Self Unloader RT. HON. PAUL J. MARTIN

What in the world was I thinking? I've had this blog, 'Carlz Boats' for over a year, posted over 200 boat (and whatever) stories which has resulted in about 8,800 pageviews to date, and then one night my former marketing-self says, "Carl, replace the 's' in Boats with a 'z' just like you have in Carlz. It'll look better." By George (or rather, former marketing-self), I think you're right. If it works for 'Cheez Whiz', surely it's got to work for 'Carlz Boatz' too. Budda-bing, budda-boom, I change everything and my  ASRA-S post opened with 'no problemo'. However, if you were one of the 279 pageviews who enjoyed reading my tugboat ST. EVAL post, or any of the other 199 that I made on 'Carlz Boats', you saw 'Blog Removed' when opening it. YIKES!! OOPS!! Change everthing back and FIRE that marketing guy!! Aye-Aye SIR!!.
Well, that was quite a hazzle, I mean 'hassle' but everything's back to normal at Carlz Boats. The name will remain just like the snaps below of the 740' CSL self unloader RT. HON. PAUL J. MARTIN which has bore the name of the former Canadian Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and Senator, since 2000.

However, in 1973 when she was launched at Collingwood, Ont., her name was H.M. GRIFFITH with a length of only 730' and a beam was 75'. In 1999 the GRIFFITH entered Port Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines, Ont., where her forward section was removed and replaced with a new one that was 10 feet longer and 3 feet wider.

Regardless of her name or bolstered dimensions, the fully loaded PAUL J. MARTIN very impressively managed the narrow seaway channel between Iroquois Lock and Morrisburg. First she dipsy-doodled with the 730' bulk carrier, KAMINISTIQUA (Carlz Boats 31.07.12) which was first named SASKATCHEWAN PIONEER, then LADY HAMILTON and VOYAGEUR PIONEER before sailing under her current long and very hard to pronounced name. Then just after passing us while picnic-ing at Loyalist Park, I snapped the downbound MARTIN again as she positioned herself for the speedy and the high in water upbound straight-deck laker MANITOBA (Carlz Boats 15.12.12) which was previously named MANTADOC, TEAKGLEN and MARITIME TRADER.

Lots of boat action that day but what was really fun to watch, was a pleasure boat motoring all out across the channel, hanging behind the PAUL J. MARTIN's stern for a moment before attempting to pass the lumbering brown hunk of steel only to find this time another hunk of steel, the MANITOBA speedily pushing water dead ahead. "YIKES!! OOPS!!! What was I thinking?", the pleasure boat operator probably said to himself seconds before turning the small boat back to its original course and direction. Been there, done that.