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Winter gales
Temperatures plunged below freezing just before sunrise on Friday and fell below 20 F by sundown. Gale warnings were in effect for the harbor as the NOAA weather station at Robbins Reef lighthouse in the Upper Bay clocked gusts above 50 knots. With Upper Bay anchorages unappealing, a crowd of tanker barges took up residence on the North River. By Friday morning there were 4 Reinauer ATBs south of the Bridge. Timothy Reinauer left after sundown and headed for the Caddell dock on the Kill van Kull but was replaced by Kristy Ann who dropped anchor after sundown on her way back from Albany. Centerline’s Adeline Marie spent Thursday evening in the Upper Bay but by Friday afternoon headed for calmer waters, briefly stopping at 72nd Street and then joining Choptank north of the Bridge, with the latter having been there since Thursday with a loaded looking barge.
A quartet of Reinauer articulated tug/barge combinations at anchor Friday afternoon 
The Reinauer armada at anchor Friday evening
Source: MarineTraffic
Centerline’s Adeline Marie left the Harbor Friday afternoon, made an attempt at anchoring off 72nd, but then headed for more sheltered waters north of the Bridge for the evening. 
The Choptank remained anchored with a loaded looking barge off Spuyten Duyvil through Friday, with the Englewood Palisades providing a backdrop 
Dann’s Diamond Coast was running light heading for the Caddell dock on the KvK after spending the night in Yonkers. Diamond likely assisted East Coast leaving the Domino Sugar plant after sundown Thursday as she headed out to sea and south, and then helped Ruby Coast dock her barge there at sunrise Friday after the latter arrived from Florida with more raw sugar Thursday and anchored off Yonkers overnight. Robbins Reef lighthouse weather station off Bayonne recorded a 54 knot gust at 17:36 local time. Source: NOAA -
Special delivery
Thursday brought clear skies with temperatures in the 30s and 15 knot winds out of the southwest. Conditions are set to deteriorate as we move into the weekend, with temperatures dropping sharply. Small craft warning was in effect for the Harbor Thursday, and a gale warning goes into effect Friday. On the River, tanker cargos were moving north again for the first time in few days, though traffic still seemed light.
One interesting movement observed was the delivery of a fuel barge to the Con Ed dock at Pier 98. Con Ed keeps a fuel barge (GCS 230) docked there during the winter to store oil as a backup fuel for the landmarked steam plant on the opposite side of 12th Avenue, which mainly burns natural gas delivered by pipe but will sometimes burn oil in the winter. The GCS 230 barge remains all winter, but is refueled from other barges brought alongside, as appeared to occur Thursday (see blog post First Freeze for more on this). Centerline’s Lightning delivered the barge at sunrise, and another Centerline tug, Andrea, picked it up at the end of the day.
Lightning delivers a fuel barge to the Con Ed dock at Pier 98 at dawn The Centerline barge tied up behind the GCS 230 barge 
Saint Emilion was pushing north with what was probably an at least partially loaded barge; the Saint’s barge always seems to ride high in the water even when circumstances suggest it would have a cargo on board. 
Vane’s Choptank arrived from the Delaware River (South River to the old Dutch) with a more obviously loaded barge and then appeared to have anchored north of the Bridge, perhaps getting out of the weather for a bit. 
Pinuccia came back from Newburgh’s Global Terminal with a light barge. This barge, New York 30, was last seen last week being brought to Newburgh and back by Stasinos’s Charles James while Pinuccia sat at a disused pier in Port Reading, but Pinuccia appears to be back in service and the barge has now been reunited with its usual tug. 
Dann’s Diamond Coast was running light, perhaps heading up to Yonkers to help maneuver barges at the Domino sugar plant there. 
Sound Marine’s small work boat seems to be commuting regularly, coming down in the morning from Sound’s Nyack North River Boatyard base to some job in the Harbor 
…and then returning home in the afternoon. 
DEP’s 2008 vintage Red Hook, second oldest in the fleet though much younger than the oldest and only 6 years younger than the 3 newest, was heading to the North River plant to load some sludge for dewatering. 
Thomas D Witte headed for Pier 99 to collect a DSNY paper recycling barge. 
A trio of Army Blackhawk helicopters with medical Red Cross markings flew north 
One of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic City based Dolphin choppers flew a patrol up the River, then likely turned right and returned over the Sound or off the south shore of Long Island. 
This outrigged kayaker was running with the ebb tide but into the face of a 15 knot wind and in temperatures below 40. Tough. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Snow at last
Central Park recorded 0.4” of snow overnight into Wednesday morning, ending the record-breaking snowless winter streak. The dusting had all disappeared by midday though as temperatures climbed up above freezing. Meaningful cold is supposed to arrive Friday. Meanwhile, the River remains strangely bereft of traffic, with no tanker barge cargos observed moving upriver. Janice Ann Reinauer returned from Providence with a light barge and anchored off 116th Street, where she remained through the day.
