LUDINGTON, MI – This unique opportunity for lighthouse lovers takes volunteers to premiere Lake Michigan destinations where they receive a free seven-night stay in exchange for sharing their love of the lights with visitors.

The nonprofit Lakeshore Keepers manages five lighthouses from Whitehall to Manistee, and they all need volunteer keepers from May to October.

An aerial image of White River Light Station built in 1875 along the White Lake Channel in Muskegon County, Mich. [Joel Bissell | MLive.com]

“Whether you’re a longtime lighthouse visitor or looking for a fun way to give back, we’d love to have you join us,” Lakeshore Keepers said in a recent newsletter. “Our volunteers welcome visitors, share lighthouse stories, support events, assist in gift shops, and more.”

Applicants can pick their preferred lighthouse and available weeks.

At Big Sable Point Lighthouse, volunteers stay onsite in the keepers’ dwelling at Ludington State Park; the iconic light with its 112-foot black-and-white tower stands on a sandy beach. Volunteers at the Ludington North Breakwater Light, at Stearns Park Beach in Ludington, also receive lodging at the state park. The White River Light Station in Whitehall is the other spot where volunteers stay in the lighthouse. For the Little Sable Point Lighthouse at Silver Lake State Park and Manistee North Pierhead Light at Fifth Avenue Beach, volunteers are stay at nearby homes. Photos and descriptions are provided in the video above.

Volunteers are scheduled to work six days a week for about eight hours per day and are responsible for welcoming guests, providing historical interpretation, selling tower climb tickets and gift shop merchandise, stocking merchandise, performing general household cleaning, and light grounds maintenance. Every volunteer receives video training prior to arrival and an on-site orientation.

In exchange, resident keepers receive a week or more of free lodging, free tower climbs at all Lakeshore Keepers’ lights during that season, and a discount on merchandise.

One caveat to becoming a volunteer resident keeper is that you must be a member. The membership tier that opens eligibility for the program costs $60 per year for one person or $100 for a couple. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and able to climb multiple stairs and walk a mile or more daily.

Read the story and view images here.
Complete information about the volunteer program is available

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The R/V Neil Armstrong departed its home port of Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, October 28. It will travel from Cape Cod down the St. Lawrence Seaway, through the locks, and across the Great Lakes. The 238-foot vessel is expected to arrive in Duluth on November 9.

R/V Neil Armstrong is Great Lakes-bound.

As of Thursday morning, the Neil Armstrong was traveling up the Atlantic Coast around Nova Scotia.

The University of Minnesota Duluth is working with the research vessel to detect and observe neutrino interactions in Lake Superior. Neutrinos are the most abundant particles that have mass in the universe, and they pass through everything. They are very difficult to detect, so studying them requires special instruments.

A beam of neutrinos is already positioned by Fermilab that runs through Lake Vermilion and Lake Superior. The Neil Armstrong will deploy sensor frames on the lakebed of Lake Superior several miles offshore near Two Harbors. These frames are 30 feet tall and weigh 8,000 pounds each. When it’s dark at night, they will be able to detect neutrino particle beams underwater. They anticipate detecting several NuMI beam neutrinos per day during the experiments.

The neutrino detectors will be removed as lake conditions allow in the spring or early summer of 2027. You can read more about the project in depth from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Six years ago, the U.S. Navy announced plans to construct two ships in a new Ocean Class of research vessels and in 2010, awarded WHOI the no-cost lease to operate the first of the ships. Two years later, the Navy announced the first ship would be named Neil Armstrong and its sister ship, to be operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, would be named Sally Ride. The 238-ft. Neil Armstrong is the newest ship in the U.S. academic fleet, and one of just seven in that fleet capable of accessing all but ice-covered areas of the global ocean.

The R/V Neil Armstrong is the most technologically advanced ship in the U.S. academic fleet. The ship contains two multi-beam echo sounders designed to operate at different depths, making Neil Armstrong and, when completed, Sally Ride, the only ships in the UNOLS fleet equipped to conduct high-resolution seafloor surveys almost anywhere the ship can sail.

