Around the Corner and East coast beckons.

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CS:
Thursday 12th March 2009: We slipped our mooring around 7.30pm on Monday 9th (yes darkness again) and negotiated the river under two bridges then under a 3rd bridge into Galveston Bay. Next morning we were abeam Louisiana and heading to Florida Keys. The weather is bright and sunny, the Gulf of Mexico showing some white caps but generally calm and our motion is steady. The weather continues fine with strong sun and blue skies.

We are in the Atlantic by Thursday and the sea is still very quiet. We are making good time as our Captain likes but we cannot benefit from getting there earlier. Over night conditions changed and we rolled quite a bit and it rained heavily. By Friday we are closing on Chesapeake Bay but the Captain is zig-zagging to kill time. The current is helping our progress but we can’t get to the pilot station sooner than 4am and it is not useful to anchor off for only a few hours. Again we will arrive in the dark because with daylight saving just introduced it doesn’t get light till after 7am. It will take about 2 hours to the dock. We have 3 ‘heavy lifts’ to discharge at Newport News so we will stay until 15th.

Saturday 14th March 2009: In port and still dark; weather overcast and wet. No persons must go beyond the yellow line marked near the ship and we can only leave the dock with one of 2 designated taxis who are TWIC (Transport Worker Identity Card holders) approved. Ashore and waiting for our cab, it is very cold. Not much wind but light rain and overcast. A Police officer in a surveillance car explained some of the new security rules, stressing we must not walk across the yellow lines, but did not offer the courtesy of his Chinese counterpart in sharing his vehicle while we waited; more rules probably, he certainly seemed kind.

Finally our cab arrived. Our bright talkative driver Karen chatted the whole time. She got us out of docks and through the downtown area which she said was ‘bad news’. (Newport News has one of America’s highest murder rates). We went to Patrick Henry Mall and enjoyed a good Italian meal at a restaurant nearby. Shopped, looked, internetted and enjoyed great food and good wine, but the weather precluded doing anything more adventurous. Clearly this area is significant for the US military with large bases on land and navy installations around the Bay. Langley is also a short drive out of NN.

Karen picked us up about 6pm; she very kindly provided ‘cosy hands’ heating packs for me and took us to a liquor store so PP could get some rum. At the ship three crew members were happy to grab our cab.

Monday 16th March 2009: On Sunday we sailed at noon in overcast and misty weather which seriously limited visibility (even in daylight it seems we are not to see.) Chesapeake Bay is a big body of water. We sailed over three vehicle tunnels to reach the pilot station just off the last headland. We travelled very slowly for some time to get out of the ‘right whale’ zone, then powered up and travelled up the coast till 10.30pm. We arrived at Philadelphia shipyard by around 6am and unloaded the ship’s engine we carried (a truly ‘heavy lift’) and will proceed to Tioga (not far from the city centre) arriving in the morning of 17th.

PP:
Monday 16th March 2009: It’s nice to see some aviation activity again after all of these oceans, seas, bays, gulfs, estuaries, rivers, docks and wharves!! We are unloading at the Aker shipbuilding shipyard almost next to the Philadelphia International Airport, seeing the runways with aircraft passing almost overhead just after take-off. It’s busy! Lot’s of pilots, no pirates, not sure about pilates? The scurvy knaves won’t let us ashore here - not until we get to the regular unloading docks further upriver. Hoist the Jolly Roger! They deserve keelhauling!

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Photos

PP Leading the Way
Industrious Leaning

CS On the Trail
Good wine & food

One for Baddams
Norfolk & Newport News

Passing traffic
Not quite covert

Heavy Lift
Ship's Engine

Aviation Activity
Philadelphia Airport plus barge