2002 LOCAL CRUISES
Moody Gardens, Harbor House, Lakewood South

     These short trips will give an idea of cruising and things to do in the Galveston Bay, Houston, and Galveston areas.  These four cruises covered about 300 miles.

Moody Gardens Cruise
Galveston, TX
April 27 - 28, 2002

     Angela and I , plus Angela's sister, Susana, went to Galveston to spend the night at the small marina at Moody Gardens.  We had season passes to Moody Gardens, so we could go see the IMAX movies without additional charges.  We liked the IMAX movies; the only problem was they didn't change them often enough.

     One of the reasons for the trip was to check out our new transmissions.  They had just been installed after the others were ruined due to a lack of transmission fluid.  (That's another story.  We had been to Bayland Park Marina, in Baytown, TX on March 16 - 17 when we discovered the lack of oil in the transmissions.)  In the process of changing out the transmissions, we realized the salon carpet was going to be lifted up, so we removed it from the boat and had it steam cleaned.  After the transmission work was complete, we reinstalled the salon carpet and had the rest of the boat carpet steam cleaned.

     We had a local shop take our sectional couch out of the salon and recover it.  At that time it was not in the boat, so we had set up some folding chairs on our newly cleaned carpet.  We were also in the process of adding an air conditioner on the flybridge.  And, as usual early in the year, we needed to refamiliarize ourselves with the boat; we had been off of it too long. 

     It was very windy and unusually warm for several weeks about that time.  We left South Shore Harbour Marina about noon.  The wind was out of the South at 20 - 30 mph.  Spray was coming up on the side windows and the flybridge enclosure.  We found out our leaks had not all been stopped.  There were whitecaps in Galveston Bay: it was rough.

     We arrived at Moody Gardens about 2:30pm.  Slip 107 was our home for the night, on the T-head, where we usually stayed to get 220-volt power.  We had arranged with our friends, Don and Monica, who lived in Lake Jackson, TX at the time, to meet and see the movies together.  We met up with them at 4:30, arranged our tickets, and watched IMAX movies from 5 - 7 pm.  Then we went to eat at the Garden Restaurant but found it closed at 7pm.  So we said good-bye to Don and Monica and returned to the boat.

          

     Angela and Susy went through our pantry and pulled out some cans of food that looked like they needed eating.  That's a good way to get familiar with what's on the boat and what needs to be purchased.  We made a meal of soup, salad, sardines, tuna, etc.  It was good.  Then we played a few games of Sequence, a board game we all liked.

     On Sunday we slept late and enjoyed the outdoors and the wind.  We had lunch at 12:30pm at the Garden Restaurant.  On Sundays they also had deserts included in the buffet, which was the same price as the Saturday buffet.  I checked fluid levels and everything looked good.  I made a few repairs to the boat, and we left Moody Gardens at 4pm.
                    
     I decided to try and fuel up at the Tesoro fuel barge at the Bolivar Moorings, just east of the ICW-HSC intersection.  We motored over there and tied up to the barge.  Their nozzle was not the right size to fit our fill opening.  They agreed to get a smaller one for next time.  I had an account with Tesoro, and they were very nice.

     We returned to Clear Lake and South Shore Harbour Marina.  The sofa was reinstalled the following Tuesday before we left on Wednesday for Contraband Days in Louisiana.  South Texas Yacht Service had pulled the boat out of the water and installed a couple of thru-hulls for the new flybridge air conditioner on April 18.  The unit was working, but the discharge system was somewhat temporary at the time.

     We only added 6 running hours to our hour meters - 7 for the generator.  Our mileage was about 80, 40 down and 40 back to Clear Lake.  We had about 12 hours on the main engines since their last oil and filter change - 14 for the generator.


Mother's Day Cruise to Harbor House
Galveston, TX
May 11 - 12, 2002

     The weekend after Contraband Days we went to Galveston for Mother's Day.  It was yet another windy day, with 20+ knots of wind from the Southeast.  It was cloudy and warm.  We passed one of the car ferries off the east end of Galveston Island, which is where the ferry landing was located.  The Galveston office and docks of the US Coast Guard were located next to the ferry landing.  Across the channel, on Pelican Island, we saw the very nice looking Seawolf Park facilities.  There was an old ship, a plane, and a submarine there for the kids and tourists to see.

