Correction: Corrected September 17, 2026: the water-level paragraph was withdrawn because this imported legacy edition does not retain its underlying gauge snapshot. Its numerical readings and navigation implications are unverified. NOAA measurement context.
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The 2026 navigation season is nearly here, and vessels are already gathering at the Sault Ste. Marie locks. The tug-barge Dirk S. VanEnkevort with its barge Michigan Trader and the self-unloader John G. Munson reached Mission Point around 5 p.m. Monday, each sounding salutes to ship fans gathered in bright but bitterly cold sunshine. Both vessels are tied up below the locks, waiting for the official opening at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. The Edwin H. Gott and Paul R. Tregurtha were positioned below Lime Island Monday evening, also queued for passage. On Tuesday, local officials will board the Dirk S. VanEnkevort to present the captain and crew with plaques, First Boat caps, and copies of the new Know Your Ships book, a tradition marking the season’s symbolic beginning.
Meanwhile, upbound movements were steady across the upper lakes Monday. The Hon. James L. Oberstar departed Duluth for Marquette. The Mesabi Miner loaded ore at the LS&I dock, then headed to Cleveland around 8 p.m. The Indiana Harbor was also on the move to Superior, while the Kathy McKeil pushed upbound on Lake Huron toward Thunder Bay. CSL Welland and Evans Spirit transited the lower St. Clair River, part of the early-season flow.
The original water-level paragraph has been withdrawn. This legacy edition was imported from a WordPress draft without the underlying gauge snapshot, so its numerical readings and navigation implications cannot be verified from the archived source data.
The Welland Canal opened for 2026 on Sunday, with the Radcliffe R. Latimer becoming the first vessel through Lock 8, her Master receiving the traditional top hat. The St. Lawrence Seaway opened the same day with the Algoma Bear leading the charge. Spring’s arrival brings not only vessel traffic but reminders of seasonal challenges, the warming spell this week may be false comfort, as March weather on the lakes remains capricious until May.