On March 1, 2005, we once again left Waterford Harbor in Kemah, Texas on our 41 foot Irwin ketch, Escapades. We had returned to Kemah in 2002 after sixteen months of cruising. I thought at that time I would never be willing to cruise again - but here I am. The decision for me was partly because there is nothing else I want to do right now and partly because I want a home away from the Texas heat (and I will be looking). Of course Bob still has dreams of seeing the world from the cockpit of a sailboat. Obviously, some compromise will have to be made. For now we will make our way down the ICW - in no hurry - waiting for cruising friends, Bob and Jeannie, to catch up with us.
We made many mistakes on our first cruising voyage that we hope not to repeat. One of them was having a schedule with set destinations. Determined to start out differently this time, we spent our first week in Offatts Bayou in Galveston Bay. The ultimate goal for this year is to spend the summer in New England - or not.
Share our current adventures as we go or follow the link Cruising Archive to check our voyages from 2001/2002.
March, 2005. We decided once again to head down the ditch. It's a great opportunity to get in the mood for cruising. . That may not be the best thing to do on the GIWW because many anchorages are not big enough to accommodate two boats. Originally there were to be three boats in our group and that could have been tough at some anchorages.
Our buddy boater on Noname (name changed to protect us all) was a single hander and certainly added excitement to the portion of the voyage we shared. Many of these adventures are recounted under the label "ICW Misadventures". We couldn't decide if it was good having him along because he soaked up all the bad karma or if it is dangerous because he was too close to us. Apparently he must have been wondering the same thing because we parted ways in New Orleans.
Click on the photos below for a larger view.
 Offatts Bayou March 1-7 Anchorage: N 29 016.936, W094050.854From Offatts you can dingy into Moody Gardens and pick up all the attractions or just enjoy a nice walk around the property. This is a top-notch anchorage for comfort. Absolutely no rolling the four times we've anchored there even in strong south winds. I've known only two other anchorages that compare for comfort - Luperon, D.R., and Francis Bay in St. John, USVI. Our good friend Dolores came to Moody Gardens during our week there to act as our taxi driver. What a nice thing to do. She's just special that way. If you see her at the West Marine in League City, TX please say "hi" for us.
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 Steve's
LandingMarch 8 Anchorage: N 29020.019, W094038.701 We would not recommend this stop unless it is a must or you just want to eat out. We had been told that it was free to tie-up for the night if you ate in the restaurant - not so. It is $25.00/night with no amenities - not even bathrooms. The food was pretty good but we would not have spent additional money for it had we known.
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 Taylor
Outfall BayouMarch 9 Anchorage: N 29 049.642, W093059.391This is another "would not stop" place. This anchorage is a narrow channel and we had lots of trouble anchoring. Not sure what the problem was but we reset the anchor half a dozen times before we were comfortable with the set. Our friends, David and Damon on Bruadair, gave me a rod & reel before they headed off to Mexico. This was the first time I had a chance to try it. I've never fished in my life and have no idea what I'm doing. The fish must have known it too because I didn't even get a nibble. I'll keep trying though.
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Next Port: Texas Border to Morgan City