There were three Coast Guard 29’ response boats on the River during the day, spread out up to the Bridge for no obvious reason. One helped escort Norwegian Getaway on her afternoon departure, a job usually left to the NYPD. With colder weather coming, the Coast Guard’s Bayonne-based small harbor tug Line headed up to Poughkeepsie. The larger icebreaker, Sturgeon Bay, was already upriver, reaching Albany Wednesday night. Penobscot Bay and the other 65 footer, Hawser, were in reserve at the Bayonne dock.
Janice Ann Reinauer at anchor Wednesday morning after a late Tuesday return from Providence. 
Evelyn Cutler anchored off Yonkers overnight on her way back from Albany but was on her way at sunrise with a dusting of snow on her barge. After killing some time in the Upper Bay she appeared to be loading a new cargo at Bayonne IMTT Wednesday evening. 
A trio of Coast Guard 29’ boats came up from their Staten Island base and stayed on the River for no clear reason and with no machine guns mounted. 
The Coast Guard 65’ small harbor tug Line was also heading north to Poughkeepsie, probably to be in position for icebreaking this weekend 
Buchanan12 was pushing crushed dolomite south from the Clinton Point quarry 
DonJon’s Mary Alice was pushing scows north, probably to pick up scrap in Albany 
Another DonJon tug was moving recycled paper out of Pier 99, heading for the State Island paper mill. 
This diminutive Verplanck-based tug passed us light heading south the other day, and now was heading for home with a construction barge from the Caldwell Marine yard on Staten Island… 
The wheelhouse was not quite high enough to see over the Quonset huts on the deck, so the driver brought a folding chair up to the flying bridge which must have been chilly. 
Norwegian Getaway arrived at Pier 88 just after sunrise, returning from a 12-day roundtrip to the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas 
By sunset, she was on her way again, heading out on a 5-day Bermuda run, with an NYPD launch and Coast Guard 29’ boat providing escort. 
This kayaker and paddle boarder were out early again, despite freezing temperatures. 
Pier i with a dusting of snow, which did not last long -
Presidential visit
Winter made an attempt on Tuesday, with temperatures dropping back into the 30s and snow flurries in evidence in the morning, though not with any accumulation. River traffic seemed strangely light, with a pair of tug/barge combinations at anchor in the morning and no cargos observed on the move. President Biden was in town, visiting Penn Station for an event related to the train tunnels under the River. The West Side Highway was shut at 42nd Street, but there was little evidence of related security on the water’s surface, and only a single Coast Guard 29’ boat noted near the Downtown Heliport on the East River.
Adeline Marie, which has been working the Connecticut shoreline lately, was at anchor for a second day off 79th Street 
William F Fallon was anchored further north, barely visible in the snow, but left Tuesday afternoon and headed for the Harbor 
DEP tanker Port Richmond was working the North River plant, ferrying sludge to the Passaic Valley treatment plant in Newark for de-watering. Most dewatering happens at other DEP plants in New York City (usually Ward’s Island or Hunts Point for sludge originating at the North River Plant), but the DEP has a contract with the Passaic Valley Water Authority to handle a small percentage of New York City’s sludge. 
Nyack-based Sound Marine had a small work boat heading for a job Tuesday morning. 
The Edgewater ferry headed back up to pick up more commuters 
The West Side Highway was closed southbound at 42nd Street ahead of President Biden’s arrival at Penn Station Buchanan12 pushed its empty hoppers back towards the Clinton Point quarry at dusk -
Sleepy Sunday
Weirdly warm temperatures persisted Sunday, and the city looks on track to set a new record of winter days without snow tomorrow. Winds started light but were gusting above 20 knots at Robbins Reef by the end of the day. Commercial traffic seemed very light, and even recreational activity was scarce despite the warm conditions. Kristin Poling remianed anchored off 86th Street for a second day, and Mount Saint Elias remained anchored north of the Bridge for a third day.
Nicole Leigh Reinauer returned from a delivery of oil products to Newburgh, passing the anchored Kristin Poling. At 460’ long, Nicole’s RTC 135 barge is over 130’ longer than Kristin’s. The tugs are of comparable length though Nicole is more powerful. 
The Normandy headed to Yonkers, very likely to assist Dann’s East Coast with docking a barge at the Domino sugar refinery after East Coast arrived overnight with a sugar cargo from Florida. 
