Something happened!

 No, we haven't moved. Still in Baltimore. But we woke to the image below.

That's the Antares. As we faced the two military ships (both are supply vessels only, no weapons, just so you know) the Antares was the one on the left. The Denebola was on the right. Turns out, the Denebola had an appointment somewhere for reasons, so they needed out. That required the Antares to move first.

Took this pic the day we arrived in Baltimore.

Over the last couple of weeks we notice activity on the two ships; engines would run, and their cranes were in use. All in prep.

These sister ships weren't made for military use. They are really just shipping ships. But they were so expensive that only the Navy could afford them. So...there's that.

We listened on the radio as tugs that maneuvered the massive ship were orchestrated throughout the morning. It was very entertaining.

Tug holding it in position while lines are released.
There are 2 on the starboard side.

Tugs pull it from dock, a third tug helps move the bow.

...starting the turn...

Lots of swells in our marina from the working tugs.

Starting to head down river, finally.

You notice the little orange craft? That one of the Denebola's life boats. No idea why it was in the water but it stayed out of the way, then followed the big ship to it's next destination.

What struck us was the number of boats that had zero sense and were in the way of the operation. Seriously, people, don't you see the floating building coming at you?!

Once the Denebola was under weigh another round of tug boat dancing pushed and pulled the Antares into the slip the Denebola vacated. It was fascinating to listen to on the radio and watch. But the entire process took hours.

Back, back, back, back...

Tug in back pushing the stern into a twist

Man, this ship is ginormous!

We assume a harbor pilot is controlling everything.
Over the radio he'd say, "Bridget, back 90, 1 bell. Patrick, idle forward."
Bridget and Patrick are the tug names, not the folks driving them.

...and we're in!

Just as the Antares got parked some looper friends came up to visit us. We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant in Canton. It almost felt like "normal."

Jayne and Jonathon, crew of Bella Gatto