More on Biloxi

This city is 300 years old and at one time the largest seaport in America.  We took a tour today of this place.  Twice in less than 50 years, this place was hit by large, destructive hurricanes.  Camille and Katrina.  The first killed more and had the highest winds.  The second had the highest water, some 30 feet of surge.  It took out most of the fishing fleet and some buildings that were over 100 years old.  Four hundred year old oaks were decimated not by wind or water but by floating stuff such as a very large casino on a barge.  The city is recovering nicely and the historic district is looking good.  Perhaps aided by all the casino traffic, this city gives one an entirely different feeling than other hurricane areas we have visited on our adventure.  The first three or four years were spent removing debris and rebuilding infrastructure.  Now, there are new dwellings, offices and shops rising from the devastation.  There is a wonderful history to this place starting with the French in the 17th century.  It is well worth visiting if you are ever near here. 

Memorial to victims of Camille.  The bent flag pole has become the icon of that storm when a pipe was found in a yard where the house was missing.  A hand lettered sign said "we will build again".
The oak tree shading Bear has a hole in the overhead branch supposedly the result of an appeal to a particular Biloxi (Native American) centuries ago.  She asked her father if she could wed a  brave from a rival tribe to which he responded "Not until there is a ring in a tree".  Sounds plausible, huh?. So what happens to the old oak trees that have succumbed?  An artist from Florida is going around and carving the remaining trunks. 

Look closely. You will see a sailfish, two dolphin and a crab carved into the tree.  He has done this up and down the coast. 

Where from here?  Once we rip ourselves away from the slip, we might just go to Mobile, next.  That fort on Ship Island, Fort Massachusetts, is still undergoing repairs and is not open.  Good thing we asked. 

Did we mention it is good to be out of New Orleans?  Now, I think I will go wash the mud out of the anchor locker.  It is black mousse and is starting to emit an aroma not unlike the stuff we found in our freezer that was unplugged for a month. 

Rabbit to Biloxi

Rabbit Island Sunrise

3/29/10
It is 0630 and thanks to a design feature of Why Knot, I am able to sit at the dining table and watch the pink eastern sky across the marsh land separating us from Mississippi Sound. As is usually the case we slept well and I am up early. Bear is still snoozing and making the hull rattle at times. The generator is restoring batteries and the coffee is on. She will sleep an hour or so more in keeping with our new determination to minimize early morning departures. That is a tough thing for this old grunt to reprogram but we will do it since it gives her more time to relax before setting sail.
The two anchors we deployed yesterday did the trick and we have not moved since doing that. Anchor dragging is always a possibility and in crowded anchorages, it is not appreciated by those who do not drag. These “drag races” usually start because of high winds surprising the boats at anchor when one boat gets loose and collides with a second boat that joins the moving party. Stories abound about what happens next but at 0300 on a dark and rainy night there is no good will. So, boat captains are always looking for or designing what they think are better anchors. You can see all types of combinations. We have two Danforth type anchors and one plow. The former is more traditional and the latter looks like something pulled behind a mule. After all, one does not want to start an artificial reef by dragging into the rocks.
Before today’s voyage, standard practice is to determine the course(s) and put the way points into the chart plotter. Check the weather a couple of times and stow stuff for more lively boat movement. That means finding places for all the stuff scattered about the boat. The time it takes to do that for this crew is directly proportional to the time spent at anchor. Longer on the hook, more stuff to stow. More seasoned crews, stow as they go, but not us. We are pigs. Where did all that stuff come from?

The Old Rig at Rabbit and the Rigolets CSX RR Bridge

1300 hrs.
After leaving the Rigolets at 0815, we sailed into Mississippi Sound with a strong northwest wind on our port quarter. We motor sailed under only the headsail since I found one of the Dutchman sail enforcement fittings for the main sail on deck yesterday. That means that I will need to re-attach it before using the sail. Nevertheless, we were making way at 7.5 to 8 knots. It was very good to put Louisiana behind us. It was also good to get Why Knot in to more lively water, open sea. The waves were two to three feet and they increased in the sound as we got away from land. There was no commercial traffic east of the Rigolets. How nice was that? Warm sun, nice waves and good speed helped crew morale.

Underway in Mississippi Sound Looking West

Biloxi’s Small Craft Harbor is up and running after Katrina but there are no shore facilities for boaters. The Harbor Master offered his personal vehicle if we needed to find a laundry. That is an unusual surprise. This is a nice harbor and we just might stay a few days to take a tour and see the area. While we do not gamble (in casinos that is) , the casinos close by offer some fine restaurant facilities for people watching.

3/30/10
We have met several boats since New Orleans that are heading east. The crews are diverse just as the boats they are using. Of those we have encountered so far, the oldest boat is 40 years old. Why Knot at 12 years is the newest. All have dings of some sort which is a normal part of sailing.
Where from here? We might backtrack to Ship Island if the wind shifts to the south. North winds are not a good thing for that place since it would put the anchorage on the windward shore. We sailed past Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts for that reason yesterday. If we are to visit there, we will have to backtrack several miles.
Today is shore liberty. We know very little about this area except that it was the home of Jefferson Davis, CSA President. There are many examples of the “old south” homes that survived hurricanes such as Katrina within walking distance of the marina. The beaches in this area are sugar white and in very good shape and there are no seaweed contamination of the sort that washes ashore in Port Aransas. So for the next day or so Why Knot will be on shore power and tugging at the dock lines.

