Tales from a Dream Trip on the Paul R Tregurtha
February 26, 08 by TheFleetIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Source: Don Campbell Models
We got on board at St.Claire, Michigan at the power plant and rode up to Duluth, Minn. to get loaded with coal. Deb took this picture from one of our big picture windows from the owner of the ship’s master suite. That is where we stayed the whole trip and had our own waiter, cook and a fully stocked bar!
Fresh baked cookies every morning and our own personal chef was at our service and made us what we wanted for meals. It was really a dream come true.
Because I was making a model of the Paul Tregurtha, I asked our friend Bruce, if there was any chance of a trip on the Paul. Bruce called to Cleveland and made arrangements and off we went on the trip of a lifetime.
We left the power plant at 5:00am in the pouring rain and thunder and lightning. Tornados had been spotted in the area but that did not stop the departure time. It was pouring so hard in the river it was hard to see much of anything. As we went under the International Bridge at Port Huron, the winds started picking up and lighting was striking everywhere around us. Fifteen minutes later we were out in the open water and we were rockin and a rollin!!!
… the largest ship on the great lakes bobbed around like a bobber , it was twisting 6 feet and snaking back and forth like it was going to break in half and everyone was getting sick … And if that wasn’t enough, we saw a frieghter gaining on us from behind and the Captain decided to race him to the mouth of the St.Mary’s river so he could not get to the locks first. So they pumped out much of our ballast water and then we were really bobbing back and forth for the next three hours.
We did beat the Freighter, ( The St.Claire ) to the mouth of the river first and we did make it through the locks just fine. Once we rounded Whitefish point it was sunny and calm and beautiful the rest of the trip. But I’ll be danged if the St.Claire wasn’t gaining on us again so the Captain gave it full throttle the whole rest of the trip to Duluth. He said he did not want to have to wait for other ships to load in front of him.
