boated out
A rich man's escape: Yachts are freed from the Buffalo Bayou with Ship Channelreopened
Boats were allowed to leave at 1:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday.Nic Phillips
Robert and Suzi Hays making the most of their extended vacation.Fayza Elmostehi
Fourteen boats were escorted by the Coast Guard into Allen's Landing on Saturdaymorning. They started leaving Wednesday.Nic Phillips
Robert was 20 years old when he married Suzie.Fayza Elmostehi
The stranded ships of Buffalo Bayou have sailed into the reopened Ship Channel. Yes, downtown Houston's yacht nightmare is over.
Which means folks like Suzi and Robert Hays can go home.
They were celebrating their 33rd wedding anniversary on their 44’ Sea-Ray “Big Dog,” in perfect timing with the Houston Yacht Club’s annual bash on Allen’s Landing last weekend.
The Coast Guard escorted 14 yachts into the mouth of Main Street on Saturday morning for the party, but on Sunday three barges crashed into an electric tower and closed down traffic in the Port of Houston Ship Channel — preventing the yachts from leaving downtown.
The couple caught wind of their designated departure time Wednesday morning, ending days of waiting. Later in the afternoon, with their two dogs Charlie and Poochie in tow, they started their estimated four-hour trip back to La Porte.
“When it’s a bunch of men trying to make up their minds, God help us all,” Suzi said of the Ship Channel hold up.
The couple's “Big Dog” has a galley, two bedrooms and two baths (one with an entire tub). They are originally from Baton Rouge and moved to Baytown after getting married, then eventually relocated to La Porte. Suzi explained the small-town feel of La Porte was perfect for the laid-back couple.
“You can’t even go to the Walmart without wearing your lipstick,” Suzi said.
Suzi was 27 when she met Robert. She was on the phone with a fellow from New York offering to fly her up for a "fun" weekend. Mid-flirt she spied a 20-year-old guy sitting in the parlor.
“I saw him, told this guy (on the phone) to never call me again, went up to Robert and said, ‘I’m gonna marry you,’” Suzi said. "And three months later, I did."
In 2008, they lived on their yacht for six months after Hurricane Ike destroyed their home in La Porte.
“We lost everything,” Suzie said. "And later I had to account for everything we lost with the house — every last bobby pin."
Today marked their fifth and final day of being stuck in the Buffalo Bayou — an adventure that has proved to be a total breeze.
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Photo by Leonid Furmansky