GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – It was a close call, but by mere inches, the Bluenose II managed to eke under the Leo Frigo bridge on Thursday afternoon to enter the port of Green Bay.
The Bluenose II, sailing out of Nova Scotia, Canada, actually arrived in the area Wednesday evening ahead of Tall Ships in Green Bay.
But record lake levels combined with a sudden surge of additional water from a seiche meant other plans were needed.
“We actually had them dock out at one of the commercial docks on the other side of the bridge and fill up completely with fuel so they could sit a little lower in the water. And then from what I understand they were out in the bay for at least a day really monitoring the water levels and seeing when is best time to come under the bridge,” says Holly Williams, the Tall Ships Green Bay event director with PMI Entertainment.
And just after noon Thursday, the captain and crew made that call and the ship crept under the Leo Frigo.
The Bluenose II is the tallest of the tall ships arriving for this year’s Tall Ships in Green Bay — the main mast rises nearly 125 feet from the deck.
Because of that the ship’s captain, Phil Watson, says her masts are a constant consideration.
“That whole mast height for us begins in Montreal coming up the St Lawrence River. We’re too tall to get up the St. Lawrence Seaway. We’re too tall to get through the Welland Canal. We’re too tall to get into Bay City. We’re too tall to come into here,” says Watson. “So it’s something that we look at in every port.”
Ultimately, Captain Watson estimates they cleared the bridge by just eight inches.
And it’s a good thing they waited, too.
That seiche, the sudden swell of water into the mouth of the Fox River and lower Green Bay, was caused by consistent and strong northeasterly winds from a thunderstorm over the northern bay.
The winds just push all the water and pile it up into the south end of the Bay.
Wednesday evening, at 6:20 PM, the mouth of the Fox River was measured at 583.24 feet above sea level.
Just an hour later, that seiche had pushed that level up by nearly 23 inches.
Thankfully for the Bluenose II, that water then left nearly as quickly as it arrived.
Around 12:30 PM Thursday as the ship went under the Leo Frigo, the levels had dropped more than 23 inches from their peak the evening before.
Considering the Bluenose II cleared the bridge by just 8 inches, it’s a good thing they were able to wait out the seiche.
Captain Watson says they will also have to watch the water levels just as closely on the way out on Monday as they did on the way in.
And if the water doesn’t cooperate, they may end up having to stay a little longer than anticipated.
