Seaway Traffic (VECTIS PROGRESS, TORRENT, ONEGO MAAS, JULIE C)

First ship on the horizon was the upbound VECTIS PROGRESS. Was expecting a cool-looking hull design, and I wasn't disappointed. Somewhere upriver, she undoubtedly passed by fleetmate JULIE C. (Likely somewhere around Kingston)

VECTS PROGRESS

VECTIS PROGRESS is upbound

Next up, would be a boat with a cool-sounding, one-word name. Expected it to be a green-hulled saltwater crane ship, and my suspicions were correct.

TORRENT is upbound

The 2010-built TORRENT

Another saltwater crane ship, upbound. That's three in a row. The rather cool looking and sleek ONEGO MAAS. Decent photos, but the lighting made the hull look black instead of brilliant blue.

The 2011-built ONEGO MAAS

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Yet another crane ship, this time the downbound JULIE C. Approximately 9-10 days after seeing her upbound. Lighting was much more ideal this time round.

The 2009-built JULIE C

Always enjoy the magic and wonder of nighttime ships... It's something special to see them in the middle of the night, with no clue what they are.

The only ship I saw in darkness was predictable, as I was expecting ALGOSEA after nightfall. There she was, out of the darkness, just a couple of lights on this tiny tanker.

She's barely 400 feet long, but looked to be a mere 100 feet as she first appeared. As she got closer to the angle changed, the range lights expanded. The ship appeared to grow, revealing her full length.

Evening vessel passages:

SUSANA S & ERIEBORG were downbound
ECOSSE & JOHANNA G both upbound

Seaway Traffic (ALGOTERRA, RADCLIFFE R. LATIMER, CCGS GRIFFON)

Wide awake at 1:48 am. Thought it was closer to 3 or 4. Had already gotten up for the day, so got ready to head out anyway.

A nice, slow leisurely breakfast and coffee that somehow took 2 hours. Got packed up and heading out onto the road by 5:43. A new record for this year, beating the previous time by over an hour.

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Got to the river and it was still dark, buoys flashing, seemed to stop flashing before the sun came up. Glassy calm with fog. Felt tired and queasy, but was excited to get on the calm water.

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The ALGOTERRA downbound for Halifax.

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At first, it was kinda strange seeing a couple ALGOMA vessels with red hulls. bright red in the colors of her previous owners actually looks good with the red/black ALGOMA smokestack...

ALGONOVA downbound

Now that I've gotten accustomed to recognizing these vessels by their paint schemes, I'd actually like them to keep this shade of red.


RADCLIFFE R. LATIMER

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The LATIMER is a the former ALGOBAY / ATLANTIC TRADER.
Was upgraded to "Caribbean Class" in 1988. Could she be considered a "salty laker"?





CCGS GRIFFON downbound for Prescott

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Knew the Coast Guard Griffon was out there somewhere, and later in the afternoon, heard the chugging of that old engine! CCGS GRIFFON is from the 1970s.


Monarch Butterfly...

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ANOTHER "perfect" day by the river.

Seaway Traffic (G3 MARQUIS, ALGOMA CONVEYOR, ALGOMA EQUINOX, HELENA G)

Bass boats racing across the water again in the morning...
Approximately 7.24 AM
The exact same time as yesterday...

Very calm and glassy to start the day....

Wind was supposed to be gently out of the south all day, but towards the end of the day it seemed to shift to be coming from the east.

Water level was still way down, just slightly higher than it was yesterday.

Saw a loon in the morning...
It ducked under before I could get a snapshot.

Later on, watched an Osprey pluck a 2 pound bass from the shallows, after failing on its' first attempt.

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Just happened to notice the G3 MARQUIS is from "WINNIPEG".
Find it amusing because I'm not sure there's a way for this vessel (made in China) to actually reach Manitoba.

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The Marquis blasted several warning horns somewhere near Crysler Marina.
Fishing enthusiasts? Other pleasurecraft? Though the binoculars, the only thing I could see was a sailboat.



Surprise ship of the day was the ALGOMA CONVEYOR...

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Seems like I just saw her the other day (turns out that it was YESTERDAY - so many ships, it becomes a bit of a blur), possibly headed downriver. She wasn't on the list of vessels with an ETA at Eisenhower or Iroquois as of 4.00am when I checked before heading out. Possibly finished unloading near the Quebec border?

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From "1:29" to "1:52" when the ALGOMA CONVEYOR approached was able to appreciate her in her full glory. That's "only" 22 minutes! Keeping in mind they actually disappear behind the islands for several minutes.



Another timeframe comparison with the EQUINOX, first spotted on the horizon at 4:14, came within range at 4:40. That's "only" 25 minutes. Should take note how long they "disappear" behind Bradford point. The fact that a ship can be "invisible" for 3 whole minutes is enough time to be convinced that there isn't one on the way.

ALGOMA EQUINOX upbound

After seeing the shiny new paint jobs on the MARQUIS and CONVEYOR, the EQUINOX is looking pretty dull and rusty... Being the apparent "flagship" of the Equinox class, I pictured her to be a shiny example. Photos turned out cool though, looks like she has character. Just wish the name painted on the hull wasn't so rusty...





