Good start, lots to learn

Dear friends and family,

Sunday Jan 4 departure I was extraordinarily nervous and glad that Mark came to take departure pictures as I was too nervous to bother with the camera

I had no trouble rowing out of the channel, but was surprised as my progress as it felt like I was doing about two knots. Once I turned n the chartplotter it showed that I was doing 3-3.5which was much more acceptable.

Not knowing if I could cut the corner I rowed all the way until the channel turned north, and even though I was actually rowing almost due east it felt like I was heading closer to the bridge which is to the south.

Finally I got to the turning point, set the mainsail and charged north, at about 3-3.5 knots. In the haze I could see the bridge starting to disappear ever so slowly. Once the buildings of port Isabel were out of sight, there was very little I could see except for a lot of water every direction. The amazing thing is that that water was only one foot deep in most places off he channel, which I learned later as I veered off. 

So, on towards port Mansfield, which was 30 miles to the north. With the fluky winds creating boat speeds between 2-3 knots, I didnt do this rapidly.

Every once in awhile I would hear deep breathing right next to the boat, and I mean within arms reach, which meant that one or more dolphins were coming to say hello. I was hoping to see them this trip, and saw over 25 my first day, they play in the water next to my miniature bow wave, get bored and then off to find a faster bow wave, or lunch. 

I learned that the channel markers are very far apart, and even on a clear day you cannot see the next one until even with the current one. It is a bit unnerving, although I have a gps chartplotter telling me the way, to not see the next marker. As I mentioned earlier, if you veer off the course you can feel the bottom and see that it is indeed only a foot deep. And not a ways off the channel, right off the channel.

I am learning that I cannot reach the inside of the cabin when helming, which means I have to let the helm go, and then the boat wants to round up and grab what I need and correct course before going aground. So, when I start each day, I must have loads of treats, water and electronics easily reachable.

With my slow pace I realized I wouldn’t make Port Madison, so at about four PM I started looking for an anchorage. Any anchorages shown on the chart are for keelboats, that means boats that draw over three feet in most cases, and I only draw about a foot with the centerboard up and the rudder up. And by the way, there’s not one of those on the Navionics chart.

So, I found an island off the main path, turned off the channel, dropped the main, and rowed over to it. There were birds standing on the bottom in about six inches of water on both sides of this channel, but it looked like it might have enough water in between for me to fit. As I rowed the oars hit mud on each stroke, but I squeezed through and got behind the island where it blocked any wave action and some of the wind and dropped my hook. It was weird dropping an anchor in two feet of water and falling back on it. Very foreign to a guy used to anchoring an 18 ton sailboat that draws six feet, often letting out over 250 feet of chain.

But big lesson: I can scoot into a whole bunch of tiny places to get out of the channel and be safe for the night. 

Once I dropped back on the anchor i realized that if I did drag (meaning that the anchor did not hold) I would drift back onto a mud bank behind me and that didnt seem so dangerous. 

I set up my cockpit tent, heated my cup and a half of hot water and dumped it into the camp meal bag, and enjoyed a hot pasta meal.

Once I rearranged the interior to give me room to sleep, I crawled in and fell into a deep sleep about eight PM. When I first woke at four, glanced around to see that I was still anchored, I again feel asleep until six, which was time for meditation, coffee and journaling.

Monday:

After that long sleep, and with coffee and oatmeal, I set the main again for the day. As the day went on, the wind steadily picked up until I could barely control the boat as I was being pushed to eight and nine knots. It was pretty easy to reef the main and stay in the channel, and with one reef the boat sailed just as fast but under easy control. However, going this fast, it only took a second to let go the helm to do anything and she came around fast and once she came around too fast and I found myself on the western shore, on the beach, with the main flapping.

I jumped off into the warm water, turned the boat into the wind, which was easier than I thought it might be (or my kid fell under the car and I had the strength to lift it:))

Once into the wind, I could just shove the bow off, let the wind fill the sail and in seconds be sailing downwind under control. Second lesson learned: things happen fast but not necessarily catastrophic in result. 

I was making really good time though passing one intended camp that the Texas 200 folks ( the big annual group dinghy sail here) use and after about 4 PM was looking for a diversion off the “land cut” which means that this is a dug channel between the land for shipping. This also means that there are very few places to duck out of the weather and traffic. As the afternoon went on I kept looking at each little cut out of the channel, some looked dry and some had birds standing on what would be the channel and some looked like I could fit in.

I chose one ahead on the charts off to my right, got the oars and the sliding seat ready and the anchor ready as well.

