“I can do anything but disappear…”

A line tow ready to head upriver, his length overall is about 1,500 feet and maybe 120′ wide.

I have to admit I’m a bit of a tourist these days.  My latest assignment has my boat trading between New Orleans and Florida.  As I write this we’re waiting to get a loading berth in the NORCO terminal just above the Crescent City.

While I’ve been around tugs and tows my entire career I’ve never had the experience of seeing a Mississippi river tow built and then sailed by the massive towboats that navigate the lifeline of the mid-west.  It’s busy work and takes a lot of blood and sweat to put together.  It can take a day or two to build a “line tow” by small workhorse towboats that are in constant motion picking up, shifting and rafting up a fleet of 28 or more barges carrying anything from coal to grain to whatever.  The towboats that move the finished tow are huge and wide with a good amount of horsepower in the engine room and the pilothouse.

The “Mr. T. “

The towboat “Louisiana Bayou”

Listening to these boats receiving their marching orders is interesting, the numbers and types of barges vary from boxes to rakes and keeping track of where they are placed and how they are delivered is complex but well understood.  It reminds me of how my Dad used to get his orders moving railroad floats for the New York Central when I was a boy just riding along.  The numbers of each unit are conveyed in a boatman’s shorthand, concise and exact.

The volume of traffic here is amazing. Ships, sea-going and river tows are everywhere.  Huge cranes off-loading dry cargo, flotillas of barges are almost everywhere along the riverbank.  The anchorages are along the river and tightly packed.  Our anchorage here in Ama one of many.   We set our anchor within a few dozen yards of the unit ahead of us and settle back.  The river current is constant so we lay parallel with the bank.  It’s a bit unsettling to be this close to the guy ahead of us and the one behind us, but the anchor holds and it’s kinda cozy.

The radio chatter is flavored with a bit of a patois and it’s amusing to hear some of the exchanges between the pilots and operators of the boats working here.  Courteous and occasionally colorful these fellows use phrases that catch your attention.  In a conversation between a couple of units this morning the dialog went something like this;”I’m up-bound approaching the turn, what would you like?” If you could hold up there I’ll be around here shortly”, “No problem cap, I can do anything but disappear.”  You can be sure I’ll be using that one someday.

It’s not news to anyone that’s the least bit familiar with the western rivers that the “line tows” are massive floating collections of cargo larger and longer than any ship afloat.  To listen to these units making their way is a study in “cool and calm”.  When I encountered my first big guy, I was impressed  with the way he seemed to manage his charges so effortlessly.  I quickly recognized that these men were supremely gifted boat handlers and to underestimate them would be foolish.

For the time being, I’m going to enjoy the experience and absorb as much as I can from the mariners that work in this corner of the country.  These people have a skill set that rivals any you might find in the Northeast.

During my first voyage here one of our river pilots came aboard to relieve his colleague who had met us at the entrance to the river eight hours earlier.  As we shook hands and in a big voice he said “Cap, your day just got better”, better indeed.

More to come.

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Watch the bump….

Tugboats or towboats (whatever you prefer), share the fact that they go bump. More than a little and most of the time. It’s dangerous work and always has been.  That’s why they’re wrapped in rubber all the way around. The first time a new crew member steps on the boat we want to impress on them to be aware of their handholds at all times. “One hand for the boat, one hand for yourself”.  You definitely have a responsibility for your own safety.

The bump can come at any time of the day or night, in any weather, fair or foul. Getting “waked” by a passing boat or a hard contact under the bow of a container ship or maybe laying up alongside a raft of barges, it always has the potential to be a substantial impact.  Adding a little twist to that is the deckhand will usually be a couple to a few hundred feet away from the wheelhouse and may be out of our direct line of sight.  A radio in one hand and the other holding on during the approach is the rule.

If you give the facts their due, all that rubber wrapped tonnage has to make contact with unwrapped tonnage to do its job. It’s our raison d’etre. Sometimes the bump is gentle, sometimes it’s hard enough to jar a few fillings loose. The “bell-ringer” happens frequently enough that it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Someone is always training, but it’s not just the novices that score a hit every now and then.

The boys working the decks of boats doing scow work are accustomed to the bump. Scows don’t get all that much TLC, they’re built for the banging around they get. They bump and grind more than Gypsy Rose Lee.

