Paladins of the Port Waters

Some recognize their “heroes of the harbor,” and that’s a great thing.  I’d like to offer my list of “paladins of the port waters,”  honoring all those who work on the sixth boro and adjoining waters, be they partially permanent or totally transient visitors of our great port.

Honorees change constantly.  A recent survey of those mariners include crew of Indonesian-flagged High Seas, a vessel previously here under the name Pacific Turquoise.

Add in Yorktown, currently in town employing shipyard workers after

a mishap on the Great Lakes.

Kudos to this unidentified Moran boat moving containers around the harbor as they should be moved  with much great frequency.

I think it’s Brendan, but the Lady on the other side of the barge is not talking.

Here’s to the hundreds of working mariners and shore crews represented by Carnival Miracle, Emma Miller, and the unidentified barges here.

Hats off to the crew of Natalia McDevitt, which I’ve never seen here before.

Let’s hear it for the crews of Laura K and the unidentified tanker off her starboard, now headed to points south and east.

And a salute to crews who might rescue you in case of mishaps on the waters.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who thanks you for checking his list.

Meditations N

N . . . nudge.  A little touch goes a long way, especially on low-gravity days.  Marjorie B. McAllister nudges self-unloading bulker Atlantic Superior away from the dock where Alice sometimes offloads.

Margaret Moran tails MSC Ancona, ready to drive the stern to starboard for the bend in the KVK.  Is that graffiti on the base of the mustard-colored stack?

Miriam Moran shadows Carnival Miracle, white sheet in place on the bow fendering, in case the passenger vessel needs a smither of propelling as she eases into the dock.

Jennifer Turecamo and Turecamo Boys follow MSC Dartford, ready to check any adverse momentum (aka drift?) rounding Bergen Point.

Gramma Lee T. Moran trails Ever Refine, lest some thrust is called for.

Marie Turecamo, wedged under the flaring bow of MSC Endurance, stands by to shove as needed to keep the hull in the channel.

Nudge . . . I can do do it;  as I can guide or shove.  And . .  I need nudges myself sometimes, maybe even often.  Of course, many gradations of pressure–lateral or longitudinal– exist from almost imperceptible to measurable on the Richter scale.  It’s been a bunch of decades since I last shoved someone with testosterone rage.   Nudges may range from super-tactile to mildly-so to verbal to even non-verbals.  Non-verbals are my favorite, although I’m as fond of mock-combat as the next randy boy, so shove me if you wish;  just keep a smile on your face, and don’t be surprised if I shove you back.  Oh  . . . and you’re near water . . . soft wet landings make me jolly.  Nudge when it’s consensual . .  like the 1980’s dance called the “bump.”  Nudging and bumping have their place;  it could never happen here though, atop the future pedestrian bridge in Poughkeepsie.

But then again, I’m jollier when we just team up with no nudging required.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Meditations D

I know I skipped “C,” but my editor lets me do anything I want . . . like rearrange alphabetical in order.  For the record, I have already gone to “C”  (pun intended) and will return but feel excited today to do “D” first.  Thanks to all for your comments/corrections/clarifications . . . I responded in a megacomment to the left.

Question answered at the end of this post:  how many National Parks find themselves in NYC and how much area do they cover?

“D”is for details.  I’d soon atrophy and die if I were sensorily-deprived and unable to seek details.  Like the canoe on Justine‘s boat . . . er . . . canoe deck.  Guess the manufacturer?

Coleman!  I imagine my little car underneath it, and how much of the canoe would extend forward and back of the cabin roof.  Check out a canoe post sent along recently by Kennebeck here.  I’m eager for some canoeing this summer.  Kennebeck own site here echoes Peter’s invite to Dickmas;  only a little over three weeks remain til Dickmas.  Are you ready??

Yesterday’s post had full frontal on Stolt Capability;  up above the tank is their Yokohama in the case  . . .  there’s interest in a tubing party at sea.  If you haven’t already, check out Bowsprite’s reflections of prototypes for Yokohamas.  On those prototypes,  wonder how this is dealt with in Taiji.

Another look at the bulb of Ever Radiant;  ….and I always thought these fairly common marks resulted from props in the wrong place.

I just happened to catch Ever Radiant coming into the sixth boro 18 hours before;  based on the percentage of bulb exposed in each, I’d wager she left lighter than she was upon arrival.

Falcon . .  always that low in the water . .  full of fuel?

Exercise equipment  . . . or auxilliary power?

Cruise ships . . . crews think . . . glad there’s no brightwork . . . or brass to polish or

Oops!

Is it just me  not noticing this type  of detail before . . . looking like human curves or the pouch of a lady slipper?  Any guess where it’s located?

It’s the hawse of barge Charleston.

Finally, here’s a shore detail I’ve long wondered about:  east bank of the Hudson just north on New Hamburg is the Tilcon Quarry at Clinton Point . . . it looks like a stupa or temple.  Anyone know more about it.

Two more details:  I’ve shouted out Mitch’s “Newtown Pentacle” blog recently; let me do it again with his post about a seaplane landing on Newtown Creek.  That’s right . . . that Newtown Creek.  Maybe some fisherman decided to do the NYC Creek this year rather than the Allagash.  I wrote about a similarly delightful landing on the East River a spell back.

Last but certainly not least:  The answer is 10 Parks and 27,000 acres.  In these days of ubiquitous iPods, National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy has put together an interesting partnership between the National Park Service and other entities to create downloadable podcasts/maps to guide your way around NYC.  Check out their boat tours and walking tours here.

Also, if you VOTE in NYC, here’s a public service announcement from the “mayor of Coney Island, the man behind the mermaid parade.”

One more from Bernie:  turtles close runway at JFK!!

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.  Thanks to Jason for contributing info to this post.