Update from Carrabelle

Well it has been awhile since we sent our last news out. Then we told you about the grouch (steve) who found a person who has helped his back etc, plans to go back to CC for physicals etc and then on to Brunswick, GA, getting our truck and bring it to Carrabelle, the dingy cable breaking again and the dingy winding up in the water, and getting the new bimini.

So what have we done since then and what is next.

Done since then – NOT MUCH – Ain’t that the way it is supposed to be. In general we have just been enjoying life. With the truck here we have explored this part of Fla and it has been great just to git stuff when you need it. Of course the boat maintenance is ongoing as anyone who has one knows. The good part of that is that work is good for the mind and body. The bad part is it interrupts margarita time.

The one thing of note about the boat is that the issue of the dingy lift keeps popping up. We finally got all the good solid parts and the issue fixed. BUT as we did not have a salt water washdown to clean the anchor Steve installed one and it works great. But when wiring it up to the distribution panel, low and behold the dingy lift struck again. It appears like when the cable jammed and snapped the lift motor drew so much current and the terminal board was not of the quality and amp size required there was some overheating. To the tune of melted wire installation, crystallized terminal boards and charred back panel. The odd thing is no circuit breaker popped, the smoke detector did not sound, and everything electrically worked fine. Whew – Well that is almost all fixed still have one terminal board to replace (the ole parts on order thing).

On a SAD SAD SAD note. Cat is no longer with us. He was a GREAT boat pet and we miss him every day. He was getting old (somewhere around 16-18), had cancer, but he still was a good pet. We did not want him to suffer so put him to sleep a couple weeks ago. Even the people on the porch miss him.

Also on a kind of sad note, our cruising plans are on hold for awhile. We will be returning to CC by truck sometime in January (probably during the first week). We hope this is not the end of our cruising plans but may delay them for awhile. As you know Steve has had some issues with his back and recently his knee. Everything seemed to be doing a lot better, little to no pain, walking instead of waddling, etc. and then we went to CC and had our physicals as well as visited friends and family. Everything was great, we had good reports, fun with friends and got to wish a couple good luck on their start of cruising, enjoyed the family and started back to Sandpiper in Carrabelle. While going over a bridge in Mobile we got a call from our Dr. which is putting our plans on hold for a bit. What happened is that while in Corpus Christi for our Physicals, our Dr. had Steve get MRIs for his back and knee. On the way back to Carrabelle, she called and indicated that he has a torn knee and back. So, we are staying here for the remainder of Nov and Dec to get the boat here ready to sit for awhile, possibly putting her up for sale, and to get opinions from Doctors here as to what we should do. Then we will return to Corpus Christi in Jan to get opinions from the Doctor there. While getting the opinions and making the decisions, we will probably stay on CJ like old times. If he has to have surgery, we will do it in Texas and do rehab in Corpus and stay at our house for the rehab. Then we will look at which boat we have and how much he can do and then determine where we are going to cruise (may be continue current “plans”, cruise Texas again which ain’t bad, or do cruise ships and be spoiled, or land cruise. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, all is well in Carrabelle. We have Turkey day planned for on the porch and Christmas parties/boat parade etc.

More later as it happens

Still at Carrabelle - after 1 month

Well, got a call yesterday checking to see if all is well as we have not posted anything for awhile. Sorry All is well and what is happening follows.

The first week was catch up. We got our mail, answered it, cleaned the boat in and out, got some supplys, ordered some parts, and got re aquainted with the porch and happy hour.

Had a birthday. Steve is OLD and celebrated his 70th. Birthday his present was a Fishing rod and reel for offshore stuff. Got a number of offers and am heading that way as soon as we can and this is kind of what we looking for. See picture.

Party was a blast. Rum punch, cake, chips and popcorn and lots of laughs.

Then the setback. Got parts for our Strainers. Woops wrong ones. Called the Strainer people. ordered the right parts to overhaul all the strainers, got the parts in and now all strainers have been pulled, cleaned, and new gaskets etc installed. Took awhile but it is done.

Then did booring stuff, worked on boat a little, ordered a few more parts, got haircuts, did happy hour, installed parts, did happy hour, went to eat as favorite restruant for anniversity, did happy hour

Had hotdogs, happy hour, corn on cob, and watched fireworks for July 4th. Lots of people at marina for the fireworks.

Well, Carol said Steve turned 70 and is falling apart. He forgot to move his foot when turning and strained his knee. OUCH. Then in favoring his right messed up his left. Old man is he.
He much much better now.

Carol went to Corpus Christi. We decided that as we were going to stay here till after Hurricane season and then go down the west coast of Fla, accross the state through the Okeechobee, and then up the east coast of Fla to Brunswick Ga. to stay there until warm enough to go to the Chesapeake for the spring/summer/fall, and return to Brunswick for the winter (those are current plans), we might as well get our truck and have it here, leave it here while we travel to Brunswick, come and get it or have one of the Carrabelle crowd bring it to us. So she went to CC, visited with family, checked CJ and is back with the truck. So we might go see some sights while we are here. Time wll tell.

While Carol was gone, the marina hosted a KIDS fishing tournment. It was a blast. Lots of kids and parents. lots of hot dogs and watermelon and best of all lots of fun for the kids and some of us also. Each kid got a rod and reel and most got a trophey of some kind. It was kool.

Part of the c-Quarters crew having sausage for breakfast before the mob arrives

 some partaking of hot dogs and watermellon

Gathering for the food

So that is it. We are settled in and enjoying the full time cruisers life and all is well.

Left St. Pete - traveled - Arrived at C-Quarters Marina in Carrabelle

Well, the evening before we left, a friend came over, we had goodbye hugs and kisses, drinks on the flybridge while watching the airplanes and sailboat races. We said we will miss all this but it is time for the next step.

At 0700, 6/17/2011 we drove Sandpiper out of slip F19 at St. Petersburg Marina with Admiral Carol at the helm. The deckhand Seaman Steve tied up the deck, stowed lines, secured fenders, etc and we were underway. In Tampa Bay we encountered fishermen using balloons as floats, large schools of bait fish, some bigger fish jumping (could have been tarpon I guess) and the escorting porpoises which we never get tired of. We just enjoyed the trip and all the sights until the first of 7 bridges. To say this all but one of the bridge masters were very polite and helpful. all the bridges did was slow the progress for us down as they had opening schedules and of course we missed them all. We took this route to see all the homes, hotels etc and it did not disappoint. We enjoyed the slow leisurely pace and the sites. For the most part, the other boaters were courteous. At Clearwarter that changed a bit as everyone seemed to be in a big hurry. There was a lot of traffic going out and coming in at the Clearwater Pass but all was well. We got to the outer buoy, made a starboard turn and set the Autopilot to take us to Anclote Key. Delightful trip with water clear and a sea state of 2-3 (NOAA would have said the significant wave height was 2 feet - which means the average of the 1/3 highest is 2 feet and you might encounter 4  footers at some point). They were on our beam and we were and are grateful for stabilizers. Arrived at Ancolte with lots of daylight left and not being tired we continued on for a couple more hours and anchored in 22ft off the west coast from Hernando Fla. Had a problem to try and fix. About an hour after leaving St. Pete, the airconditioning stopped working. No salt water cooling. We decided to check it out after we anchored and if it was the pump, fix it when we got to C-Quarters as with the port holes open and with fans the boat was livable. After letting the engine room cool a bit, Seaman Steve found the problem with the Admirals help at the AC control switches. The pump ok, the tailpiece from the seacock had a leak that caused the pump to loose its prime. new tailpiece from ships stores and the AC was up and cooling again. Real issue is that the previous owner had used brass and the salt water running through had corroded it. spares are brass. Job in Carrabelle is to replace all brass tailpieces with bronzee. Spent a great night with the boat rocking us to sleep.

