I am not involved in the maritime industry, and I appreciate the manner in which you explain stuff in layman’s terms. Very educational, thank you for all you do!
Very cool. I’m a pilot up on the Great Lakes moving foreign ships. Occasionally we get tug&barges, including Vane’s “New York”. Always a great appreciation for the wire towing skills/knowledge you guys have developed over the years!
Thanks for spending time explaining to the interested crowd of how you go about things you do ! And no there is nothing boring about anything you do in a days time ! Thanks again Tim ! 😊
Having a dual engine failure is very rare. What can happen is a fire in the engine spaces. That requires securing the fuel flow, closing the space and setting the fire suppression system. The engines are okay, but you can't restart them. The generators, pumps, and compressors are off-line, too. Your very best friend now is the handheld VHF radio. And watch out for the 20,000 TEU container ship coming up the channel. While you are waiting for the fireboats and the reserve tug, you can practice your response when your wife asks "So, how was work today?"
Captain Tim: Another appreciated video. Thank you for taking the time to produce this. I drove for Vessel Assist for awhile and loved the work. It does not compare to what you do but it was the best part time job I had. Thank you.
My grandfather used to run the fuel barge from San Juan to St Thomas USVI. In his Tug the Lakota. His name was Jerry Jackson. I made the trip with him a few times as a kid. I like these videos.. thank you!
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. For future reference, please remember that we try very hard to not "directly" name tugs, companies or customers as it gets me in trouble with my employer. CUOTO
From one captain to another, just wanna thank you from across the Atlantic for your always interesting content, and your humble way of being. I'm sure your crew appreciate being with a friendly and respectful captain. In my experience, it's the surest way to earn respect as a captain.
I miss the good old days. The Problem Loss of Propulsion We rolled our boats back then. God I miss the screams when the first mata beat the gally slaves.
Awesome to see your channel growing. I came from a long line of family members across the pond that were sailors. That being said somehow generations later I ended up being a land locked canadian. Every time I see large bodies of open water, being the great lakes or oceans, my heart races, and I feel over whelming comfort and peace. I own a boat, and I am in it every second I can in our local lakes, and rivers. My dream is to retire on a sailboat.
Thanks for the discussion, very interesting the issue of the wire and tug during emergency situations. I was going to mention 'inching the wire' but you came up with that. I can only think to add shorten the wire but that is not something easily dealt with in high seas. I will pray for the Heavens to be looking over you in times of distress.
Another similarity with my career as a commercial pilot: Loss of an engine scenario is in every (~6 month interval) training session. Min difference: we don't have to worry about that "wire"!😜
Thanks for the clip Capt. Loss of steering or power happens often enough to be prepared for it, Plenty of boat crashes on you-tube to attest to that, they just refloated a ferry in Washington that lost power and ran aground. shit happens best to be ready for it at all times. CUOTO
When I was working on boats and ships, I got used to the engine noise, and learned to sleep through it. When the plant dropped or the motor stopped, I instinctively got up, because it was TOO quiet (wasn't close enough to hear the alarms), and I somehow instinctively knew.
Greetings from Thailand from a fellow Mainer. I just found your channel and subscribed. You do an excellent job explaining the world of a professional mariner aboard a tug. Take care and stay safe!
The only time i have lost everything was on a 25ft yacht under power and a lee shore about 100m away blowing 20knots . No time to do anything except throw the anchor over to give me time to either get the motor started or get a sail up , set the head sail and it is bloody hard work tacking while pulling up 100m of rope with chain and anchor on the end , missed the rocks by about 5m
Tim, I know you wouldn't be inclined to up your views with clickbait, but you sure got my attention with the title of this video. I am more than glad to hear that this is a 'what if' video rather than a 'We lost both engines and nearly died' situation.
In the 70s, I worked on a tug the port of Philadelphia. We dropped of a barge in Claymont DE and we headed to base dock in Camden with a light tug. As we turned North bound the rudder fell off. We were a single screw tug. Luckily we had an experienced captain. We attached a tire to a rope and threw it off the stern. It worked very well and got us home.
This was great timing considering the recent grounding of the ferry Walla Walla up near Seattle. Sounds like the crew handled the problem very well. I think I mentioned to you before that a friend's father was lost on a tug up in Alaska when (at night in foul weather) they got "tripped" by an empty pulp barge that blew past them unseen as they turned to make safe haven. Only one of the crew barely survived by being able to get up on the barge.
Great and interesting video. We will be flying into St. Croix on the 1st. Taking the ferry to St. Thomas and finally St. John where we are staying. Will keep an eye out for you off shore!
Hi captain very well explained day to day running and forward thinking on your tug ,here on the river Clyde in Scotland I can see most of the shipping movements from my house , you talked about tripping ,we recently had a tug sunk with loss of 2 life’s and some years ago a tug towing a large ship in fog on the river ran aground big ship overtook and sunk tug 3 lives lost, you guys stay safe.
