Well, "early" is perspective. We were both feeling like the boat needed an outing and the weather weasels are calling for hot, humid, and windy (gusts to 35mph) today. Early is going to be better than late. I got the boat ready and we shoved off from the dock just before 8:00.
It is humid, the temp was 79ª, and the wind was light... you noticed the lack of breeze when you were moving with the wind, as we were on the canal that leads out. No other small boats moving in our canals or in the ICW. Not much at the turning basin port. This barge...
Can you tell whether it is empty or full? Hint: look at the water stain where it rides when weighted down; yep, it is empty. The tug to push it was at the commercial fuel dock...
This Coast Guard cutter was the only other vessel in the turning basin...
We looked around for dolphins - didn't see any, but it was nice to be out. A silhouette...
So, it may turn out to be a bird watching cruise. Heading towards the Brownsville Ship Channel, we came across some Roseate Spoonbills on the shore of this small island...
Great Blue Herons poking out above the mangroves...
More spoonbills...
The sun was low enough that it nicely highlighted their color.
The first boat we saw was a returning crewboat...
A hazy view of South Padre Island in the distance...
When I say "humid," even our Tervis tumblers were sweating. And then, the first view of a dorsal fin ahead...
As we headed towards them, they turned and came towards us. I put the throttle in neutral...
Right next to the boat, on both sides...
A youngster...
An adult...
That is a type of barnacle on the dorsal fins, not something wrong with the fin. We enjoyed their company. There were feeding, but taking the time to come close for a visit. If you raised your head, you got a good view of the spoonbills going by...
This is socially distancing at its best - we saw one other small boat in the distance...
We moved on, and then: another group of dolphins...
More close encounters...
A face above, and through the gate on the port side below...
I missed this synchronized jump - they were out of the water, just off our bow. But, we both have the mental images saved...
We watched for a while, then decided to head for home. A wave good-bye...
Before turning into our canals, we decided to look around a bit in the old PI shrimp basin. The activity is much less than it was a decade or two ago, but there is still some. These guys are painting a couple boats...
Some other shrimpboats...
Sadly, a derelict boat...
A very impressive metal Texas Game Warden boat...
Looking east, we saw that tug that was waiting for fuel - he is pushing that empty barge through our open swing bridge...
Then, back across the ICW and into our canals. With the boat tied off, Joan went inside to prepare a fruit plate and some pancakes & sausage. I rinsed off the boat and got it put away. Rufus was happy to see us. The air conditioning felt good. This was a good way to start the day.
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