Our destination: Georgetown Exumas, Stocking Island Beach
March 4, 2013, 0700. OneEighty is back in the water after her haul-out and ready for our planned sail from Gulf Shores to Georgetown Exumas, a round trip of around 2000 miles. Our first leg of the trip would be a short sail of just 100 miles to Port St Joe Florida, and would serve as a good shakedown after the haulout. It is a good thing we did that because we found a problem that had to be fixed. At 2100 hrs I noticed that the tachometer wasn't working, and that the amp meter was registering zero. If we shut the engine down for an hour it would heal iself, then after running two hours, it would repeat. That was a sure sign that the alternator was going out. The night was rough with winds at 27kts and big seas so we all ready to get into a safe port and get some sleep after being up all night . We got into St. Joseph Bay at about 0830 and dropped the anchor. I then got on the phone and started calling for information about a new alternator. In about 1 hour I had found the perfect replacement part in Panama City Florida and then called the local Port St Joe cab company (Billie Dixon) and as it worked out, his son was already in PC delivering a customer so he was able to just run over to Panama Alternator company (Jeff) and bring it back. By the time we were able to get the anchor up and motor 5 miles to the city marina, the part was there waiting for me. That night I put the alternator on (everything fit perfectly, even the pulleys). Now maybe I could catch up on that sleep. After waiting a day for a cold front to pass we were off the next morning early, headed South past Cape San Blas and East down towards Tampa, about 250 miles of open Gulf. That run would take us about 50 hours, and soon we were approaching the Tampa Ship Channel. Fortunately it was daylight so we could see the ships that were lighting up our AIS and Radar screens. There were at lest 10 large ships in and around Tampa Bay entrance, and luckily most of them were anchored. Instead of heading in to Tampa Bay or Clearwater channel (which is safer; no ships) we reviewed the weather reports and decided to ride the Easterly winds right on down the Florida coastline about 20 miles offshore without stopping. That would put us far enough out to miss the crab-pots and fishing boats, yet still be able to enjoy the flat seas protected by the land mass with the wind out of the east. We sailed past Tampa Bay and continued on down the Florida coast leaving Naples, Sanibel and Fort Myers to our port. For the next 50 hours, non-stop we were able to sail all the way down to the Everglades, past Shark River and into the Keys, and at 0700 Sunday 3/10/13, right at daylight, we approached the Bullard Bank light in the Keys. We could now navigate through the shallows to 7 mile bridge in daylight hours.
On a mooring ball in Marathon City Marina
3/11/13 We arrive Marathon after snagging a crab-pot line on the prop going under 7 Mile Bridge. Had to sail out towards Sombrero Light and dive on the prop and cut it loose. Tied up at Burdine's Marina for two days, then went over to Marathon Municipal on a mooring ball for 3 days waiting for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream. It is very important to cross only when there is no Northerly in the wind direction.
3/13/13. Talked to West Marine about our dinghy bottom falling out, and for the next several days we had conversations with them that validated our warranty and they have agreed to repair or replace our dinghy or give us a store credit towards buying a new, better model.
Water in the dinghy. Floor coming out
3/14/13. Changed both fuel filters while we were waiting. That should have us ready for the longest part of the trip that will have very limited access to marinas and maintenance supplies.
3/16/13. We have been at Marathon City Marina for several days now on a mooring ball (R-10) at $100 per week and that includes showers, internet, work and rec room, and meet and greets. It really is a retirement community
setup. We had 2-3 meetings and various discussions on weather with other sailors waiting for a weather window for crossing to the Bahamas. We met several other sailors, two of which we will see later in the Bahamas. They were Shay and Elizabeth on Escape, and Dave and Emma (Brits) on FiveFlipFops. Today is the first open window. Wind is from the East at 10kts and coming around to SE, maybe South, perfect for crossing the Gulf Stream, but it is a short window of about 30 hours.We are leaving today, Shay and Dave will leave tomorrow.
0800. We are up and having coffee and getting ready for the crossing. Fueled up at Burdines and topped off with fresh water.
1300. Motored out to Sombrero light and finally set sail at about 1430. This will allow us to reach the Bahama bank at South Riding Rock (125 miles from Marathon) after daybreak the next morning. Keep in mind that sailboats are slow, and we plan on 5 kts speed while underway. Usually we beat that and average 6 kts, but we have to plan for varied speeds, and always plan to arrive at a landfall or critical site during daylight hours. Also, when crossing the Gulf Stream you have to vector in the Northerly current of the stream that runs 2.5 to 3 knots. That means that if our rum line was 60 degrees, we would have to actually sail about 107 degrees to make our mark and compensate for the current that is taking us about 30 miles off our course over a 10 hour period. We did not want to arrive at the coral reefs at South Riding Rock in the dark. Just the name of South Riding "Rock" as your destination puts a knot in your stomach when you have never been there before. On this particular crossing the wind was about 30 degrees off our bow which is too close for us to sail, so in order to make our course and speed, which is time sensitive due to the weather window, we motor-sailed with enough sail up to keep the boat planted on the water as we beat into the waves.
Anchored at Russell Light on Bahama Bank
3/17/13 0630. We are about 20 miles from So. Riding Rock and the engine just quits. I checked the oil, filters, coolant, water pump and everything else I could think of and saw no problems. We are sailing towards the Great Bahama Banks known for its shallow water and coral reefs. After waiting an hour to cool down, I cranked the engine. It started easy, no problem at all and ran it for several hours until we had crossed the reef. I have no idea what the problem was. By then it was late morning and we were able to shut down the engine and sail East across the Great Bahama Bank towards Northwest Channel, entrance to the Tongue of the Ocean, which is about 60 miles away.
