Dog River Marina to Ingram Bayou, GIWW, DM 72

October 20, 2015

Today, the main mechanic who flares fuel lines was back at work, so we had the starboard engine fuel line re-flared since we had noticed a small intermittent fuel leak.  We really can’t say enough about how professional the mechanics are and what good work they do.  They also are willing to answer other questions you might have, even if it’s something you are planning to do yourself.  Don’t be fooled if your mechanic seems a bit young – although everyone is getting younger and younger to us all the time – they all know what they are doing and do a good job.  Hatteras Yachts are one of their specialties, but we had people with DeFevers, Bertrams, and many other brands say they do great work on almost any type of boat.

Since the fuel line work was done by noon and the winds died down again, we decided to head out for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW).  We wanted to get to Ingram Bayou to anchor for the night, and if we left by 1 p.m., we could make it there before dark.  The boats we had been traveling with intermittently – Always Home, Hallelujah, and I Think I Can – all asked us to let them know about conditions on the Bay.

Wind and waves were about the same as the previous day when we took our short cruise until we made our turn at DM 50 to cut diagonally across the Bay to the GIWW at DM 124 instead of staying in the big ship channel.  The wind was out of the east and got a bit stronger, so the waves were probably 3-4 ft but choppy.  The ride might have been slightly rougher than before, but we didn’t fear that anything would fall off of any shelves.  We texted back to our friends that we were doing well.

A little windy, waves 3-4 ft, but no problems for Lorelei IV

We noticed a couple of helicopters just hovering over the water.  One of them was close to a boat, so we wondered if there was someone in distress.  When we got closer, we saw that both the helicopter and boat were US Coast Guard, so they were doing rescue training.

They have to take the propeller downdraft into consideration

Rescue practice - lowering the basket to the boat

Once we got into the GIWW where we were once again protected by land, the water became fairly calm.  The day markers were easy to spot for the most part, so we had no trouble staying in the channel.

What color is this buoy?

Ah...it's green!

Once again, we had dolphins playing on our bow wave and in our wake.  One set of three dolphins were with us for at least half an hour!

The biggest dolphin stayed with us the longest

We passed by The Wharf, where our friends, Bob and Barbie of The Bar B, were staying for a few days.  We had hoped to visit with them, but it was getting close to dark, so we didn't have a chance to stop or dinghy over.

The Bar B at the Wharf

We arrived at Ingram Bayou, DM 72, around 6 p.m.  Just enough time to set the anchor and then run Sasha to shore.  We stopped a few hundred yards from a wrecked barge on the northeast bank and dropped the anchor in 10.5 ft of water, with plenty of room to swing.  It was a nice peaceful evening with very little wind.