Frank's 1962 Ariel

[starcrest]

that place is like a scene from jurrassic park.if ya fall in the water ya come out the ass end of a gater.they never did rebiuld that marina in pahokee did they--wrongo time of year to be there----and that water in palm bay-----poorly marked channel----yuzza gunna hit bottom fer sureI remember Annie saying"whats that alarm?" then came that unnerving----lurch foward as the bottom hit

[Frank]

Have fun Adam.I'm 'just back' from a buzzards Bay cruise.....give me an e-mail off site.Phone # ??

[CapnK]

After Franks Bahamamamas trip, and now Adams "bringing her home" trip, Journey is going to be one of the most photographically well-documented boats on the internet. ;D

[s/v Faith]

Frank posted on the Pearson Ariel Site yesterday;

I spoke with Adam (#50's new owner) today by cell phone.  He has finally got her launched and they are currently on route to his home in the Florida Keys.

  He is motoring along the 'ditch'.I preferr sailing 'outside'...less stress...waves/wind are friendlier than bridges and powerboats.  He reports the engine doesn't miss a beat and is good on fuel (6hp yachtwin evenrude)

  I'm glad....I'm always nervous selling something and hope it all works out. Hope he sends us an update.Good to see #50 on the move again.I understand 'revival' will be re-named 'Journey'...I wish him many adventures and safe journeys.

I don't think you have much to worry about Frank, I think Adam is going to be very happy with your work.  I wish you had owned 'Faith' at some time in the past.  ;D

[Adam]

Well gang. I'm in Placida FL at Gasparilla Marina. I'm going to paste in some stuff I posted on my other board, although after the past week, I am now truly a believer in the small boat philosophy! Oh, and Frank? She has a Johnson Sailmaster outboard :) And the charging system works great. :D

I apologize for the "cross-post", but I definately wanted to share this with you guys.

The short version is, I have had ZERO problems. NONE. ZIP. ZILCH! I think my biggest delay was having to turn two donuts waiting for a napping bridge operator. I didn't even have to slow down for any other bridges! I am tickled pink and don't want to stop going when I get home!

Pictures are at http://www.svjourney.org/gallery2 under "The Journey Home".

I'd planned to put together the pictures with the trip report, but I'm sitting on the dock at Gasparilla Marina at 11pm, waiting for my laundry, swatting mosquitos, and having to use the touchpad (I forgot my mouse on the boat). Maybe when I get home? :D

----------------------------Start Cross Post Here  ----------------------------------------------------------------------

09/05/06

Left the dock at 1240. Winds from the east at about 10 kts. Easily made 4.5 knots without running the motor too hard. I was passed by one Viking motoryacht. Then, at the 49' railroad bridge just east of Port Mayaca, there was a ~45' ketch being loaded with blue poly barrels to induce a list and thus allow the boat to pass beneath the bridge.

Arrived at Port Mayaca Locks at 1440. I advised the lock-keeper that I was singlehanding on a new-to-me boat, and he promised "no problems". Well, I could see why he could make that promise, there was only an 8" level change between the canal and Lake Okeechobee. He advised that it would be pretty rough out there, but I decided to give it a try.

That didn't last long. With rain and 15-20 (higher gusts) right on the nose, my little 6hp was barely making ANY headway. I got about a mile out, and headed right back to the locks. 45 minutes out, 6 minutes back in.

At 1550, I dropped anchor, just east of the "52" red marker. I was offered the use of the "dolphins" (pilings lashed into a pyramidal shape), but I declined. I didn't want that black poop all over Journey (named "Revival" currently, but renaming in Key West when I get the letting made).

So far, everything is going great. The crappy little danforth anchor didn't want to set in the goo here in the canal, so I had to monkey around with in for about half an hour in the rain. That wasn't a lot of fun. Made quite a mess on the foredeck with the ooze that they call a bottom here in Deliverance-land. After that, I headed below, dried off, and finished watching "Troy" with Brad Pitt. One annoying thing about that movie. In some scenes, Achilles (Pitt) has a wound on his left bicep. In others, he's got a smallpox vaccination scar. Good to know that ancient Greece was up on its biotechnology.

Anyway, I'm going to hang out here tonight, then head across Lake Okeechobee in the early AM.

Note at 2000: I'm very glad I decided to head back into Port Mayaca. All evening I've been able to see the flag at the lock rippling straight out from strong winds out of the southwest. Now, at dusk, I would be in the middle of the lake, pounding into the wind, with the added bonus of thunder and lightning. At least I have a great view of the storm while protected from wind and wave. Also, with gasoline at $4/gallon at the marina, I'd really rather do a little better than .01 - 2 knots.

