Tuesday, June 9, 2009
5/30 - 6/6.....Leah & Scott's trip
5/30 - Our daughter Leah & her boyfriend Scott flew into Marsh Harbor for their week in Abaco. We were still dealing with bad weather, but it faired for a great Sunday afternoon @ Nipper's & Grabbers. The crew of "Journey" (Annette, Barney, Trisha & Richard) joined us and a very big time was had by all!!
6/1 - Better weather and a great afternoon at Tahiti Beach. 6/2 - We had sunny skies and rented golf carts to check out the south end of Elbow Cay. We didn't miss any of the bars!
6/3 - Had a great time at Tilloo Bank - beautiful water, great snorkel.
6/4 - Tour of Hopetown and climbed to the top of the lighthouse
6/5 - Back to Marsh Harbor (flights out in the morning).
6/1 - Better weather and a great afternoon at Tahiti Beach. 6/2 - We had sunny skies and rented golf carts to check out the south end of Elbow Cay. We didn't miss any of the bars!
6/3 - Had a great time at Tilloo Bank - beautiful water, great snorkel.
6/4 - Tour of Hopetown and climbed to the top of the lighthouse
6/5 - Back to Marsh Harbor (flights out in the morning).
5/14 - 5/29.....Thunderstorms & WET !!!
5/14 - Arrived at Great Guana Cay and spent a few days - rented a golf cart for a tour of the island and spent some time at Grabber's & Nipper's (way too much time!)
5/18 - Headed into Marsh Harbor to pick up Steve & Rose Simmons (they flew in for their vacation and brought the rain with them). Spent several days on the mooring in Man-O-War since the weather was so bad. "Journey" came in and the excitement started. After he picked up his mooring he called to say he was taking on water (shaft & rudder had slid out of the shaft log). The next morning we get another radio call that he had been hit (a sailboat in front of him broke loose and had hit him) Fortunately it did not cause him to break loose and the damage was cosmetic. I forgot to mention both events happened during major storms.
5/22 - Still wet weather but we decided to relocate to Hopetown. Spent the next week between storms at Tahiti Beach and Marsh Harbor. Steve & Rose got a couple of visits to the beach but mostly had a wet vacation until they flew out on 5/27. The following days brought more of the same weather.
5/18 - Headed into Marsh Harbor to pick up Steve & Rose Simmons (they flew in for their vacation and brought the rain with them). Spent several days on the mooring in Man-O-War since the weather was so bad. "Journey" came in and the excitement started. After he picked up his mooring he called to say he was taking on water (shaft & rudder had slid out of the shaft log). The next morning we get another radio call that he had been hit (a sailboat in front of him broke loose and had hit him) Fortunately it did not cause him to break loose and the damage was cosmetic. I forgot to mention both events happened during major storms.
5/22 - Still wet weather but we decided to relocate to Hopetown. Spent the next week between storms at Tahiti Beach and Marsh Harbor. Steve & Rose got a couple of visits to the beach but mostly had a wet vacation until they flew out on 5/27. The following days brought more of the same weather.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
5/1 – 5/13…..Ft. Pierce, FL to The Bahamas
It took us a while waiting on weather, winds & seas, but we made it!!! We left Harbortown Marina on 5/1, spent 1 night at Peck Lake then headed for Lake Worth (Palm Beach) to wait.
5/7 - Crossed the beautiful, cobalt seas of the Atlantic Ocean into Old Bahama Bay Marina at West End, Bahama. It's great to be here! Headed out onto the Little Bahama Bank, stayed 1 night at Great Sale Cay, then headed for Allans-Pensacola Cay. Enjoyed some beach time (Sassy had her 1st beach day) and left our sign at the "signing trees"
5/11 - Tried a new spot we didn't try on our 2005 trip – Powell Cay. Loved it and stayed for a couple of nights.
5/13 – Another 1st for us, somehow we missed Green Turtle Cay going both ways last time, but have always heard it's a "must go to" spot. We are currently located at Black Sound Marina and will start exploring the island this afternoon.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Starting Our Cruise Adventure for 2009
We're at it again!!! Barney & Annette Beebe (my sister and brother-in-law) will be cruising with us this year on their trawler "Journey". They cruised with us to the Abacos in 2005 and the 4 of us have been looking forward to the time that we could do it again.
I debated about continuing to blog, but I did find out that some of our family and several friends actually read, enjoy, and use it to keep up with us. Since I did have requests for it - here I go again.
