Sailing Tampa, FL to Kemah, TX

[BobHorn]

Originally Posted by captmikem

I would rhink just the opposite. Streight shot, follow the line on the gps. Rigs are easy to see and avoid.
Not much can happen to you offshore.

Hugging the coast
Shallow coast. More traffic, have to figure various courses. Currents effect you. Danger lies near the coast.

M

That's about the most irresponsible advice I have aver seen. Why do you suppose the CG established "Safety Fairways"?The rigs and wellheads, current and abandoned, might be visible in the daytime but certainly not at night.

[sailjumanji]

We've crossed back twice - once in 2016, and again in 2019 - coming back from Bahamas. Both times the crossing started at Fort Myers, where we stopped to provision the boat, fuel up, and basically enjoy some land time and rest before heading out. In 2016, we did the trip in our Seawind 1000 catamaran, which is 33 ft long, and powered by two 9.9 Yamaha outboards. We left Fort Myers, set a course for Grand Isle, Louisiana. Basically plan is to refuel there, and then jump back offshore and run down the coast to Galveston. In 2016, the first leg of the trip was a glassy gulf, whereby we motored with one engine at about 4 knots the entire way. (We didn't have enough fuel capacity to use both engines.) This was in June, and each afternoon we got caught in thunderstorm whereby we sailed like mad for about an hour, and then dropped sails and went back to motoring. Other than the stress of potential lightening strike each day and being far offshore to deal with it, it was not a bad trip. We refueled at Grand Isle, went offshore, and sailed the entire way to Galveston single reefed! We arrived with full fuel tanks and fuel jugs.

In 2019, we were in our 38 ft Seawind 1160 Lite catamaran, with 25 hp dual outboards. (We took delivery of the boat in Miami in Feb, commissioned a month in Florida, spent three months in Exumas, Eleuthera, Abacos and Berrys, and then cross the Gulf stream to Florida in June.) Same GoM crossing issue - not enough tankage and fuel jugs to run both motors the entire way. We were initially headed to Grand Isle, Louisiana, but at about 150 nm from there changed course northwest to Freeport, Texas because we didn't need fuel. On our last crossing in 2016, we motored much of this stretch with no wind, and flat seas. This time was quite different, and although we had some stretches that we ran a motor, we were predominately sails-only, and almost always reefed at one or two reefs. We had rain and lightening for two days, with wind picking up each overnight. And waves were a solid 4-6 ft plus, with the occasional stack of wave on top of swell that made it closer to 8-10 ft. Highest wind was a gust at 38 knots, but most of the time we were in the neighborhood of 15 knots daytime, and 18-24 knots at night. First 24 hour period we logged 157 nm, then 156 nm, 166 nm, and then 182 nm. From midnight to 8 am on Jun 22, we averaged 8.4 knots. For the 4.5 day crossing, 746 nm, 6.9 knot average. And this included a period with no sails up, when we got caught and didn't have time to lower to third reef, and I just dropped the sails and spent time waiting for the blow to end before proceeding further. Sad thing was that we spent over three hours being blown in the wrong direction. :-(

Initially, we rigged the second and third reef lines. (We only have two reef lines, and have to make a choice of which attachment points on the mainsail to use.) During the day, we were typically no reef, then went to second reef at night. So early in the evening, we were probably over-reefed. Sustained winds peaked around midnight to early morning hours, but still limited out to 24-26 knots sustained, so we never got to third reef. We were a bit conservative and tried to avoid situation where we even had to put in a reef at night, valuing crew sleep more than maximum distance made! Later in the week, we just left reef one and two rigged, and would switch between the two of those. We never used third reef.

It was not a particularly enjoyable crossing, but it was relatively short duration. The wave height and motion was such that we were frequently shipping water or very heavy spray onboard from the bows, so all of the windows and hatches had to be shut. Tolerance built up over time, but especially initially you couldn't go below for more than a few minutes, before starting to feel sick. Stagnant air, combined with a lot of boat motion. The two off-crew slept on the settee. It all worked out. We came in at Freeport, spent the night in a marina, and motored the ICW the rest of the way to Port Aransas (home).

Crossing the Gulf can be relaxing like in 2016, or horribly uncomfortable (2019). My biggest fear is lightening strike, and both trips were in June, and we dealt with sailing thru thunderstorms with lightening that were too extensive to sail around. You really need to be prepared. We used a Garmin Inreach with a prescription to OCENS wind and wave forecasts to plan for weather. But when it changes, or conditions are underestimated/forecast, you really just have to deal with it, as you are far from shore.

Finally, the highest winds encountered were not offshore during the Gulf crossing, but in a thunderstorm within the last ten miles of the trip, in Aransas Bay. Winds sustained at 35 knots plus for over an hour, including 40-43 knots for 10 minutes, and maximum gust of 48 knots. Especially-challenging conditions due to a shallow bay, oil platforms, and some reefs and channel markers to avoid. The sails were down, the boat closed up, due to driving rain. After trying a couple of different tactics, we found the easiest was both motors in gear at idle, dragging them downwind, and riding the waves. By the time we got to our home dock in Port Aransas about an hour and a half later, wind was still at 29 knots. Great conditions to find out if your pilings set for a 33 ft Seawind 1000 will also work for a 38 ft Seawind 1160! And they did, but little room to spare.

