§ Coming In....Going Out...

Even tho we have an Arctic front supposedly moving into our area over the Christmas weekend, with sub-freezing temps for a couple of days, I thought I'd go back a week or two, back to my regular day-trippin', when the day was balmy and the sun was shining. I went to Port Aransas to do my CBC [Christmas Bird Count] for the year. After I left the birding center, I drove to the ship channel jetty in hopes of seeing some ships come and perhaps, if lucky, seeing dolphins...

The first one I saw was a pilot boat heading out. Which means that one of the ships anchored out to sea was awaiting coming thru the channel as the now pilot aboard will guide them thru, safely.

Just minutes behind the pilot boat a tanker was leaving, and the pilot boat first seen was returning after dropping off the pilot onboard the tanker coming in...

My anticipating some dolphin action at the ship's bow, I didn't have too long-a-wait to see some once the tanker edged its way closer to where I stood...

When observers [I'm not the only one watching!] await the ship nearing them, it seems painfully slow. That, of course, is a safety measure! Most commercial vessels must maintain a speed of 6 to 8 knots to maintain steerage and they must remain near the center of a narrow channel. And to convert knots to MPH that would equal approximately 9 mph!!  Slow as molasses comes to mind.  

BACKGROUND: The Corpus Christi Ship Channel (CCSC) is a 45-ft deep channel that extends from the Gulf of Mexico 34 miles into the Port of Corpus Christi.

From where I stand on the jetty to watch the ships enter and exit, it's about one mile if that much.

§ Views Around the Jetty...

Granted, my purpose of driving to Port Aransas was a morning outing, enjoying the beautiful weather!!! Finally, a bit of relief from the inferno we've been experiencing since April 2022. The air was dry, the temp in the low to mid 70s. And a comfortable breeze blowing softly. Again, the construction goes on at my birding sanctuary. That was my first stop. And, again...very few birds. I don't think they like the loud machinery and disturbances on their waterfront. I hopped back in the car and drove to the jetty. There were ships galore on the channel. Along with pilot boats, tug boats, and all the action on the channel distracted me from birding. Of course all I saw of birds was the usual, terns, gulls, and pelicans. While I walked the beach, I watched the kiteboarding activities. But, I kept going back to watching the ships instead...

Flagship: Bermuda --Gaslog's Itinerary


Shrimp boat

...As I was following this ship thru the channel, I happened to notice a guy on the ship's exterior ladder!! First time ever! My first thought was "This is crazy! Who in their right mind would climb a ladder?" Then, after thinking and after my initial fright, I realized it was the ship's pilot, readying to be picked up by the pilot boat. Right? I hope so...or else I'll have nightmares!!!

Cyan Nova -tanker  Flagship Liberia


It was coming up on midmorning, I still had a 40 minute drive back home, so I left as the other ships bid me adieu going out to sea...

§ Who Needs A Gym Membership....

Wednesday morning, after I stopped to have my blood drawn for a metabolic and liver test [because of the Rx, statins], I took myself out for breakfast since I had to be fasting for 12 hours before the lovely needle headed my way. Then,

§ Blogger Interface is a Challenge These Days...

I started out the morning after breakfast, working online in Blogger. The "newer" interface is not the friendliest. I feel I'm pretty proficient with coding. Yet, I can get tangled up in HTML for hours. I really shoulda just forgot the whole thing and gone birding. But no! Stupid me. I worked for hours and took a lunch break. Yes, hours. Then, I ended up getting the finishing touches on both of my blog templates for March after lunch. The most frustrating features [or I should say LACK of features], are the customized backgrounds...they don't work as they should [covering only the top few inches without being a complete filled in page! And secondly, the header! Each time, even after resizing it to fill the width, it comes out aligned to the far left! Not centered. I worked and worked. Finally, got it figured out, and made notes for next month's updated design. At least I hope.

As I said, I shoulda gone birding!

