FLORIDA - THE NOT SO PERFECT STORM......

Well, here we are in Florida, still alive............. We had a wonderful trip sailing from Sarasota to Venice - winds were a bit flukey but the day was pretty uneventful till we got to the dock in Venice and actually had to dock the Emerald Seas for the first time - we told everyone that anchoring is the only way to go plus you save tons of money as it costs between $75 - $120 a night to dock the boat when truthfully we were a bit worried about docking. Anyhow, in Venice we had no choice as there was no place to anchor our boat and now we would actually have to DOCK the thing.

Well, we got the boat ready, bumpers, lines, Plan A, Plan B, Plan C etc. and we were READY. It took three attempts - my god, we sure do have a big, strong and destructive bowsprit up at the bow. Lucky for us, its the off season, or we might of killed some people. A kind gentleman was very patient and helped us. Sean and his father, Woody, had just arrived in their sailboat. After tying up, we quickly made friends and were able to share a taxi around town and enjoy a great dinner later than eve.

Next morning we got up bright and early because we planned to sail from Venice all the way to Charlotte Harbour- a distance of about 30 miles (or 40 miles the way we sail.....). We enjoyed a leisurely shower, wasted tons and tons of water and then set off. Wind and wave conditions were perfect and we quickly had a nice steady 5 - 7 knots of speed with 10 - 15 knots of wind and very light seas. Wow, sailing is so easy. Sure its going to take us 6 or so hours to get there, but life is pretty nice here on the Gulf of Mexico - there are turtles, rays, lots of bird and way far away in the distance are some nice fluffy clouds- we take turns napping and steering (thats a bit of a lie as the boat steers itself with the autohelm but it sounds like we are doing something).

After a few blissful hours of this we began to experience some unexpected wind changes - this is good, we practiced reefing the genoa and the main- however, the winds would steady and all would be perfect again. But those white, fluffy clouds in the distance seemed to be getting a bit blacker and it kind of looked like they were over the place we were heading for. Jim decided that it would be a good time for his nap. I took over..........in the distance the clouds continued to darken and it even looked a bit funnel shaped in places - hopefully not a tornado on my watch. Jim finally awakens and we decide its time to fire up the engines and head to the start of Boca Grande Pass which is about 3 miles out from Charlotte Sound. There are shallow shoals on all sides of this pass. We motor out to the pass and then begin the trip in to the Sound.

Well, no sooner had we started this very narrow and challenging passage than the wind picked up to about 25 knots and the clouds decended upon us and the thunder and lightening began! And then the rains started to fall, lightly at first and then as hard as hailstones and all the while, the wind is picking up something fierce and before we know it (within 10 minutes) its howling like a banshee - 50 miles an hour and gusting and holey cow I am not a happy person. Jim, the worlds best captain in the Gulf of Mexico, quickly makes the decision to heave to between a red and green marker - we stuck it out there for about an hour as the winds howled and the rains crashed down. The sea conditions were awful. 6 - 8 foot steep, sloppy seas and the Emerald Seas' bowsprit was awash many times. Seas were CRASHING over the boat and we did not have a windscreen (dodger) for shelter. Jim maintained his heave to position for at least an hour. I passed up the life jackets, made sure the bilge was dry and we waited it out.

The Emerald Seas was awesome. She handled the conditions perfectly and in no time our focus was on how great the boat was as opposed to "will we survive". Winds eventually died down and we motored into Charlotte Sound, anchored, had an early dinner and crashed. All in all, it was a great experience and its kind of nice to have gotten the first storm out of the way.

Today we are enjoying Gasparilla Island. Early this morning we enjoyed some snorkelling and beachcombing and now we are docked at a marina (only one attempt needed this time). Jim rented a golf cart so we could explore the island and wouldn't you know it, we got caught in another rain storm and got soaked. Had a great time - at least we did not have to worry about drowning!

All is well. We are having a great time, meeting wonderful people, enjoying each other and getting to know our new partner, the Emerald Seas.