Free At Last

Our time lost in the yard had some positive aspects. We are definitely in warmer weather and the boat is in good shape once again. We have met some nice folks at the yard. Most of them are heading the same direction as we and we will see them again along the way.
At 0900 yesterday, we arrived at the Danzinger Bridge, after having made the appointment for it to open some two hours earlier. Typically, the bridge was late opening but that made little impact on the exit from New Orleans as the next bridge, a railroad bascule bridge, had a train switching and preventing opening. What did we do? We did circles between the bridges until the rail bridge opened. Our chart plotter marked 47 circles. Once through that, we were free to leave. We cannot ever see ourselves returning to New Orleans. That place left us with a general feeling that Katrina removed her soul.
Our destination for the day was to make an anchorage at Rabbit Island. Said anchorage is not pretty but it is in a good place to stop before entering Mississippi Sound. We were underway only four hours when we arrived at the anchorage. It is just large enough to allow two boats to swing freely on the anchor. The old derrick is still there as pictured in the cruising guides, but it is greatly deteriorated and about to fall over. There were three barges tied up there and they sheltered us a bit from the wind coming from the Sound. We spent about four hours there snoozing and reading when another sail boat came by and mentioned that several tows were approaching with intent to stop there. We thought it best to be absent when they arrived since we did not really want to become fenders for the barges. One captain suggested another place. We found it to be much better anyway except for the wind. Did I mention the trains? The anchorages are very close to at CSX rail road, say 300 yards. So boys and girls, we were serenaded several times during the night. They sound like a tow from a distance but must faster. Did I mention no-see-ums? Tiny flying critters that like to fly up one’s nose, ears and swim in your wine. They don’t last long in the wine but they keep coming. Before long one has protein in the wine. This morning, the deck was covered with gnats that drowned in the dew on deck. The good news is that there were no mosquitoes except for the lone ranger who made it below.
Faces with some questionable weather, the crew of Why Knot decided to spend another night here and sail to Biloxi tomorrow---- or not. Sitting in the cockpit enjoying coffee this morning and watching locals out fishing, I noticed that we were moving ever so slowly down wind. I watched this for a few minutes thinking that the hook would grab soon. It did not. Decision: reset number one and put out number two. Good thing we caught it during the day since this was the first time we have deployed a second anchor in some time. We have two anchors on the bow roller but one was not ready to use. It would have been difficult to rig in the dark. With two down, we have not moved in several hours. There is possibly a gotcha setting two anchors forward in this place. The tides will reverse flow in this outlet and we will float over both anchors before morning. That might create a situation making it difficult to retrieve them in the morning. We will see. Until then, we have peace of mind. So here we sit, free at last.

Note: We only have one bar at this anchorage so uploading pictures now is not possible

Rigged and Ready

So here we set just 300 yards from a movie set allegedly used in Master and Commander. We are now rigged and ready to go to sea but there is one small problem yet to overcome: the Danzinger Bridge. Said bridge has not answered cell phone calls or VHF calls for the whole day. If we can not get them to answer, we cannot get out of the Industrial Canal or into the rest of the world. Damn, I hate this place. This city is a misfit and seemingly reveling in the aftermath of Katrina. Our plan is to sail tomorrow to Rabbit Island and anchor. We have met a really nice couple that are doing the Great Circle aboard Langinappe, a motor boat. They are seasoned sailors who have chosen to do the Circle aboard a "stink pot" but that makes them no less sailors. He actually witnessed an A bomb test some years ago at Bikini Atoll. I can tell everyone one of the best things about cruising is the folks one meets along the way. So, Why Knot is pulling at the dock lines and we have chewed the leash in two. If I can the that darn Danzinger bridge to give us 58 feet tomorrow, we are out of here.

Why Knot Swims

WK is back in the water and we spent last night aboard. Upon stepping aboard, we instantly realized that we are back in our element. Those hotels of the past few days, some nice, some not so nice, are nothing compared to the general feeling we get aboard. We will spend the day stowing gear, provisions and washing the yard grunge off the boat. Our plan is to leave New Orleans most likely Saturday, as always weather permitting. Life on the Industrial Canal is not exactly cruising but at least we are treated to the gentle rocking of the boat. That small snowy egret has been a good sentinel and he is one heck of a hunter. He walks the dock all day and has no competitors. What a cool bird. We turn in the rental rodent tomorrow so we have to make the best of the day. EEEEEEEEEEEhhhhhhhaaaaa. Now if the yard can find our missing spinnaker pole. More later Dudes!

Thoughts at 0300

Imagine this: you are sound asleep and deep in REM with a great dream going. You have just accepted the Nobel Prize or you are in a perfect place that you have dreamed about for years. The cover is perfect and the temperature is just right for a great night sleep. Just then, there is a bump that quickly brings you to consciousness. Your mate is still in that great place in her dreams so you attempt to check on the bump without her knowing about the “threat”. You also come to the realization that you are aboard and that said bump might be nothing or it might be the end of a dream. You shuffle out of the rack and drag yourself out of that wonderful warm place onto a cold wooden floor (sole) and head to aft to see what pirate, or monster caused the calamity that awaits you. You know the wind is blowing and that the forty degree mist that is in the air will not be fun. On the way topside, you check the bilge and find no water there. That’s a good thing. The debate in your mind is whether or not to put on that extra sweater or can you stand the cold long enough to fight off the dragon out there? You opt for going light and head topside. Just then, you clip the edge of the settee and think that toe is definitely broken this time. That flashlight so carefully stowed for this trip is nowhere to be found. The toe is now the size of a golf ball and starting to throb in the cold air of the cabin. OK, to heck with the flashlight- just go. Once topside, that mist is there but not a bad as imagined. The wind is blocked by the dodger and it seems that the dragon, pirate or monster has chosen not to do battle with you. It is then that you realize that there is something wrong. It is at that moment when you find all is well that you decide to stay and let Mother Ocean treat you to a sensory treat unequaled anywhere. That mist is from the splash of the sea and the sky is clear. You glance up and instantly notice that the little remote anchorage you have chosen is well away from lights. You sit down for a bit but not long. After all it is 40 degrees and you have no socks or sweater on. You look up and behold. God has chosen at that moment to treat you to something far better that that wonderful dream you were having. The universe is revealed to you. You debate whether or not to awake your mate deep in those warm comfortable covers below. Then reality smacks you right between the eyes. Awake her and suffer unbelievable retribution. One would be ill advised to even think of sharing this moment with a sleeping Bear. You try in the light of dawn to tell her about the event but you cannot begin to relay what really cool thing greeted you last night investigating the bump in the night.

