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Tuesday Feb 13–winter nor’easter
A winter nor’easter brought wind and snow to the region. Observable traffic was limited in poor visibility through the morning, but by afternoon the sun was out and the snow was quickly melting.
The Ruth M. Reinauer ATB moved north through the storm with cargo for Albany. 
Timothy Reinauer laid up off 79th Street during the weather but headed for the Upper Bay as conditions cleared in the afternoon. 
Marylin George had the largest Poling-Cutler barge Eva Leigh Cutler loaded and low in the water and came up the North River on a slow bell then anchored off 72nd Street through sunset. 
Buchanan12 had a coating of snow over its usual load of crushed dolomite stone coming down from Clinton Point at civil twilight. -
Monday Feb 12–snow coming
New York City was bracing for significant snow fall Monday night, though the marine forecast was not very alarming, with winds gusting to just about 40 knots. Observed traffic included sugar, and empty cement and oil products barges.
The Ruth M Reinauer ATB returned light from Newburgh and headed for Carteret. 
Dann’s Topaz Coast arrived from Florida with the Montvale sugar barge in tow, heading to the Yonkers refinery. 
Metropolitan Marine’s Normandy made a trip up to Yonkers to help with docking and then headed back home. 
Dann’s Coral Coast was bringing a light cement barge back up to Ravenna, passing Kimberly Poling and the Noelle Cutler barge on one whistle. 
Justine and Patrice McAllister seem to be making runs with Rose Cay Marine barges back and forth from NY Harbor to the Delaware River this winter and killing time on the North River in between trips. On Sunday and Monday, Justine was anchored with RCM 250 on the hip. 
A Hackensack University MC medical transport helicopter landed at the North Bergen hospital, probably to collect a patient who needs to visit the mother ship. -
Thursday Feb 8–variety pack
Dann Marine’s Discovery Coast with their distinctive striped tower was heading up the North River Thursday pushing a products cargo to the Buckeye terminal in Newburgh 
The Corps of Engineers survey boat Hocking was on the river as well. 
DonJon’s Emily Ann was working the paper recycling route 
Saint Emilion and A87 remained anchored off 96th Street for a second day. -
Wednesday Feb 7–presidential visit
Most of the action Wednesday was on East River, as President Biden arrived at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport on Pier 6. He headed from their by car to a campaign event on the Upper West Side.
A pair of Chinook’s arrived first, carrying the entou 
A decoy landed next, followed by Marine 1. 
The NYPD and Coast Guard had the East River locked down usual 
Meanwhile, on the North River, Saint Emilion and A87 anchored off 89th Street on the way back from Albany. 
The Janice Ann Reinauer/RTC 103 ATB left the Bayway terminal after visiting Providence earlier in the week and were pushing for Albany with cargo. 
Catherine C Miller had a crane on a barge doing some work at the FDNY’s Pier 53 Marine 1 base 
Work boat Janice Ann was also involved. 
Marine 1’s 29’ alpha boat remained in its usual parking spot, but the big Three Forty Three boat spent the day at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, returning home at sundown. -
Tuesday Feb 6–morning rush
The North River got busy after sunrise Tuesday morning, with a cruise ship arriving and a fuel barge getting delivered at Pier 88 while tanker barges moved through.
Kristy Ann brought a light RTC 80 up from the Kills and anchored off the sewage plant. 
Later, the larger Janice Ann/RTC 103 ATB returned from Providence and came up the North River on a slow bell, getting as far as Pier 66 and Hoboken before turning and heading for the Bayway terminal. 
Evelyn Cutler and the Edwin A. Poling barge, seen returning light from Albany on Monday, reloaded at a terminal in Carteret overnight and were heading north to Albany again by sunrise. 
Patrice McAllister started her second day anchored off 96th Street with RCM 262 but… 
By early afternoon Patrice was set up for towing astern and was heading for the Narrows and Philadelphia. 
Norwegian Getaway made an early arrival at Pier 88 
Shadowed by Fort Schuyler with a bunkering barge 
After refueling and boarding new passengers they were on their way back to the Caribbean by sunset. 
CMT’s new tow boat Erin Elizabeth was heading back to base with a single hopper barge. 
The FDNY’s marine battalion chief boat and Marine 1’s alpha boat were on the river in the afternoon. 
A cormorant and herring gull were not on speaking terms on the kayak dock at pier 96, -
Monday Feb 5–stop and go
Kimberly Poling killed some time on the North River off West New York with the Noelle Cutler barge, stopping before sunrise on the way back from Albany before heading for the Newark Shell terminal by 0900. 
