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I never realized how wind would effect your steering. My first clue is when I asked Capt Zeke why all his barges were wrapped around him when they are usually streched in front. He mentioned wind. When I drove a tractor trailer and go over a bridge when wind was up I needed to steer somewhat into it. That video you published showed it real well. Thanks.
Bill:
Very nice! Have you ever thought of adding a GoogleMap log to the blog? It would be great if you could track your passages and post the locations to your site, so we can see your locations.
For instance: A snowbird friend currently heading down the ICW is tracking his passage here: http://bit.ly/V25pXA
Your scenery isn’t ususally so…bucolic…as the ICW, but it is interesting!
–sb
Bill:
Very nice! Any chance you could track your passages in GoogleMaps and add them to the blog? That way we could see on the map where you’ve been. Example: A snowbird friend who’s currently heading down the ICW has his tracks mapped here: http://tinyurl.com/icw2012
–sb
As nice a feature as that may be, it adds to the daily paperwork bundle that I have to deal with everyday. I don’t make daily blog entries as it is. I’ll see if it’s worth the trouble, but right now it’s not likely to happen.
[…] What I’ve ben reading lately? Check out the Arthur Kill deepening project/blasting as negotiated by NYTugmaster here. […]
Thanks Bill. Sometimes I miss NY Harbor
Anytime Pat, keep the shiny side up.
Dear Capt. Bill,
I’ve watched all your vids three times (so far). I love ’em! My Lynn has watched once and she’s equally enthused.
Thank you. Thank you. Your joy is contagious.
I linked to you from “Tugster” whose blog I read daily.
Wishing you calm conditions and prosperous voyages,
Steve
Thank you for the compliment and best wishes. I enjoy making them as much as you enjoy viewing them…
Thank you for the view from the pilot house of regions in our own backyards that we NYers never get to see.
Question; Even though the video is in compressed timing, what’s the minimum travel distance between vessels like yours and the fellow ahead of you? Can you stop your vessel in time if for some reason the vessel ahead came to a sudden stop on a sandbar or something?
You ask a good question and you would be correct that I’d have little chance of stopping should the traffic ahead of me come to a sudden stop. However, you’ll note that the vessel ahead is our sister tug the Christian F. Reinauer. In this case, we were both in deep water and of equal horsepower and we both in touch via radio. Each of us has an escort. At our slowest advance we were each barely making 1.5 knots over the bottom and at our fastest maybe 8 until we entered the upper bay.
In general we keep as much distance between us as we can usually a 1/2 to 3/4 of a nautical mile, stopping is a time and distance intensive situation. However in this case, I was comfortable to follow a bit closer since our relative speed was minimal and I was able to increase our separation if needed by a speed reduction coupled with the resistance of a head tide (head tide meaning I’m advancing into the current as opposed to with the current or fair tide). On the day of the video we had a long line of traffic waiting to clear the dredge zone and a bridge closing that slowed everyone down to create a bit of a traffic jam. Tightening things up is definitely considered “Advanced Tug Boating” and not for the faint of heart. We don’t do it unless circumstances will allow it safely. In a shallow narrow channel you wouldn’t see this.
http://youtu.be/7jyVO6DcO-o This early minutes of this video give a better illustration of the distance we’d normally keep in less than ideal situations.
Great blog; insightful words, enthralling videos