8-31 The Beluga Recognition was still loading parts at the Gateway Trade Center this evening.

The Mariner & Algosteel were both long gone by this afternoon. 

I got this today:  Brian,

Just a heads up  As of 9 pm Rebecca Lynn was exiting the Detroit River into 
Lake Erie showing a destination of Tonawanda.  Bear in mind that they don't always 
 update their destinations but they normally do.

8-30  Update: I got this from Jay this morning:

Hey Brian,

I tried to sneak out of work to catch Algosteel coming in, but was a bit too
 late, she is in bow 1st directly in front of Beluga Recognition. I got a few
 pictures but it took all of the 720mm lens to get there. You can't really see
 Algosteel from anywhere close, to actualy see it you need to be on the old
 Freezer Queen or Top's DC properties.

I'll send you a link once I get them posted tonight. I'll go down after work
 and try some pics again, the haze this morning made long lens stuff tough.

Recognition had both cranes up and was manipulating them a bit, but I did not
 see an actual lift, again hopefully I'll have better luck after work 

American Mariner appears well into her offload as well.

Jay

8-29 The Mariner was just West of Long Point at 5:00 PM, so I'd say she will arrive some time between 10 PM & 12 midnight. 

8-29 We spotted the Beluga Recognition at the Gateway Metroport in Lackawanna
 this morning. She may be in port to load a dimensional cargo since there has
 been some large steel shelled equipment sitting on the dock for weeks. At
 first I thought they were being used to build some sort of structure there,
 but now an ocean going cargo ship has pulled in right next to the items
 sitting there. I would like to be there tomarrow when the Algosteel arrives,
 that would be neat to see her squeeze by to unload salt further up the
 Lackawanna Canal. 

8-29 10:30 AM A possible ID on the boat at Gateway Metroport may be the Beluga Recognition. 

  Also, the Algosteel is on her way to Lackawanna with salt out of Goderich.
 Maybe the Summer Slump is finally over?

8-29 The Mariner is now off Point Peelee and should be here in about 12 to 15
 hours or so. 
 
  Paul spotted something coming in this morning, probably for the Gateway
 Metroport in Lackawanna. I'll check it out later. 

8-28 Paul spotted the English River being towed up to LaFarge stern first by
 the tug Washington at 9PM. 

  The American Mariner was in the St. Claire River tonight, so maybe she'll get
 here tomarrow night. 

8-28 The American Mariner is on her way down bound with grain from Duluth.
 She's off Alpena MI this morning, about 1/2 way here on a 3 day run, so I'd
 guess for a late arrival on the 29th, or early on the 30th? The sooner the
    better, it's been quiet out there. 

8-21 The Rebecca Lynn - A-397 tug-barge combo departed Tonawanda today at 3:00 PM.  
  The tug Jaclyn was moored with her spud barge across the face of the Union
 Ship Canal this afternoon to prevent pleasure craft from entering the waterway
 while work is being done for the new parkland going in there. 

8-17 I got this from Paul today:

  Rebecca and barge departed at 7:15 am.

8-12 The CSL Laurentian arrived around 9:30 PM on the 12th and then backed into
 the South Entrance for the Gateway Metroport in Lackawanna. Later that night
 the Manistee arrived for the Sand Supply Company Landing on the City Ship
 Canal around midnight. The Manistee then backed out and departed around 10:30
 AM on the 13th. 

8-11 The Manistee should be here around Midnight for the Sand Supply Co.
 Landing on the City Ship Canal. Who knows, if the rumors are true, it might be
 the last time? Some of my contacts have noticed large dust collectors starting
 to pile up on the Gateway Metroport dock in Lackawanna. At first we thought
 they were being shipped out, but maybe they might be for the new sand facility there? 

8-9 I got this from Paul today:

  The Rebecca Lynn just came in the NE in the pull mode at 8:30 AM. She is now
 heading into the outer harbor to switch to the push mode. 

8-5 The Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin arrived around 1 AM this morning for the Gateway
 Metroport Main dock in Lackawanna. 

8-3 From Paul: 

  The Grande Mariner is on the basin wall. Think she came in late yesterday. 

8-1 The H. Lee White just gave a Security Call while inbound at the South
 Entrance for the Gateway Metroport in Lackawanna at 8PM. They will be backing
 in at 8:30 PM.
 
Paul spotted the English River being towed in by a G-tug this afternoon at 5:37 PM.

7-26 Got this Monday:

CCGS Limnos was off Buffalo at around 5pm. When I saw her she was headed back
 away from the city, in the general direction of the canal.

Jay

7-26 The CSL Laurentian was backed into the Bethlehem Slip at the Gateway
 Metroport in Lackawanna at 2PM. I'm not sure if she was loading or unloading
 at that time.

7-23 I got this in from Paul:

The Herbert Jackson is now going out the North Entrance at 6PM. She backed out
 of the Creek with the assistance of the Washington; Hard to believe that she
 could come from ADM with only one tug, with strong winds. In the past she
 backed her stern to port into the outer harbor and then turned 270 degrees to
 leave thru the NE. Today, she went straight back out of the Creek and the
 Washington pushed on her port bow area to help her turn for the course out
 between the break walls.

7-22 The Herbert C Jackson is crossing through C.I.P. 16 and should arrive in
 Buffalo around 10 PM. 

7-20 The English River is being towed in backwards (5:10pm); I can't tell which
 tug as she was going around the HSBC by the time I happened to see her.  Only
 saw the one tug.

7-18 The Canadian Coast Guard Cutter Girffon is puttering around on the lake,
 just off Lackawanna at 9:10 AM this morning. 

