A large piling, lifted and carried by unusually high tides over the weekend, blocked the boat ramp this morning. I got a line on it and attempted to pull it to the side without success. Hopefully future high tides and winds will do the work for me. As for today, I had to drive to an alternate ramp about two and one-half miles up the very military and industrial southern branch of the Elizabeth River.
It is an excellent ramp, but I do not enjoy motoring with so many tugs, barges and security boats. There are cranes, massive dry docks for submarines, silos for grain, amphibious assault ships, railroad trestles, the remnants of an old fertilizer plant, etc. I only took the one photograph above showing the historic "hammerhead" crane at Norfolk Naval shipyard, plus the tug, barge and crane I shared the waterway with on the way to the main part of the river. Taking too many photographs, I have learned the hard way, is frowned upon by security types.
A treat for the day was sharing the water with the small boats from SailNauticus, which I have mentioned before. There were four boats out, each with an instructor and four students - all were having the time of their lives. It was great to see the brightly colored sails out on the river.
The youngest daughter was along for the sail. I had to wonder where she got an interest in taking photographs.
Here are a couple of her photographs below.
We decided to splurge and forked over $5.25 for a lunch time docking at the Waterside Marina, picking up a couple of subs and enjoying them under the shade of an umbrella at the waterfront park.
Early afternoon with a threat of thunderstorms moving in, I dropped the daughter off and motored up the southern branch to the alternate ramp. Tying up a woman with a beer in one hand - green bottle, maybe Rolling Rock - and a cigarette in the other, walked by Spartina, paused for a minute and said "Nice @ss boat you got there."
Spartina has gotten a few compliments over the years. I'll have to add that one to the list.
The threatened thunderstorm never appeared.
steve
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