   

     We also passed and photographed the Pelican Island office and docks of the Pilots Association, which provided the pilots for the large ships after they arrived from the sea.  Harbor House Hotel was located in between Piers 21 and 22 in the Port of Galveston, and the S/V ELISSA was at a museum next door to the marina.  We had Slip 103 reserved at the very small marina which belonged to Harbor House Hotel.  Due to the arrangement of the boats already in their slips, I did not feel confident I could turn around inside the marina.  So, I backed out, turned around, and backed into the marina and the slip.  I'm glad I did that rather than risk hitting another boat while swinging around inside the small turning area.

     

     We were tied up about 1:30, having spent about 2 hours getting there.  We had lunch on the boat and then walked two blocks into downtown Galveston.  There was a cruise ship, Carnival's CELEBRATION, tied up just east of us, and we got to see it leave the port.  That was exciting.  The next day, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, RHAPSODY OF THE SEAS, had taken its place.

     

     The Strand was the major street there, and there were interesting shops and restaurants on several streets close to the marina and to the Strand.  We acted like tourists and bought a few things.  We went to the second floor of one building with very interesting and attractive ornamentation around large openings in the floor for the stairs, etc.  At the end of that hall and outside was a greenhouse, which Angela and Susy loved.  Outside the greenhouse on the end of the building was a large model of a trumpet, which was probably a tribute to music or jazz, or something like that.  Galveston and New Orleans had several things in common, and a love of music was one of them.

     We walked around and enjoyed looking at some of the historic old buildings in downtown Galveston.  Many of them were very attractive, and we took a few photographs of them.  We waited too late to make our dinner reservations, so we waited for a while at Fisherman's Wharf.  (Fisherman's Wharf was located next door to the ELISSA museum.)  It wasn't too bad, and we had a good meal there.  We sat outside, and with the ceiling fan going it was comfortable there.  Our friends, Don and Monica, joined us for dinner about 8pm.

     We had earlier walked over to check out Rudy and Paco's, a South American restaurant that had been recommended to us by a clerk in one of the shops.  It was closed until the dinner hour, but we liked what we saw on the menu.  It was packed for dinner, so we went over there after our dinner for some coffee and desert.  We had a good time there.  We met Paco, one of the owners, who was funny and friendly.  Monica was from Peru, Don was learning Spanish very well, Angela and Susy were from Paraguay, Paco was from Brooklyn, and I liked the desert.

     On Sunday it was hot, humid, and windy - about the same as it had been for weeks.  Our plan was to have Mother's Day lunch at the Pelican Club.  We were not members but had been there once with friends who let us use their membership for the day.  My son, Chuck, and his wife, Marina, came to the boat about 11:30am.  We rode with them to the restaurant.

     I remembered Bruce, the maitre de, from the one time we had been there.  He had a very nice table set up for us.  The Club gave each of the ladies a long-stemmed carnation for the occasion.  The meal was a seafood buffet, and it was good.  Of course, we ate too much and really enjoyed ourselves.  The service was excellent, and our waiter was interesting and fun.

     After lunch we went to the beach and drove along the seawall.  We stopped and took some photos, as usual.  Chuck and Marina changed clothes at the boat and went on to the beach for the rest of the afternoon.  After we changed clothes, we headed back to Clear Lake on the boat.

     We tried again to fill up at Tesoro; they had a Pelican Island facility in addition to the one at Bolivar Moorings, which was not operational that day.  A large boat was taking on fuel at the island location and would block the dock for hours, so we went to Clear Lake without buying more fuel.  We left Galveston at 3:45 and arrived at South Shore a little after 5pm.  Mileage was about 70 for the weekend; our running hours were 5 for the engines and 6 for the generator.  



