10/6/01-30° 8.88’/89° 35.50’- Left Beau Chene at 7:45 and anchored at Rabbit Island (south end of the Rigolets) at 16:10. Great day, rained pre-dawn when I was prepping the boat. Cold and overcast all day, very windy (20-25). 1:30 between “T2” and Causeway North Draw. 2:00 between North Draw and Three Wells (east). The Rigolets is much wider and flatter (swamps) than I thought. It would be fun to explore the flats with a jet boat. The I-10 bridge (no draw and only 65’) was very scary, I kept backing down afraid to try it. When we finally went under we had about 2’ clearance. We’ll try to get a video on the way back. Patty saw dolphins just south (outside) of the south Rigolets RR Bridge. It took us three tries to anchor here. 20’ deep and 2 anchors out. Used a float on the stern dansforth to try to keep people from getting too close. Patty already caught a crooker. I’m stuck below cooking and watching Salty. I have a few boat chores (learning things every day) to do after dinner and maybe stay awake for some night fishing.
Mike
Boy what a day! First of all woke up to rain - left the marina in foul weather gear - got to Madisonville Bridge - no problem. Mike called in for the next opening and said that the tender was grumpy. After getting thru I radioed a thank you and you should have heard the difference in the tenders voice. Made it all the way to the 8-mile hump with only 1 screw up. When we went to drop sails the rigging got tangled up and someone came over the radio and said “racing is work, cruising is fun”. Cleared the 8 mile hump and sailed towards Hwy 11 bridge. Then we had the power lines and I-10 Bridge. Cleared the power lines with 20’ to spare. Now the scary part I-10. Mike dropped speed to a putter and we inched our way under with a few feet to clear (maybe 2’). Nice and calm ride to Hwy 90 Rigolets Bridge. Man they sure open fast and for every boat. Much rather have a swing bridge than a drawbridge. The Rigolets wasn’t what either of us was expecting. Cleared the Rigolets train trestle and made our turn for Rabbit Island. After loosing some depth (from 52 to 7.5) we found the channel and looked for a place to drop anchor. 1st spot-dropped and dragged anchor twice, 2nd spot anchor dug the first time. After we got the anchor set and Mike cleaned up the boat and I got to go fishing. Mike is below trying to figure out what to fix for dinner and I catch my first fish, a crooker. Fished a little longer and lost a lure. Then went below to eat (not the fish). After dinner Mike dropped him overboard. Oh well, so much for breakfast. Now we are just doing some last minute chores before more fishing and bed.
Patty
10/7/01-30° 12.42’/89° 5.94’ - Anchored at Smugglers Cove, Cat Island at 15:30. Didn’t leave Rabbit until 10:45. We lost our best anchor and I dove looking for it for almost two hours. 20’ of water with wreckage on the bottom. Very black water at 20’. We only have one anchor left and I like to set 2 when I sleep. I hope it will be enough. Motored all day. Had the wind on our nose and were in a very narrow channel with no room to tack. Saw more dolphins and some big ships. Cat Island is bigger them I thought, trees and all. We’re not going to the beach tonight, we’re too pooped and we’re going to get an early start in the morning. Sun all day but cool. Long pants and jackets all day. Stirred up some mud looking for an anchorage, shallow.
Mike
After somewhat of a rough night (trains going by every couple of hours), things started out O.K. Went fishing this morn’ but no hits. Then we got ready to weigh anchor. The stern anchor 1st no problem as the anchor drifted with the current and that helped. The bow anchor that’s another thing all together. After several attempt to pull her up and drive off nothing seemed to work. She was dug deep. Then Mike got behind the wheel and powered up Camelot. After some serious strain on the rope and bow the rope gave way. Lost our good anchor at Rabbit Island. Took the boat around in circles so that Mike could get things ready to dive and try to locate the anchor. After an hour or so we finally gave up. So Rabbit Island has (another) anchor to its name. Had a little bit of chop along the way and then things started to calm down. Waves weren’t quite so bad. Salty did not get seasick today. Finally got into Smugglers Cove and start looking for a place to anchor. Tried getting close to the beach but we started stirring up mud at 4.5’ indicated and had to go out a little more. (The sensor is 2’ under water) Anchor set and it’s my turn to cook. After dinner Mike checked fluid levels on everything and all is O.K. Hoping to get a good nights sleep and then on to Horn or Petit tomorrow.
