Wow! We have reached our Twitter 2021 Freighter Frenzy Finals. What a journey it has been. This year’s final matchup will take place on Friday with polling open for 48 hours.

The Wilfred Sykes won the 2020 contest and has made her way back to the finals. She will face her stiffest competition yet in the Arthur M. Anderson.

The 2021 Freighter Frenzy Final Four round proved to be the hardest challenges the Sykes and Anderson have faced yet. Both vessels had their closest contests of the year. For the Sykes it was the closest matchup she has ever had, and for the Anderson, it was her first contest that wasn’t considered a blowout.

The finals expect to be a nail-biter of epic proportions. If there is a tie when voting ends on Sunday, a 24 hour overtime round will take place. Which freighter do you think will win? Be sure to follow along to our Twitter account as we crown our 2021 Freighter Frenzy champion.

Want to see more freighters featured in the 2022 contest and the field expanded? Help us by sharing your favorite freighter’s photos with us on FacebookInstagramPinterest, and Twitter! We will continue collecting ourselves. Our goal is to have five-seven really good, high-quality photos of a freighter to put them in the competition.


It’s hard to believe, but we are already on to Round 3 of our prestigious Freighter Frenzy Twitter-ran tournament! Our “Elite Freight” is set, and voting begins Thursday, March 18. Once the dust settles, we’ll know our Final Four by the end of the weekend. Here is how we got here.

Round 3 of the 2021 #FreighterFrenzy will be taking place March 18-19 with voting open for 48 hours.

Our first two rounds of this year’s tournament have been nothing short of spectacular. So far, 1,698 votes have been casts propelling eight freighters into our quarterfinals.

In our top right bracket we have the rematch of the century set to take place. The Wilfred Sykes and Roger Blough competed in the inaugural championship round last year. Will the Blough avenge its defeat or will the Sykes sail into the Final Four? The Sykes has defeated the American Integrity and Calumet while receiving 80.7% and 73.2% of the votes in its two matchups so far. Likewise, the Blough has had smooth sailing holding off challenges from American Century and Cason J. Callaway while securing 84.9% and 70.8% of the votes.

The Kaye E. Barker has defeated the Edgar B. Speer and Edwin H. Gott by winning 57.8% and 68% of the votes cast in Rounds 1 and 2. The Lee A. Tregurtha looks to return to the Final Four for the second year in a row. She has so far been unchallenged, having defeated the American Mariner 91.5% to 8.5% and the Presque Isle 77.4% to 22.6%.

It may not be a surprised that the Edmund Fitzgerald has made her way to Round 3, but it may be surprising that she’s faced stiff competition. Her next opponent was in the Final Four last year, the Stewart J. Cort. The Fitz has held off the Saginaw and Joseph L. Block. She received 67.9% of the vote and 62.5% respectively. Meanwhile, “Stubby” has beaten the Maumee and fleet mate Mesabi Miner so far, winning 83.1% and 67.6% of the votes.

And finally, our last matchup this round pits two freighters looking to make their first Final Four appearance against one another. While the Paul R. Tregurtha may be the Queen of the Lakes, no freighter has received as much support as the Arthur M. Anderson thus far. The Anderson has defeated the Great Lakes Trader 93.9% – 6.1% and her twin the Philip R. Clarke 90% – 10%. Big Paulie has fared well against two classic steamers. She’s moved past the Ojibway 67.9% – 32.1% and past the Alpena at a similar margin, 67.5%-32.5%.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter to participate! Let us know which freighters you would like to see in the 2022 edition of Freighter Frenzy! If you want to help us expand our bracket to 64 and include more classic steamers, salties, Canadian icons, etc. send us your best photos to use!


It has been said to be the most prestigious competition in all of Great Lakes freighter enthusiasts Twitter ran tournaments taking place during the month of March and early April. The second annual Sault Ste. Marie Freighter Frenzy will be launching Friday, March 5 and pit 32 esteemed lakers against one another.

The premise is eerily similar to a large college basketball tournament taking place during roughly the same time frame. Two freighters tee off in matchups with the winner moving on while the loser takes their ball and goes home until 2022. Fans vote for their vessel of choice on our Twitter account’s accompanying posts.

The prize on the line? Drumroll, please… to be the featured image on our Twitter account’s profile picture for a whole year. Whether you’re a 1,013 ft. Queen of the Lake or a 600 ft. ship with Olympian pedigree, this is an honor unlike any other.

Nearly all of last year’s field returns to the fray, including our 2020 Freighter Frenzy Champion, the Wilfred Sykes, along with a slew of fan-requested freighters. So how will this year’s competition unfold? Check out the bracket below.

NOTE: There was a schedule change on 3/4/21. Matchups will predominantly take place Wednesday-Friday now.

Remember, voting is done via polls on Twitter. So make sure you follow us at @VisitTheSault! You don’t want to miss the boat on this year’s Freighter Frenzy. Don’t have a Twitter? Sign up! It’s quick and entertaining. Want to vote twice? Make a burner account! Everyone does it eventually anyways. But if you do enjoy the tournament, make sure to favorite and Retweet our Freighter Frenzy posts. And join the conversation with the hashtag #FreighterFrenzy.  

Last year’s inaugural tourney saw 24 legendary freighters tip-off and madness ensured. It ran from March 11 until April 3 and featured the 13 1,000 ft. freighters and 11 crowd favorites.

Our Elite Freight, Final Four and Final rounds managed to draw interests from nearly 100 voters. This year our goal is to have 200 people voting in our final round.

Do you have a favorite freighter that sails past Sault Ste. Marie? Let us know by tagging photos and posts with #ilovethesoo on your social media so we can share in the fun! For more information on Great Lakes freighters and the Soo Locks be sure to follow us on FacebookInstagramPinterest, and Twitter