No day on the water is the same

Took my usual boating venture up and back the Carqunez Strait this afternoon. While the waters are familiar, events are never the same. Like today, no ocean-going vessels in transit were observed. Moving commercial traffic consisted of a couple of dredging barges with tugs. Here are some of the sights.

Tug "on the hard" at Mare Island:



"Double egg beaters" flying over; they did it several times:



Benicia ferry landing: as a child I recall taking the ferry between Benicia and Martinez, but it was replaced by a bridge in the 1960s.



Looking eastward toward the Benicia bridges. There are three. The oldest (and lowest) is a double-tracked railroad bridge built around 1930, making the world's largest railroad ferries obsolete, and two highway bridges.



Fast-swimming pinniped near Benicia. Saw one earlier swimming in Mare Island Strait, and later resting/barking on a buoy in the strait.



From the Benicia bridge westward, followed this houseboat, complete with spiral staircase. They chose a good time to transit the waters: it was very calm (and warm) today. They continued on to the then-still waters of San Pablo Bay while we turned north up Mare Island Strait to home port. (Docked Panamanian freighter and C&H sugar plant in background.)



My transient neighbor's bird Captain Bligh.



Well, another interesting day on the Coot's home waters.

Great idea for a thread!

Mark:

You're a man that definitely takes time to smell the roses.

Mark
Thanks for sharing

Thanks for taking us along on your trip. It's always a joy to see pics of where other boaters go to play!

You certainly do seem to enjoy your boat! That always makes me happy to see, just as it makes me depressed to see what appear (at least to the naked eye) to be perfectly good boats just sitting forlornly in a slip, day after week after month, without even a cursory visit from the captain. That is so sad. Boats were made to be used, and diesel engines were made to be run.

John

So true

I agree John. Every marina we stay in has more vessels unvisited than being used. It's such a shame. I suppose loss of interest, needed repairs or health reasons would be near the top of the list for this. Maybe a prospective boat owner should need to "qualify" before being allowed to purchase. Prove his resolve and commitment. Have the SO sign off on their intentions as well......

SeaHorse II said:

You're a man that definitely takes time to smell the roses.

Click to expand...

AND, take 400 pictures of each rose, from every conceivable angle and lighting condition, all perfectly in focus, just waiting for someone to ask a question about roses on this forum, at which point the best one will be posted to put an end to any confusion about what the perfect rose should look like.

Seriously Mark, I envy your photography and organizational skills. Oh, hell, I envy your boat too

.........

My "Rose":



I must have picked up a few pointers from former photo-journalist Perla (Ph.D. in journalism).

markpierce said:

My "Rose":

I must have picked up a few pointers from former photo-journalist Perla (Ph.D. in journalism).

Click to expand...

Mark
This is by far your best one yet.......
Nothing but pure points!

Way to go, Mark!

Did I detect a pun within a pun (concerning pointers)?

markpierce said:

Did I detect a pun within a pun (concerning pointers)?

Click to expand...

:lol: