Circum Staten Island

Working Harbor Committee (WHC) yesterday offered their first-ever trip around Staten Island;  tickets sold out fast.  Next circum with them:  next year.  Next trip with them:  August 18 and then the tug race.  I’ll post about the trip along the so-called “NJ inner coast” for the next few days.

A highlight for me was seeing the inimitable Nicole Leigh, one of Reinauer’s 7200 hp behemoths, also known to some as camera platform for some fantastic video of his rig moving with total control at a virtual 200+ knots. Here’s nytugmaster’s entire YouTube oeuvre to date.

Coming through Port Reading Reach, I saw Sandmaster–first time ever–out of the notch.   Sandmaster in notch was here the last foto here.

Southbound on Outerbridge Reach, we met Anacostia, another first for me.

Anacostia, four months since launch, is Vane’s most recent Patapsco-class tug.  More of that class soon.

Just south of Outerbridge Crossing, we passed Pati T Moran.  Outerbridge is named for Eugenius Outerbridge;  the fact that it’s geographically descriptive is entirely coincidental.

After a quick dash across Raritan Bay, we cut inside Swinburne Island as Duncan Island approached the Narrows.

Once in upper Bay, we encountered Charles McAllister and Ellen McAllister assisting CSAV Moema bound for sea.  More CSAV history here as well as a gallery of Panama Canal tugs here.

More inner coast soon.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.  Many thanks to Working Harbor Committee for their efforts.

Tugster Gets Had

I’ve seen this odd upper wheelhouse and failed to identify the tug–obscured behind a barge– so many times I put the question it raises out of mind.  The question:  how come I never see tugs with such a “stalk” light?

But yesterday in Raritan Bay I had my chance to make an identification:  Bruce A. McAllister, house raised high.

But I also had this winter shot of Bruce A. , house retracted.

And Bruce A. yesterday, close-up of the stalk.

Now the same about Marjorie B?  Here she lies alongside gantry-craned bulker Sun Suma

and a close-up.

Which brings us back to this foto.  Is this Marjorie B?

This blog is–in part– about seeing, and I’ve have many instances of my looking and looking but just not seeing.  Thanks to all who help me see, without which assistance I would be had.

So .. . which other McAllister boats have the periscope house:  Justine?  Sisters?  Rowan?  Girls?

Insight and first and last fotos here thanks to Joel Milton.  All other fotos by Will Van Dorp.