EarthNC » Captain Bill

Journey’s End – Captain Bill Foster Arrives in Sarasota

EarthNC — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:02:01 +0000

Only a few pictures today of Captain Bill’s final day. It’s been quite a trip and we appreciate all the visitors.

The Big Bend – Carabelle to Clearwater – Captain Bill Day 15

EarthNC — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:38:11 +0000

Nearing the end of his trip. Today, Captain Bill crossed Florida’s Big Bend and re-entered the ICW. As expected, we didn’t have much internet coverage as he was offshore.

Captain Bill’s Trip Day 14 – Destin to Carabelle

EarthNC — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:35:16 +0000

Internet connectivity through the ICW was poor throughout the day as Captain Bill Foster traveled from Destin to Carabelle in preparation of crossing Florida’s Big Bend.

Captain Bill’s Trip Day 13 – Destin Day Off

EarthNC — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:30:12 +0000

Captain Bill and crew took the day off in Destin on day 13 to pace their arrival in Carabelle for the crossing of Florida’s Big Bend.

Captain Bill’s Trip Day 12 – Mobile to Destin

EarthNC — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:46:56 +0000

Captain Bill cruised through EarthNC’s home territory on his 12th day from New Buffalo, Michigan.

Leaving Mobile, Alabama he crossed Mobile Bay and entered the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway northwest of Orange Beach.

Connectivity was good as he passed favorite handouts in Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa Sound, the EarthNC home marina in Fort Walton Beach, and on to ‘Crab Island’ and Destin harbor.

Day 11 – Captain Bill Foster’s Trip, the End of the Tenn-Tom

EarthNC — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:26:19 +0000

Captain Bill arrived in Mobile, Alabama at the end of the day to end the river portion of his trip and start the coastal leg to Marco Island. The day had it’s moments with a collision encounter with unseen debris in the lower Tenn-Tom. Be sure to read Bill’s daily comments on our main trip page for the full story.

Captain Bill’s Trip Day 10 – Tenn-Tom Waterway

EarthNC — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:30:11 +0000

We received ~100 photoss from Captain Bill today as he cruised in and out of internet coverage.

Follow Captain Bill as He Cruises from Michigan to Florida!

EarthNC — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:00:46 +0000

Follow Captain Bill Foster as he delivers a Maxum 46 from New Buffalo, Michigan to Marco Island, Florida via the Great Lakes, Inland Waterways, and Gulf Intercoastal Waterway with the help of EarthNC Charts and Services.

Via the miracle of cell-based internet aircards, EarthNC will be receiving Capt Bill’s position and recent webcam images while he journeys for display on this page and in our interactive maps. During the journey, we’ll be getting posts for Capt Bill on his progress and experiences. We’ll also take some time to document how we’ve accomplished the tracking and webcam tasks in case you’d like to do the same.

Photo Highlights and Comments:

Lock Photos:

Interactive Map
See Capt Bill’s most recent position along with EarthNC Online chart data with the Google Map below. Check the ‘Show Navaids’ box to also see buoys, lights, and markers along his route.

You can also follow along in 3D with Google Earth. Click HERE to open Capt Bill’s journey in Google Earth. Positions will update roughly once per minute while Capt Bill is underway and has network connectivity.

Most Recent Webcam Image
We’ll be posting his most recent webcam image here when we have an internet link.

Day 9 – Captain Bill Foster’s Trip, Tenn-Tom Waterway

EarthNC — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:38:31 +0000

We had good internet connectivity to Captain Bill throughout the day and caught major portions of at least 4 lock throughs along the Tenn-Tom Waterway. These are some of the tallest locks in the US and I’m sure Bill will have a few words to say about the experience.

Captain Bill’s Trip Day 8 – Tenn Tom Waterway

EarthNC — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 02:27:54 +0000

We had good coverage from early morning till about 2pm.

Notes for the day:
Rolled out of Clifton at 6:45AM and headed down the Tennessee River toward the beginning of the Tenn – Tom Waterway.

I swear it just gets prettier as we go along. And some of the homes were amazing as well. Built right on the edge of the cliffs with long stairways down to their docks, and in some cases boats, on the river.

While I’m very happy I got this job, I really wish I had time to stop and enjoy all the beautiful coves and bays we had to pass by today. We did get to take a swim while waiting for the lock at Jamie Whitten Lock. This was doubly nice, because not only did we have a bit of a wait at the lock but it was real hot and still today up until this evening as well.

Speaking of waits, we had a total of 4 hours and 15 minutes of wait and lock through time at the three locks we went through today. This is where any scheduling goes out the window. You never know how long the lock throughs can take. You can call ahead, and most of the lock masters did this for us, and find out how busy the next lock is. And while that helps a little, in the end it is what it is. And you have to be flexible.

Tonight we stopped at Midway Marina, notorious for calling the police and having captains arrested at the next lock passed the marina if they do not slow down while going passed. At least according to Skipper Bob’s Cruising Guide. We slowed and stopped. J
The place was closed when we got here so we will fuel up in the morning and be on our way.

Some of you may be wondering why I haven’t been running later and anchoring out. While I love anchoring out, and we did it once so far, the main reason we haven’t been doing it more on this trip is the owner’s insurance company was adamant about the fact that they did not want me to run at night on the rivers. And while the chances are slim that I’d have too, anchoring increases the likelihood that I might need to for some reason.

Now when it comes time to cross the Gulf I may have to get that changed.