Left anchorage and proceeded to try for an anchorage off Steinhatchee. Long day (11 hours) but a good trip in clean water with again an acceptable sea state. It got a bit higher as we approached Steinhatchee but still acceptable. Anchored the boat, She pitched a bit especially in a freshening West wind but again acceptable and "normally" the wind lays during the evening so all would be ok. After arrivals, a meal, and showers we off to sleep and a scheduled 0700 start in am. Well winds did not lay. they freshened even more. The sea state got a bit wild but not dangerous. But we pitched in sets of 5 then rolled in sets of 3. It was a wild night. Note: we found out later from locals this was NOT the place to anchor with a west wind and the full Moon and it tides. "It's always like that" and now i know it also. It is NOT the place to anchor with a west wind and a full Moon". Would have stopped short or continued going if we had known better (my fault as i really did not tell any of the locals that we had ideas to stop and anchor there. if i had, they would have told me). Around 0730 the seas and wind started calming down and by 0830 we left heading to Dog Island off of Carrabelle.

The next leg was the most interesting and can best be described as a three parter.

• The first part being from the Steinhatchee anchorage to about 1/3 the way to Dog Island. Wild, roller coaster are good descriptors. The wind was still out of the west with the moon still effecting so the swells were big with some wind swept waves on top. Nothing breaking or dangerous and luckily could keep them on our quarter for a comfortable as possible ride. Again thanks to the people who invented stabilizers and autopilots.
• The second part was awesome. 1-2 ft seas 5 knts wind and a beautiful ride. We saw fish of all kinds, lots and lots of porpoises. One pod of 10 to 12 stayed with us for 30 minutes. One mom and dad had a baby (around 2-3 ft) and were teaching it to surf the bow wake. and then the big sea turtles. It was great and i wish all could enjoy it as we did.
• The third part was the worst. Not bad, just the worst. It reminded me of the Texas gulf. Sets of ever increasing size swells with very confused wind waves in between and on top. Water started changing color and became sandy and dirty (locals are saying the Mississippi floods are causing a lot of runoff of all the rivers. Sandpiper was well up to the task and we were very comfortable. When we made the pass from the gulf into George Sound by Dog island, the swells were on our stern and i learned how this boat handled that (Better than me but the Admiral was pleased so we were both happy). Pulled into a well protected cove at Dog Island and spent a calm restful remainder of day and night. Saw one of our Carrabelle friends in their boat and had a brief chat about being back and meeting on the porch the following day. Life is good.

The next morning left anchorage at 0700 to catch slack tide in the river when we docked. It worked good and we slipped into our slip with no issues at all.

So we are back to the small town that has character and a lot of characters. Was welcomed back by all on the porch last evening. Will be here for awhile and will keep you all up to date.

We are having a blast. If you can, come join us. If you can't try and live it through our blog. Life is great and this is Life now for us.

more later

Steve & Carol aboard

m/s Sandpiper

Preperations to leave St. Pete continued and we finally left

Wow, when last we wrote we were Preparing to Leave St. Pete. Well we prepared and prepared and prepared and prepared, .... and finally left.

First we said we were leaving in the morning, and God laughed at our plans, and we sent the message "Just checked all the weather stations and it looks like we probably won't be leaving St. Pete until Friday 17th instead of tomorrow.  Tomorrow looks ok BUT there is the possibilities of 2-4 etc in places and the Admiral don't like 4 footers and Friday looks like it will be more like she (me too) likes so we leave then. We will probably Not anchor at Anclote Key and just go straight to Dog Island or Carrabelle out of Clearwater". And as we were all prepared with waiting on the final news to be shown and going to bed to get a good nights sleep, God was really laughing and reminded us about Storms.

We are still getting used to Florida versus Texas Gulf and weather. We were reminded that and it was a good thing we were at the slip in St. Pete and not out there where we initially planned. We had a rain storm/thunder storm/lighting storm or whatever else you want to call it. Totally unexpected but the Florida people call it good and want more like it today and tomorrow. It had all the things a Thunder Storm/Squall Line has, HIGH wind (We clocked 50 at the boat-news reported 63), lots of wave action (we were in 18-20' of water with about 300 yards to the breakwater and had 3 to 4'whitecaps at the boat - low tide and white blowing water over the finger piers is how we measured it), and of course the rain, lighting and thunder etc. The news and the people who live here say, that is good we got needed rain, cooled us off, and it is getting that time of year, hope tomorrow we get the same. Well we said, our issue is they sent out no warnings (e.g breaking into or scrolls on tv for the line that hit us - had sent some earlier for a line south of us and predictions were none for us. They did a great job of describing and explaining why it occurred during the weather at 2300 which happened to be in the middle of the storm), and if this is "normal" and they predict more and want more, we asked ourselves; what would it be like if we were out in the Gulf 80+ miles from shore and run into one of them. We did not like the answer. Would we survive? YEP but we don't need the hassle. And we know it is going to happen sometime even with the best of planning but let us not jump into it if we feel there is going to be something to make us uncomfortable. So we looked at alternative ways of dealing with the issue of DAILY storms and some of them not predicted. We looked at it before but not as close as we should have we think especially if we are going to be out of reach of a divert port/anchorage.

And so we thought about it the next day, we scoured all the weather outlets, we talked to people and then decided to leave the next morning. The plans were to pull out of the slip around 0700. ICW to Clearwater then offshore to Anclote Key. Anchor at Anclote key and then follow the bend at the 3 fathom line anchoring each evening before any storms, ride them out if required, get some sleep and continue the trip around the bend till we anchored at Dog Island to go into C-Quarters the next morning.

And at 0700 the following mooring we were off and running (or better classified as a crawl as our trawler is a slow but steady beast).

Steve & Carol aboard
m/v Sandpiper

Preparing to leave St. Pete

Well we have been here 3+ weeks and it is time to return to our West Florida home base of Carrabelle. And we are looking forward to it. Still have a lot to do in that area along with 3 fishing tournaments out of the marina we will be at plus a good hidy hole from canes. And the bonus of a lot of friendly folks in a great little place. Plan is to leave here Thursday, travel the ICW to Clearwater, go off shore and anchor at Anclote Key, leave there at midnight and go straight across to Dog Island where we will anchor and go in to C-Quarters marina in Carrabelle Sat morning. Then we will watch the boats come in that afternoon/evening for the Kingfish tournament.

