Like Groundhog Day 4

Note:  See Blue Marlin herself in drydock in Korea here.

Day 19 . . . for Blue Marlin in the sixth boro.  I arrive at my new vantage point at 7:11 a.m.  John Reinauer is already tied in, forward starboard side.

Dean floats in nose to John.  Samantha holds Janice Ann in the foreground left.

Am I wrong in imagining the Miller folks have blue helmets and the Marlin crew, white?

Once Dean is strapped in, Samatha hands Janice off to Catherine, who brings her around the starboard side.

Count’em:  five ex-Reinauer boats and five Miller boats.

Small tugs Gabby and TJ Miller serve as sidethrusters to Catherine‘s fore and aft power on Curtis.

By now it’s 8:25 a.m., time to

float in Maverick, who had been first on in the two previous attempts.

At 8:46, Craig Eric Reinauer, the size that has rendered these smaller boats obsolete, passes.

Maverick is lassoed and inched into place as Resolute stops by to watch.  Blue Marlin must be the most photogenic and curiosity-arousing vessel in the harbor in a bit.

By now, Blue Marlin–the model who cannot remain motionless–has spun around with the flood tide as container vessel Atlantic Companion sails in.

By 10:00 all tugs are roughly in place, and I need to mosey on before Blue Marlin rises.  Barges will float on another day, I’m told.

Can you make out the name on the escutcheon of the tanker?  Sea Marlin!    Before this saga ends, we may have a school of marlin in the harbor.  All I can say is . . . keep them off the road:  where AMC Marlin appear, there might be Barracuda, Tarpon and  Gremlin right behind.

All fotos above by Will Van Dorp.  Got good pics of Blue Marlin?  The one below comes thanks to John McCluskey.

This just in with thanks to John Skelson . . .  a foto of four of five tugs high and dry as of this afternoon.  Many thanks, John and John.

Groundhog Day 5 soon?