Needless to say, after our adventurous night in Little Shark, we were glad to be on our way early yesterday and on toward middle Keys. Winds continued to be light and on our nose, so sailing was not an option.  Crab pots dotted the Gulf making dodging them a continual necessity.  A new novelty was a silver steak that would pop up and skim 50-100d feet across the water, small flying fish.  Not sure if they were the chaser or the chasee, but amazed that they can actually propel themselves so far.  Our last stretch of open water before arriving in Marathon was the Florida Bay, with boats few and far between, we were glad to finally pass through the 7 Mile Bridge and arrive safely in Boot Key Harbor around 2:00.  Glad also, with storms and high winds predicted for last night, to pick up a mooring ball rather than dealing with an anchor. 

Thunderstorms did pass through late last night and early this morning.  With east winds predicted to be in excess of 20 knots over the next few days, and seas of 6 to 8 feet, we along with 200 other boats will continue to be safely tucked away in Boot Key Harbor City Marina.  Not sure when the winds will be favorable for traveling, but rest assured that it we will remain here until we are certain to have safe passage northward.

On Thursday we departed Marco Island and headed towards Little Shark River.  This would be our longest day so far, covering 55 miles in a little less than 8 hours with a lot of help of our Yan Mar Engine and a little from light winds in our sails.  It was a tiring day and felt good to finally pull into the remote anchorage in the Everglades National Park.  It was also delightful to see 7 boats already at anchor, so good to have company when often times the only neighbors you find there at night are the red eyes staring out from the shoreline.  By the time the sun set there were a total of 13 boats of various types, including several from Punta Gorda Boating clubs. 

After an uneventful day the evening would prove quite different.  It started with a gorgeous sunset and the captain of “Go Lassie” dressed in native kilt playing the bagpipes from atop his catamaran.   “Amazing Grace,” was truly amazing as it echoed across the water.  Cheers rose up as the last notes died out, darkness consumed; lights flickered on as we slipped away into the comfort of our cabins.  

Dennis and I began a game of rummy and were almost to the last hand when we heard a call come over the radio, “Sea Daddler is loose.”  If you are a boater, you know those are dreaded words, especially when it is pitch dark outside in an unfamiliar anchorage with a dozen boats swinging around you.  Everyone suddenly scrambled topside to find things had changed dramatically over the two hours since sunset.  Although a few boats, like ours were still facing north as they had been when we anchored, many were now facing east because of the changing tides.  After hearing that one boat was loose, we began checking our position to see if we too were sliding.  It soon became evident that we were.  Everyone knows the phrase, “Chinese fire drill” and that is exactly what it feels like, panic in the dark.  Eventually we would take up and reset the 44 pound Delta anchor two more times before finally getting it to hold.  Thank goodness for windless (an electric winch), and marriage savers (headsets used to communicate without yelling when setting the anchor.)   That night we also used a new app on our phone called “Drag Queen,” which uses GPS and sounds an alarm if your anchor is sliding.  Although the boat would swing a full 360 degrees during the night, the alarm never sounded, and our panic-driven practice conquered our challenge for the night.

Awoke to a beautiful sunrise and headed out on the sparkling but glassy waters of the ICW, destination Marco Island.  Traveled through the Miserable Mile (normally very shallow, always meandering waters), at high tide just before reaching Ft. Myers, passed under the Sanibel Causeway to arrive in the Gulf of Mexico around noon.  Winds were light, but strengthen to 7-15 knots to make our first sail in the blue waters a delight. 

But of course when cruising there’s always the unexpected.  Like today when Fritz, our 8-year-old Australian terrier, got a little sickL, but quickly recovered when First Mate Shirla administered some preventative measures.  And when opening the fully-loaded freezer realized things were beginning to thaw, Captain, also Engineer Dennis, came to the rescue, able to find the source of the problem and get it cooling again. 

At the end of the day, even with the unexpected, there’s never a bad day on the water when you're cruising.

56 nautical miles today

Day 1: On Our Way

Today, at 10:40 a.m. EST we threw off our bowlines, and sailed away from our safe harbor in Punta Gorda Isles.  Winds were light, skies sunny, and seas calm when we arrived a few minutes later in Charlotte Harbor.  While motor sailing across the harbor we noticed dolphins off both starboard and port, and the brackish brown water from the Myakka and Peace Rivers gave way to a lighter and much clearer aqua as we neared Boca Grande Pass to the Gulf of Mexico.  At the pass we turned south and traveled along the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway) for about 30 minutes to our destination, Useppa Island and sheltered anchorage, arriving about 3:45p.m.  To the west of the anchorage is Cabbage Key, famous for Jimmy Buffet’s song Cheeseburgers in Paradise. Adding to the island ambiance, a floating tiki hut soon appeared.  Definitely worth checking out!

Miles traveled today 23.8

"Cruising has two pleasures. One is to go out in wider waters from a sheltered place. The other is to go into a sheltered place from wider waters." Howard Bloomfield

Dennis spent many hours over the last few months at the kitchen table planning and scouring East Coast charts and guidebooks, while I spent my hours making lists, shopping, searching the house for items too important to forget, and trying to calculate just how much toliet paper we would need for 5 months. Other issues needing resolution were mail, pool and yard upkeep, how to get renewals on car and boat license coming due in June, scripts, plus how to vacate the house. 

There were even times we asked each other, "Do we really need to do this?"  If you have ever been to Punta Gorda, and experienced Charlotte Harbor sailing, it's a hard place to venture far from, or find winds comparable.  So while we will certainly will miss this sheltered, beautiful harbor, and even more our delightful boating family of Mariners, we look forward to getting "cruising adventure" checked off our lengthy retirement "To Do" list.   

Day 6: Boat Safety Always #1

One of the most important aspects of boating is to make sure your vessel is safely equipped, so on Wednesday, April 4, Aurora was thoroughly inspected by Coast Guard Auxiliary Examiner Frederick Counter using a Vessel Safety Checklist (VSC).

A few of the required safety  items:


Registration/Documentation of the boat and dinghy
Personal Flotation Devices (PFD)
Visual Distress Signals (VDS)
Fire Extinguishers
Sound Producing Devices/Bell
Navigation Lights

Additional optional items:

Marine Radio
Anchor and Lines
First Aid Kit
PIW (Person in the Water) (wearable PFD with line attached)
Inland Visual Distress Signals
Life Pod/Raft
Ditch Bag (floating bag in which to put items when having to abandon ship)
Personal Locator Device
Safe boating class
Nautical Charts/Navigational Aids

Thankfully, Aurora sailed through the inspection, meeting both required and recommended items, enabling her crew to face future, (but hopefully never any) emergencies with confidence.  (Pictures to the right) 

Countdown to Departure-Day 7: The Vessel

Aurora:

Hunter 40ft. 8in. sloop

13.9 beam

Draft 5ft. 4in.

110% Genoa sail

In mast Furler for main sail

Ray Marine A70 Ray Marine Chart plotter

Raytheon Radar, depth, knot and wind meters

50 horsepower diesel Yan Mar Engine

Cruising speed 7 knots

51 gal. fuel tank

3 water tanks capacity 147 gal.

44 lb. Danforth primary anchor

Loft RIB West Marine Dinghy w/8 hp motor w/davit

Galley w/propane stove and oven, refrigerator and freezer