Spring Has Come - March 21, 2021 - Shipspotting
What a welcome sight to see Canadian Coast Guard cutter and buoy tender, Griffon, swapping the winter buoys in Port Huron, Michigan, for the regular season buoys today!
First, Griffon takes up the winter buoy using its onboard crane. (Most of this operation was difficult to see.)
Time to float the summer buoy. You can see how big it is compared to the guys on board.
The buoy is careful set into the water and released. (I'm sure there's more to that process, but I couldn't find more information about it.)
Griffon heads further upbound to swap out another buoy. Apparently, 6-8 a day is a good number to exchange.
I did a bunch of research to try to find out more about why this exchange needs to be done, but could only find this one article about the Chesapeake Bay mentioning that the ice on the water can damage the regular season buoys. The ice can also displace or even submerge the summer buoys, so it is necessary to have the more durable ones in the winter. I presume that this is the same in the Great Lakes, but couldn't find anything else about it.
Crossposted on Hive.
Today's images are from:
StreamTime Live - Port Huron, Michigan
The sharing of the pictures/cameras is encouraged for the education and enjoyment of all. Please take a look at these cameras on YouTube.
Note: Boatnerd also hosts shipping news, huge amounts of data about almost any "laker" and even many of the "saltie" visitors - and even a book called "Know Your Ships". I would encourage supporting his great work, especially as he has plans to add more cameras in 2021.
If you want to be tagged in future shipspotting posts, please let me know and I'll add you to this list.
@jamerussell
(I can also remove you if you wish.)
Past Shipspotting Posts
- Watching the Ships in Duluth, Minnesota
- Watching the Ships at Port Huron, Michigan
- Trains and Ships on the Mississippi, Fort Madison, Iowa
- Year's End Shipping in Duluth - Dec 31, 2020 - featuring Algoma Guardian, American Spirit, Baie Comeau, Great Republic and Stewart J Cort.
- Persistence Pays Off - Feb 11, 2021 - featuring Morro Bay, Samuel Risley, Griffon and Algosea.
- The Buddy System - Feb 14, 2021 - featuring Griffon, Hollyhock, Algosea, Morro Bay, Algocanada and Iver Bright.
- Downbound Progression - Feb 18, 2021 - featuring Samuel Risley and Algosea
- Upbound Parade - Feb 18, 2021 - featuring Samuel Risley, Algonova, Leo A McArthur and Katmai Bay.
- A Day on the St. Clair - Feb 25, 2021 - featuring Katmai Bay, Samuel Risley, Algonova and Pride.
- Threefer in Marine City - Feb 26, 2021 - featuring Katmai Bay, Samuel Risley and Algoterra
- 2021 Shipping Season Begins - Mar 1, 2021 - featuring Manitoulin
Ship Studies
- Algoma Enterprise Farewell post - Jan 5, 2021 - featuring Algoma Enterprise, Algoma Niagara and Joyce van Enkevort - Jan 5, 2021
- Alpena, the Oldest Ship on the Lakes - March 8, 2021
- Iver Bright - Asphalt and Bitumen Tanker - March 5, 2021
- Katmai Bay - USCGC 101
- Mississagi's Final Voyage - Jan 5, 2021
Freewrites that include ship pictures...
- Winter, Writing and Winging It - featuring Drawsko and Federal Oshima.
Shipping-based art
Shipspotting Buzzes
Lakers:
- American Steamship Company - American Integrity,
- Canada Steamship Lines - Frontenac, Rt Hon Paul J Martin,
- Interlake - James R Barker, Kaye E Barker,
Coast Guard:
- Canadian - Samuel Risley
Salties:
- BBC - BBC Swift
Two or more ships -
- Burns Harbor & Stewart J Cort,
- Jamna, Sinaa, Torrent and Federal Dart,
- USCG Biscayne Bay - 104, CCG Samuel Risley, Michigan w/ Great Lakes and USCG Morro Bay - 106
No Ships... (on these ship cameras)
This category is for when the camera operator finds something else fun to focus on, like the peregrines around Port Huron or the beautiful sunrise over Lake Superior as viewed from the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge.
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
(Buy my work at RedBubble, TeePublic, PicFair and DeviantArt.)
verified author on Goodreads
(Buy my books at Books2Read and at LBRY)
