Everything but the tow. I sailed the USCGC BISCAYNE BAY, out of StIgnace, for 3 years (87-90) up there.

That must have been a nice handling and quiet vessel. I ran some single screw tugs with Fairbanks, and they were always quiet. A pair of Fairbanks and a thruster on the BISCAYNE BAY.

For most of my time, I had 1,800 on one EMD, single screw, single rudder. Very underpowered, when you were moving four of these scows:

http://fuzzyco.com/bare/nyif/Images/big/garbageliberty-new.jpg

Taking them through the Gate more fun than sitting at this desk.

As a young dormitory-dwelling Airman at Loring AFB in 1982 I had a roommate that was a very prolific snorer. Usually by the end of the night all the shoes in the room where piled up on him.

One day as my girlfriend (future/current wife) and I were going back to the room to get something, I told her to "wait a sec". You see it was only 11 am on a Saturday morning and it was questionable as to whether Joe was up yet (2nd shift worker, Bud drinker, so on and so forth). I cracked the door peeked in, checked to make sure everything was all clear. I determined it was a good time to enter the room. Some gf and I waltz in there. Joe is in the middle of the room in his underdrawers. He is caught between his bed and a chair. He doesn't know whether to S%^& or go blind. He darts to a straightback chair calls me an SOB in his Long Island accent and tells me to give him a blanket. GF and I laugh rather heartily and left. I'm not sure he ever forgave me....

At least one of my boats had a crank for the mast, most were even more basic; you sent the deckhand up and he lifted or lowered it using his hands.

Being on a small USCG Cutter we would dress the "Boot" in a life jacket, wrap his arms & legs with aluminum foil and have him stand on the dock, moving his arms & legs as needed so we could "calibrate" the Radar.

1 kid, after he went to bed, we dripped green chem light over his blanket and then woke him up, telling him that he had gotten too much radiation and had to be MedEvac'ed.

The kid had a good sense of humor and was then welcomed as part of the crew. The things that icebreaking does to the brain is amazing!!