The Galveston Harbor Tour was Loaded with Sunshine!
Galveston Harbor Tour is next to Elissa. And it’s only ten bucks. It also has a gift shop with a small but good collection of books about the island.
Seagull II is neat little boat. And has two levels.
The top level is open and full of sunshine. The lower level is shaded. There is not too much blocking wind though. So on a cool day dress appropriately.
This day was breezy, clear and beautiful. We shoved off.
We idled along the Ocean Star Rig.
That is the Offshore Drilling Museum. You get a sense of its size. And it is an outdated one!
Around the next turn is the Mosquito Fleet.
Around The bend is the Mosquito Fleet
It’s made up of mostly small shrimp trawlers.
Their name comes from their appearance. With outriggers down and nets out they look a little like a mosquito.
It was a surprising the Galveston Harbor Tour boat turned around in here.
If you love big birds they are here!
This is great spot for bird watching. You don’t need to be an ornithologist to appreciate them.
You can get this same view from the deck of Joe's Crab Shack.
There are pelicans. And white pelicans. And many other beautiful birds.
They hang out preening and sunning. Some take over the decks of boats!
Galveston Harbor a busy port!
Cruising a little further the islands fishing fleet can be seen. They are larger shrimp trawlers. Some stay out weeks at a time.
Past the fleet are exports. American products destined to global markets.
The harbor is very busy. The ferry boats and tanakers come and go. There are small fishing boats too.
Now a real surprise!
Complete surprise.
Our captain announced that ahead was: Grey Mist. I was a little familiar with its history.
I never expected to see it in Galveston.
This unassuming yacht has some big history.
It happened in 1940, during the Battle of France. British Expeditionary forces were cut off from the French army. The Brits retreated to the Port City of Dunkirk.
Hitler’s Panzers were 18 miles from Dunkirk. With their backs to the sea, historians agree German forces could have decimated them. Almost half million British and French forces trapped there.
The forward assault by Hitler’s blitzkrieg mysteriously ceased. The lull in fighting gave Winston Churchill a window of opportunity. He ordered any vessel to pick up the stranded soldiers. 900 vessels joined, military and civilian. Expeditionary forces were rescued from certain death.
Grey Mist was one of the saviors at Dunkirk. This often referred to as; The Miracle of Dunkirk.
Grey Mist played other intense rolls in WWII. Later it hosted celebrities and heads of state.
This intensified it.
What gave Grey Mist so much impact that day? Across the harbor from her is Seawolf Park.
Cavalla and her crew faced the enemy. In the Battle of the Philippine Sea. This is often called the: Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.
This Galveston Harbor Tour gave me the chills on a sunny day. The Island is alive with history.
The dolphins came out.
On our return the Galveston Harbor Tour met up with the dolphins. Everyone anticipated this!
There was about half a dozen. They looked like they were playing. But I think they were hunting.
They were diving and splashing. We'd like to think it's for our entertainment.
I didn’t think of them as being so big. These had to be ten feet long!
Getting a picture of them is challenging. You don’t know how soon or where they’ll come up. I hope you don't mind this blurry one!
There are the heavy industries too.
A little closer to docking we passed some heavy industry.
There are dry docks. They flood and sink. The ship floats onto them. Then water
drains and everything floats.
I think they also repair oil platforms here too. There are big things on the other side of the harbor!
See you next time.
We only had a few travelers today - Chicago, and New York, and myself from Pittsburgh.
Quit a collection way down here. There is plenty of room for you!
See you next time!
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