7-17 The CSL Niagara was loading coal at the Gateway Metroport in Lackawanna at 1 PM today. 

  This web site has links to the upcoming Buffalo River dredging. There are
 maps thet show the entire project: 

http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/missions/BuffaloRiver/index.html

7-17 The Herbert C Jackson is on the list to load grain in Duluth on the 18th - 19th.

7-15 Paul spotted the US Coast Guard Cutter Alder tied up at the Visiting
 Ship's Dock on the Buffalo River around noon today. 

7-9 Paul spotted the English River departing at 5:45 PM on the 9th. 

7-8 The English River arrived at 6PM this evening and was towed up to the
 LaFarge dock by the tug Washington.

6-28 The American Mariner departed at 10 AM on the 28th. 

       The English River departed at 5:30 PM on the 27th.

6-27 Paul sent me this today: Rebecca and 397 just went thru the North Entrance @ 3:30 PM.
 
  I thought that was odd, because yesterday, the captain told the two bridge
 operators on the Black Rock Canal & the Lockmaster that he would be back at 9
 PM tonight. It must have been misinformation, a bad guess, or some change in
 the unloading operation since they left 6 hours ahead of time. 

  6-26 Here is a more detailed account from the 26th:
  The 26th of June was a busy day in Buffalo Harbor. The ENGLISH RIVER was at
 the LaFarge dock unloading bulk powdered cement all day. The 730-foot AMERICAN
 MARINER arrived off the North Entrance at 5PM for General Mills. The ship came
 in fairly quickly for her great size and without any tugs, she made her way
 upriver to the Frontier Elevator with wheat out of Duluth-Superior. Once
 inside the City Ship Canal the MARINER slowed to a crawl as she came up
 alongside the dock. The unloading boom was raised and swung out to Port while
 they crept forward on the wall to line up with the hopper at General Mills. An
 Erie County Sherriff’s Marine Unit came alongside to keep the large number of
 pleasure craft in the canal away from the vessel as the tied up. The ship was
 making heavy use of her thrusters at that time and one guy got close enough so
 as to almost become swamped by the shifting currents and needed to be escorted
 clear of the MARINER. After the ship tied up, I was about to leave when I
 heard the tug-barge REBECCA LYNN - A-397 on the radio. The captain gave a
 security call at 6:00 PM indicating that he was inbound at the Buffalo Traffic
 Buoy for the Black Rock Canal. The lake was calm, so they were already in push
 gear and wasted no time transiting the Entrance Channels. The pair were down
 bound on the canal and passing through the draw at Ferry St. by 6:55 PM that
 evening, blowing the horn for all the people lining the rail at Squaw Island
 Park. They went through the Black Rock Lock with ease and were headed into the
 Tonawanda Channel for the Marathon Dock by 7:45 PM. One unusual thing I
 noticed that I never caught before was the sense of heat coming from the
 barge. The asphalt cargo has to be kept warm with electric coils so it does
 not set up in the tanks and you could actually feel a warmth around the A-397
 while the barge was passing close by on the Lower Guide Wall. The captain then
 poured on the power so you could really hear and feel the throb of her Diesel
 engines as they came roaring out of the lock chamber, throttling up for the
 currents ahead. When I left her there she was heading off into a hazy Niagara
 River, her deck lights twinkling in the twilight of a warm summer evening. It
 made for such an impressive sight that even the fisherman on the Lower Guide
 Wall stopped, took a second look, and made comments to each other about what a
 site it was. It just doesn’t get any better than that.



  

6-26 Today was a busy day in Buffalo Harbor.

  The Rebecca Lynn - A-397  tug barge arrived at 8PM for the Marathon Asphalt
 dock in Tonawanda, they will be departing around 9PM on the 27th. 

  The American Mariner arrived at 6:00 PM today for the General Mills Frontier Elevator.

  The English River was seen unloading cement at the LaFarge dock all day long
 as well. They were pretty much pumped out and light in the water by 9PM and I
 think she will be heading out tonight sometime. 

6-26 The American Mariner was on her way downbound on Lake Erie for Buffalo,
 and just coming up on Long Point between 9 and 10 AM. The good news is that
 she should be making a daytime arrival around 2 PM or so, as opposed to the
 last two trips when she showed up over night, but the bad news is that a large
 line of rain showers are probably going to arrive over the area at about the
 same time. So far this boat is tough to catch on the way in. The first trip
 was a foggy night, on the second trip she came in at 1 in the morning, and
 today she will arrive in the middle of a storm.

6-23 I got this info in tonight: 

  CSL Laurentien is loading at Gateway.  At 6pm the loading equipment was over
 her front hatches, and her unloading arm was lowered and over her centerline.


-Jay

  About 2 hours later Paul's daughter spotted the ship departing for the Lake
 via the South Entrance Channel. 

  One more correction, man I must be half asleep, the last post should have read "6-19", not "6-18", Geezeee. 

I had to post this out of order because I forgot to sent it yesterday:

 6-18 The John J Boland departed the Gateway Metroport Terminal in Lackawanna
 at 9:00 AM. She is just as speedy as her cousin, the American Mariner. When
 the captain gives his Security Call for departure in 15 minutes, he means it.
 We left the house and got down there just in time to see them splitting out of
 town through the South Entrance. 

