From Tehani - out cruising

[CharlieJ]

And a quite unpleasant anchorage it turned out to be!!

NE winds gusting over 20 most of the night which was no problem other than being cold BUT

that wind generated some small annoying waves that wrapped around the north end almost a mile away and swept themdown the western side- hitting us dead on the beam. So we'd roll win each and every one with a period of about two seconds and a roll of about 10 degrees each way. Impossible to sleep.

Around midnight we rigged a small anchor, cranked the engine, motored ip to weather and set that. Then hauled th stern around so we were into the waves. Huge improvement. Still not really nice but bearable. Still blowing hard and chilly this morning. I suspect we'll b searching for a quieter spot today. May not get ashore on Egmont Key - We'll see.

[AdriftAtSea]

I'm betting you were wishing you were in your old trimaran last night....they handle rolly anchorages a lot better than monohulls.

[ThistleCap]

Charlie and Laura,
You may already know this, but for the benefit of those reading who may not, there's another way to go if you don't really need the second anchor for holding power, or wish to go through the hassle of running a second anchor out.  Take a warping line and attach it to the rode with a rolling hitch.  Lead the line outside of everything (stanchions, shrouds, etc.) and make it off to the stern or quarter cleat on the appropriate side.  Let the rode out until it pulls the stern around.  The exact angle can be set by adjusting the relative length of rode and warping line.  The boat can be set at any angle to meet waves or wakes from an adjacent channel.  In five minutes, you can have the whole thing done and leap back in the sack.

I love reading your reports.  For one thing, I'm jealous.  My wife can not longer sail with me due to health reasons, so it's wonderful to see the two of you being able to share the sailing and cruising experiences together.  Being able to share them make the experiences all the more precious.
Jim   

[CharlieJ]

Jim-I tried that a few weeks ago- hooked the chain snubbed to the chain and let it out so the connexion was way out. Intent was to stop her from hunting on the wind. She promptly ran over the whole works- chain, snubbed and all and hunted to the other side :P :'(

the anchor we set was our 4 pound Danforth-made things bearable anyway.

We'vs since shifted to a new anchorage in the lee of Mullet Key. MUCH calmer
here only five miles away.

[newt]

Did I screw you up? I anchored next to the pilot  lookout area, you can go right next to the beach (50 ft or so) with a dual anchor. I can't tell where you are with the GPS.  Watch out for the shoaling around Passage Key (directly south of you), its shallower than on the charts until you are out in the gulf.

[CharlieJ]

Lol-no, you didn't screw us up. We were on the gulf side, on what's left of the SW corner. Looks devasted with hundreds of dead palm trees and deep water much closer in than the chart shows. Also
some sort of ruined building down there.

What screwed us up was the 20 + knots of wind wrapping the wags around the north end. It's still blowing close to 15, or at least 12, but the St Pete weather says 9. But it's MUCH better here at Mullet. The shoals to the north break any wave activity nicely so it's calm. Wouldn't be fun in a NW wind though !!

We may sailback over on Friday- they are predicting
light SE by then-we'll see. We aren't used to frntal system winds that last fr a week. At
home we get one or two rough days , then a few
warmer ones. Took a long time to warm back up- in fact I'm wearing a sweat shirt now. Still in shorts
though so it isn't all THAT bad- grin.

Where are you located? We'll be in St Pete in a bit for a while. Laura wants to see the Dali museum.

[newt]

I'm back in Utah freezing my hind off. I have chartered many times from that marina in St. Pete next to the Dali museum. The wind will not be good going up the bay :(. I hate northerners.

[Shipscarver]

Hey CharlieJ
I sitting on-board riding our nightly wave machine (Tampa Bay), listening to WUSF 89.7 FM (Jazz all night/classical all day) watching the cat try to wrap around the laptop to keep from sliding off the table. I'm in St. Pete Municipal Marina, (Demens Landing/South Docks). Let me know if you want to have coffee, or a drink, etc.
There is Jazz at the Palladium Thurs at 7 PM if you like Jazz.   8)

[CharlieJ]

Ok- a question for you guys. I can't post pics pics from this IPhone. I've
sent some to Captk but he's really a busy guy, what with jailand such-grin

I can email them to someone to post.

