ISMA Concludes 135th Annual Convention

The 135th annual convention of the International Ship Masters’ Association (ISMA), held in Alpena, Michigan, concluded on Saturday, February 1, 2025.

Newly-elected officers were installed on Friday, January 31:

• Grand President: Patrick W. Hart of Rogers City, Michigan
• Grand 1st Vice President: Christopher J. Edyvean of Hurley, Wisconsin
• Grand 2nd Vice President: Paul C. LaMarre III of Newport, Michigan
• Grand Secretary-Treasurer: Thomas Foster, of Kingston, Ontario

ISMA encourages the development of new licensed maritime officers by offering annual scholarships. This year’s recipients were:

• Erin Carey, cadet from Great Lakes International Marine Training Centre, Owen Sound, Ontario.
• Jeff Jaeger, cadet from Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Traverse City, Michigan.
• Tyler Giblin, hawsepipe officer candidate from Millersville, Maryland.

At its discretion, ISMA bestows awards recognizing mariners for their roles in at-sea rescue and other acts of heroism on the waters of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway.  The crew of Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry Wyandotte received the Grand President's Award for rescuing two people and a dog near Mackinac Island on August 9, 2024.

The crew of the J.W. Westcott Company of Detroit received the Grand President’s Award for a rescue in which Captain Neil Schultheiss and deckhand JC Sharp saved a man who was attempting to swim from Windsor to Detroit on September 23, 2024. 

At the convention, ISMA members heard from a variety of industry and government representatives and received updates on current issues facing mariners and the maritime industry. Since its beginning in 1886, ISMA has utilized its members’ professional experience in a cooperative role with the US and Canadian Coast Guards and various other maritime organizations to promote safety on the Great Lakes and Seaway.