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Burning oil
The weekend arrived with clear skies, cold temperatures and occasionally brisk wins out of the north. Tanker barge crews remain busy, moving product north, including heating oil. With few product pipelines and no refineries north of North Jersey, heating oil heading for upstate and Vermont mainly moves by barge up the Hudson, and via Long Island Sound for cargos heading for the rest of New England. Newburgh seems to be on the receiving end of a lot of product over the past two weeks for whatever reason. Salt also moves up the river in the winter on big bulk carriers arriving from Chile and Mexico, and one came through in the final minutes of daylight Saturday.
Haggerty Girls was heading for Newburgh with a loaded barge Friday, perhaps carrying heating oil. 
And then returned lighter on Saturday 
Patrice McAlister anchors with her light barge sometimes in the River but is not often seen moving cargo on the River. However, on Friday Patrice was heading north to Newburgh with a load. 
Janice Ann Reinauer was pushing for Albany on Saturday 
As was Kimberly Poling. 
Centerline’s Adeline Marie is a regular on the River now 
…but usually just parks here rather than making runs up north 
CMT’s Mister Jim had a load of large rocks heading north, a somewhat atypical direction of travel for stone. 
The Corp’s Hayward was heading south Saturday morning as the northerly wind ran against the flood tide, kicking up white caps. 
The bulker Petra was heading for Albany at sundown Saturday, arriving from Veracruz, Mexico after making some intermediate stops at US ports down south. Winter road salt was a possible cargo. Photo credit: M. Katzive -
Seeing clearly again
Wednesday’s thick fog gave way to a clear Thursday, with light winds and temperatures in the high forties, though a busy schedule and limited daylight allowed for minimal observations. The massive MSC Seascape cruise ship was finally on her way to Miami after Wednesday night’s naming ceremony and press event celebrating the new year-round MSC service which will be run out of Brooklyn on a different MSC vessel.
DonJon’s Brian Nicholas maneuvered a DSNY scow with paper waste out of Pier 99. The stern of MSC’s 1,000 foot long Seascape is visible extending beyond the pier line in the background. 
Brian then headed for the Pratt paper mill in Staten Island 
Dean Reinauer was heading back to Newburgh Wednesday morning with a cargo. 
The nearly full waning gibbous moon was visible at sunrise 
A ring billed gull at Pier i Wednesday morning -
Looking for a ship
A blanket of thick fog sat over the river for almost the whole of Wednesday, with visibility ranging from poor to worse than poor. At sunrise it was practically pea soup, such that a bulk freighter coming down from Coeymans was nearly completely invisible at less than 500 yards off the end of pier i even as periodic blasts on its horn announced its position. By the end of the day, the fog was lifting and traffic was moving through fully visible.
The 600’ bulker Bulk King was barely visible at less than 500 yards Wednesday morning. She was heading to sea from Coeymans after arriving last week from the Bahamas, perhaps carrying sand. 
Reinauer’s Josephine arrived in the morning and dropped anchor off 96th Street. 
The fog did not deter the yacht Savage with its unusual rigging. Savage came up from Mamaroneck upriver. Last week we saw her heading from Haverstraw to Port Jefferson. 
Fog was also not an obstacle for a Coast Guard 29’ boat, patrolling north of Pier 99. 
Vane’s Cape Fear headed north with a loaded barge 
The fog was lifting by the time Evelyn Cutler came through with a cargo, passing a Weehawken-bound NY Waterway ferry 
MHT’s Nathan G came down at sunset, passing the anchored Josephine with barges loaded at the Colarusso quarry in Haverstraw 
MSC’s Seascape remained at Pier 88 ahead of its naming ceremony Wednesday evening 
The towers of Riverside Drive loom out of the fog ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Another soaker
Tuesday brought another day of soaking rains, with temperatures in the 40s and light winds, swinging around from northerly to southerly. The brand new MSC cruise ship Seascape remained at Pier 88 for a second day and will remain at least through Wednesday evening for a scheduled naming ceremony here. MSC is also celebrating commencement of year-round cruise service from New York City, though Seascape will be sailing from Miami and, in any event, MSC will be operating out of Brooklyn, not Pier 88 according to their press release. Meanwhile, the visiting Woods Hole-based Coast Guard cutter Tybee did leave its berth at the end of Pier 86 during the morning and headed for Sandy Hook Bay where they had anchored Tuesday evening.
