Woke up before dawn. It was still dark outside. I headed off to the showers. Later this afternoon I planned on making a landfall at North Captiva Island and wanted to arrive with a clean body and clean clothes.. I brewed a pot of coffee and waited for the harbor master to arrive at 8AM. The marina had a courtesy car and I needed provisions. Sandy trained me to never arrive anywhere empty handed. I needed beer for Jim and me, wine for Patt and some steaks for the barbeque, along with lunch meat and a coffee cake.
When the harbormaster arrived, he told me that it would be 10AM before the car was available. Insurance regulations would not allow me to drive the car. A marina employee had to be at the wheel. They suggested that if I wanted to get to the store quickly, that I take a taxi cab. So that is what I did. I called Julie’s Taxi service. It took her about 20 minutes to get to the Palm Island Marina. She drove me to Publix and said that she would wait while I hunted down the grocery items on my list. I was in and out of the store in 10 minutes. Julie was waiting to take me back to the marina.
After stowing he provisions, I started my search for an air pump. The dingy was stowed and it would be necessary to inflate and be ready for use upon arrival at North Captiva. I wandered around the marina from building to building looking for compressed air. I finally found the pump. Mike was the service manager at the marina and he said that inflating a dingy was a service that the marina provided and there was no charge for the inflation. It took less than 5 minutes to inflate the dingy. To my surprise there were no leaks! The dingy held air. The last time the dingy was inflated with the foot pump was up in the North Channel about 5 years ago. Bill wanted to go ashore and investigate a fire that he saw on the beach. It took him all most one hour to inflate the old fashioned way.
I put the dingy on a hand cart and rolled it to the dock. I then tied it down to the foredeck. At 10AM I bid a fond fair well to the Punta Gorda boat club members and pointed the bow south toward North Captiva.
I stayed in the channel and had to have 2 bascule bridges opened for me to continue. At 11AM I called the swing bridge tender and requested that the Gasparilla Island Causeway Bridge be opened. The operator said that the bridge opened every 15 minutes and that my timing was perfect. She swung open the bridge and we lost no time waiting. The Gaslparilla Island Causeway Bridge connects Gaslparilla Island with the mainland. This bridge has a vertical clearance of 12 feet.
Once through the bridge, we were in the Gasparilla Sound. A short body of water that connects to Charlotte Harbor. I stayed in the channel as Gasparilla Island slowly passed on the right. Then Cayo Costa came into view. Cayo Costa is the island to the north ofNorth Captiva. Once I reached the northern tip of Cayo Costa, I called Jim and let him know that I was about one hour away. He said to look for him on the shore and call him on his cell phone when I reached Safety Harbor.
The GPS gives you an estimated time of arrival. The Garmin that is used on Water Mark indicated that we would reach the fish house at the point guarding Safety Harbor at 1:30PM. At 12:55PM I passed Cabbage Key. Boat traffic increased as folks were heading to Cabbage Key for lunch. Cabbage Key is the place to go when you want to eat a cheeseburger in paradise. Local legend has it that this is the location that inspired Jimmy Buffet to write “ A Cheesburger In Paradise“.
I passed the fish house on schedule and turned into Safety Harbor. Pointed the bow toward the eastern shore of Safety Harbor and then wandered off course and made a soft grounding. I put the Honda in reverse and rocked in the cockpit from side to side and wiggled off the sand bar.
I then saw Jim stating on shore with his dogs Jack and Splash. He was waving me over and telling me to anchor off Hidden Beach next to a grove of Mangroves. A well protected anchorage. I eased out an anchor from the bow and secured the anchor rode to the starboard cleat. Once the bow anchor was set, I ran an anchor from the stern.. The two anchors would hopefully prevent Water Mark from swinging into the mangroves.
As I checked the holding power of the anchors, I remembered the summer conversations that led me to visit Jim and Patt on North Captiva and glad that I had arrived safely.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sunday January 17, 2010
Venice to Palm Island Marina in Lemon Bay
I woke up before dawn. It was Sunday. I made a pot of coffee. And waited for the sun to rise. One the sun was up, I walked over to the marinas courtesy bike rack and borrowed an orange courtesy bike to ride the two miles into Venice and find a catholic church so that I could attend Mass. I arrived in Venice at 8AMand found the Epiphany Cathedral. It was located on Tampa Ave, just off the Main drag. The Mass schedule was 7:30AM and 9:00AM. I decided to attend the 9AM liturgy and had time to find a local resturant and eat breakfast. I was directed to the Ntino’s. A local establishment that served good food at reasonable prices. The recommendation proved to be correct as most of the folks in the place were old. Lots of old retired couples having a Sunday breakfast.
I arrived at the Cathedral at 8:59AM. As I walked in the door, I was met by the priest saying Mass. He was the youngest priest that I had ever seen. The must have been 29 or 30 years old! I asked him if I could take his picture. He said sure. I snapped the photo of he and the deacon. Once the photo was taken I found a seat in the back of the church. This young priest was a very dynamic speaker. What a great role model for young and old. I paid attention as he delivered his homily.
After Mass I returned to the marina. Checked in the courtesy bike at the community bike rack and prepared Water Mark for another day on the water. The really big Hataras that were tied up next to me during the night had moved on. Water Mark was the only boat in the Marina.
At 11:15 the GPS had been programmed to take us to North Captive Island. At 11:15 I tossed off the dock lines and followed the magenta line on the GPS head south down the Intracoastal. I planned a short day. With a stop at he end of Lemon Bay to provision the boat for a land fall at North Captive Island.
The last marina heading south out of Lemon Bay is Palm Island Marina. I pulled up to the gas dock and purchased $5.15 worth of fuel. The harbormaster directed me to a slip close to the swimming pool and hot tub. I tied up. During the process of securing Water Mark, I was greeted by a guy wearing a Detroit Lions T shirt. He notice the State-of-Michigan courtesy flag flying from the starboard spreader. He told me that he had attended Eastern Michigan University. After college he left the state for a warmer climate. He set up residency in Punta Gorda. We had a beer and talked football. I had forgotten that the playoffs were in progress. Al was traveling with a group of boaters from Punta Gorda who were on a weekend trip. They had their TV plugged into the marina video system and were watching the football games.
I had a bowl of clam chowder at the restaurant and headed back to the boat and went to sleep.
I woke up before dawn. It was Sunday. I made a pot of coffee. And waited for the sun to rise. One the sun was up, I walked over to the marinas courtesy bike rack and borrowed an orange courtesy bike to ride the two miles into Venice and find a catholic church so that I could attend Mass. I arrived in Venice at 8AMand found the Epiphany Cathedral. It was located on Tampa Ave, just off the Main drag. The Mass schedule was 7:30AM and 9:00AM. I decided to attend the 9AM liturgy and had time to find a local resturant and eat breakfast. I was directed to the Ntino’s. A local establishment that served good food at reasonable prices. The recommendation proved to be correct as most of the folks in the place were old. Lots of old retired couples having a Sunday breakfast.
I arrived at the Cathedral at 8:59AM. As I walked in the door, I was met by the priest saying Mass. He was the youngest priest that I had ever seen. The must have been 29 or 30 years old! I asked him if I could take his picture. He said sure. I snapped the photo of he and the deacon. Once the photo was taken I found a seat in the back of the church. This young priest was a very dynamic speaker. What a great role model for young and old. I paid attention as he delivered his homily.
After Mass I returned to the marina. Checked in the courtesy bike at the community bike rack and prepared Water Mark for another day on the water. The really big Hataras that were tied up next to me during the night had moved on. Water Mark was the only boat in the Marina.
At 11:15 the GPS had been programmed to take us to North Captive Island. At 11:15 I tossed off the dock lines and followed the magenta line on the GPS head south down the Intracoastal. I planned a short day. With a stop at he end of Lemon Bay to provision the boat for a land fall at North Captive Island.
The last marina heading south out of Lemon Bay is Palm Island Marina. I pulled up to the gas dock and purchased $5.15 worth of fuel. The harbormaster directed me to a slip close to the swimming pool and hot tub. I tied up. During the process of securing Water Mark, I was greeted by a guy wearing a Detroit Lions T shirt. He notice the State-of-Michigan courtesy flag flying from the starboard spreader. He told me that he had attended Eastern Michigan University. After college he left the state for a warmer climate. He set up residency in Punta Gorda. We had a beer and talked football. I had forgotten that the playoffs were in progress. Al was traveling with a group of boaters from Punta Gorda who were on a weekend trip. They had their TV plugged into the marina video system and were watching the football games.
I had a bowl of clam chowder at the restaurant and headed back to the boat and went to sleep.
Saturday January 16, 2010
Anna Maria Island to Venice Florida
In the eastern time zone which we were now in the sun rises at 7:45AM. Dave and I were on the water at sunrise. I had decided that the weather was deteriorating and that we should take the inside route today. Winds were increasing and it was overcast with a 60% chance of rain.