Ship work involves getting “up close and personal” with the walls of steel that seem to pull you in with their own special kind of gravity. We really don’t want to land hard on a ship, but….

Even though oil barges are built with substantial steel framing and double hulls, we try very hard to avoid banging them around.   All that “explosiveness” should give one pause….not to mention the liability of opening one up anywhere.

Timing, weather and skill play a part in it all. But even the best boat handler’s have a hard bump now and again. It’s part of the job, tug boating is definitely a contact sport.

A deckhand has the primary risk to fall victim to a hard contact if he doesn’t have an eye on what’s happening and have a firm grip on something. The easiest way to go swimming (or worse) is to be approaching the berth and you’re on deck with your head up your ass dreaming of crew change, cold beer and warm women.

If you take the time to examine the way things happen it should come as no surprise that when you’re about to land alongside a couple of moored units they are not necessarily laying tightly packed together. There will be some slack in their lines, especially if the other units have been laid up for a tidal cycle or two.

Even though you’ve made the initial landing “eggshell safe”, once your first line is out and wrapped up the force of the tug working ahead or astern will now move ALL the barges until everything fetches up. Think “billiards”, one contacts another and so on until all the lines have taken up the strain.

It probably won’t be the initial contact that gets you, it’s the after shocks that are the killers. After some time aboard a tug and if you’ve really honed your “situational awareness”, you’ll learn that when two or more large steel boxes are in close proximity, there will be bumps (note the plural). The sometimes fatal mistake occurs when one forgets that simple fact.

In bad weather you’d probably (hopefully) have a keener awareness of how dangerous things are since footing becomes difficult in heavy snow or visibility is challenged in darkness, rain and wind. Work vests can restrict movement, safety glasses may be fogging and diesel exhaust will impair your vision, all good reasons to be cautious.

Fair weather dockings would seem to be of less concern, but you should be holding on anyway since you can be lured into that false sense of security by the balmy breeze and not notice how quickly the boat is closing with the berth.

Bumpity, bump, freakin’ bump.

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T’was Grand….

I had the good fortune of traveling abroad just after the Thanksgiving Holiday to visit a place far, far away. Well not so far, only about 3,000 miles as the “Continental” crow flies.

The missus and I took a flight from Newark’s Liberty International and landed in Shannon, Ireland after a 6 ½ hour flight. Although a bit “jet-lagged”, my wife and I proceeded to engage in a perilous endeavor. I was driving on the wrong side of the road for the first time.

It wasn’t as daunting as I had imagined and with a couple of cups of airport coffee and a scone for good measure we set off to drive down into Cork County and settle in at our hotel in a village called Midleton.

Main Street Midleton, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Luckily, I had caught a bit of sleep on the plane and I was negotiating the roadways of the Emerald Isle without any real difficulty. The roundabouts were at first a challenge, but no more so than driving Rt. 95 on a weekend in Jersey. With the missus as my co-pilot we made the 3 hour trip to Midleton.  We only made a few minor navigational errors and managed to arrive safely.

Prior to leaving on our holiday I had contacted the Port Commisioner’s office in Cork City through their website with the hopes of having a look at the tugs working in the second largest natural harbor in the world and maybe chat with my counterparts and compare notes.  I received a reply from Captain Paul O’Regan inviting us to do just that.  We made arrangements to stop in the Customs House in Cork City on the Monday following our arrival and have a chat and coffee.  We met with Captain O’Regan and Captain Noel Fitzgerald of the VS Tug Gerry O’Sullivan.

Co. Cork Customs House

In this day and age of Homeland Security precautions, TWIC cards and red tape, both my wife and me were invited to join the crew of the VS Tug Gerry O’Sullivan for their next tow on Wednesday.  No ID cards, bloodwork or body cavity searches required.

A ship was due to arrive and discharge at the Conoco Phillips facility in Cobh Harbor (pronounced Cove) on the morning tide and we gladly accepted the invitation and kept in touch for the next day or so.

Commemorative statue of Annie Moore and her two brothers Phillip and Anthony on the wharf at the Cobh Heritage Center.

The Annie Moore story

On Wednesday morning we arrived at the Cobh Heritage center and parked behind the gates.  The master had yet to arrive and we were welcomed aboard and chatted with the Bos’n while we were awaiting the Captain’s arrival. Captain Fitzgerald showed up and gave us the “nickel tour”.  A coffee, some introductions and then underway.