Patty
10/8/01-30° 15.4’/88° 35.5’ - Left Smugglers at about 9:00. We were the last ones out; there were 2 other sailboats and 2 powerboats. Had a good breakfast thank goodness because we got pounded. Wind out of the east 25-30 (had a 40+ gust), in our face. Reefed main and diesel. Tacking enough to keep the main full. 5’ waves made it a rough go. Just before Ship Island we saw the line of green water that we were looking for. (As apposed to mud brown.) We hugged the north shore on Ship trying to get some protection. Saw some people on the beach looking out at us like we were crazy. Got back in the big stuff between Ship and Horn Islands. That’s when the diesel started to act up. Put out some head sail (very reefed) and shut off the diesel. Had to fall off the wind more but were still making towards Horn. The VHF also went on the blink. Found some protection behind a little bump on the north side of Horn Island and anchored as close as we could get in hard sand. We bumped once looking for a spot. Fixed the VHF and found junk in the diesel filter. Had dolphins swimming all around and even a few small ones jumping and playing. After dark the coast (Oceanside to Alabama) was lit up with lights but it was nice and dark out were we were.
Mike
Pulled up anchor at Smugglers on our way to Petit. While trying to get to deeper water I hit bottom twice, not a good feeling. Finally found deep water. After clearing Cat island the waves picked up and we let out some sail. Got pounded pretty good all the way to Ship Island. Got a little bit of a break from the waves but not much. Saw plenty of porpoise. Got a little bit worried when the engine started to act up. Mike thought we might have something blocking the filter. After passing Ship we decided to stay at Horn Island since we were pretty well beat up by that time. Could not get as close to the beach as I would have liked but weather permitting maybe we can kayak over tomorrow. After we get the anchor down fix dinner and watched the porpoise play while Mike worked on the radio and diesel. After dark the coastline was nice to look at, all the lights were on. Time for some much needed sleep.
Patty
10/9/01-30° 15’/88° 40.5’ - Slept well even though we rolled all night. After listening to the weather we decided to run for home a day early. The weather is only going to get worse and we did get to see through the water we’re sailing in. After breakfast we eased off Horn Island towards the intercoastal waterway. With the wind astern we set a reefed head sail only and was still surfing off the waves at 10kph. It took lots of helm with the following seas but we were sailing large. Made Rabbit Island off the Rigolets and tried to anchor over by the old rig. Two misses with 20-25 winds was enough so we went over by the bait shack and got a good hook down. No windbreak but the marsh makes for a water break and again we slept well even though we rolled all night. There was a shrimp boat by us, two barges on the other corner and a super cat by the old rig. The cat came after dinner and we watched him take three tries to get hooked. I’m glad it’s not just me.
Mike
Boy what a relatively good night sleep will do for the body. Wind and waves still pounding us so we decided to head back home using the intercoastal waterway. Had the headsail out and did really well (7 to 8 knots and more when we rode the waves). Had a hard time trying to locate our markers. Matter of fact we got off course and had to go find a marker to see where we were. Finally made it back to Rabbit Island. Tried to anchor next to the old rig but after dropping hook twice and no set we moored over by the bait shack. I wasn’t too comfortable with that so I sat watch for a while till I was sure we weren’t going to drift. Had a shrimper on one side and the bait shack on the other. While waiting there was a large cat boat that anchored where we tried and had better luck with his anchor. Mike had to do some battery work and add oil to the engine. All’s well, everything inside the boat is wet due to the weather and waves. By the way on our way to Horn we forgot to pin the fridge and by the time we got there we had Kool-Aid all over the floor. Yuck, what a mess. Got that cleaned up OK. Now that I’m OK with the hook time for dinner and sleep. Still wearing long sleeves/pants and foulies.
