August 1994: As for the Lugger named ONKAHYE, the attached photo was taken in 1994, Corpus Christi, during the annual Navy Regatta. The race is from the Naval Air Station, across the Bay to the downtown marina. The Corpus Christi Yacht Club would sign up military folks on Friday night social, then race from the downtown marina to the Naval Air Station seaplane basin with the yacht owner on the helm, followed by another party in the Officers' Club. On SUnday the teams raced back to downtown with a military member on each helm and a watchful Capn nearby.
I was working the regatta as the beach to boat support crew all 3 days, but on Saturday after the yachts got to the basin, Capn Jack, Skipper (Capn's Daughter) and I put ONKAHYE in at the NAS ramp and sailed her around the point to drop anchor with the big yachts. I got a little nervous as Jack SAILED (ONKAHYE had no motor) between all the shiny yachts to his selected mooring spot, pretty as you please. Jack looked like General Washington crossing the Delaware, standing hup, tiller in hand, threading the needle with his little boat. With ONKAHYE's shoal draft we could anchor pretty shallow, so we dropped the hook and got a ride to shore on a Jon boat. We could have left her on the beach too, but Jack wanted to anchor like the big boys.
Sunday morning I worked the crew to get everyone back out to their boats, and once the yachts left for their race, with a military person on each helm, I took Skipper and Jack back out to ONKAHYE. Plan A was for them to sail back around to the NAS ramp where I'd meet them with the trailer. Jack had a different plan. Once he got Skipper on board ONKAHYE, he pressed her into service and announced his plan to sail 10+ miles across the bay to the downtown marina. He had never sailed across the bay, had always wanted to and said "If I don't do it now, I never will." He had not announced his plan because we are a family of overthinkers, and that can take the fun out of things sometime.
Did I mention it was August in South Texas? We always carried an Aladdin pump jug of water on ONKAHYE, plus towels and hats. Skipper took the few extra bottles of water and towels I had on the Jon boat and off they went. They set a line for the downtown breakwater and off they went, the trip was slow but steady, and hot but not unbearable. The race course took the fleet of yachts past them a couple of times, everyone on the race boats knew Skipper and buzzed her as they zig zagged by. At one point ONKAHYE caught a nice stern wave and dolphin stayed with them for quite a while. Hats dipped in the bay kept the crew cool.
I finished my Landing Party duties and headed downtown with the trailer, getting there in time to snap the photo of them right after they gybed through the breakwater. They had sailed downton Corpus for years, so their approach to landing was very choreographed. Skipper climbed on the aft deck to furl the mizzen, then she took the tiller and let Jack know when to drop the main as they fell off towards the ramp. As they approached the ramp on a run, Audrey had Jack work the furler jib in like easing up on a throttle. Then she'd bring ONKAHYE alongside the dock, pretty as you please, and step off the boat to handle the dock lines (Women's Work), the transition from Skipper to Dock Wench. Jack would pull up the centerboard, ship the rudder and stow the mizzen while I (Landing Party and Trailer Mech) backed the trailer down. Dock Wench would maneuver the boat into the launch slip. Then we had a celebratory lunch at the Lighthouse Restaurant.
So while some folks might appreciate a picture of ONKAHYE with all 3 sails a flyin', we know the significance of the stowed mizzen on that day.
Capn Clark and Admiral Skipper somewhere in Florida. She's on pain meds for a fractured elbow, that's why she's letting me touch the tiller. But notice how close her hand is...
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| Photo Credit: Capn Aubrey |
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