Win a Great Lakes cruise aboard a working freighter

The 1,013.5-foot Great Lakes freighter Paul R. Tregurtha is the largest freighter operating on the Great Lakes. (T. Shaw Photography)

By Ryan Kazmirzack, special to The Plain Dealer

PORT HURON, Michigan — For vacation next summer, how about a leisurely Great Lakes cruise aboard a 1,000-foot freighter?

Seriously – this is a real thing you can do. But you can’t buy a ticket; you have to win one in a charity raffle.

Each year, several fleets of U.S.-flagged freighters carry millions of tons of dry bulk goods between ports on the Great Lakes. They primarily transport iron ore for making steel, coal for power plants, limestone, cement, salt, sand and grain. Thirteen of these ships are more than three football fields in length and the largest can carry more than 70,000 tons in a single trip, according to the Lake Carriers Association.

Going through the Soo Locks aboard the Paul R. Tregurtha freighter in August 2019. (Courtesy Bruce Morrison)

There’s no law prohibiting these ships from also carrying a small number of fare-paying passengers, but none choose to offer this service due to various logistical and liability concerns. A few Great Lakes shipping companies do, however, occasionally provide free cruises to nonprofit organizations to use as a prize in a fundraiser raffle. And there’s another opportunity coming up.

Port Huron Lodge No. 2 of the International Ship Masters’ Association is selling freighter cruise raffle tickets for $10 each. The winner will get a roundtrip freighter cruise for four adults aboard an Interlake Steamship Company vessel during the 2020 sailing season.

View from aboard the Paul R. Tregurtha freighter as it sails past Detroit in August 2019. (Courtesy Bruce Morrison)

It’s impossible to say this far in advance what the exact prize entails: logistical details like specific ship, route, travel dates, length of voyage and departure port are all things you’ll have to coordinate with the company. They aren’t making a special trip for you – cargo takes priority. You’re just coming along for the ride.

“The willingness to be flexible with the company on this is a precondition,” said Chris Gillcrist, executive director of the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo. “They don’t go by a passenger time schedule. The boat could be leaving the dock at 11 o’clock at night and you need to be on it by 7 that night.”

Interlake Steamship Company’s Mesabi Miner is a 1,000-foot freighter. (Courtesy George Haynes)

The entire trip usually takes 4 to 7 days, depending on factors such as route, weather conditions, and if there’s a problem loading or a traffic jam at the Soo Locks. When available, cruises are aboard the 1,013.5-foot Paul R. Tregurtha, which is the longest freighter operating on the Great Lakes.

Routes typically start in the southern portions of the Great Lakes and go north to the St. Marys River, through the Soo Locks, to ports on Lake Superior such as Marquette, Michigan or Duluth, Minnesota. A Northeast Ohio winner could potentially board in Cleveland, travel across Lake Erie, past downtown Detroit and into Lake Huron; trips that start at the southern end of Lake Michigan (near Chicago and Gary, Indiana) would go under the Mackinac Bridge on the way to the Soo Locks. Photo opportunities abound.

The Paul R. Tregurtha’s guest lounge has leather sofas, a game table, and large windows to watch the scenery go by from high in the ship’s superstructure. (Photo by Anna Kolin, courtesy National Museum of the Great Lakes)

Unlike a voyage on a traditional cruise ship, there’s no floating casino or discotheque, no comedians or lounge singers to keep you entertained, no all-you-can-eat buffet, no lounging by the pool. Instead, you’ll get to observe the loading and unloading process, tour the ship (including the engine room and pilothouse), and spend time walking the deck.

Gillcrist said past winners have described freighter cruises as “one of the most relaxing experiences because you’re just out there on the open water,” hanging out with friends. It’s also an opportunity to unplug; cell phone coverage during the journey is intermittent. There are times the ship sails close to land, and other times when you’re surrounded by nothing but deep blue water as far as the eye can see.

The Paul R. Tregurtha navigates a narrow waterway. (Photo by Logan Vasicek)

Accommodations: You won’t be bunking with the crew; you’ll get premium staterooms with your own bathroom and shower. You’ll also get access to the guest lounge, where you can sit and watch the scenery go by from high in the ship’s superstructure or play cards at the game table. The company assigns a personal porter to ensure a pleasant trip, and (depending on the time of day) you’ll likely get an opportunity to explore the destination port city while the ship takes on cargo.

Among the potential hazards of traveling by freighter: gaining weight. Every ship has a chef, and every meal is a feast. People working on Great Lakes freighters are asked to be away from home for weeks on end and, “one of the great retention tools is to provide high quality food,” Gillcrist said. And companies have been known to serve better food when guests are aboard.

The Paul R. Tregurtha approaches land. (Photo courtesy Jane Herrick)

Bruce Morrison, of Port Huron, took a freighter cruise aboard Interlake’s Paul R. Tregurtha in August with his wife and another couple. “It was probably one of the best vacations my wife and I have ever taken, and we’ve traveled extensively,” he said. “Absolutely trip of a lifetime.”

Morrison, retired, added that the freighter cruise was better than traditional cruises he’s taken in the Caribbean and Alaska.

The Paul R. Tregurtha barely fits as it passes through the Soo Locks in this picture taken by raffle winner Bruce Morrison during his August 2019 freighter cruise. (Courtesy Bruce Morris)on

Capt. George Haynes, a ship pilot for the Lake Pilots Association and president of Port Huron Lodge No. 2 of the International Ship Masters’ Association, summed it up this way: “To see how these ships operate and how they get through the waterways and the locks is really unique, and hard to come by. Everybody can stand on the shore and see the ships going by, but to be on a big freighter going through the tight turns in the river and through the locks is really unique and special.”

The experience is not for everyone: guests must be ages 18 and up, physically capable of climbing a fireman-type ladder to get aboard the ship, and able to put on a survival suit in case of an emergency. All passengers must also have a passport, as there’s always the possibility of weather or mechanical issues forcing a stop in Canada.

To enter, visit www.freightertrip2020-ismalodge2.com to download the entry form and submit before the Jan. 31 drawing.

Kazmirzack is a freelance writer in Lansing, Michigan.

Port Huron Lodge No. 2 of the International Ship Masters’ Association raffle

Drawing date: Jan. 31

Grand prize: Roundtrip cruise for four adults aboard an Interlake Steamship Co. vessel

Second prize: Two-night stay at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island for two, plus roundtrip ferry ride

Third prize: Roundtrip transportation on the S.S. Badger car ferry between Michigan and Wisconsin for two passengers plus one automobile

Cost: $10 per ticket

To enter: www.freightertrip2020-ismalodge2.com