Coastal Cruising Into 2012

For the second year in a row a small group of friends from the Texas200 and the Central Texas Boatcrafters and Messers decided to cruise into the new year at the helm of their small boats. Last year saw us cruising down Lake Travis from top to bottom. This year, low water levels and short boat ramps due to ongoing drought conditions suggested a change of venue was in order, so we settled on a coastal cruise beginning in Ingleside at the Bahia Marina which sits on Corpus Christi Bay about halfway up the Texas coast. Our sailing destinations were left open until departure to allow for the weather. This year the fleet was whittled down by scheduling conflicts and family engagements to just three boats. The Intrepid Ingleside Expeditioners were:

Stan Roberts soloing aboard Spartan, a 15 ft. Jim Michalak designed and self built Family Skiff.
Pehr Jansson skippered his Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2 with Wai-Kit “Sammy” Lam as crew.
Chris Tomsett and Cathy Wright crewed on Otter, a John Welsford designed Sherpa stretched to 11 feet, with a geriatric wiener dog named Major barking out orders.

With a forecast of partly cloudy skies and south - southeast winds of 6-10 knots for Saturday and Sunday shifting around to the north-northeast and freshening to 10 -15 knots Monday morning, we charted our course for the weekend. We would sail out to the Shamrock Cove area on Saturday and find a nice protected place to camp along Mustang Island. Sunday we would sail to either Shell Back Island or Turtle Bayou off of the Lydia Ann Channel for the next night of camping. Monday morning we would sail on to Rockport where Stan's wife, Bride, would give us a ride back to our vehicles in Ingleside. The weather, of course, had something completely different in mind.

We would sail out to the Shamrock Cove area on Saturday and find a nice protected place to camp along Mustang Island.

Friday, December 30
We met at the Bahia Marina in Ingleside on Friday, December 30. Chris had sailed over from Port Aransas where we had been vacationing with family while I shuttled the last of the holiday visitors to the airport and did some provisioning for the trip. Stan had launched his boat at the public ramp just up the street from Bahia Marina. In case you have never been there before, the Bahia Marina is a cruiser's paradise. You can tie up there for $10/night and use the showers, laundry facilities, swimming pool, and fill your water tanks. They are dog friendly and have an on-site store where you can get drinks, snacks, and an odd assortment of items (cash or check only, no plastic). There was a lively card game going on inside the store when I arrived. Although it was after hours and the store had already closed, the owner had told the card players to go ahead and continue their game, pay for anything they consumed, and lock up on their way out. Chris and Stan spent the afternoon on the store’s patio, enjoying some cold beer and good conversation with Ingleside sailors about possible campsites and anchorages around the area.

Stan had launched his boat at the public ramp just up the street from Bahia Marina.

We had originally intended to spend Friday night camped out on an island about 100 yards in front of the marina in Ingleside Cove. However, heavy fog set in before we could leave so we arranged to stay at the marina for the night. Pehr and Sammy arrived in Ingleside too late to launch that night and opted to stay at an area motel with the plan to launch early Saturday. We heated up some beanie weenies on our Coleman propane one-burner and then Chris and I set our tent up in a grassy area near the bath house. It wasn't until the next morning that we realized it was the doggie potty area.

Saturday, December 31
Our day of departure was very foggy with visibility of about a quarter mile, temperatures in the mid-50's and southeast winds of about 5 knots. Our first night's camp was to be in one of the coves on Mustang Island in the area behind Shamrock Island, a distance of about 7 miles from Bahia Marina in a direct route across the bay. We were hoping to get there before dark in order to find a protected campsite. We waited around the marina, drinking coffee from the marina store (self-serve, 50 cents, put your money in the cup on the counter), waiting for the fog to lift as forecasted and for Pehr to arrive. This gave me a chance to get our gear and meals organized for packing into Otter as we had been busy with family over the holidays and had not had a chance to do so. Roger Harlow and his wife, Gay, fellow members of the Central Texas Boat Builders and Messers, live nearby and drove over to visit with us for a while. They invited us to join them for breakfast but we were anxious to get underway and, after Pehr motored across to the cove, decided to go ahead and leave Ingleside as it appeared the fog was beginning to lift.

Our day of departure was very foggy with visibility of about a quarter mile, temperatures in the mid-50's and southeast winds of about 5 knots.

