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G r e e t i n g s of the Season - cont'd. 4. yards were still busy b u i lding smaller vessels. P e t erson Builders at S t u r geon Bay, Wisconsin, repor t e d l y was sold to new owners who had con s t r u c t i o n contracts in hand, although this may now be in some doubt. Basic Marine at E s c a n a b a f i n i s h e d the new ferry SUGAR ISLANDER II in October, albeit c o n s i d e r a b l y behind schedule. M a r i n e t t e Marine, of Marinette, Wisconsin, will not only continue b u i lding U n i t e d States Coast Guard tenders, but wil l bid on other jobs and has signed a letter of intent to build two tankers for S w e dish operators. The U . S. Coast Guard icebreaker M A C K I N A W desp ite much g loom and doom forecast for her Shippers, n a v i g a t o r s and observers alike are tinued o p e r a t i o n of M A C K I N A W has been found traint, and the good news is that funding through the 1996 season. c o ntinued in service in 1995, future over the past few years. happy that funding for the c o n in these times of fiscal r e s for M A C K I N A W has been extended In short, the 1995 n a v i g a t i o n season was a fairly successful one, probably better, at least on the C a n a d i a n side of the lakes, than any recent year. We hope that these conditions will continue to exist in 1996, and that our lake fleets will have all of their available tonnage in service. 1995 was a b i t t e r s w e e t year for the Toronto Marine H i s t o r i c a l Society. F i nancially, and in respect of "Scanner", it was a success. The m e m b e r s of the E x ecutive C o mmittee all dese rve a huge vote of thanks for the w o r k that they have done - all of it on a volunteer basis, of course - and other members have aided the cause by deliv e r i n g "Scanner" for us in their home areas and saving us postage. We have received co n t i n u e d assis t a n c e from m a n y regular c o r r e s p o n d e n t s who keep us supplied w i t h marine news for "Scanner", and we should like to acknowledge the special efforts of (in a l p h a b e t i c a l order) Ken Hillyer, Buck Longhurst, Alan Mann, Dan McCormick, G erry Ouderkirk, C a r m e n Paris, J ohn Philbin, Jimmy Sprunt and John V o u r n a k i s in this respect. G e r r y Ouderkirk, Ron Beau pre and Jonathan Boonzaier have also b een of great assis t a n c e in w o r k i n g on other "Scanner" articles for us. There was much sadness for the Society in 1995, however, as we r e c orded the p a s s i n g of a nu m b e r of long time members, inc l u d i n g a f o u nding mem b e r and stalwart on the Exec utive Committee. And now, in c o n c l u d i n g these lengthy but important remarks, it is time to pass along to you the same words w h i c h we say e very year at this time. R e p e t i t i v e they may be, and they may even seem u n i maginative, but they are t ruly sincere in that they come straight from the heart and because they mean so much. We can think of no better way to speak of the coming of Christmas, and of our inevitable passage into a new calendar year. M a n y of our m e m b e r s are clos e l y attached to the lake shipping industry, and it is our hope that the 1995 n a v i g a t i o n season was for them as pleasant, safe and profi t a b l e as could be possible. Despite the u n c e r t a i n t y of the economy, we w i s h all of our sailors and vessel operators the best for 1996. Indeed, we hope that the coming year will be a v ery good one for all of our m e m b e r s and, of course, for the Toronto Marine H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y itself, and for "Scanner". But now, as m e m o r i e s of the long, hot and dreamy s ummertime and the beauties of autumn fade away; as the skies and waters of our Great Lakes take on that fami liar grey pallor of wi n t e r and we w ork hard to secure the s torm windows that we hope w ill keep the nasty weat h e r on the outside; as the w inds rage and the blowing snows obsc ure the horizons, and as the haze rises from the cold waters, the lake ships scurry to collect and deliver their last cargoes of the year before they seek the calm and safety of winter q u a r t e r s in snug ports. We w ish them all safe passage. And to all of the man y m e m b e r s of our large and s t e a d i l y growing family, the T or o n t o Marine H i s t o r i c a l Society, we take this o p p o r t u n i t y to extend to all