This past weekend I had the opportunity to take 'my' boat out for a shake down run. It had just returned from the yard and I needed to make sure all of the deficiencies we had identified had been repaired. One of the unit's LCUs had also just come out of the yard and also needed to be taken out for a shake-down run. Normally, shake down runs are boring two to three hour cruises. This weekend, however, we decided to get some extra sail time and take the boats out to the San Francisco Bay.
The weather made the trip a little more exciting; it rained heavily on Saturday and part of Sunday. While the weather didn't have much effect on the LCU (Landing Craft Utility) crew, my crew on the LCM (Landing Craft Mechanised) had a bit of a rougher time of it.
Despite the weather, and sea conditions, I was able to take a few pictures. Ok, "a few" is a bit of an understatement; all told I took one hundred and sixty-seven pictures over the weekend. Unfortunately, due to the rocking of the boat many of them came out extremely blurry. For this I take absolutely no blame. I also take absolutely no blame for the clock being off by 12 hours. Anyway, here they are, enjoy!
Approaching San Francisco from the North East
Where'd that seagull come from?
Getting closer...
A shot of the LCU
A shot of SF from south of the Bay Bridge
The city at night (also from south of the Bay Bridge)
Another night shot (bluriness caused by motion of the ocean)
A morning shot (that's PacBell park in the bottom right)
Another morning shot of the city
'My' boat
Me with the city as a backdrop
My crew
Heading back to home port
The city is sliding into the bay!!!
That would be Alcatraz
A shot of the Golden Gate Bridge
Home port
Well, there they are. Hope you enjoyed them!
