"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. " --Mark Twain
We set sail on the afternoon high tide for St. Augustine, FL, a 53.7 nautical mile journey buoy to buoy from Ponce Inlet, FL, at 3:30 pm Thursday, August 13. Winds were from the east southeast at 12-15 knots ... with waves of 1-2 feet. Skies were clear with afternoon cumulus clouds over the coast as we headed northwest on a course of 340º true.
After raising the main and furling out the jib, we stowed dock lines, fenders, and shore power cords, all the while watching the thunderstorms created by the sea-breeze to our west. When the cold air from the sea meets the warmer air from the land, it creates a boundary like a shallow cold front. When powerful, this front creates cumulus clouds, and if the air is humid and unstable, cumulonimbus clouds, which can sometimes trigger thunderstorms. Anticipating we would be getting wind and rain from this system, we put a single reef in the main, reducing our sail by 25%. (For you land lubbers, that means we lowered the main sail to a pre-made ring that slips onto a hook on the boom; the aft end of the sail also has a grommet where a line specifically for reefing is passed through and secured to the boom, thus making the sail ¼ smaller.) We also furled in the jib to 25% of its area.
Shortly after 6 pm cool winds blew towards us from the west, along with lightning and thunder. We scrambled into our foul weather jackets, life vests and harnesses. The front was breathtaking to watch as the clouds swirled and rolled in shades of whites and grays, against a steel blue waterscape. The waves were choppy, but remained at 1 - 2 feet. As the winds picked up, Chris took over the helm from the autopilot and turned east to "run before the wind" and keep the boat off its ear. I let out the main to depower the sail as needed, as Chris kept the wind at our port quarter. With the rail occasionally in the water on the lee side, we were sailing at over 9 knots in winds gusting to 33 knots. (Don't be scared Dad!) As I was bracing myself in the cockpit (yes, fellow racers from home, I was on the high side!) I was thinking that this was the most excitement I have had since riding the Journey to Atlantis at Sea World! This is why I sail! I do still get butterflies in my tummy, but the adrenaline rush is such a high. We were making great time, too!
The winds began to settle and we were able to head back northwest, but it rained steadily for another two to three hours. The auto pilot didn't like the unsteady seas and winds during the storm, but as the winds and seas calmed, we were able to use our third crew member to steer while we took turns going below to get some food, and change into dry clothes. We could see the sun setting on the horizon as we steered back on course, and the skies cleared to reveal a starry night... with winds at 2 knots and waves less than 1 foot. Ugh! We were in for a long night. A friend of mine, Michael Burns, once said the difference between racing and cruising is that in cruising you don't have to put your beer down (to trim the sails). I want to add to that: in cruising, you can also turn on your engine! And that is what we did, but only for about an hour until the winds picked up for awhile, and to add a little juice to the batteries.
We had planned to stay awake all night and between watching the stars, the water, and the skies, we trimmed the sails and may have nodded off while the auto pilot kept us on course. We never saw anyone else out on the water. Shortly before dawn I went below for a one hour cat nap and to try out the lee cloth I made which is designed to keep a sleeping sailor in their bunk. (Thanks, Dad, for sending me the instructions from Good Old Boat magazine!) After I came up, Chris went below to try and sleep, but he was soon awakened by my delight at seeing jelly fish streaming by the boat in the flat seas, and a school of fish and dog fish sharks.
At 8:30 in the morning on Friday, we turned on the generator to power the coffee maker and toaster and cool the fridge and freezer. While enjoying breakfast in the cockpit as the sun warmed us, we discussed either turning on the engine for the 15 miles remaining to St. Augustine, or sailing in the current conditions of calm seas and 3-4 knots of breeze for the next 7-plus hours. Our goal was to spend the weekend in St. Augustine. Given that we had a choice of arriving by noon or arriving in the afternoon with the potential for afternoon thunderstorms, common in Florida, we turned on the engine.
