By Chris Winters

Captain Ron Brezinski signs off…  S.S. WILFRED SYKES, tying up at Fincanteri Bay Shipbuilding, January 16, 2005. This photo was taken on Brezinski’s final morning in the window after a 32-year sailing career with the Inland Steel fleet. A native of Kewaunee, Wisconsin, Ski was a third-generation lake sailor from a busy carferry port–his great uncle, Joseph Brezinski, was one of the deck officers lost in the sinking of the Pere Marquette 18 on Lake Michigan in 1910. After a year on the beach, Ski returned to sailing as master of Grand River’s newly-acquired “Maritimer” MANISTEE and retired for keeps in 2013. Ski passed over the bar on June 10, 2023, with his “darling bride” Sandy and beloved dog Ryerson at his side.

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The WILFRED SYKES was built in 1949 at Lorain, Ohio, by the American Ship Building Co. for the Inland Steel Co.  Her namesake was the President of Inland Steel.  She measured 661.1 feet in length, 70.2 feet in beam and 32.3 in depth. Construction of the SYKES marked the first building of bulk freighters in an American yard since the group of 16 carriers launched in 1942 and 1943 were completed. She is currently owned by Central Marine Logistics.

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Chris Winters is a Trustee of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society, a well-known author and has been a photojournalist for over 25 years.  He and his cameras have enjoyed a privileged glimpse into the lives of merchant mariners aboard some of the Great Lakes best-known and best-loved vessels.