6-20 The Canadian Coast Guard ship Griffon is currently located somewhere near
 Buffalo. Paul spotted her on the way in, so I looked it up on the radio
 mapping web site. The problem is that the web site shows the ship's track as
 if it ran right through one of the North Breakwaters, and went aground up into
 Front Park, so obviously, unless the Griffon has some sort of teleportation
 device, there's a glitch there with the placement of the ship on the map. I'll
 try to find out exactly what they're up to later today, the world
 wonders........

6-18 The American Mariner is getting ready to depart General Mill's Frontier
 Elevator at 7:21 PM and her sister ship the John J Boland is currently
 Eastbound on the lake with coal out of Chicago and headed for the Gateway
 Metroport in Lackawanna. The Boland was somewhere off Long Point at 7:00 PM.

6-17 Paul reports the American Mariner arriving at 6AM this morning. If they
 stick with the same unload time as the first trip, they will probably leave
 around 3 or 4 AM on the 19th. Sometimes though, they speed things up as the
 boat and the elevator crews become more accustomed to the unloading procedures
 of a new boat. We'll see.

6-15 The American Mariner should be arriving around Midnight on the 16th if all
 goes as planned. 

  Some eyewitnesses are reporting in that a large, red hulled boat arrived
 today around 4:PM headed for the Gateway Terminal in Lackawanna, this was most
 likely the CSL Laurentian, out of Thunder Bay with more coal. 

6-14 I got this information today:

  CSL Laurentian cleared Thunder Bay June 12 8pm for Buffalo
 She is currently in the south end of Lake Huron about 30 miles north
of the river.

Peter Bowers

 6-13 Late update: The American Mariner departed Duluth-Superior at about 7:30
 PM this evening, hopefully, bound for Buffalo later this week.

  Paul spotted the American Mariner on the list to load grain this week, she
 should be back in Buffalo around Thursday or Friday. 

6-13 The Rebecca Lynn arrived off a foggy lake in the notch of her barge A-397
 at noon today. They headed down the Black Rock Canal for the Marathon Asphalt
 dock in Tonanwanda. Departure time will around 3AM on the 14th. 

6-12 There was another amusing article in today's Buffalo News about the lift
 bridge over the Buffalo River that will never get built.

  http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/06/12/1079470/officials-express-optimism-
about.html

6-7 American Mariner wrapped up unloading operations at the General Mills
 Frontier Elevator around 7:45 PM this evening. She backed out of the City Ship
 Canal by herself and was clear of the Outer Harbor Piers by 8:30PM. Watching
 the ship depart was amazing. Even though she is absolutely HUGE, she came off
 the dock, and backed right out quickly, quietly, and effortlessly. I will have
 to relearn all of my photo angles if she ever comes back and I have the luck
 to see her again. Since she is so large, I had trouble getting the entire ship
 in my photos from my old shooting locations. 

6-6 The American Mariner, largest ship to ever transit the Buffalo River/City
 Ship Canal,  was unloading wheat at the General Mills Frontier Elevator this
 morning. The first thought that came to mind upon seeing her there was "Wow !
 She's a big one!". The Mariner takes up a lot of the available room at the
 dock and I would be surprised if another freighter would be able to sneak up
 past her if need be. If you had told me 10 years ago that the Mariner would be
 on a grain run to Buffalo I would have never believed it. The progression from
 the 600-foot straight deckers in the 1980's like the Steinbrenner to the
 larger vessels like the J.L. Mauthe in the 90's was a big leap, but to go
 right through the 600-700 foot self unloaders and right up to a ship the size
 and length of the Mariner is truly amazing. This type of freighter would, in
 my mind, probably be the largest you may even consider possible, especially if
 ADM were to try one this big. As far as I know the tug-barge Jane Ann 4th-
 Sarah Spencer is also 730 long when paired together, and they were able to
 make it all the way up to the Standard Elevator, but the Mariner is wider in
 beam, and higher in air draft. The Jane Ann-Spencer combo (longest total
 length), the Elton Hoyt II (longest ship),  and the Herbert C. Jackson
 (largest capacity ship) may still hang on to the records for vessel transits
 above Michigan St., but the Mariner takes the overall title for the lower part
 of the river and the City Ship Canal that may never be broken. 

6-5 late, late update: The Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin was backed into the Lackawanna Slip on the
 evening of the 5th. Her boom rig was high above the deck as shore side
 conveyors were loading coal into the hatches at 8:45 PM. 

  6-5 Late update: I missed the American Mariner's arrival at the Port of
 Buffalo by exactly one hour. I went over the Buffalo Skyway Bridge at 8:30 PM
 and possibly due to the haze I was unable to spot her out on the lake, and I
 did not hear one peep out of them on the radio the entire time I was down
 there, but I'm getting reports from just about everybody and their brother
 that she just arrived in the Entrance Channel at 9:30 PM, headed up the
 Buffalo River to the General Mills Frontier Elevator. I'll go back tomorrow
 and check it out in daylight. 

6-5 The American Mariner is currently off Cleveland at 10:00 AM, headed
 Eastbound and down on the lake for Buffalo. She should be arriving late this
 evening, around 9 to 10 PM, unless they stop for some unknown reason. 

The EPA research vessel LAKE GUARDIAN was seen departing the Buffalo River
 Entrance Channel at 10:30 AM on June 4th. I am not really sure why they were
 in town that day but eyewitnesses reported that they had been tied up in the
 slip at the Buffalo Coast Guard Base earlier in the morning. That is a
 somewhat rare occurrence since there are not too many ships using the dock
 located there anymore. Even the Coast Guard vessels and tenders usually use
 the Visiting Ship’s Dock at the Erie Basin these days. 

