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29 April 03
Marathon
to West Palm Beach
28 Apr
We arrived last night about 9 PM and tied up at the first fuel dock we
came to and Chris spent some time talking to Jim, the security guard that got
us situated. I paid $50 bucks in lieu of leaving a credit card, Chris got the
combo to the showers and we were set. A long hot shower really felt good
after 36 hours of constant sailing and salt spray. Everyone was in their
bunks and asleep by 10:30 PM.
This morning, I awoke early and was really hesitant
to make any noise because I didn't want to disturb the rest of the crew. I
was sleeping in the forward cabin with the door shut and the guys were in the
main cabin. What I didn't know is that they were already up and had gone for
breakfast. About the time I was up, they were returning from breakfast and we
decided I should go for breakfast and they would ready the boat and go to the
store for provisions.
On the way to breakfast, I wondered through the boat
yard and looked at all the "projects". There was a Chinese Junk, a large homemade
cruiser and a number of sailboats in various stages of repair. I remembered
when Sweetpea was at that stage -- a project (that I never thought would be
finished).
The breakfast spot was Seven Mile Grill -- just what
you would expect in the Keys. It was like a small diner with counter seating
inside a small building (about the size of a small garage and a row of tables
just outside a wall of garage doors that were probably closed for security
and weather. The place was frequented by regulars who lived nearby because
the servers greeted them and knew what they usually ordered. When things got
slow, the waitresses would begin singing a song just for fun.
After a great breakfast, I hurried back because we
were pushing the 'checkout' time for our dock space. The guys were  just
finishing filling the jerry jugs with fuel when I got there so I settled up
with the dock master and we shoved off from Marathon at 10:30, exiting the harbor
into the Gulf. Seas were 1-2 feet, the water was tidy bowl colored, the sun
was bright, the winds were 5-10 knots and we cruised up Hawk's Channel
between the Keys and the reef just south of the Keys. The ride was
comfortable because we had the same wind as anywhere else in the Gulf and it
wasn't as rough as the Gulf would have been because we were protected by the
reef.
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After a couple of hours of smooth sailing, we decided it
was time to exit to the Gulf. The depths at Alligator Reef looked like they
were deep enough so we headed out there. Just before we entered the Gulf,
we saw a turtle (about 4' diameter) swimming toward shore
just off out starboard side
(right side looking forward). We all went and watched as it passed by.
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Using the Gulf Stream provides a bit faster ride
because of the 2-3 knot current which heads east around the southern tip of
Florida and then north along the east coast of Florida. When you can only
make 5-6 knots of speed with the engine flat out and the hull speed is about
7 knots max when sailing, current can make a big difference. Basically, the Gulf
Stream can be like a conveyor belt headed our way. The only
problem is if the wind blows opposite the current because the water gets
churned up and rough.
After a few hours in the Stream, the alternator belt
started whining so T checked it, noted it was a bit loose and the whine was
associated with the belt flex, so he tightened it after a brief shutdown.
We had pasta for dinner, topped off the fuel tank
from the jugs and then got the boat and ourselves ready for nighttime.
The sunset was beautiful and the night began.
Generally, we socialize until 10
PM and anyone who wants can sail. Then the watch system begins.
With three of us, the captain set up a cycle with 2 hour increments. Our
cycle is: 2 hours on with primary responsibility for sailing the boat (with a
standby person in the cockpit to nap, talk or assist as needed); followed by
2 hours time to sleep undisturbed; then you are on standby to nap, talk or assist as
requested.
While on watch, you may be sailing by hand, watching
the autopilot sail, plotting positions using the GPS and a chart of the
waters, setting or adjusting sail or whatever else might be required. I had
the first watch, 10PM
to midnight. The autopilot was doing
fine steering the boat and the sails didn't need much attention so I spent
most of my time navigating. During my watch, we were heading east to find the
center of the Gulf Stream. It was flowing north at
about 3 knots. We were headed east. Because the water we were in was moving
north, our easterly heading naturally created a track to the northeast. It's
like trying to swim across a river flowing from right to left. If you head
directly across from your start point, you will end up down river (to your
left. We wanted to end up dead ahead, so it required monitoring or track and
when it appeared we were traveling north, I simply increased my heading
(headed more south) to kill the drift.
