Unexpected Morning Ride

A cloudy/rainy morning at the harbor.

Mare Fox at Pier 1:

A bit too far away for good photos, but nice to see two ‘iwa flying around:

Barge Hilo Bay and tugs Capt Les Easom and Salishan:

Mikioi and Pi‘ilani headed out to assist Manoa:

The reality of the port side of Falls of Clyde. Spot the ‘a‘ama (Thin-shelled rock crab):

Kulamanu (ex-Rella Mae) detail:

The Kulamanu is another ship being forced out of the harbor.

One of the Tiger tugs now in Foss livery as Freedom:

Manoa:

SPM:

Admiral’s Barge still hauled out, but looking good:

Mahalo to Paul and Captain Collins.

Very Much Appreciated!

After a few rough weeks, it was wonderful to be allowed to tag along with Captain Enos on the Horizon Reliance job. There is nothing like being out on the water.

On board Honolulu:

Horizon Reliance:

I love the lines of these old LASH ships!

Pi‘ilani:

Mikioi:

P & R boats in the harbor:

Horizon Reliance turning in the basin:

The Admiral’s Barge (from Pearl Harbor) hauled out on PSI’s dry dock:

Had a rough week too?

Thanks to Captain Ed Enos and Paul. Feel much better.

Fanfare, Cattleya Ace, and Tugs

Another morning at the harbor 😀

Canoes crossing the channel:

Namahoe after hauling fuel barge over to Pride of America:

Reflection on hull of Fanfare:

Finally leaving after spending a week in the harbor:

Cattleya Ace also ready to leave:

Malama being hauled out:

Tira Lani arriving alongside Cattleya Ace:

Old line recycled as chafing gear:

Captain Brown and Cattleya Ace crew members:

Ocean Pathfinder:

Last, but not least, the very cute Weeks tug, Roberta G.

Mahalo to Captains Dorflinger and Brown. Thanks to Paul.

Waiting for the Dawn and an Ending

Thanks to a heads up from Captain Ed Enos, I was able to make it down to the harbor to catch the final journey of Pacific Shipyards International’s (PSI) dry dock Kāpilipono.

In “better” days:

Resting on the bottom after she sank last year:

I arrived at the harbor while it was still dark.

Japanese training ships Tosakaien Maru and Hokuho Maru at Pier 9:

The cruise ships usually arrive early in the morning. Here’s Ruby Princess:

Not the greatest photo, but here comes the sun (and I say it’s all right):

Tying up Ruby Princess at Pier 10/11:

Clear and calm water (Tosakaien Maru bow):

Fellow photographer on board Ruby Princess:

View down the channel:

After a bit of a wait, Kāpilipono appeared, towed by Manuokekai and assisted by Mamo and Mikioi.

Passing the Matson gantry cranes:

The tugs were joined by Hoku Loa before passing Aloha Tower. At this point I was very lucky to be invited to hop on the pilot boat.

The Coast Guard making sure everything is all right:

Mikioi on the port side:

Captain Enos up on the dry dock wall:

Leaving the harbor with Ruby Princess and Aloha Tower in the background:

Manuokekai ahead:

Hoku Loa astern:

One could not have asked for a better day. Sunny, clear, and calm.

Aloha, Kāpilipono:

She was towed 12 miles offshore and scuttled.

Meanwhile, life continued on in the harbor.

Miyagi Maru, waiting offshore while Kāpilipono was being towed out, was finally able to enter the harbor:

Kwai at the pier, almost ready to leave with a load of cargo:

Containers being unloaded from Matson’s Haleakala:

Ocean Pathfinder arrived with a barge:

Ice for the fishing boats:

Literally, a cool job.

Moving containers:

Mahalo to Captain Enos, Captain Collins, and Paul.

Change is Needed – Comments on the Latest from the Friends of Falls of Clyde

The following is a message that was recently posted on Facebook by Bruce McEwan, the president of the Friends of Falls of Clyde (FFOC):

“Friends of Falls of Clyde met with the Deputy Director of Harbors Division today. He wants a commitment as to when we will complete our fundraiser for the drydock cost of $1.5 million. We have asked for the year 2016 to complete our fundraiser and get the ship into drydock. He is taking our request ‘under advisement,’ but we will not know the exact timing until we hear from him. The message is clear, we MUST meet our goal as soon as possible. While we have grant applications pending and some to submit, we need to show that we have grassroot support from individual donors. Supporters need to donate now to show that this is an achievable and worthwhile goal. Go to Indiegogo or directly to our website ate [sic] http://www.friendsoffallsofclyde.org.”

Those of you who follow my blog, know of my past involvement with the FFOC and understand how much I love the ship and want to see her restored to her former glory. It’s been about a year since I resigned from the FFOC board and it has been an interesting (and distressing/depressing) time as an outsider looking in.

