"The Crossing"

Saturday, December 22 - Monday, December 24, 2012

With IPads in hand we gathered on Sea Hunt IV to discuss what information we had been able to ascertain from our favorite weather sites. Andre spoke with some locals and we had all read Tom Conrad's weather musing. Both thought we had missed the window of opportunity. According to NOAA and Wavefinder we would be fine if we arrived before Monday afternoon and the next weather system. Arriving at Tarpon Springs before 10 a.m. can be hazardous due to the thousands of crab pots 30 miles off shore. The morning sun causes a glare on the water that hampers a boaters ability to spot the markers. 'No problem', I said. 'It's suppose to be cloudy Monday morning.'
With all our facts on the table it was agreed we would leave at 9 a.m. the next morning.

Everyone hustled back to their boat to get a good nights sleep before our 24 cruise.

'Twas the night before the crossing and all through the marina
Not a creature was stirring not even Done Dreamin
The fenders were hung by the bow rails with care
With hopes that fair seas would take us safely there.
 
The children were tucked soundly in bed but the adult could not
sleep with visions of 'what ifs' dancing in our heads.
The dawn it did rise and the time it grew near
God bless us on our journey so we can see the new year!

Okay... a little absurd but 'tis the season.

Mike awoke early and checked the weather sites again. Tom Conrad said only big or fast boats should attempt the crossing. The others sites still had the same safe wind and wave forecast. After some talk we recalled that Tom's musings take into account the conditions for boat the size of a 28 ft. sailboat so with our size of powerboat we decided to go.

Carried Away Leaving Carrabelle for 'The Crossing'

Leaving Port

Irish Attitude actually pushed off the dock at 10:19 a.m. Sunday, December 23 just minutes behind the other 2 boats. We sped up and caught them just as the rounded the west end of Dog Island.

Beaches on Dog Island

House on Dog Island

Our course had us rounding buoy 4 at Dog Island then proceeding east to buoy 26 rather than heading directly southeast. This turned out to be key. At buoy 26 we could see rain moving into the area 20 miles south of us. We remained dry... well as dry as a boat in water can be! It was 189 miles in total across the Gulf of Mexico! We did not travel at our customary 8 m.p.h. Sea Hunt IV, a 48 footer, cruises at 6.5 knots or approx. 7.5 mph. These two adjustments would add about an hour to our crossing. We dubbed our trip Rudolph Flight. Sea Hunt IV was 1, Carried Away - 2 and Irish Attitude was 3. We agreed to stay within 1 mile of each other and check in using the call sign Rudolph Flight every hour on the hour once darkness fell. There were not many photo opportunities. Just a vast expanse of sea and sky. We was grateful to Andre for taking the lead. With an AIS system on board he is able to spot other boats. As it turns out, we were alone. 

Seas Were Near Calm

Mike used our dinghy cover to block the stairway to the bridge. Depending on the wind or lack of, we find we have to monitor the carbon monoxide on the bridge. This trick eliminated the concern and also kept us warmer.  Clever guy! The moon was nearly full. It fluttered in and out of the clouds but still lit our way. All the dash instruments were set on 5% brightness so we would not be blinded by the light. Lisa began the check in and we all responded in turn. We ran our generator (3 times that night) and Mike and I had soup for dinner. I made more coffee and we snacked to keep our energy up. As the night wore on our hourly check-in began with a poem from Bill on Carried Away. (Joyce was surprised at this new side of her husband!) It was something to look forward to and I was surprised how fast the hour went. Mike and I took cat naps but never went below to sleep. Around 2 p.m. our calm waters became 2 footers. It didn't last long but it is the unknowns that keep you on edge for the crossing. At about this time we turned on the stereo and we we found a station that came in loud and clear. I was regenerated! We had no cell service for most of the trip. Too bad. The world would have to wait for an update!

Around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, December 24 Rudolph Flight was nearing Tarpon Springs about 30 miles off shore. Crab pots!!! Mike turned on our spotlight and within a few minutes we spotted the first two. Dancing around them became to hazardous and the moon that had been our companion now deserted us. It was black as ..... night! After some discussion, we agreed to wait it out until dawn before proceeding on, about a 30-45 minute delay. Crab pots and props due not mix well together! Once the others rigged a spotlight we moved on again.

Sunrise!

Soon there was a brilliant sunrise! Lisa commented on what a beautiful gift we'd received. I said it will be much better once the sun rises up to the cloud level so the glare does not hide the crab pots. What a Grinch! I apologized later for my reaction! Still, I was relieved when the sun found its way behind the clouds. It took us hours and I mean hours to work our way through these crab pots. Pot on starboard, 2 on the port. They marked field were only a fraction of the out there. 'What color are the markers'?, asked Andre. 'White', Mike said but wait. They're white with blue or black or red or oranges tops. Green and white, blue and yellow, solid orange, lavender and yellow ones. The colors schemes seemed endless.

Markers for Crab Pots are Not Much Larger Than A Softball

We came around the south side of the Anclote Keys and followed the channel and directions on Active Captain to locate Turtle Cove Marina in Tarpon Springs. With Carried Away in the lead, we snaked our way along the channel. To the south dark clouds were starting to close in. Hopefully we would make it in before it rained. Third in line is third to dock, we waited for the other to secure their lines. What a relief to be on dry land!! Odd thing about it was my equilibrium was off.  Lisa said that is why landlubbers thought sailors had a 'drunken swagger'. It was really just getting acclimated being on land. Next on our agenda..... sleep!