The trip to St. Pete was well worth it. Of course we got to see our friends. For those who did not know Pam and Bill, they had their boat at CC Marina right down from us. They moved back to Flordia and we got to see them at their new marina. They were very very helpful while we were here by showing us around, helping us get stuff we needed and just enjoying each others company. Thanks Pam and Bill. Unfortunately, Bill has a new job with the same company that keeps him away from St. Pete so we did not get to spend as much time as we wanted with him. But there is always the next time.

The marina here is very good. It is large (I guess at least 2 to 3 times the size of CC Marina) and on Tampa Bay. The Facilities are excellent. Our only like would have been for floating docks but that seem to be something there is little of in Florida at least right now. Our slip allowed us an unobstructed view of Tampa Bay and that made it quite nice. There is a Sailing club at the marina and every day there is at least one group of sailboat races going on. On Friday evening is biggest race with last Friday having 28 boats. We also have seen Tarpon in the marina with two of them cruising around our boat. Along with lots of other fishy objects in the water but no Manatees were sighted.

We had a little trouble for the first week or so. I again tried to do something i shouldn't have without help and hurt my back. It did not cause me the problems as before but i had to move slow, rest, etc and it is still a bit tender but we are doing fine. And right after we got here, Carol indicated she appeared to have a problem with one of her teeth. And she did. A large chunk was missing of the side of one of her wisdom teeth. Of course this occurred on a Saturday evening so we had to really wait till Monday to get it fixed. Found a dentist office within walking distance of the marina. They were GREAT and they fixed the tooth (did not pull it) and no problem since.

Speaking of within walking distance, the downtown area of St. Pete is awesome. There is a lot to do or a little to do which ever you want. There are lots of parks. It is VERY walker friendly. Plenty of restaurant if that is your desire. A major grocery, museums,  etc. etc. and it is very clean. There is a Looper (loops around the downtown area) trolley that you can ride for a quarter (a dime if you are 65+). And a great little downtown airport right next to the marina. Carol and I spent a lot of time on the flybridge watching the planes. Lots of small plane traffic and apparently people learning to fly.

Altogether we had a good time here. We would highly recommend staying here but not for just one night. A week at a minimum, The downtown area is great. the rest of the town is a big city with anything you need. Public transportation is  excellent.

A few pics;


Sailboat race seen from our flybridge

Airport seen from our flybridge

Airport seen from the Pier in St Pete

Part of the Marina as seen from the Pier. We are the next to last boat on left side

Downtown as seen from the Pier

Hope all is well where you are.

Steve and Carol aboard the m/v Sandpiper

In St. Pete

We are in St Petersburg.  Great trip. Wedid not get to leave as planned. As we indicated, we were leaving CarrabelleThursday to visit friends in St Petersburg.  Well, the husband has been working in Georgia and was finishing up Thursday and wanted us to wait for him so he could go on the boat with us from Carrabelle to St. Pete. ( he loves boating) he should get here about 7:00  so we waited for him.   We talked to another boat that left near Tarpon Springs last night and docked right next to us a few min ago and they said it was beautiful over night and a little chilly but no waves and a hugh moon.

So Bill got to Carrabelle and we left Friday Morning. Started the Genset and the engines, warmed them up, slipped the lines and backed Sandpiper into the river current and we were underway around 0900. Had been looking for a nice weather window and we got it.

This is us leaving Carabelle;

The roughest (maybe 2-3) it got was when we left the bay and into the Gulf at the pass of Dog Island  and St. George Island and a short way into the Gulf. It was the tide and within a couple of hours it got really good. Hit the bouy and set the autopilot and off we went for 27 hours. It was beautiful out there. Water was clear, saw lots of fish from flying fish, to porposes, to Maui-Maui, and some we got no idea, acouple of turtles and that night a lot of stars. That was awsome. Then at midnight the almost Full Moon. Hard to explain, you would just have had to been there. Here is a couple of pics to try and describe the trip.

The sunset

Breakfast - notice the heavy wave action in front of us

Bridge at St Pete

So we got  to the marina, Pam was waiting, and their were hugs all around. We checked in got to the slip, had an arrival after getting Sandpiper settled in. Then it was  Bill and Pam off to their home and we off to the shower and a LONG nap. Later we all got back together and had dinner. After they left us at our boat, we were trying to relax and lots of "gunfire" went off. It really was firecrackers and we were treated to a great fireworks show. Bill called and said he had arranged it just for our arival (yeah right).

Later  Carol discovered she had broken about a third of her right bottom wisdom tooth (probably from biting her tounge with me and Bill around). It did not need an emergency denist trip  so we waited until today (Monday) to get it fixed. Found a GREAT denist downtown about 1/2 mile from the boat. All is fixed and we ready again (as soon as the deadner wears off).

So now we are kind of settled in again. Got a couple of things to do on the boat (as always) but no major issues and she did GREAT on the trip. Will reprovision for our trip back to Carrabelle later, hope to go on a couple of day trips in the area and just see the sights of western Fla and visit some more with Bill and Pam.

All is well and Life is Good here. Hope is is whereever you are.

Steve and Carol aboard m/v Sandpiper

Leaving Carrabelle for St. Pete

Well it has been a little over a month here on the river. It has been great.

The marina has character and the town characters show up daily to make it really fun. They say;  " Carrabelle - a small drinking town with a BIG fishing problem" and it is kind of that way. But it is time to go to St. Pete and visit Bill & Pam. So the weather window is opening on Wed evening. We leave Thursday morning, go straight across, and get to St Pete at the marina where the Wilson's have their boat on Friday afternoon. The plan is to let them show us where the good anchor out spots are, visit as much as possible (they both are working etc) and just enjoy life there for awhile. Maybe even a side trip to Disney.

Then we return to Carrabelle. There is a lot of places around here we want to visit (Dog Island, St George Island, Apalachicola, Port St. Joe, Alligator point, etc and do a bit of fishing. And one of the big attractions here is that being in FL for hurricane season suggests that you need plans to take care of your boat and you if one comes your way. Well this here is a lot like Corpus Christi, the hurricanes seem to go somewhere else (with no guarantees) but here, if we have to hide from a hurricane, we go up the river about 5 miles and tie our boat to the string of locals and the trees and have a party (or leave). So we will hurricane season over here, explore this part of Fla, catch a few fish, become a character like those here and then leave to continue our exploring (Southwest and East Florida, and the east coast to the Chesapeake) sometime after November.

We are planning a trip back to CC somewhere in there (Sept-Oct time frame) to see everyone, catch up on everything, leave stuff we took on the boat we don't need and pick up some we think we need. Hope to see you all then.

We turn the SPOT on when we leave.

Life is good and all is well for Carol and Steve aboard m/v Sandpiper

In Carrabelle - week 2

Well it the beginning of week 2 in Carrabelle. Will probably have to update the blog from Carrabelle at least two more times before we think about leaving.

It sure is a tuff life here. A typical morning is - Let's see if I can remember -  we had coffee on the back deck, Breakfast of eggs, fried spam, and bagel toast,  Carol washed a load of clothes & i worked in the engine room for a bit , had coffee on the marina deck  in the swing, did some paperwork and computer stuff ,  sat in the rocking chairs  and chatted with some of the locals and one other boat person, and going to have lunch now. And there you have a typical morning.  In the afternoon Lunch and Nap call. Then we do a few odd things (see below) and around 5 sit on the porch with the locals and tell "TRUTHS" at happy hour (or two or three hours). Supper, bath, and bed then follows. I know it is a Tuff life but someone has to do it.

