Freeport to Galveston May 24

We “slept in” until 0700 (actually, for Kay, closer to 0800), then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, rinsed the boat off, and removed a gear from the shaft of the leaking seawater pump which I removed yesterday from the small generator in the lazarette.  We enjoyed wandering around the Surfside Marina, taking a few pictures, and watching the many boat boys prepare dry-stacked outboards for their owners’ fishing excursions.  About noon, UPS arrived with my replacement water pump, which I then installed.  The test run was fine, so we cleaned up and set off shortly after 1400 for Galveston. 

There was more tow traffic today, and we met and/or passed several more tows than yesterday.  We passed Oyster Bay about 1545 from where we could see the San Luis Pass Bridge.  We entered West Bay at 1600, passed Flamingo Isles (now houses Harbor Place Marina) at 1745, and passed the Offatt’s Bayou entrance channel at 1815.  Along a 1-mile stretch of land in West Bay we counted 11 red nun buoys washed ashore.  Six were in a pile, and over the next mile or less we counted 5 others along the shore.  Green cans seem to have fared better; some of them were still on station.  After passing under the repaired Galveston Causeway Railroad Bridge, we passed through the Pelican Island Cut and anchored near Baffle Point behind Port Bolivar about 1930.  This area is very protected from the east and southeast, but it does “rock and roll” a bit about 5 minutes after a ship passes up the Houston ship channel.  The full moon is beautiful rising over the peninsula, and only sparse lights on the shore are present.  I used to patrol the Bolivar Peninsula, so it is interesting to see from the west side all of the landmarks which remain after Ike.  Tomorrow we will duck back into the ICW at Port Bolivar, and run up that peninsula toward true East Texas.

Matagorda Bay to Freeport May 23

We awoke to find the small generator had quit working, probably just before dawn.  We got underway about 0700 from our delightful anchorage near Phillips Bayou in the northern end of Matagorda Bay.  Returning to the ICW, we were in the cut between land on both sides by 0740.  A concern has been the reported closures of the locks at the Colorado River, and the floodgates at the Brazos River.  We noted both today and yesterday a paucity of tows compared to the usual volume, and on our 0910 arrival at the West Colorado River Lock we found a sign proclaiming that locks would open only on the hour for pleasure craft.  However, since a tow was coming through westbound, we asked the lockmaster if we could scoot through eastbound as soon as the tow cleared, and he agreed.  Therefore, we had only about 10 minutes of delay. 

We cleared out of the East Lock about 0930, and continued on.  After passing through the quaint village of Caney Creek with its public park on the very narrow stretch of barrier island and Gulf of Mexico visible from our boat in the ICW, we hailed the Caney Creek Swing Bridge, which opened with precise timing for our passage at noon. 

We called the Brazos River floodgates to ascertain their operational status, and were told that they were always open for pleasure craft, but closed to tow traffic from 0700 to 1530 daily for repairs to the East floodgate.  On arrival at the West floodgate at 1400 we proceeded through, and then after crossing the Brazos River and warily watching for floating trees and limbs that are common, we slowly passed through the East floodgate.  Moored in the floodgate was a very thick-walled aluminum skiff of about 18 feet.  Two men were out on the walls conducting repairs.   There were 12 tows, many with multiple barges, stacked up west of the Brazos awaiting the commercial opening, and 11 east of the river.  What is even more complex is that many of these push multiple barges down the ICW, but must break them apart and take them through the floodgates one at a time.  The tug then returns back through, retrieves another barge, passes through with it, and eventually rebuilds its entire tow.  Most were not just idling, however; at least one-half had some type of scraping or painting of their vessels in process as they waited pushed up against one bank of the ICW or the other. 

We then passed the Freeport ship channel intersection, a somewhat complex junction with blind corners.  AIS is wonderful!  About 1500 we arrived at our destination for the evening—Surfside Marina.  After backing into our slip, attaching power, and checking in, it was time for a long shower!   This small marina is right on the ICW—you turn from the ICW into the space between rows of slips.  We see more dolphins playing at the end of their pier than almost anywhere else, and every tow that passes seems to stir up the fish that interest the dolphins, renewing their activity and performances.  The restroom/shower facilities are great, wi-fi is open, and the small convenience store on premises carries most of the small items you may have forgotten.

