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| December 1, 2002 Rockport Municipal Marina, Rockport, Texas N28 01.503' W097 02.862' 
Pete and I sailed off anchor this morning, and once
docked, went out for breakfast. I spent the rest of the morning readying
my boat for my first day on the water. Basically, I sorted through my stuff.
Packing, repacking. Storing, restoring. Etc. Etc. Etc. I visited the Rockport
Martime Museum in the late afternoon. It was very well laid out and although
fairly small, I could have easily spent more time than the hour I was there.
After dinner, I went through my charts for the passage to Port O'Conner.
Roughly 45 miles, tommorrow will be long, but I am ready to rock! Photo: Sunrise at Rockport. |
| December 2, 2002 Espiritu Santo Bay, Texas N28 22.615' W096 28.940' 
I was up at 5:30am and had slept well even though I was a bit nervous. I
unmoored the lines and retrieved some of my fenders I had placed on the
dock pilings and by 7:40am I was off, the sun was just peeking over the
clouds. I joined the ICW a few miles east of Rockport and was glad to have
the markers to steer by, being very used to the shoreline of Lake Travis
as a guide. Kiva is again sick and I too was not feeling great. I will have
to remember to drink more water and eat more snacks, as I had a bit of a
headache from dehydration. Passed my first barge at 10:00am. He waved. I
waved. It was a gentle passing. Saw some havalinas on a barrier island,
which gave me thoughts of hunting with dad. Ran aground around ST 490 (statue
mile marker, mile 490 west of Harvy Lock, New Orleans) right in the middle
of the channel. My fault the waterway guide did warn of shallow water there.
I had to run back and forth across the foredeck to rock the boat loose.
In all, it was not bad. Just before turning into the ferry cut for Espiritu
Santo Bay, Kiva's rear exploded in a fiery crap across the cockpit, and
we promptly ran aground. The boat pitched forward, the motor popped up and
everything came to a stop. Kiva was looking horrible and trembling all day.
While I felt sorry for her, there was not a lot I could do for her, but
at least she contained her spill to the crapping pad. Soon after unsticking
Prana from the mud (and cleaning the pad), Kiva passed out on the foredeck.
Once inside Espiritu Santo Bay, we had a porpose escort as we worked our
way back into the anchorage. Kiva was too sick to care, but I appreciated
the company. Sometimes the porposes would dive under the boat and my depth
sounder would go off, causing my heart to leap up in my throat. I did not
feel like going aground again, but they were having fun and so was I. And
I was glad my first day was over. 47.5 miles, 9 hrs 35 minutes! No more
waiting. Photo: The first barge I passed. |
| December 3, 2002 St. Christopher's Marina, Port O'Connor, Texas N28 26'19" W096 24'45" 
Woke up this morning to a completely white scene. Fogged in. Completely. Without
the compass, I would not have known which way from another. I had intended to
cross Matagorda Bay today, but in leu of the fog and the forcast of a coming storm
I decided to head for Port O'Connor for the night. However, the fog did not
lift until noon, and once underway, completely fogged in again, prompting me to
drop anchor and wait. I did get some cleaning up done, and some paperwork as
well so it was a productive morning. By 1:30pm I was off again and arrived
in Port O'Conner around 2:30pm for a whopping 7.5 miles. I got a slip at
St. Christopher (very expensive) as there is a big front moving in tonight and I
did not want to have a drama on the water. Did get to walk around this little
town. They have a nice little library and will let me hook up my laptop tommorrow
afternoon. Stopped by the post office and had dinner at The Spot. The evening
has been fairly noisy as there are barges parking in the channel not more than
50 yards of my position. The are waiting out the coming storm as I am. Apparently,
this frontal system is being measured in terms of inches per hour. Port Arthur is
underwater having received 6 inches in 3 hours. We shall see.
Photo: Kiva short roped. |
| December 4, 2002 St. Christopher's Marina, Port O'Connor, Texas N28 26'19" W096 24'45" 
The forecasted storm hit like a mallet this morning. Thunder, lightning, wind and
rain. Stayed in bed late, and after getting up, did some chores around the boat.
I have had way too much clothes on board, so I packed up half of them for goodwill
and dropped them off at a hotel that said they would take care of them. Got
a warm shower in a bathhouse near the marina. The bathhouse would rock back and forth
with the gust of winds, causing the floor to flex. Felt like I was back on the boat.
This afternoon was spent in the library surfing the web. Not much to do in Port
O'Connor, but I did manage to blow 5 hours in the library. I find the library quite
nice for a town this small. Watched the first half of 'The Good, The Bad and The
Ugly' tonight, until my laptop battery died. Thanks for the movie, Ross and Melissa. I've also been
reading 'The Last Dive', so I must thank David and Terry for that. Other than that,
it was a slow, slow day.
