Скачать или смотреть In For a Rough Voyage! Setting Out When Most Ships Are Seeking Shelter

Indiana Harbor is doing it again, sailing out at the head of a storm. Fortunately the McCarthy joined her out of Two Harbors so she isn’t sailing alone, but I don’t envy her crew in this. Duluth has been under 45mph winds, just a few mph below the Gale threshold and complete with spurts of rain and ice pellets for two days now and it’s not letting up. Even some of the trees have gotten stressed, broken branches are not an uncommon sight driving through town. The swells on the Lake have gotten huge, a continuous roar that can be heard for miles. Ships are sheltered at anchor in bays and ports across the Lake, two of them, Algoma Buffalo and CSL Niagara, sit at Duluth anchorage, outside the worst of it at the Lake’s center and two more (Munson and Oberstar) sit at their docks. Indiana Harbor and McCarthy went right through however, as of my typing this they made it successfully to the sheltered Whitefish Bay on the eastern end. I can imagine it was not a fun trip. On her way out of the Canal, she took her time, going very slow, perhaps to minimize splashing for the crowd on the North Pier, which due to construction walls behind have no easy safe place to retreat to if the waves become dangerous.

Built in 1979, the Indiana Harbor holds the world record for largest Freshwater Cargo Load at 77,500 tons. The 1000ft long laker was built in Sturgeon Bay WI, and has sailed for the American Steamship Company under the same name for her entire career. She is known in Duluth for being something of a drama queen, her crew regularly putting on a show, either with horns, spotlights, and/or a natural spectacle such as this; regardless of what, if she’s coming through there’s a good chance you’re in for a show. The ship has a had a few incidents and groundings in her career, most notably a collision with the saltie Abangel Spirit in 1983 which ripped open a 10ft gash in her hull. She currently holds the cargo records for all three major US laker products: limestone, coal, and iron ore despite having 4 identical sister ships that theoretically can carry the same amount, and has lost and regained those records to and from them several times in her career. The ship is a semi-regular sight in the Canal, visiting once or twice a month on average. She set out here with a load of iron ore, although to my eye she does not look as fully loaded as I’ve seen her in the past, not sure why.

Safe sailing and hope the weather clears up!