Saturday, September 22, 2012

Redfish Willie's Cruise 2012

This weekend was about both the Journey... AND the destination!  The weather was PERFECT!  Well, some people would say we could have used more wind, but for me... this is what I want, light breezes and let's say, not hot temps.  Maybe these mornings aboard Dos Libras are beginning to sound like a broken record... but I'll take it!  Coffee on the deck watching the sun come up and the world go by.


Brenda's pic in the Lydia Ann Channel
Rumor had it that this Cruise would be well attended.  Our Cruise Dude made all of the arrangements and then skipped out of town!  His loss!  BYC boats were making way from all points with some arriving at Redfish Willie's on Friday and others stopping over in Port A.  Rima and Starfish were among those visiting us in Port A and while Bob took K out to dinner for a special celebration, Starfish and Merlin joined us aboard Dos Libras for a burger dinner


Brenda's pic in the Crab Man Channel









Rima and Starfish graciously volunteered to take some photos for of Dos Libras under way for use in making new boat cards. I had no idea it would take this long to get some good pics of our new boat.  I finally had to beg for help and contrive the shoot. 






K's pic with our Port A Home



I will be eternally grateful as K and Brenda got some GREAT shots.  Now which one to choose for the boat cards...?  But that's another story.











K got a fun pic with the Parasailer





Bruce and I had a bit of trouble with shaking out a reef in the main, but once we got going, we found the tide solidly against us as we sailed up the Lydia Ann Channel slowly so that the other boats could get into position for some shots.  The parasail boat gave us a bit of trouble but it turned out a fun pic.  They really look MUCH closer to the top of the mast from our vantage point. 

We did a tack and sailed back out into the intersection then followed Starfish to the Crab Man Channel which would lead us on a stately procession to Aransas Pass and our destination for the night. 











We enjoyed lunch and some wildlife along the way.  This really is such an easy trip.  I think we will do it again just for the day.  The waters are flat and the depths are good the whole way.  We haven't seen much barge traffic, which makes it really nice.  It's very low stress...


One by one we dropped sails and motored into Conn Brown Harbor where we found lots of BYC Boats awaiting our arrival.  The Folks at Redfish Willie's were there with the BYCers ready to secure our lines.  They really are the nicest people.

We tidied up the boat, hooked up the shore power and commenced to relaxing in the waning afternoon breezes.  I love seeing all of our boats with flags flying high. 

We took over the whole dock with more than a dozen boats from BYC arriving before nightfall.  Bruce and I joined our friends hanging out and watching all the going's on...





We congregated for happy hour couresy of NO ETA, our host boat for this event.  I think Phyllis was expecting somebody more important than the likes of us judging by the gorgeous spread she provided. 

We whiled away the afternoon just hanging out enjoying being "US"... 





 

 
 
Until dinner time rolled around.  We made the short hop to the restaurant where they welcomed us with open arms.  We kind of took over there too!   
Most of our group were here for the first time.  I wandered around while we ordered drinks and was glad to hear not a discouraging word about the place.  It really is just such a refreshingly laid back, can-do kind of place.  I really hope our Club can help make them a success.
I'm not really even sure why I am so adamant about wishing them well... maybe it's something in the Peach Mango treat they keep serving to me...  YUM!
Feeding a crowd like ours, in addition to the other patrons enjoying this evening... was quite daunting.  Understandably, the care taken to produce each meal individually, overloaded the the system and we were still finishing up well after dark when the mosquitos came out.  The last stragglers hastily packed it in and we fled back to the docks where there didn't seem to be any mosquito problem.  We ended our evening with birthday cake in K's honor then Bruce and I headed for our stateroom and a peaceful night's sleep listening to the bongo-like lapping of the tiny waves against our stern.  Another successful BYC Cruise put to bed.