I took a ride over to the Union Ship Canal on the evening of the 4th of June.
 The tug JACKLYN was tied down at the extreme East end with her spud barge at
 the old Hanna Furnace property. These will probably be the last commercial
 vessels to use the docks located there once the parkland is finished. I took a
 look at the pedestrian bridge on the harbor end of the canal and noticed that
 the span over the water can be unbolted and lifted by crane to allow for the
 passage of a vessel. That is how they were able to sneak the tug and barge up
 into the Eastern most section to gain access to the park site and then
 reinstall the bridge so easily. There has not been any sort of vessel activity
 inside the reach of the canal above the Father Baker Bridge since similar work
 boats helped with the Rt. 5 - Furman Blvd. reconstruction work done there back
 in the early 1990’s.  Freighters have been absent from that section going back
 as far as the closing of Hanna Furnace in the early 1980’s so anything other
 than the occasional pleasure craft, or stray beaver for that matter, is a rare
 occurrence. Until the park project got underway, wildlife seemed to be taking
 the property over with coyotes, beavers, and dear wandering in from the nearby
 Tift Farm Nature Reserve, oddly enough, also the site of a former industrial
 canal system. The canal and it’s surrounding property fascinate me. Over the
 years it has offered a interesting contrast in presence vs. absence. What was
 once little more than a backwater swamp was turned into a huge industrial
 complex with a shipping channel, railroad tracks, and iron furnaces, only to
 be left stripped and abandoned for years. As the land began to revert back to
 it’s original form, man stepped back into the picture to tear it up again and
 start building the new parkland with a mixture of the old natural element
 along with what will become a study in archeology as the developers
 interoperate the site’s industrial past. It all goes to prove the theories
 laid out on TV shows like the History Channel’s “Life After People” that no
 matter how much we change the landscape, Mother Nature won’t waste any time
 taking it right back from our tentative grasp the very minute we stop our
 unnatural activities there. 

  
  

  6-2 Late update: The Mariner loaded grain today and departed around 4PM from
 Duluth. Normal travel time to Buffalo out of Big D is about 3 days or so,
 depending on if they stop for fuel, or are somehow delayed otherwise for
 weather, or whatever. I still don't have confirmation that they are coming
 here, but It's my best guess, if they are, they should arrive Saturday the
 5th?  I hope they are, because I don't want to sound repetitive, but it will
 be the largest ship to ever go up the river. 

6-2 The English River is arriving at 9PM. Paul spotted her in the Entrance
 Channel headed in at this time. 

6-1 I got this information today: 
 
  Paul Martin was unloading coal on the evening of 6/1. Looked like she was
 finishing up around 6:30pm, so I imagine she departed shortly after.
 
Also the tug Jacklyn was working with a barge in the old ship canal beneath the
 Father Baker Bridge.  I believe they had to lift the bridge on the bike path
 out of place to allow Jacklyn and the crane that was on her barge into the
 canal. A larger land base crane was on hand, which I suspect was there for that lift.

5-30 The Grande Mariner was clearing the Welland Canal Lake Erie Entrance on
 the evening fo the 29th, and I believe she was headed for Buffalo at that
 time. She is probably tied up at the Erie Basin now, but I'll check that later today. 

5-29 As of today the American Mariner is on the list to load at General Mills
 in Duluth, possibly for Buffalo on Wednesday, June 2nd. Sometimes, as we have
 seen so far this year, loads get canceled, but if this does go through, it
 will be the largest vessel to ever transit the lower section of the Buffalo
 River & then City Ship Canal. 

  The International Shipmaster's Association Lodge #1 held their annual lay up
 party at the Pearl Street Brewery in Buffalo on the evening of the 21st. The
 next scheduled meeting will take place in September. 

5-30 The Manistee arrived last night at 11:30 PM with what could have been her
 last cargo to the Sand Supply Co. Landing on the City Ship Canal. They backed
 out and departed at about 6:45AM this morning. When I got there at 7:10 AM she
 was already heading out through the piers onto the lake. Missed it again.

5-22 The Manistee is Eastbound on the lake through Long Point and headed for
 the Sand Supply Co. Landing on the Buffalo Ship Canal. 

  I talked to a few people at the Shipmaster's meeting last night and got
 confirmation that the sand operation located there will be moving to the
 Gateway Metroport Terminal soon, eliminating shipping on the upper part of the
 canal, and making sand boat deliveries off limits to boatnerd photographers.

5-21 The Rt. Hon. Paul J Martin was loading coal at the Gateway Metroport
 Terminal on the evening on the 21st of May. Her unloading boom was raised high
 above the centerline of the main deck so the conveyors could reach her hatches
 at 7PM. She was already in Nanticoke by the evening of the 22nd. 

5-16 The English river is on her way in for the Buffalo North Entrance at this
 time. they are due to arrive around 6:30 PM for a stern first tow up to LaFarge Cement.

5-15 A Canadian Coast Guard Cutter, most likely the Griffon was circling out on
 the lake near the Traffic Buoy this afternoon around 2:00 PM. They seemed to
 be getting tossed around a lot by the high winds and had departed the area by
 4:00 PM. I don't really know why she was out there at this time. 

5-10 Paul spotted the Jackson being towed out around 10:45AM this morning.

