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good shape. "Out of twelve DC motors, we found only one with a brush holder that needed to be rebuilt. Cast. We found Fulmer, who could do it that way. Eight out of twelve batteries were donated by Mr. Delight Breidegam, founder and owner of East Penn Mfg. that produces Deka Batteries, to keep all the WWll sur- plus DC machinery happy. Sea Coast Electric Company, in Hawthorne, N.Y. donated some armour -- a spool of coated wire that is Military speced -- beautiful. An interior ladder is being put together at John Krevey's, whose Pier 63 will host much of the planned activity for the Pega- sus in the spring of 2006." Capt. Hepburn acknowledges a number of industry sources that contributed to the next big event in the life of the Pegasus -- to get back into the water. The twelfth of September was a Mon- day, the day after the conclusion of Water- ford Tug Roundup. A lot of boats were in transit, while others stayed put to sleep-in. Only a small gathering arrived for the Pegasus relaunch near the southernmost point of Staten Island, the southernmost point of New York State. A European video crew was on-hand, and a few well- wishers and supporters. Glistening in new coats of paint, the hull of the Pegasus still showed a long and active life, for some dents are forever. And a blindfold, though cloth instead of plywood, still covered her face. And when the Travelift lowered her, inch by inch and gently, back into the water, it was with nowhere near the panache of a slide down the ways. Under the day's hot sun the brie was as runny as the champagne. But it was a launching, and with a fixed-up hull, the old tug was ready to start the rest of her life. "Her new mission basically is educa- tion," says Capt. Hepburn, with both the bookish and the experiential in mind. "We're teaching kids about the harbor, and navigation — I think that's a metaphor for life, one thing to do on the dock, another to get them out there where things are changing all the time." Also in the cards are cruises aboard, of which there could be free public trips beginning from Pier 63, and charters for up to 12. There are other good uses for an old tugboat, some practical, some decorative. Improvements remain to be made aboard, of course, such as railings around the boat deck. Also, "wheelhouse windows are a biggie," said Capt. Hepburn. We joined the Pegasus one day in December, for her brief hop from Pier 63 to North Cove, where she's due on exhibit through March. We were pleased to see that the cloth blindfold could be rolled-up out of the way. Were it not for the wintry gusts as we headed down the North River, you would have thought she was finished. Capt. Hepburn eased the big hull into a slip on a shoreline built long after it was, or even converted to diesel — Manhattan ended a block or two inland at the time. Directly across in the new New Jersey glistened a thousand setting suns in the windows of corporate towers, winter darkness spreading over the former Morris Canal. Even before the lines were set, passersby approached to inquire about the boat, and one lucky citi- zen talked his way aboard. Yes, she got her new diesels back around when grand- pa was being born. Yes, she was part of the force that built everything around you. Yes, that force continues just over there, bigtime, just to the west, just on the hori- zon, and aren't you lucky it's there. 20 • MarineNews • February, 2006 Circle 218 on Reader Service Card Circle 229 on Reader Service Card Massachusetts Maritime Academy offers the USCG approved "Advanced Shiphandling Training in Manned-Models" course. This training meets STCW (1995) Table A-11/2 requirements for assessing Management Level (Masters and Chief Mates) deck officers. Additional Training at Massachusetts Maritime Academy Please contact us for complete 2005 schedule Telephone 508-830-5019 Fax 508-830-5018 www.maritime.edu Advanced Shiphandling in Manned Models USCG Approved Training See Course Listings Below! ? OPA-90 QI ? BST ? PSC ? Fast Rescue Boat ? Tankerman PIC ? GMDSS ? 100 Ton Master ? Advanced Shiphandling ? Radar Renewal ? ARPA ? BRM ? Visual Communications: Call for appoint. ? Medical Care/PIC HISTORY FEBRUARY MN2006 3(17-24).qxd 2/6/2006 11:12 AM Page 20
