August 2022
The 4-day voyage began from The Sanctuary Costa Grande, in Port O’ Connor. Being mid-July, it was hot but luckily, we had cover over the fly bridge and the aft cockpit from the scorching Texas sun. There were four of us, ranging from 36 to 72 years old and fishing is something we all enjoy. Our sights were set on Baffin Bay which is a mecca for trophy speckled trout. Baffin Bay has a higher salinity level than the other bays in the area. While still theory, it may very well be that this high fairly constant level of salinity may attribute to the growth of trophy trout. Early Thursday morning we filled up the 32-foot Grand Banks trawler and fired up the six-cylinder motor which has a top speed of 8 mph and away we went. We had a long journey ahead, but in addition to the slow pace we were towing a 23-foot JH Outlaw (pictured below) which in turn slowed our pace 6 mph depending on tide and current.
Everything went to plan across San Antonio Bay and Aransas Bay however when we approached Corpus Christi Bay, the wind had come up from the South and the bay was western. The JH Outlaw is one of the finest center console fishing boats along the coast however in 3-to-4-foot swells we made the decision to forgo the Intracoastal Coastal Waterway (ICW) and head towards protected water behind Mustang Island. We quickly learned this was a great idea for the fishing boat but much too shallow for the trawler. Against better judgement we had to split up or risk sinking the JH. Joe quickly unhooked the JH and headed towards Mustang Island with the trawler going back to the initial ICW route. Finally as the sun was setting we could see the lights on the JFK Causeway. We pulled into Marker 37 marina where we would spend the night. After eating good meal at Snoopy’s and enjoying a few tasty beverages we called it a night. The next morning, we enjoyed a breakfast burrito and sausage balls that our wives had prepared before the trip. After our warm breakfast and instant coffee, we set our sights on our Baffin Bay. The excitement was back after the rough jaunt the evening prior, however when we went to leave, the boat was aground. With enough throttling of the ol’ 6-cylinder, the trawler finally broke free and started moving. We were underway!! We did pull a water line apart that was laying on the bottom, but it looked like it had been pulled apart many times before….
Our plan was to tie the trawler to a friend’s dock in the Land Cut however after Hurricane Harvey we were unsure of how much of it was left, we would soon find out. As we approached the entrance to Baffin Bay the trawlers diesel engine started to sputter; panic ensued as the engine died. At this point I realized I forgot to switch the fuel tanks.
On the horizon we could see a big squall headed our way as the wind was picking up and started blowing us backwards towards a spoil island. I dropped the anchor as fast as I could, but the wind was blowing us so fast that I could not get the rope cleated. We continued backwards until we ran aground. I removed the engine floorboards switched the tanks and got to work priming the fuel lines. After purging what I thought was all the lines I climbed out of the engine compartment to find the boat would still not turn over. At this point, I had to dig out the manual from the closet in the v-birth and realized that I had forgot the two bleed screws on the high-pressure fuel pump. It was hot, and the engine was scorching, the sweat was pouring off of us a sieve. Finally, we got the motor running again but were aground so hard the 6-cylinder motor was not enough to get us off. We tried hooking up the smaller boat to the front to try and pull us off, no luck. Then someone (Paul) had the bright idea to pick up the anchor and use the long rope to try and pull us off. The first time we tried this, the boat moved a little, we had hope! We repositioned the smaller boat again and using all 250 hp on the JH, plus the 120 hp 6-cylinder in board motor we finally broke free. Several yells went up and we were floating again. Very carefully we were headed south again. We finally pulled in to where we would call home for the next 2 days around 6pm Friday evening.
After checking to make sure we had enough fuel to run the generator all night, Cameron climbed onto the remaining dock, which was just big enough for two lawn chairs and cooked burgers and sausage on a portable grill which we had brought. After dinner and a few more tasties we all laid our heads and slept like hibernating bears as the ac was blowing snow.
The next morning, we loaded up the fishing boat and Joe took us to his “secret” fishing spot not far from the Baffin Bay inlet and the ICW. It certainly was no secret as there had to be 10 other boats already there. We all got our wading gear on and hopped out. A few specs were caught, unfortunately I only got one short. About noon as the sun was at its peak we decided to head back to the dock/mother ship to make some lunch.
After a good hot dog and cold beer, we were going to lay down to take a nap and head back out in the late afternoon as the heat was unbearable. Cameron, being the youngest out of the bunch decided against the nap and threw a line off the back of the fishing boat instead. The current was swift and just about the time the line was about to get into the pilings a spec was on, and it was a nice keeper. In the box it went, and another croaker was put on the hook and again the croaker drifted with the current and another spec was landed. At this point, we started taking turns fishing from the back of the boat until we all had our 3 fish limits.
The next day, Sunday, we woke up too head back. Cameron got in Joe’s boat and headed for Bird Island Basin which is on Mustang Island. He planned to meet Chelsea (Cameron’s wife) and Flory (Joe’s wife) who had brought Joe’s truck and trailer down. This meant we would not be towing the fishing boat which slowed us from 8 to 7 mph and burned more fuel. When we crossed the Corpus Channel, we tried several times to call Port A for a slip reservation, but they never answered the phone, so we continued and set the GPS to POC. With the help of everyone driving the boat and the long summer days we got across San Antonio Bay just before dark. We met two barges and talked to them, thankfully no problems. We finally pulled into the Sanctuary slip at 10 pm and Janet (Paul’s wife), Chelsea, and Flory were there to meet us. We unloaded the food and drinks and left the rest for in the morning. This was one of my best trips on the trawler and the first one with a fishing purpose that was not in the gulf!!
Lee Bryant, Paul Lair, Joe Chatham, Cameron Lair
