Trailer Voyages

With the approach of Fall and the end of the local sailing season, I began thinking about a more extensive trailering experience during the month of November. My plan was to wash the Mississippi River mud from Solar Wind's hull with a generous application of salt water. Therefore, I would trailer to the Florida Keys region that I had heard so much about. This trip would involve about 2,600 miles of round trip road travel and more than a hundred miles of coastal sailing.

Planning

In my opinion, a trip of this magnitude to unknown waters needed a substantial amount of planning so the first stop was the Com-Pac Owner's Association email discussion list with a request for recommendations on a good cruising guide and suggestions for a marina's that I could use as my departure point (and also storage yard for my car and trailer while I sailed). This request was repeated on the Trailer Sailor Bulletin Board and the Cruising and Sailing World's BB.

As a result of information provided by the Internet resources, an early purchase was the highly recommended Cruising Guide to The Florida Keys by Frank Pappy. The next mandatory purchase was the BBA Chart Kit for Region 8 that covers the Western Coast of Florida and the Keys. While this chart book costs about $100, it would be an essential requirement for the planning and hopefully successful execution of this cruise. While Hurricane Gorges had just done some significant damage to the lower Keys, I still hoped that most of the facilities would be put together again during the intervening two months prior to my proposed trip.

Another important step of the preparation process was to confirm insurance coverage for the proposed cruising area. As much as we all take insurance coverage for granted, it is important to verify coverage and obtain endorsements where necessary. I obtained a written confirmation that my insurance covered me (limited as to 75 Nautical Miles distance offshore of the USA or Canada) prior to departure. A copy of the insurance binder was with me in case any marina I visited wanted proof of insurance.

The Cruise Outline

Much of the details for the trip would have to depend on the weather. However, the intention would be for a two part cruise. The first part would consist of my wife (Joan) and I driving down together and day sailing a little of eastern Florida Bay and maybe a few reefs in the Hawk Channel areas around Long Key for a period four or five days. Long Key was selected since proximity to the Channel Five bridge (and it's 65 foot vertical clearance) would allow sailing either the Bay or the Ocean side without extensive detours. The other reason for Long Key was that it was home to Sea Bird Marina (305-664-2871) which had been recommended to me as one of the few places in the area having a suitable ramp to launch a fixed keel sailboat. Joan would then fly home from Ft. Lauderdale and I would depart on the second part of my cruise - sailing for up to two weeks to the lower Keys and points west before returning to St. Louis and the approaching winter.

I did want to allow for a one day tourist type side trip with Joan to Key West via automobile and extra time in Ft. Lauderdale while dropping Joan off at the airport where I hoped to visit some marina's and stare in envy at the larger boats. This latter time was also intended as a scouting trip in preparation for a possible excursion to the Bahamas in the spring. I also wanted to visit a used boat supply store (www.sailorman.com) that I had seen advertised on the internet.

November 4, 1998

Departure day - I had wanted to get an early start but nothing was easy. Finally under way to southern climates at 09:30. Locally, the fall colors are two weeks past their prime and the morning air is crisp. My map directions show 1,315 miles to go on a fairly direct route from St. Louis to Long Key via Nashville, Atlanta, and the Florida Turnpike.

Towing the boat with the Pathfinder soon becomes a routine - stop for fuel every 200 miles and take the same opportunity to dump the internal holding tanks. Food as necessary - but emphasis on covering miles. The first true landmark becomes Kentucky Lake - this is also a good trial run since I would like to schedule a sailing trip here for the future. Crossing Kentucky into Tennessee, we do notice a slight improvement in the foliage colors. The first day is cut off relatively short due to the late start and my dislike for night driving with the boat in tow. A motel is selected based on proximity to the highway, a gas station, and a restaurant since once parked, I have no intention of driving again till the next morning.

The obligatory review of the weather channel this night brings bad news. Hurricane Mitch had been downgraded to a tropical depression and had turned northeast. Now it was being forecast to strengthen to a tropical storm and move rapidly across the Keys in the next two days. NOT GOOD!

November 5, 1998

This day, we really needed to make up some time - however, the morning weather forecast in Florida really did not look too appealing. Mitch had speeded up and was dumping heavy rains in southern Florida and the Keys with winds in the 40+ MPH range and some reported tornadoes. The projection was that the storm should clear the east coast of Florida by later in the afternoon or early evening.

As we drove south this day, there were distinct changes in the foliage with brilliant reds and oranges in the maple trees along the roadsides of southern Tennessee. Crossing the line into Georgia introduced more green into the picture from the pines and reds from the Georgia clay. Once we got below Macon, the number of travel trailers, RVs, and towed power boats on I-75 increased noticeably. However, there were no towed sailboats. In southern Georgia, we did see a few cotton fields along the highway, but the most common cash crop appeared to be "Outlet Malls" that were growing up at almost every exit.