Patty
10/10/01-30° 22.78’/90° 9.48’- Running for cover. Had to work on the VHF again this morn’. I hope it lasts. We need it to get all the bridges open. Left at 9:05 headed for T-River. Got through the RR Bridge at the Rigolets OK headed for the dreaded I-10. On the weather this morning they reported 2’ increase in the tides and we don’t have that mush to spare. Got thru the H-90 Bridge with a lot of current but not much wind. Went close by the old lighthouse on the point by Ft. Pike. Love to look at it. It would be fun to have some money to fix it up. Got through the shallows before the I-10 but the wind is picking up. Made it under the I-10 Bridge without touching! I think we got video (nope, the camera acted up). Called H-11 Bridge after spotting a yellow truck on the draw. Sure enough they are doing work so we hung out between the I-10 and H-11 bridges for two hours while Patty fished. Finally got our clearance and was working closer when another boat called about 30 minutes out. So we waited again. Got through at about 12:45 and into the main lake. After we got settled down on a course we called Causeway North Draw and requested an opening in 3 hours. The tender reported a curfew between 15:00 and 19:00 because of the car traffic. I told him I would add power and go for it but didn’t think I’d make it. Stayed on the compass all the way because it was hazy and we couldn’t see many marks. At 2:45 the draw called and said he had me on radar at 3 miles out and to “bring it on”. We were doing just over 7 and at 3 miles that’s 21 minutes in my book? Anyway we got through (about five minutes after) swinging under the draws. I thought I was going to hit and Patty closed her eyes. On the “all clear” call back I told the tender I owed him one. Got pounded between causeway and T-2 with a beam sea. Got to the river in rain and dropped a good anchor at the T-Rivera. Put out a second line (to a stump) and the boat is very steady. Patty cooked sliders and they were very good. Had some beers and monkeys, it’s good to be in home waters again.
Mike
Had a good nights sleep last night. Did a few chores and listened to the weather. We weren’t going to leave Rabbit Island till about 12:00 but because of the weather and tides we decided to leave at 9:00 to make the I-10. Pulled up anchor and motored out to the train trestle. Had to wait for a few minutes because we weren’t sure if the tender heard us. (We’re still having problems with the radio.) Finally got through the train trestle and headed for H-90 bridge. Made 90 no problems. Got to I-10, that was real scary with the tide up. I tried to video it so I really didn’t get to see it but hopefully its on tape. Then on to H-11. Had to wait almost two hours because they were doing some work. So we just puttered between I-10 and H-11. Sheriff’s patrol came over and talked to us. He wanted to make sure we were OK. Finally got through H-11 and on our way to causeway. We got to Pt Platte and radioed causeway to let them know we were coming. Found out that they don’t open between 3 and 7 due to rush hour traffic. The race was on to make the causeway by 3. At 14:40 causeway called us and said that we were 3 miles out and would just make it. Thank goodness! We bobbed thru causeway. I couldn’t look every time I tried my stomach rebelled. Just as we get to T-2 the rain starts and it seemed like the wind had increased. Made it to the mouth and dropped anchor. Mike then got in the kayak to set a second rope. Got part of the rope wrapped around the keel and had to start over. Got all ropes set, nice anchor job. Fixed sliders for dinner and them bed. Almost forgot, I finally got to wear my new swimsuit, no foulies.
Patty
10/11/01-30° 22.78’/90° 9.48’- Stayed at T-Rivera today. Fished for a while but the wind and water was up. Kayaked over to the beach but it wasn’t very big because the river was so high. There were a lot of birds on the beach hiding from the weather. We kayaked over to the boat ramp and actually paddled up into the parking. The road was flooded so there wasn’t anyone out at the point, we had the place to ourselves. Washed the boot stripe and tided up the boat a bit. Played games and had fun not going anywhere for a change.
Mike
Woke up to a bit of wind and a blustery day. Had some breakfast and did some chores. Listened to the weather, it’s going to rain again tonight. Mike reset the anchor points them cleaned the sides and boot line on Camelot. Took a kayak ride to the beach (or what was left of it). Not much there other than the bugs. Then we paddled on to the boat ramp parking lot (still under water). Then we went back to Camelot and got fishing gear. Tried fishing in our favorite spot but nothing was biting. Back to Camelot and played games the rest of the day. Salty has been doing really well during this trip. Salty even played games with us this afternoon. (He rolls his own dice.) Going to fix chicken casserole for dinner, sounds good. Might try a little fishing after dinner.