3/17/13 1900 hrs. We have sailed beautifully all day across the bank, and have decided to anchor on the bank about 13 miles from NW channel. We have anchored 1.8 miles from where Russel Light used to be, but the light is missing. It is a strange feeling anchoring on the bank in 20 feet of water, totally out of sight of land, but after being up for the last 36 hours, we decide we needed some rest. During the early morning we were passed by two of the boats, (Escape and FiveFlipFlops) that left after we did, but caught us while we were sleeping.
3/18/13 0800 hrs. We are up and have coffee and check the weather and routes to NW Channel, and then South down to Morgan's Bluff, Andros Island. Winds are from the SE at 20 to 26 knts and we are in big seas in the Tongue of the Ocean. This is what we call Blue Water Sailing. The TOTO is several miles deep, and this can give you some pretty big seas, especially with strong SE winds. I reefed the mainsail and during the day it ripped in one of my reef-points. I would have to repair that at the next port, Andros.
Going up on the wave. Main up, no jib
Going back down
3/18/13/1630 hrs. We arrived Morgan's Bluff, Andros. The charts showed us that there was a clearly marked channel into the bay. When we got there, there were no bouys at all except for one oil drum that was anchored in the channel... I think. Thanks to our Explorer charts, we were able to pick our way into the channel and anchor in the beautiful and protected bay. At Andros, we met up again with Escape and FiveFlipFlops which were anchored there also. We took our dingies into the town dock, and there we met the Customs and Immigration officials. When you arrive in a foreign port, you must fly a yellow Quarnteen flag on your starboard spreader before you go ashore, and then only the captain goes ashore, and must have the ship's papers and passports for all the crew. Clearing customs at Morgans Bluff was a breeze. The customs officials (Ms. Oliver) met me in the bar and we filled out the paperwork on a picnic table and talked, and we were done. Much easier than Nassau would have been. Anchoring in the bay was not so easy. I have used a CQR plough type anchor for many years with no problem at all, but in this hard, packed coral sand, I could not get it to set. After three attempts, we changed to the Danfoth style anchor, and it stuck the first time. That's why you carry spare anchors. When Dave anchored FiveFlipFlops he had the same problem, and switched to the Danforth style with the same good results.
Looking at the bottom in 20 feet of water
3/19/13 1300 hrs. We pull anchor and depart Morgan's Bluff headed 27 miles east to New Providence Island. At 1730 we drop anchor at West Bay and get some rest for the long trip tomorrow to Norman's Cay, our first island of the Northern Exumas chain. The Exumas are a chain of islands that span about 130 miles from just South and East of Nassau, down to Great Exuma Island which is South and East of Andros.
Now we are crossing a part of the Bahama bank that is fairly shallow, and the clearest water I have seen. The wind is totally calm this day, and with no ripples on the water it looks as though we are suspended in air. We are running with two other boats, Escape and FiveFlipFlops and will run with them off and on all the way to Georgetown. There is comfort and camaraderie in finding other nice boaters to travel with. Also it is good to have someone else checking the sanity of your chart plotting and weather reads.
I went to the bow of the boat and took a picture of my shadow of me waving from the bow. The shadow was off the bottom in the crystal clear water.
My shadow off the bottom in 20 feet of water
"Escape", 49 ft Defever trawler with us
Anchored at Sunset at Normans Cay
3/20/13 1700 hrs. Anchored by airport on Norman Cay. This is a nice anchorage but not protected from West to North winds. At midnight the winds picked up to 15 to 17 knots from the North, which made for a rolley night. Shay from Escape called me and asked if I heard the radio call on Channel 16 from a boat named River Rat, calling for OneEighty. River Rat is a boat of a couple that we met in Virginia several years ago. They were in the islands and had heard from a mutual friend, Jim Hatch in Virginia, that we were in the vicinity. Jim had seen our location from our satellite tracking device and sent an email to River Rat (Carl and Debi Isbrandtsen). From that contact, we were able to talk to them via the VHF and we agreed to rendezvous at Waderick Wells Cay, which is a beautiful Land and Sea Park of the Bahamas located in the middle Exumas.
Anchored in Waderick Wells Park. Ranger station on right.
Sailors have been traveling to this destination long before it was a National Park. There is a hill on the island called BooBoo Hill that sailors have tradionally brought boards and planks with their boat names inscribed and planted them on top of the mountain, I would guess for good luck. Now there is a pile of wood plaques that is several feet high and 50 feet long that is the result of many years of voyagers leaving their wood signs. We on OneEighty now have our names on the roll.
BooBoo Hill; Collection of ship's names over many years
OneEighty's meager contribution, SV/180
Carl preparing dinner on River Rat
Carl and Debi invited Quinn and I over for dinner on their boat that night. They are gracious hosts and good chefs. We so much enjoyed their company.
3/23/13 0700. Up, had our coffee and off the mooring. Headed South to Black Point Settlement which is about 27 miles South. Talked to Shay on the VHF today and they are already in Black Point. We should be there by 1400.
1400 hrs. We are at Black Point Settlement and the anchor is down.
1600 hrs. Dinked to town dock , walked the streets and met the people. We went to Loraine's and found out that you get free internet if you order a beer. How hard is that? Called Susie on Skype and then sent some emails. We had been without internet and phone service since we left Marathon, FL. We walked down to the city park which has a pavilion and a dock and this is where they hold their town sponsored regattas. There we met James "the shell man" who is a slightly retarded young man that wanted to talk and show us his pretty shells. After looking at them, he asked us if we wanted to buy some. After some serious negotiations, we gave him $2 for a couple of shells. Then we talked to him some more. Soon we had to leave so we parted ways. As we were walking back to the boat James caught up with us on the road and wanted to give Quinn another shell. When we said we didn't have any more money, he just smiled and said that he just wanted to say thanks because we were friendly to him. I thought: you never know when angels are among you!