The major problem with the Georgia stretch of Interstate 75 was that ALL of the southbound rest stops had been closed for renovation. I'm sure that this will be an improvement for the future but on this trip it made stop plans more awkward. A special curse was also allocated today to the idiot (you with the dual rear wheel pickup truck and the 5th wheel Jayco Trailer) for trying to race past me on the right while the lane was ending with a merge sign - pushing me to within an inch of the 18 wheeler on the left side.

Crossing into northern Florida, the highways were still lined with pines and ornamental grasses while the Georgia clay was replaced with sand. At highway exits, palm trees had also been planted to put the tourists in the correct frame of mind. Lake City Florida provided a convenient stopping place for the night and a chance to review plans for the remainder of the southbound road trip.

November 6, 1998

With tropical storm Mitch now out to sea, southern Florida and the Keys were starting another cleanup. From where we were located, the best progress we could make would put us in the Keys at about 17:00 local time. With my prior experience at launching a boat during darkness, this would not be a desirable circumstance so we took an easy drive down and planned an additional stop for a point just north of the Miami area.

The three lanes in each direction on Interstate 75 and the more frequent Florida rest stops (large and well arranged for cars with trailers) made for easy driving. The switch onto the Florida Turnpike (toll road) also made the trip easier. Unfortunately, the arrangement of the service areas on the turnpike was not well suited to fuel a car with a trailer so look ahead and be prepared to back the rig where necessary (only happened to me once on the return trip).

We finally stopped just north of Ft. Lauderdale in Pompano Beach. The motel ad for a Day's Inn had indicated that there was trailer parking and an on premise restaurant. The price was also right at $24.99 - however, the motel's marquee sign advertised waitress and cooks wanted and the most prominent feature of the restaurant was the pool table so we ate our meals across the street at McDonalds.

November 7, 1998

Being less than 150 miles from our destination, I wanted to get an early start and on the water as soon as possible. This plan went down the tubes as soon as I missed a turn and ended up on an exit from the turnpike. The map showed good roads on this route but it did involve 20 miles of stop and go travel along US 1 which was not a good idea (in hindsight of course).

However, by 11:00 and after 1320 miles on the road, we pulled up in front of Sea Bird Marina (mile 69.5 as measured from Key West). Sue and Joe welcomed us and warned us that they were still cleaning up from Mitch. This storm had deposited a mat of long pine needles and sea grass almost a foot thick at the ramp and covering 1/2 of the marina surface.

Joe suggested that I raise the mast and get prepared for launch while he cleaned up some of the grass at the low tide line of the ramp. This was not necessary since I would raise the mast and rig the boat on the water. Therefore, we launched almost immediately and tied the boat up at a slip in preparation for rigging. While rigging was not a major issue, we did take a significant amount of time to move things around on the boat for ease of access. By 16:00, we were ready but decided to postpone any on the water sailing till the following day. We did get a quick orientation from Sue as to the local sailing grounds and the shoals to be avoided in the area. Sue described the best route to avoid Old Dan Bank, the tricks associated with the Yacht Channel route to Flamingo City on the south coast of mainland Florida, and the shoals on the route to Channel Five and the Atlantic.

We used the evening hours to get aquatinted with the area around Long Key and a short trip to Marathon to pick up some supplies at the grocery store. Dinner was at Little Italy about a mile from the marina following Sue's suggestion as to their locally caught fresh seafood and reasonable prices.

The first night's sleep on the boat in the shelter of the marina proved restful. Especially after a toast to the trip with an ersatz painkiller. This is a concoction of Pineapple/Orange flavored Tang and rum. No coconut or nutmeg was available (we must after all make some sacrifices) but the flavor was not bad and the Tang would also serve as a morning beverage in addition to coffee.

By 02:00, the wind had picked up and I did need to get out and adjust the mainsheet to eliminate some noises.

November 8, 1998

This first portion of the trip was to get me more familiar with the Florida Bay conditions and let Joan get some day sailing experience since she had only sailed once with me in St. Louis. It would consist of day sailing and the more touristy opportunities afforded by the Keys.

With the dawn came a chance to fix a quick breakfast, initialize the GPS to the marina location (24 degrees 50.30 minutes North, 80 degrees 47.94 minutes west) then out to Florida Bay in 15 to 20 knots from the northeast with gusts and small craft advisories. This was just a test cruise with a short trip out to Old Dan Bank and then turning east to follow the InterCoastal Waterway to the intersection with Channel five. Two other sailboats were out from adjacent Fiesta Key and the KOA campground. They turned due north to visit some of the more distant keys and mangrove shoals. We sailed first west and then beat for some time easterly to get the feel of the Bay and it's forecast of a moderate chop.

