DRE Designs - Great Lakes Marine Products

DRE Designs - Great Lakes Marine Products Photos, videos & merch available for purchase, of all things related to Great Lakes Shipping

09/04/2026

IN SOO, MICH. WITH SHIP TRIP RAFFLE TIX! One hour only!! Message me if you want some!!

August 28th I had a chance to zoom down to Pointe Louise to see both the Paul R Tregurtha and the Lee A Tregurtha. They ...
09/01/2026

August 28th I had a chance to zoom down to Pointe Louise to see both the Paul R Tregurtha and the Lee A Tregurtha. They were following each other up the St Marys River and were close enough together that I could wait around for Lee to arrive after Paul passed by. This was the day that I got the video of Jim Weakley aboard the PRT as they made their way up to the Duluth area to load. Jim is the current President of the Lake Carriers Association but after 23 years in that position, is retiring this year. He has been a staunch advocate for Great Lakes Shipping and is the man responsible for ensuring that the "New Lock at the Soo" went from being a concept and idea, to something tangible and we are now into year 6 of a 10 year project. Without him this would not be happening so when Captain Hughes told me he was aboard the PRT I made sure to get down there so I could document them making the turn and create a memory for Jim to have, and creating a tribute video for him. If you haven't watched it yet, be sure to here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2178237143048035

Jim will be receiving the 2026 Marine Man of the Year Award at the event's dinner on September 11th. I am looking forward to attending, along with other Board Members from the Sault Historic Sites and Eric Peace the current VP of the Lake Carriers Assoc has told me he would like to use the video as a part of his presentation of the Award to Jim so I'm thrilled about that and can't wait to see it with everyone and get a chance to speak to Jim as well afterward. he has been an acquaintance since 2018 and I'm honored to have been able to do the video and be there at the dinner in 10 days.

It was very cool to have the PRT's fleetmate the Lee A Tregurtha following in behind them... She is the oldest active diesel powered vessel sailing the Great Lakes today and is unique in that she sailed as a tanker during WWII in 1942. She has her commendation medals proudly displayed on the fascia outside the Pilothouse so look for those if you ever see her gliding by you! After the war she was converted to a bulk carrier so the way she looks now is not anything like she looked back in the 40's. I will include an internet photo of her from back then so those of you who have never seen her other than this, can see what she looked like as a tanker. Her recognizable bow is there but the rest is completely different!

She was on her way to Marquette here and has since locked through back downbound. I am hoping to head over to Marquette sometime to catch them there. Hopefully they go back soon while the weather is still good!

Big hellos to Samantha Miller the ship's Chief Steward in the Galley! I believe she was still on vacation when I got this shot but she has just returned so hopefully I can catch her aboard sometime with the mosquito!

I'll be back with more soon! Stay tuned!

08/29/2026

Well this afternoon I have a very special video to share with you

Yesterday afternoon I was talking to Captain Hughes from the PRT... I had messaged him to ask if he was aboard or not because I saw that they were approaching De Tour and thought if he was on, maybe I would head down to Johnson's Point to catch them... Captain Hughes is retiring this season so I wanted to get some photos and video of the ship while he's aboard during his final season sailing. He let me know that indeed he was aboard and in addition they had a special guest aboard with them.

Jim Weakley is the current President of the Lake Carriers Association and probably one of the biggest, if not THE biggest advocate of this industry that there is. He is the reason why the "New Lock At The Soo" project is happening... His steadfast and determined approach to how he dealt with decision makers eventually hit home enough for the green light to come on and the funding and work to begin... We are now 6 years into a 10 year project and all continues to move forward as it should, thanks to him. Jim is retiring this year so as soon as Captain Hughes told me he was aboard I confirmed I would be down there to document the turn and asked if Captain would let him know I'd like him to be outside on the wing for me. He did, and Jim was there so you'll get to see him as the video moves along. I fill you in with some more information so pay attention to the descriptive pop ups too lol

He and Captain Hughes have been friends for over 30 years so it's wonderful that they got to do this trip together on the PRT as they both end their respective careers this year.

