As Usual, Bobby is Still #1 on the LIst

Once again, Bobby is still #1 on a company's work priority list. This time it's for recertifying the liferaft. Due to receiving a large commercial job, the estimate of work may be completed by 10 Dec, with another 2 weeks to complete the recertification. For those of you not familiar with getting projects completed in the marine field, this is a common occurrence. You just don't plan on having anything done in short order. Anyway, where we will be for Christmas appears to be determined.

Where are we? At the Regatta Pointe Marina located off the historic district of Palmetto on the north shore of the Manatee River, across from Bradenton, in the lower Tampa Bay area, on the west coast of Florida. The marina is building new bathrooms, a laundry room and an exercise room (completion Mar '08). We get a free paper and bag of ice everyday, and have pump-outs at each slip. Within walking distance are restaurants, stores, and the laundromat. Our needs are met, but life isn't as social here as at Watergate Yachting Center in Texas. There we had grass right off the dock, and picnic shelters with grills. After work, and over the weekends, neighboring boat folks would gather to cook their supper and eat together.

The holiday spirit takes a slightly different form here. Last Tuesday, a large powerboat owner put a blow-up Frosty on the very top deck of his boat. As it was during the day, he decided not to inflate it, but the wind did, partially. Frosty was bent over mooning everyone in the marina for the day! Unfortunately, Jenny was unable to document the event before the owner returned from work to inflate the snowman permanently for the season. Please note the photo of Santa in the sleigh with flamingo reindeer...yes, it's a different holiday season in Florida.

Thanksgiving in Florida

Forces combined for Thanksgiving dinner at Chris and Robin's condo in Sarasota. Jenny made 2 pumpkin pies, sweet potato muffins and a zucchini casserole. Sandy contributed a lemon meringue pie, stuffing and cranberry sauce, while Robin did the turkey, another stuffing and mashed potatoes. Oh yes, the guys did football on the TV. We ended the day as stuffed as the turkey was before the meal. Yummo!

Our liferaft was delivered to Tampa for recertification on Tuesday with a 2 week wait for an estimate. Hmmm...sounds as if Bobby is #1 on their list. Tom bets we will be here into the New Year.

Crossing the Gulf of Mexico

Bobby, Jenny, and her parents

We spent the 11 days at Holiday Harbor Marina at Perdido Key, Florida before heading across the Gulf of Mexico on a 50 hour passage.

Jenny's dad gave all of us a thorough tour of the Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola. He has flown over half the planes (multi-engine, prop and jets) in the museum, and landed/took-off from straight-deck and angled-deck carriers during his career. Just his luck of being in the Navy after WWII through the Vietnam War. Lots of information we never would have gotten from the museum tour guide. Thanks Dad!

Alan Syme of M/V Kaos came over from Mobile, Alabama to dine with all of us (a Watergate reunion) our last night at Peridido Key. He and Susann finished doing the Great Circle, and are ready to explore Florida.

Anyway, back to crossing the Gulf...the passage was mild with very little wind to sail. We pulled watches, enjoyed sunrises and sunsets, evaded fishing boats, and the "Magic Reunion caught bonita and mahi mahi. Burt (the cat) kept us company in the cockpit through the night watches curled up in our laps (secretly sucking the body heat from our bodies). Halfway across, we let Buddy's ashes go; he was a wonderful dog and companion for 14 years.

Bobby spent Saturday putting layers of Life Chaulk over leaks around the manual bilge backing plate at the stern thru-hull. No, he did not save our lives by keeping the "Star" from sinking, but he did wrestle the full-size Temperpedic mattress in the aft cabin to get to the leak. The auto bilge pump handled the seeping water from each wave. We will have to do a day haul-out to correctly mend the defect.

We arrived this morning to Regatta Pointe Marina up the Manatee River at Palmetto, Florida with Robin and Sandy greeting us at the fuel dock. Tom and Sandy (S/V Magic Reunion) will stay here at least a year with plans to explore the Tampa Bay area. Robin and Chris are waiting for their new catamaran (S/V Toucan Dream) to be completed in Sarasota. We will be here 3 weeks to a month to recertify our liferaft and do small chores and maintenance, as usual.