O' yea for varity we did a couple of other things; got fresh shrimp off the boat that stopped here for fuel, cleaned the shrimp and had fresh shrimp/cloe slaw,/taters for supper, one of the guys went fishing and left a snapper with us - grilled and was perfect (wahoo tomorrow); for exercise we like walked to one end of the town one day and stopped by the grocery store on the way back (that was about a half mile to the end of town and a block to the store). Tired us out so had to do some lemonade on the swing after. The next day walked to the other end of town to the hardware store (about 3/4 mile). Also checked out where the restaurants were (but it is hard to beat fresh caught shrimp or fish cooked on Sandpiper) but we promised ourselves we would go at least once cause everyone has told us how good they are. yep did a couple of chores on the boat but all is well and we are in no rush. Went to a festival the other day, excellent food, lots of vendors selling stuff, music, etc. Got a Sour cream pound cake, went and got fresh strawberries, had Strawberry Shortcake. Went got more cake the next day.

Life is good here, not busy-busy-busy. Current plans are to stay till the Kingfish Tournment on 5/14. Then look for a good weather window along with the full moon to go across to St. Pete.

Here are a few pics;

In Carrabelle

We are here and love it. Our kind of place. Laid back, out of the way, Very Very friendly and helpful. Going to stay awhile. Like our friend Hal said we are going to take a Break not just a Rest.

Did not get to leave Panama City as when we started the engines the old fuel leak drip from the lift pump started again. Seemed to dry up as things warmed up but time to fix permently. So replaced the part from the inventory of spares and bingo it has no leak. Old pump had an internal problem and was leaking out the weep hole (kind of like on the water pump). Got a new spare and we were off in the morning. The delay did get us reaquainted with a friend we met in Corpus that lives about 40 miles from Panama City so it turned out all good. One day we will go back to Panama City but not the same marina and with a knowledge of the city we did not have before.

Anchored out at Appalochia. As Skipper Bob said between R2 and R4 is a anchorage. You will swing with the tide but it was great and if you want to stay awhile there is a dingy dock accross the way at the city.

Left early n am to get to Carrabelle before the afternoon wind. Good trip, good plan BUT the wind was up and accross the bow on the docks as was a very strong current. But all was well, we stayed on  the fuel dock for 2 hours till the tide went slack and backed Sandpiper in. Another boat anchored in channel to do the same thing due to the current.

We met up with friends in a 41 Gulfstar. They are from our Home town (Port Isabel) and were in Bahi at the same time we were. We have been going a bit in front of us and this is the first time we have shared Happy Hour together. They leave in am to anchor at Dog Island for the next day jump to Tarpon Springs.

We will stay here and of course do some chores on the boat but for the most part just chill out.

More on that later. Hope all is well where you are. We are having a ball and places like this are the toping on the cake at least for us.

cheers and best to all from Steve & Carol aboard Sandpiper

At Panama City

We are here on a planned stop. Should have kept going. Don't get me wrong as Panama City has a lot but we do/did not find it the place we want to stay at and getting stuff really requires a car. The trolly goes everywhere but time is on their side not ours. Plus the slips are OLD and not real boater friendly (concreat, narrow, older pilings and finger piers and they want more than they are worth. So we did clean the boat, went shopping at what was supposed to be close to the marina places and then decided enough is enough. Will leave here early Wed morning for an anchor out for a couple days and then on to Carrabelle.

The trip from Biloxi to Panama City was well different. We left Biloxi in a light wind and fair weather with good weather projections. We then found out that a "light" wind (15) reaally causes the Miss Sound to bounce. and we did but thank goodness for stabilizers and it was Cloudy which made for a dreary day. But the anchorage at Dalphin was great and we spend a good night there. Met a couple of the locals tending the crab pots. They and their pet were very friendly.

The trip the next day was good. the weather was great and once while we were waiting on a barge to clear a bridge, we idled by a deck for a house and talked to a local for a while. Saw lots of nice homes along the ditch. We anchored close  to the island next to Ft. McRee. grat anchorage and so close tothe gulf we could hear the gulf and would stayed there a few days but when we tried to lanch the dingy and the cable broke before we could get the dingy off the boat. So we decide to move on the following morning, well call it noon. WE woke to FOG. Pea soup thick fog. We  hung around until around noon and it lifted enough for the tug etc to start moving so we did also. Ran into patches a few times and then decide to pull into a cove after about 20 miles. Again the anchorage was great. Again woke to fog with the boat a hang out for a bunch of birds trying to navigate the fog. But it cleared faster and better so we were able to get on down the road to the next anchorage. The next morning found it clear and we had a great day going accross a couple of bays  well almost. Some of the boat drivers are rude and some are well  stupid. Almost got run into by a pontoon boat that was to busy watching a para sail.. Was escorted by a couple of dolphins for awhile. Took a lot of pic of them and soon as i quit, they left.

While in the "Grand Canyon, got to see a Bald Eagle. It was eating a fresh caught fish when we came upon it jumped into a tree about 20 feet away as we came by. Awsome.

 Got to Panama City, the people were very helpful.

Met a couple from Laporte who had an engine issue and were being towed in the morning to a yard. Had a great talk about the Great loop over a couple of margerettes.

The port host for the America Great Loop Association came by as we were walking and we had a great chat.

Leaving Biloxi

Well it has been awhile and a lot has transpired but we are ready to leave Biloxi tomorrow morning.

Next Stop is Dauphin Island for the night and then on to Pensacola or at least close to Pensacola. Man in the boat next to us told us of an anchorage at Ft McRee that is really close to the base so we can dingy in and go to the museum. Probably spend a couple of days in anchorage/Pensacola then on to anchorages at long point and then in Choclauhatchee Bay right before entering the Grand Canyon. Sure hope to see a couple of Eagles there. News show some of the hatchings recently.

Then on to Panama City for a repo/fix it at a marina. We then will finish the panhandle with an anchor out and then a marina at Apalochicola waiting on weather if required to go to Carabelle. We then wait at Carrabelle for the big bend trip to Tarpon Springs. Don't know when we hit all the ports/anchorages  on the Big Bend or how long any of the above will take but that is the current plans.  Check the Spot to find us.

So for a summary of what happened while we were here. Of course you remember that we came accross the gulf and so part of the stop here was for us to relax and relax we did. We had days we did nothing but read, sleep, and think about watching the jelly fish races (decided that took to much energy so we did not).  

Also planned was to fix the stabilizers. So first i decidet to change the fluid and filters. Great idea but no filters so i started checking and no one had them. Long story short, i ordered them from the stabilizer people in Fla. They sent them but sent the wrong ones. So we had to wait to the correct ones arrived. In the meantime, We found a great diver and had him check the boat especially the stabilizers. When he came out of the water he was very serious and i knew we had a problem. But the problem was he was preplexed as we had a catfish wedged between one of the fins and the hull. He said he had never seen anything like it. With the fish removed, new fluid and filters the system checks great. O'yes when i told the harbor Master we caught a fish, he asked for our lisence etc. (leave it to an old retired Master Chief to give me a bad time - kind of like old times).