Great insight! It reminds me when I was 14 years old I was in my 13' Boston Whaler going around Cape Ann. As I rounded Rockport heading to Gloucester Harbor the sea got rough, I guess 5' seas. In the trough all I saw was water but on the crest I could see forever. I was about 3 miles offshore and saw a tug heading north. As I passed I heard a ripping sound of something coming out of the water and saw a wire rise up just in front of my bow! I gunned it to go under it as it slapped back down about 2' from my outboard! Because of the sea conditions I didn't know the tug was towing a loaded barge about 1/4 mile away! Best Regards, Jay
Thanx Cap. I miss Gallows Bay. Almond-Johnson winches have been around a long time & almost exclusively used on the McA boats. Nothin’ but the best for our little dogs…. I enjoy your work/content Brotherman. Keep up the good work. Shiny side up, slimy side down, lest we forget that the closest ground is straight down….😅
Thank you Tim, another very interesting video. I have noticed many times now, you always do your best to minimise wear and avoid damage to equipment. I expect that in commercial shipping, there is a very serious enquiry if something is damaged? Maybe that could be the feature of a future video, The consequences of seemingly "minor" transgressions?
Thanks for the info. As a cruising sailboat never have to worry about that kind of stuff. But good imagery there. Could be a nasty scenario. I know that even as a sailboat, I sometimes (as you know Paquita). Have to motor long distances. While going from panama to San Francisco. I had to motor long stretches. Especially when the current is against you and you don’t really want to go backward! With that diesel thrumming along nothing makes your heart beat like hearing even the slightest RPM change! These engines are such work horses. And when it stops!!! OH CRAP!!
I remember being towed through barnegat inlet that was breaking all the way across and the capt surfed two boats through perfectly also got a face full glass and a wheelhouse full of water in the same inlet 😂love you videos always
We once had a Moran tug with air controls go all stop. The air system had a leak and control went to the upper house. I woke up hearing the engines at idle and thought "the barge." Boom!, I ended up at the foot of the bunk. It put a small hole in the barge. Could have been worse
I live in south east Louisiana where hurricane ida a barge for Chet Morrison that had living quarters on it with 20 people on it broke free in the middle of the storm and was making 23 knots by itself before one of the 4 anchors they threw out bit 😮
Very interesting and thanks for the video. There was a recent incident where a ship hit the tug going into a lock. I don't think there was a tug on the rear of the ship and it didn't slow up quick enough. And there is a video on RUclips somewhere where exactly what you described happened, as the tug was overturned someone on the bigger ship could be heard saying 'there goes the mail'. Thing is there's people on board isn't there and lives at risk. Thanks for the video and regards from Wales
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. We only have one rule on the channel and that is that we try very hard to not mention directly by name; tugs, companies or customers. CUOTO
My shift cable broke 10 feet from the seawall. Luckily the lift was a little high. I had just rebuilt the bow pulpit! It was smoother with the old cable than with the new. No indication it was bad. I caught her just before she hit concrete!😂
Thank you for watching and supporting the channels. It is an extremely dangerous job, but we train and practice to lesson the odds of it becoming dangerous. CUOTO
I was recently on a cruise that bought me through Puerto Rico and we were getting fuel from a barge. I looked over at the tug hoping that I would see you (FAT CHANCE!)
Once your used to the sounds underway even if your sleeping you may wake up just because of the difference in your surroundings changing , no machinery sound. You may wake up before or at the same time just as the alarms go off. I worked in GTMO '82 - '86 as a contractor boiler operator , even in your quarters you know something happened by not hearing the same normal noises. Do they still have those huge supply barges going to the base from Florida? Very interesting what you have to do with a mechanical break down.
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. Puerto Rico is served by two companies regularly. One has containerships and the other has container barges. CUOTO
Don't tugboats come equiped with oars in case of engine failure? Excellent explanation of the forces in play hauling a barge at sea, especially the inertia of a barge. Your lesson also points to the fact that good engine and propulsion system maintenance concerns a lot more than just making machinery last longer. It's about keeping people safe. Thank you.
Very interesting, Tim. That would really suck if everything went dead 😱 You always seem so cool, mild and collective but it would be a different video to see TimBatsea freaking out. We’ll pray that never happens to you or your crew. Ron
Parted one of my wires on my fishing gear the other day, they were a bit overdue, I would imagine a new towing wire for your tug would be mighty expensive.
Interesting that you have to worry about wire chafe - wouldn't it be easier to have the sacrificial ABS layer on the stern rail (maybe bolted on in replaceable segments) than attaching it to the wire each time you have to use it?
Thank you for watching. I dont think it would last very long as when we are leaving up or letting out wire, the wire makes contact wire the rail. (When using chafe gear, we just lift the wire and set it back with as little movement as possible). CUOTO
Thank you for watching Jeff. The idea is that you loose power and only a a few minutes at best to dump wire. It's true that the brake on the winch is air operated, but there should be plenty of air in the tanks to release tte brake for much longer than it would take for the barge to go by. CUOTO
Question! 4:57 how come you just don’t you just nose onto it and shove it? Don’t some barges have the cutout for your nose to fit into? Sorry new to this.
