Headed Back To Freeport

4:00pm
Finally got the call from the mechanic and I am headed to Freeport. We should be there at about 5:30pm and headed out to the gulf about 7:00pm.

You can track our progress here
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0GdPevUzg8CkG0iT053sszA9T9GLAsaI5

6:00pm

Bridge Harbor Marina, Freeport

Got to the boat and loaded up to head out to the Gulf. I started the motor and it started up very easy and sounded good. We let it warm up while we stowed everything in its place and untied dock lines. We then untied the last dock lines and headed out of the marina. There was a motor yacht leaving the marina behind us. I recognized the two men on board as people Elaine and I met while anchored off Moody Gardens in Offats Bayou. As we entered the ICW they pulled up close to our stern and said hello. One noticed that we did not have any water coming out our wet exhaust. This means that the raw water pump was not working. The temp on the gauge also began to climb way to high. So back to the marina we went and tied up. I then borrowed some tools and began to work on the motor. We changed the raw water impeller, cleaned out the thru hull, and tried to prime the system and still could not get the system to pump water. After about 3 hours of working on it we quit for the night and are turning it back over to the mechanic to complete. We then headed back to San Leon and will try this again when the mechanic figures out the problem.

Location: Kemah, Texas

Waiting for a Call from The Mechanic

10:46am
Still waiting for the mechanic to call and say that s/v Bravo is fixed and ready to go to sea again. So as soon as it is fixed and TESTED I will head to Freeport with Tom and we will bring his boat back. Will keep everyone updated.

2:00pm
Mechanic called and said he had the heat exchanger out and cleaning it. Hopes to have it back in and test the motor and transmission this afternoon.

5:00pm
Got the call that all the work was done but the motor still was running hot. So maybe tomorrow...

Location: Kemah, Texas

Ingleside to Kemah (So We Thought)

Our Track in the Gulf of Mexico

Our plan was to leave Ingleside on s/v Bravo at 6:00am on our delivery back to Kemah. The boat needed a little more preparation that morning. After coffee and undoing the tangle of lines we were able to shove off at about 7:20am. The tide was out and we bumped ground a couple of times getting out the marina channel. Nothing to stop us though. We then made it out to the Corpus Christi channel and headed to Port Aransas and the jetties. We cleared the jetties at approx 9:30am, only about an hour behind our schedule.

Tom enjoying the ride

We then set the sails and turned off the motor. The Gulf of Mexico seas were about 4 foot swells from the S/W with wind at about 5 to 10 knots also from the S/W. This gave some following seas and the ride was nice but very slow. We could only make between 3.5 to 4.5 knots. 

Tom and a large rig

We got out into beautiful blue waters with Dolphins swimming along and playing around the boat. We glided by several ships anchored off the coast. Between Port Aransas and Freeport there are a hell of a lot of rigs and production platforms. We passed by the majority of them between Port Aransas and Matagorda Ship Ship Channel during the day and early evening. The full moon came out and gave us alot of light to see the rest of the rigs at night. We did pass three UNLIT rigs and platforms during the night. 

Sun popping up

The Lord provided us with a fantastic sunrise. The winds had died down during the night and we had to start motor sailing when we crossed the Matagorda ship channel. With the winds at about 5 knots and glass smooth seas we finally made it to the Freeport ship channel. Once we passed the Freeport ship channel we decided to give the motor a rest and sail for awhile. We shut off the motor and was making way towards Galveston Island at about 3 knots. At about 5 miles East of Freeport the winds went to zero again. The seas were flat and a beautiful emerald green. As we floundered around a couple of Dolphins came to check us out. The temperature was rising very fast so we decided to start motor sailing again to make the Galveston jetties before dark. The motor would not start. We discovered that there was a short in the neutral safety switch. It was sparking and then the wire burned off the switch. I attempted a repair and bypass, but the motor still would not start. 

Beautiful Gulf Sunrise

We then call Tow Boat U.S. and gave them our position 5 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico ENE of the Freeport jetties and advised them of the problem with the vessel. They told us that they would see us in about an hour or so. While we waited we decided to have lunch. The wind then started to blow at about 3 knots out of the East. I rolled in the genoa and set the main so we could make some headway towards the Freeport jetties to meet the tow boat. We actually were making about 1.8 knots when the tow boat got there.

The towboat threw me a harness and we headed for Freeport. The Captain of the tow boat had made arrangements for a transient slip for us at Bridge Harbor Marina. When we arrived there, the harbor master was there to help us tie up. Once we were tied up I cleaned up the boat. Tom contracted for all the repair work to be done. I then grabbed all my gear and headed for a shower. After the shower I put on my bathing suit bought me a big cold Land Shark beer and got into the swim up pool bar. Took a seat on one of the underwater bar stools kicked back and relaxed. Now this is cruising island style.

Our ride back to Kemah got there about an hour later and I am now back in Kemah. Once the repairs are completed I will go back to Freeport and bring sailing vessel Bravo to the Boardwalk Marina in Kemah, Tx

Location: Kemah, Tx

At Ingleside, Texas

We had a nice drive down coast to Ingleside Texas. We are at the Bahia Marina. It is a nice little marina in the shadow of Corpus Christi but without all the city hubbub. There is alot of shallow water around the marina and channels.

Tom's Boat

We are going to head out tomorrow at 6:00am and should be back in Kemah with Tom's boat about 8:00pm Tuesday night.

There is an Irwin 41 here at the marina. It is a beautiful boat and I got to get the nickle tour from the owners, Geff & Rose.

41 Irwin & Sunset

The sunset was fantastic dropping behind the island.

Our time frame: 
8-23-10
6:00am - leave Ingleside, Texas
8:30am - clear Port Aransas Jetties
6:30pm - cross Matagorda Ship Channel

8-24-10
6:00am - cross Freeport Ship Channel
2:30pm - enter Galveston Jetties
8:00pm - Kemah, Texas

Location: Ingleside, Texas

Heading To Ingleside Texas

I am headed to Ingleside Texas with Tom Mclain the pround owner of an Islander 36. He and I will be bringing the boat back to Kemah, Texas. Tom has a slip at the Boardwalk Marina. Our plan is to head out into the Gulf of Mexico on Monday 8-23-10 and sail the Gulf back to Galveston and then up the ship channel to Kemah.

You can follow our progress on my spot tracker.

Location: Kemah, Texas 

Great Day on the Water and Dolphins

Went out sailing today on Galveston Bay with some people that have chartered with me three times before. We were under another heat advisory but the wind was steady at about 15 to 20 knots for the day. and that kept the temp on the boat OK.

Got to see a lot of Dolphins playing in the bay. They are hard to take pictures of, but I was able to get some video.

Hope you enjoy it..............


Location: Galveston Bay, Texas

Friend's Dauphin & Jody

Our friends have just got back from a two week cruise down the southern Gulf Coast of Texas. They had a really good time hitting many popular anchorages. They spent some time sailing the open waters and a little time traveling through the Intercoastal Waterway. Here is a little video of their cruise in the ICW.

Location: Kemah, Texas

Count Down to Cruising

Well here we are thinking about the cruising life again. Our plan is to shuck the land based living and go cruising in a couple of years. This time frame may be moved up sooner than we planned. We are not getting any younger.

Raymond

A friend of ours, Raymond Fosdick, is headed out to sea. He left Kemah Texas this morning and is headed to Galveston Island to anchor out overnight. When I saw his SPOT track , he was southbound past Redfish Island. I then had to call him and find out about his plans (that is if he had any) and to wish him well. All the while a little envious that he is adventurous enough to go ahead and free his land bonds and sail out to unknown exciting locations and meeting old and new friends to make lifetime memories.  I then tried to call him and got his voice mail. After a few minutes he called back where I wished him a safe voyage and asked him about his plans. He told me that he was anchoring off Galveston Island tonight and meeting up with some friends, we may meet him too. He was then going to head out the jetties and across the Gulf of Mexico. Raymond's plans are to go South below Lousiana to Florida and then to Key West. Pick up a couple friends and head to the Dry Tortugas for some scuba diving in paradise. From there back to Key West, through the Keys and up the East coast to Chesapeake Bay and spend some time sailing there and meeting with some sailing friends from Kemah. This sounds so exciting and is a dream for most people with a boat. Yes, "just go".

Greg & Ann's boat "Nauti Gal"   

So back to us and our plans. As of August 1, 2010 I am no longer working as a full time police officer. I am eligible for full retirement after 30 years as an officer. Waiting for retirement paperwork from the state. We also have friends, Greg and Ann, that have just bought a Hunter 42 Passage and want to buddy cruise with us. Greg is retired and they are ready to go to. We both have some land based obligations to take care of first.

So for now we will keep the dream alive and make our plans accordingly. We will do some day sails and mini cruises until the day we turn on our SPOT and just go. And the best part is "When the anchor drops, were there.

Location: Kemah, Texas