Where “Exotics” Ain’t Exotic 3

It’s a new year, and with today’s and tomorrow’s post, I’m retiring the label “exotic” as I’ve used it to describe vessels related to offshore wind development efforts.  Consider the photo below:  three such vessels appear, l to r:  Fugro Enterprise, Miss Emma McCall, and HOS Browning.  Since all three are offshore wind farm related and have become regulars in the sixth boro, it’s time to come up with a new descriptor for them.  “Wind power boats” or WPB comes to mind;  that would be different than “wind boats” or “power boats.”  Maybe you have a better term?   I suspect these vessels will continue to become more frequent.

The Fugro boat here had just departed the Reynolds dock after a short stop, and 

I suspect the TDI-Brooks boat is heading there next. 

I wish I could have gotten closer-up photos of the gear alongside Miss Emma McCall‘s port side.

My best guess is that it’s a side scan sonar probe. 

After leaving Reynolds, Fugro Enterprise turned outbound and 

I caught this view of a similar device suspended on wires off her port side. 

Some time prior, HOS Browning departed the sixth boro

with this gear on the stern and under the folded down A-frame

for a short stint off Atlantic City.  Browning is now back in the boro. 

All photos, WVD.

Here were parts one and two of this title. 

 

Dawn 2023

I made my way through all the weird car wrecks on the Belt Parkway this morning to get to my cliff just before sunrise.  A small bulk carrier headed to Gravesend Anchorage while a tanker was anchored farther out. About those wrecks . . .  three multiple-car collisions in same-direction lanes between Woodhaven and the VZ . . .  what is it about impairment and driving that people don’t yet know!!?

Motorboat Yankee headed out to the mothership. 

Miss Emma McCall was just off the USCG quarantine station. 

 

From a different perspective, this is bulk carrier/general cargo vessel Meloi anchored.

When the sun rose, it painted ABC-1 and pilot boat New Jersey in light. 

Philadelphia and 

Josephine waited to rejoin their barges. 

Sunlight began to hit the tops of the cranes on Castlegate, a bulker with Chilean salt. 

All photos, WVD.

From the Line Locker 38

I like reader-submitted photos, especially when they show something I’ve not seen before, like this black low-profile unit, which may or may not have the name Elizabeth II,  in front of this Kirby inland barge.  Photo was taken somewhere west of Atchafalaya Bay by eastriver. 

See the unit at the bow of that barge?

Prime mover here is Louisa Frances.  So what is that forward unit? 

It’s a “bow boat,” as in here.  Scroll through and you’ll see a version called Chuck Norris and a Steermaster here. 

Next topic . . . after a reference and comments here, Jan vander Doe sent along this photo of an opduwer on a Dutch waterway below.  Literally the Dutch “opduwer” translates as “up pusher,” once again proving that tow boats can push, and push boats can tow . . . as long as they have the right deck fittings. 

Third . . .  the mobile boat lift that’s been at Bayonne Dry dock for a year and a half now was christened yesterday as Christopher Edward.  Read this story here. 

I’m happy to read this, although I’ve not heard of a travel lift or mobile boat hauler bearing a name.  On the other hand, the floating dry docks at Caddells have numbers and names. 

Finally, I caught an “exotic” heading out of the sixth boro the other day.  She’s been in and out before, but…. like I said… I finally got a photo of 

Miss Emma McCall.  A fleetmate–Brooks McCall –has been operating in the LI Sound and Narragansett Bay, but I’m not up there much.  To digress, would anyone up on Sound and N Bay send me photos of unusual vessels now and again?  I know the wind farm work is bringing in lots of exotics to southern New England ports. 

More on TDI Brooks and this vessel can be found by clicking on those links. 

Thanks to eastriver and Jan for their photos;  all others and any errors . . . WVD.