The Autopilot had a stuck switch that wanted to tell the AP to always turn to starboard. Fixed and it dock check ok.

Other than some other fixes of small stuff while we waited on the filter, We took walks, we went to the casino, NO we did not gamble but still enjoyed people watching and an OK meal, and we took a trolly ride to Ocean Springs (quaint down town area) and then a trolly ride of the historic area. WOW, lots of changes between my old memories and todays Biloxi. I remember the old BIG trees and beautiful old houses. A lot of the trees are still here but not many of the old houses especially along Hwy 90. There are some restored etc but with Cammile and Katrina there are a lot of empty slabs and lots. And the people here have very little love for the FEDs and all their rules etc whick makes it impossible to rebuild on thier own land.

The plan here was to fix a couple of things, relax, and then watch for a weather window before leaving. Boy the weather bears watching. While we were waiting on parts we had one storm come through. Then we got the parts, fixed the boat and said it is time to go so how is the weather. It was great. BUT There was another front coming throuth in 3 days and prediction were that it would rain, thunder, blow wind and then go away with good weather after. So the decision was to either go then hide somewhere during the next front or wait and let it come through and follow it. We said, we not in hurry so we wait. GREAT DECISION  No during the 3 days of great weather we chided ourselves on not going. But last night the front came thru. We had a tornado. It passed overhead and caused a bit of wind dammage but did not touch the ground. The people from our neichbor boat  went to walk the dog right before it happened. They were at the end of the dock, the siren went off, they looked up and saw the twister. I was peeking out the back door and was not about to go out even though we had a plan to run to the casino it need be. Interesting night but today is good and the next week+ is supposed to be good trawler weather. So we leave in the morning

Last but not least, most know we have the cat with us. He has no issues on the boat but does like to get off. He will sneak and jump off if he can. Well we went to help a couple dock their boat and left the cat on the aft deck. When we were walking back to our boat, we heard the cat hollering a sound we have never heard from him and guess what, he was in the water swimming. Steve got the net and fished him out. He now stays on the boat and if we come back inside he follows.

At Biloxi - Whew

We are here in Biloxi at Point Cadet Marina.

So here we are. It was the right decision getting Capt Rob to help and going the route around all the swollen rivers etc. It was an adventure and we learned a lot about the boat and us. So chalk it up to a Good time and one we could repeat by ourselves if needed. A third or forth hand would be helpful though.

   The first day was miserable - The trip down the river was uneventful. At one point we though a oil tank was on fire but it was the angle we were at to the flare.

When we hit the gulf, the waves were low as predicted at 1-2 ft but the Swells were high 4+ ft and 5-7 seconds therefore the boat pitched a LOT. Very uncomfortable if one tried to walk around. When Carol went to the cabin, she experienced a not so good feeling like motion sickness so she mainly stayed on the flybridge. At one time we went below to test if it was really motion sickness or just a combination of everything. It was motion sickness. So back to the flybridge for the whole day/night where she was fine. But she had fixed a lot of stuff for sandwiches/snacks so no one went hungry. Swells started diminishing as night wore on but a light fog started showing up.

   The second day; starting at midnight - harrowing - lots of FOG - was clear with a great moon and then the fog seemed to show up out of now where, visibility was very very low. Great idea to have, NO you need to have, Radar and AIS. later in the morning (still dark and foggy) the Stabilizer started acting up and fins would move causing directional issues - turned off. Luckly as we approched the area before Tiger Pass the fog cleared and the moon was brillent. And then came Tiger pass. We  entered Tiger Pass at 2200. - the Capt earned his money - Entrance was confusing with all the lights. Had a couple of low water issues but did not stick. Then because of the flooding of the Mississippi we stated incountering a heavy current which increased the closer we got to Venice. At times the current wanted/did  take control of the boat but we prevailed.Got into the marina a bit after midnight.

   The third day was not that bad - After tieing up at the marina, we had an arrival nightcap and got a good night sleep. Woke up to heavy fog, had a breakfast and decided to wait out for the fog to lift, leave and anchor short of Biloxi that night. When we fired off the engines, Steve discovered a SMALL fuel leak (a drop every 1-2 seconds) around the lift pump. He would have nothing but to fix the leak. Finally fixed by tighting some screws and that resealed the gasket (will replace while in Biloxi -- is not leaking now but ......). Great trip from there (Venice LA) to an anchorage in the gulf about 50 miles from Biloxi. The Mississippi current helped us. At one time we hit 10.1 knts. Out in the Gulf we saw lots of these.

Carol fixed us a supper along the way of Sausage, green beans, and pasta with a presto sauce while we traveled. After we anchored, we all had a Margarita and slept well.

   The fourth day was the best there was. Started off with a bang through - the line from the anchor marker float wrapped around the stabilizer fins but we secured it and left. Sea was FLAT and we can't say much cause we just enjoyed the day cruising and the porpoises playing in the bow wake. Arrived at the marina at 1310, refueled $$$$, parked the boat in the slip, had an arrival, found the Capt a car (was a hassle as the rental agents said no cars due to spring break but steve got one on line through a travel agent), sent him off to go back to Houston (his home) and we settled in for a great rest time.

We will stay here a while. Marina Cost is GOOD here. Going to spend a couple of days doing light house chores and RESTING. Then the Admiral says we will have the stabilizers and auto pilot working before we make the next leg or there is no next leg (Ha Ha). After fixing, then we play tourist for a couple of days and leave at the next good weather window.

The Boat is getting stronger each leg so there are a lot of the basic things we just need to check now cause they are ready to go and they seem to like the cruising life and just need attention and maintaining every once in awhile. Soon we will have the next level stuff working the way we want and then the nice to have and at that point we will just be cruising and maintaining.

Will try and keep you up to date and let you know what our next plans are. For now all be safe and enjoy, we are.

Leaving BowTie Marina - heading off shore to Biloxi

We are leaving in the morning to continue heading east. We found a Captain who has made the trip many times before and he will be here tonight to help us. So we leave a great place that we will return to again. We will miss a lot from here, the people, the food, and the quite restful surroundings. Each morning coffee on the back deck is great with the fish eagle, the raccoons, possems, fish, etc. But it is time.

We will travel from  here, down the river to the Gulf, across the Gulf to Tiger Pass and then overnight in Venice La. From there we travel north through a pass and the Mississippi Sound to Biloxi. 3-4 days depending on wind, current etc. and the Mississippi (we will be in it for 3/4 mile) is already 2' higher than normal.

The Spot will be on and we will let you know when we are in Biloxi.

Still at BowTie Marina in Lake Charles

Well, the elbow could not be fixed. As one of the guys said, it would make a great anchor for my duck decoys but ain't worth much more than that.

 Ordered from Houston and  they had one in stock, they sent it and gaskets etc for two as well as ordered us a spare they will drop ship to here.

