the epic journey of the great WOOLY BAH BAH

[JWalker]

more fort mccree

[JWalker]

idealic

[CharlieJ]

Ah as the locals call it- Mosquito Cove. And Sand Island.

I've been in there many times. Great place.

[JWalker]

The weather is not cooperating.

We headed out wednesday morning to anchor at shipping cove on the southwest end of dog island.

had a nice sail and got into the anchorage around three...did a few light maintenance projects and then checked the weather.

it was supposed to be seas 1-2 foot thursday, less than 1 foot thursday night, and 2 feet friday.

the new weather report said one to two foot through the afternoon and then building to 2-3 foot after midnight.
We have been told that this section of the gulf is very rough because of the shallowness, and that 2 to 3 foot seas were miserable. But hey...how bad can it be?


So morgan and I talk it over and figure we can be most of the way to steinhatchi by then...and 2-3 foot seas just dont sound that bad so we decide to poke our nose out and see if we can make a run for it....with full intention that we can turn back if it sucked.

it sucked.

oh my goodness did it suck.  :-X

the 3 foot waves were there, and the frequency and steepness were awesome!

we were pounding into every wave...they just slammed into the hull, no riding up and over....just slam.

So we sailed up and around dog island and back into the lee by tysons harbor on the northeast side and put the hook down and checked the weather.

this time the weather said that the 2-3 would last through the night and that friday sat and most of sunday would be 1-2.

So we head to bed and decide we will wait for the seas to calm themselves and head out after a rest day.

Well after a nice rest day we check the weather...and friday is perfect....but sat isnt looking so good and sunday is out.

So we have a choice.....20 miles back to apalachicola.....or do the bend.
We reason that it will be easier to find 12-24 hour weather windows than a nice 36-48...so we may actually make it faster by taking the long way.

So off we headed to St Marks, which is where we are now....neat little funky place.
tonight and tomorrow are supposed to be wind gusts up to 35 mph so we sprung for a transient slip at shields marina.
Its looking like wednesday will give us another day window to go to steinhatchi....and maybe thursday will let us get to cedar key we will see.

each of those legs is about 50 miles, so all day but we should be able to get in before dark.

[Captain Smollett]

The weather is not cooperating.

;D ;D ;D

Grog for working "with" it. 

[CharlieJ]

 :D :D
Having just crossed in those same "2-3" foot seas, I understand. When your eyes are 5 feet off the water sitting in the cockpit and you can't see OVER the seas, they are NOT 2-3.. Those seas coming into Appalachicola or Dog Island are really weird. And we had the same stuff two years ago when we sailed south from there.

Oh- and those 5-10 knot winds? I averaged 5.5 for over 10 hours under just the working jib, broad off. I THINK they were a TAD stronger than 5-10.

[JWalker]

thanks for the grog!

yeah we were supposed to have 10 knots of wind....had just the 100 headsail up doing 6 knots.

it was a muscular 10 knots.


Oh did I mention it was DARK?!?!  ::)

more grog to you Charlie for doing that on your own. That had to suck.

[JWalker]

Sailing friends

[JWalker]

This guy flew in and rounded up into the mainsail....then slid down it and sort of soft crash landed onto the deck.

he rode with us for half an hour scanning the water until max became aware of his presence.

very thoughtful bird....left no birdie evidence.

[Tim]

Yep sometimes they are just looking for a free ride  ;)



Nice trip report, keep it up!

[JWalker]

Well we bent the bend.

got into tarpon springs last night, and moved down to clearwater beach today.

All in all it wasnt a bad way to make it around...I think it added 100 miles, but we got to split it up and there were no overnighters, and we had 1 foot seas each time we moved. (albeit we didnt always have wind)

st marks was a neat little place and we met some great cruising people there...we waited out the cold front.....OMG DOES THE FORCAST REALLY SAY 21?!?!?!? :o! Yes it does....lets head out! ::)

So at 21 degrees with frost all over the boat we motored out of st marks, and made it to steinhatchee..the frost finaly melted about 5 hours after we left....but, the seas were smooth....I think because it was frozen. I know I was. Not sure if that was the smartest thing to do....but we did it all the same. It was cold.....real cold.

