Page 75 - "Cap" Cowley - A Salvage Tug Captain

ISSUE : Issue 54

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1990/6/1

had capsized, there vas nothing else you could do about it. We'd done all we could. (Does she ever come up to you. does she inch up to you, or do you have to keep the line taut all the time?) Well, the line is never taut. Unless, as I said before, she rides out of beam of you. And then it can become taut, and it will break. But normal? ly, when you're towing, the line is never tight. A vessel where you'd have 15 fathom of anchor cable out from the ship's bow-- and that dips into the water. Your wire-- tow wire--is never out of the water. It goes over the stern of the ship and then into the sea, and you never see the wire. I suppose a lot of people think that the tow wire goes straight up. (Well, I would think. You're towing.) No way. No way. Your wire'd never stand that strain. (How does that work? How do you maintain a gen? tle towline?) Well, you have out, say, 2000 feet of towline. That's a lot. And then you have that 15 fathom of heavy cable. So, it sinks into the water. And that acts as a spring all the time, so your towline doesn't jar. Now, if you had your towline bar tight like that, and then the ship hits a wave, it's going to PUH!, like that, and the towline'd bust right away. But you've got this spring. So all. it does, if the ship hits a wave, it just raises it a little bit out--up and down in the water like that. And it acts as a spring.... You never let it become taut. If a case comes where you have to shorten up, because you've got some very capable navigation you have to do to get around a rock or around corners and this kind of thing--well, then you could have it tight. But your engine's never going more than dead stall ahead. You're not using your Located between Baddeck and Sydney on the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 105) Overlooking the Bras d'Or Lakes Seal Island Motel and Dining Room I'L' (Licensed) ''''''k Our Specialty y'jm TOUR I '''?? Coui ' at the Set 46 Modern Units Swimming Pool Air Conditioning 674-2418 TOUR BUSES WELCOME Country Living at the Seal Island Bridge power, you're just easing, easy--just call down the tube and tell the chief to give you up 5 revs or down 5 revs. So you're never jerking anything. And this never happens where there's heavy seas. You know, I'm talking about now when you're inshore, trying to navigate round a narrow place into a harbour. Then you can have a tight towline, if you're careful. The first thing when we arrived at Bermuda, there's all kinds of boats came out, and the aircraft. The harbourmaster--they sent out a pilot, of course, Bermuda pilot. Capt. Featherstone--the official from the Foundation Company--he'd flown up to Bermu? da. And the first thing he told me, he said, "You're not allowed to take it into St. George's." He said, "They won't let you take it in there because with that list, she's drawing too much water. They're frightened she's going to ground, and block up the harbour entrance so no ships can come in or out." So they told us, "You'll have to take her into Murray's Anchorage, where there's a battleship mooring buoy, and make her fast to that buoy." We had a pretty ticklish job getting it up this channel. But now, of course, the weather was smooth, and this is when we shortened the towline right in. But very. "V Blue Heron Gift Shop '' Boolcs • Glassware • Figurines • Woodenware • Crystai 'i' Gifts lor All Occasions AjL baddeck, N. S. 295-3424 Friendly Clothing Stores Serving All of Cape Breton Gentlemen Prefer Quality • Selection & Service That's why gentlemen prefer MEN'S WEAR Charlotte Street I Main Street SYDNEY I SYDNEY MINES

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