End of First Leg at Pensacola, Florida

Bill and Bobby

Within 2.5 hours, we are tied-up at Holiday Harbor Marina (first marina in Florida on the GIWW, and the first with water, fuel, electricity and a pump-out since we left Clear Lake, Texas). Bill Davis manages the place, and is a retired Army buddy of ours.

Jenny's parents are arriving Tuesday to attend at VA-25 Squadron Reunion at the Pensacola Naval Air Station this coming weekend. Another reason we are stopping over here.

Chris and Robin head out by car to return to the Sarasota as they have friends coming in for a visit. Chris will return o/a 13 Nov. Then we will head offshore to cross the Gulf of Mexico to Sarasota, Florida.

Burt (the cat) is enjoying being off the leash and free to come and go as he pleases.

Recommendations and considerations for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway:
1. AIS was very valuable to see tows/ships and their names for contact on the VHF to arrange passing.

2. Most of the GIWW is narrow with no place to anchor out of the way if you have trouble. Traveling with another vessel provides the opportunity of a hip-tow to keep moving while the issue is worked out. Especially between Houston and New Orleans.

3. Have a 50 amp/250 volt splitter for shore power connections on the GIWW. Most docks and marinas are set up for this connector.

4. Even during the day, it helps to have 2 people on watch. Would only recommend traveling during daylight. Plan your day hops to anchor out or dock at night.

5. Fuel sources are still sparse, and pump-out stations are rare.

6. Skipper Bob's "Cruising the Gulf Coast" is the best guide for the GIWW.

Biloxi, Mississippi to Gulf Shores, Alabama

Departure time is 0548 to make as much use of the daylight as possible today. Sandy and Robin will drive to Pensacola, FL to wait for our arrival there. We head out the Biloxi Ship Channel and back into the GIWW. Up go the mainsails on both vessels, but not really any wind to help push us along. By mid-morning we have crossed into Alabama.

As we pass Dauphin Island off our starboard side, we notice the middle section is now underwater due to Hurricane Katrina (2005). Once we pass under the island's fixed bridge, we are in shallow Mobile Bay. The current and wind are moving in the same direction, so we only have small chop as we cross it's 23 mile width.

The scenery really changes once we leave Mobile Bay and enter Portage Creek. Cypress trees return to the banks and the water is clear but brown due to the tannic acid. This is the start of the GIWW where you can explore and gunkhole.

Our stop for the night is the marina right next to Lulu's restaurant (she is Jimmy Buffet's sister). Robin and Sandy make the 30 min drive over from Pensacola for drinks and dinner at Lulu's.

Biloxi, Mississippi

Shortly after pulling up anchor at Rabbit Island, we are motoring across the Mississippi Sound leaving Louisiana in our wake on our way to Biloxi, MS. Not enough wind to sail or motorsail. Chris plans the route cutting the corners of the GIWW track through the Sound to save time. We also have Monarch butterflies flying about us all day. Arrival at the Point Cadet Marina fuel dock is early afternoon, where we find Sandy and Robin have just made it by car themselves.

This is the first area we see the impact of Hurricane Katrina (2005). Vegetation has recovered, just about all the wreckage has been removed, but most marinas are closed, offices are in trailers, and there are quite a few gaps between building and homes.

Dinner is in Ocean Springs at a fantastic pizza place called the Mellow Mushroom. Chris is so insistent it was once called Moe's Mushroom he asks the wait staff if they changed the name recently, while Sandy and Jenny are reading the back of the menu that states 3 college buddies started the Mellow Mushroom back in 1974 - Chris, you are just wrong!

Tonight, we fall asleep to the snapping and popping sounds coming through the hull of oysters feeding. And yes, we remembered set the clock back for daylight savings time.

