iceboating.net Minnesota Ice Sailing Association

Another sign of spring: Ore boats on lake Superior.

Thanks to U.S. Coast Guard ice cutters Alder and Mackinaw, there is an open shipping lane on Lake Superior. With that, the first boat of the season, the 768 feet long John G. Munson, is expected to leave Duluth harbor today for Gary, Indiana carrying nearly 26, 000 tons of iron ore. She left her winter layup berth at Superior on Sunday, fueled, then headed over to load taconite at the CN dock. The Munson likely will make the first down bound passage at the Soo Locks, en route to Gary.

Second in line to leave Duluth is the Mesabi Miner. She was built in 1977 in Lorain, Ohio and is 1,004 feet in length. With a carrying capacity of 64,000 tons this ship is huge.

Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area. Lake Baikal is the largest fresh water lake by volume.