Mr. McEwan says the “message is clear.” Indeed, it is. The FFOC board has not learned from past missteps and continues to tread the same path.

A project on the scale of preserving and ultimately restoring the Falls of Clyde takes time, commitment, and passion. Has the FFOC board been doing all it can?

Supporters are being called on to step up. What are the board members doing to step up their game? Where is their presence in the sailing ship/historic ship communities? What are they doing to network and to learn what it takes to dry dock a ship like Falls of Clyde, given the fact that NONE of them have the practical experience needed?* What is the board doing to gain more local waterfront support?

There appears to be no PR or marketing plan. What effort is there to really win grassroots support? How is the new Indiegogo campaign going to be different from the last one? What is the compelling message that will inspire people to reach into their pockets, AGAIN, to give hard earned money to the organization? How is the call for action being spread outside of Facebook and the organization website? Social media can be a powerful tool if used correctly.

The FFOC needs to do a better job of reaching out and informing people. Don’t assume that the general public knows what is happening. I run into people on the waterfront who ask me what is going on and get emails and other forms of e-messages from folks looking for more information.

Why is there no steady/weekly presence on the ship? People have commented to me that they never see anyone doing any work on board the ship. I have to agree. I am at the harbor on a weekly basis, and rarely see anyone. Basic maintenance is important. More effort should be made to do it. After I left the organization, a board member bragged to me that they had a number of volunteers lined up? Where are they? If the board members can’t be bothered to spare time for the ship, how can they ask others to do the same? Board members, how much of a priority is the ship in your lives?

There are technical issues that still haven’t been addressed. Also, it would be a good idea to learn how to do the basic technical stuff and not rely on others. Just saying.

There are two words that come to mind that describe the current board. I won’t say them at this point. However, I will say that it is painfully obvious that it is time for fresh blood, new ideas, and people who are willing and able to sacrifice time and put in the effort to save the ship.

Time is running out.

(I feel like a broken record.)

*They should be reaching out to the folks at South Street Seaport and scheduling a visit to observe the work being done on Wavertree.

Checking Out Pacific Tracker and Other Things

Down at the harbor to watch Pacific Tracker depart from Pier 10.

Pilot arriving:

I was invited to ride along on the pilot boat for the job. 🙂 We took a short spin around the harbor while waiting for the ship to unmoor.

Stern view of Kulamanu:

Graphic on USCGC Kukui’s buoy crane:

PSI’s larger dry dock, Kapilipono, still down:

Bridle chain marks on Hilo Bay:

The harbor water was a rather ugly brown color due to rainwater runoff:

Tacoma Trader:

The resident female ‘iwa:

Pacific Tracker:

Pi‘ilani (Captain Schade):

Mikioi:

Pi‘ilani at Pacific Tracker’s bow:

Captain Tom Heberle disembarking:

Mahalo to Captain Heberle and Paul. 🙂

San Francisco Ship Spotting – Morning

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit San Francisco for a few days for work.

On Thursday, I was supposed to meet my co-worker at 1000 at the Exploratorium. Waking up super early, I was able to squeeze in a bit of ship spotting to start off the day.

First stop was the old Matson Building on Market Street.

Nautical motif:

I walked over to the Ferry Building and boarded the ferry to Alameda.

I had noted (via the MarineTraffic app) that Lihue would be arriving and I was hoping to see her at the Matson terminal.

As the ferry pulled away from the pier, I could see Lihue approaching the Bay Bridge.

Talk about good timing! (Yeah, I’m a nut. I hope no one saw the mad grin on my face.)

Looking back at the city:

Royal Melbourne pushing tank barge Bernie Briere:

Oakland gantry cranes:

Passing Kauai at the Matson terminal:

It was great to finally see HMB-1, now owned by Bay Ship, at Alameda:

Sigh. What could have been…

Schnitzer Steel facility:

More old friends, Matsonia and Moku Pahu:

Commuters on board, it was time to head back to San Francisco.

Here’s Lihue!

She had some problems related to her engines back in Honolulu, which delayed her departure. Glad she made it to the Bay Area safely.

(She’s currently back in Honolulu. 🙂 )

Sandra Hugh (same class as Pi‘ilani?) assisting:

Goodbye Oakland:

I saw a dolphin and tried to get a photo, but it didn’t turn out (can only see the top of its dorsal fin).

Passing under the Bay Bridge:

Back on land, a view of the Ferry Building:

At anchor:

Pilot boat San Francisco heading out:

Posing seagull:

More to come…

San Francisco and Oakland (Sunday, August 10) – Lots of Cranes

A mellow day that started off in the Potrero Point area.

Sheila Ann:

USNS Wally Schirra in the BAE dry dock:

Lihue laid up nearby:

Cranes:

Altered sign, should read “Public Shore”:

A former navy tug, Dekaury (YTB-178) between Piers 48 and 50:

Tug fenders on shore:

From there, it was over the bridge to Oakland.

