Little Shark River – Marco Island – Distance: 80mi
Blog 8
The next morning was an early start. The anchor didn’t drag…although every two hours I got up to check that grinding noise (the chain rolling over rock)…the “clicking noise” kept me up too (those tiny little bastards cleaning the bottom of my boat (snapping shrimp)…and let’s not forget that blood curdling scream from some poor animal at 2AM. Who needs sleep anyway?
When you get up every two hours…its black outside (no moon) and the wind has changed the direction of your boat…your mind does weird things….like hmmmmm….how did I drag past all the boats without running into any of them? I don’t do drugs….really. I do like my wine however.
Anchors up at 7AM. As I left Little Shark River three other boats were just ahead of me; all going in the same direction. I noticed they were staying closer to shore than I had planned.
I got on the vhf radio, channel 16 (the hailing channel) and told them this was the sailboat behind them, can I ask where they’re headed. The apparent leader of the group sailing “My Time Too” answered they were going to Marco Island. I said excellent, would you care if I tagged along. Of course they did not.
The conditions were great…for several hours. It was early….and as we sailed along I noticed I couldn’t see the lead boat any longer. Soon the second boat wasn’t around and I could hardly see the back (third) boat. I’m losing my alleged mind….again. Did I drink too much wine last night?
FOG!!!! Shit, shit, shit. I DON’T LIKE THIS.
The security of having several other boats to follow had disappeared in pea soup fog. How quickly my heart rate increased (screw the wine…is it time for that Jack Daniels yet)? I increased the throttle a bit and soon caught sight of the last boat. Maybe I increased the throttle alot..I don't remember now. I do remember at one point thinking someone could water ski off the back of the boat.
I had seen a weak front was going to move through the area before I left, and I guess this was it. My thinking was correct when the lead boat reassured us of the same thing and suggested we’ll come out of the fog soon. Must be nice to have radar on board. Shortly afterwards the fog did lift…the sun reappeared and all was right with the world once again.
This was going to be the longest day; about 80 miles…ten hours. Because of that we motor/sailed the entire way. This is when you run your motor, but also put up one or two sails to increase your speed.
The trip was enjoyable, although we did have a period with some larger swells than before; in the 5 foot range…no big deal really. They only lasted about a third of the trip, if that.
My navigation would have taken me much longer to get to Marco Island. I was playing it particularly safe going around Cape Romano with its shoals that extend out for about six miles. You come to a point where you have to steer west, away from land to get around these shoals, and then head back in to Marco Island.
Page Two
On this day I learned to put my waypoints into my GPS before heading off shore.
Every day is a learning day. Every day I learn new things that will improve my seamanship.
As we approached the channel to Marco, the three boats discussed where they planned to anchor. It was away from the main anchorage of Factory Bay so I told my companions for the afternoon that I would be going into Factory Bay and thanked them for their companionship for the day.
On the chart, the channel into Marco Island looks a bit tricky. There was an island in the middle of the channel opening….I say was because it got washed away in a storm. As you meander thru the channel you have to pay close attention to the channel markers.
I found Factory Bay and turned in. I knew from material I had read that you stay close to the right hand side of the bay and continue over to the other side (southeast) for a good anchorage.
As I made my turn I looked over to the anchorage to begin picking out my spot to drop the hook. And what should my eyes see, but five Island Packets all anchored there. I had caught up with my friends from Boot Key.
My first attempt at anchoring didn’t go well. I pulled up the anchor and decided I didn’t like that spot anyway. I saw a better spot (meaning less crowded and less chance of running into another boat). So I motored over to the other spot and set the anchor on the first try. Ahhhhh. Tonight I would get a good sleep.
As I finished the final chores after arriving at a new anchorage (which include having a cocktail in the cockpit for the first hour after anchoring to insure your anchor is set) I noticed a dinghy coming my way. It was two of the people from the Island Packet fleet. They welcomed me and told me to join the rest of the group at the local landmark for food and drinks….”Snook Inn”.
It’s kind of a major pain in the a_ _ to pull the crane out from the cockpit locker and hoist the outboard motor off the boat stern onto the dinghy. Since we’d only be there for the night I decided to row the dinghy over to the restaurant. It was a fun and different thing to do….except I kept getting frustrated that my right arm kept over powering my left arm which meant I went in circles….o.k., maybe not in circles but I had to keep straightening the damn thing to get to the dock.
I met my friends at “Snook Inn”. We talked about sailing experiences and when we would leave for Ft Meyers Beach. The leader of this group who sails an Island Packet SP Cruiser suggested 4 or 5AM. Riiight. How about 7AM. Everyone agreed 7AM would be anchors up.
NEXT: The sail to Ft. Meyers Beach.