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June 2012 was pivotal for me. A photo sent along by a friend alerted me to Canal commerce–Canadian corn– entering the US at Oswego, a place I knew something of from my youth.
If that was a spark, then the breeze that fanned it was an invitation to do my trial article for Professional Mariner magazine, which led me to Kingston NY, the mouth of the Rondout, and a project involving use of a half century old tug Cornell to do TOAR signoffs. My most recent article in the magazine came out today and can be seen here.
On that assignment, I was privileged to have a mentor, Brian Gauvin, do the photography.
Other big events for June 2012 included the movement of shuttle Enterprise from JFK airport ,
ultimately to the Intrepid Museum to be
hoisted onto the flight deck as part of the display, now covered.
My daughter went off to Brasil (again) and the Amazon, leading me to go there myself a year later, fearing she’d never return because she loved it so much there.
I’d given her a camera before she went, and was rewarded with some quite interesting photos, like these small motor boats that looked almost like slippers …
with straight shafts coming straight out of air-cooled engines.
During my trip up to the Rondout, I stopped in Newburgh, where replicas of La Niña and Pinta, crafted using traditional techniques on the Una River in Bahia, Brasil, attracted crowds, one of many stops along the great loop route.
Other festivities on the Hudson that summer . . .
included the sails and music associated with the Clearwater Festival, and of course the small boats moving in some of the venues.
Patty Nolan and Augie were the small tugs, and of course the sailboats including Mystic Whaler, Woody Guthrie,
and of course the sloop Clearwater. The Clearwater organization will not be doing a music festival in June 2022. Mystic Whaler is now working in Oxnard CA at the Channel Islands Museum.
Summer time and the living is easy well, at least it feels that way some days . . . .
All photos, except the first one, WVD. That first photo was taken by Allan H. Seymour.
Sometimes I’m conflicted about what to post, like today with too many competing stories, and we’ll start with news, and Cisne Branco, which translates as “white swan.” The photo below shows Cisne Branco, a Brazilian Navy training vessel, in the sixth boro in May 2012 for a sixth boro OpSail event. Earlier this week, the 1998 vessel got swept downstream the Rio Guayas in Guayaquil, Ecuador and came to rest against a pedestrian bridge. See it and hear about it here.
Here’s another shot of Cisne Branco in Gravesend Bay.
In other news, the 1967 83′ steel schooner Mystic Whaler, a regular in the sixth boro, has been sold to a party on the West Coast. The Egintons have owned it since 1995.
A few weeks ago now, the 1943 laker Mississagi was towed to the scrapyard in Sault Ste Marie. I caught these two photos of her in summer 2016 in Lake Michigan below and
along the Saint Lawrence River below. Other photos can be seen here.
While looking up my May 2012 photos of Cisne Branco, I saw this photo of Taurus in the North River. She’s now Joker, featured here several times recently. In May 2012, the K-Sea fleet had just been sold to Kirby, and in the photo below, the red K-Sea visor was painted blue, the K-Sea logo was removed from the stack, but the Kirby logo had not yet replaced it. Also, in the background, it’s Harvey and Frying Pan at Pier 66.
This photo also from May 2012 shows Ellen McAllister coming alongside Dewarucci, an Indonesian training ship. Between the two, it’s Scotty Sky, the small bunker tanker now sold somewhere in the Cabibbean.
Since there’s a lot of media attention on the congestion in SOME US ports, have a look at what’s off Savannah. This was a screen grab from VesselFinder almost a week ago, and it’s not much different today. A personal frustration is the outermost vessel shown, CMA CGM Marco Polo. I missed getting a photo of her in the sixth boro on Saturday, October 9 because I was out of town; in the wee hours of Monday, she departed for Norfolk and then Savannah. She’s now been anchored, about 60 miles out from Savannah’s container terminals since the 15th. Earlier this year she was setting a new record in US/Canada ports, and now she’s stuck in a jam.
And finally, two photos from April 2018 showing Mon Lei getting towed to a marina just north of the GW Bridge, where it stayed for some time. Question: Where is Mon Lei today . . . asking for a friend.