Our destination for now is Harbortown Marina in Ft. Pierce, FL. This is the location where we found "Conched Out Too", worked our butts off getting her ready last year, and met some of the greatest people we have ever known.
2/26 - We slipped the lines from home (Biloxi Small Craft Harbor) at 6:20am heading east. We had a long wonderful day of running and made it to Big Lagoon (Pensacola, FL area) around 6:00pm. We had a nice quiet night on the hook. Annette & Barney had a long, late night, frantically getting "Journey" cleaned-up, sorted out and stocked up.
2/27 - We got an early start, after Barney called to let us know they were headed our way. I do want to make note that there was a "day 1 incident" that Barney likes to discuss - ask him about it. We were in the Destin area and keeping a close look at the weather (a strong cold front was coming in). We were hoping for Panama City today, but the captains decided we needed to get tied to the pilings since winds of 30+ knots were predicted. We got settled in at Bluewater Marina in Niceville, FL. Great marina, restaurant, ships store and staff! The wind blew, it was cold and miserable--for days. There was even a forecast of snow for the area - that would have been just too much to handle. We were here until 3/1.
3/2 - Although it was COLD and windy (NW 15+ knots) we slipped the lines at 7:00am and headed out. Annette & I stayed inside our warm heated boats while the guys toughed it out on the bridges. Traveled through the Panama City area into East Bay and dropped the anchors in Lairds Bayou about 3:30pm. Nice, protected, but cold anchorage.
3/3-3/4 - Picked up the hooks at 8:30am headed for Apalatchicola. It was a clear, sunny and of course - COLD day! Had a great ride and tied up @ Scipio Creek Marina around 4:00pm. Since we were now waiting for a weather window for crossing the northern Gulf of Mexico, we killed some time hanging around the marina and walking around town for a couple of days.
3/5 - Untied @ 10:45am Dog Island bound (this is our jumping-off point for crossing the northeast gulf). Dropped the hooks at the west end of the island @ 2:15pm. The Beebe's picked us up, for a dinghy ride along the shore (our 1st afternoon of "dinkin & drinkin" -- finally moderate enough temps to hang around outside!!) Hoping for calm seas for our next passage.
3/6 - Bill & Barney were up early to evaluate weather and sea conditions. Decided it was a go, so we picked up the hooks at first light and headed out. What a great start - we had a beautiful sunrise over the gulf! The seas were 1 - 2 ft swells, with occasional 3's. We let "Journey" make the call on whether we would continue or go back and wait. It was a bit on the tough side for them, but a piece of cake compared to our 2005 horrible crossing - Annette didn't feel too good, but she sure didn't have the mess from her dumped refrigerator to clean up like last time. We sure do love our stabilizers!!! This is our 1st time cruising on the west coast of FL, at this time of year, and had no idea that it was like a mine field. The stone crab traps are everywhere and it makes for a very stressful passage. We arrived @ SeaHag Marina in Steinhatchie around 4:00pm. Barney arrived with a float and line wrapped on his wheel, but was fortunate enough that it didn't shut down his engine. He also found a diver to come out first thing in the morning to cut it loose. Although we have all of the equipment for Bill to do any diving needed for both boats, he deemed that it was not an emergency and that the water was waaaay toooo coldddd.
3/7 - Clear, beautiful, sunny day! Pulled out around 10:45am - our 2 trawlers and hundreds of little fishing boats were all headed out of the Steinhatchie River. It's obviously a great time for fishing here - all of the boats were lined up solid along both sides of the channel. We are finally on a course heading south, cruising through the minefields of crabpots. Destination for tonight is Cedar Key - anchored next to Atsena Otie Key.
3/8 - Headed on south to Anclote Key (just west of Tarpon Springs). Great ride and on the hook for 2:30pm. Dropped the dinghy in, picked up the Beebe's and headed to the island for a walk on the beach. Barefeet in the sand and Bill's favorite day of the year - Daylight Savings Time begins!!!!! Is life good - or what?
3/9 - Did a few chores and had a lazy morning. Picked up the hooks and headed to Clearwater Marina to reprovision and pick up Joe & Janet Miller (from Ocean Springs). They are going to cruise with us until we get to the east coast. This is their first cruise this far south and through the Okeechobee waterway. The stone crab season is still in full swing - crabpots everywhere!
