Yesterday was not the worst day I have ever had at sea, but for the rest of the crew it was an eye opener.

First let me tell you about the photo. Yesterday while fighting a gale we had lines that control our front sail loose as we were tacking. They were flailing about wildly and a line slapped this bicycle. It ripped off the seat and broke the pipe that the seat was attached to. Never let anybody tell you that moving up to a fifty foot sailboat is going to be just like sailing your 30 footer around only bigger. The forces on Paradox are lethal.

Yesterday we left Fort Myers beach with a weather forecast of 3 to 5 foot waves and no involvement of Ida in our forecast for 2 days. Winds would be favorable 20 to 25 with gusts to 35. As we all now know Ida passed us by as a full blown hurricane and is hitting Alabama right now. We had no idea what was going on yesterday until we got to shore and turned on the generator.

As I mentioned in my last blog there is no place from Fort Myers beach to Key West Paradox can get into to hide. Our plan was to round the Cape Romano shoals which are a constantly shifting dangerous maze of shallows and sand bars extending for about 8 miles past Cape Romano island then head into the everglades just north to a narrow shallow pass and spend the night in the Everglades then sail to Shark river in the morning and anchor in the river.

Our plan was going well except that we had noticed heavier seas and higher gusts than expected and the wind was coming from a different direction since the hurricane was passing right by us. Still the winds were mostly from the east and if we could make it to the everglades a decent nights sleep should greet us.

We eagerly turned toward shore as soon as we thought we should be safely around the Cape Romano shoals which are a daily shifting invisible 8 miles of sand bars. The wind would now be on our nose and we had no taste for beating our way up to the everglades in the now 6 to 8 foot waves. I took the sails down as my father cranked up the motor. Green water was breaking over the boat now as Paradox plowed into the waves. This was not going to be pretty.

The green water washed a dock line into the water. I rushed forward on my jack line to grab the line so that my father could use the engine to maintain control, but he did not put the motor in neutral fearing losing control. The line fouled the prop and shut down the motor.

Paradox was now out of control near the shoals and flailing wildly. Debbie was as brave as anybody on earth and even laughed when the saltwater washed through her hair. My father was wanting to call the coast guard.

I checked to see if the rudder was free and to my relief it was. I knew I had to get enough speed to get steerage if we were to survive this day and I started pulling out the sails. My plan was to still make the everglades and dive to unfoul the prop there. By the way we still had no idea we were near a hurricane.

After getting a piece of the mainsail out we were flailing even more wildly as the wind struck the sail at random angles causing the boat to alternately heal then spring back but eventually we started to get some forward motion so that the rudder could start to steer the boat. I gave my father a course toward the everglades and started letting out a little of the genoa to balance out the boat.

We still did not have full control and the bit of genoa spun the boat around until we were heading the same direction as the wind and waves. Suddenly it was quite comfortable again as we surfed down the waves. No water breaking over the boat anymore. I decided to listen to god who was telling me to go back the way I came with a following sea. Also heading out to sea and deep water is usually the safest thing

The next problem was how to get ashore. We were not within radio range of shore and with no motor Paradox would be impossible to get through a channel with the wind coming from the shore.

I was going to have to suffer the indignity of being towed into port. I have said twice now that there was no port south of Fort Myers Paradox could fit into. Well it turns out that is not completely true. With local knowledge you can get into the Marco river. You cannot get in there using charts. After sailing about an hour and a half of sailing north we were able to get a phone call into BoatUS for a tow. He would not come out for me but if I made it to the first buoy at the channel he would tow me in.

We arrived just about an hour after dark at the buoy. The winds were starting to subside already as the fast moving hurricane had passed us. We had the generator on to charge the batteries and mom turned on the TV. That is how we discovered that we had survived an emergency at sea in a hurricane.

Don't tell my family that I enjoyed it. They hated it.