This pusher tug is about as small as a tug can get and was moving south, too small to broadcast a AIS signal 
Corps of Engineer’s Hayward passed the Classic Harbor Line’s Manhattan II excursion boat 
The DEP tanker Rockaway headed for the North River water treatment plant 
…and then, loaded with sludge and lower in the water, headed for the Ward’s Island plant for dewatering in the centrifuges there 
The feral hybrid mallard ducks remained in residence at the emptied out boat basin, consorting with their wild mallard cousins -
Weird winter
The weird winter of 2023 continues, with temperatures climbing into the 50s and only the brisk 15 knot southwest winds providing a reminder of the season. A tanker barge cargo of what was most likely ethanol moved south en route to Boston, and stone hoppers were heading north.
Janice Ann Reinauer came south with a cargo from Albany, signaling Boston. Most tanker cargos move north on the River but occasionally one moves south heading for New England and most likely this is ethanol brought by train from the Midwest and now on its way to New England. 
Kristin Poling returned from Albany with a light barge and was anchored at slack tide opposite the Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen 
Dann’s Sapphire Coast had a light cement barge heading back to the Lafarge plant in Ravenna 
CMT’s Mister Jim passed the Lincoln Tunnel vents with hoppers with products such as rock, aggregate and recycled asphalt 
MHT’s Nathan G was also bringing hoppers north 
NJ State Police seems to be patrolling the River more actively this year, with a 44’ boat based in Liberty Marina, Jersey City 
A Coast Guard 45’ response boat also made a loop up the River, bigger than the 29 footers we more typically see 
Up above, a trio of Marine V-22 Ospreys came down the East River and up the North River. They had the dark green livery of the HMX-1 presidential helicopter detail, though the President was at Camp David this weekend. 
A red-tailed hawk looked introspective on their perch along Riverside Drive ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
After the wind
Skies cleared and winds moderated Friday, setting up favorable conditions for the weekend. As conditions improved, the crowd of tug/barge combinations anchored on the River dispersed and went back to work. Haggerty Girls pulled up their hook just after sundown on Thursday and B. Franklin Reinauer was on their way before sunrise on Friday. Stephen L. Reinauer remained in place off 72nd Street though, as did Mount Saint Elias anchored north of the Bridge. Evelyn Cutler left her anchorage off Yonkers Friday afternoon and new cargos were heading north.
Mount Saint Elias caught the morning sun anchored north of the Bridge in front of the Palisades 
Stephen L Reinauer remained anchored off 72nd Street, visible at slack tide through the underpinnings of the West Side Highway. 
Nicole Leigh Reinauer passed North Bergen with a cargo en route to Newburgh 
Genesis Vigilant headed for the Upper Bay after seemingly delivering a residual fuel cargo to the Roseton power plant north of Newburgh 
Reinauer Twins had a cargo for Albany as the light faded 
Dann’s Discovry coast is only occasionally seen working the North River, but she came through Friday with a Vane Brothers tanker cargo for the second time in three days. 
Vane’s Elk River was heading north light Thursday afternoon but seems to have picked up a barge somewhere upriver and returned Friday. 
Evelyn Cutler left her anchorage off Yonkers Friday afternoon… 
…and headed for the bay as the sun set 
Coast Guard ice breaker Sturgeon Bay returned to its Bayonne base after spending the week stationed up north 
Rockaway, a 2014 vintage DEP tanker, brought a load of sludge from the North River plant to Wards Island for dewatering. 
A paddle boarder headed into the weekend with a late afternoon excursion -
The West Wind
Skies cleared Thursday but gale warnings remained in effect in the Harbor as winds out of the west gusted to over 40 MPH. Some tug/barge combinations rode out the chop on the Upper Bay, but the North River anchorages filled up with ATBs returning from New England ports, with four boats anchored off Manhattan, another north of the bridge and several off Yonkers.
