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.