Hi! 'Ocean Girl' from Texas

[Ocean Girl]

Hi, found this web site through another cruisers site (tongabound), this site really looks great!
I live aboard a Cape Dory 30 with my cat Gracie Jack. I bought the boat last Nov 08 after IKE. She needs to be restored and then I hope to sail her down to South America, or up to Ireland, or even west through the Canal on out to Austrailia (as you can see I haven't decided yet).
Before I became a nurse I crewed on sailboats logging about 20,000 miles. My parents sailed around the world on a Tartan 37 named Tigger, my mom wrote a book about it called "The Oceans Are Waiting" by sharon Ragle The Oceans Are Waiting - Around The World On Yacht Tigger - (plug for mum)
I am new to this web forum stuff, I look forward to making some friends here, it is amazing how small the cruising world community is, especially with sites like this out there.
Erika

[wacko]

hi ocean girl, I'm a nurse - glad to see another healthcare professional on here. I'm assuming you are working, texas is on my radar. I've got some questions. I'll PM you later! welcome to the site!

[Charlie]

Welcome aboard Ocean Girl. This is a great site with great info. Share yours and gather other wisdom. BTW I think you need to work on your compass. lol it is like mine. Wherever the boat is pointing is where I want to go.

[CharlieCobra]

Welcome aboard here too Sweetheart. This is a good CRUISER forum.

[Ocean Girl]

Charlie, about my compass, at least I 've narrowed it down to three or four hemispheres...oh er .. well I at least I know where I don't want to sail and that is..... well okay I've got a little problem.
Thanks for the welcomes.

Erika

[CharlieCobra]

Trust an old Texas boy when he says "I hear ya....".

[Mule]

OG, were you down there during or right after IKE, if so would you share? I divested myself of a lot of inherited property on Boliver back in 2000, thank God. Those people lost everything, I bet thousands of houses washed away. 'Bout all I can see from the aerial photos is dirt.

I plan to come down there from Fort Worth to look it over and maybe yak East Bay for specks and reds later this month, and to look over what is left of my old haunts, or I might just sight see then head to Aransas Pass for fishing.

I guess (having a keen eye for the obvious) you do not nurse at John Sealey, since it flooded. I lived in Friendswood for years and hung out in Kemah as much as possible. I like it there. 'Cept coke bottles rust and helocopter sized mosquitos.

[Irwin325]

Hey OG I sail in your area(South Shore Harbour Marina). Welcome to the site.
Matt

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by ocean Girl

Charlie, about my compass, at least I 've narrowed it down to three or four hemispheres...oh er .. well I at least I know where I don't want to sail and that is..... well okay I've got a little problem.
Thanks for the welcomes.

Erika

ROFL.

How do you know where you want to go till you get there?

[Ocean Girl]

Howdy all, thanks for the welcome!

It is great to hear from all the locals Irwin325 -I'm at Watergate but looking to move to waterford for better protection.

wacko- yes I'm still nursing, I work at Memorial Hermann in the OR. I do Neuro,Ortho, General, Heart and vascular, pretty much everything- I'm always learning.

Charlie- Its the journey baby..

Mule - I closed on Ocean Girl a week after IKE. She didn't get any damage except her lines fused/melted. Further south is still very primative and don't seem to be getting as much attention as Katrina from fema/press (but that doesn't say much either). When I moved aboard OG I had the oppertunity to give all my furniture and stuff to a Crystal beach survivor. It was amazing how thankful they were for even the humblest of item. I gave everything away except 3 small boxes of stuff which were mainly books and clothes (they even wanted my trash cans). I was happy to be rid of stuff that I didn't need and at the same time I was able to help someone--too cool. It was a bit amazing to have everything you own fit in the back of a Hyundae (spell?).
My marina was hit very hard, I'd say we lost 30% boats and another 30-40% damaged. A big issue was the fixed piers giving way. My pier is still damaged and every storm that comes through we seem to have a tide riser break loose or something like that. Other marinas were harder hit.
Boy I hope we have a quiet season this year.
Erika

Sorry for my spelling- the check spelling button isn't working, but as Mark Twain liked to say " I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way"

[SouthernComfort]

Welcome and hello from another Kemah sailor. I am a livaboard currently at the Kemah Boardwalk marina.

When I bought my boat last May, it was at Watergate on pier 12. That pier was literally wiped away during Ike. There were boats and pier just mangled together in a pile. I am glad I had moved here to the Boardwalk marina (floating docks) in June. Had I not, my boat would have been totaled.

Waterford and Marina Del Sol faired pretty good as did the Boardwalk marina.

[Ocean Girl]

SouthernComfort,
I lived at the Boardwalk when it was Lafayette Landing. That was when Kemah was a one horse town. I just moved back to kemah after being away (landlocked) for 8 years and can't believe how it has grown. Do you like living aboard at The boardwalk?
Erika

[SouthernComfort]

It is a good marina and pretty cheap compared to Waterford. It does have some drawbacks for certain types of people. In the evenings you hear the traffic on Hwy 146 while sitting in the cockpit. During the summer months there will always be background music coming from the live bands at the Monkey Bar, T-Bone Toms restarant and Rocking the Docks at the boardwalk itself. Traffic to the marina can be hell during the summer holidays as tourist flock to the boardwalk.

On the plus side, you are very close to the Bay and use less deisel getting out of the channel. Another is that it is only a walk to all the restarants down here.

I do miss the quiet sarenity and peacfullness of evenings at Watergate. The sunsets there were awesome backdrops for the returning sailboats that would pass by heading to other marinas.

Marina del Sol is very nice with a great livaboard community. I hope to one day move there.

[Ocean Girl]

Yeah, Marina del Sol is on my list too, I lived there for 3 years way out on F dock. BUT it is in dire need of repair and still has a lot damage from IKE (in fact it looks exactly like it was after IKE). I have a friend that lives there and he says it might be sold soon, so hopefully the new owners will get it back to its former glory. Waterford is way over priced but it is quiet and the docks weathered IKE flawlessly.
Great talking with you,
Erika

[First Mate]

Hi Ocean Girl

I'm jealous of your 20000 ocean miles. dang.

Hope you enjoy this "anchorage" on the internet

Welcome