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Trying to do a drive-through of maritime Maine in a few days is as futile as trying to tease town genealogy from its graffiti, but I’m a fool and I rush in.
It was 20-something years ago that I last saw this exhibit of generations of lobstering boats at Maine Maritime Museum.
Since then, MMM has installed this most effective display of a vessel built on the grounds, schooner Wyoming, the largest ever wooden ship, the last of 10 six-masters. For scale, note the workmen and the black pickup truck and yellow lift at the bow.
And from this site, if I rotate a quarter turn to the right, it’s BIW and the emerging DDG-1000 Zumwalt. Its namesake is this remarkable man.
Here’s the vessel and a fleet of Winslow tugs as seen from the Route 1 Bridge.
Prock Marine’s Marie hangs in the balance.
Rubbing shoulders with the brawn at the pier is the beauty Wagon Box.
Gimmick like the brass spheroids hanging from some pickups I’ve seen?
Hardly . . . it’s one of the few Amphicars.
Gladding & Hearn‘s 1980 academic tug Pentagoet heads back to the Castine.
Now if I can follow signs like these to reorient myself, I might get to Portland . . .
All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who may go a few days before posting again.
Quick update on National Maritime Day from Belfast, Maine. What got me here was this vessel, today a platform for tours between here and the Arctic mostly. Wanderbird started this stage of her life after fishing for 30 years, cod and herring. The shoes in the foreground reflect its origins . . . launched in 1963 as a beam trawler in Maassluis, Holland.
What enforces this sign is . . .
this. David put the specs up on yesterday’s post.
The “towed” vehicle will be observed from here.
Also on hand are Maine Maritime Academy vessels. Here’s tug Pentagoet, training vessel powered
by two sets of Detroit diesels. Note this is one set, two blocks mounted together.
And the wheelhouse . . . shows TLC.
Another MMA vessel is Ted, as in
Ted Nusunginya, revealing its previous Alaska work and soon to be renamed for an MMA alum. Vessel Ned is a classroom, a lab, in fact, for courses such as Navigation, Celestial Navigation . . . and more.
The pilot boat is
Florida built.
If you have a chance, you might fall in love with Belle fast.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
No . . not mine. It gives me ideas though. No . . . not Newport.
Ayup . . this is a clue.
For some of you, this is a giveaway.
Meet Atlantide, featured in this blog here three and a half years ago. Scroll through.
It’s Belfast, a place for restless feet to come for National Maritime Day. More tomorrow.
All fotos today by Will Van Dorp. More Fournier tugs soon.
San Juan Pilots see big waves while still inside the Bay.
These same huge rollers fail to discourage fishermen, but
sabalo . . . aka tarpon attract!
Midnight Coast is another short-sea shipper of containers.
That’s assist tugs Honcho and Handy-Three with tanker Freja Taurus.
Pelicans perch in trees for plume-maintenance after doing
dives like this and
adding a splash to stun prey.
Time to move back to the sixth boro, but Puerto Rico . . . I’ll be back.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
If I read the history right, Columbus landed on the big island in November 1493 (second voyage) and called the island San Juan Bautista. Less than two decades later (1509), a settlement happened here and the called Puerto Rico. Somehow, in the intervening years, the island name and this port name got reversed. Anyone know when that happened?
Anyhow, this breezy ridge . . . topped by NPS-run El Morro is stunning. Approaching the entrance to the harbor formerly known as “Rich port” is a frequently vessel in NYC
Conrad S. Note her port history in that link.
Hardly hidden away between two cruise ships is a Crowley barge. Dark hull on the right is Disney Fantasy.
1812 . . . means one historical narrative up in New York, but
in San Juan . . . it has other associations, which have brought Galeon la Pepa to port.
Carnival Glory was getting some
port maintenance.
Nord Setouchi was at the dock as was
For today, one more short-haul container carrier with a fantastic name, Sky Seal.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
How did this cat gain its rotundity?
What creatures besides cats occupy waterfronts round the world?
Recognize this ovoid?
And when this vessel leaves port . . .
and heads for sea,
the cats are satisfied. Save a gato . . . .
Here‘s an article on the felines. Click here for info on “save a gato.” Scroll through to see a foto of the creature on the stern of the Disney ship. All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
Here’s the entrance to San Juan Bay . . . Freja Taurus passing the #2 red under rain driven by 15+ knot wind out of the north.
OK . . . Elizabeth snapped this foto . . . that’s my “focused” look as I huddle–like the ghost of a century-ago Spanish soldier– out of the rain behind the bottom level of El Morro.
Here’s the aforepromised foto of Beth M. McAllister (ex-YTB-805), three years and two months younger than the sixth boro’s own Ellen McAllister. Both Beth and Ellen were built in Wisconsin.
Don Raul came out of an Ohio shipyard exactly five years ago . . . now operating for Borinken Towing and Salvage . . .
drifting in and
towing a fuel barge.
Getting back to the first two fotos, once inside, Handy Three takes Freja Taurus‘ bow.
OK . . . another view of Beth at the dock.
PRT’s Triton (ex-AT-77) is a 72-year-old Texas-built workhorse, just recently involved in the rescue of ex-Smit Rotterdam . . . foto later in this post.
And here’s my quite-poor foto of ex-Smit Rotterdam. . . . now called Global Destiny. Here’s more story on the rescue that brought Global Destiny into San Juan harbor. She’s since headed south and east, but I really wish I’d caught this monster headed out the mouth of the Bay past El Morro.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
Unrelated . . . here’s a foto of a Smit tug in the sixth boro of NYC a few decades back with a quite famous tow called Peking.
OK . . I stole am borrowing the title from what I’d call a “must-read” book by John McPhee . . . from two decades back. But this small boat, identified
here–double click–is
doing just that, no matter the stormy weather.
See the pilot boat here . . . approaching the incoming container ship, which is looking for a port.
The pilot boat descends into a trough starboard the vessel, SS El Morro. . . . Sun Shipbuilding launched . . . 1974. See hull # 666. Here it approaches its namesake. . . .
where–standing off a sentry box–aka–una garita waits Honcho, a 1975 tug, also looking for a ship, along with
its newest fleetmate, Handy Three. By the way, does anyone have a foto of Handy Three passing through New York City . . . the sixth boro . . . late last spring on its maiden voyage between Cleveland and San Juan?
If so, please get in touch . . see email along upper left.
All fotos yesterday by Will Van Dorp, in the last half hour before catching a ride back to NYC . . . aka the sixth boro.
. . . although bridge shipping might be more accurate. Mostly pics for now, as I’ve no time for research other than eyes. As night falls and with aerial pelican support . . . Norma H II.
. . . and waterborne pelicans.
Dawn with Midnight Wolf.
At the entrance of San Juan harbor . . notice the tiny fishing boat beyond Wolf.
Even earlier at dawn . . Sabre Spirit.
At dusk . . . Midnight Stone. . .
and Commander.
And finally . . . a mother ship, and not-so-short sea shipping . . . it’s Navigator towing San Juan – Jax Bridge . . . as night fell last night.
The tow gets an assist from Beth McAllister. More Beth soon.
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A few weeks ago I saw a burst container coming into the KVK. Repair it? Maybe . . .
Otherwise . . . repurpose it. Or just keep one that brings a shipment. Office needed? I got it.
Put some fronds here and there. Throw on some netting . . .
and you could be in business . . . literally.
Here’s a bar conversion . . . with shade.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp . . . on Vieques.
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