Photo: The Red #2 marker at the Port O'Conner jetties. |
| December 5, 2002 St. Christopher's Marina, Port O'Connor, Texas N28 26'19" W096 24'45" 
It was very cold again this morning, and still very windy from the North. So, I
got to stay another day in lovely Port O'Connor. Did some more chores around
the boat. Moved the power line for the GPS to the radio terminal, since the
equipment terminal has the depth sounder connected to it and it has no power
switch. Basically, when I supply power to the equipment terminal, the depth sound
is on, and in shallow water, it continously goes off. Very annoying. Went to the
library again today and surfed the web. Afterwards, I treated myself to an all-you-
eat shrimp dinner (out of buget) at Clarks. On my way back to Prana, I met the
owner of a 45ft sportfisher and his wife and kids. They invited me on board for
a beer and a chat. I also got a blessing. Hmmm. Barges have been running all
night now that the wind has died and the sky is clear. Kiva is getting used to
her new life. She knows the her way around docks, and clearly understands which
boat is hers. Porpoises also seem to be very common here. You can hear them blowing
at all times, see their shadows ghosting beneath the boat, generally investigating
any nuisance in the water.
Photo: Kiva's Chinese crapping pad. |
| December 6, 2002 Matagorda Harbor Marina, Texas N28 41'48" W095 57'26" 
The wind was not as light as predicted, but I set out anyway, thinking that I
could always turn back. Matagorda Bay was rough and occasionally spray would
come over the bow, but I was dry. Though nervious, I thought I was doing well.
Just after I crossed the Matagorda Ship Channel, I over heard 2 oil rig supply
vessels talking about my position on the VHF radio. They said that I was over
a shallow area. I looked at my chart and confirmed that I was where I wanted
to be, in 12ft+ water in the middle the channel. However, they statement was
verified when I notice my depth sounder read 5ft. I draw 4+ft. Damn, my depth
sounder alarm had been going off, but I could not hear it over the engine and
waves. Adding to that, my cabin was closed to prevent water from entering my
boat. I immediately headed up to port and
cleared the shallow area in less than 5ft of water. This put a damper on an
otherwise successful passage across Matagorda Bay (some 20 miles across)
in rough water. The sun was out, and the day was getting calm, but thought
of getting rolled across a shallow area weighted on me. I did not know what
I had done wrong. I had done my planning, and still almosted ended my trip
in the first week. I later found out that the shoal had been created in the
last few months, and was local knowlege. Today was a day of firsts as well.
I transitted my first set of locks. The locks surrounding the Colorado
River. I went through my first swing bridge, and I talked on my VHF for the
first time. Matagorda Harbor is very nice and I am happy to be out of Port
O'Connor. The are having a boat parade tommorrow, so people are decorating
their boats for the event. I watched one laptop battery's worth of
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." (Thanks again to Ross and Melissa.)
Photo: Cold and scared after my near brush with the new shoal in Matagorda Bay. |
| December 7, 2002 Matagorda Harbor Marina, Texas N28 41'48" W095 57'26" 
The day did not start out great, but turned fantastic. What a day. At 7am I left
Matagorda bound for Freeport, 47 miles to the North. At 9:30am, my outboard started
to act up, which forced me to anchor on the side of the canal. I removed the spark
plugs, cleaned them. I did some other little things, but engine did not run right,
so by 10am, I was under sail (finally got to sail) back to Matagorda. The Harbormaster
called the local outboard guy, who came by a few hours later. Everett is a 65 year old,
graduate of Texas A&M, class of 60. We took the motor back to his place and had
a blast. His yard was full of boats, engines and parts. Absolutely covered in
oil, gas, and whatever else makes an outboard go. Everett and I took the carburator apart
looking for a blockage. He was dipping and smoking, spitting and talking. He kept sucking
and blowing on parts of the carburator. We did find a few pieces of dirt and probably
some water as well. Anyway, the motor runs great and he did not charge me but $30 for
his time, which took about 3 hours with all the jawing and gabbing we did. (Notice the
usage of local terminalogy). Around nightfall, the Texas A$M boat docked near Prana
invited me aboard for night's parade and fireworks. So, Kiva and I got to take part
in the parade. Great people and we had lots of fun and food. Kiva was a big hit as
usual. Actually, I believe Kiva got invited, and then I. To top it off, they loaded
me up with food for my trip. Absolutely fantanstic.
Photo: Everett and I. |
| December 8, 2002 Matagorda Harbor Marina, Texas N28 41'48" W095 57'26" 
I started off good and early today on my long trip to Freeport. But, 5 miles
into it the engine started to sputter and I turned tail back to Matagorda without
looking into the issue. My theory later in the day, after poking around the engine,
and installing a couple of inline fuel filters,
was that I gas starved the motor by overfilling the gas tanking and flooding the
tank's breathing hose. After blowing out the gas trapped in the hose (yes, I learned
from Everett to blow on my engine), the motor ran fine. However, too late to
head for Freeport, and with a storm coming, I doubt I'll be out for a few days.
Another cruising boat came in this afternoon, and they invited me aboard for a
drink. I brought a 6 pack, and we chatted for 3 hours. They have not enjoyed the
same service as I have from the Harbormaster, who has been extremely helpful to
me. Even driving me into town to get parts. Remember! Attitude!
Photo: Prana in Matagorda Harbor. |
| December 9, 2002 Matagorda Harbor Marina, Texas N28 41'48" W095 57'26" 
Today was a rain day. All damn day. Finished "The Last Dive". I openned
a dive book for the Bahamas from Glenn and a book on climbing epics from Pavlina and
Patrick. Thanks guys, they are prefect. At 2pm in the pouring rain, I went to the
library, but it was closed and I got soaked for nothing. So I then went to a cafe
and had a cup of gumbo. Then I went and hung out in the bathroom. Yes, the bathroom.