5-9 Murphy's Law was in effect this morning when the Herbert C Jackson arrived
 at the Port of Buffalo around 11AM. The ship's bow thruster stopped working
 while heading in for the ADM Standard Elevator but the captain decided to come
 in anyway. As if that wasn't a bad enough omen, the Ohio St. Lift Bridge then
 promptly experienced a computer problem delaying the tug Washington from
 meeting the Jackson at the North Entrance. Once under tow, everything went ok,
 until they reached the ADM dock up above Ohio St. While slowing down the tow
 to position themselves off the ADM Standard Elevator the Washington was caught
 out of position for a minute while recovering her tow line. This caused the
 Jackson to drift ahead in the river a little farther then normal as the
 current started pushing the Starboard bow down towards the knuckle of the
 American Elevator dock. The tug made a run down the Starboard side, turned
 around near the stern, and then came back upriver to try and push the Jackson
 back to the Port side, but there wasn't enough time and they had to back out
 for fear of getting pinched against the dock. The captain on the Jackson was
 able to stop the forward progress by backing the ship's engines. He then
 brought the stern slowly up against the Standard Elevator dock as linemen were
 sent down to try and secure the ship. They were able to open up enough room on
 the Port side for the Washington to slide back in and help shove the Jackson
 back where she belonged. All was secure by 2PM, and they should be heading out
 some time Monday.  
 

5-9 The Jackson seems to be on her way. She is due in shortly with grain for ADM.

5-8 Gale force winds were whipping Lake Erie into a frenzy on Saturday the 8th.
 Huge breakers were crashing over the Outer Harbor Seawall in Buffalo and the
 water level was noticeably high around lakefront. Debris was blowing all over
 the harbor area making it a tough go for motorists. The windmills at the old
 Bethlehem Steel Plant were in lock down mode to keep from being damaged if
 they were allowed to spin in that sort of condition. 

  I've been working a lot this past week, so I'm way behind on my info. Paul
 sent me this for May 6th:

At 7:15am A 397 was pushed out the N E by Rebecca Lynn.

That's good, I'm glad they're back in town, I was getting worried they weren't coming back.

4-30 The USCG Cutter Hollyhock arrived at about 9PM on the 30th.

The English River was tied up and unloading cement at the LaFarge plant during
 the afternoon.

  I went to the meeting regarding the environmental clean up of the Buffalo
 River on the 29th of April.  Army Corps and DEC reps were there to explain the
 scope of the remediation and the project is much larger than I expected.
 600,000 feet of contaminates need to removed from the navigation channel
 covering an area from the Buckeye Product Terminal (Mobil) on Elk St, all the
 way down to the City Ship Canal. A contract will be awarded this fall and
 should take up to 6 months of work to complete. Other plans for the future
 included wet land, habitat, and park improvements all along the Buffalo River
 in an effort to return some of it to the complicated eco-system it once was.
 Industrial channels can be restored to a cleaner state and evidence of this is
 already happening. Wildlife is returning to the area since the flow of new
 waste has been stopped in the last few years and the water is already
 improving. 

  In a side note, the Leudke firm was released from their contract to finish
 dredging the Black Rock Canal. The Army Corps rep at the meeting mentioned the
 slow pace of the operation, and the fact the work was nearly complete as the
 reason they canceled the bid. The worst shoaling was in the Entrance Channel
 and that section is all set at this time. Some minor dredging was still to be
 done, be they felt that it did not have a major impact on shipping. 

  The Buffalo News had an interesting article on the Buffalo Water Intake Crib.
 Apparently the intakes are becoming clogged with mussels and work will begin
 some time this summer to dredge the dead shells out and dump them in the lake. 

  http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/04/28/1033692/dead-zebra-mussels-to-be-removed.html

  4-29 Grand River Navigation’s Manistee was in town with a sand load for the
 City Ship Canal on April 28th. She arrived at 10AM, unloaded all day and then
 departed around 5:30PM that evening with the assistance of a G-Tug for the
 stern first town to the lake. 
  Closing out April was the CSL Laurentian at the Gateway Metroport Terminal on
 the 29th. She backed up the Lackawanna Slip around 5PM to take on a mixed load
 of coal for Hamilton. The unloading rig was raised high above the centerline
 of the ship when I drove by at 6PM while the loading conveyers were being
 positioned on the dock. 

4-26 The Manistee is on her way to Buffalo with sand out Brevort, MI, possibly
 arriving on the morning of the 27th?

4-22 The Hollyhock was working off Buffalo today, replacing the Seneca Shoal
 buoy along with some others in the North Entrance Channel. Right now she is
 located about 6 miles West of Buffalo Harbor doing some sort of training
 exercise at 8:30PM.

  Reports out of Owen Sound have the Cuyahoga heading to Toledo instead of
 Buffalo. Too bad, because I was looking forward to seeing it, but oh well,
 better luck next time.

  The Jackson dropped off the radar in Duluth. she ended up making an ore run
 instead of loading grain for Buffalo. Another dissapointment, but what can you
 do? That's boatnerding for you. 

4-21 The USCG Cutter Hollyhock is at anchor in Buffalo Harbor this morning. She
 arrived last night and will probably be working aids to navigation today. 

  Charley spotted this on the info search today:

  4-20
    Cuyahoga backed into the Great Lakes Elevator in Owen Sound tonight.
 A Lower Lakes bus arrived-offloaded several crew members and their baggage
  wherein they got onboard. The ship appears to be loading,probably for Buffalo
 as per other times when ships have loaded here.

  Here's an update on the Buffalo Ethanol Plant Project:

http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/04/17/1022633/a-temperamental-market.html

4-17 The Herbert C Jackson may be loading grain at Duluth for Buffalo some time
 this week around the 21st. I also keep hearing rumors about the American
 Mariner running grain in here for ASC. Supposedly some equipment may be
 removed from the American Fortitude for the Mariner. I don't know for sure,
 it's a little too early to tell. She would be the biggest boat in the crick of
 all the times if that were to actually happen. 

