I tried to leave Texas but this what happens when you listen to everyone who say "pick a date and go." Well my date was Jan 15th. I cut the dock lines, left a bunch of stuff on the dock for my neighbors to fight over or throw away. Then Capt. Al and the navigator Capt. Bill and crew Maria headed out of Watergate with an outgoing tide, thanks to the north wind. If we waited any longer there might not be enough water to get out of the marina at the rate the tide was dropping.

Unfurled the jib to the second reef point when we cleared the Kemah channel, didn't need anything else except the engine. Wanted to run it for awhile to make sure she was up to the task with no leaks, no runs, and no errors. We where only doing 6kts thru the water, but speed over ground or GPS speed was 8+ thanks to the tide. Once a few miles down the Houston Ship Chanel SOG was hitting the 9's. We were riding a 3kt current, and this old boat can only do 7.3kts max STW. Made it to Galveston in record time, less then 4 hrs. Did I mention the wind was out of the north at 20+kt?

While in the middle of the Galveston jetties it was time to raised the main but we didn't want to turn around into the 25kt wind to do it. So we got in the lee of an anchored ship and the wind drop enough to get it up, stop at the 2nd reef point, we wouldn't need anything more in these conditions. Engine off.

The only thing I hate more than a weather man who is always wrong is when one is right. For the past few days they had predicted fair weather for the crossing. It was going to be ruff but doable. Just as we passed the end of the jetties the Galveston Coast Guard came on the VHF radio with a urgent weather message. Winds strong, Waves Big, Small craft warnings, Small craft should remain in port, Inexperience crew should not be in the Gulf of Mexico for the next couple of days. Did he see us? If he wouldn't have said anything about crew we might have turn around. Two 100 ton USCG liscense Captains, one with at least 3 dozen gulf crossing, me I've done it at least a half dozen times. Maria at least once. We made a departure date and damn it we're sticking to it.

Then at 2130 and 60nm from the jetties, the only smart person on the boat (Otto the autopilot) decided he wasn't going to steer the boat in these conditions. Winds 30kts. following seas at least 20ft tall. Well couldn't see them for the darkness but they where so big that the boat would surf down one just to slam into the one forward of us making the bow sprit go underwater, when it done that the wave engulf the boat with sea spray or more like a dump truck full of water being pour on us.

I was trying to get a nap before it was my turn to watch them waves when Bill hollowed for assistants. My first dumb question was do I need to put on my foulies first? In those conditions you suppose to sleep ready roll. Don't have time to get dress. Problem Otto couldn't or wouldn't hold the course. Drop the mainsail to see if that would help, nothing doing. Emptied out the port lazerette and crawled down that small hole to see what might be wrong with Otto. Otto was find but the shear pin on the quadrant to the shaft sheared. Damn I thought I fixed that the last time it sheared by adding another pin. I had a couple of pins just in case this happen but it would be impossible to make repairs in these conditions.

Decision time - Maria was seasick, couldn't keep a swallow of water down. Dehydration setting in. I wasn't feeling that great either, but dinner was still down. Bill? A good captain will never admit it. The USCG report said that these conditions was going to last for the next 48hrs. And with Otto on strike and with no one else wanting to steer the boat for the next 600mi. we decided to turn it around.

Now instead of a deep broad reach we were headed straight into the wind and those monster waves. All sails down and Buddha, the Kubota engine, at full rpm's we were doing 1-2 kts, and sometimes going backwards when trying to climb over those 20ft waves. Otto was managing this okay, unless we got sideways to one of them monsters. When we did make it to the top of one of them monsters the bow was pointing up towards the north star. What goes up must come down and when it did it went underwater, we were now in a submarine. Did I mention a dumb truck full of water being pour on us every time this happen. This was better then any E-ticket ride at Disneyland. That bow light was still shining and them anchors was still in place and those fuel tanks was still on the rail, except for the dinghy gas can. It was still tied to the rail but any minute now it'll be in the sea.

After sunup I decided to put out the staysail/stormsail. Boat speed picked up to 5kts. In the wrong direction but we were moving. Boat was still overpowered for Otto to handle so I reefed the stailsail. Speed still good but leeway was greater. At this rate we would make it to Corpus Christi instead of Galveston. When Bill came on watch he decided we didn't want to go to CC and rolled up the staysail and put Buddha back to work. Slow progress but at least we headed in the right direction.

On Wed. at 1930 we pulled into the Galveston Yacht Basin. Tied up to what we thought was South Coast Sailing's slip (sailing school where I use to teach at). Bill and Maria called a taxi to take them back to Clear Lake. I found that bottle of rum that Jessie gave me for special occasions. Back in one piece seem like the right time.