On the water after dark

A prudent mariner will not venture forth  into darkness unnecessarily.

So, prudently, Ms. Bettencourt left the dock a little before sundown last night; (the old nautical maxim being silent on the matter of returning after dark).

The mission was to have a look at a part of the Savannah River we see most often in daylight. It became very dark, very soon. It was black out there, but not as black as expected.

The promenade along the top of the levee was lighted brightly, as were the aisles leading upwards to the arbor at the top of the Jessye Norman Amphitheatre

Looking downstream, the brightest light in the middle of the photo at the right illuminates the area outside the gift shop at the marina.

The 6th Street railroad bridge crosses the river about there, but it's hard to see from this distance.

Downtown Augusta reflects on the river in this photo, shot from a point downstream from the marina.

There's not much nighttime action in this part of town, though a new downtown Convention Center, due to open soon, could liven things up.


The lighting along the Georgia side is so bright that glare makes it difficult to see anything from the water.

Reflections from the tall street lights approaching the the Augusta Rowing Club's Boat House facility make it hard to judge the distance between the riverbank and a row of submerged pilings that I know extend down the middle of the river around here.




I find I can see better with my glasses off. I have also learned that Ms. Bettencourt's instrument panel lights wipe out my night vision. They were turned off shortly after nightfall.

The rest of the night patrol was unremarkable. We just followed the GPS track south towards Ms. Bettencourt's home berth...

...where this apparition was photographed from the dock ramp.

Adding flash to the photo (right) reveals the identity of the looming lurker pictured above.













Lessons learned: The GPS and depth sounder were important aids for piloting. Glare on the water was a problem. Something needs to be done about the over-bright instrument lights.

Note: Click a photo to enlarge and improve detail (maybe somewhat).