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.

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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.

Mooring Arrangements for the Tall Ships

Below is the scheduled mooring arrangement for the eight vessels scheduled for Tall Ships Erie this weekend.

Join Erie Shipping News on the North Pier tomorrow on Presque Isle State Park at 1700 hours as the Parade of Sail enters the harbor. There will be complete coverage of the event, including photos and video, tomorrow evening.

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Tall Ships Erie Parade of Sail and Other Information

The Parade of Sail for Tall Ships Erie, from 1700 to 1900 on Thursday, will take the ships through the channel into Presque Isle Bay and past the Erie Yacht Club, and then around to the Convention Center.

In addition to the Coast Guard, the Fish and Boat Commission, Lakeshore Fire and Rescue, and the U.S. Customs Office of Air and Marine will be out to patrol the area and keep law-abiding pleasure boaters away from the area. It's good to see that U.S. Customs will be using their boat for something productive, as opposed to the cruising they do each day.

Watch Erie Shipping News Thursday for complete photo and video coverage of the Parade of Sail as it passes through the channel. Best viewing on that day, if sunny, will be from the North Pier at Presque Isle State Park.

Update: WITTE 1404 Confusion

Earlier this summer I reported that barge PAV 101, built by Erie Shipbuilding in 2007, had been renamed WITTE 1404. There had already been a WITTE 1404, however. That barge was sold earlier this year to Steelmac Barge Hire Company Ltd. of Gibraltar, and has been renamed ISAAC 1874.

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This WITTE 1404, shown here on April 14, 2008 under tow of tugs FLATTOP and DON HENRY, is now the ISAAC 1874.

MANITOWOC Photos; Harbor News and Notes

Below are four photos of the MANITOWOC arriving on Monday evening.

Lakeshore Towing finished working in front of the drydock gate on Monday; tug KEN BOOTHE SR. is expected to be floated and moved in the drydock sometime later this week.

Tall Ships Erie will take place September 9 through September 12.

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MANITOWOC inbound.


Another view.


Spotlight silhouettes the unloading boom.


Stern view.

MANITOWOC Arrives

MANITOWOC arrived in Erie at 2100 tonight and is now docked at the Old Ore Dock to unload stone.

SAM LAUD arrived last night at 2100 and docked at the Mountfort Terminal. After a short unload the LAUD departed at 0230.

MANITOWOC Due

MANITOWOC, laden with stone, makes its first visit of the 2010 season to Erie tonight when it arrives at 1945 hours.

SAM LAUD Due

SAM LAUD, with stone from Calcite, makes its third visit of the year to Erie tonight when the vessel arrives at 2045 hours.

Tug KEN BOOTHE SR. to be moved Friday?

Sources within Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair report that the tug KEN BOOTHE SR's port propeller shaft is in and two blades are in place on that propeller. The company, which has had Lakeshore Towing performing maintenance dredging in front of the drydock since Monday, is aiming to move the tug out of the building on Friday.

Shipyard News and Notes

Lakeshore Towing will next week do cleaning underwater in front of the drydock gate at Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair. The cleaning is to move mud from the area in front of the gate so that the drydock can be filled, without filling it with mud. This will allow the new tug KEN BOOTHE SR. to float and be moved outside of the building where it is now under construction.

H. LEE WHITE Visits

H. LEE WHITE arrived in Erie at noon on Thursday and docked at the Old Ore Dock to unload stone from Calcite, Michigan. The WHITE unloaded throughout the afternoon and early evening hours before departing the dock at 2100, turning in the bay and departing for Marblehead, Ohio, where the ship will load another cargo of stone.

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H. LEE WHITE inbound.


Stern view.


Docking at the Old Ore Dock.

FEDERAL POWER Arrives; H. LEE WHITE Due

FEDERAL POWER arrived in Erie this morning at 0730, turned in the bay and docked at the Mountfort Terminal to unload machinery from Brake, Germany. This is the POWER's second visit of the season to Erie; her first was on July 2, which is an incredibly fast turnaround time for a saltwater vessel to unload, reload a cargo (in the POWER's case, wheat in Duluth, Minnesota) and unload and reload cargo in Europe and return to the Great Lakes.

H. LEE WHITE, loaded with stone from Calcite, is due in Erie at 1045 hours on Thursday morning.

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FEDERAL POWER inbound this morning.


FEDERAL POWER slows as it arrives in the channel.


Close up.


Stern view.


Another view of the POWER.


Motor yacht ELEGANTE, of Naples, Florida, spent the night at Wolverine Marina and departed this morning. The wooden yacht was built in 1964 and is 63 feet long.


Stern view of the ELEGANTE.


PRIMO, of Bay City, Michigan, also spent the night at Wolverine and departed this morning.

FEDERAL POWER Underway, Due Tomorrow

FEDERAL POWER has departed Hamilton for Erie and is due in Erie sometime between 1000 and 1200 tomorrow. I will update with a firmer ETA here, and on the Erie Shipping News Twitter feed, as I learn more.

FEDERAL POWER Update

FEDERAL POWER arrived in Hamilton today to continue unloading. She's next due in Erie late on August 11.