We went back to Loraine's to find out if she was open on Sundays. She said yes, but invited us to Church first.
3/24/13 Sunday 0730. Up and having quiet coffee. Had a swell night last night. Swells rolled the boat all night, and I slept swell.
Gethseminie Church, Black Point, Exumas
1030 hrs. Quinn and I took dinghy in to go to church. We got to Gethseminie Baptist Church and who should we meet but Shay and Elizabeth from Escape, and sitting across the aisle, on the end of the other pew was....James, the shell man. We gave him a nod. We missed Emma from FiveFlipFlops because she had gone to the other church in town. What are the odds that three random boats from different parts of the world would all be in church in Black Point Settlement? We made an interesting observation that all the church leaders were women. Of 30+ people there, only 5 were adult men. We were told later that the young men often go to Nassau after middle school. Nassau is seen as a bad influence on the young men, as they aspire to be like the "gangstas" they see on TV . One of the mom's asked me to pray for her 28 year old son who is in Nassau now. So many are killed as young men in the streets. If you really want to know the hearts and souls of the natives, church is a great place to get to know folks. What you begin to see is how much we are all brothers.
Loraine made a special Sunday supper for our sailing group
Island racing boat of yesteryear
This is Loraines. She also has rental houses
We will be planning our departure from Black Point and on our way to Georgetown, our destination town.
New meaning to Blue Water Sailing
3/25/13 0600. Up and had breakfast and coffee. Pulled anchor at 0630 and we are headed to Dotham cut, which is a pass from the Western shore on the reef bank out into the Eastern shore side into the Atlantic. Here it is 3000 feet deep just a mile offshore. From Dotham cut to Conch Cut, which is the entrance to Elizabeth Bay at Georgetown, is 50 miles. Today was the best sailing day of my life. The winds were 15 knots from the West, which was from the land side, and therefore there was no large sea buildup. Seas were calm and we were on a beam reach all day. We had the full jib, full main and mizzen up all day and sailed at hull speed (7.5knots) all day, in the Blue Water. This crystal clear, very deep water gives new meaning to Blue Water Sailing. It is ink blue.
1530 hrs. We have entered Elizabeth Harbor and have dropped the anchor just off Chat-n-Chill on Stocking Island. Georgetown, town, is about 1 mile east on the other side of Elizabeth Harbor. Most of the cruising boats find safe harbor and good holding anchorage on the Eastern side of the bay and either dink over to the town or take the Water Taxi, owned and operated by Elvis. We are anchored in and about 100 other boats. In the winter season, this is filled with over 300 boats from all over the world, though I bet that Ottawa Canada has the largest population. They really don't like their winters in Ottawa.
3/26/13 Tuesday. We are safely anchored in a little cove close to the Chat-n-Chill. This is a quaint little restaurant/bar on the beach that has one of the prettiest beaches and is a daily meeting place for the boats that are anchored nearby. The only other building on the island is the St. Francis Hotel which has a view of Elizabeth Harbor on one side and the Atlantic Beach on the other. Both are beautiful.
Looking at Elizabeth Bay from St. Francis Hotel
The Atlantic Beach from St Francis Hotel
Susie and Charlie on the Atlantic Beach
Chat-n-Chill on Stocking Island
Our dinghy that brought us to the beach. We are anchored out there
Sail-On is my old car tag, on the Chat-n-Chill wall. We are famous now.
Helen, Charlie and Quinn, chatting and chilling
Dinghy ride back to the boat
3/29/13 Friday. We have been on the anchor for several days now, and this morning I noticed that the water pump is running very slowly. Either the motor is worn out or the batteries are so low that they can't drive the motor. I checked the batteries and learned that we have an almost dead battery bank in the House bank of batteries. The cranking batteries are totally separate, so we can always crank the engine, which we did. The engine has a high-capacity 130ah alternator (new, remember we replaced it in Port St Joe) and we are able to run the diesel a couple of hours and get the batteries back on track. I had done a bad job of battery management while living on the hook and from now on we will run the auxiliary generator for one to two hours every day and hopefully never let the battery bank get below 50%. If we do much of this type of cruising, it will be smart to add solar panels and a wind generator that will be a more green way to keep the electricity powered up on the boat. Most of the die-hard cruisers have all of that, but we are learning. What I do know is there is no stopping at what you can spend keeping a boat state-of-the-art, so we have to be prudent.
**** I have found that the spend priorities go from: 1. float, 2. safe, 3. sail fast, 4. comfort, 5. pretty. If you spend too much on pretty, the boat could end up not floating****.
Emarld Bay Marina Clubhouse
4/1/13 0900. We pull anchor at Georgetown and are headed to Emerald Bay Marina which is on the North end of Great Exuma Island and is the marina of Sandal's Resort. It will take us about two hours to get there, and then we will have shore power to ensure that our batteries get a full charge back up to full. Susie and Helen are flying in to Georgetown on Monday, and we will be at a nice marina for them to ease into the sailing life. Here they will have abundant electricity and water so they can transition into the austerity program that we must have when at anchor. We carry about 150 gallons of water so showers have to be short. Fresh water in the Exumas is rare since there is no ground water. It must either be shipped in from Andros or made with reverse osmosis of seawater. Either way requires diesel power which runs the cost up. Water at the marina is probably more pure than the water we have at home. It is all made from RO (reverse osmosis) from the clearest seawater in the world. It will cost .40 per gallon to fill the tanks. This marina is one of the nicest in the entire island chain, and offers an upscale clubhouse with TV lounge, internet access, desk and computer, nice showers, free laundry room with upscale frontload washers and dryers, floating docks, and of course, water and power.
