Oral History: Tom Teague's Reflections on being a Tugboat Captain. 2000.
Well after this interview below, Captain Tom Teague published a book "Tales from a Tugboat Captain" and became a social media rock star with Facebook posts with photos and videos and explanations of the job and tuglife. See the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/CaptainTomTeague
https://www.captaintomteague.com/
Since he's a captain for Reinauer, a towing company with a homeport in Red Hook's Erie Basin, Tom's book and Facebook feed have a lot of Red Hook WaterStories!
Several short clips cover how tugs move things (pull, push, alongside). Tom speaks about his pride and joy, the bow pudding on his tug. On segment explains old-time mariner superstitions. One segment talks about picking on the new guy. Another segment has Tom's detailed laments about the increase in paperwork "too much" so "it's now more like a job job and less like a boat job."
These interviews of Captain Tom Teague and Mate Mike Dunn were done on the tugboat JANICE ANN REINAUER in Erie Basin Bargeport. The JANICE which is no longer in NY harbor. It was sold to a company in Nigeria and exported.
This is what she looked like http://tugboatinformation.com/pictures/01182.jpg
Unedited interview by Carolina Salguero c. 2000
Images
Audio
Tom Teague: Push, Pull, and Alongside - three ways of moving
Captain Tom Teague describes the three ways tugboats move ships. | Source: Carolina Salguero View File Details Page
Captain Tom Teague and Mate Mike Dunn: The Shaggy Rope on the Bow - Bow Puddings
Tom Teague and Mike Dunn talk with pride about bow puddings - shaggy rope fenders, traditionally used to protect tugboats, but now very rare in this port. View File Details Page
Captain Tom Teague - Mate Mike Dunn: Women, Blue Hulls, Black Bags, Old Boots & Seagulls
Sailors' superstitions View File Details Page
Captain Tom Teague: Rude to the New Guy
Captain Tom Teague talks about coming in as an outsider and not being welcomed by the traditional workforce. and how the tugboat strike of 1988 changed the dynamics of tugboat life. View File Details Page
Captain Tom Teague: Feeling Penned Up.
Captain Tom Teague discusses how new regulations past after the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster made working on a boat far less casual. View File Details Page