The Shakedown

This blog is out of order....Date:  January 6, 2013

2013 has arrived and we all lived to tell about it.  Yes, no end of the world, thank God my "adventure" can continue.  We celebrated the new year at the Rinn Resort in Magnolia, Proprietors, Chuck and Linda Rinn, were most gracious as always. It didn't take Charlie long to start planning that "shakedown" cruise to Port Aransas.  We left Freeport on January 6th around 5:00 am in a howling north wind and colder than a well divers ass, how appropriate!  Our son, Sean was with us again on this voyage, he had previously sailed with us on Atra when we moved her from Kemah to Surfside, so it was only fitting that he should be on this trip as well.  We have given Sean the name of Shade Slug II, after our friend (the a fore mentioned Chuck) because he was always finding somewhere to sleep.  It is of course the thing that Sean does best.  

Our plan: sail to Port O'Conner, tie up for the night and enjoy a steak dinner on the BBQ.  We arrived around 3:00 pm and found our way through the twist and turns of Caracol "Yacht Club" marina.  A porpoise followed us all the way in, the water was amazingly clear.  I unfortunately could not enjoy that experience as these short 90 degree turns were making me somewhat nervous.  Finally reached the end of the canal and moored to the concrete dock.  We soon found out that the electrical service at this point would not support our boat, we had to maneuver the boat 360 degree to the other side of the canal, pull her back and then hook up to shore power.  We soon found out the this "yacht club" had no showers or backrooms available, yet we still had to pay $75.00 a night.  By the time we finally got everything settled for the night that steak dinner was diminished to hot sausage lentil soup and bed...not bad at all! 

Left Caracal around 9:00 the next morning to a beautiful sunny day.  We have been motor sailing to make good time as we do not like going into a port at night.  Today we tried to "wing and wing" and Charlie attached the wisker pole, also the preventor so as not to make an "uncontrolled jib".  By 5:00 pm we were about 9 miles out of Port Aransas and the weather was deteriorating fast as was the light (damn it)....We had 6-8' seas at the mouth of the jettys, here we began to let the main down with me at the helm.  It was very difficult with those rolling seas to keep her into the wind and then that "uncontrolled jib" happened and tore a D ring off the mast.  It wasn't that serious, but certainly could have been.  Another lesson learned....get inside the jetty's and then take the main down.  The Lord was with us.  Did I mention that I am on the hotline to God when sailing!  Sailing into port at night is very disorienting to me with all the land lights, our nav screen is amazing...how did Christopher Columbus every make it here with out "Navtronic"? But Captain Charlie got us there and in our slip (Dock 1 #120) without mishap....he is my hero.  So, tonight we had those steaks.  We were too tired to walk to the marina showers, so had one in the boat....bed and sleep was wonderful.

Sean departed for home the next day and we had a day on the boat to ourselves, tidying up and getting ready for our next guests...Tim and Gay Conner.  They spent 3 days with up, bearing gifts and food!  How sweet of them, but those are the kind of friends they are.  We were able to sail a couple of times, first not much wind and lastly...fog!  Oh, I don't like fog and Charlie didn't either, that was the first time he has ever wanted to come in early.  But marina life was fun and Tim helped Charlie retreive our "la bomba" from Corpus, so now we have wheels.  

Again a few days alone, messing around with boats, exploring Port A.  The sun was non-extent for 7 days, but with it's arrival also came our daughter, Haley, for the sail back home.  This was Haley's first time to see Island Sol.  We spent a day on the beach and then readied the boat for leaving.  Not too far out of the jetty's, we discovered that Haley was not feeling well.  This soon moved on to being sea sick - bless her heart.  

I managed my first night watch by myself and it was all good.  With some help from my itunes I got through, watching that radar and being alone.  That will take some getting use to, but I look forward to more solitude and just see where my mind takes me.   So 201/2 hrs. later we arrived back to Freeport.  On terra firma Haley recovered quickly, a hot shower and some breakfast then back on the boat for a well deserved nap.  Our shakedown complete....Island Sol is a good boat!