I mentioned in Monday’s notes, that the shipping season for 2018 began this past Sunday, like it has previous years this same week. Looking back into the archives, our first shot today was snapped in 2010, by Brita Happala on the shores of Lake Superior. It looks like her little guy was excited for the prospect of summer arriving in a couple months and being able to jump in for a swim. I think he was out there looking for the return of the freighters, too.

Keith Baker, a wheelsman on the SS Cason J. Callaway snapped the next shot back in 2013, when the freighter was trying to make its way around Whitefish Bay and got stuck in the ice there. They ended up having the US Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw right off their bow, to break them free.

Then in 2016, Danielle Adams was on hand in Marquette Harbor to capture the Buffalo, which was the first freighter of the season that year, to arrive at the ore dock there in Marquette.

Just this past Monday, Danielle Adams was again there at the ore docks, freezing her fingers and toes to snap shots of the Hon. James L. Oberstar and Canadian Coast Guard Cutter Samuel Risley in Marquette Harbor. The Cutter was there opening up the ice, so freighters could get into the Harbor to pick up their cargo for the beginning of this year’s shipping season on the Great Lakes.

Our video feature was also recorded this past week, by Tom Skilling, aboard the USCG Cutter Mackinaw as it was breaking up ice on the Great Lakes, making a track through for the freighters who are underway for the 2018 shipping season. Just listen to the crunch of the ice as the Cutter cruises through that ice pack.

Amazing...that video cracked me up.

I just love opening this site and coming across
the pictures of all these freighters. Great pics!

Love those Great Lakes freighters.

Greetings:

Tom Skilling is a WGN TV weatherman in the Chicago area on channel 9.

He hosts several public weather related activities, and has a for-the-public tornado class at Fermi Lad before the start of each tornado season.

On TV, anyway, he seems to be more familiar with 'da UP weather than any of the other TV weather personalities around the Chicago area.

JT