Correction: Corrected September 17, 2026: the water-level paragraph now reports the archived NOAA station observations and their limits. Unsupported navigation implications were withdrawn. NOAA measurement context.
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SARNIA, ON -- The Algoma Central bulk carrier Algoma Equinox is aground this morning on a shoal just off the Sidney E. Smith dock, put there shortly after she departed the grain elevator at Sarnia on Tuesday afternoon.
Local tugs Welland and Pride went to work and came up short in early attempts. A strong northwest wind is cited as a possible contributor, the kind of wind that stacks water away from the lee shore and robs draft margins at the worst moment.
Archived NOAA station observations: Lake Superior, Sault Ste. Marie (NOAA station 9076027): 1.371 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. Lake Michigan, Chicago (NOAA station 9087031): 2.103 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. Lake Huron, Harbor Beach, MI (NOAA station 9075002): 2.405 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. Lake Erie, Cleveland (NOAA station 9063053): 3.091 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. Lake Ontario, Rochester, NY (NOAA station 9052030): 3.835 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. These are individual gauge readings, not lake-wide averages or channel depths. They do not establish vessel clearance, cargo limits or comparative navigability.
TOLEDO, OH: The Clyde S. VanEnkevort with Erie Trader arrived at CSX to load coal, then departed for Detroit once loaded. The Victory with Maumee brought ore in for Torco. Evans Spirit and Defiance with Ashtabula were in port as of Tuesday.
CLEVELAND, OH: Three arrivals in a single afternoon on Tuesday: Victory II to Dock 28W, Dorothy Ann with Pathfinder to the West 3rd Street stone dock, and Manitowoc to Ontario Stone. That is a crowded midweek ledger for Cleveland.
MONROE, MI: The Joyce L. VanEnkevort with Great Lakes Trader, which we tracked delivering coal to DTE on Tuesday, departed for Stoneport once empty. The turnaround was clean.
Archived NOAA station observations: Lake Superior, Sault Ste. Marie (NOAA station 9076027): 1.371 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. Lake Michigan, Chicago (NOAA station 9087031): 2.103 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. Lake Huron, Harbor Beach, MI (NOAA station 9075002): 2.405 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. Lake Erie, Cleveland (NOAA station 9063053): 3.091 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. Lake Ontario, Rochester, NY (NOAA station 9052030): 3.835 feet relative to local Low Water Datum, observed 2026-07-21 23:54 local standard time. These are individual gauge readings, not lake-wide averages or channel depths. They do not establish vessel clearance, cargo limits or comparative navigability.
High pressure is building into the Great Lakes region and will bring dry, subsiding northwest flow across Huron through the week. Lake Huron is the roughest basin in the system right now at 6-foot waves, with Lake Michigan behind it at 4 feet and Erie sitting quiet at 2 feet. For the Equinox situation at Sarnia, the forecast trend is the right direction; the timing is not yet clear.
The history files carry a note on Capt. Steve Hughes, the man currently piloting the longest vessel on the Great Lakes, the Paul R. Tregurtha. Hughes grew up in Marquette watching ore boats work the docks, taken there by his father, a former NMU geography professor now 97 years old. After three decades in the industry, Hughes is set to retire in December. The curious kid on the dock becomes the captain of the boat the kids now watch.