- [Anna] Coming up on "Great Lakes Now," making deliveries to freighters on the move.

- [Ward] You almost forget that we're moving right now.

You look at the freighter, and we're still.

And then, you look at the water, and we're actually still cruising down the river.

- [Anna] Taking the helm with a Great Lakes freighter pilot.

- [Captain Haynes] We protect the environment, and we promote the smooth flow of commerce.

- [Anna] And feeding the crew of a 1,000-foot freighter.

- I don't look at it so much as a job.

I'm taking care of my family, and I wanna make it good for them.

(bright upbeat music) - [Announcer] This program is brought to you by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Richard C. Devereaux Foundation for Energy and Environmental Programs at Detroit PBS, Polk Family Fund, DTE Foundation, and contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(gentle music) - Hi, I'm Anna Sysling.

Welcome to "Great Lakes Now."

In this episode, three of our stories about Great Lakes freighters.

Even from a distance, they're an impressive sight.

And up close, they're pretty astounding.

And you can't get closer than our own Ward Detwiler got in 2019.

(gentle upbeat music) - I'm in Detroit on the banks of the Detroit River, and this is the headquarters of the J.W.

Westcott Company, home of the country's only floating zip code.

Jim Hogan is the owner of the company today, but it's been in his family for generations.

So, Jim, tell us about who we're looking at here on the wall.

- On the wall is the founder of the company, my great-grandfather, Captain J.W.

Westcott.

He was born in 1848, and created this company in 1874.

(projector clicking) - [Ward] Jim's great-grandfather started the business by delivering messages to passing ships in a rowboat.

Nearly a century and a half later, letters to Great Lakes freighters get marked 48222, and get delivered on the boat that bears the Westcott name.

And, today, I get to go along on deliveries.

(gentle upbeat music) I'm with Captain Bill Redding.

He and the crew are picking up mail from a freighter that's getting fueled up on the Detroit River.

- Okay, it's gonna be coming alongside the Manitowoc, which is currently tied up at the Mistersky fuel dock.

- [Ward] The process is low-tech, but effective.

A pail is lowered to the Westcott with outgoing mail.

If there was mail for the crew of the boat, it would go in the pail and get pulled back up.

I'm just amazed to be standing right next to the hull of this enormous freighter.

- [Brian] Knock on it.

How freaking solid that thing is.

- Oh yeah, that thing's like touching concrete.

- It's so freaking thick, man.

- [Ward] I'm already like a wide-eyed kid, but the Manitowoc was docked to fuel up.

What the Westcott is known for is making deliveries to freighters that are moving, no matter the conditions.

Brian Hakery started with the company only last year, but he's already seen the river get angry.

- Did a delivery last year, delivered a crew member right off the Westcott here to a freighter down here, eight-foot swells.

And you can see how far the bow is out of the water, it was going under.

- [Ward] Oh, wow.

- [Brian] And we did a crew change with that right out here, and it was like my third or fourth day here.

- A good welcome to the job.

- It scared the crap out of me.

But I came back the next day and been here ever since.

- [Ward] The Westcott will deliver just about anything the freighters need.

They deliver a lot of packages, and they stock some essential supplies that sailors can't do without.

They'll even deliver pizzas.

- [Brian] They'll come down here and they'll order from that pizza joint right down the street, and then they'll deliver it to us.

And we take it and put it in their deliver box, and send it right up the side of the ship on a rope.

- I bet the guys love that.

- Yeah.

- [Ward] Before we're back from the Manitowoc, another call comes in for mail.

- [Captain] Hey, good afternoon, this is the Victory here.

We're about an hour below your station.

- Okay, Victory, one hour below.

- [Ward] The tugboat Victory will be pushing a barge past in about an hour, and they're wondering if there's anything waiting for them.

- Okay, yeah, I'll give you a shout back here in just a few minutes, Captain.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Ward] But there's another run to make before the Victory arrives.

Captain Sam Buchanan is making sure all is well in the engine room at the Huron Bell.

That's the boat we'll take out to meet the Esta de Gunez.

And this time, we'll make a delivery to a boat that's moving.

But this time we're not delivering mail.

This ship needs a pilot.

Ships coming into the Great Lakes from overseas have to take on a pilot to navigate.

Pilots, like Brett Walker, are basically captains who specialize in steering through the Great Lakes.

- And I come over and introduce myself to the captain, and then I take over the navigation of the ship.

They have their own skills, for sure, but they can't be expected to know all the- - [Ward] The nuance of every waterway.

