Boston Harbor

Yemeni tanker plied the harbor this morning while you slept.

The Phoenix gives us a tour of Long Island.

Matt Conti reports the Conservation Commission recently voted to allow some maintenance work at Constellation Wharf in the Charlestown Navy Yard only on the condition that owners remove a gate that was preventing public access to viewing areas along its pier.

The Conservation Law Foundation yesterday formally accused the city of failing to stop high levels of bacteria, oil and dissolved metals and chemicals pour into Boston Harbor through its 201 "outfall" pipes that collect road runoff from nearly 20,000 catch basins - and from the neighboring town of Brookline.

Adam Balsam says Tom Menino and Sal LaMattina should stop their posturing, listen to the Coast Guard and admit giant LNG tankers are safe.

Matt Conti, who lives in the North End, acknowledges the risk of a neighborhood-consuming fireball is low, but notes all the precautions the Coast Guard takes and says Boston shouldn't have to be the only city in the US where giant LNG tankers are allowed in a densely populated area.

Over the objections of city officials, who don't want the risk of ships from a terrorist haven, the Globe reports.

The Aurora, which normally makes the run between Hingham and Rowes Wharf, had to make an emergency stop at Spectacle Island when its engine caught fire around 11 a.m., according to reports from the Coast Guard and the Boston Fire Department.

No passengers were aboard at the time and the ship's crew put out the fire with an on-board CO2 fire-extinguishing system, the Coast Guard reports. Both a Coast Guard ship and the Fire Department's marine unit responded, along with a Boston fire engine and ladder company.

The ferry will remain at Spectacle Island until repairs can be made, the Coast Guard says.

Massive development along the harbor is so last century. E. Kevin Schopfer proposes a massive development IN the harbor - a floating block of concrete and steel in the harbor with enough room to house 15,000 people and "sky gardens" every 30 floors that he calls the Boston Arcology or Boa:

Boa will eliminate the need for cars within the urban structure to create a carbon neutral entity. Some of these elements are secured wind turbines, fresh water recovery and storage systems, passive glazing system, sky garden heating/cooling vents, gray water treatment, solar array banding panels, and harbor based water turbines. A massive park system platform (pedestrian only) will be more than double the current green space allocation for the waterfront of Boston.

Via ArchBoston.org.

Katken photographed First Night, including this ice sculpture in front of Trinity Church.

Posted under this Creative Commons license and tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

Greg Mackay photographed ice penguins by the Aquarium. Matt Conti videoed the fireworks over Boston Harbor.

The light source may have changed over the years, but the Coast Guard reports that the Fresnel lens that has let mariners know they're nearing Boston Harbor is the same one that was first used on Dec. 21, 1859:

J.L. Bell tallies up just how much tea was dumped into the Harbor on Dec. 16, 1773 - and answers the question of just how large a chest of tea was.

It will look something like this (assuming, of course, it's moved to one of the refilled canals):

Shaukat posts an interesting photo of the Financial District.

Copyright Shaukat. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Tug, tug, tug

The Theodore Too normally plies the harbor of Halifax, but came down to Boston this weekend to help do, um, something related to the annual delivery of the Christmas tree Nova Scotia gives us as thanks for our help after a disastrous ship explosion in Halifax during World War I.

When we got to the World Trade Center around 3:30, it was kind of odd: Theodore sat there grinning despite the fact there was absolutely nobody in the strange city to keep him company - we'd thought he'd be open for a tour then. Oh, well. The kidlet really wanted to see him and we did - and we got to marvel at the SimCity nature of the South Boston waterfront ("I can see all the blue squares," she said - think she plays enough SimCity?)

Pouring 40,000 oysters into Boston Harbor to help clean it up even more:

Massachusetts Oyster Project blog.

Via NorthEndWaterfront.com.

The Herald reports. Hmm, maybe they moved to Charlestown to get away from the noise at the South Street Diner.

Local 718 reports a barge fire in Boston Harbor out past Castle Island. Both Massport and Boston firefighters responded to the fire, which crews on one of the two tugs pushing the barge were able to extinguish.

The Boston Business Journal reports on a preliminary ruling by the FAA that proposed 40- and 59-story towers on what is now the aquarium parking garage are way too tall too close to Logan. Developer Don Chiofaro basically said "meh" and that the ruling just means closer scrutiny of the project.

Wicked Winthrop reports the town's gotten a $950,000 federal stimulus grant to start ferry service to and from Rowe's Wharf.

The BRA is leading efforts to win federal stimulus money for a proposed $84-million revamp of the antiquated Marine Industrial Park (which includes the Black Falcon Pier), by among other things, adding facilities for handling larger cruise ships and restoring freight rail service back to the waterfront.

You pour them into Boston Harbor from Commercial Street in the hopes they'll establish a colony and help clean up Boston Harbor.

Massachusetts Oyster Project - which has already placed 150,000 oysters in the harbor by the mouth of the Charles.

If you hear loud booms from Boston Harbor, it's a cannon salute for the USS Constitution, Boston Police reassure.

The T reports the turnaround of Old Ironsides is causing 30-minute delays on the Charlestown ferry.

John Carrol is struck by how few hot dogs the winner and runner-up of a hot-dog-eating contest on Spectacle Island actually ate: The winner barely scarfed down 7 1/2 in 10 minutes:

... Not to get all New York on you, but at the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, they down almost ten times that number of franks in the same amount of time. ...

Jeff Tamagini took a long exposure at Union Wharf (compare to Ed O'Connor's dawn shot of the pilings).

Copyright Jeff Tamagini. Tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

Boston Police report a man using an inflatable boat to row out to his 18-foot dory to bail it out of rainwater Sunday evening fell out of the boat when it capsized. He couldn't get back in, so he started to swim back to shore. Police say the Harbor Patrol Unit found him in the Reserve Channel past the Peninsula Yacht Club, where Boston firefighters and EMTs were already trying to get him a lifeline. "He was released unharmed," police say.

Sekbaavi watched the sun go down from the Hyatt Harborside Hotel.

Copyright Sekbaavi. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.