New Orleans to Florida I

Mon 10/29/2012 We moved all the essentials onto AVENTURA and hunkered down in our marina for the night given heavy winds, choppy waters and cold weather that made us rethink when to depart. Good thing because we had a lovely evening/meal with our good friend George, our neighbor at the dock and proud Catamaran owner to boot. He lavished us with steaks for dinner and we shared wine plus great conversation until late.

Tue 10/30/2012 From Lake Pontchartrain we traveled through the Rigolets and out into the Gulf of Mexico's Mississippi Sound (ICW - Intercoastal Waterway)to the first island we could safely anchor at. Leaving at 8:45 a.m. we were able to drop the hook at Cat Is., MS near its northeastern edge (30 degrees 14.305 min N, 89 deg 03.816 min W) by 6:30 p.m.,in time for sunset. We had traveled 60 NM at speeds that sometimes reached 8 knots. Good speed, but we also had help from the following seas.

Wed 10/31/2012 Eager to move on, we pulled out before 8:00 a.m., hoping to reach Mobile Bay before evening. We chose to move outside the barrier islands of MS, out in the Gulf, in order to make better time. Of course, being out in the open Gulf in unprotected waters meant choppier seas. Once we got to the shipping lane between Dolphin Is. and Ft. Morgan, we headed into Mobile Bay. The winds and waves were increasing. We were carried by 14 knot winds. Overnighting in Mobile Bay did not seem a good option. So, we decided to continue our course and find protection within the Alabama Canal (ICW) which cuts through land between Mobile Bay and Pensacola Bay. By 9:00 p.m. we were anchored at Wolf Bay. In case you are considering a run like that (13 hrs), keep in mind that Mobile Bay is not lighted, and the Alabama Canal does have lighting but not consistently. We used flashlights to spot the unlighted markers and kept in line with the NOAA chart. Furthermore, we had help from the full moon. Wolf Bay proved to be an idealistic place to relax and recharge. A great way to spend Halloween! Anchorage: 30 deg 19.012 min N, 87 deg 35.430 min W.

 Thu 11/1/2012 We stayed anchored in Wolf Bay for a second night in order to enjoy a day of R&R. Relaxing, rowing around the Bay, enjoying a good nap and meals was the purpose. The only setback was when we took the dinghy out again. The idea was to go further in our exploration of the surroundings, therefore needing to use the motor. That only worked for all of 10 min. I'm confident Capt. Mike will figure out the problem and resolve it. Not withstanding the small inconvenience, this was an almost perfect day.

 Fri 11/2/202 We left around 9:00 a.m. for the 25 NM run to Pensacola Bay and Palafox Marina where we planned to spend a few nights. We had happened once before on the arts & crafts festival that takes place 5 blocks away at this time every year. And we wanted to enjoy it again. Plus our good friend Margie will be rendezvousing with us here for a couple of days on the boat, festival and all. We took our time traveling the Alabama Canal with its many attractive communities, crossing Perdido Bay and Big Lagoon on our way to Pensacola Bay. The weather was beautiful. Fishing, motor and sailing boats were out and about. People were flocking to the many beach fronts. Palafox Marina is a great marina with modern facilities and really good service. And a superb location downtown Pensacola and close to the Seville Park/quaint area which hosts the festival and attracts visitors. We arrived at Palafox at 1:30 p.m. and have been enjoying the marina's amenities throughout the afternoon, plus dinner at Jaco's overlooking the marina. It doesn't get better than this.

Mama and Friends on Pontchartrain Lake

What an incredible October day for sailing!  Temperatures in the upper 70's with clear skies, winds between 12 and 15 knots, speeds up to 7.2, and great company.  We are sailing our new (but old - year 1993) Jeaneau 37 ft. Lagoon TPI catamaran, Aventura, on Pontchartrain Lake, in the New Orleans area.  The Lake spans 25 mi. or so across and around 42 mi. wide.  It's a perfect boating lake with many interesting communities besides New Orleans itself, such as:  Slidell, Bayou Lacombe, Mandeville, and Madisonville, to name a few.  There's plenty to do on the Lake, but it's also very easy to get out into the Gulf of Mexico, just through the Rigolets.  And that's where Capt. Mike and myself, Gina, plan to slip off to in a couple of days.

In the meantime, we are enjoying a wonderful afternoon sail, sunset and all with three lovely guests:  Donatella,my mother (90 yrs. old), Pat and Mirella.  One of the wonderful feelings on a catamaran, or cat, is the stability and quicker speeds, especially when on a reach.  Another is the space, enough space to feel like you're in a condo.  Space in the cockpit for lounging, in the salon, and the deck, including trampoline and forward seat bucket.  And our group took full advantage of it.

Serious thinking people who put great effort into living properly deserve such breaks, don't you agree?

