Sixth Boro Reboot 2012 a

Think of the sixth boro as a destination/origin as well as a crossroads.  WMEC-905 Spencer anchored in that point of convergence as of midday.

In points not far from Spencer and the Statue, cargo destined for/originating in this port was moving only if it could transfer in the harbor, petroleum liquid, like here, congress happened between barges powered by Pati T Moran and Sassafras as Meagan Ann passes by with a scow.  For debris?

Kimberly Turecamo stands by with Long Island itself . . . well,  a fuel barge by that name. The spirit is greatly willing to move fuel to faltering consumers on the shore, but the distribution system is broken, for now.

Nicole Leigh Reinauer awaits the green light.

St Andrews with barge on this side and Kimberly Poling on the other . . . like thirsty twins on their mother, Glory Express.

Traversing the sixth boro . . .  Marion Moran pushes LaFarge barge Adelaide to points south.

Supply boat ABC-1 passes tanker Favola.

Diane B waits with a barge.  A problem is that debris like blowaway and sunken containers may lurk unseen at the transfer docks.

Doris Moran, with another LaFarge barge, makes a power turn from the North River into the East River.

A cluster of DonJon vessels–tugs Mary Alice, Thomas D. Witte, and Brian Nicholas–attend to crane barges Columbia NY and Raritan Bay on some “unwatering” project just west of the Battery Coast Guard station.

Transiting the sixth boro from south to North is Apollo Bulker.  More fotos of her later.  She may be headed to Albany.

Ken’s Booming & Boat Service tug Durham passes the “seeing boat” Circle Line Manhattan.

Over by the Brooklyn Navy Yard, schooner Lynx heads for the Sound, past an East River ferry.

And–this just in–as of 1900 hrs tonight, APL Sardonyx became the first container ship to enter Port Elizabeth,

escorted in by McAllister Sisters and Barbara McAllister.   Interestingly, see the foto here of her as one of the first into the port post-Irene!!  Here’s another shot almost exactly two years ago of  APL Sardonyx.

And a bit later, APL Coral came in, escorted by  Elizabeth and Ellen McAllister.

Outside the Narrows waits USS Wasp, recently here five months ago for Fleet Week.   A pulse has been re-established.

I am mindful that many residents of the area are hurting.  My prayers go out for relief for them soon.  Folks who suffered through post-Katrina are also sending along their prayers and encouragement, their solidarity with Sandy-afflicted.

We went through a “reboot” here 14 months ago, but this one is going to be much tougher.

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Random Tugs 42

North Sea (ex-Eileen M Roehrig, ex-El Gallo Grande)   launched 1982 

Comet 1977

Odin 1982

Pati T Moran 2008

Thomas Dann, ex-Yabucoa Service, Yabucoa, Yabucoa Sun 1975

Nicole Leigh Reinauer 1999

Virginia, ex-Bayou Babe 1979.    Yes

this used to be Bayou Babe, not Bayou Base.

All in all, amazingly diverse machines and physical backgrounds.

Top foto by Carolina Salguero.  To see many more recent fotos by Carolina in connection with Portside NewYork, click here.  All others by Will Van Dorp.

Circum Staten Island

Working Harbor Committee (WHC) yesterday offered their first-ever trip around Staten Island;  tickets sold out fast.  Next circum with them:  next year.  Next trip with them:  August 18 and then the tug race.  I’ll post about the trip along the so-called “NJ inner coast” for the next few days.

A highlight for me was seeing the inimitable Nicole Leigh, one of Reinauer’s 7200 hp behemoths, also known to some as camera platform for some fantastic video of his rig moving with total control at a virtual 200+ knots. Here’s nytugmaster’s entire YouTube oeuvre to date.

Coming through Port Reading Reach, I saw Sandmaster–first time ever–out of the notch.   Sandmaster in notch was here the last foto here.

Southbound on Outerbridge Reach, we met Anacostia, another first for me.

Anacostia, four months since launch, is Vane’s most recent Patapsco-class tug.  More of that class soon.

Just south of Outerbridge Crossing, we passed Pati T Moran.  Outerbridge is named for Eugenius Outerbridge;  the fact that it’s geographically descriptive is entirely coincidental.

After a quick dash across Raritan Bay, we cut inside Swinburne Island as Duncan Island approached the Narrows.

Once in upper Bay, we encountered Charles McAllister and Ellen McAllister assisting CSAV Moema bound for sea.  More CSAV history here as well as a gallery of Panama Canal tugs here.

More inner coast soon.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.  Many thanks to Working Harbor Committee for their efforts.