4/2/13. Susie and Helen have arrived and have caught a cab from the airport to the marina. The cab is owned by Margaret and is a nice big SUV Tahoe, a little unusual for this small island, but, comfortable and air conditioned. Besides, we liked her, and decided to get her to take the four of us on an island tour the next day. She agreed and we are set for a 3 hour tour, at $60 per hour. After a nap on the boat and some down time in the marina, we decided to go out for dinner. The restaurant that was recommended was Big Ds, which was just 2 miles down the road, one problem, we didn't have a way to get there. Taking a suggestion from the harbormaster in the marina, we called the restaurant, and Quinten, the chef, drove over in his car and picked us up. We had a very nice dinner in a beach-front restaurant at sunset. After dinner the chef left the kitchen and drove us back to the boat.
Susie and Charlie at the restaurant
4/3/13. We start at 11:00 am and travel from the North end of Great Exuma Island, and end up at the South End at Santana's, a restaurant located at 23 degrees 26 minutes North latitude which is the Tropic of Cancer. The ToC is the furthest North the Sun travels from the Equator, and is closest to the earth on June 3rd. Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (Southern latitude at 23 degrees 26 minutes South latitude) is the hottest area around the earth where the sun is closest called the Tropics.
Big D's Restaurant
We saw the old airport, drove through the town of Georgetown, some high-end home developments. some quaint low end home developments, salt ponds that are still worked, the oldest church in the islands and most interesting to me, some of the old failed plantations, cemeteries and townships that were remains of the old British plantations that had moved here after the Revolutionary war. This was a period when sailing ships were king, and countries from all over the world (the new United States, Great Britain, Spain, Portugal and a host of Pirates that claimed the high seas as their home) sailed these very seas and traded in these islands. What impresses me is how they did it without the charts, electronics, and weather information that we have today. No doubt, they were better sailors than us.
Helen and Margaret at the tomb of McKay, plantation
forman for the British Rolle family
The oldest church in the Islands
Oldest Church Inside
Oldest Church, time creates timeless art
Ruins of old Plantation House. The black spot is an ant hive, really!
Plantation House. Ceiling meets floor.
The tour was one of my favorite parts of the trip, maybe because I could see so much is such a short period of time, after all, we were now able to travel at 30 to 50 mph, and there was a lot to see. On the boat it takes days to cover this much ground. The meal at Santana's was the culmination of the trip, the crowning reward. We were now headed back to the boat and will get ready for tomorrow's sailing trip from Emerald Bay back down to Georgetown. This time we plan to go into the town and see how the city folk live.
Pictures at the old light that guided in the old Salt Shi
Santana's beach cafe.
Fresh lobster on ice
What happens to a fresh lobster
View while eating lunch
4/4/13. 1030. We have departed Emerald Bay and headed South to Georgetown. The wind is off our nose so we will have to motor-sail to get there. It takes about 2.5 hours.
1300 hrs. Just as we are entering Conch Cut, which is the channel that gets you through the reef and into Elizabeth Harbor, the engine quits...just stops. With the wind in on our nose, we now have to tack into the tricky harbor, sails are up. Although tedious, we get there, after all, we are a sail boat. We sail up into the anchorage at Monument point and anchor amoungst about 50 other boats. This is when you really want your anchor to catch and hold the first time. There is no second chance without the engine. It holds
The next day I spent most of the day working on the diesel, finally with help from some smart friends, Bill on Jezibel, Shay on Escape and David FiveFlipFlops, we got it going. Hope we have it fixed.
4/6/13 Today we called Elvis on the water taxi, and caught a ride across the bay into Georgetown. We had some serious shopping and exploring to do.
One of the two main streets in Georgetown
We found the grocery store and then made our way to the Peace and Plenty Hotel for lunch. This is a landmark hotel in the town and has been a popular hangout for about a hundred years. The bar used to be the old kitchen area in a 1790's plantation owned by the Rolle family. That is a very popular name in the Exumas.
Peace and Plenty Hotel
Susie and Charlie at Peace and Plenty
Straw market
Susie shopping
Get your hair done
Buildings are artful
1530 hours. We catch the water taxi and Elvis brings us back to the boat. Tomorrow we will just chill out at the beach...and the Chat-n-Chill.
Boat Yard. Janurary 2013, a new day, a new dawn. We have pulled OneEighty and she is now on the hard at Barber's Marina and Boat Yard (http://www.barbermarina.com/). This facility is as nice as any boatyard that we have seen between here and Canada. Often the South gets a bad wrap as the Red Neck Riviera and people just think that our boatyards must be rustic wooden piers with broken down shrimp boats. I must say that one of my favorite yards, Nelson's Boat Yard, has some of these elements, and I love the people there. Barber's is the regional maintenance facility for Hatteras Yachts, and to tell the truth, we were a little intimidated about bringing our little boat in here with all the big yachts. Of course, it didn't matter to them, and they were perfectly happy to take our money and work on our boat.
Prop before
There were several things on the "must do" list while OneEighty was out of the water. First she needed a bottom job which included pressure wash, sanding, and two coats of ablative anti-fouling paint. Of course when you get that close to the bottom of a boat that has spent two years bumping it's way over 3000 miles of water, you find other things that need some attention. Although there were NO blisters on the bottom, we did have one spot where the epoxy barrier coat was separated from the bottom, and we had to grind it out and reapply the epoxy coat. The Max-Prop (which is a feathering prop like on an airplane to reduce sailing drag) had to be sanded, serviced and then repainted with a special zinc anti-fouling paint. New zincs for the shaft and props had to be installed, then there were small items like replacing the bronze grates that filter the intake holes in the bottom.
