TX200...Paul's Mott to Seadrift

Friday June 15, 2012

Winds were high, but we flew both sails. I took us across San Antonio Bay. It was a short day, we arrived at Seadrift about 1:30 pm.

While I was standing around visiting with folks, Mike Beebe came and asked me if I wanted to take a ride in his paradox. Without hesitation, I said, "YES". I grabbed a paddle and climbed in. We paddled out of the marina, which was not a small feat. The winds were right on our nose and blowing hard. Once out, Mike raised the sail and I took the tiller. Mike was so nice to do this for me. He knew I was building one and thought it would inspire me to get my paradox finished. He was right.

There was a meal for us this evening, along with cases of donated Shiner beer. We were treated very well.

This year, there were 6 female folk that made the trip. We all had a great time and did not regret our decision to do it. I made many new friends and I plan to keep in touch with them all.

Cathy and Charlie

Rosa keeping the Sailor Jerry safe.

Awdree, Lindsey, Me and Brittany

I was asked many times if I would make the trip next year. My answer, yes... in TARDIS.

TX200... PIYC to Paul's Mott

Thursday June 14, 2012

Okay, I thought I would get the best sleep of the trip in the air conditioned building. But, it turned out to not be true. Lindsey and I were wishing we had pitched our tents on the grass.

Mike Beebe, in his paradox, made getting out to the channel look easy. It was not that easy for us. It took us several tries to sail out, but we did it.

Crossing the Corpus Christi Bay was rough and very wet. I will now have to explain that Traveler is a "wet" boat. In rough waters, the bow parts the water, it splashes on the amas and then is thrown back into the boat...and on who ever is sitting in the boat. You would think this in a bad thing, but it turned out to be a plus. Many of the other participants in this trip complained about the heat. I never felt hot, because I was doused with water quite frequently and rarely drying out.

We arrived at Paul's Mott at 2:30 pm. We were the second boat to arrive, and for some reason, I am proud of that fact. On Paul's Mott there are no trees... but there is no mud either! The boats are beached on shells. Yes, I know it looks like sand, but it is solid shells. They don't hold tent steaks very well.

We are standing there watching the remaining boats sail to the island, and we see Ranger capsize. John and Bill are sailing her, and they both go in the water.

When it is apparent that they can not right the boat themselves, two boats with motors are taken out to rescue these two men.

Andy Linn made his famous dive from the rescue boat to the capsized boat. John could not make it back into the boat, so he hung onto the transom and was towed to shore with the boat.

Once close to shore, the boat was bailed out and pulled to the beach. No one was hurt. Well, except Andy's camera.

The island was buzzing with excitment. There will be a wedding! Who, you ask? A few years ago, on a TX200, Chris Tomsett and Cathy Wright met on this very spot... Paul's Mott. He grew to love her more than shrimp, and she grew to love him as much as she does Major (her dog)! So, they decided they should get married on this little plot of land. So the planning began.

There was a tropical theme to this wedding. Everybody was given a lei and the girls wore grass skirts. Andy Linn became a licenced minister just to preform the ceremony. And it wouldn't have been complete without the costume, and preformed in front of the mast that resembles a cross.

There was cake and champagne. The ceremony was followed by a gumbo and rice meal prepared by Jason Nabors. And let me tell you, it was very tasty. Jason did a fantastic job fixing the meal right there on the beach. I was impressed.

TX200...Hap's Cut to PIYC

Wednesday June 13, 2012

Yes, everything I heard about Hap's Cut is true. The mud is DEEP, and hard to wash off. The redeeming quality about Hap's Cut is the big beach and shade.

This is Major, Cathy Wright's dog. He is a well traveled dog. As everyone was packing and loading their boats, he patiently waited by the gear and anchor to be put on the boat.

We left Hap's Cut around 7:15 am. It was a smooth sailing day. Lot's of dolphins and one jumped out of the water within 10 feet of our bow.

This is Mike Beebe's paradox. He says she is not quite finished, but finished enough to make the trip. I was glad to see a paradox on this trip.

We arrived at the entrance of PIYC (Padre Island Yacht Club) and the wind was right on the nose. Some had to be towed in if they did not have a motor. We brought a motor, so we anchored, pulled the sails down and mounted the motor. We were able to get in to a slip with no trouble.

Priorities... after getting off the boat, I grabbed a beer... and then took a shower. I washed off three days of sweat, salt, mud and felt human again. There was a hamburger meal served that was so good, complete with potato salad, beans, chips, brownies and ice cream. Oh, and A/C !

The chart was pulled out and the next days route was discussed.

The yacht club was kind enough to let us camp out on their lawn, or roll out a sleeping pad in the building or on the patio. I thought to myself, I will sleep good tonight. Awdree Green grabbed me and told me she wanted me to sleep upstairs in the room where she would be staying. Later in the evening, around 10:30, I was ready for sleep. Unfortunatley, a group of gentlemen were playing cards on the other end of the room, so the lights were on. Within minutes, they started to disassemble and the lights were turned off. I thought now I can sleep. I laid there and listened to the snoring. Quickly I realized I would not be able to fall asleep, so I got up and went down stairs. There I found Gordo Barcomb sitting with a beer and a book. He shared an extra beer and we visited for quite a while.

TX200...Port Mansfield to Hap's Cut

Tuesday June 12, 2012

We pulled anchor about 7:15 am and headed out across the Laguna Madre, caught the channel and headed north. Winds were behind us and about 20 knots. We stopped for lunch. Had tuna sandwiches and tea. Andy Linn and Lindsey on Ooze Goose stopped also.

