We have made our way into the way U.P. (Upper Peninsula) North and into Lake Superior after 4 days in Sault (pronounced Soo) Saint Marie awaiting delivery of more fix it parts (aft toilet this time, again) and doing tourist things. The Soo, as it’s called by locals, is the oldest city in Michigan having been established by Europeans in 1668. It is along the St. Marys River, which flows from Lake Superior to Lake Huron forming part of the US and Canadian border. Directly across the river from The Soo is Sault St. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Between the two cities are the Soo Locks, a set of 4 large ship locks and 1 small ship lock allowing travel between Lake Superior and the Lower Great Lakes.
The Soo Locks, which date back to the 1800’s, allow very large (the largest is currently 1014 feet long) great lakes shipping vessels, cruise ships, tour boats and any other motorized vessel to travel the 21 feet up or down between the lower Great Lakes and Lake Superior. The 4 largest vessel locks are on the American side of the river and the small vessel lock (the one we took ) is on the Canadian side, but due to agreements between the two countries, travel through the locks is free to all vessels and there are no immigration constraints involved in passage.
From Sault St. Marie we headed to a little bay for a night of anchoring while waiting for weather to clear at our next stop. Early this morning we headed out of the bay for a short 32 mile journey to Whitefish Point State Docks. We are stopping here because getting around Whitefish Point to our next stop is over 70 miles and that is just way tooooo looooong of a day and Whitefish Point State Docks has a free dock for up to 4 boats – yup 4. We are essentially anchoring but tied to a slip; no power or water, and no shops or restaurants around. BUT the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is only a mile away and walkable.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum has the largest display of Lake Superior shipwreck artifacts as well as recovered artifacts from the Edmund Fitzgerald. At 729 feet long and 13,632 gross tons The Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship on the Great Lakes for 13 years, until 1971. The ship was known as a workhorse that set numerous hauling records over her 17 years in service.
The Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy was made popular by Gordon Lightfoot in 1976 with his song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. The legend remains the most mysterious and controversial of all shipwreck tales in the Great Lakes. She lost her entire crew of 29 in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. Three underwater expeditions have been conducted to study the ship and attempt to identify why she sank. There are a lot of theories out there but no absolute cause has been found. But, I am buying into; 1) The Coast Guard regulations were changed over the years since The Fitzgerald was built which allowed for heavier and heavier cargo weights each year and the steel hull had eventually became overtaxed and fragile due to years of excessive weights, a hull lengthening procedure, and the way she was constructed with welded joints instead of riveted which caused, as reported by crew members, bending and springing in the steel hull in rough weather. In 1975 the overweight ship was sitting a titch over 3 feet deeper in the water than originally intended when she was launched in 1958. 2) There is report that Fitzgerald Captain Ernest M. McSorley radioed to the Captain of the Arthur M. Anderson, a sister ship who was about 50 miles behind The Fitzgerald at the time, that he had hit ground (the Coast Guard has since then altered the course of the shipping channel because of shoaling and reported groundings in the channel at that location at that time) and was taking on water and that his pumps could not keep up with the flow. The storm was huge, the worst in Great Lake history, with hurricane force winds of up to 70 MPH and throwing massive waves of over 35 feet over the ship causing the cargo hatch covers to bend and open up which caused more water to get into the holds causing the ship to list and eventually sink. Therefore, I believe that the excessively heavy, overtaxed and weakened hulled ship was thrown into a grounding situation in a poorly maintained/identified channel, by the intense storm causing the ship to fill with water, split in two and sink. That’s my story and I believe it.
The surviving family members of the Edmund Fitzgerald got together and requested that one of the expeditions, which was a joint effort between Canada and the Shipwreck Museum, raise the original ship’s bell and replace it with a new copper bell with the names of all 29 crew members engraved on it to memorialize the sacrifices of those lost in the wreck. The original bell is on display at the museum.
The Arthur M. Anderson is still shipping in the Great Lakes and we have seen it pass us by twice, once up bound and once down bound. Interestingly, she too has had some hull lengthening modifications over the years which have allowed for larger loads. I gotta think she might be getting a little overtired too. Hey, it happens to the best of us…
Tomorrow we are heading around Whitefish Point, likely in some fog…hopefully only a little fog. We are hoping that once we get around the point it will be clear. At least that’s what our weather apps are telling us.
The further U.P. North we go the sketchier and sketchier the internet and cell coverage is (Verizon keeps telling us we are in Canada…Nope, we are not) so it may be a while between posts. But have no fear, I will keep you updated as much as I can as we go along. Love to all, Gina and Mike
