CONTRABAND DAYS CRUISE
Houston, TX to Lake Charles, LA and Return
May 1 – 5, 2002


Houston to Crystal Beach, TX, Wednesday, May 1, 2002

     The TMCA Cruise to Lake Charles for Contraband Days included about a dozen boats.  The largest boat, and the earliest to leave, was M/V SHORTY, a 57’ Carver owned by Ed and Dorothy Hearon.  Our friends Don and Ann Thomson were traveling aboard SHORTY as well.  They left Clear Lake in the morning on Wednesday, while we planned to join them later in the day.

     We took the day off work to run errands and to be able to go down to Steve’s Landing with several of the TMCA members.  One of my errands was to make application to join Lakewood Yacht Club.  The application had to be in of the first of the month.

     We loaded the boat at 2pm and discovered we had a few problems.  We had some work going on that was not completed as we had been promised.  The fuel gauge would not work at all, and the generator would not start.  We called for the mechanic at Blue Water, and he came over and got us going.  It seems there was an insufficient ground from the helm to the engines/bonding system, so the mechanic ran a temporary wire until later. The new air conditioning system for the flybridge was working but not yet complete; we could live with that.

     We left the marina at 5:30pm after calling Don and advising him of our situation.  They would go ahead with dinner, and we would eat later.  It was rough and windy in Galveston Bay.  We had a wet ride with lots of bumps.  We turned left, or east, at the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), Mile 350 (meaning 350 miles west of the Harvey locks at the Mississippi River in New Orleans, LA).

     At 8:30 we arrived at Steve’s on Bolivar Peninsula.  It was dark, and Don was talking us in on the phone and the VHF radio.  We had never stayed there before and weren’t sure where it was.  The only berth left was alongside the ICW, so we tied up there.  A lady stuck her head out the window and asked us if we were going to eat?  We said yes and went inside.  They closed the restaurant at 9pm.  Angela, her sister Susana, and I had a good meal; the other TMCAers went to sleep.

     Slip rental was $25 for the night.  Our miles for the day were about 35.  The one way mileage to Lake Charles was about 150 miles.

Crystal Beach, TX to Lake Charles, LA, Thursday, May 2, 2002

     An early departure for us was 8:15am, but the rest of the crowd was long gone by then.  Again we had southerly winds of about 15 knots.  It was unusually hot, close to 90 degrees F.  There were a few clouds in an otherwise blue sky – a nice day.  The ICW in that area is very flat, except for the salt dome at High Island.  One of the interesting things we saw, up on the edge of a levee, was a herd of goats.  Another was a tug from Houma, LA, where we have friends.


     We ran east to the Calcasieu River and turned upstream.  About 15 miles later was our berth at Harrah’s Casino Marina.  Just before we got there we filled up with diesel at $1.14 per gallon.  Running hours were 8 for the day and 11 for the cruise to date.

     Slips were assigned by the TMCA Cruise Leader, Sue Knippa, in the order of length, with SHORTY being first and ILLUSIONS being second.  Slip costs were $40 per night.  We wanted 220 volt, 50 amp power, and we were able to get it at Slip No. 2.  We got to meet some of our neighbors, a few of which were members of Lakewood Yacht Club. Our friend, John Myers, who lives in Lake Charles, met us at the boats.  A group of us went into the casino and had the buffet dinner.  Then we showed Susy how to lose a roll of quarters at the slot machines.  It was a fun evening.

Lay Day in Lake Charles, LA, Friday, May 3, 2002

     We slept late and did a few chores, made a few phone calls, etc.  Five of the TMCA boats were there, and others were expected on Friday and Saturday.  I dropped the dinghy and ran it for a few minutes, over to the festival area and back.  There wasn’t much gasoline in the tank, and I did not want to run out.  It was windy and hot.

     Hank and Sue Knippa arrived via car from Clear Lake.  They stayed aboard SHORTY but were not continuing eastward with the other couples.

     The big theme at Contraband Days was the pirates raid and takeover of the City.  They capture the Mayor and make him walk the plank.  Then the fun begins, because the pirates are in control of the City.  And, of course, anything goes when the pirates are in charge.  John was very familiar with the festivities, and he picked us up in his pontoon boat. 
Then we motored over to where the pirates were preparing to invade the City.  That was about 5pm.

