March 2, 2020
The Herschel ‘Woody” Williams, stationed in Norfolk, turned up at the cruise ship terminal this morning.
February 13, 2020
I think everyone at Tidewater took this shot. Most complete and vivid I’ve ever seen.
October 26, 2015
The Mile Zero speed cam nabs another one. Somebody's in a hurry to get to Coinjock before they run out of prime rib tonight.
August 14, 2015
Today at Mile Zero: The 140' Feadship ANDIAMO has quite a story. Read it here: http://www.boatinternational.com/luxury-yacht-life/owners-experiences/nancy-mueller-s-epic-voyage-aboard-feadship-yacht-andiamo--1623
August 31, 2015
The 160' Lady Georgina, putting to sea. She was one a several large yachts hanging around here to see where tropical depresion Erika was headed. Accooring to Marine Traffic, Lady Georgina is headed to Port Hawksbury, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Looks like a good place to wait out Fred.
March 3, 2015
The 50' Trumpy CHESAPEAKE slices south on a cool March day. And yes that is snow on the docks at Mike Zero. The boat is for sale by the way. Call Now!
December 15, 2014
The Arleigh Burke, which was the lead ship of the Arleigh Burke class of guided missle destroyers, and launched at Bath Iron Works in 1991. The keynote address was given by then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney.
October 31, 2014
The 60' William Hand Motorsailer NOREASTER, built in 1927. See: noreaster.org. There is another Hand motorsailer, BURMA, pictured back on the Trawlers, Passsagemakers, and Motorsailers page.
October 21,2014
There is something special about older motoryacts. This is the 78' CHINTA MANIS, built by Stephens Marine in 1975. She is headed south down the ICW, the Arleigh Burke class destroyer, USS MASON, is headed north under tug assist.
September 23, 2014
A jetski and the 122' Expedition Yacht "Zeepaard" make a proper port-to-port (one whistle) pass. Whew!
May 22, 2014
Delaware's tall ship the Kalmar Nickel, a reproduction of a ship that carried Swedish immigrants to the New World. Probably tucking into Ocean Marine for some maintenance before Norfolk's Harborfest and a summer's worth of appearances.
The 200' Feadship Majestic. You can charter this modest little yacht. See: http://www.burgessyachts.com/en/charter-cat-1/yachts-for-charter/motor-yachts/majestic-00006588.html
May 14, 2014
A lovely example of my favorite boat went by, the Hinckley 49 from the mid-70's. Not the most graceful of Hinckleys, but a decent sailer (has a B-40 bronze centerboard), a decent displacement powerboat, well-mannered offshore, confortable, and exquisitely built. I wish I knew her original name, I probably did the final inspection, rigged her and took the owner on the first sail. At least one of the 49's circumnavigated.
From a few day's ago: the Columbus Foundation's PINTA stops over in Norfolk on the way to St Michaels.
One of the Elizabeth River Ferries "steams" past the office. There are three; usually just one is in service on the half hour round trip to Norfolk. A second gets pressed into service during summer events and a third runs to the ballpark for the AAA Norfolk Tides games. It is a cool city where you can ride to the mall, the ball park, restaurants or work on the ferry and not need a car at either end; even cooler that the ride is 75 cents when you're over 60.
April 14, 2014
Snowbirds! What has been a trickle is now a steady stream of boats headed back north. This is a very nice Kady Krogen 39. Great winter quarters for a couple. She has pulled into Tidewater for the night.
April 11,2014
Today at Mile "0": The US Army's Logistics Support Vessel MG ROBERT SMALLS. Google "LSV-8" to get the lowdown on these vessels.
April 4, 2014
154' Yacht Cherosa on her spring transit between Palm Beach and New England. I imagine she is headed to Ocean Marine Yacht Center for a spring shine up before the New England season. Doing a search on Yacht Cherosa will bring up her details.
March 21, 2014
Today at Mile "0": The 263' Ferry Pocahontas, which serves the Scotland to Jamestown, Virginia route across the James River. She has a Voith-Schneider cyclodial propeller at each end. Check out: http://www.dsboffshore.com/voith-schneider-tugs.php and play with the simulator.
February 4, 2014
The bulk carrier F. D. JACQUES GRAUBART, fill up the screen at a modest 715 feet.
The menhaden boat RAPPAHANNOCK waits for the draw at the Berkley Bridge. It is a converted offshore supple vessel (OSV), and as "pogy boats" go, it is the state of the art. Stay upwind.
January 20, 2014
Today at Mile "0": The Wagenborg bulk carrier Arneborg of Delfijl. Say that 3 times fast.
December 11. A real snowbird.
Schooner AUDACITY down from Maine and headed for warmer climes. Captain Steve and a cat the only crew. Says he's looking for a Mrs. Steve but hasn't found the right one yet.
December 9. The IWO JIMA
The IWO JIMA heads back to the naval base after a refit at the BAE yard in Norfolk.
December 5-6 . Still a few stragglers heading for warmer climes.
Selene 55 BIG SMILE hustles south between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The well known 1957 Trumpy CHESAPEAKE lit up in the afternoon sun.
A Prowler powercat slides quickly by. Seems like a great way to travel. Speed with modest power and lots of room.
October 29. Snowbirds
Missed a few weeks of the migration to work at the Annapolis Boat shows. Here are a few late October shots of passers by and my best guess at what they are.
Classic Dutch built motoyacht SUMMER LOVE of Annapolis.
