We left Pensacola Yacht Club mid-day on Tuesday, the 19th. With help from Steve Vague and Ken Baker, we had spent the previous 3 days installing a new water heater, new electric bilge pump, and new battery. Maribeth and Pam Vague had been buying food and beverage, and the boat was sitting low in the water.
We had hoped to sail south, ideally towards Key West. But a cold front was coming, with rough seas and 30+ knot winds forecast, so we headed east on the Intracoastal Waterway. It turned out to be a scenic and interesting route, rich with wildlife.
The front arrived overnight on Thursday, the 21st. (This was the same system that brought snow to Nashville and much of the NorthEast.) We would have liked a tight little protected anchorage, but none could be found. Instead we anchored in the southern end of West Bay, itself an arm of St. Andrews Bay. A half mile of open water to the east, south, and west, there was no protection from the wind, but a little from the waves. And, if things didn't go well, we had room to drag anchor. We arrived after sunset, in a building gale, and finally got an anchor set, with 150 ft of chain out in 9 ft of water. We spent the night listening to the wind howl and the anchor rode creak. But we didn't move, and the next day's downwind sail past Panama City was exhilarating.
And cold. It was always cold.
We arrived at Port St. Joe at sunset on Saturday, the 23rd. The storm had blown itself out by then, so we decided to head offshore for Tampa the next morning. The forecast wasn't perfect: the wind would be in a favorable direction but light for a day, then die off completely, then build again, this time on our nose. Nevertheless, we were tired of the cold and wanted badly to get south.
Our crossing took 3 and a half days. Instead of Tampa, we dropped anchor just inside Boca Grande Pass off Lacosta Island in Charlotte Harbor well after dark on Wednesday, the 27th. We had struggled to sail east, but the wind wanted us south, and we were easily convinced to bypass Tampa. We had some dead calm, a raucous banging crashing night, and relentless drenching rain. It was great fun!
We did four-hour watches. Pam and I shared the 6:00 to 10:00, and 2 to 6 watches. Steve and Maribeth took the 10 to 2, and 6 to 10 watches. A competition developed. But it wasn't much competition: Pam and I consistently made better time on a more favorable course than did the lesser watch team.
We've spent the last few days traveling south down Pine Island Sound, east on the ICW, and south again to Ft. Myers Beach. There we had to say goodbye to Steve and Pam. They are excellent sailors and great company, and we miss them already.
Maribeth and I are sailing south today, looking forward to my cousin Cindy's visit in a couple days. We had hoped to meet her in Ft. Lauderdale, but Marathon now looks more practical.
We're still wearing long pants and sweaters, even this far south. But I know shorts and t-shirts are not far away!
We miss you all. Come join us!
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