This red/white junk was once quite the fixture in the sixth boro, and although I was never aboard, I’m told the interior was sumptuous! Click here for posts I’ve done on the boat. I talked with one of the owners once on the phone.
That’s some news from my desk in Queens. All photos, WVD.
I’d really like to know what became of Mon Lei.
It’s that time again . . . a glance back at exactly a decade ago. Back in June 2009, the 400th anniversary of the Half Moon going up the Hudson kicked off with a 20th century version of the Half Moon going up the Hudson. Note the banner hung to the old TZ Bridge along the right side of the photo. That replica is now in the Netherlands, looking for a new home, and that bridge–parts of it–have become fish structure somewhere off Long Island.
A newish boat in town was Peter F. Gellatly, now Vane’s Long Island.
Bounty–alas her fate–was still an irregular visitor to the sixth boro. Here she’s made up to Harvey just outboard of Frying Pan.
Brian Nicholas moves a scrap barge out of the East River.
Paul T. Moran made one of her really rare visits to the sixth boro.
Container vessels calling in the ports of NY and NJ had not yet become UL . . . ultra large versions
Harvey follows Half Moon northbound on the Hudson.
Michigan Service and Erie Service gather near IMTT.
Sisters assists with a tanker, and
here’s more of the River Day procession marking the year of Half Moon the first.
All photos taken in June 2009 by Will Van Dorp.
USMMA Foundation vessel Tortuga needed hands for a transit from Kings Point to Newport RI, where it is serving as support for Warrior Sailing program races this weekend. I didn’t wait for a second call. I just needed to get there by 0250. No problem, since this IS my favorite time of “day.”
tug Elizabeth Anne at 0236 h.
sunrise from the bridge of Tortuga at 0502.
Past Port Jeff ahead of ferry PT Barnum 0638
Passing Bruce A. McAllister with Vane barge on the wire along North Fork 0937
Meeting ferry John H near Plum Gut at 1002
Seeing a distant ferry Cape Henlopen (?) and S/V Mystic Whaler off New London 1030
Many thanks to Chris.
UNREP from M/V Otter for second breakfast at 1035
Passing S & S yawl Black Watch off Fishers Island 1042
F/V Skipper off Point Judith Light 1259
Schooner Aurora near Newport 1352
Tortuga at rest as Warrior Sailing crew moves in 1615
Many thanks to Jonathan Kabak for the invitation. All photos here by Will Van Dorp, and I have many more.
Click here for numbers on Long Island Sound. Actually this trip involved the Sounds of Long Island, Block, and Rhode Island.
I post this as the race is approaching its finish; see live tracking at the bottom here.
Twenty-fours hours ago Baltimore-based Chock WYTL-65602 was leaving Annapolis to go on station as pin boat 1 . . . the west side of the starting gate. Pin boat here takes on a whole new meaning. For a Chock-sibling with a different mission, see bowsprite’s latest here.
Norfolk Rebel, currently itself transformed into a schooner and sailing, was the other pin boat. Here the jaunty captain and crew relax as schooners arrive at the starting line midday yesterday.
Condor was our platform, dashing around trying to catch the arriving schooners as they plotted a “red-carpet” course toward the pin boats. No offense to the smaller, class B boats . . . the faster ones . . . but we focused on the larger class A boats. First in was A. J. Meerwald. Links to many of the vessels can be found here for full info, but Meerwald is 84 years afloat.
Next across the red carpet . . . Sultana . . .
Lady Maryland . . . whom I sawsome years back in the sixth boro,
Some of the class B boats like the one in the distance . . . I never could identify. Any help? RORO is Rigel Leader.
Mystic Whaler and unidentified in background.
And the two vessels (sort of) that started it all . . . From l to r, 1916-launched, Tottenville NY-built Virgina and Pride of Baltimore 2.
Kings Pointer . . . Summerwind, a 1929 Alden schooner, and unidentified smaller vessels.
Anyone identify these?
Libertate.
