Gray Seas...

No, there were no gray seas today - it was an absolutely beautiful day again today.  This morning, the house was filled with music and a quilt-alteration project.  After lunch, we decided to take the boat out for a couple hours.

The dredge pipe has been rising and sinking in our canal, as the dredge pumps slurry through it.  Of course, the best timing would be to get out while the dredge is pumping so we wouldn't have to scrape our way over the pipe... unfortunately, there is no way to predict when it will or will not be pumping anything through that pipe.

As we got the boat ready, the pipe was floating... then, sank enough that we could get over it.  The dredge is on the other side of a bridge from us, and there is no way to see them and vice versa.

By the time we got to the third crossing, the pipe was coming back up to the surface... motor up and off, and we got across.  Back down with the motor to move up the canal, and repeat...

With Joan at the front of the boat, she could see where the pipe was - working together, we got out.

Very little breeze today, the water was flat and pretty...

Heading out the Port Isabel Channel, we came across some familiar faces...

Mike and MJ's boat is named Gray Seas, because...

This is Gracie, and she lets Mike and MJ go out on her boat.  (Gracie's... Gray Seas... get it?)  Pulled up by each other, we visited for a while.  MJ said the dolphins weren't being very social today - we were just looking to get out on this beautiful day, but she was right: we did not see a single dolphin.

But, it was a lovely day and nice to be out and about on the water.  Very little boat traffic of any kind today...

Well, this one crewboat coming up behind us...

Coming back in, this Great Blue Heron kept an eye on us...

Once again, the pipe was positioned differently from when we went out.  Two "scrapes," one drift across, and one right out from our dock that we cleared as we rotated to come to the dock.  Not long after tying off, the pipe came floating up...

Good timing - it would have been a pain to get across it and get rotated with the motor up.  I'm crediting good clean living.  ;-)

------------------

I know what you're thinking: "What about Izzy?"

Yep, sweet.  A year now with this boat and we haven't taken her out on it.  She did fine with Wild Blue, but there was a secure cabin with a comfy V-berth for cat naps.  Maybe one of these days if the dredge is ever out of here, making our departure and return less ... um... dicey.