This morning we toured the Valley Camp Museum, which is an old freighter docked next to the Kemp Marina in Sault Ste. Marie. The ship carried bulk goods from 1917 until 1967. It was turned into a museum which has exhibits showing all parts of the ship, displays of native fish in large aquariums, and a lifeboat from the Edmund Fitzgerald. We looked at the sleeping quarters and eating areas of the hierarchy of crew members from ordinary sailors to the captain, and the pilot house.
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| Valley Camp Museum (greatlakesdigitalimaging.com) |
We then left the Soo and traveled downstream on the St. Marys River. We followed the Mesabi Miner, one of about a dozen Great Lakes freighters of 1000 foot length (we saw several others of this group on the trip). The downstream maneuvering for these ships is very convoluted and difficult. At one point the Mesabi Miner appeared to have its propellers in reverse to negotiate a tight turn. Because of the current and its momentum it continued to travel downstream at about 3 knots in this area. Bumping the edge of this narrow channel would not do anyone any good!
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| Mesabi Miner stern view (photography-on-the.net) |
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| Mesabi Miner bow view (greatlakesfreighters.4t.com) |
Tonight we anchored out for the first time. We went to the southeast side of Lime Island just north of DeTour Village, where we had tried to anchor on the way up. The weather was great this time. We brought the dinghy down and took Daisy ashore. The anchorage was peaceful and quiet. I set an alarm to wake up at 2:30am to see if we were dragging anchor and we hadn't budged.
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| Dinghy Swashbucklers |
