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The 2010 post had a photo from 2009, so let me start this one with one from 2010. This photo made the cover of a NYS Restoration publication devoted to boats, but I lent my copy to someone and it’s never returned. If you know the publication, please let me know.
OK, let’s see one more from 2010, taken from the same bridge, but closer to the bank and less zoomed. Lots of folks come to these Roundups, but the number of working boats that can get there is decreasing because of increasing air draft and the inflexible 112th Street bridge, which also wiped out the viability of Matton shipyard.
The Roundup always begins with a parade, and that used to be always (in my times there) led by Urger.
Cornell and spawn named Augie waited on the wall in Troy.
Buffalo is now in Buffalo, and in less good condition. Here‘s more info on her. She’s 53′ x 16’ and worked for the Barge Canal from 1916 until 1973. Originally steam, she was repowered after WW2. See her engine, a Cooper Bessemer, running here back in 2007.
Wendy B was the show stealer in 2010. She looked good and no one I spoke with knew where she’d come from. She’s a 1940-build by Russel Brothers of Owen Sound ON, originally a steam tug called Lynn B. More info is here but you have to scroll.
8th Sea is a staple of the Roundup, probably has been since the beginning. She was built in 1953 at ST 2050 by American Electric Welding. That makes her a sister to ST 2062, now in the sixth boro as Robbins Reef, seen here if you scroll. Here‘s a tug44 description of tug and captain.
Small can still be salty, especially with this innovative propulsion . . . . Little Toot.
As I said, one of the traditions of the Roundup is that Urger leads the way. Here, above the federal lock, the boats muster. And traditions are important.
The active commercial boats line up at the wall nearest the Hudson River, but when a job needs doing, they head out.
Since the Roundup happens just below lock E-2 of the Erie Canal, the thoroughfare for the Great Loop, it’s not uncommon to see some long distance boats pass by. All I know about Merluza is that it’s the Spanish word for hake.
What happened to 2011 you may ask? Irene happened and the Roundup was cancelled. We’re indebted to tug44 for documenting the damage of that hurricane in the Mohawk Valley.
All photos, unless otherwise attributed, WVD.
The difference between “really random” and just “random” is that with the former, I include photos taken in different waterways and ports. Guess the ports/waterways here?
All these photos have been taken during the past 30 days by Will Van Dorp, who needed to do a random __ tugs post to dispel notions that this blog has succumbed to focus creep. Soon, maybe tomorrow, I’ll return to my zoning of the canal. I’ll also return to some background vessels in this post.
Oh . . the first four photos were taken near the Delaware River in Philly, the next two were in the KVK, the following was the Hudson river across from the mouth of the Rondout and the now-derelict Delaware & Hudson Canal, and the last one was between locks 7 and 6 in the Erie Canal. I included the KVK pics to show that although I’m mostly gallivanting these days, mu roots still remain emplaned in the sixth boro.
Chancellor . . . built pre-World War 2 in Brooklyn. This post is timed to satisfy a request from Bob Price . . . as follows: “as part of a group working to restore the tug boat Chancellor, I am trying to find any extant engineering documentation regarding her construction details. Built by Bushey & Sons in 1938, it is currently in the keeping of the Waterford Maritime Historical Society and my group of volunteers recently arranged to have it moved into dry dock at Lock 3 of the Erie Canal where we laboriously winterized it, pumped its bilges dry and a making plans to create a very thorough hit list of things to do. If you would be so kind as to point me in the direction of any person or entity that might have access to drawings or any engineering related stuff pertaining to the Chancellor I would be most appreciative. Thanks for your time.” Bob Price Knox, NY 518.xxx.xxxx The first three fotos below come from Bob.
The next three I took in 2010. Here she’s cruises north on the Hudson headed for Troy.
Here’s she’s downbound following W. O. Decker into the Federal Lock.
House down, she prepares to depart the bulkhead in Waterford.
And in my foto from either 2006 or 2007 she goes nose-to-nose with Gowanus Bay.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of construction drawings or other plans for Chancellor, you can also email me and I’ll pass the info on to Bob and his group. Click here to see Fred tug44’s video of Chancellor being pushed upstream by the tagteam of Ben Elliot and National.
