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Over the rainbow, plus the fireboat mystery solved
Dawn on Monday brought a glorious rainbow to the River, arching from Weehawken up to North Bergen. A last line of rain showers came through at 7:20am, ending the effect, but it was great while it lasted. Activity on the River remained heavy. Adeline Marie remained at anchor on the River as she has been since Thanksgiving Eve. She was joined by Dean Reinauer, dropping their hook off 86th Street after returning from Newburgh, and Kimberly Poling, off 96th Street on return from Albany. Kristy Ann departed her spot by Grants Tomb and headed for the Upper Bay. Pocomoke had also departed early Monday, heading for Philly with her loaded barge—a relatively rare example of refined products heading south. Just before sunset, the Royal Wagenborg Arubaborg came through, heading to Albany from Finland and very likely carrying wood pulp for paper mills up north.
The southern end of the rainbow, over Weekhawken 
The northern end landed in North Bergen 
Evelyn Cutler returned from Albany with a light barge 
Evelyn proceeded to the Bayonne IMTT for new cargo, where two foreign flagged tankers were unloading oil products from Europe. The Coast Guard buoy tender Katherine Walker is in the foreground… 
And was later seen servicing buoys in the Upper Bay 
Kristy Ann left her anchorage off Edgewater with her 347’ barge and headed for the harbor 
Kristy Ann was later seen preparing to anchor in the Upper Bay, with the Verrazzano Bridge and Bay Ridge in the background 
Adeline Marie remained at her 72nd Street anchorage at the morning slack tide 
Kimberly Poling at anchor off Edgewater Monday morning before heading for Cateret 
The Aurubaborg heading for Albany with a load of wood pulp from Finland 
Icebreaking cutter Sturgeon Bay was heading from her Bayonne base up to Poughkeepsie, producing a lot of smoke as is usual for these 1980s vintage Bay Class Cutters. 
The Beatrice returned from the Buckeye Terminal north of Newburgh with her nearly 400’ long barge empty and headed out through the Narrows, signaling Philadelphia 
James William, who is more often seen moving stone and sand around the East River and Upper Bay, was running light on a loop up to Riverdale for unknown reasons before heading back to her usual territory, seen here passing the old Lackawanna Terminal 
East Coast was in the Upper Bay, heading back to Yonkers and its sugar barge there after making a drip to the Dann dock on the north shore of Staten Island The fireboat mystery solved
The retired fireboat at Pier 25 has been a source of curiosity, but no longer. From afar, it appears to have no markings, making it unclear what boat it is or was. But closer inspection of the stern reveals the name Governor Alfred E. Smith. The Smith was in service from 1961 until 1970 and then placed in reserve before being retired in 2015. There was talk of converting her into a restaurant at the time of her retirement, but there is no sign that this happened or what her current ownership status is. When operational, she was first based in Brooklyn but then moved to the historic harbor police headquarters Pier A at the Battery.
There are currently three retired boats on the Hudson River. The Smith at Pier 25, the older and more famous John J. Harvey based at Pier 66, and the 1954 vintage John D. McKean now up in Haverstraw. There remains an active FDNY base at Pier 53 in Chelsea where large Marine 1 fireboat Three Forty Three is based, along with a small Marine 1a boat and the William H. Feehan, a medium-sized boat with shallow draft.
