Freighter Day

This is blurrier than I would like it to be.  But given that it was dawn and the freighter wouldn't hold still for me, it's not too bad -- especially if you pretend it is an impressionist painting.  This freighter came by last week along with a few more -- it was almost like a parade.  I guess they were getting their last trips in before the weather makes it too dangerous to continue running.  

I'm posting this photo today because it is the anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald during a bad storm on Lake Superior.  So, find the Gordon Lightfoot song on iTunes and toast the "Fitz", the captain, and the crew.       

Autumn Sunrise

October Sunrise. There are still a few boats in the harbor. Have to credit the optimists that hold out for those last late Autumn lazy boating days.

Practicing to Get Ready

You don't just get a boat and then start sailing it. Well, you can but it isn't really a good idea. There's a whole book written about the results.

But these smart folks were doing it right: taking a class before the boating season starts so they are prepared when (if?) the Spring weather decides to finally make an appearance and stick around for a few days.

Ugh!

This is not a current photo at all. It was taken last August. It's just that it was gray and cloudy on Tuesday. And it was gray and cloudy and murky on Wednesday. And it's gray and cloudy and murky and snowy today.

So to combat all this gray, it's a blue water sunny day here at Daily Chicago Photo.

52 DAYS UNTIL SPRING!!!!

Traffic

Just a glimpse of a slow traffic day on the river.

Riverwalk of Mirrors

When the city extended the Riverwalk past Michigan Avenue, they put mirror-like tiles under the Michigan Avenue Bridge section. If you look up when a boat is going by, you get a distorted "House of Mirrors" view of the boat.

Stand-Off

It was a stand-off. The traffic was stopped so the bridge could be raised so the Odyssey could sail up the Chicago River. But ...

The bridge wouldn't go up so the the Odyssey was stuck in place ... along with the traffic. I hope everyone involved at least noticed and enjoyed the pretty blue water (and the pretty blue sky) for a while why they were stuck.

Don't Mess Around on the Chicago River

If I were in this boat, I'd be nervous. The boat wasn't doing anything wrong, it just happened to be in front of the Coast Guard boat patrolling the river. I really hadn't noticed the big guns on the front of the Coast Guard boats before.

Half and Half

The Columbia Yacht Club is getting a little restorative work. Looks like they are about half done. At least with the priming for eventual re-painting stage.

A Day Only a Boater Would Love

No, my camera lens does not need a good cleaning. ;)

This photo was one of the early bridge runs (when the Chicago Bridges are raised to allow the sailboats to get to the harbors from their winter storage homes) this year. However, since the

weather today looked almost exactly like this, I figured it was OK to post a slightly older (really only two weeks) photo.

Monster of the Marina

Now here's a diehard Bears fan. The boat is painted in Bears colors and loaded with Bears logos. To top it off it is in Burnham Harbor with a view of Soldier Field and the alien spaceship that landed on top of Soldier Field a few years ago.

The Trash-erator

I've seen this vessel in the harbors around Chicago. Until now, though, I've only seen it in the water as it draws up surface debris (leaves, paper, cups, etc.) from the water during the Spring, Summer, and Fall boating season. It's like a vacuum cleaner for the marinas.

It's not quite boating season yet but the harbors are getting ready: the "No Wake" buoys were placed in the "playpen" (Ohio Beach), the mooring buoys were set in Monroe Harbor, and they did a little bridge lift testing late last week.

And now the Trash-erator is getting ready to be launched.

Here's the full view.

Two views of ... Ohio Street Beach

The Ohio Street Beach is nicknamed "The Playpen" and, on summer weekend afternoons, attracts a lot of boaters who anchor out and socialize. On a recent weekend there were way more than the usual number of boaters there and the boats were rafting up (tying themselves together) in long chains. Clearly, to draw that many boats (and it wasn't really one of the prime summer weather days) it was an organized event. Had to do a little internet searching to figure out what was going on. Turns out it was the 9th Annual "Boat Party" sponsored by Chicago Scene Magazine. It's quite the wild party, apparently, having been described by the New York Times (no less) as "a ticket to Girls Gone Wild come to life". The local newspaper described it, more sedately, as "a floating Mardi Gras". The Chicago Police Department and Coast Guard boats do patrol the area to make sure things don't get too wild.

But that's the weekend. During the week, it is a much more serene spot, well-suited for overnight anchoring by cruising boaters or even "staycationers".

Ohio Street Beach - Weekend Boat Party
Wide View

Ohio Street Beach - Quiet Weekday Morning

Theme Day: Night

Today is Theme Day on City Daily Photo. The theme, chosen by vote of the CDP participants is "Night".

This theme day has been a bit of a NIGHTmare.

It's not like I didn't have any night pictures.

• That one of the moon over the sailboats would have been good ... if I hadn't posted it back in the beginning of July.

• Any of the ones from the movies in the park (Sunset Blvd. and Duck Soup) would have worked quite well ... if I hadn't posted them in the last two weeks.

• The Bug Zapper one was at night and would have fit the theme ... if I hadn't posted it earlier this week.

Like this black-crowned NIGHT heron, I'm scratching my head and wondering what I was thinking posting those night scenes already. It's not like I haven't known the theme was Night since July 2. Duh!

So here is my Night photo.
That's not an anchor light on the top of the sail boat mast, it's the moon.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants - all of whom saved their good Night Shots for the Theme Day!

Scenes from the Start of the Chicago to Mackinac Race

The 101st Chicago to Mackinac race started on Saturday July 18. At 333 miles, it is the "longest annual freshwater distance race". According to the website, 337 boats are participating this year and 260 of those are getting tracked by GPS. I think they start getting to Mackinac Island Michigan on Monday, but it seems they haven't had a lot of wind.

(Click on the photo collage to enlarge it)

Coming in for the Mackinac

The Chicago to Mackinac race is this weekend. This is the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinac, in Chicago to escort the racers.

Theme Day

Where are the boats?

The slips by the Columbia Yacht Club are EMPTY!

The mooring buoys in Monroe Harbor are EMPTY!

But the Playpen
(the local name for the area by the Ohio Street Beach)
is FULL!

Today is the CDPB July Theme Day and the theme is EMPTY. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Up Close

One of the Chicago River tour boats was passing under the Lake Shore Drive bridge just as I was walking over it. Couldn't resist taking a chance on a photo. I zoomed in a little too much - I thought the bridge was higher - and got quite the close-up.