After
Leaking injector pump
Just when I thought I knew what the expenses would be, I noticed that we had a diesel fuel leak coming from the side of the engine. Hoping that it was just a hose clamp or something simple, my inclination fears were confirmed. The injector pump, which is the heart of a diesel engine, had gone bad and was leaking fuel at about a drop per second. Not at all acceptable. After much deliberation about what to do about it, and whether it was something I could do myself, I called in a professional diesel mechanic (at $99 hour) and had them do the fix. A dentist would have been cheaper. They removed it and sent it off to Test Calibration, a specialty shop in Mobile and they were able to put it on to some sophisticated test equipment and find out exactly what was wrong with it. Well I got my moneys worth there. It had a bad metering valve (whatever that is), bad transfer pump, and all the gaskets and seals were bad. Time for a major rebuild. Done!
Engine all clean with new parts. Note the insulation
All in all, the boat stayed on the hard for 10 days, and while she was out, we were able to do several other things that were needed or wanted. While the engine room was torn apart, we went ahead and replaced all the rubber belts and hoses. We took off the alternator, which is a high capacity 130amp charger for big battery banks, and took it to a specialty shop in Foley to have it tested. It tested fine, and we cleaned it up and put it back on, but knowing now that it was in good shape. This was also a good time to finish putting in the noise insulation material in the engine room, which when the cover is put back on the engine, becomes my bedroom. It is still not quiet, but it is better. This is an old 55hp Westerbeke Diesel. Runs like a John Deere, only louder. We replaced the throttle cable with a new one, and also put in a new sea-water pump and faucet in the galley so we can now wash dishes with unlimited salt water and rinse with fresh water to help save on our fresh water supply. That becomes handy when you are out of the country and water is scarce and expensive.
New seawater faucet on left
I also was able to install the housing for a new transducer which will give us not only the depth of the water, but has a fish-finder feature and shows the type of bottom and puts that information onto our chartplotter console. Where you button up the engine cover, I was able to put new industrial vinyl wallpaper on part of the wall around the engine to replace the old which was battered and weathered. It looks fresh. Especially after having the hull compounded and waxed, she looks like she is ready to go back into the water. Finally, we added a satellite antenna that will give us XMSatellite weather information overlayed onto our charts. We then contacted Garmin and down loaded new charts for the chartplotter which include the latest and greatest charts of the Bahamas down to the Turks and Caicos islands.
It is now February and we are getting closer to our hopeful Feburary 28th departure date for our next trip. The Bahamas and Exumas are on our radar. First we have to cross the Gulf of Mexico, again. We will keep you posted.
Fairhope Yacht Club before the race, Quinn in the blue
The Band plays on at FYC race party
We had not been back from our long trip two weeks when we saw the reminder of the Dauphin Island Race to be held on April 27-29, 2012. Still tired, we decided to go anyway since we had missed the race in 2011 because of the Alabama Tornados on April 27, 2011. Though we had paid our fees last year, the day before the race Quinn lost his marina in the tornado that swept over Tuscaloosa and we were all of a sudden focused on new objectives. This year we had no reason not to go. The boat, OneEighty was in relatively good shape after completing the long cruise, at least we knew everything that worked, and we, by that time, had a pretty good feel for how she sailed. We called a friend of the family, Garrett Gozdur, who loves sailing more than anyone I know and the three of us, Quinn, Garrett and I set off for Fairhope Yacht Club. Garrett is also a teenager, so he was elected to go on deck to do all the athletic stuff. We made the skippers meeting, dinner and band Friday night at the FYC and Saturday morning headed out to the start line which is in the Northern Mobile Bay between the committee boat and the start bouy. The race is from that point, around Middle Bay Light, and on to Dauphin Island. After the race, all the boats raft up at the island and we eat, party and have the trophy presentations. The race was a perfect day for us, winds were 13 to 18 knots on a reach. We sailed the best we could, and let the boat do the rest. She was like a race-horse sprinting for the barn, and we picked up a second place trophy in fleet, our best finish ever.
OneEighty at Sunset, FYC
Race Day. Trying to catch Orca. We did. Passed her.
3/31/12 We depart Key West bight at 1100 headed West to the Dry Torgugas. The trip is 70 miles of open water, however since we don't want to have to navigate the coral reef shallows of the Dry Tortugas at night, we plan to go only to Marquesas Island, and there drop the hook. Marquesas is a small island about 30 miles west of Key West. Our late start will put us at Marquesas Key in the late afternoon, early enough to get the anchor set before dark. We would be anchored in the vicinity of the wreck of the Atocha, though we would only be in 10 feet of water, while the Atocha was on the bottom about 55 feet down. Cuba is 90 miles South and Gulf Shores, Alabama is 450 miles to our North. The Marquesas Keys are actually a small group of sand, coral and mangrove islands that cover an area of about two miles square, but since it is only about 2 feet above sea level, you do not see it until you are within a couple of miles. Since the weather was nice, we were able to anchor about 1 mile offshore for a quiet and beautiful starlit night. http://www.bonefishingkeywest.com/marquesas.htm
4/1/12 0600 We are up and weighing anchor. 0730 we have had coffee and are sailing out of the shallows watching for coral heads toward deep water and setting our course to Dry Tortugas. We will have to skirt a 10 mile shoal known as the quicksands, and then make markers that keep us off of Isaac Shoal and Rebecca Shoal.