Colleagues on Evelyn Cutler with Poling-Cutler’s other medium-sized tanker barge the Edwin A. Poling also returned from Albany but did not stop, heading straight through in the afternoon to head for the Arthur Kill. 
Dace Reinauer made a quick turn after Sunday afternoon’s run up to Newburgh and passed down the North River to anchor in the Upper Bay with RTC 83. 
The upper wheelhouse of Patrice McAllister was just visible poking out above the RCM 262 barge after they came up from Bayonne just before midnight and anchored off 96th Street where they remained through sundown. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Sunday Feb 4–pushing and pulling
On Sunday morning, Vane’s Potomac arrived on the North River from the Sprague Port Morris terminal in the South Bronx with Double Skin 51 and anchored off 72nd Street. 
Later, the tug dropped alongside the barge and set up for towing astern. 
After securing the tow line… 
The pair then headed for the Narrows and proceeded south to Philadelphia, passing Sandy Hook by sundown. 
Old Dace Reinauer and RTC 83 were heading for Newburgh, just a day after returning from Albany. 
The bulk ship CMA Jordaens headed up the North River for Coeymans after seemingly partially unloading at Atlantic Salt in Staten Island and likely carrying salt from the northern deserts of Chile. 
Maddie K had two hoppers heading north after shuttling between the Bay Ridge flats and Newtown Creek over the previous 24 hours. -
Saturday Feb 3–new or unusual
Saturday brought some new or less frequently seen travelers to the North River.
Dann Marine’s Zeus has not previously been seen on NRN, even though the 50-year old tug has been back in New York Harbor for a couple of years after previously working several years in the Great Lakes according to the Tugster blog. Zeus was heading for New Hamburg NY with Vane’s Double Skin 40 barge. The barge is a more regular visitor, most recently pushed by Stephanie Dann, who is currently in Philadelphia, and in the past we have seen it with Discovery Coast and Vane’s Cape Fear. 
Dann’s East Coast, which works sugar, was also on the river Saturday, running light to rejoin a sugar barge in Yonkers after visiting a boat yard on Mariner’s Harbor. 
The Reinauer Twins/RTC 104 ATB has not been seen on NRN in about a year. With over 500’ of combined length this is one of the larger ATBs in the Reinauer fleet. On Saturday they were pushing for Albany. 
North River regulars Saint Emilion and barge A87 returned from Albany and headed for the Shell terminal in Newark. 
The venerable Dace Reinauer with RTC 83 came through at civil twilight, returning from Albany 
With temperatures warming, Coast Guard icebreaker Sturgeon Bay returned to Bayonne base Friday evening after deploying up north during the cold snap. 
The American black duck was back on the North River Saturday morning, along with a mate. -
Thursday Feb 1–new and not new
Thursday brought limited traffic but observations included a very familiar vessel and one not seen before.
Saint Emilion was heading for Albany Thursday morning with barge A87. The pair are North River regulars. The Saint wears unmarked livery but according to Tugboatinformation.com is owned by Apex Oil and operated by Poling-Cutler whose green and white tugs are familiar on the river. The A87 barge always rides high even when carrying cargo for some reason. 
Seen for the first time by NRN was the newest towboat in the Carver Marine Towing fleet, Erin Elizabeth, heading for the Bay Ridge flats with hoppers loaded with large rocks and crushed stone. -
Wednesday January 31–fueling the north
Tanker barges headed north loaded with fuel Wednesday as temperatures continued to hover above freezing on the final day of January. A bulk ship headed for sea after unloading cement upstate.
Dace Reinauer, vintage 1968 and the dean of the fleet, headed for Albany with RTC 83 loaded with fuel. 
Poling Cutler’s Kimberly Poling had the Edwin A. Poling barge on a similar mission 
Colleagues on Evelyn Cutler with the Eva Leigh Cutler barge were a few hours behind, passing through just at sunset and moving slowly against the increasing ebb. 
Susan Rose and RCM 252 were also loaded and Albany-bound 
Bulk ship SSI Magnificent was riding high and heading for sea after discharging a cargo of Turkish cement at the depot in Cementon, NY. 
A ring-billed gull presided over A Dock in the shuttered 79th Street Boat Basin Marina.
Observations on the Hudson River as it passes through New York City. The section of the Hudson which passes through New York is historically known as the North River, called this by the Dutch to distinguish it from the Delaware River, which they knew as the South River. This stretch of the Hudson is still often referred to as the North River by local mariners today. All photos copyright Daniel Katzive unless otherwise attributed. For more frequent updates, please follow northriverblog on Facebook or Instagram.
North River Notes 