3/10 - Got an early start, had a beautiful day and fantastic run on the gulf headed for the Venice Inlet. As were were coming into the inlet, Joe noticed that we were dragging a crab trap (not just a float and line, but the whole thing!). He managed to free it from the boat just as "Journey" was coming up on us. We're not sure how Barney missed it, but he did. Tied up at the Crow's Nest Marina and had a VERY crowded dinner on shore.
3/11 - Decided to run on the inside (ICW) for the trip to Ft. Myers. Nice cruising day, no crab pots! On the hook at Glover Bight/Tarpon Point around 3:30pm. Ready for eastbound run through the Caloosahtchie River and the trip to Lake Okeechobee.
3/12 - Got an early start, had good ride. I boarded "Journey" to help them with going through the locks. Joe & Janet did a great job on "Conched Out Too"- another 1st for them! Tied to the face docks at Moore Haven City Docks around 5:00pm.
3/13 - At first light we were ready for another lock and the trip across "Lake O". The weather could not have been any better! Lots of wildlife - alligators and birds of all kinds. We came into Stuart to one of our favorite places - Harbor Inn Marina & The Deck Restaurant. Had a great afternoon & night with Brooke, Aaron, Ruthie & Cindy.
3/14 - Had a rainy, misty morning leaving Stuart, but we arrived in the sunshine at Ft. Pierce! The gang at Harbortown had everything ready for us and were there to greet us and welcome us back. Joe & Janet didn't get any "unwind" time because, I had to get them to Vero Beach to pick up their rental car. We had a great time with them and look forward to future cruising with them. Needless to say, we had a great reunion with our "Harbortown Family".
I debated about continuing to blog, but I did find out that some of our family and several friends actually read, enjoy, and use it to keep up with us. Since I did have requests for it - here I go again.
Our destination for now is Harbortown Marina in Ft. Pierce, FL. This is the location where we found "Conched Out Too", worked our butts off getting her ready last year, and met some of the greatest people we have ever known.
2/26 - We slipped the lines from home (Biloxi Small Craft Harbor) at 6:20am heading east. We had a long wonderful day of running and made it to Big Lagoon (Pensacola, FL area) around 6:00pm. We had a nice quiet night on the hook. Annette & Barney had a long, late night, frantically getting "Journey" cleaned-up, sorted out and stocked up.
2/27 - We got an early start, after Barney called to let us know they were headed our way. I do want to make note that there was a "day 1 incident" that Barney likes to discuss - ask him about it. We were in the Destin area and keeping a close look at the weather (a strong cold front was coming in). We were hoping for Panama City today, but the captains decided we needed to get tied to the pilings since winds of 30+ knots were predicted. We got settled in at Bluewater Marina in Niceville, FL. Great marina, restaurant, ships store and staff! The wind blew, it was cold and miserable--for days. There was even a forecast of snow for the area - that would have been just too much to handle. We were here until 3/1.
3/2 - Although it was COLD and windy (NW 15+ knots) we slipped the lines at 7:00am and headed out. Annette & I stayed inside our warm heated boats while the guys toughed it out on the bridges. Traveled through the Panama City area into East Bay and dropped the anchors in Lairds Bayou about 3:30pm. Nice, protected, but cold anchorage.
3/3-3/4 - Picked up the hooks at 8:30am headed for Apalatchicola. It was a clear, sunny and of course - COLD day! Had a great ride and tied up @ Scipio Creek Marina around 4:00pm. Since we were now waiting for a weather window for crossing the northern Gulf of Mexico, we killed some time hanging around the marina and walking around town for a couple of days.
3/5 - Untied @ 10:45am Dog Island bound (this is our jumping-off point for crossing the northeast gulf). Dropped the hooks at the west end of the island @ 2:15pm. The Beebe's picked us up, for a dinghy ride along the shore (our 1st afternoon of "dinkin & drinkin" -- finally moderate enough temps to hang around outside!!) Hoping for calm seas for our next passage.
3/6 - Bill & Barney were up early to evaluate weather and sea conditions. Decided it was a go, so we picked up the hooks at first light and headed out. What a great start - we had a beautiful sunrise over the gulf! The seas were 1 - 2 ft swells, with occasional 3's. We let "Journey" make the call on whether we would continue or go back and wait. It was a bit on the tough side for them, but a piece of cake compared to our 2005 horrible crossing - Annette didn't feel too good, but she sure didn't have the mess from her dumped refrigerator to clean up like last time. We sure do love our stabilizers!!! This is our 1st time cruising on the west coast of FL, at this time of year, and had no idea that it was like a mine field. The stone crab traps are everywhere and it makes for a very stressful passage. We arrived @ SeaHag Marina in Steinhatchie around 4:00pm. Barney arrived with a float and line wrapped on his wheel, but was fortunate enough that it didn't shut down his engine. He also found a diver to come out first thing in the morning to cut it loose. Although we have all of the equipment for Bill to do any diving needed for both boats, he deemed that it was not an emergency and that the water was waaaay toooo coldddd.
