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Editor's Logbook - cont'd. 2. payable to Toronto Marine Historical Society and sent to William R. Wilson, 173 Glenrose Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4T 1K7. Tickets will be held at the door for all those who have reserved. Please Note that, although our dinner meeting will be held in larger quar­ ters than in recent years, we still must confirm to the restaurant the num­ ber of persons attending AND their dinner choices, so reservations, accompa­ nied by payment, must be received by Tuesday, May 4th. We regret that there can be no refunds after that date. Please plan to attend and reserve early for you and your party. The dinner meeting always is a high point of our season, and an evening enjoyed by all who attend. Won't you please join us? And remember that the dinner price includes taxes and gratuities, so it is a very good value. In the New Member Department/ we extend a most hearty welcome to Ralph Fodell of Harbor Springs, Michigan. We hope you enjoy your membership in the Toron­ to Marine Historical Society. * * * * * MARINE NEWS After what has seemed like the most relentless winter in recent memory, the ships are moving once again on the Great Lakes. The Welland Canal opened of­ ficially on March 23rd, the ceremonial top hat going to Capt. Brett Walker of CAPT. HENRY JACKMAN which, with her new dust-catching equipment, was up­ bound with a load of cement clinker from Bowmanville for Detroit. It was a typical Welland-opening day, with blustery, cold winds and occasional wet snow - not at all a "spring" day. The first downbound ship to enter Port Col­ borne harbour, and win the award there, was the C. S. L. bulker CEDARGLEN. The St. Lawrence canals opened on March 25th, and the first upbound commer­ cial vessel at St. Lambert Lock came that evening. She was the Desgagnes tanker VEGA DESGAGNES. Not far behind her was the C. S. L. seIf-unloader HALI­ FAX. The St. Mary's Falls Canal at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, opened on March 25. Although the Great Lakes Fleet's CASON J. CALLAWAY was the first ship to arrive in the locks area, the honour of making the first commercial tran­ sit went to her fleetmate EDWIN H. GOTT, as it was thought that the 1, 000- footer would be better able to negotiate the heavy ice in the lower river. Not long after the GOTT and CALLAWAY began to move through the canal, rising temperatures caused heavy fog to develop, and this, coupled with heavy ice conditions, created delays for some 30 ships waiting to pass through the ca­ nal. The icebreakers MACKINAW, HOLLYHOCK, KATMAI BAY and BISCAYNE BAY were working the ice in the St. Mary's River. That so many vessels were on hand to start the season at the Soo is believed to be a good indication that the 2004 navigation season may be better than what has been experienced in the last several years. A victim of the ice and fog in the St. Mary's River was the new U. S. Coast Guard ice-breaking tender HOLLYHOCK which at 8: 42 a. m. on March 25 collided bow-to-bow with the ISG 1, 000-footer STEWART J. CORT. The CORT suffered on­ ly "cosmetic damage" to her bow, while HOLLYHOCK lost her steering pole / jackstaff and suffered a large dent in her upper port bow. HOLLYHOCK scur­ ried back to Port Huron, where repairs were to be put in hand. No doubt the Coast Guard wants HOLLYHOCK to look her best for her official commissioning ceremonies scheduled to be held on April 30th at Port Huron. HOLLYHOCK was completed in 2003 by Marinette Marine and the construction of the 225-foot tender cost some $29 million. This spring she has experienced her first ope­ ration in ice. As yet, there has been no explanation as to what caused the collision with the CORT.