Tugboat Roundup - Waterford, NY - September 7-9, 2007
The Waterford Tugboat Roundup was started in 1999 as a way to preserve and promote the maritime industrial heritage of the New York State Canal System and other adjoining inland waterways. The annual event is help in early September in the town of Waterford at the eastern end of the Erie canal. This year we were fortunate enough to be there for this event. The town docks in Waterford are reserved for the tugs participating in the event, but there is plenty of free dockage for others above Lock 3 - which is just a short walk back to town for the festivities. I took this picture coming out of Lock 2 - staring a the huge Day Peckinpaugh just above the lock. We were assured by the lock master that there was plenty of room for us to get by... Maybe, but is was still a bit intimidating to see that big guy right there as you come out of a lock.
Our friend, and fellow American Tug owner, Fred entered his AT 34 'Tug 44' into the roundup this year. All of the boats come up through the Troy Federal Locks and then up into Waterford at the start of the festival. That's 'Tug44' cowering next to the 'Tug Urger' in the Federal Lock. As the only fiberglass boat in a lock full of huge tough steel tugs, I have to say that Fred has more guts than us! (BTW - I didn't take the shot of the boats in the lock below. I found it on the Tugboat Roundup website posted after the event.)
I did take the shot to the right of the Urger coming past Waterford as part of the parade of boats.
More tug boats coming from the lock up to the Waterford waterfront.
Even the Coasties got involved by entering one of their tugs.
The picture to the left is of 'Tug 44' with the diminutive tug 'Thimble.'
The 'Shenandoah' coming around the corner and going under the fire-hose christening that all tug boats got when coming around the corner past the Waterford waterfront.
Nordic Tug 'Aloha' and American Tug 'Tug 44' heading for their christenings. Fred cheated and went around the water spray. Something about the photographer on top of his boat not wanting to get wet. Wimp!!
This little guy seemed to really enjoy his christening - doing pirouettes under the spray of the fire hose.
'Tug 44' tied up next to the 'Shendandoah' at the Waterford waterfront. We even had some pipers and drummers come by on the top of one of the rental canal-boats.
Sunset off of the Waterford town dock.
Dry-docks near where we tied up at Lock 3. This is where all of the NY canal boats are stored during the winter. They flood this area, bring the boats in, chock them up and then drain the water out.
We were fortunate to be invited aboard for a tour of the the Day Peckinpaugh while it was docked in Waterford. The picture below is looking out of the pilot house towards the lock that we came through when we arrived (the first picture on this page.)
The picture to the right is of the front of the tug 'Cornell' showing off her lovely 'Tina Turner' rope wig on the front. It's actually called a 'bow puddin' and is used to provide some protection to boats that the tug may push up against.
Normally, there is a 'push-off' contest where the tugs go 'nose-to-nose' to see 'who's the biggest baddest tug of all'. Unfortunately it got rained out this year, but Fred took some videos of last year's event. Click here for a link to his web page with the videos.
We were offered a ride on the Shenandoah from the Waterford waterfront up to Lock 3 where they were going to tie up for a few days. That's Tug-boy Jeremy on the side of the Shenandoah. I took the picture just before they picked me up from the dock on the way by. Fred (from 'Tug 44') helped to pull the long dock lines off of the Shenandoah to tie it up above Lock 3 when we got there.
Updated May 4, 2008
On to the Hudson River and New York City...