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It’s hard settling back into the blog after being in steamy alligatorland for most of the month, and didn’t even expect to be suddenly back. So my solution, the ether in my air intake, so to speak, is to just somewhat randomly choose and post photos I took in Junes from 2012 through 2016.
Starting with June 2012, behold Sam M and
Buchanan 1. I recall learning that Sam M made its way to Alaska, and Buchanan 1 . . . to the Rondout. Would you consider Sam M to be a lugger tug?
June 2013 took me to Philly a few times, where I got photos of Madeline and Captain Harry in the distance and
Sentry pulling El Rey, San Juan bound. The two Wilmington Tug vessels still work the Delaware River, whereas Sentry–last I read–flies the Bolivian flag. I should get down to Philly again one of these days.
In 2014 it’s Navigator and
Sabine. Navigator is still based in the sixth boro and Sabine is in the GOM.
In 2015, it’s Stephen B–still in the sixth boro–and
Evening Star, along with Wavertree during her makeover. Stephen B still works out of the boro by that name although Evening Star now has started working out of the boro again as Jordan Rose.
And 2016, it’s Eric McAllister and
a newly arrived Jonathan C Moran. Jonathan is still here, but Eric is in Baltimore.
All photos in a series of Junes, WVD, who does Junes from 2017 through 2021 tomorrow.
2015 is the last year I saw the race; in the following years I was working and away. But 2015 Labor Day Sunday had beautiful weather.
Again, I’m not going to name each; you can read the names either on the boats or in the tags . . . and then match up. And in the photo above, the jetskis had no names, but I hope you noticed them.
I’ll make an exception for Sea Horse, the Linden-based Sea Scout boat. Click here for more info on the boat.
See Harvey back at the end of the line? It was 19 years ago that Harvey came out of retirement to assist when tragedy struck.
Both lead tugs here are nicely appointed with the colorful pennants.
Ellen certainly had the best matched “riding crew” that day.
Let’s hope the this race comes back in 2021.
All photos, WVD, whose fabulous ride was care of the NY Media Boat. If you’re looking for something to do, click on the link and book a ride.
Let’s do 2013 and 2014, or redo them, same conditions as I stated yesterday. But first let’s look at the 2013 crowd, packing in like you wouldn’t with covid. Here was the crowd at 1010 and
by 1035 they had grown significantly.
The compulsory muster takes place, irrigated by fireboat John J. Harvey.
Once the race begins, a front-runner like Decker
might soon get left in the wake.
The fire boat slices up from behind and
propels itself between two Miller boats.
Pushoffs happen next, sometimes quite equally matched like here, with 3900 hp countering 4200.
Let’s jump ahead to 2014, with the arrivals on the watery carpet,
the processing to the starting line,
and get straight to racing without all the preening and posturing.
Someone seems a bit oversize in that gray livery.
This is a fairly mis-matched pair: Wayne at 5100 hp, and Ellen at 4000. Maybe a re-match is in order Wayne v. Ava.
Thanks to Jeff Anzevino for this shot, the Media Boat has military background in common with Wayne.
After Wayne has strutted its stuff in the push-offs, some of the boats lined up for the roping the bollard.
Let’s hold it up here. All photos, WVD.
On a day in the sixth boro, you’ll see a lot of working boats that’ve been around a while. These are randomly chosen. Lynx dates from 1967.
Stephen Dann from 1999.
Weddell Sea from 2007 and Lincoln Sea, 2000.
Joyce D. Brown, 2002.
Buchanan 1 . . . is she aka Buchanan 10? If so, 1967.
Marty C, 1981.
Little C, 1988. She looks somewhat similar to Lil Rip.
Pearl Coast, looking huge out of the notch, 1978.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
She was working in the sixth boro long before I lived here, as I understand it, a former Department of Sanitation tug.
And although my “sampling” by no stretch qualifies as scientific, it seems she’s often towing this way, on gate lines. Here and here are some previous appearances of Buchanan 1 towing on lines.
Of course, this method of towing can be seen often enough, like here, here, and here.
Here’s a close up.
And here, from almost exactly three years ago, is B1′s fleet mate Mister T doing the same westbound of the East River.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
I’ve done other East River series, but it’s time to start a new one. The next 12 photos were taken yesterday over a total elapsed 11 minutes! I happened to be near South Street Seaport in hopes of catching santacon craziness there, as I did many years ago here.
Let’s start with Alice discharging aggregates, and barely recognizable, that’s Matilde the cement making vessel.
A longer shot reveals a clutch of kayakers, which I hadn’t seen while shooting.
Down by Red Hook, I see Frances approach with two barges of aggregate.
Dean Reinauer passes, pushing a deeply laden
RTC 106.
Those are the stacked lanes of the BQE with the Brooklyn Heights esplanade atop.
Buchanan 1 heads in the same direction as the other two units, but at a slightly greater speed than
Frances.
Again . . . all in 11 minutes.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Bravo to the organizers and participants of the 2015 NYC race. It starts with a muster…

L to r: Catherine Miller, Robert E. McAllister, Eric R. Thornton, Mister T, Buchanan 1, and Buchanan 12
which looks different as you shift perspective.
It’s great to see race newcomers like Sea Scout Ship 243 out of Rahway NJ, and
By this point, some boats like Robert E. McAllister start to get impatient.
