Topic starter
25/03/2011 11:19 pm
This was an unusual visit to NOLA, with the historic MQ situation taking up much of my time. In fact between driving over to her dock 4 times, to Ruby Reds, and to Bayou Barriere Golf Course, I spent more time on the Westbank than in the city, I think. The NATCHEZ looks great, as always. Her newly reworked starboard machinery is functioning efficiently, and best of all, her decks have been full of passengers. This is of course spring break time, but that hasn't necessarily translated into big crowds the last couple of years, but it has this year. She is running all 3 trips 7 days a week, like the old days. The river is high, 12.6 when I left, and we haven't contributed all our snow melt yet. They were anticipating it cresting at about 14 feet this time, with 17 being the 'flood' level. Doc once said that the boils and eddys were the worst at about 13 feet, and the muddy Miss was certainly churning this week. Add 20+mph breezes and the living wasn't always easy in the pilothouse. The usual suspects were on duty: Capt. Steve Nicoulin, Master; Capt. Don Houghton, alternate master/pilot/golf partner; Capt. Troy C. Delaney, pilot/golf partner. Bobby Heyn and young Steven Nicoulin were Mates, while Scotty Vieages Sr. was Chief Engineer. Many people probably don't realize that Scotty was one of the Bergeron Shipyard workers who built the boat, so there isn't a soul who knows her better. Scotty was instrumental in convincing the CG to allow us to remove the bulkhead in the dining room in the late 1980s. Capts. Robbie Mitchell and Steve Villier, formerly of the BJL/JJA, hold forth as Watchmen/Narrators. The Dukes of Dixieland play the dinner cruise and Duke Heitger plays piano on the daytime trips. The number of deckhands decreases while the entourage in food and beverage increases. Its hard to believe that in my dining room days we managed with 4 servers and a runner on day trips, and perhaps 6 and 1 for dinner trips! Of course we didn't have the elegant china settings - but we did serve good old Southern food, not macaroni and cheese and baked beans, aka red beans without rice. And it doesn't seem the same without Edna, Iola, and Geneva, but time marches on... The gift shop has gotten more NATCHEZ-specific items, and at excursion passenger prices (we've still got a couple of hatpins left over from Tall Stacks). The roof is still a wonderful place to sit, relax, watch the river activity, and get a painful sunburn. In short, this was another great visit with the NATCHEZ and her crew. I only hope that someday you .orgers who haven't had the privilege of riding this beautiful steamboat and meeting her crew will get that chance. So, until my next southern sojourn in a few months, here are some NATCHEZ pix:
1) speaking of piston rings, my 2 new legally acquired artifacts, thanks to Chief Scotty: the larger is the low pressure valve piston ring, the smaller in two pieces the high pressure valve piston ring.
2) The NATCHEZ at Toulouse St., river stage 12.5 feet
3) the view from my rooftop seat as the city skyline fades in the distance. The floodlight illuminates the pilothouse at the dock. The life rafts used to be on the Main Deck, accessible to passengers, but they've been on the roof for many years now because the CG feared they might float away on the lower deck. This way they won't escape until the whole boat is under... The flags from left to right: old French, city of N.O., US stern, Louisiana state, old Spanish Castille y Leon. There are 2 US flags out of the picture. The steam line goes back to the calliope, which is visible in the distance.
Topic starter
25/03/2011 11:38 pm
More NATCHEZ/harbor pix
1) One of the multitude of boils in the high water
2) The General Anchorage, with 6 ships this day, ahead. In the 1960s there would be 15-20 ships there, but today 3 or 4 is more common .
3) Capt. Troy C. Delaney between the sticks as we head upriver over on the Westbank. That circular thing is a high speed windshield wiper.
Topic starter
25/03/2011 11:43 pm
and finally,
1) the cruise ship business is picking up after the Katrina lull. Carnival has their large TRIUMPH in town weekly.
2, 3) A newcomer to NOLA, the DANAE, registered in the Portuguese island of Madiera. A smaller luxury ship...
26/03/2011 3:58 am
More memories...Having cruised on the TRIUMPH last winter. She is not bad looking as modern cruise ships go. She was very, very nicely appointed. Meanwhile, that Portuguese ship has such beautiful SHIP lines to her. If I ever make it to our family homeland in the Azores, I'll have to look her up...if I don't see her in New Orleans some time!
Thanks for sharing these scenes of the New Orleans harbor. It is so great to see it alive and thriving like it is in these pictures!
26/03/2011 9:23 am
Thanks for the virtual harbor tour Judy! I remember my first trip aboard the Str. PRESIDENT, when the Anchorage was literally teeming with ships and how thrilling it was as the old sidewheeler chugged and shuddered as she threaded in and out of them. As BIG as the PRESIDENT is (was!) she seemed mighty small compared to those ships!
I echo your exhortation to all steamboat buffs and buffettes to avail themselves of every opportunity to ride the NATCHEZ and BELLE OF LOUISVILLE all they can, while they can. Keep Steamboating Alive!
