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New Year’s Day 2024
A new year brings a clean slate and a good excuse to restart the blog, perhaps with less text and more focus on the photos than in the past.
Hays Towing’s Linda Sue, not seen before by NRN, arrived from the Delaware River with a tank barge on the wire on New Year’s Eve. The tug dropped into the notch north of the bridge and spent then evening anchored there before heading for Red Hook on New Year’s Day. 
CMT’s Daisy Mae had a six barge tow heading back to Coeyman’s on New Year’s Eve. 
Saint Emilion headed for Albany with a cargo aboard A87 on New Year’s Eve. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Comings and goings
It has been a relatively quiet start to heating season as traffic on the North River has been light and temperatures have begun to climb again. The week passed with the typical ebb and flow of tugs and barges.
Timothy L Reinauer and RTC 84 were heading north as the sun set Sunday 
Monday found Kirby’s Cape Canaveral and DBL 101 anchored off Riverside Park. Later in the week, Canaveral had loaded cargo and headed for New Haven. 
Evelyn Cutler brought the Edwin A Poling barge back from a delivery up north 
Boston Marine’s Pinuccia and the New York 30 barge had cargo heading the other way. 
Nicole Reinauer/RTC 102 are the biggest Reinauer ATB we see on the river. As usual, they were heading north only as far as Newburgh. 
The smaller B. Franklin/RTC 81 were heading all the way for Albany. 
Saint Emilion muscled A87 into the ebb and anchored off 72nd Street. 
CMT’s newest tug, Caroline, made possibly her first trip up river to the home port of Coeymans 
An unknown and atypical fishing vessel, Woody I, was overtaken by the NJ State Police’s Jersey City patrol boat. 
Dann’s Pearl Coast had a cement barge heading back to the Ravenna NY plant 
Bruce A. McAllister returned from a docking assist job at the Yonkers sugar refinery. 
It’s rare to see two different DEP tankers working the North River plant on the same day, let alone at the same time, but on Thursday the dean of the fleet, North River, passed the 2008 vintage Red Hook. Red Hook had a load of sludge and was making a run to the Passaic Valley Water Authority plant in Newark, which receives occasional sludge shipments from the DEP on contract. 
A Coast Guard MH60 Dolphin made a lap around Manhattan flying from their Atlantic City base after a stop in Linden 
A Marine Sea King heavy lift helicopter returned south after a visit to the Connecticut Sikorsky plant. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
What’s in your tank?
As the fall foliage line moves down the River, heating oil stockpiles are building up north. The Poling-Cutler line has seemed particularly busy moving product this week.
Kimberly Poling came south with the Edwin A Poling barge on Monday 
By Wednesday the barge was heading north again fully loaded but the Thomas Dann had been brought in for the run, with Kimberly perhaps getting some dock time. 
Evelyn Cutler had the Noelle Cutler barge heading north on Tuesday 
Kristin Poling had the Eva Leigh Cutler barge anchored off 72nd Street on Thursday. Poling-Cutler’s other big pusher tug, Marylin George was busy working Long Island Sound and not on the River this week. 
Reinauer’s Dylan Cooper and RTC 108 came were heading south light on Monday. 
Genesis Vision spent some time in the North River anchorages before heading for Raritan Bay 
The bulk ship Tai Stride had a cargo of Spanish gypsum heading for the Port of Coeymans, perhaps ingredients for the Lafarge cement plant in Ravenna 
A loaded cement barge came through from Ravenna the following evening 
CMT’s Mackenzie Rose also had a mixed consist heading back to Coeymans 
DonJon Marine had a cargo of scrap coming down from Albany 
The FDNY’s Three Forty Three boat made a rare trip north of the bridge Wednesday 
USCG small harbor tug Line was also on the River Wednesday 
The small cruise ship Europa arrived at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal from Montreal, stopping by in transit to Florida and then on to Oceania and Asia for the winter 
J80s and a J24 transited from Chelsea to Inwood, en route to winter quarters further north. -
A season of heating and leaves
As autumn temperatures arrive, the North River typically sees increased traffic as heating oil is stockpiled up north. Tanker barge traffic has been steady this past week, though not particularly heavy. The cruise terminal has also been busy as leaf watching voyages begin to run.