We really like it here. Don't know how long we will be here but with our schedule we don't really care cause it is a nice place and nice people and we are relaxing. Got everything ready  to install the new part when it gets here and cleaned up the mess I made getting it out. This delay will allow us to fix a few more things that we would delay till later also so all is well and we will be tourists also. But it is great just to sit on the aft deck and watch the critters. And we have a critter that lives close to us (about 30 ft right of the end of the dock). Right now it is a keep the cat away from there chore and we stay away also. Look by the rock (concrete) for the gray rope, that is a water mockison about 4 ft long with a head that is about 4" wide - no i did not catch, measure, and release - this is as close as i got and will get.

 

Of course it was Mardi Gras, wow these people love this time of year. It is fun watching and talking to them about it. Here is one of the boats decorated for the parade (boat parade in lake).

O'yes got to tell on myself, the docks here are not floating so before we went to night-night and because there was a storm coming (it is here) I checked and tightened all the lines. Woke up this morning and the boat had about a third bubble tilt (it was level when we went to bed). Checked boat for leaks etc. etc. etc. all was well. Went on back deck with coffee cup to look around and lo-and-behold all the dock lines were bango string tight. DUH, tide came in. Loosened and all is well. Lesson learned and glad the tide here is not that great.

This marina also houses the local Coast Guard Station. They have 12 pumpkin boats (what the marina owner calls them) and  2 small fiberglass boats.  They regulary have 2 on patrol, 2 in the water and the rest on trailers "ready to go". 

The river at Morgan city is rising to flood +. Am not going to fight the current, debris and no dock space due to the flooding.  May stay here a bit longer  but had a great idea from Mark. Am going to check into going out into the Gulf and going around with help. Am looking into getting someone with local knowledge to go with us. Checked with the owner of the marina and he knows a few good captains that do that kind of thing so we are setting up a chat with a couple next week.

Other than that we are enjoying the hospitility of the natives, the GOOD food and relaxing a lot. Carol is even starting to read a book.

At Lake Charles LA - BowTie Marina

Taylor bayou was great. Forgot to take a pic.  The bugs run us in a little before sunset. The trip through Port Arthur was uneventful except for the fog. Visibility was good when we left TB but socked us in (visibility 1/2 mile) after the MLK bridge. One inbound tanker dropped his anchor in the middle, turned on his fog horn, and reported that he was sitting it out till it cleared.  We turned all detection equipment on and kept going at a very reduced speed, finally the for cleared then it got foggy again. Other than that all went well as far as the trip went.

During one of the checks of the engine room found we had developed a water leak in the starboard engine exhaust elbow. It was just a drip about every 15 seconds but one we kept a watchful eye on till we got to Bow Tie. Will remove it today and get it welded. Hope to NOT break off a bolt but bet I will as  it is rusted in that area. Looks like it had a slow slow slow leak for a long time and finally got a pin hole in it.

Love Bowtie, everyone here is great.  Fill up with fuel (excellent price). May stay here awhile with the engine issue and also because the weather has an FLOOD alert for the river that goes through Morgan City.  It is supposed to flood the city marina and have some serious currents. Glad we have no schedule and will wait till that is safer till we go there..

Ok it is morning, started work on the engine and Yep, busted off one bolt, also it is Mardi Gras and work will slow down/stop on Tesday for the next few days and found another area with a small leak so will get it all done and have a bit of fun while we are at it. Hope to get you some pics of the parade Tuesday.

Here are a couple of views from our boat at BowTie.

On the "water ways" again - Anchored in Taylor Bayou

Well it has been foever since last we updated what's happening. What is happening now is we left Kemah yesterday  (Tuesday). There were no intentions of staying that long. We were ready last week. All provisioned, car back to the nieces, etc. etc. etc. waiting on a weathere window. Then got a wild hair. You know we drug anchor and had some issues. Yes it was a storm, but a good properly sized anchor should hold in a storm. So with a little idle time, we did some research, checked with some friends and decided to upgrade our anchoring system. Got the  secondary anchor Thursday and main anchor last Friday. Then had friends over on Friday, Sat and Sun and the weather was crappy on Monday and we pulled out at 0800 Tuesday.

Wow, it is loads of fun in the Houston Ship Channel, especially with a bit of North Wind. But that is what it is all about. Spent the night anchored in Teacup (next to the Galveston Yacht Club). what a rocky night. Lots of boat traffic but slept well and the anchor held great. Left Teacup at 0700. Managed to cross the HSC with out getting run over and then the fun started. There were two chemical barges entering the ICW just before us  and with the current and traffic we followed one for awhile until we all had to hold in place while a barge was stuck  ACROSS the ICW. Another tow put his barges on the bank and went and helped the one across the ICW. We idled in the lee and along side of the tow/barge we were following and when the tow/barge cleared the ICW it was time to go again for about 10 of us. All orderly and very helpful of each other.

Our next little adventure occured when we were fixing to go  under a bridge that was followed by a SHARP turn. Under the bridge was a tow/barge getting a crew change. We slowed down and chated with them and we started by and then noticed that there was a tow coming towards us on the other side of the turn (thank goodness for AIS). We called the tow and found out he was 900 ft. First choice was for us to idle or go back west and let him make the turn but we were two close to the bridge to idle and the crew changing tow had us blocked and had just started his movement. So, between the Captain of the tow we were meeting and the great skill (yea right) of the captain of Sandpiper we made the turn and all was well.

Recommendation to ALL - get AIS if you are going to go on the ICW It was and will be a great help. It could save your bacon. Without it i have no idea what would have happened. We have the receive only version and it seems to be all we need to keep out of the way of traffic and to allow them to move thru narrow/high current areas without any danger to us.

And for all you who don't like tow drivers, we have found the vast majority of them to be  VERRY VERRY helpful. We owe a lot to acouple of them already.

And this is a great anchorage but be in before dusk. Lots and Lots of sketters.

Tomorrow on to Lake Charles. Will spend a couple of days there, then to anchorage in a river. Am trying to time it so we go through NO Locks on Sun which is the reacommendation of most.

Hey, it is fun and is just begininng.

In Kemah Waterford Marina - Week 5

How can you spend so much time getting things done and still have a lot to do. Buy a Boat. But the list of done is larger than the list of to do. And having said that, we are ready to leave. Looks like the weather might cooperate and we are provisioned out. Will go on a test run tomorrow checking everything and giving our nieces a ride around the bay  in the boat. Clean the boat fill the water Monday, meet our friends that just returned from Fla in their boat on Tuesday and then watch the weather for the next leg on the way to New York. Of course the next task is to  get thru La. Got lots of help and ideas from our friends so hope that makes the trip better (if you can't tell this is the one part of the trip -at least right now- that i wish  was already over). Hope when it is that we will say "Gosh that wasn't so bad, Sure glad we got all that info from our buddies".