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. I believe you are referring to what we call pushing or in push gear. We do this when in very calm water. Anything more a a few feet of swell will break the equipment up very fast. CUOTO
Have you ever had your towing line part? And if that were to happen in storm would you just try to stay near the barge to try to get it under tow again once the weather calmed?
Thank you for watching. I have never been on a boat that lost the tow, but I have worked with a binch of friends who have had that happen. In all cases (of my friends) that I am aware of, they were all relatively close to shore and it was necessary to get control of the barge right away. CUOTO
Thank you for watching Shannon. Our barges are manned. But most of the time (like when I shot this video) we are in much deeper water than the barge has anchor rode. (We were in 1600 feet at the time). CUOTO
Very interesting - could I ask how often are the wires inspected for damage and general ware. Many years ago I worked on mobile cranes and the wires (or as I called them wire rope) got some stick and were inspected every week
Thank you for watching Mike. We inspect the wire everytime it is paid out or heaved in, and done so by no less than two people. We are required to keep a wire log where we record both towed seamiles and towed hours on the wire. Different companies and different wire sizes have different change out times. We get a new wire every 5 years or 100,000 miles (I think). CUOTO
Really, really interesting Capt. Is there any way that a second pulley could be positioned over the stern to prevent wear on the wire? Probably a far-fetched idea. You can tell I am not a seafarer! CUOTO
Thank you for watching Norm. There may be a few things that would make that difficult or undesirable. Getting the wire in two donuts or pulleys would be very difficult and it is very rare that we have to go this slow so it usually is not a problem. CUOTO
@TimBatSea Whats the work flow like on a tug? Mooring operations ive seen only take a couple hours.. seems like theres alot of downtime.. Is it like an hourly "land" job where you cant be caught sitting or playing on your phone...like do you have to stay busy while on the non existent "clock" or is it really chill??
Thank you for watching Michael. It really depends on the contract or type of work. For example, bunker operations in NYC are pretty much none stop, while cargo operations like in PR are much more relaxed. Have you seen my video "Day in a life of a Tugboat Captain in NYC" ? CUOTO
sorry if im optimistic but im more business savvy. Im curious if you have made a video about how much a tugboat business could make like a estimate range. different types of tugs and maybe price for a tug for a few mile tug. Maybe how many tugs you do a day
Speaking about loss of propulsion, it seems that you don’t have towing pins. If the barge passed you and the wire was between the pins would that not serve to pull the stern of the tug around and prevent a capsize. I know here on the west coast of Canada with big currents and inflows and outflows we’ve had lots of tugs over run by their barges sometimes fatally.
Perhaps. But pins are used for towing,not as a safety device. So yeah. If you had them (few East Coast boats do) and if they are deployed and if the wire is in them, there still is no guarantee that when the wire comes tight and the tug rolls, the wire wouldn't pop out anyway. The thing to remember is that we are talking about loss of propulsion. It really shouldn't be an everyday occurrence. Thank you for watching Peter. CUOTO
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. That is a great question. The trick is to bleed off the speed in advance. You have to keep slowing down little by little. CUOTO
Hello Captain Tim from All of Us both here in Andros Greece.... ( Where still waiting for Ya!!! ) Quick question about how many feet in a layer of wire paying out via towing machine during distancing the tug from the head log on the barge????.... Take Good Care of Yourselves out there!!!!... George
Thank you for watching George. Of course each lay gets smaller as it's diameter shrinks. But on ours it goes something like this, 288 272 256 and so on. CUOTO
Didn't I talk about that? 😂 Thank you for watching. That works in coastal shallow waters and you have to wait for the barge to slow down before deploying the anchor. CUOTO
Thank you for watching Eric. Remember that a total loss of Propulsion is extremely rare (has never happened to me). The problem with systems like what you describe is that crews would have to to ve trained to use them, maintain them and practice with them. And many barges are unmanned. CUOTO
Thank you for watching Tom. If we are towing the barge, only drag from water or wind will slow the barge down. But we can round up on the barge and grab ahold of it and slow it with the tugs engines as well. CUOTO.
Your making great videos, thanks. Im 53 do you think its two late to start? I'm a lot like you and think this would be a great career since all the other one sucked,,,,,
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. Have you seen my video, how to work on a Tugboat? It goes through a bunch of things you may want to consider. But first and foremost, everyone wants to be a captain but no one wants to put in the long years coming up from the bottom. People my age starting out usually have a problem taking orders from someone younger than their kids. And many don't like the idea of cleaning heads and chipping paint, but that's what we all did on our way up. It's never too late, but sometimes we are the ones that are too old. Best of luck and I'll CUOTO
Thanks Tim, very interesting and I hope they pay you well for shouldering all these worries. I'm wondering, in a total engine failure scenario, could the tankerman on the barge let the anchor go to drag the barge to a stop? Or is that a really bad idea lol?