The Ruth Reinauer/RTC 102 ATB was heading north with cargo on October 5 
The Dylan Cooper ATB anchored south of the bridge the following week. 
Boston Marine’s Pinuccia had the loaded New York 30 barge heading for Newburgh on October 11. 
Returning to the Harbor light the following day. 
DonJon Marine has been bringing scrap down from Albany, seen on October 5… 
And a week later. 
Donjon also serviced the DSNY Pier 99 transfer station as usual 
Dann Marine brought cement barges back and forth to the Ravenna NY plant. 
Dann’s Turquoise Coast, not generally seen in NY Harbor, spent some time on the North River with a large tank barge… 
Before heading to load cargo at Bayonne’s IMTT, as seen from the 64th Floor of a tower in Hudson Yards 
Vane’s Charleston anchored on the North River below the Cliffs of Guttenberg with a light barge 
The old Marin Sheriff boat of unknown current ownership passed by 
The cruise terminal has been busy 
With the older boats keeping Moran Towing busy with assists 
And Vane Brothers busy bringing bunkering barges up the River 
Vane’s Fells Point and Metropolitan Marine’s Pegasus were waiting with a fuel barge Thursday morning October 12 -
Fog then sun
Warm air moved over the cool North River Wednesday morning, producing a layer of fog which quickly burned off. The city got hot, and winds picked up in the afternoon, making for great October sailing. Midweek traffic was light.
NYS Marine Highway’s Maddie K passed through early with a hopper from Albany heading out the Sound for New England.. 
Marella Discovery arrived at Pier 88 with an assist from Moran Towing. 
The dredging team was at work between Piers 86 and 88. 
Atlantic Enterprise towed a scows loaded with dredged mud out to the dumping site off Sandy Hook. 
The Army Corps’ Gelberman collected some of the lumber washed down river in the recent heavy rains. 
Haugland’s Everly Mist was heading for the company’s port in Haverstraw Bay. 
George Holland had a light hopper heading for the Tilcon quarry in Clinton Point. 
The 1985 vintage Alex McAllister, not often seen on the North River, was heading for Yonkers to help a the bulk ship Balsa 91 leave the dock at the Domino Sugar plant. 
Balsa 91 later headed for sea, passing the Reinauer Josephine/ RTC 80 ATB, anchored in the North River after returning from Albany . 
The great blue heron was hanging out on the transfer bridge pilings for the second day in a row. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Drying out
North River traffic has remained heavy as we move into October and the rains of September recede over the stern. A large number of pleasure craft are also traversing the river, probably many in transit to their winter boatyards as the season draws to a close.
Disney Dream arrived early Tuesday at Pier 88 without tugboat assistance 
Dredgers remain active in the cruise terminal, with Atlantic Salvor making smoke as they maneuvered a mud scow 
A day after the bulk barge Montville was towed back to Florida, a new cargo of Florida arrived heading for Yonkers aboard the barge Knot Refined, brought north by a pair of Dann Marine tugs. 
Stephen Reinauer/RTC 61 returned from Albany light. 
A trio of Army National Guard Blackhawks flew down from Stewart Airbase in Newburgh, made a few laps around the Statue, and then returned via the East River. 
A smaller National Guard UH-72, a light chopper used by the Guard for domestic security and rescue operations, also made two round trips down from Newburgh. 
A sailing vessel headed north, perhaps heading for winter quarters. 
The great blue heron was back on the transfer bridge pilings Tuesday morning, mingling with the gulls. -
Rain, rain go away
The region has moved from storm to storm, with long periods of rain interrupted by occasional sunny days. This past weekend was particularly torrential, causing severe flooding on land and leading to combined sewer overflows in the area’s waterways. With water quality taking a hit, the swim portion of the New York City Triathlon was cancelled, as it was in 2021. The race had been pushed back to October from July this year, which reduces the risk of extreme heat impacting the runners and bike segments but increases risks of tropical storm rainfall events knocking out the swim. Meanwhile, river traffic has remained heavy.
Susan Miller from Miller’s Launch arrived Thursday to deliver the starting platform for the planned Triathlon swin event 
A returned Monday… 
So workers could remove the unused diving platform. 
Miller’s heavy duty supply boat Berto was on the North River earlier in the week, heading for Spuyten Duyvil where work has been underway around the swing bridge. 
