Bromonculus and I, while visiting Point Edward on Friday, had an hour to run off in the morning and shoot some photos. We headed down to the river…
In the good old days, before we were all encouraged to fear everything, you could get right down to any old freighter on a dock. For the crazy brave/foolish (ahem, Dave), you could walk out on the ice and get right up to the ship’s hull, anchor chain, prop, to get great shots. Now the north slip is fenced off behind serious-looking signs promising federal pain to trespassers. Same deal at the government docks by the grain elevator. One area remains open…
at the end of Seaway Road in Sarnia, which is where we found the Algorail (left) in for refit.
Interesting thing about this dock (left), is that it is, itself, a ship. The Sydney E. Smith Jr. sank in the river in 1972 after a collision with the downbound Parker Evans. The Smith was eventually floated and towed to shore here and sunk again, forming a dock.
We nodded at the curious welders working on the ship and just started shooting. You get a bit of sense of scale here of Dave versus the Algorail. It is massive.
I came to shoot rust, but these conveyor…
belts were pretty compelling.
The mid-day light was crazy bright, washing out the colours…
but we did get down…
in the shadow of the ship at the waterline…
which revealed some surprising tell-tales…
of the dock’s history.
Kept hoping for clouds, but there’s no substitute for shooting at dawn and dusk.
Seems like… urban exploration with a marine flavour.
Liked the red bow of the CCGS Samuel Risley, too, that was docked around the corner.
Love how the different past colours of the Algorail are revealed, and curious why in this pattern. Internal structure of the ship?
Winter’s last gasp.
Quick peek at the stern, but then it was time to pick up Dad for lunch.
Looking south down the river gave me an idea for a night shoot.
Happy making,
DW
Ahhh, the days of oodles of Marine photos, the marine scanner going all day and trips on the Lakes… and your photos remind us of those days. We think the pattern on the side of the “Algorail” relates to the “ribs” or braces inside the hull. As the ship slides along the Locks or docks… the outer plates get dented between the upright “ribs.” And that’s the story we are sticking with for now! Great shots… trained by Brother Dave, Eh?