Having no motor and not wanting to dawdle in the foggy ship channel, we accepted Stan’s offer of a tow out of Bahia Marina and across the La Quinta and Corpus Christi ship channels (Ingleside lies near the intersection). As we approached the channel we could hear a fog horn and the rumbling of a large diesel in the distance to starboard, but could see nothing in the fog. We had visibility of something less than a half mile& so we crossed the channel as a group, blasting our horns and announcing our presence and intentions on Vhf Channel 16. Some minutes after our noisy dart across the channels, as we lay hove-to discussing our route across C.C. bay, the dark shape of a barge emerged briefly from the fog only to disappear just as quickly back into the swirling mist as it made its way out the C.C. ship channel toward Port Aransas and beyond. Stan cast off our painter and the 3 little boats& began their slow tack in light winds through the gradually thinning fog. Major, having given orders to be wakened at any sign of trouble or dog snacks, settled down for a nap, staying fairly warm up near the mast in his dog sweater and life jacket. I won't say he was happy about it, I can only say he was resigned to it.

Major, having given orders to be wakened at any sign of trouble or dog snacks, settled down for a nap, staying fairly warm up near the mast in his dog sweater and life jacket.

Conditions gradually improved with sunny skies and Pehr was the first to disappear from view as his boat is faster than ours. Stan luffed up and hung around with us but by late afternoon asked if we would mind if he motored ahead to find a campsite in order to arrive before dark. He tried to persuade us to take a tow, but we declined, opting to sail on as it had turned out to be one of those rare days in January with temperatures in the low 70’s, clear skies, and a nice southeasterly breeze. We were adequately prepared with our navigation lights, 2 GPS, plenty of grub, grog and goretex. We had just crossed the Intercoastal Waterway (whose crossing we celebrated with spicy chicharones, kippered herring and cool beverages), our GPS showed us to be about 3 miles from Green Shack Cove near Mustang Island, and we expected to make landfall near sundown. As the sun made its way across the sky in search of its own anchorage, the wind and temperature began to drop and the fog began to settle back in around us. Although we were still sailing comfortably, if slowly, our windward progress had dropped to near nothing so Chris took to the oars. Not for long though, as the wind filled back in to be the best that it had been all day. We returned to our sailing as the fog thickened with visibility dropping occasionally to about 100 yards or so at times. It was strange how the fog behaved, sometimes we would see patches of clear sky and stars above us, but most of the time we were completely enveloped by it. We had a lively sail with an occasional wave spraying across the boat. Major was a picture of misery as he shivered, now in the stern sheets, but he kept his temper, never abusing his crew, and casting only the occasional disapproving glance at the helmsman.

Major was a picture of misery as he shivered, now in the stern sheets, but he kept his temper, never abusing his crew, and casting only the occasional disapproving glance at the helmsman.

Pehr and Sammy had a very pleasant sail across to Shamrock Island. After the fog lifted a small group of dolphins joined up with them. Dolphins are a fairly common sight in this area; Stan’s wife Bride said she had also seen several in the Ingleside area while waiting for us to return. Even if common, they never cease to delight. At least one dolphin made repeated passes under the Harpoon turning upside down doing so; showing off her white belly as she darted under the boat making her easy to follow in the relatively clear water. This game went on for five to ten minutes. Unfortunately the dolphins were way too fast for Sammy to capture them on a photograph.

After arriving at Shamrock Island, Pehr and Sammy lingered about for a while, waiting for sails to arrive over the Northeastern horizon. After some time, they saw a sail that they could identify as Spartan. They sailed up to Stan and the decision was made to look for a campsite over on Mustang Island instead of Shamrock as the latter is marked as a bird sanctuary.

The decision was made to look for a campsite over on Mustang Island instead of Shamrock.

As we approached Mustang Island we saw a large (30-35 ft.) sailboat that was anchored close to shore. Speaking of boats passing in the night, if we had talked to them, we would have learned that Stan and Pehr were just ahead of us, heading East/Northeast along the shore in an attempt to intercept our course. Our boats possibly passed within a couple hundred yards of each other without ever seeing or hearing the other. When we came abreast of the anchored sailboat, we turned south to run parallel down the shoreline, hoping to see Stan and Pehr. We swept the beach with our flashlight, hoping they would see us and signal their location, but they did not. We tried to reach them on the Vhf radio as well, but did not receive a reply. Pehr also tried to reach us, but he too failed to make contact. We went about a mile down the shore to Shamrock Island and, after wading the boat across a sand bar, tucked ourselves into a nice little cove for the night. Chris pulled Otter up on the small shingle and set out the anchor as insurance against rising tides. Major though was not satisfied and so dug the anchor back up and barked his orders at Chris to reset the thing properly. We were thinking this cove might be a good overnight stop for the Texas200, but a sign indicated no trespassing during the months of February through August as it is a bird nesting ground during those months.

Chris pulled Otter up on the small shingle and set out the anchor as insurance against rising tides.

