Nautic Narrows News 2

OK, I know today is blue skies and clear air, but yesterday I stood in the rain at the Narrows waiting for an exotic vessel that I knew wouldn’t arrive for a while.  But around virtual sunrise . . . virtual because the sun never rose or set all day . . . this was in the offing.

Since Mary Alice was involved, I had assumed it would be a floating crane or a dump scow.  Mary Alice is to the right, light blue, DonJon blue.   But along with her are Normandy, Treasure Coast, and Sapphire Coast.

By this time, I’d put together that I’d learned that the “dead ship” that had arrived about two weeks earlier was the first of two coming to GMD Brooklyn.  They were moving “slow bell,” which was fine by me, because the vessel I’d come out to see was still . . . at sea.

Some changing-up took place in the alongside-tow before they came through the Narrows.

I mastered holding an umbrella while framing the shots;  the secret was repurposing a garbage can against the railing, which worked because there was drizzle but no wind.

 

Once I got the photos home, as so often happens,

I could make out the “riding crew” on the dead ship.  Previous dead ship posts on tugster can be found here.

Sapphire Coast (4860 hp) by now has moved to the apparent port side.

Normandy brings 1900 hp and Mary Alice . . . 3000.

Here’s more riding crew.

Scan through here to find context for these vessels . . . C4-S-58a . . .

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who thinks some vessels look just right on rainy days, better than on sunny days.