[captmikem]

Originally Posted by BobHorn

That's about the most irresponsible advice I have aver seen. Why do you suppose the CG established "Safety Fairways"?The rigs and wellheads, current and abandoned, might be visible in the daytime but certainly not at night.

To you it may be.

You ask “Why do you suppose the CG established "Safety Fairways"?
Here, let’s let the CFR’s answer your question.

Title 33 - Navigation and Navigable Waters
Volume: 2Date: 2019-07-01Original Date: 2019-07-01Title: PART 166 - SHIPPING SAFETY FAIRWAYS
Subpart A—General§ 166.100Purpose.The purpose of these regulations is to establish and designate shipping safety fairways and fairway anchorages to provide unobstructed approaches for vessels using U.S. ports.
Subpart B—Designations of Fairways and Fairway Anchorages§ 166.200Shipping safety fairways and anchorage areas, Gulf of Mexico.(a) Purpose. Fairways and anchorage areas as described in this section are established to control the erection of structures therein to provide safe approaches through oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico to entrances to the major ports along the Gulf Coast.
2) Drilling rigs must be outside of any fairway boundary to whatever distance is necessary to ensure that the minimum depth of water over an anchor line within a fairway is 125 feet.

In other words, Safety fairways are planned so that no rigs are placed in them to allow ships navigating to ports on the gulf to have a straight unencumbered passage thru the gulf. Small boats travel across the gulf all the time out of these lanes.

Rigs are lit and marked on charts. (Have a look at NOAA chart 115A).
Capped wells are far enough below the surface that they are not a hazard to navigation.

To the OP
Just watch the weather, plan on 4kts which is 6 days, you will probably make 5 or 6 kts which is around 5 days. Have the charts for ports along the way so that If the weather looks dicey while underway you can pull into Mobile etc.

Be aware there are people who will tell you DO NOT go out of sight of land without two life rafts, 4 EPIRBS a couple of Sat Phones, two ditch bags, Personal GPS locators, file 6 float plans, always wear two life vests and a double tether and never leave the cockpit.

For someone who does not have a lot of experience, the ICW can be maddening. You have to steer all the time, it is full of people who do not have a clue about what they are doing or the Rules of the Road, lots of commercial traffic, lots of shoal water, lot of currents and confusing marks. That is why I recommend the easy passage of straight across. Mind you, you need to have common sense, know how to shorten sail, have good weather reports, and keep a good look out.

Have a good trip.
M

[captmikem]

quick note, that was chart 1115A, not 115A

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by captmikem

Rigs are lit and marked on charts. (Have a look at NOAA chart 115A).
Capped wells are far enough below the surface that they are not a hazard to navigation.

Not to nit pick, but "rigs" implies something with a drilling derrick on it. They are manned, and well lit. There are also production platforms out there, and unless they are currently under construction, they are well lit at night. There are also wellhead platforms, and almost all that we have seen are lit. HOWEVER, we have run across new wellhead platforms in Louisiana that were under construction during the day, and abandoned at night, and not lit. There are also some old wellhead platforms we encountered in Texas, with lights not on. So you really need to monitor radar at night in this section of the Gulf.

And as you pointed out, a LOT of the structures shown on the charts are either subsea (i.e., on the sea floor), or are wellhead or production platforms that have been removed.

The safety fairways are exactly as you described. However, there is the positive of not having platforms to deal with, but OTOH you have a lot of shipping traffic - don't you? Plus it is a long way offshore, and therefore you need to plan for the extra fuel to come ashore/port in emergency, if required.

From memory, the worse stretch of Gulf regarding platforms to avoid is immediately west of Grand Isle. We usually try to come out of there at first light and get as much of that distance behind us before dark. THen the platforms start thinning out a bit. Much fewer in Texas.

IF the OP plans to take the ICW route, I would highly recommend AIS with transmit ability. It lets others see you, plus it makes it very easy to identify their ship or tow name to set up passing protocol. We usually get the name off of AIS, and hail on VHF. Without that, tow operators expect to be hailed with a reference to statute mile location. That's a PITA keeping up with what mile marker you are at on the ICW. If you get the mile marker wrong, they wont answer, as they expect you are calling someone else. IMHO, AIS receive AND transmit capability is worth its weight in gold on the ICW.

[flyingfin]

Leave after cold front departs on a NE wind, sail Tampa to Carrabelle, then watch for weather windows and shore hop to TX. Or wait until May 1st

[jibstay]

Originally Posted by BobHorn

That's about the most irresponsible advice I have aver seen. Why do you suppose the CG established "Safety Fairways"?The rigs and wellheads, current and abandoned, might be visible in the daytime but certainly not at night.

