Out of the Bayou 8

This post covers a day and a half of travel, shown in pink and green.  You’ll understand why by the end of this post.

We departed Chandeleur Islands and headed for Mississippi’s Gulf Islands, part of a National Seashore.

In the distance off Pascagoula, we saw Crowley tug Achievement and her barge.

 

No Worries . . . that’s the small open fishing boat anchored near the rig.

 

F/V Apache Rose was at anchor showing off its “wing trawling” innovation.

Lois Ann L. Moran, with its very familiar livery, anchored off Mobile Bay, to the west of a dozen or so anchored vessels.

Sand Island Light marks the southernmost tip of the state of Alabama.

I’ll just point out here that we saw countless rigs off Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.  That fact contrasts with what will follow in an upcoming post.

Lots of placards indicated presence of Cox and Telos, but I saw none marked Hilcorp or other energy companies. 

We ended that day off Perdido Key Resort in Floribama, where some skullduggery appeared to warrant keeping our distance. 

The next morning we entered Pensacola

for some crew change and grub shopping. 

Fort Pickens, one of only four southern US forts to remain in Union hands during the Civil War, lay on a barrier beach.   Updates were made to the fort up through WW2.

USCGC Walnut (WLB-205) is homeported in Pensacola, but nearby were two other CGCs,

Reliance and

Diligence.  A WLB and a WMEC made up part of the fleet in the sixth boro back in May 2022.

And here is the reason I extended this installment all the way to Pensacola.  As we made for our landing, we passed Gulf Dawn, which itself was passing that large blue/white vessel in the background . . . .

It’s Jacklyn, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket landing ship-to-be.  Well, now it will never be, since Julie F towed it out of Pensacola just two days ago, destination ISL Brownsville TX.  The story in detail can be read/heard here.

All photos, any errors, WVD, who will reprise this trip on the blog soon with more vessels.

 

 

Really Random Tugs 20

Here’s a range of photos from the present to the unknowable past.  Gage Paul Thornton . . . 1944 equipment working well in adverse 2014 conditions.   Photo by Bjoern Kils of New York Media Boat.

In 2007, McAllister Responder (1967) moved Peking (1911) across the sixth boro for hull inspection.  Photo by Elizabeth Wood.  That’s me standing on port side Peking adjacent to Responder house.

1953 Hobo races in Greenport Harbor in 2007.

A glazed over Gulf Dawn (1966)  inbound from sea passes BlueFin (2010).

Deborah Quinn (1957) awaits in Oyster Bay in 2010.

HP-Otter and HR-Beaver . . .  said to be in C-6 Lock in Fort Edward yesterday.  Photo by tug44 Fred.   New equipment chokes on ancient foe but no doubt will be dried off to run again.  Compare this photo with the fourth one here.

Unidentified tug on Newburgh land’s edge back in 2009.  I’ve been told it’s no longer there.

Unidentified wooden tug possibly succumbing to time in August  2011.

Ditto.  Wish there was a connection with a past here.

Thanks to Bjoern, Elizabeth, and Fred for their photos.  All others by Will Van Dorp.

 

Random Tugs 121

Guess the locations here and . . .

here?  Answers follow.

This one should be obvious.  What’s the Philly-bound tug?

It’s Lucky D.

Here’s Chesapeake Coast, probably North River and then Hudson River bound.

B. Franklin Reinauer is Sound-bound.

And some light tugs . . . Elizabeth,

Joan Turecamo,

Chesapeake,

Megan McAllister, 

. . . Margaret Moran and Pegasus.

The top two were . . . locations were Chao Phraya River in Bangkok and the Staten Island side of the Narrows, with tug Gulf Dawn outbound.   Click here for some Thai tugs from almost seven years ago.  Thanks much to Ashley Hutto for the first photo.

Ice 3

Here was a post I did four years ago.  Scroll through and the second image from last is an icebreaking run I did with Cornell in the Kingston NY area.  Here were my posts Ice 2 and the first Ice.

Below . . . a foto from Gerard Thornton showing Gary Nelson on Gage Paul Thornton.  Gary seems to be keeping relatively good humor in spite of the cold.

Gulf Dawn returns a dredge scow to the AK.

See the icicles on an anchor which less than a month ago was splashed with tropical water.

Margaret and Laura K. Moran assist Valle Azzurra in from sea.

McAllister Sisters heads upriver with

RTC 60 and –I’m speculating– lots of heating oil for New York state homes.

McAllister Girls –here passing Sassafras–is a boat I haven’t seen in a while.

Thanks to Gerard Thornton for the first foto;  all others by Will Van Dorp, who believes that one reason to put up such cold fotos  is so that we can look back in July and feel delightfully cooled by these images.

Random Tugs 114

Sunrise to the left of Coney Island Light and tug Escort, a Jakobson boat.  Note how calm the water is.

The mighty Resolute passing the lofty Chesapeake Coast, with a loftier tower off in the distance.

James Turecamo–a Matton boat– tailing Stolt Aquamarine

Gulf Dawn with GL 54

Escort six hours after the lead foto . .  notice what 22+ knot wind out of the west does.  That’s Taft Beach disappearing  behind the island.

And Potomac heads eastbound.  I’m thinking to use Robbins Reef light as the terminal punctuation for all posts this week.  Do you remember these signs that used a product name in the same way?  I’m gathering if you are over 55 and a US resident, you’ll know about Burma Shave.  Otherwise, you’ll think I’ve lost it again.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp, this morning.