Almost Underway Again

Why Knot looks like a sailing vessel once again. She received her masthead tri-color light today along with her new roller furling. All she needs now is her repaired head sail and main sail and mast tuning, and of course provisions to replace those that became the victim of the unplugged power cord. It will be good to have warm weather so that we do not have to use the green house around the cockpit. It is nice in cold weather but a pain to the eye while underway. It is like looking through Saran Wrap™ and over a long day, one’s eyes start to protest.
We thought Why Knot would swim today but we opted to keep her on the stands so that the remaining items might be done more easily on terra firma. That meant one more night in a hotel. Frankly, the Bear seems to like the carved soap and long showers of land based berthing. Perhaps the use of the word “carved” is not the right word. It is more appropriately thin, wrapped chips of soap-like substance. I spent a great deal of my life in hotels being a road warrior and I am unimpressed with hotels, and continental breakfasts. Give me a lunar lander sized boat and hot coffee and life gets good quickly.
The benefits of cruising include meeting folks from everywhere. The yard has it’s good side also if one looks around. Others “in the yard” all have a story to tell. I am starting to see that most of us have a bit of snow on the mountain. Methinks that the “boomers” are starting to work on the old bucket list. Ran into a couple on Lagniappe of Kemah that are in their late 70’s. I mentioned them last post. They have some very good stories of sailing the Pacific, the Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal.
The yard said they would be done tomorrow. We will move aboard late afternoon and provision Thursday. We will make her ready for sea on Friday and most likely sail Saturday. It is bad luck to sail on Fridays so we are attempting to “stack the chips” in our favor by waiting until Saturday. More on that later.

Why Knot Swims Tomorrow

The mast head stuff is all installed and now we are waiting for the Pro Furl.  It was supposed to be here last Friday,   In keeping with the normal boating karma something has to delay even the best plans.  It is now supposed to be here tomorrow.  So far, the yard has exceeded our expectations.  As a result, we have asked them to do some additional stuff like dressing out some dings in the keel which were showing rust in weird places.  I know you are thinking said places are on the bottom of the keel but that is not so.  They were in places not normally exposed to stuff in the water.  Most of the time one would ignore small spots on a cast iron keel but Why Knot has been through enough to deserve a bit of a pedicure for a warm fuzzy. 

Today, a Katrina boat arrived in the yard.  Yes, they are still being repaired.  This one has had two owners since she was found on a city street in Mississippi.  The major hit was to her keel where the aft part was bent about 45 degrees.  That must have made steering fairly lively. 

WK goes back in the water tomorrow.  That means we are out of the hotel and back to the liquid world of short showers, small spaces and wonderful night's sleep aboard a rocking platform.  We must re-provision since all of Bear's wonderful provision went south during the time WK was unplugged.  A jar of cherry NyQuil spilled in the forward head and at first glance, looked like blood.  It ran out of the cabinet, down the bulkhead and into the shower sump.  Wow, that was an instant shocker.  It looked like someone slaughtered something in there.  The thing is that we cannot get all of out of the boat until she swims and is level. 

Another couple we met in the yard will go back in the water before the end of the week and they are heading the same direction, only faster.  He is 77 years old and actually soloed the Pacific in a Tayana 37.  Before that as a Naval Officer, he had a very interesting billet (duty).  He was a Destroyer Escort Captain whose mission was to visit South Pacific islands previously occupied by Japanese during WWII.  They were tasked to survey the islands for active Japanese soldiers.  They actually found combatants long after the war. 
I got very little done aboard today due to several conversations with other victims, workers and dumb  _sses like me.  It is actually therapeutic to be amongst others with dinged boats.

As she now stands, her shiny new mast, rigging  and bow rail have made it possible to approach Bristol if the crew is willing to do their part.  We are most excited about getting back underway again.  Yesterday, we visited Biloxi, Mississippi to look at the harbor there.  We met the Harbor Master and the renovated harbor.  Just now, they are recovered from Katrina. 

We hope to be underway on Saturday at the latest.  It is a bit of a curse to set sail on Fridays, particularly with bananas.  

Update

Pork, Eggs, Rice, Beef, Blood and Yards
There are few things in the boating world to rival finding one’s freezer had not been energized for some time. While it is not the hottest part of the year, most boats will lose the grub in the freezer after a few days. The house battery banks will keep the unit working for about a week, give or take a few days, but when they are discharged, the cooling stops. Add to the equation about 30 pounds of pork, eggs, beef, rice and mayonnaise and that is the formula for something out of a science fiction movie. Let that stuff sort of cook in the hot cabin for about three days and moon suits are required to even approach the freezer.  I was the cause once by turning off the unit when we left the boat.  Now is the second time caused by yard master failing to keep his worker informed. This is just short of a hazmat situation. How can things so packed and so fresh turn into a puddle in the bottom of the freezer?  Good news is that the boat sits stern down thus the puddle is not flowing into the overboard pump sump.  Here comes another Clorox treatment like the one I had to do when I stored bait squid in the fridge for a week.  Not a good thing.

Misnomer with bent skeg and missing rudder

The last few days have been in the plus column because we were simply messing about boats. Yards are really cool places where one gets to see the mistakes of others. Why Knot, no doubt, brought comfort to others while the fellow aboard the black boat (Misnomer) I mentioned some time ago made our little event seem mild. He hired a rigger to take him out on Lake Pontchartrain for two days to teach him the ways. Seems they encountered some 60 kts of wind and had a bit less horsepower than needed to stay away from the bridge. They spent two days pinned against a bridge hammering their steel hull on the shore and the bridgeworks. Mind you, a fiberglass boat would not have survived, but the steel boat did, sans rudder, skeg, the main and mizzen masts, and all the lifeline stanchions to port. She is on the hard aft of Why Knot.