The DEP’s water monitoring boat the Osprey was on the River taking samples during the week. 
The DEP’s CSO advisory map, based rainfall amounts and models, painted a grim picture. Source: NYC DEP 
Freight was moving despite the weather, with Atlantic Asphalt arriving from Canada and heading for Rensselaer on Tuesday. 
Atlantic passed a Poling-Cutler tug and barge returning light from up north 
Poling-Culter was moving cargo north again as conditions turned rainy again the next day. 
Kirby’s Cape Canaveral got out of the weather with a loaded barge for a bit on Wednesday before heading for Philly. 
Boston Towings Navigator moved north with a cargo during better weather. 
Ebroborg had a cargo of Swedish wood pulp heading for Albany 
Dann Marine had a cargo of cement on the way down from Ravenna Monday. 
Dann’s Topaz Coast was bringing a sugar barge on the wire heading for sea and returning to Florida after unloading at Domino in Yonkers. 
Nicole Leigh Reinauer, the biggest Reinauer ATB on the River, was heading for Newburgh with cargo Monday. 
Josephine and RTC 80 were also heading north 
Kristy Ann at RTC 103 headed north Thursday 
The 623 foot bulk ship Nordloire headed for sea after delivering another cargo of Polish wheat to Ardent Mills in Albany. 
Moran Towing provided an assist for Viking Star arriving at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on Wednesday. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
A good soaking
Stormy conditions and gale warnings put a damper on the weekend as the tail of Tropical Storm Ophelia swept over the region. As usual, the North River anchorages filled up with tug/barge combinations as crews looked to get out of the weather. By Sunday afternoon, Patrice McAllister, Jill Reinsure, Vane’s Wicomico, Lincoln Sea and Saint Emilion were lined up south of the bridge, thought the Saint and Lincoln Sea made an early exit as winds abated later in the day. Vane’s Charleston and Philadelphia were further up, off Riverdale.
The DonJon dredging team remained at work in the cruise terminal during the week but had the weekend off as weather moved in and three cruise ships docked. 
Kimberly Poling brought the Edwin A. Poling barge north with a cargo on Thursday ahead of the storm. 
The bulk ship Nordloire headed for the Ardent Mills dock in Albany Thursday, arriving from Northern Europe and probably carrying another load of Polish wheat. 
Boston Marine’s New England 29 barge was heading north with cargo Thursday as well. 
Dann’s East Coast headed for the Kill van Kull after leaving a sugar barge in Yonkers on Thursday 
The veteran Dace Reinauer and RTC60 were on the River Thursday 
Patrice McAlister anchored off the West Side for the weekend with RCM262 
Charleston headed upriver Sunday to get out of the weather, passing the anchored Jill Reinauer. 
Boston Marine’s Pinuccia brought its New York 30 barge back from Newburgh in the rain and headed for the Arthur Kill. 
Saint Emilion left their anchorage off Edgewater Sunday afternoon and headed for the Bayway Terminal. 
Yuka D headed for sea ahead of the storms after unloading Turkish cement in Cementon -
September slips by
A busy September onshore schedule has left limited time for observations and posting. Bulk ship traffic has been heavy on the North River but mostly eluding NRN photography. Harbor tugs were moving on the North River last week to assist with docking at plants up in Westchester, while tanker barges and cement transporters have dominated observed through traffic. Security was tight over on the East River as the UN annual meetings kicked off.
Doris Moran and Marie J. Turecamo headed upriver last Thursday to help a bulk ship dock at the wallboard plant in Buchanan. 
Metropolitan Marine’s Pegasus also was running light Thursday, returning from assisting a sugar barge docking at the Yonkers Domino plant. 
Topaz Coast, which had brought the sugar north from Florida, headed light down to the Kills to use the facilities. 
Stasinos Marine’s Brinn Courtney was returning from the area of the Spuyten Duyvil swing bridge where a big crane has been operating. 
Thursday also saw the FDNY’s Three Forty Three boat travel upriver for a bit. 