It was warm and dry and I could play Motorcross Madness on the laptop while sitting
on the sink. Ran into the sailors from last night again. They gave me a chart of
Galveston which I really appreciated and then an ear full of stuff from beyond reason which
I did not appreciate, though it was throughly entertaining. Alien abuctions, conspiracys,
oil and energy cover ups, etc. Apparently, one of them has solved all the world's
energy problems, but I could not understand his explanation. I should have had him write
it down, but I think that would not have help me understand.
However, despite getting stuck in yet another small Texas seaside town. This
one has at least character. I talked to a waitress that claimed to have shot her
husband. When I asked if she killed him, she said that she just wounded him. Then I
asked the next most obvious question... whether he got to shoot her back. She said no, which
I thought was highly unjust. She seemed like a nice lady though. I've also heard the local
gossip/rumors concerning a murder/mystery involving the guy who built the boat 'Antares' down here and
when he finished went missing, without the boat. It got washed away in a flood and
has a few salvage claims against it. It was the boat 'Antares' that everyone has past on
the way to Matagorda Island the last ten years. I've even chatted with this guy once or
twice in the last ten years on my way to the beach. I also heard the story of a peeping
tom that got his nads shot off in the front yard of a house he'd been looking into. When
he saw where he'd be shot, he apparently begged the man who shot him to finish the job,
which the man with the gun declined to do. I think I'm turning into a local. Now where
did I put my Skoal.
Photo: The float Texas A&M class boat I was invited on for the parade. |
| December 10, 2002 Matagorda Harbor Marina, Texas N28 41'48" W095 57'26" 
Today the motor again had problems. This time, I only got a half an hour away
before I had to turn back. The Harbormaster immediately took the motor and me
back over to Everett's and after an hour we determined that it had to be the
sparkplugs. We had wanted to change them four days ago, but the Nissan required
some unique plugs that I could not find in Matagorda. However, Everett happened
to be moving some stuff on a table and found 4 plugs for my engine. Whoo Hoo!
Held up for 4 days due to spark plugs. I should have carried spares. I went
for a run this afternoon. Mainly to take pictures of the 'Antares' at the other
end of town. 'Antares' had recently been floated and was beached on the side of
the Colorado River. Went back to the bathroom tonight, to bask in the warmth
of the restroom heater. Also played 'Motorcross Madness' on the sink.
Photo: Everett's yard where we dinked with my Nissan 9.9hp. Fun place. |
| December 11, 2002 Bridge Harbor Marina, Freeport, Texas N28 57'43" W095 17'32" 
Yes, I finally made it out of Matagorda and am tied to a dock in Freeport. I was
nervous the whole trip, expecting to break down again and sail back to Matagorda
with my head low. Had some serious wind on the nose in the afternoon. 15-20 mph out of the
East, and since the ditch ran East, I had some small waves to contend with. A long
narrow fetch can still build up. Not much to tell today. Bridge Harbor is costing
me $30 a night and with a storm predicted tommorrow, I'm not sure what to do. Don't
want to run to Galveston in the rain, but I don't want to eat my wallet either.
Photo: Antares floating again. |
| December 12, 2002 Bridge Harbor Marina, Freeport, Texas N28 57'43" W095 17'32" 
Wow, what a storm this morning. Severe thunderstorm warning dominated the weather
channel as the front past over. Met Ray Jackson on Elizabeth's Light this morning
and had coffee aboard his Cal 34. I want standing head room. We chatted until
2pm when the rain finally let up. I wrote an article about my outboard experience and
will see about sending it to a magazine when I work up the nerve. Did my laundry while
writing so it was fine to pass the time. Ray came over after dinner to check out Prana
and see my radio setup.
Photo: Got to watch out for Mermaids. (Matagorda) |
| December 13, 2002 Offatt's Bayou of Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas N29 16'46" W094 51'08" 
Galveston at last. Beautiful day and I got to sail for the majority of it. East this time.
The wind really picked up in the afternoon and I crossed Galveston's West Bay under motor
and a somewhat rolling following sea. Had a little trouble getting into Offatt Bayou to
anchor and Elizabeth's Light went hard up on a shoal just about the time I dropped anchor
off Moody Gardens. Moody Gardens wanted almost $50 dollars for me to slip with them so I
opted to dingy ashore and tied up to their paddle boat dock. Moody Gardens was somewhat
of a pleasant surprize though. As well as being noticable at a distance, being 3
distinct pyramids on the North shore of Galveston, the pyramids contained an aqurium, a
jungle/forest greenhouse and a discovery center. I stayed long enough to tour the
aqurium and greenhouse and was greatly impressed by both. The aqurium I thought was
the nicest in design and layout I've seen. Their aqurium tunnel is straight out
of a dream and I wish I could have stayed longer. I was somewhat pressed for time as
I wanted to get back to Prana before dark.