There was a nice couple that stopped by WK and asked what happened. I have found it easier to tell the brutal truth and they then admitted to a similar fate. They cut the corner at Algiers lock channel and hit the bottom with their two screws(propellers). This may be the only place in Louisiana with actual rocks. The failure to pay attention cost them a month on the hard and a cubic dump truck of funds. We both anticipate departure from the yard next Friday. Although they are sailors, they have purchased a power boat to do the Great Circle route from Mobile Bay back to Mobile Bay via Key West, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Great Lakes and down several rivers back to Mobile Bay.

 Random yard shots and WK's bow rail

Here are some pic from the yard. We will re-provision once aboard on Wednesday. Bear and I did something we have not done in four years: we dined at a Japanese restaurant, damn the calories.

First Look

After an eight hour drive we arrived at the yard as it was closing. The new mast is up without the headstay since we are still waiting for the ProFurl. As is always the case, she is covered with yard dust, muddy footprints and the evidence that folks have been working to meet a schedule. The bimini is repaired and in place. Contrary to our request to keep the boat plugged in so as to keep the freezer working that did not happen. Thus we have a fifty pound organic experiment in the thawed freezer. We will be mentioning that to the yard boss. The good news is that the stuff in the freezer and refrigerator have not gone off completely. However; given the cabin temp at around 80 degrees, methinks it will require some specialized, Clorox treatment. The old mast was definitely tweaked. There was evidence that it overlapped the bridge about 6 feet. I am still amazed that it did not come down. There is a huge casting on the mast head that was destroyed along with everything attached to it. Pictures tomorrow.

Go

The good byes are done and the “see you next trip”(s) are delivered so it is time to return to the liquid world. By early morning tomorrow, we will be on the way back to New Orleans and Why Knot . We have spent the last month eagerly planning the departure from New Orleans and getting back underway. Not much will change in our itinerary as originally perceived except we will slow down a bit and since we will be behind the curve, time wise, doing the east coast, we may rethink the overall schedule. The bulk of easterners who have wintered in the Caribbean Sea will be heading back up the Atlantic Coast in mid April. We would have to skip a great deal of the Gulf in order to join that migration. We are told that there is much to see along the Gulf from Louisiana to Key West and we don’t want to rush it. The looming hurricane season does influence such plans but we can always find a yard in Florida that will put Why Knot on the hard during the season if we cannot get far enough north for it. For non-sailors, being on the hard means on stands in some yard where it is presumed that it is safer than being in the water if a hurricane hits. I am not sure that is true. The other option is to run back to Texas for the season, but we definitely do not want to do that. Anyway, off we sail about mid next week. Until then, we will be provisioning the boat again and doing what we can to help speed her recovery.
So, this being our last day at home for some time, we are “de-commissioning” the house and loading the “go box”. I am not sure the rental car we have will hold all the stuff we are taking back with us. What was that about off loading unnecessary stuff? We have enjoyed seeing old friends and our family, though we did not see the Fort Worth area family. We have enjoyed the house with the big compartments, washer and dryer, and the big refrigerator. We have enjoyed the endless supply of hot water and the big screen TV. We have enjoyed the solitude of the Hill Country but we have longed for and anticipated the return to Why Knot. We know that our window of physical ability to “cruise” will close some day relatively soon and time is not on our side so we must get on with it. We do this to fulfill a dream we have held so long. To complete the dream is to give us something to remember in the upcoming days at the “home”, to remember “being out there” and to someday sit on the porch, rock back a bit and be pirates again if only in our memories. Houston, we have ignition.

Ready? Set? ........

Sitting here early in the morning while Bear sleeps, it is the start of the return to Why Knot. I have taken several items sitting next to the go box to the car. We are leaving here early Thursday, if Bear can get a dental situation resolved by then. Why Knot is still on stands but the mast did arrive over the weekend and they are stripping stuff off the old and installing on the new spar. Actually, there is much to do in that regard. It is amazing how many wires service the stuff on the masthead and on the mast such as lights, antennas, wind instruments, radar, a loud hailer and all the halyards. I am thinking that is a couple of day’s worth of someone’s time.
The yard was able to locate a ProFurl™ after they told me that there was none of our size available in the US. That is the original equipment on the 411 and we prefer to keep her “cherry”. To the non-sailors reading this, this gizmo allows us to roll up the forward sail without taking it down. The yard called and asked me if I knew what the stuff on the hull was, the shiny stuff? I told them it is Poly Glo™ to which they said “shame on you”. They could not get it off. Says I “easy to do, just use floor stripper”. Says they: “no joke, we did not know that”. I am guessing here that the mega yacht types don’t use it.
So, now the trek to the car begins with all the stuff we plan to take aboard this trip. Some exchange of winter clothes will be necessary. We are planning to take shorts and tee shirts this time in anticipation of warmer times. To show my confidence, I am not taking the fuzzy boots which I wore only one time after acquiring them and even then only at home. The wine locker will be refurbished and the galley restocked but more for coastal cruising than for ocean crossing. Speaking of coastal vs. ocean modes, I really do not think we need a case of shampoo or dish soap, which by the way, can be the same thing if one used dish soap.
Obviously, we have lost a full month in our very loose planning to turn the corner in the Keys. Then again, having no schedule does have advantages. Though we will make progress more slowly than through the swamps of Louisiana, there is a great deal more to see, more ports and anchorages to visit. After confirming the boat is ready, all work is done and with a couple of days seeing New Orleans attractions, we will “take her to sea”. We learned a valuable lesson we really already knew. In shore (not in the Gulf) canals, traffic, shallow water and obstacles all require a level of attention that at times distracts from the joy of cruising. Then again, it is land where things happen. To get to many of the places we want to visit, even along the Gulf Coast, we will be doing more offshore sailing. Unless absolutely required, we plan to let Bear have a more casual daily schedule. Once WK swims again, we will be playing catch up to bring her appearance up to the level of a new standing rigging. Wow, now that will be a full load of things to keep us occupied whilst at anchor or in a marina.

