Aventura Eastbound I

GONE SAILING!!

Tue 10/21/14

The new Bimini and two solar panels have been installed.  Everything looks really good! Mike made the Bimini from scratch, his first try.  And he installed the solar panels with the requisite wiring.  Wow!  We've loaded up the boat with provisions, clothing, spare parts and completed all the maintenance/cleaning. 

Ready to go, right?  Well, not quite.  Weather in the Gulf of Mexico is rough and expected to stay so for a couple of days.  So, we spend two nights on the boat and play tourists in New Orleans for a day.

Thu 10/23/14

Left at 8:30 a.m. in rocky seas; waves kick up easily in shallow Lake Pontchartrain.  By the time we slid down the Rigolets and into the Gulf, things had quieted down.  But the wind would increase by evening through the next morning.  So, anchoring at one of the Mississippi islands was not a great idea, just for comfort because heavy swaying all night long would have kept us awake.  Pass Christian Harbor/Marina is a good choice.  The price is perfect: $21.40 per night total, including water and electricity, and all taxes/fees.  The cheapest anywhere.  Shaggy's Restaurant onsite is terrific and the tiny historic downtown is close.  Two nights in Pass Christian satisfied our desire for biking, good coffee shop, fresh seafood sold dockside and pleasant views.  We met Smitty with his catamaran, and other folks along the piers who were headed/returning from somewhere interesting.  Meeting people and socializing is easy and part of the allure of boating.  Sharing stories and info over a sunset beer on one's boat beats many landlubber activities for sure. 

Sat 10/25/14

Left Pass Christian 7:45 a.m., planning to make our way to Petit Bois Is., MS, the final one before Dauphin Is., AL.  The wind gods were good to us; we motorsailed at 6.5-7 knts. all the way to northern Dauphin Is. where we anchored in Pas Aux Herons, near the Mobile Bay bridge.  In time for a nice sunset, meal and early bedtime.  Just watch out for the flies; they're like cannibals at certain times of the year.  A swarm of them seemed to attach us out of nowhere as we were navigating the ICW on the way there.  How those creatures are able to fly long distances has me completely baffled.  Anchorage: 30 deg. 15.731’ N/88 deg. 09.482’ W; around 3/4 mi. from shore.  No protection if wind kicks up but very nice anchorage in mild weather and to be repeated again

Sun 10/26/14

We weighed anchor around 8:00 a.m. It was all motoring across Mobile Bay and inside the Alabama Canal (ICW).  Once in the Canal, it was lovely to see the pretty sights of homes and vegetation along the shores, past Lulu’s Restaurant (a favorite stop for food and marina services), The Wharf (a dressy marina and vendors-center, clashing with our attraction to more natural/funky settings in keeping with sailing), past Wolf Bay (an anchorage option), and into Ingram Bayou.  It was early, 4:00 p.m.-ish and, as we followed another sailboat in, we wondered if one of our all-time favorite anchorages might be full. Unfortunately, it’s not a secret.  Yet we were lucky enough to share this peaceful cove with the Southern Cross sailboat that preceded us.  Not to mention the Ospreys and dolphins, and maybe raccoons hidden to us by the vegetation, plus who knows how many other living creatures.  Bill came over from his sailboat on is kayak to pay us a visit.  After some wine and peanuts and plenty of conversation, Mike was invited to try the kayak.  See pic.  

Anchorage: 30 deg. 12.583’ N/89 deg. 24.128’ W

Mon 10/27

We dinghied over to Bill’s sailboat for coffee and admire his well-kept 1980 craft, which he singlehands.  We left for Pensacola, FL around 10:00 a.m., expecting a 4-hr. trip for the rest of the Alabama Canal, passing through Perdido Bay and Big Lagoon before entering Pensacola Bay.  Pretty all the way.  Never get tired of it.  Even when the weather is hot – say the 80’s! Finally in Pensacola Bay we were able to sail without the motors, just the sounds of nature.  Palafox Marina is great, not only because it is clean and modern, but also because it’s nestled in the historic downtown Pensacola so easy to enjoy by foot and bike.  Every time we come back, there are new establishments in keeping with the architecture of the area.  Between that and the waterfront, there’s nothing to complain about.  Except for the chores awaiting. 

Next: Destin Harbor – St. Andrew’s Bay and Panama City. Stay tuned and don’t forget to double click on the slideshow for better picture viewing.  Hasta luego, amigos! 

AVENTURA, our new catamaran

Bringing Aventura Home: As many times as we had sailed from Louisiana to Florida, you'd think bringing Aventura back from Pensacola to New Orleans would be an easy task. After all, we knew the passage, anchoring spots and marinas. Plus the weather was cooperating. But, one thing we know about sailing is that there are no givens. The four-day trip was packed with the unexpected. I guess naming our new (old) catamaran, a 37 Lagoon TPI, Aventura was asking for it! After polishing the fuel, getting the air bubbles out of one of the engines, we started off on Sat., April 7th in the afternoon. All fine crossing Pensacola Bay to the Alabama Canal and onward to Wolf Bay just off the Canal, for our first overnight. Raising the new-to-us boom furled mainsail was an interesting experience, and it went just fine. Anchoring at Wolf Bay in 10 ft. waters (our draft: 4 ft.), using a bridle and 35 lb. anchor went just fine. As usual we enjoyed the sounds and sights of nature's plenty: water, creatures, and distance from the industrial/tech environments we tend to live in. Sun., April 8th was Easter. Barge and other traffic while crossing Mobile Bay was minimal. We played with the sails, got a feel for best angles to the wind and other efficiencies. We crossed under the Dauphin Is. Bridge in the late afternoon, expecting to make Petit Bois Isl, MS for our next anchorage. Just west of the Bridge, with no warning at all, we suddenly lost steerage. What?! The depth meter read 12.9 ft. We were sure we hadn't seen crab traps. So we assumed something else had fouled the propeller(s). Something with enough weight to it where the boat didn't budge from where it lay just on the northern boundary of the channel. To make a long story short, we were grounded, at least the forward section of the starboard keel. The depth in the stern of the boat read 12.9 ft., and that is where the meter must be because at the bow we were hard aground an oyster bed in 3 ft. of water! After a fretful overnight with barge traffic menacing us, we finally broke loose around 9:30 a.m. next morning when the incoming tide provided us the lift needed. A good lesson for a sailing couple that had never run aground in 12 yrs. of sailing (with deeper keels, one must add). We made it to the western edge of Ship Is., MS for anchorage that evening ruminating on the experience that had gotten compounded by another "incident." The in-boom furling system failed us, or, rather, we failed it. So Mike struggled with the sail to bring it down and wrap it around the boom as best we could. Lesson #2 taught us that we must pay attention to the outhaul, batten placements along the boom and point of sail when raising the mainsail under this system. With much humility and joy we motored into South Shore Harbor Marina in New Orleans Tue., April 10th, greeted by our good friend and slip neighbor, George, who also has a catamaran (see http://sailgulfcoast.blogspot.com/2011/12/madisonville-boat-show-10-2011.html). Now our attention is on making this neat cat, Aventura, our new buddy on the waters.