The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Marine News - cont'd. We have a report to the effect that Nadro Marine Service Ltd., Port Dover, has renamed one of its tugs. The 1944-built GLENLIVET II, (a) H. M. C. S. GLENLIVET (75), (b) GLENLIVET II (77), (c) CANADIAN FRANKO (82), has been rechristened (e) VIGILANT 1. Another Canadian lake tug has been returned to service this autumn after rebuilding some five years after she was damaged by a salt-water ship's an­ chor. She is the 1945-built ROBERT JOHN, (a) H. M. C. S. GLENEAGLE (46), (b) BANSTURDY (65), of Gravel & Lake Services Ltd., Thunder Bay. Her entire pi­ lothouse has been reconstructed. ROBERT JOHN has been operating at the Lake­ head since 1965. There has been quite a juggling of Ontario government ferries this year. Readers will remember that AMHERST ISLANDER (ii), which had been laid up at Kingston, was sent to Lake Erie during the summer to help replace the regular Pelee Island ferry JIIMAAN, which was out of service with engine problems. Now we understand that the regular Amherst Island ferry, the 1962- built FRONTENAC II, (a) CHARLEVOIX (ii)(92), was sent off during mid-October for drydocking by Heddle Marine at Hamilton. Taking her place whilst she is off the run is the 1954-built THE QUINTE LOYALIST which normally serves with GLENORA in peak traffic periods on the Glenora - Adolphustown route. Another ferry drydocked recently was the most venerable of Toronto's diesel- powered Island ferries, WILLIAM INGLIS, (a) SHAMROCK (ii)(36), of 1935. As soon as the summer ferry schedule ended, she was docked by Toronto Drydock, the hull of the former coaster MENIER CONSOL. A ULS bulker recently carried a most unusual cargo down through the Welland Canal. On October 13, CANADIAN LEADER passed down the canal with a cargo of coal bound from Sandusky, Ohio, to Sorel, Quebec. These days, the operators of Canadian bulkers are taking almost any cargo that can be found to keep their ships busy. In the May issue, we noted the arrival at Sandusky from Alaska of the alu­ minum-hulled catamaran AUK NU, (a) ALASKAN DREAM, which had been acquired by Island Express Boat Lines Ltd. for addition to its ferry service from Sandusky to the Lake Erie islands. She was to be renamed (c) ISLAND ROCKET III, but that change only occurred in October, as the vessel was getting ready to head to New York City, where she will operate during the winter months. At the same time, the registry port of Juneau, Alaska, was painted out and Sandusky took its place. In the wake of September 11, 2001, increased security has been much in evi­ dence at canals in the United States, whether on the lakes or the inland rivers. But the same thing is happening quietly in Canada. The federal go­ vernment has committed a considerable amount of money to fence off the Wel­ land Canal from one end to the other, and the beginning of that project can be seen in the iron fencing edging its way southward from Lock 1 at Port Wel­ ler. However, in addition, fences now have been erected to enclose the Snider coal dock and the International Marine Salvage scrapyard at Port Colborne, with the result that the entire east pier is now completely shut off from the Clarence Street bridge (Bridge 21) to Nickel Beach on the Lake Erie shore. And to think that we used to be able to walk all the lock walls and even cross the locks on the gate-top walkways! Somehow our world has lost more than just its innocence... * * * * * Members are reminded that the January, February and March meetings will not be held on the evening of the first Friday of the month, but on the after­ noon of the first Saturday. We have not tried it before, but considering the darkness after time change and the possibility of bad weather, we are interested to know whether the members would also like the December meeting changed from Friday to Saturday. Please let us know, jay. bascom@sympatico. ca * * * * * mailto:jay.bascom@sympatico.ca