Checking Back 2015 b

Picking up this retrospective post with the beginning of May 2015, it’s a nearly 40-year-old and tired Barents Sea, waiting then as now for what’ll likely be a “fish habitat” future.

The end of May saw Quantico Creek move Mary Whalen to its public space over in Atlantic Basin.  Was there a docking pilot calling it out from the drone?

Here’s first glimpse of an early June trip I’ve never reported on via this blog.  More on this vessel will appear soon–currently working in the Dominican Republic.  The red vessel in the distance is F. C. G. Smith, a Canadian Coast Guard survey boat.

Eastern Dawn pushes Port Chester toward the Kills.

July opens with the ghost of Lafayette arriving back in the harbor aboard L’Hermione. Click here for the set of posts I did about this person. 

I’m omitting a lot from my account here;

The end of July brought me back to the south bank of the KVK watching Joyce D. Brown go by.   July was a truly trying month . .  is all I’ll say for now.

In early August Wavertree awaited the next step into its rehab, and I

made a gallivanting stop in New Bedford, a place I’d not visited in too long.

 

All photos by will Van Dorp.

A Slew of Sail

There’s winter sail, spring sail, and autumn sail.  And today I’m just staying inside culling photos.   Since moving by wind has been around for millennia, Pioneer is a relatively modern vessel.

Pioneer, 1885

This vessel below can be “insanely fast.” I took this photos and ones that follow back on May 11, 2015 in Morris Canal.

Lending Club 2, 2015

Here’s another sixth boro regular, the largest NYC-based schooner.  See her here in winter maintenance.

Check out these special sails on Clipper City.

Here LC2‘s just finished the 635 nm run in less than 24 hours.

From Seth Tane on the Columbia River, it’s HMCS Oriole, US-built in 1921.

I’d love to see the interior of Lending Club 2, but my guess is . . . spartan.

Also from back in May . . . it’s Wavertree in the last feet of its transit for a major makeover, Thomas J. Brown sliding her over.

Here’s another shot of L’Hermione entering the Upper Bay for the first time.

And what do you make of this?

Maybe more on that last photo tomorrow.

Except for the photo by Seth Tane, all photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

L’Hermione & Independence Day

First, for a focused statement on the importance of this vessel and Lafayette on US independence, click here  . . . from a Portland Maine publication.   More on Lafayette, click here, but skip the partisan dribble in paragraphs 3–6.  Also, here.

Most of the photos in this post I took on July 1, by which time the French shore contingent had done a great job setting up a pier display, and here’s my favorite poster.  Doubleclick on the photo to enlarge it and read the numbers.

Soon after all lines were made fast, the ceremony started:  music, uniforms, flags, and the CASK!  It’s to be auctioned off.  I’d love to know the price.

Thanks to Linda Roorda, Peter Boucher, and Xtian Herrou for answers about the flags and uniforms.  The uniforms here and in Wednesday’s post of the Breton bagpipers and the two matelots are French Naval summer uniforms. The flag flown below the US flag on L’Hermione is the Serapis flag–or a variation thereof– flown by John Paul Jones.

 

Yesterday I stopped by and was fortunate to here speeches under the FDR.  Here, with microphone, South Street Seaport Museum Executive Director Jonathan Boulware talks about the ships, the museum, and all six boros of NYC.

Then a parade set out from the pier and headed via Wall Street to Bowling Green, stopping

briefly at Federal Hall.

Happy Independence Day.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

If you have time for a little history of LaFayette, click here.  If you want more complicated history, sorting out fact and fiction about the signers of the Declaration, click here.

 

 

Random Tugs 145

I will be back tomorrow with close-ups of L’Hermione and more, but Bjoern of New York Media Boat sent me the very intriguing photo below.  Recognize it?  Answer follows.  Clue:  Elizabeth Anna.

Well, L’Hermione  (pronounced LAIR me un) will find her way into more of these photos.  Here’s the venerable W. O. Decker.  Click and scroll to see her at work a few decades back.

