The ocean environment is generally unfriendly to anything made of metal, but the lower Laguna Madre of Texas, here at Port Uglyville is even more so.

Structures rot away, roofs weaken and are blown off by the first category two hurricane to come along in years. Cars and other metal machinery, by virtue of powerful dissimilar metal corrosion become one gigantic galvanic battery, consuming the all too precious ions day in and day out as they operate in or travel from one salty locale to another,  ultimately becoming thinner and thinner until they disappear Houdini like into the salty ocean mist. Nothing escapes the ravages of rust, corrosion and rot in one form or the other, and out here the process is intensified and hurried along by the super saline salt that permeates the land and the air.

 A heavily galvanized boat trailer can simply crumble to dust in just several years time, and even with the proper care, fresh water washdowns every time and other maintenance lavished upon them, they all too soon fade from ones grasp to be returned to the elements. The first sign is when the nylon on the winch becomes sun embrittled and the stitching gives out with a tired and sudden rip, parting at the already rusting bow hook on the front end of the trailer.

After that, it is only a matter of time.

I have viewed many a carcass of once proud and mighty boat trailers reduced to a thin pile of unrecognizable corrosion, the only piece giving it identity, the relatively immutable rubber tires.

We are of course currently in the cone of uncertainty for a visit by Hurricane Ike. All current indications suggest a more northerly landfall, but we are not letting down our guards….Preparations must be undertaken. Yesterday I helped ITJ get a few of those done before he had to take off today out of town, not expected back till just before the storm reaches the coast.

Going through phase one of the drill, we pulled out his 21’ fishing skiff over at the boat ramp across the street. We were in the process of tying it down and washing it thoroughly before taking the thing over to DoLittles in Los Fresnos for storage. Tightening up on the winch, the strap let go with a pop right at the hook, the first warning sign……

I was thinking about this, washing the underside of the trailer when I saw a pair of purple crocs approaching from the other side of the boat. This of course would be Douglass, the new Dock Boy. I could hear him asking ITJ if he could give him a hand pulling out his dingy with a car…..

Now I was momentarily confused as I knew this dink was a little wood vessel not more than about 6 or 7 feet long. I stood up and ask him “Hey isn’t that thing fulla water?” “yea” he quipped back “that’s why I need your help….it’s too heavy to lift out of the water.”

By now I am thoroughly confused.

I suggest he just bail the thing out, then it will be easy to get out of the water. He goes back in a circular way and says of course he can’t do this because it has too much water in it….

I throw up my hands in frustration and figure that maybe it’s sprung a leak that is prohibiting it from being bailed – water is just coming in too quickly. Then I have the vision of a salvage job. Ohhhh Lord I groan, lets go look at it.

He has the thing tied off to the walkway alongside the ramp and it appears to be only about 2/3 full, and sure enough he had paddled the it full of water from his boat on the other side of the peninsula to the ramp using a kayak paddle. 

The three of us pulled it up onto the ramp till we can go no further than ITJ  goes and finds an old ice chest that the guy can use to bail it out which he sets about doing…..as he nears the bottom of the murky water forward the thwart, there is a big plastic barrel pump. ITJ asks him if he knew it was there. He says “yea” and ITJ asks him how come he doesn’t use it?

He replies “It doesn’t work that well”…..

Over his shoulder Jim tells him, “Well, just use it” as we walk away, to more important tasks.

When we return the boat is on the hard, propped up by a stick, like some sort of giant mousetrap.

I suggest that maybe he’s trying to catch that errant big fender that Janice lent him before Dolly, the one that got away during the storm never to be seen again.

ITJ just glares.

Everyone is making preparations today. Some boats have moved out of here, some have moved from the periphery into slips like this one.  Those boats staying are doubling lines. The tide is already inches from covering the walkway on this finger.  I will evaluate the next several forecasts and then make a decision. If the storm stays as far away as currently projected I will most likely stay here, stay aboard and monitor the lines. If it looks like landfall will be south of there, I will move over into the PI Harbor, probably up against the CityDock, kedge out with bow and stern danforths, put up some fender boards on the dock side and ride it out.

Olivia is fine, in a protected slip with tide risers.

Looks like Ike could be a big one. I am hoping it spares Rockport, and my friends Art, Valerie, Olivia and August.