Tuesday 8/2 Rockport – Matagorda
We woke up at 7am and sailed out. There was a good breeze and we used a medium sized jib with the reefed mainsail along with the motor. In order to make it to Matagorda before the sun set, we would need as much speed as possible. The crew all took turns at the helm, and we made it to Port O’Connor just after 3pm. We decided to push on through even though our ice was almost melted because stopping would jeopardize our arrival time in Matagorda. Good thing we didn’t stop. We made great speed motor sailing on a beam reach and reached the Colorado river locks at about 7:45pm. We followed a barge through and made it to Matagorda harbor about 15 minutes after sunset. The crew loaded up the gear and got a ride to Matagordaville with Bart and Boom-Boom. We immediately set up and started playing for an excited crowd. It was a great show, and everybody had a blast. We headed back to the boat with some friends and passed out soon after – exhausted.
Wednesday 8/3 Matagorda – Sargent
The crew left the marina before noon with fuel, ice, and supplies. There was a stiff breeze so we sailed without the motor, using a reefed main and a medium jib. We made good time and made it to Sargent well before sunset. We were greeted at pier 57 with cold lonestars before the boat was even tied up! We loaded the music equipment into the bar and then were treated with steak dinners. Pier 57 is awesome! We played a few sets to a small crowd and then hung out with them after. We ended up passing out pretty late.
Thursday 8/4 Sargent – Surfside
We woke up, ate breakfast and cruised out. We made such good time that when we approached surfside, we decided to take a little trip offshore. I wanted to test the conditions for a potential offshore sail to Galveston tomorrow, and we all wanted to do some fishing. We headed out the jetties and sailed to one of the rigs. We trolled lures and circled the rig a few times. No bites. Heading back into surfside was pretty rough, but very fun, and the boat performed great. We docked at the surfside marina and headed to castaway for our show. They were rude, but we played anyway and still ended up meeting some cool people. We got back to the boat around 2am and went to sleep. Long day tomorrow.
Friday 8/5 Surfside – Galveston
We got supplies from the ship store and left the dock at about 7am. We decided to make the run offshore, so we headed out the jetties. It was a great sail. I rigged up a tarp for shade and motor sailed with a medium jib. It was nice to not have to worry about water depth. I just followed the compass and relaxed. We sailed in pretty close to the seawall and saw big schools of stingrays. After sailing through the Galveston jetties, we pulled around to the Galveston yacht basin. We hot a ride to Yagas and started setting up. It was a great show with a packed house. People danced all night long and we had a blast. After the show I skipped out on the after parties to get some needed rest back on the boat.
Saturday 8/6 Galveston
Everybody did their own thing for the most part today. At one point Ryan and I met up with local legend Bert Wills and had an amazing jam session. Later, I moved the boat to joes crabshack where they had a slip for us, and we set up our gear for the show. We played a few sets and ate crabs. After the show we met up with some friends at another bar. Nice night.
Sunday 8/7 Galveston
Pretty much a repeat of yesterday with alot more beach time. We had some family and friends in town for the show, which made it extra special, and it was also the last scheduled show of the tour. We loaded the gear on the boat for the “last time”, and hung out with friends. I am pretty sure that Ryan and Blake are looking forward to their homes on land… It has been a long tour… 33 shows in 38 days, by sailboat and bicycle.