Centerline’s HMS Liberty delivered a bunkering barges to MSC Seascape ahead of her departure for Miami later this week. 
Vane Brothers Cape Fear brought a light barge back from the Buckeye terminal north of Newburgh at sunrise. 
Reinauer’s Haggerty Girls followed, returning from Albany 
DEP’s Rockaway was running with the morning flood tide into a north wind, heading for the North River plant. -
Just visiting
The first full work week of December kicked off with clear skies, light winds and seasonable temperatures. The week brought two visitors to the passenger ship terminal area, with the Woods Hole-based 110’ Coast Guard cutter Tybee tieing up at the end of Pier 86 Monday morning for a one-day port call, and a brand new MSC cruise ship, the Seascape, docking at Pier 88. The Seascape was recently launched in Italy, loaded passengers in Barcelona and arrived at Pier 88 just before 6am. According to Cruise Industry News, there will be a naming ceremony on Wednesday in New York before Seascape heads for its new home port of Miami.
USCGC Tybee tied up at the end of Pier 86, vesting from Woods Hole 
MSC Seascape tied up in New York on its maiden voyage. At over 1,000 feet in length, Seascape extends beyond the pier line. 
An NYPD 25’ boat is stationed at Pier 86 as usual, docked ahead of the museum’s Growler submarine. 
The Normandy was running light coming back from Yonkers Monday morning after one of their periodic trips up there. The tug seems to be frequently assisting with barge docking at the sugar refinery up there. 
Poling-Cutler tugs were moving product on the River, with Kimberly Poling heading north with a cargo from Bayonne just before sundown, following on the heals of Evelyn Cutler pushing north from Cateret. -
A soaker
Temperatures climbed Saturday but a soaking rain for most of the day and 15 knot southwest wind did not make for great vibes. Commercial traffic remained fairly typical, with a Royal Wagenborg wood pulp freighter heading for Albany the most notable ship of the day. A Coast Guard 29’ boat came up the River from the Staten Island base and did a drill with a life ring, which they threw overboard and retrieved in the chop as the ebb tide ran against the southerly wind.
Reggeborg was heading north to Albany in the rain after stopping in Maine, very likely carrying wood pulp for upstate paper mills. 
Dean Reinauer, which passed us heading south with its unloaded barge Friday, was heading for Newburgh Saturday morning after loading a cargo in Cateret overnight. 
CMT’s Daisy May was pushing a cargo of what looked like dirt and stone towards the company port in Coeymans 
A Coast Guard 29’ boat came up the River to do a drill with a life ring which they threw overboard and retrieved 
Later an NYPD 35’ boat was on the River 
As was the big Harbor Charlie scuba boat 
The DEP’s Hunts Point took water over the bow as it ran loaded into the southerly wind with a push from the ebb tide, ferrying a load of treated sewage sludge from the North River plant to the Hunts Point plant for dewatering. 
Saint Emilion left its Yonkers anchorage and reanchored off 96th Street. 
Seastreak’s Courageous took a break from its Sandy Hook to East River ferry route to take a loop up the North River, for no obvious reason 
The motor yacht Gratitude based in Jacksonville came up the River, unusual this time of year when most marinas are closed and most yachts are on the hard or have gone south. 
Not much of a sunset Saturday with low hanging clouds -
Deeper in
One day deeper into meteorological winter on Friday saw temperatures climb into the 40s, clear skies and light winds. Overall, not bad, but more rain is coming Saturday. The anchorages cleared out, with Dean Reinauer making a dawn departure, and the two Kirby tugs leaving later in the day. By Friday evening, only Saint Emilion remained all the way up in Yonkers.
