Our Arrival Safe & Sound in Kemah, TX!!! June 18, 2011

....tankers, cargo ships anchored, and on into the busy Galveston Bay shipping channel.

About 0100 hour we are all awake coming into the Bay and amazed by all the ships and tankers we are seeing. We estimate 60 to 70 ships anchored in the Gulf waiting to come in to unload or load up. We saw them sitting high out of the water and some sitting very low in the water.

Wee hours this morning, about 0130 hr,  we entered the waters of Galveston Bay!

 Only about 3 hours left of our voyage. We are geeked about our arrival!

I think we are all having some mixed emotions.
 Sort of bittersweet....

We are all tired,
 sort of ready to be back on land,
 but then not entirely ready for the trip to come to an end,
 glad to have had a safe voyage and perfect weather,
 but most of all...

 awed at the thought that we just crossed the Gulf of Mexico!!!

Between tugs in tow...tugs pushing ahead and big ships, we safely navigated the shipping channel to Kemah and Clear Lake.

As we entered the channel marker's to Clear Lake, Rob commented that with the mast navigation lights on, the steaming light and the bow/stern lights on, he'd bet our welcoming committee would scold us for being illegal. (Our starboard/green bow light was out so we turned on the masthead tri color nav lights to cover all our bases. We found out later we don't have a tri color mast light up there!)

As we entered the fairway to the outer harbor for our slip J-16, Dean felt us hit bottom so he backed us out to try it again. This time he had Rob take over the helm and try since he knows the marina better. Rob bumped bottom as well so they decided to back it out, go into the inner harbor of the marina & tie us up to the end of D Dock until the tide comes back in.

0430 hr...Success!!!
6 days later...from the dock in Tampa Bay, FL...
 We have arrived safely to the docks of Portofino Harbour Marina in Kemah, TX!!!

 New address for Our Way Too!

With grateful hearts for the safe & blessed passage of
 Our Way Too! and her Crew
 across the great Gulf of Mexico...

...let the stories begin!! ;-)

We had a wonderful "Welcome Committee" ~ Jay & Todd were awake & on the dock to greet us, they run from the end of J Dock to the end of D Dock to grab our lines, and provide us with our celebratory Rum & Cokes. (Great for Breakfast!) They gave us a hard time about our navigation lights just as Rob said they would!

Todd, Randy, Jay, Rob, & Al
Oh oh...Rob's glass needs a refill!

Our trip was just AWESOME!!!
   We are so proud of ourselves & of Our Way Too!!!
   We had an "AWESOME" crew!!!  

We LOVE Our Way Too!!!! 

She is an AWESOME sailing vessel,
 she has and will take good care of us always!!!
Did I say how much we LOVE her already??!!
 
1145 nautical miles total and 745 nm from Tampa to Kemah.

We now have 1,251.1 hours on Our Way Too's engine.

Seaknotter's Randy & Jay reunite and chat with Todd!
FYI...Randy is the one whom hooked us up with Jay on "Seaknots"(an online chat for sailors & sailorettes) when we moved to Texas. Jay invited us to Kemah to meet & see how the Texan's Sail! We are blessed to be a part of this group of great Sailors!!

The Crew & Dock Greeter!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Captain Rob! It meant alot to have you onboard with us on our maiden voyage! You are a great friend & we appreciate everything!! Love you bunches!

 "Captain Rob"
I  love this pic!!
I wonder if he is thinking it was all a dream?!

Father & "Son" :-)
Thanks again Dad!!
Love you!

Another of my Scruffy Great looking Crew!! :-)
Oops....Dad isn't Scruffy! He found his razor!

Bud's for Life!
Scruffy #1 & Scruffy #2!
I love em' both!
Great Crossing Guys!!

Dad say's "Hello Honey! I'm home!! :-)

Dad is greatful to be a "landlubber" again!

After our celebratory rum and cokes, everyone was ready for showers & sleep.

We decided to sleep short, then get up & go out for brunch.

Dad & I were too wound up to sleep so we decided to scout the marina, get our showers,

 & try out the pool.

So that we did, while the rest of the gang took a much needed nap!

My men!!

The "Our Way Too!" Crew at Skipper's in Kemah
Looking alittle more awake & spry!!
And they aren't "Scruffy's" anymore!!! :-)

Her new home Slip J-16

After our brunch we went back to the marina and since the tide was up we moved Our Way Too! over to her new home on J Dock. This time we didn't have any problem getting in there but we are aware that the problem could persist of getting in & out especially during the winter when the north winds blow the water right out of the Bay. Also our channel to enter the fairway to our slip is very narrow. If this side doesn't get dredged we may be stuck in J-16!! We will have to talk to Connie up in the office about a different slip when we return in a few weeks.