New Orleans to Rabbit Island

Locking through the "nice" Harvey Locks

A later start this morning as the bridge before the Harvey Locks doesn't open until 0830. We are under it at 0835, and easily in and out of the locks.

Now, we flying down Mississippi River with the current, and crossing over to the New Orleans side to hug the bank. An oil tanker overtakes us, leaving huge eddies swirling into whirlpools just feet off our starboard side that thankfully we are not sucked into.

Turning to port into the Inner Harbor Industrial Canal, we are told to tie-up to the right outside of the locks until the barge coming out clears the locks. Just after "Magic Reunion" ties-up in this small, shallow area and the "Star" rafts up to her, we are cleared to move into the Industrial Locks. So, now we have to wait for the barge to pass as the water is being sucked out from under us by the tug and pulling us into the dock. Then we have to turn around or back out of this small area one boat at a time with our heavy displacement boats with small engines and props (meaning this doesn't happen very quickly). Meanwhile, the lock officials are barking at us that the bridge right in front of the locks isn't going to stay up all day (they are use to commercial vessels with dual props and large engines that can move about quickly).

Once the "Star" enters the locks, Jenny wants to take the line on the bow first due to the tug in front of us creating backwash that will push our bow out into the middle of the locks. But no, the official dropping the line knows better and yells "stern first". Okay, we'll comply as you are giving us the lines, so back to the stern, get the line, and sure enough, there goes the bow. The official throws the line short and before Bobby is up at the bow to try and reach for it. The bow drifts out to the middle even more, but we are able to get the line on the 2d toss. Now the knowledgable official spouts off with how it's obvious we don't know what we are doing and that's why we couldn't even get the boats into the locks quickly to begin with. Then he proceeds back to "Magic Reunion" and yells "bow" as he drops their first line. Interesting... The line dropped to the stern is too short, so Tom finally ties his line into the lock line. Now Mr. Knowledgeable officical is back to explain in very simple terms that we will be lowered 2 feet, that's down, 2 feet down and you will need to let the line out. Yes, thank you, got that the first time.

But the Industrial Locks passage is not over, oh no. Upon exiting, we are told to tie-up to the pilings to starboard to await the next 2 bridges opening for our masts to clear. "Magic Reunion" rafts up and we spend over an hour constantly moving the fore and aft fenders between boat and pilings due to the lock backwash, prop wash and wake from other boats, and the current bouncing us all over the place. It is with glad hearts we depart the locks area when a bridge operator finally arrives to lift the first bridge.

By early afternoon, we are back into the GIWW. It is peaceful and there are fewer tows to deal with on this (east) side of New Orleans. Our destination is the east side of Rabbit Island to anchor for the night. It is easy to spot with a oil platform wreck at the west entrance and a long RR trestle bridge nearby to the east. Here we get quite a few flies inside the boats until we close up the companionways. Another lovely sunset and a nice anchorage.


New Orleans to our stern as we head to the hell of the Industrial Locks.

Houma to Boomtown Casino

It seems very strange to leave Troy standing on the dock as we depart this morning. We've enjoyed his company and listening to him play the guitar immensely. A rental car company is picking him up. He is driving back to Houston due to prearranged plans for the upcoming weekend, and maybe because Deana misses him a bunch. We make calls to confirm Troy got the rental car and made it back to his boat at Watergate.

Today, the waterway contains lots of water hyacinths and we spot a dolphin.

Tonight's tie-up is a Chris' Classy Cruising Dock Spot. It is free, and it should be. It is on a old metal wall with torn cables sticking out, on the south side of the intracoastal and next to the Boomtown Casino (1.5 miles west of the Harvey Locks). We are not bounced around by passing tows and it is fairly quiet. Just climb over the sand-filled fabric/wire box flood wall to let the casino security know you are docked outside, enjoy a meal inside and try your luck. Strategically, there is nothing closer to get you through New Orleans and the locks early the following day.

