The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

Glad she's back and ready to sail Jim. Maybe I just need some Muriatic Acid! :shock: Don't think I'm ready to try that quite yet. Had some shoulder surgery yesterday, they didn't think I needed a new impeller yet!

Must be nice to be "home" again. Although, like a turtle, you folks seem to carry your home with you wherever you go! :thup :lol: How's Izzy?
:cat :love


Charlie
 
Hi Charlie,

Hope the shoulder heals fast so you can get some "water therapy."

Izzy is doing fine. She's had a small adjustment to life without carpet (the house floor is all tile), so there's the occasional skidding turn. :wink: Otherwise, she has settled in fine.

I took Wild Blue out for a few hours this morning. Sunrise is my favorite time of the day. It was still 81º when I shoved off, but a sea breeze around 12-15. Shorts and a hat - my favorite outfit. :mrgreen: Yes, there were dolphins, but in the low light, I didn't get any good photos. My main goal this morning was to check out all the systems to make sure everything was working. The electronics are all working fine, the bilge pumps are sucking (and that doesn't suck), fresh water pumps seem to be doing their job. The motor is running like a top; shifts good. I ran it up to 4800 rpm and she just purred. Pulled her back to idle and it's smooth as glass.

I came back in through the swing bridge and headed for the fuel dock. The wind had come up stronger, blowing right on the dock. I put fenders out and headed towards the dock, anxious to see if I remember how to do this stuff. The boat slid in there just fine and I only needed one line since the wind held her to the dock. I pumped in $100 of regular... $2.39 on the water. The intown on-land gas stations have all gone up to $2.55 since it's tourist season. With fresh fuel in her tank, I shoved the stern off, rotated on the large round fender, and backed off. No, it's nothing like riding a bicycle, but I didn't break or whack anything.

There was an off-shore sailboat race from Galveston that ended here over the weekend; I cruised by the sailboats at the marina to see what was still here. Bigger boats than our "regulars". One 45 footer was sporting the shredded remains of his jib on the furler. :cry:

All in all, it's looking pretty good around here... and the view is even better from the water. :D

Sunrise on the boat...

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Best wishes,
Jim
 
Heat advisories today... hot, humid, and windy. We went out on Wild Blue for a few hours this morning. Before heading out, my neighbor saw me getting ready and said, "It's gonna be windy." I smiled and said, "That's why we have windshield wipers; besides, it's cooler out on the water." 8)

I took Joan by the sailboats (most were heading out today), then down the ship channel. We followed a large freighter out. No agenda, we were just enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, and being on the water. On the way back home, Joan pointed out a guy standing in ankle-deep water a short distance from his boat. It wasn't a flat-bottom bay boat. Then we saw a woman on the boat waving her arms. We got Wild Blue as close as we could, but were still 100 yards away from the boat. Joan went out on the bow and the guy walked towards us. "Can you give us a tow?" he asked. Joan explained that this was as close as we could get and offered to call Towboat US. He was looking for a less-expensive alternative. We looked around and saw a flat-bottom bay boat about a quarter mile away. We told the guy we'd see if they could get to him. We backed off and motored to the bay boat and explained the situation. They pulled in their lines and headed for the stranded folks. Yep, they could get closer... boats like that can go in 10" of water with no problem. The two people IN the stuck boat weren't too happy about it, but they got out and helped push. This was at high tide, so waiting wasn't going to be a good option.

The wind was blowing about 20, they had a v-bottom boat, and had troughed it in... a boat with about 2 1/2 feet of draft in ankle-deep water... with the wind working against them. If you aren't familiar with the area, don't have charts, it can be deceiving - it certainly LOOKS like there's plenty of water and the flat-bottom bay boats run through that area. We don't go there in our dinghy.

On the bright side - it's a soft bottom, so relatively painless.

We watched a steady stream of sailboats heading out... 20+ on the aft quarter, should be a good ride north. :D

And the heat? More inland than on the coast. A/C is a good thing.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Good story Jim, bet you're glad to be back to Wild Blue! That guy certainly proved Lindsay's Law which (as you know) says:

IF THE DRAFT OF YOUR VESSEL EXCEEDS THE DEPTH OF THE WATER, YOU ARE MOST ASSUREDLY AGROUND! :wink:

Charlie
 
Izzy's Day Out...