Boat Notes: The little 6hp Johnson Sailmaster seems to be very smooth and reliable. It took about 6 pulls to get her to start, which isn't bad at all for an engine that's been sitting in the yard for 6 months. It's possibly underproped, as a little wind and wave on the nose seems to easily stop all forward motion under power. Thank goodness for this awesome custom dodger (Natty of Ontario is on the label). With the low freeboard, this is a pretty "wet boat" in rougher conditions. Before I head to Key West, I'm going to have to move some weight forward, there's quite a bit of stern-squat under power. It's a little disconcerting to someone who's never had this little freeboard! Otherwise, everything is working perfectly. Having a bilge that's so dry that it's dusty is going to take some getting used to though. At the end of tomorrow's leg, Journey is going to get a good scrubbing to get the yard filth off of her. I was going to do it today, but between the chilly rain and frustration at the danforth, I called it a day after sloshing the bottom-goo off of the foredeck. A WHOPPING 10 nm net movement today!


09/06/06 Wednesday

Underway at 0740, there were no problems going back through the lock at Port Mayaca.

The trip across Lake Okeechobee was completely uneventful. It was like glass 90% of the time, the rest of the time, there were faint ripples. There was no breeze, and it was HOT! Every ten minutes or so I'd dump a bucket of lake water over my head. Very refreshing! I was passed by a single large Sea Ray at about St. Mile 45. Other than that, I just listened to MP3s or made phone calls. Oddly enough, once I was about 5 miles into the lake, my cellular phone beeped, indicating that I had a message. I figure that the cell tower must be in Clewiston.

I arrived at Clewiston at 1345, and made the right at the Red 20 to continue along the Okeechobee Waterway. From this point on, it drizzled off and on. I alternated between being hot enough to pour water on my head and shivering in the drizzle. When the rain would stop, I saw one little pontoon lake boat and a barge/tug combo. Of course the barge/tug came around one of the few bends in this stretch of waterway, just as I was approaching from the opposite direction. I got around him on the outside of the bend, but it turns out he was trying to pivot, which left a huge swirling mess behind him. I had to throttle up and just ride out of it. It wasn't too bad, but because I didn't know what to expect, it was bad enough! Following the western shore of the lake, there's a large levee to the left and nothing but brush and dead tree trunks to the right. Plenty of wildlife though! I couldn't count the alligators and herons. I saw several osprey, and I THINK I saw a bald eagle, but I couldn't make sure. As usual, I took a lot of pictures.

The lock at Moore Haven was also a breeze, but I had a little bit of last-second running around on deck to move my fenders from the port side to the starboard side. Under power, even idling, Journey wants to ease to port. Frank (the previous owner) left a Tiller-Tamer for me in the drawer, but I didn't have the hardware to install it. So I'm able to leave the tiller for 5-10 seconds to perform quick tasks.

I exited the lock at 1700, and decided to just go on for another hour. When that hour was up, I was by Lake Hicpochee (according to the chart). This alleged lake wasn't visible to me, as the sides of the waterway were all grown up and looked just like the rest of the banks. BUT, it was right at this point that my route was clogged by a LOT of floating vegetation. I throttled back some, and decided I'd just get past all of that poop before I anchored. Getting past the bulk of it took almost an hour (3 miles of this garbage!). So here I sit, anchored in 22' of water, right next to the northern bank of the Caloosahatchee River. I backed down on the anchor, and it seems to be holding, but when I killed the engine, I'm just floating somewhere above it with slack rode hanging down. No current and no breeze... the mosquito coils are lit. I'm going to eat, watch a movie, and go to sleep. Long day (but a good day). 41 nm covered today.


09/07/06

Underway at 0720. No problems at anchor the night before. The mosquitos would have been horrendous, but at sunset, I put mosquito netting over the companionway and lit a mosquito coil. Within a short time, I had several hundred dead mosquitos on every surface in the cabin, and NO live ones.

It was a day of locks and bridges, none of which were any problem. Well, the bridge tender at La Belle was sleeping on the job and I had to call the toll-free number shown on the bridge. She apologized in a sleepy voice and said that she was having radio problems. It was no big deal, I just did a few donuts in the waterway waiting for her to get the message. I didn't even have to slow down for any of the other bridges, I'd radio the bridge as soon as I could see it, and they all said just "come on up to the bridge, I'll have it open for you". That must be a boring job.

