Galveston, Oh Galveston........

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CS:
5th March 2009: After a bit of lumpy travelling from the Caribbean into the Gulf of Mexico our passage to Galveston was cruisy (as usual, dare I tempt fate to say). We anchored off when we arrived to await the coast guard.
We had a lengthy drill before arriving and also came across the first yacht we have seen in open sea. It was a ketch with its large headsail flying but strangely it looked like it was luffing up and floundering somewhat; we didn’t get near enough to say for sure.
There were many small oil rigs in the morning light dotting the seascape. There were a large number of cargo vessels at anchor around us. We could just make out passage into Galveston in the distance. The day was warm but the breeze chilly. The Captain made a loud speaker announcement for us to go to poop deck starboard side within 15 minutes because the coastguard was on the way. We collected there as ordered; a vessel approached, a small grey craft complete with large guns. While I waited on the deck I got quite cold but felt disinclined to go inside with our gun totting heroes on board, but our ever gallant captain - undaunted - had the kindness to get me a jacket. They told us all to go into the officer’s room where we were called one by one for a passport check and asked a few basic questions while the others searched the vessel. This time they did not bring sniffer dogs. They were very civilized but they clearly were calling the shots; they were all wearing a quantity of heavy hardware around their hips. The man in charge was pretty stiff but one of the other officers tried to lighten things up by asking innocuous questions which we ended up answering because every one else stayed mute. We had to go up to our cabin because they couldn’t open the safe. That was sorted and both young officers were extremely pleasant and chatty when they spied our wall map of our journey. Once the border control inspection was complete they left the ship. The pilot came on about 5.45 and we sailed into Galveston just on dusk. It was too late for us to disembark. We docked on the town side of the island. Immigration arrived at 6.30am and the immigration officer kindly drove us to the gate and we walked the mile or so into town. Galveston is still recovering from last year’s cyclone, Hurricane Ike, which caused a sea surge to flood the whole island to a depth of several metres. The east of the island includes the historic area which contains wide streets and numerous lovely old buildings. Many are still closed for business because they are being refurbished following the flooding. We stopped at the Stork Club café for coffee and French toast and met an Australian. He owns an internet and freighting business around the corner which we then visited to conduct our usual IT chores. It was great fun chatting to an expatriate about his experiences of living in Galveston and hear him bemoaning the absence of chicken salt and chocolate Easter eggs (the hollow ones). We quickly agreed to swap internet time for a food parcel to be dispatched from Oz.
A spot of shopping at the ubiquitous but useful ‘one stop shopping’ Wal-Mart, via the sea side of the island where the hurricane devastation was particularly pronounced (our taxi driver is still housed in a hotel waiting to be allowed to commence rebuilding of his home) and we rushed back to the ship with a minute to spare. We will slip up the river to Houston tonight.

PP:
6th March 2009: Galveston - a sign claims this island was the home of pirate Jean Lafitte!! But we didn’t walk the plank so much as down the gangway. No pirates evident, but there was an enterprising character who appeared next to the ship selling computers, cameras, hard drives, phones and sim cards - from the back of his nondescript van. Talk about stuff falling “off the back of a truck”!! It’s also quite amusing to think of sending “red cross food parcels” to a suffering expatriate.

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Photos

First Impression
Galveston from the Mexican Gulf

Here Come the Cavalry!
The Coast Guard welcomes us?

CS Submerged??
Hurricane Ike surge Level

Entrepeneur
In the home of Jean Lafitte!