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.
tugster: a waterblog 
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March 18, 2015 at 11:16 am
William Lafferty
Your obscuration is the Betty K VIII, launched 24 November 1984 as Bremer Reeder at Vegesack, Germany, by Fr. Lurssen Werft GmbH for Bremen-West Norwegen Linie GmbH, Bremen. Later names are Hanseatic Sailor (2000) and Gullaas (2012), taking her present name last year. She operates between Miami and the Bahamas for Betty K Agencies Ltd. of Nassau, the “Betty K Line” that’s been operating in that trade for almost a century.
In the late ’60s I used to forage around the fascinating Miami River on my way to the Bahamas for spring break. It was then, like now, a treasure trove of former North Sea coasters (including steamers), and crewed by some of the scariest-looking souls I’d ever set eyes upon.
March 18, 2015 at 4:12 pm
tugster
William– you have pointed me: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1772507 and http://www.bettyk.com Bob and Les and William . . . I’m going to have to schedule in my much-delayed trip up the Miami River. So many gallivants and so little time!
March 18, 2015 at 12:59 pm
Les Sonnenmark
I worked at Miami Shipyards (now the site of a high-rise condo complex) in the ’80s. The Betty K line loaded along our waterfront, and we maintained the ships. The earlier ships were pretty ragged; it looks like the line has been profitable and the ships are higher quality. The Miami River seemed like the Congo River of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”: shoddy ships, shady characters, dubious cargoes. In contrast, there were also several yards, including ours, doing high-quality work on megayachts. But we also hauled out the drug-runners, sometimes next to the Coast Guard cutters. Occasionally a dead goat or chicken would float by, the victim of a Santeria ritual. Sometimes a corpse would show up on the marine railway platform as it lifted a ship out of the murky river. The labor pool drew from the immigrant communities of Cubans, Haitians, Bahamians, Jamaicans, etc. Never a dull moment. Ah, the good ol’ days…
March 18, 2015 at 3:51 pm
bob
Up until recently there was a bar called Tobacco Road in the Miami River neighborhood. I had some very good times there in the 80’s.
March 18, 2015 at 9:40 pm
B
on the boat with the obscured name, what is the symbol at the waterline?
March 18, 2015 at 9:45 pm
tugster
bowthruster
March 19, 2015 at 12:43 pm
JS
Bob,Les,& William’s right………Don’t miss it !
March 19, 2015 at 1:43 pm
tugster
JS . . . you’ve been everywhere. Tell us a story about the great Miami River banks?