Sat, Dec 23 – “Going Under” the Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love bridges. Each week, the Veendam performs an amazing feat, which I try never to miss.

The Veendam departs from the port of Tampa at approximately 4:45 pm every Saturday. And at about 7:15 pm, as we sail through Tampa Bay on our way out to the Gulf of Mexico, we pass under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which links St. Petersburg and Bradenton, Florida.

It also happens that every time we depart Tampa, I have an opening night show to do at 6:30. I am the last act to appear in the 45-minute production. So as soon as the show is over, I run out the backstage door to the big open deck on the forward-most part of the ship to watch us pass under this bridge in the night.

Now, I think bridges are beautiful anyway, and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is no exception. But what makes this occurrence so incredible is that the Veendam extends vertically above the water 55 meters… and the vertical clearance to the bottom of the bridge is 58.8 meters. When you’re standing on the uppermost deck of the Veendam, you feel like you could practically reach out and touch the bottom of this bridge.

(The video is about 1 minute. Click the play button until it says "loading" and then be patient while it loads.)

And lucky me… I get to experience this incredible rush every week!