§ A Ship in the Channel

The other day this past week, I drove to Port Aransas. I stopped at the 'hotspots' for birds, even tho, I was sure there would be only year 'round birds seen. No migrants yet...too early for the Fall Season. Anyway, I stopped at Leonabelle, Paradise Pond, and the ship channel and walked those areas. I then just drove around the Marina and along the road to Charlie's Pasture

Along the ship channel, a different ship was sailing out to the Gulf! Usually, the ships are not all that picturesque...mostly grubby, stinky, rusty, in dire need of a paint-job, and filled with oil. This one I spied was so clean I couldn't believe my eyes. Maybe it's 'cause its run by natural gas?!! Dunno. But, I was really quite impressed...Okay! Wait. I just looked it up:

VERNADSKY PROSPECT (IMO: 9843560) is a Crude Oil Tanker that was built in 2019 (2 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of Liberia. Its carrying capacity is 113310 t DWT [how much tonnage it can carry!] and her current draught is reported to be 9.1 meters. Her length overall (LOA) is 249.99 meters (820 feet) and her width is 44.04 meters (144 feet).

Well duh!! That explains why it's so pristine shape! It's NEW!! Oh, and by the way, it's on its way to the Netherlands and expected arrival is August 1st 0800.
source

Then, out of curiosity, I did some math.
With the stats shown on the ship's website, I see that the DWT [dead weight in tonnage] is just shy of 114,000 tons.
I did some multiplication after seeing that one ton of crude oil is 7.33 barrels!
Multiply that 7.33 barrels by the tonnage [114,000] and you get 835,620 barrels on this ship....
Okay, if that's the case, and when I googled the price of one barrel of crude oil, it was [on that day- it flucuates daily with stock markets, etc.] $74.56 per barrel.
If full, that ship's oil cargo was worth and estimated -rounding off the tonnage- $62,303,827.20!!!!!

I think I need to buy a tanker.


...and to continue showcasing my Trolls...

↓ My 23rd Troll Share ↓

TROLL DOLL COLLECTION Holiday Themed Halloween -Grim Reaper circa: 80s?

§ Spring Break....

For the next two weeks, it's Spring Break here in the Coastal Bend. Of course, for me, that means no day trippin' to the beach until all the college students [and high school] go back home, and it's safe to be out walking on the shore and driving the island highways. So, Thursday, I took my last drive to go birding and get some steps in while I could. It was a beautiful morning!  Just after daybreak, warming sun, mild sea breeze, quietude of the hour, and birdsong and bird calls serenading me while I watched all the activity.

As I drove along I just couldn't help but notice all the brown. Normally this time of year, it's green along the dunes. Even most of the palm trees are lifeless and the fronds are weeping a nice shade of rot. But the one I photographed [above] at the Willows was still in good shape while others were long damaged by the freeze. Sad. I don't think I've EVER witnessed such winter kill before in the South, ever. By the time I arrived at Port Aransas, the wetlands across the highway from the Post Office was full [literally full] of waterfowl! I slowed down, debating to stop there at that time, or go to my favorite refuge first then come back as I leave for home....I stopped then!

There were Roseate Spoonbills, White Ibis, Egrets [both Snowy, and Common Great], herons, White Faced Ibis [dark maroon color with off white speckled heads [non-breeding] and white eye rings in breeding season. They are similar to the Glossy Ibis seen East of the Mississippi River.], gulls, avocets, cormorants, and much more. All were quite active, mostly bathing [and the cormorants were playing...they do LIKE to play in the water!!]. I heard a kingfisher calling but was unable to locate it. The birds preened, flew from one bank to another, fed, and entertained me for a long time. Why, I even spotted a Nutria [aka: coypu; a water rodent] swimming across the pond!!