With all the boat systems checked out, it was time to get Izzy checked out on her position as boat travel cat. She hasn't been on the boat since she was a baby... nearly 4 months ago. ;) When we put her carrier by the door, she hopped right in it. She had a quizzical look on her face when the view from the carrier wasn't the inside of the truck.

Once away from our dock, Joan opened Izzy's carrier door. All the screens on the boat were closed. It took a few minutes, but Izzy's curiosity got the better of her and she came out to nose around. I have no idea if she remembers any of this, but after a short time, she hopped up on the back of the co-pilot seat to sit with Joan. It's another windy day, making for some lumpy water, but we stayed in the ship channel where it's more protected. Izzy seemed fine with the movement of the boat.

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She watched the birds fly by, seem interested in the waves, and wasn't a big fan of the voices on the VHF radio. But, no cat panic or fussing! We kept today's outing relatively short and easy to re-introduce her to the boat. On the way back in, Joan went to the back of the boat and Izzy settled right in on the co-pilot seat.

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All in all, a very positive outing.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Well, Roger, I don't miss the FD dolphin pix, but now that the weather is nice here (and it IS, Jimbo!), the dolphi pixs are at least not so depressing to look at!
 
Here you go, Pat and Roger...

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We had lunch on Wild Blue today, just bopping about. The dolphins were pretty active, including the baby (the one diving down in the middle image). We had them to ourselves for a while, then two dolphin watch boats joined us. Almost as much fun as watching these critters is listening to the squeals of delight from the kids on the excursion boats.

Upper 80s, nice breeze, hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Another day, another sunrise...

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I've been getting up early and taking Wild Blue out at my favorite time of day. It's warm down here - the weather weasels might as well use a rubber stamp: high in the low 90s, low in the low 80s, hazy clear sky, breezy. Mornings are spectacular.

Today while heading out, I ran by the Homeland Security folks once again. Must have been a meeting, since they had several boats tied off there...

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There doesn't seem to be any operational budget concerns, since we see these folks out all the time... and they're rarely running slow.

Across the Laguna, through the jetties, and out into the Gulf. By now, the sun was up and the water was a beautiful blue...

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Back home for the warmest part of the day and some "inside work" in the air conditioning.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Jim, Thanks for sharing the pix :photo , and the stories. Never tired of them. Glad you were home today, we had it cool here, mid 60's and enough rain(first in 30 days) to even need the wipers on. On the boat for the weekend though. And yes, Sunrise :hot is the best time of the day.

Harvey
SleepyC
 
Sunrise out the center windshield...

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Yesterday was another Izzy day on the water; she knew something was up when saw her food and litterbox was onboard. The wind was blowing it's usual 20 and the ride out to anchor was pretty lumpy. Little Iz did just fine with the movement of the boat.

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We found a protected place to anchor and let Izzy roam the boat at her own pace, including full run of the open cockpit. I was pleased to see that, after looking over the stern, she had no desire to see what the water was all about. There was only one other boat at the far end of the cove when we pulled in, but it wasn't long before the place filled up with other boaters. Two pontoon boats loaded with people pulled up to the beach; we watched while they unloaded their coolers and lawn chairs. A line of bay boats nosed up to the beach. The place was looking a lot like the song "Redneck Yacht Club." :wink:

Izzy handled all the commotion fine.

The excursion, fishing, and dolphin-watch boats were out enforce. This was as crowded as I've ever seen the water around here. And why not - it was a spectacular day. We had lunch at anchor, watched the dolphins playing in the ship channel, greeted a couple of friends as they sailed by on their sailboats... it was like having a ring side seat at boating circus. :mrgreen: Jet skis, bay boats, fishing boats, excursion boats, dolphin-watch boats, shrimpers, sport fishers, sailboats, the Coast Guard, even the Aqua Dog (the local amphibious vessel that takes people across the ship channel to go shelling)... everyone was enjoying their time on the water.

It was a warm day, but very comfortable under the shade of the bimini with the nice breeze. And little Izzy? She did fine... no fussing, no howling, no yakking. When we got back to our dock late afternoon, we left the screen door unsnapped to see what she'd do during docking. She waited patiently while we tied off, then got in her carrier to go back in the house. She's a pretty adaptable young lady.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Sunrise1e.jpg

So, still not tired of sunrise photos? Well, that’s all I’ve got these days. I headed out in the dark this morning so I could be in open water as the sun came up. The photo above shows the clouds before sunrise. And then, the first rays of the day just showing at the horizon.

