May 24, 2010

Tug STINGER dies and ends up in steel dumpster. We had to cut up one of our favorite tugs. We took her out of water at Seaview East and she got the same fate that the BARF did several years ago. We just plumb wore her out. We saved all the goodies for the next skiff – including the Detroit 8-V 71 and the 38”, 4-blade wheel but the rest of her is now probably melted down into reinforcing rod. What a great boat she was! I bought her up in Everett and we made a super portable bow thruster out of her.

MR. KEEGAN CUTTING AWAY THE STERN ON THE STINGER.

CAPT. "DEEP SEA TOM" IN HIS GET DIRTY UNIFORM.

LOOKS PRETTY SERIOUS MARGIE IS ASKING QUESTIONS.

TOP HALF OF STINGER IS GONE.

CAPT. ERIK USING ROSEBUD TO GET WHEEL OFF SHAFT.

NOT TOO MUCH LEFT OF HER NOW.

ALL DONE EXCEPT FOR SWEEPING UP. THE BOAT IN THE BOX.

CAPE GREIG AT NORTHLAKE SHIPYARD READY TO BE UNDOCKED.

TUGS JEEP & DIXIE PULLING CAPE GREIG OUT OF DRYDOCK AT NORTHLAKE SHIPYARD.

DIXIE HAS GOT HER AND IS GOING PIERSIDE WITH HER.

WE CAUGHT THE BOYER BOAT SONJA H GOING BY WITH A BIG RAMP BARGE ON OUR WAY HOME.

STEAM STERN WHEELER SEATTLE QUEEN GOING BY OUR HOUSEBOAT. SHE IS NEW TO LAKE UNION AND CAME DOWN FROM KETCHIKAN.

MARGIE READY FOR MARINA MAY'S SCHOOL AUCTION. SHE KNOWS HOW TO BID.

RAZ, A FENCE RAIL CAT, WAITING FOR ATTENTION. HE MISSED BATMAN.

OUR GRACE IS RIGHT AT HOME ALONGSIDE THE FOSS 300.

FISHING VESSEL SOVEREIGNTY IN FOSS DRY DOCK.

DIXIE JUST MAKING BALLARD BRIDGE WITH F/V VAERDAL BOUND FOR LAKE UNION DRY DOCK.

GETTING READY TO TOW NORTH CAPE OUT OF LAKE UNION DRY DOCK.

WOLLOCHET, A MANSON TUG, IN A FOSS DRY DOCK.

CAPT. ERIK IN THE BIBS AND AL (TARGET) WYLIE ON THE GRACE VISITING.

 Our cat Batman didn’t show up to work on Monday and we looked all over the area and asked everyone we knew if they’d seen him. He is a roamer but always comes home – especially in the a.m.. We got lucky he showed up Monday night.  We got a call around 10:30 p.m. from our moorage customer Drew that he was petting him on the stairs. We all breathed a sigh of relief. He has a Fremont Boat collar and phone number and a microchip in his shoulder (or is that ‘on his shoulder’ – as he is a tough guy and must get it from Erik). Any way he home safe & sound.

    Capt. “Deep Sea” Tom and mate “Brutus” Keegan went to salt water again. It just blew like hell – I kid him about whether or not he has his periscope up. They leave and Capt. Erik just goes out and fires up the GRACE because we know that we will be busy. This time he took me and the JEEP along because it was blowing 25 to 30 and we were moving 200 footers in and out of dry docks. The GRACE works very well with her 60 inch, 5-blade wheel.  We moved 3 big vessels and were on our way home when this 180 foot fishing vessel temporary lost power at the Ballard Bridge. Erik turned around and leaned on the side of her to hold her up wind for a few minutes while they fixed the problem.

MOANA WAVE - 210 FOOTER IN STABBERT DRY DOCK.

GRACE GIVING A SMALL PUSH UP WIND.

 We towed the steam crane Foss No. 300 next door and lifted a 60 foot yacht into the water on tugboat race day, needless to say that took care of any racing.

FOSS NO. 300 STEAM CRANE LIFTING A BIG YACHT.

ALMOST IN THE WATER TUG, DIXIE ATTENDING.

Ric came in third in Class C with the HORNET but the winner of that race was a really long ex-fish packer named the STERLING. I will never understand why they let long boats race short boats the dynamics of long hulls let then win out every time. How about long boats racing long boats? What an idea!

   Skip Lampman, one of our men in Agate Pass, sent us a picture of the TEAL charging down the pass. Thanks Skip!

TUG TEAL IN AGATE PASS. PHOTO BY SKIP LAMPMAN.

 Rick Prosser brought me in pictures that he took in 1963 or 1964 as a kid working on my brother-in-law’s tug the ARYLN NELSON. Thanks Rick  - I passed them on to my sister Merry too.

PAT STOPPELMAN'S ARYLN NELSON IN THE LOCKS 1963-64.

Jim Currie passed away he was the docking master at Lake Union Dry Dock and a good guy. Only 56 years old – we will miss him.

JIM CURRIE, DOCK MASTER AT LAKE UNION DRY DOCK.

  Ron Burchett and Robert Allan launched their new aluminum 26 foot ASD training tug the BRAtt in time to have her at the big tug meet in Vancouver, Canada.  Gary King sent me down a big bunch of pictures and I will share more of them with you on the next blog. It is very well done and shows you what you can do with superior talent. It’s a neat boat but I would not want to be the first one to put the first dent in her, boy she is pretty.

THE BRAtt - A BRAND NEW TRAINING TUG. ISN'T SHE A BEAUTY.

MORE BRAtt AT THE TUG MEET.

CHECK OUT THE SPELLING OF HER NAME.

LOTS OF RIDES.

 Last but not least I am looking for Gene Brown or his son Mark. Gene built those beautiful seine skiffs over at 14^th NW and served

in the Coast Guard with me at Grays Harbor. I’d like him to proof read my new book “Lifeboat Station Sailor”. I am in now about 46,000 words and 200 pictures and charts and plans etc.

JUST CAUGHT HER OUT ON TRIALS THIS MORNING. NEW BOAT JUST LAUNCHED BY KVICHAK FOR THE NEW YORK POLICE DEPT.

BRAND NEW DUTCH PILOT BOAT GOING IN THE WATER AT KVICHAK.

CROWLEY'S TIOGA AT THE FOSS SHIPYARD.

A COUPLE OF WESTERN'S BIG BOYS AND THEY ARE BIG.

CROWLEY'S RESPONSE AT THE FOSS SHIPYARD AFTER COMING OFF THE DRY DOCK.

DIXIE WITH BLUE STAR ALONGSIDE AT STABBERT'S ON A NICE DAY.

BATMAN DOESNT KNOW THAT HE IS A CAT AND LIKES HIS COFFEE WITH A LOT OF CREAM.