7.22.9 Kemah Tx - return

We made the Gulf Crossing. Arrived in Key West after 6.5 days, then motored up to Marathon, Fl. from there i caught a shuttle and flew out of Ft Lauderdale home.

It was a non-stop adventure.

We untied from the dock (they were my neighbors in slip J7) and departed 2:30pm on a Sunday. This is a motorboat, hand made by the owner - Warren Gloss. (8 years and several modifications later it's now ready to travel to the Bahamas...) Crew: Captain - Warren, First Mate - Caroline, night crew - me, and Matt McDonald - Caroline's stepson.

First stop Galveston to top off the fuel tanks for the crossing. So about 7:30pm we are heading out the ships channel from Galveston with 1,000 gallons diesel chugging along at max speed six knots on a straight line toward Key West. It's getting dark, just past sunset and there are so many large ships around, the radar looks like a Polka Dot Pattern. We motor by anchored ships sitting just outside the channel waiting their turn to offload in the Houston harbour for over 2 hours. Huge huge tankers and cargo vessels as far as the eye can see and our little boat weaving along through them all straight as a string toward the Keys.

I worked nights 2a-8a. At 4:30am our little lifeboat Casper breaks it's lines as we tug it along attached to our boat. So we have to retie it and tow it all the way across the gulf. The next night we are somewhere past new orleans way out in the gulf and it's early morning hours, pitch black dark with just stars and oil rig lights around. i climb out on deck and count 42 oil rigs in sight - this from just their lights.

We were blessed with calm seas every day. it was smooth and flat. our daily routine was 6 hours on and 6 off. i worked the 2-8 shift. 2p-8p and 2a-8a. the other time i went below and slept. i also ate and we fished some. after a few days the routine took over and it's just another job...

We spent one night anchored out off Key West and had some hours out walking Duval St. It was a great adventure and i'm glad i went. I think i learned a lot.

-SKIP the pirate