Lakewood Yacht Club
Labor Day Cruise
Lakewood South, Galveston, TX
August 30 - September 2, 2002

     Angela and I went to Galveston on Friday to miss some of the crowds on Saturday.  That time of the year is usually hot and humid, with the only relief coming from getting into the water.  We felt stressed after the tragic death of our friend (See the Cozumel Cruise logs), and we looked forward to a change in our schedule.  Lakewood Yacht Club had a place on the north shore of Offatts Bayou, and we won a slip through the lottery system they use for functions down there.  It was to be our first experience at Lakewood South.  The facility included a shelter with an air-conditioned restroom, an ice machine, a charcoal grill, picnic tables, a dinghy dock, a pier with 16 boat slips with water and power, and a parking lot for the members to use for any cars they brought.  We drove two cars and left one there so we could come back to Clear Lake for a couple of planned occasions.  Then we took the boat to Slip 16, our slip for the weekend.

     On the way, we passed the area where Red Fish Island used to be, and where it will be once more.  The small, crescent-shaped island alongside the Houston Ship Channel in Galveston Bay was finally washed away by Hurricane Alicia and others in the early-1980s.  Boaters from the Clear Lake area could safely anchor in the protection of Red Fish Island for a night or a weekend.  With the prevailing SE winds, we could calmly watch the huge ships pass nearby and let the island take their wakes.  We could dinghy or swim into the island and walk its length, only with shoes as the island was composed entirely of oyster shells.  I remember picking up oysters from the bottom of the bay and eating them raw while anchored at Red Fish.  The boating community had really missed the island.  Now it was being rebuilt as a part of a project to widen and deepen the Ship Channel. 

     Our new air conditioner on the flybridge was unable to cool off the entire flybridge, but it did put out some cool air.  So either Angela or I could sit right in front of it and get cooled off for a little while.

     As you might expect, at a dock with 16 slips, our Slip 16 was at the very end of the dock.  There were only a few slips which could accommodate boats with 44 feet or more of length.  It was no trouble to get into the slip, as it was an alongside berth.  We put out a lot of fenders to prevent the boat wakes and waves from beating us up on the dock.  The main Offatts Bayou channel passed near our position, and many boaters made no attempt at all to observe the posted "No Wake" zone.  We did have ample water and power, and it did not rain during the time we were there.  We were among the first 5 or 6 boats to arrive for the weekend.  After getting settled in our slip, we took the car back to Clear Lake, returning about 10pm to the boat.

     On Saturday, August 31, the rest of the LYC group arrived.  Some large sailboats anchored just outbound of the Offatts channel; they could get to Lakewood South by dinghy.  We could see the Moody Gardens complex from there, but we were not all that close.  I got up on the after deck hardtop and uncovered the dinghy and lowered it to the water behind the boat.  We were told a sailboat would be using that berth, and I wanted to get the dinghy down while I still had some room.  After breakfast I ran the dinghy over to the Moody Gardens dock; TMCA were using that marina for the Labor Day weekend.  The ride over there was rough, and due to the wind-driven waves in the bay there I was forced to reduce my speed to keep the dinghy from bouncing around.  I tied up to M/V SHORTY, Ed and Dorothy's 57-foot Carver, and visited with Dorothy, Don and Ann Thomson, and Hank Knippa for a short while.  It was very hot.

     I ran the dinghy back to Lakewood South, expecting a smoother ride as I was going with the wind; but it was still rough.  I tied up the dinghy at the bow of our boat, but the waves and wakes were putting a lot of pressure on the inflatable.  After some consideration, I moved it to the very nice dinghy dock, and I used the steel cables and padlocks I had recently bought for that purpose to secure it for the remainder of the weekend.  The strong wind out of the east proved to be a blessing to reduce the discomfort of the heat, when we could get out of the sun and into the breeze.  I proceeded to do just that, as I had already gotten enough sun on my skin for the day.  Another thing I accomplished that day was to put some caulking compound on the inside of the windshield where we had a small leak.  So far it looks like that cured the leak, for which we are grateful.  I enjoyed sitting on the aft deck and reading and watching the world go by.  The Galveston Airport was just south of us, and boats were streaming into Offatts Bayou for the weekend.  There's always something to see and do on the waterways.

