The Soo Locks officially open Friday, March 22, at 6 p.m. in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. and locals and people from far away are excited.
This is earlier than the scheduled 12:01 a.m. March 25 opening.
For those fans of watching, chasing and taking pictures of the freighters, they are a special group of people called "Boatnerds".
Lifelong Boatnerd Roger LeLievre and author of the book Know Your Ships, explained why opening day is so important to him.
"Opening Day is not only the start of the shipping season, but it is the start of my Know Your Ships books season. It's a sign that spring is here and it’s time for me to shake off winter and get back to doing what I love the most, which is chasing boats and selling books," LeLievre said who lives in Sault Ste. Marie.
Opening day is also about catching up with friends after a two-and-a-half-month break from chasing boats.
I also get a chance to reconnect with Boatnerd friends on Opening Day who are also happy to see the ships moving again and are willing to travel quite a ways to watch the opener. The Boatnerd community is like my family and I'm personally excited to be back in action after winter lay-up," LeLievre added.
LeLievre has a Facebook page dedicated to fans of the freighters.
Nick Stenstrup, who lives in Minnesota, has been a Boatnerd since he was in elementary school.
"Somewhere around 6th or 7th grade. I went from "that's really cool!" to being a part of the Know Your Ships team and working with historical societies. It is a vocation," Stenstrup said. "Opening Day is like the second New Year's Day of the calendar year. And then we get baseball shortly after! I hope the mariners are excited to get back to work with good spring weather."
Stenstrup says he loves being part of the Boatnerd community.
"Every year proves how large and how connected the community is becoming. It's great to be a part of it," Stenstrup said.
Joy Fett, a Sault Ste. Marie resident, is also a Boatnerd who has her own Facebook page to express her love for the freighters.
"My FB page is dedicated to those who are not fortunate enough to see them every day or who have a huge love and interest in the shipping industry. Bringing the love of the vessels to those who enjoy seeing them and what they do. Plus with a lot of families on shore, they will be able to see their loved ones are hard at work and safe. Bringing them the joy to be able to see their loved ones working hard, helps to ease their minds a bit," Fett said.
She, too, is excited about opening day on Friday.
"Opening day brings a rush of nostalgia for me. Takes me back to the days of my dad and me watching them sail in and out of port. When I'm out chasing them, a part of my father is with me. Love seeing the beauty in them but at the same, seeing the hard work that goes into them sailing from port to port keeping America's Infrastructure moving. Work that is not for the faint of heart. Opening day brings a lot. Hard to put it all into words. Just knowing I'm keeping a tradition alive that started with my father who loved to watch them. He always said there is an er of mystery about them. A true fascination. I want to keep alive a memory that my father instilled in me," Fett concluded.
Andrea Guerriero, who lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, also has a dedicated Facebook page.
"The opening of the Soo Locks always gets Boatnerds excited because we know all of our favorite ships and crews are returning for another season. We get to try to figure out who might be first through the locks, we get to talk about the new ships that will be coming to the Great Lakes and the ones that have retired, we have to discuss our favorites and many of us get to plan trips to our favorite locations to watch them, and attend events that focus on these amazing engineering masterpieces that somehow float on water carrying tens of thousands of tons of cargo," Guerriero said.
Throughout her years chasing the ships, she has gotten to know a lot of the captains and crew members of many freighters and companies.
"I personally love it because I'm passionate about photographing the ships and crews and capturing those moments in time that will later become a part of shipping history, but it's also another opportunity to meet new people, whether it's other shipping followers or the crews that sail. And of course, any opportunity to educate myself more gets me excited as well. Great Lakes Shipping is an incredibly fascinating industry with so much about these ships and crews to learn.
"I am fortunate to know many of the crews who sail, so I can ask the questions and learn all about what they do and how, and with the platform I have on Facebook, I can then share all that I learn with everyone who follows what I do and then we all know more about the importance of this industry and what it means for both the Canadian and US economies. And for Boatnerds that's just as important as the ships themselves. Learning about the crews and what they do makes it an even more amazing experience when we see them float by," Guerriero ended.
Ray Bell, who owns several businesses, including Das Gift Haus, across from the Soo Locks, is happy that opening day was bumped up to Friday.
"I do think having the opening of the locks on Friday is a big deal. The opening of the locks is always a big boost for business especially when it is around a weekend. This is very exciting for business and personal. I love the freighters and follow the Boatnerds," Bell said.
If you would like to follow shipping traffic in the region and across the world, here is a great link
