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You’ll excuse this poor quality lede photo once you realize who/what took it: the Statue of Liberty has functioning eyes and watches everything that passes through this sector of the sixth boro. Think about that: she’s big and she witnesses! And yesterday it was raining here, so those are water droplets on the lens.
But the point of this post is the tug with an unusual tow just entering from the right. I know it’s not very clear, but bear with me . . or us. It gets better.
A bit later, Phil Little was at the ready from the cliff across from the Manhattan passenger terminal, but who knew which side of the tow to watch until this point.
A bit later, Luis Melendez, NYC Parks dock master at Dyckman Marina, was on the optimal albeit rainy side of the tow to see schooner Pioneer well defined against the scow.
Here’s a little bit of history if you’re not familiar with Pioneer: she was built in Marcus Hook PA in 1885 as a sand sloop, operating between Delaware Bay and the Delaware River. So think of the photo this way, and I’m paraphrasing someone else here: she was a sand sloop converted to a sand schooner (and other configurations) now made to a sand or aggregate scow and headed upriver pushed by the mighty 1957 Frances. Pioneer was hitching a ride to Albany for engine work.
A few dozen miles later, Kevin Oldenburg was ready to get even clearer pics. It was still rainy but not yet dark.
After she rounded Jones Point,
she was soon visible from the Bear Mountain Overlook along Hwy 202.
That’s Iona Island off the port side and
sand sloop/schooner that Pioneer was, she had clearly a small fraction of capacity when compared to her 21st century scow descendants.
Many thanks to Justin Zizes, Jonathan Boulware, Phil Little, Luis Melendez, Kevin Oldenburg, and the Lady of the Harbor for their contributions–made in rainy December conditions–to this post. By the way, did anyone get photos from W. O. Decker? Anyone else from any other vantage point?
A previous time we had this many collaborators watching traffic was just over a decade ago and involved sailing barges and a mothership named Flinterborg.
Getting back to the Statue of Liberty cam, “girl with no eyes” made a great song, but it could certainly not be said to refer to our Lady of the sixth boro.
Since I mentioned Dyckman Marina, whatever became of Mon Lei, the Chinese junk formerly owned by Robert “believe it or not” Ripley and recently docked up there at the now defunct-La Marina for a few years?
Lady Liberty called me up last night to apologize for the poor quality of photo she delivered and asked why Pioneer had not hitched a ride on a nicer day. I was speechless, because what does one say when the Lady calls you up on your personal number??!@#?
Eleven years ago I missed a christening because of work. Then last year I missed one again for the same reason. But last night, neither work nor weather could have kept me away.
Ava (rhymes with “java”) M. McAllister has already been working in the harbor about a month, but time needed to be carved out of her busy schedule to welcome her to the harbor with ceremony.
Since her namesake is an accomplished skater, the tug demonstrated just a modicum of her skills . . . .
including some tug-modified twizzles and axels. Notice the guests of honor including the namesake waving on the bow?
The pipers came, they played, and then they led the way
to the convivialities.
Welcome, Ava.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who several years back did a review of McAllister’s 150th anniversary book here.
For more of my photos including namesake breaking the bottle, go the McAllister Towing FB page.
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 plenty 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.
Lest you think Combi-Dock III and Peking–I will get back to them– are the only thing happening in the watery parts of NYC, here’s just a sampling . . . in a series I started last summer.
SBI Macarena –a fairly new bulk carrier– came in past the Brooklynside ramps for the VZ Bridge,
passing Jo Provel on the way out . . .
looking quite large relative to the new NYC ferry.
Tanker New Confidence tested its systems–water and sonic–as Doris Moran arrived.
Where the Wind Blows sails south toward the Narrows, so fast that
I lost track of her, although I admit to being distracted by this squadron passing overhead Elizabeth Anne.
Pioneer–one of South Street Seaport Museum’s schooners–also sailed past and ever went outside
the Narrows, where I’ll pick this up another day.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, waiting for Combi-Dock III action.
Who else greeted Wavertree on the rest of the way home? John J. Harvey is always in on celebrations.
Lettie G. Howard was there,
as was the helicopter. Feehan presented herself on the far side of Rae.
Pioneer accounted for
herself with crew in the crosstrees.
Pioneer and Lettie teamed up at times.
Wire showed up.
New York Harbor School had two boats there, including Privateer and their
newest vessel Virginia Maitland Sachs, about which I’ll post soon.
Melvillian throngs came down to the “extremest limit of land” on Pier 15 and 16, for one reason or another, but who were about to be treated to some excellent ship handling.
Rae took the lead, showing the need for tugboats of all sizes.
The larger tugs pushed and pulled as needed to ease into the slip
until all lines were fast and
and the shoreside work needed doing.
Bravo to all involved. If you want to take part in a toast to Wavertree, you can buy tickets here for the September 29 evening.
If you haven’t read the NYTimes article by James Barron yet, click here.
All photos by Will Van Dorp, who hopes I left no one out and who as before is grateful to the South Street Seaport Museum and the photographers’ boat provided by US Merchant Marine Academy and crewed by a set of dedicated cadets.
