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CHAPTER 1
Houston, Texas
CHAPTER 2
Kemah, Texas
CHAPTER 3
Kemah, Texas
CHAPTER 4
Galveston, Texas
CHAPTER 5
Seabrook, Texas
CHAPTER 6
Seabrook, Texas
CHAPTER 7
At Sea - Gulf of Mexico
CHAPTER 8
At Sea - Gulf of Mexico
CHAPTER 9
At Sea - Gulf of Mexico
CHAPTER 10
At Sea - Gulf of Mexico
CHAPTER 11
Port Fourchon, Louisiana
CHAPTER 12
Cut Off, Louisiana
CHAPTER 13
Cut Off, Louisiana
CHAPTER 14
Cut Off, Louisiana
CHAPTER 15
Houma, Louisiana
CHAPTER 16
Houma, Louisiana
CHAPTER 17
Houma, Louisiana
SPINDRIFT - CHAPTER 11
Port Fourchon, Louisiana
March 29, 2003
We woke up today more rested than we have been in more than a week. We have running water, and electricity. What joy.
Port Fourchon is a little town with one thing it appears: Companies that cater to the offshore oil industry. Thats all we see all around us. And helicopters.
They start taking off at daybreak. Every 10 or 15 minutes another one reminds us they are only the other side of the street from us and the fishing boats that fill this little municipal "marina" where we are docked.We get up and start to assess the damage to the boat. We start a general cleanup, the boat is an absolute mess!
One bow roller and anchor are bent up from our getting to close to the C-Commander, our running lights are not working, our jib needs attention, we need a completely new roller furling reel, and then theres the main to be repaired. Lets not forget the engine and half of rubrail on the port side which is dangling. All in all though, we really are not in that bad a shape. We are grateful.
Later that morning we met Ricky. He passed by in his car, saw a sailboat (a rare sight in Port Fourchon) and stopped to see what we were all about. We chat a while, share the usual, who we are, where we are from, what we are doing there etc. then, just as he is about to leave asks us if we need anything. We tell him we are ok, have everything.... "but wait, does he know of anyplace we could do some laundry?" He says we can do it on his tugboat. So we load up and off we go.He has a washer and dryer aboard, we do laundry, he insists we have lunch --- best roast duck we have probably ever had, and we spend the whole day with him relaxing, having a good time.
The next morning at 6 a.m. I feel someone getting on our boat. From my bed I can see someone's feet in the cockpit leaving us a package. I get out just in time to see Ricky driving off and waking up to the smell of bacon, sausage, hot biscuits and scrambled eggs! We devoured them and just marvelled at Ricky's kindness.All that weekend we would spend with him, eating, and seeing the "sights" of Port Fourchon.
We met many wonderful people there, all so helpful. Richard was one of them. When he saw our engine wouldn't start he, as did Ricky, spent several long hot and muggy hours trying to help us. Richard lives in Lafayette, and is another tugboat captain who brought us hot food he made himself. Boy, these Cajun sure do know how to eat!
We will end up staying in Port Fourchon for five days.
"At sea I learned how little a person needs, not how much."
Robin Lee Graham