s/v 'Puff' the Snapdragon, a great loop Great adventure!

[Jim_ME]

Bruce, Good to see Puff heading down the ramp and then in the water. Nice photo of your bipod mast-raising setup. Thanks for sharing the poem, too.

Congratulations, and I too look forward to reading about your cruise.

-Jim

[Snapdragon]

Friday, November 19, 2010
On Sunday, November 14th, after over six months of part-time tinkering and refitting, Puff was launched at Marquis Basin to begin our Great Loop cruise.



She waited at her mooring until Wednesday the 17th when Nancy and I set sail for Pensacola on the first leg or our journey.  We departed Marquis Basin at 9:00 am with a gentle north wind and made our way down the Blackwater River.  Because the winds were so light and our departure time so late, we chose to use the engine to speed our trip to Pensacola in order to reach our destination at Berkins Marina before dark.  Although the weather was quite cool the trip was pleasant, with a favorable wind which made a downwind run of it the whole trip, changing from North to Northeast to East as we progressed.  I have decided that I need a genniker pole or a spinnaker for such downwind runs due to the difficulty of keeping the jib full without having to gibe.  The little ship hardly rolled or pitched at all in the gentle waves even in the most exposed parts of the bay, and we completed the 24 mile trip in about eight hours, arriving at Berkins Marina at about 5:00 pm.  Secured the boat and enjoyed the rest of the evening aboard while we waited for Mendy to come and pick us up after work at 8:00 pm.

Sunday, November 21, 2010
Drove the truck over to Berkins Marina late in the afternoon and began preparing ?Puff? for the next leg of our journey.  This part would be solo as Nancy is not feeling well enough to accompany me.  I decided not to take the dingy motor along after tinkering with it around the marina docks.  It just doesn?t run reliably enough to depend on, so right now it?s not worth sacrificing the space required to stow it.  The dingy has a perfectly good pair of oars, and I can use the exercise.  After stowing my gear and setting up my bed I retired early and got a pretty good night?s sleep.

Monday, November 22, 2010
Woke up at daylight and prepared to get underway.  Cast off the lines at 06:50 and motored out through the Bayou Chico channel under a bright sky with an ESE wind of about 10 kts.  Set sail at the outer marker and held a course to clear the west end of Gulf Breeze peninsula.  Rounded the south point of Gulf Breeze at 08:05 and began motoring due east against the wind up the ICW towards the Bob Sikes Bridge.  Under the bridge at 09:15 and continued on to Range Point at 10:30.  It was a long slow slog dead against a 20 kt wind with lowering clouds and moderate to heavy chop until I reached Navarre Bridge at 13:40.  I made a right turn just after the last buoy before the bridge and stayed close to the causeway as I felt my way across the bar and into deeper water leading to the anchorage at the south end of the causeway.  This was my first time to use the new CQR anchor and electric windlass, and I?m really impressed with how well they work.  I rounded up into the wind, flipped the switch, and voila!  After letting the anchor set for a few minutes, I ran out a bit more chain just to be sure then clipped on the mooring bridle and slacked the chain to the windlass.  Anchored at Navarre Beach (Sound side) at 14:00. I?m anxious to see if it comes up as well as it went down!  I spent the rest of the evening tidying up, resting, and planning my next move.  Went to bed early and slept well.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The thought occurred to me as I woke up that to push on to Fort Walton today might not be the best thing to do.  This anchorage seems pretty well protected and it?s free, so why not go home for Thanksgiving and see the Grandchildren then resume my voyage in a few days.  After all, there?s no hurry and if Nancy is feeling better she will want to do the next leg with me.  I called Nancy to come pick me up, and by noon we were back at the farm waiting for the Grandchildren to arrive.

[Jim_ME]

Bruce, Good to read your first cruise entries, and to know that you are on your way. I'm going to search these places on GoogleMaps so that I can follow along. Hope that Nancy feels better soon.