The ship’s three acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) can scan the water column at different frequencies to reveal the invisible structure of water at varying depths and resolutions, and a multi-beam, multi-frequency echosounder, the EK-80, can not only detect the presence and abundance of marine life beneath the ship, but also offers the potential to differentiate among species of fish and other marine life hidden beneath the surface.

From an engineering standpoint, as well, the ship is state-of-the-art. In addition to clean-burning diesel-electric generators, variable-frequency DC propulsion means less wear-and-tear on critical components and higher efficiency. The new ship’s integrated controls provide access to virtually every critical system, from propulsion and navigation to electrical load to heating and air conditioning to ballast, on touch screens in the engine room and bridge. The navigation system can be monitored and diagnosed from shore.

KDHL

Read more here.

DETROIT, MI – During Nov. 7-10, 2026, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit, Mich. will host several events to commemorate all mariners who have lost their lives on the Great Lakes and the loss of the bulk freighter Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew on Nov. 10, 1975.

Fitzgerald anchor is displayed at Dossin Great Lakes Museum.

On Saturday, November 7, the Livonia (Mich.) Amateur Radio Club will commemorate the Fitzgerald by sharing the ship’s story with amateur radio operators around the world. Museum visitors are welcome to watch any time between 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET.  The cost, which includes admission to the museum, is $5 per person or free for Detroit Historical Society members, educators or children 5 and under.

On the morning of Sunday, November 8, the museum will host its annual Lost Mariners Brunch from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. The event will feature a meal and historical presentation followed by a performance by Great Lakes balladeer Lee Murdock. The menu will reflect the culinary traditions of Great Lakes freighters, including the Fitzgerald, and will draw from the recipes found in Ships of the Great Lakes Cookbook by George Yaworski. The cost is $85 per person.

On the evening of Sunday, November 8, the museum, in partnership with the Great Lakes Maritime Institute, will host the annual Lost Mariners Remembrance Ceremony from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET outside on the shores of the Detroit River. Admission is free. During the Remembrance Ceremony, a memorial wreath will arrive by boat and then placed near an anchor from the Fitzgerald. That will be followed by a ringing of a ship’s bell to honor all those lost aboard the ill-fated freighter and on the waters of the Great Lakes. There will then be a procession of an Honor Flotilla of Canadian and United States government and commercial vessels. Following the ceremony, there will be warm beverages served inside, along with a performance of songs of remembrance and the sea by Lee Murdock.

On the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, the museum will commemorate the 51st anniversary of the loss the Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew with a showing of a documentary entitled “We Finished Their Journey” beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. The documentary follows along with the 17 teams of four relay swimmers each that took part in the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim in 2025. Event organizer Jim Dreyer and David Volk, who served as the ground operations director for the swim, will be on hand for a Q&A session. Admission is $25 per person or $20 for Detroit Historical Society members.

View the events listing page here.

HAMILTON, ON – McAsphalt Marine Transportation Ltd., Hamilton, ON, is divesting itself of the articulated tug and barge combination Everlast/Norman McLeod. The pair is listed for sale on the Scrunton Marine Inc. website. The pair is designed for the carriage, heating, storage and transfer of asphalt and other high-temperature black petroleum products. Norman McLeod was built in 2001 while Everlast dates from 1976.

Find out more here and view images.

Everlast/Norman McLeod are for sale. [Scruton Marine]

BARBEAU, MI – Residents and visitors will be unable to travel to or from Neebish Island for up to three days next week while the ferry undergoes drydock maintenance. The Neebish Island Ferry will be temporarily taken out of service and mobilized to M.C.M. Marine in Sault Ste. Marie to undergo necessary drydock repairs, weather permitting. The ferry is scheduled to depart for drydock early on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and will remain in drydock for approximately two days to complete the required maintenance work. It is anticipated that the Neebish Island Ferry will return to service sometime Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.

There will be no ferry service available to or from Neebish Island during this two to three-day period. The ferry service worked with Chippewa County Central Dispatch and the Sheriff’s Office to provide emergency transportation if the need arises.

