Boatnerd News – July 13, 2023

Man rescued after falling from Ambassador Bridge into Detroit River

DETROIT – A man was rescued after he fell from the Ambassador Bridge into the Detroit River.

The incident happened after 4 p.m. Wednesday. Fire officials said witnesses reported a man was doing work on the Ambassador Bridge when he fell off and into the river.

People fishing along the river saw what happened and ran and knocked on the door of J W Westcott Co. They were able to get boats into the water and rescue the man.

Witnesses said he was alert and talking. He is being transported to a hospital.

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Explosives to be used in new superlock construction at Soo Locks, Army Corps says

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – Explosives will be used as work progresses toward the construction of a new superlock at the Soo Locks in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, officials said.

During a meeting Monday, officials with the Army Corps of Engineers announced that explosives will be used in the deconstruction of the Sabin and Davis locks, which will be replaced by the new superlock, 9&10 News reports.

The detonations are expected to begin at the end of July, the report said. The Soo Locks will be intermittently closed to marine traffic due to the explosions.

Boaters are asked to follow the instructions given by security personnel on the water, as they are tasked with keeping mariners safe during detonations, said Rachel Miller from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The Soo’s big Poe Lock is one of two functional locks in what originally was a four-lock system. In addition to the Poe lock, the smaller MacArthur Lock remains; it’s south of the Poe. The 800-foot-long MacArthur Lock generally handles smaller watercraft while the 1,200-foot-long Poe Lock is used by larger vessels, such as freighters, traversing between the upper and lower Great Lakes.

The work being done now will eventually result in a new Poe-sized lock in place of the inactive Davis and Sabin locks. It won’t be complete for several years.

The Poe is currently the sole lock large enough to move increasingly longer and wider Great Lakes ships. A second lock its size will ensure cargo can still move between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes should one lock unexpectedly close.

The Soo Locks is a crucial piece of engineering for Great Lakes shipping. The system raises and lowers vessels to accommodate the 23-foot elevation difference between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. This allows freighters, tugboats, Coast Guard boats and other vessels to move in and out of Lake Superior.

Each year, more than 4,500 ships and other vessels pass through the Soo Locks. These are carrying 80 million tons of cargo – mostly coal, limestone, iron ore and wheat.

MLive

 

Triple-masted schooner to get big welcome after 3,000-mile journey to Grand Traverse Bay

SUTTONS BAY, MI – A triple-masted schooner that’s been turning heads for the last month as it has made its way from the East Coast to the Great Lakes is set to receive a big welcome when it sails into its new home port on Grand Traverse Bay this week.

The Alliance, a 105-foot boat that’s most recently done day cruises in Virginia, is the newest name in the Inland Seas Education Association’s fleet. It is in the Straits of Mackinac area today, plans to swing by Charlevoix, then is expected to finish its 3,000-mile journey late this week.

The public is invited to welcome the Alliance to Suttons Bay on Friday, July 14, from 4 to 7 p.m. Visitors can meet at the Inland Seas campus at 100 Dame St. Once the schooner arrives, people can meet the crew and take a tour of the vessel.

The Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) is known for its popular schoolship program for students as well as its short, themed cruises for the public. The nonprofit’s team has been excited for months about adding the Alliance. They say it will open the door to a lot more programming for students here and in other Great Lakes cities where ISEA’s vessels sail. These include Houghton, Green Bay, Detroit and Cleveland.

Currently, the program uses its flagship 77-foot Inland Seas, along with another boat, the Utopia. Check out its public day sails schedule here.

The Alliance, which can carry about 54 passengers, will allow ISEA to answer a growing pile of requests that until this year had to go unfulfilled. It can also add new programming, building on its current work of deepening people’s understanding and connection to the freshwater system that surrounds us.

“The addition of the schooner Alliance to the ISEA schoolship fleet marks a pivotal moment in the history of our organization and the future stewardship of the Great Lakes,” said ISEA Executive Director Fred Sitkins. “This organizational expansion is a testament to the partnerships that ISEA enjoys throughout the Great Lakes region.”

“Colleges/universities, nonprofits, K-12 schools, foundations, and other organizations partner with ISEA to develop environmental stewards and leaders to care for the Great Lakes. We make a lasting impact in the lives of youth and the health of the Great Lakes and we are thrilled that we can now reach more individuals and communities with the addition of another schoolship.”

Want to experience sailing on Alliance? Public sails are scheduled for late July and early August. In the fall, the Alliance will motor into Detroit to work with students on the Detroit River.

A Flashy Past

The big schooner was launched as a superyacht in 1995 by Treworgy Yachts in Palm Coast, Florida. Initially named Kathryn B., the boat was launched just a year after the same yard put out the Inland Seas. The Kathryn B. ran as part of a windjammer group in Maine, then in 2005 was renamed the Alliance and was run as a daysailing boat in Yorktown, Virginia.

When the vessel came up for sale, the ISEA team saw it as a great addition because it was not only a big, safe boat in good condition, it was already licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard. The long journey to get the Alliance to Grand Traverse Bay began at a Maryland marina in mid-June. From the crew notes that day:

“The Schooner Alliance calmly slipped away from the fuel dock at Georgetown Yacht Haven and headed downriver towards the main body of the Chesapeake Bay. After weeks of yard repairs taking longer than anyone had anticipated, the crew is relieved to be underway at last. Winds are light from the west and Alliance turned more than her fair share of heads as she motored down the Sassafras River. After entering the Chesapeake, Alliance turned north for the Elk River and then onto the C&D Canal bound for the Atlantic Ocean.”

More Than Three Decades on the Water

ISEA’s schoolship program, based in Suttons Bay with an education center and small dormitory there, has been active for 33 years. It has invited children in elementary, middle and high school classes to climb aboard and experience the Great Lakes up close. Kids learn about their water-based ecosystem, environmental issues, conduct experiments, and just learn to love the feel of being on the water.

“People protect what they love, and they love what they understand,” Sitkins said, echoing the words of the famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. “We want kids to understand the lakes … so they feel connected to them.”

Being aboard a boat as it’s skimming across a Great Lake is an experience that sticks with kids. It also offers them a chance to do the hands-on work of scientists and engineers – perhaps sparking an interest in a future career. “It’s a really good real-world work experience for students,” he said.

More than 10,000 people participated in ISEA programs last year. About half of those were students from more than 150 different schools in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. Other passengers were adults or family groups who toured one of the boats, went on their roster of ticketed summer cruises for the public, or just stepped on board for a look around as they stopped in a Great Lakes port.

ISEA has deep connections around the lakes. It works with colleges, environmental groups, foundations and other nonprofits. The year-round work follows a seasonal structure: Schoolship programs start in May and stretch into June. Summer is for traveling, sailing into four of the five Great Lakes for educational programs. Past port stops have included Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and into Lake Superior to drop anchor in Marquette, Houghton and Duluth. Then it is back to the fall schoolship format once classes are back in session.

MLive

 

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