- The nuances of all the waterway, yeah, and that's where we come in.

- So pretty important, especially as you're winding through the river.

- Well, we're cheap insurance for the public, because we ensure that there's gonna be no accidents, no groundings, no pollution, and it's at no cost to the government, as it's all borne by the shipper.

- [Ward] Now we make our approach.

The closer we get to the 400-foot Esta de Gunez, the smaller the 50-foot Huron Bell feels.

Captain Sam snugs the Huron Bell right up to the freighter's hull.

- This is pretty much what I do all day, I run into things.

I perform controlled collisions for the J.W.

Westcott Company to the tune of, I've done it about 50,000 times they figure.

So now they're not all controlled unfortunately.

No damage, you know, just a little bump, you know, to where you feel it.

If you can feel it, I kind of grade myself poorly.

But, you know, sometimes it's uncontrollable.

If you have a really bad weather day, you're gonna bounce up and down, and you just can't control that kind of stuff.

But, no, fortunately, I've never done any damage or nothing significant.

- It turns out, delivering a pilot, is a lot like delivering the mail.

But instead of a pail, the crew of the freighter drops down a rope ladder, and the pilot climbs up.

So we've delivered our pilot up onto the boat here, and he's going up the bridge right now to go get the pilot that we're taking off.

So they're doing a little bit of a changeover right here.

You almost forget that we're moving right now.

I mean, you look at the freighter, and we're still.

And then, you look at the water, and we're actually still cruising down the river.

It's pretty cool.

And watch them go up the ladder as if we're underway, I mean, it's a lot more hair-raising than my job.

Today, things are pretty calm, but can you imagine doing this with six-foot waves?

I think I'd call in sick.

But for these guys, it's just another day at the office.

So you guys deliver the mail and the freight, you deliver the pilots.

- Yep.

- Do you guys ever see anything, a rescue situation?

- We've rescued so many people, I really should have kept count.

- Really?

- We've rescued quite a few people over the years.

And, you know, the last I think rescue we had was a fella, he jumped in up the river, and all the rescue boats missed him.

I don't know, it was nighttime out.

So we heard somebody screaming from the river, so we took out a boat and got him.

- Oh my god.

So you just caught him, like he was just passing- - Yep.

Yep.

- Oh, wow.

There's no time to rest.

The upbound tanker, Algoscotia, needs a pilot, so we're making another run.

(gentle upbeat music) - Ahoy there, Algoscotia.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Captain] Scotia.

- [Captain Sam] Hey there, I just wanted to confirm your speed.

- 7 1/2 and dropping.

- This is pretty cool.

Captain Sam brings the Huron Bell in for another perfect controlled collision, and the pilot climbs aboard safely.

They said 7 1/2 knots, but it seems like we're going faster.

But, then again, I've never been up next to a freighter flying through the river like this.

I'm gonna take some of my own video real quick, 'cause this is cool.

Look at that's so cool.

- [Colleague] Look above.

- Look at that's just awesome.

As the freighter pulls up their ladder, we're passing under the Ambassador Bridge that connects the U.S. and Canada.

Yeah, I mean, it's so cool to come under, passing with a freighter, I mean, tied up, not even tied up, just nudged up along the freighter going under the bridge.

I mean, that's a sight you don't get to see very often.

It's so cool.

But remember the Victory?

The tugboat that called for mail earlier?

Well, it's about to pass by, pushing the barge, Maumee, so it's back to the Westcott to deliver their mail.

This is really fun.

This is awesome.

- [Captain] Victory on time.

- [Captain Sam] Hey there, just to confirm that- - It's like all sorts of, you know, childhood dreams being made right here.

- [Captain Sam] On the tug's port.

- [Captain] Roger that, see you in a few.

- We're gonna go to the port side fam-hilled of the tug, behind the barge.

So we're gonna sneak up in behind the barge onto the tug.

- [Ward] If this barge looks like a freighter to you, that's because it was a freighter, before it was modified to be used as a self-unloading barge, integrated with the tug Victory, which pushes it from behind.

- [Captain Sam] We'll have to tell everybody to hang on.

This is a harder maneuver than I normally do, and it gets pretty choppy.

- It might be a tricky maneuver, but Captain Sam makes it look pretty easy.

This time, the mail is handed over directly, because the tug is a lot shorter than the freighter's hull.

(gentle upbeat music) In a moment, we're clear, and Captain Sam and the tug exchange a farewell with their horns.

(horns blaring) (Victory's horns blaring) So what are you telling each other?