3/7 - Clear, beautiful, sunny day! Pulled out around 10:45am - our 2 trawlers and hundreds of little fishing boats were all headed out of the Steinhatchie River. It's obviously a great time for fishing here - all of the boats were lined up solid along both sides of the channel. We are finally on a course heading south, cruising through the minefields of crabpots. Destination for tonight is Cedar Key - anchored next to Atsena Otie Key.
3/8 - Headed on south to Anclote Key (just west of Tarpon Springs). Great ride and on the hook for 2:30pm. Dropped the dinghy in, picked up the Beebe's and headed to the island for a walk on the beach. Barefeet in the sand and Bill's favorite day of the year - Daylight Savings Time begins!!!!! Is life good - or what?
3/9 - Did a few chores and had a lazy morning. Picked up the hooks and headed to Clearwater Marina to reprovision and pick up Joe & Janet Miller (from Ocean Springs). They are going to cruise with us until we get to the east coast. This is their first cruise this far south and through the Okeechobee waterway. The stone crab season is still in full swing - crabpots everywhere!
3/10 - Got an early start, had a beautiful day and fantastic run on the gulf headed for the Venice Inlet. As were were coming into the inlet, Joe noticed that we were dragging a crab trap (not just a float and line, but the whole thing!). He managed to free it from the boat just as "Journey" was coming up on us. We're not sure how Barney missed it, but he did. Tied up at the Crow's Nest Marina and had a VERY crowded dinner on shore.
3/11 - Decided to run on the inside (ICW) for the trip to Ft. Myers. Nice cruising day, no crab pots! On the hook at Glover Bight/Tarpon Point around 3:30pm. Ready for eastbound run through the Caloosahtchie River and the trip to Lake Okeechobee.
3/12 - Got an early start, had good ride. I boarded "Journey" to help them with going through the locks. Joe & Janet did a great job on "Conched Out Too"- another 1st for them! Tied to the face docks at Moore Haven City Docks around 5:00pm.
3/13 - At first light we were ready for another lock and the trip across "Lake O". The weather could not have been any better! Lots of wildlife - alligators and birds of all kinds. We came into Stuart to one of our favorite places - Harbor Inn Marina & The Deck Restaurant. Had a great afternoon & night with Brooke, Aaron, Ruthie & Cindy.
3/14 - Had a rainy, misty morning leaving Stuart, but we arrived in the sunshine at Ft. Pierce! The gang at Harbortown had everything ready for us and were there to greet us and welcome us back. Joe & Janet didn't get any "unwind" time because, I had to get them to Vero Beach to pick up their rental car. We had a great time with them and look forward to future cruising with them. Needless to say, we had a great reunion with our "Harbortown Family".
To Date - 737 nautical miles for this trip
Friday, March 20, 2009
7/17 - 8/3/08.....Yes, we did make it home! To Date - 1,607 nautical miles on our 2008 adventure!!
As I was starting to post our 2009 trip I realized I never updated the blog from last year, so I decided to make a few notes:
7/17-7/20 Got a slip at Sportsman Marina (Orange Beach) to visit with the family and to reprovision.
7/21-7/29 Back on the hook just hanging out. Barney & Annette (on "Journey") joined us for a few days. Relocated to Ingram's Bayou for 1 night before heading to Fairhope, AL.
7/30-8/1 Picked up the hook for an early run up Mobile Bay to the Fairhope Yacht Club to visit our friends Mikey & Dee. It's always great to see them! What a GREAT place!!! They did a fantastic job with the design and layout of the new club which was destroyed by the hurricane (it was in the final stages of construction, but we were able to get a tour).
8/2-8/3 Slipped the lines early to head for home. Decided to spend one more night on the hook and anchored near the west end of Horn Island - it was a great sunny afternoon. Had our last beach day and a great night on the hook. We had a sunny start but arrived back at Point Cadet Marina under overcast skies. Tied up around 1:30 - back home for now.
