Rebuilt wharf provides 'unique' St. Joseph Island experience

Boat nerds and just ordinary folks now have a 24-hour attraction at the C Line Wharf in Sailors Encampment.

An upgraded, larger wharf has been constructed with new picnic tables, parking and interpretive signs to improve the visitor experience. Guests are now able to scan a simple QR code to view a real time map of large shipping vessels moving through the St. Mary’s Channel system, and find out when the next big ship will be coming through, a news release says.

Time your visit right and you can see these Great Lakes giants up close and in action. The St. Joseph Island Historical Society and Maria Smith provided information and photographs depicting the history of the area for the new signs.

Significant damage had been done to the existing wharf due to extraordinarily high water in 2019 and 2020. This presented both a challenge and an opportunity. Funding applications were made and the Township of St. Joseph received funding from FedNor.

"This is a great place to direct visiting friends and family to take in a unique St. Joseph Island experience in a beautiful location. If you’d like to plan your visit in advance just visit www.boatnerd.com and click on vessel locations to see a real-time map of all shipping traffic on the great lakes," said the release.