Water Mark motored up to the Anna Maria Sound Bascule Bridge. This is a bascule bridge that opens on the hour and on the half hour. We had arrived early and had to wait 20 minutes for the bridge to open. There are several types of bridges that boaters must contend with on the Intracoastal. The bascule bridge is the type of bridge that splits in the middle and lifts up from each side of the land so that sail boats and fishing boats with tall fly bridges can pass through. The distance from the bottom of the bridge to the top of the water was 24 feet. I need at least 35 feet of clearance to get Water Mark under a bridge.
The Cortez bridge was timed perfectly. We called on the radio and they opened on demand. We lost no time passing through this bascule bridge into Sarasota Bay. The winds had piped up. They were now 15 to 20 knots right in our face. Salt water was now flying over the bow of the boat and spraying us in the face as we motored south toward Venice. It rained just a little. Not enough to wash off the salt water.
As we passed through the Blackburn Point Swing bridge, a small fishing boat had to lift anchor and move out of our way. This did not cause much of a delay as the fisherman was ready and knew he had to move is a boat came through the cannel.
We arrived at the Crow’s Nest Marina at 3:15 PM. Tied up the boat. I washed the salt water off her hull as Dave called his friend and arranged a pick up later that evening. This was Dave’s last day aboard Water Mark. He was being picked up that evening and then flying back to Michigan on Sunday.
Once the boat was cleaned and Dave was packed we sat in the cockpit and with guitar in hand we had a sing along and a few sips of rum. Actually Dave finished his bottle of Mount Gay and I finished my bottle of Sailor Jerry. We had sailed across the Gulf of Mexico together. That was Dave’s stated mission. To get me across the Gulf. He had accomplished that task and was not heading home and back into the winter.
We met his friend Kirk in the bar area. Dave left with Kirk. I was again left to single hand Water Mark.
There is always a let down when one of the crew members leaves the boat. Dave heading home was a let down.
In the eastern time zone which we were now in the sun rises at 7:45AM. Dave and I were on the water at sunrise. I had decided that the weather was deteriorating and that we should take the inside route today. Winds were increasing and it was overcast with a 60% chance of rain.
Water Mark motored up to the Anna Maria Sound Bascule Bridge. This is a bascule bridge that opens on the hour and on the half hour. We had arrived early and had to wait 20 minutes for the bridge to open. There are several types of bridges that boaters must contend with on the Intracoastal. The bascule bridge is the type of bridge that splits in the middle and lifts up from each side of the land so that sail boats and fishing boats with tall fly bridges can pass through. The distance from the bottom of the bridge to the top of the water was 24 feet. I need at least 35 feet of clearance to get Water Mark under a bridge.
The Cortez bridge was timed perfectly. We called on the radio and they opened on demand. We lost no time passing through this bascule bridge into Sarasota Bay. The winds had piped up. They were now 15 to 20 knots right in our face. Salt water was now flying over the bow of the boat and spraying us in the face as we motored south toward Venice. It rained just a little. Not enough to wash off the salt water.
As we passed through the Blackburn Point Swing bridge, a small fishing boat had to lift anchor and move out of our way. This did not cause much of a delay as the fisherman was ready and knew he had to move is a boat came through the cannel.
We arrived at the Crow’s Nest Marina at 3:15 PM. Tied up the boat. I washed the salt water off her hull as Dave called his friend and arranged a pick up later that evening. This was Dave’s last day aboard Water Mark. He was being picked up that evening and then flying back to Michigan on Sunday.
Once the boat was cleaned and Dave was packed we sat in the cockpit and with guitar in hand we had a sing along and a few sips of rum. Actually Dave finished his bottle of Mount Gay and I finished my bottle of Sailor Jerry. We had sailed across the Gulf of Mexico together. That was Dave’s stated mission. To get me across the Gulf. He had accomplished that task and was not heading home and back into the winter.
We met his friend Kirk in the bar area. Dave left with Kirk. I was again left to single hand Water Mark.
There is always a let down when one of the crew members leaves the boat. Dave heading home was a let down.
Friday, January 15, 2010
I woke up at about 8AM and took a walk along the waterfront. Exploring the sponge museum and the Greek restaurants that lined the streets. Everything was closed. The town officially opened at 10AM. I took a few photos of the town and wandered back to the boat about 9AM. Dave was awake. We made a pot of coffee and drank the warm brew while tied up at the dock. At 9:30 we untied the dock lines and headed out..
The temperature at the time of our departure was 55 degrees. The sky was blue. The weather had finally turned like the Florida weather we had hoped to experience. The Intracoastal Waterway starts or ends in Tarpon Springs depending on your direction of travel. The folks who built the 160 mile Intracoastal GIWW started the mile markers on the south end at Sanibel Island. Mile marker 0 is at the south end of Sanibel. Mile marker 150 is located at Tarpon Springs. This means that there is 150 miles between Tarpon Springs and Sanibel.
Because the weather was so nice, Dave talked me into going on the outside. He said that we could make better time because we could sail and bypass all of the bridges that boaters using the Intracoastal had to contend with on the inside route.
At 9:30 AM I cut up some hot dogs and scrambled four eggs. We had a hot dog ommlette on the Gulf of Mexico. Again with toast Texas Style prepared in a frying pan.
At 10AM we put up the mainsail. There was very little wind and we were forced to motor sail most of the day.
At 5:30 PM the GPS lead us right into the channel that leads to Bimini Bay on Anna Maria Island. We tied Water Mark up at the gas dock at the Galeti Yacht Sales Marina. Right next to Rotten Ralph’s. Rotten Ralph’s is a famous local restaurant/bar right on the water. I had made arrangements to meet Roy and Judi Schoenherr. Roy and I met in high school actually I think it was grade school. We were college roommates our senior year at Western Michigan University and I was the best man at their wedding in September of 1970. They spend the winter on Anna Maria Island and joined Dave and me for drinks at Rotten Ralph’s.
Rotten Ralph’s is a down home style, yet on the waterfront establishment in need of fresh paint. Some how it was perfect in its contrast to the Yachts for sale next door at Galati. The least expensive boat in the harbor could be purchased for $1.3 million dollars. This over the top motor yacht burned 250 gallons of fuel per hour. There was one boat in the marina for sale at the bargon price of 3 million. It burned 300 gallons of fuel per hour. At $3/gal that is close to $1000 per hour to operate the boat! Wow, there are some really rich folks on this planet if they can afford to feed that much fuel into a boat. Then again maybe there aren’t as the boats that burned that kind of fuel were for sale at the docks.
The temperature at the time of our departure was 55 degrees. The sky was blue. The weather had finally turned like the Florida weather we had hoped to experience. The Intracoastal Waterway starts or ends in Tarpon Springs depending on your direction of travel. The folks who built the 160 mile Intracoastal GIWW started the mile markers on the south end at Sanibel Island. Mile marker 0 is at the south end of Sanibel. Mile marker 150 is located at Tarpon Springs. This means that there is 150 miles between Tarpon Springs and Sanibel.
Because the weather was so nice, Dave talked me into going on the outside. He said that we could make better time because we could sail and bypass all of the bridges that boaters using the Intracoastal had to contend with on the inside route.
At 9:30 AM I cut up some hot dogs and scrambled four eggs. We had a hot dog ommlette on the Gulf of Mexico. Again with toast Texas Style prepared in a frying pan.
At 10AM we put up the mainsail. There was very little wind and we were forced to motor sail most of the day.
At 5:30 PM the GPS lead us right into the channel that leads to Bimini Bay on Anna Maria Island. We tied Water Mark up at the gas dock at the Galeti Yacht Sales Marina. Right next to Rotten Ralph’s. Rotten Ralph’s is a famous local restaurant/bar right on the water. I had made arrangements to meet Roy and Judi Schoenherr. Roy and I met in high school actually I think it was grade school. We were college roommates our senior year at Western Michigan University and I was the best man at their wedding in September of 1970. They spend the winter on Anna Maria Island and joined Dave and me for drinks at Rotten Ralph’s.
Rotten Ralph’s is a down home style, yet on the waterfront establishment in need of fresh paint. Some how it was perfect in its contrast to the Yachts for sale next door at Galati. The least expensive boat in the harbor could be purchased for $1.3 million dollars. This over the top motor yacht burned 250 gallons of fuel per hour. There was one boat in the marina for sale at the bargon price of 3 million. It burned 300 gallons of fuel per hour. At $3/gal that is close to $1000 per hour to operate the boat! Wow, there are some really rich folks on this planet if they can afford to feed that much fuel into a boat. Then again maybe there aren’t as the boats that burned that kind of fuel were for sale at the docks.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Wednesday January 13, 2010
We motored Water Mark out of the Apalachicola Municipal Marina at 8AM. We turned left and headed back under the bridge and into the Apalachicola River. It was a short 25 minute run to the gas dock so that we could top off the gas tanks before heading for the open Gulf. Millers Marine is one half a mile up the river. We had passed it on our way to the Municipal Marina.
At 8:25AM we left the fuel dock and motored out into Apalachicola Bay. We aimed the bow of the boat for Government Cut. Government Cut is a man-made channel that cuts Little Saint George Island in two sections. Dave noticed 50 to 75 pelicans that were sitting on the stone seawall and jetty that touched the land on each side of the cut. It seemed that the Pelican Air Force was there to send us off into the unknown.