Traveler hit 10.7 knots and averaged 7, with only one sail up.

Our next camp is Hap's Cut. I had heard the stories about the mud there. And, they are all true. But, there is a big shade tree with a picnic table. Everyone gathered and exchanged stories.

Lindsey was crew for Andy Linn. I understand that Lindsey heard many stories from Andy. Even after 5 days of conversation, I'm sure she hasn't heard but a few of Andy's many tales. Everyone fell in love with Lindsey and was glad she was on the trip. We want to see her join us again next year.

Below are the boats beached and anchored at Hap's Cut.

TX200...Port Isabel to Port Mansfield

Monday June 11, 2012

We packed the boat this morning and got going at 7:48 am from Sands Motel in Port Isabel. The winds were light as we started down the ICW through Laguna Madre. We only flew the foresail, because we knew the winds would pick up.. and they did, 20 knots gusting to 28. We passed several, that's always fun!

At Port Mansfield, we decided to hang a right and camp at the islands there. When we made the turn, Jason and Brittany on Bonita, and Andy Linn and Linsey on Ooze Goose followed us. As we approached the island, we started to drag, so we made our way around to the other side. It was just as shallow there. Jumping off... into the MUD... we pulled Traveler as far as we could up to the beach. Jason and Brittany pulled up with us. After discussing it, we all decided to camp at Fred Stone Park in Port Mansfield. The winds calmed sometime during the night.

Charlie and I didn't have anything for lunch, so we were both starving. After anchoring, we pulled out the summer sausage, cheese, crackers and tea ... and it was delicious!

This was a very good experience. I loved it.

TX200...day 2

In order for us to have the trailers at the finish, the boats were launched on Saturday, then the trailer were taken to Seadrift today. The drivers hopped on a chartered bus and brought them back to Port Isabel. It was a 5 hour drive one way.

Meanwhile, there were 8 of us that didn't need to make the trip, so we stayed behind. What did we do? We thought we should visit the beach. We walked to the shuttle stop, when the bus stopped, we asked the driver if a dog could ride. He said yes, so Cathy Wright and I went to get Major...Cathy's wonderful black and tan wiener dog. He wanted to go to the beach too!

We stopped in a shop and the sundresses were on sale for $19.99. I can usually resist, but not today.

The afternoon was spent relaxing and listening to past TX200 stories. And I'm certain I will be recounting my TX200 stories for weeks. Everyone will get tired of my sentences starting with, "on the 200..."

About 7 this evening, most of us gathered at the resturant. That room was filled with the chatter of boat builders and sailors, telling their stories, voicing their ideas. It was great!

Tomorrow we head out for the first camp. This will be the biggest sailing adventure for me. Hopefully I will have more pictures next post.

"Masts up, keels down"

Awdree, Brittany, Tim and Matthew

Gordo & Cathy

TX200...day 1

My day started at Magnolia Beach, at the home of Charlie Jones. It is a wonderful A frame home, I love it.

We got on the road about 10 this morning. Saw Saint John Wright from Bastrop, stopped along side the road, so we stopped and visited with him for a minute.

We have had a wonderful afternoon visiting with everyone. I recognized many names from reading the various forums, but now I have a face and personality to attach to it. Charlie and I have been invited to the gathering with Cathy and Chris. More about them in a few days.

Anyway. This has been a blast so far, and I haven't even been in the water...well, except for when I slipped at the ramp. :-)

More tomorrow...

TX200 2012

This is a trip I have been wanting to take since I first heard about it in 2009. That year, I kept up with the Spot maps of a couple of people. In 2010, I went to Magnolia Beach and took s/v iDuck to sail the bay while waiting for all the boats to arrive at the beach. Everyone looked worn out from six days of sailing, but I decided I had to make this trip one year. This is my year. s/v TARDIS is not complete, so I decided to sign on as crew on someone else's boat. Charlie Jones graciously invited me to crew for him on s/v Traveler.

We are driving down to Port Isabel on Saturday. I know some of the participants, and I am anxious to meet the rest. This is a great group of people and I know this will be a trip to remember the rest of my life.

Okay... what to pack. Hummm, in the sun, heat, wind and splash.... all day. Camp out most nights... maybe one shower that week... Charlie might want to sit up wind of me, come about day 3. This will be a week free of makeup and hairdryer. Man, I feel sorry for Charlie, I won't have to look at me, but he will.

I will try to post along the way, but from what I understand, there is not much cell coverage. I am taking two cameras. One is waterproof, the other is not. And, of course, there will be a video made after it's all said and done.

Okay... back to packing. Bikini, ahhh, maybe not. Long sleeve shirts, long pants, sunglasses, hat... yeah, I got this.....

Until next time....

Liam Robert Vile Junod a.k.a. ROCKET

On Friday, June 1, 2012, my second grandchild was born. The baby is a beautiful little boy. He has a big brother, Aiden, age three. When asked what to name the baby, Aiden decided on Rocket. So, for the past 5 or 6 months, the baby has been referred to as "baby Rocket". Bill, the father, is quite the comedian and chimed right in and started calling the baby, Rocket. The name has stuck.

Big brother Aiden, was a little afraid of Rocket at first. He didn't want to touch him, but warmed up pretty quick.

Bill is such a natural. He is so good with both the kids.

I am Nana. I didn't feel like a "grandma" or a "granny"... Nana fits me.