An Invitation to Gales of November

Please consider this a personal invitation to our members and friends to the 22nd Annual Gales of November event scheduled for November 6th and 7th.  In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the St. Lawrence Seaway, LSMMA is co-hosting the Gales of November at the DECC with the Duluth Seaway Port Authority and longtime sponsors Lake Superior Magazine and Grandma’s Restaurants.  We have selected a roster of speakers to capture the interest of divers, boat and shipwreck enthusiasts and those who find our heritage enchanting. The exhibitor hall and luncheons will also capture attendees’ interests with what they’ve grown to love. 

The list of speakers continues to grow.  Friday, November 6th Stephen Burnett of the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition is our featured speaker at the joint Propeller Club luncheon at Grandma’s Sports Garden discussing, “A World of Cruising”.  Cruising on the Great Lakes is now one of the fastest growing tourist destinations around.  Following Stephen’s presentation, we will offer additional presentations this year.  The staff and volunteer crew of the S. S. Meteor have also agreed to open the ship to our participants for guided tours Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. 

Lake Superior Magazine has generously offered to sponsor our Friday evening Gala here at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center to all registered Gales participants.  This is an evening attended by speakers, exhibitors, and participants who share in our gathering to celebrate and explore our maritime heritage. 

Saturday hosts another full day of presentations with registration opening at 8 a.m.  Wes Harkins and Davis Helberg will present many of Wes’s photos throughout the years recording the history of our seaway and the development of our port.  Rus Hurt, another presenter who worked on the boats, will show photos about the men and women who worked during the winter seasons of shipping.  Jon Janzen and Jon Scoles will share the work they put into the Carl D. Bradley Bell Exchange.  Sharon Cook’s presentation offers her tenacity into researching the wreck of the Lady Elgin and the tracing of her ancestor’s in that tragedy.  Of course many of our expert presenters will return again this year.

Saturday’s featured luncheon speaker, Valerie van Heest, Director of Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates and a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame  reviews slides and images from her newly released book, “Buckets and Belts: Evolution of the Great Lakes Self Unloaders”. Join Valerie as she traces over a century of innovative technological advancements in the conveying of bulk cargos from the Hennepin’s conversion to a self-unloader in 1902 to today’s mammoth thousand-foot long lakers.

The exhibitor’s hall will continue to draw participants from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Preservation Society, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation, many of our presenters, local merchants and resource specialists like Lake Superior Magazine and Northern Lights Books & Gifts.  The hall is open throughout the day for browsing and conversation and will be the area to host the drawing of the Cruise of a Lifetime Raffle donated by the Great Lakes Fleet.  The awarding of silent auction and raffle ticket winners will also be handled in the exhibitor’s hall.

Grandma’s Restaurants has generously offered to sponsor our Saturday evening Wrap Up Social which will be held upstairs of Grandma’s Saloon & Grill for the speakers, participants and exhibitors to have time to unwind and review the discussions offered throughout the Gales of November event.

For more details and to register for the Gales of November event (meals must be ordered by November 5th), please continue checking the additional sections we have for Gales, drop into the LSMMA office in the lower level of the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Canal Park or telephone 218-727-2497.