02 Mar

Back and forth across the St. Johns River

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
For the past 50 years, and more than 580,000 crossings, the St. Johns River Ferry has become a part of the cultural history of the St. Johns River near the river's mouth at Mayport, Fla., east of Jacksonville. The St. Johns River Ferry Jean Ribault transports commuters and tourists on a 700-yard, eight-minute run between Mayport and Ft. George Island.…
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02 Mar

Watson elected APA president

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Capt. Michael R. Watson has been busy settling into his new job as the president of the American Pilots' Association (APA). Watson was elected as the association's new president at the APA convention in New Orleans last October. His four-year term began on Jan. 31, 2001. Watson comes to the APA from the Association of Maryland Pilots, for which he…
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02 Mar

Ports mobilize for battle with terrorists

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
When a pilot climbs aboard a ship outside San Francisco Bay these days, he often brings along some companions: armed U.S. Coast Guard sea marshals. A heavily armed U.S. Coast Guard boat patrols New York Harbor. Following the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Coast Guard deployed specially trained port security units to New York and Boston. Their presence…
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02 Mar

A shining light in our darkest hour

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
As fire and heavy, black smoke were seen spewing from the 110-floor North Tower skyscraper at the World Trade Center (WTC), without instruction or guidance from authorities, vessels from tugboats to ferries in the harbor area that witnessed the incident changed their courses and headed directly for the closest docking areas to the WTC: the Battery, Pier 11 at the…
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02 Mar

Strong timbers make strong tugs

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
While the era of working wooden tugs has passed in most of North America, they still play a valued role in the harbor of Vancouver, British Columbia. Their continued employment is partially due to the high quality of the timber used in their construction, but mostly it just makes good economic sense. "Tymac No. 20 is up in the shipyard…
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02 Mar

Log towing in troubled waters

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Much of the marine traffic down the Inside Passage along the British Columbia coast passes through the tidal bore at Seymour Narrows, but for log-towing tugs the preferred route has always been through the three "rapids". The 90-foot, single-screw Yacata Spirit uses its 1,000-hp engines to tow log booms 1,250 feet long and 280 feet wide through the three rapids.…
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02 Mar

Pilots prevail in Louisiana

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Industry's push to rein in pilot costs in Louisiana has gone down to defeat. Heavy traffic, fast currents and restricted waters are nothing new for Louisiana pilots. A recent effort by a pilot users group failed to reform pilot regulations. A coalition of shipping interests backed legislation to reform the system for regulating the pilots, but the bill never made…
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02 Mar

Chief engineer awarded seamanship trophy

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
Keeping his head as the flood waters rose around him in the engine room from a gaping hole in his ship's hull have earned Chief Engineer Charles W. Brown the 2000 American Merchant Marine Seamanship Trophy. Capt. Robert Safarik presents the American Merchant Marine Seamanship Trophy to Jody Greene, wife of recipient Chief Engineer Charles W. Brown, who was back…
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02 Mar

Bringing ships over the Brunswick Bar

Professional Mariner StaffUncategorized
"Keep 'em on the centerline" was the resonating mantra passed to Capt. Bruce Fendig and Capt. Edwin Fendig III from their father, Capt. Edwin Fendig Jr. The pilot boat GRAYFEN maneuvers into position to remove Capt. Edwin Fendig III from Dresden. The vessel is a retrofitted crewboat and is named in honor of Capt. Lawrence Gray, the association's senior active…
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