How about those Ice Breakers…
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sure is fun to watch as the Coast Guard as well as local tugboats with reinforced bows attack the ice to open the harbor earlier to allow for early shipping. They hit the ice hard, crawl up on top of it, and then crush through it. Then they back up and hit it all over again. They sure take a beating! Just think of the communication that has to be constantly updated between the vessels when they are ushering a 1000 foot ore boat out of the harbor. I can only guess they all are using VHF Marine Radios almost exclusively. Nothing like having good, clear communication when faced with close encounters while breaking a path through the ice for another vessel!