine
Details to come.
Know Your Ships Ushers In Spring With 2026 Edition
Know Your Ships cover for 2026. [Know Your Ships]
The book also contains complete listings of all vessels in service on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, including frequent saltwater visitors. The Passages section chronicles changes in the shipping scene since the previous year’s edition.
The book also includes meanings of whistle signals, seven pages of colorful stack markings of all Great Lakes & Seaway fleets, including stack markings of many of the saltwater fleets that regularly visit the Seaway system, a comprehensive guide to Great Lakes and Seaway locks and canals, maps of the Great Lakes and Seaway system, a guide to Great Lakes Marine Museums, an Extra Tonnage section that includes a look at cargoes carried by lakers and charts that show travel times and call-in points for the St. Marys, St. Clair and Detroit rivers so you can track the progress of your favorite freighter.
The book features nearly 200 superb pictures taken by photographers and fans from all over the Great Lakes region. Through their lenses, Know Your Ships tells the story of Great Lakes ships and the shipping industry. This includes the arrival of new vessels, unique cargoes and port calls, and the retirement of older ships.
This year’s book contains all-new Spotlight section feature stories, including a look at the long career of the veteran laker Cuyahoga. Recently scrapped, the story touches on the role she played in the formation of the upstart Lower Lakes Towing Co. The book also includes an interview with Algoma Capt. T.J. Per, who has cultivated a YouTube following with his videos about his life and how things work on the lakers. There are also stories about the Blair McKeil and her unique loading/unloading system, the old laker Ridgetown repurposed as a navigational aid and the discovery of the 1913 James Carruthers shipwreck.
It is worth noting that Know Your Ships has covered the waterfront for more almost 70 years. This year marks the books 67th edition.
The 2026 Know Your Ships Extra magazine, that comes out in midsummer, can also be pre-ordered along with the book (U.S. customers only due the way it is mailed).
Order at www.knowyourships.com
Built in 1840, Who Will Save Oldest Wooden Lighthouse on the Great Lakes?
PORT BURWELL, ON – The future of the oldest wooden lighthouse on the Great Lakes – and one of the oldest in Canada – may be in jeopardy as negotiations with neighboring landowners have slowed. Built in 1840, the municipally owned Port Burwell lighthouse – part of the Port Burwell Marine Museum and Historic Lighthouse tourist site – has been closed since 2023 because of structural stability issues.
Bonnie and Ron Bradfield were photographed at the Port Burwell lighthouse on March 12, 2026. [Mike Hensen/The London Free Press]
The $99,000 in temporary stabilization measures included affixing a steel collar to the lighthouse, which stands at the mouth of Otter Creek, at the third level, with eight guy wires attached to eight helical piles embedded in the ground. Thayer said the municipality has also been “in negotiations” with an unnamed organization about transferring ownership of the lighthouse. The municipality has also been seeking an extension of a licensing agreement that permits its stabilization apparatus to remain on land owned by villagers Ron and Bonnie Bradfield. “This licence was provided free of charge to help preserve the lighthouse,” Thayer said. “It expired at the end of 2025.”
In an interview, the Bradfields told The Free Press they had been “in negotiations” with Bayham about extending the agreement, but discussions have slowed because of “the principle of the whole thing. The Bradfields, now in their eighties, own the land surrounding the lighthouse, where they operated a company called Bradcranex for many years, Ron said. The land was once home to shiploads of coal transported by the Ashtabula railcar ferry between Ashtabula, Ohio, and Port Burwell beginning in 1903 until the service was discontinued in 1958.
The couple say they have no objections to the municipality continuing to use their land to stabilize the lighthouse, but they don’t want it taken out of municipal control. “They want to give it to Port Burwell Historical Society,” Bonnie said. “But no one has told us what the historical society will be able to do with it. If anything happened to the lighthouse, Ron would be “heartbroken,” Bonnie said. “We think the municipality should be looking after the lighthouse,” she said.
Ron, a past reeve of the village before it was amalgamated with Vienna, was once a member of the Port Burwell Historical Society and the village’s last light keeper. “I have no idea if the historical society has grants,” he said. “No one will tell me.”
Thayer said the municipality has not yet committed to transferring the lighthouse to the historical society. Bayham, Thayer said, “has not made a formal decision about whether or not to be responsible for the rehabilitation.” “The lighthouse is still included in the capital budget,” he said. “But there is interest from another group that wants to lead the rehabilitation. We are investigating that at this time.”
