Goderich, Ont. 'top hat' ceremony marks largely ice-free Great Lakes

Capt. Mark Rice said it’s an honour to get to wear Goderich’s ‘top hat,’ which is awarded to the captain of the first ship to dock in Goderich’s port each spring.

“I like these old traditions. I’d heard about the hat before. It’s certainly a nice way for the Port of Goderich to start their shipping season every year. It’s kind of fun,” said Rice.

Rice’s barge Spartan is dropping off liquid salt in Goderich, carried over from Michigan.

The Spartan’s arrival comes a week earlier than last year’s ship, thanks primarily to one of the mildest, most ice-free winters in many years.

“There just isn’t as much ice accumulation this year. The Mackinac Strait, as an example, is wide open. There has been a warm up, for sure. But, I don’t think we should think next year couldn’t be just as hard a winter, from say, 10 years ago,” said Rice.

Normally there would be approximately 25 per cent ice coverage on Lake Huron at this time of year — today there’s less than 1 per cent.

'Spartan,' a ship that carries liquid salt, was the first ship into Goderich, Ont.'s port for the 2024 shipping season on March 25, 2024. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

Rice said shipping in the area only goes as far as the Welland Canal will allow ships such as his to go.

“The shipping season never shuts down completely. On Lake Michigan, you will see a couple of different vessels moving around, but nobody will go further than the Welland Canal or Port Colborne because the canal locks. [The] St. Lawrence Seaway and Welland Canal typically close Dec. 24, and don’t open again until the spring,” he explained.

As the first ship into Goderich, Rice gets to sign his name in the ‘top hat,’ just like the previous 92 captains have since the tradition began in 1932.

“Shipping is important to the Town of Goderich. Imports and exports. It creates revenue for our town, so we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to show it’s importance, and hopefully, in our future, is a port expansion,” explained Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet.

More ports means the race for Goderich’s ‘top hat’ may only intensify in years to come.