Mariner Project

Tuesday 7 February 2012

End of the maiden voyage and beginning of her career

January 20th, 2012: Winter trading on the St. Lawrence.
Our ship and crew have come a long way. The ship has performed very well in this, her first season of life. She has been operating on the east coast of Canada and the great lakes, hauling various cargoes. In a week or two we will enter a short lay-up in Montreal that will better prepare us for what is to come, hopefully many more seasons of successful operation for her proud owners and her equally proud crew.
Thank you for the interest
"onwards we sail"

Entering Hamilton harbour to offload her first payload of iron ore and finalize her "Canadianization"

With our first payload, passing a well known landmark

Some of the engineering officers and the crew at the dedication ceremony in Port Colborne on August 25th

More of the officers and crew at the bunting controls

Dedication completed, a tour for the guests and then it is "business as usual" for Canada's newest.

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Panama Canal Pictures

We transited the Panama Canal on Saturday for the first time. The trip was just as planned; steady and uneventful; just the way us sailors like it!

For most on board it was our first experience through this waterway. We were lucky and sailed through during the day & stopped only for a few hours awaiting traffic at the Cucaracha tie up station. Once southbound traffic cleared, we were off across the Continental Divide onto Gatun Lake and through the last series of locks. Scenery was beautiful, we even saw an alligator or two. The mass construction project of the new Panama Canal was also well underway. I hope you enjoy a few pictures we took as we passed through...


Bridge of Americas, Pacific Entry to Panama Canal


Line Handlers and Bosun's Joining just under the bridge, all 17 line handlers and 2 Bosun's

Approaching the Miraflores Locks

Ok, are you ready, wait do we have enough men here??


Row boat to pull us through the locks...

Entering the first Northbound (Pacific-Atlantic) locks "Miraflores"

Rowboat chickened out!

Locomotives "Mules" that hook up with steel cables and hold us in position in the locks, 4 on each end with 2 per side

Good work if you can get it!

In Position Lock 1 Miraflores

Construction of the "New" canal

Pedro Miguel Locks

Getting ready to tie on the mules for the Pedro Miguel Locks

Just left the Pedro Miguel Locks

Centennial Bridge

Cucaracha Tie Up station awaiting traffic

Car Carrier that passed while we were waiting

Departing Cucaracha

Entrance to the last set of locks "Gatun"

And of course at the last locks "Gatun" it's canal weather... "RAIN"

Entering Gatun, mules holding us in place

Keeping attached as we go down

Friday 22 July 2011

Panama Canal Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning bright and early we transit the Panama Canal. We will pass underneath the Bridge of Americas as day breaks and be at the Miraflores locks shortly after. You can follow us on the webcams from The Panama Canal Website, first locks cam here :

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=MirafloresHi

Should be there around 7 am EDT.

Thursday 21 July 2011

Back in the Internet Zone....

We exited the footprint for our Internet coverage a few days back and are sorry we could not keep you guys posted! Tonight is a milestone for the crew of the Algoma Mariner, it's our last night on the Pacific Ocean. We will anchor tomorrow afternoon on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal. While there waiting our turn to transit, we will bunker and take on supplies to ready for the last leg of our journey, and that's to get this ship back to Canada.

Here is a few random pics we took along the way, stay tuned for some exciting pictures from the canal transit...