The first major trips to Pelican's Rest Marina / Offatt's Bayou, and to Freeport - were completed without the onboard Onan generator functioning. The Predator portable generator was run on the front deck of the boat to provide AC power for the refridgerator and other loads during the trip.
Once the Onan was repaired (12/21/24), overnight trips running AC were possible - including the overnight stay at Shell Beach and the Allen's Landing Trip.
Anchor Practice with John Allison and Al - 6/18/23. Practiced in large open area at Watergate, then Nassau Bay.
Completed Phil Geren's (sp?) "Anchoring Clinic" with TMCA. Practiced anchoring at Shell Beach.
4/13/25 Anchored overnight at Shell Beach to practice overnighting / anchoring out. See log for this date.
7/29/23 - 7/30/23. John and Ann Marie cruised to Freeport, spending the night at Bridge Harbor Marina.
San Leon - about 25th Street and Ave A.
Cruised to A-Frame as a "pre-Allen's Landing" run to check out fuel filters, etc... Good trip. Saw a few dolphins. Frank/Ruth, John Allison and others report good anchorage.
This trip was a MAJOR milestone for cruising on Sunset Dream.
Trip was sponsored through TMCA. TMCA arranged clearance with the Coast Guard to allow a flotilla of recreational vessels to travel up the Houston Ship Channel through the restricted area, to the Turning Basin at the end of the channel, and then on into Buffalo Bayou to raft up at Allen's Landing.
The trip went well without any issues.
According to Navionics, the trip route should be about 27.1 Nm. Navionics estimated 4.5 hours at 6 knots, and 22.6G at 5G/hr. The 5g/hr fuel estimate was very high. According to best guess from the log, we averaged about 3.06g/h. The calculation was based on 14.4 hours of main engine run time, but included the fuel burn from running the generator 48 hours (we were at Allen's Landing from about 2:30pm Friday until leaving Sunday morning, and ran the generator most of the time).
The wild guess of fuel consumption for the generator while run overnight (just the generator) was about .3 gal/hour. The generator was running both AC's, and the full house load, though temperatures were reasonably mild, so the generator was not under a heavy load. The generator manual spec's full load of the generator to draw about .9g/hour, so we were well short of that.
Total fuel consumption for the trip was wildly guessed to be about 30.8g.
Assuming (2 x 27.1nm =~ 54 nm), and 30.8g total usage, including the generator, this would give about 1.75m/g. The actual figure should be much higher, given we spent a LOT of time noodling around waiting at various places. If we use the 14.4 engine hours, and assume an average of 6knots (we were actually typically traveling at least 7+knots, occasionally 8 knots) - that would give an estimated 86.4 km that could be covered in that time. 86.4k/30.8g =~ 2.8m/g >> Though we would rarely be running a full day at speed.
So... For planning purposes, perhaps allow fuel planning calculations to be based on 3-5g/h, but hope that the realistic operation to be as good as 2+g/h, and at least 2+mpg.
Top Water Grill - Note: Water probably too shallow to go to Top Water Grill or even Pier 6. Consider anchoring at A-Frame (San Leon coast, near 25th & Ave A.
A-Frame - 25th and Ave A, San Leon
Offat's Bayou
Double Bayou
See Job Beason Marina near the entrance to Double Bayou - might be a good place to over-night.
See: (getting there) https://www.dropbox.com/s/uupfjt43f3cqh2k/Double%20Bayou%20Navigation%20%28Pasture%20version%29.pdf?dl=0
See: (mooring at "The Pasture") https://www.dropbox.com/s/morh4ja5t35he7s/DB%20Pasture%20mooring.pdf?dl=0
Trinity Bay Island exploration (TMCA trip possible Sept 2025?)
Trip around Pelican Island
Cruise out to Galveston - in front of sea wall, down to Pleasure Island
Trip Planning
Slip to end of channel in Galveston Bay: About 45 min, about 3.8 miles
Red Fish Island - From Channel Marker 1 (Galveston Bay) about 8 miles to Red Fish Island area, depending on how direct a route is taken, and where in the shoal area the destination is set.
A-Frame - San Leon. Ave A and 25th Street. (John Allison reference)
Top Water Grill - From Channel Marker 1 (Galveston Bay) About 13 miles (2+ hours), depending on path. Will need to consult with local experts on where to go through. NOTE: May be too shallow to comfortably get to.
Offat's Bayou - From Channel Marker 1 (Galveston Bay) Approximately 30 miles