Eight is Enough - Day Eight, Port Isabel TX - Monday, August 15, 2016

Eight is NOT enough, but WX conditions and flooding to the east tell us that we should discontinue our cruising for now, and eight days is all we do for this leg of the trip.  Herb and Joe check the lines to be sure we are secured to the dock, and can withstand any WX that may come our way as the thunderstorms move westward.  Pearl and I pack what we should remove from the boat and take home.

Oh, I have way too much stuff on this boat; some of which I did not use.

Rule 1:  If you don't use it, don't bring it back.

A dilemma is that Captain Doug, owner and dock master of Bow Tie Marina, is closed on Mondays and we really should get permission to leave On Your Mark in his marina.  At some point he will come out to feed his dog, so Joe and Herb watch carefully and catch him at the office.   He is happy to let the boat stay for the time we need her there.   He understands why our plans have to change.  

At this moment the sun chases the clouds away and we enjoy clearing skies.  Hmmm...do we go or do we stay?

We go!

Because we know it is not safe to continue east, and it may be three weeks before it will be.

Herb calls a car rental company for transportation to take us back to our cars at Island Moorings Marina at Port A TX.  He tells them we need a car large enough for four people to be comfortable on a five hour drive, plus a trunk large enough to hold our electronics, luggage, and ice chests that contain all the food we bought to last us a few weeks.

When the car is delivered to us, we spend a few minutes loading it, and begin our drive west at 8:39A.

Herb had noticed a low tire, and we expect it to be even lower with all our stuff in it.  First stop is a service station where we put four quarters in to get air for the tire.

During the drive we have intermittent showers and actually in Houston we catch up with the storm which is moving westward.  Four o'clock in the afternoon finds us at Island Moorings, where we quickly transfer our loads to our respective cars, hug goodbye, and resume the travel for the long drives home.  We have only a few sprinkles here.

No sand blows across the highway in the Bahia Grande area of TX Hwy. 48 taking us to Port Isabel, so we know they have had some rain here.  We are starved by the time we get to Port Isabel at 7P, having only snacked a bit on the way, but Herb fixes a quick bite to eat and we look forward to a good night's sleep.

Find Willie and Pearl's stuff....

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   Monday, August 14, 2016