And check out this Staten Island Advance story on Robbins Reef light rehab work, featuring my foto!

Random Tugs 112

Random . . .  all fotos taken in the past week, and  . . .  let’s start with a tugboat that’s NOT mostly painted white, the 1958 Thornton Bros.  This foto, courtesy of William Hyman, also shows the color of foliage on the New Jersey bluff across from upper midtown.

2000 Brooklyn, which also has had a long list of previous names.

1979 Margaret Moran

2002 Gramma Lee T Moran

1974 BF Jersey

1966 Gulf Dawn

1979 Patrick J Hunt

And some fotos of vessels operating by night.  ..  1983 Escort

1969 Robert E McAllister

1976 Atlantic Salvor.    Notice the tallest building in the distance . . . that’s WTC1.  Eleven months ago, I took these fotos of Salvor steaming int the sixth boro with segments of the antenna that are now assembled and in place atop the tower.

And once again, the green 1958 tug that started out this post.

Thanks to William for the first foto;  all others by Will Van Dorp.

Random Tugs 97

B. Franklin Reinauer made its inaugural visit to the sixth boro this week.  Birk Thomas caught this shot.  I featured it last month at splash here.

The same day, Capt. Jason (1982) breezed through the harbor, a first glimpse for me.  I have not much more info.

Gulf Dawn appeared here.

And regulars include Catherine Miller,

Laura K. Moran,

Lucy Reinauer,

Evening Mist sailing here through golden evening sheen,

and Sassafras paralleling a container ship.

Except for the foto by Birk, all fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Unrelated:  An intriguing and troubling story from gCaptain about a captain in prison in Panama.  Maas Trader called in Red Hook just over two years ago.

 

Patapsco Watershed 1

Update from the previous post on Moran’s imminent move out of Fells Point in this link from the Sun.

The heart of Baltimore offers a look at some tug house design evolution.  Cape Romain dates from 1979.  Note the green (of course) building toward the right side of the foto:  the Cat’s Eye Pub.

Harriet Moran dates from 1978, but I don’t know

when she was retrofitted.

Surrie Moran (2000) resembles the newer Moran tugs like Gramma Lee T. and Laura K.

Again, Surrie, Cape Roman, with two SL-7s Denebola and Antares in the background.

Joan Turecamo (built at Matton near Waterford, NY 1980)  backs out while Gulf Dawn (1966, ex-Frances J) approaches.  Gulf Dawn was last on this blog last March.

Notice the line hanging from the top of the house,

equipment I’ve never sen before.

Last for now, Cajun passes outbound near the sugar ship, Chios Voyager.

More soon.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Doghouses

Let’s hope you don’t conclude this blog has gone to the dogs . . .  first wenches and now this.  But doghouse is the word I hear most often in reference to the aft-facing cabin that offers good visibility of the winch and tow  as well as protection from weather and parted wire.   Notice the variety of styles, sizes, and locations of these cabins.   Barney Turecamo has the triple-pane model mounted center, whereas

Comet‘s is starboard with a roof-mounted spotlight, all of which describes

Gulf Dawn‘s, which also features an AC.

I’m not sure what the small dome on Wilcomico‘s roof is, but it adds steel lattice glass protection.  And notice its portside orientation, unlike all the previous examples.

Falcon‘s doghouse is more capacious than the upper wheelhouse.

To follow on Nathan Stewart‘s winch fotos from yesterday, notice the controls, a

full set of them plus ability to monitor two channels at least on the VHF.

Finally, for now, Nanticoke, one of Vane Brothers Patapsco-class tugs, as is Wilcomico, uses the doghouse as a location to display the IMO number.  Here’s gCaptain’s take on IMO’s.

More on this later . . . since many “tug” boats do not have winches, and not all that have winches have doghouses.  Is there a rival term to “doghouse,” since Nanticoke and sister vessels are powered by Caterpillar 3516s . . . Cats . . . it could become complicated.

One week until the equinox!  And if you missed my late addition to yesterday’s post, Henry’s posted from Amsterdam;  check out his eagerness to get back to sea here.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

Outa-Towners

One glorious September morning 399 years ago, two young Lenape may have lingered on a rock near present-day Weehawken having a picnic of raw oysters when–without precedent– the Halve Maen tentatively sailed toward them looking for China.  “Check it out.” he said, pointing toward the ungainly canoe.  “Must be outa-towners,” he added, wanting to impress her with his knowledge.

Since then, “outa-towners” continue making calls within view of the great picnic spot.  Some come and never leave although most have places to return to.

Check out Jay Michael from Boston, MA,

Patrick J Hunt of Narragansett, RI,

Amberjack of Philadelphia, PA,

Pati R Moran of Wilmington, DE,

and Gulf Dawn of New Orleans, LA.

Okay, so I was the outa-towner in Kingston when I saw this vessel.  Anyone identify?

And outa-towner I’ll be once I head north tomorrow morning looking for picnic spots, adventure, fresh sweet corn, inspiration, tugboats, and whatever else offers itself.  A bientot.

Unrelated…  but two interesting Times articles answer these questions:  how much does it cost to ship one 40′ container from China now v. early years of this decade?  And what critter is the cockroach of the open water and what does it say ?

Photos, WVD.