Fleet Week!

"........Fleet Week! It's my favorite holiday!" - Samantha of "Sex & The City"

Truer words were never spoken.

Me too, Samantha!

So I was invited to view the ships enter the harbor today, but I couldn't get down to New York. But I demanded a report and pictures.

Courtesy of Fishmugger (commenter at The Castle of Argghhh!!!)
At the dock on time, 0600 hours, casting off and heading out from under the shadow of the famous twin light houses atop Atlantic Highlands bluffs. Sun barely up.

Heading out estuary between Sandy Hook and the mainland into Raritan Bay. Seas light to calm - air temp 52 water temp 58, light breeze accelerated by 20 knot boat ride.

Passing Earle Munitions Pier, must be careful, trigger happy Marines don't fire more then 3 times before the klaxon horn sounds to warn you off from crossing the buoys of death.

(Pix to follow)

If Earle ever blows you can buy nice beach front property in Scranton PA. Picatiny and Bristol arsenals ship through Earle along with any other such manufacturing facility.

Question to follow up on - what are they doing with all the 16 and 8 inch rounds the Navy no longer can use? The biggest gun today is a 5 incher.

Mist on the water, big bridge clouded, Kearsarge anchored just east in the lee of Brooklyn.

(Pix to follow)

Nothing much happening, doing a drift, hooking up Yellow Eyed Devils (Blue Fish) and some Stripers (Striped Bass). Waiting for the Navy; sky getting bluer, sun full up, light breeze broken clouds, air temp up to 58 water still 58.

After checking ESE for the hundredth time, form of a war ship appears out of the mist. We are still in Raritan Bay and distance to ships will be great as they move up main channel of New York Bay. Tiagonderoga Class Cruiser leading the way and every few minutes an Arleigh type destroyer breaks out from the mist in trail. The lead Cruiser and 5 destroyers cruse past us and under the Veranzano Bridge. NYC Fire Department has fire boat at harbor entrance doing chrysanthemums of water in solute of the Fleets arrival.

(Pix to follow)

Air temp 62, water still 58. Full Sun.

The last ship in line is some type of auxiliary vessel flying a big Canadian flag. At that point the Kearsarge slips from anchorage and follows. The Army cannon from Fort Hamilton fires a solute. We counted at least 15, but we were over a mile away and the breeze made hearing difficult. We didn't know if they were saluting the ship or the Flag officer.

No fly by this year.

We then turned our backs to the bridge and headed back to home dock. All Blues still swimming, Stripers in the box.
*****************
These emails usually open with an appropriate salutation..........but he was up at 0300, so I'll cut him a little slack.