Homeward Bound

This is an image for a painting that has been in my mind probably since I was a teenager. I've been riding the CapeMay-Lewes Ferry since I was a small child. My Father was in the Navy and we were stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, where I grew up. It's a six hour drive between there and here in South Jersey where my families roots are. During the sixtes and seventies we drove up Rt 13 about once a month. The Ferry ride over the Delaware Bay was always a treat...and always a sign we were almost home. We rarely took the ferry on the way back to Virginia, instead taking the Delaware Memorial Bridge. It was always a homeward bound event.. Hence the title.
I still visit Norfolk frequently. August 12th I made the trip to attend a friends wedding. On the way home I scheduled the Ferry Trip. I was stumped to draw anything on the 45 minute boat ride, but I did take several digital photos of the wake from the third deck, looking down on the the people leaning over the rail from the second deck. Here is the result. I don't work from photos very often and figures are a rare event in my paintings ( although I've attended countless life drawing sessions! )...but this view is so strong for me personally, it just had to be done .
I'm still feeling so caught up with this image that I may yet do a larger version. This one is 16x12 oil on panel.