To The Point! (Farran's Point)

Venturing out to the ruins of Farran's Point in late November to see what I could see.

It's been a couple years since I explored these ruins just southeast of Ingleside.

Had been hoping to take another tour this fall, and got a nice break in the weather for a quick afternoon trip.
















The remains of huge tree stumps on either side of the old road.

Over six decades of weather and flowing water has smoothed and rounded the stumps,
but I still find it incredible that they're still here.

I feel the water level is higher than normal for this time of year...

A few years ago, practically everything was exposed - more than I had ever seen. Could even walk the old streets.

On this fall day some of the stuff that was exposed in late summer is now hidden underwater.














One of the biggest stretches of high ground of Farran's Point.

Ice forming inside of the point still hasn't melted by late afternoon.

This section is protected on the outside by the old highway - which is eroding further with each passing year.





















Looking down the old road, with Farran Park Campground straight up ahead on shore.































Broken pieces of old red brick, from buildings long gone...






















The highest ground in the old Farran's Point is solid enough to support a couple of trees.



























A good look at Farran's Point and the broken Old Highway 2.

In the distant background, visible buildings along the modern County Road 2.





















The shadows play a dramatic contrast here on the cracked edge of old highway.

As pieces of the road continue to break off into the river, more fresh black asphalt is exposed.



















Tree stump just barely visible above the water line.

Straight ahead on dry land, what looks like an orange island is where Farran Point Road emerges from the water and meets the bike path (former CN Railway bed) and proceeds towards the current County Road 2.



















Looking back at Farran's Point from the modern day Farran Park Campground.



























Plaque located at Farran Park, indicating that the village of Farran's Point was "located one half mile southwest of here".




















Pieces of the same red brick half a mile away...

Presumably moved by the spring ice, all the way from Farran's Point to the edge of Farran Campground.





























Sun setting over Farran Campground (and what's left of Farran's Point).






















Return trip was beautiful on the water.

Spotted some large white buoyant objects ahead, which turned out to be a pair of waterfowl...

Could not get close enough to them to discern if they were geese or swans...

They were fairly big - seemed too big to be geese. Through the binoculars, I'm sure I spotted some orange and black, so I'm leaning towards them being swans...

Water Owl...

While I tend to be most interested in locations accessed by boat, the old Galop Canal in Cardinal is one of my favorite places to visit on dry land.

Truly a enchanting plance, there weren't many souls to be found at Lock 27 despite the fact that it was double digit temperatures in mid-November.

The original canal opened in 1846, and was in operation until the completion of the Seaway in 1959.








Looking up the old canal about an hour before the sunset.
















Always amazed at how crystal clear the water always seems to be here... Can see right to the bottom.


















The calmness here is surreal... Like something from a painting.























The water is calm and still but ever flowing, as the rounded corners of the wall spin off perfect little whirlpools.





















With the active Seaway channel in the background, Looking at the configuration of the old locks, part of the canal seemed to lead nowhere... I found an explanation here:

"I learned that this was the site of both Lock 27 and Lock 28. Lock 28 is now filled in with earth." -https://ottawadivers.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/weehawk-lock-27-drift/

The page also has a couple of overhead shots, from before and after the Seaway was floodded.

With the modern-day Seaway channel visible in the background, looking over Lock 27 - to the possible location of where Lock 28 was filled in? I'll have to check it out next time, but even the grass seems to have a different color/texture.





Bollards from the old lock still line either side of the canal.

The greenish tint suggests that they're made of copper?
I bet they're nearly as solid today as they were 100 years ago.
















Surprise of the day... A Snowy Owl resting on the side bank of the old canal. I always thought these guys didn't show up here until the weather up north gets really brutal...
















The unexpected owl sighting was enough of a distraction for the ALGOMA SAULT to quietly sneak up the river and almost past me.

I had to follow the ship all the way up to The CONESTOGA to get a decent snapshot. Cardinal's famous sunken ship can be seen sticking out of the water.

Even managed to capture a pair of Mallard Ducks in the shot.

It's just the second time I've seen the SAULT this year. She passes by a few times a month, I just haven't been there. Just so happens that the last time I was up this way, she was upbound on this very same stretch of river.

Ah, Canada...

The riverside shortly after sunrise...

With a thin layer of ice covering the smaller bays, the mighty St. Lawrence River continues to flow unaffected.

The boat slid right down the frozen beach (like a snowboard down a mountain), almost as if she couldn't wait to get onto the water this morning.











En route to the river, I spotted the OAKGLEN downbound... She was 15-20 miles away, but I had to keep moving. Headed to the next vantage point, was able to catch a glimpse of the cabins through the trees. The bright red-orange sunlight reflecting off the superstructure. At least I had managed to catch a glimpse of the OAKGLEN in daylight.

BAIE COMEAU effortlessly glides upriver
on a beautiful November morning.

Another CSL ship would be making its' way upbound: BAIE COMEAU did not disappoint.

Built in 2012, it's hard to believe this "brand new" ship is almost a decade old now.

















