YOUR PIX: Freighter shelters in the lee of a familiar port

Seeking shelter from a northwesterly gale on Nov. 21, the 690-foot freighter Herbert C. Jackson anchored in the lee of Port Washington, and Your Pix contributors were on hand to record the event with their cameras. In a way, the visit was a reunion, because the Jackson is the vessel that made the last coal delivery to the Port Washington power plant in 2004 before the plant was converted to natural gas. The ship did not enter the harbor this time, but found a safe anchorage in relatively calm water just off the breakwater, a decision made by its captain to avoid enormous seas offshore that can make freighter passages uncomfortable at best and perilous at worst. No youngster, the Jackson was built in 1959, and besides coal has transported cargoes of grain, stone, iron ore and even Christmas trees. The upper photo, dramatically lit by a setting sun, was made by Andrew Reinders using a Nikon camera with a long focus zoom lens. Dan Hefle took the photo at right the next morning, with the freighter in the distance on a lake that was a medley of blues.