By 16:00, we return safely to the marina and clean up for the 70 mile drive to Key West and a more or less special dinner to celebrate the occasion. On the way, we even see one of the Key Deer grazing along the road. The dinner was to be Joan's first experience with stone crabs but she has never met a crab that didn't taste good. Also, while everyone's version of Key Lime Pie is a different experience, I must admit that the version served at Duffy's Seafood and Lobster (US 1 and Simonton street) was truly outstanding. After a brief walk on Duval Street, we return to Sea Bird and another round of toasts with ersatz painkillers. I set myself the task of getting the ration of rum to flavor agent correct - somehow, I am convinced that this will take many trials.

At the marina we take some time to talk to Bill who is in the process of outfitting his wooden Cornish crabber for a 6 month sail around the Keys. He tells the story of another Com-Pac 19 currently stored in the water at Sea Bird where the couple that owned the boat had used it to live aboard for one year. There is also a Com-Pac 16 stored on land at Sea Bird but I did not hear anything about the owner of that vessel.

Joan and I are somewhat addicted to reading at night so I had provided small flashlights for us both. The flashlights use two AA batteries and in early tests, a fully charged NiCad AA battery would last about two hours. This did not work out well the first two nights since we got less than one hour of reading from the units. However, since I could recharge the batteries directly from the 12 volt house source, I always had a fresh set available to extend the reading as required. After several cycles of charge and discharge, the batteries were up to their rated capacity and we could read as long as desired. I really don't like to use the cabin light since it is a hog on electricity and we both have a tendency to fall asleep while reading which would be a real battery drain.

November 9, 1998

The weather forecast is for more of the same so the trip today is out for some swimming in the 80 degree water around Old Dan Bank shoals. All in all a pleasant and lazy day with no emphasis on a schedule or things that just have to get done.

We sailed north and east first to the ICW and photographed cormorants gathered on the signs that announced the limits of the everglades park. Then turned east to the shoals where I anchored. This was a disaster since the light weight guardian anchor just would not set even with it's 10 feet of chain. Eventually, I got it to hold (sort of) and we swam around the boat for 30 minutes using this opportunity to was the remaining Mississippi River mud from the hull - mission accomplished.. Lunch and time for another swim before turning back for home port. A number of power and sailboats passed us at this location as they made their way down the ICW in the direction of Key West

This was the best opportunity to try out the Wincher self-tailing adapters that I had purchased and installed just prior to the trip. They worked well as additional cleats and even though they appeared to be somewhat loose, I was able to use them rather than the normal horn cleats which made the cockpit less cluttered.

We returned early and had an opportunity to get to talk to Sue while she took Mokisatima for her walk (the name means prayer or peace and happy heart). Mokisatima is a 6 month old female arctic wolf that Sue has hand raised since a 9 day old pup as part of a captive breeding program. Mokisatima's own offspring will eventually be part of a program that leads to their reintroduction to the wild. Even at 6 months, Mokisatima is large and will get significantly bigger. However, with Sue as her guide, she is well behaved and even Shadow (the Marina Cat) is not afraid.

In addition to numerous cormorants, pelicans, and other sea birds, Sea Bird Marina is also on the daily route of Peg Leg - a large white fishing bird that is missing one foot. Peg Leg appears to have a route of locations where he is well fed - they say he even has been known to turn down a handout of fish. For a wading bird with one missing foot, he seems to do quite well and has even learned to support himself on wing tips while leaning against a bush so that he can scratch himself when necessary.

This evening, the wind had died down and there was little air moving in the cabin - time to get out the computer muffin fan. This fan from Radio Shack (part number 273-243B) draws 0.16 amps so I have no qualms about running it all night long. It is suspended by a wire so that it hangs inside a porthole and circulates 27 cubic feet of air per minute. The fan is connected to the battery by means of a cigarette lighter adapter. This also worked well throughout the trip whenever a little extra air movement was desired.

Shadow (the marina cat) was now more or less accustomed to our presence so she did hop on board to give the boat's interior a quick inspection. Then she left to resume her hunting duties on the premises.

November 10, 1998

The forecast this morning is for small craft advisories with winds gusting to 25 knots. An excellent opportunity to do the true tourist things in the Keys. We had picked up a chart with annotations as to beaches and harbors from Brian's Restaurant in Marathon. This covered the immediate area and gave us a starting place.

Sombrero Beach and the Beaches on Key West were on the itinerary however, most of the beaches were so eroded from the Hurricane as to be unusable. This also forced the closing of the park at Bahia Honda. Boot Key harbor was on the list where I wanted to stare in envy at some of the larger boats. This was an enlightening experience, especially seeing the sunken boats and talking to some owners.

