Tokyo bay is not a good place to hike or sail.
The amount of commercial traffic is insane, there are complicated lane separations and it is seriously patrolled by police and the Japanese Coast Guard.
Long story short I crewed on the delivery of a tug/service vessel from Sendai to Yokohama. Because of a front coming in we had no choise but to enter at 2 AM. It was like something out of William Gibson, Phillip.K.Dick or being inside computer game.
This is a case where electronic aids like radar or AIS completely overload the system.
Small fishing vessels. garbage pick up, dredges, pilot boats, tugs fuel lighters (very low in the water those buggers.) Not to mention the background light show. Are those lead lights? Oh. that's a pachinko parlor.
What's that? S*** where do he come from? What does flashing purple over two whites and flashing orange mean? S*** didn't see him.
Is that the entrance over there? Why is that bloke on the bow of that launch frantically waving a red flag? Channel 16? You've got to be kidding.
The last photo is what we would have had to deal with if we had waited.
Back home now with a beer in hand.
Yep. A once in a life time experience.
Gary