     The pirate boats had lots of pirate flags, which were for sale to everyone to fly on their boats as a memento of the weekend.  The boats followed a circular route in front of the Convention Center and festival center, then around and through the spectator boats in the Lake (Lake Charles), and back to the seawall again.  John motored slowly through the crowd, occasionally speaking to someone he knew (John seemed to know just about everyone).  Eventually he got us a spot where we could see the ceremony of making the Mayor walk the plank.

   

     There was a mock trial, and we could hear the arguments from the shore.  The Mayor was doomed from the beginning, as we all knew from previous festivals.  So, soon he appeared on a boat with a plank rigged off its starboard side.  I don’t know if the Mayor was a poor swimmer or not, but they had a diver there ready to pull him out if the need arose.  He was dressed for the occasion in blue jeans and a white shirt, with no shoes or socks.

     The Mayor seemed to be a young man, yet he really seemed afraid to walk the plank.  He would walk out and then come back and beg the audience to not make him do it, or that’s what we thought.  We couldn’t hear him; we could just see him gesturing to the crowd.  The crowd was good-sized by then, and everyone wanted him to go ahead and walk the plank.  We found out later the television station was holding him back so they could show it live on the 6pm news.  Eventually he did walk the plank, got wet, and got right back out of the lake water.



   

         Sue had made plans for us to eat at Pat’s of Henderson, at their location in Lake Charles.  Through the casino she obtained a bus and driver, and we loaded up and went to eat about 7:30.  I was disappointed in the meal; it was not great.  However, the company was fine.  After we returned to the boat we turned in for the night.

Lay Day in Lake Charles, LA, Saturday, May 4, 2002

     Breakfast was announced as pancakes aboard SHORTY at 9am, and we joined the crew on the top deck.  Ed was making pancakes on his outdoor grill with the griddle attachments, and fruit and other breakfast items were also available. After breakfast we walked around the end of the lake to the amusement park, main entrance to the festival, and paid our admission price.  A full-scale carnival was in swing as we walked along the seawall.

     In addition to rides and carnival games of skill and chance, the seawall area held a multitude of booths selling other things, such as clothes (Angela and Susy found some things they could not live without), jewelry, paintings, flags, T-shirts, food and drinks, imported furniture and decorative items from other countries, etc.  One booth was set up to let you drive a race car, and you competed with a clock.  It was loud and noisy; we heard it all day and half the night.

     Down at the end of that area was the classic car show, and it was a good one.  We saw a 1918 Ford, and along came a man with his wife who used to own one.  

     We saw a 1955 Chevrolet, one of my favorites, and a number of 1957 Chevrolets.  There was a brand-new and an old  Thunderbird sitting side by side,  so you could see how Ford had tried to bring back some of the old design features.  We saw cars with unbelievable stereo sound systems installed, and others with movie screens and DVD players.
  

     Contraband Days included a number of other performances and educational activities spread over two weekends.  Some were held in the Convention Center.  Others, such as band performances, were held on stages in the seawall area.

     We returned to the boats about 2:30, after having lunch over at the festival.  We visited other boaters and got to know some of the people who were there.  Scott and Nancy, on M/V La Isla, the boat next to us, told us of a vacancy at the end of B Dock at Lakewood Yacht Club, right next to their boat, which I checked out as soon as we returned to Clear Lake.  That became our first slip at Lakewood.

     Sue Knippa arranged for a group of us to have dinner at the fancy restaurant in Harrah’s, so we dressed and went up to The Island Terrace at 8pm.  Again I was disappointed at the food; Louisiana usually is a great place to get good food.  That meal was overpriced and not that good.  Anyway, the company was great; and we had a fine evening.  The discussions around the tables likely were about boating; we all had a common interest there.  We all gave John Myers a round of applause for touring us around the lake and showing us such a good time.  



Lake Charles, LA to Houston, TX, Sunday, May 5, 2002

     Estimating a 10-hour run to Clear Lake, we were up and out of there at 6:30am.  The crew of SHORTY were eastbound for the next several weeks, so they had their usual morning walk.  A group of ran together until our speeds sorted themselves out, and then we spread out.

     It was hot, humid, and windy; each day of the cruise was like that.  Otherwise, it was a fine cruise. We seemed able to make very good time, and we actually arrived at 4pm.  That was a half hour earlier than we had expected.  We didn’t hit anything or go aground anywhere.  That’s a good cruise.

     Susy was a joy to have with us.  She appreciated everything we did, and she tried to help in any way she could.  She and Angela were knitting and sewing and talking (in Spanish) the whole way home.

     Our total miles were 300, running hours were 20, and generator hours were 22.  We traveled three days and enjoyed the Contraband Days festival for two non-travel days.