Tugboats Are Back!

The Tugboat Roundup is happening again this weekend in Waterford after a year off due to the Covid pandemic. There weren't quite as many of the larger tugboats there as usual and visitors were not allowed onboard, but it was still great to see what was on display. Plus, there were several new boats we hadn't seen before and all the boats had informative signs on them for the public to view .

The Benjamin Elliot was built in 1960 and is a regular participant since the Roundup started in 1999.

The 8th Sea is also a regular at the show and we stopped and talked to Captain Curry who regaled us with interesting stories of his and the tug's career, especially on Lake Champlain.

The Edna A push boat...

This 'interesting ship' called Shoofly Pie, looked to be run by a group of about six 20-30 year olds having a great time. It was built in 1941.

The queen of the show was the Sarah D which was 89 feet long. We couldn't figure out why it was leaving the dock until we saw the little Toot Toot come out and they did a face-off with Toot Toot kiddingly pushing the Sarah D backwards. What a cute display, bringing lots of applause.

There was a whole line up of mini-tugs, many of which had hailing ports in Massachusetts. 

Up on land at the first lock of the Erie Canal's Flight of Five, we found this survey boat. Dave was surprised to see that it was powered by a Mercruiser engine.

Two local fire departments also had displays. The Waterford Fire Dept. had an obstacle course set up for kids with them crawling through small culverts and rolling up hoses. They had special made kids firefighter coats and pants they wore, and they got to keep the plastic helmets afterwards. The Stillwater Fire Dept. had brought their 1871 Steamer, which was gorgeous and a piece of art. It was coal or wood fired and pumped water up to the big globe that helped to keep the water coming out smoothly. It no longer functions but certainly is a beautiful piece of machinery.

The bird rehab group also attended with their owls and a raven. All the birds were injured at one time to the point that they cannot be returned to the wild. Now they help with education and it was awesome being so close to them.

This show is always a huge hit and we are so glad that the tugboat tradition continues!