I took these fotos Friday before the winds started.
Viking . . . . To see how she’s evolved over the past 41 years, click here.
Brooklyn was previously a fleetmate of Viking. For her history, click here.
Above and below . . . it’s Huron Service, which recently got new paint as well. Here’s an overview–possibly out of date–of routes served by Genesis Energy.
Clearly, from the foto, to say commerce USED to happen on the Gowanus Canal . . . uses the wrong verb tense. Here, from L to R, it’s Shawn Miller, Samantha Miller, Miss Ayva, and Diane B.
Finally, and still in Gowanus Bay, it’s Discovery Coast and
Potomac and Hunting Creek.
Stay inside or at least firmly attached to something substantial.
All fotos here from yesterday . ..
Liberty Service as you may never have seen her. Here (third foto in this link) she was four years ago.
Ditto Huron Service. Repainting on Huron seems farther along than that on Liberty. Here’s how Huron Service looked a year and a half ago. Get ready for Genesis Energy.
In the past year, this Pegasus has sprouted an upper wheelhouse; compare with here.
Welcome to the waters around Houston. Well . .. I do mean the 118,000-barrel barge married to Linda Moran. Uh . . . do tugs and barges ever get divorced?
Trucks on the water pushed by Shawn Miller.
I realized only later that–had my conveyance lingered here–I would have seen Catherine C. Miller push past with FIVE trailers/tractors on a barge. See her in the distance there beyond the bow of RTC 83.
Reinauer Twins waits alongside RTC 104 with a faux lighthouse in the background.
Lucy Reinauer–earlier Texaco Diesel Chief built in Oyster Bay NY–is the push behind RTC 83.
DBL 29 pushed (ok, will. . . open eyes. thanks for the correction.) moved alongside by Taurus. See some of my previous Taurus fotos here and here.
And thanks to wide-eyed bowsprite, a vessel I’ve not seen before pushing stone. It’s Patricia. She reminds me of a vessel I spotted along the road a few years back . . . Hoss.
So, this is the “plus” in the title, the group-sourcing request portion of this post: what company is operating Patricia?
And another question . . . from an eagle-eyed upriver captain. Notice the weather instruments on this channel marker just off Bannerman’s Island (I am planning to do another post on this unique location north of West Point.) And . . .
here are more weather instruments on this federally-maintained channel marker off the Rondout. Questions: who’s responsible for these and is there a website where the data collected can be monitored?
All fotos by Will Van Dorp, except for the last three, which come from bowsprite and Capt. Thalassa.
Speaking of bowsprite, today she’s running Radio Lilac and I’ll be there tending bar. Here’s something of the inspiration. Come on by if you have the time. Teleport in if you’re otherwise out of range.
Today . . . as time constricts . . . just vessels, mostly under way, like Frances, at the confluence.
Govr. Cleveland and Eighth Sea, locking and swaying.
Eighth Sea, stopping at Rusty Anchor to lubricate a wobbly shaft . . . it was rumored.
I’m out of my depth here.
Kathleen Turecamo and Dean Reinauer, about to move RTC 106 downstream to the sixth boro.
Govr. Cleveland passing the scrap dock.
Herbert P. Brake pushing HR-Bass downstream. Crosby colors?
Benjamin Elliot at the Troy wall.
Gowanus Bay approaching the Troy lock.
Margot making a grand entrance.
Tender #3 near the Roundup.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who feels quite the time crunch right now.
It’s the weekend after Labor Day in Waterford, time to call a muster.
And stuff starts happening. Atlantic Hunter arrives via the highway.
Tug-of-the-Year Gowanus Bay travels from the south.
Buffalo parades from Waterford back to Waterford.
Grand Erie travels as the dais.
As the parade approaches the Waterford Visitors Center, a water salute awaits Eighth Sea,
Frances, Margot, and Benjamin Elliott . . .
as well as Cornell and Iron Chief.
Parts B and more soon. All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who met great people, missed many others, and heard fabulous stories to be followed up on soon.
Here are parts A B and C from 2012. More links to past roundups tomorrow also.
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When I took this foto in 2006, I knew none of the folks depicted; more about this foto at the end.
