Ships – The Big Boats That Capture Our Imaginations

I was recently informed that the bulk carriers moving up and down the St. Lawrence Seaway are loaded with DOUGHNUTS. This revelation came directly from the Sweetapple's grandchildren. Their cottage is on Grenell Island's South Point, which provides them with an exceptional view of the shipping channel and a prefect vantage point to document the “doughnut traffic”. The family has also engaged in competitive ship counting with neighbors - complete with trophies! Serious ship counting also takes place at the McElfresh cottage. Pat Carpenter, also a long time “Grenellian”, recalls watching ships as a child and that identifying their country of origin was key to learning geography.

This somewhat irrational fascination with the ships seems to be widespread. Two merchant marines from Grenell Island offered some insights:

Mark Rasmussen grew up on Grenell Island but a few years back, the family migrated to Murray Island. Mark became interested in ships at an early age. He says, “it can all be blamed squarely on my dad, who since I can remember, took me ship chasing up and down the St. Lawrence River. The house I grew up in (and my parents still live in) was only a block from Barnegat Bay, NJ and 10 minutes from the Ocean. In the off season my dad would take my siblings and me to the Pt. Pleasant Inlet and watch the fishing boats come and go. We would spend about 30 minutes a few times a week parked there while drinking Hot Chocolate. Those are some of my fondest memories as a child. I also grew up listening to sea stories from my Great Grandfather, who ran away to sea as a teenager back toward the end of the 1st World War. His journeys took him from South America to the Baltic Sea and many places in between. I still have the original picture of him on my dresser with some of his fellow crew members from his voyage to Russia.”

Mark earned his Oceans Unlimited 3rd Mate's License in 2004.

Matt Dubon also grew up on Grenell Island and still spends as much time as possible there. When asked why he got into shipping he said, “it's simple, I love to drive boats... any boat”. When asked what it is like to pilot a ship he explained, “Ships travel slowly compared to small watercraft, but they require an immense degree of planning and consideration which can often make the experience of handling such a large vessel quite the adrenaline rush. It doesn't take much to find yourself in a bad situation. More often than not, those situations can be created by forces beyond your control. An experienced ship handler likely appears calm and relaxed, but like a duck on a pond, all is calm on the surface, but what you can't see is the flurry of activity beneath the surface.”

One of his favorite quotes is, "A good ship handler never puts himself in a position where he must prove that he's a good ship handler."

Recently Matt was aboard the SLNC Goodwill as the ship's navigator and "mate on watch".

Helmsman Jim Davies scans the horizon for potential targets and hazards to navigation while taking in the scenic view. The rest of the 19 person crew is off duty from 8pm-6am. Matt and Jim were the only 2 people aboard who remained awake during the night.

Currently Matt is on the RB Weeks, a 364 foot dredge operating near Fire Island, NY helping to restore their beach area by reclaiming eroded sands from the ocean floor and relocating the sand back to the beach.

Tim Maginn at the helm of the RB Weeks in Mobile Bay, Alabama, where they are deepening and widening the Shipping Channel.

I have always been curious about these big boats. Where are they going, what can be seen from the pilot house and what would it be like to be at the helm? Fortunately we have people like Mark and Matt to give us some clues.

The Viking Octantis, an expedition ship designed to reach remote locations with up to 378 guests. The ship also has scientists on board who gather data as the ship moves around the world.

Based in The Netherlands, Royal Wagenborg ships often pass by Grenell Island. Royal Wagenborg is still a family-owned business and builds many of its own ships.

By Larry Asam

Larry Asam has lived in and around Stowe, VT since 1974, and then spent several winters at Snowbird, UT, in his first career as a ski instructor. In the 1990s he started photographing Vermont weddings. Soon couples from around New England discovered his ability to catch the excitement and beauty of their wedding in photographs. By 1997, wedding photography became his full-time occupation, and this continued for almost 15 years. Now his photography is mainly focused on nature, old boats and the people he encounters.

Visit www.RiverGloss.com to see a selection of recent work. Since 2014, Larry and his wife Kym have been part of the Grenell Island community; he is also the current VP for the Thousand Islands chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society. Be sure to see Larry's other TI Life articles here .

Header photo by © Mark Rasmussen]

Posted in: Volume 20, Issue 1, January 2025, People, Essay, Photographs, Current