STORY BY PAUL GUAJARDO<\/p>\n
\u201cCoast Guard Searches for Missing Sailboat<\/strong>: Houston\u2014The Coast Guard began searching for a missing sailboat with one adult and two children on board this evening near Double Bayou, in upper Galveston Bay. A Coast Guard Sector Houston\/Galveston watch-stander received a call from a sailing partner at 7:08 p.m. reporting the 21-foot sailboat had not arrived at the scheduled rendezvous and that he had lost contact with the sailboat around 4 p.m. Coast Guard Air Station Houston has launched an HH-65-C Dolphin helicopter to search for the missing sailboat. The people on board were planning a sailing trip from Clear Lake to Double Bayou, an 18-mile transit.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s not every birthday that you make the evening news. All I wanted was a peaceful cruise with my boys on my birthday boat, but what I got instead was a bouncy bash to windward, a broken motor bracket, a submerged motor, a Coast Guard helicopter search, and a near-miss by an alligator.<\/p>\n But let\u2019s start at the beginning. For two decades I\u2019ve been an ardent fan of the cat-ketch rig. I\u2019ve owned three Sea Pearls, including a trimaran. For a few years, we owned a Beachcomber 25 cat-ketch. And once, I flew my family to the Virgin Islands where we bought a Freedom 33, with free-standing carbon-fiber masts, and then slowly sailed home savoring stops in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and the Louisiana swamps.<\/p>\n The cat-ketch rig has been around for more than a hundred years, and the Sea Pearl is loosely based on an old design by L. Francis Herreshoff. Halsey Herreshoff has also designed several boats with this unique rig. The Sea Pearl weighs a scant 600 pounds, but water ballast adds an additional 400 pounds, or so. Reminiscent of a whale boat, the Sea Pearl is double ended and just 5\u2019 6\u201d wide with a draft of 6\u201d\u2014with the leeboards up. With the canvas cover over the center cockpit, there is just enough space for a chummy couple to sleep snugly.<\/p>\n Despite crowded quarters, Sea Pearls have made some intrepid voyages. Readers of Small Craft Advisor<\/em> are well aware of Ginny and Steve Ladd\u2019s voyage to Argentina. And back in 1986, 16 year-old Shane St. Claire sailed 5000 miles on a Sea Pearl from Tarpon Springs, Florida (where the boats are built) along the east coast, up the Hudson River, across the Erie Canal to the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi and back to Florida. The six month voyage was accomplished on roughly ten dollars per day.<\/p>\n I remember well, trying to talk my wife into letting me purchase my first Sea Pearl 21. <\/p>\n \u201cHey Lora, there\u2019s a great deal on a cute little cat-ketch.\u201d My voice cracks a little.<\/p>\n \u201cYou already have too many boats. You certainly don\u2019t need another,\u201d she says firmly.<\/p>\n \u201cCome look at how cute she is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about I surf the web, and you cook dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust take a quick peek. She\u2019s got a navy hull and yellow sails.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow many sailboats do you need? You\u2019ve got one in the garage, one in the backyard, one in mini-storage, and one at the marina.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t you hate that kind of logic? But I wasn\u2019t too proud to beg. I walked over to where she was scrubbing a dirty pot in the sink. I begin rubbing her neck, and then I bring out my piece de resistance<\/em>: \u201cBut baby-doll, my birthday is coming up; I\u2019ve just gotten paid for teaching summer school; these boats are really rare in south Texas, and you know I\u2019ve always wanted one.\u201d<\/p>\n I rub her shoulders, and she doesn\u2019t immediately answer me, which means she\u2019s thinking, which means there\u2019s a smidgen of hope.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere would you keep her,\u201d she asks.<\/p>\n \u201cDetails, details. Look at the big picture: fun in the sun, fresh air, fresh fish. The boys will love sailing her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy don\u2019t you just sail the boats you already have?\u201d<\/p>\n This woman should have been a logician. But I know she\u2019s giving in, or at least considering my scheme. To her everlasting credit, and with only a little more groveling and begging, she relents. She even admits that the boat is mighty handsome.<\/p>\n As soon as I bring home my birthday boat, I begin planning a little bash aboard. Since the Sea Pearl is a bit small, I decided to take a long weekend with my two oldest boys, William and Henry, who at the time are 13 and 11. But the boat doesn\u2019t come with a motor, and I can\u2019t find a suitable used motor for sale, so against my better judgment, I ask my buddy Bill, if I can borrow his little 5 h.p. kicker. \u201cSure, no problem,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The boys and I get out the charts, and we plan our escape: we\u2019ll launch in Clear Lake, near Houston, sail across Galveston Bay to Double Bayou. We\u2019ll spend the night there, and then sail up the Trinity River to Anahuac where we\u2019ll attend the annual alligator festival\u2014which takes place during the short hunting season in September. We\u2019ll spend a day or two there and then sail our handsome little vessel home.