Photo: I forgot to take a picture of Moody Gardens, but snapped this on the way out. |
| December 14, 2002 Galveston Yacht Basin, Galveston, Texas N29 19'07" W094 46'41" 
Slept a little late even though I had a time table today. The tide was a little
higher than when I went into Offatts, so I did not have a trouble getting out. Elizabeth's
Light was still high aground and I heard over the radio that I a tow was coming
to help out. Ray had spent the night on the bar. After passing Galveston Bridge, I
could not raise Pelican Island Swing Bridge on the radio, so I had to take the long
way around into Galveston Channel via the Bolivar Roads Channel, the major shipping
route in Galveston Bay. I did not find the freighters half as scary as passing
a strung out barge in the narrow confines of the ICW. When I arrived at the Galveston
Yacht Basin, I was given a slip large enough for a 60ft yacht. It took me an hour
to secure Prana in the slip, having to lasso some pilings at a distance from my
boat. My rodeo skills are in sorry need of exercise. I'm docked next to a 54ft
Sportfisher, Cazadora, which was just heading out on a off shore fishing trip. Tesha and Lynn showed up in
the mid-afternoon. Tesha I've known since Texas A&M and have missed her greatly the last
few years. Lynn, her husband is a wonder as well and they were kind enough to
bring me a care package that almost put me in tears. Thank you. We left for Tesha's
fathers place after a brief tour of Prana. Mr. Parr was throwing a small dinner
party in order to view the Xmas boat parade, and I was kindly invited. Again, thank you Mr. Parr.
The parade consisted of maybe a hundred boats, decked out in Xmas lights and cheer.
A train, a biplane, lots of Santas and Raindeer, and of course, the Elvis impersonators and
their floating island of Rock and Roll. We capped the night by going back to Tesha and Lynn's beautiful
Houston home where I got to sleep in a real bed. Yeah! Oh, I am so happy to have
made Galveston.
Photo: Passing a freighter in the Bolivar Roads Channel. |
| December 15, 2002 Galveston Yacht Basin, Galveston, Texas N29 19'07" W094 46'41" 
Did some internet errands this morning on Lynn's computer. It was nice to sleep in a
real bed, but was up early anyway. We had breakfast at a nice little restraunt, a typical
Houston distance from their house. It was really hard to say goodbye to Tesha,
having enjoyed the company of friends the last 20 hours. Lynn gave me a ride back
to Galveston, and I'm sure I talked his ear off, trying to draw out the last bit of
contact with a friend. Once Lynn had left, Prana, Kiva and I were alone and I sat
for a while to contemplate my new life. I did some food shopping in the late afternoon,
and went I arrived back at my slip, Cazadora was off loading their fish. They
had apparently done well, fishing until 4am in the morning and they were kind enough
to let me watch as they cleaned their catch and asked a lot of stupid fishing questions.
Lynn had given me some Touts this morning, and I am eager to try to my luck. Having
a load of Yellowfin Tuna, Dorados, Groupers and Wahoo next door to Prana did not help
my craving to fish. Cazadora spared two fillets and a barbeque grill for me as I am sure I
was salvating like a rapid dog. One Tuna, and another of Dorado. The generosity of friends,
both old and new, I am finding to be very humbling and I wonder if I've been as
kind to people in my past. I will have to reflect on that. I cooked the tuna on a
grill and will say that even though I cooked it, it was the best fish I've had.
Today has been wonderfully
clear and warm. Tonight, the stars are out like you'd expect from a Texas sky.
I've seen for the second time in the last 4 days, a shooting star go halfway across
the sky.
Photo: Cazadora Y Prana. |
| December 16, 2002 Galveston Yacht Basin, Galveston, Texas N29 19'07" W094 46'41" 
Walked a couple of miles into Galveston this morning. First thing was
Col. Bubbles, the infamous army surplus store, so packed with military gear you
feel like you with drown with narrow confines of the stacks. I found exactly what
I was looking for. A 6ft drogue for a wonderful $24. A new one, non-military, built
for yachts would run about $400 from a marine store. Toured
the Elissa and museum just before lunch. Elissa is a iron square rigger built in 1877
that the city rescued from the scrap yards of Greece. Since the water front district
was under going renovation, the city decided they needed a old sailing vessel to
top off the water front scenery. Much effort went into restoring the vessel and it does
look very nice, although I am more for old schooners than square riggers. :)
Took me a while to find
an internet connection, but finally found a cybercafe that had a hook up. While I was
there I met a South African who introduced me to a friend of his from Montreal. Julia
and I had lunch, swapping stories for an hour before she had to return to her
ship. She was working a cruiseship and wanted to know what cruising on a little boat
was like. It was a good trade, I wanted to know what working on a cruiseship was
like. Tried to do some Xmas shopping after lunch, but the tourist crap turned me off.
I find creative Xmas gifts to be more and more a chore. Toured the oil rig museum, and
I was much impressed. Ocean Star was decommissioned a few years ago and turned into
a museum. The technology required to find and drill oil is all very exciting and one
probably has no better clue to what journies oil takes to the tank, than beef to the plate.
Of course that is a poor comparasion, but I'm clueless just the same. Saw "The Great Storm",
a movie short about the hurricane that leveled Galveston in 1900 and killed 6,000 people.
The pictures were very disturbing. I walked back to Prana in a light rain and have run
a power cord to boat tonight. I intend to watch "The Fellowship of the Ring" tonight
as I believe "The Two Towers" opens tommorrow. Since my mail did not come in today, the
movie is a possibility for tommorrow.
