Sharon M1 returns.

   Yesterdays grey,drizzly and windy weather made for a lousy greeting when the Mckeil tug Sharon M1 approached Canso Lock from the north and APA pilot Rick Hanlon boarded her to begin a transit of the lock and eventually dock in Mulgrave. It was towing the 329 ft. barge Niagara Spirit and needed the assist of the Strait Raven .The barge was eventually tied up at the  Martin Marietta Materials Quarry Dock in Aulds Cove.

Waiting at the north pilot station to transit after the Sharon M1 was clear was the Groupe Ocean tug Ocean Echo II with the barge Betsiamites with a load of wood chips destined for Port Hawkebury paper at Point Tupper.APA pilot Scott MacDonald was dispatched for that task.

 Another vessel transitting from north to south on the Strait was the Atlantic Huron which I believe was headed to St.John N.B.

The tanker Indian Point has since departed Nustar Berth 2 and the Pretty Scene is presently at Nustar Ocean Berth One.

Expected in to Nustar is the 273m x50 m tanker crude oil tanker Ashkini Spirit to the outside berth .The Pretty Scene will be departing at about midnight tonight.

Its been awhile...

Time has a way of flying by and now is the time to write about some activities happening in our little part of the world.
    The tanker Indian Point was boarded today at 1400h by APA pilot  Mike Langdon and proceeded in to the Nustar Inside Berth at Point Tupper. Assisting were the tugs the tugs Point Chebucto and Svitzer Bedford.

The Martin Marietta Materials Quarry dock is busy handling some big bulkers lately like the Baldock  which is taking on about 61,000 tones of gravel for a delivery to Port Manatee Fla.

 The Rt.Hon.Paul E. Martin

 was also in around the 9th of October and loaded cargo  .
     A couple of the TK line of tankers paid a visit to our area. The Helga Spirit arrived on the 2nd of October

and departed on October the 3rd

Shortly thereafter the crude oil tanker Americas Spirit paid a visit to Nustar for business and departed on the morning of October 4th.

Providing escort after undocking the Americas Spirit was the tugs Point Chebucto and Svitzer Bedford .I managed to get a photo of the Svitzer Bedford doing some powered indirect moves for the pilot.

Relocated to the area is the tug Point Sept Isle which was formerly based in Quebec and is in our area for a short time when the Point Valiant goes on refit.

In this attached photo its shown on the inside of the Point  Valiant but leaves tonight under the command of Capt. Mario Noel to assist in the docking of a bulker in Belledune N.B.
   In the line of expensive pleasure craft two nice looking yachts transitted our area heading to warmer climes and who could blame them.

     On September the 29th the Hooterpatrol IV departed Port Hawkesbury with just its delivery crew bound for Fort Lauderdale Fla.

 Also transitting thru was the yacht Perseverence II which was outbound  and passed port to port with the crude tanker Helga Spirit just abeam of Eddy Point.

Another regular visitor to the area has been the small cruise vessel Yorktown which docks at Port Hawkesbury for 6 to 7 hours while some of the passengers enjoy our ambiance and then usually depart for another destination as the sun is about to set. 

Other recent visitors were the tanker Sloman Ariadne which docked at Nustar Inside berth on September the 10th

.The asphalt tanker Thalassa Desgagnes  transitted thru the Strait on the afternoon of September 25th bound for the U.S.

On September 26th the oil products tanker Pacific Quartz was berthed at Nustar Berth 2

 and the NS Stella also was docked at Nustar 2 on the 28th of September.

October the 10th at about 0630h APA pilot Capt. Evan Macdonald boarded the Radcliffe R. Latimer at the north pilot station to take the vessel thru Canso Lock to Mulgrave where a large quantity of slag was deposited on the dock for use in a local industry.

 Last but not least ,I had a nice chat over a cuppa coffee with Tugfax creator Mac Mackay who was in the area from Halifax.

Many thanks for the time well spent Mac.