     We had made arrangements to meet our friends, Marc and Cindy Snowhite, for dinner at Mely's Mexican Restaurant near South Shore Harbour Marina.  We left Lakewood South about 4:30 and went to our house to pick up a few things and then on to dinner.  Marc and Cindy had been cruising and living on their 50-foot Carver for 17 months.  We enjoyed visiting with them and hearing some of their stories.  They spent a few months in the Bahamas in the months preceding our visit, so we heard a lot about that and their experiences on the return to Texas.  We used to be on the same dock at South Shore, and we had been on cruises and trips together over the years.  Mely's was close to our marina at the time, so we had eaten there numerous times.  It was good to be back together with our friends.  They both looked and sounded good; the cruising lifestyle had been good for them.

     On Sunday, September 1, we had plans to meet some friends and family for lunch and an IMAX movie at Moody Gardens.  We got two calls about 9am canceling our plans; neither of the two groups were feeling well.  We had seen the IMAX movies at Moody Gardens (they don't change them very often); so we decided to skip the Moody Gardens plans.  We phoned my daughter, Darby, to wish her a Happy Birthday.  After that we spent one of the most relaxing days I believe I have ever spent on the boat.  In fact, I'm not sure I got off the boat for anything other than to adjust a fender.  I sat on the aft deck and read a book, enjoying the strong breeze running down the port side of the boat and into the after deck area.  Angela was more often inside; she had a tatting project she was working on.  My book was hard to read, but I promised myself I would see it through, and I did finish it.  I also took a nap, started another book, and enjoyed the meals Angela prepared for us.  We visited with a few of the LYC members who came by the boat.  Angela took a few photos of the other boats at Lakewood South, and we saw a great sunset over the deck of the sailboat aft of us.

     

     On Monday, September 2 (Labor Day), we slept late and ate breakfast on the aft deck, as we did each day of that cruise.  I retrieved the dinghy and raised it to the aft deck hardtop.  Angela helped me to get it covered and tied down.  We cast off our lines about noon, and we were back at LYC a couple of hours later.  Leaving the Offatts Bayou channel I realized the Galveston Railroad Bridge was in the down position, which was unusual.  It usually was in the up position, and boaters could go through the narrow opening without having to wait for the bridge to open.  When a train is coming, the bridge tender lowers the bridge, blocking the channel for all except the small boats which could go under the bridge.  We looked for the train and saw it coming, so I hurried to get close to the bridge for some pictures.  Angela got some good shots, and she got one good one of the boats getting underway on the other side after the train passed and we could once more use the channel.

     

     At Red Fish Island, we got a few more pictures of the reconstruction, which were somewhat better than those taken on Friday.

     At LYC we pumped out and tied up the boat.  Then we drove to Galveston to get our car.  It had been a very restful and uneventful weekend.  It was exactly what we needed after the events following the Commodore's Cruise to Cozumel.  

      Five days later we were very relieved to have been missed by Tropical Storm Fay, but the water in Clear Lake and LYC was up at least four feet.  In the picture all the docks of the Inner Harbor at the yacht club were under water.



Lakewood South, Galveston, TX
November 9 - 10, 2002

     Angela and I took the boat to Lakewood South for an overnight get-away on Saturday, November 9.  It was windy and cool, but I was glad to be on the water again.  We used Slip 14, one slip inside the dock.  M/V SLAMMER II was in Slip 16, where we had been on Labor Day.  Other than that, the marina was empty.  We met Kevin and Diane and their two children, and we toured each other's boats.  Theirs was an express cruiser made in England; it was very pretty.

     It was nice to be on the boat again, and it made me want to go cruising.  The boat seemed a little unfamiliar to us for a short while; then it seemed like home.

     We grilled steaks on the back of the boat and had a relaxing evening.  I identified a few chores to do on Sunday, and we slept well.

     On Sunday I did what chores I could and made a list for the mechanics to do the following week.  We pulled out at 12:30pm and made our windy way back to Clear Lake.  I had not purchased fuel since May, and I hoped I could use more than 300 gallons to get the discount at South Shore Harbour.  We went there and filled up; it took 356 gallons.  The price of diesel had just gone up there, so it didn't benefit us as much as I had thought it would.

     We went back to our slip at the end of B Shed at Lakewood Yacht Club.  A boat had left the shed, and Don Thomson was moving up to the end slip inside the shed.  We hoped that would mean a move inside the shed for us, but it was not to be.  There were two other members ahead of us for an inside slip.  We were tired and happy to have been out on the water and in the boat again for the weekend.