From the Line Locker 25

Two massive but indistinct enterprises loom offshore while a ketch motors in.  I understand that if I were near to one of those “loomers” . . . they’d be moving faster than I could swim, row, paddle, or walk . . . .

I couldn’t identify the ketch, with the ever-ready bike on deck.

What time is it?

Time to watch the colossal screen?  I’m trying to imagine some applications . . .  circle the boats at the float-in cinema? harbor church service?  a candidate’s debate? a floating classroom?

Only today did I understand that Harvey‘s paint treatment was part of a World War 1 memorial called 14-18 Now.

Click here for 14-18 Now background, leading up to the November 11, 2018 centennial remembrance of the end of the war that was supposed to end all wars . . . .  Even Richard Thompson, one of my favorite singer-songwriters, put out related music.

I NEED to now the story here, this 1930s wrecker on a pier in Red Hook . . . Will that be loaded onto a ship and sent away?  I hope not.  Related . . . I’ve got fodder for another truckster post soon.

Over in Sunset Park (or is this already Bay Ridge??), are these the legs for the Staten Island Wheel that will never stand?

All photos and questions by Will Van Dorp.

Whatzit 38 c

More Great Race tomorrow.

Let’s finish up  Whatzit 38, which started here with a plain white canvas.  Below is a photo I took during the tugboat race in September 2015 of John J. Harvey, an FDNY fireboat in commission between 1931 and 1995.

And here’s one I took in April 2010, making an up-to 18,000 gpm water display to welcome the 343 into the sixth boro. Pumping water, which makes these designs in the sky,  is the whole point of a fireboat.   So . . .

check out her summer 2018 look.

This is a thorough

 

thorough dazzle paint job, white spray all over the boat, including the decks.

 

 

From this angle below, she  really looks like a WW1 Norman Wilkinson production.

I can’t wait to see her in glass calm water . . .  to enjoy the reflections.

I believe this is the current John J. Harvey website.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

Remember tug Hackensack about ten years ago?  I’ve read some negative opining about the paint job on FB . . . here’s the concept.

 

Whatzit 38 b

Let’s start with a baseline, exactly seven years ago.  I got this photo of Harvey putting on a water display just south of Yonkers on June 12, 2011.

These next photos came from Lisa Kolibabek a few days ago, following up on the post of a week ago where I said “watch this space.”.

Never has a vessel been painted thus!

Note the master plan lower left.

 

The art is in progress . . .

so I hope you’re intrigued enough to continue watching this space.  Once the superstructure is painted, watch the space between the KVK and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Many thanks to Lisa for snapping these photos as she works on W. O. Decker, which you can see at work 39 years ago here.

I seem to recall bowsprite had a similar idea back in 2010.

 

Wavertree Returns 2

Who else greeted Wavertree on the rest of the way home?  John J. Harvey is always in on celebrations.

Lettie G. Howard was there,

as was the helicopter.  Feehan presented herself on the far side of Rae.

Pioneer accounted for

herself with crew in the crosstrees.

Pioneer and Lettie teamed up at times.

Wire showed up.

New York Harbor School had two boats there, including Privateer and their

newest vessel Virginia Maitland Sachs, about which I’ll post soon.

Melvillian throngs came down to the “extremest limit of land” on Pier 15 and 16, for one reason or another, but who were about to be treated to some excellent ship handling.

Rae took the lead, showing the need for tugboats of all sizes.

 

The larger tugs pushed and pulled as needed to ease into the slip

 

until all lines were fast and

and the shoreside work needed doing.

Bravo to all involved.  If you want to take part in a toast to Wavertree, you can buy tickets here for the September 29 evening.

If you haven’t read the NYTimes article by James Barron yet, click here.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who hopes I left no one out and who as before is grateful to the South Street Seaport Museum and the photographers’ boat provided by US Merchant Marine Academy and crewed by a set of dedicated cadets.

Often folks ask how one can learn about the harbor or is there a book about the sixth boro.  Volunteering at South Street Seaport Museum is a great way available to all to get access to the water, to learn from like-minded folks, and to start on a journey of reading the harbor and its traffic for yourself.  Each volunteer’s journey will be unique, and willing hands make institutions like this museum survive and thrive.

