Pictures from the trip - Page 1

The crew:  Me, Todd, Chuck, and Scott.  Taken in Beaufort, NC, after completing the 3-day offshore portion.  I was bare footed.  Everyone else was wearing heels.

In our first lock from Chuck's perspective.  Note the lines hanging down from the walls on the right side.  The exit doors are opened slightly to equalize the water level.

Personal Flotation Device Familiarization.  While on the canals across Florida, Scott talked Todd and me through donning, arming, manually inflating, and then stowing our Type V PFDs which were brand new, still in the bag before we started.  We agreed that these would always be handy and would be worn at night and during periods of rough weather.

This shows the weather we experienced the first day while crossing Florida on the canals and Lake Okeechobee.  What weather?

After the breakdown in Indowntown, there was lots of time to waste:

A gator hanging out next to the boat at Indiantown Marina.

Todd with his niece and nephew, Sydney and Julian, at Indiantown Marina.

Tearing the pilothouse dash and overhead apart to complete the AIS installation.  Chuck was always at the ready with helpful suggestions.

With the steering fixed, we continued on our way:

Our first sunrise offshore on Wednesday, 24 June.

Chuck looking at the dolphins.  Unfortunately, it was very difficult to get pictures of them.  They visited often but didn't hang around long.  There were times they'd jump right in front of the boat, crossing the bow, but without a camera constantly ready, capturing photos of the action was impossible.

Here's the flag waving from the transom that I mention in an earlier post.

Chuck telling a sea story while the crew listens and the autopilot drives the boat.

I tried to capture the change in the seas after rounding Frying Pan Shoals, but the picture doesn't do it justice.  This picture doesn't show how deep the troughs are at 3 - 5 feet, but comparing this photo to the previous 4, it is easy to see that the character of the sea had changed significantly.

Scott and Chuck strolling the boardwalk in Beaufort, NC, recovering from the rough seas of the past 8 hours.

Near the end of the ICW as Chuck an I entered the Norfolk industrial complex.

Shortly after the above picture was taken, we rounded the corner into Portsmouth where several US Navy ships were docked for maintenance, including at least one aircraft carrier, possibly two.  I had my camera to my face, taking several photos, and I heard an admonition in the high distance, "Do not take pictures of US warships."  Lowering the camera, I looked up and saw a guard post on the aft end of one of the docked aircraft carriers from where the voice had come.  Once upon a time I was in the Navy and took many pictures of Navy warships while I was on active duty, so I didn't think twice about taking pictures this day until the voice from above informed me that I was doing something wrong.  Our lives have changed since 9-11, and that's sad, but I understand.

We were coincidentally (maybe?) shadowed by a Navy security patrol boat as we completed our transit through Portsmouth.  Chuck expected that they'd board us any minute and ask us for the memory card from my camera, but they never did.

The Norfolk cityscape.

Sunrise as we leave the marina harbor entrance on what would become the last day of the journey home.

The photos are no longer inserting where I want them to, so I'm going to start a new page.