Lake Charles Yacht Club

Lately here on my blog, I usually write about clubs and organizations that interest me (or potentially my readers), but I am not involved with them. This week, I'm featuring a group that I indeed belong to.

Bob joined the Lake Charles Yacht Club (LCYC) soon after we moved to Louisiana. He had an interest in sailing even while we lived in Pennsylvania, but his hobby back then was limited to reading sailing blogs and magazines, and online boat shopping (aka, dreaming). We bought our sailboat, aptly named About Time, in 2011. She's a Hans Christian 34.

LCYC is an active organization that welcomes anyone with an interest in sailing. During daylight savings time, they meet Wednesdays around 5:00 for racing. They hold regattas and races one or two Saturdays a month. And they host monthly socials. Boat ownership is not required. The club owns several Sunfish and Flying Scots that members are welcome to use. Other members own a wide range of styles and sizes of sailboats -- Hobie Cats, Stilettos (these are both catamarans) and various other boats. They offer both wet and dry slips.

Every year, LCYC offers free sailing lessons to interested persons age 13 and up. And they're not just for kids!

This year's dates are June 1-5, 5:30-7:30 at the LCYC, which sits in the shadow of the I-10 bridge on a spit of land west of Lake Charles' North Beach.

Aerial view of the LCYC

Pre-register by calling Ship to Shore Co at 474-0730 or email info@shiptoshoreco.com. Bring a personal flotation device (life jacket), towel, and wear clothing and shoes that can get wet.

Class size is limited so call soon!

In Search of the Pink Dolphin: Part Deux

About a year after we moved to Lake Charles in 2007, I heard rumors, read news articles, and saw photos of a rare albino dolphin in the Calcasieu River ship channel in Cameron, Louisiana. Naturally, I’ve been curious and eager to see this animal ever since.

In May 2012, my kayaking club ventured to Cameron for a paddle. We saw lots of birds and shrimp boats. And even a few dolphins. But no pink dolphin. You can read about that trip here.

A few weeks ago, the club returned to Cameron, and they did see the pink dolphin on that trip! Naturally, I was in Pennsylvania.

This past weekend, Bob said it was a good time to go sailing. We’d wanted to take an overnight trip to Cameron for quite some time, so off we went. It took us about four hours to meander down the ship channel from Lake Charles to Cameron where the Calcasieu River meets the Gulf of Mexico. It looks like this most of the way.

Sea gulls and pelicans flock behind the shrimp boats. Easy pickins.

When we arrived at the inlet where we anchored for the night, a lone dolphin greeted us. No sign of the pink dolphin.

But we saw lots of jellyfish the size of turkey platters.

We saw the moonrise . . .

and the sunset . . .

and the sunrise the next morning.

Despite the gentle lulling sway and rock of the boat, I didn’t sleep well. We anchored across from an industrial port and heard the drone of diesel engines from big ships and the beep beeps of construction-type vehicles throughout the night.

The next morning, Bob and I naturally wanted coffee. We remembered to bring coffee, but we forgot the cream and sugar, and neither of us drink coffee black. Bleh. The only sweetener I could find on board was some M&Ms in a bag of trail mix. So I doled out about eight salty M&Ms into each cup and we poured the coffee over them. And stirred. I was temporarily baffled as to why just one of my M&Ms wouldn’t melt. 

Until I realized it was a peanut.

I can honestly say that was the worst cup of coffee I’d ever drank in my life.

Then I decided to fish for awhile.

It was a little foggy that morning.

A month or so ago, Bob and I bought fishing licenses. We have yet to catch a single fish. The thing is, I think most of the fish like to hang out in the shallows along the shoreline. Our boat drafts 5.5 feet, so we have to stay in deeper water. Excuses, excuses . . .

Once the fog burned off enough to see, we set off for the jetties. Now here, we saw countless dolphins! For some reason, dolphins love to swim alongside boats. These amazing creatures are playful, and apparently, it's fun.

Check out this video I took.

But no pink dolphin.

This is what it looks like when you are out in the middle of the Gulf.

Well, maybe not the middle. We were maybe a mile or so out. But we couldn’t see land.

So I held out hope that we’d see Pinkie on the way back through; but alas, we did not. So my quest continues.

If anyone wants to take me fishing where I can actually catch some fish, please let me know!

Sailboat Racing on Lake Charles

Today was a beautiful day for a race around the lake.

 

We were on the water, but didn’t participate in the race. Only the smaller faster catamarans and flying scots raced. But we had a bird’s eye view.

 

On your mark . . .

 

get set . . .

 

Go!

 

The rescue boat had to be rescued. His motor died, so we towed him in.

New Year's Day, 2012

Happy New Year, everyone! We welcomed 2012 by going sailing today. A strong north wind billowed the stay sail and pushed us along at such a clip, there was no need to unfurl the main sail. Maybe it was the nip in the air, but we had the entire lake to ourselves. Back at the marina, we joined some friends for a New Year’s feast of pork, cabbage, black-eyed peas, and red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. I contributed a pan of pierogies, sauerkraut, and kielbasa for some Pittsburgh flair.



It’s so tempting, this time of year, to wonder what the new year holds, to make plans, and resolve positive changes. Nothing wrong with good intentions. But I’ve learned over the course of my life that life is unpredictable. We have goals and we work hard to achieve them. We set a course . . . but what happens when we lose our compass? Are we disheartened and disillusioned when our plans go awry? Sometimes life sends us on an alternate current. Often these course changes are where we discover the most joy and excitement. Possibly the most growth. Can we adapt and ride the waves that come our way, be they ripples or tsunamis? I’m not one much for new year’s resolutions, but if I had to choose one, it would be to strive to be flexible and take one day at a time.

I wish you all a year of thrills, adventures, and new discoveries!

Sailing on Father's Day, 2011

It’s been even breezier than usual in southwest Louisiana lately, so we took advantage and went sailing today. Bob says a Sunfish is a one-person boat, but we easily fit two people on it. First Eric went out with him, then me, and finally Andrew. The lake is so warm right now, feels like bath water. And salty! Lake Charles is supposedly a freshwater lake, but Bob says the strong constant southerly wind this year has pushed seawater right up the ship channel and into the lake.

Great way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon!