Talk to me!

“Velsignet” was directly under the lift of 14-Mile Railroad Bridge when 5 loud signals blasted above us.  Brenda upped the speed to hurry us out from underneath it.  Minutes later, looking back where we’d just been, the lift was fully lowered and available for trains to cross over the Mobile/Tombigbee River.  We’d radioed ahead to the bridge master and received no response.  Had he been waiting for us to pass under?  What did the horn signals mean?  Were we doing something wrong?  Better communication would’ve been a nice thing!

Entering into the ship canal on the Mobile Bay, it seemed we were on a collision course with a huge container ship.  We slowed the speed of “Velsignet” to signal to the ship’s captain we intended to enter in to his stern (behind); the captain, in turn, slowed his speed to reduce his imposing wake.  The captain could’ve hailed us by radio, but our visual signals apparently clearly communicated our intentions.

Yesterday on Mobile Bay’s ship canal, a large vessel “hailed” us via VHF radio to inquire about our intentions for meeting his ship--and with good reason.  The water was choppy enough to bounce the bow (front) of “Velsignet” from one direction to another; it was impossible for ship’s captain to predict what we were going to do:  Left and left (Port to port)? Or right and right (Starboard to starboard)?

Vessels can also communicate using horn (“whistle”) signals.  While we were cruising the channel around Orange Beach, a boat approached us and gave us one whistle.  One whistle indicated he would meet us with his left (port) to our left (port).  If he had signaled us with two whistles, we would have known he wished to meet us on his right (starboard) to our right (starboard).

As far as communications at the 14-mile Bridge?  It was clear to us that we didn’t know what was going on.  So…we called the Bridge Master on Mike’s cell phone!   Yep.  The good ol’ cell phone.  And answering our phone call was a wonderfully nice guy!  The bridge master let us know our radio hail didn’t come through (note to self:  do another radio check!), and it seems we came upon the bridge at the perfect time when the bridge was lifted.  Mike asked and was given an explanation about the 5 short “whistles” (indicating the lift bridge was about to be lowered), and took the opportunity to thank the Bridge Master for allowing us passage. 



Pelicans have been a source of entertainment for us.  Here they congregate on one of the larger buoys as we enter into Mobile Bay's ship canal.

As we left Mobile Bay and entered onto the Mobile River, Austal, an Australian-based shipbuilding company, has a huge presence in Mobile.  These are two military defense ships.  We could also see more ships through each of the large open doors in the buildings.
The Mobile River goes through downtown Mobile.
These are the curved trusses of the I-65 Bridge.  We read that the locals call this the "Dolly Parton" bridge. 
It's up to you to figure out why!
The Mobile River becomes the Tombigbee River after we pass the tributary Alabama River.   
This is a small river off the Tombigbee River and the place we anchored for the night.  It was a beautiful evening.  The cicadas were the only noises we heard, except for the 2 small fishing boats that cruised by us.  We kept our eyes open for alligators as they are in the area---but no such luck!

After the anchors were set, it was time to relax and take in our surroundings.

Image result for middle bay lighthouse
About the hexigonal oddity in the middle of Mobile Bay photo I posted earlier. The structure is known by the locals as "Mid-Bay Light."  It is a functioning lighthouse that was built in 1885 and automated in 1935.




The following photos were specifically taken for our grandchildren, especially Killian and Owen, who have an interest in big machinery.  Enjoy, kids!


This is a Coast Guard boat in the Mobile Bay.  Can you see the guns at the front of the boat?
Here's a tug pushing a barge.


Another tug.  They are all over the place helping to move ships, barges, anything that needs help.

This is a huge container ship that we followed into the river.  We watched tug boats help it get positioned under the container cranes so it could be unloaded.

Lots of activity in the Mobile Bay!  Oil, lumber, sand...


This is a Harbor Patrol boat who seemed interested in the Carnival Cruise Ship that was parked downtown Mobile.


This is another one of the defense ships by Austal.


Another large ship.

Another working boat.



This was farther up the river where tugs continue to be seen hauling or pushing barges.

This is the Carnival Cruise ship that was docked downtown Mobile.

So much power behind these ships!




Comments

  1. Okay, I am all caught up on posts! I'm so impressed by you guys! You seem to be handling all the new experiences and challenges with aplomb. I'm really looking forward to following your adventures.

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