Jay Bee V’s Epic Winds Down

I caught the beginning of Jay Bee V‘s epic here, a few days after the summer solstice.  A bit later I caught her here at some different locations on the Erie Canal.

So we are all fortunate that Jake Van Reenen caught her here at a lock in central NYS that I’m not disclosing.  The voyage of the Glass Barge is complete, and at some point, the tug will return to the sixth boro and the barge dismantled and repurposed.

The color in the trees speaks to the season.

Folks upstate will talk about this epic for a long time.

And the small tug in the background?  I’ll post about that another day . . . maybe tomorrow.

All photos thanks to Jake Van Reenen.

Related:  Accompanying Jay Bee V and the Glass Barge all summer were Lois McClure and C. L. Churchill.  See them in this retro-season video under sail on Lake Champlain.

 

Canal Reef Express 4a

Here are the previous posts in this series.  And here are the posts I’ve done earlier on the 1929 Ward’s Island, whose builder’s plate photo I took in October 2016.  I was told it was removed some time ago and is in a safe place.  Here was my first post on “Ward’s.”

As a baseline photo of the double-ender ferry entered a second life in 1937 as a derrick boat or “crane ship,” I offer this shot I took in Lyons in March 2018.  That’s snow in the foreground.

In one of her most notable roles, she assisted in the clean up near lock E-12 after the Thruway bridge collapsed into Schoharie Creek, an event I recall vividly because I traversed that bridge just the day before.

Note the bow prop.  I wonder if at one time it had a rudder, as

you see in this photo of the stern prop.

The rest of these photos come from Bob Stopper.  Notice the glass has been removed from the wheelhouse, but the flag still flies.

Little by little, its crane abilities are removed and placed alongside the dry dock.

 

Pulling the shafts proved complicated,

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but eventually the once crane ship looks more like a curvaceous barge.

Who knows whether these props will be reefed along with the ship . . . .?

 

A tug is expected to arrive in  Lyons imminently to move this vessel from central–almost western New York–to tidewater, then down the Hudson, and out to the designated reefing ground.

And in other news from Lyons, here’s who showed up late Tuesday afternoon . . . with some new signage on the stack and engine cover.  Compare with here from a month ago . . .

 

Random Tugs 231

Let’s start out at Little Falls NY, above Lock E-17, where Jay Bee V had just departed and was now delivering the Glass Barge to the wall there.  Notice C. L. Churchill along the left edge of the photo.

Here above Lock C-7, it’s Margot.

On the Hudson River, tis is my first closeup view of Liz Vinik, formerly Maryland.

Westbound on the East River, it’s Sea Wolf moving uncontainerized thrown-aways.

Farther east, it’s Hudson with a fuel barge,

and meeting her, it’s Morgan Reinauer with the same.

Notice here, looking toward the Queensboro Bridge, Morgan and Hudson.

Here at the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge project, it’s  Dorothy J.

and to close this post out back on the Hudson, it’s Elizabeth, moving Weeks 533.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

Jay Bee V’s Epic 2

The last time we saw Jay Bee V, she was solo and reportedly beginning an epic.  That was nine days ago, and now Jay Bee V (JBV) has taken over this large white barge from larger river tugs and is heading west with a a flotilla that began over a month ago in Brooklyn.  Click here for specifics on this journey as well as sponsors, and there are many.

Arguably, the epic began in 1868, and I quote here from the link above:  “1868, the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company relocated to Corning, via the New York Waterways, and evolved into the company that is today known as Corning Incorporated. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of this pivotal journey, CMoG will launch GlassBarge—a 30’ x 80’ canal barge equipped with CMoG’s patented all-electric glassmaking equipment—in Brooklyn Bridge Park on May 17, 2018.”

What’s pushing the “glass barge?”

Here’s a top down view of JBV, and

the boats of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

Way in the distance, that’s the glass barge and beyond that, lock E-11.   Here from tug44 a few years back is more info on lock E-11.