The crew consisted of the Master Noel Fitzgerald, Chief Engineer Panos Karousos, Bos’n Killian O’Brien and their wheelhouse trainee Gerry Moran.

With 4,000 bhp, clean modern lines and tight quarters, the Gerry O’Sullivan is a Voith-Schneider twin drive tractor tug, she is also a “day boat”  .  The crew spreads themselves among the work vessels that are under the control of the port.  They could be assigned to any manner of work boat for their tours that might include drag operations to smooth the bottom, or maybe tend navigation buoys, to manning tugboats.  Shore-side work is also in their job description.  They are each a “Jack of all trades”.  Their tours last two weeks on and off, they are on call as opposed to living on the boat.  Trainees for the wheelhouse are on their own time until they are qualified and licensed to handle the boat.  Not too different from the way we did it in the past.  We call it “hamming”, or “ham and egging”.

The tow; To say it was impressive is an understatement, I’ve never experienced such a nimble boat.

(a VS tug in Antwerp, Demonstration This video is of a similar tug, there are some configuration differences but the maneuvering is the same.  The fun stuff starts at the 12m30sec mark ).

We flanked away from the wharf and quickly turned within a boat length, the stern no more than one or two meters from the wall. The Gerry O’Sullivan easily turned on a dime and steadied so quickly it could have been on a track.

Herself

The trip out to the sea buoy revealed that the buoy system is the opposite of the system in place here in the US .The IALA Region A System is the rule.

Roches Point Light

The G.O’s sea keeping quality wasn’t that much different from a conventional tug.  As we approached the harbor entrance the ride was, let’s say, a bit lively. The tug isn’t really suited to coastal towing but then again their work is primarily ship docking. It handled the 2-3 meter swells well enough, it wasn’t uncomfortable considering.

Tug Alex tethered for emergency arrest to the M/T Americas Spirit

As we met and escorted the ship from Roches Point Light, another tug was tethered to her stern to provide arresting capability in case of a steering casualty.  The harbor is large but there is a tight entrance channel that requires a dead-on approach.

The pilot kept her neatly on the ranges and he had little traffic to worry about, only a naval vessel that was outbound for sea that met us when we cleared the narrows.

The docking was going to be conducted during the last hour of the incoming tide and as we approached, the G.O. approached the starboard bow and put up her working line.  The method for assisting the ship with a tractor involves turning “stern to” the work.  That is, we approached the starboard bow with the stern of the tug.  This places the forward mounted drives in the best position for maneuvering during the job.

Putting up the ship line, note the messenger line and the main hawser in the "staple".

The line used for assist work is a heavy 9″ circ. samson braid hawser pennant attached to a smaller diameter but stronger synthetic main line on the drum.  The deck gang on the ship has to winch it aboard mechanically.  Once secured, we ride the ship until the pilot slows for the approach.

Of note is the way the tug will work alongside.  The pilot orders the G.O. to back the bow, the tug backs away quickly and while doing so a substantial amount of hawser is deployed to the length of about 200′.  This allows the tug to apply force without eating its own “dirty water” or better known as “quickwater”.

At first I thought the brake had failed until I realized the Bos’n was handling the controls.  Deploying and retrieving the slack is handled by the Bos’n who takes up station alongside the helmsman after the line is sent up to the ship.  Conventional tugs in the States don’t usually release that kind of slack when docking a ship.  We tend to stay snugged up.  Captain Fitzgerald explained that the added slack allows the tug to exert her force without overloading the line vertically, the longer lead gives the tug clean water to work in and ensures the line won’t let go from excessive downward force.  Smart.

It all happens very quickly, when the pilot asks the tug to back, the drives are reversed , the throttles are increased and the brake on the drum is released so slack can be powered out at the speed of the tug’s sternway.

I didn’t anticipate how fast our helmsman (Gerry) would back away from the ship.  With no lag time for clutches, (because there aren’t any)forward to astern happens in the blink of an eye.  The change of thrust overcomes its former motion quickly.  The Bos’n matches the speed of the winch with the tug’s motion and secures his brake as the throttles are reversed and sternway is reduced to “fetch” into the line.  Once set, power is applied and the boat can swing whichever way is required to apply the necessary force to oblige the pilot’s request.  When the pilot calls for “ahead easy” the tug closes its distance to the ship as the line is winched in as fast as it went out. In a flash we’re snugged up “stern-to” the ship and pushing her toward the berth.