I hauled out my Sd26 today, with the help of a couple friends. Long overdue, and glad that we haven't received snow yet. Here's a photo of the bow stop I made for the old p*werboat trailer, and a removable 10-foot extension tongue that fits into a receiver that I welded under the original hitch coupler.

-Jim

[Snapdragon]

Jim - - and everyone else; I have started posting navionics charts with my routes and tracks marked on them to my facebook profile.  Just look up the account of Bruce A Cupit Sr.  Monday's track was started about two hours after I left the dock due to my error- - I'm still learning which buttons to push and when.  I've tried to find a way to post it on this site, but so far no luck.  I'm using an ipad with the Navionics app.

[s/v Faith]

Jim - - and everyone else; I have started posting navionics charts with my routes and tracks marked on them to my facebook profile.  Just look up the account of Bruce A Cupit Sr.  Monday's track was started about two hours after I left the dock due to my error- - I'm still learning which buttons to push and when.  I've tried to find a way to post it on this site, but so far no luck.  I'm using an ipad with the Navionics app.

Wow,

  Thanks for the update.  I sure hope you will continue to post them here.  Some of us are not like you 'kids' with your Mybook / Facespace things.  ;D

  Congrats on getting underway!  Look forward to reading more.

[CapnK]

Bruce - congrats on getting underway! I'm sure adventure lies ahead for you. :) We'll see what we can do about making those route images post-able here. It's got to be possible... I'll take a look at that app, see what i can find out, and get back to you via PM.

Happy Turkey Day! ;)

[Snapdragon]

Wednesday, December 1, 2010
I?m feeling guilty about leaving Puff anchored in this fairly open cove ( Navarre Beach ) for over a week.  I?ve driven down here twice to check on her -  on Nov. 27th I spent about two hours aboard just checking things out, then on Nov 29th there was a northwest wind blowing about 20 kts that I couldn?t row the dingy against to get aboard.  She looked to be riding the chop very well and was not dragging anchor, so I felt satisfied.  Today the wind has subsided and come around more from the north, so I was able to get aboard with little trouble even though there is still a bit of wave action to contend with.  There is a 23 ft sloop just to the west of me that has dragged anchor to within about fifty feet of me, but it looks like it will hold for now.  I was going to move a little further to the north, but when I tried to raise anchor I found it stuck fast on something.  I?ll be spending the night on the boat, so I?m putting out fenders and hoping for the best.  I?m going to have another minor surgery on Friday, and if it goes well I?ll be out of this anchorage Saturday morning.

Friday, December 3, 2010
I?m feeling very relieved that my little visit with the surgeon is over.  I packed my bag and was aboard Puff just as the sun was setting.  I spent a pleasant evening making ready for tomorrow?s trip to Ft Walton Beach, but made no attempt to break the anchor free.  It will have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Saturday, December 4, 2010
By 6:00 am I had devised a plan of attack on the stuck anchor.  First, I led the anchor chain aft to the port winch, cushioned the winch drum with a wet towel, wrapped the chain around it and cranked it tight with the winch handle.  Several hundred pounds of vertical lift over the next hour failed to budge the anchor at all.  Time for some redneck tactics.  I got out the ratchet come-along that I use to lift the outboard motor out of the motor well, chained it to the top of that awful looking gallous I put across the stern of the boat, hooked on the anchor chain and tightened up until the cable hit a note that sounded like the fifth string on a banjo.  I had to retune several times over the next fifteen minutes, but the anchor finally came free and I took down my rigging quick before anyone noticed.  During the strong winds and chop, that little CQR anchor must have dug itself pretty deep under the mud layer that makes up this part of the anchorage.  At 7:45 I was under way, motoring out to the channel through some very skinny water.  With a hazy early morning sky I couldn?t see the color changes in the water ahead that indicated where the shoals are, but I could see straight down and it was a strange feeling to be suspended above a bottom that looked to be only a foot away.  I saw the depth gauge go to less than three feet, but the keels never touched.
Entering the channel I turned East towards Ft. Walton and motored across a glass-smooth surface for the next three hours.  At last, at 10:45 the wind came up from astern and the noisemaker was replaced by sails.  Over the next two hours the wind gradually increased to about 20 kts (forecast 5 to 10) and I was running with just the main sail and holding over 4 kts (according to GPS) dead downwind against almost a 1 knot tide.  I think the grin might have torn one of the stitches loose from the incision on my cheek.
Upon reaching the Ft Walton Beach City Park anchorage I rounded up, dropped anchor and rode out the rest of the blow throughout the night, checking frequently to see if the anchor would drag.  It didn?t!

