Tugboat Hell – Part One - Sep 10 2008 by Lisa

Tags -- Boat Trip

I took my first tug boat ride Saturday/Sunday. Probably my last.


Saturday morning Cheese called needing Captain to pilot a tug with six barges down to Arkansas on a normal Saturday trip. Captain agreed if he could bring Stubby along as co-pilot. Cheese said that was exactly what he wanted.

I told them I was going too but Stubby tried to warn me I would probably not enjoy it. I asked how many women would be on board. Captain said the cook was an old friend but he had never sampled her ‘good cooking’.

He thought that one of the crew’s wives usually tagged along but he didn’t know her well.

I figured if other women could do it, I could do it. I called Red to tell her I could not baby sit and suggested she call Liz. I grabbed a few things in a duffle bag and we were off.

My first perceptions of the tug boat were correct. This was not a pleasure boat. This was a dirty, stinky working boat with real river rats on it.

I had assumed Stubby would be working the barges or around the tug or something. Instead he just offered Captain what he saw. He also spelled Captain for ten or fifteen minutes each hour.

Their first move made me wonder if they knew what the fuck they were doing. Captain talked on a walkie-talkie and I saw someone on the front barge wave a flag or something.

Then nothing happened for several minutes and Captain said no starboard current. Stubby agreed.

I saw Captain push the left stick of two sticks forward about half way. I smelled the diesel, then felt vibrations, heard the exhaust then saw the white water at the stern.

Then he pulled the right stick back more then halfway. That motor smoked more then the left one.

The white water would have been really rough for a raft ride. But we didn’t move. I scanned the port side for mooring ropes but we were free.

I heard the cables stretch then saw the drums on the bow, if you can call it that, strain and watched the cables tighten.

I heard radio cackle from Captain’s head and heard him say ‘Roger’.

He pushed one throttle farther forward and pulled the other farther back. The diesels blew more dark smoke, the white water was splashing on board and it was so loud we could not have a conversation.

I wondered what they called this test. Then after maybe five minutes I noticed the slightest movement of the barges all the way to the front.

Actually the whole rig was turning ever so slightly to the starboard. It took three or four minutes for the front port barge to move about four feet from the bank.

The Captain backed the engines off to almost idle. After another foot he brought the starboard to idle then held a latch in and pushed it forward just a touch.

Over the next five minutes he gradually moved the starboard throttle farther forward more then the port.

The front of the barge was still moving to starboard but the tug had barely moved from the dock.

During this entire time he had never touched the rudder. I could not figure out what he was doing.

Then I saw the guys on the front of the barge walking towards us and I saw four guys and one girl standing on the dock.

When the guys were about half way to the tug, the people on the dock sort of jumped on the tug and two other guys popped out of a door at the front of the tug.

When the two guys up front reached the tug the other two joined them and I heard them say something into a pipe and Captain said good job and the four jumped off.

Two of the new four starting working their way to the front of the barges checking the cables and winches. One of the other two said something and Captain said welcome aboard and something I could not hear then Captain idled the motors.

I asked Stubby what was happening. He told me that crew had worked all night loading the barges and they were going home.

The new guys would sail down with us and unhook these barges and hook up our new load and come back with us tomorrow.

Then the girl I saw came into the room and said hi to Captain and Stubby. The girl asked permission to make the trip with the boat. Cook would vouch for her.

Captain said no need – he had seen her around before. He told if she ran around naked he could not guarantee her safety. Stubby pointed at me and told her especially if I was around.