Charenton Drainage Canal to Houma May 29

According to plan, we arose early and had the anchor up by 0615.  By 0625 we entered the ICW, headed for Houma.  At 0740 we passed the Bayou Sale Bridge, and by 0820 were crossing the Wax Lake Outlet.  All of the published warnings about strong currents, no passing or meeting another vessel, etc. at this junction are warranted.  This flow represents about 12% of the outflow of the Mississippi River, and that is a lot of water crossing the ICW at a brisk pace!  We checked in with Berwick Vessel Traffic Service, and by 0940 we entered the Lower Atchafalaya River at “the 99”.  At 1010 we passed the point where the river continues north under the bridges between Berwick and Morgan City, and once again applauded our decision to skip Morgan City.  The town would have been interesting, but the dockage sorely lacking.  We reached the Bayou Beouf Lock about 1025, floated through, and exited about 1035.  The amount of industrial fabrication of boats, drilling equipment, etc. is astounding. 

By 1400 we were at the Houma Navigation Canal, and about 1420 arrived at the City Marina.  This small facility is well maintained, with electricity, water, and pumpout available.  Ray, the dockmaster, came promptly to turn on the electricity and was friendly and welcoming.  After rinsing off the boat, we filled the water tank and thoroughly rinsed ourselves!  Then, OUT to dinner!

 

Bayou Petite Anse to Charenton Drainage Canal May 28

 We ate a heavier breakfast—waffles are easier to prepare when anchored than when underway.  We then launched the dinghy, cleaned up, and went ashore.  After about a ¾ mile walk we came to the Tabasco Factory.  They have narrated tours on the hour, so after about 15 minutes to peruse the exhibits near the entrance, we and about a dozen others were treated to a very informative narrative, including video, about the history of Avery Island, the McIlhenny Tabasco Company, and the creation, manufacture, and marketing of Tabasco brand products.  How the profits have been used through the years for wildlife conservation is also impressive, as is the information about Avery Island and the salt dome and mining operations which actually comprise the island.  After a walk past a glass-enclosed observation hallway that allowed views into the bottling operation of the plant, we were free to peruse the Country Store which handed out lots of samples, including Tabasco ice cream.  A stroll through their beautiful grounds back to the boat completed our morning.  After discussion, we decided to depart.  Morgan City would be a logical stopping place for the next day’s run, but only accommodates boats with less than a 15-foot beam, and that in a heavily industrial area.  We decided to go part-way.  After winding our way back out of the bayous to Avery Island, we waited behind a maneuvering salt barge and finally entered the ICW about 1400.  About 1520 we passed under the impressive Louisa bridge—a bascule bridge with 73-foot clearance BEFORE opening!  About 1635 we entered the Charenton Drainage Canal, finding a beautiful deep water spot to anchor alongside the east bank of the several hundred yard wide canal.  A few work boats went by during the night, but none close to us.  It was a very idyllic spot, but evidently one not often used.

