Kinsman Closeup

Kinsman Independent in the MacArthur Lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in June, 1992. A close-up view of the deck of a Classic Laker.

The Independent--originally the Charles L. Hutchinson, and later the Ernest R. Breech--was never a big boat, but she was fairly typical of all lakes boats when she was new. By 1992, she was 40 years old and nearly the last of her breed; she'd been superceded by larger boats, and lived in the niches the big boats couldn't service.


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Yes, I know she's technically a ship; she's 642 feet long, 67 feet wide, and can run aground if the water's less than 35 feet deep. For some reason, it's the local fashion to call these large vessels "boats." Not sure why, but the key is that they live on the Lakes. I have always called 'em boats, and likely will continue to do so.