I called Sandy and told here that we were in the Gulf and that the cell phone would not work in the middle of the Gulf. I expected the passage to take about 30 hours and would call her when we got to the other side of the Gulf. Dave called Patrice his wife and told her the same thing.
At 9:45AM we were in the open Gulf. Dave steered Water Mark. I cautiously put up the 110. This is a headsail that is on the small side. I did not want to be over canvassed in the open water. Once the sail was up our speed dropped to 4.3 knots. The wind was dying on us. At 10:30AM IO pulled down the 110 and put up the 155. The 155 is the largest head sail available. I took 15 minutes to change sails. The sky was clear and the temperatures in the high thirties.
After the sail change Dave continued to point the boat toward the center of the Gulf. I went below and cooked oatmeal for breakfast.
About 12 noon 4 military jets flew over our position. It looked like they were dropping explosives out of the airplanes. I checked the charts and fixed our position. According to the charts we were using, we were next to a missile test area. The charts clearly show Caution: Danger Area Missile Test Area. I asked Dave if he thought the pilots of the jets could see us. He said, yes. Even as ordnance exploded above us. Dave said they were just flares and not to worry about it. Our first visit to the Gulf of Mexico we got to see first hand how exploding things are tested.
At 12:30 the winds diminished and clocked around coming out of the southeast. The boat speed dropped to 3.2 knots. Dave said that at this speed it would take at least 3 days to get to the west coast of Florida. I agreed and fired up the Honda. She came to life on the first pull. Our boat speed increased to 6 knots. We were back to taking 30 hours to make the crossing. It was then that I told Dave that we did not have enough fuel to motor all the way to Tarpon Springs. This was our destination. Tarpon Springs is the start or end of the Intracoastal. The Intracoastal ends in Carabelle and starts up again in Tarpon Springs. Any one doing the Intracoastal has to make an off shore passage across some portion of the Gulf of Mexico. Dave told me not to worry the winds would pick up and we would be able to sail. I think he was a little disappointed that we did not have enough fuel to motor all the way.
At 1:15PM we refueled. Dave was at the helm. He noticed dolphins were all around us. There must have been 35 to 50 of them. They were jumping out of the water. Spinning as they broke the surface of the water and then entering the water again head first. Then they would jump out of the water and perform the same jump. They were swimming in front of the boat and jumping in front of us. It was a show that I will never forget. They were omens of good luck and our luck was about to change for the better.
At 4:30PM The winds were stiffening. Dave and I discussed the times of our watches. Good seamanship dictates that one of the two of us needed to be awake and on watch at all times. We did not want to run into anything in the middle of nowhere. Dave suggested three hour watches. My initial thoughts were to set two hour watches. But those ideas were formulated when it was 20 degrees. Now that it was 38 degrees, three hour shifts seemed better. I opted to use Dave’s plan. I would take the 6 to 9 watch. Dave 9 to 12. John 12 to 3AM and Dave 3AM to 6AM.
After discussing the watch schedule, I ran a jack line from the cleat on the port side of the bow back to the cleat on the port side of the stern. This jack line would allow both Dave and me wearing safety harnesses to hook onto the jack line so that if for some crazy reason we fell overboard, we would still be connected to the Water Mark. This safety precaution was necessary because you are alone on watch. The other person is down below in his bunk “sleeping”. Sleeping is not really what you do when you are not on watch. Trying to trance yourself into a state of semi consciences is what you do. For example at 8:45PM when I shut off the motor. Dave immediately jumped out of his bunk and asked if everything was all right in the cockpit..
As Dave took the watch, I cooked up some stew. After dinner I laid in the aft bunk trying to get some sleep. The autopilot was steering the boat. Dave was in the cockpit and yet I could not fall asleep. I have a safety harness on, foul weather gear and long underwear. I was not comfortable enough to get a good nights sleep. Then again I don’t think many people really sleep well on a small sail boat in motion across a large body of water. Finally about 11:30PM I nodded off to sleep. And the dream I had was of the Boblo boat. At midnight I was ready for my watch.
Dave said the boat was on course and everything was fine. He went below and with all of his gear on climbed into his bunk. I did nothing for 3 hours. The sails were set properly. The motor was off. The boat was on course. All I did was listen to the waves bounce off the hull. Then I looked up and saw the stars. Wow! They were as bright as I had ever seen them. Some reflected across the water. I don’t ever remember seeing a star do this in the past. Orion was ascending in the east and the Jimmy Buffet song Jollymon came to mind.
Dave had his alarm set and was in the cockpit at 3AM. I told him he had set everything up so perfectly on his last shift that I did not have to touch anything. The boat had been moving along by itself at 6.2 knots to 6.8 knots. Told him that I was bored and headed below for some sleep. The boat under stress from the wind and the waves creaked. She was making a noise that I had never heard before. I asked Dave if he heard it. He did. It was not an alarming sound. I guess it was the noise of an old, small sail boat galloping along at hull speed in the middle of the night.
We switched watches at 6AM. I took the helm for awhile, but Dave was up. I make coffee. The sun was coming up. Winds had been steady all night at 10 to 15 knots. What a ride!
At 8AM the winds started dying again. We fired up the Honda and started motor sailing toward Tarpon Springs. It was daylight. We had sailed all night.
At 11AM Dave took the helm and I headed below for a nap. At 2PM we started to see the outline of land on the horizon. I sure hoped it was Tarpon Springs. As we got closer we were able to fix our position and were certain that we had found the right destination after 30 hours of not seeing land. At 3:30 PM I lowered the sails and we motored up the Anclote River into Tarpon Springs. A little town on the Gulf coast famous for sponge diving industry created by the Greek immigrants. On my foot tour, I was reminded of Greektown in Detroit.
We tied up at he Municipal dock. Ted a proud Polish immigrant to Canada and then the USA helped us tie up Water Mark. I washed off the boat. Dave took a shower. Dave cleaned the inside of the boat and I took a shower. Once we were cleaned up we walked over to the Line and the Coconut for some food that came out of the Gulf we had just crossed. We ate shrimp. We split a fancy and very tasty fish casserole.
By 8:30 PM we were back on the boat and in our sleeping bags. Tied to a dock and safe after spending 31 hours crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
At 8:25AM we left the fuel dock and motored out into Apalachicola Bay. We aimed the bow of the boat for Government Cut. Government Cut is a man-made channel that cuts Little Saint George Island in two sections. Dave noticed 50 to 75 pelicans that were sitting on the stone seawall and jetty that touched the land on each side of the cut. It seemed that the Pelican Air Force was there to send us off into the unknown.
I called Sandy and told here that we were in the Gulf and that the cell phone would not work in the middle of the Gulf. I expected the passage to take about 30 hours and would call her when we got to the other side of the Gulf. Dave called Patrice his wife and told her the same thing.
At 9:45AM we were in the open Gulf. Dave steered Water Mark. I cautiously put up the 110. This is a headsail that is on the small side. I did not want to be over canvassed in the open water. Once the sail was up our speed dropped to 4.3 knots. The wind was dying on us. At 10:30AM IO pulled down the 110 and put up the 155. The 155 is the largest head sail available. I took 15 minutes to change sails. The sky was clear and the temperatures in the high thirties.
After the sail change Dave continued to point the boat toward the center of the Gulf. I went below and cooked oatmeal for breakfast.
About 12 noon 4 military jets flew over our position. It looked like they were dropping explosives out of the airplanes. I checked the charts and fixed our position. According to the charts we were using, we were next to a missile test area. The charts clearly show Caution: Danger Area Missile Test Area. I asked Dave if he thought the pilots of the jets could see us. He said, yes. Even as ordnance exploded above us. Dave said they were just flares and not to worry about it. Our first visit to the Gulf of Mexico we got to see first hand how exploding things are tested.
At 12:30 the winds diminished and clocked around coming out of the southeast. The boat speed dropped to 3.2 knots. Dave said that at this speed it would take at least 3 days to get to the west coast of Florida. I agreed and fired up the Honda. She came to life on the first pull. Our boat speed increased to 6 knots. We were back to taking 30 hours to make the crossing. It was then that I told Dave that we did not have enough fuel to motor all the way to Tarpon Springs. This was our destination. Tarpon Springs is the start or end of the Intracoastal. The Intracoastal ends in Carabelle and starts up again in Tarpon Springs. Any one doing the Intracoastal has to make an off shore passage across some portion of the Gulf of Mexico. Dave told me not to worry the winds would pick up and we would be able to sail. I think he was a little disappointed that we did not have enough fuel to motor all the way.
At 1:15PM we refueled. Dave was at the helm. He noticed dolphins were all around us. There must have been 35 to 50 of them. They were jumping out of the water. Spinning as they broke the surface of the water and then entering the water again head first. Then they would jump out of the water and perform the same jump. They were swimming in front of the boat and jumping in front of us. It was a show that I will never forget. They were omens of good luck and our luck was about to change for the better.
At 4:30PM The winds were stiffening. Dave and I discussed the times of our watches. Good seamanship dictates that one of the two of us needed to be awake and on watch at all times. We did not want to run into anything in the middle of nowhere. Dave suggested three hour watches. My initial thoughts were to set two hour watches. But those ideas were formulated when it was 20 degrees. Now that it was 38 degrees, three hour shifts seemed better. I opted to use Dave’s plan. I would take the 6 to 9 watch. Dave 9 to 12. John 12 to 3AM and Dave 3AM to 6AM.