Halloween in Houma, Louisiana

The Bayou Boeuf Locks just east of Morgan City require us to circle around for 40 mins before we can head through. Once on the other side, the vegetation changes to cypress swamp making it more interesting to watch the miles go by. A bald eagle is sighted in a tree on the north bank and Monarch butterflies flit about the boats. All along the GIWW, we are seeing cranes, herons, pelicans, terns and gulls.

As the days pass, Tom and Chris (especially) are growing concerned that passing boats do not think the two of them are an item. Now, you have to keep in mind the name of the vessel they are on ("Magic Reunion") to see where there might be some reason for the paranoia. When a passing tug Captain asks Tom if we are heading to New Orleans. Tom replies, "We're headed to Florida to catch our women". And just what kind of bait (snare, trap or lure) do you use, I wonder?!?

Within 2 miles of reaching the Houma City Dock, we have a bridge raise to pass under and then spend 1 hour and 45 mins circling off to the side near a smaller bridge in an intersection while three 6-pack tows (tugs pushing 3 barges, 2 deep) heading west clear the narrow canal here and wait for the bridge. One tug Captain comments on how it's been a very long time since he's seen this intersection so congested. And aren't we glad to have not missed it!

Houma's Municipal Dock on Bayou Terrebone is right between the twin bridges. It is also a small park. We keep to the intracoastal end of the wall to tie-up as it gets shallow quickly. This is the first place we've found with a pump-out station, but the hose is too short to reach the port side the "Star", and we do not have the room to turn around, so we wait for another stop with a pump-out.

In keeping with it being Halloween night, the boats are docked directly across from the morgue. After we return from dining at Bilello's, we are entertained by the trick-or-treaters parading by, the motorcycle cops cruising the neighborhood, and 3 cop cruisers pulling up across the bayou to look for someone who might be swimming/floating in the waterway. The guys stay up late drinking rum to give Troy a send off as he departs tomorrow to head back to Houston.

Intracoastal City to the Morgan City Dock

Since all the maintenance issues are resolved, the days are becoming routine passages on the waterway, talking on the VHF and passing tows. The "Star" has the intracoastal "brown moustache or smile" above the waterline on the bow. If we had waxed the boat before departure, she would have been protected from this indignity. Now, we have another project!

Tom and Chris went into brownie withdrawal this afternoon, so a underway replenishment mission was conducted. As Bobby slowly motored up the port side of "Magic Reunion", Jenny passed a full container of brownies to Chris, receiving an unwashed, brownie crumbed container in return.

With their energy and strength restored, Tom and Chris are able to lead us into the Morgan City Dock to starboard just past the RR bridge. Another wall to tie up to, this one is in front of a large flood wall (with Morgan City in big letters) at the historic district. Nice area of town with a terrific marine hardware store. We all head to Rita Mae's for dinner and it's another delicious meal.

Mermantau River to Intracoastal City

A gorgeous sunrise as we head on our way today. Each vessel goes aground at different points as we proceed out of the river and find the way back into the intracoastal waterway.

Chris gives a tug Captain a lesson on the proper flying of flags over the VHF when the Captain questions the Texas state flag up forward flying higher than the US flag on the backstay.

After refueling at the Shell Morgan Landing, we tie up to the wall immediately opposite the fuel dock. Tom starts up the generator and turns on the AC. Suddenly, the generator begins bobbing down. Immediately the problem is verbally escalated into a major compound issue with much discussion on when and how all the required maintenance on the generator /fuel system will take place. Okay guys, let's keep it simple and start with step 1. Ah yes, the water intake value was diverted for the washdown, let's just switch this back and voila, the AC works.

This area was flooded with about 12' of water from Hurricane Rita. The small store is now just a sandwich shop, with wonderful Po'Boys. Most businesses are closed and the volunteer fire station is a ruin.

Anyway, it's our first night tied up to a dock, so we all walk around a bit, including Burt (the cat), and make use of the shower facilities.

Shell Island to the Mermentau River

First thing this morning, we turn on the VHF radio and are serenaded in Vietnamese by a shrimper (possibly a Buddhist prayer) as the sun rises. Okay, that was different.