The retired fireboat at Pier 25 has no visible identification 
But a close look at the stern reveals the name Governor Alfred E. Smith 
The Smith was last based at the historic Pier A near the Battery. Pier A is one of the few structures to bear the name “North River”, along with the North River Water Treatment Plant, and, more recently, the North River Lobster Company dinner boat The Discovery 
The John J. Harvey remains tied up at her usual Pier 66 base with the retired light ship Frying Pan on Monday. See Back to the 60s on this blog for photos of Harvey in action 
The John McKean tied up in Haverstraw in early November 
The FDNY’s active Three Forty Three boat at the Marine 1 base in Chelsea 
The other large 140’ FDNY fireboat, Firefighter 2, was at their usual base at the old Homeport pier in Staten Island on Monday, prepared to respond to emergencies on the Upper and Lower Bay. -
Holiday hangover
Thanksgiving weekend passed with mostly pleasant weather, interrupted by heavy winds Friday evening and rain Sunday afternoon. Commercial activity on the River remained fairly heavy. Adeline Marie remained resident in the North River anchorages, shifting between 79th Street and 72nd Street. She was joined by Kristy Ann, who anchored off Edgewater after a delivery in Bridgeport. Vane Brother’s Pocomoke anchored early Sunday off 79th Street with what appeared to be a loaded 362’ fuel barge loaded at Bayonne IMTT Saturday night, a relatively rare case of a loaded barge parking on the River.
Kristy Ann anchored off Edgewater Saturday morning after a delivery to Bridgeport 
And remained there Sunday morning 
Centerline’s Adeline Marie spent the weekend anchored off Guttenberg 
Pocomoke at anchor with a loaded fuel barge Sunday morning 
Coral Coast brought a loaded cement barge down from Lafarge’s Ravenna plant, heading for the College Point cement terminal on Flushing Bay. 
The Army Corps’ Hayward on patrol, passing Coral Coast on two whistles 
Reinauer Twins returned from Albany Sunday with their 413’ barge light 
On Saturday, a pair of Moran tugs headed for Buchanan in Westchester County to assist a bulker leaving the wallboard plant there after unloading a cargo of Spanish gypsum. 
Stasinos Marine’s Charles James was moving construction equipment north to a boatyard in Verplanck Sunday morning. 
And then returned light in the late afternoon 
The DEP’s Hunts Point, one of the newer 2014 vintage tankers, was loaded down with treated sewage sludge from the North River plant Sunday en route to Wards Island for dewatering in the centrifuges there. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Back to work Friday
Activity on the River was unsurprisingly subdued over Thanksgiving, but Friday seemed to bring a wave of catch up traffic. Three tug/barge combinations were anchored in the River at sunrise on Thanksgiving, but by afternoon the Kimberly Poling had pulled up her hook and headed for Raritan Bay for the overnight. Adeline Marie made an early Friday departure for the Upper Bay, but then came back and reanchored, still with her light barge. Cape Lookout was back at work though, leaving Friday morning and heading for the Phillips Bayway terminal on the Arthur Kill. Saint Emilion and Copper Mountain seemed to have exchanged a barge Friday morning off Yonkers.
Cape Lookout, Adeline Marie, and Kimberly Poling at anchor Thanksgiving morning 
Kimberly Poling heading for Raritan Bay Thanksgiving afternoon 
Adeline Marie left the River Friday morning 
But soon came back after turning around in the Upper Bay 
Stephen Reinauer, one of the older tugs in the fleet retrofitted as an ATB, came south Thanksgiving morning with a light barge 
And headed for the Erie Basin barge port where they remained through Friday morning 
Harbor Charlie was on patrol Thanksgiving morning in a 35’ boat 
Copper Mountain headed for Yonkers anchorage light Friday morning, passing Adeline Marie as she got underway. 
Later, Saint Emilion came down from Yonkers anchorage, also light, and it seems likely Copper Mountain took over her barge up there. Saint Emilion was heading up Long Island Sound by Friday evening. 
Buchanan 12 emerged from the mist by the Bridge Friday morning 
With a smaller float of barges than usual after the holiday 
Genesis Vigilant had an Albany bound cargo Friday morning 
Pinuccia was coming back from Albany with a light barge shortly after 
Reinauer Twins was heading for Albany with their 413’ barge loaded 
Reinauer’s Kristy Ann was anchored south of the Bridge after returning from a delivery in Bridgeport, sitting a bit north of Adeline Marie as the final glow from the setting sun reflected off the hills of Yonkers 
The DSNY and their DonJon contractors were back at work Friday, shipping paper waste to Staten Island for recycling. 