After discussing the watch schedule, I ran a jack line from the cleat on the port side of the bow back to the cleat on the port side of the stern. This jack line would allow both Dave and me wearing safety harnesses to hook onto the jack line so that if for some crazy reason we fell overboard, we would still be connected to the Water Mark. This safety precaution was necessary because you are alone on watch. The other person is down below in his bunk “sleeping”. Sleeping is not really what you do when you are not on watch. Trying to trance yourself into a state of semi consciences is what you do. For example at 8:45PM when I shut off the motor. Dave immediately jumped out of his bunk and asked if everything was all right in the cockpit..
As Dave took the watch, I cooked up some stew. After dinner I laid in the aft bunk trying to get some sleep. The autopilot was steering the boat. Dave was in the cockpit and yet I could not fall asleep. I have a safety harness on, foul weather gear and long underwear. I was not comfortable enough to get a good nights sleep. Then again I don’t think many people really sleep well on a small sail boat in motion across a large body of water. Finally about 11:30PM I nodded off to sleep. And the dream I had was of the Boblo boat. At midnight I was ready for my watch.
Dave said the boat was on course and everything was fine. He went below and with all of his gear on climbed into his bunk. I did nothing for 3 hours. The sails were set properly. The motor was off. The boat was on course. All I did was listen to the waves bounce off the hull. Then I looked up and saw the stars. Wow! They were as bright as I had ever seen them. Some reflected across the water. I don’t ever remember seeing a star do this in the past. Orion was ascending in the east and the Jimmy Buffet song Jollymon came to mind.
Dave had his alarm set and was in the cockpit at 3AM. I told him he had set everything up so perfectly on his last shift that I did not have to touch anything. The boat had been moving along by itself at 6.2 knots to 6.8 knots. Told him that I was bored and headed below for some sleep. The boat under stress from the wind and the waves creaked. She was making a noise that I had never heard before. I asked Dave if he heard it. He did. It was not an alarming sound. I guess it was the noise of an old, small sail boat galloping along at hull speed in the middle of the night.
We switched watches at 6AM. I took the helm for awhile, but Dave was up. I make coffee. The sun was coming up. Winds had been steady all night at 10 to 15 knots. What a ride!
At 8AM the winds started dying again. We fired up the Honda and started motor sailing toward Tarpon Springs. It was daylight. We had sailed all night.
At 11AM Dave took the helm and I headed below for a nap. At 2PM we started to see the outline of land on the horizon. I sure hoped it was Tarpon Springs. As we got closer we were able to fix our position and were certain that we had found the right destination after 30 hours of not seeing land. At 3:30 PM I lowered the sails and we motored up the Anclote River into Tarpon Springs. A little town on the Gulf coast famous for sponge diving industry created by the Greek immigrants. On my foot tour, I was reminded of Greektown in Detroit.
We tied up at he Municipal dock. Ted a proud Polish immigrant to Canada and then the USA helped us tie up Water Mark. I washed off the boat. Dave took a shower. Dave cleaned the inside of the boat and I took a shower. Once we were cleaned up we walked over to the Line and the Coconut for some food that came out of the Gulf we had just crossed. We ate shrimp. We split a fancy and very tasty fish casserole.
By 8:30 PM we were back on the boat and in our sleeping bags. Tied to a dock and safe after spending 31 hours crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
Tuesday January 12, 2010
Panama City to Apalachicola
Dave and I departed Sun Harbor Marina in Panama City Florida at 6:30AM. We set a course to the Municipal Marina for fuel. It took us just under an hour to cover the five miles. The Municipal Marina is really nice. Restrooms are clean. Wish that we had had more daylight so that we could have made this marina. With our fuel tanks on full we headed east across St. Andrews Bay. I made coffee. It takes about 15 minutes to brew a pot of coffee with the butane stove.
About 9:15AM a dolphin swam along the Water Mark for about 5 minutes. The dolphin would dive underwater, then surface. Then dive underwater and surface over and over again.
Dave wanted to head directly into the Gulf from Panama City. The weather was improving, but I resisted and opted for the GIWW. Again a narrow stretch of water that started at East Bay and ran all the way from the East Bay through Lake Wimco into the Apalachicola River. About a 66 mile run.
We figured that we could make it because we had such an early start.
I cooked scrambled eggs with ham and toast for breakfast. Dave was impressed. Scrambled eggs on a boat were delicious. However, I think that the toast is was what caught his interest. He asked me how did I do it? I told him that I made the toast in a frying pan. It was fried toast.
About 2:00PM we were motoring east down the ditch when Dave noticed a bald eagle flying along the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway. We watched the eagle fly into its nest as we passed by at 6 miles per hour.
Dave unplugged the auto pilot and steered by hand. He said that he like to steer the boat. So he spent most of the day piloting Water Mark through the river system. While crossing lake Wimco Dave and I discussed several plans for crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
We talked about leaving the protected waters of the GIWW from Apalachicola and heading to Steinhatchee. This was an 80 mile run. We had enough fuel onboard to motor sail the entire distance if necessary. We also discussed heading to Cedar Key which is a longer run of about 120 miles. Cedar Key is south of the Suwannee River. We also had enough fuel to motor sail the entire distance if necessary.
We also discussed heading for Tarpon Springs. Tarpon Springs was 185 miles across the Gulf and we did not have enough fuel to motor sail the entire distance. After discussing these options the final decision would come tomorrow morning after listening to NOAA weather radio.
We arrived in Apalachicola just as the sun was setting in the west. We tied up at the Municipal Marina. Dave was told that there were good oysters in this little town. We were told by his friend Jim that the best place to eat oysters was at Boss Oyster. We walked into town and found the recommended restaurant. We ordered raw oysters on the half shell. One dozen each. They were delicious. We ordered an extra dozen to split. The waitress told us that they were caught the previous day. They were a fresh an oyster that you will ever eat. In fact 90% of the oysters bought in restaurant in Florida come from Apalachicola. The clam chowder was also delicious. I really like this little town.
I wandered around shortly after dark taking pictures of the area. Oysters drives the economy in this little town. Independent oystermen head out into the bay every day in small boats. Armed with oyster rakes these oysterman head for shallow water and using the rakes like chop sticks rake up the oysters from the bottom of the bay. The oysters are then taken directly to the waterfront dock were the restaurant purchases them. The remaining oysters are sold to a processing facility. At this plant, they are graded, cleaned, packaged and sent around the state and country on refrigerated trucks.
One company specializes in removing the shells from the oysters. I was amazed by this facility because they had a mountain of oyster shells 25 feet high. The oyster pile reminded me of the big snow piles that you see up north after a snow fall and the parking lots are plowed.
After the foot tour, I returned to the boat to listen to the NOAA weather forecast for the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The weather continues to improve. Sky is clear. Air temperature is 38 degrees at 8PM. Offshore conditions were reported the winds at 16 knots out of the north and would be diminishing to around 10 knots over the next 24 hours waves 2 to 4 feet decreasing to 1-2 feet. Ideal sailing conditions for the Gulf of Mexico even thought the water temperature was 50 degrees. The weather was now in our favor. We were not going in the water so the water temperature was not a concern. Heck, you can live for about 50 minutes in 50 degree water before hypothermia sets in. We were ready to make “the jump“.
Dave and I departed Sun Harbor Marina in Panama City Florida at 6:30AM. We set a course to the Municipal Marina for fuel. It took us just under an hour to cover the five miles. The Municipal Marina is really nice. Restrooms are clean. Wish that we had had more daylight so that we could have made this marina. With our fuel tanks on full we headed east across St. Andrews Bay. I made coffee. It takes about 15 minutes to brew a pot of coffee with the butane stove.
About 9:15AM a dolphin swam along the Water Mark for about 5 minutes. The dolphin would dive underwater, then surface. Then dive underwater and surface over and over again.
Dave wanted to head directly into the Gulf from Panama City. The weather was improving, but I resisted and opted for the GIWW. Again a narrow stretch of water that started at East Bay and ran all the way from the East Bay through Lake Wimco into the Apalachicola River. About a 66 mile run.
We figured that we could make it because we had such an early start.
I cooked scrambled eggs with ham and toast for breakfast. Dave was impressed. Scrambled eggs on a boat were delicious. However, I think that the toast is was what caught his interest. He asked me how did I do it? I told him that I made the toast in a frying pan. It was fried toast.
About 2:00PM we were motoring east down the ditch when Dave noticed a bald eagle flying along the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway. We watched the eagle fly into its nest as we passed by at 6 miles per hour.
Dave unplugged the auto pilot and steered by hand. He said that he like to steer the boat. So he spent most of the day piloting Water Mark through the river system. While crossing lake Wimco Dave and I discussed several plans for crossing the Gulf of Mexico.