Sunday, December 05, 2010
I?ll have to keep Puff here for a few days while this cold snap has its way with us.  It?s supposed to get down below freezing for several nights and I don?t want to risk getting sick.  It?s probably wiser to wait for warmer weather in order to get further south to warmer weather?.?

[s/v Faith]

Thanks for the update!

  pretty clever use of a come-a-long.  ;D  Glad you got the anchor up, it is a bit cool to be diving an anchor this time of year.  :)

  Funny how much harder it can be to leave our 'girls' on the hook outside of their regular waters.  I know how sweet that feeling of relief is when you get back to her and see she is right were you left her.

  Sure hope the cold front passes quickly.  Looking at the forecast, you should be able to make some pretty good headway next week.

  Very nice stretch of the ICW between where you are and Apalachicola.  Enjoy!

[Jim_ME]

Bruce, Enjoyed your cruise blog for the week. I also had that same feeling of apprehension about my SD26 on anchor(s) for a week or more at a time between checking on it, with the heavier fall weather here. There was a interesting thread about this (anchoring for periods of time and the varying comfort levels individuals have) here.

Its good to have a incentive to look at the chart online and Google maps and to explore this area online including the many coastal state parks--and even checking out the menu at the Crab Shack restaurant there in Walton Beach. Creole Shrimp & Grits is something we don't have on the menu around here.

We're getting that cold front dipping down from Canada here, and it's forecast to be down into the teens tonight and into single digits on Thursday night. Ugh...winter has arrived. I'm afraid that it's going to be a longer wait here for the cold to pass.

I too wish for the best for you weather wise, and for the next leg of the cruise. (Looking forward to seeing some photos, if possible, too.)

-Jim  

[Snapdragon]

I couldn't stand it any longer.  Nancy and I drove down to Ft Walton Beach to see how Puff had fared during yesterdays wind and last nights cold.  Everything was fine aboard, so I retrieved a fuel tank for refilling, checked the thermometer in the cabin ( 62 deg. F ) and mentally berated myself for not just staying aboard and drifting along for a few more miles eastward.  Oh well, I guess it won't kill me to wait another day or two. 

[jakeindenver]

Hey Bruce,

Glad to hear things are going well.  I'm wondering how heavy your CQR is?
Sounds like quite a hook. 

Good luck on your journey.  I'll be waiting to hear how things continue.

jake in denver

[Snapdragon]

Wednesday, January 05, 2011
That ?day or two? wait has turned into a solid month of shoreside distractions.  I finally got back to the boat yesterday afternoon and prepared to get under way this morning.  The forecast was for cold, dreary weather with a good chance of afternoon showers, with west winds 10 to 15 kts becoming northerly after noon.  Feeling confident that I could handle that, I weighed anchor at about 08:45 and motored into the ICW channel headed East.  A few minutes later, as I passed under the Brooks Bridge, it began to sprinkle rain.  As I slipped into my rain gear I checked for traffic behind me and was startled to see what at first looked like a bright patch of sky to the west.  It took a few seconds to comprehend that the brightness was the result of the weak morning sunlight reflecting off of the curtain of water falling from one of the most well defined squall lines I?ve seen in years.  It took just over a minute for the blast of wind and water to catch up with me.  Fortunately the mainsail was still flaked on the boom and the ?Dutchman? stringers kept it from deploying, but the bimini caught enough of the wind to slew Puff around sideways.  I kept just enough power on the engine to let her drift sideways down the narrow channel and stay clear of the shoal areas until the wind slacked a bit and I was able to power around and head into the wind.  At this point I was considerably wetter than I wanted to be, and concluded that my best option was to seek shelter.  As I began to make headway against the slackening wind I came abreast of a short canal with a protected seawall at the south end of it.  I entered the canal and tied up at the seawall of a small city park on the lee side of a huge dry storage building of the adjacent marina.  I?ve only covered about a half mile of distance from where I was anchored this morning, but I think I?ll just rest here for the night.