Whether the lighthouse is historically designated under the Ontario Heritage Act , which would protect it from demolition or inappropriate alterations, remains uncertain. “There is some debate about that,” Thayer said. “The bylaw to designate was passed in 1985 but it was not registered on title, which was a requirement.
Chris Wiebe, a spokesperson for the National Trust for Canada, a charity promoting the protection of Canadian heritage, said lighthouses “are touchstones for Canadian history and pride.” The only older wooden lighthouse in Canada, he said, is on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia. “Seal Island in Nova Scotia is a bit older, 10 years,” he said.
Any discussions about demolishing the lighthouse would result in “a large public outcry in the province, and probably Canada-wide,” he said. Ontario does not have provincial grants for projects like this, he said, unlike provinces such as Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. “People care a lot about culture and heritage and yet there is a lot of disinvestment from various levels of government to support it,” he said.
But Port Burwell could use a combination of federal funding and local fundraising to secure the building. While the $1.5-million price tag for restoration may seem “quite daunting,” Wiebe said the work could be broken into “digestible chunks” until completion. “You could secure the integrity of the building as a first phase, for $250,000, then do another phase for another $250,000,” he said. Several organizations have been raising funds for the lighthouse, including the Port Burwell Historical Society, which has raised more than $43,000.
The lighthouse “was a beacon of hope” for ships caught in storms east of Long Point. “When storms struck, captains who were caught west of the point attempted to claw their way around to the relatively calm and safe waters of Long Point Bay,” it says. “If they didn’t make it, they were almost certainly doomed to go aground and break up on the shore.
A partial restoration of the lighthouse was completed in 1977 through a grant, with additional painting and work done in 1983, the year public tours began. The lighthouse underwent major restorations in 1986 by Mennonite craftspeople. In 2023, a preliminary report pegged the work and materials needed to restore the lighthouse at about $1.5 million. “The municipality has determined it will not have in-house funding available to begin this desperately needed work and will have to rely solely on grants from various levels of government,” the historical society said.
In 2015, Bayham was saddled with more than $6 million in debt after backing a loan to bring a Cold War-era submarine to the lakeside village as a tourist attraction. The HMCS Ojibwa submarine, in service between 1965 and 1998, helped track Soviet ballistic missile submarines in the Atlantic during the 1970s. The five-storey sub arrived on Port Burwell’s shore in November 2012 after a six-month voyage from Halifax harbour.
In 2012, the municipality agreed to guarantee debt from the Elgin Military Museum related to the HMCS Ojibwa project, which included bringing the Oberon-class submarine to Port Burwell and converting it into a museum. When the loan defaulted, Bayham became responsible for more than $6 million, which it paid off in 2025.
Some local residents have been critical of the municipality after it approved improvements to the Straffordville Community Centre in 2023 at a cost of $3.4 million. Bayham received a federal government grant covering about $1.47 million of that cost. Work recently began and includes demolition of a concession stand and excavation and foundation work.
Source: London Free Press
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/built-in-1840-will-anyone-save-the-oldest-wooden-lighthouse-on-the-great-lakes
Boatnerd News March 14, 2026
Boatnerd marks 30 years,
launches redesigned Web site
boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/, now marking its 30th anniversary, is launching a redesigned Web site in honor of the occasion. The new site debuts Sunday. Some service interruptions may be possible during the changeover.
Part of the redesign includes a revamped AIS vessel map that collects vessel positions electronically and makes that information available on the site. The map is not associated with Marine Traffic and remain free to all users. Privately-hosted AIS stations around the Great Lakes provide real-time data.
The new web version is live now at https://ais.boatnerd.com/ and includes several powerful features, including:
U.S. and Canadian charts
My Fleet, allowing you to track individual boats or groups of vessels
Trip plotting tools to estimate when a boat will reach various points along its route
We’ve also enhanced the Automated Vessel Passage feature. It records vessel passages and provides schedules for ports and key locations, making it easier to plan your next boat-watching outing. Check it out here: https://ais.boatnerd.com/passage
In addition, dedicated mobile apps for Apple and Android are coming next month. These apps will bring all of the new AIS features directly to your phone, plus a fun bonus section where you can play whistle signals from some of the most popular boats on the Great Lakes.