Patty
10/12/01-30° 24.96’/90° 07.56’- Home and tied up. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Got blown up on the mud bank last night about 1:30 in the morning. A very bad storm came by blowing from the wrong direction. Left it there (it’s nice and soft) but was worrying about getting it out if the tide drops much. Then about an hour later a storm was trying to blow us off again so I got up and helped a little and we are swimming again. Motored up to Marina Del Ray in Madisonville to pump out wastewater and take on two more gallons of diesel just to make sure we make it home. Idled all the way home and it was kind of fun going up the river slow. Felt like The African Queen. Got tied up at our slip and all washed off. The sails are all wet, I’ll try to fly them if the wind is low. Sure am pooped and I have months of chores to get everything back into shape again. Lots of people were worried about us, now they know we are “all weather sailors”.
Mike
Got up several times during the night due to wind and rain. Spent a little time with salty before we picked up anchor and went home. We planned to stop and pump out. Got Camelot ready to go and the engine starts giving us problems and had to drop anchor again to fix it. It was the warning light/alarm on the water temp. We are going to putter all the way in. Made it to the pump out. I went the whole week so far without breaking a nail. While trying to help Mike get the hose I jammed my finger on the hose and snapped the nail backwards. Drats! Added some diesel to the tank (just in case). Called Madisonville Bridge, the grumpy tender is on duty again. We get thru and I go radio our thanks. It was a nice putter all the way home, hardly any traffic. Got into our slip and shut off the engine at 13:00. Then took Salty ashore, Man was he happy. Took awhile for him to settle down then all was OK. Back to normal. All in all it was a great trip.
Patty
Well it’s been a week since we’ve been back now. Things are almost normal. Both of us are back to work. Salty isn’t happy that we leave all day long. We were so busy on the voyage that the details didn’t sink in. Now that I’ve had time to digest the memories I’m very happy with the trip. I was hoping to re-live that trip we took from Ft. Walton Beach to New Orleans on our honeymoon. I even made a “Honeymoon II” cruising flag to fly. (It’s now tattered a little.) It wasn’t the way it turned out. The days that were supposed to be sunny, swimsuits, drinks, exploring the islands, fishing, and worrying about getting bored turned into wind, rain, wind, jackets, wind, finding shelter for the night, wind, and lots of wind. It is said that “Mother” will test you to see if you are worthy. Not only did we pass the test but also it was fun. (But a lot of work.). Even though it was hard work for Patty, myself, and the boat we all did very well. Patty kept her spirit of adventure even in the roughest weather. I think she wished the weather was warmer but she never complained. I worried about the breakdowns too much, and I did loose that anchor but that was just a rookie mistake. I’ve got some more sea stories and we both feel some extra confidence. (I feel a little saltier.) Camelot also did very well. The running rigging is getting old and could use some upgrades but the standing rigging took the punishment (and I didn’t hold anything back) without any complaints. The diesel did very well (except for the dirty fuel and I have already scrubbed the bottom of the tank, replaced the fuel lines, cleaned the first stage fuel filter, and replaced the second stage filter) and even in the long race for the Causeway opening it gave it’s best. The boat itself looks happier for doing the voyage. The waterline is cleaner, we (and the rain) kept the decks in good shape, and we even have some new ideas for the boat. I’m still cleaning Kool-Aid from the cracks and bilges but at least it is making it clean. Camelot is a house again (not for the better). Sitting on the picnic table looking at her you can see her dancing in the slip and I think she is ready to go again. We are already planning our trip for next year. I think it will be to Long Boat Key. Longer and we’ll have to do watches to go across the middle of the Gulf without stopping. COOL!
Mike
Man what a trip. Wind, waves, and weather. It was worth it. There were only a couple of things that bothered me and now that I look back on them I realize that this is what sailing is all about:
Like loosing the anchor and deciding weather to go back and get another or keep on going and worry later if the spare is going to hold.
The radio, will it work? Or will we have to try to signal the bridges with out?
Engine, are we going to make it home? Or end up calling for a tow?
Water, don’t waste it! Not sure when you are going to need it.
Food? Boy we took too much.
Weather could have been better. But I am glad I got to experience a little bit of the rough side.
Do it again? You betcha!
Patty