Such a pretty Boat!! ;-) A wee bit partial aren't I??

Getting her bath & put to bed for a good rest til we come home to her in 2 weeks! 

Dean cleaning & organizing things before we leave her.

After Dean, Randy, & Dad bathed...rearranged...stowed...fixed and prepped Our Way Too! to sit without us here for a couple weeks, we joined Rob onboard his boat, "Wandering Star" to participate in the weekly summer Galveston Bay Yacht Club Rum Race! 

Now after 1145 nautical miles of sailing one would think we had enough...but no way!! We were rearing to go. I guess that means we are truly Sailors at heart! I am certainly glad to know that is the case since we do intend to be onboard and cruising full time some day!

Rob's "Wandering Star"
(This picture was taken during one of our "Frost Bite" races this past winter.) 

Wandering Star & her Crew placed 2nd in the Cruising Class!!!  Whooo Hooo!!

We had a great time & it was an exciting race!

 My Daddy's first...he handled being "Rail Meat" just  fine!

Afterwards we all went to the yacht club for the food, fun, festivities and of course the Rum!! ;-)

Dean & I wanted Dad & Randy to experience one of our favorite Texas joints so we left early to take them to "Gilhooley's". It's a well known Oyster Bar & Grill in the area that looks like a dive but it has great food and the best raw oysters! The building has been thru the hurricanes and had water half way up the walls but the business has survived! They dump all their oyster shells in the parking lot so it is paved with them! If you ever go to Kemah...Gilhooley's is worth the little drive off the beaten path!

Dad & Randy were a little bit leary of eating just raw oysters so they ordered other items which turned out to be great too! They did both try the oysters tho! Dad said now that he knew how good they were he would order them next time if he ever came back to visit! His past experiences with raw oysters was NOT good!

Treating Dad & Randy to "Gilhooley's" Oyster Bar & Grill

Two of our favorite dishes here that Dean & I order to share:

Gilhooley's Famous Shrimphooley's

Gilhooley's Famous Raw Oyster's on the Halfshell

Randy's Shrimp Salad

Dad's Burger

After our late bed nite snack (dinner really) we headed back to the boat for a good solid night's sleep! I don't know about anyone else, but this past 2 weeks now seems like a dream to me. If I weren't so sleepy I'd be wishing we were all still out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico!

I will be dreamin' of porpoises & turquoise waters....

Nite ya'll...

June 17, 2011 Day 13 " Gulf Crossing"

Wee hours of the morn....

Randy is at the helm......

We let out all the reefs and it's a beautiful night to be under full sail! 

Little bit bouncy as the night goes on but doable and the guys are still in "conserve fuel" mode.

Being the great helmsman he is, Randy keeps a good eye out. He weaves Our Way Too! thru the maze of oil platforms and then spotted a big ole' workboat coming at us. All of a sudden a huge spotlight is on us lighting up our sails & cockpit & some guy hollars on the radio to "Identify" ourselves.

Obviously these guys don't see too many S/V's (Sailing Vessel) out here!!

Randy replied that we were "S/V Our Way Too!...under full sail...enroute to Kemah, TX!"

(If he knew his navigation lights well as a Captain should, he would've known we were legit!)

He said he wasn't sure what we were...said to have a good night...shut off the bright light...turned his big boat sharp to starboard & gunned it leaving us in his big wake!

Well....allrighty then!!

It's a busy night for our Crew keeping a close eye open for rigs, platforms, and Crazy Workboats!

The winds are picking up along with the waves. It's getting a bit choppy and rough out here. 

I take a bunch of photo's to show how the seas have grown but it really doesn't show the height like I want it to. It will give you an idea how choppy it becomes tho.

Guess who is sleeping again!

Looking from the high side!

Looking Forward

Choppy

Low side
Don't fall out Sleeping Beauty!!

Capt' Randy at the Helm with the Candy Container!

Still sleepin'!
Really...this was taken only a few minutes later. ;-)

We have some Company out here!!

Randy seems to have more energy than the rest of us!
I think it's all the sugar!!

I know what it is!! It's that music he is jammin' to!! ;-) He is always smilin' when he is at the helm too!

Still choppy & rough out here!

This is by far the roughest day we have had on this trip and it's really not that bad. We are all just getting tired and uncomfortable. We are all in dire need of a good hot shower & a full night sleep. Running low on water is NOT a good thing. Dean will be right on that issue when we arrive to find out why!! We are still rationing the drinking water and have had no showers. Thankfully we have wet wipes to freshen us up & get the salt off as best as we can. Today we have just snacked on leftovers & whatever we could find. Too bumpy to cook down below. Whoever said the Gulf of Mexico would be easy?!

