" When Pigs Fly"

Well, we did it.  We made the Gulf Crossing Sunday.  We left the Moorings in Carrabelle around 10:30am, set the Genius to guide us to Clearwater, and settled in. The water was pretty calm, the sun was shining in clear skies and we had a great ride.  My radio station (Oyster Radio in Apalachicola) actually hung with us a long way out and even as all signs of land melted into the horizon we were cruising along easily.  While Anna was driving at one point I enjoyed a little time on the bow with a golden adult beverage. I even offered Neptune a taste for a safe trip. Just as the sun set though, things started getting a little more interesting.   


    

The Captain, before leaving Carrabelle.  One more look at the charts. 

 

A pelican convention on the dock.

Last land.  Dog Island coming out of Carrabelle

Anna had been taking her turn driving around 5pm and commented that she was having a harder time keeping the boat on the magenta (sailing) line.  The wind had stiffened and the easy rolls we had been having turned to harder 2 to 3 foot waves that were coming at us from the port stern. 

Sunset on the Gulf

The cloudless night didn't last but it made a nice pic

The sunset was beautiful but the dark skies that followed left us with no visual perspective of our position.  The result was a little disorienting at first. It took each of us a little while before we learned to trust that the Garmin knew where the boat was in relation to the course it had set.  We thought about pilots learning to fly by instruments alone.  It’s a strange feeling when you don’t have any visual cues to back up what the computer screen is telling you.  In the dark we couldn’t even see the rudder indicator and finally rigged a flashlight with red cellophane over it so we could at least know the position of the rudder.

The wind and waves continued all night and it took a lot of concentration to stay on course.  At least we didn’t have to worry about drifting off to sleep.   A half moon fought through the gathering clouds till about 3am when we lost it completely. We had hoped for a starlit night but the clouds covered all but the most persistent.  Anna said she spent a lot of time reciting the prayer for God’s blessing because His Sea is so big and our boat is so small.

Sunrise.  A very welcome sight!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful sun rise!  About that same time we were close enough to land to pick up some protection from the wind.  The seas calmed down and we cruised in to Clearwater with a watchful eye for the crab pots.  The pots are marked by buoys, about the size of a soccer ball.  They look pretty small out there in all that water but are reasonably easy to spot just because they “change” the water.  Of course, this is also why you wait for daylight to come closer to shore. 

See those notorious little crab pots?

We cruised in to the Clearwater Beach Marina pretty much exhausted and more than a little pleased with ourselves.  Anna didn’t completely agree when I described the experience as exhilarating but I’m sure she was thinking something similar. 

The helm after a long day/night on the Gulf

So here we are in Clearwater.  We’ll rest up a couple of days, get that pesky seal on the fuel tank fixed and figure out our course to Marathon.  We’re looking forward to making our way further south enjoying warm temperatures, cold beer and smooth sailing.  We’ve done the crossing, the rest is cake…or keylime pie. 

See ya on the water.