Middle Harbor Shoreline Park is located amidst Oakland’s container terminals. It has an odd industrial feel, sort of like Sand Island State Park. It’s also a ship spotter’s dream.

Looking toward Potrero Point (spot the dry dock and Lihue) from the park:

Distinctive skyline:

TraPac Terminal:

Ben E. Nutter Terminal:

Oakland International Container Terminal:

NYK Atlas at the Oakland International Terminal with Matsonia just visible through the cranes at left:

The park is also a designated wildlife area.

Kildeer:

Unfortunately, there are a lot of Canada geese gathered in the park:

A lot of geese means a lot of geese poo. Ick.

Sticker art and donuts:

(If you look at the Google Maps satellite view of the area, you can see the donuts more clearly.)

From the park, it was on to the Oakland Museum of California. It is a very nice museum that consists of three main galleries: Art, History, and Natural Science.

Marine debris display and activity area:

There was a lot to see, but not enough time! Well worth visiting again.

Another Humid Saturday

Another hot, uncomfortable day.

I arrived at the pier to find that the sign on the gate that had been threatening to fall, finally did (it was on my to-do list). Before I fixed it, I did my routine tasks on the ship.

My gate sign reattachment solution was similar to that of the gangway platform sign. Easy peasy!

Sign hanging upside down on the gate. One end of the line spliced:

Splicing the other end:

The small, pre-punched holes in the corners of this type of sign are woefully inadequate and fail after a short while.

More holes punched in the sign.

Sign stitched on to the line:

Although I was sweating like I had just run a race (did I mention it was hot), it was quite relaxing to work on a simple project.

Now, if only someone would fix the gate…

(Hey, I can’t do it all!)

Unusual to see a US Army ship in the harbor. Here’s the USAV LTG William B. Bunker (LSV-4):

A better photo of the Robert C. Seamans than the one from last week:

Parasail. Obviously.

(Note: Not an endorsement of this particular company.)

Maui offshore, headed to the harbor:

good lighting + calm conditions = good shot

A photo by Rick Wilson of the pilot boat Honolulu passing along the starboard sides of tug Mikioi and Maui:

(Yes, I was on board.)

Tug of the day…Chinook, alongside Haleakala, ready to leave:

PSI’s large dry dock is empty:

Akatsuki Maru

Among the interesting and enjoyable moments of Friday’s pau hana gathering were the ship-related discussions and stories.

A while back, I went on an evening excursion with a friend to Snug Harbor. We passed by a large catamaran. She was unusual, but I didn’t really think a lot about it at the time. As I learned on Friday, she has an interesting history. She is Kaimalino, a SWATH ship that was built in the 1970s by the US Navy.

Kaimalino at Snug Harbor:

Wonder if there are any plans for her?

Thanks to Captain Baker and Paul!

ETA: Symi finally left!

Once More Into the Tanks, Dear Friends…

I took time off from “real life” to help out on board the ship for three days this past week. Representatives from JMS Naval Architects were in town to do a survey and meet with the shipyard. This survey covered the same areas (tanks, forepeak, aftpeak, pump room) as the past two done by Chris Jannini, so I felt quite comfortable with what needed to be done.

The aftpeak has remained dry since summer of last year when we pumped the water that was in it, forward into the tanks:

The numbers we put up to label the frames were still there:

Looking into port tank #3:

Water in the pump room:

Pump room looking aft toward the forward bulkhead of the first set of tanks:

I was pleased that I was able to get a decent photo of the inside (port side) of the chain locker by sticking my fancy phone into a hole:

It looks like a wooden bulkhead dividing the space, but I have no idea what the dark sheet-like stuff is.

I had a couple of small scares while down in the pump room. I was standing on a board that worked loose and dropped a few inches and then had a ladder slip a bit as I climbed up it (so much for thinking it was secure all this time).

On Thursday, we were able to give our visitors a closer look at part of the exterior of the hull thanks to Captain Ed Enos, who very kindly made arrangements for use of one of the pilot boats:

We also did a bit of recon (wink, wink):

Back at Pier 19:

L to R: Bruce McEwan (Friends of Falls of Clyde), Jack Ringelberg (JMS Naval Architects), David Forrest (JMS Naval Architects), Captain Ed Enos (Hawaii Pilots Association)

Mahalo to Herbie!

My post wouldn’t be complete without some ship spotting!

Horizon Spirit:

Mokihana without containers:

Container detail:

Not the sharpest photo, but it shows Mikioi with the Foss logo:

Pi‘ilani also bears the Foss logo now. Kind of sad. The end of an era.

Celebrity Century with a few lifeboats lowered into the water:

Back to FOC, the birds continue to leave gifts in the form of seeds. There was also some weird stuff on the deck:

Not sure what it was, but obviously the ants liked it.