Really Random Tugs 25

I believe I took this in summer 2005, my first view of Lincoln Sea from W. O. Decker.  Lincoln Sea is now making its way northward probably along Baja California, if not already along alta California.

A few days ago and from the crew of Maraki–aka my sister and brother-in-law–it’s Salvatore in Santa Marta, Colombia.

And in the same port . . . Atlantico assisting Mosel Ace into the dock.

From Seth Tane . . . Alaska Mariner in Portland on the Columbia . . . river, that is.

And the next few from Fred Trooster and Jan Oosterboer and taken in Amazonehaven section of the port of Rotterdam less than a week ago . . . the giant Thalassa Elpida assisted into the dock by FairPlay 21.  The two smaller boats are the line handlers.

Click here for a post I did four years ago showing FairPlay 21 nearly capsizing.

Tailing the giant is Smit Ebro.

Rounding today out . . . it’s W. O. Decker, Viking, and Cheyenne . . . before the tugboat race in September 2010.

Thanks to Fred, Seth, and Maraki for these photos.

Anteojos de Sol 2

Here were the wild colors that started this series two years ago .. .

and Alice . . . always the trend setter and wanderer . . . seems headed out of the gray days in old New Amsterdam for the tropical colors of new New Amsterdam.  Notice the destination?  That’s the one in Guyana.

But I digress.  Tropical colors are a treat after some days in the cold achromatic north.  These photos come compliments of the winter refugees aboard Maraki . . . currently in the environs of Curaçao. For more colorful pics of this town, click here.

Here at the ready are Lima II and a pilot boat, and

newer sister Damen-built tug Mero.

Also in port was this International Telecom vessel . . .

IT Intrepid formerly known as Sir Eric Sharp.

Given the dominant language of this port, you’d think this local boat would be called “werken meisje ook,”  but surprises never cease.

or this be called “port service 1.”

The subject of Dutch-built tugboats in Curaçao resurrects the unsolved mystery of Wamandai, a tug that left Curaçao under some clouds and was possibly sunk by the US Coast Guard.  My letters of inquiry to various Coast Guard offices relevant to this case have turned up not a single answer, not even a word that Wamandai‘s fate is classified.  Should I say it turned up an arrogant silence?    Can anyone weigh in or help out?  Some Dutch navy vets and I would like to know.

Thanks to Maraki for these photos.

For a world of cable layers, click here.

 

Fog 15

There’s fog of war, and then there’s warships in fog.  Click here for another.

Note the Hoboken tower off the bow in the photo above and off the stern . . . below.

Click here for a link to the vessel L-810 Johan De Witt, and here for its namesake, a Dutch politician who was murdered by his opponents.

That’s Ellen McAllister at the stern and Elizabeth alongside midships.

I’m guessing there is a photographer in this vessel.

See it there off the stern?

All photo taken this morning by Will Van dorp, who has been back in the sixth boro for over a week now but is still mostly “unpacking” the canal experiences, which will be shared shortly.

 

Region of Water 2

This is continued from yesterday.

Containers move this way.

And although this photo was taken on the Maas, registry is several countries away.

Like double trailers on US Interstates, you see the same with short sea motor-barges.

And here’s some Maas reefer transport, this

one with an unexpected name.    Part of the explanation might be furnished by this post from a few years ago.

I hope this look at some other rivers stimulates some thought.

All photos by Will Van Dorp,

 

Region of Water 1

This looks like LNG.

Motorized barges have telescoping houses and transport personal land transport.

School ships might look like this.

Bulk carriers look like this, at

these dimensions,

and carry products like this.

And somehow the economies make it work.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

Assorted Dutch Craft 2

Janga Bork is NOT a Dutch fishing vessel, although the unusual (?) hull brings it to the top of this post.  The “L” prefix on the hull identifies it as Danish.

By the way, the aggressive newish spell checker always tries to change my preferred spelling of “sixth boro” to “sixth bork.”  You may have seen some “typos” I missed.  I’m very happy to learn that Bork is in fact the name of lovely Danish seaside town that I must visit one of these years.

For (slightly dated) info on Dutch society and fish, click here.  For a thought-provoking op-ed piece by Paul Greenberg on the plight of US fishing industry, click here.   The “UK” on the trawler below, Sursum Cordo, identifies it as registered in Urk.   Fishing vessels from all over –see Stellendam below–bring their catch to Ijmuiden, just outside Amsterdam.

