Change 2

I took this foto in January 2008.  According to this site, Cosette–321′ loa, launched 1966– was seized in Martinique some time in 2010.

She used to fill the niche currently occupied in the sixth boro by Grey Shark and Lygra, in the Narragansett Bay by Danalith, and who knows what vessels in any other port.   Anyhow, I was just wondering if anyone knows the current disposition of Cosette . . .

Ditto  . . .  Sea Dart (II)?, here in a foto I took in October 2008 and never used.  Is she still around?  Is this the 1953 Higgins vessel owned by someone in Elizabeth, NJ?

Here’s a pair I haven’t seen in a few years . . .  Realist

and Specialist.  There was also a Specialist II for a while.  I recall stories about one of them going to the Great Lakes and another to Puerto Rico, but have no confirmation.   Just curious . . . not working for a collections group.

Below is the boat that prompted this post . . . Edith Thornton back a few at the 2008 tugboat race . . . here’s another shot . . .  and

same hardware now as Guyanese tug Chassidy.  Many thanks to Gerard Thornton for sending the foto below and starting the percolating process.  I have to mention here a novel that served as catalyst for this thought process:  The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll by Alvaro Mutis.  The book is part Joseph Conrad, part Gabriel Garcia Marquez . ..  with some Melville and Jensen thrown in as seasoning . . . and Maqroll el Gaviero–along with his “dispatcher/business partner” Abdul Bashur–are  aventureros sin igual!

Here’s a different illustration of change . . . Pegasus a few years back and

last weekend:  it’s springtime and she’s sprouted an upper wheelhouse

Ambassador in March 2010 is now Pramudita, a very Buddhist name.  When Ambassador was here three years ago, she seemed to be under treatment for propulsion issues.

Three years from now . . . or 30  . .  who knows what changes we’ll see . . .  All fotos–unless otherwise attributed–by Will Van Dorp.

Alice is Back!!

Believe it or not, Alice came into Brooklyn last night, so I crossed over the Hudson to Jersey. No sour grapes or anything; I just had an appointment that I’ll blog about soon enough . . . with Anne. No, that’s not Anne below; read the name for yourself.

Ambassador, it turns out, is a sibling–er . . half sibling–of my beloved Alice. Check this out and go to their international fleet. Both are managed/owned/operated? by a company run by a former Canadian prime minister and partnered with other companies.  It’s just confusing.

Check out this vintage shot of Alice. Meanwhile, although Alice and I don’t currently talk, we will again someday. Unrequited feelings are best sometimes. I’ll stay my bound to course while Alice does what she needs to do in Brooklyn and then moves quickly again beyond the horizon.

All photos and silliness by Will Van Dorp.

From the Line Locker

Landlubbers have “junk drawers;” some waterfolk have line lockers. From mine I’ll pull some gratutitous pictures and unrelated stories following up recent posts.

Two vessels–Ambassador (nearer and inbound) and Sonia, seagull, and Hoffman Island.

Pirates: An incident is ongoing right now off Somalia, as MV Rosen, a food relief ship, is held by pirates, crew as hostages. Read about it here. Bet the pirates don’t have eye patches or say “harrr.”

Crane ship off Narrows, three tugs, two NYPD boats. Waiting for ….
Meanwhile in Morocco: Here’s another set of photos of life on the Congo River. While we’re talking about the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) where I spent two years of my life, check out this very worthwhile effort in a profoundly tragic space. I met Bukeni last weekend, an angel.

Check this really cool section of Chine blog.

Emissions: Check this.
Tottenville: Check out frogma’s recent post about her never-ending tale of a certain voyage to Tottenville. Disclosure: I shamelessly lurked for almost a year on frogma’s wonderful blog before making a comment!

The paddle handler in that cockpit is a very young tugster (tugsta) up in New England. Notice what they name the combination dragger/lobsta boats up theah.

Last update in this very mixed bag: Compare this picture from Balancing of the Red Hook Sugar dome as it looked last summer and this one today on Gowanus Lounge. Read “Revere Sugar, Then and Now.” Seems like balance and stabilty are lost.

Will Van Dorp as photographer or talent.