Ahh hahh....he moved!

Dad's turn....he is better but not quite!

We think this may be our  "LAST SUNSET" of this trip!

Our Way Too! and her crew sail on into one more night of starry skies, choppy seas, oil platforms.....

June 16, 2011 Day 12 "Gulf Crossing"

A Crash in the Night!!

We are still motor/sailing. It seems the Gulf is doing the usual opposite than we are used to. It is getting choppy & rough at nighttime now. And because of that, we could've had a major catastrophe during the night with 2 of our crewmembers!  Thank God they are OK! 

While Dean & I were on watch...the boat would lurch occasionally when hit by a large wave. All of a sudden my tummy flip flopped when I heard some yelling down below. I hollered through the companionway, "Who's yelling?" and I heard "We both are!!" I could barely make out Randy & Rob both on the floor in front of the settee. Apparently Rob was heading to the forward cabin when the boat lurched and he fell ontop of Randy with a direct hit to his knees as he was lying on his side, sound asleep, curled up on the floor where is was cooler. Rob took the hit directly to his kidney. Both claimed they were OK but I could tell both of them were in really great pain! I was afraid Randy was going into shock as he start to sweat & shake real bad. I kept an eye on them both and kept asking if they were OK. Man they scared me to death...plus here we are way out in the middle of the gulf & at night! You can never be too cautious or careful while out to sea. You never know when the unexpected with occur!

It took quite a while for the pain to subside with both of them and a long while before either of them could go back to sleep.

Rob said later Randy was lucky that he (Rob) had lost 100 pounds otherwise it probably would've broken his legs or shattered his knees!

I thank God that they are both going to be OK!!

Those of us in the cockpit really enjoyed the  MoonSet & SunRise this morning. Awesome!!

  

"Moon Set"
If you look closely at the horizon you can see all the platforms!

"Beautiful Sunrise"

At 0625 hr it appears we are exiting the busiest area of the minefield.  :-) There are still some platforms ahead but it doesn't appear to be as many...at least not for awhile. We shut down the engine after 7.1 hours of motor/sailing. Under full sail we were doing 5.1 to 5.3 knots.
It looks like it will be a partly cloudy/overcast day. The winds are SW @ 12 knots - waves 1'.
We have covered well over 400 nautical miles. 

We get up close & personal with one of the platforms

Zoomin' in....

It is like a mini city up there!

Imagine...living and working on one of these platforms out here in the middle of the Gulf!

What if there were a really bad storm? Would the waves reach that high?

About 0715 hr, our phones start receiving texts & ringing off the wall. We must be pulling signals from the Oil Rigs out here. Tom (our Son) called to check on us and my baby Sister Kristy's texts are catching up to us! Hopefully we are not zapped with a really outlandish phone bill next month!!

The water is turning into a murky green color out here! :-( 

I won't be able to see the porpoises as well!

Darn it!!

Randy logpost: 1128 hr: Gettin' over cast. Winds 11 kts 220 degrees; Boat speed 4.9
Position - 28 44.414/w 90 46.165
Waves climbing to between 2' & 4'

Might we end up in some nasty Gulf weather after all?

1445 hr... Lowered all sails & started engine in preparations for 2 Storm cells heading our way, one on each side of us!! I hurriedly fed my crew Brown Rice Salad & the last of our bread rations.

Position - 28 47.6/w 91 07.4
Gale force winds:Waves 6-8'

Battening down the hatches!!
         It's my story!!!

JUST KIDDING!!! 

There really were 2 storm cells...And we really did drop sails & prepare for it! 

Winds only about 18 knots & waves 1' -2'. 

Our Way Too! motored on thru...still on her course...right between the 2 cells!

I think we maybe had 5 minutes of rain but it wasn't hard enough to rinse the salt off the boat!

As you can see below Capt' Randy was prepared for the worst!

Lightening dissipater??

As we get closer to the West side of the Gulf we start to see new sights....

Not so pretty weed beds! They are full of unsightly garbage and junk. It's sad to see all this crap in the waters!!

We are careful not to sail through them and load up our keel.







The water has become dark & murky color...

I wonder if the Oil Workers, Tankers and Rigs are most of the cause?

The Crew after the horrible storm! Can you tell they weren't too stressed?! ;-)

Nope...not stressed at all!
I do believe my Daddy is finally feeling much better! He's not over it...but acting a bit more himself again.
For that I am so thankful!

