The Rear Commodore’s Cruise to Harbor House in Galveston was a success and everyone who attended seemed to have a great time.

On Friday March 10, 2006 we had two boats traverse the Ship Channel down to Galveston. The weather was a little uncooperative with the cloud cover in the fog range but with a lot of cooperation both Touchstone and Pacifico made the journey with ease. According to the captains the visibility was only a few yards. Chart plotters and radar were the hit electronics of the day. There were no comments on the Friday evening activity but I’ll bet there were at least some relaxing moments after a safe voyage in the fog.

On Saturday we had two more boats join us in Galveston with perfect visibility during the trip. Mele Kai docked early in the afternoon and Head Hunter was safely in the Harbor House slip before 4PM. We had an additional four people drive down and by 5PM we had taken over the dock and the festivities were in full swing. It is amazing how many people become interested in boating after the appetizers are set out and the fun is going strong. We had a number of friendly folks stop by to ask about our activities. The biggest hit of the day were the three yachting puppies that traveled down with Pacifico and Head Hunter. The final tally was 4 sailboats, 16 people and three puppies.

By 7PM we had cleared the dock of all signs of the arrival party and took the walk to Saltwater Grill across from the Opera House. Thanks to our Social Director we were seated in a very nice private room. It is amazing how loud 16 boaters can be in a private room but equally how quite they are when the food is served. Everyone enjoyed their meals and we were all thankful for the walk back to loose a few of those calories. The Strand was quite and we decided to go back to the dock for a nightcap. After a few nightcaps aboard Head Hunter and lots of boating and other stories everyone faded off for the evening.

At 8AM on Sunday the coffee was ready at the dock and the Orange Juice and Bloody Mary mix was served. We then decided to walk to the Phoenix Bakery and Coffee House for a full breakfast. We continued with the stories while the meals were prepared and everyone seemed to leave happy. Some of us were mentally preparing to drive back while others were thinking of the upcoming pleasure of being on the water. By 10:30AM everyone had departed for home port.

I would like to thank everyone who helped make the Annual Rear Commodore’s Cruise to Harbor House a success.

Travis Ewing

Rear Commodore, 2006