A herring gull sat on the wreckage of old New York Central railroad piers on Thursday. 
The sun disappeared behind Weehawken at 4:22pm EST Friday ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Pre-holiday traffic
Conditions improved into the the Thanksgiving holiday, with temperatures climbing and winds moderating. The North River anchorages were full again on Tuesday, perhaps anticipating a lull in cargo loading and unloading for Thanksgiving.
Kirby’s Cape Lookout remained anchored off 72nd Street for a 3rd day 
And was passed by Buchanan12 at slack tide Tuesday 
Adeline Marie… 
And Kimberly Poling were anchored further north 
Adeline Marie and Kimberly Poling anchored further north on Wednesday
Source: MarineTraffic
Dean Reinauer pushed a loaded barge north to Newburgh Wednesday morning 
Followed by Dace Reinauer heading for Albany. Dace is the oldest tug we see regularly in the Reinauer fleet, built in 1968 but retrofitted with modern ATB connectors. 
Everly Mist brought stone down from the quarry in Catskill, NY, bringing the hoppers to the Bay Ridge anchorage 
Normandy made another visit to the sugar refinery in Yonkers, and then returned 
Evelyn Cutler brought a light barge back from Albany 
On the East River, the Crystal Cutler was bringing a barge back from the fuel terminal on Newtown Creek. We don’t see Crystal on the North River; presumably, her smaller size makes her well-suited to creek work, with the larger Cutler-Poling tugs handling North River jobs. 
CORRECTED: Down in the Upper Bay, the distinctive Chesapeake Coast (not Discovery as originally posted) was anchored Wednesday as well 
In the Gowanus Canal, NYC DOT brings in gravel for road work, and DSNY ships out waste in Waste Management containers to be transferred to trains (via truck) in Elizabeth. Trash is one commodity we do not see traveling on the North River—these containers ultimately move north by rail on CSX’s River Subdivision. 
Kayakers enjoyed a sunset cruise Tuesday, with full running lights 
A 4:30pm sunset over the cliffs of Weehawken -
Everyone knows it’s windy
Temperatures climbed a bit Monday, reaching 40 by midday after starting out below freezing. Winds remained elevated, with a small craft advisory in effect again for the harbor, and shifted to the southwest, putting a bit more visible chop on the River. Tugs continue to shelter in the North River with their tanker barges during their downtime. Gracie Reinauer left her spot near Grant’s Tomb and headed to the Erie Basin barge port, but Kirby’s Cape Lookout and Vane’s Pocomoke arrived.
Dean Reinauer came through Monday morning after discharging cargo in Newburgh and anchored in the Upper Bay 
Gracie opened Monday anchored off Grant’s Tomb before heading for Erie Basin. 
Kirby’s Cape Lookout swung on her anchor at afternoon slack tide off 72nd Street 
Normandy had business up in Yonkers, perhaps assisting with a barge at the sugar refinery 
These well dressed outrig kayakers were not deterred by cold and wind 
A Navy E-2D advanced Hawkeye flew up the river from Norfolk -
Small Craft Advisory
Clear and cold again Sunday, with temperatures just above freezing and stiff winds gusting over 20 knots out of the west. A small craft advisory was in effect for New York Harbor. Wind was visible on the River but conditions did not look choppy, at least not from shore. Chop seems to be worse on the River when winds are from the southwest or northeast and run counter to the tide. Commercial traffic was fairly typical and most of the ATBs at anchor Sunday had gone back to work with the exception of Gracie Reinauer who remained off Edgewater.