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It was just me and the bay shrimpers out this early. These guys are out catching bait to sell to the fishermen.

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By now, the sun was just peeking above the horizon; makes for a dramatic shot with the bay shrimper in silhouette.

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Lots to get done today, so I turned around and headed for home. The view out the back of the boat is just as pretty as from the helm. As you can see, the water was beautifully calm.

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The weather weasels are predicting a chance of rain today... the first chance since we got home almost 3 weeks ago. They may be right... this image shows the clouds moving in as I came around the back side of our island.

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Back home... I washed the boat, cleaned all the metal on the outside of the boat, sprayed for bugs, then washed the truck. We headed to Brownsville to see if we could find some concrete anchors for our driveway... of course, it rained on the way home... my fault for washing the truck and boat. The rain was welcome, though... except for the humidity, it has been very dry here.

We ordered some Skipper Bob cruising guides and an electronic chart chip for the NE... getting anxious. A few weeks to go.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Drill, Baby, Drill!

That phrase from Alaska also applies here in the Gulf. At the port in Brownsville, they build and refurbish oil platforms. And to get them out in the Gulf, they tow them... down the ship channel, past our island, and out into the Gulf. It's an interesting "dance" between the platform and the tug boats moving it.

This morning, just as the sun was coming up, I got to watch that dance out in the Gulf. It was one of those rare days with very little wave action... just a smooth undulating swell; I had the windows open in the boat and didn't get a drop of splash in them. Beautiful!

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I stayed out there for a while, mesmerized by the warm sunrise and the huge platform. To give you some perspective, those "little" boats in the photos above are about 80 - 90 foot ocean tugs.

As the sky turned from warm to pink, I headed back in... with the autopilot on, standing at the center window, enjoying the breeze that the forward motion of the boat was creating... a really great way to start the day.

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South Padre Island in the early morning light, coming back in from the Gulf.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Around the first of the year, we met a guy who was interested in finding out about C-Dorys. A month or so later, I took him and his wife for a ride on Wild Blue, including the opportunity to see how radar works when the visibility goes down, quickly. Herb has now posted here, and took a trip east to visit with Marc at Wefings. While he doesn't have a C-Dory or a Ranger (yet), he and Wilma know the pleasure of being on the water.

Herb and Wilma also live here in the Tropical Tip. We planned to get together, but we headed out for some land traveling shortly after we met; then they were out of town when we got back. Last night, schedules aligned and they invited us to their home. What a delight these folks are! We traded stories of life experiences and discovered how much we have in common. And a few things that I wouldn't do on a bet... like riding an old Harley-Davidson Sprint to Mexico City (of course, that was a few decades ago :mrgreen: ).

The plan was to get together for happy hour at their place, and Wilma put out a tasty assortment of finger foods. The conversation was lively and the tour of their new home was a treat - out on a point, with gorgeous views all around, and a great dock in back. We saw a beautiful sunset over the water from their house, then decided to go out for supper... on a Friday night... in a tourist area. The first few places we drove by were packed; when we went to one of our little out of the way favorites, they had an open table... after we sat down, the waitress told us, "We are closed." We chuckled and moved on, going to a place in our small town that Joan and I had never tried. More good food and a table next to the guy playing guitar and singing (with over 1,000 songs in his repertoire). I didn't know Herb had a fondness for The Eagles... and this guy knew plenty of Eagles songs. :D

Nice to make new friends. Especially folks who understand our wandering lifestyle. And it was the interest in the C-Dory that gave us this opportunity.

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan
 
Wilma and I had a really nice visit with Jim and Joan last evening. As he posted, they came over for happy hour that extended a couple of more hours. :D . We sure found many things in common and look forward to our next visit. Our paths have crossed several times as we both crisscrossed this beautiful country of ours. Motorcycles, tent camping, pop up trailers, motorhomes, flying small airplanes, are just a few of the common ways we traveled over our lifetime. I think both families agree that it is certainly the journey not the destination we seek. We tend to live our lives in segments. When we were younger, we liked to say the segments lasted 10 years. Now at our age, we shorten them a bit. Five years seems more reasonable, as there are many more adventures we would like to take while we are able. Jim and Joan's advice and experiences are helping us shape this next segment as we search for the boat that merges with our present lifestyle and future desires. Unfortunately our next GT may be in the fall as our paths split away for a while. We know we will have another dinner together though as I owe Jim one.

Ask him about the smooth way I got him to buy dinner last night. :wink:
 
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