Mardi Gras 2

Ooops . . . I used the title “mardi gras” three years ago, so I’ll add “2” today, but it’s Fat Tuesday, and where is this eponym of a city synonymous for festivities of the day?

Why, the sixth boro  . .  that’s where, and headed out as quickly as possible.  But focus on her a moment;  containerships with center houses separated from the engine might be more common in the future.

Here’s how loaded she was when she arrived yesterday, as captured by John Watson.

She departed with possibly fewer containers showing, making this

mardi maigre  . . . skinny tuesday.

Not that only a few containers fit on the vessel.  CSAV Rio de Janiero is post-panamax, i.e., she won’t fit through the current Panama Canal.  To compare her dimensions with a container vessel recently featured here, she has the same beam as APL Indonesia but is 111′ longer and carries 1045 more TEUs.

Right now she’s bearing down on Baltimore, flying into a 25-knot wind.

Here she’s clears Sandy Hook.

Third foto thanks to John Watson.  All others come thanks to Jean Pierre Lailedaigle;  I hope to get Jean Pierre’s fotos more often  . . . .    CSAV Rio de Janiero was launched in 2009 as Medondra.

Unrelated:  Hats off to Rick Old Salt for this post on the crisis PortSide NewYork’s Mary Whalen.    A public meeting to discuss saving her will be held this coming Monday.  See info at the end of Rick’s post.  The folks at PortSideNewYork and Mary Whalen HAVE contributed much to sixth boro cultural programming the past few years, but “homelessness” has reduced their capacity to succeed.  Here’s a post I did on Mary Whalen back in 2008.

Gazela in Atlantic Basin 2

Ooooolala!  What’s this?  Make your way to Atlantic Basin ASAP;  click here for tickets … only two shows Saturday (tonight!)  and two Sunday left, before the floating burlesque sails over the horizon.

Staging this burlesque is barquentine Gazela, whose first life fishing for cod continued until the year Armstrong stepped onto the moon.  Yessir, this fine vessel served as a dory boat until 1969!

Up to 35 dories (many built in the Merrimack Valley north of Cape Ann)  like the one in the foreground here served “mothership” Gazela.

Daytime tours of Gazela as well as nighttime entertainment can be had only through this weekend!  This is also the last chance (for a while) to see Mary Whalen at Pier 11.  For directions to Pier 11, click here.

So I went to the show “The Seven Deadly Seas” the other night.  Before the show, the devil’s advocate (of the Flaming Cherries) emerges from the nether portions of the ship, and

the city darkens as the band begins to play.  See the twinkling Manhattan lights off in the distance.

Feisty bawds dueling over everything

can be charmed only by

dancing

and more dancing and

still more dancing that sometimes lead to …  lost clothing.

Come learn the story of Calico Jack, who imagined he had all the skills needed to thrive on Wall Street.

Bring a dozen friends and make it the most memorable night of the summer, the summer of Atlantic Basin as prime offshore Broadway.

Will Calico Jack swing here, or is it Camp Butner FCC for him?

Don’t miss the boat.

Fotos by Eric Lorgus (some taken in Philadephia)  and Will Van Dorp.

Clearwater Rebuild

All fotos and information here comes from John Sperr, last referred to here in relation to ice yacht Galatea, as its pilot.

Today’s post comes from the same area of the Hudson where iceboating was happening a mere two months ago.  Ice has now given  way to the fine color heralding leaves.  Clearwater has wintered on a mobile shipyard, a barge.  The “whiskey plank”  aka the last part of the hull to be closed up post-repair was recently steamed, jacked into place, and fastened.

Libation followed and then

parade, as the shipyard itself danced upriver clutched tight by Cornell to be offloaded in anticipation of rigging, which

would happen at

Scarano Boat.  The barge was slid into the travel-lift dock, slings

moved like fingers under the hull, and

Clearwater, cradled in these sturdy arms, was

carried onto the high-and-dry.  Notice Onrust in the background?  And Adirondack directly beyond Clearwater‘s stern?

This left the barge Black Diamond to assume other duties, become other things.

All fotos by John Sperr.  Thanks, John.

By the way, start imagining the weekend of June 19 and 20.  Mermaids on Saturday (with Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed !@#@! as Queen Mermaid and King Neptune)  and music on Sunday (with Pete Seeger and Lucy Kaplansky and many more!@#@##@!!)  ?  How can one make a choice like that?

Also, a tall ship and volunteer opportunity in Brooklyn:  PortSide NewYork FreeSail Clipper City 4-12-2010

Stone Trade

Unrelated to this post, but take 2.5 minutes and enjoy this audio slideshow for an article in the 4/19 New Yorker magazine, a story of a family towing life written by Burkhard Bilger.

For an earlier post on the stone trade almost three years ago, click here.  All today’s fotos come from Jed.  Trident (ex-Delta Trident, Delta Eagle, and Libra built in 1982)  is a new boat in the boro, I believe.  I’m guessing she’s currently a sibling of Eastern Dawn (ex-Delta Mule).

Crushed rock . . . what building project could proceed with it?  A major quarry is located upriver in Clinton Point;  see the last foto here.

Buchanan 12 seems to be dedicated to the

stone trade.

Imagine if all this crushed rock moved exclusively by truck.  Horrors!

All fotos … thanks to Jed.

Unrelated but tall ship opportunity:  PortSide NewYork FreeSail Clipper City 4-12-2010