Superstition

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Hilldowdy1.com

2017

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Lakewood Yacht Club, Seabrook, Texas and Last Blog!

The Muriel June and her crew celebrate her return to her home port at Lakewood Yacht Club in Texas and her new American Great Loop Cruising Association burgee.

Click the map to see the yellow line showing the route taken by the Muriel June for the American Great Loop.

At noon today, we passed under the Kemah bridge and entered our homeport at Lakewood Yacht Club where Ken and Pat Griffin greeted us on the dock with a bottle of champagne and lots of photographs.  They leave tomorrow for St. Petersburg, Florida on Lady Sundream.  Many thanks for the wonderful greeting Ken and Pat and fair winds with following seas to you!  

Muriel June has finished the American Great Loop with her crew– all happy and healthy!  She’s completed 8000 miles, 23 states, 2 countries, 4 of the 5 Great Lakes, 915 hours of cruising, 75 locks, in 3 years during her journey where she encountered 6 hurricanes (4 were “I” storms). What we missed were all the robo calls, the oil spill, and the road traffic over the past three years.  

We’ve learned how much has changed in the three years since we left.  Homes have returned to Bolivar Peninsula wiped clean from hurricane IKE.  Barge traffic has multiplied exponentially, and the economic progress of our country has certainly increased with “help wanted” posted throughout the Gulf Coast.

We are still sad that the infra structure of our country is holding up commerce.  Hundred year-old locks need to be modernized and expanded, bridges that look like they will disintegrate any time, need to be rebuilt.  We noticed lines of barges waiting to continue their progress at the Ohio River locks, at the New Orleans/Mississippi locks and river crossing and in the Galveston ship channel. 

We laughed as East Coast people thought we had to come through the Panama Canal to get from Texas to the East Coast, that the number 10 is often heard and spelled, “t-i-n,” in the South, and that catfish is the total diet for many river dwellers.  We marveled at the resilience of the environment: the dolphins, pelicans, cormorants, osprey, and bald eagles who have endured despite human intrusions. 

But the best part of the journey was meeting the many people (including friends and relatives) along the way: locals, Loopers and other boaters including congressmen in DC who lived on boats.  From the hurried life of New York’s Liberty Landing next to the Statue of Liberty to the peacefulness of the isolated anchorages in the North Sound of Canada, we loved the diversity of this amazing journey.  Each day was a new adventure-a challenge we learned to conquer including being locked in Lock 3 of the Erie Canal for a month with 2 hurricanes passing through. This diverse trip from inland rivers and lakes to off shore cruising taught us to take life as it comes, to relax and reflect, and to appreciate the beautiful natural country where we live.

Harborwalk, Galveston, Texas

These two cowboys were chasing down one cow who strayed from the herd.

You know you are back in Texas when you see a working “Pump Jack”

Power shovel on a pedastal at the the new Galveston Railway Bridge. Operator needs to be sure he does not touch his forward and backward operating handles.

Harborwalk, Galveston, TX

A long and tense 85 miles got us to Galveston’s west harbor at Harborwalk where we’ve been many times.  Since we left—they went bankrupt and have just now come back under new management with the restaurant open for business.  However, the day was tense with so many barges often too many to get through certain places on the ICW.  As we cruised closer to Galveston along the Bolivar peninsula, barges were parked deep along both sides of the ICW waiting for permission from the Galveston/Houston marine traffic controller to cross the channel of Galveston Harbor.  As always, we marvel at the patience of the tow captains who never seem to lose their tempers with yet another wait and always remaining polite. 

The Galveston ship channel will only get busier. In 2014 the wider Panama Canal will open and China will be using the Port of Houston as their entry to the USA.  The Galveston Houston ship channel is being dredged to accommodate newer and bigger freighters. 

Today we really feel like we are back home in Texas.  The hunters were up early this morning shooting geese that have come here to winter in the marshes.  Too bad they must fly all the way from Canada to be shot in these seemingly serene marshes.  Lots of cattle grazed along the waterway, and we even spotted cowboys on horses herding the cattle.  Finally, oil pump jacks worked like crazy from the High Island oil field.  Monday we will land at Lakewood Yacht Club, our homeport.

Sabine Pass, Texas!

The shovel on the barge loosens up the bottom for the little dredge in front of it to pump back to shore. They blocked over half the ICW today.

White snow geese in field with hunters nearby.

Semi-submersible (left) and Jack-up (right) drilling rigs are among the many in the area parked awaiting deployment as soon as Federal Drilling Permits are issued.

We are finally back in Texas and it feels great!  Weather is perfect!   No alligators were spotted this morning as we cruised along the western part of Louisiana, down the Calcasieu River and back west on the ICW.  Lots of shots rang from hunters shooting geese along the way as clouds of white snow geese rose into the blue sky with every blast.  But there are also white pelicans, white egrets and white seagulls also in the area, and hopefully not the target!