This Sunday in the sixth boro is the 19th annual tugboat race. If you are free, come down to Pier 84. Will Beth M. McAllister be there? the young Pegasus?
Viking was partly there last year. Might she race this year?
Might Tasman Sea clench her pins and sprint to the finish?
Will Bohemia lope ahead of the field?
Will Lee T Moran show just how misleading the “Gramma” part of her name is?
Will Socrates miraculously spring free from these lines and parade over the finish line first?
Will Brendan Turecamo and all these other occupied Moran vessels churn up the one-nautical-mile race course?
In previous years, the weekend following the tug race in the sixth boro, there was a tug roundup in Waterford, NY. Bad news this year: because of Irene’s reckless bluster and immoderate rain, the 2011 Waterford Tug Roundup has been cancelled. I will miss the puppytugs,
the pushoffs of fiberglass into steel,
the carefully matched performers,
the hometown favorites taking on the outatowners. But I’m not going to miss
the hospitality of Waterford and its fine folks . . . because I’m coming up anyhow. See you on the 9th or 10th.
Thanks to Stray for sending along this link to fotos of Irene devastation upriver. I feel sick. Crow and Wire, #94, 119, and 181, were at the Roundup last year. Black Knight, seen in a tugster post a week ago, shows up in #178.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp.
(Doubleclick enlarges most fotos.) When I visited Village Community Boathouse (VCB) late last winter, we discussed a “photographic rowfari” to the Gowanus, come spring. Spring has arrived, and so . .. yesterday, John Magnus and JML
constructed by volunteers at VCB were lowered into the north River at Pier 40 and
after some adjustments, the hearty crews rowed toward their destination,
making a stop to greet the folks at Red Hook Boaters near Valentino Pier before
heading farther south.
Once past Erie Basin, we turned into Gowanus Bay, past the Loujaine, the grain elevators,
part of the Vane fleet, docked where the previous tenant’s name still graces the wall,
past the experiment vessel Jerko
with its famous tender Mare Liberum. . . floating above all manner of artifacts there for the collecting . . . farther up the canal untl we reached it . . .
huge bubbles? Reverse maelstrom? Vortex reversus? Belch of sludge lusus naturae? Maybe it’s just evidence that the flushing canal actually functions in spite of its sisyphean task of cleaning what has been rendered most foul?
In spite of Gowanus‘ uberpolluted condition, an ecosystem exists, with feral cats,
mussels,
an intrepid canoe club,
predators and prey.
Is the intention of this sign (above a novel use of tires) to invite us back? See the VCB version of events here.
Questions I have are . . . how soon might the Canal’s Superfund status show results?
Unrelated but possibly good news related to South Street Seaport . . . we all who pledged may have the pleasure of sending in our Benjamin Franklins . . . .
And a heads-up for next week . . . Hudson River Pageant, involving some of Village Community Boathouse’s rowing gigs!
Related and very important . . . if you’re in a human-powered and relatively small vessel, be aware that you are difficult to spot for huge cargo vessels of all kinds that travel fast and have limited maneuverability. Read Towmasters post here
Vantage point here is the Buttermilk Channel, looking roughly west toward the Bayonne and Jersey City side of the sixth boro; that’s the Bayonne Bridge in the distance. Any guesses about these vessels?
Schooner turns out to be Spirit of Massachusetts (1984), doing programming in New York. I usually keep opinions on such matters to myself, but it boggles my mind that an out-of-town replica vessel comes to New York for such programming when less than a seamile away, two authentic schooners stay “chained” to the dock at South Street Seaport, eager local crews grounded and frustrated by a museum administration that says nought , an unseemly and surreal turn of harbor affairs.
Captain Dann (1974) pushes a scow eastbound.
Meanwhile over in Gowanus Bay (aka the mouth of the canal), the cement ship with the interesting stack . . .
aka Abu Loujaine (1966) has been moved to a new location beside the (abandoned) Port Authority Grain Terminal (1922). Both appeared in this post from 14 months ago.
At the north end of the Buttermilk, Sea Bear (1990, Bay Star) enters the East River from the Jersey side.
Happy Mother’s Day weekend . . . all fotos here taken yesterday by Will Van Dorp.
tugster: a waterblog 
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