- Basically, that's a Great Lakes salute or that's our way of just saying, you know, thank you, see ya next time.

And we also use it as a safety tool to let him know that I am clear of him and ready to roll.

- [Ward] And with that, my time with the crew is at an end.

But I think I'll be back.

I can't get enough of this.

(gentle music) - If you wanna know more about the pilots who guide freighters through the Great Lakes, you're in luck, because our next segment, from October of 2023, is all about them.

When the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, it meant that oceangoing vessels, with captains unfamiliar with the Great Lakes, would be sailing into these freshwater seas.

The Great Lakes Pilotage Act of 1960, required all foreign-flagged vessels, entering the Great Lakes use pilot services.

Captain George Haynes has been piloting ships on the Great Lakes for 27 years.

- To have an expert get these big ships in and out of the Great Lakes through all the different ports and waterways safely.

That's how all pilotage authorities around the world pretty much work.

You become an expert in one geographic location.

It's a great job.

- [Anna] It's a time-honored nautical tradition, dating back to the ancient mariners, to hire someone familiar with the local currents, shoals, tides, and other hazards, to ensure the safe passage of ships.

Bill Wager retired in 2021 after 44 1/2 years as a dispatcher with the Lakes Pilots Association.

It was his job to make sure there was a pilot ready for every ship that needed one.

- Pilots were the second oldest occupation, 'cause somewhere, somebody knew about tides, and waters, and oceans, and currents.

This is just a modern version of what's been going on for centuries in other parts of the world.

- [Anna] Foreign vessels engaging in international trade on the Great Lakes must use the services of a Canadian or American pilot, but any vessel can choose to hire a pilot.

- It's required by law, but it's also a good practice in that there's shallow waterways, narrow waterways, traffic situations that the crew may have never experienced before.

We can get quite a variety of different kinds of ships here.

Most of the times, we get bulk carriers that have these cranes in the middle, but you get different lengths, different widths, different propulsion systems, different rudders, different propellers, and they can be loaded or unloaded.

- [Bill] We used to do some cruise ships, but now, it's an expanding industry.

We get yachts as well.

Every summer, they come up to the Great Lakes and spend several weeks, and sometimes a couple three months.

It's one of the favorite places for yachts to come.

- [Captain Haynes] We pilot anything.

I've had some really cool tall ships over the years, and even a Viking ship.

- [Anna] The wide variety of vessels means Great Lakes pilots have to be ready and able to captain pretty much anything that floats.

The job starts as soon as they are assigned a vessel.

(gentle upbeat music) - I don't just wait before I get on board this ship to start thinking about the trip.

I'm researching the weather, the traffic, the conditions, everything, hours before, the night before even.

Coming out on the pilot boat, I observe the ship, I look at her drafts, I'm looking at crane configurations, I'm looking at anything unusual that might affect the job.

I'm constantly absorbing information, and calculating, and figuring that into my transit.

- [Anna] The freighters don't stop for the pilots.

Instead, a rope ladder is thrown over the side of the ship for them to board and disembark.

- [Captain Haynes] When I get on board, I relieve another pilot.

He also tells me some things to look out for, things that I need to know.

And then, we're constantly gathering information as well, looking at the radars, radios, the electronic navigation, depth sounders, things like that, constantly gathering information and monitoring.

I talk to the captain, he tells me about the ship and what I need to expect.

- [Anna] The pilot needs to know their current draft, if there are any equipment issues, and how fast they can drop an anchor.

While the ship's captain may ask for specifics about the passage or the time to next pilot transfer.

- The captains are always in charge of their vessel, always.

But they also heavily listen to the pilot and allow the pilot to navigate the vessel.

- [Anna] Piloting services in the Great Lakes are divided into three districts.

The first starts at Montreal, and runs through Lake Ontario to the Welland Canal.

Bill Wager was a dispatcher with the second district, which includes all of Lake Erie, and extends upstream to lower Lake Huron.

- We start tracking the ships at Montreal.

It's basically a day to get to Lake Ontario, and then 10 hours across Lake Ontario, and another 10 hours through the Welland Canal.

So somewhere between 42 and 48 hours would be the standard transit time to get from Montreal before we become responsible for the ships.

- [Anna] The third district is the largest, covering all of Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior.

Freighters moving from one district to another have to change pilots.

- [Bill] We go to the change point and our pilot goes up the rope ladder, and then District 3 pilot will disembark, and get his hotel room, or get transferred to Chicago, or Milwaukee, or wherever he might be needed next.