We talked about leaving the protected waters of the GIWW from Apalachicola and heading to Steinhatchee. This was an 80 mile run. We had enough fuel onboard to motor sail the entire distance if necessary. We also discussed heading to Cedar Key which is a longer run of about 120 miles. Cedar Key is south of the Suwannee River. We also had enough fuel to motor sail the entire distance if necessary.
We also discussed heading for Tarpon Springs. Tarpon Springs was 185 miles across the Gulf and we did not have enough fuel to motor sail the entire distance. After discussing these options the final decision would come tomorrow morning after listening to NOAA weather radio.
We arrived in Apalachicola just as the sun was setting in the west. We tied up at the Municipal Marina. Dave was told that there were good oysters in this little town. We were told by his friend Jim that the best place to eat oysters was at Boss Oyster. We walked into town and found the recommended restaurant. We ordered raw oysters on the half shell. One dozen each. They were delicious. We ordered an extra dozen to split. The waitress told us that they were caught the previous day. They were a fresh an oyster that you will ever eat. In fact 90% of the oysters bought in restaurant in Florida come from Apalachicola. The clam chowder was also delicious. I really like this little town.
I wandered around shortly after dark taking pictures of the area. Oysters drives the economy in this little town. Independent oystermen head out into the bay every day in small boats. Armed with oyster rakes these oysterman head for shallow water and using the rakes like chop sticks rake up the oysters from the bottom of the bay. The oysters are then taken directly to the waterfront dock were the restaurant purchases them. The remaining oysters are sold to a processing facility. At this plant, they are graded, cleaned, packaged and sent around the state and country on refrigerated trucks.
One company specializes in removing the shells from the oysters. I was amazed by this facility because they had a mountain of oyster shells 25 feet high. The oyster pile reminded me of the big snow piles that you see up north after a snow fall and the parking lots are plowed.
After the foot tour, I returned to the boat to listen to the NOAA weather forecast for the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The weather continues to improve. Sky is clear. Air temperature is 38 degrees at 8PM. Offshore conditions were reported the winds at 16 knots out of the north and would be diminishing to around 10 knots over the next 24 hours waves 2 to 4 feet decreasing to 1-2 feet. Ideal sailing conditions for the Gulf of Mexico even thought the water temperature was 50 degrees. The weather was now in our favor. We were not going in the water so the water temperature was not a concern. Heck, you can live for about 50 minutes in 50 degree water before hypothermia sets in. We were ready to make “the jump“.
Monday January 11, 2010
Fort Walton Beach to Panama City
We woke up at 6:30AM. The air temperature was 27 degrees. There was ice in the cockpit! However, the air temp was expected to hit 45 degrees later in the day. We checked the NOAA weather report. The weather was improving. At 7:00AM we fired up the little Honda engine, tossed off the dock lines and started making our way to Panama City. There are two routes that can be taken from Fort Walton Beach to Panama City. The outside route and the inside route. The outside route takes you out into the Gulf of Mexico. The inside route takes you through Choctawhatchee Bay and then into “the ditch”. The ditch is a 20 mile long man-made waterway that runs into West Bay. Once in West Bay you turn southeast and then south to get to Panama City.
I perked a pot of coffee as we passed Destin. Once we reached the Choctawhatchee Bay, I cooked up a sailors standard breakfast of oatmeal. Oatmeal is easy to prepare on a moving boat. You boil water and then add the oats to the bailing water and cook for about five minutes. Stirring frequently the water mixture then begins to stiffen and turns into a mushy but delicious mixture.
At 9:15AM a dolphin started swimming and diving next to the Water Mark. This dolphin was so close to the boat you could see the blow hole on top of its head. Dave said that the dolphin looked right at him and he could see its eyes. Dolphins are good luck and we were happy to see the beautiful mammal swimming next to us.
At 10:45 AM I raised the mainsail. The winds had died and we got very little drive from the main. At about 1:00PM I prepared spaghetti that was left over from the K of C bingo night. Spaghetti in the middle of “the ditch” was delicious.
It started getting dark as Dave and I approached Panama City. There are several marinas that are listed in the cruising guides. The first marina is Sun Harbor. Sun Harbor is the first marina that you see after passing under the Hathaway Bridge. St Andrew Marina and the Municipal Marina were about 5 miles east on St Andrew Bay. We opted for Sun Harbor. The sun was setting and it was getting cold. We arrived just after the marina closed. A Pakistani gentleman said that the operators would be back at 8:00AM the following morning. We tied up Water Mark. Connected the electrical and turned on the heater. The cabin wormed up in less than 15 minutes. The Pakistani told us that there was a Burger King across the parking lot. We looked and it was not there. There is a big industrial complex next to the marina. I spoke with the security guards and he said that the Burger King closed about three years ago. The security guard recommended that we make the short walk to a bar called No Name.
We walked to the No Name. I took forever to get a drink served. The waitress was the most social lady in Panama City and was slow to serve us. When she finally arrived she said that the bar only had beer, wine and mixed drinks. They did not server food, but if we liked they would order a pizza and have it delivered. We declined. Headed back to the boat for cheese and crackers. With our stomachs half full, we crawled into our sleeping bags and dozed off to sleep. Dave seemed to be comfortable in the V-berth.
We woke up at 6:30AM. The air temperature was 27 degrees. There was ice in the cockpit! However, the air temp was expected to hit 45 degrees later in the day. We checked the NOAA weather report. The weather was improving. At 7:00AM we fired up the little Honda engine, tossed off the dock lines and started making our way to Panama City. There are two routes that can be taken from Fort Walton Beach to Panama City. The outside route and the inside route. The outside route takes you out into the Gulf of Mexico. The inside route takes you through Choctawhatchee Bay and then into “the ditch”. The ditch is a 20 mile long man-made waterway that runs into West Bay. Once in West Bay you turn southeast and then south to get to Panama City.
I perked a pot of coffee as we passed Destin. Once we reached the Choctawhatchee Bay, I cooked up a sailors standard breakfast of oatmeal. Oatmeal is easy to prepare on a moving boat. You boil water and then add the oats to the bailing water and cook for about five minutes. Stirring frequently the water mixture then begins to stiffen and turns into a mushy but delicious mixture.
At 9:15AM a dolphin started swimming and diving next to the Water Mark. This dolphin was so close to the boat you could see the blow hole on top of its head. Dave said that the dolphin looked right at him and he could see its eyes. Dolphins are good luck and we were happy to see the beautiful mammal swimming next to us.
At 10:45 AM I raised the mainsail. The winds had died and we got very little drive from the main. At about 1:00PM I prepared spaghetti that was left over from the K of C bingo night. Spaghetti in the middle of “the ditch” was delicious.
It started getting dark as Dave and I approached Panama City. There are several marinas that are listed in the cruising guides. The first marina is Sun Harbor. Sun Harbor is the first marina that you see after passing under the Hathaway Bridge. St Andrew Marina and the Municipal Marina were about 5 miles east on St Andrew Bay. We opted for Sun Harbor. The sun was setting and it was getting cold. We arrived just after the marina closed. A Pakistani gentleman said that the operators would be back at 8:00AM the following morning. We tied up Water Mark. Connected the electrical and turned on the heater. The cabin wormed up in less than 15 minutes. The Pakistani told us that there was a Burger King across the parking lot. We looked and it was not there. There is a big industrial complex next to the marina. I spoke with the security guards and he said that the Burger King closed about three years ago. The security guard recommended that we make the short walk to a bar called No Name.
We walked to the No Name. I took forever to get a drink served. The waitress was the most social lady in Panama City and was slow to serve us. When she finally arrived she said that the bar only had beer, wine and mixed drinks. They did not server food, but if we liked they would order a pizza and have it delivered. We declined. Headed back to the boat for cheese and crackers. With our stomachs half full, we crawled into our sleeping bags and dozed off to sleep. Dave seemed to be comfortable in the V-berth.
Sunday January 10, 2010
The Boat Marina, Fort Walton Beach Florida
We woke up about 8:00AM Bill had invited us to volunteer and help out at the pancake breakfast. We bundled up and put on long underwear for the short walk to St Mary’s Church. Immediately upon arrival we were put to work in the kitchen. I was assigned to cook the sausages. Dave was assigned to serve the food. Tug washed pots and pans.
Dave attended the 9:30AM Mass with me. He said that he enjoyed the Catholic liturgy and the hour seems to go buy quickly.
In the afternoon we turned on the NOAA weather radio. We listened carefully and took notes on the long range forecast. The weather was slowly improving. The temperatures were forecast to get warmer and the winds were beginning to diminish. We reviewed the possible routes that we could take and decided that Monday was going to be a travel day.
Tug came over in the evening. Dave, Tug and me huddled in the cabin of the Water Mark and sang sea shanties. I played the guitar. The little electric space heater kept us warm. So did the rum.
Tug gave Dave and me a parting gift. Tug’s mother had made little burlap bags. On the front of the bag is a stamped imaged of a sloop under sail. In the little bag there is a bracelet. Stamped into the metal is a saying, “Adventure, A Little Boat Goes A Long Way”. Also included in the bag was a key chain with the small sailboat charm.
We woke up about 8:00AM Bill had invited us to volunteer and help out at the pancake breakfast. We bundled up and put on long underwear for the short walk to St Mary’s Church. Immediately upon arrival we were put to work in the kitchen. I was assigned to cook the sausages. Dave was assigned to serve the food. Tug washed pots and pans.