“We’ve been working hard on creating a website that will load faster, be easier for visitors to navigate, especially on mobile devices, and also be much easier for our team to update and maintain on the back end,” according to Jason Bowler, who has been working on the redesign for more than a year.
The daily news page had been revamped to make it more user-friendly and easier to search. The Today in Great Lakes History feature will continue as before, as will the discussion forum and the winter layup list. Vessel histories are in the process of being revised with new information. Port reports will change to Noteworthy Passages, as the widespread availability of AIS has rendered the detailed reports outdated by the time they appear.
“Boatnerd was started in 1995 as a test of building a website,” founder Neil Schultheiss recalled. “I had the interest and it seemed like a good subject. At the time, the web was only accessible by academic institutes. In the early days there were text newsgroups that discussed boats and thought I would give this subject a try.”
When the web opened up to the world in the mid-1990s, the site really took off, he said.
The site attracts a diverse following, from nautical enthusiasts to sailors and others involved in the Great Lakes shipping industry. It has visitors from almost every country in the world.
The mission of Boatnerd is to enhance the general public’s knowledge of the maritime commercial operations and history on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Several years ago, the site – which is formally known as Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping On-Line Inc. – gained official non-profit 501(c)(3) status. It is managed by a board of directors and derives much of its revenue from advertising sales, industry support and private donations (click on the DONATE tab if you would like to donate).
Spar begins Lake Superior ice-breaking ops
This past Monday USCGC Spar (WLB-206) began ice-breaking operations in the Duluth-Superior harbor. The real test was a narrow, but nasty, field of packed brash ice off the Superior entry. The Spar took 15 hours to break through to open water, a good test for what it might encounter in Whitefish Bay later this month. During the operation, the Spar is using its buoy crane attached to a concrete sinker pad to rock the vessel and lessen the suction of ice around its hull (see image in photo gallery). They also did a bunch of reversing and ramming, plus using fire hoses and shifting of ballast to help move through the ice, which was like driving a vehicle in wet concrete. Their return later on Tuesday through their track was much easier. Spar will head to Thunder Bay this weekend for an ice breaking assignment there. Note: drone flight near SPAR was pre-approved.
Shipping of the Lake Superior Region – David Schauer
Appeals court allows Mackinac Island
authority over ferry rates – for now
A federal appeals court has upheld Mackinac Island’s authority to regulate fares charged by the ferries that transport tourists to and from the island. The island city is now “evaluating its next steps with regards to the 2026 season and anticipates taking action over the next week,” Erin Evashevski, a St. Ignace attorney representing the city, said in an email to Bridge Michigan on Friday.
The city’s franchise agreement with the ferry operators says the city can regulate fares when there’s no ferry competition. When the Florida-based Hoffman Marine took over its sole ferry competitor in 2024, the city passed an ordinance that aimed to stop Hoffman’s planned $2 fare hike.
The ferry companies raised rates anyway and then sued, saying the island cannot unilaterally decide that no competition exists. A US District Court judge last summer ordered a preliminary injunction stopping the city while the case continued in court.
On Thursday, a panel of judges for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that injunction as it relates to ferry fares, calling the city’s interpretation of the franchise agreement’s language “reasonable.” The appellate judges upheld the part of the injunction blocking the city from regulating parking rates on the mainland.
The current ferry contracts expire June 30, 2027.
The case continues in District Court, where a trial seems likely in the yearlong court battle over ticket and parking prices charged by Hoffman.
In court filings this week, both sides expressed a willingness to participate in mediation but the island city said it “does not believe that the parties have any realistic prospect of settlement at this point.” No meaningful negotiations have happened since October, the city said.
Attorneys for Hoffman did not respond to messages seeking comment on Friday.
The case has roiled one of Michigan’s top tourist destinations, with many island businesses worried rising ferry prices could deter visitors.
At issue is whether Hoffman Marine violated its franchise agreement with the city when it raised ticket prices last spring over the objection of the Mackinac Island City Council.
The contract allows the city to regulate fares when there’s no ferry competition. Since 2024, Hoffman Marine — part of the private equity firm Hoffman Family of Companies — has owned both Mackinac Island ferry lines, Shepler’s Inc. and the Arnold Transit Co., formerly Star Line. The company also owns the ferry docks in St. Ignace, Mackinaw City and on the island, along with most of the long-term parking on the mainland (along with the Mackinac Island and St. Ignace newspapers).
Hoffman’s control of all ferry operations prompted the city in December 2024 to declare a monopoly and vote to nix the ferry companies’ $2 ticket price hike.
