STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – In the Sturgeon Bay Shipping Channel, signs of the season are starting to appear.
The 1,000-foot-long freighter Edgar B. Speer arrived on Saturday, and on Tuesday, the 678-foot-long Wilfred Sykes slowly crept its way toward Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay.
The vessels gather at the shipyard for repairs and other maintenance work.
“It’s just fun to watch them come through the canal, and to go down to Bullhead Point, and by Graham Park. It’s just fun to watch them go through the bridges,” said Sandra Simonar of Sturgeon Bay.
Simonar tells FOX 11 she looks forward to the ships’ arrival every year.
And Sturgeon Bay Visitor Center Marketing Director Carly Sarkis tells FOX 11 the “Winter Fleet” is popular and worth promoting.
“When people think of Door County, they don’t think of coming up here in the winter, and we’re trying to change that. This poster we’ve had all season, and we’ve been giving out to visitors as they come in. So we’ve had people take as many as 5 or 6 for their families, So this is just a shot of the 2019 winter fleet.”
This vessel-viewing season is still young, and work on the ships is just beginning. Sarkis hopes people will brave the cold, and experience what they call a Door County gem.
“They’re amazing ships. To see a thousand-foot freighter come in, and all the work that goes into repairing that. It makes you very thankful for the shipbuilding community here in Sturgeon Bay.”.
Sandra Simonar agrees.
“I think it’s great, and everybody enjoys coming up to Sturgeon Bay to see them. And a lot of people never have the opportunity,” Simonar said.
There are about a dozen ships scheduled to arrive this season. They will be in Sturgeon Bay until March.
