Beware the Gales of… May? I have never seen a laker rolling in the waves through the Duluth Canal! Absolutely one of the best and most dramatic arrivals I’ve ever seen. The 740ft long Algoma Niagara making a grand entrance in 10ft waves that were barely contained inside the canal piers. Sailing like this is incredibly challenging, although the wind had started to die off, allowing for a (more or less?) safe and absolutely spectacular passage! Something might have broken on her in the waves because she required tug escort to pull into her dock, something that lakers don’t typically require. For a better camera angle of the waves themselves here’s this video taken about a half hour before this one!    • Crazy Waves and Daredevils at Canal Park  

Believe it or not the waves you see here in this video are far calmer than those seen several hours earlier! There were waves breaking far over the shore and over the piers, even over the raised platforms that the lighthouses stand on! It would not have been safe to stand within 10 feet of the canal!

Built in 2017, Algoma Niagara arrived with salt for Superior’s Hallet 8 dock. They sat out on the lake the whole day in raging wind and waves. They must have gotten tired of it because as soon as the winds died down they sailed in, despite the waves still rolling around the 10ft mark. One of the flagships of the Algoma fleet, the vessel is one of the newest, largest and most versatile Canadian lake ships, capable of carrying 34,000 tons of cargo, which helped keep her steady in the waves.

Very impressive and well done captain and crew!