Sorry about this long post. We've been
out of communication range for some time, there's a lot to catch up
on.
After some last minute shopping we
finally slipped the dock lines at about 9AM on Monday, May 2, 2016.
It's been quite a while since we were cruising. (We nearly lost the
mast about a year ago due to some failed rigging, so we docked the
boat and got the rig repaired and made some other improvements.)
We motored out to Moser Channel (7
Mile Bridge) and as soon as we cleared the bridge, we rolled out the
jib and shut down the motor. It was a glorious day! A steady east
wind, a little chop – maybe 2 foot seas – and an average speed of 5 knots the whole way (on just the jib) to Little Shark River. Just
a beautiful, relaxing sail. Those of you who stayed in Boot Key
Harbor missed one of the best sailing days imaginable. But then,
things went to h*&^.
Our first night at anchor in Little
Shark River was OK, just a little buggy. We made the mistake of
leaving the solar rope lights on in the cockpit and woke up to the
entire cockpit black with bugs. Yuck. And don't forget there is no
communication here at all. No cell phone, no wi-fi, not even weather
radio.
On Tuesday morning we decided to try
to reach the Indian Key Anchorage outside of Everglades City. The day
started out OK, we pulled the anchor about 8:30. The wind was not as
favorable as the day before and we weren't making much speed. About 9
miles out we finally picked up a weather forecast and it said things
were going to get nasty as a cold front was on its way. We decided to
head back to Little Shark to wait it out. As we turned around, the
wind and seas picked up, dead on the nose, of course.
Not wanting to be out if the front
caught us, we fired up the “iron genny” and started to motor
sail. Not long after, the engine alarm sounded as it had over-heated!
Quick! Shut it down. Now what? We started tacking back and forth,
trying to made some headway south. After about the second or third
tack, the wind started to shift, just a little. Some careful sail
trimming and cautious helmsman-ship and we stared to creep southward.
Bit by bit the wind shifted just enough, and we pinched up just tight
enough that we could just about make the entrance to the river on one
good tack – but – there was a shoal in our path. The chart said 4
to 6 feet and we draw 4'3” so we were a little concerned that we
might have to tack again. As luck would have it, it was high tide and
we never saw less than 7 feet on the meter.
When I could finally see the outer
mark, I took a bearing. It was at 153 degrees. Looking at the
compass, our heading was – wait for it – 153 degrees! The wind
had shifted just enough to carry us right to the mark. Rounding the
mark, we eased the main, rolled in the jib and glided into the river
pretty as you please. As soon as we felt we were in a safe spot, we
dropped the hook, dropped the sail and had a beer.
Wednesday was “repair the engine”
day. The weather was going downhill but hadn't quite hit its peak. We
tinkered all day with the cooling system and found that an impeller
had shattered in one of the pumps. 4 of 6 fins had broken off, but
only one was still in the pump. We replaced the impeller and the seal
(thank goodness we had spares) and tried the engine. No water flow.
Ugh, gotta find those missing fins. Just about dismantled the whole
cooling system looking for them. And where did they turn out to be?
In the first place I should have looked, about 1 foot down stream
from the pump. Next time I'll know.
By then the weather had turned ugly
and we discovered that our “safe” anchorage was really not so
comfortable. A swell was rolling in from the Gulf and flying right up
the river. Wind and current and waves bouncing us hither and yon for
hours. About two in the afternoon there was a break in the wind and
rain so we fired up the motor, pulled the anchor and went up river
about two miles. We could no longer see the river mouth so no more
swell. We set the anchor, had some dinner and watched a DVD.
Some time during the night, the
weather came back. Wind and rain and debris in the water, strange
noises all night long. Not much sleep, but no damage, no anchor drag,
no problems.
On Thursday we woke up to a beautiful
morning, sun shine and light winds from the west. Since we knew the
seas would not lay down for another day or so we decided to stay put
do some boatkeeping, and retest the engine. Found a couple of minor
leaks in the reassembled cooling system, made repairs and otherwise
relaxed the rest of the day.
Now we wait for another easterly.
As it turned out, we didn't get
favorable conditions until Sunday. Friday and Saturday we just
relaxed and did a little exploring in the Little Shark River. When
Sunday rolled around we pulled anchor and headed out. We tried to
sail, but the wind was just too light, we couldn't make any speed. We
really didn't want to make a 36 mile trip into an overnight, so we
motored up to Indian Key. The anchorage there was a little too
exposed, so we went in another mile or so to Russell Pass.
On Monday, things looked good for a
passage around Cape Romano. The Cape is well known for having shoals
that extend for miles out into the Gulf, so careful navigation is
required. We sailed out of our anchorage at about 7:45 and had a
pleasant, if slow, sail out to the Cape. Once we reached the Cape
shoals, the wind was directly at our back. Sailing directly downwind
is a delicate balancing act since any slight change in wind direction
can cause a “jibe.” A jibe is the sudden, violent and dangerous
movement of the main boon from one side of the boat to the other. If
the jibe is planned and carefully managed, it's OK. But a sudden and
unexpected jibe can damage the rigging and any heads that happen to
be in the way!
We managed to thread our way around
the shoals without any accidental jibes. It was still an
uncomfortable time as the seas had picked up and we rolled side to
side quite a bit. Once we cleared the shoals, we could turn north and
put the boat on a more comfortable broad reach. After a few hours,
the wind died away and we had to motor the last few miles into Capri
Pass. Just as I had hoped, we reached the pass at slack water so
didn't have to contend with the current which can get quite swift
there. We looked into Factory Bay, but the anchorage there looked
crowded, so we dropped the hook just across the river at Stingaree
Island. We plan to dinghy in to shore to stretch our legs and see the
town, maybe have lunch at one of the restaurants there.
Tuesday May 10, 2016
Went ashore (thank you Rose Marina) by
dinghy. The folks at Rose Marina are very accommodating for anchored
boats. $5 gets you dinghy dockage for the day. We brought Morgan
along with us in his special back-pack. (He's a hit wherever he
goes.) We found a great brew pub to have some locally brewed IPA and
a great lunch: grouper tacos and fried shrimp. We bought one of each
and mixed and matched. Too much food, and a reasonable price. The pub
is in the same complex as a Publix supermarket, so we stopped in and
stocked up on a few provisions.
For those planning on cruising the
Marco area, be sure to check out “Paradise Seafood” on Bald Eagle
Drive, a short walk from Rose Marina. Great selection of locally
caught seafood and a boutique wine selection. Be sure to ask for the
owner, Scott Young. Nice guy, very knowledgeable and helpful.
Just a block or two farther on the
opposite side of Bald Eagle Drive is Sweet Annie's, an ice cream shop
with a game room for the kids. (Milky Way ice cream? Yep, wow!)
Within walking distance of the Rose
Marina there's a thrift shop, a Bealls Outlet, a Publix, a NAPA
store, West Marine, etc. Just about everything a boater could need.
There's even a “pet resort and bakery.”
Wednesday May 11.
Went ashore again and had some ice
cream at Sweet Annie's, bought a few bits of clothing at Bealls and
came back to the boat to call Naples' City Dock to see if we could
get a ball for a few days. Seems they're having some sort of event on
Saturday so we'd have to leave. So we decided to stay in Marco
another few days. We'll head for Naples on Sunday. Special thanks to
Capt Blake of BOAT/US for providing us with local info on the passage
to Naples.
Thursday May 12
Came ashore again to look for some free wifi to make this post, have a little lunch and pick up a few things at Publix. Morgan decided not to join us this trip, so we are a little anxious about him on the boat all alone. Gotta run. Hope to post more in a few days.
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