Waltzing Matilda Gets Shot; Impresses Barge Operators.

January 18, 2010
“My boat got shot,” said Nathan in his phone call today. He hadn't mentioned anything earlier, but New Year's Day he had found a spent 9mm bullet on the roof of his boat and there was paint from Waltzing Matilda on it. This week he found a bullet hole. Damage was minimal: “It hit the strongest place on the top of my boat, where the structural members support the mast.” He surmises that someone shot their pistol off on New Year's Eve and the bullet came down and hit Waltzing Matilda.

“It's something I've acquired in Louisiana: my boat got shot.”

Today, Nathan experienced his first rough sea in open water. NOAA weather radio had predicted 5 knot winds and 1-foot seas; however winds were higher – Nathan estimated they were 25 knots and seas were 3 feet.

He had sailed out of Cypremont Point into West Cote Blanche Bay, on into Bayou Sale Bay, then up Wax Lake Pass on the Intracoastal Waterway toward New Orleans. He went through the shallow waters of one of the largest oil fields in North America over a spiderweb of pipelines.

“Today was one of the very few times the wind was going the direction I wanted to go. The wind was 60 degrees to my bow. As I made it around the point, I got a 90 degree wind dead on my beam. The boat heeled over, the lee rail was touching the water from time to time. The boom was off the water about a foot and a half.

“It's great: the foam, the spray on the deck, the waves washing the deck -- I'm having a wonderful time. Then the dog gets seasick.

“While we're rolling, I lash the rudder down (after all, I went in the same direction for four hours), and went below and needed to stow some things that were rattling around. The second I went below, I got vertigo. As soon as my head was out of the cabin, I was fine. Back in the cabin and after awhile I got vertigo again. This must be what causes seasickness.

“I had a great time on those waves and in the wind. I was a little scared when going out because I wasn't sure how this little boat would handle the waves. But it was awesome. There were waves every three seconds.”

Leaving the open seas of the Gulf of Mexico, Waltzing Matilda headed northeast on the Intracoastal Waterway, then shifted to due east with the wind cooperating, coming directly from the west. Hoisting just his forward genoa sail, and with the diesel motor on, Nathan made 6.8 knots and used very little fuel. (He likes his new GPS unit because he can tell his speed).

As Nathan has gained experience on the rivers, he is gaining the respect of the barge operators. Today, while sailing in line with barges on the Intracoastal, he was able to both meet the sailing demands of Waltzing Matilda and professionally communicate with barge tugs.

Barge radioing to another barge: “I'm going to pass at one whistle (port-to-port or left side-to-left side). There's also a little sailboat. Looks like he's at two whistle (passing starboard-to-starboard or right side-to-right side). Nathan: “This is Waltzing Matilda. I'll pass at one whistle.” Barge operator: “Waltzing Matilda – I see you at one whistle.” Second barge: “Wow. It's really unusual for a pleasure craft who knows anything about radio operations. Other barge: “Yeah. It's really surprising to see someone in a sailboat who knows anything about navigation.”


According to Nathan: “Now they not only not make fun of me, but now they give me pointers. A month ago I was a navigation hazard. Now I'm a novice.”

So busy is ship traffic on the Intracoastal that at Morgan City, Louisiana, there is a traffic controller. A barge operator advised Nathan to be in touch with them. “You go as slow as we do, so you need to be on their radar,” the barge operator said.

Even as we spoke on the phone this evening, a loud diesel motor could be heard in the background: a crew boat for an oil rig.

“I'm having a wonderful time,” Nathan said. “It's great to be back on the water. And I'm sitting here with a scrawny little dog on my lap.”

--Official Correspondent Dad Landry