What he said!

I wouldn’t do that trip again without radar and at least 3 people.

[jdl96]

Hello - lot's of good info in this thread! I'm looking to move my 34' O'Day from Gulfport to Kemah in early-mid November with one other crew. Despite all the ICW horror stories, I'm considering ICW simply because I'm not keen on going all the way around Louisiana, but am open to that route staying relatively close to shore. My boat is nimble, but obviously with a 25hp Universal is not fast either accelerating or top end so the ICW seems treacherous. Would appreciate any input! Draft is 5'7" and mast is just shy of 50'.

[capn_billl]

I've done the ICW, it's not that bad.

Heavy barge traffic is your main problem. I'd have to recheck bridge heights on that stretch, but 50 sounds doable.

Get an AIS, just knowing the barge names so you can call them will help a lot.

Easy trip.

[BobHorn]

There is one bridge, just west of the Calcasieu River (mile marker 245?) which is 50' closed. Last time we came through there, almost twenty years ago, it required 24 hour notice to have it raised. The two Mississippi Locks can get congested and are serious locks since they raise and/or lower the level to match the river. There are several other locks which maybe open to pass through but if you have to lock through there is no change in level, they are to control water flow, no big deal.
AIS would definitely be helpful. The tow captains are usually very helpful. When they talk to each other you usually have no idea what's going on, real deep Cajun. But talking to civilians they will switch to English.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by jdl96

Hello - lot's of good info in this thread! I'm looking to move my 34' O'Day from Gulfport to Kemah in early-mid November with one other crew. Despite all the ICW horror stories, I'm considering ICW simply because I'm not keen on going all the way around Louisiana, but am open to that route staying relatively close to shore. My boat is nimble, but obviously with a 25hp Universal is not fast either accelerating or top end so the ICW seems treacherous. Would appreciate any input! Draft is 5'7" and mast is just shy of 50'.

Just shy of 50’ is good. The Ellender bridge is 50’, although it’s a lift bridge and can be opened with 24 hours notice.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by wingssail

This trip is about 650 miles, should be sailable in 10 days or less on a Hunter 37, often an easy downwind sail. I think there is less difficulty in doing a 10 day, open water, voyage than a series of short hops where you are constantly going into and out of ports and channels and shallow water, oil rigs, etc.

The problem is that weather forecasting is not good for more than about 4 days, meaning you will get weather systems on the second half of the trip that were not in your forecast. A solution to that is to plan one or two stops along the way so that your hops can be completed within a 4 day window.

You need to learn how to get and read weather information. I'd suggest windy, https://www.windy.com/?2020-03-17-12,21.392,-92.944,5 for example, which you can get before you leave.

You also need to become familiar with reducing sail and preparing for heavy weather, and you need to have some confidence in your crew's ability. Also susceptibility to seasickness.

That’s the only problem with going across. I have four crossings across the Gulf Of Mexico. We got hammered by an unexpected front once going south and once going north. The problem is for most vessels it takes more days to cross than you can get a reliable forecast for. But, one crossing, heading north, it was like sailing on a lake all the way across. And that was in January. But, that’s rare.

[BobHorn]

Originally Posted by captmikem

I would rhink just the opposite. Streight shot, follow the line on the gps. Rigs are easy to see and avoid.
Not much can happen to you offshore.

Hugging the coast
Shallow coast. More traffic, have to figure various courses. Currents effect you. Danger lies near the coast.

M

How exactly do you see the rigs at night? I think extremely dangerous with only two people aboard.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by BobHorn

How exactly do you see the rigs at night? I think extremely dangerous with only two people aboard.

Drilling rigs are always very well lighted, as well as having a lit derrick and sometimes a boom with flare. Floating platforms are manned and lit up as well. Production platforms are almost always lit. The problem are the smaller, single wellhead platforms. We always run across one or two of those that have no lights. We run 4G radar and all of them show up.

Our closest encounters have been with large gulf shrimp boats that travel at decent speed but can change course unexpectedly and many dont answer hail on VHF. They typically have AIS.

Finally the other challenge is using charts to plot a course to avoid oilfield obstacles. Many are either wells that have been removed, platforms removed, or subsequent wells. I would guess that half of obstacles on the chart are gone.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by sailjumanji

Drilling rigs are always very well lighted, as well as having a lit derrick and sometimes a boom with flare. Floating platforms are manned and lit up as well. Production platforms are almost always lit. The problem are the smaller, single wellhead platforms. We always run across one or two of those that have no lights. We run 4G radar and all of them show up.

Our closest encounters have been with large gulf shrimp boats that travel at decent speed but can change course unexpectedly and many dont answer hail on VHF. They typically have AIS.

Finally the other challenge is using charts to plot a course to avoid oilfield obstacles. Many are either wells that have been removed, platforms removed, or subsequent wells. I would guess that half of obstacles on the chart are gone.

Subsea wells (not subsequent wells). Darn spell check correction