I was honoured to be able to be there and capture this for Jim. We owe him SO MUCH here in Sault Ste Marie. I hope this is a tribute to him that can be appreciated by everyone because he deserves recognition and acknowledgement for all that he has done. If you know Jim and have a story about something he has done for you, please feel free to tell us in the comments below

Please join me in congratulating Jim on an incredibly successful career as the LCA President and thank him for all he has done for Great Lakes Shipping. From his days as a Lt Commander in the USCG to where he is now, he is appreciated more than I'm sure he even knows

All the best in your retirement Jim! It is well deserved!!

The Federal Oshima was in my last photo but way off in the distance just leaving the Poe Lock so I thought I'd share thi...
08/29/2026

The Federal Oshima was in my last photo but way off in the distance just leaving the Poe Lock so I thought I'd share this close-up one of her now... Thankfully my mosquito had enough juice to hang out over the river and wait for her to get close enough for me to get some shots.. this one was one of my favs :)

She was looking great as her bright red hull contrasted the blue sky and water with some wispy clouds in behind... She is on her way to Montreal currently and should be there tomorrow.

Today I had the chance to zoom down to Johnson's Point to catch both the Paul R Tregurtha and the Lee A Tregurtha... The Paul R has a special guest aboard right now and that's why I went down. I wanted to be sure to capture him out on the wing as they made the turn... I'll fill you all in some more tomorrow morning when I post the video! If you can't wait until then, head over to my YouTube channel and you can see it there! www.youtube.com/

Good morning folks :) It's a lovely sunny morning here in Sault Ste Marie although we have quite a bit of fog still on t...
08/28/2026

Good morning folks :) It's a lovely sunny morning here in Sault Ste Marie although we have quite a bit of fog still on the river which is a surprise... It was worse early this morning but is still hanging around at 10:30 which is rare... usually by 9:00am it's all gone...

At any rate I thought I would share another shot of the Saginaw's arrival here in the Sault as she headed to Superior, WI to load her first cargo of the season. I liked this shot because we can also see the Spruceglen, the Federal Oshima just leaving the Poe Lock in the distant background and of course the Museum Ship Valley Camp and Tower of History on the left, two local attractions you MUST experience when you are here in the Sault to see the ships...

It was a fun morning because the Ship to Shore Chef - Catherine Schmuck was aboard the Spruceglen and the G3 Marquis locked through just ahead of them and Catherine's Sister Lorraine is aboard the G3 in the Galley! I took a screenshot of the two ships following each other down Lake Superior... I thought it was cool that it seemed like they were almost together on the Lakes!

Anyway, I'll share some more as the day goes along... I have a chocolate chip banana bread in the oven right now and have numerous other things to make today... oh and look at that... in the time it took me to type this description, the fog has cleared on the river!

I'll be back soon with more! Stay tuned!

Duluth/Superior editor Jon sharing the classic Saginaw. After a much anticipated return and her arrival to the Twin Port...
08/27/2026

Duluth/Superior editor Jon sharing the classic Saginaw.

After a much anticipated return and her arrival to the Twin Ports, the 73 year old Saginaw is back on the Great Lakes, arriving at BN5 in Superior, Wisconsin, to load iron ore pellets.

Built in 1953, this Great Lakes veteran has been hauling cargo for more than seven decades. Now, under new ownership with Algoma Central Corporation, Saginaw begins a new chapter.

It’s great to see this classic back where she belongs
8-26-27.

Cleveland Editor Bill posting. I've been busy with other things and finally got out to catch a boat. What a boat to catc...
08/25/2026

Cleveland Editor Bill posting. I've been busy with other things and finally got out to catch a boat. What a boat to catch! The lovely Kaye E. Barker arrived in Sandusky, OH to load coal at the Norfolk Southern dock here. I caught her doing the 180-degree spin that boats do here and even have a nice shot in here! As always, thanks for taking a look!

The Saginaw made her first visit through Sault Ste Marie this morning on her way to Superior to load ore at the BN dock,...
08/25/2026

The Saginaw made her first visit through Sault Ste Marie this morning on her way to Superior to load ore at the BN dock, bound for Hamilton after she is done

It was great to see her out again and cool to see the Algoma stack and all her hatch covers painted. I got a bunch of photos and a video which I will share soon!

A big welcome back to the Sag! We have missed you! Here's to many more years of sailing! (we hope!)

Great news for Algoma Steel and Canadian Shipbuilding 🙂🇨🇦🚢
08/24/2026

Great news for Algoma Steel and Canadian Shipbuilding 🙂🇨🇦🚢

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