Better make it quick

Better make it quick

Monday May 17, 2021

My laptop is nearly flat so I can’t afford to fool around.  Now that we only have one working pocket inverter, my laptop is often in a state of very low charge. 

Today we departed the Severn River and motored back through Mobjack Bay to reach the Chesapeake proper.  There are shoal areas to be avoided on the north side of Mobjack Bay.  While we thought the trip would only take three hours, it took five hours—more like thirty miles than twenty.  The wind was light but chilly, being from the north.  By two pm, we were anchored off Deltaville, VA.  While we have anchored here two times previously, this is the first time that we have stepped ashore.  It’s quite a hike from the Fishing Bay Marina to the West Marine.  That was as far as we got today.  

On the way back, we stopped at a gas station for an ice cream.  We noted that they have no gasoline or diesel! They did have ice cream however.  Then we walked back eating our Hagen-Das. The boat yard captured our interest for a while.  There are boats in all stages of repair/disintegration.  Some appear to have been in place for decades.  One J-boat from Marion, MA had 4 or 5 people buffing and polishing it.  They admitted that they weren’t the owners.  Perhaps they were prepping it for sale.  

We are back aboard now feeling suitably weary.  Mike is downloading his “abstract boat photos” and starting dinner.  I am planning a quick nap once I finish the blog! 

Gloria

37 32.319 N, 76 20.152 W

The following are some of the photos I took this afternoon. I know it’s a bit weird but I love taking abstract photos of boats and I have been working this topic for a while. These shots are all composed tightly because I think it’s what is left out of the frame that makes the shots appear quite so abstract. The photos were all shot on a tripod with a 70-200 mm lens and in sets of 10-15 for each image with progressive focusing (controlled by the camera). The sets were then subsequently “focus stacked” using the Helicon Focus software to give product images that in theory should be sharp and in focus throughout the shot. The consequent lack of depth adds to the abstract nature. The final editing in Lightroom is minimal – adjusting exposure and contrast and enhancing shadows / holding back highlights. I was mostly lucky with the lighting - shade or flat light is much easier to handle than direct sun.

I hope you like them!

Rain dripping down the bottom paint has created an incredible pattern that emphasizes the curves on the hull of this boat 

Including the jack-stand gives a different impression

Streaking on the bottom paint of a different boat - as viewed from the bow

This wooden boat didn't look in great shape to me but the timbers looked dramatic

The same boat shot from the same position but with a vertical format gives a very different perspective

Repairs to the fairing underneath this vessel, sanded on the left, just applied on the right. Photographed from the stern and cropped square during editing.