Multi Purpose Container Ship SCL BERN

Take that 'Polar Vortex' with your nasty sub-arctic temps and bone chilling winds!! Summer is here, Baby! with daytime highs of 30+ Celsius or 90 whatever Fahrenheit. Yes, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer have arrived but if you don't protect yourself from those constant daily ultra-violet rays, you could end up with a red hot nasty burn. YIKES c):-E). However, an example of a not so nasty burn, but looked 'hot, Hot, HOT' when she was snapped by my friend, Nathan Attard in Port Colborne on April 18th was the red-hulled SCL BERN. Wow, that was one tough segue, eh. c);-b. Anyway, on that day, I asked Nathan to take some photos of another red-hulled beauty, the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker, MARTHA BLACK which was on her way to Thunder Bay to assist shipping in the ice-locked Lake Superior http://carlzboats.blogspot.ca/2014/04/light-icebreaker-ccgs-martha-l-black.html. Thank You Polar Vortex! NOT!! c):-0

Nathan was already down by the stone dock to snap the CUYAHOGA (in the background of the BLACK pic), but he had to first wait for the BERN to motor out of Lock 8. The 459' SCL BERN is a dry cargo multi-purpose container ship that was built in 2005 in Japan. With her two heavy lift cranes she can haul just about anything including up to 766 containers. SCL BERN is owned by Enzian Ship Management of Zurich, Switzerland  with her homeport being Basel. Yes, Switzerland is a land-locked European country but it does have access to the North Sea which is approximately 800 kilometres away via the Rhine River which technically makes Basel, Switzerland's largest "Seaport"c)8-(). Though she cautiously motored past Nathan in his snaps below Lock 8 in Port Colborne, the SCL BERN was creating quite a wake the next day when I snapped her near Prescott, Ontario along the St. Lawrence River as the multi-purpose container ship made her way downbound to an overseas destination unknown.

Talking about container ships, look what I got for Father's Day!! It's a "Playmobil Cargo 1007 container ship and loading dock" Oh YEAH!! The crane actually has a motor (with batteries included) that allows containers to be lifted and moved from the dock and then lowered into the boat's hold. YAA! Great toy for kids 21 months to 62+ years old so it'll be gangs of fun when my grandsons come over for a visit. I can hardly wait. Thanks  Janie, but too bad for 'Rubber Ducky', who now has to share the cement pond with 'Carlz Boats'. Sorry for the quacky humour. NOT!! c);-b