Outs and Ins

There are ports and bottlenecks, and the sixth boro is surely a port, not that within it bottlenecks do not exist.  Yesterday afternoon I caught Charles Island headed for sea, and ultimately Ecuador . . . so it’ll pass through that bottleneck called Panama, which has so frequently preoccupied me these days.

Zim Luanda also departed yesterday, bound for Savannah.

Meanwhile, an equal number of vessels enter port, the sixth boro, our enormous honey pot.  Like this one, huge but fairly empty.  This foto of CSAV Rio de Janiero –and the two after that–come compliments of John Watson.   CSAV Rio de Janiero leaves here (probably tomorrow) for the Mediterranean.

Also, new in town and caught by John’s eye, it’s USNS Grasp T-ARS-51.  Possibly in town for maintenance?  And while I’m on the subject of sharp eyes and unusual craft, check out Mage’s report from San Diego, featuring USS Peleliu LHA-5, Navy dolphins, and an unusual vessel that defies my ability to identify it.  Any help?  Ooops . . . here’s Mage’s link.

And finally, arriving this morning, Polish-built Ice Pearl, vintage 1980.

To a casual observer of the harbor, a lot of vessels come in, park, and then leave.  They all do, but some areas of the sixth boro ARE designated anchorages.  This explains vessels like Pacific Quartz (recently arrived here from the Arabian Sea) and Avonden.  Tug Mary Gellatly (1978, ex-Capt. Jentry, North Star, North Service) leaves her dock and heads north.

Thanks to John Watson for the three fotos in the middle;  all others by Will Van Dorp, who’s happy to find others too could while the time away doing the Otis Redding thing on a bay, any bay any day.  Just think, what if Otis had started waterfotoblogging!!!

Atchafalaya

or maybe I should call this “windy saturday 2,” because as I watched the merciless wind from a shelter on the “cliff,” Kyle Stubbs felt it from the water.  All fotos today come thanks to his efforts.  Merci merci.

And these first two fotos, perfectly complement (as in andouille to crawfish-boil)  Bowsprite’s recent Jumbolaya post here.    It’s the dredge Atchafalaya, named for the great Cajun river and region. (Treat yourself to the 7.5-minute video at that link:  great cuisine, music, accents, and swampscapes .)

Atchafalaya first splashed into the water way up in St. Paul MN in 1980, quite a journey from its namesake.

Recall how gusty Saturday was:  additional assist work is needed, as in yesterday’s foto of James Turecamo standing by Pati T. Moran.  Here Brendan Turecamo waits at Robbins Reef Light to

tie in.

Ditto here as Mary Gellatly assists Quantico Creek and Doubleskin 39, like a refusing-to-huddle mass under a dramatic sky.

Here decommissioned 65′ harbor tug Swivel shuttles between Governor’s Island and Lower Manhattan.

And finally, harbinger of fotos coming tomorrow, Spirit of America defies the winds as it heads for St. George.

Again, many thanks to Kyle Stubbs for sending along these fotos.

My parting question:  which company now operates Atchafalaya?  Or . . is that a Crowley “C” on the stack?

And with all these Cajun and pre-Mardi Gras  references, check out the blog of a local Brasilian Carnival expert here.   Laissez les bons temps rouler.     And for the young at heart, watch Robert J. Flaherty’s Louisana Story here, for authentic life in Atchafalaya Country.

Random Tugs 66

Featured many times on this blog:  McAllister Responder (ex-Exxon Empire State, Empire State) launched in 1967 in Jacksonville.  Note the deckhand’s communication.  If my info is correct, then ghosts

live there today.  Here’s a haunting timeline and set of b/w fotos.  That’s tanker Lian An Hu in the background.

Weeks tug Robert (ex-Emily S, 1982) stands by Crane Barge 532 in midstream off the Financial District, awaiting more “erosion mats.”

Austin Reinauer (1978, ex-Mobil 5, Morania No. 1, Tamarac) heads across from the KVK toward Erie Basin.

Jill Reinauer (1967, ex-Ranger)  southbound past Ellis Island, the place the Lenape knew as Kioshk . . . or Gull Island.

Peter F. Gellatly (delivered just over a year ago)  heads in the same direction as Jill Reinauer.

Eagle Service (ex-Grant Candies, 1996) and crabber Alexa J off the wintry dunes of  “Konstapel’s Hoeck.”

Jakobson-built, 1967   Ruby M, ex-Texaco Fire Chief, pushing fuel barge Fire Island.  Now if you didn’t know this to be the name of local geography, wouldn’t such a name as “fire island” make you nervous?

Lincoln Sea, used to be blue, anchored off Red Hook a few days ago.  Off to the left, Moran barge Massachusetts anchors.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Pairs in Springtime 3

New twin house arrangement with complex logo on forward/back stacks?

Nah!  Just Patapsco assisting Peter F. Gallatly with turn to port while backing off the dock.  Note the twin circlers in the sky with one witness.

Peter (94′ x 34′ x 14′ and 4200 hp)  was launched three years after Patapsco (96′ x 34′ x 15 and 4200 hp) ;  hull 141 to Patapsco’s 124.  And the barge is blue-house GCS 238.

Looking at shapes, just basic externals, I’d call Peter F the 16th Vane Brothers vessel of that class.

Two peas

in a pod; yellow

stripe among green.  At least for now.

Jed caught this foto even more recently, blue-house GCS 235 moved on the hip by green stripe by Sassafras (90′ x 32′ 13′ and 3000 hp) built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding.

Green with blue and yellow . . . almost like courtship this spring.  Foto was taken at the head of Gowanus Bay.  Ship in the background was subject of post a month back;  foto then also taken by Jed.

All fotos, except the last one by Jed, by Will Van Dorp.