Courtesy Draken Expedition America
Draken
The Viking ship Draken Harald Hårfagre has canceled its appearance at Tall Ships Duluth 2016.
We’ve got a bevy of boat news this week to kick off the roundup. Anchors aweigh:
Viking ship withdraws from Tall Ships Duluth
Draken Harald Hårfagre, the 114-foot recreated Viking longship from Norway, will end its Great Lakes expedition in Green Bay and cancel a scheduled appearance at Tall Ships Duluth (which starts August 18).
Due to either a misunderstanding or miscommunication with the U.S. Coast Guard (each side tells a different story), the vessel’s owner did not budget for the services of a licensed pilot, required of certain types of foreign vessels in U.S. Great Lakes waters. The Draken team partnered with the Sons of Norway organization to raise money for the pilotage fees, but ultimately they couldn’t raise enough to reach Duluth.
“Our team at Tall Ships Duluth and the Duluth community did everything in our power to assist the ship in coming to Duluth, but the circumstances leading to the ship's decision were out of our control,” according to a statement from festival organizers.
We’re sad to miss out on Draken, but we look forward to checking out the World’s Largest Rubber Duck and the eight ships – including the magnificent El Galeón from Spain – that remain in the festival lineup.
+ Pilotage fees were a source of controversy even before Draken reached North America. In May, foreign shipping companies and trade groups sued the Coast Guard over fee increases. NPR reported on the story this week.
The end of an era
Thomas Spence posted a wonderful photo of the James R. Barker bringing the last coal this year, and perhaps longer, to the Taconite Harbor Energy Center plant near Schroeder, Minnesota. The coal-fired power plant will be idled this fall, used only when needed to maintain power generation reliability, according to Minnesota Power. The 42 employees there were offered opportunities to stay within the company, the Duluth News Tribune reported last July. The company will stop using coal at the plant by 2020.
Roger Blough returning to service
A little more than two months after the Blough ran aground in Whitefish Bay, repairs have been completed. According to Boatnerd, “Roger Blough was removed from the graving dock at Bay Shipbuilding Tuesday afternoon and was tied up on berth 15. She is due to load at Two Harbors, Minn., on Aug. 8. The Blough was damaged in a grounding on Gros Cap Reef May 27.”
Iron ore trade dips
The Lake Carriers’ Association says July’s cargo totals decreased 15 percent from a year ago and 18 percent from the month’s five-year average. Overall for the year, shippers have transported 26.8 million tons of iron ore, down 3 percent from this time last year.
The case for a new Soo Lock
Sault Star posted a story by Peter Kuitenbrouwer of the Financial Post of Canada reporting on the unease about having the 48-year-old Poe Lock as the only large-laker link between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. “The North American economy needs this lock. The iron ore that passes through here each year becomes more than US$500 billion worth of cars, trucks, fridges, bridges and other things made of steel. A bigger failure would spell catastrophe – and it’s an increasing probability.”
Jim Northrup dies at 73
Jana Hollingsworth, writing for the Duluth News Tribune:
Northrup, an award-winning writer of books, columns, plays and poetry — and a prominent member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa — died Monday night. He was 73.
Northrup was a storyteller, known for his stark and honest writing about his experience as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam and his early years at a federal boarding school. He was funny and pointed in his writings about everyday life on the reservation, politics and change in Indian Country. He wrote as a way to heal himself from some of the trauma he experienced during the war, he said earlier this year.
Wisconsin Public Television re-posted Jim’s 2010 speech and poetry recitation at Lambeau Field. If you’re not familiar with Jim’s writing, dry humor and razor-sharp wit, it’s a great introduction.
Lake level still high
Lake Superior’s beginning-of-August level was 7 inches above long-term average, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports. That’s a centimeter (0.4 inches) higher than a year ago. The Lake rose 4 centimeters (2 inches) in July, close to the typical gain (5 centimeters) for the month.
Looking up: This week the night skies around Lake Superior delivered some great light shows that may continue for the next week or so. A number of regional photographers posted the gorgeous northern lights that danced on all shores, especially early in the week. This also happens to be peak time (August 9-13) for the annual Perseid meteor shower, expected to be the best showing since 2009. Mark Torregrossa of MLive reports a potential of 200 meteors per hour around August 11. Be sure to get out and look up for a sense-of-wonder view.
Photos of the Week: On Minnesota’s North Shore, Paul Sundberg picked blueberries, saw a moose and discovered the secrets of rock balancing.
Isle Royale’s last two wolves spotted on trail camera: Here’s the video from researchers on the island.
Birkebeiner trailhead to be dedicated: A new American Birkebeiner trailhead and starting line for the American Birkebeiner ski race will be dedicated Saturday, August 6, at 4:30 p.m., near Cable, Wisconsin. The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation will also be dedicating a new Great Hall for storage and pre-race warming space, as well as a new warming shelter/trailhead building that will provide a safe space for runners, hikers, bikers and skiers. The 44th American Birkebeiner ski race will be February 25, 2017.
Two North Shore businesses are now open with wine and baked goods: The North Shore Winery and Sawtooth Mountain Cider House in Lutsen makes red and white wines from grapes from California and the hard ciders using Minnesota-grown apples. Tastings and tours are offered daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Ski Hill Road. In Grand Marais, Minnesota, The Pie Place has reopened as a bakery that sells pies, scones, cookies and muffins.
A model-turned-boxer who trained for years in Marquette is heading to the Olympics in Rio, reports WLUC-TV.
For the boat-crazy among us: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, will be a hot spot of fast boats this weekend with its first-ever speedboat poker run. SooToday takes us along for a ride.