Lots of activity on the river Tuesday as winds calmed and temperatures were at least stable. The tug Teresa, which has been anchored with its barge in the river for several months now amid operational/legal complications, made a morning departure, uncoupling from its barge and heading down to a fuel dock on the Arthur Kill for most of the day. The barge was left alone in the river, anchored but with no tug boat. This is unusual to say the least and the first time I have ever seen this, though the moves were presumably sanctioned by the Coast Guard. By late afternoon, the Teresa had returned to its charge. Teresa was shadowed by a pilot boat on its return. These do not usually come up the North River and it briefly came alongside after the Teresa had rejoined the barge, suggesting a pilot may have assisted in that procedure, though why that would be the case is not clear. As usual with Teresa, there are more questions than answers.

Earlier in the day, the Coast Guard’s Katherine Walker, a buoy tender, headed north, with red and green buoys visible on her deck. By the end of the day she had reached the Bear Mountain Bridge. Somewhere along the way, she will have passed the Coast Guard 65’ harbor tug Line, which is based up in Saugerties New York and came south to the Bayonne Coast Guard Station.

The FDNY’s Fireboat Feehan came up from the Chelsea dock and did some drills with a life ring and a man in the water in the lee of Pier 99.

Dann Marine’s Treasure Coast came through pushing a cement barge from the Lafarge plant up in Ravenna and heading for the Lafarge depot in Brooklyn. Mr. Jim came down from Coeymans with several barges, including one loaded with large rocks.

Recreational activity is also picking up, with a paddle boarder and large sailboat seen, and a Hudson River Community Sailing J80 making an appearance.