Tag: USCG
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Presidential address
President Biden addressed the UN General Assembly Wednesday, snarling traffic on the East Side and periodically blocking the East River, but North River traffic was fairly typical. USCGC Sturgeon Bay continued to keep a watchful eye on the West Side from its anchorage off 96th Street as motorcades zipped along the Henry Hudson Parkway, and…
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Security, security, security
Beautiful late-fall conditions prevailed Tuesday after Monday’s line of storms, with winds around 10 knots out of the west. Security was tight on land and on the rivers as the UN Meetings kicked off and ahead of President Biden’s visit Wednesday. The Coast Guard 140 foot ice breaking tug Sturgeon Bay was stationed in the…
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Gridlock alert
Activity on the River remains rather light as we start the week with clearing skies and hotter temperatures. The cruise terminal remains busy, however, with the Norwegian Getaway arriving and dredging operations continuing. The Lincoln Sea with her very large barge remains anchored off 72nd Street going on one week now, implying some special extended…
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Dredge baby, dredge
In perhaps another sign that summer is drawing to a close and the heavy August flow of cruise ships into New York is set to abate, the dredgers were back at work at Pier 88 Thursday. A smaller cruise ship did arrive Thursday morning, however. With Pier 88 out of action, the Seven Seas Navigator…
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Stormy Monday
Monday brought moderate temperatures and periodic thunderstorms passing through, with more on the way in the evening. Tanker traffic remained fairly heavy on the River. Meanwhile, in reporting for West Side Rag, we learned Ken’s Marine has been retained by the insurance company of the 48’ yacht which sank in the River on Saturday to…
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Inland seas
A short trip to Cleveland brought an opportunity to observe some marine traffic away from the North River this week. In Flushing Bay next to LaGuardia, we observed two Norfolk Towing tugs operating near the DSNY’s North Shore Marine Transfer Station, where commercial waste is transferred to containers and loaded on barges destined for the…
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Still cooking
Wednesday brought another day of blazing hot temperatures, though a southerly wind built throughout the day providing some relief on the water. Commercial traffic was rather heavy mid-week, with a number of tanker barges, hoppers and a bulk carrier moving through The former Bouchard tug Evening Mist came through with hoppers loaded with stone or…
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The Dog Days of Summer
Scorching heat prevailed Tuesday, with Monday’s storms having done little if anything to cool things down. Fortunately, decent 10+ knot winds out of the southwest provided some relief by the water. River traffic was generally familiar and typical, with one notable exception seen in the skies. The highlight of the day was to see a…
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Summer squalls
Lines of thunderstorms moved through the area throughout the day, starting first thing and then recurring at midday and in the afternoon. The sun broke through periodically but humidity remained high. The Haggerty Girls was (were?) anchored in the River in the morning, but headed down to the Upper Bay in the afternoon and was…
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Calm but sad
I always feel calmer when I’m by the River, but this morning the calm was mixed with a heavy dose of sadness knowing that an 8-year old boy had died in yesterday’s afternoon’s boating accident. The river is wonderful and vital, but it is also crowded and powerful, and can be dangerous at times. The…
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Student driver
The Training Ship Kennedy arrived today at Pier 88. The ship belongs to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy which uses it for a winter sea term, but in the summer it is attached to Texas A&M Maritime Academy for their summer sea term. The ship is a former freighter launched in 1967. A&M’s summer voyage brought…
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The Jet Ski Invasion
Saturday was the annual Jet Ski Invasion, where 100s of personal watercraft gather and make a circuit of Manhattan, very enjoyable to the riders and a big noisy nuisance to pretty much everyone else who traverses or follows the North River. The “invasion” rounded the Battery after 11am and proceeded north. The invasion was escorted…
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City boats
Cool temperatures and cloudy skies prevailed on the second official day of summer, with rain arriving in the late afternoon. Observed commercial traffic was light but government owned boats were more prevalent.
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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.
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Weekend update
Beautiful spring weather, though still chilly on the water Saturday. Activity is picking up, with more recreational boaters and dinner cruises starting up, and a steady flow of barges heading to the dredging operation at Pier 88/90. The newly commissioned cutter Clarence Suthphin, which we photographed yesterday on Pier 86 (see yesterday’s post), headed out…
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Sutphins happening on Pier 86
The newly commissioned Coast Guard 154’ Fast Response Cutter the Clarence Suthphin Jr. is tied up at the end of Pier 86, the pier which houses the Intrepid Museum. The Sutphin’s commissioning ceremony was apparently yesterday and it is soon heading for Bahrain, one of six such cutters which support the US Central Command in…
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Practice makes perfect
Coast Guard Sector New York’s four 29’ response boats were back in the river Thursday, drilling similarly to what we observed almost exactly a month ago (see Drill Baby Drill). Once again, two boats had their forward machine guns mounted. FDNY’s 140’ Marine 1 fire boat was also practicing on the river (or perhaps just…
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The story of Teresa
When we published our article The barges (and other big boats) in your backyard in the West Side Rag a few weeks ago, a number readers indicated they wanted to know more about the tug/barge combination that was anchored in the river at around 94th Street for many weeks on end. It seems some residents…
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Home alone
Lots of activity on the river Tuesday as winds calmed and temperatures were at least stable. The tug Teresa, which has been anchored with its barge in the river for several months now amid operational/legal complications, made a morning departure, uncoupling from its barge and heading down to a fuel dock on the Arthur Kill…
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The barge in your backyard
For some time I have been wanting to write an explainer article for my neighbors about the barges and tugs we see anchored along the Hudson every day. Thousands of people observe these vessels daily but most have very little idea what they are and what they do. Thanks to the West Side Rag, an…
North River Notes 