Random Tugs 276

I took this photo after dawn, technically, and what detail of tug James D Moran is lost because of low light is somewhat compensated for by the lights of the boats and on the Brooklyn background.

Ditto . . . a few minutes later, the lights are dramatic as James D passes the illuminated IMTT facility.

Evelyn Cutler passed a bit later;  light was still low from an overcast sky.

JRT Moran heads back to base, the sky is still overcast, wind brisk, and standing around taking photos was cold.

Paula Atwell is quite common here, but usually the boat is obscured by the containerized garbage she pushes.

Navigator passed with her barge . . .  and the sun I’d wished for was still not forthcoming.

Barry Silverton . . . pushing a deeply-loaded Fight ALS toward the Sound.  Here’s a document I’d never seen in its entirety explaining the Harley “naming” project.  It turns out that Mr. Silverton was a victim of ALS.  What I thought was a one-off vessel naming is actually a fleet-wide enterprise.  For example, Dr. Milton Waner is named for a pioneer in the treating of hemangiomas.

Franklin Reinauer, passing Nave Ariadne, has operated with that name–I believe–since she first came off the ways.

Marjorie B McAllister waits alongside New Ability to assist an incoming container vessel.

which Capt Brian A. McAllister is already assisting.

 

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who at this point had the luxury of having some indoor work to attend to while warming up.

Random Tugs 254

Stephen B heads light westbound about to pass under the Bayonne Bridge, as

Mary H, especially busy during the cold times of the year, pushes some petroleum product in the opposite direction.  Soon leaves will decorate Shooters out beyond her. There’s a pool hall in Queens by the name Shooters, so to clarify, here are some Shooters history posts from way back.

Mr Jim moves some aggregates, also eastbound out of Newark Bay.

James D. nudges Dublin Express as needed into Howland Hook.

Eric and Capt. Brian A. assist a CMA CGM box ship.

Evelyn Cutler moves some petroleum along the supply chain.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who’s burning high octane himself these days.

Related:  Let me reiterate Lee Rust’s question of a day or so ago:  What is the current working estimate of operating tugs in NY’s sixth boro?  For starters, I think it’s hard to count because of the dynamic, transient nature of traffic.  Just ballparking it without breaking it down by company and enumerating, I’d say 75 at least.  For consistency, let’s say we can count a tugboat as present if it shows up on AIS/VHF/traffic control at least once a month.  I’d love to hear you estimates.

Random Tugs 251

Here’s a different perspective on the sixth boro, different from my more usual ones.  And in this morning light, Sarah Ann looks like a beauty as she heads somewhere past Robbins Reef Light and

well . . . along that island.

Let’s continue trying to get some different POVs.  Patricia has some fine lines here accentuated by the low light of dawn.

Elk River and Hunting Creek pass, with missions in opposite directions.

Evelyn Cutler moves product for somewhere up the North River.

Paula Atwell moves garbage containers past an incoming green new shipment, and

Julie Anne, a new one for me in the sixth boro although I have posted a “down south” photo of her here, moves a scow up toward the Passaic River.  Notice that until I got to the Norfolk tugs, there were no tugs with even a drip of red paint on them in this post?

And finally, Brian Nicholas is neither a huge nor a small tug, 72′ loa, but as she passes the stern of CMA CGM Nabucco, she

looks almost like a toy.  My first reaction was excitement  . ..  erroneously thinking I’d see either the elusive  Susan E. or Elizabeth Anna.  But don’t get me wrong, greetings to Brian Nicholas!

All photos and sentiments here the product of and/or the opinion of Will Van Dorp.

 

 

Random Tugs 244

Margaret shines “brightly” over by Fort Wadsworth.

Scott Turecamo transfers commodity over at the east end of Bayonne.

I think it is Miss Julia, but I still know nothing about her.

Of the Seaboats fleet absorbed into Kirby, Weddell Sea is the only one I see these days, and here she

gets assistance to the dock from Normandy.

Gracie M. was the newest Reinauer boat at least three boats ago.

With the ongoing renewal in the Reinauer fleet, Morgan must be among the oldest boats they operate.

And I’ll never forget an tempestuous morning when first I heard Evelyn‘s sound, when she was working as Melvin E. Lemmerhirt.