If this photo illustrates nothing, it shows how JBV‘s  captain relies on understanding and communication from the watch stander on the barge.

 

Above and below, the flotilla passes Fonda, NY,

before locking up through E-13.

 

The glass barge flotilla had given its 8th set of shows (by my count)  in Amsterdam the day before.  To understand the impact of these shows, think canal-traveling circus of the 19th century.  Here they were heading for a set of shows in Canajoharie.  

 

More to come.  Again, if you have not checked out this link for their schedule–the water portion of which ends in Watkins Glen on September 16, click here.   Below is a vase I witnessed a glassblower make in less than 15 minutes!

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who reiterates that I take all the photos credited to me on this blog;  any photos taken by anyone else–collaboration I encourage–I attribute accordingly.

More photos of the Great Race soon.

 

 

Jay Bee V’s Epic Begins

Two days ago, the compact 1969 Jay Bee V (38′ x 12′ x 5′) set out on a journey that’ll be followed on this blog.

Hint:  It’s even a bit smaller than, for example,  1930 W. O. Decker (50′ x 15′ x 6′), which has some enclosed living space, compared with Jay Bee V‘s lack thereof.

Arguably, Jay Bee V and W. O. Decker have occupied the same niche in harbor work, although at different eras.

I’ve seen Jay Bee V working at Caddell’s back in 2016 here  and in 2015 here.

That looks like a bundle of new line for towing or tackle to me.

As I said, Jay Bee V is setting out on what may be its greatest ever journey.

She’ll exit the Kills and turn for the North River.

And if you’re wondering where she’s headed . . . she’ll spend some time on the New York State Canals, where I hope to see her next week.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

Wavertree at Caddell Dry Dock 6

Here were the previous posts, the last one being in April.  On June 11, I took the photo below, and since then had not been back until yesterday. Note how far along the Bayonne Bridge was on that date, as well

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Here’s a closer up of the rigging on June 11.

Now let’s jump forward to yesterday, August 15.  Note where the crane barge

Claude G. Forbes started the morning, and

and check the progressing in rigging, compared with photo #2 above.

Yard tug Jay Bee V came out to

reposition the barge.  Note the mizzen on the background.

Then the crane pivoted around and

the block was lowered and

straps added and

all systems checked and

then slowly tensioned.  One end of the mast lifted from off the deck

BUT then it was lowered.  I waited around for an hour more, but then had other places to be.    I’ll have to pick up the Wavertree story another time.

Since I mentioned the Bayonne Bridge–its own process–here’s what the work looks like as of August 15 from over off the west end of Caddell Dry Dock .. . aka ex-Blissenbach Marina now known as Heritage Park, which in my opinion, should have foliage trimmed so as to be  more user friendly for land-based photographers.

Thanks to everyone who braved the heat last night and came to the showing of Graves of Arthur Kill.  Special thanks to those wizards who problem-solved our way through the technical challenges, except I had brought along an antepenultimate version . . .  and sorry I didn’t have a chance to talk with everyone there.  What you want–prepare for an explicit commercial message here– is this version, which Gary and I call “the director’s cut,” available for a mere $11.99.

While I’m doing “commercials,” here’s an opportunity for the right people to sail offshore on South Street Seaport Museum’s 1893 fishing schooner, up to Gloucester for the 2016 schooner races, or back, or some portion thereof. Click here for some of the many Lettie G. Howard posts I’ve done over the years.

All photos here by Will Van Dorp.

 

Caddell’s Own Tugs

Enter right . . .

… it’s L. W. Caddell, which I believe was built at the yard a quarter century ago.

A shipyard needs a small tug (loa 46′ x 16′) for lots of projects . . .

with every job.

And L. W.  . . .

has an even smaller fleet mate, Jay Bee V, 1969

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and loa 38′ x 12.’

 

All photos by Will Van Dorp.