This is what it looked like as were leaving Carrabelle Harbor at 6:30 am
This shot was about 7 am...sunrise was at 7:05 this morning
This is a shot looking back at Carrabelle in the distance...note the two boats following us
Here is a shot looking the other direction...I was looking forward to seeing the sun come up
You could have taken this picture anytime you wanted...for 6 hours this is what I did
We have now lost all the clouds and the water is getting calmer
One of our early shots of Clearwater
Getting closer...look how calm the water is
A shot of Clearwater Municipal Marina...our slip is just beside that little boat on the left of the picture
Log 70
Day 184
Friday, November 21, 2008
5:30 AM EST
Location: Clearwater, FL...Mile Marker 120 on the ICW
Weather: 64* with light winds...forecasted to be 68; sunny; and NE winds 10 to 20
We made it! We are safely tied in our slip in Clearwater, FL, and if I had not seen the market take another dive yesterday...it would have been a perfect day (I just had to put the market piece in there because it certainly does affect my attitude). I was hoping to sleep in this morning, because we are going to be here a few days, and I don’t have too many things on my to do list, but I woke up before 5 (I think it was the market thing again). It’s still very dark out, and as soon as it gets to be about 6 I think I will take a dock walk...but until then, a few words of update.
It was a great crossing. We ran with two other boats who have made the crossing many times, and they said it was their best one. Was all that worrying and planning was unnecessary? After sending the quick log yesterday, Deb and I got everything on the boat ready for the crossing. The 4 boats that were going said we would talk at 6 am on the radio...so at 5:59 (according to Debbie) I called each of them to see if they were ready. The response was...10 to 15 minutes. At 6:20 we untied our lines and headed out. You can see from the first picture it was still very dark, but we knew it would start to get light in a few minutes. We followed Cloud 9 out of the harbor, with Starbound and Lindonia right behind us. It takes about 30 minutes to get out of the harbor, and clear the east pass...just to the west of Dog Island. By the time we got there (which is out in the open Gulf) it was starting to get light, and we could see there were a few clouds in the sky...first we’d seen in a few days. The gulf itself was not bad, and a couple of calls to the other boats and we all agreed to plot a course directly to the mouth of Clearwater...165 miles away. The first part of the trip was a little bouncy...but not bad at all. We set the speed at about 24 MPH and it gave us a nice ride, with no spray coming on the windows. About 1/3 of the way in the trip the waves started to pick up a bit, and we were concerned the crossing window was closing sooner than forecasted...but that only lasted 30 minutes or so, and the further we went...the smoother it got. By the time we reached Clearwater, the waters were flat, and the ride was perfect. With 48 miles to go I got an alarm on the port engine that scared the daylights out of me. After finally figuring out how to shut off the buzzer, I found out the battery light on the port engine was flashing...telling me the port alternator was not charging. I was afraid we had lost the engine belt that drives everything, and that would mean the engine would over heat and we would have to shut it down, but I kept a close eye on all the temps, and also the volts in the battery...and all were normal, so I kept the engine running and kept up our speed. I’m still not sure what was wrong...it’s on my to do list.
At 1:30 pm we hit the mouth of the Clearwater channel...a fantastic feeling...and by 2:30 we were tied up and washing down the boat. Shortly after the wash down and clean up, Deb and I celebrated our safe crossing with a shot of Tequila, and a beer. We had earned it. Our friends on Good News also had a great crossing. They left at 3 PM the day before us and crossed all night...arriving at 10 am in Clearwater. We left 15 hours after them...and arrived 4 hours after them. The difference between a fast and a slow crossing. Both work...it’s just a matter of choice, or what your boat is capable of doing. We ended up with a slip very close to Good News, so we got together for a 5 PM captain’s meeting...that turned into dinner (Deb cooked spaghetti), and we finally said good night at 9 PM. A great day.
We really do not have any plans for the next two weeks. We think we will stay at Clearwater Marina until Monday, and then play it by ear from there. Our only goal is to be in Ft. Myers by December 10th...and that is only 120 ICW miles from here, so we have lots of time. Andy and Mary (Good News) were going to rent a car for the weekend, so we said we’d split the cost, and figure it out from there. It’s nice to have some time without any plans.
