Repair Week 1.5

This is the first real week of getting Why Knot back into action. We have spent much time not discussing the mental issues, not the least of which is my ego. Bear seems to be attempting to box up the whole ordeal and file it but I do not think she has had much success yet. Certainly, I have not either. I keep attempting to reconstruct post impact actions but am having little success as I believe we both were so tired, our mental recorders were not functioning. That definitely disturbs me since it was not apparent to us until the next day that the mast almost came down. Speak to anyone to whom that has happened and you will hear a true horror story.


We filed an accident report with the Coast Guard who forwarded it to the appropriate Louisiana authorities. Any accident causing injury, death or damage over $2,000 must be reported. I have been contacted and will deal with whatever that requires. In the mean time, we have been planning our great escape from the New Orleans area. I have been here only two times by boat, this is Bear’s first time, and both were about the same. This is a busy commercial port and our view now is that it offers little to the recreational boater in transit. Crossing the Mississippi and dealing with all the bridges, some of which are not fully operational, causes the cruise to take on more of a work type activity. The GIWW is a must see one time. Skip New Orleans and it is way better. Could the accident cause some bias?

So, when Why Knot swims again, we have two options. We can pass into Lake Pontchartrain then exit through what is called the Rigolets (Rig-o-lees) into Mississippi or we can get back into the GIWW and proceed east. The former requires the passage of 7 more bridges, five of which require opening or swinging and the latter requires a backtrack through 3 bridges two of which are lift or bascule bridges. Gee, wonder which we will choose? I know that there are some who are saying that Florida has bridges every few miles and one must deal with them. My guess is that they are functional on a regular basis unlike one of the Lake Bridges that requires a 48 hour notice to open. No wonder many boats attempt to just skip this area. Methinks offshore is the way to add quality to the bridge dilemma.

We are reminded of a Vietnam era song that says “we gotta get out of this place if it’s the last thing we ever do”. The crew of Why Knot is “bridge tender” but will get over it.

Southern Yacht Club

October 23, 2005

Southern Yacht Club

2010