Arrival at Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas
We do that on que, and at 1630 we arrive in the harbor of Fort Jefferson, the bastion of the Dry Tortugas. Fort Jefferson was built as a strategic stronghold fort to protect US ships that were anchored in the unique and protected shallows out in the Gulf of Mexico, as they patrolled the Gulf shipping lanes. The fort was built from 1846 to 1875, and though it was never completed, it served a useful purpose for our young nation. http://www.nps.gov/drto/historyculture/fort-jefferson.htm
Quinn at the fort entrance
We anchored about 100 yards off the main dock where the 90 foot ferry comes in, and just in front of the landing path of the Fort Jefferson sea plane. We go ashore and register with the Park Rangers and then I talk with the ferry captain and the sea plane pilot to ensure that we are anchored far enough out of their route path. Since the wind and seas are calm, they assure me that we are fine. Quinn and I pay our $5.00 fee and take the tour through the fort. We hooked up with a tour-guide that was working for the ferry company, and got
Ferry boat at the Ranger dock
adopted as part of their tour. That was very helpful, and we learned a lot about the history of the fort that we would not have gleaned from just walking the halls. This is a great place to visit, and it has about the prettiest water I have seen anywhere.
OneEighty as seen through the cannor sites
We joined the tour group
Cuban refugee boat
Staring down the barrell
OneEighty and other cruisers anchored at Ft. Jefferson
Sunset at Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas
4/3/2012 We have stayed a couple of days at Ft. Jefferson and now we are thinking of our trip back up the Gulf. The only weather report we have is a 4 day old GRIB 8-day report (that surely will become less accurate with time) and the daily weather report that the park rangers post at the dock house. GRIB (GRIdded Binary or General Regularly-distributed Information in Binary form) is a mathematically concise data format commonly used in meteorology to store historical and forecast weather data used extensively by NOAA and the US Navy. In the past it was too complex for commoners like me to use, but today with the help of smart software models, it is put into a format that even I can read. There is no cell phone, no 3G and getting fresh weather reports here is schetchy at best. We are able to pick up Key West weather on the VHF, but that really does not give us a window across the Gulf. We decide that since the GRIB looks favorable for the next 48 hours, and that the forcast is more accurate today than tomorrow, we will leave tomorrow at first light. We have decided not to sail straight across the Gulf to Pensacola (450 miles) primarially for two reasons. One we do not have a good enough weather report and two, we do not have enough crew to get us through any emergencies and night watches. Fatigue could be our worst enemy. We are going to cut over to Florida (Ft. Myers) and then cut out to Port St. Joe. By 0935 we have motored out of the narrows and are headed for the open Gulf. Sails are now up and engine off and we are sailing 6.4 kts, course 15 degrees for Fort Myers at a distance of about 125 miles. ETA is 0900 tomorrow morning.
Friends are frolicking with us
Dancing off the bow
Today is a beautiful sail as we get further out into the open Gulf. We will be about 100 miles offshore headed for San Carlos Bay off Sanibel Island. We feel lucky when the Dauphins play and frolic with us as we glide soundless through the waves.
Dauphins are like Golden Retrivers of the sea!
I want to pet him
4/3/12 1725 hrs. Engine on. Winds have ceased to less than 6 kts.
2000 hrs. dinner is ready, hot stew and pasta.
2200 hrs. Quinn is on watch and I am going to get some rest.
2400 hrs. Midnight. I'm up and notice that the tachometer and alternator are not working. The tach runs off the alternator and we are not charging the batteries even though the engine is running. We are conserving amp usage by using very few lights, though we must have running lights, radar, refrigerator and navigation equipment. We are drawing about 9 amps total, mostly from the motor in the autopilot. Glad we have the L.E.D. nav lights. Plan to upgrade the cabin lights to LED next port. We have about 400 amp hours in our house battery bank so I am not too worried about losing our power. We can always crank the generator and make electrictiy to charge the batteries.
4/4/12 0530 hrs. We are about 20 miles off shore now, and can see the lights from Ft. Myers.
0725 hrs. We see the sun rise over Fort Myers. It will be a couple of more hours before we enter the harbor and tie up at Moss Marina which is just a block off the main beach strip in Ft. Myers.
Sunrise over Fort Myers Florida
as we make landfall
Fort Myers Beach
Upon arriving, we first filled up with diesel, 23 gallons since Key West, and then went over to slip A-17. As soon as we got settled in the slip at Moss Marine, shower and a nap, we took a hike to explore Fort Myers Beach. When we got there I was amazed at how many people were still on the beaches, walking the streets, and in the restaurants. We were told that it was a mix of spring break and Easter vacationers that made up the crowds. When I saw the streets and buildings of Ft. Myers beach I had a sense of Deja' Vu. It all looked familiar. I can only think that I passed this way in the early 80's when I was working with Paradyne Corporation on business in South Florida.
Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge
4/6/12 Today we are headed out through Stickeny Point Bridge, and North across Sarasota Bay. As soon as we pass Cortez Bridge opening, we enter Tampa Bay. We have decided to sail into Tampa Bay and catch the ICW towards Clearwater. Since the wind would be off our nose at 20+ knots all day if we went outside, we will sail into Tampa Bay, under the Skyway Bridge, and then North into the ICW. We sail and motor all day and at 1800 hrs we are tied up at John's Pass Marina right beside Madeira Beach and the John,s Pass lift bridge. We walk across the bridge and have dinner at Hooters. Not my favorite, but it was the only place without a long line, and we were tired.
