Spring Survey Conclusion, VOSS Collaboration, Cleveland Rocks

The final legs of the Spring Survey went by quite fast with little highlights to report. Ontario finished up quite quickly with a steady transit to Superior following shortly afterwards. In Superior, we were faced with weather more often, delaying our progress on land and at sea. We were caught in a nice April blizzard which ended up with some minor injuries for those on board who left their hands on doorjams in heavy seas (10-14 ft). Duluth, MN was wonderful as always (smoked fish included) and soon we were back on Lake Michigan, helping out our friends at Environment Canada, before finally reaching Milwaukee.

Offloading Oil Boom at Lake Calumet Dock

The month of May on the Lake Guardian is very relaxed, almost an extension of the winter. We finish any loose ends that may have been interrupted by the Spring Survey and start the ongoing project of painting the boat (it's like painting a bridge, as they say). We did head down to Lake Calumet (south Chicago) for a US Coast Guard Vessel of Opportunity exercise, where the Lake Guardian would act as an auxiliary Coast Guard vessel in the event of an oil spill on the Great Lakes. The EPA invited their whole office to watch, so the day of the actual exercise, it was a bit crowded about the vessel (EPA office-types, Lake Guardian crew and USCG crew). This was also the first port that was more industrial than the one we see in Milwaukee. The entire Calumet River transit was by nasty industrial park after nasty industrial park. Not the best place to be for a couple of days. Luckily it was only for a couple of days, then we were off to Navy Pier, Chicago for a couple days hosting homeschoolers in an interactive collaboration with a nearby museum.

Our first trip in June centered around some transects on the western shore of Lake Huron followed by a quick trip to Lake Erie for a monthly dissolved oxygen survey. On Erie, we stopped in the port of Cleveland first my first time and the city (for all the naysaying) wasn't as terrible as advertised. The night we spent there was fine enough, there was plenty to do and the city was clean. Docked at the Army Corps of Cleveland, we were right in front of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland Browns Stadium, which made for a good first impression from the water (aside from the rancid gull colony in the Stadium parking lot. Once back in Milwaukee (days later), I celebrated my one year anniversary with Cetacean Marine Inc. quietly and worked the 8-4 day in port as always, with a paintbrush.