As we neared the St. Augustine buoy we were greeted by five guys from Homeland Security who brought their boat quickly to our port side and asked us a few questions about our plans. We assumed they were satisfied with our answers to their questions, because they wished us a good time and left. This was a bit unnerving because we were trying to navigate in an unfamiliar area and they were a bit distracting, but for the good of the country, they were doing their jobs. We carefully navigated the channel looking for all ATONS buoys (Aids to Navigation System) and were safely anchored just outside the channel by noon.
The afternoon brought the rain we predicted but it didn't last long and soon we were able to open the hatches and let the breezes inside. We anchored easily using our walkie-talkies for communication, but did need to re-anchor twice until we were satisfied that we weren't dragging. A 6' section of wire rope came up with the anchor the first time, a good reason why it didn't set very well!
The rest of the weekend presented lovely weather and gentle breezes. We were startled every time the canons exploded during daily re-enactments at Fort Castillo de San Marcos only 200 yards away. We watched the Black Raven Pirate Ship and the Schooner Freedom entertain tourist passengers as they sailed by multiple times each day. We watched as the historic Bridge of Lions (under rehabilitation) was raised for these and other tall-masted sailing vessels. Chris grilled hamburgers and chicken breasts for our dinners, and played guitar until sunset, while I sipped wine and took in the tranquility of the setting sun. At sunset the golden hue of street lamps and lights of the buildings on shore reflected in Matanzas Bay as we listened to the sounds of the settling city and the occasional neighing of a horse waiting to give passengers a ride in his carriage. We were also pleased to have Wi-Fi access from the Monterey Inn. Link to Monterey Inn with great views of the bay
Sailing on a reach on Monday.
Early Monday morning we pulled anchor and left the beauty of St. Augustine for the coastal sail back to Ponce Inlet on a heading of 160°. The sunrise was pretty in pink and we sailed on a close reach in 3-foot ocean swells, with 1-2 foot waves, and east winds at 12-15 knots. The skies were sunny with cumulus clouds on the horizons, but the weather held steady and we sailed the whole way back averaging 5 ½ to 6 knots. We arrived at the Ponce Inlet buoy as the winds were backing to the southeast with lumpy seas, possibly from Hurricane Bill near the Leeward islands. A steady skipper and an alert mate were able to guide Troubadour safely to her slip. After securing all lines, we were thirsty for some beers and for someone else to cook, so we walked around the corner to the Inlet Harbor Restaurant Link to Inelt Harbor in our back yard! for a pitcher of Killian's, dinner, a little swing dancing and some chocolate ice cream! Tally Ho!
**Be sure to check out the pictures in the "St. Augustine" Photo Album. The Photo Gallery link is in the upper right of the page!
Key Largo, Florida (But we're from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
Crew:
Captain Chris May & Admiral Linda Moore
About:
Chris and Linda chose early retirement from corporate "office space" and cubicle life at GE Healthcare in Waukesha, Wis., to pursue their dream of going "down island" to the Caribbean.
Extra:
Our backgrounds:
***Linda is an insured PADI Divemaster and Master Scuba Diver. She is also a member of DAN the Divers Alert Network. She is trained as a Red Cross Emergency Responder; has completed the STCW BST (Basic Safety Training), and holds a USCG MMD (Ordinary Seaman). She has been sailing [...]
& crewing on Lake Michigan for six years.
Prior to life aboard, Linda worked in operations for GE Healthcare for ten years. She was also a volunteer in St. Francis Hospital's (Milwaukee, Wis.) Elder Life Program. Her family includes Mom & Dad, two brothers, two sisters and eight nieces and nephews, and their families.
***Chris is an insured PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and can train in 17 specialties. He also teaches the Emergency First Response, DAN Diver Emergency Management Provider (DEMP), and On-site Neurological Assessment courses. He has formal training on Oceanic and Aqualung equipment and as a PSI Visual Cylinder Inspector.
Chris is qualified through the American Sailing Association (ASA) to teach their Basic Keelboat, Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Charter, and Coastal Navigation courses. He holds a USCG 100 Ton Masters License with Aux Towing, Sailing, and STCW BST endorsements. He retired in 2008 as a Commander after 24 years in the US Navy.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. " --Mark Twain
"I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand; Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand.
Life is good today, life is good today" -- "Toes" by the Zach Brown Band