Dave attended the 9:30AM Mass with me. He said that he enjoyed the Catholic liturgy and the hour seems to go buy quickly.
In the afternoon we turned on the NOAA weather radio. We listened carefully and took notes on the long range forecast. The weather was slowly improving. The temperatures were forecast to get warmer and the winds were beginning to diminish. We reviewed the possible routes that we could take and decided that Monday was going to be a travel day.
Tug came over in the evening. Dave, Tug and me huddled in the cabin of the Water Mark and sang sea shanties. I played the guitar. The little electric space heater kept us warm. So did the rum.
Tug gave Dave and me a parting gift. Tug’s mother had made little burlap bags. On the front of the bag is a stamped imaged of a sloop under sail. In the little bag there is a bracelet. Stamped into the metal is a saying, “Adventure, A Little Boat Goes A Long Way”. Also included in the bag was a key chain with the small sailboat charm.
Saturday January 9, 2010
The Boat Marina, Fort Walton Beach, Florida
The weather hold in Fort Walton Beach is a good lesson is patience. It is better and safer to be sitting on the dock wishing I were on the Gulf than actually being on the Gulf and wishing I were tied up at the dock. Below freezing temperatures at night are what is causing the hold. It is warmer during the day. The air temperature at 4:00PM is 41 degrees and the sky is clear. The sea temperature is 57 degrees. Today the winds are blowing out of the north at 15 knots. Waves on the Gulf are 5 to 7 feet. The temperatures are slowly increasing as the jet stream causing the Artic Blast is slowly changing direction.
After a breakfast of bergool (an old sailors term for oatmeal) I started to clean and straighten up the boat in anticipation of Dave’s coming onboard. To this point I had been using the V-birth in the front of the boat as a storage locker. The Gibson guitar as well as my duffle bag of clean clothes and dirty laundry bag needed to be moved aft to make room for Dave.
It is surprising how dirty a boat can get on the inside after only one week. I spent several hours with the bleach spray-bottle wiping down the all the inside. I started on the surfaces in the galley as that seemed to be the most in need of cleaning. There were spaghetti sauce, oatmeal and mustard splashes visual reminders of meals onboard.
Tug came by and sang several sea shanties and recommended a book by Richard Adraidowics and Pete Kasin. My favorite sea shanty is “Goodbye, My Lover, Goodbye”. It is a Great Lakes sea shanty about a young sailor heading out to sea. It describes his emotions as he is leaving his lover for an extended voyage. It tells the how he longs to be with his lover while on the open water. Thinking about your lover is something all sailors must have in common. Because that’s one of the things you do when you are out on open water. I think of Sandy and our family all of the time.
Bill called and said that we needed to leave one hour earlier for the airport to pick up Dave Luther because the airport is in the Eastern Time Zone and we were in the Central Time Zone. Dave’s plane was due to arrive at 5:00PM. Tallahassee was a three hour drive.
Dave was waiting for us at the arrival area. Our timing was spot on. Once we loaded Dave’s gear in the trunk of Bills car, we headed directly to a restaurant for dinner.
It was well after dark when we arrived back at WaterMark and the winter cold had returned. Dave stowed his gear. I turned on the little electric space heater to high to heat up the boat and drive the dampness back into the air. We reviewed the charts and navigation strategies for crossing the Gulf. Still too windy and still too cold. We decided to stay put for one more day.
The weather hold in Fort Walton Beach is a good lesson is patience. It is better and safer to be sitting on the dock wishing I were on the Gulf than actually being on the Gulf and wishing I were tied up at the dock. Below freezing temperatures at night are what is causing the hold. It is warmer during the day. The air temperature at 4:00PM is 41 degrees and the sky is clear. The sea temperature is 57 degrees. Today the winds are blowing out of the north at 15 knots. Waves on the Gulf are 5 to 7 feet. The temperatures are slowly increasing as the jet stream causing the Artic Blast is slowly changing direction.
After a breakfast of bergool (an old sailors term for oatmeal) I started to clean and straighten up the boat in anticipation of Dave’s coming onboard. To this point I had been using the V-birth in the front of the boat as a storage locker. The Gibson guitar as well as my duffle bag of clean clothes and dirty laundry bag needed to be moved aft to make room for Dave.
It is surprising how dirty a boat can get on the inside after only one week. I spent several hours with the bleach spray-bottle wiping down the all the inside. I started on the surfaces in the galley as that seemed to be the most in need of cleaning. There were spaghetti sauce, oatmeal and mustard splashes visual reminders of meals onboard.
Tug came by and sang several sea shanties and recommended a book by Richard Adraidowics and Pete Kasin. My favorite sea shanty is “Goodbye, My Lover, Goodbye”. It is a Great Lakes sea shanty about a young sailor heading out to sea. It describes his emotions as he is leaving his lover for an extended voyage. It tells the how he longs to be with his lover while on the open water. Thinking about your lover is something all sailors must have in common. Because that’s one of the things you do when you are out on open water. I think of Sandy and our family all of the time.
Bill called and said that we needed to leave one hour earlier for the airport to pick up Dave Luther because the airport is in the Eastern Time Zone and we were in the Central Time Zone. Dave’s plane was due to arrive at 5:00PM. Tallahassee was a three hour drive.
Dave was waiting for us at the arrival area. Our timing was spot on. Once we loaded Dave’s gear in the trunk of Bills car, we headed directly to a restaurant for dinner.
It was well after dark when we arrived back at WaterMark and the winter cold had returned. Dave stowed his gear. I turned on the little electric space heater to high to heat up the boat and drive the dampness back into the air. We reviewed the charts and navigation strategies for crossing the Gulf. Still too windy and still too cold. We decided to stay put for one more day.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Friday January 8, 2010
The Boat Marina, Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Got up about 7AM and as usual turned on the NOAA weather radio to get an update on the weather forecast. It was 29 degrees warm. The Artic Blast has continued into the second week Of January. The only difference was that gale force winds were expected to blow out of the north until noon and then drop to 20 to 25 knots. Waves on the Gulf are 8 to 10 feet. However the good news is that the weather should start improving after the weekend. Winds are expected to drop to 10 to 15 knots on Monday. This should give Dave and I the weather window we need to get moving east and then south across the Gulf.
Tug arrived around 9AM for breakfast. He cooked a cheese omlette. Again the food about Water Mark has been five star. The weather is the main topic of conversation. The house/apartment the harbormaster lives in does not have any heat. Many of the smaller dwellings have only space heaters as the builders never installed furnaces because the temps never got very cold. The last time it was this cold in the panhandle of Florida was 1919. The temps this week are challenging and beating the record lows.
Got up about 7AM and as usual turned on the NOAA weather radio to get an update on the weather forecast. It was 29 degrees warm. The Artic Blast has continued into the second week Of January. The only difference was that gale force winds were expected to blow out of the north until noon and then drop to 20 to 25 knots. Waves on the Gulf are 8 to 10 feet. However the good news is that the weather should start improving after the weekend. Winds are expected to drop to 10 to 15 knots on Monday. This should give Dave and I the weather window we need to get moving east and then south across the Gulf.
Tug arrived around 9AM for breakfast. He cooked a cheese omlette. Again the food about Water Mark has been five star. The weather is the main topic of conversation. The house/apartment the harbormaster lives in does not have any heat. Many of the smaller dwellings have only space heaters as the builders never installed furnaces because the temps never got very cold. The last time it was this cold in the panhandle of Florida was 1919. The temps this week are challenging and beating the record lows.
Thursday January 7, 2010
The Boat Marina, Fort Walton Beach Florida
Tug come over for breakfast. We cooked French toast with Arkansas honey for the topping. After breakfast, I would play a song on my guitar and then Tug would sing a sea shanty. We alternated back and forth until noon when Bill arrived to take us out for lunch. Tug said that he would rather stay on the boat and write a letter of recommendation for one of his students. Bill took me to his favorite Thai restaurant. Delicious and spicy food. We then drove to Destin and he gave me a tour of the commercial fishing dock. Lots of boats rigged for fishing and all of them were tied up a the dock. It was too cold for customers and most of the captains were someplace else where it is warm. We heard that the shallow water fish have headed south for warmer water. Fish are lucky. They can travel without regard to the weather forecast.
Bill told me that the K of C was having a Bingo night. It was warm in the hall and if I had any extra time I was welcome to volunteer my time. Told him that I would. He then said that he would be willing to drive to Tallahassee on Sat evening to pick up Dave Luther at the airport. I called Dave and told him that he had a ride and that we would be starting from Ft Walton Beach.
The temps in the afternoon soared to 62 degrees as the moist Gulf air blew in from the south. This warm moist air then collided with the cold north wind and produced a very cold rain. They expected it to snow but it thankfully it never did.
Tug made a fish chowder. We talked in the warm cabin of Water Mark for several hours before Tug returned to Adventure for a nights sleep.
