Keeper's Log: December 17, 2025

Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Weather

Wind	10 mph S
Humidity	60%
Air Quality	29 - Good
Dew Point	23°
Pressure	29.59 in
UV Index	0 of 11
Visibility	3 mi
Moon Phase	Waning Crescent
Sunrise	8:34 am
Sunset	5:05 pm

Weather Alerts: 3

GALE WARNING

From Thu 1:00 pm until Fri 10:00 am EST

Action Recommended: Avoid the subject event as per the instructions

Issued By: Marquette - MI, US, National Weather Service

Affected Area: Manitou Island to Point Isabelle, MI and Point Isabelle to Lower Entrance of Portage Canal, MI

Description: ...GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THURSDAY TO 10 AM EST FRIDAY... ...HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THURSDAY TO 10 AM EST FRIDAY...

WHAT...For the Gale Warning, northwest winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 45 kt and waves 4 to 7 ft expected. For the Heavy Freezing Spray Warning, heavy freezing spray at a rate of 2 cm per hour or greater is expected, and may rapidly accumulate on vessels.

WHERE...Manitou Island to Point Isabelle, MI, and Point Isabelle to Lower Entrance of Portage Canal, MI.

WHEN...For the Gale Warning, from 1 PM Thursday to 10 AM EST Friday. For the Heavy Freezing Spray Warning, from 10 PM Thursday to 10 AM EST Friday.

IMPACTS...Operating a vessel in heavy freezing spray is hazardous. Freezing spray may render mechanical and electronic components inoperative. Rapid ice accretion on decks and superstructures may result in a catastrophic loss of stability. Strong winds will cause hazardous waves, which could capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Mariners should prepare for the dangerous accumulation of ice on their vessel. If possible, remain in port, avoid the warning area, or conduct mitigation.

Mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for hazardous conditions.

HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING

From Thu 10:00 pm until Fri 10:00 am EST

Action Recommended: Avoid the subject event as per the instructions

Issued By: Marquette - MI, US, National Weather Service

Affected Area: Manitou Island to Point Isabelle, M,I and Point Isabelle to Lower Entrance of Portage Canal, MI

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY

From Thu 1:00 pm until Fri 7:00 am EST

Action Recommended: Execute a pre-planned activity identified in the instructions

Issued By: Marquette - MI, US, National Weather Service

Affected Area: Portions of central Upper and western Upper Michigan

Description: ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ THURSDAY TO 7 AM EST /6 AM CST/ FRIDAY...

WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations between 2 and 6 inches. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph near the shores of Lake Superior.

WHERE...Portions of central Upper and western Upper Michigan.

WHEN...From 1 PM EST /noon CST/ Thursday to 7 AM EST /6 AM CST/ Friday.

IMPACTS...Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous. Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday evening and Friday morning commutes. Gusty winds could bring down tree branches.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow down and use caution while traveling.

Be prepared for slippery roads. Slow down and use caution while driving. If you are going outside, watch your first few steps taken on stairs, sidewalks, and driveways. These surfaces could be icy and slippery, increasing your risk of a fall and injury.

Entry

Woke up to find the Kaye E. Barker had company. The James R. Barker arrived overnight, and for a few hours this morning the two ships sat together in Keweenaw Bay. Must have had a lunch date, because by 11:30 both were underway, heading out before tomorrow's weather moves in.

They were watching the same forecast. The NWS has a gale warning starting Thursday afternoon with northwest winds gusting to 45 knots and waves building to 7 feet. That's manageable. What's not is the heavy freezing spray warning kicking in Thursday night. Two centimeters of ice per hour doesn't sound like much until you're talking about ice accumulating on a ship's superstructure. Decks, railings, electronics. It adds up fast, and the weight changes everything. Smart to get moving now.

The James R. Barker is the flagship of Interlake's fleet and about as different from the Kaye as two ships in the same company can be. The Kaye started life as the Edward B. Greene back in 1952, one of the old AAA-class boats, built at 647 feet and later stretched to 767. She's been lengthened, converted to a self-unloader, renamed twice, and repowered with diesels. Seventy-three years of service under three different names. A working boat that's been kept working.

The James R. Barker came into the world as a thousand-footer and has stayed that way. Built in 1976 at American Ship Building's yard in Lorain, Ohio, she was the first vessel of that class constructed entirely on the Great Lakes, and only the third thousand-footer ever built. At 1,004 feet long with a beam of 105 feet, she dwarfs the Kaye by nearly 250 feet. Her carrying capacity is 63,300 tons, more than double what the Kaye can manage. Two Colt-Pielstick diesels producing 16,000 horsepower push her along at around 15 knots, and her self-unloading boom can discharge 10,000 tons of taconite per hour.

The keel was laid October 14, 1974. She was float-launched in May 1976, christened that August, and entered service the same day. It cost $43 million at the time, built under Title XI of the Merchant Marine Act. Her deckhouse was actually constructed at American Ship Building's Chicago yard and transported to Lorain on the deck of another vessel, the George D. Goble. That's how you build a ship too big for its own shipyard to finish in one piece.

She was named for James R. Barker, Interlake's chairman of the board. The Kaye was named for his wife when she joined the fleet in 1989. So the two ships that sat in the bay together this morning are, in a way, a married couple. The big new flagship and the old workhorse, both carrying the family name.

The James R. Barker has a signature two-tone horn the boat-watchers call the "Barker Bark." I didn't hear it this morning, but I wasn't outside when they were getting underway. Something to listen for next time.

A bald eagle passed overhead as the ships were leaving. Good timing.

The wildlife had a busy morning. Spotted a black squirrel near the cedars, the first I've seen in a while. Black squirrels are just eastern grays with a melanistic gene, a pigment variation that turns their fur jet black. They're common up here. Michigan and Ontario have the highest concentrations anywhere, with the black morph making up more than half the squirrel population in some areas. Scientists think the dark fur helps them absorb heat during cold, cloudy winters. Same squirrel, different coat, better suited to the climate.

The deer were out in force. A few grazed along the edge of the property, and after what must have been brunch, several bedded down under the cedars for a midday nap. They know what's coming.

Turkeys in the street again, taking their time as usual.

Had movie night with friends down the road. Good way to spend a quiet evening before the next system rolls in.

Attachments:

Video: the ships heading out, deer grazing, the black squirrel, turkeys doing their thing.