I like the view my drone provides, it’s a gull’s eye view. This morning I photographed the sun just breaking the horizon over the ocean with Breakwater Harbor in the foreground. Being more than a bit of a weather and sea nerd I am fascinated with the lines on the water surface to the left of the ferry breakwater. The sun rose at 6:05 this morning and at that time the tide was still falling in the bay and there was a very light breeze out of the SW. The lines on the surface of the water are the result of the wind blowing at an angle off of land. Two factors, I believe, create the flat surface, with no lines on the water, close to shore. First, the breeze is off the land so what is known as ‘fetch’ (the distance over water that the wind blows) is very short so no waves, ripples, or streaks (Langmuir circulation). The second factor is the ebbing tide which forces bay water around the ferry breakwater and then around the SE end of the inner breakwater. Follow the lines and see where the water flows. This shows clearly the effectiveness of the ferry breakwater in creating a quiets, still harbor for the ferry. Putting my nerd-self aside, my artistic-self loves the beauty of the sunrise. I am sooooo enjoying getting up before 5:00 to capture sunrise now.
