Underway

Monday, December 29, 2008
Day one.under way at 0945 CST behind the Dutch vessel Sherpa. Bridge crew was Tony Stewart, Todd Olsen (pilot), Jim Vargo (insurance), Floyd Blackman OIM, Mike Stelly BCO, Mike Hileman BE, Fugro Chance, Brent Humphires BCO, Ian Roberts (tow master), and myself. We proceeded down the channel past the Navy Yard, Nueces Bay, Port Aransas, and the sea buoy, 13.8 NM. Just prior to the sea buoy, we transferred the pilots, Fugro-Chance, Dragan, and others to the MV Challenger. At the sea buoy, we adjusted course to 130º.
Several waypoints were passed (see map/chart). The tow vessel is Sherpa, to be joined tomorrow by the Fairmont Alpine. Currently doing 5.75 knots and anticipate about 8.5 with the Alpine also towing. Today’s figures calculate ETA Barbados on the 12th of January and Cape Town on15th of February. It extrapolates to Dampier, Australia on 17 March. Those numbers/dates will change as speed over ground changes.
As we held center channel, using modern survey and DGPS equipment, we passed seaside homes and resorts, fishing boats, hotels, beaches, ferries. I could not help but recall from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, as he began his adventure in a sailing ship:
“The ship was cheered, the harbor cleared—
Merrily did we drop
Below the kirk, below the hill,
Below the light house top.”
From the jetties to the sea buoy was shallow water, about 60 feet, and gradually increasing. Many ships from all over the world were at anchor, waiting their turn to move up the channel to one of the many chemical plants, fertilizer or wood products, or corn plants…or perhaps one of the refineries. Each would off-load or take on tens of thousands of tons of goods.