As we leave Texas and motor into Louisiana, there is an definite increase of mosquitoes and Cajun accents amongst the tug Captains, along with changing vegetation. We also pass under the first bridge and through the first locks.

Entering into the Mermentau River to anchor and raft up in the oxbow, we see a doe swimming to one of the small islands. This is a lovely anchorage further appreciated while watching the almost full moon rise and the accompanying stars. Burt (the cat) is not as appreciative of the lovely environment. He can see the land, but can't seem to find the side of either boat that has the finger pier to get to the land.

Taylor Outfall Bayou to Shell Island

We pull up the anchor early and follow "Magic Reunion" into to GIWW only to have the engine die, again. Bobby heads back into the engine room, while Troy and Jenny do the hip tow tie-up with Tom's boat, again. As we slowly pass Port Arthur, TX, tugs with barges in tow and oil tankers are passing us and sucking water out from under us. Even though Bobby is changing fuel filters and bleeding the system, repeated tries do not restart the engine.

Early afternoon, we anchor at Shell Island rafted up to "Magic Reunion" and still keep going over the fuel system. Finally, the decision is made to try adding fuel to the auxillary tank we've been running off of, Bobby fiddles around with the tank selector valves, and finally the engine starts! Sometimes when you think you've filled a tank, because it foams up with fuel at the mouth, it's actually only foaming due to fuel back up when filling up a little too fast. A successful switch over to the main fuel tank, so we are ready to go for tomorrow. Lesson learned: start with the basics, the fix is usually simple.

Getting Underway

As hard as it is to depart from family and friends, we are away from the dock by 0840, out the Kemah Channel and into the Houston Ship Channel, doing 8 knots with the current (taking the memories of great times with us). Yeehah! Only 450 miles to go to Pensacola, Florida.

Bobby finally makes it past Redfish Island and into uncharted waters. It's official - Jim Kenworthy of S/V Dream Away witnessed the event with a call on the VHF radio.

A turn to port at Bolivar Roads puts us at the entrance of the GIWW with a dolphin escort. Latter in the afternoon, Tom attempts to dock at Steve's Landing and goes aground in the mud 10' from the dock. Okay, let's try the next stop, Stingaree's Landing. Nope, in the mud, twice, and not even that far out of the channel. Now, we are in for a long day of motoring until we get to Taylor Outfall Bayou to anchor for the night. "Star's" engine dies on the way, Bobby heads below to the engine room while Troy and Jenny do an immediate hip tow tie-up with "Magic Reunion" to continue on our way with tugs towing barges approaching from the east and west. The cause is a sludged up fuel filter on the engine (not changed after the fuel tanks were cleaned of sludge).

End of the day reward is the Harvest Moon, full and orange, rising from the horizon shortly after dark.

Preparing to Depart Watergate Yachting Center, Clear Lake, Texas

With the intent to keep our adventures with a little "a" (vice a big "A", or the kind of excitement we can live without), we decide to head east enroute to the Florida on our way to the Caribbean via the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), instead of heading offshore for 3-4 days to Biloxi, MS. Unceasing north winds in the Gulf of Mexico of 25-30 knot winds, building waves, and directly beating into the wind on the last day to Biloxi all sound like things to avoid.

Our buddy boat is the S/V Magic Reunion (Tom and Sandy Campbell). Tom, with Chris Blair, will crew her while Sandy and Robin Blair overland the car to Florida. Troy Jones of S/V Different Drummer will crew on the "Star" for a portion of this trip.

Yesterday, the manly men refuel both vessels. First up is "Magic Reunion". All aboard and off they head for the fuel dock...with the dinghy dock in tow (no one untied it from the boat)! Not so bad for the egos, as they noticed it tagging along after passing only a few slips. Next is the "Star". Bobby backs out of the slip just fine. But, oh, what's this?...just don't seem to be making any headway considering the respective engine RPMs. Maybe we're plowing a new channel? No...oops, forgot to engage the clutch button for the gear shift lever. Now we're moving!