MacGregorSailors.com

Irafatsar wrote:

http://vycsd.shutterfly.com/4236
if you look close you can see the security boat with the machine gun mounted and ready between us and the carrier. They paced us for about 20 minutes before we tacked away. We use the channel markers for our race series in the bay.

one would think after a year here I could figure out how to post a picture here.

OKAY, you win the photo contest!....machine guns and Macs

Quick reminder of the regs on Naval vessels- the magical numbers are 500 yards (caution) and 100 yards (stay out)

You must operate at minimum speed if closer than 500 yards to any naval vessel in US waters. Do not approach closer than 100 yards.

If you are going to be pushed close to the 100 yard limit, get on the VHF 16 pronto and hail the ship or patrol, state your intentions, and ask for guidance.

It is not unusual for these same distances to be used for exclusion areas around cruise ships and large LNG ships in major ports. Do research before going.

Irafatsar wrote:one would think after a year here I could figure out how to post a picture here.

Unfortunately, ShutterFly does not permit "Hot-Linking" to images stored on their site. Try PhotoBucket, or Flickr.

~Rich

Here is one of the few pictures I have of my boat "Tropico" sailing on the Gregg Basin of Lake Mead. I also sail out of Marina Del Rey and Ventura in Southern California. I have enjoyed eveyone's pictures so here is mine.



You can't control the wind,
but you can adjust your sails.
Blessed be the wind.

Patrick Gilbert
"Tropico"(99MacX)
Canyon Country, CA

Irafatsar wrote:If you look close you can see the security boat with the machine gun mounted and ready between us and the carrier. They paced us for about 20 minutes before we tacked away.

Even without seeing the photo (thanks a whole %*!@ bunch, Shutterfly!) I'm reminded of taking my "Beija-Flor" along with me when I had a course to teach in the Norfolk, VA area. I was in town over the weekend, and (being a DoD civilian employee) I chose to bring along my boat. I found I would be able to put her in the marina at the Amphibious base at Little Creek, VA, and I spent a nice Saturday sailing around the Norfolk end of the Chesapeake Bay.

Two memories that are unique - First and most emotionally stirring was motoring out of the marina as they raised the colors. I stood in the cockpit at "civilian salute" (hand over heart) as The Star-Spangled Banner blared out of the PA system all over the base. Civilian weenie or not, I was Captain of the Beija-Flor and rendering honors as appropriate....

The other was returning after a morning's sail, calling Base Control, and having a big RIB (with .50-cals mounted) come out to check me in. I showed my "Common Access Card" to a hard-eyed Master At Arms before I was permitted to return to the marina - "badging in," as we called it at my office, but THIS time aboard a boat.

I wouldn't try to use my "DoD Retiree" CAC card to sail within 100 yards of a USN vessel today!

When I made my 9-week trip to Norfolk back in 2007 on my very first time on the water I hear the Coast Guard make an "announcement" on Ch 16:

"Attention all mariners. This is Coast Guard Station xxxxxxx. Capital Warship entering the channel for Norfolk Naval Yard. All boats maintain minimum 500 yards seperation. USE OF DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED!!!!"

Needless to say that got our attention. About 30 minutes later here comes a huge Aircraft Carrier over the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. I was pulling back into the marina so I didn't try to go out and sail around it.

However, I did sail within 500 yards of a military ship a couple of times...but they were smaller warships...one destroyer/frigate (don't really know the difference) and one oiler/supply ship.

It was very cool to sail down the line of ships at Norfolk. You could get pretty close as you sailed down the line. There were a couple of aircraft carriers, a handful of subs, 15-20 Aegis Cruisers, handful of supply/oiler ships. Plus one large hospital ship. And further on, past the naval yard, as you get into downtown Norfolk there were several more supply ships.

Very cool. I didn't take too many pictures of the Navy Ships when I was close as I was worried about the guys with machine guns sitting on the ends of the ship and the two or three Navy Patrol Boats.

Jim

Irafatsar wrote:

http://vycsd.shutterfly.com/4236 ....
One would think after a year here I could figure out how to post a picture here.

Here's your pic:

With Shudderfly you have to determine the actual location of the photo... and that's in the code on the page. Mozilla Firefox makes this easy... you just select "Tools" then "Page Info" and click the 'Media' tab... scroll down the list of embedded media and you'll find the pic... then just copy the URL and use that as your code to access it. For yours, it looks like this:

Hollywood municipal marina mid march 2010

Q1

I have been wanting to post a pic in here since the beginning (but had to have a boat first) so here she is





Allan

My wife, son, and I just completed a round trip from Sanford, Florida to Jacksonville on our 26X. My wife and I spent 10 days on the downstream (northerly) trek, and my son (age 40) and I completed the upstream (southerly) piece in 6 days. In additon to the beautiful scenery, wonderful people we met along the way, great food at riverside restaurants, and very supportive marinas, I learned how to dock the boat in just about any type of slip with any type of dock, cleat, piling, pier, wind, current, conditions, etc. that you could imagine. We used a combination of sleeping aboard and using motels or fish camp cottages for accomodations. A great trip; we highly recommend it. You can catch the photos at:
http://herschelandannesgrandadventures.shutterfly.com/

Sunrise - Newport Beach, CA July 2009

It is another rough day at the helm.....

Stern View:

Matt,

I sure hope one of them is the Admiral

Ray

The Admiral is in blue on starboard.....I do not think I would have been allowed on this trip unless she was on board

Ray, I think I am in for the 19th I will drop you a email shortly about it....

Dog gone man; I was going to post some pictures of mf Memorial Weekend trip but after seeing My Time's pictures I feel so inadequate. I need some vgra-xd before I post mine.