- [Anna] District 2 pilots, like Captain Haynes, board downbound vessels in lower Lake Huron and navigate them to Detroit.

- [Captain Haynes] Under the Blue Water Bridge is probably one of the most difficult spots of the St. Clair River.

- [Anna] A team of dispatchers monitors vessel passages throughout the Great Lakes to ensure pilot services are available when needed.

But it's a fluid puzzle with dozens of moving pieces.

- [Bill] If they don't get out of Toronto or Hamilton on time, and then there's heavy traffic in the canal, if they had traffic at the Soo Locks, the crane breaks down in Cleveland, it snows in Buffalo, the puzzle gets rearranged a lot.

It's a challenge to keep the industry going and the pilots safe and in the right position for their next assignments.

You do everything you can think of, but when we're really busy, some ships have to go to anchor.

- [Anna] Dispatchers arrange for car shuttles to transport the pilots to their next assignment, or take them back home.

Other times, they just book the pilots a hotel room.

- [Bill] You'd like to see that pilot come home, have dinner with the wife and family.

But the chances are maybe you're gonna use him in Cleveland tomorrow, so maybe you put him in a hotel someplace.

We have people that are based in Cleveland, Detroit, and Port Huron.

It cuts down on travel.

If you're needed anywhere in our district, that's where you go.

If you happen to live in Port Huron and there's not a Cleveland man available for that ship out of Cleveland at night, okay, you're going to Cleveland, it's as simple as that.

- [Anna] The Great Lakes are an important part of the global trade route, and pilots play a key role by helping to keep trade moving, whether it's grain bound for Europe and Africa, or potash headed to South America.

But the pilots' primary responsibility is the safety of the public and the Great Lakes' waterways.

- You got a lot of people waiting for these ships.

They've been waiting for weeks or months for a cargo to come in.

And, unfortunately, it's my job many times to say, "No, it's too unsafe to go," and it doesn't go over well with people on shore 'cause there's a lot of money riding on these.

We understand that, we feel that pressure, we know that, but we also don't wanna have an accident.

We actually are in the public interest.

We protect the environment, we protect system infrastructure, and we promote the smooth flow of commerce.

That's what pilots do.

We're keeping the waterways safe, and other boaters too.

(gentle music) - 1,000-foot freighters are too big for drive-throughs, and crews get hungry.

So what's it like to cook for a freighter crew?

Well, we climbed on board the Mesabi Miner as it unloaded during a 10-hour stay in the Port of Cleveland to find out.

(gentle music) The Mesabi Miner is a 1004-foot cargo ship.

Built in 1977 for the Interlake Steamship Company, it serves as a home-away-from-home for its crew, who work around-the-clock during the busy shipping season, which runs from late March to January.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Sissy] Morning, Johnny!

- [Anna] Sissy Payment serves as chief steward, the head of food services, and executive chef.

She's been cooking on the Great Lakes since 2005.

(gentle bright music) - Before this, I've had no cooking experience whatsoever.

I was a nurse's aide for twelve years before that.

These guys laugh at me 'cause I'll tell them, "I don't like cooking," I like taking care of people though.

I'm getting my bacon ready.

I usually cook at least two sheet pans for them in the morning.

Everything I've learned was out here.

- [Anna] As chief steward, Sissy oversees the galley, the ship's kitchen, and the mess, the ship's two dining rooms.

She's also responsible for feeding the entire crew, which includes nearly two dozen sailors.

It's a big job.

- You have to plan your menus.

You have to make three meals a day.

You have to make sure there's extra things.

Here you are, sir.

- Thank you, Sissy.

- Yeah, you have a good day, buddy.

- Thank you.

(gentle bright music) - [Anna] Sissy's typical workday starts in the galley at 6:00 AM.

- And then, I'm in there from six to eight, prepping for breakfast, and then lunch.

I come back at 9:30, 10:00, depending on what I'm gonna make for lunch.

Some things take a lot longer, some things don't, so it depends on my day and what I've planned.

I learned this from my mom, pasties.

It's a Yooper thing.

It's like a meat pie.

Hamburger, rutabagas, potatoes, onions, carrots.

(machine whirring) Then I'm in here till about 12:30, 1:00.

Then you're back in here by 2:30, three o'clock, getting ready for dinner.

And then, five o'clock, I'm usually done for the day.

- [Anna] Finding ways to keep a big crew with lots of individual tastes happy, can be challenging.