7/17-7/20 Got a slip at Sportsman Marina (Orange Beach) to visit with the family and to reprovision.
7/21-7/29 Back on the hook just hanging out. Barney & Annette (on "Journey") joined us for a few days. Relocated to Ingram's Bayou for 1 night before heading to Fairhope, AL.
7/30-8/1 Picked up the hook for an early run up Mobile Bay to the Fairhope Yacht Club to visit our friends Mikey & Dee. It's always great to see them! What a GREAT place!!! They did a fantastic job with the design and layout of the new club which was destroyed by the hurricane (it was in the final stages of construction, but we were able to get a tour).
8/2-8/3 Slipped the lines early to head for home. Decided to spend one more night on the hook and anchored near the west end of Horn Island - it was a great sunny afternoon. Had our last beach day and a great night on the hook. We had a sunny start but arrived back at Point Cadet Marina under overcast skies. Tied up around 1:30 - back home for now.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
7/8 - 7/16.....Hanging around the panhandle
7/8 - We had some early morning showers, then it cleared to a great day. We picked up the anchor @ 10:00am heading west. Cruised on past the Pensacola land cut and anchored in the Big Lagoon area @ 3:00pm. Went to the beach for "happy hour".
7/9 - Still on the hook. Boat cleaning day (inside and out) - then a lazy afternoon.
7/10 - Lazy morning, picked up the hook @ 10:00am and turned around to head back east. We anchored in Little Sabine Bay/Pensacola Beach (we will be here through the weekend for the Blue Angels show on Saturday). We had cocktails and dinner on board with Ken & Karen (the couple that bought the former "Conched Out Too" - the President 41 we had before this boat, now named "Chardonnay").
7/11 - Pretty morning and great day (we found out later that this was the calm before the storms). Joe & Janet Miller (from Ocean Springs) arrived on their boat "Miller's Time" around noon, just in time to enjoy the "dress rehearsal" for Saturdays air show. We invited the girls down for the weekend and they arrived with their entourage around 4:30pm. Amy & Leah with our grandsons Tyler, Brayden & Cole; boyfriends Chuck & Scott with Charlie, Madison & Katherine. If you're trying to keep track, that's 4 more adults, 5 teenagers, a 7 year old and us. Believe it or not, the logistics all worked out great - Cole slept on board with us and the rest slept at the hotel both nights; Ken & Karen got us parking passes for their cars, use of the condo swimming pool and also loaned us their kayaks to help with water transportation; the Millers loaned us their dinghy to help with the "water taxi shuttle" and we were set for the weekend. The 2 other boats we were waiting for came in. My sister Annette, her husband Barney Beebe (on m/v Journey) with my brother Paul & girlfriend Jeanie on board. The other boat with friends Richard & Trisha (on m/v Christine Noelle). We rafted up the 4 trawlers together for the afternoon so that we could all visit. "Journey" & "Christine Noelle" untied to set their anchors for the night. We cooked hamburgers for our crew and after dinner and a fun visit, Bill shuttled them back, so that they could head to the hotel for the night.
7/12 - We were all ready for a great day but woke up to clouds and a morning of scattered thunderstorms. We picked up the girls and their crew @ 8:30am. It cleared a bit, the other 2 boats came back to raft up for the day and we all got to enjoy some time in the water waiting for the Blue Angels Air Show to start. We had a great spot set up on the shallow shoal area with umbrellas, chairs, ice chests, etc. Janet had some great pictures of the raft up, but at some point she jumped in the water with the camera in her pocket - oh well! The show was delayed due to the weather, and around 1:00pm all hell broke loose (actually the _ _ _ _ hit the fan!!!!) WINDS, RAIN, MAJOR LIGHTNING - What a nightmare!!! There were people on the boats and scattered everywhere in the water. As the winds picked up and swapped around, boats started dragging anchor and stuff was flying everywhere. We untied "Journey" and "Christine Noelle" to lessen the pressure on our anchor (we had the only one down). Although our anchor didn't drag, our position change caused some very tense moments for us and the boats around us. Three hours later the winds, etc. finally started to subside, and we got word that the show was canceled and rescheduled for Sunday. We had dinner on board with our crew and afterwards, Bill loaded up the 2 dinghies and shuttled them back to the condo around 9:30pm. What a day - tomorrow could only be better!!
