Oct. 23 – Texas Pearl Cruise
Rockport Harbor
Last weekend we had a chance to take the Texas Pearl out for a cruise. We went up to San Antonio Bay and anchored close to Panther Lake...a place where Stan has spent a lot of time fishing in the past. The weather was nice, although still a little warmer than we'd like. It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed watching the Hunter Moon come up over the horizon while doing a little fishing.
This was the first time we pulled a dinghy with us. It seemed to work well
Just a little crowded on the water today.
While Stan fishes...I take pictures.
Poling through the shallow areas
A beautiful evening for fishing
Can you see the LARGE alligator in the foreground? He was longer than our little boat! We all kept an eye on each other.
A pretty sunset with Texas Pearl in the distance.
The beautiful Hunter Moon rising in the east
Looking for flounder to gig
“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anaïs Nin
This was the first time we pulled a dinghy with us. It seemed to work well
The flounder Stan gigged weren't the largest we've seen, but they made a great late night dinner. Straight from the bay to the frying pan.
Oct. 16 – Our Season is Over
Olverson’s Lodge Creek Marina
“Collect memories not things” —Unknown
We left The Pearl a week ago, so I guess it's about time I do a blog to close out this cruising year. It was a great year that started in Marathon back in January and continued up the east coast to Maine, and eventually back to the Chesapeake where we have the boat stored for the winter. We cruised 3434 miles this year, bringing our total miles traveled since leaving Texas in March 2011 to over 17,000...that's a lot of miles when you're traveling at 8 mph.
Thanks to Hurricane Matthew our plans to fly to Jacksonville to retrieve our car and visit friends on our way back to the boat were canceled. We decided our best option to get home was renting a car and worry about getting our car a little later when the weather is less threatening. As we were packing, loading the car and getting the boat ready to leave, remnants of Hurricane Matthew dumped 24" of rain on us. The storm left a lot of flooding and damage along the coast from North Carolina to central Florida, so traveling south through the ICW this fall may be a little challenging. We’re glad we had already made the decision to store our boat further north this winter. It'll be interesting to see what our friends run into in their southern migration.
The Pearl has been winterized and is undercover at Olverson's Marina, where she’ll be well looked after until we return next spring. For now we’ll enjoy spending time with family and friends and hopefully find a little time to cruise aboard Texas Pearl.
Olverson's Lodge Creek Marina
Texas Pearl...patiently waiting our return
“Collect memories not things” —Unknown
Thanks to Hurricane Matthew our plans to fly to Jacksonville to retrieve our car and visit friends on our way back to the boat were canceled. We decided our best option to get home was renting a car and worry about getting our car a little later when the weather is less threatening. As we were packing, loading the car and getting the boat ready to leave, remnants of Hurricane Matthew dumped 24" of rain on us. The storm left a lot of flooding and damage along the coast from North Carolina to central Florida, so traveling south through the ICW this fall may be a little challenging. We’re glad we had already made the decision to store our boat further north this winter. It'll be interesting to see what our friends run into in their southern migration.
The Pearl has been winterized and is undercover at Olverson's Marina, where she’ll be well looked after until we return next spring. For now we’ll enjoy spending time with family and friends and hopefully find a little time to cruise aboard Texas Pearl.
Olverson's Lodge Creek Marina
The Pearl's winter home
Oct. 3 – Hurricane Watch
Mill Creek, Solomons, MD – Anchorage
"Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing." – Denis Waitley
We left Baltimore today and headed south. We're only a few travel days away from the marina where we will be storing the boat for the winter. Hurricane Matthew is churning in the Caribbean and heading up the east coast. We decided it would be best to get to the marina and prepare the boat while the weather is still nice. The direct path of the storm is uncertain at the moment and seems to change drastically as the National Hurricane Center posts updates every three hours. What hasn't changed is the fact that this is a powerful storm that will leave destruction in its path.
Our plan was to fly into Jacksonville on Friday to pick up our car and visit friends on our way back to the boat, but that isn't looking promising now. Winterizing the boat will have to wait as we get it ready for high winds and rain…oh the joys of living on the water.
Projection maps of Matthew's path
The view from our anchorage
"Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing." – Denis Waitley
Our plan was to fly into Jacksonville on Friday to pick up our car and visit friends on our way back to the boat, but that isn't looking promising now. Winterizing the boat will have to wait as we get it ready for high winds and rain…oh the joys of living on the water.
Projection maps of Matthew's path
It was a beautiful day on the Chesapeake Bay
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