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And we’re off! photo: Will Van Dorp/tugster
What a fantastic race it was with 22 tugs churning up the Hudson River! Here’s a quick peek from the mainstream news outlets on the events of the day.
From DNAinfo: Now in its 20th year, the tugboat race, which starts at West 79th Street and ends at Pier 84 (near West 43rd Street) brings out the hearty watercraft to show their stuff in a Hudson River race, nose-to-nose pushing contest, and parade.
Kenny McCoy, a volunteer for the USS Lilac Steamship, a preserved ship at Pier 2, said he and his wife Lynn came as fans. “We came down from the Bronx to cheer on the Bronx’s tugboat. This is a great and unique event,” he said.
Another spectator, Mike Fitz, said he and a friend drove from Westfield, N.J. to watch the races.
“We saw an ad for it,” he explained. “I’m shocked at how big the tugboats are up close — they always look so small on the water.” Read more here.
Pegasus v. Thornton Bros. photo: Will Van Dorp/tugster
More from NY1: New Yorkers watched Sunday as more than a dozen tugboats of different sizes battled for harbor honors in the 20th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race on the Hudson River.
Organizers said it is a great way to teach the public about what they do.
“Gives the crews the day to show their pride for their boats. They fix them up and paint them up nice and show their skills with the boat handling and the line throwing,” said Captain Mike Keenan. Read more here.
Vulcan III v. Lincoln Sea. photo: Will Van Dorp/tugster
I literally have thousands of photos to sift through and will try to get them up as soon as I can. Until then, many thanks to tugster, whom I am in constant awe of how quickly he get’s his photos online. You’re lighting fast, Will!
WHC’s Jonathan Atkin/ShipShooter on Blue Classroom. photo: Will Van Dorp/tugster
Many thanks also to Capt. Mike Abbot and crewman Mike, for their fantastic maneuvering of the New York Harbor School’s Blue Classroom between the tugs and wake and getting us right in the middle of the action!
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
photo: Mitch Waxman
Get ready for the 20th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition! This Sunday, come join in the festivities at Pier 84 (42nd Street /12th Avenue /Hudson River). Our special Circle Line Spectator Boat will get in closer than ever before to the action, giving you a rare opportunity to “be in the race” as the powerful vessels sprint toward the finish line.
photo: Jhoneen Preece-Doswell
Special Circle Line Spectator Boat
9:30 am to 11:30 am – Boarding at 9:00 am
Circle Line 42nd Street – Pier 83
(West 42nd Street and the Hudson River)
Adult – $30 – Child – $25
After the main race on the Hudson, there is much more fun in store! Tug’s will display feats of strength competing in Nose-to-nose pushing contests, while line-toss competitions and other fun, family friendly activities take place on Pier 84. There will be exhibits, food and more including an amateur line toss competition, our famous spinach eating contest and the best mascot award!
photo: Jhoneen Preece-Doswell
This year’s competitors include vessels from: McAllister, K-Sea, Miller’s Tugs & Barges, Derrick Marine, Donjon, Vinik, Henry Marine, Vane Bros, South Street Seaport Museum, Thornton, Merchant Marine Academy, Miller Marine Services, LI, private owners and more!
Footage from last year’s tugboat race from Meridianmulti:
Sponsored by the Working Harbor Committee with Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises and Friends of Hudson River Park
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
Reblogged via The Newtown Pentacle
- photo by Mitch Waxman
An upcoming and entirely wholesome opportunity for diversion and entertainment is upon us, as the 20th annual running of the Great North River Tugboat Race will be conducted on the 2nd of September. There are two components to the event which should be considered.
from workingharbor.org
20th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition to draw more than a dozen tugboats and hundreds of spectators to Hudson River Park.
Sunday, September 2, 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hudson River Park Pier 84 at West 44th Street, Manhattan
Tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.workingharbor.org or by calling 212-757-1600.
Events include a tugboat parade, a river-churning race, nose-to-nose pushing contests, line-throwing, spinach-eating and tattoo competitions. A Circle Line spectator boat will follow the on-the-water action. Good viewing from shore along the West Side riverfront and at Pier 84.