Sharon's Overnighter

One of the really neat features of a cat is its spaciousness when used as a "cabin on the water."  Mike and Gina had the pleasure of having Sharon, Mike's daughter, and her honey, Elliott, on board for an overnighter.  We left our marina in the late afternoon, mainly because the heat in New Orleans is already painful and sailed along the southern coast of Lake Pontchartrain to a section with a small beach.  This is just in front of the University of New Orleans.  The weather was fine, though the wind was a little too docile.  On the other hand, it made for a calm lake and great conditions for Sharon to try her hand at steering.

We got to watch a fantastic sunset, grill and dine in leisurely style, and then retire to  private cabins with queen-size beds.  This is one of the lessons of the sailing life:  enjoy nature, family and friends, away from the rat race and all the tensions that brings on.  Amen.

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.

Sailing The Gulf Coast

Sailing The Gulf Coast

What could  be more wonderful than to find a new boat!  Mike and Gina are getting ready to leave Island Cove Marina in Pensacola, FL where our new catamaran is harbored.  Aventura is a 37' Lagoon TPI (French but made in the U.S.).  At 20.3' wide, she promises to be more comfortable for our aging bones as well as just enough space for entertaining.  She has 2 queen berths and a single.  The salon offers great views; the cockpit serves as an extension to the sitting and dining area.  If we keep her light, we most certainly sail more swiftly than on our older Pearson 365 (up for sale), maybe 7 knots in fair weather and more in brisker winds. 

So we're prepping her now for the voyage back to New Orleans, our home port.  Look forward to our many adventures to follow.  Aventura:  "adventure" in the romance languages, and easy to understand in English. 

Madisonville Boat Show 10-2011

This year's Madisonville Boat Show in October was a big hit. The weather couldn't have been nicer. Mike and Gina, plus Gina's friend, Margie, traveled on George's pretty catamaran, Anejo, across the lake from New Orleans. A slight breeze had us motorsailing and enjoying ourselves. George and his daughter, Beverly, hosted us on his cat for the weekend so we could "do the show right." See the embedded slides!

A Major Change in Our Boating Life

Talisman, our Pearson 365 ketch as of three years, was fixed. Actually a minor problem. Capt. Mike found that there was air in the shaft seal and, bingo, resolved. However, in the process of going off to Florida for a few days and rethinking the whole sailing paradigm, we made a crucial decision.

No, it wasn't all overnight; for a while we had been questioning whether we shouldn't select another kind of boat to see us through a new stage of travels. A stage that would take us to the Bahamas more comfortably. After all, we're not getting any younger. So, comforts like ease of handling (furling systems, better winches, lines leading to cockpit, etc.), more space (sleeping, dining, galley...), less healing have become more important. Hey, that spells C_A_T_A_M_A_R_A_N. Yes we are looking into that possibility.

We thought through the ideas of larger monohull or a trawler, but the cat seems more what we are looking for. After sailing on a Privelege 39 several times, we got really, seriously interested.

So, that's where we are. And we've made progress. More later about the search.

For now, go to the link to check out Talisman. It might be right for YOUR stage in the sailing life: http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1979/Pearson-365-2358553/NEW-ORLEANS/LA/United-States

Not in the stars

Murphy's Law is toying with us! We had planned to cruise a month along the Gulf Coast, including MS, AL and the FL Panhandle. Friday the outboard motor for our dinghy gave trouble. It was finally cleaned out and purring smoothly, but we would have to wait for Saturday morning to depart. Saturday, as I was filling the fridge with perishable goods, I realized that the fridge was not cooling. After changing out the wiring to the DC panel, the fridge began cooling again, and we sighed in relief. But too late to set sail. So we decided to leave everything ready for departure on the next day. That meant dry and refrigerated foods/drinks, bedding, clothes, bathroom goods, and so forth.

Sunday morning, we cast off from the dock and feeling great, anticipating a wonderful trip/adventure. Just as we were ready to come around the bend where the marina connects to Pontchartrain Lake, Talisman's engine let out a series of strange, screeching sounds. Not a lament but rather an obstinate I-won't-go-anywhere type of sound. Capt. Mike decided it was no good trying to fix it or get help on a Sunday. We headed back to the slip, tied up our beloved Talisman.

A bit frustrated, we decided it was time to take a breather and think things through. But away from our boat and from New Orleans. So we decided to take a few days off, drive over to Pensacola, FL and back through Fairhope, AL, get the cobwebs out of our brain, and tackle the problem with a fresh mind and will upon our return.

That is the situation, my friends and followers. If anybody has some ideas about the noise, please speak up. Otherwise, I will post an update in a few days. We're optomistic that whatever the problem, there will be a solution and that we'll still take some sort of trip, though shortened.

Chalk it up to experience. Hasta luego!