The Buoy Tender James Rankin may not look pretty to you, but she is a beautiful sight to the Coast Guardsmen who man her. The James Rankin is no stranger to us and we welcome her visits because we know that her mission and those of her crew is to maintain the markers to the waterways that provide us with our livelihood and pleasure. Below is a great shot of The James Rankin with the Naval Academy chapel dome as a back drop. Notice her crane and cut away hull.
This cut serves as an entrance for the massive buoys that are yanked out of the water and then gently placed on deck to be serviced. You can see how large these buoys are by referencing the crew member standing beside the structure. To the right is our old small harbor buoy number 5. I also see another larger freshly painted green buoy with the number 5. Are we getting an upgrade? The dull red is copper based anti fouling paint that kills barnacles and other marine growth. You can see by looking at the bottom of the old buoy, that the poison only lasts for just so long. 
JAMES RANKIN’s namesake was the keeper of East Brother Light and Fort Point Light, which are located in San Francisco Bay. For more information about James Rankin’s history and the statistics and workings of the vessel, check out this link: http://www.uscg.mil/d5/cgcJamesRankin/
We had a great sail to the Chesapeake Bay Bridges and back. Barbara remembers sailing in Germany as a child. By the smile on her face, I assume the experiences were more than just fun.
Miguel from Texas also takes the helm.
This is Jeanne’s first time sailing. We hope she will want to join us again soon.
By the way, if you are interested in joining us as crew members, we have openings available. While you do not have to have sea water in your boots, we would prefer some basic experience. Please see our website for details.
When were these pics of the James Rankin taken? Thanks!
The post said it was June 2, so probably within a day or two of that. Sorry for the delay responding.