Boatnerd News
Boatnerd Celebrates 30 Years with New Website & AIS
Boatnerd.com is celebrating 30 years online with a revamped website, including an upgraded AIS vessel map.
“Boatnerd was started in 1995 as a test of building a website,” recalls founder Neil Schultheiss. “I had the interest and it seemed like a good subject. At the time, the web was only accessible by academic institutes. In the early days there were text newsgroups that discussed boats and thought I would give this subject a try.”
“When the web opened up to the world in the mid-1990s, the site really took off,” he said.
Today, Boatnerd attracts a diverse following, from nautical enthusiasts to sailors and others involved in the Great Lakes shipping and maritime industry. We regularly have visitors from almost every country in the world.
Our mission is to enhance the general public’s knowledge of commercial maritime operations and the history thereof on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, which is why we’ve worked hard to create an updated website that makes it easier to share our mission.
“We’ve been working hard on creating a website that will load faster and be easier for visitors to navigate, especially on mobile devices, while also being much easier for our team to update and maintain on the back end,” according to Jason Bowler, who has been working on the redesign for more than a year.
The daily news page had been revamped to make it more user-friendly and easier to search. The Today in Great Lakes History feature will continue as before, as will the discussion forum and the winter layup list. Vessel histories are in the process of being revised with new information. Port reports will change to Noteworthy Passages, as the widespread availability of AIS has rendered the detailed reports outdated by the time they appear.
Our upgraded AIS vessel map includes several new features, including:
- U.S. and Canadian navigation charts
- My Fleet, allowing you to track individual boats or groups of vessels
- Trip plotting tools to estimate when a boat will reach various points along its route
We’ve also enhanced the Automated Vessel Passage feature. It records vessel passages and provides schedules for ports and key locations, making it easier to plan your next boat-watching outing.
You’ll also be able to enjoy all of these new AIS features directly on your phone, with dedicated mobile apps for both iPhone and Android coming out next month, including a fun bonus feature where you can play whistle signals from some of the most popular boats on the Great Lakes!
Our AIS system is completely free for all users. We have no association with MarineTraffic. Our AIS collects real-time data from privately-hosted AIS stations across the Great Lakes.
We hope you’re as excited for this new chapter as we are.
Boatnerd.com is operated by Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping On-LIne, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which is managed by a board of directors and derives much of its revenue from advertising sales, industry support, and private donations.
Canadian Icebreaker Set To Prep For Seaway Opening
MASSENA, NY – The Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the St. Lawrence Seaway is scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Sunday, and ice-clearing activities will begin shortly, including in the area between the Eisenhower and Snell locks On Tuesday morning, the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Martha L. Black arrived in Montreal, awaiting her journey upriver. She will be the primary vessel to transit the distance of the Seaway and to create a path where needed.
“In Beauharnois area, the use of a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft will work between that lock and the South Shore Canal,” said St. Lawrence Seaway shipping industry expert Michael Folsom, also founder of the St. Lawrence Seaway Ship Watchers Network Facebook page.
Beauharnois, in southwestern Quebec, is about 25 miles southwest of Montreal on the south shore of Lake Saint-Louis, which is a widening of the St. Lawrence River. It is situated on the east bank of the Beauharnois Canal, a key part of the Seaway.
“Things will be assessed ahead of Sunday to determine focus areas, as the South Shore Canal is a choke point as we saw in January,” Folsom said.
In January, several ships became trapped in ice on the river, including off Cape Vincent, which caused the latest closing date, Jan. 12, in Seaway history. Vessels had to wait at several points on the river, pushing back the final clearance schedule. “Our portion of the river seems to have broken up enough that navigating vessels most likely would not have issues pushing ahead,” Folsom said. “The U.S. Seaway team will do their thing around the Massena locks per usual.”
Martha L. Black. [René Beauchamp]
NNY 360
Sailors In “Relative Security” Aboard 2 Quebec Ships In Persian Gulf
Desgagnes vessels in the war zone.
QUEBEC CITY – Crews of two ships of the Quebec-based shipping carrier Desgagnés are still aboard their vessels anchored in the Persian Gulf, at the heart of the crisis in Iran, but the approximately 30 sailors are in “relative security” and the strategy to alleviate instability is being constantly analyzed, according to the company, whose headquarters is in Quebec City.
Rosaire A. Desgagnés and Miena Desgagnés are the vessels that are in the Gulf, where sailing has been stopped for nearly three weeks following US and Israeli attacks. Three sailors are students of the Institut Maritime du Québec (IMQ), cadets who complete an internship at sea.
“You have to be careful at all times. Port facilities tend to be close to energy and transport centres that could be targeted. So, it’s preferable under the circumstances…to be on board a ship that is far from the shore. It’s certain that it’s relative security,” said Serge Le Guellec, Desgagnés president and general manager, on the radio program Premiere Hour. “The situation is moving and very fluid,” he added, “and can degenerate quickly, hence the juggling of a strategy that must not remain static. We need to stay on top of what’s happening.”
