Thursday, September 30, 2010

H. LEE WHITE DUE

H. LEE WHITE, loaded with stone, is expected in Erie at 0930 hours on Friday.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

KEN BOOTHE SR. FLOATED

Tug KEN BOOTHE SR. was floated from the assembly building at Donjon Shipbuilding on Saturday morning, and moved into the drydock. After sending divers from Lakeshore Towing down to clear keel blocks that had stuck to the starboard side of the tug, the tug was floated into position and the drydock was emptied, and work on completing the tug will continue in the drydock.

When complete, the BOOTHE will join Donjon's fleet and push the barge under construction in the stone trade on the lakes.




KEN BOOTHE SR. floating in drydock Saturday afternoon.

Friday, September 17, 2010

VICTORY/KUBER in Port; KEN BOOTHE SR. to be moved Saturday

VICTORY and JAMES L. KUBER arrived in port this morning and spent the morning unloading at the Old Ore Dock. The duo departed at 1300.

Crews at Donjon Shipbuilding are currently flooding the drydock in preparation for moving the tug KEN BOOTHE SR. from the assembly building on Saturday morning.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

VICTORY/JAMES L. KUBER DUE

VICTORY and barge JAMES L. KUBER, laden with stone, are expected in Erie tonight at 2330.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

St. JOHN Breaks Down, is Towed in; Tall Ships Erie Wraps Up; 100 foot Motor Yacht Stops at Wolverine Marina

J.S. St. JOHN departed Erie Thursday afternoon on its first sand-dredging trip since suffering engine problems and returning to port empty on July 22. The vessel loaded sand and was headed inbound Thursday night when the number eight cylinder head blew off of the vessel's diesel engine, forcing the St. JOHN to drop anchor about three miles north-northwest of Gull Point. There the vessel remained through the night as her crew worked to get the engine up and running. By 1330 Friday afternoon that was deemed useless, and Lakeshore Towing was called. Lakeshore Towing dispatched tugs DON HENRY and FLATTOP to the scene.

DON HENRY arrived first, followed by FLATTOP. The tow was hooked up and underway by 1515 hours and arrived in the channel at 1715, making about 2.5 knots. The tow arrived at the Old Ore Dock at 1815, where towboat TITAN was waiting to assist DON HENRY and FLATTOP in docking the St. JOHN.

It's far too early to tell what this breakdown, while will require major repairs, or possibly an engine replacement, will mean for the 65-year-old sand dredge J.S. St. JOHN, which has dredged for Erie Sand & Gravel since 1968.

It's also too early to tell what this means for Erie Sand, which relys on the St. JOHN for the sand it uses in its operations. The longer the St. JOHN is out of operation, the more it adversely affects the company's operations and their ability to stockpile sand. This leaves the company with, seemingly, three options for its sand needs, provided the St. JOHN will be out of operation for any length of time. The first option is to buy sand elsewhere and have it shipped in. The second option, and one that Erie Sand has used in the past when they needed an extra dredge, is to charter a sand dredge from somewhere else to dredge for them. In 1997 the company had both of its dredges, the St. JOHN and JOHN R. EMERY, in operation and also chartered the F.M. OSBORNE from Osborne Materials of Fairport Harbor, Ohio.

The third option is to charter a tug and use the St. JOHN as a barge. The fourth, and likely least attractive option, is for the company to go without the sand.

Tall Ships Erie wrapped up on Sunday, and UNICORN, BOUNTY, and ROALD AMUNDSEN departed Sunday evening. LYNX and PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II are spending the night behind the Erie Maritime Museum and will depart on Monday morning.

A 100-foot long Broward motor yacht, SHE'S MY LADY II, of Palm Beach, Floriday, spent Saturday evening at Wolverine Marina. The vessel had come in from Cleveland.




Tow inbound.


DON HENRY.


FLATTOP.


The disabled J.S. St. JOHN.


Stern view.


Approaching the Old Ore Dock.


Sliding up the dock.


Another view.


TITAN approaches. Lakeshore's barge 502 is in the foreground.


Pulling the St. JOHN into position.


Mooring.


SHE'S MY LADY II at dock.


Stern view.


STV UNICORN on Saturday.


AMUNDSEN.


The crowd on Saturday afternoon.


BOUNTY outbound at 1930 hours Sunday.