The 587’ bulk ship Yuka D was heading upriver Wednesday evening. Yuka was signaling Albany after unloading Turkish cement at the Brooklyn Navy Yard Heidelberg Cement terminal. Yuka may be loading scrap in Albany for the return trip, or perhaps plans to discharge more cement at the Catskill/Cementon terminal south of Albany despite the indications on AIS. Yuka passed the big Lincoln Sea/DBL 140 ATB anchored off Edgewater. 
The Janice Ann Reinauer ATB came south from Albany in the rain on Monday with the barge fully loaded, heading for Providence and presumably on an ethanol run. 
Josephine Reinauer/RTC 83 were moving cargo in a more typical direction, heading for Albany on Tuesday. 
Timothy Reinauer/ RTC 84 returned from Albany with the barge light, also a typical direction of travel. 
Curtis Reinauer and RTC 82 spent time anchored on the North River, but on Wednesday they headed to the Bayonne IMTT for new cargo. 
Kimberly Poling had the Edwin Poling barge returning light from Albany on Wednesday. 
Jill Reinauer, one of Reinauer’s older and smaller non-ATB tugs not usually seen on the North River, returned from a Peekskill run with the 297’ RTC 28. Reinauer seems to use these small tug and barges for the run to Peekskill, perhaps due to shallow draft at that terminal. RTC 28’s loaded draft is reported as less than 11’ while Reinauer’s ATB barges mostly draw twice that. Mean low water by the Peekskill terminal is 13.1’ vs. 17.7’ near Newburgh. 
Susan Rose, not often seen moving cargo on the North River, had a loaded barge heading north Wednesday evening, passing DonJon’s Atlantic Enterprise with a light mud scow. 
The DonJon crew was back at work dredging the cruise terminal. 
Dann Marine’s Coral Coast had a light cement barge heading back to Ravenna Tuesday. 
Sapphire Coast came the other way with a loaded one the next day. 
The NYPD’s specialized Counter Terrorism Bureau boat, not part of the Harbor Patrol, has been on the North River in recent days, perhaps preparing for the UN events. 
By Wednesday, a security cordon was in place around the UN. The fast response cutter William Chadwick based in Boston has come down to assist as did a 33’ special purpose law enforcement boat which usually works out of Key Wets. Our local buoy tender Katherine Walker is holding down the fort near the shore, along with the NYPD’s 352 launch, a Coast Guard 29 footer, and a state DEC patrol boat. 
The cruise ship Insignia left the Manhattan Cruise Terminal Wednesday with an assist from JRT Moran. 
A kayaker made good progress against the ebb Tuesday, with Curtis Reinauer at anchor in the distance. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Just visiting
A trip to the East River and Hell Gate with the help of ticket on NYC Ferry on Tuesday provided a different perspective on the archipelago and a look at some vessels less often seen on the North River.
The oldest sludge tanker in the NYC DEP’s fleet is named for the North River water treatment plant but only occasionally travels to its namesake. On Tuesday, they were tied up at the Wards Island plant. 
The Stasisnos tug James Charles (the former Peggy Winslow) was transiting the Gate, returning to the Harbor from Newburyport, Massachusetts 
A crewman was jumping rope on the back deck! 
The NACC New Yorker was tied up at the McGinnis terminal discharging cement from New Brunswick, Canada as usual 
The survey ship Miss Emma McCall passed LaGuardia tower, heading for the Vineyard Wind staging area in Bridgeport. 
Vane’s Choptank was returning with a light barge from a run up the Sound. 
“The Boat”, an overflow jail facility on the Bronx shoreline is set to be closed imminently, with the population shifted back to Rikers Island. 
But prisoners could still be seen in the exercise area on Tuesday. 
Meanwhile, back on the North River, the cruise ship Amera remained at Pier 88 Tuesday before heading for Newport that evening and then onwards towards Canada. 
The NYPD’s Harbor Patrol kept an eye on the cruise terminal as usual. 
Wednesday morning saw another foreign flagged tanker heading for Albany. This particular shipping line has been running between Montreal and Albany all summer, with the tankers visible deeper in the water on the way out than on the way in. Ethanol is a possible export cargo being loaded. 
Chesapeake Coast, one of two Dann tugs based in NY Harbor with a distinctive striped tower, brought the light barge Chesapeake up to 72nd Street… 
…and turned into the flood tide to anchor. 
The Army Corp’s Hocking was on the North River Wednesday as well. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized
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 