Among the largest ships to ever sail the Seaway, she was a prominent spectacle on an otherwise deserted St. Lawrence River.

Containers From Cleveland... (PEYTON LYN C)

Container ship PEYTON LYN C from Antwerp, Belgium

This vessel caught my attention because I couldn't recall the last time I'd seen shipping containers on a Seaway ship...

Apparently, there was a previous effort (and experiment) to clear backlogged containers from yards, reasoning that Highway H2O is cheaper than transport truck or train.


This run seems to mirror that experiment (or simply be a continuation of it).

It could also lead to huge container ships (at ports like Halifax, for example) being offloaded onto smaller freighters to bring goods inland (to ports like Montreal). 

Here she is downbound, heading to Montreal.

I first saw the PEYTON LYN C upbound en route to Cleveland, Ohio. At the time, the deck was stacked with approximately 50 containers (that I could see).

It looked as if the load had already been partially unloaded (she had stopped in Valleyfield, Quebec).

This time, she appeared to have even more visible containers on her deck, possibly empty?

The ship is riding high out of the water, suggesting a relatively light load.















Not quite sure why some of these ocean vessels have such tall, narrow superstructures. Also noticed there's not really a "traditional" stylized smokestack, just a simple exhaust pipe.

It appears as if this is the third Seaway trip for this ocean-bound cargo ship.

The vessel transited the Seaway in September and October 2021, taking containers to Cleveland, and then a return trip to Europe with shipping containers.


She was travelling slower than I'd ever seen a vessel travel down the Seaway...

Potentially being cautious over some of the treacherous zig-zags in the channel? Or simply delaying her arrival, waiting for another vessel to clear the Locks downriver?

Wherever I May Roam... (ALGOMA BUFFALO)

Built in 1978 for the American Steamship Company, the BUFFALO was acquired by Canadian-based Algoma Central Marine in 2017.

Adding their traditional "ALGOMA" prefix to her name, she became the ALGOMA BUFFALO.

I really like how ACM attempts to keep at least a portion of a ship's former name when she joins their fleet.

Although unable to capture her in full color, I'm sure that she's been painted navy blue. She had a black hull with American Steamship Co., and still bore black paint in the early photographs after joining ALGOMA.

Not entirely sure why the forecastle is white, when the aftercastle has been painted a dark color...

Some Algoma ships are completely painted navy blue from bow to stern.

Can still make out the lettering of her original name "BUFFALO".

This probably wouldn't be visible if the the forecastle had been painted dark like the rest of the ship...

Kinda like this snapshot of the superstructure and self unloading boom against a dramatic sky.

Reading up on the specs, didn't realize that she's "only" 634 feet long. All these ships look incredibly massive when you're a hundred feet away.

The aftercastle (formerly white) has also been painted navy blue.

Had never seen any vessels from the American Steamship Company in all my years spent along the Seaway, as they normally operate on the Great Lakes...

With so many Algoma ships from this era being retired (CAPTAIN HENRY JACKMAN, ALGOWEST...), it's a refreshing to see what's become the new "classic".

Before The Sunrise... (TIM S. DOOL)

Algoma Central Marine bulk carrier TIM S. DOOL
makes her way down the St. Lawrence River.

Just a silhouette against the morning sky.

Built in 1967, TIM S. DOOL and fleetmate JOHN D. LEITCH (the former CANADIAN CENTURY) are the oldest vessels currently operated by Algoma.

"Tim S. Dool, the second lake freighter to have just a single superstructure in the stern" -wikipedia

She bore the name ALGOVILLE from 1994 thru 2008, before being re-named in honor of the retiring President & CEO of Algoma Central Marine.

SENEVILLE
Photo by Bill Slate

The TIM S DOOL in her former life as the brightly painted SENNEVILLE operated by Pioneer Shipping.

Morning Magic (CSL WELLAND, TIM S. DOOL)

CSL WELLAND in the early morning

Was hoping to start my day with the downbound TIM S. DOOL or the upbound CSL WELLAND.

Headed up the river early and straight ahead of me was the stern of the WELLAND in the Seaway channel.

This is the second morning that I've arrived at the river to see the CSL WELLAND before sunrise.

This time, I could definitely make out the maroon-red paint on the hull. (She was downbound in darkness the morning of October 15)




Official sunrise was exactly 7.00 AM.
Photos snapped at 6.22 AM: Nothing but lights and blackness.
By 6.25 AM the colors appeared, still unable to capture a clear image.

Bow of the upbound CSL WELLAND
meeting the downbound TIM S. DOOL.

A structure of lights emerged as the TIM S DOOL travelled up the river.

A great mix of vessels, as the 1967 built (730 foot) DOOL encounters the 2014 "new" SeawayMax (740 foot) WELLAND.

Algoma Central Marine bulk carrier TIM S. DOOL
passes the CSL WELLAND.

Got to enjoy the sight of the two vessels passing each other. It's always special when that happens. Nearly 1,500 feet of straight-deck right in front of me.

















The CSL WELLAND continues upriver as the waves of both vessels crash ashore.