CBP 382907 races outbound to warn a pleasure boater away.


BOUNTY is the vessel used in Marlon Brando's movie "Mutiny on the Bounty."


LYNX passes the BOUNTY.


LYNX, under the command of chief mate Lee Ann Gordon, an Erie native, inbound.


Stern view.


ROALD AMUNDSEN outbound as darkness falls at 2000 hours.


Stern view.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

PATHFINDER, PLAYFAIR NOT COMING

Both PATHFINDER and PLAYFAIR are downbound on Lake Erie at the moment bound for Toronto, their home port. Neither of these tall ships will make it to Tall Ships Erie.

Friday, September 10, 2010

TALL SHIPS ERIE KICKS OFF

Tall Ships Erie opened with a bang, or rather, with several of them, on Thursday evening as the U.S. Brig NIAGARA led a parade of six ships into Erie harbor amid thousands of spectators ashore and afloat.

Preparations for the day began Thursday morning when the tall ships LYNX, PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, ROALD AMUNDSEN and UNICORN went to anchor north of the Erie Pierhead light, off of Beach 11 on Presque Isle State Park. This anchorage, popular with weekend pleasure boaters, is never utilized by anything other than recreational craft. At noon, the NIAGARA headed out from its berth behind the Erie Maritime Museum and proceeded outbound to meet up with the other vessels outside of Erie harbor.

While the tall ships were cruising the lake to await the start of the parade, members of the Erie Power Squadron and Commodore Perry Yacht Club, along with local law enforcement agencies, were meeting with Parade Marshall Captain Wesley Herssenn at the Maritime Museum. The Power Squardron and Commodore Perry Yacht Club were serving as escort vessels for each of the tall ships. These vessels got underway at about 1545 hours and headed out to the lake, where the Parade Marshall, operating from a helicopter provided by the Pennsylvania State Police, called the parade to order at 1615 hours. The parade was inbound the channel at 1715, and by 1830 the NIAGARA, having led the UNICORN, BOUNTY, LYNX, ROALD AMUNDSEN and PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II through the channel, was docking at East Dobbin's Landing.

The day concluded with a VIP reception at the Erie Maritime Museum and a party for the crew on top of Dobbin's Landing.

Tall Ships Erie runs through Sunday. The final two vessels, PLAYFAIR and PATHFINDER, should arrive Saturday night.




The Parade Marshall addresses the crowd at the Erie Maritime Museum during the meeting for the escort vessels.


ANGEL ADRIJA, a 26' Bayliner, is to be the port side escort of the second vessel in the parade, the STV UNICORN. This is the vessel the Erie Shipping News will be riding along on.


State Police helicopter.


The ROALD AMUNDSEN heads outbound to prepare to fall into line.


A moment later, the AMUNDSEN passes us again.


J.S. ST. JOHN passes by on its way outbound.


Parade of Sail begins.


U.S. Brig NIAGARA leads the parade.


STV UNICORN, crewed entirely by women, is the vessel we will be escorting, and ANGEL ADRIJA falls into position.


ANGEL ADRIJA's owner watches the BOUNTY as she manouevers the vessel into position.


HMS BOUNTY was used in Marlon Brando's film Mutiny on the Bounty.


Close up of the UNICORN. Most of the vessel's crew wore strange hats.


Pennsylvania State Police boat passes us near the channel.


BOUNTY.


PA Fish and Boat Commission stops to warn a boater away from the parade route.


Crowd on the South Pier.


NIAGARA, as viewed from the North Pier.


Stern view.


UNICORN and BOUNTY.


UNICORN.


ANGEL ADRIJA escorts the UNICORN.


Stern view of the UNICORN.


BOUNTY.


Stern view.


LYNX.


Stern view.


ANGEL ADRIJA passes the Mountfort Terminal, where employees of Erie Sand & Gravel have gathered.


ROALD AMUNDSEN.


Stern view.


PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II.


Stern view.


47241 in Erie harbor.


UNICORN in the bay.


Customs and Border Protection Safeboat 382907 in Presque Isle Bay.


25573 near Dobbin's Landing.


NIAGARA docks.


PA Fish and Boat Commission in Presque Isle Bay.


One more look at the UNICORN. As soon as UNICORN docks, ANGEL ADRIJA's job will be done.