Photo: The derek on Ocean Star. |
| December 17, 2002 Galveston Yacht Basin, Galveston, Texas N29 19'07" W094 46'41" 
Same deal this morning, walked into town, but this time, went straight to the
library to research digital cameras and LED lights. I will have to make the
lights, but will need part of my EE kit from my storage shed. That or I'll have
to buy breadboards and such again. Had a sub for lunch and then a coffee for
desert. Watched the news and wrote some postcards while at the coffeeshop.
Went to the postoffice in the late afternoon and met an older lady who wanted
to give me a ride back to the yacht club. It was her way of getting
over being attacked in her car last year. Again ran a power cord out to the Prana
to play games on the laptop. Not a very exciting day. Did get my mail from
Ross and Melissa (thanks) so I'll be able to leave in the morning.
Photo: Elissa's Wheel. |
| December 18, 2002 High Island Bridge, Texas N29 35'44" W094 23'23" 
Was very apprehensive this morning and I don't really know why. It did not
make sense. It was a short day with the wind on the beam, so I got to sail the
majority of the day. Crossing Bolivar Roads Channel proved interesting, as the
freighters came one after another and made for some rough conditions. Once in the ICW,
things slowed down and were easy until I went very hard aground. I had moved
over to let a barge overtake and got so stuck that I had to take my clothes off and get in
the water to push. I managed to turn the boat into the channel while standing knee
deep in black mud. After that, it was a matter of gunning the engine while I ran
back and forth across the deck in my underwear. It made for a funny site and I am sure
the barge pilot is still laughing. It seemed longer, but after twenty minutes and 3 jumps
into water, the boat was afloat. However, Prana is covered with black mud and I may have
to 'Dawn' my whole boat. That will happen, after I get done with the dishes. :) Hopefully,
the storm forecast for tonight will wash my troubles away. The anchorage that I had
selected, and that had been disclosed (but not recommend) to me, was so silted in that
I could not enter. It was also too far to the next anchorage so I anchored at the mouth
of the anchorage in 4ft of water with a bow and stern anchors to keep me from drifting into the
ICW. It is not a great place. Barges have been passing all night, uncomfortably close. Even
with my anchor light blazing away, I
am nervious about my position.
Photo: Elissa's Skiffs. |
| December 19, 2002 Taylor Bayou, Texas N29 49'53" W093 59'29" 
Survived the night, although I did not sleep well. The storm rolled in at 5am,
and the wind shifted around to the NW. The stern anchor kept me out of the ICW.
When in doubt, two anchors are better than one. Got a brief, but heavy rain, though
not enough to clean the mud off Prana's deck. Was able to sail away from the hook
with a following breeze. The morning was a little dreary and there was not much
to note. However, I did notice that I'm missing my whiskerpole and a white dock
line. They must have jumped ship while crossing Bolivar Roads. Equipment desertion.
With the afternoon, came clear skies and warm temperatures. Made Taylor Bayou
by 3pm under extremely windy conditions, blowing well over 20 knots. Had to set 2 hooks
again as the wind is forecasted to shift after midnight. The wind was howling down the canal and Prana
danced between the anchor lines. The canal was stripped by ribbons of foam and little islands of grass and vegetation
uprooted by the wind were floating by. It was like anchoring in a bowling lane and Prana was a pin.
Tried my luck fishing with the
Touts that Lynn gave me, but I was not to have any. I feel reasonably confident that
I know next to nothing about fishing. The mosquitos are out in force, and I had to
short rope Kiva so they would not carry her off. There must be a hundred mosquitos
tugging at my screens. Worked on my circuit design for my LED lights. Now I just
need the parts and will have to wait until New Orleans to build them.
Photo: Taylor Bayou, the bowling lane. |
| December 20, 2002 Sabine Yacht Club, Orange, Texas N30 03'48" W093 44'40" 
This morning was beautiful, a peaceful calm anchorage, unlike last night. I had
a 2 knot current set against me so I was really glad to have planned a short day. The Neches River
proved to be interesting with a lot of barge trafiic and dredges to contend with. The wind
forecasted from the West did not materialize into something to sail by, so I had to
motor with a slight following breeze. The Sabine Yacht Club is beautiful, but also
on its way to disrepair. It is also not near anything and I maintain that there
are no restraunts within walking distance of the marina. I walked till I saw a sign
for I-10, and of course my thought was... "Oh crap, I've walked a long way". Walked
back to the marina and had a microwave cheeseburger at the local 'Stop-n-Drive'. Not
exactly a cheeseburger in paradise. I had
also to fill up my tanks, which had me walking back and forth to the 'Stop-n-Drive' with
my plastic fuel tanks. Met Sandra who with her husband Ben, lives on the converted
shrimper next to me. Later I met Jimmy who works at the marina. Jimmy and his wife
invited me for a beer on Sandra and Ben's "Grand Cru". They wanted me to mention them
on my homepages, so here it goes. Ben can snort a tequila worm up his nose, while Jimmy
is a self described sex machine, complete with belly tank. Sandra and Jeanna are the
women who babysit those two. Had a great evening, thanks. Bought a six-pack of
Lonestar at the 'Stop-n-Drive'. Buster Crash of the Flametrick Subs would be proud.