Today's features listed in order of appearance:

Ortona Lock
La Belle Bascule Bridge
Ft. Denaud Swing Bridge
Alva Bascule Bridge
JP Wilson Lock
Wilson Pigott Bascule Bridge

Ortona lock was an 8' drop, and I was a little nervous, but it was no big deal. My GPS, however, indicated that I had dropped 43'. I don't think the altimeter function is very accurate.

There really wasn't anything of signicance that happened today. In almost 12 hours of motoring, I probably saw 15 other boats, one of which was another barge/tug that passed me. Maybe 3 large sportfishermen, and the rest were just little bass boats or bowriders. Very quiet here on the waterway. I had to slow down in Ft. Myers, as the waterway has a 25 mph limit (Manatees). (for you non-sailors, that was a joke).

I decided to anchor at about 1900, just as I was between Ft. Myers and Cape Coral. So here I sit, half a from the south back of the Caloosahatchee River. I took my first cockpit shower at sunset, it was nice to get the Off, Sunscreen, and grime off! I'm in about 8' of water with about 60' of rode out. No wind and no current, but I did back down on the anchor to verify that it was set. Now the rode is just hanging slack from the bow. A little breeze would be nice! Nonetheless, it was a very productive day. I'll sleep well tonight. 48 nm today.

Fuel consumption to date: 13 gallons. Roughly 8 nautical miles/gallon. Not too shabby.


09/08/06

Underway at 0740. Pretty uneventful day. Beautiful sunrise over Ft. Myers though.

When I pulled anchor this morning, it was set (or seemed to be set). Somehow it had set with the chain fouled on the fluke. As I drifted around last night, it must have dragged the chain back over the anchor. I HATE the danforth type anchors! I think they call them flukes, because if the damned anchor works like it should, it IS a fluke. Nonetheless, I didn't drag... which is a good thing.

I did make a mistake coming out of the Caloosahatchee River. It was my fault for not having the next chart ready. I basically just followed the most likely looking set of markers, WRONG! So I lost a total of about 30 minutes total on that little detour.

It was a completely uneventful day. There was a decent amount of boat traffic (compared to what I'd seen the previous legs). A lot of big sportfish, and I passed two crusing sailboats going the opposite way. I could tell they were cruisers because they had jerry-cans, bicycles, etc.. secured all along their lifelines. The were probably wondering why in the world I was headed north in September.

I had a great outgoing tide pushing me out of the Cape Coral area, spent a big part of the morning at 5.8 knots. So I didn't bother running the engine very hard. Then, when I was talking to Les on the phone, she asked me my boat speed. I hadn't looked in a while (it's nice not being on a schedule!)... 3.1 knots... oops. I guess the tide changed? So I gave the ol' Evinrude a little more gas, and basically sat there and steered from every angle I could think of. Laying down, using the foot, switching feet, switching sides, standing on the seat, etc. Singlehanded motoring is BORING. I don't recommend it.

Anyway, I made it to my anchor spot in Gasparilla Sound at 1640. Tomorrow I have company. Also, for the following two days I have company. Different people each day. Decks are scrubbed, and my cockpit shower was wonderful. It was hotter than heck today, no breeze. 36 NM today, not including my little detour near Punta Rassa.

09/09/06

I picked up Marlys at Gasparilla Marina at 1000, bought some ice and sodas, and made arrangements to pick up my guests over the next few days. Great people! I will be staying there tomorrow night, dockside.

Anyway, today we only had about an hour of wind on Sarasota Bay, but it was GLORIOUS! I was tickled pink with the way Journey sailed! Very steady. I think I'm going to like the full keel and tiller combination. (Which is a good thing, since I'm stuck with it!). I was surprised at how large the genny is. It's got to overlap the mast by about 6 feet. All the way back to the companionway! So, with a lot of white canvas up, she looked GOOD! Having white sails is a new thing for me as well! As we didn't have a lot of wind, I didn't try her on different points of sail, just close-hauled running across the bay. It was very pleasant.

Marlys, however, got seasick when she went below to make us sandwiches (yes, I now have lunchmeat, bread, condiments, and snacks aboard, thanks to Marlys). She decided that she wanted to go back to the marina, rather than spend the night. This turned out to be a wise decision because...

