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Schooner Ambergris came in from sea in mid-April, but I still don’t know anything more about her. Anyone help?
Dolphin is truly a yacht; it’s also likely a winter yacht down south. Up north, we see vessels like this seasonally. I can’t identify the burgee on the bow.
Schooner Pioneer, launched 1885!!, has never been a yacht, but in its current much-loved state, it operates only in the warmer half of the year and it’s an excursion vessel.
Passing the Hoboken/NJ Transit terminal, that unnamed trawler is truly a yacht coming north for the summer.
Care for a summer evening on a Chicago Grebe-built yacht? Here’s the info on yacht Full Moon departures out of North Cove. If you want a full day’s amusement online, you could investigate these other Grebe-built yachts . . . . Or you could read about this Chicago shipyard and many other topics in this great blog called Industrial History, which I’ve just added to my blogroll.
Sometimes the Erie Canal seems devoid of vessel traffic, but on this day at Lock 17, there were planarity of takers. As I recall, these cruisers were from Texas, Michigan, Florida, and California!
By the boat name and the VHF manner as I overheard it, I can guess the previous employment of this vessel operator.
Yesterday I went to this location to meet a friend over beer and crab cakes, my first there in quite a while . . . . But if you’ve never hung out at Pier 66, you owe to yourself. Advice . . . if you want a seat, go on the off hours! It’s been way too long ago that this gathering happened there.
And although I took this photo in the fall, the reminder is clear: be safe.
All photos and sentiments by Will Van Dorp.
Mermaids are truly political, as you will see in the next few photos. The partially obscured sign between the two large puppets says: Manhattan, Next Atlantis. Frightening! Their intent to invade and annex coastal cities is nothing short of a land grab. Would they reef buildings like those in the background?
Even advancing coral appeared this year, arriving with its own entourage, all looking quite healthy and diverse.
Some mermaids seem to have very terrestrial concerns, while others
just want to dance to the music, taking advantage of their single day of land-appendage exchange.
Other sea critters have rights on their minds . . .
like these surfsurfsurfragettes.
But mostly this parade is about music, marching, dancing, and welcoming the longest day the year, a leg stretching day.
These photos may capture the color but do not begin to suggest the volume.
Between the buildings, these drums are thunderous.
Green light, red light . . . they just keep pouring through the intersection. And remember yesterday’s tuba? That tuba–like the trumpet–has found its tribe.
Pirates also come ashore, like this band made up of scalawags banned from every continent of dry ground.
A reporter wanting to interview a dancer . . . just has to dance.
We leave it here.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who is counting the days until the mermaids re-emerge from the deep for their next long day in the sun.
On the first full day of summer, a trumpet-toting parrot and a tuba-entwined starfish meet on Surf Avenue and 21st. That can only mean one thing: mermaids!! You’d guess that maybe even if the title had been summer solstice at Coney Island.
The unlikely pair–a psittacine gigantus and a forcipulatida musicus– talk and then set off in search of their kin.
I stayed at my location, figuring it might be a portal between the worlds where other fanciful sights would materialize. And sure enough . . . this wave-energized police car vintage 2910 glided past.
Predictably . . . Dick “the mayor” Zigun showed to key to welcome all at the portal to his stretch of beach, but is this the first time he’s not beating a bass drum?
The parade is many things, but it’s as much music and marching and dancing as anything else. And all, this is the best shot of Arlo, Coney Island native. See him in the beach cart just to the left of the staff guy in pink? Here’s a short song of his you might like.
Some mermaids hitch rides in motorized vehicles.
This amusement park ride–sometimes in the background of my Narrows photos, eg, here and scroll to third photo–is way beyond antique.
More parader pictures tomorrow, and for now I’m out enjoying the second whole day of summer 2019. Know the symbol below on the green flag?
All photos by Will Van Dorp, whose favorite year at the parade might be illustrated here and here.
Oh . . . the psittacine aka macaw found the trumpet section
Here’s what GL tugs have looked like for a century, and many of them are still working, despite their age, as you can see here by clicking on the state names. The tug below is Nebraska, launched in 1929. Grouper–frequently mentioned on this blog–has the same basic design.
A new beginning took place yesterday in Toledo at the National Museum of the Great Lakes, and Paul Strubeck of Vintage Diesel Design as well as all these photos on tugster took these photos of the ceremony: in front of the Colonel aka Schoonmaker, the 116-year-old tug Ohio was rechristened along with
the new tug Ohio. Below and to the left, the old/new Ohio (originally built as a Milwaukee fire boat) was christened with beer and the new Ohio . . . with champagne. Read the ToledoBlade story here.
Click here for a story on the new design, based on the Damen 1907 ICE class design. This blog did a post on the first of this new design about two years ago here.
The new Ohio will assist ships in port of Toledo, so juxtaposition of these three vessels will be commonplace in years to come.
Many thanks to Paul for use of these photos. And if you are ever in the Toledo area, do stop by the National Museum of the Great Lakes.
Several minutes ago astronomical summer began in the sixth boro, and that means tomorrow the mermaids arrive, which means I may or may not post . . . . on time.
Locations here will remain unnamed, unless you try to guess, but photo 1 here to number 4 represents an approximated 15 miles of central New York, where
time warps can be fallen into.
Geographical discontinuities . .
exist as well.
All photos recently by Will Van Dorp, who will identify the locations and then do the mileage calculations afterward if needed.
Here are previous installments in the series. Summer sail can take the form of foil-raised GP racing as will happen in the sixth boro this weekend; it can also happen on longer courses and require stamina and endurance as happens in some races ending in Mackinac.
