Happy V Day - Bowsprite style

Thanks to Bowsprite

W. O. DECKER (1930)
Hull Material: WOOD
Ship Builder: Russell Drydock. Rebuilt in 2005-2006, C. Deroko et al.
Length (ft.): 47.8
Hull Depth (ft.): 5.6
Gross Tonnage: 27
Net Tonnage: 18

8TH SEA (1953)
Hull Material: STEEL
Ship Builder: American Electric Welding
Length (ft.): 45
Hull Depth (ft.): 7.9
Gross Tonnage: 29
Net Tonnage: 23

See Tugster’s site for more romantic shots: http://tugster.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/noses-3/

The science of kissing : philematology. Contribute to science…kiss a tugwoman/tugman.

Bowsprite - a New York Harbor Sketchbook

Have I mentioned Bowsprite?  She rides her bike all around lower Manhattan (mainly) and paints fanciful ink drawings of the harbor and waterfront.  Never seen a pink tugboat?  You have now.  Her tools are below.  You'll find her at Bowsprite - a New York Harbor Sketchbook.

Issuma: low bridge, everybody down - northbound on the Erie Canal

Issuma threaded its way - the wrong way - northbound in October - on the Erie Canal.  When we were kids we learned the Erie Canal song - Low Bridge - Everybody Down.  HERE it is. 


Tugster and Bowsprite were there

 And why not hear Suzanne Vega pay tribute to that good old mule Sal.

John F. Kennedy - the Staten Island Ferry

thanks to Bowsprite

John F. Kennedy

Commission Date: 1965
Builder: Levingston Shipbuilding, TX
Length: 277′ (84.4m)
Width: 69′ (21m)
Draft: 19’1″ (5.8m)
Gross Tonnage: 2109
service speed: 16 knots (30 km/h)
crew: 13
Passengers: 3500 / (40 vehicles, pre 9/11)
Propulsion: Diesel Electric 600 volts DC
Engines: GM-EMD-567C16 (x4)
Horsepower: 6500 (4.8 MW)

When is an oyster like a whale?

When Bowsprite looks at one: 

She has good advice on opening oysters too.

USCGC Escanaba calls at Pier 17, NY

A friendly Port visit by the US Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba.  Watercolor left and photos thanks to Bowsprite.

Unnamed Tall Ship

From Bowsprite

Bowsprite: Central Jersey RR Terminal

One of the glories of 20th Century New York City was the ferry service - from Lackawanna Terminal in Hoboken, and from the Central Jersey RR Terminal in Jersey City. The architectural winner is the Communipaw Terminal (at the foot of Communipaw Avenue). It still gets some use for sightseeing boats but the tracks are overgrown and the Central Jersey line was rerouted onto the Northeast corridor main line, heading to Penn Station (who can resist - they're building another tunnel to get people to the City).

This is BOWSPRITE'S appreciation of the great terminal.

Bowsprite: Sketches and Accents on Marine Channel 13

Bowsprite paints water colors and listens and watches the traffic in New York Harbor.  As the pictures here show and the dialog below demonstates, she has a good eye and ear.  The pictures are the John J. Harvey (heroes of 9/11/2001), the W.O.Decker (So. St. Seaport historic tug), and the Bremerhavn (container ship).  So check out Bowsprite - a New York harbor sketchbook

(Indian accent, proper and polite): “British Lines, to the Dela rosa…British Lines, Dela Rosa.“
(American accent): “Dela Rosa.”
(Indian accent): “Uh, what are your intentions, sir? are you angry?”
(American): “Yes, we’re anchoring.”
(Indian accent): “Oh, well, could you please give us some room?”
(American): “Will do.”
(Indian): “Thank you, sir…”

Beautiful accents…”dulcet” is how Towmasters describes the lyrical southern and cajun accents.

It’s not just voices one hears. One midnight, a captain announced his plans to go to sea. In the background was a quick whiff of Jimi Hendrix.

Another time, some poor captain shared his wheelhouse with some very noisy machinery, so that whenever he spoke on the radio, he seemed to be accompanied by a bagpipe quartet.