Josephine was anchored off 72nd Street overnight after returning from New Haven, but then left mid-morning for the Reinauer dock on the Kill van Kull 
Genesis Glory was also anchored south of the bridge overnight after arriving Wednesday afternoon 
The Haggerty Girls arrived from Boston Thursday morning and anchored off 110th Street 
Timothy L. Reinauer returned from New Haven and anchored off 72nd Street, replacing Josephine. Timothy was launched in 1979, though her tower and raised wheelhouse are of more recent vintage and she was retrofitted with ATB fittings in 2009 according to tugboatinformation.com 
B. Franklin Reinauer anchored between the Haggerty Girls and Timothy after returning from Fall River 
Mount St. Elias, a Kirby tug we have not seen on the River since October, brought a light barge back from New Haven and anchored north of the Bridge 
A 575 foot bulker headed north for Albany or Coeymans from Algeria after a stop in Wilmington 
…passing the anchored ATBs 
Vane’s Elk River was running light, heading upriver, seen here passing Timothy Reinauer’s RTC 84 barge 
Metropolitan Marine’s Pegasus was also running light, possibly heading for Yonkers to assist a sugar barge leaving the Domino pier as we have seen Pegasus and her fleet mate Normandy do in the past Dann’s Calusa Coast spent the evening with her loaded barge in sheltered waters off Yonkers but by Thursday afternoon she was heading for sea with her barge on the wire and signaling Baltimore, perhaps marking an end to her New York Harbor residence of the past month. -
Tanker traffic
Wednesday brought precipitation and even some snow flurries, but we remain without significant accumulation of snow this winter, rapidly closing in on a record. Winds remained brisk, and gale warnings went into effect for the Harbor Wednesday afternoon. Deteriorating conditions saw Norwegian Gem postpone her scheduled 4pm departure from Pier 88 until 3am Thursday, according to Cruisehive. Tanker traffic was heavy on the River for the first time in a while.
Dann’s uniquely designed Discovery Coast kicked things off, coming through in the morning with a tanker barge loaded at Buckeye Port Reading. Discovery is only occasionally seen pushing tank barges on the River. 
Another Dann tug, Calusa Coast came through at the other end of the day, pushing north with a cargo from Bayway. Calusa arrived from Chesapeake Bay late last year and has been seen working River runs periodically since them. 
Kristin Poling returned from New Haven with an empty barge, killed some time on the River, and then headed for Carteret for new cargo 
Balco’s small tug Navigator had a small loaded barge heading to Albany from Carteret 
Stasinos’s Charles James brought back an empty tank barge on the hip from Newburgh. As noted Tuesday, we more often see Stasinos tugs pushing construction equipment or stone, but Charles seemed to be filling in for Pinuccia of Boston Marine for unknown reasons. 
Reinauer’s Josephine brought a light barge back from New Haven and parked off 72nd Street 
Jordan Rose’s barge was also light. They proceeded up to Yonkers to anchor 
Curtis Reinauer had a loaded barge heading north for Albany 
Janice Ann Reinauer also had a cargo and was heading north to Newburgh 
Hopper activity was much less in evidence Wednesday, but Everly Mist did come through heading for Tomkins Cove 
New Jersey State Police were patrolling the length of the River with their launch based in Jersey City’s Liberty Marina 
A kayaker and paddle boarder got some morning time in on the River before conditions deteriorated -
Air and Sea
Skies cleared on Tuesday and temperatures dropped into the 30s, with a brisk 15knot wind blowing out of the west. Some interesting traffic passed on the River, but an occasional glance upward was also rewarding. Vessel traffic included a 650 foot bulker headed to Coeymans from Chile and likely carrying road salt, as well as a 530 foot tanker coming from the North Sea and likely carrying oil product refined in Northern Europe. Up above, a pair of F/A-18s flew up the River to West Point and back at about 2,500 feet, while a trio of NYPD helicopters flew in formation up to and Orange County, NY for unknown purposes.
The tanker R/F Marina was Albany-bound with a likely oil products cargo refined in Northern Europe 
The bulk ship Tai Shine was heading to Coeymans, likely carrying road salt from Chile 
CMT’s Minter Jim was also Coeymans bound, pushing deck barges and hoppers 
CMT colleagues on the larger Mackenzie Rose were coming the other way, pushing hoppers from Coeymans down to the Harbor 
Stasinos tug Charles James is usually seen pushing construction barges or stone hoppers, but Tuesday saw them pushing a tanker barge north. The barge itself belongs to Boston Marine and would normally be seen with one of their two tugs, Quenames or Pinuccia. Pinuccia spent Tuesday tied up at an unused dock in Port Reading, and comparing movements, it seems Charles James picked up the barge there, stopped at the Bayonne IMTT for cargo and headed north. 
DonJon’s Thomas D Witte serviced the DSNY’s Pier 99 and muscled a loaded recycling barge into the current. 
Up above, a pair of F/A-18s flew up to West Point and back at 2500 feet 
A trio of NYPD helicopters flew up the River, turned left at Alpine and continued up towards Greenwood Lake on the NJ, Orange County border, for unknown reasons. They returned later, flying down the middle of Manhattan rather than over the River. 
An Army Blackhawk also flew north 
And a Coast Guard Dolphin flew south A handsome red-breasted merganser, not often seen on the River, fished for a late breakfast in the morning. 
The afternoon tide was extra-low, perhaps in part due to the west wind, exposing more of the old New York Central piers than usual and producing a sulfury odor. ©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 