John's Pass Bridge,
our gateway back into the Gulf
4/6/12 2030 hrs. We are back on the boat and after checking the weather report, GRIB files and long range forecast, we decide that the best weather window to cross the Gulf to Panama City will be first thing in the morning. A high pressure front is moving over Florida's West coast and will dominate that part of the Gulf for the next 48 hours. A high means that we will not have much of a chance for thunderstorms and rain, and if we get in on the lead of the front, we will have good winds until it settles in. That's what we are doing, so we stay up pretty late studying weather and nav charts, and filling our water tanks. First thing in the morning we will top off with Diesel, and then head out through the John's Pass Bridge. We are advised that the pass has shoaled badly on the North side of the channel, and sure enough, we can see breakers on that side. We stay on the South side of the channel and hug the red markers for about two miles out the pass and into deep water. The most shallow that I recorded was 10 feet, and for the most part it was averaging 15 feet in the pass. Just stay way off the North side and you should be o.k.
4/7/2012 0830 hrs. We have fueled and now departed, through the bridge and headed towards Cape San Blas for Port St. Joe. This will be a course of 314 degrees and approximately 190 miles. Weather forecast looks good so we are off.
0930 hrs. Winds start off perfect and we are sailing 6-7 kts on a beautiful beam reach. Like any passage, winds and sea-state can and do change.
1800 hrs. Winds have come to NE/N and we are having to sail off our rum line closer to 300 degrees. That will put us much too far West of our target over a 190 mile track. We are close hauled with all sails up, winds 18-20 kts, rail under in building seas. Great sailing, but a stress on the boat and us, and also is taking us off our rumline. We will have to take some tacks which will extend our trip to 200 miles over ground.
4/8/12 2410 hrs. winds have died to <6kts and we are cranking the engine. We need to charge batteries anyway. BTW, the alternator seemed to fix itself. It is working now.
4/8/12 0630 Winds have freshened up again and are now around the NE to E at 13kts. Engine off and sailing 5-6 kts.
Calm waters for now in our first few hours
0930 hrs. Winds have come around from the South and we are running down wind in 4-6 ft. seas and building. It is very rolly and feels like a washing machine. We douse the main and are running under mizzen and jib. Hard to stabilize in now 6-8 ft seas down wind with following seas. We are running off the top of one wave and into the trough of the next. Lamps and pots are in the floor and we have burst some of the water jugs that are in the stowage. Settee is wet. Hope it's fresh water.
1230 hrs. Enough of this! We turn the engine and douse all but the mizzen. We are now able to time our speed so that we can surf the waves and make life a little more bearable. No sleep for anyone.
Oh, yeah, today is Easter Sunday and this morning I had Easter Service by reading Matthew 27 and 28. It is easy to pray when you are pitching in the waves 100 miles offshore.
1400 hrs. Winds have abated and the seas have begun to settle down. We are heading towards Cape San Blas which we have to give a 20 mile berth because of the shallows. It seems like we will never get there, and when we do, we have another 20 miles to the entrance of Port St. Joe, a beautiful and protected harbor.
1800 hrs. We enter Port St. Joe pass and anchor just East off the point of the state park peninsula. Absoutely beautiful anchorage, and after traveling nearly 3000 miles I can say that this is as pretty an anchorage as we have seen anywhere. Today is Easter, and we are anchored by the Palms. Kind of like Palm Sunday and Easter wrapped into one.
4/9/2012 0800. Up, but not moving fast. Coffee on the veranda. Quiet and beautiful facing the beach and palms. Quinn is reading in the V berth and I am writing in the log. Now that we are at rest, I've got to tell you about a really neat thing that happened yesterday at sea about 1900 hours. Just before dark we saw some birds flying around the boat that did not look like sea birds. They were like black starlings or finches with a red mark on their breast. But why were they out 60 miles out at sea, and nowhere to land. At dusk, one came on board the transom rail to rest. Then he came into the cockpit and sat on my sholder. We, me and the bird, just sat there watching each other. He later flew over to the cabin top and sat under the canopy on my blanket shielded from the wind for a long while. Then he said "goodby" and maybe "thanks" and flew away. I know that because he sent me a "tweet". He was an original twitter. I think every young person should have to spend time in the wilderness (at sea) so that they can see the non electronic world and God's age old plan that makes it spin. It would give a good foundation for what they are learning with technology. There is no 3-G out here, but you sure get a good reception with the #1 G.
1045 hrs. Anchor is up and we are headed to Panama City. It is only 23 miles and then we will go inside and hook up with the ICW. I do not want to try to enter the pass at Ft. Walton for two reasons: 1. the bridge is 49 feet and we are 49 feet. Too close for comfort in choppy water, and 2. the pass is shallow, shifting, and often buffeted by breakers. The last time I came in there two years ago, I promised it was the last. It is 100 miles to Pensacola, and we do not want to pull another overnighter. Old men need rest. This sailing thing is supposed to be restful. We've been on a marathon since we left...well, Marathon.
Anchored just off ICW in West Panama City.
4/10/12 0800 hrs. We are up and headed to Fort Walton. Thinking about a 49 foot bridge that we will have to get under. If we can't get under this bridge we will have to turn around and backtrack to the ship channel in Panama City, a 50 mile detour.
1500 hrs. We are at Ft. Walton Bridge, and after nudging up to it verrrrrry slowly, we determine that we cannot get under it. It is two hours until high tide, and then low tide is at 0300 tomorrow morning. I notice Quinn is talking to the Sea Doo rental guys and struck a deal with them. He sells me on the idea and we put it in action. We hire the seadoo guy to tie our halyard from the top of the mast to his Sea Doo, and he is to pull us sideways as we motor under the bridge. We practice several times and yank him off the sea doo twice. Finally we figure he has to go 45 degrees starbord off our bow and we are to motor 20 degrees to port. It works! We get under the bridge and yell with joy....also release of anxiety. Worked great, but a screw-up would have been really ugly. Don't want to do that again.
