Dave Luther

A story about a trip down the eastern Intercoastal canal

A story about a trip down the eastern Intercoastal canal by old sailors. There are descriptions of the places visited, whats wrong with the Coast Guard on the canal, running aground many times and getting knocked down on a sand bar in the Atlantic.

I turned on Fox News and saw Geraldo Rivera get knocked down by a wave breaking over the Galveston Seawall. Hurricane Ike was about to raise havoc on the east coast of Texas. I had no idea how much the hurricane would effect my life in the next few months.
I also never dreamed I'd be in a situation to send an S.O.S. to the Coast Guard.

My friend Bob and his wife had worked most weekends for the last three years rebuilding a sailboat moored at the Houston Yacht Club. It looked much better than a sailboat fresh from the factory. It was a labor of love. Hurricane Ike had no respect for the labor or investment and sunk the ship. To add insult to injury' Ike sank another sailboat on top of it. After the boat was lifted from the water and put on a stand at the Yacht Club, Bob and I spent several days salvaging whatever we could. That included a new diesel engine with only ten hours on it, several new winches, and anything else that could be saved. The woodwork that they had spent so many hours replacing or refinishing was lost.

Bob and Charlotte searched on the internet until they found a suitable replacement at a small marina on the Sassafras River that flows into the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Bob flew out to Maryland and made a deal for it. He hired a crew to clean it up, inside and out, paint the bottom and put it in the water. I looked great!

Bob asked me if I would like to join him on shake down cruise along the East Coast. My wife Pat and I had previously joined him on a trip through the Intercoastal Waterway from Florida to Galveston Bay. That was just before hurricane Katrina caused so much damage to the Southern Coast.

The trip starts in Crockett, Texas, on Houston County Lake where we live. My friend Bob's car is packed to the bursting point and we are ready to go. According to the GPS, it's 1,464 miles and we intend to make it in two days.
It is a bright, cool, sunny day. Perfect for driving. Our trip takes us through Shreveport, Meridian, Birmingham and Chattanooga. We spent the night in a Holiday Inn Express.
That part of the trip was uneventful.
Day 2

Breakfast at the Inn was good. It included juices, cheese omelet, bacon, fruit, coffee, choice of sweet rolls, etc… We continued up I-81, which runs between the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway

The trees were at their peak in bright red and gold. Although there were black clouds in the sky all day we did not hit rain until we got into the area of Washington, D.C. I was driving and Bob was in the right seat navigating and reading the GPS to me. It was six lanes each way with bumper-to-bumper traffic and very limited visibility due to the rain and tire spray. The only thing that could be seen was red taillights. Bob laid his head back and announced he was taking a nap. He said he had seen enough taillights and was bored. I told him that depended on where you are sitting. It might be boring in the right seat, but it is white-knuckle time in the left. He took heart and sat up to help me watch for street signs and idiots.
The people here definitely do not have the courtesy of midwest or southern drivers. Many were constantly weaving in and out of traffic. Some did not use their turn signals to change lanes. When I used my turn signals I could see why some did not. When I signaled my intentions to change lanes the car behind me sped up to block me.
I am sure glad I do not have to live around here.

To read the rest of the story click on www.hdlwebdesign.com/intercoastal

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