Tug come over for breakfast. We cooked French toast with Arkansas honey for the topping. After breakfast, I would play a song on my guitar and then Tug would sing a sea shanty. We alternated back and forth until noon when Bill arrived to take us out for lunch. Tug said that he would rather stay on the boat and write a letter of recommendation for one of his students. Bill took me to his favorite Thai restaurant. Delicious and spicy food. We then drove to Destin and he gave me a tour of the commercial fishing dock. Lots of boats rigged for fishing and all of them were tied up a the dock. It was too cold for customers and most of the captains were someplace else where it is warm. We heard that the shallow water fish have headed south for warmer water. Fish are lucky. They can travel without regard to the weather forecast.
Bill told me that the K of C was having a Bingo night. It was warm in the hall and if I had any extra time I was welcome to volunteer my time. Told him that I would. He then said that he would be willing to drive to Tallahassee on Sat evening to pick up Dave Luther at the airport. I called Dave and told him that he had a ride and that we would be starting from Ft Walton Beach.
The temps in the afternoon soared to 62 degrees as the moist Gulf air blew in from the south. This warm moist air then collided with the cold north wind and produced a very cold rain. They expected it to snow but it thankfully it never did.
Tug made a fish chowder. We talked in the warm cabin of Water Mark for several hours before Tug returned to Adventure for a nights sleep.
Wednesday January 6, 2010
The Boat Marina, Fort Walton Beach Florida
Woke up and it was again in the 20’s. Much too cold for Florida. Average temp historically is 40 at night and 65 in the day. Tug showed up and we cooled a fish hash for breakfast. Tug did the cooking aboard Water Mark. He cut the potatoes up into small pieces. He minced and onion and sauted them in butter. Then he added the red snapper. I was not sure that I would like the hash, however it was delicious. We both had two huge helpings.
Called Bill Reaves and made arrangements to have lunch with him on Thursday.
Bill Zink called and said that he was sick. He had the chills and was being treat for bronchitis. I told him that I would make alternate arrangements to get Dave Luther from the Tallahassee Airport and when he got well to head directly home. I also told him that Sandy had volunteered to fly down to Florida nd drive him back to Brighton. He said that Marian’s brother would be traveling with him and he would not have to make the trip alone.
Woke up and it was again in the 20’s. Much too cold for Florida. Average temp historically is 40 at night and 65 in the day. Tug showed up and we cooled a fish hash for breakfast. Tug did the cooking aboard Water Mark. He cut the potatoes up into small pieces. He minced and onion and sauted them in butter. Then he added the red snapper. I was not sure that I would like the hash, however it was delicious. We both had two huge helpings.
Called Bill Reaves and made arrangements to have lunch with him on Thursday.
Bill Zink called and said that he was sick. He had the chills and was being treat for bronchitis. I told him that I would make alternate arrangements to get Dave Luther from the Tallahassee Airport and when he got well to head directly home. I also told him that Sandy had volunteered to fly down to Florida nd drive him back to Brighton. He said that Marian’s brother would be traveling with him and he would not have to make the trip alone.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Boat Marina, Fort Walton Beach Florida
Woke up and it was 20 degrees. The Evening Star was unloading her catch and I got dressed in the long johns grabbed the camera and took several photos of the unloading process. It is very manual. Robert was down in the hold. He would fill up a 15 gal plastic bucket with fish and hand them up to a deck hand. The deck hand would then lift tout he plastic basket of fish on to the tail gate of the refrigerated truck. Then the trucker loader would position the fish in a larger square container. I took several hours to unload 3000 pounds of Red Snapper.
Once the Evening Star was unloaded, they motored back to the end of our dock. Robert asked me if I would like some fish. I told him yes! He gave me 6 Trigger fish. I asked him if he would be kind enough to teach me how to clean a Trigger. He demonstrated how to filet the fish. He then showed me how to skin the fish and cut out the bones from the fillets. Once the fish were cleaned I cooked bout 8 fillets in olive oil and made Trigger Fish sandwiches. This was the freshest fish and most delicious that I had ever eaten!! Robert tells me that Trigger is his favorite fish and is not as well know as snapper. They got $3.00 per pound for the snapper they caught. Roberts cut was about $900.00
There are several boats in the Marina that are headed east to Panama City, Carrabelle and southern Florida. All of us are “weathered” in port because of the low Artic Blast temperatures. It is cold on land and as the fisherman told us it is even colder on the water. The boaters all have little electric space heaters that adequately heat the cabins of out boats. The problem is that once we leave the marina, we leave the electricity that powers the heaters. So the collective wisdom is to stay in the marina and wait for the temps to rise.
Late in the afternoon Tug and I decided to walk into town and do some shopping. We needed some spices for the fish. On the way we stopped at the public dock in Fort Walton Beach. This Marina is famous for two reasons. First reason is The Cty of Ft Walton Beach has a nice public dock and gives boaters a free one night stay at the dock. A great idea as most boaters head to town and spend money on provisions and eat in the restaurants.. The second reason the dock is well known is that it is a place where the homeless folks hand out. Tug and I talked to a couple of homeless Viet Nan Vets. After hearing their stories, we headed to the food store. Tug bought these tow guys lasagna dinners. When we returned to the City Dock with the food they two homeless guys had moved on. We returned to the boat and ate their dinners.
Tug has a heart the size of the Gulf of Mexico. He befriended a couple of homeless folks and got them a motel room for a week so that they would not be exposed to the freezing temps. I told him that he was working his way into a front row seat in heaven.
Tug headed back to Adventure about 10PM and I once again positioned the space heater aft and crawled into my freezing cold sleeping bag and fell asleep thinking that I was glad to have a comfortable place to sleep.
Woke up and it was 20 degrees. The Evening Star was unloading her catch and I got dressed in the long johns grabbed the camera and took several photos of the unloading process. It is very manual. Robert was down in the hold. He would fill up a 15 gal plastic bucket with fish and hand them up to a deck hand. The deck hand would then lift tout he plastic basket of fish on to the tail gate of the refrigerated truck. Then the trucker loader would position the fish in a larger square container. I took several hours to unload 3000 pounds of Red Snapper.
Once the Evening Star was unloaded, they motored back to the end of our dock. Robert asked me if I would like some fish. I told him yes! He gave me 6 Trigger fish. I asked him if he would be kind enough to teach me how to clean a Trigger. He demonstrated how to filet the fish. He then showed me how to skin the fish and cut out the bones from the fillets. Once the fish were cleaned I cooked bout 8 fillets in olive oil and made Trigger Fish sandwiches. This was the freshest fish and most delicious that I had ever eaten!! Robert tells me that Trigger is his favorite fish and is not as well know as snapper. They got $3.00 per pound for the snapper they caught. Roberts cut was about $900.00
There are several boats in the Marina that are headed east to Panama City, Carrabelle and southern Florida. All of us are “weathered” in port because of the low Artic Blast temperatures. It is cold on land and as the fisherman told us it is even colder on the water. The boaters all have little electric space heaters that adequately heat the cabins of out boats. The problem is that once we leave the marina, we leave the electricity that powers the heaters. So the collective wisdom is to stay in the marina and wait for the temps to rise.
Late in the afternoon Tug and I decided to walk into town and do some shopping. We needed some spices for the fish. On the way we stopped at the public dock in Fort Walton Beach. This Marina is famous for two reasons. First reason is The Cty of Ft Walton Beach has a nice public dock and gives boaters a free one night stay at the dock. A great idea as most boaters head to town and spend money on provisions and eat in the restaurants.. The second reason the dock is well known is that it is a place where the homeless folks hand out. Tug and I talked to a couple of homeless Viet Nan Vets. After hearing their stories, we headed to the food store. Tug bought these tow guys lasagna dinners. When we returned to the City Dock with the food they two homeless guys had moved on. We returned to the boat and ate their dinners.
Tug has a heart the size of the Gulf of Mexico. He befriended a couple of homeless folks and got them a motel room for a week so that they would not be exposed to the freezing temps. I told him that he was working his way into a front row seat in heaven.
Tug headed back to Adventure about 10PM and I once again positioned the space heater aft and crawled into my freezing cold sleeping bag and fell asleep thinking that I was glad to have a comfortable place to sleep.
Monday January 4, 2010
The Boat Marina, Fort Walton Beach Florida
After waking up at the Sea Breeze Motel, Bill and I headed directly to the Waffle House for Breakfast. The waffles satisfied our hunger and we were off to check on WaterMark. As Bill and I walked down the dock, we passed a 40 foot fishing boat that has sunk right at the dock. I was anxious to get a look at WaterMark. She was floating and her hull looked intact! Bill and I made multiple trips to the car ferrying food, beer, pop, guitar and clothes. I checked the cabin and with the exception of a little mold the boat weathered the layover nicely. Once all of the gear was aboard. We headed off to Walmart for additional provisions. I bought water, lemons, limes, lunch meat, potato chips and some cranberry juice. We had a hard time finding Walmart as it was not where the GPS said it should be. We actually had to stop and ask directions. How appropriate. We had 2 GPS navigation systems in the car and neither of them had the correct location of Sam Walton’s store.
Once we returned to the boat and off loaded the provisions, Bill took off to central FL to meet up with Marian’s sister in Zepherhill. I programmed Bill’s GPS and he headed out for hopefully warmer temperatures. Bill called and said that it took him about six hours to reach his destination.