The Port Arthur Traffic Controller has a mile marker (MM260) where we checked in to tell him the size of our boat and destination.  He keeps track of all freighters, barges/tows, tugs, and pleasure craft in the Port Arthur vicinity.  He also gives an update on the marine traffic each half hour.  At Mile Marker 288 we turned south down the Sabine River for 6 miles to the Sabine Pass Port Authority marina where we are tonight.  It is beautiful here, protected from the Gulf, but with fresh Gulf breezes and palm trees swaying. Lots of jack-up rigs await their deployment to the Gulf and coal barges are lined up on many docks to be exported.

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Put your cursor on the image and zoom into the bank at water’s edge and you will see the alligator. Better not go overboard to check the props of the MJ in this area.

These six rock barges pushed by a very small tow can only do 3 knots. We have passed him several times as he moves rocks from LA to TX. Why?

Tows need fuel so this fuel barge from Talons fuel depot in the middle of nowhere comes out to fuel the tow who stops in the middle of the ICW. So how are we going to pass this one?

Ah, L’Auberge du Lac and the transient docks—not a bad place to stay 100 miles from Galveston!  A very large alligator and several bald eagles were spotted along the way.  Alligator sunned himself along the channel bank and the bald eagle searched for fish competing with the many ospreys.  Again, we passed many tows with barges, some having difficulty with the strong north winds, so they had to “crab” facing into the wind and blocking much of the channel for us and other boats.  One little tow named “Katie Lurs” pushing 6 huge barges piled with rocks went very slowly from New Orleans to Corpus Christi.  WHY?  We couldn’t imagine why those rocks needed to be moved all that way because as everyone knows, Texas certainly has enough rocks.

Here at L’Auberge du Lac, we followed behind a huge freighter up the Calcasieu River north about 10 miles into Lake Charles.  It is a deep harbor port with a lot of chemical plants spewing steam and heaven knows what else.  But, here at L’Auberge the marina is welcoming, food is terrific and it is a good place to rest a day since we’ve been getting up at 4 a.m. to make the first light runs for 11 hour days that have less and less light for us.

Intercoastal City, Louisiana

Not sure how this tow pushed this big rig through the mud to this location. One of the few rigs we have seen who have received a drilling permit from the Federal Government. The rest we have seen idle back in the yards.

A new natural gas carrying barge. We did not see these in 2009.

The offshore workboat “Ram Challenger” getting ready to back into the yard to pickup some large equipment. He was nice enough to let the MJ pass.

A day of barges, barges and more barges along with workboats, shrimp boats, and oyster boats!  The Intracoastal Waterway from Morgan City to Intercoastal City winds through the coastal marshes across the Atchafalaya River and Vermillion Bay.  This is an area rich with oil and oysters.  Winter birds have arrived: white pelicans, yellow crowned night herons and the usual cattle egrets and great blue herons. 

Manners along these waterways range from very helpful to non-existent.  The Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge would not respond to us or to the traffic controller in Morgan City this morning. We waited about half an hour for the bridge to be raised while the train only took about 10 minutes to cross.  Many other bridges have been the same way with little or no response to waiting boats and barges.

Tonight is a new moon resulting in lower and higher tides.  We are being careful to watch the tides and the barnacle line on the pilings to make sure we can leave in the morning.  A sailboat heading east moored with us last night, another is with us tonight at the Shell Morgan dock.  We seem to be the only “pleasure craft” heading west.

Morgan City, Louisiana

Muriel June under the “twin bridges” in Houma, LA where we hid out from Hurricane IDA in 2009.

Muriel June cruised through the cypress trees and the bayous.

This sailboat went aground after his alternator went out then his battery so he could not jump start his engine. This nice Tow pulled him off but bent his shaft in doing so. The good samaritan tow brought him into the Morgan City Municipal dock.

Boom towns!  That is how both Houma and Morgan City appear to us as we traverse the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) today.  Oil patch commerce is vibrant in both towns with new buildings, boats and barges.  After the rains passed this morning and dining at the Houma Hospital for breakfast, we headed west through beautiful cypress swamps where bald eagles soared overhead and the great blue herons fished along the edge.

Coming into Morgan City we crept at no wake speed past tows pushing barges and huge oil workboats then through Bayou Boeuf Lock with no wait.  Tonight we are tied to the side wall at the Morgan City Municipal dock with three shrimp boats, two loop boats heading east along with a sailboat who will be crossing the Gulf to Key West. The downtown of Morgan City is trying to re-invent itself.  Arts and craft shops have moved in. Old 19^thcentury buildings have been repainted and spruced up.  The County Court House, library and Post Office are within a block of the dock and Alan has found a wonderful hardware store!  So all is good as we continue our cruise west.

