Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Tugboat Ballet

 In our meandering drives, we often end up on a stretch of River Road in Richmond and Surrey that runs alongside the Fraser River. Imagine our delight a while ago to come across a bevy of tugboats wheeling and twisting together in an intricate water ballet.

 Unable to resist the lure of six tugs at work, we stopped to enjoy the dance.







It appeared  several log booms had to be joined together into one before moving the large mass further up river to the mills for processing. Clearly, this is a job that requires skill, timing and artistry. To further complicate things, a boat pulling a barge full of gravel was slowly making its way ever-closer to the performance.



With the ease born of practice, men and boats worked  seamlessly together to accomplish their tasks. 

Captains deftly piloted their boats while boom workers leaped effortlessly along the logs, spears at the ready to position each new piece in place.
 




 It was a joy to watch, with the laughter and chatter of workers sliding  across to provide the soundtrack for this dance of life on the river.






Once all was secured, the performance wound down and the sextet moved off gently into the next phase of the dance, just in time for the gravel barge to take his place on centre stage.


How could we not be endlessly fascinated by this vibrant river.....?


I'm linking up to a meme that's new to me..."Our World Tuesday". Do stop by if you get a chance, for glimpses of life around our amazing world...:)


You might also like to check out "Sweet Spot Tuesday", another great meme I have just discovered...

http://kentweakley.com/blog/

                

         


8 comments:

Katy Cameron said...

What a cool dance, you have the best adventures!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

So nice to enjoy your posts and mini adventures, Lynette. This is lovely..........an intricate dance.

Unknown said...

Great post, interesting shots!

Carver said...

I enjoyed these tugboat shots very much.

Pat said...

I love your commentary about the tugboat ballet and the intricate dance necessary to get the logs properly aligned. Beautiful scenery, too. It sounds like the men doing this work really enjoy it.

Penelope Postcards said...

There is definitely a lot of choreography and teamwork required when dealing with log booms. Tugboats are primarily workers. But as your photos illustrate so well they also can show a lot of grace. :)

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

You are so right Lynette -- that is a ballet of the tugs. (I have read that piloting those takes more skill than almost any boat.) What a wonderful thing to see -- and I agree that a River is endlessly fascinating. Thanks for sharing these great pictures and story.

Walk in New York said...

un tres beau reportage photographique