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Bill decides that he\u2019ll take his 35\u2019 centerboard sloop and rendezvous with us at Double Bayou. The boys and I cram our gear aboard the blue-hulled beauty, and we leave on a Thursday morning. I tell my wife not to expect us until Sunday, and I mention that we will most likely be out of cell-phone range.<\/p>\n We have great expectations as we sail off. The ketch rig balances nicely, and I can let go of the tiller for long stretches of time. We easily hit five knots on a reach. But as the wind veers toward our nose, we soon lose sight of Bill\u2019s much larger boat.<\/p>\n The wind picks up and soon we\u2019re beating into choppy waves that send salty spray back to the cockpit. The Sea Pearl is responsive and stable, and we\u2019re enjoying ourselves. But close-hauled, we\u2019re barely making four knots. Eventually we have to reef both sails a bit, which is simply done by rolling the sails around the masts. We take pictures and reminisce about past sailing adventures. <\/p>\n William and I take turns at the tiller; Henry doles out snacks, monitors the GPS, and keeps us apprised of our speed and heading. By the time we approach the entrance to Double Bayou, the sun is setting into a colorful cloud bank, and I\u2019m eager to get situated before the vampire mosquitoes emerge for blood. We motor up the bayou a bit, then nose into a small creek where William tosses our three pound fortress anchor off the bow. Once out of the way of water traffic, I try calling Bill on the cell phone, but there\u2019s no reception. I hail him with the handheld VHF, but no response. <\/p>\n We set about to warm our three cans of soup which we eat with a bag of chips. Dessert is a handful of peanut M&Ms. I call Bill again, but still no response. I figure we\u2019ll find him in the morning. A few minutes later I hear the thump-thump of an approaching diesel engine, perhaps a shrimper, but then I realize that the noise is overhead, a helicopter. That\u2019s od<\/em>d. I think, why are they flying so low?<\/em> I have an uneasy feeling. Could Bill have called the Coast Guard on us? Well, if he did, we\u2019re right where we said we\u2019d be; surely the chopper saw us in the twilight, right? <\/em><\/p>\n The original plan is for the boys to sleep in the cockpit with a mosquito net. I make myself a little nest down below and turn in. Just as I\u2019m finally falling asleep, I hear the boys mumbling. It\u2019s raining\u2014so much for the favorable forecast. We laugh about our situation: three of us crowded into the space of Queequeg\u2019s coffin.<\/p>\n In the morning after our breakfast of instant oatmeal and a banana, we motor up the Bayou to find our friend Bill, but a fter a few miles we don\u2019t see him. We try hailing him again, but no answer. Oh well. (We later learn that he had motored all the way up the bayou). We decide to sail on over to Anahuac and see how many dead \u2018gators have been brought in. <\/p>\n We reach along at a good clip. Henry trolls a line for lunch. We motor-sail up the Trinity River. As we approach Anahuac, my cell phone finally finds a signal. I have two voice mails from the Coast Guard! They say that I have been reported missing and to please call as soon as possible. Oh-oh. I call immediately and state that we\u2019re fine. Later, I learn that we were featured on the evening news and in the Houston Chronicle. <\/p>\n Unbeknownst to us, the Coast Guard called Lora\u2014asking if she\u2019s heard from us. She says no, but that she doesn\u2019t expect to. The Coasties say they\u2019re sending out a helicopter. Lora tells them not to. She says were fine, just out of cell phone range. She isn\u2019t worried: Galveston Bay is barely 8 feet deep; there are no storms, and we\u2019re experienced sailors. The official on the phone says, \u201cYou may not be worried about him, but we are.\u201d They call every few hours. She begins doubting her instincts and passes a miserably sleepless night worrying.<\/p>\n It\u2019s drizzling as we approached the \u2018Gator Fest, so we decided to tie up at the little municipal marina where we take shelter from the rain and cook up some Ramen noodles. Two hours later when the rain stops, we head to the festival. As I turn the tiller, the motor bracket breaks, and the borrowed outboard sinks to the bottom of the drink. Oh-oh! The boys and I look guiltily at each other. There we are on a windless river without a motor. I learn later, from Marine Concepts, that the outboard bracket is rated for just 3.5 hp.<\/p>\n My first thought is that I owe Bill a new motor. My second thought is that it will be difficult to sail home without gasoline propulsion to make it through the Kemah cut, especially if the current is against us. My third thought is that I want that motor. I know I can make it run, and I can certainly use it on one of my many boats.<\/p>\n We paddle back to where we think the motor sunk. I pull on my swim trunks and jump in. The water is pleasant, but when I dive down ten feet, it\u2019s cold and as murky as sludge. I can see nothing, but I feel around for the 5 h.p. Nissan. On each dive, I have to equalize the pressure in my ears. We aren\u2019t exactly sure where the motor fell in, so I have a big area to search.