7/13 - We had a much better forecast and is was a clear and sunny morning. The water shuttle (Bill) picked up the kids @ 9:30am. It was a beautiful morning, not many people made it back into Little Sabine Bay for the show. I'm sure some of them will ever get on a boat again (we heard there were several reports of lightning hits and people in the hospital being treated). We set up our spot back on the shoal to wait for the show. It was a FANTASTIC show!!! The pre-show acrobatic planes were unbelievable and the Blue Angels gave all of us chills! Afterwards, we were all just hanging out, talking about the show when Bill looked at the sky to the north (not good!) We all went back to the boats for him to check the radar (much worse than it looked!), and we realized we were going to get hammered again. Since "Miller's Time", "Journey" & "Christine Noelle" were not rafted up to us, the first chaos was getting 10 people off of our boat, into 2 dinghies and back to shore to their cars before the worst of the storm hit. They made it, Bill didn't. It was a repeat of Saturday, except I was on the boat alone (well, me and Sassy - help that she is). It was raining so hard that I couldn't find him on the water, at all. I finally was able to contact the Hopkins on "Christine Noelle" (they were closer to the shore and in Bill's return path). After a while, they spotted him against the shore (the prop spun out on our dinghy motor and since the lightning was so fierce , he beached both dinghies and hunkered down under the bow) The winds were 30+ knots and I knew that was too much pressure on the anchor. I cranked the engines (actually I could only get one started) and eased up on the hook. After the weather calmed, Bill finally made it back to the boat. What a day!!! A little later, everyone from the 4 boats gathered on "Conched Out Too" for cocktails and to trade war stories from the day. It was an early evening and we went to bed exhausted.
7/14 - Everything on board was soaked, every towel, all rugs & crap was everywhere, but the sky was clear - the radar and forecast looked good. We started the clean-up process, then we picked up the hook @ 9:30am, all 4 boats headed to Sportsman Marina/Orange Beach. We spent the afternoon washing and drying the mountains of wet stuff. We had dinner on board with the Miller's and called it a day and had a peaceful night tied to the pilings.
7/15 - Barney loaned us his truck to run errands and re-supply, then "Conched Out Too" and "Miller's Time" headed back east to Big Lagoon for the afternoon and night. Great, great, great! No winds, no rain and most of all, no lightning! Afternoon spent on the beach on the gulf side - beautiful! Fantastic steak dinner on board, compliments of Joe & Janet, then we called it a night.
7/16 - We are going to hang here for a while longer. Joe & Janet on "Miller's Time" pulled out to head back home. They made it to Dauphin Island today and will make the rest of the run to Ocean Springs tomorrow. Bill had an afternoon business meeting on board with 2 of his associates. Afterwards, we all loaded up into Charles' center console and went to the "Oyster Bar" in Perdido. We had a great dinner and visit, then a nice run on the water back to our boat (it felt like we were flying in Charles' boat - we're not used to going that fast on the water).
A few pictures to follow later.
7/9 - Still on the hook. Boat cleaning day (inside and out) - then a lazy afternoon.
7/10 - Lazy morning, picked up the hook @ 10:00am and turned around to head back east. We anchored in Little Sabine Bay/Pensacola Beach (we will be here through the weekend for the Blue Angels show on Saturday). We had cocktails and dinner on board with Ken & Karen (the couple that bought the former "Conched Out Too" - the President 41 we had before this boat, now named "Chardonnay").
7/11 - Pretty morning and great day (we found out later that this was the calm before the storms). Joe & Janet Miller (from Ocean Springs) arrived on their boat "Miller's Time" around noon, just in time to enjoy the "dress rehearsal" for Saturdays air show. We invited the girls down for the weekend and they arrived with their entourage around 4:30pm. Amy & Leah with our grandsons Tyler, Brayden & Cole; boyfriends Chuck & Scott with Charlie, Madison & Katherine. If you're trying to keep track, that's 4 more adults, 5 teenagers, a 7 year old and us. Believe it or not, the logistics all worked out great - Cole slept on board with us and the rest slept at the hotel both nights; Ken & Karen got us parking passes for their cars, use of the condo swimming pool and also loaned us their kayaks to help with water transportation; the Millers loaned us their dinghy to help with the "water taxi shuttle" and we were set for the weekend. The 2 other boats we were waiting for came in. My sister Annette, her husband Barney Beebe (on m/v Journey) with my brother Paul & girlfriend Jeanie on board. The other boat with friends Richard & Trisha (on m/v Christine Noelle). We rafted up the 4 trawlers together for the afternoon so that we could all visit. "Journey" & "Christine Noelle" untied to set their anchors for the night. We cooked hamburgers for our crew and after dinner and a fun visit, Bill shuttled them back, so that they could head to the hotel for the night.