It went as I expected, no fanfare, professional, boring.  Just the way we like it. Our trip back to the dock was bright and sunny.  We told tales and compared work.  We discussed licensing and training.  It seems tugboat men are the same all over, ribbing each other, tall tales and good humor.  The men of the G.O. were just as curious about how we worked in the States as I was with their operation.  A brilliant experience, I can’t thank the crew and Captains Fitzgerald and  O’Regan enough.

I know, a tugboat ride on my vacation, one of the few times I wanted to be on a boat on my time off.

I wrote this as a story about a fun day and some detail of how these men work a V.S. tug.  I didn’t intend nor do I wish to go into a deep analysis of how these boats work.  I was aboard for one job, I can’t possibly know or do justice to the skills these men possess.  I had a small glimpse of their professionalism, expertise, and good humor.  Enjoy the photos.

Cork Waterfront

A waterfront pub, Cork City.

The inner harbor, Cork City.

Control station

Chatting with the Bos'n Outbound Cobh Harbor

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“In Like a Lion”

The first of March underway in Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays.  This is what A.T.B.’s are built for.  Oh yeah,” in like a lion” suits it perfectly…..enjoy.

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Shipyard, uh boy……

9/2/09

I’ve found some time to put together some photos after couple of long days.  I’ll add to this post as we go along and close it out once we’re operational.

Few things are more exhausting than a vessel’s 5 year shipyard period.  All the items that had to wait for the boat to be “out-of-service” are now set for repair. Both crews have been compiling a list for the last year of items that will need attention and items we’d call our “wishlist”.  The wish list may just as well be a letter to Santa for all the consideration it gets as we start our ordeal with cleaning the tug and barge for the yard.  The primary objective is to take care of all critical systems and address the wishlist last (as long it won’t delay anything and can fit in the budget)

The Nicole Leigh Reinauer at Caddel’s Shipyard August 2009

Ahhh, Romeo and Julietta, please don’t tell the wife.

Once the fuel is pumped out, the ballast adjusted and the tanks and bilges are cleaned, the dockmaster takes over and lifts her up on the drydock so we can finally take a peak under her skirts for the first time in 2 1/2 years.

She’s a sight to see, massive wheels (140″ in diameter), barn door rudders and a hull that proves she’s fit for sea.  The barge has been cradled in a mammoth drydock one half mile away and it’s nearly impossible to absorb the whole unit in one glance, even at that distance.

Our boat is now ready for the onslaught.  Contractors of every trade swarm by the dozen over her engines and piping, the wheels are clanged and coaxed off the shafts and sent for reconditioning.  A rudder has been removed and new bearings for all are in the works.  Pressure washers take the beard off the hull, super high pressure units are used to strip the foredeck of paint.

The engine room looks like it exploded with parts scattered in every corner of my engineer’s once pristine engine room.  Grease, grime, and trash is the order of the day.  Hoses, wires, chainfalls, buckets of every size fill every space in sight.  Open deck plates, tripping hazards, cranes swinging loads overhead.  It’s a safety officer’s nightmare.  It amazes me that anyone can keep track of it all.  Talk about a puzzle!

The lower level cabins/crew accomodations are uninhabitable for a while due to open fuel tanks scheduled for inspection.  The sanitation system is offline for the duration since we are unable to get a sewage line plumbed to the dock.  We get a temporary set-up with a “port-o-san”, not the best of all worlds, but it beats climbing down a 30′ ladder and taking a hike up to the shipyard’s facilities a quarter mile away.

The pilothouse is a disaster, all the electronics are put away and the masking for paint has taken over.  Handholds and boxes of bits and pieces are everywhere.  The new Clearview defroster screens are in, the painting is taking a toll on our knees.  I almost forgot how many lil’ nooks and crannies there are around the windows….

One of the coolest things that took place was the pulling of the “pins”.  The Intercon pins are the moneymakers and each one weighs in at 28,000 lbs +/-.  It was incredible how the techs from Intercon disassembled the units and coordinated the crew of the yard and themselves to pull these behemoths out of their sleeves all the while bobbing from wakes and surges caused by passing traffic.

The end isn’t in sight yet, but we continue to take small bites out of it every day.  It’ll get done, of that we’re certain, but it’s gonna hurt a little before it’s over.