Houma, Louisiana

Muriel June with her new burgee heads up the Mississippi River from Industrial Lock to Harvey Lock past the City of New Orleans behind “Corky” our friendly tow captain.

While waiting (30 min) for Almoaster RR Bridge (called L&M RR bridge in 2009), we watched the sunrise above a coffee plant with a strong smell of coffee. This waiting spot is at the top of our “good smells” list.

Two of six new fast response oil spill cleanup vessels from “Clean Gulf Associates” operated by “Marine Spill Response Corporation”. Both not-for-profit organizatons supported by offshore drilling producers. Did not see these in 2009.

Whee!!  We made it through the two locks in and out of the Mississippi River in only 5 hours!  This is Sunday so there were no curfews on the bridges and the barges went through the locks fairly smoothly—we were tied behind one, named Corky who was most polite to us as we locked through with her.  The changes we notice on our cruise through New Orleans and beyond were as follows:  more flood gates, pumping stations and dikes with elaborate water systems, natural gas now being carried on barges, lots of “help wanted” signs on the shipyards, many new barges and work boats, lots of activity at ship yards serving off shore rigs, and a lot of ship building.    

Tonight we are once again under the bridges at the city park in Houma.  Tonight weather predictions are for wind and rain.  This is where we sheltered during Hurricane IDA in 2009.  Again, we are here seeking shelter from this cold front.   With the morgue across the street and the hospital next to it, we are alert to the city’s happenings. 

The joke for today!  A tow captain talked to the lockmaster telling him the required Coast Guard registration number.  He read the number, but the lockmaster couldn’t understand him, so he asked for the last two numbers that were 10.  The tow captain said, “Tin, the number tin, t-i-n (spelling it), the number tin.  Can’t you understand that?”

New Orleans for the Weekend

In the Mississippi Sound over 75 shrimp boats with nets up went slowly around in a big circle with radio silence at a chart location showing multiple wrecks. A shrimper burial at sea ?

New Flood Gates on the Intercoastal Waterway coming into New Orleans that were not present when the Muriel June departed in 2009.

We have seen many “new’ looking shrimp boats. Could these be beneficiaries of the BP $20 billion oil spill recovery fund?

New Orleans and Houston bound

Three years ago this weekend we came through New Orleans on our way east to start the Great Loop. We are now back and heading west to Houston.    Three years ago, New Orleans was still recovering from Katrina.  Today there is much vibrance: a new dike and water lift system, a port that is greatly revived, new docks in the marinas, and even new boats for the shrimpers. 

Today the crossing of Mississippi Sound went smoothly as we were ushered across by pod after pod of dolphins.  About half way across we passed a collection of about 75 shrimp boats all with their net poles in the air and circling around the marks of old wrecks.  We are speculating this might have been a burial at sea for a favorite shrimper.  We also passed the NASA rocket facility that is inside the new floodgates. 

Here at Seabrook Marina, we will be greeted by the Killions tonight!  They stayed with us for the month after Katrina and it will be great to see them again!  Our next challenge will be getting through the locks on the east and west sides of the Mississippi.

Gulfport and Mississippi Sound

Shortly after “crossing her wake” a C17 from Keesler AFB broke from formation from similar aricraft, dropped altitude, flew right at the bow of the MJ to do a congratulatory ” Fly By”. This was impressive.

One of six dolphin inside a fishing net. How they keep from getting caught in the net is amazing.

Two cormants discuss morning fishing activity while sitting on a navigation marker.

We watched the sunrise over Mobile Bay as we headed out at 6 a.m. this morning in light breezes.  Like Galveston, they have a long ship channel that leads to the Gulf of Mexico through the barrier islands.  Once we got to the Inter Coastal shipping lane, we turned west and headed under the Dauphin Island Bridge.  Pod after pod of dolphins greeted us as we headed the 85 miles west to Gulfport.  With dead flat seas—almost glass at times and 65 degrees temperatures, we found it hard to leave the water and head to port today. The Gulfport Yacht Club is where our Lakewood Yacht Club sailing regatta came this year.  Tonight we are tied to their dock and enjoying some of the amenities of the club.

Along the way we were entertained with shrimpers, nets out on their out riggers and hundreds of gulls and pelicans following along with many hungry dolphins.  I hope that the dolphins and birds don’t get caught in their nets.  We were also buzzed at very close range by two military C17 airplanes.  The coast guard patrolled in several places giving us the impression that Homeland Security is hard at work. 

For now, we are doing something we haven’t done in 1½ years—wash salt off the Muriel June.  Tomorrow is New Orleans!