So when we leave, we will turn on the SPOT and the plan is to anchor out each night (4) until we get to Intercoastal City. There we will fuel up, spend one or two days getting things done and then procede on to the second half of LA.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Cheers

Carol and Steve

In Kemah Waterford Marina - Week 4

Burrrrrrrrrrr - it was still cold BUT today looks like the end of the real cold stuff. Weather guessers are saying this is the end of the Artic fronts as the weather patterns are to shift this week. Hope so as we are sure the rest of our Texas/Flordia Friends are. While we would have rather been down the ICW (east that is) farther, we have enjoyed staying here, got a lot done, and we survived the cold probably a lot better than if we would have been on the hook somewhere or moving between anchorages. We looked at the calendar this morning and decided that we are using next week to clean up any unfinished projects and the boat especially the engine room. Will visit with our friends that are returning to Seabrook today  in their trawler Lindsey  from a trip to Flordia. They promise lot of info we can use on our trip but we will be glad to see them and to listen to their tales (all true of course). Going to provision out on the 18th, take the boat out with the nieces for a test run the 19th and then wait for a weather pattern that will get us through LA. So NY (sometime) here we come.

This last week found us trying to fix the bimini. Found that on the boat it is best to limit sewing to repairs of an emergency nature. Not enough room etc. etc. etc. Wound up taking the complete bimini to a loft to get repaired and restitched. Got most of the planned chores done and a couple we thought were done re-done as we added things doing new chores.

We are getting ready to go again. Hope all is well with everyone and it is getting warmer whereever you are.

Steve & Carol

Kemah Waterford - Week 3

BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR - Damn it got cold as it did in CC- Knew it was going to get cold but did not really know the extent and the Marina shut off the water. Lucky we filled up the tanks right after we got here so we are still ok except Carol is behind in her Laundry. Water won't be back on probably till Monday but we still will be fine. Did not get a lot done but kept warm which was the main thing. Did have a nice visit with our nieces (one of them left us their Pickup as he has a company car) and our sister-in-law. Did get the Auto pilot connected to the Garmin GPS and it works at least from the dock all tests out good. Plan on going out in the bay Sunday to test all the fixes and give the girls/guys a ride, that is if the weather holds.

The cold and rain and ice gave us a bit of time to catch up on some paperwork including the adraft of our income tax. one of the items we did is measure and calculate the fuel usage. Well for the sailboat people we used a LOT of fuel but the boat is using what we thought and the owner told us. Each engine uses about 2 gal / hour at 2100 rpm which equates to arround 6 to 8 knts. the generator is using 3/4 to 1 gal/hr depending on how many heaters we have on.

So looks like this week will be ok and we will get the bimini fixed, the area around the cabin door cleaned, recalked/ or ?? and hope to get the leak cured there and around the windless. Also get some parts to fix the dingy motor and attach a different depth finder to the Garmin and be able to test run all the fixes on a warm (70 degree) sunny Sunday.

Our plans now look like we leave here the last week in Feb. We are expecting a friend to return from Fla next/or the week after and we want to see them and get all the latest scoop from them on the ICW from here through LA.

Well thats all from here for now. We are well, the boat is great, the marina/slip we are in is good as when the wind blows at 40 we feel around 10 max unless it is from the west.

Our best to all

Steve & Carol

In Kema Waterford Marina - Week 2

Whew, Steve's one hour a day working on the boat has increased and so has Carol's. We finished and tested the branch circuit to the flybridge, fixed the genset, fixed a shower leak, replaced hoses and a y-valve in the forward head and started installation of a weather system to replace the one that got damaged. Next week is finish weather station, fix the Bimini, connect the autopilot to the Garmin and calibrate/test the system, genset oil change and work on 12 other backloged items that we needed to fix sometime. With a list like this one could ask  what did we do before we left. Hey, it is a boat and we kind of knew that the trip from CC to Offatt would point out a few things we needed to do before we continued.

Did take some time to see the Nieces and took a couple of long walks. Was visited by John & Anne when they came back from a cruise on Royal Carriibian.

Not much else to chat about as work continues and each day get us closer to leaving on the next leg.

In Kema Waterford Marina - week 1

Well we have been in Kema for almost a week. All is well and we are getting our planned work done. Marina is good, floating docks, we are behind a bluff and Condos so the wind does not bother us. People are not as friendly but we have been staying to ourselves and trying to get some work done also.

We tried to chase and find the electrical gremlin the first couple of days. What we found was all the batteries were ok, load tested ok, wireing was ok, and charging both by engines and inverter was ok all the way to the electrical panel for distribution. Only found one wire that was not as tight as it should have been ane fixed that.

We then took the day off from boat work and went shopping and took the water pump to the maching shop. Would rather have worked. We combined all our shopping in one day and when we got back to the boat we were beat but it was done.

Now we are doing the branch circuit to the flybridge to get good clean and enough power for the electronics. That will be finished today and hopefully we will be done with the "electrical tests, fixes, tests and clean up by end of Fri. Wish we had found something that was BAD but we now know the system is ok and will monitor closely (I have set up monitors in all major areas - duh)

Probably spend the weekend relaxing, going to see the nieces, and cleaning the boat if weather premits.

Next week is water pump, wind instrument, bimini, and then starting on lots of other small stuff that has cropped up during the trip up and the anchor outs.

So that has been our exciting week -yeah right, but could not be in a better place right now to get it done and we and the boat will be better prepared when we again head out.

O'yes, the ADMIRAL has also declaired that there is cold weather and wind on the way and we are not going anywhere till she has approved the weather report.

Hope all is well with everyone out there. It  is here.

Fixin to leave Offatt -

Well after last Sunday the rest of this week was a cake walk. Well almost. Because of Sunday, we were a bit paranoid on Monday and for a bit on Tuesday. We set the anchor well after the wind laid back on Sunday but it was a continous watch to insure that we did not drift off again. The winds were supposed to lay back to 20-25 but someone snuck in some 30's with gusts to 40. All went well and we did not drift off again and still are holding in the same place. So a little calm has come back. Talked to another cruiser today that is in LA and they had a simular issue but all was well with them also. It is and was COLD. Did little outside the boat because of it. Got Gen 1 working and it sounded and produced elec good, then the coolent water pump decided to leak/throw coolent all over the engine room. got a new pump but now have to find a machine shop to unpress the old pulley and press it on the new pump. Put in a Recieve only AIS. Works great with the Chartplotter. Did other odd chores abound the boat and the relatives came to visit. Wow they must like us as we do them as we picked them up in the dingy on a cold night, they stayed awhile and we had a great time and then they had to brave the cold and the dingy ride again to go home. While they were here we found an issue with the electric system that MUST be fixed and it is not (one can hope it will be) a fast fix. For those that have purchased a boat that has had electrical/electronic equipment installed/removed before, you know the issues with wires to nowhere, circuit breaker that have no loads, circuit breaker that have to much load, etc. etc. etc.  Well we have one or more of those grelins and it involves the wiring to the flybridge and the radio and chart plotter. The radio does not like low voltage as does the chart plotter and every once in a while they quit and then come back and some of the critical lights go off when a circuit breaker that is not supposed to be controlling them is turned off.

Because of this issue , we have made the decision to go to Kemah tomorrow (Friday) and stay at the Waterford Marina for a month while we work out all or at least the most critical of the issues on the boat before proceeding on into La and eastward. So in the morning we will leave Offatts and go to Waterford. If any of you are in the area, come and see us.