The ferry companies raised prices anyway, contending the city could not unilaterally declare that no competition exists.
The ferry companies sued the city, which countersued, accusing the companies of violating US antitrust laws. US District Judge Robert Jonker has twice ruled — most recently last month — that the city did not prove antitrust violations, but allowed the city’s breach-of-contract claims to continue in court.
The two sides are expected in court Monday for a status conference.
Last summer, an adult round trip ferry ride cost $38 and parking day passes cost $15. This year’s prices haven’t yet been announced.
Bridge Michigan
National Museum of the Great Lakes
Offers Spring Lecture Series
TOLEDO, OH – The National Museum of the Great Lakes has announced its spring programming. Coming up soon is the Spring Lecture Series, featuring three engaging speakers; the Lil’ Scupper’s Kids Club, featuring new community partnerships; and a special Sensory Friendly Weekend in partnership with Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Check out the press releases in the gallery below for all the details.
The 2025-2026 winter layup list, now being updated as vessels resume operations for the new shipping season, can be found at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026
Today in Great Lakes History – March 14
1873
1873: On 14 March 1873, the new railroad carferry SAGINAW went into the Port Huron Dry Dock Company’s dry dock where her engine was installed along with her shaft and propeller. Workmen had to break up the ice in the dry dock to release the schooner MARY E. PEREW so that work could begin on the SAGINAW. The work was done quickly since SAGINAW was needed to fill in for a disabled ferry in Detroit. Mr. Francois Baby was granted a “ferry lease” between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan on 14 March 1843. He built the steamer ALLIANCE for this ferry service and Capt. Tom Chilvers was the skipper. In 1851, Capt. Chilvers leased the steamer from Mr. Baby and ran it on the same route until the late 1850s.
1878
1878: On 14 March 1878, the first vessel of the navigation season passed through the Straits of Mackinac. This was the earliest opening of the navigation season at the Straits since 1854.
1880
1880: The harbor tug GEORGE LAMONT sank with her crew of three off Pentwater, Michigan after being overcome by weather during a race with her rival, the harbor tug GEM. The LAMONT was the only steamer to disappear with all hands during the many races that took place among steamers during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
1918
1918: ISLAND QUEEN, a wooden-hulled Toronto Island ferry, was destroyed by a fire at Hanlan’s Point in Toronto. The ship was valued at $25,000 and the hull was left to rot.
1959
1959: March 4, 1959 – The ANN ARBOR NO 6 returned to service as the b.) ARTHUR K ATKINSON after an extensive refit.
1962
1962: MILLY made one trip through the Seaway in 1959. It had been launched at Stockton, CA on May 13, 1915, as PORTHCAWL and became d) MILLY in 1950. The 295 foot freighter, sailing as f) HEDIA, last reported March 14 near Galita Island on the Mediterranean close to Malta and en route from Casablanca, Morocco, to Venice, Italy, with a cargo of phosphate. It was posted as missing and then lost with all hands.
1964
1964: MARIA G.L. went aground at Suno Saki, Japan, about 30 miles south of Yokohama, in fog. This Liberty ship had been a Great Lakes trader in 1961. It was enroute from Long Beach, California, to Chiba, Japan, with a cargo of phosphates and broke in two as a total loss.
1993
1993: The Freedom Class freighter SHAMALY was a year old when it came through the Seaway in 1969. It returned December 1, 1990, as c) WALVIS BAY for Ogdensburg, NY to load corn gluten The 9650 gross ton freighter ran aground south of Greece off Cape Morakis in 1993 en route from Piraeus to Scotland as d) LIPARIT BAY. The hull was not worth repairing and sold for scrap. Renamed e) NORA for the delivery tow, it arrived at Aliaga, Turkey, April 4, 1994, for dismantling and work began May 16.
1999
1999: The Panamanian freighter EVANGELIA PETRAKIS was built in Muroran, Japan, in 1978 as N.J. PATERAS. It came through the Seaway in 1988 and was renamed c) AMER VED in 1990. It survived a grounding off Horsetail Bank, UK on November 19, 1996, only to suffer serious damage in a collision with the newly built, 57,947 gross ton, Maltese flag tanker SEAPRIDE I off Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates. The damage to the 21-year old freighter was not worth repairs so it arrived at Alang, India, for scrapping on June 19, 1999.