A steel trawler, possibly a Bering or a Canandian build.
A nice Alden express cruiser.
A Selene 45 trawler.
A Defever trawler.
The 94' Burger MISTY
A staunch little ship, foreign flag, ready for sea with the islands ahead.
October 1. The southern migration begins.
Here is the smallest of the Mirage Manufacturing trawlers buit in Florida. This is the Great Harbor N-37 and interestingly enough is designed by the same designer, Lou Codega, as are all the Regulator center console fishing boats, and lots of other remarkable craft. This little yacht model has many ocean passages to her credit, including a trip from Florida to Hawaii on her own bottom.
A Viking enclosed bridge convertible rigged to cruise. The enclosed bridge is a sky lounge on these boats. Notice the lack of outriggers, no smelly fish on this boat.
September 22 A few shots from last week
A shippy Canadian steel trawler heading south.
The Eagle's Eagle.
Coast Guard Training Ship Eagle pays a port visit to Portsmouth.
Grand Banks Aleution 59 heads home to Florida. The movable vacation home.
September 10 Some serious iron
It doesn't get much bigger than this: the nuclear aircraft carrier EISENHOWER heads upriver to the naval shipyard. The bow is about 100 yards from my desk.
September 9-10 Exodus
It's a great time of year for yachtspotting as the New England season wraps up and charter motoryachts head south for the next season. Many are stopping here for refits at Ocean Marine or Colonnas before the Carribbean Season begins. On the left is the Westship FEELIN' FREE, on the right the Feadship CASUAL WATER.
September 7. An old school tug.
Moran Tug JEAN TURECAMO has to be the tug that all bathtub tugs were patterned after. I smile whenever she goes by. If you look closely she seems to have lips about a third of the way up her bow. Built in 1975, her profile is rapidly being supplanted in the big ports by the twin screw Z-drive tugs.
August 29 40' Whittholz Trawler graces the view from the deck.
Looked up from my desk today and saw this small custom trawler go by. Later I met up with the boat and its owners at the city basin and discovered it was the CHARLIE NOBLE, a Charles Whittholz design built in Reedville, Virginia in the 1970's. Note the painted trim and just enough exterior varnish on the rails. A proper little ship.
August 28. Westport 130
A warm, humid (can you see it in the air?) walk to work this morning. I was greeted by the sight of the Westport 130, BEACH GIRL, probably headed to Ocean Marine for her annual shine up before the winter season. As megayachts go, I find these particularly handsome; they should be with naval architecture by William Garden and exterior styling by Greg Marshall. With only 6.3' of draft, there aren't many places you can't go.
August 22. Did I say James Bond dropped by?
120' Yacht MOONRAKER. When built in 1992, she was the fastest megayacht at around 60 knots. The record still stands, but after a 2002 refit she is now advertised as a mere 35 knot boat, which takes about 7000 hp. Stayed here last night and put on fuel. Google "yacht moonraker" for details.
August 20. A Tuglet.
A Lord Nelson 37 Victory Tug passes the Wisconsin. A Maine lobster style underbody, with a sheer and house patterned after Moran tugs of the 50's, named after Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, and built in Taiwan. See: <http://www.lnvt.org/>. Always wanted one.
August 8. The FD Crockett
Four Chesapeake Bay Oyster Buy Boats came up the river today. I'll take a trip across to Norfolk on the ferry and try to get close up in the next day or two. This is the FD Crockett from the Deltaville Maritime Museum.
August 2. A summer morning at Mile "0".
A couple enjoys a fine summer morning heading upriver on the diminutive Bay Boat ON TOP. Yes, those are lawn chairs on the aft deck.
August 1. SCHELDEGRACHT
The bow of this modern Dutch bulk carrier made an interesting shot coming out from behind a marina building. It was charging right along.
July 29. GB Eastbay headed north.
A very nice Grand Banks Eastbay 45 SX heads north, hopefully to Maine and the best cruising in the world for the next 2 months. I had my thumb out. These boats were early to the party in Downeast Express, Ray Hunt design. I can't think of a nicer way to travel.
July 24. A couple of recent snaps from the deck.
The (push) Tug "Little Sam" is a tugboat reduced to its essence: hull, engine, pilothouse. It does have a flybridge, however.
US Army Corps of Engineers patrol vessel "Harrell" is a familiar sight in Hampton Roads. Here she is at Mile "0" with the bow of the Battleship Wisconsin and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in the background.
July 10. A couple of distinguished visitors go by.
The USS New York heads back to duty. This is the ship with Ground Zero steel.
RV Knorr from Woods Hole makes a port call.
July 5. Take the house along.
The 50' Florida Bay Coaster "Steel Magnolia" heading south. These Benford designed "personal freighters" are shippy looking homes on the water. For me, too much sail area to go to sea, but a fun way to have all, and I mean all, the comforts of home on the water.
Recent photos from the office deck
Some recent photos taken from the office deck. This is a boat nut's paradise.
The Schooner Virginia makes sail on the Elizabeth.
Yacht Sycara IV heads for the Norfolk Waterside Marina. Bruce King design, built by Burger in 2009.
A Staten Island Ferry, all shined up from Colonna's Shipyard, drops the aft tug, Steven McCallister, and heads back to New York on the hawser. PETA headquarters in the background.
July 2 Welcome to Blog
This is what you see from the Intracoastal Waterway at Mile Marker "0" heading south. I am probably watching you with binoculars from a window on the second floor. Wave.