Step right up - get yer tickets! Tickets here for the tour around Long Island. A limited number of seats currently available.
An absolutely beautiful day! I know - one in a row! It was 73º when I got up and the wind was... light. Really. Less than 40mph! Yeah, I'm kidding - it was about 10mph out of the east. Crisp air and sunshine. Time to get out on the boat!
Heading out of our canal, take a right, and head towards the Laguna Madre, in the ICW...
Heading towards the swing-bridge...
Looking back once we were through...
Looking ahead, towards the Queen Isabela Causeway and South Padre Island...
We ran southeast in the Laguna, passing one of our "regular" restaurants, Pier 19...
Just south of there is SeaRanch Marina...
Wet slip rates start at $65 per night. Some stack storage is available. The launch for the stacked boats...
On the way out of the marina...
Just south of SeaRanch is the Coast Guard Station South Padre Island...
Quick access to the Gulf and the Brownsville Ship Channel, from the Laguna Madre.
We saw a couple dolphin watch boats in the distance...
Heading towards the jetties area, this Coast Guard small boat was on the way in...
Fortunately, they gave us a wide pass - that wake coming from them is at least 4'.
At the very southern tip of South Padre Island is Isla Blanca, a county park. A small boat and kayak ramp here, including a recent sandy beach for kayaks...
We had a big breakfast before we left the house, but Joan brought snacks...
Out into the jetties area...
People fishing from the jetty...
Knowing that there were some dolphins that needed to be watched, we turned back in. Our first view of them...
That pontoon is one of them run by George and Scarlet (the dolphin whisperer) Colley; George is driving this one. We exchanged pleasantries, and watched the dolphins working the tidal rip line...
Joan took photos while I positioned the boat...
From there, it was west in the Brownsville Ship Channel, which would take us around the south side of our island. This guy was heading out as we were heading in...
Look close at the stern on that Coast Guard boat - there is a RIB docked in there.
With the easterly breeze and us heading west, I bumped up the speed a bit so we'd have some breeze to keep us cool...
Around the west side of Long Island, then into the first canal. And, we were home.
Joan wanted to powerwash the dock and railings, so I took the boat up the canal a short distance so it wouldn't get grubby from the over-spray. She did use the powerwasher on the transducer on the boat before I pulled away; it's the only part of the boat under the water than isn't bottom painted.
When I brought the boat back to the dock, the breeze had come up a bit, making for more effort to "stick the landing." Joan tied off the front while I got the stern.
With everything put away, it was time for "lupper": that meal between lunch and supper. Burger Fi was having their "National Loyalty Day" (triple reward points today only). Good burgers and "Cry and Fry" (an order of onion rings and fries) to go with the burgers.
When we got home, there was another step in our "techie journey" - an Amazon Fire Stick. Joan hooked it up to the TV and said, "Alexa, what is the weather today?"
No comments:
Post a Comment