As we head into another beautiful starry night on the Gulf of Mexico....

Back into the minefields we go!!

June 15, 2011 Day 11 "Gulf Crossing"

Happy Birthday Uncle Roger!

We welcomed another beautiful Sunny day out on the Gulf of Mexico!

With Randy at the helm at 0915 hr, the winds were at 12 knots-waves 2 to 4'

He logged that the water color has turned from the brilliant turquoise color

to that of the "Mississippi Mud". Well it makes sense as we are now just south of the Mississippi Delta.

Dean can sleep anywhere!

We had "Brunch" today about 1000 hr - Bacon, Eggs, and Toast. 

At noon, Randy started the engine. We needed to charge the batteries and make better time. The "rule" is  ...if you are traveling under 5 knots - on comes the engine.

Weather: Temp in the high 80's and becoming partly cloudy.

Wind W/NW at 14 knots ~ Waves 3-4' confused.

We are all starting to feel wore down and tired. I think the heat and lack of a good solid nights sleep is getting to all of us. And we are only just a little over half way there!

Dad is still not feeling well. I'm sure he has been running a fever. He is exhausted...every time he lays down he starts to cough and has to sit up. His appetite isn't the usual either. We are all worried about him altho he insists he is fine, that it's just a sore throat and cough. I think he has pneumonia!

We see a bunch of rigs out here on the horizon. Way too many to count!

I'm tellin' ya this boy CAN sleep anywhere!!
And he does!!

Actually I can't pick on my Hubby...he isn't the only one snoozing all the time. We are all napping now as much as we can. We're becoming sleep deprived!

But Captain Rob smiles even when he's tired!

Cuz he is doing what he loves best!

~Sailing~

Enjoying a smooth ride!

At 1600 hr we are still motor/sailing along at about 5.1 knots. The wind is at 14-15 knots. We are waiting for it to clock around to the SW. According to Rob's WeatherFax that should happen in a half hour or so. Waves 1-2'....Good ride!!

For our supper I made a pot of Seafood Jambalaya.

During dinner cleanup we ran out of water so Dean started the generator and preceded to make water with our watermaker. The watermaker would not start and after several tries, my discouraged, tired, and upset husband gave up. The seas were getting alittle bit bouncy and he wasn't totally positive that we could operate the water maker while underway. (Something we would need to double check with John when we talk to him next.) He couldn't figure out the reason it wouldn't make water and he was pretty frustrated. Especially since we still had at least 2 1/2 days left to go. We had 1 gallon of water sitting on the counter and we were running low on drinking water in the fridge. Dad needed as many fluids as I could get down him so that was another big concern. Also, we all needed to rinse off from the heat and salty sea air. 

Lessons Learned:

Have more jugs of reserve water stowed.

Plan to make water when the 1st tank is empty!

Another project on Dean's list of "Things to Do"....find problem with Watermaker & reason why we went through as much water as we did in such a short period of time.

And we ready ourselves for another long night...........

June 14, 2011 Day 10 "Gulf Crossing"

Happy Birthday Captain Randy!!!

We hope you are having a great trip & are honored to have you with us! We love you!

Thank you for being with us & all your help, long hours at the helm & advice. 

Also a very "Happy Birthday" to my friend Dave Hemmerling!!

It's Flag Day!

Motorsailing since 0040 hr

At 0600 hr we have traveled 251 nautical miles into the Gulf.

We have 400 nm more to go to Kemah TX!!

Beautiful Sunrise

At 0645 hr we have 3-5' waves off our bow. West winds @ 18 knots....steady.
1228 hours on our engine.

At 0830 hr engine was quieted and we were under full sail once again. Winds still @18 knots.
At 0945 hr we are still plugging away westwardly. Winds are not cooperating very well.
Up...down...changing direction...motor on....motor off! We just go with the wind!!

We had 2 small casualties today on Rob's watch...or should I say offerings to Neptune! 

First ...the wind stole Rob's "Wandering Star" hat off his head and it was laid to rest at 3000ft in the 

Gulf of Mexico. Then shortly after the small cutting board we used to filet fish, slid off the aft deck into the drink as well. Just glad is wasn't a MOB!! (Man overboard) Our Way Too! likes to keep her crew all on board & safe!!

My Birthday Boy requested Brownies instead of a cake, so I baked some for him today. They tasted very good for a change!

I enjoy working in the galley! It will take some getting used to but I will do fine. My tummy gets a workout when cooking/baking underway...that's for sure. Lurching this way...then that way...Maybe I will shed some pounds! I do have to be very cautious when working with the oven tho...opening the heavy door and not being on guard could slide the hot pan right out of the oven if I don't keep it level. I definitely don't want to burn myself!

