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Name that tug?  She’s 91.5′ x 26.8′ and used to be called Traveller.  Answer follows.

Part of a defacto ghost fleet around the sixth boro, it’s J. George Betz, and mostly invisible beyond, Rhea I. Bouchard. J. George is longer, stronger, and newer.

Also in the dry dock a week or so back, it’s Emily Ann.  My favorite story of this tug dates from a time she was called Cabo Rojo.

Lincoln Sea  was featured in my second ever tugster post, back in November 2006.   In the background, that looks to be Mount St. Elias. 

I usually see Captain D alongside a DUP barge, but behold, in good light, she’s light.   That’s my acronym, DUP.

Ditto . . .  Robert Burton.

Ruth M. Reinauer was just a year old when it appeared here in 2009.  Ruth is 112.9′ x 35′.

Ellen McAllister . . . what more can I add to what I’ve written already about this former USN YTB.   I know three of her dozen or so siblings, ex-USN YTBs, include Robert E.,  Timothy, and Stacy.

Miriam and Doris Moran follow along a ship, ready to put their force where needed when needed.

More fleetmates to Captain D and Robert Burton above, it’s Paula Atwell and Pathfinder . . . all unusually light.

And finally . . . that tug in the top photo . .  it’s Marie J. Turecamo.

All photos, WVD.

Two Hours on the Narrows 4

The Narrows is a prime location for me to get photos of vessels coming in from sea if they have AIS because I have several hours notice of arrival for any traffic going anywhere into or through the Upper Bay, eg., on their way to Brooklyn berths, the North River, or the East River.  I can walk around or–in case of rain or cold–sit in my car.

The downside is that it’s a wide spot, so even the zoom can draw in only limited detail.

Having said all that, here’s a shot from Bay Ridge over to the Sandy Hook Pilots station, showing (from far to near) the current black hull-yellow trimmed pilot boat mother ship New York No. 1, its eventual replacement currently with a blue hull, and the smaller boats.  Lop off the thin upper wheelhouse and paint the hull/trim, and make a thousand more modifications . . .  and you’ll have the new mother ship.

My goal was to get photos of Commander Iona, which I did and posted here. Unexpected was the arrival of Dina Polaris, which I’d first seen only a month and a half or so ago.

 

Mister Jim has been a regular on this blog and in the sixth boro surrounding waters since she first arrived a few years ago.

 

The Severn Sailing Association came through the rain with a whole host of sloops . . . from closest to farthest:  Commitment, Intrepid, Valiant, Courage, Invincible, Renaissance, Daring, Brave, Warrior.

Rhea I. Bouchard headed in with her barge, but by this time the rain was falling so hard I couldn’t confirm the name/number on the barge.

Magdalen headed out, passing a sloop and

R/V Heidi Lynn Scuthorpe, a first sighting for me.

Click here for more info on Heidi Lynn and Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute. Click here for a more technical article from Workboat on this vessel.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who feels compensated for staying out in the rain.

I saw Nauvoo (Heidi Lynn‘s previous name) years back and I posted a pic here.  I also saw Beglane.

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Sarah D makes for Global Terminal,

Helen Laraway passes an inbound container vessel,

Ava M. guides a ULCV in beside a cruise ship,

Rebecca Ann moves a light scrap barge,

Capt. Brian A. tails a box ship into her berth,

Genesis Glory passes GM 11105,

Eric McAllister assists a tanker into its berth,

Rhea I. Bouchard heads westbound light in the KVK,

and Frances pushes a scow.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who loves that the sixth boro never sleeps.

And now one more, taken this morning in San Juan PR by Capt. Neftali Padilla, it’s the arrival of the cranes towed by Capt. Latham after not quite an 18-day run. See the tow departing NYC here.  Thx much, Tali.

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Quick post today . . .

Bert,

Bridgeport,

Helen

Rhea, Mist, and Tide.  I’m eager to see the new Breeze.

And closing the post out, it’s Ava with raked spuds!

All photos by Will Van dorp, who has irons in the fire today.