4-16 The first vessel of the year for Lackawanna arrived yesterday. The CSL
 Laurentian was backed into the Bethlehem Slip and unloading coal at 11AM.

  I noticed what seemed to be a set of large steel rollers or wheels as large
 as a family car laying on the dock at the Cargil Pool Elevator Pier next to
 the #16 Leudtke dredger. I would assume that some sort of large scale repairs
 are being made there. This may be responsible for the long delay they are
 having in getting back to work. 

  4-8 Dredger update: I noticed that a large mobile crane was working on the
 Leudtke #16 dredge rig at the Cargil Pool Elevator Pier this afternoon.
 Whatever they were doing, it was done by 7PM since the crane was no longer on
 site and that's saying a lot because it was huge and it looked like they had a
 lot of work to do just to set it up and tear it down for lifting. When they
 were hooked up, it looked like they were lifting something on the derrick unit
 itself, but I couldn't really tell exactly what it was, but it must have been
 heavy since the crane had outriggers & blocking set up around it. These
 repairs may be the reason the rig has been sitting idle for the last few weeks. 

4-8 The Samuel D Champlain departed from the LaFarge dock around 5:30PM this
 evening. I don't know if they ran into problems with the current, wind, or
 some sort of bank suction issue but it took a lot of extra maneuvering back
 and forth a few times before they were able to center themselves in the river
 and begin backing down. After they left the wall, it took about 15 to 20
 minutes to wiggle, shimmy, and slide out of the turn between LaFarge and the
 Burnette Trucking (Penn Dixie) dock. Once in the clear they had no further
 problems backing all the way down to the North Entrance. The Captain was
 hoping to beat it out of town before an on coming squall set in since the
 forecast was for more rough weather tonight. 

4-8 The tug-barge Samuel D Champlain-Innovation arrived around 11AM this
 morning from Cleveland.  They are due to depart this evening around 5PM or so.

4-7 A contact in Cleveland reports the Samuel D Champlain has departed at 6:44
 PM and headed East on the lake for Buffalo. Assuming a roughly 5 to 6 hour run
 time, I'd say she should be arriving around 1 AM on the 8th (give or take an
 hour). With the light load she's carrying, they won't be in port for long,
 maybe 8 hours at the most. They will probably be out of here around noon
 sometime tomarrow if they do arrive overnight.  

4-7 The English River departed at 7:30 PM with an ETA for C.I.P. 16 of 2100 hours.

 4-7 The English River arrived on time at 5:25 PM yeasterday and was towed up
 to the LaFarge plant stern first by the Washington. See the news page for
 photos. If she's got a full load I'd expect them to depart this evening. I
 also noticed that the tug-barge Samuel D Champlain-Innovation is creepin'
 around on Lake Erie. She was unloading in Cleveland this morning, and if they
 are following previous patterns, they will probably head to Buffalo when the
 English River departs, but I'm only guessing at this point. I just noticed
 that the boats out of Alpena usually bring in a partial load of mortar (4,000
 tons or so) a few days after the English River arrives with a larger load of
 cement. They have loosely followed that proceedure (with some exceptions from
 time to time)for a few years now. Then after they leave, sometimes they head
 off to Bath to load for a trip back up the lakes. 

  Demolition work got underway again at the sprawling  Buffalo Color/National
 Aniline facility along the Buffalo River near South Park Ave. during April.
 Industrial use of the property dates back to the late 1800’s when it  was
 originally called Schoellkopf Aniline and Chemical Co. Occupying nearly 63
 acres of land along the river and nearby railroad tracks, the plant once
 employed up to 3,000 workers. The company concentrated in the manufacture of
 dye for the textile industry, but also made certain types of medicine and
 other products during war time. Downsizing over the years left some of the
 buildings on the site out of service and these were cleared away. A large
 portion of the plant situated on a peninsula in the Buffalo River was
 demolished and leveled, leaving only the structures near South Park Ave. still
 standing into the 1990’s as a maze of brick walls and pipe runs. Buffalo Color
 was the most recent operator of the main portions of the plant, making colored
 dyes used in denim jean manufacture. Cut rate imports out of China and Korea
 killed any remaining business there in 2003 when the main buildings on the
 site closed for good. PVS Chemicals took over the sulfuric acid section of the
 plant a few years ago and will continue to operate a small slice of the
 property between Lee St. and the Buffalo River in it’s original form. 
  Although primarily a rail oriented operation, because of it’s proximity to
 the Buffalo River, the aniline plant had a major impact on the waterfront. New
 York state DEC testing revealed massive amounts of industrial pollution all
 over the property and site remediation has been going on ever since the
 partial demolition began years ago. Large amounts of contaminates made it into
 the Buffalo River and environmental dredging was required to remove some of
 them, but news reports indicate that more needs to be done in that area. Old
 air photos of the bend in the river between the South Park Ave. lift bridge
 and the DL&W Rail Road Buffalo River Draw bridge show streaky, off color lines
 of chemicals leaking away from the bank all around the plant. This type of
 pollution was going on at the site for nearly 80 years so the bottom of the
 river there is loaded with contamination of one form or another.
  The most recent proposal for the property after clean up was submitted by the
 Western New York Railway Historical Society. They have signed a memorandum of
 understanding to purchase the old power house at the site for a museum. This
 deal is contingent on an environmental clean bill of health for the property
 after site remediation is complete in a few years. Major demolition work was
 underway during April with some buildings literally coming down overnight. One
 incident that took place alarmed city residents when an unidentified chemical
 dye was carried away from the site by the wind. Improper shut down procedures
 at the plant years ago led wreck crews to accidentally release a form of red
 dye dust from an abandoned pipe that they cut through that settled all over
 neighborhood property, staining home owners lawns. As demolition continues,
 the area around the river, South Park Ave., and the railroad lines will be
 transformed from a brick lined canyon crisscrossed by pipes to a flat, open
 vista, with a park like atmosphere. Soon, the entire skyline of this South
 Buffalo neighborhood will change again as the city de-industrializes. 

