(gentle orchestra music) (fireworks pop) (boat honks) - We are at the Waterford Harbor, the beginning of the Erie Canal, for the tugboat roundup, the 25th tugboat roundup, to be exact, - [Man In The Distance] Make sure you have all your life jackets.

- [Janice] and it's a beautiful day on the lovely harbor.

- They have a tugboat parade from Albany up the river, and they all go through the Troy Loch.

There's so many boats they have to loch through twice.

Come here, and it's a big to-do.

They blast the horns, and the fire department sprays water, and everybody stops here and stares.

- Everybody loves tug boats.

Everybody wants to, especially children, they wanna climb all over it, and it's like, go over it, go for it, kids.

Have a good time, and it's just a wonderful way to spend a weekend on the boat.

- What years were you on the Urger again?

- 2005 to 2010.

- Okay, gotcha, yeah.

- I've been on several tugs for the tugboat roundup.

Been on shore quite a bit too when I can't get a captain to let me on, which is usually my own personal choice.

I've had enough boats for a while.

I've run quite a few tugs, about 14 state tugs total, counting tenders and everything.

The very last thing I did for the state was to run the Urger.

I keep coming back to the tugboat roundup to see old friends, like my friend Jack here.

- I grew up in Waterford here, and back when I grew up, this was an active tugboat area.

I mean, you know, as kids, we'd jump on and get rides up through the lochs, jump off.

All my neighbors were tugboat captains.

The town was full of them.

I had went on to a career in New York State in human services.

When I retired from human services, there was an opening on the Tug Urger.

I says, that's the job for me.

The Tug Urger, it was an educational tool.

Our main mission was the fourth grade education, but in the summer when the schools were out, we would go to all the canal celebrations and everything.

So it was a tough job to do.

I kind of miss being on the water and all in the summer.

I don't miss being gone for weeks at a time, but it was a fun job.

(calm guitar music) (crowd chatters) - My interest in this boat came when I rented a canal boat out in Skinny Atlas.

It's slow.

Nine miles an hour is my top speed.

You're not gonna do any water skiing off the back of this boat.

You go further out, and there's bike trails alongside the Erie Canal, and I was always amazed the bikes were going faster than I was.

(laughs) Yeah, they are, Jan.

They really are going faster than you are, but yeah, this whole journey is not about speed, that's for sure.

It's about enjoying it, and there is something just enjoyable about being on the river.

(crowd chatters)