Canadian boat stuck in Lake Erie for 3 days is finally free

Charges against a Canadian cargo ship carrying 17 crew members that were trapped in the ice on Lake Erie for three days in the freezing cold were lifted on Saturday after the US and Canadian coast guards were dispatched the icebreakers to free him.

The 663-foot freighter Manitoulin ran aground Wednesday morning about a mile off the coast of Buffalo after delivering wheat and attempting to return to its home port in Sarnia, Ontario, on the Lake. Huron.

The boat started sailing again on Saturday afternoon.

While it’s unusual for a freighter to be temporarily immobilized on Great Lakes ice, the Manitoulin’s proximity to land and its permanent stay have drawn the attention of Buffalo residents and fans alike. boat.

“It’s very unusual to literally stand still,” said Karen Taylor, who was among dozens of people who gathered on the beach Saturday to watch the scene before the boat set sail. We’re used to the ice on the lake, but we don’t see anything huge that can’t move around in it.

Her friend, Barb Fleissner, said her heart went out to the crew and, for her, the incident brought back memories of the disaster at sea.

“Thank God they got electricity and they can stay warm,” Ms. Fleissner said. “You hear stories and you remember Edmund Fitzgerald when they lost power and they had nothing and they were like, ‘God oh, I hope all these men are well, for it is very cold.”

By all official accounts, the situation at Manitoulin was not bad. The Lt. Kyle Rivera, a spokesman for the US Coast Guard, reported that the crew was safe and had five days worth of supplies. A few hours before the ship was freed, he said a special tugboat delivered more food to the crew.

Indeed, the crews seemed to accept their situation with good humor, listing “RESCUE SMOKE” as the reported position in the marine traffic system.

Messages left by The New York Times for the ship’s captain on social media channels were not returned.

Lieutenant Rivera said four vessels were deployed to assist the Manitoulin as part of an icebreaking partnership with Canada in the area called Operation Coal Shovel.

Three of the ships – the cutter Bristol Bay, ported in Detroit; Neah’s Bay, taken from Cleveland; and Canadian ice breaker Samuel Risley – were there on Saturday.

Another American ruler, the Mackinaw, was en route from Lake Huron when the Manitoulin began to move under its influence.

Lieutenant Rivera estimated that the Manitoulin was covered in ice more than two feet thick.

The continuous cold temperatures in the area made the operation difficult.

“This area has seen ice like this for at least six years,” said Lieutenant Rivera. “We got a boat this winter, but it didn’t last long.

The icebreaking effort, which included other ships surrounding the Manitoulin with a US Coast Guard helicopter occasionally hovering overhead, drew a steady stream of weather-deterred spectators from the beach throughout the day.

“Look at that,” said Joe Moran, who arrived with his wife, Jeanne Moran, from rural West Seneca, N.Y., before the boat started. “It’s important and it sticks. It’s amazing, you know?”

Mark Arras, from rural Tonawanda, NY, is one of the many romantic photographers taking the stage.

“They say they can navigate through ice on water, but to see a ship like that stuck is kind of amazing,” Mr Arras said.

Renee Witt took on the task of saving her from the heat of her car at the Erie Basin Marina.

“It’s not something you see every day,” he said. “It’s an adventure.”

Amy Daggett, 61, administrator of a Facebook group called “Ship Junkies – Lakes, Locks & Rivers,” which tracks Great Lakes boating for about 82,000 followers, gave an intimate account of Manitoulin.

He drove nearly an hour from his home in Geneseo, N.Y., to watch the event and deliver donuts to the Bristol Bay crew, who had stopped in Buffalo the night before after a busy day. snow.

“We don’t get a lot of truckers in Buffalo, so they’re kind of rock stars just starting out here,” Ms. Daggett explained. “Then if one gets stuck there, it’s like everybody’s cheering, between the Buffalo Bills and the Manitoulins.”