Well it’s past 6 now, and before long it will be light enough for me to take a dock walk, so I need to finish this log. I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
Day 184
Friday, November 21, 2008
5:30 AM EST
Location: Clearwater, FL...Mile Marker 120 on the ICW
Weather: 64* with light winds...forecasted to be 68; sunny; and NE winds 10 to 20
We made it! We are safely tied in our slip in Clearwater, FL, and if I had not seen the market take another dive yesterday...it would have been a perfect day (I just had to put the market piece in there because it certainly does affect my attitude). I was hoping to sleep in this morning, because we are going to be here a few days, and I don’t have too many things on my to do list, but I woke up before 5 (I think it was the market thing again). It’s still very dark out, and as soon as it gets to be about 6 I think I will take a dock walk...but until then, a few words of update.
It was a great crossing. We ran with two other boats who have made the crossing many times, and they said it was their best one. Was all that worrying and planning was unnecessary? After sending the quick log yesterday, Deb and I got everything on the boat ready for the crossing. The 4 boats that were going said we would talk at 6 am on the radio...so at 5:59 (according to Debbie) I called each of them to see if they were ready. The response was...10 to 15 minutes. At 6:20 we untied our lines and headed out. You can see from the first picture it was still very dark, but we knew it would start to get light in a few minutes. We followed Cloud 9 out of the harbor, with Starbound and Lindonia right behind us. It takes about 30 minutes to get out of the harbor, and clear the east pass...just to the west of Dog Island. By the time we got there (which is out in the open Gulf) it was starting to get light, and we could see there were a few clouds in the sky...first we’d seen in a few days. The gulf itself was not bad, and a couple of calls to the other boats and we all agreed to plot a course directly to the mouth of Clearwater...165 miles away. The first part of the trip was a little bouncy...but not bad at all. We set the speed at about 24 MPH and it gave us a nice ride, with no spray coming on the windows. About 1/3 of the way in the trip the waves started to pick up a bit, and we were concerned the crossing window was closing sooner than forecasted...but that only lasted 30 minutes or so, and the further we went...the smoother it got. By the time we reached Clearwater, the waters were flat, and the ride was perfect. With 48 miles to go I got an alarm on the port engine that scared the daylights out of me. After finally figuring out how to shut off the buzzer, I found out the battery light on the port engine was flashing...telling me the port alternator was not charging. I was afraid we had lost the engine belt that drives everything, and that would mean the engine would over heat and we would have to shut it down, but I kept a close eye on all the temps, and also the volts in the battery...and all were normal, so I kept the engine running and kept up our speed. I’m still not sure what was wrong...it’s on my to do list.
At 1:30 pm we hit the mouth of the Clearwater channel...a fantastic feeling...and by 2:30 we were tied up and washing down the boat. Shortly after the wash down and clean up, Deb and I celebrated our safe crossing with a shot of Tequila, and a beer. We had earned it. Our friends on Good News also had a great crossing. They left at 3 PM the day before us and crossed all night...arriving at 10 am in Clearwater. We left 15 hours after them...and arrived 4 hours after them. The difference between a fast and a slow crossing. Both work...it’s just a matter of choice, or what your boat is capable of doing. We ended up with a slip very close to Good News, so we got together for a 5 PM captain’s meeting...that turned into dinner (Deb cooked spaghetti), and we finally said good night at 9 PM. A great day.
We really do not have any plans for the next two weeks. We think we will stay at Clearwater Marina until Monday, and then play it by ear from there. Our only goal is to be in Ft. Myers by December 10th...and that is only 120 ICW miles from here, so we have lots of time. Andy and Mary (Good News) were going to rent a car for the weekend, so we said we’d split the cost, and figure it out from there. It’s nice to have some time without any plans.
Well it’s past 6 now, and before long it will be light enough for me to take a dock walk, so I need to finish this log. I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
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