One evening in Hoquiam, Wash., just before the May full moon, I walked a ditch choked with driftwood....
...looking for the tidal inlet on the Grays Harbor bay.
A turkey vulture rode the westerly wind...
...and a great blue heron stalked the shallows.
Unbeknownst to me, a quiet presence moved on the water, announced suddenly by a blasting ship's horn.
The MP Ultramax 2 was coming to dock at the port.
I've been walking along the bay here for close to 10 years, and can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen a ship pass. It's always a treat.
It never ceases to amaze how these vessels dwarf the surroundings.
I followed along as the ship passed, switching between the path and the riprap to find the best shot. It's hard to gauge how fast it was moving: my best guess is about 30 mph. It was a kind of glide. The sound of the engines was quiet, and the waves it generated were much less disruptive than many of the smaller boats I've seen.
The ship turned after it passed the mouth of the Hoquiam River, revealing a second tugboat on the far side. The Lulapin and the Wynema Spirit both dock on the river in downtown Hoquiam; they're familiar sights on my walks to the grocery store.
The tugs guided the Ultramax past the terminal, to the east of Rennie Island (seen at right, above) where the Chehalis River empties into the bay. There they spun the vessel around and then pushed it over to the terminal. The video of stills below shows the process.
I knew the tugs would come back when they were finished, so I found a good spot at the mouth of the river and settled in.
I did some bird watching as I waited. I think these are cormorants.
A couple of great blue herons passed over. I see herons all the time on the bay or along the river, but usually not together. It is spring though: time to pair up.
It took a long time for the tugs to finish up, even though the Ultramax appeared to be in place at the terminal. I guess it takes some work to get it perfectly positioned: the tugs reset themselves along the side of the vessel a few times to make adjustments that couldn't be seen from my position. As they did, the sun set and the lights started popping on at the terminal.
The westerly wind I mentioned at the beginning picked up and got cold in the dusk. But the tugs eventually got 'er done and turned for home.
The tugs followed each other in a line most of the way, which made for some uninteresting photos, but at the end it looked like they were racing each other.
The Wynema Spirit won and turned upriver first.
My fingers were frozen, so I packed up and went home as soon as the Lulapin passed out of sight. It was worth the wait though.
Thanks for viewing!