Chris Izworski, reporting from Bay City for the Great Lakes Gazette, turns to the spring maritime calendar as two iconic Great Lakes vessels resume their seasonal missions this week. The Chi-Cheemaun, known affectionately as the “Big Canoe,” departed Owen Sound, Ontario, on May 1 to kick off the 2026 summer season with a sold-out repositioning cruise to Tobermory. The 143-passenger ferry began regular daily service between the tip of the Bruce Peninsula and South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island on Friday, with sailings scheduled through October 18. Passengers this season will find a new addition: a Sail Through Time exhibit featuring historic photographs and artifacts documenting the vessel’s storied past.
Across the lake in Superior, Wisconsin, another legend is being prepared for the season ahead. The SS Meteor, the last whaleback freighter afloat, welcomed volunteers for an extended spring work week, a tradition that has grown beyond its original weekend scope. Under new city management, Superior Historic Properties expanded the annual volunteer effort to a full week of painting, cleaning, de-winterizing, and carpentry to ready the 1896 freighter for the 2026 tourist season.
Water levels across the system remain favorable for the navigation season. Lake Superior sits 1.51 feet above the Low Water Datum, while Lake Huron leads at 1.76 feet and Lake Ontario at a robust 3.64 feet. Light to moderate seas prevail, Lake Superior showing 3-foot waves as a low-pressure system moves inland, while the southern lakes report 1-foot conditions under high pressure.
In environmental news, a newly restored artificial reef at Channel Island in Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron is now supporting native fish spawning habitat, a small but vital step in restoring the lake’s ecological balance.