- photo by Mitch Waxman
The Working Harbor Committee (WHC), a nonprofit group for which I serve on the Steering Committee and which I am tasked with certain duties as its official photographer, conducts the race. This year a large number of tugs, more than 15 at this writing, will be participating.
from workingharbor.org
The Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition – one of New York City’s most popular Labor Day weekend events – returns for the 20th year on Sunday, September 2. More than a dozen tugboats, the maritime 18-wheelers that normally dock ships and push barges, are expected to participate.
The race, on a one-nautical-mile Hudson River course that extends from the West 70s to West 44th Street, typically draws thousands of spectators, some watching from shore; others getting right in the middle of the action aboard a Circle Line spectator boat that travels alongside the tugs.
The tugs come because it’s a chance to show off. “New Yorkers sometimes forget they are surrounded by water and that there is a whole maritime industry working here. This tug competition is the one time a year people can really see what we do,” said Craig Rising of McAllister Towing and Transportation, one of the largest and oldest tug companies in the nation. It is also a field day for the crews who pack their boats with family and friends and enjoy a chance to play on the water and win bragging rights over the competition. “It’s a great way for our families to see a slice of our lives,” said Glen Miller, president of Millers Launch, who plans to enter three tugs in the competition this year.
- photo by Mitch Waxman
WHC will, as always, be running a special spectator excursion onboard a comfortable Circle Line ship. Ticketing information is included below. The spectator boat offers uncommon views of the action, and allows enthusiasts and photographers a chance to get close to the fun. Additionally, there will be a free festival of events happening on Pier 84.
from workingharbor.org
When he came up with the idea of a tugboat race in the 1980s, chief judge Jerry Roberts, then a curator at the Intrepid Museum and now executive director of the Connecticut River Museum, didn’t know what to expect. “At that first race I did not know if we were going to get three tugs or six, or any at all,” he recalled. “We got 10, and I knew this was going to work. Twenty years later, the race has become an institution. In an age when New York Harbor has become more and more detached from its maritime roots, this a chance for the men and woman who make their living on the water to show their stuff, and their pride to us landlubbers who live on one of the greatest harbors on earth but don’t even know it.”
Festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. when the spectator boat leaves its dock and the tugs gather off Pier 84 to check in with the race committee and get ready to parade—beauty-pageant style—to the starting line near 79th St. At 10:30, the boats, which typically range in size from 100-foot, 5,000-horsepower monsters to 25-foot, 200-horsepower workboats, get in position behind the starting line. At the sound of a horn, they’re off: engines roaring and smoke belching, as their massive wakes make the river look like an angry ocean.
- photo by Mitch Waxman
A family oriented event, the 20th annual Great North River Tugboat Race will have several interesting moments- including a spinach eating contest (all sailors eat their spinach), an unparalleled view of the line toss contests, and an opportunity to interact with the crews of the tugboats which will dock at the pier after the race. Read more here…
by Mai Armstrong via Mitch Waxman/Newtown Pentacle for Working Harbor Committee
Sunday, 2 September, 2012
9:30 am to 11:30 am – Boarding at 9:00 am
Special Circle Line Spectator Boat
Circle Line 42nd Street – Pier 83
9:30 am to 11:30 am – Boarding at 9:00 am West 42nd Street and the Hudson River
New York, NY 10036
Circle Line 42nd Street – Pier 83
9:30 am to 11:30 am – Boarding at 9:00 am West 42nd Street and the Hudson River
New York, NY 10036
photo: Mitch Waxman
New improved routing
The Tug Arrivals
The Parade to the Start Line
In the Race – Alongside the Leaders
Close up of Bow to Bow Challenges
Expert Tug Info & Narration by
Working Harbor Committee Maritime Expert John McClusky
Plus live marine radio playback
photo: Fun festivities for the whole family on Pier 84 Manhattan
from 10:00 am to 1 pm
Spinach-eating Contest
Best Tattoo Contest
Best Mascot Contest
And More!
Join us at the races!