Data from: Skip Gillham, Max Hanley, Shawn B-K, Joe Barr, Father Dowling Collection, “Ahoy & Farewell II” and the “Great Lakes Ships We Remember” series.
Boatnerd News March 13, 2026
Alpena steams into her 84th season
CLEVELAND, OH – The steamer Alpena departed Cleveland for her namesake port on Thursday to load cement, thus beginning her 84th season of sailing. She arrived at Detroit in thge evening and will lay there for weather. The vessel, a favorite of boatwatchers, was built by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Rouge River, MI, and was launched Feb. 28, 1942 as the Leon Fraser for the Pittsburgh Steamship Co. She and many other smaller ships became surplus tonnage after the advent of the 1,000-footers and so was laid up at Lorain, OH, in 1982. Shortened 120 feet in 1990 by Fraser Shipyards, she reentered service in shortly thereafter as the self-unloading cement carrier Alpena for Inland Lakes Transportation, Inc. (Lafarge), Alpena, MI (now Inland Lakes Management, managed by Andie Inc. ( a subsidiary of Mainstay Maritime).
New Boatnerd site launching Sunday
We will be launching an updated version of our website on Sunday, March 15. The main Boatnerd website will be temporarily unavailable as we take the current website offline and get the new one up and running. The new website will be easier to navigate, faster to load, and easier for our team to manage on the back end. It should also be much more reliable and less prone to crashing.
National Museum of the Great Lakes
Offers Spring Lecture Series
TOLEDO, OH – The National Museum of the Great Lakes has announced its spring programming. Coming up soon is the Spring Lecture Series, featuring three engaging speakers; the Lil’ Scupper’s Kids Club, featuring new community partnerships; and a special Sensory Friendly Weekend in partnership with Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Check out the press releases in the gallery below for all the details.
The 2025-2026 winter layup list, now being updated as vessels resume operations for the new shipping season, can be found at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026
Port Report – March 13, 2026
Port and vessel activity for Thursday March 12.
You can Now visit Matt Miner’s Saltie page at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/foreign-vessels-on-the-lakes-2024
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at; https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026/
Boatnerd News March 12, 2026
The 2025-2026 winter layup list is now up and running at https://boatnerd3.jasonbowlerdesign.com/winter-lay-up-list-2025-2026
Cruise ship terminal in the works for the heart of Toronto’s waterfront
Toronto, ON – A new marine terminal could soon welcome cruise ships and other large vessels at the foot of Toronto’s longest street.
The Toronto Port Authority (formerly Ports Toronto) is pursuing plans to construct a new “multi-use marine terminal” at the south end of Yonge St., potentially bringing a major new influx of tourism to the city’s bustling central waterfront.
The Port Authority issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 5, seeking bids from firms or consortia “with the necessary experience, qualifications, and resources to deliver a comprehensive business plan for the development of a new multi-use Marine Terminal at the Yonge Street Slip.”
The RFP seeks submissions with a deadline of April 2 for a new marine terminal and pier extending from the foot of Yonge St.
Local tourism organization Destination Toronto calls the marine terminal “a new Great Lakes gateway, noting that the “transformative infrastructure project would serve as both a multi-use marine transportation hub and an iconic gateway to the city.”
Though plans are still in their earliest stages, Destination Toronto notes that “the development will include a new marine terminal, public plaza, and pier anchored by a signature architectural landmark.”
The new terminal would support tourism through accommodating passenger cruise ships, marine transit services, and other recreational boaters.
Currently, the site of the planned pier’s land side is occupied by a surface parking lot envisioned to be transformed into a future City of Toronto park.
For decades, the Yonge St. slip was the site of the infamous Captain John’s floating seafood restaurant. The ship (the former ferry Normac) that housed the former restaurant was finally hauled away from the site in 2015, destined for the scrap yard.
[Blong TO Via Ship Junkies – Lakes, Locks & Rivers (LL&R)]
St. Lawrence Seaway 2025 Traffic Report
You can read the full report at the link provided: https://greatlakes-seaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/traffic_report_2025_en.pdf
National Museum of the Great Lakes Offers Spring Lecture Series
The National Museum of the Great Lakes has announced its spring programming. Coming up soon is the Spring Lecture Series, featuring three engaging speakers; the Lil’ Scupper’s Kids Club, featuring new community partnerships; and a special Sensory Friendly Weekend in partnership with Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Check out the press releases in the gallery below for all the details.
