Almost Met our Maker

Woke up early Sunday morning and left our safe anchorage at the Little Shark River headed towards Naples.  We were in no-mans land -- a place in the Everglades where there was no phone service and flies the size of small birds.

I checked the weather the day before and we knew it was going to be breezy and possibly uncomfortable but it was either deal with a few waves or kill a couple hundred flies.  Becky chose the waves so we left.

Within an hour we realized that this was not going to be a normal boating day.  In the distance we saw a huge thunderstorm developing.  My radar showed it to be forty miles long and at least eight miles deep.

The first thing I did was contact the Coast Guard and request an update.  We also relayed our position and let them know that we were under power and everyone was healthy.

That was better than at least three craft we heard on the radio.  One had a person in seizure and two others required the Coast Guard to rescue them.

We decided to get chicken and try to run the storm out.  That didn't work.  We ended up turning into the storm and for the next hour it was pure hell.

Eight to Ten foot waves pounded the boat along with 40mph winds.  There is a reason why we put flags on our bow.... to figure out how frigin fast the wind is and what direction it is going.  We had to turn off the radio and sonar in fear that a lightning strike would take them out.  We couldn't see more than maybe fifty feet forward and the waves kept blowing over the bow.

Lightning strikes were everywhere and you could hear the thunder rumbling through the water.  Actually, it was pretty cool.

I wasn't afraid of my life.  After all, I made it across Lake Michigan with waves almost double this size and missing an engine.  Nonetheless, I was white-knuckling it and dead sober to boot.

Everything on the boat fell over.  Becky actually put on a life jacket and I think she said a few prayers as well.

I did everything that Chapman's guide taught me.  We hit the waves at about a 40 degree angle and kept jigsawing through the storm (we couldn't simply ride it straight because we didn't have enough shoreline).

After about an hour Steve saw sunlight and we finally worked our way out of the storm.  The next couple hours were much easier to deal with but the Bitch Ocean simply wouldn't lay down.  About 4pm we finally got into the old ICW and found an anchorage.  I have drank quite a few alcoholic beverages since then.

One thing I know for sure.  This boat is solid...

Tomorrow we are off to Ft. Myers Beach and Becky should catch us some lobster for dinner.  Hopefully the bad weather is gone for the rest of the trip.

Days 11-14 -- Key WEST BABY!!

Woke up early as I didn't sleep much due to the frigin wind.  When is it going to stop blowing??  We pulled up the anchor at 7:30am and headed back to Hawk Channel for our final leg to Key West.

Did I tell you it was windy?  15-20mph gusts and about five foot waves beat the crap out of us for three straight hours.  Thank goodness the beer was cold and I did not sink that dinghy  LOL.

We finally arrived around noon and pulled in to the Galleon Marina and Resort.  WOW!!  Rooms start at $350/night and this place is worth every dime.  Fortunately the boat fees are $150/night with resort privs, so we are able to use the pool, spa, numerous tiki bars, laundry, etc..  It is literally a hundred yards to Duval street and its right downtown where the cruise ships drop people off.

It didn't take long to clean up and head out.  So many bars, so little time.  Sloppy Joe's was our first stop and the place was packed.  I got the Sloppy Joe they were famous for, and it was "OK".

Steve&Billie split back to the boat and Becky&I headed down to BigUns where a two man band was putting on a great show.  2 for 1 Miller Lite, so we stayed.

A few hours later I had to get my Cheeseburger in Paradise, so it was off to Margaritaville.

During the next few days we are going to get some work done, I need to adjust the generator voltage, and we will probably hit every bar in town at least once.  Monday morning Becky and I are going deep sea fishing and I hope to catch enough fish to feed us all the way back to Clearwater.

TTFN

Day 10 - On The Hook

Rather than heading straight to Key West and paying for an additional day at the marina, we decided to hole up in a "nice" anchorage area along Newfound channel.

What we didn't realize was that the bottom was complete sand and our anchor wasn't designed for it.  After about ten tries to set the anchor we moved to another part of the channel and found a few rocks.

I dropped the anchor and she stuck.  It was windy and the current was fairly strong, so I got very little sleep.  Every time the boat slightly moved I woke up and checked.  In retrospect, we should have simply made it to Key West and paid the extra $150/night...  That's correct -- $150/night at the marina in Key West.  It better be good!

Day 9 - Towards Key West

Only 33 miles to travel so we woke up late and left around 10am.

The water is crystal clear and weather is absolutely beautiful.

We arrived at Marathon Key and fueled up (total of 300 gallons to-date and 400 miles travel) and believe it or not, it was the least expensive fuel we have seen yet.

The bar had happy hours from 3pm until 6pm with 50% off Miller Lite on Tap.  I love this place.  Not much else to report as we are all pretty tired from the sun and heat.  Tomorrow we will be on the hook near Key West.

Total Miles to date -- 360
Total Fuel Burn -- 298

Day 7 - We HIT the Keys!!

Woke up very early and had to leave around 8am to miss the low tide.  Windy...  4 foot to 6 foot waves all the way to the keys along with a million crab traps and because of the poor sea conditions it was very difficult to see them.

Around NOON we hit the north end of the keys and headed out into the gulf and South to Ismarada where we will stay for several days.

Fortunately, I only had ONE drink the entire day  LOL!!

Extreme low tides made it difficult to make it, but we finally docked and spent the night bar hopping.

We spent the next day working on support tickets, then heading to the pool.  I found a very good Bushwacker and was asleep early.

But nooooo...  Karaoke started and of course I had to sing.  It wasn't New York... I decided to sing Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw.  Foreshadowing....

Day 6 - Shark River

Windy but we left anyway. Our destination is a cove inside the Little Shark River. Rumor has it that many a pirate ship used this cove for protection from weather. Maybe I will see Johnny Depp!!

Seas were a bit rough and we arrived to this bug ridden cove by 4pm just barely making it with the tide.

Generator quit within a minute of starting. Turns out she was flooded and ran fine the rest of the night.

Then the air kept shutting off so i turned off the salon unit and the cabins stayed on. The strainer seemed to be plugged but i wasnt going to risk cleaning it because the valve was stuck.

We saw flies the size of small birds and they bit hard.

Tide swings high here.  The bay almost shrunk in half during low tide.  Anyone making this trip needs to anchor in at least 8' water during high tide.

I blackened and grilled Grouper for dinner and we all hit the hay early.

Spring Trip Day 5 - Ft Myers Beach to Ten Thousand Lakes

Got up early and headed into the Gulf and it was a good thing we left early.  Winds picked up to about 20 MPH and waves were over 4' -- not fun.  We changed course and got as close to the shore as possible.  Only 1' waves which was a much better trip, but a bit longer.

We entered the OLD ICWW at Naples and worked our way to Panther Key where we are staying for the night.

Before the channel was cut to Lake Okeechobee, the ICWW went around the tip of Florida.  Now it is kept at a 5' channel instead of a 9' channel which can be tricky at low tides.

We fueled up at the last marina which exists between the Keys and Florida (another 70 gallons) and probably will not need fuel again until Key West.

Our current position is approximately 100 miles north of the keys and we will easily do it in two days.  Problem is that we are down to about 12 cases of beer  LOL.

Steve and I will be cooking hamburgers, turkey burgers, and hot dogs on the grill once the rain stops.  We will then hit the satellite tv for a show or two, then hit the sack.

We have 50 miles to travel tomorrow and it IS on a shipping channel so there should be no worry about us being stranded, but you never know.