November 23-26

Thanksgiving Cruise to Houston

After four years in Corpus Christi, we're a little sad about leaving. We will miss our friends here, and the sailing and anchoring around Corpus Christi Bay has been great, but we are excited that this is the first step of our cruising life. While Kiva is in great shape for weekend gunkholing, it needs to have some updating and maintenance before we can call it home and feel safe sailing around the Caribbean.

Even though we still have not sold our home in San Antonio, we decided to move the boat to Kemah, near Houston, to take advantage of all the marine professionals in that area. So on the morning of Thanksgiving day, we and our friends Shaun and Bryan castoff our lines for the last time to move the boat up the coast to Clear Lake.

Although the trip can be done offshore in about a day, we decide to take it easy and we also don't want to miss Thanksgiving dinner. So on Turkey Day, we motor down the ICW from Corpus to anchor just short of Port O'Connor while our two galley mates (Terri and Bryan) cook up a huge Thanksgiving dinner to be ready in time for dinner. The day is fantastic and there is not too much traffic in the ditch and we drop anchor just between the ICW and Army Hole. The bird is ready and a the side dishes look like we are expecting a real army to show up any minute.

As the captain of the boat (my wife said it was OK to say so), I was officially designated to carve the bird. There were a few panic moments when the turkey seemed to have no meat on it at all as every time I tried to cut the bird with electric knife it bounces right off the carcass. After a conference with the crew and the kitchen staff, we figured out that the bird was upside down in the roaster. Obviously, the bird was not the only one baked that afternoon.

Early the next day, we went off shore to sail up the coast to Freeport to spend the night at the Bridge Harbor Yacht Club. Built about 20 years ago as a high-end condo/marina yacht club, it has been going downhill steadily since it opened. Arriving after dark, our reserved space at the bulkhead has been taken by another boat. The girl working the office doesn't seem to be concerned about trying to maneuver a 52 foot sailboat in the tight confines of the inner harbor. She eventually decides to give us a slip near the gas dock. Unfortunately, we get aground (lightly) just before we completely get into the slip and then there is no power at the power post for this dock. We're happy to to see the marina behind us the next morning.

Saturday sees us motoring in the ICW towards Clear Lake via Galveston. The weather has held up and we arrive late afternoon at Watergate Marina, our new home for Kiva. Just turning into the slip, the engine dies and everyone runs around trying to keep the boat from bouncing against the pilings and other boats. Luckily, we tie her off with no problems. Now I'm ready to plug in the 50 amp cord into the plug on the dock that also says "50 amp". After several minutes I realize that that the dock plug is not the right kind for the cord, so we will not have power until Monday when the marina can change the plug.

Welcome to cruising!

A friendly dolphin gives us a sendoff from Corpus Christi.

Brian is getting the bird....

Just like on land, the guys are watching football in the den.

Chef Terri whipping up a batch of cranberry sauce.