Well, maybe your subscription to something has expired, but reading tugster requires no subscription, and no lucre flows into tugster tower from your –I hope–daily habit of checking in here.

It is April first, and I quite like the day. Here was what I did April 1, 2010, and here  . . . .   the day in 2009.  I don’t always mark it, although once I shifted focus of the blog entirely to trucks, the first time.  That generated a bit of hate mail . . . which led to a whole new division of tugster, i.e., trickster. which autocorrect always wants to spell incorrectly.  Truckster it is.

Since you’re here, let me share some miscellaneous photos.  Sea Hunter has recently turned up near the McAllister yard.  I posted my photos of Sea Hunter as she appeared in Boston three years ago here.  Anyone know what fate she’s hunting for in the sixth boro?  Also, on the photo below, there’s the Atlantic Trader barge.  That’s  the short-sea shipping hull I last saw in 2015 here.

Here’s a dense shot:  near to far, the far tugs are Crystal Cutler, Jacksonville, Navigator, and another unidentified Vane tugboat.

So while I’m at it, let me share some mail.

From Phil Gilson, an article about fast US Navy vessels converted into shallow draft speedy banana boats, and that’s no April Fools joke.  See it here.

And finally here’s an oldie-but-goodie from Steve Munoz.   Jane McAllister (1968) and Margaret M McAllister (1928, converted from steam to diesel in 1957)  assist a Sealand ship in Port Elizabeth back in 1986.  Note the Old Bay Draw is still bissecting Newark Bay in that shot.

Thanks to Phil for the story/link and Steve for the photo.

The other photos by Will Van Dorp, and inscribed in tugster tower by invisible watermarks.