I started taking inventory of the items on the boat and examining their condition. I quickly noticed that my 38 year old down feathered sleeping bag had developed a slight mold problem. So I called Sandy for directions. She told me to fill the washing machine with water and then add one-half-a-cup of bleach and the proper amount of soap to the water and then after the bleach and soap was dispersed in the water to add the sleeping bag. She then told me to put a clean tennis shoe into the dryer so the shoe would beat the feathers back into their proper positions. It worked. Sandy is a genius. My favorite sleeping bag was free of the mold and looked new. I started the motor and the Honda jumped to life after 2 tugs on the starter chord.
As I did laundry, I installed the new Garmin Chartplotter. The oak face plate the I made fit perfectly on to the cockpit bulkhead on the port side. I ran wires and had to cut out a portion of t he bulkhead as the new Chartplotter was replacing a depth finder and a knotmeter. Once I ran the wires to the battery, I hit the on button and the instrument came to life. The installation was a success.
The weather was really nice during the day and really cold. The little space heater that Dave Luther recommended I purchase was hooked up and keeping the cabin warm. It was 20 degrees outside. When water was spilled on the concrete dock it would freeze and leave a very slippery patch of ice.
As I walked back and forth from the boat to the laundry room at the Marina. I met a gentlemen sailor named Tug Buse. Tug started his trip in Sioux City Iowa. He is in a 15 foot Commodore Trunion Class Pram. It took him 5 years to build the boat he has christened “Adventure“. Tug got his nickname because his parents own a tug boat. Tug grew up in Washington and spent his childhood sailing around the San Jaun islands in the Puget Sound. His destination is the State-of-Maine. He hopes to arrive there in October of this year.
I asked Tug if he had met Buzz. A fellow boater that I first met in Paris, TN. I asked Tug the question because his little boat resembled Buzz’s 15 foot West White Potter. He said that he had been traveling with Buzz and that they had spent the Christmas Holidays with Tug’s parents at a nearby condo. Tug’s parents flew in to be with their son during the holidays. I am observing that many long distance sailors take time off from the water and head back to land for breaks.
Tug has and advanced degree in film making and his hobby is singing sea shanties. I had never heard of sea shanties prior to meeting Tug but am fascinated by them. Sea shanties are songs with out musincal accompaniment that were song by sailors as they went about their work on the sailing ships of the 1800’a. Back on the old days it would take several hours to weigh an anchor and while working the sailors would sing these shanties. There are sea shanties from Scotland, England, Australia and there are even Great Lake shanties.
We got together on the WaterMark. I would play Walleye Willie and Tug would sing a sea shanty.
About 8;00 PM the Evening Start tied up at the end of the dock. They had been out fishing on the Gulf and returned early because of the cold weather. Robert one the of the crew said that after three days of 20 degree temps and 15 to 25 MPH winds they returned to the dock. They spent the entire night cleaning their catch. They played the radio while they worked and I fell asleep listing to the faint sounds of the music.
After waking up at the Sea Breeze Motel, Bill and I headed directly to the Waffle House for Breakfast. The waffles satisfied our hunger and we were off to check on WaterMark. As Bill and I walked down the dock, we passed a 40 foot fishing boat that has sunk right at the dock. I was anxious to get a look at WaterMark. She was floating and her hull looked intact! Bill and I made multiple trips to the car ferrying food, beer, pop, guitar and clothes. I checked the cabin and with the exception of a little mold the boat weathered the layover nicely. Once all of the gear was aboard. We headed off to Walmart for additional provisions. I bought water, lemons, limes, lunch meat, potato chips and some cranberry juice. We had a hard time finding Walmart as it was not where the GPS said it should be. We actually had to stop and ask directions. How appropriate. We had 2 GPS navigation systems in the car and neither of them had the correct location of Sam Walton’s store.
Once we returned to the boat and off loaded the provisions, Bill took off to central FL to meet up with Marian’s sister in Zepherhill. I programmed Bill’s GPS and he headed out for hopefully warmer temperatures. Bill called and said that it took him about six hours to reach his destination.
I started taking inventory of the items on the boat and examining their condition. I quickly noticed that my 38 year old down feathered sleeping bag had developed a slight mold problem. So I called Sandy for directions. She told me to fill the washing machine with water and then add one-half-a-cup of bleach and the proper amount of soap to the water and then after the bleach and soap was dispersed in the water to add the sleeping bag. She then told me to put a clean tennis shoe into the dryer so the shoe would beat the feathers back into their proper positions. It worked. Sandy is a genius. My favorite sleeping bag was free of the mold and looked new. I started the motor and the Honda jumped to life after 2 tugs on the starter chord.
As I did laundry, I installed the new Garmin Chartplotter. The oak face plate the I made fit perfectly on to the cockpit bulkhead on the port side. I ran wires and had to cut out a portion of t he bulkhead as the new Chartplotter was replacing a depth finder and a knotmeter. Once I ran the wires to the battery, I hit the on button and the instrument came to life. The installation was a success.
The weather was really nice during the day and really cold. The little space heater that Dave Luther recommended I purchase was hooked up and keeping the cabin warm. It was 20 degrees outside. When water was spilled on the concrete dock it would freeze and leave a very slippery patch of ice.
As I walked back and forth from the boat to the laundry room at the Marina. I met a gentlemen sailor named Tug Buse. Tug started his trip in Sioux City Iowa. He is in a 15 foot Commodore Trunion Class Pram. It took him 5 years to build the boat he has christened “Adventure“. Tug got his nickname because his parents own a tug boat. Tug grew up in Washington and spent his childhood sailing around the San Jaun islands in the Puget Sound. His destination is the State-of-Maine. He hopes to arrive there in October of this year.
I asked Tug if he had met Buzz. A fellow boater that I first met in Paris, TN. I asked Tug the question because his little boat resembled Buzz’s 15 foot West White Potter. He said that he had been traveling with Buzz and that they had spent the Christmas Holidays with Tug’s parents at a nearby condo. Tug’s parents flew in to be with their son during the holidays. I am observing that many long distance sailors take time off from the water and head back to land for breaks.
Tug has and advanced degree in film making and his hobby is singing sea shanties. I had never heard of sea shanties prior to meeting Tug but am fascinated by them. Sea shanties are songs with out musincal accompaniment that were song by sailors as they went about their work on the sailing ships of the 1800’a. Back on the old days it would take several hours to weigh an anchor and while working the sailors would sing these shanties. There are sea shanties from Scotland, England, Australia and there are even Great Lake shanties.
We got together on the WaterMark. I would play Walleye Willie and Tug would sing a sea shanty.
About 8;00 PM the Evening Start tied up at the end of the dock. They had been out fishing on the Gulf and returned early because of the cold weather. Robert one the of the crew said that after three days of 20 degree temps and 15 to 25 MPH winds they returned to the dock. They spent the entire night cleaning their catch. They played the radio while they worked and I fell asleep listing to the faint sounds of the music.
Sunday January 3, 2010
Headed out of Brighton at 6:30AM. Neighbor Bill Zink was riding shotgun. We have had a lot of wonderful adventures in the last 20 years. Bill with just 2 days notice agreed to drive with me to Fort Walton Beach FL. This would be the start the second leg of my sailing adventure to southern Florida. On the trip south as we were driving through the state of Ohio, Bill Zink talked with Marian Hines. Marian is recovering from a surgery. She has a sister in FL and asked Bill if he would be able to drive her up to Michigan. Bill graciously agreed. It took us 16 hours to drive the 987 miles to Fort Walton Beach. We arrived at 10:30 PM. We stopped only for gas and food. We drove through the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama on our way to the panhandle.
I did most of the driving and Bill played with his and my GPS. They are both Tom-Toms. I taught Bill how to program a destination and recover the destination. Bill noticed that the arrival time on his GPS was different than the arrival time on my GPS. So we used Bill’s and it was correct. Not sure if my GPS knew we had changed into the Central Time Zone as they were one hour off. Also noticed that Bill’s unit has a more current version of software. So I must hook my GPS up to the computer update the system software at the first opportunity.
Since I was not sure what condition we would find the boat in and it was 25 degrees outside, I decided that it would be smart to get a warm motel room for the night. I would then check on the condition of the boat my belongings into the boat in the morning when there would be daylight. Once we checked into the motel, we headed off to the local bar for a night cap. We were in bed and asleep at midnight.
I did most of the driving and Bill played with his and my GPS. They are both Tom-Toms. I taught Bill how to program a destination and recover the destination. Bill noticed that the arrival time on his GPS was different than the arrival time on my GPS. So we used Bill’s and it was correct. Not sure if my GPS knew we had changed into the Central Time Zone as they were one hour off. Also noticed that Bill’s unit has a more current version of software. So I must hook my GPS up to the computer update the system software at the first opportunity.
Since I was not sure what condition we would find the boat in and it was 25 degrees outside, I decided that it would be smart to get a warm motel room for the night. I would then check on the condition of the boat my belongings into the boat in the morning when there would be daylight. Once we checked into the motel, we headed off to the local bar for a night cap. We were in bed and asleep at midnight.
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