Mermentau River to Bayou Petite Anse May 27

We awoke earlier…it gets lighter earlier in the day here!  After getting underway at 0645 from our great anchorage in the Mermentau River, we joined the ICW about 0700.  The stretch today is pretty boring except for transiting the Leland Bowman lock.    Not too long after entering the ICW we spotted a small alligator swimming along the side of the canal.  We passed the Forked Island Bridge about 1025, and neared the Leland Bowman lock about 1100.  We had a brief wait for a westbound tow to exit, and then entered.  We were instructed to get a line “on a steel pin”, which turned out to be like a circular cleat set between various fender boards of the lock sidewall.  The lockmaster then closed the west gate behind us, opened the east gate, and honked a horn to instruct us to begin departing.  I could discern no change in water level; I suspect they are just limiting the amount of salt water that may enter the stretch of ICW we had transited to allow irrigation of the many rice fields with fresh water.  We cleared the lock about 1130, and passed by Shell Morgan Landing in Intracoastal City about 15 minutes later.  It was good to spot this potential stop, as most folks undertaking this journey seem to stop over there.  It was certainly “industrial”, and we were glad to follow our original plan of continuing on to Bayou Petite Anse.  We exited the ICW into the bayou at about 1330, and slowly worked our way up the bayous, mostly visually following the center of the bayou and adjusting course based on the depth sounder readings.  We had read about Avery Island, its boat basin, and the adjacent Tabasco factory, so we decided to work our way in that direction just to see where it would lead.  We passed many salt barges from the nearby salt works, Avery Island being composed of a large salt dome.  We wound our way past innumerable bayous and indeed, some 2.5 miles off the main bayou we finally arrived at the small Avery Island basin.  It is quite small but very picturesque.  The couple of slips available for free dockage are in water way too shallow for us, but we did ½ anchor, ½ tie a line to shore just inside the basin entrance at about 1500.  The scenery on the way in was amazing…truly one realizes that he is deep in the heart of swamp country, and I am grateful that the “track” feature on my chartplotter will help me find my way back out!

 

Shell Island to Mermentau River May 26

We started to weigh anchor about 0645 and by shortly after 0700 were threading our way between tows on the ICW.  At 0720 we passed the Sabine River, the cutoff to Orange.  Just before 1000, we passed under the Ellender lift bridge.  Since this massive highway lift bridge requires a four-hour notice to be raised, we were grateful to be able to clear its 50-foot height without needing it lifted.  We had decided yesterday to bypass Lake Charles.  It is a good way off the ICW, and quite honestly none of the marinas there seemed to have both interest and capacity to accommodate us.  Some had one or the other, but it appeared that even by Thursday they were feeling overwhelmed about the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend.  We wound around Choupique Island and through Devil’s Elbow ahead of a ship coming up the Calcasieu Ship Channel, and hailed the Calcasieu Lock.  The lockmaster had the west gate open, and we motored slowly through, never stopping as he opened the east gate as we approached it at 1030.  Immediately beyond was the Black Bayou Pontoon Bridge, which had to be hailed on another channel, and it opened.  Since there is a cable that drapes across the channel, one must wait for the “all-clear” horn to affirm that the cable is on the bottom.  Swing bridges of this design are evidently being re-worked to eliminate the underwater cables--at least that is the information given us by the operator of the Grand Lake Pontoon Bridge when we finally “woke him” and passed through at 1125.  We passed under the high Creole Bridge at 1245, and departed the ICW to navigate up the Mermentau River at 1445.  By 1515 we were anchored in a beautiful ox-bow about 2 miles upriver, with a huge secluded anchorage to ourselves.  Most of today’s passage was through a national wildlife sanctuary, with beautiful trees and swamps.  We didn’t actually see much wildlife, but trust that there is a lot of it hiding in the thick foliage.  However, with half an hour of anchoring, the local hospitality committee (far more welcoming than the marinas in Lake Charles) sent forth an emissary to greet us.  A 7-8 foot alligator, obviously a juvenile by his lack of girth, swam out to eyeball us, and swam around about 15-20 feet from the boat for about 10 minutes.  That may have been because Kay, in her somewhat disrobed state having just showered, was gawking at him from the cockpit and appeared delectable.  Obviously his elders knew that we would not jump in, and saved their energy swimming out to check on us.

 