Could Iran possibly target ships anchored off the Strait of Hormuz? “No scenario is to be left out,” said Le Guellec. “That’s why you have to choose the [anchoring] areas well.” The ships are located on the western side of the Persian Gulf, “a little further from the action I think.”
the shipping carrier has no choice but to consider an extension of the conflict. “We thought we would have a conflict that would be resolved quickly. … We are obliged to tell ourselves, in the third week, that this scenario has fallen into the water. And we can see very well that it is very difficult to agree internationally on what needs to be implemented to be able to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in a reasonable time.”
An evacuation of the crew is not a viable or playable scenario at this stage, he said. Satellite communication has been compromised at times since the conflict erupted, but the situation has been short-term. “People are able to talk to their family, with their friends. In such circumstances, it is crucial.”
Radio-Canada via Shipspotting – Québec (Translated from French)
CCG Vincent Massey Joins USCG Spar To Break Whitefish Bay Ice
Vincent Massey in the MacArthur Lock Wednesday. [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]
The 274’ long, 59’ wide Massey started her career in 2000 as an icebreaking supply vessel in Sweden servicing off shore drilling operations. Purchased by Canada in 2018, she was refit at Davie Shipbuilding and dedicated to service as a Canadian Coast Guard Cutter in 2023.
The Poe Lock will open for the first commercial ship of the season at midnight March 25. For those wishing to welcome it in person, the park will open at 11:30 p.m. March 24. We will also hosting a livestream of the event on Facebook beginning at 11:55 p.m. March 24
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District
Algocanada Arrives At Cleveland, Leaves Without Unloading
Algocanada arrived in Cleveland Tuesday 3/10/26 assisted by the tugs Puerto Rico (Capt. Paul LaMarre in command) and Pennsylvania. The tanker was escorted to the Sunoco dock on the Cuyahoga River but was unable to tie up due to her draft. After an hour or so, Algocanada was towed back out of the river and departed for Nanticoke without unloading any product. Waterfront reports indicate she may have been over draft.
Bill Kloss
Algocanada ariving in Cleveland. [Bill Kloss]
Trump Waives Jones Act Restrictions In Bid To Ease Gas Prices
WASHINGTON, DC – The White House is temporarily lifting key limits on the shipping of oil, gas and other commodities throughout the United States, in its latest effort to counter rising energy prices sparked by its war with Iran. The move to waive the Jones Act will allow foreign-flagged ships to transport the commodities between US ports for the next 60 days, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a post on X. That could ease the flow of energy products throughout the country amid the US’ ongoing efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“This action will allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports for sixty days,” Leavitt wrote on X.
The waiver of the act – which requires goods transported between US por
ts be carried by US-flagged ships – was among several options under consideration by Trump administration officials over the last week as they scrambled for ways to alleviate a supply crunch that has pushed global oil prices sharply higher and raised the cost of gasoline in the US.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since the first days of the war, sealing off a critical waterway that handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply.
CNN
Season’s First Salties Head For Seaway
MONTREAL, QC – Ships that have announced their Seaway transit during the first week are Federal Nagara to Detroit, Sakar to Johnstown, and Blacky to Toronto. More are likely to be added daily.
Christening day for Polsteam Wigry. [Polsteam]
A new ship from Polsteam is enroute to Trois-Rivières, the Polsteam Wigry. Expected there around March 21, its next destination will most likely be the Great Lakes.
René Beauchamp
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Christening day for Polsteam Wigry. [Polsteam]
Federal Nagara in 2020, St. Marys River. [Roger LeLievre]
Welland Canal Top Hat Ceremony Sunday, March 22
Radcliffe R. Latimer loading pet coke at Superior in 2025. John G. Munson is in the background. [David Schauer]
Community members are invited to attend the celebration, along with representatives from provincial and federal governments, Port Colborne City Council, the marine industry, and members of the media.
A free community breakfast hosted by the Port Colborne Fair Trade Committee will begin at 8 a.m., featuring pancakes, sausages, hot chocolate, tea, and coffee. The Top Hat Ceremony will follow at 9 a.m.
A livestream of the ceremony will be available through the City of Port Colborne’s Facebook page. The recording will be shared to the City’s YouTube channel following the event.
City of Port Colborne Press Release
Coast Guard Set To Open Multiple Waterways This Week
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – In accordance with 33 Code of Federal Regulations 162.117, the Coast Guard is set to reopen multiple regulated waterways in the northern Great Lakes beginning on March 19.
Vessel Traffic Service St. Marys River will open the Pipe Island Passage, East of Pipe Island Shoal and North of Pipe Island Twins from Watson Reef Light to Sweets Point, at 10 a.m. EST, March,19. The Pipe Island Course will become a two-way route.
In accordance with 33 Code of Federal Regulations 165.901, the Captain of the Port Northern Great Lakes is set to open the waters separating Mackinac Island and St. Ignace, Michigan, at 1 p.m. EST, March 19. COTP Great Lakes is set to open the waters between St. Ignace and Mackinac Island at the request of Mackinac Island community leaders.
In accordance with 33 CFR 162.117, Vessel Traffic Service St. Marys River will open the West Neebish Channel effective March 19 at 10 a.m. EST.
The Coast Guard encourages all recreational ice users to plan their activity carefully, use caution on the ice, and stay clear of shipping channels.
USCG