About 1600 hr the wind was W/NW @ 6 knots...then jumped to 15 knots! The "Wind Gods" just can't seem to decide what they wanna do and how hard they wanna blow!!

Dad is still not feeling well. The more sleep he gets the better off he will be. I am still keeping a close eye on him. I sound just like his mother...drink more water...did you take your medicine?

We are finally seeing something besides sky & water!

Our very first Oil Rig!

Now begins the "all eyes forward & alert...especially at night"

This is the main reason we needed extra people on board to help be on the lookout. Some are working, some are not. Some are deserted & unlit...just sticking out of the water.

Our Way Too! begins her zigging and zagging trek through the Gulf of Mexico's Oil Platform's for the remainder of our trip to Galveston Bay. We sailed very close to quite a few of them. They are staggered all over the place out here! It's like a mine field!

Randy took watch from 1800 hr to 2400hr. He watched a large ship off in a distance & learned via radio conversation that they were doing soundings.
The wind was at about 12 knots & the seas at about 2 ft.

Dean come up on watch at midnite. Beautiful night with a full moon!
We clipped along pinching the wind under full sail! Wind at 17 knots.

Our Way Too! is flying along

I did some playing with my camera trying to get some good shots at night. This one turned out the best. It appears as if we are just flying across the Gulf!! :-)

Rob next on watch. He was in time for the seas to start pickin up and become confused.
Another night out in the middle of the Gulf is almost over.....

June 13, 2011 Day 9 "Gulf Crossing"

Around the clock......

Engine off and under full sail @ 0715 hr
Capt' Rob off watch at 0720 hr. He sure enjoys watching the moon sets in the mornings! Bless his heart...he took over early for Dean & let him sleep, so he pulled an extra long watch too.
Capt' Randy at the helm once again.

We all had Grapefruits for breakfast that Dad brought along to share with us from FL. Yum!

We are 143 nm out from Tampa, FL for our first 24 hours. It is still flat (0-1' waves) out here! Very light winds out of the NW. Beautiful, warm and sunny!

We were under full sail until 1100 hr. Then had to start the engine once again.
At 1610 hr 1' seas & wind @ 13knots.

Everyone trying to get naps in, staggered throughout the day. I am grateful that Rob & Randy are fresh and able to cover & shorten Dean's shift's for him. He is exhausted I think, mentally and physically. I really think it's reassurance of them being with us now he can relax having more competent help onboard.

1715hr A Pod of Dolphins visit us! How exciting!! We figure 15 to 20 of them. They swim so fast & dive in, around, and under the bow of the boat it is hard to count! Randy and I got some great pictures of them and Randy blessed us with this video! We whooped & hollered & whistled at them. Randy went below & woke everyone from naps so they could see them too!

They hung out with us for about 20-25 minutes! This is why I want to be out on the ocean!  Amazing!! Thank you Randy for the video!!

 

I have taken a gazillion pictures of the friendly fun-to-watch creatures so I must share a couple more!

Putting on a nice show for us & racing with Our Way Too!

Oh what I would give to "Dance with these Dolphins!"

So Playful!!

I hope to display a picture/copy of my Aunt Debbie's Quilt "Oh!! To dance with a dolphin" onboard Our Way Too! I must remember to ask her about it! Now it will have even more meaning to me!

Randy & Rob are trying to figure our fuel burn for the trip. They worry we  won't have enough fuel to make the crossing if we end up motorsailing a majority of the trip. The wind has not been good for much sailing so far. Very light winds! Dean keep watch on our tank of fuel by measuring & comparing with the fuel gage.

Not too much excitement out here since the Dolphins left us. It is pretty quiet! I am really worrying about Dad. I had him lay on one of our folding seats so he could sleep half sitting up. It seemed to help alittle. Trying to push fluids down him, reminding him to take the medicine we bought, and letting him sleep as much as he can. It's pretty warm in the cabin too so that doesn't help. I think he is running a fever as well. :(

Motor off again @ 1900 hr. Randy back on the helm. He sure enjoys this! He puts his earbuds in and jams to his music on his ipod! I am sure it makes the time go by faster on his watch!! He is great Captain & such an awesome friend. We are so glad he was able to join us!

We were blessed once again with another beautiful day out in the Gulf of Mexico & wrapped up our day enjoying another fantastic sunset!

It is unbelievable that it is Hurricane Season and here we are out in the middle of the Gulf! We understand that not too many folks get to see it this calm out here. I never had any doubt about the weather for this trip. Funny...normally I worry about things like that. Not this trip...

And we begin another night.....