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LOOKIT THE BALLS ON THIS TUGBOAT

I stumbled upon this photo sequence shot in 1979 of a goddamn tugboat pulling a maneuver surfers call a "duck dive" under a bridge and it made my day. I'm pretty sure it's real because it looks real--not all sketchy and photoshoppy (although, there are some pixels, which makes me suspicious). Plus, the website it came from is so low-quality that it's obvious it was thrown together by seamen who know less about computers than I do.

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I've always had what I feel is a healthy skepticism about boats and nautical antics in general. Water (all of it, rivers, oceans, pools) is a powerful force of nature, and after watching The Perfect Storm I learned that it's not something to fuck with. Drowning would totally blow.

But after seeing the captain of this vessel pull the equivalent of a Sullenberger on some river in Alabama I think we just may have finally made water our bitch. It's nothing to be afraid of anymore.

Anywho, the keel of this whole post is pasted in a mast of photos yonder in the hold, and the best way to view it is starting at the burgee and working your way down to the deck. Avast, etc.

JONATHAN SMITH