Marcy Bessolo Hermanson recently declared that the boat chasing season has begun, when she was able to trudge through knee deep snow to get these photos of the Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock at the Lily Pond. She also indicated that it must mean Spring is here, too. I sure hope she’s right, because the snow just doesn’t seem to know that April is more than halfway done and we’re still getting snowstorms here in the Keweenaw. I’m not quite sure what the Hollyhock was doing in the area, if she was taking refuge from weather or if she was in the Keweenaw Waterway on official business. Seems a bit early to be putting buoys in, since there was still ice in the waterway at that point last week.

The weather has been up and down for a couple weeks now. We have a video from Frances Czapski over at Whitefish Bay with a sunrise thunderstorm on a rainy morning. Of course since this was recorded we’ve had snow and cold temps, then sunshine, then more snow. Seems like winter just keeps coming back. For more of Frances’ photography work, check out her Facebook page, here: Photography by Frances

From TV 6:
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (WLUC) - The U.S. Coast
Guard announced Saturday that its icebreaking
operations on the western Great Lakes are complete
for the season.

Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie says it has
concluded its domestic icebreaking operation, also
known as Operation TACONITE. With the ice
throughout the Western Great Lakes nearly melted,
ice-breaking in support of commercial navigation
is no longer required.

The Great Lakes ice cover peaked on February 26 at
56%. Lake Superior was 80% ice-covered on March
15. In the 108 days of the 2022 domestic
icebreaking season, 11 ice breakers (nine
American, two Canadian) combined to deliver 2,046
hours of icebreaking assistance to the benefit of
404 vessel transits. 197 of these movements
required direct icebreaking assistance to ensure
commercial vessel safety.

These eleven icebreakers also conducted 3,685
hours of preventative icebreaking to establish and
maintain tracks in the ice-hampered waterways of
western Lake Superior, the St. Marys River,
Georgian Bay, Green Bay, and the Straits of
Mackinac. It is estimated more than 7.8 million
tons of dry bulk and liquid cargoes were assisted
during the 108-day operational period. This
translates to roughly $284 million US dollars of
cargo critical to power generation, industrial
productivity, and public safety, assisted during
this period of ice cover.

Marcy's definitely dedicated. I'm not going
trudging through all that snow. I'll stand
out in the rain or snow, but I won't go
through knee deep snow to stand out there
lol. However, that being said, I'm grateful
that she's willing to do it.

It was kind of nice to see lightning again.

The Hollyhock had been in Duluth for the last two
months helping out with ice breaking while waiting
for the Spar to show up. The Spar crew got a few
extra weeks off once she arrived because the crew
had been on the cutter for almost 90 days with out a
break. Once the two weeks additional was complete
the Hollyhock is headed back down the lakes to her
home port.

Wait a minute...
Isle Royale National Park officially opened 3 days ago but the headquarters dock at Mott Island is still very much iced in. You can see that the Hollyhock did make a pass by a few days ago, apparently just checking things out. Maybe the Ranger can handle what's left or maybe they'll just wait a few more days.