I have been sitting here for about 90 minutes in a gale and whitecaps, with continuous thunder and lightning. I have about 10:1 scope out on the rode, and am monitoring my position with visual land fixes (when I can see land) and GPS. So far, I've not dragged one inch. Just tonight, I won't complain about the danforth anchor. But, the boat is rocking pretty severely, I have a cross-current to the wind, so it's a pretty bad motion. But, it's bearable. A good set on the anchor, lots of scope, and chafing gear on the rode. Plus, a freshwater rinsedown for the decks! I'm only worried about the lightning. It's pretty bad.

My cellular service is a joke in this area. I use MetroPCS, which used to be just south Florida, but they've recently expanded to include all of this area. There's still work to be done. I think my closest cell tower is wired to someones bathroom light, as I only get a signal for about 10 minutes at a time, about every 2 hours or so. It's pretty aggrevating. BUT, I've been able to contact all of my guests, so everything is arranged for their visits.

Net distance moved today: about 200 yards (I anchored in the same place as last night... breezy but protected, and no mosquitos!)

Anyway, time to shut this thing down and read my book. I have the GPS right beside me, with my waypoint at my anchor. This will let me know at a glance if I'm dragging. I hope this doesn't last too much longer.

Ok, it was over by around 2100... It got pretty bad, but I didn't drag at all.

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[AdriftAtSea]

Glad to hear your trip went relatively well. :D

It'd be nice if you had captions for the photos setup in the gallery software.  I particularly liked the cumulonimbus cloud on Day 4, photo 2.  Very nice.

Glad to see that you were able to get some sailing in.  Motoring long distances is deadly boring...and to be avoided if at all possible. :D

[Adam]

Well, I'm back in Indiantown Marina, headed to the east coast and home... two weeks aboard, and ONE problem. My Discount Auto inverter died. The folks here at Indiantown gave me a lift up to buy another so I can charge my laptop and cellular.

Nice folks!

The gallery will be captioned, verbosely, but I need to get home first. What little internet access I've had was brief and used while sitting outside in the mosquitos :)

More to come!

(well over 300 trouble-free miles! Starting tomorrow - Indiantown to Key West!)

[AdriftAtSea]

What, you don't like the mosquitos?? We've been spraying for them over by my marina, as they're carrying EEE and West Nile virus this year.  UGH. 

[CapnK]

Good trip report, Adam - couple of good laughs in there. :D These little Ariels sail like a dream, eh?

Glad to hear you got some proper lunchmeat and bread, to complement those Viennies... ;D

Hope the rest of your trip goes as well as it has been so far!

[Adam]

Hi gang. I'm home in Key West. Over 600 miles, no problems while underway.

Numerous problems once here though.

Dinghy (which was GREAT when tested up in Indiantown) disintegrated (the glue holding the bottom on) upon being used. Solution - New dinghy bought

Anchored for a week off Fleming Key, no problems. Wind started howling, dragging and bumping. Not the fault of the anchor, too much poop on the bottom in the several areas I tried to reset. Kept pulling up old rope and other misc. garbage. Solution - moved to the mooring field. ($$$ :( )

Brand New Dinghy - manufacturing defect, the U-Bolt for the painter came off. I went swimming at 7am (before sunrise) to get it. It's a good thing that I'm very attuned to hearing the lapping of the water on the dinghy, I heard it STOP lapping. Less than 100 yard swim in 20 knots winds to catch up to the dinghy. Solution - replacement from West Marine being delivered to the dinghy dock tomorrow. Sleeping at friends condo tonight (can't tie up to the boat!)

The Flu - 'nuff said. Solution - Time

Problem - Out of Money, too much had to be used for emergencies once I arrived home. Solution - 60 hour work week while sick with the flu.


That said, I still love my little Ariel more every day. It's a pleasure pulling up to her in the anchorage. I slow down and savor the view every time :)  Dolphins in my yard, peace and quiet (when I'm not dragging aground), fresh air, and freedom. It's going to take a few weeks to get caught up on my finances, but then the fitting out starts!

I'll be online more once I get ahead $-wise, until then, it's spotty opportunities to hop online.

The trip report is all ready to post, but I have to get my laptop ashore to a wifi hotspot to get the photos uploaded. Should be this week!

Adam

[Frank]

Glad ya made it home Adam !! Really glad you're liking #50.....she can sure still turn heads for an ole gal.She will always be that 'old girlfriend you're still in love with' to me.Keep us posted and more of your great pics please.

[AdriftAtSea]

Bueno... :D

[CapnK]

Great to hear you made it, Adam! I'd wondered how things were going for you...

Without 'bad', there'd be no 'good', eh? ;)

Get well soon, try some Echinacea herbs for that flu (works for me like a charm). Looking foward to your trip report!