<\/p>\n Mind you, I\u2019ve been to the \u2018gator festival before, and I\u2019ve seen the jagged teeth on some of those 10\u2019 long reptiles. As I glide along, feeling around with my hands like a blind man, I run smack into something big basking on the bottom. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s an angry alligator, but thankfully it\u2019s a just a log. As I tread water trying to clear my eyes and nose, I hear fishermen on the bank yelling at me, and then I see a very ugly sight\u2014an alligator, longer than me, heading over to investigate if that\u2019s lunch splashing around. <\/p>\n I don\u2019t remember exactly how I climb back into the boat without a ladder, but I do it very rapidly. The big bad \u2018gator swims a sweeping curve, and then heads for the reeds near shore. There\u2019s no way I\u2019m getting back in the water, but I also hate the thought of leaving a $1000 motor submerged. I decide to call Lora to come get us. I\u2019ll come back with my inflatable dinghy some long poles to feel around with, and a big magnet with which to pull up the motor. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, we have to get to the launch ramp, a few miles up-river. I paddle on one side, while the boys take turns paddling on the other side, and though it\u2019s hard work, we\u2019re in good spirits and joke along the way. I\u2019m confident I can find the motor, but as we paddle up stream, I noticed a big sign that warns: \u201cNO SWIMMING \u2013 Gator Infested Waters!\u201d <\/p>\n Lora drives all the way around Galveston Bay and meets us at the launch ramp. We hurry home to get our dinghy with a 15 h.p. outboard. The boys and I return to the approximate place, and set a long PVC pole in the water to serve as a reference point, and with the other poles, we sound around on the bottom hoping to feel the motor, but no luck. We try the magnet, rated to lift 200 pounds, but again, nothing. It\u2019s getting dark, and the boys are discouraged. As we motor back to the car, William holds a flashlight so other boats can see us. As we near the launch ramp, Parks and Wildlife officials wave us over.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have running lights! May I see your registration?\u201d<\/p>\n The last thing I need is a ticket on top of everything else. I hand over the registration card and try to explain. \u201cWe sailed over from Clear Lake yesterday, and our motor fell in the water. We\u2019ve been trying to retrieve it. That\u2019s why we have these long poles and magnet. We\u2019re not out joy riding in the dark.\u201d<\/p>\n “Are you the ones the Coast Guard was searching for?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir, that\u2019s us. Our friend got worried and reported us missing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I imagine you\u2019ve had enough trouble for one weekend. But you really need lights if you\u2019re going to be running at night. There\u2019s a lot of river traffic this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes sir. We understand.\u201d To his credit, he waved us off with a, \u201cBe careful.\u201d<\/p>\n The next morning, the boys decide they\u2019ve had enough fun for one weekend, so Lora and I drive back to Anahuac where we again launch the inflatable, determined to fetch the submerged motor. Before diving in, I carefully scan for alligators that might be skulking around. I tell Lora to keep careful watch. With a scuba tank, I\u2019m sure I can quickly search a large area and easily find the motor. But in the coffee-colored water, I quickly become completely disoriented. As I grope around losing hope, I think, this is no way to spend a birthday.<\/em> My air tank is almost empty, and I\u2019m about ready to admit defeat, but decide to do one more dive. By this time, I\u2019ve given up any attempt at a rational search pattern. I just dive and feel around blindly.<\/p>\n And then, there it is. I pick it up and try to surface, but the motor is too heavy. I get a rope from the inflatable, tie it on, and from the dinghy, Lora and I pull it up! At the launch ramp later, I remove the spark plug and rinse the motor with fresh water. We pour oil in the cylinder and spray everything with lubricant. I\u2019m tired but grateful. My weekend is sort of salvaged after all.<\/p>\n On the way home, Lora suggests that we stop for some supper, \u201cafter all, it is your birthday,\u201d she says. I pull into a Papadeaux\u2019s restaurant where to my amusement, I notice that they actually have alligator on the menu.<\/p>\n Revenge never tasted so good.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" STORY BY PAUL GUAJARDO \u201cCoast Guard Searches for Missing Sailboat: Houston\u2014The Coast Guard began searching for a missing sailboat with one adult and two children on board this evening near Double Bayou, in upper Galveston Bay. A Coast Guard Sector Houston\/Galveston watch-stander received a call from a sailing partner at 7:08 p.m. reporting the 21-foot…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4135"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4135"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4145,"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4135\/revisions\/4145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallcraftadvisor.com\/our-blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}