It’s Pelham, power unit for Wavertree not long ago.

And it’s James Turecamo, preparing to escort in the French frigate currently at South Street.

And Frederick E. Bouchard, in the process of switching B. No. 264 from on the hawser to alongside.

And my first shot of James E. Brown, brand spanking new.  I’ll devote a whole post to James E. soon, I hope.

Laura K. Moran watches the French lion pass . . .

as does Frances out in Gravesend Bay.

And the answer to the question about Elizabeth Anna . . . the top photo . . . I believe it’s the erstwhile Bear, the Disch tug acquired by DonJon at an auction back in December 2014.  I wonder where she’s headed.  Anyone help out?

Except the top photo by Bjoern Kils, all photos in the past few days by Will Van Dorp.

And if I haven’t said this explicitly enough, New York Media Boat is the faster, most versatile, shallowest draft means to see whatever you want in the sixth boro.  Need waterborne support for a project or  . . .want to see or show someone the sixth boro and its borders with the other boros, check them out.

More L’Hermione Arrives in the Sixth Boro

So I’m going to do at least three posts on L’Hermione.

L’Hermione passes in front of the classic Bayonne Bridge

Escort tug James Turecamo closes in.

Notice the bow light of NY Media Boat.

Docking pilot prepares to board

The final leg to South Street Seaport Pier 15.

What is the technical name for the white sheet on James’ bow?

Incoming vessels flanked by Fort William and a Staten Island ferry

Crew takes to the rigging

I missed photos of the perfect smoke rings in the salute.

Pier 15’s design allows a large welcome party.

Can someone explain the uniforms of the two sailors, one playing the cornemuse . . . ok, bagpipes?

It seems that James‘ 92’ loa doesn’t quite work here.  Can anyone identify the flag below the Stars and Stripes and above the French tricoleur?

Heaving lines finally all to the pier.

And the word for tomorrow’s post–or if I have time–later today is Hennessey.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, with many thanks to  NY Media boat.   Here’s the story from the NYTimes.  And here’s what’s happening Saturday, July 4.

 

L’Hermione Arrives in the Sixth Boro

Back in March, I posted these photos taken by Xtian Herrou.  Xtian . ..  today I return the favor.  Tomorrow too.

Pilot arrives at L’Hermione

BZH-Association of Bretons in NY greet L’Hermione

Tricoleur is hosted at the stern.

Gunners prepare the guns for the salute.

Hands hook the anchor ring for further hoisting.

 

Hands on the wheel

L’Hermione enters the Narrows and passes Fort Wadsworth

James Turecamo delivers a docking pilot just off the French Statue.

 

And I’ll pick up the story here tomorrow.  Many thanks to Bjoern Kils and the NYMedia Boat for a fun ride.  After a night of thunderstorms and rain, daybreak brought blue skies and sunshine.  All photos by Will Van Dorp.   Also, merci Lafayette!

Other Peoples Photos 45

Today’s photos come from Xtian Herrou.  See the tug over there, the one the sailor in red must be looking at?  By the way, I’ve posted Xtian’s photos here and here before.  The rigging that dominates the photo below propels a vessel that will be making a stop in the sixth boro this coming summer.  Any guesses?  Her name–or rather the translation thereof–is a matter of some difference of opinion.

There’s the tug, Abeille Bourbon.

The sailing vessel is L’Hermione.  Here’s the name matter as described by Xtian:  “There is a fault in her name because of the English speakers who removed L’ as it means the but with the French navy for some ships the Le– La or L’ is really part of the name.  The apostrophe does not really exist in English, and on AIS her name is Lhermione to be correctly alphabetically placed at L.  Furthermore, the Association name is wrong as Hermione, and the mistake was discovered too late .  A similar difference exists between the  French La Fayette and the English Lafayette, which, given my last name (Van Dorp or Vandorp or van Dorp), I understand clearly . . .

Rick “old salt” did a post here about this some months back.  I especially enjoyed the discussion in “comments” section.