After taking several photos and enjoying the warming sun, I left for the popular Refuge. I was hoping to see the Whooping Crane Family of Three that has been reported there for several months. Still, for me, no sighting there again. White Pelicans, gulls, and stilts dominated this area. I left and went walking on the beach after a short stop at Paradise Pond. At the beach, still work goes on repairing the jetty. A few ships were waiting near the channel for the 'okay' to enter, while one was leaving the port area. I saw dolphins, but none were guiding the ship out, they were just surfacing for a second and back underwater in the blink of an eye. Gulls and Terns covered the sand as I walked the shore to the pier. I left shortly after and stopped at a residential area just before leaving town. This subdivision juts up on the waterfront. I didn't have to drive INTO the subdivision before I saw the Whooping Crane Family near the access road!!! Needless to say, I pulled off the road, got out and snapped the shutter button. Good!! I saw them before they leave for their breeding grounds way up north, and didn't have to drive the 60 mile one way trip to Goose Island for another popular wintering ground for them. Yay!! My winter birding for South Texas is complete. Now, it'll be Spring Migration. Once the migrating students go back to class. lol

By the way, my first stop? When I headed back to Corpus, the wetlands had emptied out!! I'm glad I stopped there first!

§ Weekend Walk About...

Lately, I've been lacking much energy. I can't seem to get in the grove of even my morning walking ritual. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it one bit. It's almost as if I have to force myself to get motivated. Saturday morning was the last time I got out and did any walking. The day began overcast but cleared out eventually. Naturally, I went to the islands to see the sea. I stopped at my two usual wildlife refuges, but didn't stick around very long. Being the weekend, there were too many people for my comfort zone during the virus pandemic. And half if not more, had no face masks. I then drove to the ship channel behind the village and walked along the channel road to the pavilion at Charlie's Pasture. The park gate was closed for vehicle traffic since the county/state is now [finally] beginning to repair the channel's broken sea wall that was highly damaged from Hurricane Harvey, three years ago! You know how those delays work, what with FEMA and state protocols. The lake behind the pavilion in the pasture grounds USED to be fresh water, but because of the break in the seawall, it has been mixed with salt water from the channel...not good for most  birds. Maybe it will improve in the bird populations after the damage is repaired. Who knows. Anyway, after walking, I parked the car along the channel wall, and returning, I waited for a very large oil tanker to make its way from the port in Ingleside, Texas to where I stood...hoping to see dolphins. There were no dolphins, but an almost tragedy occurred!! Follow the photos and you'll read why...

As I mentioned, it was Saturday. That meant a lot of fishermen and channel spectators were present. I parked the car across from the oil platforms that are back to shore for storage and/or repairs before being utilized out to sea again at a future date. Now, back to the ship, the Nordic Star from George Town -Grand Cayman Islands, approaching us along the seawall. One fellow was listening to Willie Nelson as he fished. His furry companion, a very small, cute, perhaps Shih Tzu mixed breed, doggie was by his camper chair lounging in the sun. The dog moved to the lower edge of the wall and was content to be a distance from its master and enjoying the warm morning sun. The Nordic Star slowly approached nearby. The stern wake [ship's front] was quite minimal. The bow wake [back side] was also quiet. But, think again. While sailing through the channel, the ship's wake forms huge waves crashing into the wall once past the area...and the dog? Yep, you guessed it...one of the waves came into shore and broke high above the wall. And the current of the wave traversing along the wall moves quickly!! I started yelling "The dog!"  "The dog"!  And pointing to the waves coming in. Luckily, the two women who were standing by, watching the ship, ran to the pooch, scooped it up, and rescued the dog from being washed out into the channel; or drowned on shore, just in the nick of time. The fisherman was running as quickly as he could to save his furbaby!! It was an almost tragic scene; but all was well in the end. Scary.   This photo I share of the wave, is long AFTER the ship had traveled down the channel; it takes a while to calm the waters again...you can just imagine how high, strong, and lethal the waves were as the ship was much more parallel to the dog that was lying in the sun earlier, oblivious to the danger it was in.


More photos that day: