Day 0, Nov 2, 2019
What a roller coaster of emotions! We are thrilled and excited about the adventure in front of us. We are also a bit nostalgic at the thought of leaving family (including Peter’s dog, Maia) and friends, familiar places and favorite haunts, and the homes which have been our havens of comfort and security.
“Quite Nice” is ready to go. She has been polished, outfitted, provisioned and maintenance up to date. Tomorrow looks to be perfect weather to head off. First night is scheduled to be Galveston Yacht Basin. Perhaps a night or two more if needed to work out any last minute glitches – mostly concerned about internet access – then on to Port Arthur, Lake Charles and eastward.
She came together quite nicely. Friends took this photo when they saw us heading out for a little more time at the helm.
Peter has spent lots of time in the engine room getting it well organized, clean, and stocked with replacement parts. I did help with the oil change.
The guest suite is ready even thought the cover is way more rumpled than I will tolerate for long.
Day 1, Nov. 3, 2019
And we are off. Promptly dropped a fender in the water coming out of the slip. A helpful friend on the pier helped us retrieve it. Made it to Galveston without incident. Added 300 gallons of fuel to the reserve tanks. Did not like the slips available at Galveston Yacht Basin so we opted to anchor in a spot referred to as Tea Cup. Peter had anchored there in his sailboat so we felt confident and we had no difficulty. It was a beautiful evening and comfortable night.
Waved goodbye to Seabrook/Kemah which has pretty much been our home for the last four months since we bought the boat.
Enjoyed the sunset and a simple dinner at anchor.
Day 2, Nov. 4, 2019
An early start at daybreak as we had a fairly long haul and short daylight hours. Cruised the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) to Port Arthur where we docked at the Sabine Pass Port Authority Marina. Getting in and out of close-quarter marinas is still a bit intense for us but this was a comfortable stay. Dinner with my good friend Michael Laws.
Day 3, Nov. 5, 2019
We were ready for an easier day so chose to spend a day in Port Arthur. Michael picked us up and took us to tour his business, EcoWerks, and the upgrades he made after the ravages of hurricane Harvey. Felt good to see all he and his team have accomplished. As a bonus, he was able to help us straighten out a piece of trim we had dinged. Another lovely evening of good eating. Can’t believe I forgot to take any photos.
Day 4, Nov. 6, 2019
Feeling confident but still a bit “off into the unknown” as we head east toward Lake Charles. Fabulous weather for cruising. Up the Calcasieu River a few miles off the GIWW. No difficulties navigating and an easy docking at the marina at the Golden Nugget Casino and Hotel.
Day 5, Nov. 7, 2019
So much of the experience of cruising is about adapting to unforeseen circumstances. We got our first taste of that today. With some nasty weather coming thru today, we had planned to lay low, relax, and plan the next leg. Weather looked best to continue on Saturday. We had been warned about maintenance on a lock on the GIWW coming out of Lake Charles. Called the lock master to get the status expecting the lock to be open on the weekend. They are pushing to complete the project so crews are working seven days a week, all daylight hours. This translates to our being able to pass through during the night only and with lots of barges that are backed up also trying to get through. Estimate is that the project will not be completed for at least two weeks. Not good. Option of sitting tight in Lake Charles for two weeks or more did not appeal. Peter came up with a great alternative – hire a local captain to get us thru. In just a few hours, we had located the perfect one. Plan is to sit out the weather Friday, then he will join us in the early morning hours of Saturday to make the journey thru. We are very confident that it will be a great experience, we will learn from him, and be on our way.
Yvonne’s comments
I had all these thought about how I would be taking some great photos during the day and promptly updating our captain’s log and this blog every evening. That may happen after I get in the groove but for now, I’m juggling more balls than usual. Not up to my usual standard of being organized but I’m confident I’ll find my groove soon. All that said, we feel we are “living the dream”.