Tales From Wild Goose

She Arrives!

Trucked across country, she arrives

We purchased Wild Goose in Hilton Head, South Carolina and had her trucked across the country to Kemah, Texas. On a cold rainy morning, she arrived perched on a low-bed semi with an underbelly that seemed to be dragging the road. Her arrival was quite impressive since the truck needed a special escort for oversized loads complete with rotating lights and surely there was a warning horn somewhere in there to ward off gawkers from our precious cargo. Her mast was lying along her side extending far past the end of the belly-scraping trailer and looked like a lance ready for a joust.

By the way, boats are always referred to as female, even though women were once thought to bring bad luck aboard seafaring ships (can you imagine!). One theory is that a ship carries, protects, and safely delivers her cargo or passengers as does a mother with her child. I think the most probable answer to the question is this: most boats and ships were owned and captained by men. I’ll let you take it from there.

Lowering Wild Goose into the water

A big crane lifted Wild Goose off the semi cradling her gently in its slings before slowly lowering her into the water. Since she weighs upwards of 28000 pounds, there was this tense moment as the workmen unhooked the slings. She’s a well-built, proven boat, but I couldn’t help but hold my breath. Would she float or would we stand there watching our new home sink to the bottom? She floated! Next, workmen began the arduous task of raising her 64-foot mast into position. Wild Goose has a keel-stepped mast, meaning the mast goes through the top of the deck, into the cabin and sits on top of the keel. The keel is actually the breastbone of the boat running lengthwise and it’s the structural member upon which the boat is built.

Moving Aboard

Prior to moving aboard, Mark assured me there is tremendous storage room on a boat.  Cavernous honeycombs of storage spaces lie hidden underneath beds, floorboards, and the sofa.  He failed to mention those cavernous honeycombs stored spare parts, miscellaneous filters and a colossal stockpile of tools. Mark called these necessities.  Books, music CD’s, games and food filled more spaces.  Hair dryers, curlers, make-up, and jewelry boxes became questionable as necessities (at least to Mark) although I managed to secure some space for a few of these extravagances.  Anchors resembling giant grappling hooks sat on the dock waiting to be loaded along with bright orange life jackets and a Fiberglas box the size of a footlocker.  The innocuous footlocker contained a six-man, fully equipped emergency life raft readied for disaster at sea and, by my estimation, capable of housing and feeding two pygmies for a day. 

The mountain on the dock finally reduced to a small heap of odd-shaped tools and tackle.  We kept a detailed inventory list that would prove invaluable later.  A toilet never clogs in calm weather.  The engine never chokes and dies unless you’re in a tight harbor entrance with a behemoth tanker bearing down on your stern.   It’s imperative to know the exact location of your tools and parts (these really are the necessities) instead of frantically looking for a filter or an O-ring or that odd-shaped wrench needed in a time crunch.

We lived aboard Wild Goose at dock for a year or so making a few inland and offshore trips, getting to know her systems and understanding how she sails. Departure day finally arrived, April 9, 1996. In my journal I wrote, “Today we began a new life as sailboat cruisers. We left Waterford Harbor Pier 17 Slip 27, Kemah Texas at 1030 hours.”

Where did we get the courage to ease Wild Goose from her slip and steer a course toward the unknown? It’s best summed up by a song penned by Guy Clark simply called Cape

(click on the underlined name to hear the song and view the words)

He’s one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith 

Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape 

At the end of that first day I wrote in my journal, “a grand adventure is ahead, but we know not what is in store for the Wild Goose”. We were soon to find out that even the best laid plans can lead to some unexpected circumstances.


Cheers!
Bunny