People on the Boro 19

For context, let’s look back here. And last year among some of the great photos shared by Harry Thompson, here (scroll) was a crowded harbor photo I really liked.

Last Saturday saw threatening weather; even so, lots of small boats and crowds braved the possibility of rain to see the races.

Vigilance prevailed and I heard of no incidents.

And yes, I paid a lot of attention to the Bath Maine-built 1906 Mary E, but that’s because I haven’t seen her in 9 years . . . obviously I was looking in the wrong places.  Click here and scroll for a photo of Mary E in Greenport almost 9 years ago.

Harvey was there.  Scroll here for one of my favorite photos of the 1931 Harvey, cutting through the pack at the 2013 tugboat race.

The 1885 Pioneer was there. Click here for a sail I did on Pioneer a few years back.

A raft of small boats clustered yet kept orderly.

The 1935 Enticer  . . . well, enticed, spectators as a platform.

as did a range of people movers. 

including the 1983 Arabella.

The captain of the heavyweight out there, the 2014 Eric McAllister, treaded lightly through the crowd.

Of course, out in the mist along the Jersey side there are more heavyweights, a Moran tug and its huge NCL gem.

And as for my ride, Monday morning it was earning money going for a load of scrap.

Another tall old ship that might have been present–the 1928 Bivalve NJ-based A. J. Meerwald had other missions to perform.

All photos by will Van Dorp.  And for photos of some of the people on the boro who were working during the race, check out NYMediaBoat’s blog post.

 

 

New York Media Boat 1

Photo thanks to John Skelson . . . it’s not a bird . . .  it’s not a plane . . . it’s NY Media Boat, one of the recent recipients of the Life Saving Award from the Marine Society of New York for a February 2014 rescue from a sinking tugboat.

So . . . what might you see on a customized adventure sightseeing tour of the sixth boro aboard NY Media Boat?   Well . . . if you’re interested in fireboats or firehouses . . . they’re near their Pier 25 pick up site.

A bit farther north . . . you can see Chelsea Market or Pier 66 Maritime from the water, a perspective quite different from experiencing either of them by land.

You never know what private boats might be docked at the passenger terminal . . . this one obviously wanting proximity to

the car wash.  Thanks to Phil Little for this unique perspective from the cliff at Weehawken.

You can see the newest NYC scalloper port.  F/V Endurance was back there yesterday.

If Alice is in town, you can meet her up and personal.   Alice Oldendorff, aggregate carrier, was the focus of the very first tugster post over seven years ago, as well as many since.  Use the search window.

The East River offers unusual juxtapositions . ..  like the UN and the WTC.

You might see remnants of industrial Brooklyn riverfront or

demolition happening to IER 17.

You can see classic architectural icons of NYC like the 1929 Chrysler Building or

1976  tramway.   But if you’re like me, you’ll be hoping for

unexpected sailing vessels like Halie & Matthew or all manner of work boats like

Long Island built Maryland.

How about the “interior” side of Red Hook Container Terminal?

Of course, then there’s nothing that beats close-ups of wherever you want on the sixth boro by open boat.  Book a tour here.   By the way, the boat offers warm, waterproof gear and PFDs.

Here’s an article on Bjoern Kils and the boat from a publication of Willard Marine, manufacturer of the boat, which formerly lived on a US destroyer.   Also, here are some recent NY Media Boat clients.

All photos here by Will Van Dorp, except the delightful one of the private boat at the car wash by Phil Little and the lead photo by John Skelson.  Thank, Phil.

 

Treasured Ship

Click here to see why John J. Harvey made this trip to Caddells.  These photos were taken around midday today, as the .org retired fireboat made its way to its home dock.  With new metal covered with absolutely brightest red, nothing but the most brilliant April sunlight would do.  Enjoy these photos!

The trim is not yet finished but there’s some time before her first trip upriver to kick off the season.   Note the sternway wake.

I thought I could jump in my land conveyance and beat them to one of my “offices” along the Kill, but I had to race . . .

to catch them here.

Yup . . . pass the plate.