Dean Reinauer made an early departure, heading for a Cateret terminal with their 413’ barge. 
…and passing a north bound Everly Mist on one whistle on the way out 
Haugland’s Everly Mist was pushing light hoppers back to the company’s Tomkins Cove port at sunrise, then returned in the afternoon 
Kirby’s Cape Henry was anchored off 86th Street at sunrise, before departing for Bayonne’s IMTT later in the morning 
Cape Lookout showed her stern to New York at slack tide off 72nd Street, before pushing her 400’ barge down to the Upper Bay anchorages off Bay Ridge after sundown on Friday 
At midday, Hackensack University Medical Center’s chopper landed at the Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen and left a short time later to the main UMC hospital in Hackensack, likely with a critical patient on board. -
Winter is here…sort of
The first day of astronomical winter is December 21, but the first day of meteorological winter is December 1 and it is beginning to feel a lot like winter this week. The skies cleared Thursday, but temperatures dropped. Winds remained elevated for the morning after Wednesday’s gale, with a small craft advisory in effect, before things settled down in the afternoon. The North River anchorages remained full, which may have more to do with a lull in cargo activity than the weather. A pair of bald eagles cruised down the banks of the River early in the day at low altitude.
A pair of Kirby ATBs, along with Patrice McAlister, Kimberly Poling, Vane’s Charleston, and Franklin Reinauer were all at anchor south of the bridge at sunrise Thursday, and were soon joined by a third Kirby combination. By the end of the day, the three Kirby boats remained, while the others were on their way, but replaced by Kristy Ann and Dean Reinauer. Dann Marine’s East Coast made a sunrise departure from Yonkers with a sugar barge heading back to Florida. Carnival’s Joy made its last departure of the season from Pier 88, heading for Florida and then on to the West Coast for winter.
Dann’s East Coast departed from Yonkers at sunrise with a light sugar barge on the wire, heading back to Florida 
Kimberly Poling and Charleston at anchor Thursday morning, with Franklin Reinauer in the distant haze and a southbound Edgewater ferry passing 
Patrice McAlister and Kirby’s Cape Canaveral were further south 
And Cape Henry below them 
Cape Lookout arrived later in the morning… 
And dropped anchor off the front of her light 365 foot barge 
The smaller tug Navigator pushed a loaded tank barge towards Albany from Bayway 
DonJon was servicing the DSNY paper recycling facility at Pier 99 
The Army Corp’s Hayward passed Weehawken on patrol for hazards to navigation in the aftermath of Wednesday’s storm 
Vane’s Kings Point refueled Norwegian Joy as passengers disembarked after her last return voyage of the season from Bermuda. By the end of the day, Joy was heading for Florida and then on to the West Coast for winter. A pair of bald eagles made a patrol down the New York bank of the River, surely a good portent for the month. ©2024 Daniel Katzive Uncategorized -
Gales of November come…late
The final day of November brought gale warnings to New York Harbor, with wind gusts from the southwest up to 35 knots and steady rain. A crowd of tug/barge combinations crowded into the the calmer waters of the North River but a fair number also rode out the storm on the Upper Bay, including the Adeline Marie, which moved down there just in time for the bad weather. Winds are supposed to remain elevated through Thursday.
A crowd in the North River Wednesday evening. Source: MarineTraffic 
Kirby’s Cape Canaveral and Patrice McAlister, with barge on hip as usual, at anchor on the North River Wednesday morning 
Another Kirby ATB, Cape Henry, was further south 
Genesis Vigilant anchored later Thursday off 72nd Street with her 350’ barge 
Vane’s Choptank came up from Philadelphia with a loaded looking barge and killed time making loops between Inwood and Yonkers. Down on the Upper Bay, things were getting choppy by midday Wednesday, though the Staten Island ferry didn’t mind. ATBs could be faintly seen at anchor in the fog on the horizon 
Tuesday saw a visit from the New York State Naval Militia (marine equivalent of the National Guard) 44’ boat normally based further north. 
Two military boats passed either side of a southbound Edgewater ferry Tuesday. -
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.
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 