Navarre Bridge
We anchor that night behind an island in Santa Rosa Sound behind Hurlbert Field, USAF. Planes flew over all night, cannons thundered, and we slept like babies. That is until 0600 when they played reveille over the loud speakers. That got us up, and we were off again by 0730.
4/11/12 We are motoring and sailing as we can and to our surprise, when we get to Navarre Beach, we have another 49 foot bridge. This one we ease up on and as we go under the antenna on the masthead twangs each of the girders, but no harm done, and nothing breaks.
We are now home free and headed to Gulf Shores, Sailboat Bay. When we see the Pensacola NAS light house, we know we are close to home.
Pensacola Light House
We know we are close to home
4/11/12 1500 hrs. We are now very much on the way home. We just passed Pirates Cove and then at 1530 we pass the Wharf in Orange Beach. As much as we have been pressing to get home, I am now feeling an anxiety about ending the trip. This is a trip we started over 9 months ago with a new boat and a dream, and we didn't know exactly how it would play out. We ended up sailing 3000 miles and captured a tiny bit of each mile hidden in the treasure chests of our minds. We chose the long way home coming East across Lake Erie from Sandusky, Ohio, through 250 miles of the Erie Canal across upstate New York and down the Hudson River flowing south, over, around and through a storied history of our country's foundation. We sailed right down the very Hudson river that Commander Sulley landed flight 1549, saluted the Statue of Liberty and sailed under the Verrazano-Narrows bridge to Sandy Hook point, then into the North Atlantic to make our way South. We spent time with friends that live on the Chesapeake Bay, and my son Chase flew in from Denver and made a leg with us. We port-hopped into beautiful and historic cities like Cape May, Ocracoke, Beaufort and "Beaufort", Cape Fear, Charleston, Hilton Head, Savannah, and right on down into Florida spending time in St. Augustine, Ft. Lauderdale and Marathon. Instead of rounding the Florida straights we went South and West to Key West, then further West out to the Dry Tortugas. We made a 200 and 130 mile crossing of the Gulf of Mexico. And yes, we made it to here. But not without challenges. We have had to deal with running aground, engine failures, storms and heavy seas, a huricane in the Chesapeake, 40 knot winds in South Carolina, $5+ fuel prices and refrigeration replacement in St. Augustine. Off the water we had to deal with one way car rentals, airline scheduling, a bout with cancer, a pulled back muscle, us turning 64 and 70, tornado devastation of Quinn's marina and juggling of all the other demands that life offers. Was it worth it? Yes. Now that we have the boat in her home berth, I can't wait to plan the next excursion. First I want to come back to the beautiful spots close to home like Port St Joe, Panama City and Pensacola. Then there is always Mexico, Bahamas, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. I really thank the good Lord for a safe journey.
One Eightly in her new home
Susie's welcome home banner
When we arrived Sailboat Bay in Gulf Shores, Susie had arranged a welcome party with baloons, banners and close friends. The high school band and fire-boats streaming could not make it, but we were glad to have the welcome home.
March 4, 2013, 0700. OneEighty is back in the water after her haul-out and ready for our planned sail from Gulf Shores to Georgetown Exumas, a round trip of around 2000 miles. Our first leg of the trip would be a short sail of just 100 miles to Port St Joe Florida, and would serve as a good shakedown after the haulout. It is a good thing we did that because we found a problem that had to be fixed. At 2100 hrs I noticed that the tachometer wasn't working, and that the amp meter was registering zero. If we shut the engine down for an hour it would heal iself, then after running two hours, it would repeat. That was a sure sign that the alternator was going out. The night was rough with winds at 27kts and big seas so we all ready to get into a safe port and get some sleep after being up all night . We got into St. Joseph Bay at about 0830 and dropped the anchor. I then got on the phone and started calling for information about a new alternator. In about 1 hour I had found the perfect replacement part in Panama City Florida and then called the local Port St Joe cab company (Billie Dixon) and as it worked out, his son was already in PC delivering a customer so he was able to just run over to Panama Alternator company (Jeff) and bring it back. By the time we were able to get the anchor up and motor 5 miles to the city marina, the part was there waiting for me. That night I put the alternator on (everything fit perfectly, even the pulleys). Now maybe I could catch up on that sleep. After waiting a day for a cold front to pass we were off the next morning early, headed South past Cape San Blas and East down towards Tampa, about 250 miles of open Gulf. That run would take us about 50 hours, and soon we were approaching the Tampa Ship Channel. Fortunately it was daylight so we could see the ships that were lighting up our AIS and Radar screens. There were at lest 10 large ships in and around Tampa Bay entrance, and luckily most of them were anchored. Instead of heading in to Tampa Bay or Clearwater channel (which is safer; no ships) we reviewed the weather reports and decided to ride the Easterly winds right on down the Florida coastline about 20 miles offshore without stopping. That would put us far enough out to miss the crab-pots and fishing boats, yet still be able to enjoy the flat seas protected by the land mass with the wind out of the east. We sailed past Tampa Bay and continued on down the Florida coast leaving Naples, Sanibel and Fort Myers to our port. For the next 50 hours, non-stop we were able to sail all the way down to the Everglades, past Shark River and into the Keys, and at 0700 Sunday 3/10/13, right at daylight, we approached the Bullard Bank light in the Keys. We could now navigate through the shallows to 7 mile bridge in daylight hours. 
