Side by each

Space at the dock in Sarnia is at a premium in the winter months when the lakers lay up for their maintenance and to await the re-opening of the Welland in late March.

The lower Great Lakes can be unpredictable for weather, alternating between cold snaps when six inches of ice can form in a few days to warm, spring-like weather. Port Huron is just across the St. Clair River where a USCG vessel is stationed just visible above the low lying fog.

Four weeks has passed and there are two crews anxiously waiting for their reliefs so they can go home and enjoy some rest in this ping-pong style of life.