The above time frame will be dependent upon weather conditions. If the weather is not conducive to travel, the dates will be changed to the next day. Residents and property owners are strongly encouraged to prepare ahead of time this week for the temporary shutdown.

The ferry sheared rudder shaft, and the loss of one of its two rudders in a recent incident while maneuvering in fog.

Soo Leader

Neebish Islander III. [Roger LeLievre]

FAIRPORT HARBOR, OH – Morton Salt has ceased operations at its mine in Fairport Harbor to assess the inflow of water and determine next steps. The mine, according to Morton’s, is used primarily for salt needed for roads in the winter. The salt is often shipped to customers via Great Lakes vessels. The decision was made following an Oct. 22 discovery of a significant inflow of water in the mine, leading to an immediate evacuation of all miners. The company said all employees were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported. Morton Salt said it notified the appropriate regulatory authorities of the intrusion, according to the release.

Frontenac loading at Morton Salt. [Bill Kloss]

The Fairport Harbor mine is a source for rock salt, according to the Morton Salt website. The salt from its underground mines is mainly used for road salt needed during the winter season. The Morton Salt Group is one of the largest salt companies in the world, with an annual production capacity of approximately 30 million tons.

Ideastream Public Media

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WHITEFISH POINT, MI. – A documentary film chronicling a 411-mile memorial swim to honor the 29 crew members who died aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald will be released Nov. 10 in theaters and via streaming. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and Big Fin Pictures announced the release of “We Finished Their Journey: the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim,” which documents a relay swim completed in 2025 to mark the 50th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.

The swim began July 26, 2025, directly over the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck site in Lake Superior after the Canadian Ministry granted permits for a ceremony honoring the lost crew. Seventy swimmers completed 17 stages to symbolically finish the ship’s final journey, reaching Detroit to mark the final stop for the iron ore load the vessel never delivered.

The month-long swim relay presented challenges including storms, lightning, injuries, blood clots, boat problems and personality conflicts, according to the information released about the film.

“This film tells the story of a remarkable journey, completed by good people for all the right reasons,” said event director Jim “the Shark” Dreyer, who is known for his many long-distance and Great Lakes swims. “These athletes pushed their personal limits to write a new chapter in the legacy of the Edmund Fitzgerald that memorializes the 29-crew members who perished.”

Executive producer and director Corey Adkins described the production as complex, noting the film captures more than 20 different stories from dozens of participants.

Proceeds from the swim supported maintenance of the light tower at Whitefish Point, home to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum where the Edmund Fitzgerald’s bell is displayed. Bruce Lynn, executive director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, said the organization was honored to receive the fundraiser proceeds.

Read more here.

The Edmund Fitzgerald’s bell.

HALIFAX, NS – Visible flames in the dust management system about 135 feet above ground at the Halifax Grain Elevator greeted firefighters who arrived on scene to a fire reported at 7:15 p.m. Oct. 26. The Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service said 56 firefighters and 20 trucks were on scene at the Port of Halifax to support the fire suppression effort during the night. Crews worked to contain the fire and protect a ship docked at the facility “while navigating the challenges presented by the industrial infrastructure and elevated firefighting operations.”

The fire was brought under control at 10:40 p.m., according to officials. No injuries were reported.

The municipality said the fire was contained to the south conveyor system’s dust handling equipment and associated hopper infrastructure. Coordinated efforts between fire service crews and facility representatives prevented the fire from spreading to surrounding structures. Following firefighting operations, the scene was secured, and the origin and cause of the fire were under investigation.

A key grain handling site for Atlantic Canada, the facility is operated by Halifax Grain Elevator Ltd. under a lease from the Halifax Port Authority (HPA). It receives and ships specialty crops and grain (wheat, soybeans and barley) by truck, rail and vessel. The site includes storage capacity of 5.15 million bushels (140,215 tonnes), according to the HPA.

Scene at Halifax grain elevator fire.

World Grain