We welcome a new photographer today, Greg Carrier from Drone 5-0 Photography in the Marquette area. In case you haven’t heard, the Great Lakes Shipping season has opened UP again after the winter layup from January until March. Greg starts us off with some outstanding drone shots of the first boat of the season in Marquette, the Hon. James L. Oberstar, as she pulls in to the Harbor. The Oberstar was in Superior, WI for the winter layup and had the honor of the first ship out of Duluth, MN for the shipping season. She headed to Marquette for a load of Iron Ore, then on to lock through at the Soo to deliver the Iron Ore to Toledo, Ohio. It’s great to see the boats back out on Lake Superior.

Our video is from Boatwatching in the Soo, featuring the Stewart J. Cort upbound passing Rotary Island Park in the Soo, with a great master salute as she sails on by. Music to your ears if you’re a boatnerd!

Drone photography has really opened up the world!

So great to see the freighters back out on the
lake. I love watching them.

I remember seeing the Cort on its very first voyage upbound at the Soo, 1972. Guess I'm old!

Hi
George, I was noticing with pleasure that the Oberstar
and the Cort were old-style Lake freighters, with a
pilot house in the bow. The shipping lanes go past my
vacation cabin outside of Cheboygan. I can't recall
what I saw cruise by in the summer of 1972, though.

I enjoyed the video. The benches buried in snow were a
reminder that spring near the Soo and spring downstate
are sure different.