Other Watersheds 15

Quick . . . name the fourth largest port in Florida?  The answer is here.  And I’ve long wanted to visit it, and my our good fortune is that recently friends–Allan and Sally–who are excellent photographers did, and here are some they share.   Click here for a photo of Cangarda they took and here for some of disintegrating ferry Binghamton.

The closest thing to Betty K VI in the sixth boro is Grey Shark.  And once I noticed Lygra, but only once.  Betty K VI–built in then-Serbia in 1988– measures barely over 200 ‘ loa.

About the same size but Danish-built in 1974, La Flecha.  She was originally Patricia S, changed in 1985 to Patricia Star, 1992 to Patricia S, 1993 to Sea Chariot, 1994 to Patricia Star, and 1998 to Sara Express, when it became La Flecha!  I wonder what the real stories are.

Ditto the much changed but inadequately painted Borocho, although I had to look

to the bow to decipher that. Borocho is even smaller than two previous, built in Japan by Honda Heavy Industries in 1977.   She was originally Yamato Maru No. 12 until 1993, then Pai Chang until 1996, then Quininde until 1998, Floreana until 2000, Genovesa until 2008, Niaski until 2012, and for now . . . Borocho.

A similar vessel is the better-painted, old design Wave Trader, here at the stern of La Flecha.  I haven’t been able to locate much more info about Wave Trader.

Lady Philomena, Norway-built in 1956,  has born 10 previous names, which you can read for yourself here.  As I write this post, she is underway from the Miami River for points southeast.

Directly forward of Lady Philomena when Allan and Sally took these photos was Eva. Built in Norway in 1968, she has been Marina Dania, Erik Boye, Katla, and Miss Eva Ii before her current designation.

A giant and a youngster, Miami Super dates from 1992 and measures just over 275′ loa.  As of this writing, she is in the approaches southwest of Santo Domingo.

OK . . . I need help with this one.  Maybe it’s deliberate obfuscation?

Family Island . . . sounds like an amusement park, but it’s a LaPaz-registered 1978 Danish-built small freighter, previously known as Ardua, Atlantic, and Queen Sea, in that order.

One more and this photo taken by Rich Taylor off Barbados, it’s the vessel currently known–so far as my info serves–as Rudisa Global.   Built in Spain in 1970, she’s since been called Manchester Merit, Manchester Merito, Fortuna, Kathleen, Kudu, Cement Two, Fortune R, and Libera.   Rudisa Global has recently been embroiled in some drug issues.

Many thanks to Allan and Sally as well as Rich for these photos.  The Miami River intrigues me more than ever now that my appetite has been whetted.   I’m happy to see commerce persisting until some of these may end up as memorials on a beach somewhere like this one.   Or this.  Maybe then covered over like this.   Or never to be seen again . .  very deep-sixed.

And if these pics create a hunger for stories, some of this might be satisfied by Alvaro Mutis’ Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll.