The five Great Lakes, their connecting channels and the St. Lawrence River extend 3,700 kilometres, from the Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, Minnesota. Together, they make up one of the longest deep-draft inland navigation systems in the world. Every year, from March to December, the ships plying these waters transport more than 160 million tons of cargo. The complexities of navigating these waters requires special skill and that’s where the pilots of the Cornwall-based Great Lakes Pilotage Authority (GLPA) come in. One of these pilots is 31-year-old Eric Lemire, a Cornwall native and one of the organization’s youngest hires.
How did you train for this unique position?
I took a four-year program at the Institut maritime du Québec in Rimouski. It was six semesters and 12 months of apprentice officer sea time. I’m now certified to work as a navigation officer on any type and size of ship anywhere in the world.
What was your first real work experience?
I worked for a shipping company, mostly on bulkers and tankers on the Great Lakes and Canadian East Coast. Bulkers carry salt, steel, and grain. Tankers carry gas, diesel and jet fuel. I spent several months living and working on the ship.
What came next?
For five years, I worked on the Great Lakes and East Coast, and in the Canadian Arctic for another company. During that time, I wrote the Transport Canada exams to update my certificate to work as first officer and captain. Then in 2016, I was hired by GLPA as a pilot for the Cornwall District which runs from Snell Locks in Massena, NY to St. Lambert, QC.
What’s your work schedule?
I work two weeks on, one week off, and I’m on call during my work weeks. If ship traffic is heavy, I do roughly 20 assignments [work trips] per month. If it’s slow, I do about 10. I get a call two hours before a ship arrives at the locks and it’s go time. A driver brings me to the locks, I work my shift, anywhere from four-and-a-half to five-and-a-half hours, and when I’m done, he takes me home.
What’s the worst part of your job?
Stress and fatigue!
What’s the best thing?
I love that every single trip is different. One day I might be working on a tanker, the other on a bulker. Sometimes it’s a small cruise ship or an American or Canadian Coast Guard ship. The traffic is never the same and neither is the weather. It’s never, ever boring. I love that!
Illustration: James Lapierre/ArtWorks Studio