Thursday, January 06, 2011
It was colder this morning than I find comfortable, but after coffee and another layer of dry clothes I got under way again at 08:00.  The forecast was a little more cheerful for today, and true to its promise there was a 15 kt wind from the northwest and even a bit of sunshine and dryer air to go with it.  This made for fine sailing down the channel towards Destin Pass, then northeast across the western end of Choctawhatchee Bay, and eastward to the entrance of Hogtown Bayou at Santa Rosa Beach.  I was a little concerned about the chart warning of ?numerous submerged iron pilings? in that area, but placed my bet that they were cut off deeper than my 2? 6? draft and proceeded to follow the deepest charted areas until I got to the anchorage near the low bridge at Cessna Park.  Dropped anchor at 13:30 in about 3 ? feet of water with a clay bottom.  The 25 lb CQR anchor dug right in and seems to be holding well even though the bottom is a bit harder than I like. 
Since today?s sailing went so well, compared to yesterday, I decided to bike back to Ft Walton Beach and get the truck this afternoon instead of tomorrow, since tomorrow?s forecast gives me strong headwinds to pedal against.  By 14:20 I was on my way with only a gentle cool breeze in my face.  Only 23.6 miles to go.  Three hours and fifteen minutes later, about fifteen minutes after dark, I was kinda glad to get to the truck.  Yes I was pretty tired and my legs were a little sore, not to mention that I was sure that I was bleeding where my body made contact with the bicycle seat, but my biggest need was FOOD.  My body was simply running out of fuel.  A quick stop by a local Waffle House and I was good to go.  After driving back to the landing, loading the bike into the dingy, and rowing out to the boat I went to bed and slept pretty well

Friday, January 07, 2011
I woke up well refreshed and with hardly any soreness from the bike ride.  After breakfast, hoisted the bicycle out of the dingy and back into place on the stern gallows.  The rest of the morning was spent cleaning up the boat, stowing gear, and getting ready to go back home for a while.  I may have to leave Puff here while I resolve some issues that keep me from getting too far from home. 

Tuesday, January 12, 2011
Today I made a trip to Santa Rosa Beach towing the trailer, with the intention of bringing Puff home for a while.  I knew that the water around the launch ramp was shallow, but due to very low winter tides its just a little too shallow to get Puff into the deeper water at the bottom of the ramp.  After several attempts, and waiting for an incoming tide that was being defeated by a steady north wind, I returned Puff to her anchorage and resigned myself to leaving her there for a while longer. 

[Snapdragon]

Sunday, January 30, 2011
Two and a half weeks with Puff anchored so far away is hard to endure.  Nancy and I drove the seventy two miles down to Santa Rosa Beach just to check on her for an hour or two.  It?s always a great relief to see her safely riding at anchor right where I left her.  Going aboard, I found everything exactly as I left it, and the bilges almost dry in spite of the severe wind and heavy rain over the last few days.  Although it is a physical challenge for her, Nancy was able to climb aboard with me and we spent a pleasant couple of hours fishing and tinkering about the boat.  We decided that it would be best to leave Puff where she is for now, and take the first opportunity to transition to live aboard / cruise mode.  After a pleasant ride around the anchorage area in the dinghy, we loaded up and headed home.

