Boat Watchers Get Their Camera Back

If you enjoyed viewing footage from the Port Huron webcam, BoatNerd is happy to announce that it’s back! The original camera that streamed 24/7 from the top of the city’s municipal building went offline last winter when it failed due to age, but with help from city government, BoatNerd was able to replace the camera and give it an upgrade. The new camera will stream high definition footage for boat enthusiasts and those curious about the weather and water conditions.

According to BoatNerd, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting boat watching on The Great Lakes, the original camera went online in 2001 and was the most popular link on the BoatNerd.com links page with almost 750,000 clicks. When the camera failed, they were inundated with emails asking when it would return. Neil Schultheiss, a volunteer for BoatNerd who headed up the efforts to obtain a new camera, said, “The new camera was paid for from BoatNerd’s operating budget, with some of the money generated by a successful donation drive last fall. Part of those funds went to buy the new camera, installation costs, and recurring data charges.”

The new camera is now streaming 24/7 on YouTube at youtube.com/BoatNerd from atop the city’s municipal building complete with audio and a high definition picture. Schultheiss said he hopes this is the first of many such cameras. “We have two Detroit locations in the works and just have to overcome the technical details of providing enough bandwidth for the HD image. Any locations with a scenic BoatNerd-type view should contact us, we’d love to help get more cameras online.