Category: Uncategorized
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Moving rocks
The first day of astronomical summer brought pleasant temperatures in the 70s and light winds, but a line of rain storms was heading in by the end of the day. Commercial traffic remained light and dominated by bulk cargos while sailors reported dolphins sighted in the river. The Benjamin Franklin Reinauer left its anchorage off…
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Magic Monday
Beautiful conditions prevailed to start the week, with winds settling down though still blowing steadily out of the northwest. The Carnival Magic cruise ship arrived early and then headed out by 4pm for a cruise to the Bahamas. Ben Franklin remained anchored off 72nd Street for the second day in a row. Coeymans Marine Towing…
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Fathers Day Fun
Stiff winds continued to blow out of the northwest but slowed enough for recreational boaters to enjoy Fathers Day on the water. Some dads remained hard at work though, as commercial activity remained steady. The Zelada Desgagnes made a quick turnaround in Albany, heading down river and signaling Thunder Bay, Canada less than 48 hours…
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Sand goes up, rocks come down
Winds whipped out of the northwest all day Sunday, with gusts above 20 knots keeping sailors and most other recreational activity off the river. Commercial activity was not deterred by the wind though, with a flood of northbound traffic coming through once the morning ebb tide ended. Coeymans Marine Towing’s Helen, the former Vane Brothers…
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Friday visitors
Friday brought hot and humid conditions and the arrival of four of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Yard Patrol training ships. Two of these ships were in town a few weeks ago for Fleet Week, and this latest visit comes after a trip to Boston, likely for summer training. The boats are tied up at Pier…
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Thunder Thursday
Thursday opened with thunder and rain. Skies cleared but more rain is coming overnight. Commercial activity on the river picked up a bit after the recent lull. Ben Franklin Reinauer remained anchored off 72nd Street for a second day. Carnival Cruise Lines Magic arrived at Pier 88, the first visit of a Carnival ship so…
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Wednesday on the water
Summer conditions persisted, with southerly winds, warm temperatures and minimal commercial activity on Wednesday.
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Tame Tuesday
Tuesday brought another day of benign weather and northerly winds. Commercial traffic was light and routine, dominated by Reinauer ATBs, while sailers were enjoying the conditions.
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Mellow Monday
Summer conditions prevailed and traffic was light on Monday. The ARC Gloria, which arrived Saturday at Pier 86, set sail for Mexico in the afternoon (no photo unfortunately).
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Bienvenido a Nueva York
The Colombian Navy ship ARC Gloria, a three-masted sailing barque commissioned in 1968, arrived at Pier 86 this morning. The ship is a training vessel and the official flagship of the Colombian Navy. Gloria is here in part to commemorate the 200-year anniversary of US-Colombian diplomatic relations. For more on her voyage, see this article…
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Maiden voyage
Rains cleared and beautiful weather returned on Wednesday. The Maiden, a 58-foot racing yacht passed through in the morning on the way to Kingston, NY. The Maiden was the first sailing boat to circumnavigate the globe with an all-female crew in the late 1980s and is currently on a world tour in support of its…
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Free parking and a seaplane
The run of great weather comes to an end Tuesday evening as storms move in, with winds gusting above 20 MPH by the end of the day. Commercial traffic was light, with just some of the usual locals observed. However, the approach of summer brought some seasonal activity, including an infrequent cruise ship visitor, a…
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Monday moves
Beautiful though increasingly hot weather persisted on Monday. Observed traffic was mainly southbound, including two of Reinauer’s older and smaller tugs, the Franklin and Dace. Saint Emilion remained at anchor off 72nd Street after arriving there Sunday afternoon.
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What’s up with Pier 98?
The tangle of pipes and conduits on Pier 98 at the end of 58th Street has long intrigued me. The pier is a fuel dock for the nearby 59th Street steam plant but the machinery on the dock seems elaborate for that purpose alone. I looked into it for the West Side Rag and learned…
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Cooling down
Temperatures dropped sharply Tuesday evening and by Wednesday morning we were back to the 60s with skies increasingly cloudy as we headed into storms coming Wednesday night. The Jennifer Turecamo pulled up her hook Wednesday morning, dropped into the notch on her tanker barge Tennessee, and left the North River after an unusually long stay…
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Back to work
The un-official and non-astronomical start to summer brought hot temperatures in the 90s to the North River as the city got back to work after the long weekend. The USS Bataan made an early departure from Pier 88, leaving town with considerably less fanfare than when it arrived. The HMS Protector remains tied up at…
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Back to the 60s—tanker edition
Being away from the river for the weekend is a good excuse to share some more photos from the family archives. These photos, taken in 1965 by a parent before I was born, show the tanker Texaco Kentucky heading south down the river at around 125th Street. The Texaco Kentucky was built in 1949 in…
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The Fleet Arrives
Fleet week kicked off with a parade of ships entering the bay and sailing up the north river. The larger vessels, the USS Bataan and the HMS Protector, headed directly for their births at Pier 88 and Pier 90, but the shallower draft vessels proceeded up the north river towards the bridge before u-turning to…
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Getting ready for the fleet
An atmosphere of anticipation prevailed over the river Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s arrival of the ships participating in the annual fleet week events. Cool and pleasant conditions prevailed. Regular business also went on as usual of course.
North River Notes 