Chapter 7: Houston

Houston. Arriving late afternoon three days after leaving New Orleans in the late afternoon. We ran around the clock non stop. Delayed by traffic at Harvey lock for an hour and Bayou Boeuf lock for two hours. Pretty slow going generally due to lots of tow traffic. No mechanical failures but we had issues with Speedy’s rudders. Turns to port better than she turns to starboard. Suspect one rudder is not toed out correctly, or maybe too much. Everyone is tired and happy we are tied up. All anxious to leave the boat for a hot restaurant meal. Mr Tynsall and his wife, and son Evan and his wife are our hosts for dinner. Seems all the family wants to meet Francine. Tiger also joined us, and Fred’s wife, they live just outside Houston, near Texas City. We had a nice evening and a good meal. Francine told the ladies she loved the trip. They questioned her thoroughly. Going on drydock first thing in the morning.

The pushtug now named “Skeeter” is out of the notch and laying at her own dock. Speedy is high and dry in the drydock. A chance for me to make a survey of the bottom. Apparently, Speedy suffered a very hard grounding at sometime in her career. Her rudders are two different shapes and one is smaller than the other. They replaced a damaged or missing rudder with an oddball salvaged from a boat that was scrapped, I suspect. Her keel coolers are beat nearly flat in places. The keel coolers are long parallel runs of channel iron welded to the hull and connected at the ends forming a continuous loop. There are separate keel coolers for every engine on board. Some sections need to be cut out and replaced.

The cutlass bearings are badly worn and need replacing. The surveyor Mr. Tynsall hired before agreeing to the purchased, flat out lied in the survey report. My suggestion to Mr. Tynsall is sue the surveyor. Among other omissions and errors, he specifically states the cutlass bearings are good and tight. I can shove my fist in the bearing next to the shaft. Tight?

A wheel flat is brought around to the stern, the propellers pulled off, and the tail-shafts extracted. Patch plates are welded over the shaft logs, and by supper-time, we are in the water again, and tied up alongside a dock on shorepower. The yard is efficient. Every hour in dry dock is expensive. No need to be out of the water while the tail-shafts are being overhauled. That takes several days. So they dropped us in the water again, to save the drydock expense.

Some years earlier, I was master of a tug having tail-shaft inspections in this very same yard. We left our barge, we always were coupled with the same barge, the barge was left in Corpus Christi while the tug came to Houston. On that occasion, same as this time, they pulled the shafts then re-floated us. The next day, I received orders from my office, now I was back in the water, immediately get underway and rejoin my barge in Corpus Christi. Incredible! I explained I don’t have any wheels! Propellers. Never mind that, I was told. Rejoin my barge. My wheels will be put back on in Corpus Christi. How do you explain ignorance like that from a boat company office executive? Must be a financial wizzard.

A friend of mine, a Norwegian captain, complains, “Too many farmers in the office!”. There is an old story about a seaman who wanted to retire far from the sea. Carrying an oar over his shoulder, he walked inland until someone asked what he was carrying.

We have lots of work to do. Francine was unable to cook more than just heat some soup the last several days. Only one burner on the massive diesel range worked at all and smoked badly. The beast is filthy and caked with grease and soot. If we were going to an area with cold winters, I would clean and restore the antique range. Doesn’t make since to invest time in such a hot machine going to Africa. My new deckhand and I disassembled and removed it.

At the office, a middle aged ex merchant sailor employee emptied trash, swept up, and ran errands. His name is Enrique and he is a native of the Dominican Republic. Mr Tynsall sent him to me when I requested some help. We get along fine. He is a willing worker and glad to be aboard. Everyone at the office treated him like he’s retarded or something. He isn’t. He’s different from them, a seaman. That means, he can do almost anything. Versatile. Hand letter signs artistically with marine enamel, do electrical work, plumbing, carpentry, cook, and he’s trained how to administer first aid. Among many useful skills, knows dozens of knots, and how to splice rope and wire cable. Retarded? Nope! Unappreciated! Glad to have him. Too many farmers in boat offices, I think my friend is correct.

The office sent sales representatives from a marine electronics firm to the boat, so I can select the electronics we need. We need everything. The bridge was stripped bare.