There was one big shock about this trip. Tampa Bay. Yes, I have traveled over most of Florida for many years, but somehow I never got a look at Tampa Bay. I always knew that Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater formed a sort of triangle with a bay in the center, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it was so big. The cruise ship left the dock promptly at 5:00 p.m., and sailed for hours before passing under the big bridge and out into the open gulf. Some areas of the bay are too shallow for a 55,000 ton ship, so we did a few zigs and zags, but mostly kept up a fast clip in a generally southwestern direction. We shoved off in bright sunlight and left the mouth of the bay in pitch darkness. For the first hour, I couldn't find the "Skyway Bridge," which is a suspension bridge with tall towers. I knew that it had to be tall enough to clear a ship with twelve decks plus rigging*. I also knew that on deck nine (forward) I was well above surrounding terrain which mostly consisted of low sandy islands and peninsulas. When I finally spotted the bridge, it looked like a few tiny pencil marks against the sky. Two hours later, when we passed under it, it was E-normis! And so is Tampa Bay. Coming up next, part three.
Howard
* I guess "rigging" is a sailing term, but what else do you call all those things that stick up on top of a motor vessel?
H