Muster then turns into a procession, filing straight toward the starting line and
showing the colors
as some newcomers catch up.

James William used to be a Moran boat.
Next stage . . . it’s the tension on the starting line, feet digging into the starting blocks and muscles tensing, sort of.
They’re off!
and water starts to cascade away from the bows…
froth by the ton.
But when the quick minutes of the race have elapsed, the first boat down the course is the impatient Robert E. McAllister.
And almost as in a triathlon, the dash down the course changes and the pushing starts.
All manner of paired struggle ensues.
And we need to leave. All photos here by Will Van Dorp, with thanks to Bjoern and crew for my ride.
Sorry for the hiatus in posting. I was out at sunrise New Years Day . . . but more on that in a moment.
Part of my silence was attributable to verizon. The rest . . . was because I decided to ACT on new year’s resolutions, not just make them.
The first photos after sunrise January 1 . . . Buchanan 1, who must have been towing a loaded dredge spoils scow out as the new years whistles were blowing and fireworks blasting. Bravo, Buchanan 1.
The linemen/boom managers were out working, as
were the crews of Lucy Reinauer and pilot boat Yankee.
Jay Michael headed out with a scow load of dredge spoils, evidence that dredgers worked their way from 2014 to 2015.
And Bering Sea . . . heads west into the Kills, having passed Gotland Marieann.
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
Actually that title captures 98% of this blog’s +1800 posts. And just as elsewhere in Gotham or anywhere else, so on the sixth boro what work you see depends entirely on your station. And my station this particular day was Tchefuncte River’s Equitable Equipment‘s hull # 1428, delivered in August 1966 as Red Star Towing‘s New Haven. Now she’s Freddie K. Miller; I took the foto below just over five years ago when she was Stapleton Service. I use this foto here because a downside of being on the tow is my inability to get a foto OF the tow.
At 0520 hrs, dawn was sweetest and coolest, from this point a mile south of Miller’s Launch. When I reported at 0530, the Miller’s yard was already busy.
The crew of Freddie K Miller’s had a job: pick up Weeks Crane Barge 552 and its crew and proceed to the East River ConEd. By 0615, crew was making the tow.
0645 we were crossing west to east across the Upper Bay. Buchanan 1 was towing a scow and
Douglas B. Gurion headed west for passengers. The ferry is named for a victim of September 11.
0715 . .. near Red Hook container port, we passed this ex-MSC vessel Transatlantic. I will post more MSC soon.
0730 . . . we had passed under the Brooklyn Bridge and now could feast on this potpourri of Manhattan skyline. Side by side on the right are Gehry’s flowing-facade 8 Spruce (2011) and Gilbert’s spiky-tower (1913).
0745 . . . we pass GMD Shipyard, where morning shift has already started its work on Massachusetts Maritime’s TS Kennedy (1967).
0815 . . . the crew have tied to the ConEd dock and Weeks’ crew has begun setting the spuds, for stability as the load is transferred. My very general understanding of this load is that ConEd purchased equipment from Manufacturer M. Company A trucked it to the Weeks yard because installation by land (by Company B) was less feasible than installation from water. Miller’s job was to move equipment on crane barge to ConEd so that Weeks–with collaboration from Company B–could set equipment exactly where it will be used.
0915 . . . first equipment is lifted and rotated over the East River counterclockwise to avoid obstacles on land, and at
0920 . . . crew guides unit into exact location. If half an inch off, then lift and get it right.
1010 . . . next piece of equipment is moved. While the tug stands by with the crane barge, Miller crew does fine carpentry work in wheelhouse.
Since my self-appointed job is to record details, check out Carolina IV, sailing westbound on the East river . . . hailing from Stockholm, Yes, sailing! and . . . yes . . . that Stockholm while
eastbound are Gage Paul Thornton and a floatplane.
1115 . . . heavy-duty pipe elbow gets lifted into place. Tower protruding from the building just right of MetLife is Chrysler Building.
1215 . . . the spuds are up, the crane boom lowered and secured, Freddie K Miller has spun off the dock and now heads back westbound for the Weeks yard. If the grayish vessel in the foreground is locally known as a “honey boat,” then this has to be one of the sweetest scenes possible in these parts.
1300 . . . as we approach the Weeks yard we cross Buchanan 12 towing three stone scows, possibly headed for a quarry up the Hudson.
1330 . . . Freddy K Miller is now “light,” having left the barge at the Weeks yard. Ever Decent is outbound for sea, and by this writing is southbound off Cape Hatteras.
Meanwhile, close to Manhattan, Asphalt Star takes on bunker fuel from a Vane barge. That black hose . . . that’s like the hose at the pump where you fill your car tank.
By 1400, I’ve said my thanks to the crew of Freddy K Miller —who await their next job on this or another vessel–and the dispatcher, and take a break to examine a familiar sight: Alice, she who inspired my first ever blogpost!!
Back on the bank and before heading home, I get another shot; she’s loaded deep with her Canadian aggregates.
Imagine my delight, then, later that day getting a foto from Mike C. of Alice Oldendorff north of the Navy Yard self-unloading her cargo of crushed stone.
Many thanks to all the folks at Miller’s Launch. Also, thank you Mike for sending along this last foto. All other fotos by Will Van Dorp.
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