And that returns us to Margaret.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

Random Tugs 242

I sometimes refer to a golden hour, but recently I heard someone talk about the “blue” hour, when the sun is still or already below the horizon.  The light is dramatic in both, or through that whole continuum, as seen here.

Fort McHenry heads east . . .

as does Amy Moran, who technically is moving later than the blue to gold but still enjoys the subdued light.

RTC 80 is pushed westbound by

Dace Reinauer.

Treasure Coast waits with its barge amidst the industrial landscape of IMTT.

Viking (sometimes pronounced “vikin“) moves toward the AK with DBL 134.

Buchanan 12 heads for the fuel dock.

Ruth M. Reinauer  takes her barge to the AK as well.

Evelyn Cutler moves her barge to the west, and

fleet mate Kimberly Poling crosses the strait to tie up at Caddells.

x

x

xx

 

Sheesh . . . someone forgot to sweep all the leftover letters from the garage floor after work.

 

All photos and lack of sweeping by Will Van Dorp.

 

Above the Highlands 4

Still between Newburgh and Beacon, I see the shadows lengthening and light adding rich tints of every color.  Can you already identify the tug-barge unit rounding the corner tower of Bannerman’s Castle seawall. I’ve heard a story of a long-distance canoeist who slept inside that low tower, but I digress.

Here’s a clue to the name of that tug: a few years ago, it had a different name.   From the north and bathed in deep color, it’s a southbound ship. That generating station is at the intriguingly named Danskammer Point. Those Dutch really had such wild imaginations they seemed driven by superstition or at least an acquaintance with the supernatural.

Also southbound with a spotlight that caught my imagination . . .

it’s Evelyn Cutler meeting

Kristin Poling, 

but the Da Ming Shan will proceed as Evelyn holds back.

 

 

The color may not be in the leaves yet, but at this hour the color is on them.

 

 

The tug-barge units pass after

the asphalt tanker has gone on ahead into the Highlands.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who has again missed all the wonderful activities raising funds for restoration or stabilization of the Bannerman’s ruins.

 

Ice 8

For a 2015 coyote on ice, click here and scroll.    If a coyote came up behind these critters right now,

there’d be movements in the cycle of life.  Benjamin Moll took this amazing series of shots a few days back on the Hudson.

I was wondering whether these deer approach the open water to drink.  Anyone conjecture?

I’m wondering . .  . was there a whistle involved?

Many thanks for use of these photos to Benjamin Moll.

 

Poling and Cutler 2

A lot of time has elapsed since this first installment of this series here.

Here Evelyn pushes north with Edwin A. Poling loaded.

 

And not even a few hours later, Kimberly headed southbound in the same location with Noelle.

 

 

All those photos above date from mid-October, but a few days ago, I caught Crystal

crossing the sixth boro with Patricia.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who understands the need to upgrade, but I still miss the gravitas of the old Kristin Poling and the Queen.

 

Other Peoples Photos 60

First, thanks to Joseph Chomicz . . . it’s Rebel and Dolphin over by the Philadelphia Navy Yard   . . .

Quo vadis, Rebel?

And the second batch comes from Ingrid Staats with likely the most unusual backstory ever on this blog . . .  Ingrid took the photos from a room in New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where her healthy baby was born. She writes, “We had an amazing view of the East River and for four days as Mom & babe recuperated. I amused myself by capturing as many tugs as possible.”    Congratulations to all and here they are:

Sea Lion above moving recyclables and and Evelyn Cutler pushing petroleum product.

TJ and Catherine Miller . . . and is TJ really doing all the work here?

And finally . . . Navigator light and Gulf Enterprise pushing a petroleum barge westbound.

Many thanks to Joseph and Ingrid for these photos.  And I’m happy to hear that one of the next generation of tugboat watchers has been born.

 

Random Tugs 195

I see this tug light so infrequently that I didn’t recognize her at first.  A clue . . . some years ago she was painted red.

That’s Bouchard Boys distancing, but can you name the approaching vessel?

This one may almost be close enough to read.

And this one has the biggest give-away colors . . . .

Evelyn Cutler used to be Melvin E. Lemmerhirt, which I remember as a noisy boat.

Ross Sea I first saw in NYC’s sixth boro as Normandy, not

the current Normandy.

McKinley Sea first appeared here as Annabelle V.

And to round this out, Foxy 3 used to be a fleet mate of Lemmerhirt, mentioned above.

All photos on a windy day last week by Will Van Dorp.