Thank you for watching. I was in 1600 feet of water and dont have that kind of rode. But had we been in shallow water, and the barte was moving very slowly, and the Tankermen were out on deck with the hydrologics on, then yeah. Then that could work. But I think it is much more likely that we would be on the bottom long before the anchor was ready to be deployed (it's a process). CUOTO
Thank you for watching Aaron. It depends on the contract the tug I work on has. I used to run from Baton Rouge to Tampa on another boat, but I'm mostly in Puerto Rico and NYC these days. CUOTO
I am not involved in the maritime industry, and I appreciate the manner in which you explain stuff in layman’s terms. Very educational, thank you for all you do!
Thank you very much Brian. I appreciate that more than you know. CUOTO
Very cool. I’m a pilot up on the Great Lakes moving foreign ships. Occasionally we get tug&barges, including Vane’s “New York”. Always a great appreciation for the wire towing skills/knowledge you guys have developed over the years!
Thank you very much for watching Nate. I appreciate your kind words. CUOTO
Essayons
Thanks for spending time explaining to the interested crowd of how you go about things you do ! And no there is nothing boring about anything you do in a days time ! Thanks again Tim ! 😊
Thank you very much for watching Cliff. CUOTO
Having a dual engine failure is very rare. What can happen is a fire in the engine spaces. That requires securing the fuel flow, closing the space and setting the fire suppression system. The engines are okay, but you can't restart them. The generators, pumps, and compressors are off-line, too. Your very best friend now is the handheld VHF radio. And watch out for the 20,000 TEU container ship coming up the channel. While you are waiting for the fireboats and the reserve tug, you can practice your response when your wife asks "So, how was work today?"
Thank you for watching Bruce. CUOTO
Captain Tim: Another appreciated video. Thank you for taking the time to produce this. I drove for Vessel Assist for awhile and loved the work. It does not compare to what you do but it was the best part time job I had. Thank you.
Thank you for watching and supporting the channels Captain Bill. CUOTO
My grandfather used to run the fuel barge from San Juan to St Thomas USVI. In his Tug the Lakota. His name was Jerry Jackson. I made the trip with him a few times as a kid. I like these videos.. thank you!
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. For future reference, please remember that we try very hard to not "directly" name tugs, companies or customers as it gets me in trouble with my employer. CUOTO
From one captain to another, just wanna thank you from across the Atlantic for your always interesting content, and your humble way of being. I'm sure your crew appreciate being with a friendly and respectful captain. In my experience, it's the surest way to earn respect as a captain.
Thank you very very much. That means more to me than you know. Be safe Captain. CUOTO
I miss the good old days.
The Problem Loss of Propulsion We rolled our boats back then. God I miss the screams when the first mata beat the gally slaves.
Thank you very much for watching. CUOTO
Tim every time I watch you I am always impressed how orderly and clean your tug is
😂😂😂 Thank you very much for watching. It really has very little to do with cleanliness and everything to do with safety. CUOTO
Your professionalism is inspiring.
Thank you!! I appreciate that. CUOTO
Another, excellently delivered lesson. Interesting video. Thank you, Tim.
Thank you very much for watching Jack. CUOTO
Awesome to see your channel growing. I came from a long line of family members across the pond that were sailors. That being said somehow generations later I ended up being a land locked canadian. Every time I see large bodies of open water, being the great lakes or oceans, my heart races, and I feel over whelming comfort and peace. I own a boat, and I am in it every second I can in our local lakes, and rivers.
My dream is to retire on a sailboat.
Thank you for watching. Have you seen my other channel, SV Paquita? You may like it. CUOTO
Thanks for the discussion, very interesting the issue of the wire and tug during emergency situations. I was going to mention 'inching the wire' but you came up with that. I can only think to add shorten the wire but that is not something easily dealt with in high seas. I will pray for the Heavens to be looking over you in times of distress.
I appreciate that David. Thank you very very much. CUOTO
Thanks!
Thank you very very much John! I really appreciate that!! CUOTO
I recall your tug from my years at Kinder Morgan Staten Island...R.I.P. :(
Thank you for watching Carmine. CUOTO
Another similarity with my career as a commercial pilot: Loss of an engine scenario is in every (~6 month interval) training session. Min difference: we don't have to worry about that "wire"!😜
😂😂😂 And we don't have to worry about falling out of the sky. 😂 Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Thanks for the clip Capt. Loss of steering or power happens often enough to be prepared for it, Plenty of boat crashes on you-tube to attest to that, they just refloated a ferry in Washington that lost power and ran aground. shit happens best to be ready for it at all times. CUOTO
Yes. Mike just put me on to that. Thank you for watching and supporting the channel James. CUOTO
Great video. The in-depth explanation is fascinating. Great to see a professional at work.
Thank you for watching. CUOTO
When I was working on boats and ships, I got used to the engine noise, and learned to sleep through it. When the plant dropped or the motor stopped, I instinctively got up, because it was TOO quiet (wasn't close enough to hear the alarms), and I somehow instinctively knew.
Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Greetings from Thailand from a fellow Mainer. I just found your channel and subscribed. You do an excellent job explaining the world of a professional mariner aboard a tug. Take care and stay safe!
Thank you very much for watching and welcome to the channel. Big thank you for subscribing! CUOTO
The only time i have lost everything was on a 25ft yacht under power and a lee shore about 100m away blowing 20knots . No time to do anything except throw the anchor over to give me time to either get the motor started or get a sail up , set the head sail and it is bloody hard work tacking while pulling up 100m of rope with chain and anchor on the end , missed the rocks by about 5m
Thank you for watching Pete. Wow. Sounds like a rough go of it there. CUOTO
Great instructional video. Your crew has a great responsibility when an engine failure occurs. :)
Not just then! 😂 Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Tim, I know you wouldn't be inclined to up your views with clickbait, but you sure got my attention with the title of this video. I am more than glad to hear that this is a 'what if' video rather than a 'We lost both engines and nearly died' situation.
😲 Thank you very much for watching Trevor. I hadn't thought of that until you just mentioned it now. Didn't mean to mislead. CUOTO
In the 70s, I worked on a tug the port of Philadelphia. We dropped of a barge in Claymont DE and we headed to base dock in Camden with a light tug. As we turned North bound the rudder fell off. We were a single screw tug. Luckily we had an experienced captain. We attached a tire to a rope and threw it off the stern. It worked very well and got us home.
That's crazy. Thank you for sharing that story with us. And thank you for watching Ken. CUOTO
This was great timing considering the recent grounding of the ferry Walla Walla up near Seattle. Sounds like the crew handled the problem very well. I think I mentioned to you before that a friend's father was lost on a tug up in Alaska when (at night in foul weather) they got "tripped" by an empty pulp barge that blew past them unseen as they turned to make safe haven. Only one of the crew barely survived by being able to get up on the barge.
😲 That is terrible. Thank you for watching Paul. CUOTO
Great and interesting video. We will be flying into St. Croix on the 1st. Taking the ferry to St. Thomas and finally St. John where we are staying. Will keep an eye out for you off shore!
😂😂😂😂 Thank you very much for watching. Unfortunately I sm off the tug for three weeks. CUOTO
Hi captain very well explained day to day running and forward thinking on your tug ,here on the river Clyde in Scotland I can see most of the shipping movements from my house , you talked about tripping ,we recently had a tug sunk with loss of 2 life’s and some years ago a tug towing a large ship in fog on the river ran aground big ship overtook and sunk tug 3 lives lost, you guys stay safe.
Will do! Thank you very much for watching John. CUOTO
Tim, congrats on your new position. Much nicer down there I expect.
Thank you for watching Glen. I've been working in PR for a year now and live it. But fir the next two weeks, I'm back in NYC. CUOTO
I so enjoy your video's..Makes me feel like I'm on the water along side you. Good work
Thank you very much for watching Russ. CUOTO
Great insight! It reminds me when I was 14 years old I was in my 13' Boston Whaler going around Cape Ann. As I rounded Rockport heading to Gloucester Harbor the sea got rough, I guess 5' seas. In the trough all I saw was water but on the crest I could see forever. I was about 3 miles offshore and saw a tug heading north. As I passed I heard a ripping sound of something coming out of the water and saw a wire rise up just in front of my bow! I gunned it to go under it as it slapped back down about 2' from my outboard! Because of the sea conditions I didn't know the tug was towing a loaded barge about 1/4 mile away! Best Regards, Jay
Thank you for watching Jay. CUOTO
Your one lucky son of a gun😮
Great video, not knowing anything about towing barges, thank you for an interesting video..
Thank you for watching James. CUOTO
Fascinating. That would be pretty grim to watch a barge slowly creep towards you knowing you couldn’t do anything about it. Great video, Tim CUOTO
Thank you very much for watching Jan. CUOTO
Thanx Cap. I miss Gallows Bay. Almond-Johnson winches have been around a long time & almost exclusively used on the McA boats. Nothin’ but the best for our little dogs…. I enjoy your work/content Brotherman. Keep up the good work. Shiny side up, slimy side down, lest we forget that the closest ground is straight down….😅
😂 Thank you very much for watching. CUOTO
Always learning something from your videos. Thanks again for sharing.
Thank you very much for watching. CUOTO
Thank you Tim, another very interesting video. I have noticed many times now, you always do your best to minimise wear and avoid damage to equipment. I expect that in commercial shipping, there is a very serious enquiry if something is damaged?
Maybe that could be the feature of a future video, The consequences of seemingly "minor" transgressions?
