… and into Tampa Bay 1

From the sea buoy to the dock where we’d arranged to refuel at the top of East Bay was 40 miles!  I’d never really studied Tampa Bay…

On the way in, we passed an outbound Fednav bulker, a pilot boat alongside and some excursion boats on Egmont Key.  This is marks the beginning of the end to my trip:  out of the bayous and into the keys.

Outside the Sunshine Skyway we met outbound USCGC Pablo Valent.

We made it inside safely, leaving a sine wave wake. This bridge opened in 1987 after some spectacular tragedies. 

Keeper-class cutter Joshua Appleby was maintaining navigation aids. 

A shrimp boat was headed out to work. 

The channel in was long and sinuous.

American Rotortug (ART) Trinity headed outbound for an assist.   An older sister, Trident, appeared on this blog here. 

but not for Jones Act tanker Garden State. 

Bulker Sumatra (likely not named for Sumatra FL) was bound for sea. 

After passing the sea buoy four hours before, we still had not reached East Bay portion of 

Tampa Bay when we passed Liberty, a Marine Towing of Tampa tug built at Washburn & Doughty in East Boothbay!

All photos, WVD, with more Tampa Bay to come.