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
Hidden Harbor® North River Tour with renowned maritime historian Bill Miller
Tuesday, 7 August 2012 – 6:15 pm
Our special “North River” Boat Tour will feature the changing waterfront of the Hudson River: From ocean-going ships to kayaks. Renowned maritime historian Bill Miller will recall the days when ocean liners and cargo ships crowded a riverfront that is now home to waterfront parks.
From his website, Bill Miller At Sea: Bill Miller is considered an international authority on the subject of ocean liners & cruise ships. This includes those great ships of the past, those “floating palaces,” as well as the current generation of cruise ships, the “floating resorts”. Called “Mr. Ocean Liner,” he has written over 60 books on the subject: from early steamers, immigrant ships and liners at war to other titles on their fabulous interiors, in post card form and about the highly collectible artifacts from them. He has done specific histories of such celebrated passenger ships as the United States, Queen Mary, Rotterdam, France, Queen Elizabeth 2, Costa Victoria, Super Star Leo and Crystal Serenity.
The tour begins by cruising around the southern tip of Manhattan and the large ferry terminals, continuing on past Staten Island and Governors Island. We travel north up along the west side of Manhattan passing by historic Castle Clinton and the Battery, then sailing upriver along much of Hudson River Park.
Captain John Doswell, joined by esteemed guest speaker Bill Miller will talk about historic ships, ferry terminals, fireboat terminals, historic Pier 57, Chelsea Piers, the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum and the passenger cruise ship terminals, past and present.
We then cross the Hudson to New Jersey touring the historic Hoboken waterfront of “On The Waterfront” fame, another active shipyard, the Morris Canal entrance culminating in a visit to the Statue of Liberty for a spectacular photo opportunity before returning to Pier 16.
This two-hour Hidden Harbor Tour® takes place Tuesday, 7 August at 6:15pm. Departing from Pier 16, South Street Seaport, Fulton Street and the East River in Manhattan, on the luxury passenger boat Zephyr*.
*Subject to change to New York Water Taxi pending day-of conditions, check at the NY Water Taxi ticket kiosk on the pier for details; Water Taxis board at Pier 17, South Street Seaport.
TOUR TIPS:
- All Hidden Harbor Tours take place aboard the Luxury Yacht ZEPHYR* (not a tugboat)
- ZEPHYR offers two fully enclosed decks, plus an open-air rooftop deck – all boasting breathtaking, panoramic views
- The main deck of ZEPHYR is the only wheel-chair accessible deck
- Two cash bars on board with beverage service and select snack options available for purchase
- Parking is available throughout the South Street Seaport vicinity and neighborhood – as a precaution, please allot for extra time to find a spot
- All Hidden Harbor Tours operate rain or shine*
- A portion of the ticket price supports the non-profit programs of the Working Harbor Committee
- Learn more at workingharbor.org
Historic footage of the Manhattan waterfront shot in 1903 by the (Thomas) Edison Manufacturing Company.
The silent film sweeps from Fulton Street on the North River (Hudson River) …
… all the way around to the Brooklyn Bridge on the East River giving us a rare glimpse of the hustle and bustle of the working harbor from over a century ago.
Thanks to NYCISEE for this amazing look into the past.
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
Want to know where your car entered port? Where your trash goes? What we export in those huge container ships?
Welcome to the Hidden Harbor’s working waterfront. The world of working maritime vessels and facilities is both fascinating as well as vitally important to our area’s economic well being.
On June 5th, our 2012 summer season of Hidden Harbor® tours kicks off with our 2-hour Brooklyn tour.
Thornton Tugboat, WHC Hidden Harbor Tour. photo Mitch Waxman
The Brooklyn Hidden Harbor tour starts from South Street Seaport, and goes up the East River to the former Brooklyn Navy Yard, passing under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The Navy Yard has three large graving docks and an active shipyard, as well as the home port of FDNY’s fireboat division where one of NYC’s newest fireboats, Firefighter II, calls home.
