Welcome to another
adventure-filled entry from The Lower Place!!
As mentioned in the previous post we planned to arrive in Gulfport MS
today (2/23/2018). And as we should know
by now…plans rarely happen according to
plan. Ha ha!
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| We see the fog coming... |
We departed Dog
River Marina in Mobile AL at the mid morning hour of 7:00 am. That means I was afforded the opportunity to
sleep in until 5:30!! YAY!! Anyway,
after leaving the marina and going under the bridge all was clear. About an hour later BAM!! FOG BANK!!! We saw it coming and knew it was thick but
didn’t have any idea how long it would last.
Of course we were in the shipping channel with well, ships!
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| ...and here it is!! |
The chart plotter & auto pilot was keeping us on course, the RADAR was giving indications of “objects” –
buoys, markers, fishing boats, cruise ships, cargo ships, oil platforms but not
birds or dolphins - we could clearly read. I was perched at the
front of the fly bridge narrating to Captain Bathrobe (aka Charlie) the various
sounds I heard and from which direction - horns, bells, rigging motors.
The captain was monitoring the VHF radio chatter and AIS alerts. We were not nervous or scared but attentive
to our blind surroundings and confident in our equipment and abilities. But I sure was glad we didn’t have guests on
board…LOL!!
After an hour or so
the fog began to lift, the radio chatter slowed and it was time for that second
cup of coffee. WHEW!! One would think that would be enough
excitement for the day…but why not have a BONUS of excitement??
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| We saw him via RADAR 2 miles away |
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| We were REALLY happy we saw him with the naked eye!! |
Crossing Mobile Bay
into the ICW requires passing between the barrier islands…twice! When you get to that point the waves just
bounce back & forth from land mass to land mass…and our boat is in the
center of said channel. Rock, roll,
swirl, hang on tight, do not puke, drive the boat, stay on course!! It’s a really groovy dance – all the cool
kids are doing!
Whew, finally
protected waters – sort of. Barrier
islands to the south, MS Gulf coast to the north and we were headed
northwest. But wait…there’s more!! The clouds rolled in and the water/waves
shifted a little…ding!! An alert on my
phone…Marine Hazard Warning! Why not –
it’s been nothing but FUN so far!!
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| This was our location when we started looking for a safe harbor |
Long story short…a
severe storm cell was moving southeast from Louisiana (toward Gulfport & us),
the wind shifted and was blowing from east to west (behind us). Hmmm…”sloppy
seas” was the best description I can offer.
With auto pilot engaged we both started doing our own research. It was evident by the radar path that we
could not make it to Gulfport safely. Charlie called Biloxi marina, they told us to come
on in…we were still 2-3 hours out. The
closer we got to Biloxi the more severe the RADAR appeared. More research…Ocean Springs had a marina
listed on Active Captain (a web based program most cruisers use). Charlie called them since the weather didn’t
appear to improve.
Once again, the Lord
puts people in our paths to take care of our needs!! We were less than a mile from the Ocean
Springs Small Craft Harbor and they were 30 minutes from closing for the weekend…”not
a problem, come on in, AJ will be there to help you tie up.” Once we turned into the harbor, the wind
stopped, the water was like glass and Captain Bathrobe docked the boat – stern in!! That’s a REALLY BIG DEAL!!! Just let me tell you how big my God is!!! AMEN!!!
We were tied up, off
the boat, paid for 2 nights with a check – they “don’t do” plastic and
welcomed with southern hospitality only found in the Hospitality State!! Even though the RADAR showed Gulfport looked
like Christmas (red, yellow, green clusters everywhere) and it was headed for
Biloxi we were safely docked & DRY in Ocean Springs. AND they were able to close the office on
time and start their weekend on schedule…apparently OCEAN SPRINGS was our plan
for the day – I love it when a plan comes together!
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| True Maroon - flying safe & sound |
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| The Lower Place making friends with shrimpers! |
So here we are –
tucked in between shrimp boats and just steps away from downtown Ocean
Springs. It is well, with my soul…
God Bless!
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