My drive to Galveston yesterday morning was much smoother than my trip to tour the USS Texas, but I still had to dodge lightning bolts on Highway 73 halfway to Winnie. The beach road was nice, and the ferry was even on time. This meant I didn’t have to race down Broadway Avenue because I was early! So, when early, what does one do? They go to the cemetery! As is usual this time of year, the wildflowers were in bloom at Old City Cemetery. There will be a few more weeks of color, which means that all those who usually take the Historic Homes Tour on the first two weekends of May can see the cemetery in full bloom. It is definitely worth a visit.

The Tall Ships Galveston Festival had a good amount of early birds but not enough for long lines; that changed around eleven thirty. My dear frenemy Wanda found that out, but we will get to that later. Four years ago, I volunteered at the festival, so I really didn’t get to see much except for your smiling faces and the parking lot. In 2023, I walked onto the pier and took a few photos of the statue of the pirate girl. It was hilarious to see how many people walked up to her, stared, and started to walk away, then were startled when she uttered the dreaded “Arrrgh!” She aimed it more at the adults than the kids, but it was a good experience for all.

The ships were a pleasure to tour, and it was good to see signage explaining their history as well as the vessels’ specific parts and how they were used. There were four tall ships: the Elissa, Ernestina-Morrissey, NAO Trinidad, and Pride of Baltimore II. There were two other vessels that you could sail in the bay for a price—the When and If and the Glenn L. Swetman—but they were not part of the tour. There was also another ship included in the ticket that you could tour, but it wasn’t a historical tall ship; still, I think I got the most out of the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson.

The Thomas Jefferson is a federally run hydrographic vessel out of Norfolk, Virginia. It does ocean mapping and is a vital tool to scan shipping areas after a hurricane or any other problem that might endanger the maritime sector. The ship is here to scan the waters and make sure they are clear of debris and hazards. It was here for Hurricane Delta in 2020, and it did its thing in 2017 for Hurricane Maria.

This type of ship and its ability to scan lakes and gulf bottoms intrigues me because of the work of the R/V Petrel vessel once owned by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen. Even after his death in 2018, many wrecks of World War II ships were found. If you’ve ever seen the video of the well-preserved SBD Dauntless on the deck of the sunk USS Lexington, which lies about 3,000 feet below the surface in the cold, you’ll know it is something of an amazing image. I say well preserved because the paint and the color are pristine, but it is shot up.

My day at the Tall Ships Galveston Festival was good not because I had a great time on all the ships, especially the Thomas Jefferson, but because of one circumstance. We all know of my relationship with a certain Beaumont West-End wonder, Wanda. I attended the festival early and was finished by eleven thirty. My last ship to visit was the Elissa. I had upgraded my ticket to a fast pass, but I didn’t have to use it because of the early peeps coming out and being nice. On my last boarding, I noticed Wanda in line looking a bit disgruntled because it was hot and she was late getting there. I heard she had her gripes. The fact that I used my fast pass to make her wait a few more minutes was priceless.

I’ve uploaded more photos to my Flickr page and hope that everyone had a great time. I’m not worried about Wanda.

Until next time, Schiffe, Schätze, and Schnaps!

Tall Ships Galveston 2023: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAzVpT

R/V Petrel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RV_Petrel

Wreckage of U.S.S. Lexington located in Coral Sea: https://youtu.be/-K-V_ah6IIs

 Schiffe, Schätze, and Schnaps!    https://youtu.be/LT7LzOIQSfk