Sunday, April 1, 2012

A Tugboat's Christening.

Our neighbors are part of a family business specializing in marine construction where tugboats and barges are key operating machinery.  As the J.F. Brennen Company purchases new vessels, it is a tradition to christen the boats to ward off bad luck.  It should be noted that the Titanic was never christened.  We were lucky enough to receive an invitation to the christening of the M/V Thomas Kennedy tugboat (named after the company's CFO).  Father Cook offered a blessing and Mrs. Kennedy had the honor of smashing the champagne bottle against the boat.  Cullen's favorite part of the day was the tugboat tour.  We saw the two, giant, 1,600 hp engines, the captains chair with the various levers, computers and spotlights and the many ropes and anchors on board.  Now when we see the barges and connected tugboats on the Mississppi River, we will have a better understanding of their inner-workings.  And I can only wish that someday someone will name a boat after me!
Here's a bit more info from the local paper:
http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/new-tug-ahoy-brennan-s-cadillac-vessel-gets-traditional-send/article_0147d2dc-7b9f-11e1-8bbf-001a4bcf887a.html

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