January 6, 2010
Goodbye 2009, hello 2010.
We had a wonderful holiday over Christmas and the New Year; we just love it when there are 4-day weekends – we got by with working about half days on the two weekends, very relaxing.
Margie and I received the very prestigious Jerry Bryant Award from the Northwest Marine Trade Association at their annual meeting. It is for the most outstanding contribution to the marine industry by an individual within the industry. Thank you, George and the entire Board; it was a real honor to receive this top award. We also thought everyone there needed to go caroling – they had great voices, singing Happy Birthday to Margie!
MARK & MARGIE AND JERRY BRYANT AWARD.
I have another cat story about Batman, one of our resident cats; or we should just call him ‘the roamer’. It starts out New Years day at about 0330 and it’s still very dark out. Erik answers the phone ‘Fremont, how can I help you’. This man says in a nice soft foreign-accented voice: “We are having a party at the rowing club and your cat has been here all night with us and we have to leave now but what do I do with your cat?” Erik replies yawning, just toss him outside and he will come home to Fremont Boat. “Oh no, I can’t do that, it is cold out.” Erik says just drop him off a half block east of where you are and he will come downstairs and go thru the cat port into his “office”. This time Erik did not have to get up to get him out of the bar!
BATMAN IS HIS PERCH.
Our man in Portland, Charlie Garman, emailed me about the latest issue of the Wooden Boat magazine. He said “Mark, you better go buy a copy.” I did and on the front cover is a picture of the Coast Guard 36 foot motor life boat that had made the rescue of the 32 men off the Tanker PENDLETON in 1952. This is a sister ship to the one I used to run in Gray’s Harbor. It’s good reading. I also finished reading the story of the MERMAID and the Coast Guard Motor life boat TRIUMPH which were both lost at the mouth of the Columbia River. It’s a real eye opener and happened just a couple of years after I was at Grays Harbor lifeboat Station. TRIUMPH was a sister ship to our INVINCIBLE and they were both 52 foot motor lifeboats. I bought my copy at the Columbia River Maritime Museum at Astoria – which is not to be missed if you’re down there.
CG 52300 MLB INVINCIBLE ON GRAYS HARBOR BAR SISTER TO TRIUMPH.
Our man in Coos Bay, Bob Richardson, sent on several more pictures of Coos Bay and a real good shot of the tug OCEAN RETRIEVER towing in a big barge over the bar at Newport; Chris Common was Captain. It’s hilly country out there. Thanks Bob!
CAPT. CHRIS COMMONS ON OCEAN RETRIEVER TOWING A BIG BARGE ACROSS THE YAQUINA BAY BAR AT NEWPORT OREGON
NORTH BEND ON A ROUGH DAY.
SAUSE BROTHERS TUG ROUGHNECK.
ROUGHNECK AND HER BARGE AT COOS BAY
COAST GUARD 52 FOOT MOTOR LIFEBOAT INTREPID WITH TOW.
TUG CAPTAIN HAROLD AT COOS BAY.
ON DECK OF COOS BAY CHRIS COMMON, GEORGE WALES & GUS BEAUDRY.
TUG COOS BAY. ALL PHOTOS OF COOS BAY ARE FROM BOB RICHARDSON, THANKS BOB.
Our tugs have been quite busy I get to watch them come and go and flash our big flood light at them at night to say hello.
BOAT FIRE ON LAKE UNION, FREMONT TUG TOWED THE CASUALTIES TO THE SHIPYARD.
CAPT. 'DEEP SEA TOM' WITH DIXIE TOWING 2 OF THE BURNED BOATS.
CAPT. 'GET HER ON THE TOWLINE ERIK' WITH ONE MORE BOAT FROM THE FIRE.
K-SEA's BIG TUG BARENTS SEA IN DRYDOCK AT NORTHLAKE SHIPYARD.
BRAND NEW KVICHAK DUTCH PILOT BOAT BEING LAUNCHED BY THE FOSS NO. 300 AND A NESS CRANE.
DUTCH PILOT BOAT IN THE AIR.
FREMONT'S TUG DIXIE HANDLING STEAM CRANE FOSS NO. 300 DURING LAUNCHING.
KVICHAK'S NEW DUTCH PILOT BOAT AFLOAT, GOOD LOOKING BOAT.
OUR TUG DIXIE TOWING WESTWARD WIND JUST PASSING UNDER AURORA BRIDGE BOUND FOR NORTHLAKE SHIPYARD.
TOWINE ERIK ON THE STINGER WITH DIXIE AND TOW IN BACKGROUND.
OUR TUG DIXIE AND HOUSEBARGE TOW ON PUGET SOUND IN JAN 2010
HOUSEBARGE TOW ON A CALM WINTER DAY.
DIXIE WITH HOUSEBARGE FOLLOWING HER; NOTICE THE PIECE OF FOAM BY THE STACK.
DIXIE TOWING K-SEA'S PACIFIC AVENGER INTO STABBERT DRYDOCK.
DEEP SEA TOM WITH DIXIE GETTING HIS TANDEM TOW OUT OF THE WEATHER.
IT'S GOING TO BLOW.
ERIK'S GOT HER ON THE TOWLINE. A YACHT WITH A BLOWN ENGINE.
I have been working in my dad’s files and I found both bid sheets for the SEAL ROCK and the JERKMORE – my first tugs. I went thru 5 banker’s boxes before I found the 2 sheets of papers that I was looking for. Now that’s a lot of paper. Happy New Year to everyone.
SEAL ROCK WITH MARK AND HIS SISTER MERRY. HIS FIRST TUG WITH ALL OF 8 HORSEPOWER.
TUG JERKMORE 225 HORSEPOWER. SHE WASN'T VERY FAST BUT SHE SURE THREW A BIG WAVE.
Capt. Mark Freeman ( Fairtide Mark )
PS: The movie “Our Man in Havana” with Alec Guiness (1959) is not to be missed and ties in with lot of our fun with the blog.
RENTAL PROPERTIES & SERVICES WE OFFER.
· Quiet, protected open boat moorage to 70 feet at FREMONT BOAT COMPANY at 206-632-0152.
· Great office space at the O.H. Doc Freeman office building. Water views over our marina on Lake Union. Only one suite available for 4-6 people. Kitchen, sun deck and conference room included. Call Margie at 206-632-0152.
· Tugboat service & barge rentals call Erik or Tom at 206-632-0151 and
· Dog walking, Petsitting and Lodging – call Heidi Freeman at Happy Camper Pet Service, 206-784-5291.
· Single family homes for lease in the North Seattle area call Margie at 206-632-0152 or Erik at 206-632-0151.
· Covered & open boat moorage plus brokerage situation available at DOC’S DOCK on Lake Union. Call Dayle at 206-697-4552.
· New book for sale “TUGBOATS ON PUGET SOUND”. Call 206-632-0152 to buy your signed copy; or pick one up from Fremont Boat Co. at 1059 N Northlake Way, Seattle, WA 98103.
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