A part of the field just minutes before the starter-cannon.
When a schooner races starts on a day with little wind, vessels crowd on all manner of sail, and yet . . . the “natives” on SUPs pass them. I believe the schooner is Prom Queen, now vying for first across the finish line.
Mystic Whaler and Summerwind, with bulker Clipper Emperor in the distance.
Part of the field follows. Notice the difference between the start of a schooner race and a tug race.
First Coast bypassed the schooners towing a barge and was already in Norfolk by the wee hours today.
The natives sat down on their boards and hung out at pin boat Chock,
as racers rocket south toward Norfolk.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp. Thanks to anyone who can identify some of the vessels I could not.
More from the race’s start tomorrow.
The event is called Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival, so indeed, it’s a water festival, a river fest started by a folksinger, now 93, who cares deeply about
the river that flowed past his birthplace. A river festival means boats.
Of course, Clearwater in the distance is the flagship of this festival, and the big sloop spawned the smaller sloop Woodie Guthrie closer in.
The festival takes place on a peninsula where you see the tents in the middle of the foto.
It’s called Croton Point Park, about 30 miles north of Manhattan’s north tip.
But this location is surrounded by shallow water, so temporary docks are needed, which means small shallow draft tugboats like Augie (1943 and on the first job of her new life) and
Patty Nolan (1931 and available for charter). . . And the red barge is Pennsy 399 (1942!!) .
Also taking passengers during the festival is Mystic Whaler, here with Hook Mountain in the distance.
Here’s the northside of Croton Point last evening looking toward Haverstraw.
Exactly five years ago I took this foto from a small boat just off Pioneer‘s bowsprit. Here are more fotos from that day.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who might go back for some music tomorrow.
But first . . . Blue Marlin has sailed!! I went upriver Sunday midmorning, and soon thereafter, she headed for sea. Actually for Bonny Town, ETA July 4, 2011. Click here to see what this Niger River delta town looks like, and then you’ll know why they’re buying tugs–like ex-Curtis Reinauer below–and barges. The link explains the unusual house configuration. If anyone got fotos of Blue Marlin exiting the Narrows or wishes to shares fotos of the journey, please get in touch.
Click here for history, economics, and controversies related to the Niger delta. The Niger River, 14th in the world in length, flows through unlikely places such as Timbuktu–high on my “gallivant list”–and drains 10 nations. Name them?
Yesterday I volunteered on Pegasus for the Riverdale Riverfest. In fact, Robert Apuzzo just sent this foto; I’m the tall guy in faded blue on the “upper deck” in the gap between the stack and the house. I volunteer because it’s fun and important. As “safety officer,” I help ensure no one gets hurt, and since I like to talk, I answer questions. I’ve noticed people like to see the boats but also their own communities FROM the river. Ensuring “guest safety” is vital and sometimes difficult; a tugboat has industrial-strength hazards . . . it moves and steel is hard and forgiving, yet it is a fascinating opportunity: throbbing noise and vibration, power of invisible prop and rudder and versatile line, huge engine, …
Believe it or not, Riverdale IS in the Bronx! Therefore, this water too is the sixth boro of NYC. By the way, in the background are the Palisades on the Jersey side.
Cornell was there also, here coexisting with human-powered vessels (HPVs). I love to kayak myself, but I suspect people in some HPVs underestimate commercial vessel speed and over-estimate their own visibility.
Spud barge Black Diamond served as a makeshift dock, serviceable but labor-intensive but the popularity of festivals like this illustrates the value of serviceable commercial docks in many more Hudsonsonian towns and cities. Imagine not only entertainment but also food coming ashore from boats for several reasons including reducing highway congestion. Vessels in Riverdale included also Mystic Whaler (1967 reproduction of a coastal cargo schooner) and fireboat John J. Harvey. Of course, the distinctive red barge is the itinerant Waterfront Museum, aka 1914-built Lehigh Valley 79.
These festivals showcase the skill of maritime professionals and, though fun, are stressful and laborious.
