Avoiding oil platforms and other boats in the Gulf of Mexico

[w00dy]

I'm planning on moving my new boat back to Pt. Lavaca, TX in a few weeks. It's lying in Pensacola and I haven't locked down a float plan yet. Obviously, the ICW is a safer, though less direct and less exciting option. I'm also looking at the charts and trying to figure out some offshore hops, good weather prevailing.

To this end, I'd like to get some feedback from those of you who have experience sailing in this neck of the woods. I'm specifically interested in strategies for dealing with the problem of oil platforms and traffic in the open Gulf. Without radar, I would be relying on my own eyes and the marked positions of platforms on the charts to steer clear. Is fog an issue this time of year?

I won't be singlehanding, so there should be someone to keep a watch at all times. There's also a full moon the week that we sail, which should enable us to see the platforms at night, though I suppose I can't count on it.

Any advice from experienced sailors appreciated!

[Grime]

I will quote a phone call that lasted over half an hour.

"Don't do it with out radar. Don't do it without experienced crew."  My friend just did it from Port O'Connor in a 41' Tartan with radar and this is what he keep saying about going off shore. Over and over again he keep saying it. He also said that most are not lighted and even with a full moon you will not see them until you are right on top of them. He did the stretch from Sabine Pass to Pensacola. He was totally exhausted when he reached Pensacola.

As far as fog last night and tonight we have fog down to less than a 1/4 mile. Remember anything can an will happen out there.

I don't have the experience doing the gulf just the advice from a good friend. Others will have a different opinion.

What slip is Jim putting you into at the marina?

[CharlieJ]

Coming from P'cola should be ok. If it were me I'd sail Mississippi Sound to NO, come into the ICW until Nvermillion Bay, then head back outside to the Matagorda jetties.

Laura and I had no trouble seeing and avoiding rigs and platforms when we did it that way  and coming west you should have a fair wind.

If there is ANY indication of high winds, stay inside. The gulf off SW La is very shallow and can beat you up bigtime.

[Bill NH]

I used to run tankers on regular routes there so can offer a bit of perspective "from the bridge".  We were on charter running gas from the refineries in Texas City to ports on the Gulf and southeast coasts.

Don't try to sail in the charted fairways at night, and be careful when crossing them.  Every large ship and many tugs and oilfield supply boats are also going to be there - these are the "highways" of the Gulf.  Traffic there is heavy, but predictable.

Outside of the fairways there are occasional wellheads and other obstacles that may be unlit and/or uncharted.  With a good lookout and a full moon your odds of actually hitting one are very small, but know they're there and sail accordingly.  Traffic will be mostly oilfield supply and fishing vessels, and is less predictable outside of the fairways

I'd second Charlie's advice to stay coastwise where possible for weather reasons this time of year.  Fog is a possibility you may need to deal with as well.

Be alert, be conservative and enjoy the trip!

[w00dy]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. I'll let you know how it went in about two weeks :)

[ThistleCap]

Dear James,  I retired from running supply ships in the Gulf.  Commonsense and caution, and that full moon will help a lot.  I have counted over 400 rigs on 3 mile radar range in one of the densest areas, so there is a lot of stuff, standpipes, many unlighted, and many rigs have mooring buoys around them, often a half mile from the rig and with trailing 100 ft. mooring pennants floating on the surface.  Avoid anchoring if at all possible.  The bottom is littered with pipelines, cables, and debris.  Fog can be dense.  Keep a sharp lookout for crew boats, which will often run at full speed even in zero visibility.  Keep track of X-track (set and drift) so you don't get set into a platform.   If you see a really thick patch of platforms in one area, consider sailing around it at night.  A lot of obstructions may be encountered and boat traffic will be found zipping among the platforms. Pick your weather.  We didn't call the Gulf the Washing Machine for nothing.  I've counted wave trains from up to four different directions at once.  This is not to make it sound all that dire.  Like sailing anywhere, plan for the worst and enjoy a better than expected trip.

[Grime]

Hi Jim,
It was nice to meet you today and see your boat. Lisa and I both like her. Glad you had a safe trip over. Looking forward to visiting with you more in the near future.

[w00dy]

Thanks for your advice everyone. It was very helpful to be able to anticipate some of the situations that you related from your experience. After 8.5 straight days of motor-sailing, we arrived in Pt. Lavaca safe and sound.

