Rio Waters Retrospective

Some of you may remember the January River, or JR, posts I did three years ago in July.  I went to Brasil because my daughter was there, and she’s a fluent Portuguese speaker.   I had a great time, swam in several places, and never got sick.  I’m putting some photos never posted here up today because I know there are sewage issues there in the huge bay called Guanabara, but let’s not make a poopmageddon out of it, as the meteorologists do with the snowmegeddons in winter up here.   Excuse my Portuguese, but merda sells news, always will.

I took this photo looking west from Arpoador toward Ipanema Beach.

Here’s a shot from the same point looking toward Copacabana.

Here’s a shot of Copacabana looking toward the Bay, with Sugar Loaf as the prominent feature along the ridge.  A fair number of people were in the water despite the heavy surf.

I chartered this boat and –all tallied– chugged around Bay for about six hours.

Of course, I was looking who was there, like Galliano, LA’s  C-Enforcer,

CNL Ametista from Santos,

Rio’s own TS Abusado and TS Soberano,

Seabulk Brasil,

a pilotboat and tug Atlantico standing off near Hai Yang Shi You,

CPO Copacabana, and many,

many more.

 

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who wonders where these vessels are today.

Other Watersheds 14

Technically, I’ve never finished my posts on watersheds 12 and 13 . . .  the troves of photos from those places have simply been preserved by photos that followed and those stories remain to be finished . . . like most things in life.

The photos here, all from Maraki . . .  , offer a focus other than how much ice chills the sixth boro, an interesting enough topic but one that I need to get away from periodically.  Come inside, sip some chocolate, and contemplate the equatorial zones.  Like Rio Magdalena.

I’d seen the Magdalena on maps . . .

 

but never imagined what floated there. . . until then photo below led to Impala, an entity I’d never heard of before.

And that summoned info on where the tugs there come from, a question easily answered  . . . thanks to this internet thing.  Behold Impala  Zambrano and Impala Puerto Wilches.

Traffic like this coexists with the global economy.

East of the mouth of the Magdalena a dozen and some miles lies Santa Marta, where Atlantico awaits . . .

as does Chinook and

and RM Boreas.

Atlantico and Chinook are built in China.  I’m not sure about RM Boreas.

Two more from these waters from now . . .. Intergod VII.  Any guesses on place of construction?

 

I’m not sure where the Bauprespilotos get their boats like Voyager, but Intergod VII

was built in Collingwood, Ontario in 1967.

Many thanks to Maraki for creating the desire to explore yet another watershed.  For the latest dispatches from Maraki–above and below the water and during Curaçao’s carnival . . . click here.

 

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.

JR 14

Seeing Cavendish Sea outbound . . . I thought of Atlantic Salvor and Barents Sea.

Cavendish Sea, like this unidentified tug, is operated by Camorim.

Not Camorim . . . I think . .  this tug looks like it’s pulling dredge spoils . . .

Camorim does operate Cape Cumbria and

Atlantico . . . . as well as

tiny  . . . appropriate size  Flora and this barge.

All fots by Will Van Dorp, who thinks that every day is water day here and in many other cities.

JR 8

This is a view of JR’s harbor mouth as seen from Copacabana on a foggy winter’s morning.  Note the silhouette of the vessel entering.

Running in and out the harbor’s mouth all day is dredger  Xin Hai Niu, above seen at sunrise and below seen in late afternoon from inside the harbor at   Flamenco Beach.

Here’s a wider view of the mouth as seen from the inside . . . as unidentified Bram and Camorim vessels enter.

A government vessel at the mouth.

Laurindo Pitta (1910) stays inside.

CBO Alessanda

Camorim’s Atlantico light and outbound passes the Santa Cruz fortress that makes up the eastern side of the Narrows.

A pilot boat enters . . . again Santa Cruz in the background.

Complement to Santa Cruz on the west side of the mouth is Forta da Ilha da Lage.

All fotos yesterday by Will Van Dorp, who needs to study Portuguese today.

After Panama

Can you identify this general area?    I just arrived here, but all last night I was dreaming about the Canal.  Should medical attention be sought?

Some quick final shots:  Fortunato.

Stellanova here and

at the lighthouse below Miraflores.

Atlantico,

American Patriot, 

Buzzard Bay escorted by

Panama XIV, 

and with this type of cargo . . .

it’s National Geographic’s Sea Lion.

A final observation:  Panama was dusty, generated by all the urgent excavation, blasting, and construction.  I felt an excitement.  Dozens of large trucks like this tranported rearranged earth along the ridge between the old and new canals at Miraflores . . . day and night.  Notice the spotlights.  I’m guessing a return trip in a few years to see the results is a must.

And if Panama seemed dusty, this place–and maybe it was the window or the mix of clouds . . . this place seemed oily.

More to come.