Timothy Reinauer left their North River anchorage Sunday and headed for Phillips 66 at Tremley Point on the Arthur Kill for a new cargo 
Evelyn Cutler returned from a delivery at the Buckeye Terminal near Newburgh and headed for Raritan Bay 
Quenames was also coming back from Newburgh, but from the Global terminal south of the city 
Beatrice headed for Albany with a cargo from Bayway at sundown 
Followed by Kimberly Poling, also pushing north with a cargo a little too late for proper photography 
Sarah D brought hoppers south, heading for the Lafarge dock in Sunset Park 
Buchanan12 moved some more crushed dolomite, satisfying unending demand with seemingly unending supply 
The DEP’s Red Hook was back on North River duty, ferry sludge to Hunts Point for dewatering 
The tug Maverick made a loop up the River for no obvious reason -
First Freeze
Temperatures fell below freezing early Saturday, the first freeze in New York City this year, but clear skies allowed us to get back to 40 by the afternoon, and the River remains a source of warmth for the time being as well. The North River anchorages remain in demand, with Kimberly Poling remaining off 72nd Street since Friday afternoon, and Timothy, Gracie, and Kristy Ann Reinauer all lined up off Edgewater, plus several more tug/tanker barge combinations sitting off Yonkers.
Another harbinger of winter was the arrival of a tanker barge at Pier 98, the fuel dock for Con Ed’s 59th Street Steam Plant. The plant mainly burns natural gas brought in by pipe, but number 4 fuel oil is used as a backup during periods of tight natural gas supply and during preparations for the winter season. Fuel is brought to the plant by barge and stored on the barge during the winter (see my June article in the West Sid Rag, or a more recent article in the Villager not by me for more). The barge itself, GCS230, belongs to Gellaty and Criscione Services and, according to an article by Andrew Gustafson published by Waterfront Alliance a few years ago, it is the last remaining operating vessel afloat built in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Kimberly Poling at anchor at the morning slack tide 
And later being passed by Poling-Cutler colleagues on Evelyn Cutler pushing a cargo north towards Albany 
Reinauer ATBs at anchor off Edgewater Saturday at sundown The GCS230 barge tied up at Con Ed’s Pier 98 Saturday 
Buchanan12 with a load of Clinton Point crushed dolomite heading south Saturday morning 
And heading back north at sundown after exchanging for empties at the Greenville anchorage off Jersey City 
Norwegian Joy headed out on her penultimate Bermuda run of the season. After one more roundtrip next week she will transit to the West Coast for winter. 
The North River DEP tanker was servicing the North River plant Saturday, ferrying treated sludge to Wards Island for dewatering. North River is the oldest tanker in the fleet, built in 1974 at a time when treated sludge was brought far off-shore and dumped and she is designed for heavier seas than the newer tankers designed for work in the harbor only. 
A Jersey City non-profit was advertising in the air 
The sun disappeared behind Weehawken at 4:25pm ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Ready to freeze
After a brief period of rain mid-week as the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole lingered, New York shifted to classic clear and cold autumn weather, with morning temperatures in the 30’s and 15 knot winds out of the southwest. Tanker barges remain busy and seem to be favoring the River over the Bay during their downtime. By Friday afternoon, there were four tugs and barges at anchor in the North River, and three more off Yonkers, ahead of a snow squall expected to move through this evening. Meanwhile, recreational boats are increasingly scarce as most are likely now out of the water for winter or headed off for the south.
Dean Reinauer at anchor in the river in Wednesday morning fog 
Kristin Poling heading for new cargo after anchoring for a few hours before sunrise Wednesday 
Janice Ann Reinauer returned from delivering a cargo in Providence Thursday and anchored off Grant’s Tomb through Friday evening 
Janice Ann at anchor Friday morning 
Cape Henry was anchored in the North River Friday as well 
And Kimberly Poling was also anchored further south at the afternoon slack tide Friday 
Vane Brothers’ Kings Point headed north with what was probably a partially loaded barge 
Quite a crowd on Friday night. Source: MarineTraffic 
Haugland Group’s Everly Mist continues to make regular hopper runs between Haugland’s Tomkins Cove port and the Newark Bay side of Bayonne 
DonJon’s low slung tug J. Arnold Witte, designed to negotiate the New York State Canals and tight creeks off New York harbor, has been maneuvering a work barge at Pier 99 this week 
A survey boat has also been in use there, presumably ensuring adequate depth 
While other DonJon boats continue to move DSNY scows in and out 
There was also some work happening south of the Intrepid, with a huge Weeks crane there Thursday. It was gone Friday. 