There, there is my plug for the Flametrick Subs as well. Texas Pyscobilly Rock! www.flametricksubs.com
Photo: Shrimp boats in Port Arthur. |
| December 21, 2002 Calcasiu River, Lousiana N30 05'34" W093 18'07" 
There is a beached, semi-submerged, steel pilothouse ketch near my slip at the entrance
to the marina. Again, it is shrouded in mystery as the owner disappeared in Kuwait a
few years back. Prospective buyers enquiried to purchase the vessel from the marina
and were turned away. The next day it had sunk. Another boat mystery. It was a beautiful,
but somber sight last night. Tattered rags of sails hang shredded from the masts, while
the old white paints still glows under the harbor lights. All that was needed was a little
mist, and Steven King would have a scene. Had a coffee and breakfast burrito at
the 'Stop-n-Drive' before heading out this moring. Had the current with me today. Yeah!
Added one to two knots to my speed over ground. The Choupique Bayou anchorage that
I had intended was silted at the mouth and so I am once again, anchored along side
the ICW for the night. I am just outside the Calcasiu Locks on the Calcasiu River. There
are not many great anchorages along the Gulf ICW. It is a great stress on me, finding a
place to spend the night or even to put over in case I have troubles. I have also been
have trouble maintaining sufficient battery power to run my lights at night, so I have my personal emergency flasher
on the backstay, broadcasting my location to all who care. In the cabin, I have been
using the LED light given to me by Tesha and Lynn. LEDs are the only source of light
I allow myself in the cabin.
Photo: Mystery ship that marks the Sabine Yacht Club basin. |
| December 22, 2002 Mermantau River, Lousiana N29 59'17" W092 47'24" 
Barges went by all night long and on top of that Prana kept touching bottom. When
I anchored last night, I purposefully put Prana into the shallows, thinking that if a wayward
barge came my way, it might ground before reaching me. When you sleep on a boat,
you become used to the motion, even in rougher water. However, touching ground is an
unnatural movement in a boat, and at that, kept me up. So, this morning I was tired,
and depressed about the progress I've made, and the amount of work it has taken. On top of
that, I was fogged in. But, at least the barges were not moving either.
I made a cup of tea and sat back to assess my feelings. I did not have any grand revelations, but
tried to put the engineer in me at rest. Sailing moves on it own designs, whether it be on the
grounds of weather or boat. I have some
major bodies of water to cross in a few weeks, and it weights heavily on my mind.
Within a few minutes, I heard a barge slip by my position, the fog had lifted. It was
9am. I quickly called the lock operator on the VHF and informed him that I wanted to pass through
after the barge. I was off. There are good days, and there are bad days. This one got
worse. After 15 miles, when going through a second pontoon bridge, I noticed that
my engine was sputtering and losing power. Choking, surging, coughing, you name it. I swore!
(On a boat, I believe you are supposed to swear at Neptune) He could have my damn engine, I
would rather swim! And for the second time today, sat back to assess my feelings. I
did not want to go back and spent another night on the ICW when Gibbstown was 10 miles up
the ditch. So, I optioned to continue. Gibbstown turned out to be a dozen trailer homes
stacked along the ICW. The motor was still acting up, but I was moving and making
distance, so on I went. I made my intended anchorage of Mermantau by 5pm. The Mermantau
River leads down from Lake Arthur, which my guide book says is a happy place. I turned North
on the Mermantau River and entered a beautiful bayou. Looks very similiar to Caddo Lake
Swamp. There are geese by the hundreds up above, all in formation, calling out their honks.
There are snow white birds sitting in the red tops of the Cypress trees that line the banks.
It is very peaceful and best of all, no barges. After two miles, I decided to stay on the
hook tonight and I anchored between a few Cypress islands. I took back my swear at the
engine, and the part about swimming as well. Tommorrow, I'll make for Lake Arthur
and fix the engine in the comfort of a marina. Tonight, I intend to sleep. It has been a
good day after all.
Photo: Sunset off my stern on the Mermantau River. |
| December 23, 2002 Lake Arthur Yacht Club, Mermantau River, Lousiana N30 03'44" W092 42'33" 
This morning, there was a touch of a breeze blowing through the anchorage. It peaceful
enough so I took my time readying myself and the boat for my 10 mile trip up the
Mermantau. A half an hour after retreiving my anchor, the wind had piped up on the nose, but
my little ailing engine sputtered faithfully on. It was getting rougher as I
entered the bay across from the Lake Arthur Yacht Club and since I could not see a
way in, dropped anchor a quarter mile off to determine my options. I tried the phone, I tried the
VHF, but could not raise the club. The water had been getting shallow, and I did not want
to run aground again, especailly in this weather. After a little while, I took up the
anchor and motored over to the yacht club despite the 6ft depths, and found the
entrance had been obscured by an optical illusion. A man met me at the docks and helped
me into a slip. He turned out to be the Commodore of the yacht club, and graciously
openned the doors to the club house and bath, and made me feel quite at home. Bennett, the Commodore
came again later in the day to check on me and we enjoyed a nice conversation. The
guidebook said this was a friendly town. Finished "Epic" tonight and openned a new book.
"Travels with Charley" from Andrea and Raika. Thank you.