All the photos in this post come from Jeff Gritsavage, as he was delivering a yacht from Florida to Lake Michigan. Some of you will recognize that this shot was taken in an Erie Canal lock. A few of you will name the lock. Answer at the end of this post.
I’ll help you out here; this was taken on the Oswego Canal, a spur that was developed to connect the Erie Canal and Syracuse to Lake Ontario. Name the town?
Another town on the Oswego Canal. Name it?
This is the same town, and the boats are exiting the same lock as seen above. In fact, about 500′ beyond the opening mitre gates is the location I took this photo of Urger and a State Police cruiser almost exactly 5 years ago.
This is Oswego. White Hawk has arrived on its first Great Lake. The masts await and will be stepped because air draft issues
no longer apply.
Welland Canal is less than 30 miles long, but it’s
the way around Niagara Falls in 8 easy steps.
Coexistence with larger vessels is the rule on the Welland Canal.
Above and below is one of the hardest working tug/barge units on the lakes . . . Wilf Seymour and Alouette Spirit.
And on any lucky passage through the Welland, you’ll see vessels like Fednav‘s Federal Dee,
Polsteam‘s Mamry, and
Canada Steamship Lines‘ CSL Tadoussac.
Before I give the answers to the questions above, here’s another town/Erie Canal location to identify. Click on the photo to find its attribution AND the article that explains what’s happening with White Hawk.
So . . . the answers are lock E-23, Phoenix NY, Fulton NY, and finally above . . . .
that’s Rome. Click here for a previous tugster post on the Rome to Oswego run.
Many thanks to Capt. Jeff for sharing these photos here.
And I’ll be looking for White Hawk on the Lakes this summer.
Compare the bows of two tankers, Silver Etrema and Alcyone T.
Take a bow for the bow of Bow Performer,
And note the cascading flushing of
Front Cascade.
Spar Indus gets lightered before heading up the North River . . . with the bow of that barge loaded to the marks first.
Sider Miami and Andrea show their sterns to the camera.
Ditto YM Essence, which on the radio sounds like Y M S Ents.
Elantra Sea passes a berthed Kasos, as does
T Matterhorn, both showing more draft markings showing than Kasos.
We’ll end this post with MSC‘s MSC Mediterranean.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Here was the previous installment in this series, half a decade ago.
Now let’s take a high lift lock, a Thruway access road bridge, and “just my luck.”
When I arrived the other day, this double-locked unit was exiting the lower side of E-17.
CMT Pike was eastbound with barges used for a job in Syracuse Inner Harbor, I believe.
So after CMT Pike was on her way, I walked to the top of the lock to see what I could see and saw . ..
another unit eastbound and just arriving on the upper side.
Oh THAT Three Sisters. Click here and scroll . . . might these be the same boat just four years apart?
And eastbound they go.
Since I was here waiting for something else, I took the time to read signage I’d never noticed. Double-click enlarges the text; this sign dated 2005 gives some perspective to a high lift on the Erie Canal, albeit built a century ago, with a high lift on –say–western rivers a half century ago.
Click here and here for previous examples of commercial tugs on NYS canals. Of course, here and here are more . . . the classic Cheyenne.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
The Narrows is a prime location for me to get photos of vessels coming in from sea if they have AIS because I have several hours notice of arrival for any traffic going anywhere into or through the Upper Bay, eg., on their way to Brooklyn berths, the North River, or the East River. I can walk around or–in case of rain or cold–sit in my car.
The downside is that it’s a wide spot, so even the zoom can draw in only limited detail.
Having said all that, here’s a shot from Bay Ridge over to the Sandy Hook Pilots station, showing (from far to near) the current black hull-yellow trimmed pilot boat mother ship New York No. 1, its eventual replacement currently with a blue hull, and the smaller boats. Lop off the thin upper wheelhouse and paint the hull/trim, and make a thousand more modifications . . . and you’ll have the new mother ship.
My goal was to get photos of Commander Iona, which I did and posted here. Unexpected was the arrival of Dina Polaris, which I’d first seen only a month and a half or so ago.
Mister Jim has been a regular on this blog and in the sixth boro surrounding waters since she first arrived a few years ago.
The Severn Sailing Association came through the rain with a whole host of sloops . . . from closest to farthest: Commitment, Intrepid, Valiant, Courage, Invincible, Renaissance, Daring, Brave, Warrior.
Rhea I. Bouchard headed in with her barge, but by this time the rain was falling so hard I couldn’t confirm the name/number on the barge.
Magdalen headed out, passing a sloop and
R/V Heidi Lynn Scuthorpe, a first sighting for me.
Click here for more info on Heidi Lynn and Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute. Click here for a more technical article from Workboat on this vessel.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who feels compensated for staying out in the rain.
I saw Nauvoo (Heidi Lynn‘s previous name) years back and I posted a pic here. I also saw Beglane.
Recognize the bridge and lighthouses? A clue . . . it’s on the freshwater coast of the US.
Here’s a continuation of the bridge above. More importantly, you see the escort vessel in the background, none other than the venerable Neeskay, originally a 1953 Higgins T-boat and now the primary research vessel for UW Milwaukee, where these photos were taken.
The yellow vessel in the foreground above is an unmanned surface vessel produced by L3 Technologies. Here’s more on the range of applications.
I’ve not noticed any yet, but I do keep my eyes peeled for USVs in bathymetric survey work in the sixth boro. Has anyone seen any?
Many thanks to Greg Stamatelakys, captain of Neeskay, for these photos.
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