533 is Weeks’s largest crane, with 500 ton capacity 
Norwegian Escape refueled Thursday morning as passengers headed for transportation after arriving from Rome. Escape then headed without passengers for her winter headquarters of Port Canaveral, Florida 
A pair of Army Blackhawk helicopters flew south at 400 feet into a strong headwind, coming down from Stewart Airport in Newburgh 
North Hudson (NJ) Fire/Rescue’s marine unit was on the River Wednesday in the rain, with a well dressed crowd on the aft deck 
USCGC Penobscot Bay was on the river Thursday morning, making smoke as she frequently does and seemingly in need of an emissions upgrade. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Cold at last
Temperatures finally fell into the 30s Monday morning, a shocking return to reality to many who were getting used to summery conditions sticking around. Tanker barges continue to move back in forth on the river, while the Patrice McAllister and Centerline’s William J. Fallon were laid up at North River anchorages. With the Veterans Day weekend behind us, the Coast Guard cutter Lawrence Lawson left Pier 86 and returned to Cape May while the USS Arlington was heading for her own home port of Norfolk.
USCGC Lawrence Lawson heading for home 
The William F Fallon and the Patrice McAlister at anchor in the North River Monday morning. 
Jordan Rose left the Yonkers anchorage with her barge and headed for the Bay Ride anchorage 
Kimberly Poling brought a light barge down from Albany and headed down the Arthur Kill to Raritan Bay. 
Buchanan12 heading north, being overtaken by a police boat 
A closer look at the police boat, shows it is marked as Marin Sheriff! It looks a lot like the boat on the Marin, California Sheriff’s web site. But there is also some news about the county having acquired new boats. This one likely sold to a new owner and not yet repainted. 
DonJon’s low slung J Arnold Witte continues to do work with a barge around Pier 99, perhaps supporting divers 
This interesting yacht named Savage looks like it has ability to sail. It was heading from Haverstraw to North Shore Marina in Port Washington -
Variable weekend
Friday’s tropical storm cleared out Saturday but left behind balmy conditions. Twenty-four hours later, the mercury was dropping and winds were increasing as more rain came through. Oil product tanker barges remain on the move, transporting heating oil, gasoline, and diesel upstate and coming back empty, though Reinauer ATBs that anchored during Friday’s storm remained parked in the River until Sunday.
Dean Reinauer was anchored off 79th Street Sunday morning 
And remained into the evening 
Stephen Reinauer was anchored further north Saturday, near the bridge, with downtown Yonkers visible in the background. 
Before heading for new cargo in Bayonne Sunday 
Passing the Kimberly Turecamo on one whistle. Kimberly was stemming the tide in the River before heading round the Battery to the Raveswood power plant in Queens, likely delivering a cargo of oil as backup fuel for this gas fired power plant. 
The Beatrice had a loaded barge heading for Albany, coming up from the Delaware River as distillate supply remains tight in New York Harbor 
Susan Rose left her Yonkers anchorage and headed for new cargo Saturday morning 
The DEP’s Red Hook was servicing the North River treatment plant 
And DonJon Marine was servicing the DSNY Pier 99 paper transfer station 
A Poling-Cutler tug pushed a light barge passed the anchored Dean Reinauer 
Mister Jim pushed hoppers down from Coeymans 
Seastreak continues to run fast ferry runs up to West Point and Cold Spring in November even as fall colors fade
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 