Thoughts of Being Underway

Target Clear Warm Water

We are starting to get that same feeling we had before leaving Port Aransas the first time. As we start checking weather, long and short range, and actually open the chart plotter program, one thing is for certain. We are not the same persons we were as we left Port A. Even without the event that sent us back home, boating of the type just completed has a way of re-orienting priorities and even thought processes. We do not look at the yard at home with thoughts of having a great yard this year because there will be no one to water or feed it. Last year’s drought took care of that for us. What grass? Beyond that, we find ourselves sitting here at home counting the days left to do the laundry in a proper machine, long showers, and raiding the big refrigerator. I have actually started the process of using less ice since it is a finite commodity aboard. I did not say quit using it. We are even changing the way we communicate with friends and family. Unlike earlier times, we have a number of ways to do that beyond exchanging mail bags as we pass in the night as they did as late as the early 20th century.


Like all that have gone before us, we look forward to the transition back to the liquid world; a world where one checks the bilge, the engine oil and the weather several times a day. It is a world of sounds, all of which are important. They are all categorized in the mind as friend, foe or suspect. Once they stand muster, they go into the somewhat ignore file. Some are irritating and we resolve them such as the floor boards that were squeaking. The solution: candle wax on the edges and instantly one sound is gone. We do not have a light that tells us if the pressure pump is running on an empty tank, but there is an ever so slight vibration that it causes in the boat. It can be felt anywhere in the main saloon. Even if other noises mask it, we feel it (most of the time). In case we let it go to destruction, we have a spare. Then there is the sound, also so slight, of the tiny freezer compressor. It is more like a hum. If it does not cycle so many times per hour, we know to investigate.

Other sounds, outside sounds, give us a great deal of information. Wind speed or direction changes are instantly noticeable. Unusual boat movement such as when the anchor drags can send me into the closest thing to cat like response possible. Gee, there is something to feeling the anchor provides as it skips over the ground. Just like the night we anchored behind Shell Island, there is also a feeling one gets when the boat is not moving, at all. Fortunately, the soft mud of that anchorage was not a bad thing.

We are hoping that the cold weather is behind us for a while. And we are definitely looking forward to taking down the green house. We miss a lot when it is up---oh say little things like seeing bridges. Wilson said he would give us a bit more time before he starts ragging me about it. We are trying to catch up with Safari and Keeling Time and the gauntlet is down for Steve and Wilson to catch up with us.

Chipped Tooth, Fat Knee and Other Stuff

It is no surprise to the crew that things get in the way of a perfectly executed plan. The old adage that any plan falls apart the moment it is implemented is true. So far, however; things are going according to plans so far as schedule is concerned. Like a normal day aboard, there are things that must be dealt with (I know- bad grammar, Ms. Peck) as they come. For instance, that insurance check that came so quickly had a minor glitch built in. It requires the signature of the yard and also my signature. Since we are now 500 miles apart, everything is done by mail. The insurance company mailed the check to the yard; they endorsed it and sent it to me (one week). We send it via mail to our bank(3 days). They send it back saying that it cannot be deposited in the type of account we selected (3 days), so we must put it in our regular checking. Up at the crack of dawn today, I drove to the bank to deposit same. They cannot take it because the yard did not stamp the check and only signed by pen. Six calls later and visits to the supervisor at the bank, I at least get them to take the darn thing. They then said it takes five business days before the funds are available. That puts it next Friday (our anticipated completion date). They also said that it might not clear due to the absence of the Yard stamp! Huh?


Starting too twitch here. For some reason, the leash is healing itself. What would Capt. Jack Aubrey do? Continue to march, that’s what. So, onward through the fog we go. Bear chipped a tooth last night and that requires a trip to the dentist since she won’t let me practice ship’s dentist skills on her while she can get away. Really, I know just what to do and have a special Dremel™ tool just for such an event. I also have several quick cure epoxies from which to fashion a filling or a crown. The ultimate dental procedure aboard would be replacement of missing teeth. My idea is that a carefully selected screw might be a very good substitute for implants. Then there is the case of the mysterious fat knee of hers. Why not just get that one handled while we are ashore too. After all, since she won’t let me do simple dentistry, I am fairly sure she won’t let me do orthoscopic surgery either. I could really use the practice. I have a surgical stapler, but wait, that is aboard too. I have offered to use it on folks around the dock if they need stitches. So far, no takers!

With these exceptions, things are humming toward our being aboard next Thursday or Friday. Granted, we might be aboard a boat on stands in the yard but we will be aboard. Most likely we will be waiting for the funds to wind their way into our checking account so we can bail WK out of bondage. Until then, we keep adding stuff to the Go Box.

Almost Chewed in Two

We have been shore (at home) for 22 days now and today is supposedly the day the mast ships from Gainesville, Fl to the yard. We are not sure how long it will be in transit but every day on the truck leaves room for damage or outright destruction. We will keep the optimistic face on this one and hope for a delivery the first of next week.