O'yes, the stay in Offatt's was great. we stayed warm, had plenty to do, plenty to eat and drink,  learned a lot, had a beautiful view both day and especially at night, and loved to watch the ducks. We recommend it to anyone.

Sunday at Offatts - O' Boy

As those in South Texas know, there was a Low Pressure area that moved from Mexico through Texas and brought us some rain and wind. Well we knew it was comming and had tested the anchor, put out more chain and the storm bridle. Steve stood anchor watch from 0300 until around 0730. All was well and the storm was coming but we were ready (Hah). Had a quick breakfast and we went to the engine room to do a wire repair on the genset. The wind appeared to come up very heavy and rock the boat. Carol went topside and called for Steve to come up. Opps, the boat was drifting and the anchor was dragging. The drama began. Steve started the engines and turned on the windless. Carol took the helm and Steve went to pull in the anchor. Chain fouled in the pipe. Windless circuit breaker popped. Carol did a great job keeping us off the shore. Got windless going again. Carol learned how to help in heavy wind get anchor in. Tried resetting anchor, no joy, wind much to high so we went in the lee of a business building and were idleing there until the wind settled.  Carol hollered that the dingy was loose. Aparently, the lines we had the dingy tied with got under the boat and the spurs cut it loose. So here we are trying to catch a wayward dingy in 40+ winds. Got it and tied it along side. Continued our idleing until wind died down some. Reanchored and seem to be ok for now.  A survey of the boat though showed that the bimini aft of the radar arch was damaged. One side of he bows that hold the bimini cover had come loose and both bow zippers had ripped off. so have to sew that part back on. The flapping of the bimini had broken the wind speed instriment. Part to order. Lost our trashcan. But all is well, we got the boat back in control with no real damage and LEARNED a lot. Of course there were some frazzled nerves but nothing to stop us from going on.

At Offatts - day 1&2

Woke up to a beautiful cold 48 degree morning. Had coffee on aft deck, then fried onion/potatoes, bacon and eggs (goodddddddddddddddd). Talked to Bill W about where to stop from here to other side of La. Used his suggestions and compared to others and planned our next ttrip which is 11 + days to get from here to Mississippi. The + is for any place we stay more than one night at. Will post teneative stops etc. before we leave. Lanched the Dingy and went for a ride. Ride was fine but the water is so low all the "normal" park you dingy at and go for walk/shopping were hard to get out of the dingy onto the dock at. Then after a bit  we grilled steaks, chicken and sasuage (chicken and sausage for anotther day).

Next day was our first "shopping trip" in the dingy. Went OK but we learned a lot. parked the dingy at the public boat ramp, walked to a shopping center that had a Target and Home Depot. We did a little shopping at each getting some snacks, bread, snow boots, hardware, and salt for the head. Had to make a stop at the local West Marine also.Wind came up but the anchor held well.

On the way to Offatts - parts 5 & 6 - We are there

Left Matagora Harbor at 0730 and had a great trip. Followed a tow for a bit as he was goining almost our speed BUT he had a serious problem in a turn. After which we passed him but wanted to tie up and have lunch with them, They were BBQing on the side deck and smelled great. Met a couple people from the Island that stayed in Matagora Harbor when we did. They are in a 440 on their way to Flordia. They told us of a "new" marina (Surfside) in Freeport that was cheaper and nicer  that they liked so we decided to stop there. Did a few boat chores and laundry. turned in early and slept well.

When we got up it was foggy and so we waited until 0900 and left. Visibility was 2 miles so worked out fine. Nice easy trip. Got to go up river at the Brasos while a tow moved through the east gate.  Hit 9knts once as current was moving and of course, in Freeport it was against us especially during docking. But we made it. The marina was not cheaper but was LOTs nicer. Very helpfull and friendly people that helped in docking undocking and getting fuel. Had a beautiful uneventful day going to Offatts. Only issue was got there at low tide and the entrance to Offatts off the ICW is sholed up. At one point had only .9 ft beneath the keep. When clear of the shole, it was 7 ft all the way. Anchored, had our arival wine, cheese and sasuage and loafed the rest of the day.

On the way to Offatts - part 3 & 4

On Carol's Birthday (now  she is as old as Steve) we left Pauls Mott for what we knew would be a long day to get to Matagora Bay. And it was. The day did not start out well (anouther story for some other time but just a boat needing minor things taken care of) and it got CHILLY on the way. Had to break out the heavy jackets, hoodies, gloves and lots of coffee. Along the way we were escourted by lots critters including the gulls Carol fed the day before. There was lots of barge traffic around Port O'Connor and was slow going there with one case of having to wait on the side for a double wide to clear. After we got in the bay, a barge comming down the Channel from Port Lavaca made a turn to head East on the ICW and he missed. Ran over the red bouy and got stuck. So we had a ring side seat for all that till the ICW cleared. Finally made it to one of our favorite anchor spots and spend a great night.

With the weather and available anchor spots or the lack of and the FACT that we did not want to do another long day, we decided to go into Matagora Harbor for the night. Good decision. We had a bit of rain, got behind a tow that got real hung up in a tight corner, and fought a tough current in the Colorado Locks. But it was a good trip, the boat performed well and we got the boat rinsed off (rain and hose after we got here), garbage emptied, Carol did the stinky clothes and Steve did a couple of boat chores, had a great late lunch and CJ is snacking on what is supposed to be our supper while I am typing.

We plan on moving on in the AM after the fog lifts and go to Bridge Harbor for fuel and then on to Offatts the following morning for at least a 5 day + weather stay. Looks like we will have good weather till we get there and WE like that.

on the way to Offatts - part 2

Aransas Bay - Pauls Mott

We left Bahia with a bit more wind than advertised and after a bouncy night (not the wind - lots of tugs and they don't go slow and throw a big wake). Took a bit longer than we figured as the tide was wrong (about a 1.25 kn current) but all was well. Was a bit strange not having to go via Lydia Ann as now we can get under the bridge on 361. As predicted the winds shifted to the NE and the bay was just a little choppy and was great after we got to the lee of the island. We anchored down and had an arrival "lemonade" (ok it was red and out of a wine bottle). Here is the view from the aft deck as we are enjoying our arival;

Tomorrow a bit longer trip to anchor out in Matagora Bay.

On the way to Offett Bayou (Galveston)

First Stop: Bahia Cove in Ingleside

Departed CC Marina at aprox 1120 am on New Years Eve. Had a bit of fog but that is what they make Radar for and all went well. Anchored down and had an arival Lemonade. Did a bit of housekeeping (like stowed stuff that was just laying around and then as Steve has promised himself, he spent an hour doing something productive on the boat (spot tied loose wires). Settled in for the night, went to bed early, got woke up by a cousin calling at 1:30 in morning to wish a happy new year. By then the wind was up(had some gusts around 30) and Steve stood anchor watch. all went well except his sleep.

Continued housekeeping chores today. Checked the weather for the trip to Galveston and decided to leave here tomorrow morning for Pauls Mott in Aransas Bay and then on to Matagora Bay the next day.

Missed all the folks at the dock but got to admit it was great seeing the stars and all that while swinging on the hook.

Thanks for all the help in shoving off from the Marina.