Since i was sailing at about seven to eight knots things were happening fast. I thought I could sail into the entrance of the cut, head into the wind, and then drift forward to the south on or near the shore to drop my hook and fall back. The first part worked well, I sailed into it, got out of the main channel, sat quickly at the rowing station and rowed deeper into my little “bay” so far there was enough depth to keep going deeper, so I did. But once I dropped the anchor I was aground on the other side. But safely aground on a mud bank, without any chance of drifting into the shipping channel, so I went ashore, finding that the soft mud was trying to remove my sandals as I went, pounded in my stake and tied the bow off.

Now I wasn’t going anwhere, with an anchor somewhere near or underneath the boat and a shore stake holding me.

Even though it was quite windy, I set up the cockpit tent, then sat and relaxed after a long and kind of hard day. I was safe, comfortable and it was so very quiet. Did I mention that after noon, when the wind picked up I didn’t see another boat except for a barge pushing dirt? Maybe I am the only dope out here in this??

I guess I was tired as after a freeze dried dinner, I crawled into bed to read at about seven and woke up with my kindle next to me at nine-thirty. I crawled out to look around and see if all was well and then fell back asleep until six AM. 

Tuesday:

Woke up to a very peaceful morning, but that also means little or no wind. Great for sleeping and relaxing , less so for thinking about sailing. Two weather forecasts show light winds for today, one at 5-10 knots and the other at 3-6 knots. The good news is the direction is from the south to push me, but I am expecting slow progress today. 

I am wanting to plan, how far to go, where to anchor, etc, but I am dependent on the winds, so now that I know I can duck off the channel just about anywhere I am trying to relax and not have such a goal for the day. I guess I want to make miles, but this forces me to enjoy the pace, if there is a pace with at least some wind. I am waiting today for starting as typically once the land heats up with the sun, the wind picks up, but I am still learning 

Texas weather. 

The wind continued to increase, so it took a big reef in the main and the speed stayed the same. I am guessing the wind speed of about 20 knots, which pushes this little boat pretty fast. My speeds went from almost seven knots to almost seven knots (not a typo) but under control!

I was about only a dozen miles from Corpus Christie as the afternoon waned and I didnt want to approach it in the dark, so again, look for a place to duck off the channel. There were a series of islands to my right and some of them looked like they had protection from the south winds. So, again, oars ready, sliding seat in place. Once I see what looks like a small channel with enough (I am hoping )water to make it without being high and dry, I have only a second to decide to go, or I will drift too far past it to successfully row into safety.

So, I spotted a potential, behind a high bluff, which is rare here. I turned into it,dropped sail, set oars in oarlocks and sat in position to row. The wind was rapidly pushing me past my targeted destination so it took all my leg pressure I could muster to get the boat towards the wind and into my little shelter. Like doing deep squats with too much weight, over and over.

Note from later:

The next day i could hardly walk as i guess i pushed hard! Sore doesn’t describe it.

Finally I made my progress to get behind the island, jumped on land with my big aluminum stake and plastic hammer and tied the bow to the land. Then I dragged as much of he boat as I could up on the muddy beach, but stepping into the mud was a battle between mud and sandals and legs to see if the mud could successfully trap my or at least my Chaco sandals. Ahah!, this battle went to me and I made it out muddy but alive. I had to get fully in the water to use hands and knees to extricate myself. Ah, the romantic sailing life.

You can imagine after a few days camping that the majority of everything aboard is a mix of mud, sand, suntan lotion and sweat. Type two fun!

I find it amazing that I can relax so much and sleep so well once secured. I know I am really safely secured, so can really relax. Because so much of this is new to me I guess the stress of learning tires me out as I laid down after seven PM and woke bright and early with the sun coming up at 0630. 

Now the weather became a factor, as i saw that the wind was expected to blow the right direction, but up to 30 knots, which would be dangerous. Note to future endeavors: put another reef in the main, as the present one is only feeling safe at about up to just over 25 knots, or I am just a chicken and not adventurous a sailor. 

No cell coverage, so I thought i would call a marina in Corpus Christie while underway. Remember while underway I have to keep one hand always on the tiller, so not a lot of time to do much else. I had the number ready and called when I got cell coverage. 

“No, we don’t do transient moorage” my first choice let me know on the phone. 

I cannot read the screen on the phone in the bright sunlight so planning underway is very challenging.

Not wanting to be out in 30 knots I had one other choice which was a tiny marina called Clem’s. I put this number in as a backup to stay.I called them and the guy answering the phone said to pull in and check in at the office and he would fix me up. So, sailed through the JFk bridge took a sharp right and rowed up to Clem’s. I temporarily tied up to the bait shop and went inside. Steven, who was in charge took one look at that boat and said that I could stay there as long as necessary for the weather and that he wouldn’t charge anyone traveling in something like that. 

The Texas angels continue! And I assume it was done out of respect rather than sympathy, but either way, quite the nice gesture. The downside is it is open to the north, which is where the wind is turning in two days. And with fervor!

Guess i need a plan.

More to come

Sending love,

Charley