We will have been ashore long enough to require almost full provisioning of our house plus some supplies for the boat. Now, we start winding down the house and its provisions and start the transition to the boat once again. That goes for the mental side of things too. I almost have the leash chewed in two and am really looking forward to boarding Why Knot again. It so happens that during our time at home, several sailing magazines have arrived. There were several articles reflecting the transition to the liquid world. Most of them discuss built in “holds” where the crew stop for a rest or to make repairs. Hopefully, by the time Why Knot swims again, we will have eliminated many of the failure possibilities. Although one cannot foresee mechanical challenges or even crew needs for furthering experiences, we learned a great deal over the past month. As one fellow put it, get over the last incident and move on to make others. I am guessing here that, as we said in an earlier post, there will be at least one challenge per day that does not appear in the frilly articles about cruising.

While we do not have a dog or cat aboard, we do have a pet, of sorts. I have been trying to catch it to no success. I thought I did him in about a month ago but noticed him (guessing gender here) just as we left the boat in the yard. He is quick, quiet and demands nothing of us. Certainly he takes up very little room and he likes to play hide and seek with me. He is a spider that lives in the cockpit. He is not one of those messy types and as far as I can tell, does not do webs. He is fuzzy and sort of cute although one never knows which eye to look into. Having said that, I do plan to unship him when go aboard again. Why, you ask? One such critter tried to, as the Captain of Rima once said, liquefy his face. It was the cause of a medical hold while they were on the East coast.

The Go Box

Anticipating a return to Why Knot next week sometime, we are starting what we call the “go box”. For folks with senior moments, it is a way to take things aboard that have rambled across our thinking at some point before we actually climb aboard. If you ever jumped in the car, drove to the grocery store and forgot why you went, you know what I mean. There is nothing quite like ordering a doodad which was deemed to be an absolute necessity then upon arrival at the boat, you remembered it was on the floor in the kitchen at home 500 miles away. It was on the floor so as not to forget it. So, our way of dealing with such is to take a go box. In this case, said box was started last week. It includes electrical, mechanical and soft stuff. As we remember stuff, we swing by the box and deposit same. So far, it is only about the size of a small suitcase but we still have a week to go. Who knows what will wind up in that box? There are some frequent travelers in the go box. For instance, that very nautical canvas bucket has been on and off Why Knot at least 4 times and has made its way back and forth via the go box.


In anticipation of more time underway, we are searching for directions to marlinspike fancywork called St. Mary’s coxcomb or Spanish coxcomb. It is a method of using line to completely wrap a handrail or in our case the handle of our dock pole. If you have ever been aboard a war ship or a proper sailing vessel from the 19th century or older, you might recall seeing how the crew covered much of the handrails and vertical grab bars with really fancy line weaving. I am thinking it was not so much to present fancy marlinspike but to cover up that which needed regular polishing. In the absence of a grip on our dock pole, that might make a very reliable way to keep from committing the pole to the deep as we did in Houma. We tolerate no fancy floating aluminum store bought dock pole aboard Why Knot (except for the secret standby one hidden in the port locker).

By the way, I am published, well sort of. My essay on The Call of the Sea appears in the current issue of Seafaring Magazine, aka, Latitudes and Attitudes. It might help explain a few things.

Still chewing on the leash but we are getting closer to freedom. More later.

Peanut Butter

About the closest one can come to preparing a boat for a lengthy time away is to take all your closets and kitchen stuff and put them in a small bathroom along with bedding. Those who RV face the same problem when making ready for a long vacation with the difference being that there are no square places or storage lockers on a boat (remember boats have a fat end and the pointy end?). With the exception of our voyage to Veracruz, Mexico in ’05, we have kept WK fairly stripped of stuff, ready to receive guests and light for faster speeds.

For this adventure, the first thing that we realized is that we have a blivet (five pounds of stuff in a four pound bag). We held a crew meeting (the entire crew, both of us) and decided that we must convert one of our cabins and one of our heads (not the device but the whole compartment) to storage lockers. Wherever possible the heavy stuff must be stowed low in the boat and as near to the centerline as possible. Paper towels can go anywhere, but not the wine locker. That gallon jug of vinegar cannot go up high in a galley cabinet. Actually, it fits in the toilet in the converted head quite nicely but that may be too much information. Another consideration is to imagine how the cabin would look in the event of a knockdown. A knockdown is when waves, wind or stupidity cause the boat to roll horizontally so that the mast hits the water. Picture rolling your house over on its side. Then picture being in the middle of the kitchen when that happens. To minimize collateral damage to the crew, a locker with a latch is a good thing. Our converted head has a very nice latch and I am sure it will contain the stuff we put in there in the event of a knockdown. Hey, it could happen.

That aft guest cabin is now our garage. Originally, we just stacked stuff there without a loading plan based on frequency of use of the stuff in there. We did do an inventory so we can at least find the right compartment where we stowed stuff, but again not planned. Hey Bear, where did it put the dooderflam? Gee, dear, I have no idea?  And then comes the question that always comes after that:  "Where did you leave it?"  Huh?  I whip open the inventory program and learn it is in the garage, but where? After removing almost everything in that place, I find it in the very darkest part of the garage, way in the back. Since we will use the dooderflam often, it goes to the front of the garage. Later that same day, the same thing happens as I attempt to locate something else. This is an ongoing process and stuff gradually works its way into the right order. In the process of inventory restack, I am finding stuff I have not seen since we bought Why Knot. Thus another level of entertainment is born.

 midship head conversion

guest cabin/ garage to the left

Hopefully we will soon be in warmer weather (that global warming thing). That means that we will gain some space aboard because we will convert to warm weather clothes. Tee shirts and shorts are way less bulky than parkas and muck lucks. The triple thick duvet, apologies for using that word, will be replaced by something a tenth as thick.