4-6 The English River is currently on her way eastbound on the lake from the
 Welland Canal. She gave Seaway Long Point an estimated transit time of 2 hours
 after leaving the ditch to reach Buffalo putting her in here around 5:30PM or
 so at the North Entrance. I believe this to be the season opener for the Port
 of Buffalo.

4-1 No April Fool's jokes here. 
 
  I took a look at the Union Ship Canal project today. Construction crews have
 completely flattened the North side of the slip and are now back filling in
 with clean dirt over the existing grade level. The Hanna Furnace docks on the
 South side are also being prepped for backfilling as the old ore pit is being
 cleaned of debris at this time. 

3-26  I noticed a large amount of activity around the Union Ship Canal during late
 March. Work crews were busy tearing up the property as they prepared to make
 over the entire area into a new public park. Both sides  of the canal were being
 plowed and bull dozed to contain contaminates in preparation for land grading. It will
 probably take all summer to get the property ready for use by the public but the final
 result will be worth the wait. The former pig iron plant and ore dock will be
 transformed into a recreational area including bike trails, fishing piers, parkland,
 benches, and a pedestrian bridge over the canal itself with lots of parking spaces.
 This large scale redevelopment has been in the planning stages for almost 20 years
 and is finally underway at this time. 

  The Welland Canal officially opened for the 2010 season on March 25th with the
 passage of the upbound tug-barge combo Commodore Straights-Maralink Explorer.
 The traditional top hat ceremony took place at the Lock Three Viewing Complex. 

 The Buffalo News reported that Edbauer Construction of Blasedel will begin building
 a  new maintenance facility for the New York State Power Authority at their recently
 acquired dock site on the Buffalo River. Plans include the installation of an inclined
 marine railway, traveling cranes, and welding stations to facilitate repairs of company
 vessels. These craft, including, tugs, crane barges, and icebreakers, are involved in
 the maintenance of the power intakes on the Niagara River, along with the Ice Boom.
 The property at 41 Hamburg St. was formerly the site of the Buffalo Union Furnace
 Company, the location of Buffalo’s first iron making blast furnace. 

3-19 The Buffalo News reported today that the New York State Power Authority
 tugs & barges will be removing the Niagara River Ice Boom starting on Monday, March 22nd. 

3-19 The Erie County Sheriff’s Air One helicopter was called out on March 17th
 to rescue a dog trapped on the ice of Lake Erie. The helicopter crew flew in
 low to grab the dog, brought him back to shore near the town of Evans,
 released him, and then watched from the air as the dog promptly ran right back
 out on the ice. They then went out to rescue him a second time as the owner
 was being contacted to come and secure the dog to keep him out of trouble.
 When the dog owner gets the bill from the county for the aviation fuel
 required to rescue his dog, he may end up running out on the ice himself. 

9-16 I heard Seaway Long Point talking to the Canadian Coast Guard Cutter
 Griffon this evening. She's puttering around on the eastern end of the lake
 off Port Colborne, but I'm not really sure what they are up to at this time.
  There doesn't seem to be any other vessel traffic on the lake, but I have
 also heard some activity inside the Welland Canal. Someone, and I'm not sure
 who, was talking back & forth with Seaway Welland regarding a transit of lock
 7 around 8 PM tonight. It does not look like the Seaway's vessel tracking
 pages are on-line for the season yet, since nothing is showing up on their map
 site so I have no idea who was talking on the radio since I couldn't hear the
 other side of the conversation. It could be something that spent the winter in
 the ditch powering up to depart, but I'm only guessing at this point. 

3-14 I heard a juicy rumor that the Adam E Cornelius may stay in lay up this
 spring with the American Mariner being certified to take over the grain run to
 Buffalo. If that does play out, and I really don't know yet if it's true, the
 Mariner would take the title for the largest boat to ever go up the Buffalo
 River & City Ship Canal to General Mills. The Jackson will still be the
 largest to go all the way up to ADM for the time being, but it sure would be
 great to see the Mariner at the General Mills Frontier Elevator for something
 different down there.
  Warm up your radio scanner, I noticed that the cement boats seem to be up and
 running at this time, so one of them may be the first vessel to come in for
 the new season any time now. 

3-13 The Erie Canal Harbor Development Agency was turned down by the U.S
 Transportation Department for it’s request to secure stimulus funds for a new
 Buffalo River drawbridge during early March. They now have no money, no
 completed design work, and no site chosen for a project that seemed to be
 going nowhere from the start. 

3-12 The Firetug Cotter's ice breaking mission from last week on the 5th has
 proven to be a success. All of the ice in the navigation section of the
 Buffalo River has flushed itself out and the water is now running mud brown at
 this time. The lake ice off Buffalo seems to be shifting around somewhat since
 there were open areas of clear water to be seen outside the breakwall.
 
