s/v Kaleo

Our friends Jeph and Amy joined us this weekend for the 5-hour tour along the Houston Ship Channel to our home for the night at The Galveston Yacht Club.

Here is our route as tracked by our Spot GPS tracker

This mini-cruise was intended to hone our navigation skills in a channel with very big ships, to give the motor a test after last weekend’s cooling system rebuild and to have some fun with friends. We easily accomplished this and the motor had even more run time as there was little wind so we motor-sailed for virtually the entire 10 hour roundtrip.

Both days began with an early start in hopes of avoiding the mid-day heat and getting to Galveston with some time to explore. After our first encounter with a huge container ship, the rest were quite benign and not as intimidating as we were expecting. The motor-sail down was fairly uneventful, though we were treated to a playful dolphin escort into Galveston. Some even swam right alongside Kaleo! After arriving, we checked into the marina, tied up at our assigned slip, showered and promptly took a long nap in the A/C.

After recharging our batteries, Christie’s aunt Cherie, who is staying in Galveston, was kind enough to pick us up at the yacht club and drive us to The Strand, Galveston’s tourist district. After some serious sugar at LaKing’s Confectionery, Cherie lent us her car to explore the island where we toured the historic homes along Broadway and drove along the Seawall. We wrapped up the evening with a great seafood dinner at Gaido’s and a family visit at Aunt Cherie’s beach house.

Sunday was the reverse of Saturday but a lot warmer and Matt brought home the sunburn to prove it. We cruised past the largest ship of the trip, the Nassau Spirit, weighing in at 810 feet long! It was a fantastic trip which helped us learn that sailing harnesses are a must, even on calm days, big ships aren’t so bad if you stay out of their way, and confirmed that we really enjoy sailing to and exploring new destinations.

We shifted gears this past weekend from all our recent projects to focus on time with family and friends aboard Kaleo (a welcomed change of pace). Crystal and Mel joined us for a weekend of road tripping (wouldn’t be complete without a pit stop into the infamous Buc-ee’s!), family fun (always includes several feasts), and of course sailing!

The Admiral and her crew

Shortly upon arrival the fam joined us at the marina for BBQ and a fireworks show. Christie’s dad, Craig, brought a brisket that was cooked to perfection and large enough to feed everyone plus Matt well into the week. Mom brought coleslaw, Nana always brings some sweet Italian greatness, Miss Penni brought fresh fruit, Aunt Veronica and cousin Natalie cookies and brownies, Aunt Cherie brought tamales, and well you get the idea … We had a feast at the marina cabana and chatted late into the night with an exciting fireworks show intermission over Galveston Bay.

Saturday quickly brought on the Texas heat so we all cooled off and relaxed by the marina pool. (Of course before Matt joined, he finished up one quick project of replacing the cable that shuts down the engine.) After a lunch/early dinner we made ready for sea and headed out around 4:30. Out on the bay, Matt was the best cap-i-tan by sailing us down to Redfish Island while ensuring our sangria glasses didn’t spill a drop. The winds were blowing steady and I helmed the speed record for the day and for our ownership of Kaleo – 6.1 knots!

As the sun started to set we all agreed that it was far too perfect of a day to end just yet and our decision was confirmed by a dolphin sighting. Much to our excitement, two dolphins crested and swam in front of Kaleo. With the temperature cooling, the winds steady and a gorgeous sunset, it was some of our best sailing we’ve had aboard Kaleo yet. Proven by the fact that we didn’t return to dock until after 11:30. Hopefully it’s a taste of a life to come.