Galveston to Shell Island May 25

We arose in our anchorage near Baffle Point behind the Bolivar Peninsula about 0615 to find that we had been joined by several shrimp boats.  It had been a very convenient location due to proximity to the Bolivar entrance to the ICW, but otherwise had little to commend it.   We had some rock and roll (though not severe) from ships transiting the Houston Ship Channel, and the holding in soft mud was acceptable, but not superior.  This is definitely an anchorage for a quick overnight in settled weather.  I enjoyed the ICW trip up the Bolivar Peninsula, having routinely patrolled this area 40 years ago during my tenure with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Department.  We were in the ICW at Port Bolivar by 0700, and passed Rollover Pass at Gilchrist at 0910.  At 1015 we passed under the High Island Bridge, a different structure than its predecessor which was in place and the subject of one of those many Sheriff’s Dept. tales which must not be committed to print.  We reached signs of civilization again about 1340 as we passed the Taylor Bayou Outfall Channel.  We were not stopping here, as we hoped to mover farther east today, but it was a very wide, deep channel which would provide an excellent anchorage.  We soon passed under the West Port Arthur Bridge, and by 1345 were at the Sabine Pass ship channel.  This was a fairly busy intersection, and we proceeded on east behind a large ship which turned off into the Neches River to head for Port Neches or Beaumont.  We crossed that same intersection at 1500, and continued east in the ICW.  By 1545 we had passed Shell Island, and turned back in to enter East Pass between Shell Island and the small island adjacent to the ICW where we would anchor.  We anchored near the north side of Shell Island about 40 yards from shore in 13 feet of water.  This is a delightful anchorage, and depending on the location selected could provide shelter in almost any weather conditions.  I did spotlight the edge of the thick reeds before bedtime looking for alligators, but did not see any red eyes peering at us.  Perhaps after a long day I did not persist late enough into the evening…

Corpus Christi To Matagorda Bay May 22

We arose around 0600 to find a hazy day with the wind back to normal Corpus Christi speed.  After cleaning up, the power cord and lines were disconnected and we got underway from the slip at 0700.  There was a slight chop on the bay, which we crossed to the high range marker in an hour, then on to the Rockport ICW cut just east of Ingleside.  There was a lot of ship channel traffic, barges and tankers, and we were delayed about 10 minutes at the ICW waiting for a tug to pull a barge from the dock and head out to sea.  Communication with two harbor pilots (one on an inbound tanker and one on the above tug) netted several compliments about Texas Ranger, and we even later heard them favorably discussing us with each other.

After turning into the Rockport cut we had a modest breakfast, took a few pictures, and passed under the bridge at Aransas Pass.  By 1015 we were passing Cove Harbor, and were across Aransas Bay by 1145.  At 1300 we entered San Antonio Bay, usually one of the less pleasant portions of the trip, and were at the Victoria Barge Canal junction by 1400.  The channel then enters a fairly protected course, and we passed a subdivision known as The Sanctuary and the entrance to the Army Hole Channel at 1530.  Tying up at Sanctuary had been one of our options, but since we were making such good progress we decided to press on to Matagorda Bay and shorten our next day’s trip to Freeport.  We crossed Matagorda Bay, and just before exiting its northern end, we turned east and pulled up behind Matagorda Island near Phillips Bayou.  This area is farther north than a frequently used anchorage near Green’s Bayou, but was much more convenient for a resumption of our trip.  We anchored in about 11 feet of water, cooked dinner, and watched the birds fishing and the almost-full moon rising.

I had noticed much earlier on an engine room check that a rebuilt seawater pump on the starboard engine was leaking a rather generous amount of seawater.  The engine was not overheating at all, and was still putting out a large amount of exhaust water, so I had no concern about continuing on.  After anchoring and eating dinner, however, I did descend into the engine room and replace the pump with a spare carried for such purpose.  Now both engines have new seawater pumps, the one on the port engine having been replaced just a few weeks ago.  I ordered another “spare” pump by phone when I noticed the leak, and it will be delivered to our destination in Freeport tomorrow.  After cleaning up, we retired around 2230, having had quite a full day.

Delayed Departure May 21

We had planned to embark on our travels today, but on arising the wind was really howling, so the decision was made to delay a day.  We spent last night aboard, and Lynn and Wayne from Lerylynn drove us to dinner at POETS, allowing us to drop our car at the house on the way out.  We had “saved” (actually procrastinated) a number of tasks to be done underway, so were able to accomplish many of them at the dock.  These included organizing and stowing fishing tackle, assembling the Guardian G-37 stern anchor, and studying various waterway guides and charts in preparation for our travels through Louisiana.  A call from the tax appraisal district acknowledging their grievous error on the proposed valuation of one of my properties and an appropriate correction, followed by a great dinner at Landry’s with Lynn and Wayne, rounded out the evening.