Winter solstice is one date I pay attention to, and yesterday demanded an undivided portion of it. I was out on the sixth and primordial boro at sunrise, although when it rose, a gauzy film of stratus filtered the light. I tinkered with the image a bit to enhance the cosmic eeriness.
Along the Brooklyn shore a classic barque and one of the latest of a classic line awaited.
Notice two tugboats and a lighthouse below? One tug is shifting a fuel barge, and the other is shifting refuse boxes.
Start of winter or start of summer, the sixth boro is always a busy place. Notice the fishing boat in this image, along with all the rest?
For some reason, these E-2C aircraft flew the North River up and then down and out over the Lower Bay.
Dutch Girl, a winter regular along with Eastern Welder, was hard at work.
Ava M. crossed the Bay from one job to the next. Things are always happening on the water.
And all that’s glorious, but less than a quarter mile from the North River, not all seems to be happening well, and that needs to be acknowledged.
All photos, WVD.
tugster: a waterblog 
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December 22, 2021 at 12:46 pm
Arthur C Hamilton
Blessing to all, including the homeless.
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep,
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at thy word,
Who walkedst on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep,
O hear us when we cry to thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace,
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea!
Eternal Father, grant, we pray,
To all Marines, both night and day,
The courage, honor, strength, and skill
Their land to serve, thy law fulfill;
Be thou the shield forevermore
From every peril to the Corps.
Lord, guard and guide the ones who fly
Through the great spaces in the sky.
Be with them always in the air,
In darkening storms or sunlight fair.
December 22, 2021 at 12:54 pm
tugster
Thx, Arthur– I’d never considered the metaphorical application of these words; thanks for pointing that out. Blessed season to you.
December 22, 2021 at 12:57 pm
mageb
It’s nice to see the Mary in so many shots. Yes, she brought in Covid passengers. Yes, I often bemoan the fact that we have a beautiful but unused harbor.
December 22, 2021 at 6:16 pm
vivian
And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the waters,
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower,
And when he knew for certain that only drowning men could hear him
He said all men shall be sailors then, until the sea shall free them,
But He Himself was broken long before the sky did open,
Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath our wisdom like a stone.
And you want to travel with him and you want to travel blind for you think that you can trust him for he’s touched your perfect body with his mind.
From Suzanne by Leonard Cohen
December 22, 2021 at 6:22 pm
tugster
That song moved me when I first heard it in. . . 1967 or ’68. It still moves me, but all his work does.Thx, Viv.