HELENA G making her way downriver shorty afterwards.

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Decent enough lighting for some intriguing snapshots (although it's hard to beat the one already in my collection from a few weeks ago, possibly when she was on her trip upriver).

Seaway Traffic (SPRUCEGLEN, MANDARIN, JULIE C, EVERLAST & NORMAN McLEOD, ALGOMA CONVEYOR, STRANDJA)

At sunrise a few Osprey arrived but decided not to stay.
They start fishing before the professional anglers do.
Saw them fishing periodically, often near the "shallows".

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Oldschool ship watching, with absolutely no schedule or idea of what's coming down the pipe (aka the channel)

Missed the downbound FEDERAL CHURCHILL and the upbound CSL ASSINIBOINE.
Both vessels transiting the system in the dark.


Checked everything I could see towards the western horizon...
Walked towards the east and back, and SPRUCEGLEN managed to surprise me from the west... Perhaps she was hidden behind an island when I scouted upriver? Or possibly snug against the shoreline...

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Next vessel was the upbound MANDARIN, of Canadian Forest Navigation (CanForNav).

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Saltwater crane ship JULIE C alerted me to her presence by blasting 5 short for "danger" as she was passing near Ault Island... Possibly one of the many fishermen competing in the Bass tournament (Aug 16-21).

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Tugboat EVERLAST went downriver, appearing to anchor just off Ault Island.

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Found an intact Canada Goose egg (unhatched) in the remnants of a nest, inland.

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Suddenly the ALGOMA CONVEYOR appeared, heading downriver. Possibly some of my best photos of the trip, just because of the ideal lighting at the time.

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Finally, saltie STRANDJA was downbound.

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Seaway Traffic (SUSANA S, CANADIAN EMPRESS, RT HON PAUL J MARTIN, ALGOMA HANSA)

Calm and cloudy to start the day...

Shortly after arriving at the water saw foreign tanker SUSANA S

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Lowest water level that I've seen this year.

CANADIAN EMPRESS

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RT HON PAUL J. MARTIN

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Bass Boats racing to the finish line as the PAUL MARTIN continues downriver.

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ALGOMA HANSA

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Possibly around midnight there was a loud vessel downbound that barely had any lights at all... For some reason, I assumed it was a barge. (AMY LYN D & BIG 546 weres were downbound around 11pm)

Saw another mystery ship, upbound. Sounded like it had an oldschool engine...
Also had a self-unloading boom, Possibly around 2AM.
(This would be the CSL ASSINIBOINE)

Such little wind.

Another "perfect" day by the river.

Waiting in the Weeds...

Glassy calm, exploring ruins of the Lost Villages.

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Northern Pike hiding in the weeds, possibly digesting.
The fish stayed motionless, enabling me to make a few passes.

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Seaway Traffic (WHITEFISH BAY, FEDERAL BEAUFORT, ISABELLE G)

This is why I get up at 4am...

WHITEFISH BAY with sea smoke and Sea Gulls

FEDERAL BEAUFORT downbound

Thought I heard a ship's horn salute, so I looked downriver to see an upbound saltie meeting the downbound FEDERAL BEAUFORT.

Vessels Meeting

The upbound ship was ISABELLE G
Lighting still not in my favor, but It still gets added it to my collection.

ISABELLE G upbound

Seaway Traffic (LAGERTHA, ALGOMA STRONGFIELD, CSL LAURENTIEN)

Early morning vessel passages that I missed included the ALGOMA EQUINOX and MAXIMA.

Really wanted to see the unique-looking saltwater ship with the forward pilothouse of MAXIMA. Hopefully our paths will cross during daylight hours.

Three more ships to be seen today, managed to catch 'em all.
Lots of glare and summer haze...

Glassy calm water, even in the shipping channel

First ship I caught was the 2009-built tanker LAGERTHA, downbound in the early morning.
Internationally, there are a dozen vessels named "LAGERTHA". This particular ship is registered under the flag of Malta. Apparently "Lagertha" is a legendary viking shield-maiden.

LEGERTHA, downbound

The ALGOMA STRONGFIELD caught me by surprise, so I didn't quite get the shot I wanted.

ALGOMA STRONGFIELD, downbound

Next up would be CSL LAURENTIEN (ex LOUIS R. DESMARAIS)
The last time one of these "rebuilt" CSL ships lumbered by, I could hear the "chug" of the engine from 5km away... Today the LAURENTIEN was audible from a much shorter distance, probably because of the wind going in the opposite direction.

The 1977-built CSL LAURENTIEN upbound

It's always a nice sight to see a vessel from 1977.
Ships from that era are becoming few and far between.



Happened to catch a train on the drive home...

One person's graffiti is another person's art

Ever-fascinated with brightly colored things that move.

CSL LAURENTIEN

CSL LAURENTIEN upbound on August 14, 2022

Built in 1977 as LOUIS R. DESMARAIS at Collingwood. During the winter of 2000-01 the vessel was lengthened at Port Weller Drydocks. She received a forebody replacement, and was the third vessel (of four) to be lengthened to the new "Seaway Max" size as part of CSL's "Fleet Renewal Program". Returned to service the following season as "CSL LAURENTIEN".