Winter Layup

Winter Layup. The Fleet During its “Down Time”. Shipping on the Great Lakes has always been seasonal. Poor visibility, heavy seas and ice that arrive each year with the gales of November prompted 19th-century ship owners and captains to “lay up” their ships and take them out of active service for the winter. Critical navigation buoys were pulled out until the spring thaw as winter ice choked docks and harbors, preventing vessels from entering or leaving the port. , During the winter layup, sailors repaired and maintained their vessels. Plumbing was drained; drains were plugged; lifeboats and deck equipment were covered; and lines and tackle were removed. Shipboard machinery was dismantled, inspected and repaired. The iced-over river allowed crewmen the opportunity to caulk the hull planking of wooden vessels, an activity usually requiring time in dry dock. Sailors also found plenty of work maintaining the miles of rigging on each vessel. Much “winter work” actually took place in early spring, when the waterfront came alive with the bustle of fitting out for the new season. , Locally owned ships lined Alpena’s docks each winter from the 1870s through the early 20th century. Lumber steamers and their tow barges lay on both sides of the Thunder Bay River, while harbor tugs found space among them or in bayfront slips. Pleasure boats were pulled out on land. After 1910, the layup fleet consisted primarily of fishing vessels and private yachts.