Just north of Riverdale is Yonkers. This foto of Yonkers as a storm chased us upriver in 2010 shows two frequently inquired about buildings on the this part of the Hudson: the Yonkers Power Station and the “Blue Cube,” which has had lives as diverse as a test lab for PhelpsDodge and a movie studio.
Yesterday a young peregrine (?) feasted on a fish high atop the Power Station.
Traffic headed up and down the Hudson is diverse: trawler Manitou from Ludington, MI,
MV Universal Amsterdam with a load of sugar, escorted here north from the George Washington Bridge by Mary Turecamo and Margaret Moran,
trawler Muddy Waters from Miami Beach, FL,
Thomas Witte towing a tall load of scrap metal for export, and much
much more.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp, except the one thanks to Robert Apuzzo.
River Day is eight days if you want to be technical. I’d like to do all of them, but . . . The fotos here are roughly chronological and exclude relatively new active duty government boats. Most of these vessels have appeared on this blog before; use the search window if you wish to locate these posts. Minimal prose today. First, the raison d’etre, Half Moon passing Robbins Light.
The “other” Dutch boat Onrust, not actually a replica of a boat made in the Low Countries.
Shearwater passing in front of MOT (or MOTBY) and Explorer of the Seas.
Fireboat John J Harvey.
Vintage sky traffic.
Mystic Whaler
Clipper City
Clearwater
R. Ian Fletcher
Governor Cleveland
Adirondack
Harvey again
Onrust again
OK, this is the quiz portion of the post.
Quiz continues. . . .
. . .
A little over 25 miles (and six hours) from the starting point, Half Moon passes the Tarrytown Light.
And judging from the “face” in the stern of Onrust, launched less than a month ago, she’s a happy yacht.
River Day will give Bowsprite so much fodder for continuing her sailing ship guide that she might not know where to begin! Tomorrow’s itinerary is the 30 miles approximately between the Tappan Zee and Newburgh.
Many thanks to ExploreNY400 for the press passes and to Nicole for going the extra mile so that we got got the best fotos as well as to the staff of Circle Line who ran the very hospitable but unpictured vessel we were on.
All fotos by Will Van Dorp on River Day 1. More to come.
So . . . can you think of any sixth boro schooners NOT depicted here? I can think of a handful. I wonder why they didn’t participate . . . .
Also, given the dearth of historical detail on the real Henry Hudson, Bowsprite and I have been reading his mate–R Juet’s log–and “interpreting/extrapolating Henry’s thoughts here.
No more sails using this jib.
All these shots were taken in a 24-hour period recently, the one above and all those below.
Four kids in this small sailboat seemed to cut dangerously close to Buchanan 12 pushing eleven gravel barges toward Haverstraw. By the way, at 3000 hp, the big Buchanan 12 generates less horsepower than the MK V (Mako’s) featured in Speed and 1 and 2 posts, not torque, just horsepower.
Lettie G. Howard sails past the Hess tanks in Edgewater, NJ. Check this link for a 1989 shot of Lettie!
Pride of Baltimore 2 with only the topsail set takes passengers toward Ellis Island. Check this in case you wonder about the 2.
Clearwater sails northward toward Tappan Zee Bridge. The festival this year coincides with the solstice in case you’re not going to Coney Island.
Mystic Whaler heads past Storm King toward West Point. Support your local sail.
Thanks to Tillerman for this exquisitely beautiful combination of surfing and sailing; check the story at Proper Course. I haven’t seen a sail on the harbor in months. Maybe one or another has been there and I missed it. I do miss seeing sailing craft though. So here’s some from last summer to compensate. Rosemary Ruth!
Shearwater, below, heading up toward the Buttermilk Channel, started life in Maine. Check here for a fantastic update on the disappearance of the Red Hook sugar mill, just aft the mainmast of Shearwater.
About 30 years senior, Richard Robbins, below, started life in South Jersey.
Then there are mystery craft like this one with its tug sidekick passing the Winter Garden,
Or this one with hull painted to resemble gun ports. Anyone identify these?
All photos by Will Van Dorp.
tugster: a waterblog 
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