A Montage

[capt1989]

Some pictures from the last few days. Hope ya'll like them.

john

 

[Ray S S]

Hello. Capt.

These are an interresting collection of pics. It gives us a chance to see the views from your perspective.

Thanks for sharing.

Have a good day.

Ray o

 

[Sierra Kid]

Nice "day at the office"! Looks fun. Cork

 

[bbqbull]

Outstanding photos Captain!
Would love to catch a ride on your boat and see the world from the river.

 

[seger98]

Very nice photo's, what kind of cargo do you ususally haul around?

 

[VanGone]

Its always a pleasure to view your post Captain. Your pictures are awesome and sure make everyone wish they could be aboard. Keep um coming They are so cool,
Van

 

[Ray S S]

Hello, again Capt. I was just studying the detail in these pics and seeing some things I missed earlier. i must say
that has to be a fantastic invention with the retractable wheelhouse. You can pass under the low bridges and still get up high for better vision. What is the temperature around there? Looka like the trees are bare of leaves. That is one
heck of a log jamb that bouy is tangled up in.

I got your message. and will look foreward to seeing more pics from you. I'll get some pics rounded up here on the
Saint clair River and post them later with the tugs and river trafic in and out of Lake Huron. Not sure just when.

Ray

 

[capt1989]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the comments. They certainly help break the monotony out here.

Ray, the temp today was in the mid 60's. It has been warming up the last few days and has been pretty nice the last 48 hrs. The willow trees along the river always seem to sprout leaves and fill out almost over night. It would be neat to see your pics when you can get the chance.

Seger98, right now we are hauling about 10,000 tons of liquid fertilizer to Cincinnati. That is all we haul in these barges right now. Keep those farmers happy so they can keep growing the food to feed the nation.(May God bless them)

Bbqbull, There was a time when a man could bring a guest on the boat and show him around, but I am afraid that is a thing of the past. With all the new regulations and homeland security crap, I can't even bring my wife on board anymore. Not that I'm against reasonable security measures, I just happen to know that she is a non combatant.

Thanks Nick, Cork and Van. Appreciate you guys.

john

 

[bbqbull]

Capt John, I understand the security rules/regs.
A man like me can only dream for sure.
How many crew members does it take to operate a boat such as yours?
I count...5? chairs at your dining room table, thinking you must have a crew of 10 or more.
The average Great Lakes Freighter has an average crew of 30 onboard at all times.
I know like everybody else they are trying to downsize so the owners can make more profit.
I hope you post more photos of the tugs, barges and bridges.
Thanks in advance.
Mike

 

[fossis]

Darn Captain, I was gonna offer you a two day tour of my Mountain & waterfalls, for a 'boat ride', guess that's out.
Those are some nice pic's.

Fossis.............

 

[trusty]

Capt.

That essential equipment was important on every ship I served on.

 

[capt1989]

Hey Mike,
If all positions were filled we would have a 10 man crew. I presently have 4 deckhands, 3rd mate, 2nd mate, engineer, pilot and myself on board. The position of oiler (basically an engineers asst. that stands the backwatch) has been phased out. We have the hands make a pass through the engine room periodically to make sure nothing is amiss when the engineer is off watch.

Fossis,
That's not fair man... its not my choice to make anymore

Trusty,
Thank you for serving. My Grandfather was a career Navy man. 26 years and three wars. Boatswain mate 1st class if I remember correctly. He used to say it was the perfect position, he could shovel the crap up the line or down the line, it very seldom stopped with him. I don't think its a rank in the navy anymore. He was a little upset when I went Army, but proud none the less. He loved it when I started working on the water, said it was in my blood and just took awhile to come out. I'd love to share a cup with ya, but under the circumstances...

john

 

[G.I.B.]

Great pictures- looks cold...

Here is a bit of history about your coffee~

Cup of Joe

Josephus Daniels (18 May 1862-15 January1948) was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among his reforms of the Navy were inaugurating the practice of making 100 Sailors from the Fleet eligible for entrance into the Naval Academy, the introduction of women into the service, and the abolishment of the officers' wine mess. From that time on, the strongest drink aboard Navy ships could only be coffee and over the years, a cup of coffee became known as "a cup of Joe".

 

[davidtn]

Awesome photos. Thanks for sharing them with us. What camera were you using?

 

[SoreKneesDayton]

Great set of shots. I set a cup of Joe atop a piece of communications gear I was repairing at sea. On a carrier you ride pretty level. Oops! we hit a whale [bump in road] and guess where my coffee went. After that, NO coffee near any electronics gear.

PS: They almost made a [bump] out of my paycheck for that, too. I told them there was no way I could afford that but the Navy could and I didn't hit the whale-they did! When you are 18, you say things without thinking.

Love a ride on your tow sometime and keep taking those pictures. I would crop the time stamp on some of them like the moon.

SKD

 

[Lowbatts]

Them tie offs will chill your mitts this time of year.

 

[COUNTRY GIRL]

My Husband would love a job like that. Wonderful pictures! What powers that big puppy? Keep up the good work!

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Thank you for posting these photos,....that sunrise is absolutely beautiful....I have been wanting to see pics of your boat . And of course you know we want more of the scenery along your route....

 

[capt1989]

GIB,
Thanks for the history lesson. I didn't know that about the "cup of joe"

David,
Kodak easyshare Z1015 IS It is a pretty good camera and pretty simple to use.

SKD,
I almost spit my coffee on my laptop reading that. Too funny

Hey CG,
She is powered by 2 EMD 645 E7B 12 cylinder turbocharged engines for a total of 4200 to 4600 horsepower depending who you talk to. A Picture of the port engine is included in the montage. Each propeller (they are called wheels in the industry) is 108 inches in diameter with a pitch of 93 inches and has 5 blades. I will post a few pictures of them sometime in the future.

Gypsy,
Thank you for the kind words. I am afraid that there is really not that much to look at on the part of the lower Mississippi river that I travel except trees, sand bars, an occasional island, bridges, a few docks, and other boats. The towns are hidden from view and there are not very many other interesting things to look at. Now if that is what you want to see, I can get you a lot of that type of thing. After doing this for so long, my idea of interesting and yours my differ. I have somewhere some pictures of New Orleans from the river...Know what? Give me a some time and I'll do another montage I'm sure you will like!


john

 

[trusty]

Capt

As far as I know, there are still, and probably always be, Bosuns Mates. My Company Commander in Boot Camp Was a BM1 V. Hubbard, thet was 50 years ago & I still remember his name.