• Thursday-What'sUP January 6 - 10:13 pm

With just over a week left before the Soo Locks are closed for the winter season, I thought we'd get a number of freighter photos in this week. In case you haven't noticed, this is the third day that those big ships have graced the Pasty Cam pages, but today we get closer and look at the reality of sailing Lake Superior this time of year. Check out these shots from Rod Burdick, of the John J. Boland in Marquette Harbor. The bow is pretty well coated with a clear sheet of ice, so you know she's been in some rough seas, where the water was washing up good and high or perhaps that could be frozen on there from rain in the air, too. Either way, that's a lot of ice coating that boat.

Rod's third shot is a view from the icy Upper Harbor shoreline, looking at the 1,000 foot laker, James R. Barker as it unloads coal at the docks across the way. That's a good, thick coating of ice on those trees and rocks. Looks like that's all that separates the road from the lake. I bet the roadway gets some of that freezing wave action at times, too.

Who needs Tug Boats? If you can position 1000ft. of ship I would say your good. Since very young I always thought they had to use Tug Boats with these large ships but don't see it on the Great Lakes much. It looks cold.

I was just about to ask when the Locks are closing this year, since they seem to close either on or very near my birthday.

Love these big frieghters!

Why the blunt faced bows on freighters as opposed to the knife edge on other ships?? Anybody???

Yes, Mary, you are so right about just a thin strip of landing between the Big Lake and the road. There are times when the road is closed for several days at a time and not very driveable at other times. Just means you need to be wearing good hiking boots to get out and enjoy the breakwater and the park! Not to mention these great views of the freighters!

In reply to the blunt bows. Great Lakes Freighters are limited in size to the size of the Soo Locks. Having them as wide as possible for as long as possible in the hull gives them maximum hauling capability and still fit in the locks. While they are not as fast as some, they get many more tons per mile.

In reply to the blunt bows. Great Lakes Freighters are limited in size to the size of the Soo Locks. Having them as wide as possible for as long as possible in the hull gives them maximum hauling capability and still fit in the locks. While they are not as fast as some, they get many more tons per mile.

check out the new video of the SYKES on Lake Michigan this past new years day.

While I'm not a big fan of the 1000+ footers, they are very impressive. Was able to see the Barker approaching the Locks a few years back, and it seemed to go on forever! I believe it's 1004ft. Looks really COLD UP there. brrr

I like the looks of the older ships. But that's my opinion. Seeing foreign ships sailing here in Florida.

Eddy... Where? Didn't see it on Boatnerd.

Rowdy, it's in the News Gallery (photos), Boatnerd News.