Often folks ask how one can learn about the harbor or is there a book about the sixth boro. Volunteering at South Street Seaport Museum is a great way available to all to get access to the water, to learn from like-minded folks, and to start on a journey of reading the harbor and its traffic for yourself. Each volunteer’s journey will be unique, and willing hands make institutions like this museum survive and thrive.
Here was the first time I used this title.
America II looked resplendent bathed in a last burst of late afternoon sun yesterday.
She was one of several sail vessels out; here Pioneer seems headed over to a new loading point.
On a meteorologically different afternoon a few weeks ago, I caught Lettie G. Howard out headed for the Kills. Here was another spring when I caught Lettie under very bare poles.
I saw Topaz briefly only once, so far away she was only a tall mast, but Claude Scales caught this from his daily vantage point. Click here for a close-up of Nantucket WLV-612 from three years ago.
No words . . . no gilding the lily!
Pioneer heads back to the dock.
Anyone know where Mary E is sailing from these days?
Thanks to Claude Scales for use of his Topaz photo. All other photos by Will Van Dorp, who has used the title “autumn sail” much more frequently. And if you have not yet read my article about sailing to Cuba last winter, you can read it here.
Here are previous posts in this series. All photos below come compliments of Mike Weiss and were taken on September 24, i.e., about a month after Wavertree rose out of the water on Caddell Dry Dock No. 6.
Rather than a very satisfying sifting through the index above, you can read a short history of Wavertree here.
Many thanks, Mike.
Time to renew your South Street Seaport Museum membership?
Here was part 1. Thanks much for the comments. My conclusion is that most but not all were taken at the 1986 centennial celebration of our lady of the harbor. I am still seeking a photo of the canal tug Grand Erie, ex-USACE Chartiers, launched in 1951, at the event.
Barque Simón Bolívar, it would be good to see her back in the sixth boro again. At this point, she was less than a decade old. This past summer, she called in various ports in the Caribbean.
Any help here anyone?
USS Iowa BB-61 served as the reviewing stand for the event. Click here for scans of the day and here for video. Can anyone identify the tug alongside the battleship starting at about 2:10?
Barque Eagle of course. Can anyone identify the tugs in this photo?
It’s schooner Pioneer in the background.
The red-hulled vessel at the foot of the tower . . is that stick lighter Ollie, now rotting away in VerPlanck? See the end of this post. Anyone know the USCG tug?
These look like the morning-after spent fireworks shells. What did it say in front of “industry” here? And here ends the photos supplied by Harry Thompson.
And here, as a note that I should do a post soon about Ollie . . . is one of the photos I took of her in 2010. I saw her earlier in 2015, and it’ was even sadder by five years than this one. Anyone have good pics of Ollie in her day?
Thanks very much, Harry, for getting this show going.
Tis the season . . . to keep your eyes and ears on the weather. In 1938 . . . before hurricanes had names or we had satellites to track them thousands of miles off, a big one came ashore on Long Island, a once-a-century-or-longer storm. Do you know this structure below?
Here’s the ocean side view . . .
and the inland side. To the right and up the Acushnet River are the ports of
New Bedford and Fairhaven. Click here for info and photos on the building of the barrier.
The benchmark storm for the sixth boro is Sandy, and an event this past weekend happened on a location wiped out by the storm, Rockaway Beach at 106th Street. Click here for posts/photos from my friend Barbara that chronicle the before/after in that part of NYC. Welcome to the first annual Poseidon parade.
and a temporary replacement for Whalemina, the glacial erratic rolled away by Sandy.
Of the 10 worst hurricanes of the 20th century (judged by impact on the US), almost all happened in September. Since that link leaves off Katrina (??), I add this one.
Thanks to Barbara Barnard for the Poseidon Parade photos; the ones from the Achushnet are by Will Van Dorp, who will have photos from up the Acushnet soon. Technically, this fits into my “other watersheds” series.
There’s winter sail, spring sail, and autumn sail. And today I’m just staying inside culling photos. Since moving by wind has been around for millennia, Pioneer is a relatively modern vessel.
Pioneer, 1885
This vessel below can be “insanely fast.” I took this photos and ones that follow back on May 11, 2015 in Morris Canal.
Lending Club 2, 2015
Here’s another sixth boro regular, the largest NYC-based schooner. See her here in winter maintenance.
Check out these special sails on Clipper City.
Here LC2‘s just finished the 635 nm run in less than 24 hours.
From Seth Tane on the Columbia River, it’s HMCS Oriole, US-built in 1921.
I’d love to see the interior of Lending Club 2, but my guess is . . . spartan.
Also from back in May . . . it’s Wavertree in the last feet of its transit for a major makeover, Thomas J. Brown sliding her over.
Here’s another shot of L’Hermione entering the Upper Bay for the first time.
And what do you make of this?
Maybe more on that last photo tomorrow.
Except for the photo by Seth Tane, all photos by Will Van Dorp.
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