The owner of an Irwin 10/4 was still trying to determine the costs of repair. His boat had been tied up alongside the wall during the hurricane with a total of 9 lines - all of which snapped and the boat was driven into the mangroves. Fortunately, the storm surge of about 4 to 6 feet kept the boat from damage on the shoals that it was driven across. Another owner of a Cape Dory 300 motorsailer had not had damage problems, he just wanted to sell as quickly as possible since the costs of keeping the boat were about to drive him to getting a real job.

After a brief stop in a marina at the western edge of Marathon where I stared at a few Westerlys, another Cape Dory 300, and a Flicka 20, we crossed the Seven Mile bridge to "window shop" the fancy marinas in Key West. Here, quite by accident, I saw a Nauticat 44 named Phoenix. This boat was owned by Timora and Ben who I had corresponded with on the Cruising World Bulletin Board. They had planned to be in the Marquesa Keys during the beginning of November but were now tied up in Harbor. No one was around so we continued our tour by visiting the town docks at Mallory Square for the sunset celebration.

For dinner, we returned to the dock area to eat at "Turtle Kraals" but took a detour back to the Phoenix when we saw that there were lights on. We did meet Timora this time and heard about the rough conditions out at anchor in the Marquesa Keys and their immediate return to harbor when they found that their high output alternator had died. They were in a hurry to make repairs and leave harbor prior to 06:00 since the harbor would be closed to all traffic for power boat races later the next day. An interesting experience to see people for the first time that you only know from their "electronic persona" on the internet.

During dinner, we caught the weather channel for the first time in several days and were somewhat concerned about the reports of a significant storm that was crossing the mid-west. On our return trip to the marina, we saw another Key Deer in our headlights. This area has a strictly enforced 35 MPH nighttime speed limit to help protect the endangered species from motorists.

Once at the marina, we toasted the day with another round of our ersatz painkillers and called home from the cellular phone to ensure that all was still OK. This activity did prompt another visit from Shadow (the Marina Cat) but she was still disappointed at the lack of good hunting opportunities on our boat so she moved on again.

November 11, 1998

The winds had died down somewhat to the 10 to 15 knot range so after a morning of talking to Bill about his cornish crabber and his float plan for the next few months, we took off for a trip to the Yacht Channel where we intended to lunch and swim again. There was no need to reef the main under these conditions and the Winchers again proved to be useful additional cleats for the jib sheets. The trip to the Yacht Channel was a test more or less of navigation for me with the chart, compass, GPS, and binoculars. The GPS was really never necessary since the channel markers were generally just at the limits of my 7X binoculars and I could navigate as expected from one marker to the next.

Due to the warm temperatures, Joan decided to drop off the boat and let herself get towed as I sailed - while this worked fine, she did comment that the speed through the water didn't seem like much sitting in the cockpit but gave a very different impression when hanging onto the boarding ladder while under way.

The Yacht Channel (about 5 nautical miles from Sea Bird Marina) is a tight shoal that requires a very sharp "S" shaped turn to transit the pass. There are 1/2 foot shoals on either side and the safe passage is about 10 feet wide between the two channel markers. This is the most direct route north from Long Key to reach Cape Sable and the mainland of southern Florida. We anchored near the channel and had a lazy lunch as well as enjoying some swimming in the 80 degree waters of Florida Bay. By now, the waters were starting to clear up from the storms and you could see bottom grasses in about 6 to 8 feet. I had mounted the 16 pound plow anchor and it set like a champ the first time.

We returned about 16:30 so that Joan could pack for an early morning trip to the airport in Ft. Lauderdale and her return to the civilized world. We celebrated her first week afloat with another somewhat special dinner in Key Largo at the Coconut's restaurant of the Del Mar Marina resort. Their version of coconut fried shrimp with a hot rum sauce was quite a treat.

This resort complex also had a large advertisement for the Africa Queen steam launch from the movie of that name but the boat's slip was empty with no indication of what had happened.

November 12, 1998

This day would not allow for any sailing since we needed to leave Long Key at 06:00 to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale in time for a flight. We followed local knowledge and allowed 4 hours for the trip since the possibility of a traffic tie up in the Miami area was high.

After dropping Joan off at the airport (Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International), I turned to the marina district in order to see some larger sailboats and how the other half lived. I did discuss local sailboat conditions with a broker who indicated that most marinas were charging $800 per month for slip fees. Therefore, many owners had contracted for slip space in front of condos where the prices were $200 per month.

I drove down US1A1 and stopped along the way wherever I saw a collection of sailboat masts before returning to Long Key.

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