A good friend on the west coast has a great deal of sea time. He actually campaigned a Soling in the1960’s attempting to join the Olympic team. He has several Pacific crossings and a number of Farallon Island races out of San Francisco. He keeps asking about our peanut butter. I did not pay much attention to the question but we do have peanut butter aboard, two jars in fact. We actually like peanut butter but not over some of the other provisions aboard. You see, just like the submariners of old, stuff gets stowed, yes even in the galley, in anticipated order of usage. The crews of those “Pig Boats” started voyages eating the stuff on top of the pile, usually the fresh stuff that would spoil. Toward the end of the patrols, they were down to Spam (which by the way, I like) and peanut butter. PB tends to be at the back of the cabinet. As he put it, when the crew is at sea, and the ice and wine are exhausted, most likely the galley will be bare too. It is too far to make a port just to lay in ice or bread, then the crew resorts to meals of PB. Most likely the bread will also be depleted so spoons come into play. Picture this: a hot windless day at sea. The sun is in full bake mode and the galley is bare except for the liquid jar of peanut butter. “Bear, what’s for breakfast?” That is a good reason to avoid long ocean passages. Maybe I will perfect, ahead of need, a recipe of Spam and peanut butter. Yummy. My friend said that until that happens, one cannot claim to be a true cruiser. So let me see, one must dismast, spend the night aground in a receding tide and at some point run out of food to be considered a “cruiser”. Methinks that if and when the latter happens, I might well become a solo sailor. I am thinking the Bear might just consider that type of cruising a bit too Spartan.  And so it goes.

Miss Carolyn

A rare sight without barges

Repair update:  Mast ships Friday, Bow rail Wedensday.  Canvas is being repaired.  We may return to New Orleans as soon as next week. 

Planning Ahead to the 19th Century

Since our first sailboat on the coast, some 18 years or so, we have looked forward to charging to Port Aransas at every opportunity. Our first salt water boat, a 24 feet Seidelmann, had only about 4 feet of head room. We ran around below on our knees. It was comfortable for that size boat but it had no refrigeration, air conditioning or heat, no generator, a chemical RV type head and only cold water, and not much of that. I remember making a quantum leap in luxury aboard Lady J as she was known.  One winter night while at Port Lavaca, I whipped by Wallyworld and bought a small space heater and a really long extension chord.  Once warm below, I did not see Bear topside for the rest of the weekend.

Our next boat was a Cal 28, a vast improvement in creature comfort and performance. It had a/c, hot and cold water, a small galley and even a shower. She was a beauty. We had no plans to sell her. One day, whilst aboard in a three day rain, we decided to get off the boat and go yard walking. We were not looking for a boat, just looking to see the variety of boats in the yard. There were dozens of boats, both loved and abandoned of all types. It was in that yard, on a rainy day that we saw a Gulfstar 40 Sailmaster. She was in bad shape but being renovated. Her hull had been skinned, meaning that all the gel coat had been removed. It took some fine imagination to see “the possibilities” of her, but we did. We spent those five years literally replacing every mechanical system aboard, including the engine. She was great fun to sail and the problem was staying awake offshore. She was heavy and slow but very sea kindly. We kept her for about five years and had no plans to sell her. Then we learned Why Knot was for sale! I know by now you are seeing a trend here but it ends here. IF we do not destroy her in the process, Why Knot will sail under us, as I said at the head of this blog, until we cannot.

That brings us to today. One would think that since the boat is in the yard, there is nothing for the crew to do. Not so. Anticipating getting underway in a couple of weeks or so we begin the process of checking weather trends for future ports of call. We also start reviewing the charts and unlike sailing in the GIWW, aka “doing the ditch”, we will be in bays and in the Gulf where we will have proper sea room for actual sailing. Friends who have gone before are telling us about great anchorage, restaurants, marinas and historical stuff along the way.

Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts, Mississippi

Shore Battery in Galveston

Speaking of historical stuff, I noticed a reference to a fort on Ship Island in Mississippi Sound. That is one of the suggested anchorages from friends and the guide books. Being a wee bit of a history freak, I started to research the fortifications along the Gulf. Most Port A. folks know there were batteries guarding the ship channel during WWII. They were earthen gun mounts and they were on the two largest dunes next to the jetties. While in Galveston, I noticed a huge bunker partially buried between some hotel and the seawall. One in the Dry Tortugas is Fort Jefferson. We visited it when we were aboard Liberty Call, then berthed in Key West. Google Fort Jefferson for the history of that place. Think sixteen million bricks!

There were forts guarding the approaches to most Gulf ports. They were part of The Third System started in 1816. Some of them still stand today and several were in service through WWII.  Eureka, I have found motivations to go ashore on some of the islands of the Gulf. The main challenge, other than mosquitoes is convincing the Bear to accompany me. She has not been so inclined since I talked her into hiking to see Pass Cavallo lighthouse on Matagorda Island a few years ago. It had something to do with being waste deep in a Vietnam style slimy swamp and seeing the snake. It wasn’t really that big of a snake but to her all snakes are big killers. We (most likely I) will dive headlong into the Third System along the way. 

A couple of very good information sources:

http://andy_bennett.home.mindspring.com/coastal.html

http://www.nps.gov/guis/historyculture/index.htm

Still Chewing on the Leash

Why We Do It

First Provisions that Were Stowed Below

Bear Stowing

We had friends aboard that offered to help stow stuff but that only makes for lost items.  Bear wanted to do it all so she could find stuff later.

Our New Mast (not)

These are two masts from the USS Constitution in Boston.  Note that only 25 % of the running rigging is now in place there.  The other 75% is required to actually sail the ship.  We have three halyards (lines to hoist sails), two sheets (to trim the head sail), a main and traveler,and a few other lines. 