But according to Captain Paul Berger, who's been sailing the Great Lakes for 40 years, Sissy crushes it.

- Sissy is one of the top stewards in the fleet.

She's very conscientious about meeting a lot of individual needs.

- I'm so used to butter, but I've got a vegan guy here.

It doesn't really matter to me, as long as they like it.

- Her attention to these little things that make her a real standout.

She's gets along with everybody really well.

She's not easily offended by some of the coarse language that sailors tend to have.

- Good morning, Dennis.

- Morning.

- I hope you're well.

Okay, I take back what I texted you.

You're not an (censored).

- [Anna] And if you think the food on a freighter is cafeteria-style slop, think again.

- My engineering design 'cause my door doesn't shut.

(Sissy laughs) Seafood soup, soup du jour.

This is a big soup boat, so they usually have my soup gone a lot of the times by dinner.

- She just made a cauliflower soup, that was amazing.

- Favorite meal?

I think her pancakes.

- It's all very good.

And some of the things are more eclectic than others, but there's always a variety.

- [Anna] Unlike lunch and dinner, whose menus changes daily, breakfast is made-to-order from seven to 8:00 AM.

- Eggs, omelets, French toast, pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy.

Eggs benedict, which is a favorite over here.

We'll do smoked salmon, regular, avocado.

It's my permanent boat now, so I'm here all the time, so I kind of know what they all want.

There you are, sir!

- Thank you.

- Have a wonderful day.

- Thank you.

(gentle bright music) - [Anna] Sissy and her Second Cook, Jon Drake, serve lunch from 11 to 12:00, and dinner from four to 5:00.

Lunch includes homemade soup, multiple sandwich and salad options, as well as fries and onion rings.

- Dinner is usually two entrees, a couple of sides and a fresh veg.

And then, of course, my second cook is making a dessert and fresh bread every day, too, as well, to go along with dinner.

- [Anna] To create all these delicious foods, Sissy keeps an impressive stock of ingredients on hand.

A pantry loaded with canned and dried goods, multiple fridges and freezers filled with meat, dairy, and produce.

And one fridge stocked with grab-and-go snacks for the crew to utilize when the kitchen is closed.

- [Sissy] Today, I have some fresh meats coming from a local store here.

- [Anna] When supplies run low, Sissy orders groceries from preferred vendors, and they deliver the goods to the ship.

But getting the groceries on board, isn't like anything you're doing at home.

(gentle upbeat music) - We use the grocery hoist to bring it up.

And another time, it comes by a tugboat as we're going down the river, and the tugboat will crane it up onto the ship, and the deckhands will bring it into the galley for me.

And then, me and my second cook put it all away.

I don't look at it so much as a job, more as like, I'm taking care of my family, and I wanna make it good for them and not suck so much being so far away from our families and our loved ones.

And I try to give them what they want, if whatever, make the best meals, and make them look forward to meals.

- The next two aren't light either.

- [Anna] Sissy does this by creating a warm, friendly, and playful environment in the galley.

With many crew members working 60 days on and 30 days off, she understands that it's something they need to soften the sting of being away from home.

- The galley is very important to the crew.

It's like the heart of the vessel.

They look forward to their meals, so it gives them something to look forward to.

You know, it's their space.

They come vent, come talk.

I mean, they'll come in there and be like, "Sissy, I'm having a bad day."

They'll come give me a hug or whatever, and I try to at least keep the mood upbeat.

I feel like if we're cranky or in a bad mood, I feel like that sets the vibe for the rest of the crew.

So I try to keep it as cheerful as possible.

Have a good day, bud!

- Oh, it's huge for morale.

Having a good cook, and especially someone who will go a little bit extra to accommodate special needs, or wants, or desires, goes a huge way.

- [Cameraperson] Second helpings?

- That's how she can tell that I like the soup, when I come back and get it again.

- [Sissy] Now I know it's one of his favorites, I better make it again.

(gentle music) - As the last bit of iron ore empties from the cargo hold, the crew prepares to get underway.

And while we'd love to stay for dinner, instead, we'll bid the crew bon voyage.

(gentle mellow music) (gentle music) Thanks for watching.

For more about shipping on the Great Lakes or any of our stories, visit GreatLakesNow.org.

When you get there, you can follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter to get updates about our work.

See you out on the lakes!

(gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music fading) - [Announcer] This program is brought to you by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Richard C. Devereaux Foundation for Energy and Environmental Programs at Detroit PBS, Polk Family Fund, DTE Foundation, and contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(gentle music) (soft music)