7/12 - We were all ready for a great day but woke up to clouds and a morning of scattered thunderstorms. We picked up the girls and their crew @ 8:30am. It cleared a bit, the other 2 boats came back to raft up for the day and we all got to enjoy some time in the water waiting for the Blue Angels Air Show to start. We had a great spot set up on the shallow shoal area with umbrellas, chairs, ice chests, etc. Janet had some great pictures of the raft up, but at some point she jumped in the water with the camera in her pocket - oh well! The show was delayed due to the weather, and around 1:00pm all hell broke loose (actually the _ _ _ _ hit the fan!!!!) WINDS, RAIN, MAJOR LIGHTNING - What a nightmare!!! There were people on the boats and scattered everywhere in the water. As the winds picked up and swapped around, boats started dragging anchor and stuff was flying everywhere. We untied "Journey" and "Christine Noelle" to lessen the pressure on our anchor (we had the only one down). Although our anchor didn't drag, our position change caused some very tense moments for us and the boats around us. Three hours later the winds, etc. finally started to subside, and we got word that the show was canceled and rescheduled for Sunday. We had dinner on board with our crew and afterwards, Bill loaded up the 2 dinghies and shuttled them back to the condo around 9:30pm. What a day - tomorrow could only be better!!
7/13 - We had a much better forecast and is was a clear and sunny morning. The water shuttle (Bill) picked up the kids @ 9:30am. It was a beautiful morning, not many people made it back into Little Sabine Bay for the show. I'm sure some of them will ever get on a boat again (we heard there were several reports of lightning hits and people in the hospital being treated). We set up our spot back on the shoal to wait for the show. It was a FANTASTIC show!!! The pre-show acrobatic planes were unbelievable and the Blue Angels gave all of us chills! Afterwards, we were all just hanging out, talking about the show when Bill looked at the sky to the north (not good!) We all went back to the boats for him to check the radar (much worse than it looked!), and we realized we were going to get hammered again. Since "Miller's Time", "Journey" & "Christine Noelle" were not rafted up to us, the first chaos was getting 10 people off of our boat, into 2 dinghies and back to shore to their cars before the worst of the storm hit. They made it, Bill didn't. It was a repeat of Saturday, except I was on the boat alone (well, me and Sassy - help that she is). It was raining so hard that I couldn't find him on the water, at all. I finally was able to contact the Hopkins on "Christine Noelle" (they were closer to the shore and in Bill's return path). After a while, they spotted him against the shore (the prop spun out on our dinghy motor and since the lightning was so fierce , he beached both dinghies and hunkered down under the bow) The winds were 30+ knots and I knew that was too much pressure on the anchor. I cranked the engines (actually I could only get one started) and eased up on the hook. After the weather calmed, Bill finally made it back to the boat. What a day!!! A little later, everyone from the 4 boats gathered on "Conched Out Too" for cocktails and to trade war stories from the day. It was an early evening and we went to bed exhausted.
7/14 - Everything on board was soaked, every towel, all rugs & crap was everywhere, but the sky was clear - the radar and forecast looked good. We started the clean-up process, then we picked up the hook @ 9:30am, all 4 boats headed to Sportsman Marina/Orange Beach. We spent the afternoon washing and drying the mountains of wet stuff. We had dinner on board with the Miller's and called it a day and had a peaceful night tied to the pilings.
7/15 - Barney loaned us his truck to run errands and re-supply, then "Conched Out Too" and "Miller's Time" headed back east to Big Lagoon for the afternoon and night. Great, great, great! No winds, no rain and most of all, no lightning! Afternoon spent on the beach on the gulf side - beautiful! Fantastic steak dinner on board, compliments of Joe & Janet, then we called it a night.
7/16 - We are going to hang here for a while longer. Joe & Janet on "Miller's Time" pulled out to head back home. They made it to Dauphin Island today and will make the rest of the run to Ocean Springs tomorrow. Bill had an afternoon business meeting on board with 2 of his associates. Afterwards, we all loaded up into Charles' center console and went to the "Oyster Bar" in Perdido. We had a great dinner and visit, then a nice run on the water back to our boat (it felt like we were flying in Charles' boat - we're not used to going that fast on the water).
A few pictures to follow later.
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