Every spring Amberjack leaves covered freshwater winter moorage for more cruising and fishing friendly summer moorage in saltwater. This year the trip was made longer when we stopped for a quick pressure wash and zinc change while hanging the slings at Canal Boatyard in Salmon Bay. But then we had the great fun of rafting to an ocean tug in the large lock chamber at the Hiram Chittenden Locks.
Goodby to fresh water and covered moorage
Hello there Big Boy!
You can get an idea of the scale of this vessel by enlarging the image enough to see the deck crew member on the other side of the winch just visible in the slot between the winch and fairlead.
Looking aft and UP at the winch deck. Seen from a distance the winch decks on tugs appear to be at sea level. This is not the case!
Congratulations on getting the season started! It's a great shakedown cruise to know everything is up to par...I usually make a few short runs to verify all is well before going....
Tugs are very misleading in size. I think it's because the always look small in comparison to what they are working on...Ships and barges come to mind. Then their proportions are deceiving as the house tends to be quite high for visibility making the deck look lower to water...and then they push those huge bow waves which almost make them look like the deck is at water level...you just don't realize how big that bow wave is.
Wanna get another perspective...try to see one in dry dock. How big they are above water is nothing compared to what is underneath. Those thing sit way deep. I hate height with a passion...one of our customers has a Fleet of tugs. Going to take measurement when they are in the water...not a problem just step off the dock. In drydock it's either a plank from dry dock to the deck with a 8'' gap across they expect me to walk with hands full of measuring tools or go down then take ladder up...neither one makes me happy. But I'll tell you I don't walk or climb ladder with tools...and my walk across tends to be a crawl...tends is a nice way of saying always is. 2x8 20' up, yeah right, no I ain't walking on that. Anyway enormous mass under those things with rudders that are crazy huge.
