Self Unloader ALGOWOOD

There's nothing worse for a boatnerd like me than driving all the way down to Port Colborne and see not a single ship pass through the canal all weekend long especially during Canal Days. That was not a problem this year and one familiar sailpast participant was the 740' self unloader ALGOWOOD which offered more than one interesting photo op. 
First I caught her slowly creeping out of Lock 8 along the east wall while passing her Algoma Central fleetmate, the gearless bulk carrier ALGOMA GUARDIAN, which was waiting her turn to enter the lock and then continue her way downbound. I then got her pass beneath Bridge 21 which I use to ride up with my dad when he worked on the Seaway, and then I got her again that day making the bend passed the IMS boneyard at the Canal's Lake Erie entrance.

That would be the third time that I've photographed the ALGOWOOD in just over a year. The first being on a snowy January 2, 2011 during winter layup near Ramey's Bend in old Humberstone, and then I got her again motoring downbound on July 29th on the  upper St. Lawrence River, near Prescott, Ontario. 

The ALGOWOOD was launched in October 1980 at the Collingwood Shipyards in Collingwood, Ontario, the community that the ship was named after. With cargos such as coal/coke, aggregate, slag, iron ore, salt, fertilizer, grain products and more, the ALGOWOOD is able to operate on coastal waters and the Great Lakes just like when after the usual ceremonial Canal Days salutes, she continued along her way upbound into Lake Erie. Meanwhile, I'm still in Australia to visit family so lookout for upcoming posts from the port of Fremantle in a Carlz Boats near you. Oh YAAA c);-b