Topic starter
26/03/2011 12:53 pm
Harbor scenes
Yes, we were admiring the lines of the DANAE. I don't know how old she is or if she was previously named something else. I believe she holds 600 passengers. And Keith's mention of weaving among the anchored ships brings up my memory of my first NATCHEZ ride: Capt. Sam Centanni was pilot, a story in itself. I was sitting up on the lazy bench gawking at the ships, as I had never seen an ocean-going vessel up close before this June 1980 trip. Capt. Sam was weaving between the ships, and since I was unfamiliar with the steering capacities of the NATCHEZ, I was terrified we were going to ram the next ship ahead of us. When I narrate, I use my first-time rider experience as my basis because there are so many things that passengers would never have seen before. One of my favorite activities to describe is the pilot change as the water taxis sidle up to the slowed down ship. Another is the activity aboard the anchored ships such as the maintenance work, the crew out waving to the only civilization they may see for days as we pass, refueling/supplying/crew delivery via water taxi, etc. As wide as the PREZ was, I can imagine how terrified I would have been as she wove her way up through the Anchorage!
26/03/2011 1:04 pm
On that PRESIDENT trip, Capt. Decareaux was the pilot and invited my dad and me into the pilothouse. He was the epitome of confidence and chatted away, sounding periodic blasts on the whistle, as he effortlessly steered the old steamboat on a zig zag course through all those BIG ships. I was so in awe of everything -- and at the time I had no idea how DEEP the river is at Algiers Point!
Images:
(1) My dad and me on the old stage of the PRESIDENT - June, 1969 (nearly 42 years ago!) when I was barely 15 years old!
(2) Interior of the PRESIDENT pilothouse
(3) Calliope - in front of the port stack of the PRESIDENT
26/03/2011 1:46 pm
Judy,
the PRINCESS DANAE is running for several charter companies including a German company called Hansa Touristik. She´s a classic lady built in 1955 as freighter PORT MELBOURNE (renamed: THERISOS EXPRESS, DANAE, ANAR, STARLIGHT EXPRESS, BALTICA). She holds 657 passenger after being rebuilt as cruise ship in 1972-1976. Prior to that she only held 12 passengers.
Carmen
26/03/2011 2:28 pm
In my memories of the President in the mid to late seventies, Capt. Decareaux was one of the pilots. He was really quite a "dapper" gentleman, cool and calm. Others at the helm were Captains Verne & Curran Streckfus, Don Summers and occasionally Scott Brokaw and Dan Kiessling. Later on Joy Manthey took her turns as well.
26/03/2011 2:58 pm
My first trip on the President was in the 1950's. So who would have been at the helm then? Judy? I was more interested in the boat than anything else that was going on. Photographs may exist, but it would take some digging to find them. I do not remember any playing of the calliope, or even the calliope at all.
26/03/2011 3:17 pm
A few photos from the files:
(1) The Old and the New - The Str. PRESIDENT, seen from from the pilothouse of the brand new Str. NATCHEZ - Summer, 1975 - Photo by Capt. C.W. Stoll.
(2) PRESIDENT - entering McAlpine Lock, Louisville - October, 1988 - en route to the first TALL STACKS. Capt. Mike Fitzgerald in foreground, capturing the event.
(3) PRESIDENT - departing McAlpine Lock - Capt. Doc Hawley at the calliope!
26/03/2011 3:21 pm
Thank you, Carmen. I was wondering about that beautiful ship!
Topic starter
26/03/2011 6:03 pm
DANAE, PREZ crew
Thanks Carmen - her lines are very similar to the BERMUDA STAR, the only ship on which I've cruised. She was built in 1956 as the BRAZIL for Moore McCormick's NY/South American run and probably had more names than most ships. As to the PRESIDENT's pilothouse crew in the 1950s, Capt. Verne would have definitely been the Master and I imagine T.J. Decareaux would have been piloting back then. Capt. Roy M., son of Roy and father of current Capt. Verne C., would have been in the mix. Of course any of the Streckfi from the St. Louis base could have spent time on her too, especially in the winter.
26/03/2011 6:54 pm
President Pilot
My grandfather, Capt. Kelly King, was pilot of the President until 1955.
27/03/2011 2:27 am
Yes, wasn't he called R. M. Streckfus and not Roy. When I first came to New Orleans he had left the Streckfus company to join the ship pilots. And I also remember Robert Streckfus, Capt. Bob as I knew him.
Topic starter
27/03/2011 3:16 am
Multiple named Streckfi
Yes, he was R.M. and went to NOBRA, as has son Verne C. Robert, sons Robert and Steve also became NOBRA pilots. Joy and Troy Manthey have remained on river vessels (although not by choice in Joy's situation). Old Verne's grandson George has worked on towboats on the lower river too.
27/03/2011 5:19 pm
Thanks for that. I will dig for photos. We were there in the hot, muggy, depths of summer, on our way to Florida and a beach.