Next up will be the pins, fitting the wheels, and re-hanging the rudder.  And that’s just the big stuff, as they say “the Devil is in the details”.  More pics later, I’m freakin’ tired!

9/3/09

The pins are in and the wheels are being fitted today.  Tanks are being buttoned up, painting continues and we’re seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

9/6/09

It’s been a busy couple of days.  The work is starting to wind down and cleanup has begun.  While this may be a holiday weekend for many, we are still at it trying to bring all the mess that’s developed under control.  The pilothouse is finally back together and looks great.  The new insulting material we’re trying is supposed to reduce the condensation we’re seeing in subfreezing temps on the exposed metal surfaces in the pilothouse around the windows.  We’re hopeful it will help.  It took 7 coats to buildup a decent thickness.  The new window films from Clearview have completed the forward window array so that all of the 9 forward facing windows are heated.  The films alone should reduce the amount of moisture we can expect this winter..

The A/B is busy scrubbing the main decks and stripping the wax buildup so a fresh shine can be applied.  All the internal surfaces will get “soogee’d”, scrubbed down clean so all the grease and grime from the workers can be erased.

Two rooms got a new installation of a soundproof deck underlayment and new carpet to replace the flooring that was basically destroyed when the forward fuel tanks were opened, cleaned, and inspected.

The new emergency hawser rack and setup will be completed once the shipyard returns to work on Tuesday.  A little more welding and rigging for that remains.

The rudder which had been sent out to have the palm resurfaced and new machine bolts cut  is expected soon.

My Ch/Eng is busy with cleanining his engine room and trying to bring order to what was a nightmare only a few days ago.  I don’t envy his job in any way.  The cleanup is making slow progress, but it’s getting done.

One of the really good things about this shipyard period has been at the end of the day after dinner.  Once everyone has been able to get a nice hot shower andsomething to eat , a few of the crew (myself included) have taken to cigars on the O1 deck as the sun goes down.  It’s a pleasant way to unwind and talk about anything and everything.

9/6/09

It’s been a busy couple of days.  The work is starting to wind down and cleanup has begun.  While this may be a holiday weekend for

many, we are still at it trying to bring all the mess that’s developed under control.  The pilothouse is finally back together and looks

great.  The new insulting material we’re trying is supposed to reduce the condensation we’re seeing in subfreezing temps on the exposed metal surfaces in the pilothouse around the windows.  We’re hopeful it will help.  It took 7 coats to buildup a decent thickness.  The new window films from Clearview have completed the forward window array so that all of the 9 forward facing windows are heated.  The films alone should reduce the amount of moisture we can expect this winter..

The A/B is busy scrubbing the main decks and stripping the wax buildup so a fresh shine can be applied.  All the internal surfaces will get “soogee’d”, scrubbed down clean so all the grease and grime from the workers can be erased.

Two rooms got a new installation of a soundproof deck underlayment and new carpet to replace the flooring that was basically destroyed when the forward fuel tanks were opened, cleaned, and inspected.

The new emergency hawser rack and setup will be completed once the shipyard returns to work on Tuesday.  A little more welding and rigging for that remains.

The rudder which had been sent out to have the palm resurfaced and new machine bolts cut  is expected soon.

My Ch/Eng is busy with cleaning his engine room and trying to bring order to what was a nightmare only a few days ago.  I don’t envy his job in any way.  The cleanup is making slow progress, but it’s getting done.

Ahhh, Romeo and Julietta, please don't tell the wife.

One of the really good things about this shipyard period has been at the end of the day after dinner.  Once everyone has been able to get a nice hot shower and something to eat , a few of the crew (myself included) have taken to cigars on the O1 deck as the sun goes down.  It’s a pleasant way to unwind and talk about anything and everything.  Soon the boat will be wet and we’ll be back at it.  It can’t come too soon….

9/9/09

It’s the last day for my crew in the yard for this hitch.  This last two weeks just flew by.  My relief will be taking her out and conducting the sea trials once the boat gets wet. The pins will be tested and tweaked, the engines will get tuned, the deck cleared and painted, and the boat will be back in service as she was before.   The charts and pubs are up to date, we’ll have the gyro spun up after we get off shore power and her engines will awaken from their month of rest.

As the 5 year shipyard period draws to an end we acknowledge all the help we’ve had from our shoreside staff and hope we haven’t stepped on each others toes too awful bad.  The crew and staff can rightly feel a sense of accomplishment, they worked their asses off.