Just after he and Stan reached Mustang Island, Pehr contacted us by radio and gave us their position. Stan said he would try signaling us with his strobe so we could locate them, but we couldn't see it due to the dense fog as well as being over a mile away. We made plans for them to join us on Shamrock Island the next day. We put the tent up and I cooked macaroni & cheese with corned beef. It was really nice to have a hot meal as we had gotten pretty cold while wading the boat around. Major, very hungry from all that shivering and barking of orders, ate nearly his weight in dog food before setting upon the crew's leftovers. We turned in for the night, too tired to make a camp fire or stay up to greet the new year. Over on Mustang Island, Pehr cooked up a great meal of curried salmon. Stan, Pehr and Sammy built a nice campfire on the beach with Presto logs and toasted the New Year with cold champagne and great conversation. Pehr and Sammy set up a tent on the beach while Stan rigged a boom tent on Spartan and camped aboard.

Pehr and Sammy set up a tent on the beach while Stan rigged a boom tent on Spartan and camped aboard.

Happy New Year!
A cool front arrived overnight bringing some light showers, more fog and a blustery north wind. The fog disappeared fairly early and we found Corpus Christi Bay to be a sea of white caps. Chris obtained readings of 22-25 knots with gusts of 28 on his wind indicator, though it had blown much harder at times through the night. We discovered that the little beach we were on, showing on the chart to be a small island lying within a cove of Shamrock Island, had actually filled in to become part of the main island. I'm glad that we chose, in the darkness, to wade the boat around in a clockwise direction as going in a counter-clockwise direction would have yielded much less satisfactory results! As it was, our little cove afforded us excellent protection from both wind and waves. We contacted Stan by radio and learned that their campsite was about 2 miles East of us on Mustang Island and about a half mile North of the anchored sailboat we had seen as we came in. It had become a lee shore overnight and apparently they were having quite a time as Pehr's boat was bashing about in the wind and waves. Stan had dragged his boat ashore the night before and it was now high and dry as a result of low tide combined with the effect of the north wind pushing water out of the bay.

Chris obtained readings of 22-25 knots with gusts of 28 on his wind indicator, though it had blown much harder at times through the night.

Since there was no reason for us to rush off, we decided on a leisurely breakfast followed by boat chores while we waited on the weather to improve. I cooked Kielbasa sausage over our Coleman stove, topped it with Tillamook cheese, and served it with avocado and apple slices, coffee, and hot chocolate. Afterward, I cleaned up the dishes and Chris worked on Otter. We had brought along 50 feet of new line for replacing the sail lacing and he spent the better part of the day working on that in the now, not so helpful, wind. Major enjoyed himself immensely, rolling in anything that smelled interesting to him, and exploring the island with me. We found a large stingray that had been marooned on the beach, lots of shells, and a surprisingly small amount of litter: only one beer can, 2 plastic water bottles, and a Doritos bag. I made popcorn for an afternoon snack and discovered that Major likes it, too. While we were hanging around, 2 kite boarders came screaming up the bay and entered our cove. One of them actually waved to us as he went by! Chris was able to contact Stan by cell phone and learned that they were also sitting tight for the day. Stan mentioned sailing downwind to Snoopy's for lunch the following day and taking the boats out there. A meal at Snoopy's sounded very tempting but the only problem with taking out there would be having to deal with getting a ride to Ingleside to get the vehicles and trailers. The wind eventually eased off to about 10-15 knots, the sun was shining, and it was all quite magnificent. I gathered firewood for that evening and cooked Jambalaya over the propane stove for dinner while Chris took a break from his loafing around long enough to dig a firepit in the sand. Major never skips a meal but he was very tired from his busy day and snuck off to the tent where he burrowed down inside my sleeping bag (recall what he was rolling in earlier in the day). We had a nice campfire but I may have stood a little too close to it at times as I discovered the next morning that I had scorched my fleece pants in several places.

Major enjoyed himself immensely, rolling in anything that smelled interesting to him, and exploring the island with me.

Over at the Mustang campsite, Stan had suggested sailing to Shamrock to join us that afternoon but, considering the time required to break camp and load the Harpoon along with the possibility that the wind might increase in the meantime, it was decided to remain there. The anchor from Spartan was transferred to the Harpoon and the boat was moved into deeper water and anchored to prevent it from being driven ashore. Spartan was allowed to dry out on the mud since it is shallow and light enough to move easily, as well as being more comfortable to sleep on when beached. A nice windbreak area was selected for the evening campfire and a pit was dug in the sand. The afternoon was spent relaxing, reading, exploring, and taking naps in the sun. Sammy found a large octopus washed up on the beach, which was very interesting and unusual to see. Stan improved his boom tent by dropping the bow end almost to the foredeck to seal out the strong winds, making Spartan much more snug a camper. In the evening, Pehr once again showed off his culinary abilities and whipped up a chili on rice dinner with fresh chopped onions and avocado. Sitting in the comfort of the wind break, the after-dinner conversation around the Presto log was made even livelier by a nice bottle of Merlot.

