In our last few miles of travel on the Mobile River before entering Mobile Bay, we passed through the deep-water Port of Mobile, the ninth largest port in the U.S. The Port of Mobile serves container ships that pass through the Panama Canal, cruise ships, oil tankers, drilling rigs, and military vessels. We were awed to see the massive warehouses, drydocks, terminals, and ships. Here are a few images of the Port of Mobile.
Wow, pretty spectacular! The design of the new US Naval ships is amazing – sleek, fast, and equipped.
Does this mean that you are now headed to “open waters” – with waves? A different ride and less navigation?
It’s been a terrific ride so far, and I’ve enjoyed every moment you’ve shared!
Hello, Ken! Great to hear from you!
We have indeed moved from inland rivers to salt water, mostly along the intracoastal waterway and not on open oceans. Navigation will get more complex because the routes are far less certain than following a river channel.
The gulf intra-coastal waterway runs past and through thousands of islands, coves, and rivers. The GICW is well marked with red and green buoys, but we have heard many stories of boaters getting off course and running around. And we have added the new dimension of tides – we need to avoid traveling through shallow areas at low tide to avoid running around. I plan to take it slowly and learn each day, watching the buoys and using our navigation electronics.
Tomorrow we plan to cruise to Palafox Marina in Pensacola, which is in the center of renovated downtown Pensacola. Sounds fun!