Photo: The ICW just before the River Marmantau. |
| December 24, 2002 Lake Arthur Yacht Club, Mermantau River, Lousiana N30 03'44" W092 42'33" 
At 1am last night, Kiva came crawling up over me and into the forepeak where she
buried herself in my laundry basket. The lightning and thunder announced that the
front had arrived in force. Prana was bucking at her lines with Kiva cowarding like I've
never seen. The storm was on top of us and the intensity of it was driving
Kiva frantic. I quite enjoyed it. Enjoyed it from the comfort of the slip. The
storm had passed by morning, and Kiva had settled down about the time that I was
waking up. I went into the club house to check the weather, which looks to turn positive
by the end of the week. Bennett came back this morning and took me into town to
get gas and supplies. When I got back to the club house, I immediately started to
work on the engine, which I hung from a rafter in a shed next to the club house. I checked
the fuel supply and found no problems. I then rebuilt the carburator and took apart the
fuel pump. Yes, I blew and sucked on the parts like Everrett showed me.
Everything looked fine, except for the spark plugs which were blackened with
soot and oil. I am beginning to think that my motor is need of more serious attention
than I can provide. I also set about doing some laundry in a 5 gallon bucket. These
buckets are great. Bennett came by again tonight.
This time he brought Xmas dinner and a bottle of wine. A gift from him and his wife.
Thank you. Yesterday, Bennett and I had talked a bit about the troubles with the engine,
weather, anchorages and my electrical needs. He relayed to me what everyone else has
said to me. That I should trailer my boat to Florida, skip the Gulf coast and winter
weather, get on with the fun part. I have been thinking of this and had decided
to wait until I got to New Orleans to make a final decision on the matter. However,
Bennett through out another generious offer. He had a trailer to lend me, and would
help put Prana on it by use of the club's boat crane. This would save me a bunch of beans.
I have been uncomfortable
with crossing the Mississippi Sound, and as well the 200 miles gulf trip to Clearwater,
Florida. This would relieve me of this stress, which I have been losing sleep over and put me in Florida two months
ahead of schedule. Bennett, with his Xmas gift of dinner and trailer is more than
I can handle.
Photo: Kiva in a basket. |
| December 25, 2002. Christmas Lake Arthur Yacht Club, Mermantau River, Lousiana N30 03'44" W092 42'33" 
Really took my time getting up this morning. Made coffee and watched TV for a good
part of the morning. Played on the computer as well, wishing I could find access
to the web somewhere. I will probably have to get a telephone line access account as
internet cafes are few and far between on the coast. The next one is in New Orleans,
still a week or so off. Basically decided not to do
any work today, but did spent a good part of the morning going over Bennett's offer
of the trailer and crane. Gainer, another sailor I had met briefly yesterday, came
by today to retrieve me for Christmas dinner with his family. Got to meet the
whole family and really enjoyed the meal. I was back at the yacht club by dark and again
sat in front of the TV. Not much else to do once it gets dark. I have been hanging out
in the club house the last two days. It is a very beautiful place with a pond behind
the house. It is full of cypress trees with houses around the parmeter. Still looking to see an alligator and do get nervious
when Kiva runs to the water for a swim. This evening, I decided
to trailer the boat to Florida and skip the Gulf ICW. I feel pretty wimpy about it, but
believe I need a bit more boating experience before I tackle the open stretchs of
Mississippi Sound and the jaunt across the gulf in Florida. Checked out the cruise
guide and charts for St. Petersburg, Florida. It is basically where I would have
ended up had I crossed from Panama City to Tampa. That will be my destination.
Photo: Engine repair. |
| December 26, 2002 Lake Arthur Yacht Club, Mermantau River, Lousiana N30 03'44" W092 42'33" 
After coffee, I phoned a few marinas in Florida and decided upon the St. Petersburg
Municipal Marina. The lady told me that it was 65 degrees and sunny. It was
35 degrees and cloudy here this morning. I wore my bacelava for most of the morning.
Cleaned the spark plugs and was just about to
put the motor back on the boat when Bennett showed up. He quickly asked if
I was ready to put the boat on the trailer. A man of action. An excellant quality.
There was boat already on his trailer. An old racer that had not been in the water for
many years. It was however, full of water and pine needles. A sorry state.
I tried pumping it, then bailing it. It must of had 200 or more gallons in it. In the end, we just put
racer in the water as she was. She floated low in the water and will hopefully stay afloat until LAYC can get rid of it.
During lunch I readied my boat for the trailer while Bennett went home for a spell. I stripping off all the deck equipment
and tiddyed up the mast. It was a sad moment to strip Prana of her dressings. An unloving act.
When Bennett arrived again about 2pm, we lowered the mast
and lifted Prana out of the water. It took roughly two hours to get her centered on the trailer, but it
was quite fun. Felt like a roughneck, handling the crane bridle and heavy straps. I must put that on
my resume. Non-smoking, non-dipping, non-tattooed, 145lb bargeman. Can lasso a piling in twenty
attempts. All that is left is strap Prana to the trailer and replace the trailer lights.
Photo: Bennett lifting the racer off the trailer with the crane. |
| December 27, 2002 Lake Arthur Yacht Club, Mermantau River, Lousiana N30 03'44" W092 42'33" 
A beautiful, warm morning and I felt immensely guilty for putting Prana on a trailer. It would
have been a great day for travel, the first for a few days now. But I started the day by finding
a U-Haul in Jennings, 10 miles North of Lake Arthur. After securing Prana for travel,
I started to work on the trailer lights when Bobby showed up to help. I had met Bobby through
Bennett the day before and like everyone else in this town, he is extremely well natured. He offered
to take me to Walmart and Prana to the mechanics to get the trailer bearings packed. Over lunch, he offered
to drive me and Prana to St. Petersburg in his Expedition. He is an offshore oilrig manager and works
14 days on with 14 days off. Needless to day, I was shocked by his offer, but he explained he had the
time and so I accepted. Amazing. I am a very lucky man. We will leave on Tuesday. We then picked up
the straps and trailer parts at Walmart and then headed over to put the straps on Prana. Another surprise.
The trailer bearing work had been completed in two hours even though it was due for Monday. This town really
wants to get rid of me. There were a lot of people at the club house when we returned, including Bennett and
Gainer.
We all had a good chat in the yard of the yacht club and
I ended up climbing a mast of a 30 footer to install a windvane. Have to earn my keep somehow. Kiva
got to play with some other dogs, running herself silly chasing the other pups. She is so sore now that she
can barely walk and staggers like a drunk. Gainer and I talked about taking his Hobbie 18 out tommorrow if the
wind gets up. However, my priority for tommorrow is to find a web connection so I get retrieve my email and
upload this damn log.
Photo: Prana on the trailer, on a beautiful day. :( |
| December 28, 2002 Lake Arthur Yacht Club, Mermantau River, Lousiana N30 03'44" W092 42'33" 
Another beautiful day! Why is Prana on a trailer? :( By 9:30am I was off on a bike
into town. Took me a half and hour to get to the library. The library computers used
some sort of monitoring software that made my surfing quite maddening. Would not allow
me access to my Sprint PCS account, or to Earthlink to check out phone access. I explained
my situation to the librarian, who then allowed me to put my laptop on the network. 6 or more
computers shared the same phone connnect, but I was on for the first time in 2 weeks. Had
lunch in town. 32oz of chicken and sausage gumbo. Back at the LAYC, I started again to
work on the trailer lights, but was soon abducted by Bennett for a sail on a Cape Dory 33.
Nice boat and will have to put it on my list of possible upgrades. We sailed for the remainder
of the afternoon and pulled into the slip at dusk. We had little party in the club house. Steaks,
wine and George Jones, who is apparently famous for his beer drinking music.
Photo: The pond behind the LAYC. |
| December 29, 2002 Lake Arthur Yacht Club, Mermantau River, Lousiana N30 03'44" W092 42'33" 
I tried getting the Sailor's Wharf in St. Petersburg on the phone, but had to settle
for leaving a message. Finished the trailer lights this morning. It was not difficult,
but I had to piece together the old wiring with the new wires since the new wires were
not long enough. I then put the outboard on a party barge to give it a test. It
started one the first pull which I was quite happy about, having rebuilt the carburator
and fuel pump myself. It does run much better better, but I am quite certain that the
real problems lies with the fouled plugs. Why they are fouled, I still don't understand.
Basically, I was done with my tasks by 1pm. I had considered going on a bike ride, but
Bennett showed up and wanted to go for sail on his Niagra 31. We sailed back and forth
for a few hours. Nice being on a boat with standing headroom. Tonight, once again, I am
in front of the TV watching "The Hunt for Red October". At least it is a movie about boats.
The wind has been getting stronger all day. It is really blowing hard at the moment. Seems
to be the standard weather pattern. Four days of high winds and possible rain, then two clear
days.
Photo: The LAYC harbor/marina. |
| December 30, 2002 Lake Arthur Yacht Club, Mermantau River, Lousiana N30 03'44" W092 42'33" 
Spent the morning preparing to leave. Just packed stuff, organized and sorted.
Went to the library for a few hours about mid-day. It started to rain on the
way back and a quarter mile from the club became a full force gale. The lights
were out at the club house, so I climbed into Prana to have a very late lunch. Prana was
rocking quite a bit on the trailer everytime a gust hit. Was like being back on
the water. In the middle of the storm, I jumped down from Prana and dashed
to the club house where the cleaning woman was trying to clean in the dark. I laid
down on the couch and took a nap. When I awoke, the lady was gone, as with the
wind, but the lights were back on. My last night of watching TV.
Photo: The mid-afternoon storm. |
| December 31, 2002 I-10 Florida 
Around midnight, the second part of the storm hit. The winds were very strong, and
the club house groaned and shook. Kiva, of course, cowarded on the couch with
me half of the night and I find it increasely funny that the noble breed of husky
has such wimps in its ranks. By 5am, the storm had past and I was up with the
dawn. The club yard was a swamp, flooded and muddy. Prana, on the trailer had
sunk in the yard, and two trucks were needed to pull her free. By 9:30am, Bobby, Kiva
and I were off with Prana in tow. We averaged about 50 mph most of the day, which
went by very quickly as compared to sailing. We measured our distance in the number
of days it would take me to sail the distance. We underestimated the distance a bit.
Both Bobby and I had read the wrong figures on the map, and the entire distance
from Lake Arthur to St. Petersburg will be in the order of 810 miles. I forget
the name of the town we are in, but we are 60 miles East of the Florida/Alambama border.
Photo: The previous day's mid-afternoon storm. |
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