Huge trawlers like Cornelis Vrolijk‘s  Carolien  . . . of Scheveningen–operate out of here as well.

Here’s sister ship Scombrus.

Smaller trawlers Seagull and Flamingo are sculptural.

The “Z” on Flamingo stands for Zeebruge in Belgium.

In a Den Helder drydock, it’s Grietje Hendrika by the top sign and St. Antonius (Belgian) in raised metal letters below.

No surprise Dr. Maarten Luther is German.

In the town of Haarlem, the fish merchant is one of the more recently built buildings.

In the same square, this take on “blind justice” is a refreshing leap backwards.

Noord Hinder lightship  . . . just over a half century old . . . reminds me of this lightship lost in the South American jungle.

Another restored Dutch steam vessel Hydrograaf  has a name that reveals the mission for which it was launched over a century ago.

I have more, but for now . . .  as the Dutch say . . . Stop.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

PBB 4

Whatzit?  Answer can be found at the end of this post.

Here a huge–by sixth boro standards–bulk carrier Percival offloads coal at the Tata steel works near the salty end of the Nordzee Canal.

Here Russian drillship Bavenit makes its way to sea through the Nordzee Canal.

This is diveship Nehalennia, which takes sport divers out helmet diving off the Dutch coast.

This has to be the most unlikely repurposing of an old ferry:  overflow parking for bicycles just north of the main train station in Amsterdam.

Here’s the main parking on the south side of the same station!!

Here are a few vessels of Acta Marine at their yard in Den Helder.  They specialize in workboats for shallow waters.  L to R, Coastal Surveyor 2, Jutter, and Coastal Explorer.

This has to be the only vessel of this design  . . . with leeboards!  I know nothing more about it.

In Zaandam, translation of boat name is “flyer.”

Other than that Zuiderzee is a government vessel with a crane, I can say much else.

 

A 905 Blommendal is awaiting conversion into a super yacht.  Can this transformation really happen?

Here’s a more bucolic Zaandam sight, two windmills  . . . one decapitated.

The intact capped and spinning one, was sawing logs!

And to bring this installment to a close, the first photo here was NEMO, an Amsterdam science center.

All photos by Will Van Dorp . . .  who feels like he’s hopping between continents.

Assorted Dutch Craft 1

I’m not sure the following two boats are Kvichak built.  Three previous ones were.  Here was a post of those US-built Dutch pilot boats I had here a few years back;  check out the uniforms of the crew!

 

Unlike in the US, the Dutch lifeboat or life saving organization is NOT part of the Coast Guard.  In fact, it’s a volunteer group with really impressive vessels.   Click here for more info on KNRM, that group.

The next two photos were taken outside the KNRM museum in Den Helder.

North Sea petroleum vessels lie here near the Amsterdam/Zaandam border.

Finally, an unidentified antique tug collects race buoys on the IJsselmeer just south of Hoorn, a ZuiderZee port that served as center of the VOC during the “golden age” of Holland.

All photos taken by Will Van Dorp, who hopes to get back to Coney Island this weekend for the m e r m a i d s.

 

Dutch Tugs 2

Arion is one of the smaller Iskes tugs, here towing City of Dubrovnik out toward the mouth aka Ijmond of the North Sea Canal. 

Aaron is the smallest of the fleet.

Friesland . . . built 1982.

Here’s another shot of Triton (farther) and Telstar (nearer).

Another shot of Triton, built 2008 in Turkey.

Pollux (Germany built in 1963) and Saturnus (Germany 1978).

Svitzer Svezia, Italy 1988.

PA 1 aka Castor looks like it could tow if equipment were added, but it’s actually an enforcement vessel.

And we end with a 1927 boat . . . aptly named . . . Obsessie.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

PBB 3

What a concept . . . all you can eat pancakes while motoring around Dutch waterways!

Aurora is a Cargill-operated cocoa tanker.  Read the faint print on the starboard side of the tank.

Aqua Shuttle in Rotterdam and

Waterbus.

School ship Princes Beatrix.

City Supplier . . as its sibling Beerboat keeps trucks out of the narrow streets in Amsterdam.

Colorful housing near a maritime school over on the north side of the Ij

is actually repurposed containers.

Two more work boats for now:

Scheurrak is a survey boat.

I love leeboards and the really upswept bow.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, and I have more from the gallivant, but they may have to wait to late next week.