Morgan City to Intracoastal City

April 22, 2009
Today, we will make it to Intracoastal City. The office has sent me an overnight package of things I need to sign and overnight back. I found a place to stay that would accept my overnight mail for me.
There is not a lot about the trip to Intracoastal City. There is not a lot of city there. But, there are some really nice people. Shell Morgan Landing, Inc. was our destination, a little red building with a couple of wharfs and fuel pumps. It was about the first thing I saw coming into the city.
Shell Morgan Landing is evidently a Texaco station. I have no idea why it is called Shell Morgan and not Texaco Morgan. I didn’t ask because I assumed it was a Shell station until after we left and I learned otherwise. Anyway, it sits right on the Intracoastal waterway, on my right. Crew boats are tied to a dock between me and the landing. I begin to ease toward it thinking the water was deep. It wasn’t and I nudge against the ground, backed off and went out to the ICW channel to turn directly into it, a 90 degree turn. This put the wind on the port stern, pushing me to the dock. I begin my boat docking pirouettes and eventually get a line to the guy on the wharf. We get the boat tied without much incident and refuel. The overnight package was there and I signed everything, put it in a return envelope, and called Fed Ex to pick up. They won’t pick up today but they will tomorrow. That’s fine.
Then, I see the transient docks. Actually wharf. It is across the harbor, downwind, and there is no way to turn around. I dread the thought of trying to dock there and ask if we can stay at the fuel dock. That was fine so long as we leave early. We want to be gone before daylight so I’m happy, they are happy, I pay for my fuel and $20 for the dock and there we stay for the night.
The wind began to calm and out came the mosquitoes. So, we dug out all the screens and start putting them on all the hatches. We have to have the hatches open tonight because we don’t have power at the fuel dock. The weather is cool though so once we get the screens on we will be very comfortable. We go take a shower.
The showers here are small but clean and you can tell the owner of Shell Morgan Landing is trying to give those of us traveling down the ICW a place to stop where nothing else is available. It may not be the Hilton but it is fine with us. This place had about four feet of water in it from Ike, with Rita, the water was to the ceiling. They rebuilt. Not everyone did though. They told me that a lot fewer people live here now. People got tired of rebuilding.
After we clean up, it is dinner time, so we head to the grocery store about a block away. It is built on pilings. We can get hamburgers there too. We order food to go and buy groceries. When we check out this most interesting little lady told us all about the store and showed us pictures of the water standing in the original building, to its ceiling. She also showed us the rebuilt store on pilings during Hurricane Ike. The pilings kept the store safe. There were some guys who stayed in the building though. I thought of Bolivar Peninsula. I would not stay after hearing what happened at Bolivar. I told her so. We enjoyed talking to our new found friend and even discussed coming over to the store for breakfast in the morning.
We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. We have to make an 84 mile jump to get to an anchorage. The best we have ever been able to do is 72 miles. We are getting up at 5:00 so our nightime travel is when it is getting lighter as opposed to evening travel when it is getting darker.
As we were going down the stairs from the grocery store our new friend came out with a newspaper in her hand. She said, "Here is a newspaper you can have. It’s yesterdays but it’s probably been a while since you have seen a paper." She was right. We don’t have a clue about the news making events during this trip.
Post again tomorrow
Royal Crescent.