N . . . nudge. A little touch goes a long way, especially on low-gravity days. Marjorie B. McAllister nudges self-unloading bulker Atlantic Superior away from the dock where Alice sometimes offloads.
Margaret Moran tails MSC Ancona, ready to drive the stern to starboard for the bend in the KVK. Is that graffiti on the base of the mustard-colored stack?
Miriam Moran shadows Carnival Miracle, white sheet in place on the bow fendering, in case the passenger vessel needs a smither of propelling as she eases into the dock.
Jennifer Turecamo and Turecamo Boys follow MSC Dartford, ready to check any adverse momentum (aka drift?) rounding Bergen Point.
Gramma Lee T. Moran trails Ever Refine, lest some thrust is called for.
Marie Turecamo, wedged under the flaring bow of MSC Endurance, stands by to shove as needed to keep the hull in the channel.
Nudge . . . I can do do it; as I can guide or shove. And . . I need nudges myself sometimes, maybe even often. Of course, many gradations of pressure–lateral or longitudinal– exist from almost imperceptible to measurable on the Richter scale. It’s been a bunch of decades since I last shoved someone with testosterone rage. Nudges may range from super-tactile to mildly-so to verbal to even non-verbals. Non-verbals are my favorite, although I’m as fond of mock-combat as the next randy boy, so shove me if you wish; just keep a smile on your face, and don’t be surprised if I shove you back. Oh . . . and you’re near water . . . soft wet landings make me jolly. Nudge when it’s consensual . . like the 1980’s dance called the “bump.” Nudging and bumping have their place; it could never happen here though, atop the future pedestrian bridge in Poughkeepsie.
But then again, I’m jollier when we just team up with no nudging required.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
tugster: a waterblog 
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July 24, 2009 at 6:44 pm
paulB
We always called the area with the hoses a ‘hose rack’ or ‘manifold.’ Which hose gets hooked up with what is based on the cargo type, which shoreside tank it’s destined for, and, more rarely, the size of the connection available on the ship.
As for the drafts, it’s best to look at the size of the ships- the Stena performance is probably a handymax, or just barely a medium-sized product carrier. The Eagle ships are suexmax crude carriers. A draft load of the Stena Performance might load her to 34 feet draft. The Eagle ships will be closer to 45-50 foot draft. It’s all relative… plus, NY might not have been the first stop for discharging cargo. The Eagle ships sometimes pick up diesel to backload to their foreign loadports. It’s hard to say what’s happening without talking to the guys on board…