Thank you for watching Ken. I have to always be careful of anything I post coming back to haunt me later. 😂 CUOTO
Thanks for the info. As a cruising sailboat never have to worry about that kind of stuff. But good imagery there. Could be a nasty scenario. I know that even as a sailboat, I sometimes (as you know Paquita). Have to motor long distances. While going from panama to San Francisco. I had to motor long stretches. Especially when the current is against you and you don’t really want to go backward! With that diesel thrumming along nothing makes your heart beat like hearing even the slightest RPM change! These engines are such work horses. And when it stops!!! OH CRAP!!
Thank you for watching Fred. I have about the "Baja Bash". Going the wrong way couldn't have been fun. I appreciate you watching both channels. CUOTO
@@TimBatSea OH yes, have done the bash 3X. Only one any “fun”. Completely blew out my mail bashing into 30 kts and steep seas, maybe 4-5 M. Fun! (Not)
Wish you’d come back to NY - always wanted to wave on the Hudson or Cape Cod Canal. You’re a good man!
Hey Scott! I'll be working over as mate on the Cape Fear in NYC a week from tomorrow. Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Nice to see you back on the Tug!!!
Thank you for watching Jason. CUOTO
I remember being towed through barnegat inlet that was breaking all the way across and the capt surfed two boats through perfectly also got a face full glass and a wheelhouse full of water in the same inlet 😂love you videos always
Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Very interesting Tim. Lots to consider. Thanks
Thank you for watching William. CUOTO
We once had a Moran tug with air controls go all stop. The air system had a leak and control went to the upper house. I woke up hearing the engines at idle and thought "the barge." Boom!, I ended up at the foot of the bunk. It put a small hole in the barge. Could have been worse
Outch! 😂 Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Terrific, Tim. James.
Thank you for watching James. CUOTO
Fascinating...so much knowledge you gotta store and use.
😂😂😂😂 You wouldn't say that if you knew how stupid I really am. 😂 Thank you very much for watching and for the kind words Chas. CUOTO
I live in south east Louisiana where hurricane ida a barge for Chet Morrison that had living quarters on it with 20 people on it broke free in the middle of the storm and was making 23 knots by itself before one of the 4 anchors they threw out bit 😮
Wow! Talk about a wild ride!!! Thank you for watching Joel. CUOTO
Very interesting, good explanation Tim
Thank you for watching Adam. CUOTO
Very interesting and thanks for the video. There was a recent incident where a ship hit the tug going into a lock. I don't think there was a tug on the rear of the ship and it didn't slow up quick enough. And there is a video on RUclips somewhere where exactly what you described happened, as the tug was overturned someone on the bigger ship could be heard saying 'there goes the mail'. Thing is there's people on board isn't there and lives at risk. Thanks for the video and regards from Wales
Thank you very much for watching. "If it were easy, everyone would be doing it" 😂 CUOTO
My dad used to work for Crowley on the Philly to Puerto Rico weekly ro-ro barge
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. We only have one rule on the channel and that is that we try very hard to not mention directly by name; tugs, companies or customers. CUOTO
My shift cable broke 10 feet from the seawall. Luckily the lift was a little high. I had just rebuilt the bow pulpit! It was smoother with the old cable than with the new. No indication it was bad. I caught her just before she hit concrete!😂
OMG! Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel Robert. CUOTO
Great video! Training is always key to success.
Thank you for watching Tony. CUOTO
You explained everything great Tim, thanks and CUOTO
Thank you very much for watching. CUOTO
Interesting, thanks. After watching a bunch of your videos, it seems like a much more dangerous job than I had thought.
Thank you for watching and supporting the channels. It is an extremely dangerous job, but we train and practice to lesson the odds of it becoming dangerous. CUOTO
I was recently on a cruise that bought me through Puerto Rico and we were getting fuel from a barge. I looked over at the tug hoping that I would see you (FAT CHANCE!)
😂😂😂 No, We don't bunker ships in Puerto Rico, just power plants. Thank you for watching. CUOTO
I agree with Brian, Thanks Tim,
Thank you for watching Brian. CUOTO
I thought you might be interested
Always interesting !
Thanks Capt.
Thank you for watching Charles. CUOTO
Once your used to the sounds underway even if your sleeping you may wake up just because of the difference in your surroundings changing , no machinery sound. You may wake up before or at the same time just as the alarms go off. I worked in GTMO '82 - '86 as a contractor boiler operator , even in your quarters you know something happened by not hearing the same normal noises. Do they still have those huge supply barges going to the base from Florida? Very interesting what you have to do with a mechanical break down.
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. Puerto Rico is served by two companies regularly. One has containerships and the other has container barges. CUOTO
Really good explanation. Thanks
Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Good explanation.
Thank you very much for watching and welcome to the channel. CUOTO
Good job, Cap
Thank you for watching Gary. CUOTO
Don't tugboats come equiped with oars in case of engine failure?
Excellent explanation of the forces in play hauling a barge at sea, especially the inertia of a barge.
Your lesson also points to the fact that good engine and propulsion system maintenance concerns a lot more than just making machinery last longer. It's about keeping people safe.
Thank you.
Exactly. Very well said. Thank you for watching Ralph. CUOTO
very timely topic 🥹🇺🇸
Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Anda penuh kebaikan..