Here’s a photo I took September 1, 2013 as Harvey knifed its way between fast-moving boats in last year’s tugboat race.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who’s putting this Monday morning post up early.

 

NYC Tugboat Race 2013 b

The race may last for less than 10 minutes for (most) boats, but each participant spends hours before and after.  Here, using the power of thousands of conceptual horses and one very real donkey, all four vessels in Miller contingent make their way upriver.

At Pier 66, crew on deck and crew below start them up.

Lady B (read her interesting history here and here, the latter explaining that the “B” stands for either “Benazir” or Bhutto.”

For boats that arrive on the scene early, Red Hook may have come straight from a job delivering bunker to Norwegian Breakaway, there’s time for what might look like lollygagging, and

(in these next two shots from William Hyman) saluting the spectators or just

being seen.  Does Seagus have another name?

But it’s also getting acquainted time.

Some regulars didn’t show, and other vessels arrived that I’d never seen before.

I had to look up South River Rescue Squad attending the Great North River race . . .

Somewhere in the attractively dressed race day crew on Jake-boat Resolute are two of the principals of tugboatinformation.com . . .  hi Birk and Craig, as well as the force majeure aka Rod behind Narragansett Bay Shipping.

This kayaker stays well out of the stream.

The white bowstriped vessel–Lt. Michael P. Murphy– in the distance won the prize for persistence, finishing the course in a historic half an hour . . . spending most of that time doing a mid-race-course onboard repair.

Despite forecasts of storms–and rain north of the GW Bridge–the only lightning I saw was here and

thunder from the crowds on the piers.  That’s the intrepid bowsprite showing us her drawing/painting arm.

Spectators took advantage of any platform.

More soon.   Thanks to William Hyman for his fotos, especially the one of an exuberant W. O. Decker, which I featured hard at work using Seth Tane fotos from over 30 years ago here.  Click here for John Huntington’s superb fotos from a wet place in the race . . ..

Again, my hat’s off to all who must work on Labor Day, including my son, who always works holidays for the higher hourly rate.  And if you’re inclined, read what Paul Krugman has to say about Labor Day.

NYC Tugboat Race 2013 a

Uh . . . what’s this?

It’s Buddy, living breathing braying hoof-beglittered mascot of Debora Miller.  If you’ve never been to the New York’s race, there’s a best mascot category.  In the past there’ve been  . . . dogs, hermit crabs, even a chicken . . . but Buddy redefines the contest.

With the threat of rain, someone made a wise decision and advanced the start of the race.  Here Resolute, Catherine Miller, Tasman Sea, and Red Hook move toward the starting line . . . feted by now-retired 1931 fireboat John J. Harvey.

Foto thanks to William Hyman . . . the line up.

And at 10:29:30 . . . they’re off . . . with 1930 wooden tug W. O. Decker taking an early and easy lead!!

45 seconds later . . . W. O. Decker has dropped back.

Here’s they are 15 seconds later.

John J. Harvey is not a tug, but to see the speed out of this octogenarian . . . was humbling.   An engineer toiling away in the engine room later told me all four engines were driving propulsion.

The red tug–Resolute–went on to win, although I don’t yet have the official times.  I could have written them down, but I was far too busy applauding and taking fotos.

And here’s the crowd at the finish line.

Part B tomorrow.  Thanks to William Hyman for foto 4.  All others by Will Van Dorp.

Many thanks to Glen Miller of Miller’s Launch for my ride this year.

Unrelated and almost forgot:  Here’s a query from Jeff S, a frequent commenter on this blog:  he saw a “very weather beaten wooden sailing vessel (hull) at the Jersey end of the Goethels Bridge, about 65-70 foot long , two deck cabins and a bowsprit.”  It was parked in the oversize lot waiting to cross the Bridge when traffic gets light.  Anyone have an idea what this may be?

 

Stormy 2 Evening

Foto by Hugh McCallion.  Pier 25 Manhatan.  Three hours til high tide and not much pier left for Pegasus and Harvey to rise.

Also pre-high tide on Rockaway, and water washing sand over the boardwalk onto Shore Front Parkway, finally justifying the name “sandy.”

Thanks to Hugh, Pam, and Barbara for the fotos.

Prayers for safety for all.