Anyone want to volunteer? I've sent some to Grime and he has posts them but he also does
it on TSBB. Seems unfair to ask him to
make muliple posts on various boards. So I'm asking.

[Tim]

Send away Charlie, I can post them on both and CSBB!

[Tim]

In fact Charlie I can do one better, if you send me your pics I will put them on my Pbase site which will make them linkable whenever you want. Unless of course the gallery gets back up here, then I will post them on SailFar.

[bayracer]

Hello CJ, hope you guys are doing well. Check in sometime, and mail any shots you wish to me and I will post them.
Mike.

[Grime]

A few photos that Charlie sent me taken in the St. Pete area. The bridge is 175 feet tall and can be seen for miles. He was in his foul weather gear laying on his back on the deck to take it going under.

[CharlieJ]

Howdy folks
- Been a while since we sailed under that bridge.

We w ent to Bradenton beach for almost a week. Nice place. Good  anchorage along the municipal pier. Pier has restrooms and aa seperate shower(free), a dinghy dock close to everything and a free trolley system that'll take you to a grocery, hardware, West marine.
And a block and a half walk to the beach.

Spent nearly a week there.

Then a night at Sarasota and then on down to Venice. Good holding, free town dock for one night and a decent bus system to get you around.

Touristy kind of town but featuring a lot of local artists in the shops. We were there during the 22nd annual art festival and Laura was impressed with much that she saw..

Also a very short walk to the beach- known for sharks teeth. We found some and Laura got som nice shells too.
Stayed there a week, largely due to high winds, then moved on.

Spent this last weekend in company of the WCTSS - West Coast Trailer Sailor Squadron- at Cayo Costa State park, just south of Boca Grande Pass. Met some nice folks and had a good time.

Then went up a few miles to Boca Grande for groceries and ice. Anchored with the stern tied to mangroves. Today sailed back to Cayo Costa where we are anchored.. Tomorrow we'll prbably wander over to the beach.


So that's a recap. Having a pretty  nice time and the weather has been very nice-supposed o be 84 tomorrow-grin

[Tim]

Great to hear, maybe David will post the pics he put up on TSBB. I am going to post this link that Ron Hoddonitt put up of the pics from the Cayo Costa Island Cruise

http://ftp.ij.net/wctss/wctss/photos45.htm

[newt]

From Venice to Thousand Islands- you guys are in my favorite place to cruise! And 84- I am so jealous. Enjoy while your there!

[Grime]

The photos that Tim was talking about taken over on Boca Grande.

[Tim]

And pretty ones they are, Thanks David

[Grime]

Anchored off the very southern tip of Cayo Costa State park. Water 12 feet deep about 30 feet offshore on the bay side. Captiva Pass in the background.

We walked a path cut through downed and dead trees around the south tip and onto the beach. Shells by the thousands piled six or eight inches deep in spots.

Then moved to an anchorage off Part Island since the current was so strong. Didn't want to have set a second anchor.

[CharlieJ]

Posted by Laura on TSBB

No regrets

We will leave Tehani in Punta Gorda on Thursday afternoon and will spend one night in Dallas before going on to Port Lavaca. There is a 20% chance of snow with temperatures in the low thirties forecast for Dallas. The forecast for Port Lavaca predicts wind, rain and temperatures in the forties and fifties. I am not anxious to return.

This morning Charlie and I were in town mailing a package of things we did not want to tote with us on the airplane. At the park where we land the dinghy there are three older gentlemen, each in their respective vehicle reading the newspaper. Why sit in your car at the water's edge to read the paper? Surely they would be more comfortable at home. I think there is more on their minds than the daily news.

Tonight I stand on the bridgedeck watching the moonlight dance between the mangrove shores of the Peace River. There is the illusion that the wind blows moondust toward me across the surface of the water. Down below the tiny oil lamp spreads light and shadows with a warmth and softness that envelops me. I want to remember these things. Maybe I can hold onto them until we return in January. . .