 

Small Craft 20

It’s the first full day of spring, which means that soon many more small craft will operate on the sixth boro, yet all winter long, many small boats never leave.

If this is a Class A 25′ SAFE Defender boat, it may have entered service in 2002.   I’ll be back with this.

Here are a team of the newer 29′ USCG vessels.

Line and boom boats, patrol boats . . . these small craft operate in the sixth boro all year round.

Ditto survey boats like this one.

Over alongside Rhea‘s stern, that’s certainly a launch from Miller’s.

I’m guessing these are 31′ SAFE boats operated by NYPD, but they’ve been running in threes of late.  They also have larger Vigor (ex-Kvichak)-built boats.

NJ State Police has a few small boats that patrol/train all year round.

NYPD has had a few of these for almost five years now.  When they first arrived, I was astonished by the speed they could make.

USACE Moritz first launched in 2001.

 

So let’s go back to that 25′ Defender in the first photo, but at closer inspection . . . see the logo on the door . . . it’s a DonJon RIB.

USCG checking me out with a long lens? . . . Nah, that’s Bjoern of New York Media Boat.  Check out their blog here, and book a tour here.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who’s again reminded that you’ll see something new each time you go down to the water and look closely.  And in the next few months, in all waters recently ice-bound, be ready to see an influx of recreational boats coming north for the summer.

 

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For the last batch of tugboats for 2017, check out these workhorses of the harbor, run and maintained by devoted crews and owners . . . to whom this post is dedicated.  It’s a random sample for the sixth boro.

Rhea I. Bouchard,

 

Genesis Glory with

GM11105,

 

Eric R. Thornton passing the

monumental former supports of the bridge,

and Bouchard Boys.

 

To all those folks working this frosty day and to all my readers and commenters . . .  happy, safe, peaceful, and prosperous 2018.  All photos by Will Van Dorp.

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A random gallivant around the sixth boro the other day showed these boats, starting with Iron Mike (1977) under the Williamsburg Bridge.

a trio of Navigator (1981), Susan Miller (1981) , and Quantico Creek (2010) over by Con Hook,

Robert IV (1975) a little farther north and east,

Scott Turecamo (1998) headed for the Kills,

HMS Liberty (1978) in the anchorage,

Amberjack (1981) facing Yonkers,

Barry Silverton (2015) swinging toward the Palisades, and

Rhea I. Bouchard (1982) making way for a point up north.

All photos by Will Van Dorp.

 

Gallivanting to the Sixth Boro

If you depart at 0400, there’s not much to photograph.  Light beckoned as we approached Newburgh/Beacon.

I saw Mt. Beacon as I never had before;

ditto Storm King in sunrise that even dappled

the wave tops.

Once around Gee Point, we saw the statue (to the left on the ridge)

of Kościuszko’s, fortifier of West Point.

Once south of the Bear Mountain Bridge, passengers traveled upstream

for seasonal seesighting.

Scrap was sought.

Sloops sailed and

work boats waited their time.

More statues sighted, and

vessels waited their time.

 

And we had arrived at a place where at least two boros approached each other.

Will Van Dorp, who took these photos, is back in the boros for a while.

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The first two photos–showing the newest and fastest (??) ATB to arrive in the sixth boro– were taken by Randall Fahry.

Tina Pyne is one immense mover, and Kirby 185-02 is one of two 578′ ocean going tank barges with 185,000-barrel capacity built by Gunderson Marine for Kirby.   See her christening here.

Zachery Reinauer is a Hudson River-built tug from 1971 one of the last 10 built at Matton, and she looks as good today as new!

This was taken a few seconds later, and this

as she stands by, while Haggerty Girls finesses RTC 107 into position.

An occasional sixth boro visitor, it’s Rhea I. Bouchard with B. No. 284.

 

As I began this post with another photographer’s photo, so I’ll end.  Thanks to Gerard Thornton for this rare catch of Ticonderoga assisting Pleon (?) into the Kills, possibly the last float for Pleon.     That’s also Barry Silverton in the distance.

 

Thanks to Randall and Gerard for use their photo.  All others by Will Van Dorp.