We headed out from Pensacola at noon on Sunday, on the heels of a front that had just passed through and headed out of the Pensacola inlet, into the open Gulf. The winds were favorable and the full moon combined with clear skies made for a relatively safe nighttime passage. A strong north wind enabled us to beam reach at 6.5 knots for most of the night. We stayed three to five miles offshore, following the coast westward. The next day, we fought seasickness as we entered a corner pocket of the Gulf and a wind shift caused some confused swells. We turned south and followed the Chandleur Islands down the Mississippi Delta, taking turns at the helm and emptying our stomachs over the side. All day, we wearily steered south, hoping for a less nauseous course through the swells. Thankfully, things calmed down after the sun set and we were able to keep some hot tea and lentil soup down. This time, the moon was hidden by clouds and we only had our chartplotter, our ears, and our wits to keep us from colliding with numerous rigs and platforms. Luckily, we weren't far from a marked channel that would guide us in to the Mississippi. Arriving at Venice late in the night, we ended our first passage of approximately 150 miles in 36 hours.

With another front on the way, we decided to duck inside and rejoined the the GIWW at Lafitte, 15 miles west of Harvey Lock and New Orleans.  We never got another decent opportunity to jump outside because of constant frontal action, so the rest of the trip was pretty repetitive. Motor(sail) for 18 hrs a day. Fuel up. Sleep for a few hours. Do it again. We were constantly dodging (and chatting with) the big commercial ship traffic and got a close look at the heavily industrialized Gulf coast.

The last day coming down across Matagorta bay was a lot of fun. Another front had passed through the night before and we made use of the cold hard wind that followed it. We practically flew the last 20 miles into Pt. Lavaca and I got soaked as we beat to windward through the whitecaps. It was after dark when we made it to the home stretch of the Pt. Lavaca ship channel. I can highly recommend this ship channel to anyone entering after dark. Every marker is a lit flasher and it looked like an airport runway, guiding us home.

Now the boat's lying in Pt. Lavaca, and I'm back in Austin, already planning the next trip. Overall, the delivery was a success, with no major problems. Still, I wish we hadn't felt so rushed, and am looking forward to actually CRUISING on the boat, instead of just trying to get somewhere in a hurry. I'm sure you guys know what I mean.

Good to meet you too, Grim-e! Looking forward to coming back down there ASAP :)

Cheers!

James

[Frank]

Glad you made it OK. Trips that are "destination bound" are'nt too fun. Hope the next one has a few extra days added. Good lessons learned for you. I'm sure you'll enjoy your boat. Have fun

[Tim]

Good to hear you made it without major incidents, hope the next one can be more pleasurable.

[CharlieJ]

Good deal. Glad you made it ok. Usually takes us 10 days to do that trip.

When you get back down to the marina, look up Kansas - he sorta works there. Tell him Laura says " get busy fixing that rudder!"

grin.

[nmwarren]

Glad to hear the trip went well!  There are so many friendly people at Nautical Landings to help you out and share knowledge with.  I'll be in Port L this coming weekend working on and sailing my Compac 23.

[Grime]

Nick,
We might join you in sailing Miss Froggy this weekend. Our son is coming in Friday and we want to take him out. It would be Sunday as we are having a party over a Sally and Graig's Saturday evening. You know you are welcome to come. So are you James.

[nmwarren]

Hey David, thanks for the invite!  It seems like we always miss Saturday night but will definitely try to make is this fime.  Also I may try to check out the play at the downtown theatre this weekend as well.  I'm going to be down with my dad and some other family showing them the boat, and we will probably go on the water Saturday.   Weather finally looks to be great.

On Sunday we're going to take the mast down and try to pull her out of the water onto the trailer.  That will give me the rest of the weekend to scrape the bottom and take care of some other work.  She'll be on the trailer until we come down to get her with the big truck on March 9th and depart for Florida.

[w00dy]

Would love to be down there this weekend, but that's usually when I work. With any luck, I should get down to Pt. Lavaca within a week or two and I hope to see you guys then. I'll try to drag my sailing partner Rachel down with me too.

[Captain Smollett]

I have counted over 400 rigs on 3 mile radar range in one of the densest areas, so there is a lot of stuff, standpipes, many unlighted, and many rigs have mooring buoys around them, often a half mile from the rig and with trailing 100 ft. mooring pennants floating on the surface. 

What about the rhumb line from Fort Myers/Charlotte Harbor to Mobile?  Does that lie on the region with so many unlit dangers?  Better to hug the coast (thus making a longer trip)?

Thanks.

[CharlieJ]

Ft Myers to Mobile you shouldn't have much if any problem. The vast majority of rigs are off the western Louisiana coast from the Mississippi River west, and off the eastern Texas coast.

When we sailed from Apalachicola to Tarpon Springs we saw zero oil rigs.

Take a look at this chart- the black squares are oil rigs.

http://www.texasgulfcoastfishing.com/images/navmaps/mygulf.gif

Laura and I sailed through that one year- not really any problem unless the weather goes sour on you- little place to run. Also, the waters off western La gain about a foot of depth per mile- we were 75 miles offshore, in 72 feet.