Graving Dock, WHC Hidden Harbor Tour. photo Mitch Waxman
We tour past Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Red Hook Container Terminal, Atlantic Basin, and Erie Basin, home of Hughes Brothers Barges and Reinauer Tugs, before continuing on to Gowanus Bay and the Sunset Park waterfront, home of the former Bush Terminals.
We wrap-up all of our Hidden Harbor tours with a photo-op moment at the Statue of Liberty before returning to Pier 16.
Loujaine moored in Gowanus Bay, WHC Hidden Harbor Tour. photo Mitch Waxman
Our Hidden Harbor tours are offered throughout the summer, and are narrated by maritime experts who know the harbor intimately – port officials, tugboat captains, maritime historians and many other experts.
Check our website for Newark Bay, Brooklyn and North River tour dates and times. Click here for tickets.
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
Fireboat John J. Harvey. credit: Bowsprite
Ever wanted to ride on a bona fide fireboat? Be on board as water shoots in high arches from her hoses? Well, on Sunday May 6th, you can!
From fireboat.org: Built in 1931, MV John J. Harvey, at 130 ft and 268 net tons, is among the most powerful fireboats ever in service. She has five 600 HP diesel engines, and has capacity to pump 18,000 gallons of water a minute. Her pumps are powerful — enough so that when she and the George Washington Bridge were both brand new, she shot water over the bridge’s roadway. She was retired by the New York City Fire Department in 1994 and bought at auction by her current owners in 1999. She was placed on The National Register of Historic Places in June 2000.
The Fireboat John J. Harvey will be open for public tours at North River Pier 25 (N Moore Street) this weekend, May 5-6, 2012 from Noon – 4PM. Steamer Lilac, Tug Pegasus and the Waterfront Museum Barge will also be open for this public event.
What’s more, on Sunday May 6th, from 4 – 5:30PM, the Fireboat John J. Harvey will give a free public trip on the harbor, from Pier 25 to the Statue of Liberty, and back up the North River returning to Pier 66 (W. 26 Street).
Fireboat John J. Harvey at the Statue of Liberty. credit: tugster
Keep a close eye on their website fireboat.org for details and reservations. Public trips are free, but reservations are required.
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee
Just say the word “Enterprise”, and immediately the imagination fills with images of space exploration with Capt. James T. Kirk, boldly going where no man has gone before. Next Monday, the real deal Space Shuttle Enterprise will be flying into New York City. The Final Frontier: the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on Manhattan’s West Side.
The Space Shuttle Enterprise atop the huge 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). Credit: NASA
NASA’s press release reports: “WASHINGTON – NASA’s 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) with space shuttle Enterprise mounted atop will fly at a relatively low altitude over various parts of the New York City metropolitan area on Monday, April 23. The Federal Aviation Administration is coordinating the flight, which is scheduled to occur between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. EDT.”
Exact flight times and routes could be affected by weather or operational restrictions, but reports indicate that Monday morning the tandem aircraft will fly at a low altitude over the New York metro-area. There will be prime viewing on both sides of the Hudson, scope out your favorite spots and get your cameras ready!
From NASA: “…the aircraft is expected to fly near a variety of landmarks in the metropolitan area, including the Statue of Liberty and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. When the flyover is complete, the SCA will land at John F. Kennedy International Airport.”
Watch this historical footage of the Enterprise, atop her 747 SCA, taking flight at Dryden Flight Research Center, posted by the Intrepid Museum.
The Shuttle Enterprise will spend the next several weeks at JFK, where she will be separated from her 747 SCA mount and prepared for transport to her permanent home at the Intrepid Museum. Have no doubt I will be on site to see her being moved down the North (Hudson) River by tugboat!
From NASA: “Enterprise will be “demated” from the 747 and placed on a barge that will be moved by tugboat up the Hudson River to the Intrepid museum in June. The shuttle will be lifted by crane and placed on the flight deck of the Intrepid, where it will be on exhibit to the public starting this summer.”
I’ll post scheduling updates, as soon as I catch wind of them. For automatic updates, subscribe to our blog’s RSS feed, “like” our facebook page or “follow” our twitter feed @workingharbor.
by Mai Armstrong for Working Harbor Committee.
