Three vessels at the roundup this year appeared there for the first time . . well sort of. The red one, aka Augie, was in fact there for the first time. The other . . . on the left, Frances, has been there before but with very different appearance.
Here’s a closeup of Augie, who first made a show here and here.
The surprise newcomer at the roundup this year was Wendy B, but with a bit of search, I’ve found this blog about here journey from Toronto to DC seven years ago, by the previous owners.
Click here for the specs at the time of her last sale. Talking with the owners, I learned she was delayed in the sixth boro–on her recent northward passage–by the 4th of July 2012 fireworks. Does anyone recall seeing her in town? Here are my fotos of the spectacular illuminations that day.
Here’s Augie, nestled up to Cornell, in current colors.
When I saw Frances this weekend, I first assumed I was looking at Margot, currently working on Lake Ontario.
Here’s how Frances looked two years ago.
I’m enthusiastic to see Frances (1957) covered in new paint that just exudes vitality. Soon she’ll be working like Margot, her one-year-younger sister.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
Unrelated but thanks to Barbara for sending this link along: South Street Seaport in the news.
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September 12, 2012 at 12:44 am
HT
Good to see the Margot and the Frances still out there, I worked on both years ago as a deckhand. Back then they were the candy boats,and were considered the pride of the fleet…when Moran ran the Margot and Turecamo had the Frances.It does bring back some good memories,thanks Wil !
September 12, 2012 at 6:08 am
David Hindin
Old FRANCES wih a new (restored?) house?
Just trying to reconcile the photos.
September 12, 2012 at 7:14 am
tugster
hi david– might you be assuming that frances’ house is made of wood? turecamo had a convention of painting their steel houses to imitate wood grain. here (https://tugster.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/waterford-tugboat-roundup-d/) in fotos 5 and 6 here you see how the steel house of frances looked. so, yes . . . there is repair/refurbishing happening with frances, but the transformation of the house is simple prep and paint.
September 12, 2012 at 7:37 am
eastriver
It’s a retractable pilothouse, I think… retracted in the wood-grain shot, extended in the new-paint shot.
September 12, 2012 at 7:55 am
David Hindin
“hi david– might you be assuming that frances’ house is made of wood?”



No sir. You have already implied that FRANCES and MARGOT are sisters.
In this post look at the configuration of the (high) house on MARGOT
and FRANCES two years ago (low house, clearly different)
Then look at the house in your latest photo of FRANCES with the new paint and apparently restored high house. More like MARGOT
See also:
http://tugboatinformation.com/tug.cfm?id=1859
see image 2, “Pictured as: the Frances Turecamo (Moran Towing Corporation)”
with original high house.
Forgive me for high house and low house. There are better ways of describing this.
September 12, 2012 at 8:06 am
David Hindin
Crossed posts with eastriver. Someone please verify a retractable pilothouse
September 12, 2012 at 9:09 am
tugster
david– check what happens with the house in the second half of the video (last foto in the post) starting from about :55 seconds. https://tugster.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/waterford-tugboat-roundup-d/ a number of tugs that used to operate on the erie canal and other such plces have retractable houses.
September 12, 2012 at 10:24 am
eastriver
Hi, David — image 2 in the link you cite shows the pilothouse completely extended. Primer paint job in this image makes it easy to see the seam where the “casing” meets the pilothouse.
Here’s Frances with the house only part-way up: http://citynoise.org/upload/37765.jpg.
Moran’s James Turecamo has the same arrangement, though working in the sixth borough makes leaving the house “up” preferable. She’s “house down” in these launching pix: http://tugboatinformation.com/sp.cfm?id=63, and pretty much “house-up” everywhere else you might look.
September 12, 2012 at 1:55 pm
David Hindin
“Retractable house”, “house up”, “house down”…
Eastriver and Will, thanks for the tutorial.