Sammy found a large octopus washed up on the beach, which was very interesting and unusual to see.

Monday, January 2, 2012
This was our last day and we were once again greeted by high wind and white caps all over the bay along with cooler temperatures of about 40 degrees. At least the fog was finally gone. We contacted Stan by radio and he said that Pehr and Sammy were leaving for Ingleside under power fairly soon. The weather report on the Vhf was forecasting decreasing wind for the afternoon so we decided to wait until later in the day before making a decision about whether to head for Snoopy's or Ingleside. We had oatmeal for breakfast with coffee and hot chocolate. I packed up the sleeping bags, air mattresses, and tent and Chris got everything stowed away and tied down on Otter. Stan was waiting on high tide in order to get his boat off the beach and planned to join us at our campsite as soon as he could. Pehr and Sammy loaded their camping gear back on the Harpoon and moved the boat further offshore and anchored it prior to leaving. Spartan was cleaned up, gear stowed, and moved to deeper water at this time also.

I packed up the sleeping bags, air mattresses, and tent and Chris got everything stowed away and tied down on Otter.

Stan arrived just before noon after a frolicsome trip under motor down the coast and we agreed that we should wait for the wind to diminish as predicted and then sail back to Ingleside rather than head South to Snoopy's. We both got out snacks to share and sat on the beach behind some mangroves where it was quite warm. I made Poor Man's Paté (1 can vienna sausage, a spoonful of mayo, mash it all up real good, top with a squeeze of sweet pickle relish), opened a can of tropical fruit, and brought out the Tillamook cheese. Stan had corn nuts, beef jerky (Major loved Stan), fig newtons, and crackers. It was nice to sit around in the warm sun, sharing snacks and conversation. A roseate spoonbill arrived to fish the cove. Around 1:00, it looked like most of the white caps were gone and Otter and Spartan sailed back to Ingleside together, shaking out our reefed sails after the first hour. Of course, the wind diminished to almost nothing by the time we got to the Bahia Marina entrance and Chris had to row the last hundred yards.

It was nice to sit around in the warm sun, sharing snacks and conversation. A roseate spoonbill arrived to fish the cove.

Pehr and Stan were met at the public launching ramp by a couple of Ingleside sailors who were concerned about the group and wanted to make sure all had returned safely. There is a nice group of small boat sailors in Ingleside and it is a very friendly place to sail out of. So, for the second year in a row, the New Year's Cruise was enjoyed by all participants and we look forward to the 2013 Cruise.

Observations:

Winter on the Gulf Coast can provide some of the best sailing of the year. There are a lot of beautiful, sunny, cool days with winds 10-15 knots, and very few people and boats out. Northers bring temporary cold and strong winds but, with proper clothing, a well prepared boat, good food, and a snug anchorage, they are not a deterrent. Winter sailing requires appropriate clothing. Fleece, polypropylene, and wool are great and a layering system is necessary. Cotton clothing can be uncomfortable and possibly dangerous in wintertime, it will absorb water easily, retain it well, and dry slowly. Rubber boots, dinghy racing boots, diving boots and boating shoes work well for winter sails. Remember to keep a spare dry pair of shoes for shore use and plenty of socks (synthetic or wool).

Pehr has reflected that while the morning weather conditions on New Years Day were unsuitable for sailing off of what had become the lee shore overnight, it could have been possible to sail over to join Chris and Cathy in the afternoon had he had the foresight to break camp in the morning. Preparing for a change in weather is not limited to changes for the worse; it can include being ready to take advantage of a break in the weather.

Small writing on a glow in the dark face doesn’t make for easy compass reading at night. Also, disable the power saving function of your GPS before trying to navigate at night.

As we have limited space, Stan offered to let Chris use his camp stove rather than packing our own. Because I had already brought it down to the boat, Chris went ahead and found a place for it. Since the boats got separated the first day, it’s a good thing we had it.

Chris was using our lighter for burning the ends of the new lacing for the sail. It occurred to me that we didn’t have a spare lighter or matches. Carrying a spare lighter or matches would have alleviated my excessive worry about the next morning’s coffee.

Our Magellan self-inflating air mattresses from Academy were as good as advertised although they didn't roll up as compactly as they were in the store.

Presto logs make great campfires, light easily, burn for hours, and leave a fine ash.

The dog should have his own sleeping bag.

If your skipper or any other crew member is a wiener dog, don't let him overeat just before bedtime; there is a good chance he will wake up during the night to puke on the crew's pillow.

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