Semoga hari hari anda menyenangkan
Thank you very much for watching.. I appreciate your kind words.
Thank you
Thank you for watching David. CUOTO
Very interesting. Thank you.
Thank you for watching Walter. CUOTO
Very interesting, Tim.
That would really suck if everything went dead 😱
You always seem so cool, mild and collective but it would be a different video to see TimBatsea freaking out.
We’ll pray that never happens to you or your crew. Ron
Yes! Please do! Thank you for watching Ronald. CUOTO
Parted one of my wires on my fishing gear the other day, they were a bit overdue, I would imagine a new towing wire for your tug would be mighty expensive.
Thank you for watching Mike. 15 years ago I had heard ours was over $30k. CUOTO
@@TimBatSea Big bit of wire I guess
maine maritime student - this was an awesome video
Thank you very much for watching Max! CUOTO
Install a substantial strip of UHMW on the top edge of the transom. That will protect the wire.
Thank you for watching Bill. CUOTO
Interesting that you have to worry about wire chafe - wouldn't it be easier to have the sacrificial ABS layer on the stern rail (maybe bolted on in replaceable segments) than attaching it to the wire each time you have to use it?
Thank you for watching. I dont think it would last very long as when we are leaving up or letting out wire, the wire makes contact wire the rail. (When using chafe gear, we just lift the wire and set it back with as little movement as possible). CUOTO
Thanks for sharing
Thank you for watching William. CUOTO
Thanks so much for that info... Admiral Tim... 🧢🌊🚢➖➖➖➖➖🌊🚢!!!.... You're absolutely The Best!!!!!
😂😂😂😂 Thank you very much George. CUOTO
interesting talk thank you tim
Thank you for watching James. CUOTO
your welcome tim
Hi Tim, Please tell me how to operate the winch with No air pressure during a total power failure.
Thanks
Thank you for watching Jeff. The idea is that you loose power and only a a few minutes at best to dump wire. It's true that the brake on the winch is air operated, but there should be plenty of air in the tanks to release tte brake for much longer than it would take for the barge to go by. CUOTO
They should make a movie about these scenarios happening to a haunted tug.
They should! Thank you for watching Rod! CUOTO
Question! 4:57 how come you just don’t you just nose onto it and shove it? Don’t some barges have the cutout for your nose to fit into? Sorry new to this.
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. I believe you are referring to what we call pushing or in push gear. We do this when in very calm water. Anything more a a few feet of swell will break the equipment up very fast. CUOTO
@@TimBatSea thanks! That makes sense! Safe travels!
Have you ever had your towing line part? And if that were to happen in storm would you just try to stay near the barge to try to get it under tow again once the weather calmed?
Thank you for watching. I have never been on a boat that lost the tow, but I have worked with a binch of friends who have had that happen. In all cases (of my friends) that I am aware of, they were all relatively close to shore and it was necessary to get control of the barge right away. CUOTO
You mentioned dropping the anchor on the barge. Is there a crew on the barge, or possibly an automated system to control the anchor on the barge?
Thank you for watching Shannon. Our barges are manned. But most of the time (like when I shot this video) we are in much deeper water than the barge has anchor rode. (We were in 1600 feet at the time). CUOTO
Very interesting - could I ask how often are
the wires inspected for damage and general ware. Many years ago I worked on mobile cranes and the wires (or as I called them wire rope) got some stick and were inspected every week
Thank you for watching Mike. We inspect the wire everytime it is paid out or heaved in, and done so by no less than two people. We are required to keep a wire log where we record both towed seamiles and towed hours on the wire. Different companies and different wire sizes have different change out times. We get a new wire every 5 years or 100,000 miles (I think). CUOTO
Really, really interesting Capt. Is there any way that a second pulley could be positioned over the stern to prevent wear on the wire? Probably a far-fetched idea. You can tell I am not a seafarer! CUOTO
Thank you for watching Norm. There may be a few things that would make that difficult or undesirable. Getting the wire in two donuts or pulleys would be very difficult and it is very rare that we have to go this slow so it usually is not a problem. CUOTO
@TimBatSea
Whats the work flow like on a tug?
Mooring operations ive seen only take a couple hours.. seems like theres alot of downtime..
Is it like an hourly "land" job where you cant be caught sitting or playing on your phone...like do you have to stay busy while on the non existent "clock" or is it really chill??
Thank you for watching Michael. It really depends on the contract or type of work. For example, bunker operations in NYC are pretty much none stop, while cargo operations like in PR are much more relaxed. Have you seen my video "Day in a life of a Tugboat Captain in NYC" ? CUOTO
sorry if im optimistic but im more business savvy. Im curious if you have made a video about how much a tugboat business could make like a estimate range. different types of tugs and maybe price for a tug for a few mile tug. Maybe how many tugs you do a day
Thank you very much for watching and welcome to the channel. Unfortunately that is a side of the business I know very little about. CUOTO
Speaking about loss of propulsion, it seems that you don’t have towing pins. If the barge passed you and the wire was between the pins would that not serve to pull the stern of the tug around and prevent a capsize. I know here on the west coast of Canada with big currents and inflows and outflows we’ve had lots of tugs over run by their barges sometimes fatally.