Steinhatchee was interesting, we could have anchored but it was $0.50/foot and we got in in the dark and I didnt want to try to anchor in the blackness and was still cold. I never did warm up that day. Its a sportsmans fishing center, but the locals were polite and friendly, and the sea hag marina was funky...we liked it.

then we headed out of there to cedar key, and stoped the first night by the north key....that was cool...not real well protected but we had good weather, I dingied over to the island the next morning....then we moved into the main key of cedar key. We decided to wait a day and rest before heading to tarpon. Once in cedar key we anchored by the downtown marina, and right next to the no wake zone....we couldnt believe how inconsiderate the local boaters were. they buzzed right past us full bore as if aiming for us.....so we moved over to the island just off cedar key....behind a shoal....WAY out of the channel.....and STILL had a@#h013s buzz by the boat....less than 30 feet off!!!! if I had a potato canon I'da used it. So after being battered by wakes all day.....we left with no intention of ever stopping into the main key again....the outer anchorage was ok....but in and out....nothing more.

So we headed out to ancolate by tarpon.....light wind, dolphins danging in the bow wave....saw a bald eagle and 4 more idiots passed us on the way out and rocked us with their wake before we made if out of the channel. as we went I started seeing some odd looking things mixed with the crab pots.... finally saw one close before it disappeared....loggerhead turtles.
then more, and more...they were everywhere! Unfortunately they are really hard to get pictures of. The wind picked up and we motor sailed into the anchorage...got up the next morning....more friggin boat wakes.

So rather than rest today like we promised ourselves....up came the anchor....out came the sails and back out into the gulf we went....ahhhhh finally peace and quiet. We sailed down to the clearwater inlet and then back up a bit and tucked in where there is a no wake zone!

tomorrow we rest....after that who knows!  ::)

[JWalker]

Sunset at cedar key (after the boaters went home)


and three dolphins playing in the bow wave

[JWalker]

Bald eagle



sunset still in the gulf before tarpon springs....about 12 miles out of ancloate

[JWalker]

I have to say....we have a couple of cruising guides on board...but I REALLY like active captain.

it suits the way I like to find information....the guidebooks I read and they go in order and I have to kinda look at the charts to figgure out where they are talking about.

AC I can just look at the satellite image, and scan a whole large area....and then zoom in and read other peoples opinions
on anchorages and marinas ect. I've found a few free docks that werent in any of my guide books, and overall I really like the way it works.

[Oldrig]

Maybe it's just self-interest--and the fact that I do not own a "smart" phone--but I always keep a cruising guide onboard. Of course I work as an writer/editor for two different guides (won't mention 'em here to avoid conflict-of-interest).  ;D

--Joe

[Jim_ME]

Am enjoying your posts on the cruise. Great photos! Just clicked on your link and discovered your blog. Interesting to read about how the cold weather can adversely affect morale, and that this is a big factor in enjoying a cruise.

Learned a lot about the Big Bend area of Florida from your posts--and CJ's, too. Having those p*werboats passing close by and disturbing you with their wakes--would be hard to take. Seems like those ports would want to do things to welcome cruising sailboats, rather than drive them away. At any rate, it's good to know.

Looking forward to following your cruise.
Grog to you.
-Jim

[JWalker]

thanks jim.

ok we may be at a turning point.

how gentlemen, do you recover from a massive anchor drag?

as this last cold front rolled in the winds kicked up to 40 mph. we held ok for two hoursand then the boat started bucking around pretty wildly....she managed to yank the bow anchor out and over the stern anchor we went. morgan was watching and saw as soon as it happened that we were moving. out we rushed and withou going into detail we were able to not smash into the down wnd docks. we headed back up and set two bow anchors....they held. had we been even 30 to 45 seconds slower it could have ended far worse.

now im terrified of dragging and hve lost faith in well set anchors. ive hardley slept since then. we have hd 15 to 20 knots of wind since and everytim there is a gust im awake looking out the portlites to see if we are dragging.

how  do i mentaly overcome this?

at this point because of this insecurity we are no longer hvin fun. plus im exausted.

[boblamb]

Anchor drag is a real drag on trying to sleep.  I'm in a marina just north of you at Dunedin.  There are a few boats anchored out from the marina and have been there for several months.  They use the two anchor Bahamian Mooring system w/o problem.  I think that's what you're describing by having two anchors off the bow.