Friday, February 25, 2011
It looks like it?s time to hit the reset button on my Great Loop trip.  Warmer weather is approaching and summer will soon be here.  Sailing through south Florida in the heat of summer is something I would like to avoid.  Considering that, and some family health issues that will require my attention over the next month or two, I?ve decided to postpone my adventure until the Autumn season.  Nancy dropped me off at the anchorage in Santa Rosa Beach today, and after making the boat ready, I?ll sail Puff back to Fort Walton Beach where there is a suitable launch ramp to get her back on the trailer.

Saturday, February 26, 2011
Up at the first sign of light this morning after spending a rather cool night bundled in some nice thick blankets.  Proceeded out of Hogtown Bayou with a gentle East wind and had a nice sail down Choctawhatchee Bay to near the Destin Pass, then motored West up the ICW channel to Ft Walton Beach.  Nancy picked me up at about 15:00 and took me home to get the truck and trailer.  I?ll return and spend the night aboard Puff in order to get an early start on getting her back on the trailer.

Sunday, February 27, 2011
Woke up to a heavy fog.  After a light breakfast and coffee I began to fold down the bimini top, remove the main sail and boom, and prepare the standing rigging for lowering the mast.  Using the main sheet blocks and the bipod it was amazingly easy to lower the mast onto the stern gallows, install the tabernacle crutch, and slide the mast forward until it was safely centered over the boat. 
After lashing everything down for transport I motored around to the launch ramp and backed the trailer into the water.  By this time there was a stiff breeze blowing from the southeast, so help with the dock lines from a friendly bystander was much appreciated.  After winching the boat onto the trailer I discovered that I had backed the wheels of the trailer past the edge of the concrete ramp onto the sand bottom, and there was just enough of a ledge to keep me from pulling it out.  Fortunately, more newfound friends arrived to launch their stinkpot and were happy to give me a tow with their truck.  This sort of thing goes a long way toward elevating my estimation of the human condition. 
It was an uneventful 45 mile drive back to the farm.  Although I?m not happy about having to interrupt my Great Loop trip, It will at least give me the opportunity to make some improvements and upgrades to Puff, and let me practice what I?ve learned in more familiar waters in anticipation of my next departure opportunity.

[Jim_ME]

Bruce, Good to read your update. Sorry that your family is having some health issues. Best wishes as you deal with those.

Hope that you will be able to get some local sailing in for now, as you say.

One of my ambitions is that I can eventually trailer a boat down to Florida in winter, and enjoy the Keys, some of Western Florida, and perhaps up to your area. I have an old friend who works in the New Orleans area. In moments of hyper-ambition, I imagine getting over to the Bahamas as Charlie & Laura, Craig & Rose, and some other SailFars have.

At the moment, I'm thrilled that the temperature is above freezing enough to start to melt all that snow. Spring is coming, and I'm looking forward to working on the boat(s) soon and having a better season of local sailing than last year.

Baby steps for now...

-Jim

[Snapdragon]

Oh Poo!!!  Well, I guess if you're going to break an axle, 20 feet from the shop is about as good a place as any. 

[Jim_ME]

I'd say that is the best possible place.  :)

My equipment seems to like to wait until I'm headed onto the the George Washington Bridge and Cross-Bronx Expressway.  :(

Good luck with the repair and getting trailer-sailable again.

[Snapdragon]

Thanks Jim.
The old axle and spindles are just too far gone to repair, but I happened across a pretty good deal on a whole new setup.  Only a little more work and it'll be back on the ground.  The front axle should hold until I can get Puff back in the water, then I'll see about replacing the rest of the undercarriage.  It would break my heart to drop my baby in the middle of the road! 

[Snapdragon]

Nothing says "love" like fresh bottom paint!

[Snapdragon]

Added a "custom" aluminum arch --- and yes, that IS a PVC lawn chair bolted above the motor well.  The cabin top is too high to see over when seated in the cockpit, so....why not a "catbird" seat.  I guess I've been living on the farm too long.

[Snapdragon]

Launched "Puff" today in Marquis Basin.  She should be ready to start again on the Great Loop cruise .... as soon as I'm ready!