Simple Physics Watson

When a 10 ton object encounters a 50,000 ton object, it is obvious which one loses.  There is little doubt about which one will sustain the damage.  Yet, in the back of my mind looms the little voice that says that although the big object will not suffer at all, there might be some expensive little doodad attached to that object that was tapped ever so lightly in the incident thus requiring repair. Since the incident, every time the phone rings and the caller ID says US Government or LAWF, I think about the other shoe falling.  That twitch thing may be taking hold.    Having reported to the USCG and the La. Wildlife and Fisheries using the correct forms, I keep waiting for one or the other to call and say that the bridge is reporting massive damage to the doodad and will require inspections by 15 government agencies and that they require my presence in a holding facility in the 9th Ward.  Today, the call from the Coast Guard was to confirm the details and make sure I made the report to LAWF.  Then the officer said that since the bridge is reporting no damage and that since we are not a commercial vessel, the entire matter is in the jurisdiction of the LAWF.  One down and one to go.  I wonder if La holding facilities are any worse than Federal holding facilities? 

I received an e-mail from Daniel of sv Alethiea.  He is the sailor we met in Houma.  He has decided to refit her in Houston while he builds time to get his captain's license.  There is a requirement for 360 days underway.  He has nothing near that time aboard.  His insurance requires the license in order for him to leave the country with his boat.  His plan:  to sail in the Houston area until the requirement is met.  Methinks there are better areas but not close to the yards in Houston.

Patience is not one of my virtues and the time that it takes to get back underway is like being a exuberant puppy tied to the dog house with a really short leash.  Even if the food and drink bowls are kept full here at the dawg house, we keep thinking about the next anchorage or port of call. Until then, I will be chewing on the leash.

Repair Update

We have been waiting for the insurance company to decide if we were to walk the plank or go away or be helped.  I received a call from the yard today stating that they just received the "all clear" and everything is hunky dory from the insurance company point of view about the estimate.  I gave the yard approval to get-r-done with a plea to do so most ricky ticky.  The yard said the spar and all the rigging would ship the end of next week and arrive at the yard the first part of the following week.  In the meantime there is plenty to do:  repair the sail, repair the gel coat around the starboard chain plate, repair the tear in the bimini and redo the bimini support frame and pull the mast.  We hope that is done by the arrival of the new mast and the bow rail.  Once all of that happens and before she leaves the dock to continue the cruise, the yard will pull WK and wax her hull which is in need of that.  Hopefully, we will have a chance to inspect stuff below the water line at the same time.  I may return to New Orleans a week early and Bear may elect to stay at home then join me in time to provision the boat and make her ready for sea.  We have not decided that for sure and I think it will depend on the weather. 

Dreams and Reality

It’s Monday just two weeks since the incident and we are getting anxious to get Why Knot underway once again. It will take some time for us to get the incident into the proper box and put it away but we suspect that a few peaceful nights at anchor in some clear water will do the trick. Here is a link to an event that helps our thoughts about the incident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVwePp3hcNA

That sort of puts things in perspective. I am guessing that the captain is now doing car washes somewhere.

Several friends are “out there”. Safari will make port in Key West today. Keeling Time will continue their voyage of discovery heading north from the Georgia/Florida line toward our ultimate destination, the Chesapeake. Aletheia will continue her voyage out of Galveston bound for Portland by way of the Panama Canal. And so it goes. Cooling our heels in New Orleans, though not the worst place to be, is not what we had in mind at the start. Things do happen. Speaking with Rick the other day, we learned that Keeling Time was struck by lightening in Florida and lost everything electrical aboard. He said it hit astern about a hundred yards or so and must have traveled aboard through the propeller shaft. Thanks to having a handheld GPS and VHF radio, he was able to navigate into a port. It happened in a squall when visibility was zero. Now that’s the stuff that causes uncontrollable facial twitching. That event laid Keeling Time up for two months. So, stuff happens and while we don’t like that kind of thing, it is really what makes for good stories around the bingo table at the rest home 25 years hence. A boat with dings is a boat used in the right way. That pretty one in the harbor with all the fine bright work may not have ever been as sea. Like the fellow we met at Galveston that did a few crossings, not the Gulf but the Pacific, one could tell he was an experienced mariner by his looks. He had a few dings, so to speak and maybe a slight twitch.

As of this date, we have over 650 days aboard Why Knot but not many of them were actual underway days on an actual adventure. Most were short day sails or overnighters. This is different, way different. It became more evident when we came home. We relaxed from the newly realized procedures that we developed aboard which started to shape our routines aboard. Large couches, washing machines and unlimited hot water are the most notable things not available aboard. We learned that two people can actually pass each other in a hatchway while holding stuff in hand.

Things go unspoken aboard that were topics of conversation before the cruise. There are long minutes; even hours with very little conversation as each of us take in the view ahead or astern. Movement aboard is limited to only a few feet or yards at most in any direction so we depend on the changing scenery to entertain us. It appears to be doing a fine job for us since Bear’s library and my iPod library have not been touched much. With the exception of the show, Sunday Morning, we have yet to watch much TV aboard. That will change since we will spend less time underway each day from this point on. Lesson learned.

Subject, of course, to further underway modifications, we have it down; the routine. At the start of each day, I spend an hour or so checking weather, looking at the guides and charts and planning the voyage for the day. In the “ditch” there is little latitude. Once into Mississippi Sound and beyond, the choices are more numerous. Anchorages vary from small barrier islands with historical significance to “hidey holes” along the GIWW. There are more ways to go “out” and around to avoid traffic or bridges. I am told the closer to Florida, particularly the east coast of Florida, we get, the more offshore sailing we will do. The primary reasons are the sheer number of bridges and more importantly the traffic such as the flat out Cigarette boats that disregard the “no wake” zones and create huge waves. One cruiser, though a “power boater” himself said that we should find places to stay from noon on Friday to Monday morning to avoid being pummeled by those guys. I have visions of waiting at a bridge for a scheduled opening with 10 boats either side waiting. We will see but we will heed the warnings of those who have gone before.

Today, we start dealing with repairs again. Hopefully, the weather in the New Orleans area will cooperate so the yard can remove the mast. That is not something done in bad weather. We should know more about delivery schedules of parts sometime this week.