Perhaps. But pins are used for towing,not as a safety device. So yeah. If you had them (few East Coast boats do) and if they are deployed and if the wire is in them, there still is no guarantee that when the wire comes tight and the tug rolls, the wire wouldn't pop out anyway. The thing to remember is that we are talking about loss of propulsion. It really shouldn't be an everyday occurrence. Thank you for watching Peter. CUOTO
How do you stop the barge just to stop? Not because the engines died, but because you had to stop because you're getting to where you need to go etc.
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. That is a great question. The trick is to bleed off the speed in advance. You have to keep slowing down little by little. CUOTO
Hello Captain Tim from All of Us both here in Andros Greece.... ( Where still waiting for Ya!!! )
Quick question about how many feet in a layer of wire paying out via towing machine during distancing the tug from the head log on the barge????.... Take Good Care of Yourselves out there!!!!... George
Thank you for watching George. Of course each lay gets smaller as it's diameter shrinks. But on ours it goes something like this, 288 272 256 and so on. CUOTO
Could you drop the anchor on the barge to slow it down.
Didn't I talk about that? 😂 Thank you for watching. That works in coastal shallow waters and you have to wait for the barge to slow down before deploying the anchor. CUOTO
thanks cap. it's always interesting
Thank you for watching. CUOTO
I don't remember coastal san juan being so calm
It wasn't calm then (the camera makes it look calm, but we had a good 6 foot heave). Thank you for watching. CUOTO
Enjoyed!
Thank you very much for watching and welcome to the channel. CUOTO
How about designing barges that if tug loses propulsion, large plates unfold into water perpendicular to barge slowing barge quickly. Giant brakes.
Thank you for watching Eric. Remember that a total loss of Propulsion is extremely rare (has never happened to me). The problem with systems like what you describe is that crews would have to to ve trained to use them, maintain them and practice with them. And many barges are unmanned. CUOTO
You have all the power you need but how do you stop the barge when coming into port?
Thank you for watching Tom. If we are towing the barge, only drag from water or wind will slow the barge down. But we can round up on the barge and grab ahold of it and slow it with the tugs engines as well. CUOTO.
Interesting topic👍🏻
Thank you for watching and supporting the channels Magnus. CUOTO
Planning ahead… don’t want to have to spend time figuring things out in a crisis.
Thank you very much for watching Bruce. Exactly! CUOTO
Tim are you familiar whit the tragedy of the Heather Lynn ll ?
Thank you for watching Brian. Yes. Unfortunately I am. Nothing to do with a liss of Propulsion, but very tragic. CUOTO
Your making great videos, thanks. Im 53 do you think its two late to start? I'm a lot like you and think this would be a great career since all the other one sucked,,,,,
Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel. Have you seen my video, how to work on a Tugboat? It goes through a bunch of things you may want to consider. But first and foremost, everyone wants to be a captain but no one wants to put in the long years coming up from the bottom. People my age starting out usually have a problem taking orders from someone younger than their kids. And many don't like the idea of cleaning heads and chipping paint, but that's what we all did on our way up. It's never too late, but sometimes we are the ones that are too old. Best of luck and I'll CUOTO
As I watch this I'm thinking of the Walla Walla that went aground last month due to loss of all four engines.
Thank you for watching David. CUOTO
Thanks Tim, very interesting and I hope they pay you well for shouldering all these worries. I'm wondering, in a total engine failure scenario, could the tankerman on the barge let the anchor go to drag the barge to a stop? Or is that a really bad idea lol?
Thank you for watching. I was in 1600 feet of water and dont have that kind of rode. But had we been in shallow water, and the barte was moving very slowly, and the Tankermen were out on deck with the hydrologics on, then yeah. Then that could work. But I think it is much more likely that we would be on the bottom long before the anchor was ready to be deployed (it's a process). CUOTO
@@TimBatSea Yeah I forgot about the depth and if shallow enough, probably no sea room left. Thank you so much for your comments! Take care!
Nice channel!
Thank you for watching Gibbon. CUOTO
Tim, do you ever come to the new Orleans area?
Thank you for watching Aaron. It depends on the contract the tug I work on has. I used to run from Baton Rouge to Tampa on another boat, but I'm mostly in Puerto Rico and NYC these days. CUOTO
Gotta make your hiney pucker up losing propulsion out to sea.
To say the least!!! 😂 Thank you for watching. CUOTO
So how do you slow the barge on a wire upon reaching destination?
Thank you for watching Samuel. You slowly bleed off speed and give the barge time to slow on it's own. CUOTO
How about when you have to slow and have a following sea and wind?
Thank you for watching Brian. It's about the same with a loaded barge. With a lite barge we sometimes have to round up into the wind. CUOTO