Enjoy the Cold!

Bob ;)

PS There are a few free daytime slips here... come on over and get some rest. 

[Captain Smollett]

Boy, those psychological hurdles can be the toughest ones to cross.

The first step I believe is to realize that while it may have been CLOSE, it was not a disaster.  You and Morgan are safe, the boat is unhurt.  Perhaps the biggest damage is merely to the ego, and we all have to survive those insults once in a while.

The plus side is that you saw a problem and reacted to it.  Even if your second attempt failed, which it did not, you DID something; action is generally good.

So, perhaps a good a approach is to step back now an analyze what happened to minimize the chance it happens again.  To that end, offer a few questions and thoughts.  I'm not specifically asking these questions for you to answer here for us...just things I have thought about when I've drug an anchor (though I've never had to answer #1 because I don't anchor that way).

(1) Stern anchor?  WHY?

There are some cases where it's called for, but those are relatively rare.  

(2) What kind of anchor in what kind of bottom?  I'm talking about the bow anchor here, which I assume is your primary.

(3) What kind of rode and how much?  All chain, all nylon or hybrid?  If hybrid, how much chain and nylon were actually out?  What was the scope?

(4) What was the wind direction with regard to the boat orientation?  (Here and 5 below is where I think anchoring bow and stern is a negative).  Did the wind shift before you drug (probably....building winds usually do shift).

(5) What was the current and/or dominant wave direction with regard to the boat orientation?  Did these change?

Some General Remarks:

On Bahamian Mooring...it is the term used for one specific kind of "anchoring two from the bow."  If you lay to anchors from the bow, it is generally done by laying both approximately 60-ish degrees from each other (that angle being the one made by the two rodes) and both into the dominant wind or more ideallly, wind + waves/current.

Bahamian Mooring opens that angle up so that the two rodes make a 180 degree angle, or lie in a straight line with the boat in the middle.  This is used when you expect a wind shift or current shift in lighter winds.  In general, you are only hanging on one hook at a time, but WAY reduced chance of unsetting as the boat swings.

Why are both of these advantageous over the bow-stern method?  Because they allow the boat to swing to her 'happiest' attitude in the wind/waves, but both limit swinging circle almost as effectively as anchoring bow-stern.

I've kept my boat on a Bahamian Moor for 18 months (several over 50 knot blows and fairly wicked tidal currents).  I've also anchored her out in hurricane Irene using this same method, though I was not as good at getting the secondary set properly so IT drug (but the primary did not!!).

Sailing without faith in the anchoring system (of which the skipper is a part!!) is like driving a car with no brakes.   :o

If it will help for a time to regain your confidence, set an anchor watch.  Rather than waiting for the inevitable but unexpected 'change' that wakes you up from worried sleep, alternate being awake and asleep so that you guys regain some sense of "control" over the situation.  It might seem counterintuitive, but being up for several two hour "shifts" during the night can result in better rest if the sleep you DO get is not tainted by fear and worry.

Good luck, and remember...this is part of "the journey," so 'technically,' it's part of the fun, too.   ;) ;D  Glad ya'll are safe.

[CharlieJ]

Scope, lots of scope.

And heavy anchors and chain. One thing about scope- many people forget to include the distance from bow roller to water surface in water depth figuring. Tehani has 4 feet, so in ten feet of water, I figure 14 feet when deciding on how much rode. For that, I'd use at least 45 feet MINIMUM, but in an open anchorage I'd use 60 to 75 feet.

75 feet of chain takes me to the nylon by the way. Seldom get that much out. Tehani normally rides to a 22 pound Claw on 1/4 inch G4 chain.

In heavy weather, I set two in a VEE off the bow- at about 40-45 degrees. The Bahama moor is for anchoring in areas where the tide changes and you don't have room to swing. I seldom use it, even in the Bahamas.  Off Alice  Town Bimini, and in Nassau Harbor are two places I recall, because swinging room was limited.

Off Venice Beach was another- same reason.


By the way, I  love Danforths, but I do not trust one to reset. I'd never go to bed with just a single Danforth on the bottom, unless I KNEW the current was going to stay constant. And then I'd probably not sleep well!