Shipyard is a tough job for everyone, it’s a series of projects big and small, compromises, and innovation “on the fly” in some cases.  It’s getting dirtier than you ever thought you could get from the grinder dust , needle scalers,and grime.  You honestly believe you’ll scrub your last layer of skin off by the time it’s all over.

Some repair items will remain open, but most are resolved.  All the critical safety and mechanical issues have been put to rest and the cleanup will take priority once we are released from the yard.

Re-fuel, top the fresh water, grub up, and off we’ll go.

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The T.O.A.R. and the A.T.B.

No one does anything new in an emergency, there’s no magic bullet, and clicking your heels together 3 times won’t do more than provide counterpoint to the sound of steel screeching along a poorly approached and perhaps rapidly splintering berth.

He said; "I think I'll claim the fifth...."

It’s not the easiest thing to do and it shouldn’t be.  The skills required to safely pilot a tug and tow take a good deal of time to acquire under the best of circumstances.  Among the many difficulties the wheelhouse hopeful may encounter  while attempting this endeavor is finding the means to get on as many different towing vessels as possible to become familiar, and if possible, fluent in their operational procedures.  It can take as little as 2 years to as long as 5 years depending on the availabilities of openings for a trainee.   In spite of all the wishing and hoping, the one thing that can’t be done at this point is specialize the T.O.A.R. to allow a limited towing endorsement with regard to AT/B’s.

This is not what I would consider a bad thing.  The idea for completing a T.O.A.R. is to prove that one is capable of safely performing ALL the skills that will get the job done right.  The idea of creating a limited ticket for AT/B’s is abhorrent to me since I believe there isn’t any particular value in learning half the job.  The skills that may be drawn upon during an AT/B’s operation are no different than any conventional tug and barge.  Eventually, there will be a need to draw on a skill-set not normally utilized in the day to day operations of an AT/B and the operator will need to be able to perform that evolution.  We’re not necessarily paid for what we do, we’re paid for what we CAN do.

If a limited  T.O.A.R. is created, there will be little motivation for including the skill-sets beyond standing a sea watch, tuning the radar, and utilizing an assist boat at every turn.  The shortage of qualified people is not a good, or an especially prudent reason to “dumb down” the standard.

The experience one accrues during their training period is just the tip of the professional iceberg when it comes to the next phase of their career.  The completed T.O.A.R. means you’ve met the minimum requirements to be allowed to stand a watch,  it’s a milestone not the end of the road.  It’s your diploma and your ticket to the rest of your career.  Whether you’re an ace or  just scraping by with the bare minimum, you’re going to get the same endorsement.  Once the requirements are met, one’s skills need to be tempered with time and experience.  Half-measures are not what’s called for when you’re earning this credential.

The sheer lunacy and end result of the limited endorsement idea is that it creates an operator that will be the half-baked version of his colleagues on traditional tugboats.  It is guaranteed that he will be ill-equipped when the time comes that he’ll need to draw on a bag of tricks in an emergency and not have at his beck and call the necessary experience, judgment, or skill to pull the whole mess out of the fire.  I find little merit in the idea, and I don’t believe it to be a prudent method to alleviate the manpower shortage at this point.

There are any number of analogies I could use, but the one that comes to mind would be flying.

U.S. Airways had the good fortune of having a pilot and co-pilot with almost 40,000 hours of combined flight time at the controls of Flight 1549 last month. In the interviews that followed that incredible event, both Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and Co-pilot Jeff Skiles had each said that neither of them had ever suffered a double engine failure except in simulator-training.  That training and their experience prepared them for the day when it might happen.  But consider that if they had never trained for it, there would be a very different story surrounding that flight, 155 different stories. Sully went on to say in subsequent interviews how the sum total of his years of experience  coalesced at the precise moment he needed it.  It was there to draw upon.

It’s perfectly reasonable for the T.O.A.R. candidate to climb this hill.  Getting to ride all the boats you’ll need to complete your T.O.A.R. is daunting but it’s been done countless times by thousands of others.  There are still plenty of conventional tugs available to accomplish the task, it just takes a focused effort that includes a company’s personnel department and a corporate mindset dedicated to training and promoting people when they’re fully qualified.

So if the prospect of working the necessary variety of towing vessels has you thinking it’s too hard, step aside and let those among you who have the guts to keep at it play through.  We’re waiting for them.

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