  The New York state Power Authority tug Breaker was out in the ice of the City
 Ship Canal on the 11th. They may be getting ready to start working the Niagara
 River Ice Boom soon. There is a nice shot of her in today's picture page of
 the Buffalo News.
 
  The tug Kurt Leudtke was rafted to the derrick barge #16 with her engines
 running at the Cargil Pier around 12 noon today. The small tender tug Gretchen
 was tied up on the outside of the Kurt. They are either getting ready to begin
 dredging here again and finish the job they started in the fall, or they may
 be getting ready to depart. 

3-5 The firetug Edward M Cotter went on a rare icebreaking mission up past the
 railroad drawbridges on the Buffalo River on the morning of the 5th. She
 encountered heavy pressure ridges and debris up above the South Park Ave. lift
 bridge due to the ice jam that occurred back in January. The large volume of
 ice that was flushed out of Cazenovia Creek about a month previously had
 refrozen into a solid mass slowing down the fireboat. She used a back and ram
 technique to plow her way to the old DL&W upper river drawbridge, just off the
 Buckeye Products Terminal (Mobil Oil). The Cotter spent the better part of two
 hours in this stretch of the river alone and the ice was still so thick that
 she had to back all the way down below South Park Ave. to be able to turn
 around without damaging the rudder or prop. 

The NFTA has made the decision to remove their recently listed property along
 the Buffalo River from the sales block. The old DL&W passenger main line right
 of way running 1.6 miles from the former train terminal in downtown Buffalo to
 the site of the Buffalo River Draw Bridge will be kept by the transit
 authority for the time being.  The old double track rail line once ran from
 the roof top train sheds of the DL&W Terminal at the foot of Main St. along a
 corridor cutting through South Buffalo on an elevated right of way until
 reaching a bridge called Buffalo River Draw, just under two miles to the East.
 Trains from various railroads used this section for access  to the downtown
 terminal. The DL&W also had an extension of the line that headed further West
 into Buffalo from the Terminal itself to bring coal trains to their dock at
 the site of the Erie Basin where a large boat loading car dumper was once
 located. The Buffalo based group Citizens Regional Transit Corp. railed
 against the sale of the old right of way on the basis that the line could once
 again be used for train traffic out of the terminal. The climate has recently
 changed in the public transportation industry as federal money has once again
 been flowing into public projects. Spikes in gas prices, the shallow economy,
 and stimulus spending have created more opportunities for the possible
 expansion of Metro Rail services in the future. Public transit advocacy
 experts feel that the section from the terminal to Buffalo River Draw would
 make an ideal pathway to meet up with the rail beds that head South of the
 city to the suburbs located along the way. A large amount of rail lines cross
 through the city near the bridge allowing the NFTA to expand in multiple
 directions. This proposed  service would require a lot less land acquisition,
 construction, and costs since the right of way already exists due to extensive
 rail infrastructure in the area.  This idea for a regional system is what the
 original Metro Rail planners had in mind  when the concept was first thought
 of back in the 1970’s. 
 
  This shots what remains of the DL&W rail bed & Buffalo River Draw, just above
 the South Park Ave. Lift Bridge:
 
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images06/DSC00995.jpg

  Some minor ice jam flooding occurred in South Buffalo on the 27th due to a
 snap thaw and heavy rains. The level of Cazenovia Creek rose up high enough
 for ice to hit the under frame of the Stevenson St. Bridge. Heavy flows
 clogged the confluence of the Buffalo River and Caz Creek, sending broken ice
 as far down as the South Park Ave. Lift Bridge.  The leading edge of this flow
 stopped between South Park and the old DL&W Rail Road’s Buffalo River Draw
 bridge abutments to refreeze over the next week into a solid mass of thick ice
 chunks.  A massive amount of ice will be flowing downriver when Spring rolls
 around and the fire tug COTTER heads up there to break it out. 

  1-28 A quarter mile stretch of the Buffalo Skyway was closed for a few hours on
 January 28th due to a 20 car pileup. White out conditions in the area at that
 time caused an accident with multiple injuries and made it very difficult for
 emergency crews to access the victims. Buffalo Police mentioned that the new
 design of Rt. 5 along the lakefront, with it’s lower roadway seems to have had
 something to do with the large amount of blowing and drifting snow. 

1-27 Here's a news article on Peace Bridge plans:

  http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/939315.html

  1-26 The US Coast Guard and Erie County Sherriff helicopters were out searching
 for an airplane reported down on Lake Erie on January 26th. The operation was
 called off when the tail registration code for the supposedly missing plane
 was found on an aircraft in a hanger down in Virginia later that day.
 Apparently the incident was the result of a hoax of some sort. 

1-25 The firetug Cotter must have been out breaking ice on the Buffalo River
 over the weekend sometime since there was a freshly broken track from the
 Entrance Channel all the way up to the CSX River Bridge. The area above the
 CSX bridges remains frozen over with solid plate ice. 

1-15 I noticed the Buffalo Outer Harbor, Buffalo River, City Ship Canal, and
 Black Rock Canal were all completely frozen over with plate ice this morning.
 It did not look like anyone had been out ice breaking for a while now. There
 was heavy lake ice off Buffalo Harbor today, with wind rows and pressure
 ridges just outside the breakwall. Any boat wishing to transit the East end of
 the lake will need some heavy firepower in the form of ice breaker assistance
 for the rest of the winter or early spring. 
  The Luedtke dredge rig and equipment are now tied down in lay up status at
 the Cargil Pier. 

  Hopefully the parts come by boat again like last time: 

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/southernsuburbs/story/917945.html

Welland Canal Traffic article:

http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/916267.html

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