Toto, We’re not in Texas anymore!
For fun, we decided to let chatgpt, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) chat bot write our blog post about our passage from Galveston, TX to Mobile Bay, AL. It’s strangely and mostly correct…
Once there was a married couple, Justin and Shannon, who decided to go on a sailing trip from Galveston, Texas to Pensacola, Florida. They set off on their journey early in the morning, full of excitement and anticipation for the adventure ahead. Skål
The first few days of the trip were beautiful, with clear skies and a steady breeze filling the sails. Justin and Shannon took turns at the helm, steering the boat through the waves and enjoying the feeling of the wind in their hair.
But as they reached the Gulf of Mexico, the winds began to die down. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t seem to catch a good gust and were forced to rely on the motor to keep moving forward.
Justin and Shannon were disappointed but determined, and they pressed on, stopping in Grand Isle for fuel and provisions.
As they sailed past Mobile, Alabama, disaster struck. The exhaust system on the boat failed, and they were left adrift in the open water. Justin and Shannon tried their best to fix the problem, but it was no use. In the end, they had to radio for help and were towed to a nearby marina.
Despite the setback, the couple refused to let their spirits be dampened. They spent the night at the marina, making repairs and getting some much-needed rest.
The next day, they set off once again, this time with a fully functioning exhaust system and renewed determination. The winds picked up, and they were able to sail the rest of the way to Pensacola.
Upon arriving in Pensacola, Justin and Shannon were filled with a sense of accomplishment and a desire to continue their journey. They spent a few days exploring the town and making new friends before setting off to new destinations, with many more adventures ahead of them.
– OpenAI
Now for the real story:
Justin and I have been waiting for a weather window to head toward Florida since the beginning of December. We finally saw our opportunity and after saying “see you later” to friends, we left Galveston on Wednesday, 1/4 around 12:30 pm. We were heading out into the Gulf of Mexico, around Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, AL (barrier island to Mobile Bay). The weather was predicted to be light wind, low rolling waves and no storms on the horizon. We were prepped to sail when we could but figured we would be using the motor the majority time to motor-sail. Even with our new Diesel Jerry Cans on deck, we planned on stopping at Grand Isle, Louisiana to refuel, just in case. We expected 3 nights to get to Grand Isle and another 2 nights on to Dauphin Island.
With the weather predictions turning out to be pretty accurate, we made progress motoring with our Mainsail raised to give us stability in the waves. We used our Headsail (sail at the front of the boat) when we were at the right wind angle to give us some extra speed. We had calm seas until our approach to Grand Isle, LA when the wind picked up for a few hours which caused us to bang into the waves. We spent the trip dodging oil platforms, shrimp boats and tankers. The autopilot and radar were the real MVPs of the trip as they allowed for only one of us to be on watch at a time allowing the other to rest. We didn’t have a set watch schedule but it averaged out to be 4 hours on watch and 4 hours of rest at a time. Needless to say, we were growing weary as we rounded Louisiana toward the Alabama coast.
We had just spotted land and our final destination for this passage, Dauphin Island, AL. We were set to anchor in a protected cove for the night before moving on after a good rest. Then it happened, the cabin began to get a bit smokey and smoke began to come out of our engine vent. Justin quickly shut down the motor and found that the exhaust hose was completely severed from the engine. It was determined to be a catastrophic failure which could not be repaired at sea.
With low winds, we continued to sail slowly toward port. We had spotty cell service so Justin put up our Starlink Internet (Thanks Elon) so that we could contact Towboat Us and start the process of getting to a safe place for the night and to make a plan for getting repairs. Since it was Sunday afternoon, no marinas or repair shops were answering their phones. But, like before, our Towboat captain saved the day by calling a personal phone number for an owner of a marina that was also a repair center. We were able to safely tie up at Turner Marina on Sunday, 1/8 around 7:30pm. Our overall trip was 479 nautical miles.
Are you thinking, “Hey, didn’t they just get a new engine cause the old one used to do this all the time?” Why yes, we did just get Nymeria repowered over the summer and it was completed in late September. The part that broke is a mixture of stock Beta Engine and custom fabricated parts which will all need to be reworked and redone. We’re working with our mechanic from TX and with a local guy to, hopefully, get us back on our way.
In the meantime, Justin and I have rented a car so that we can explore Mobile and its surrounding areas. Though we are hopeful that this repair will only be a short hiccup we’re trying to take it all in stride. Afterall, this journey is all about exploring new places and making new memories with everyday being an adventure! Skål
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.”
– J.P. Morgan
