THUNDER BAY – Capt. Wilson Walters has been sailing the Great Lakes for nearly 40 years, and not once has his ship been first to Thunder Bay in a given season.
That changed on Tuesday night when, with the assistance of local tug-boat crews, he guided CSL Welland, one of the largest grain ships on the Great Lakes into port.
“I never gave it much thought,” Walters said on Wednesday morning, after receiving the ceremonial top hat from Port of Thunder Bay board member Charla Robinson.
“It was just into Thunder Bay and then they said, ‘Oh, you’re going to get a top hat. You’re the first boat this year.’ I’ve been second a few times, but I’ve never been first. The company’s pretty proud to have one of our boats here representing (them).”
Getting to Thunder Bay wasn’t easy.
After wintering in Port Colborne, Ont., south of the Welland Canal, the ship took five days to reach Thunder Bay, two more than usual, thanks to heavy ice conditions on the Great Lakes.
It was a bit of a harrowing trip, Walters said, though not as bad as 2014.
Crews were doubled up and they had two navigators on the bridge, when under normal conditions they’d have just one. They also had someone stationed on the bow as a spotter, just in case.
“Navigating in ice, what we do is we try to slow the vessel down and go into the ice on a slow impact. If you go in at high speed, which is about 13 knots, you’re going to do damage,” Walters said.
The ship took a more northerly route to escape the worst of the ice, though they rediscovered thick ice as they sailed into Thunder Bay’s harbour and took things slow and steady to dock at the G3 elevator.
Walters said the record-setting CSL Welland, which in August 2016 took on the largest single shipment of grain in port history, loading up with 31,064 tonnes of grain.
Wednesday’s shipment is headed for Quebec.
Port of Thunder Bay president Tim Heney said the opening of the Great Lakes is a little later than typical, but it’s exciting to get the shipping season going again.
“It’s always a positive time of year for us. Spring is here for sure,” Heney said, adding it’s unusual for a ship to arrive before the Welland Canal opens for the season.
“We’re looking forward to good things and it’s always a time of optimism in the spring.”
Heney said all signs are pointing to another good year for the port.
“It’s hard to say, but there’s a lot more carry over this year than usual. It was a rough winter in the prairies and they had a lot of trouble getting grain across the Rockies to Vancouver, so there’s more left over this year than usual, which bodes well.
“The prices are starting to come up a bit, so the farmers are going to want to start shipping it.”
Heney said once the canal opens he expects to see a flood of ships arriving in port, likely in the next week or so. The first salt-water vessel will take slightly longer to arrive.