It sounds simple, but it means reading the
instruments to determine what our heading is, what our current track is
(tracking to the north rather than the east needs attention), checking the
GPS for the desired track, comparing to the current track and adjusting
heading to compensate and kill the drift. Periodically, plotting a fix on the
chart helps you understand the big picture of where you are in relation to
landmarks on the coast and your last positions (which is your track too).
Remember, all of this takes place in the dark. You need to protect your night
vision to spot other vessels and to read dimly lit instruments. Plotting on
the charts occurs at the navigation table which is lit with a red light which
does not affect night vision.
After a while, you see things not normally seen
where there is greater light (urban areas). For example, I caught a flash on
the water. Since strobe lights are used for warning, I searched the sea for
the source and finally realized the source was an airplane flying overhead.
The flash on the water was a reflection of an airliner very high overhead.
What you are typically watching for is other
vessels. In the Miami
area there are a lot of shipping lanes and traffic. Gambling/ party vessels
are well lighted and ten to be stationary in the water (they're just going
out to be out, but not anywhere in particular). Other vessels might be
carrying cargo or be yachts or small fishing boats. Since it is night, you
can see their lights, but not which way they are pointed. The way you tell
their direction and what kind of vessel they are is by their lights. Most
boats must display a white stern light in the back, a red light on the port
(left) side in the front and a green light on their starboard (right) side.
That means if the cluster of lights you see (which is all you see) is a red
light left most, a white light and a green light that person is headed away
from you because you are seeing their stern. A boat coming toward you would
show a green light on the left and a red light on the right of (white stern
light would not be visible). A boat passing from your left to your right
would show a red light (you are looking at its port side) and a white stern
light to the left of the red light (where the back of the boat should be.
That's what you have to figure out when you look at the lights on the
horizon. It gets more complicated with larger vessels (which show their white
lights high on the boat and towing vessels which have a yellow over white
light high and light their towed vessel appropriately. ("Yellow over white --
towing tonight").
29 Apr
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 The guys let me over sleep and since I need my
glasses to read my watch, I had no idea what time it was when I go up to
see about serving as standby. The wind had picked up to 15+ knots and the
boat was working harder (more movement). I ran into T in the main cabin and
he was getting his "foulies" on (Foul weather
gear). He said, "I'm going up to reef the main". I went to the forward
cabin to get my foul weather gear on too. When I got on deck, T and Chris
were shortening the main sail down to the second reefing point. I took the
helm to assist with heading and sheets (lines that control the tension on
the sails they were adjusting. These guys know what they are doing and
didn't need me on the deck too. After reefing the mail, they stowed the jib (large head sail forward
of the main) and raised the storm sail (a very small sail used to provide
stability in heavy weather). At night it is best to be cautious and reduce
sail. About an hour later, the sun came up and the wind died down to 5-7
knots. Even so, our speed over the surface was about 9 knots (with the help
of the Gulf Stream). We were all awake, so we had cereal and coffee in the
cockpit. Sometime in the night a flying fish had landed on our deck. We
threw it back in the ocean, but I don't think it survived.
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After breakfast, Chris and T had a strategic planning
session and decided we needed to refuel somewhere before heading to Charleston.
They looked at inlets north of our position, but they all required long and
complicated entries into their harbors and gas docks. We were just off West
Palm Beach so we decided to head into there to fuel
up. Unfortunately, we were pretty far out (in the middle of the Gulf
Stream) and we needed to cross it to get in for fuel. So we have
the reverse problem I had the night before. We needed to go (track) directly
west to make the harbor, but all the water between us and West Palm Best was
flowing north (from our left to our right). That means heading south of West
Palm and checking required track and actual track on the GPS and constantly
adjusting heading.
It was still early morning and we were proceeding
toward West Palm from the East (the Bahamas
lie in that direction), when we were approached by a U.S. Customs boat (big
cigarette boat) and they had some questions to ask about where we had been
and where we were from. We answered their questions and told them we were
riding the Gulf Stream and were headed in for fuel at
West Palm. They pulled off and disappeared for a while. About 30 minutes
later, they came back and wanted to board us to inspect the vehicle. They
asked if we had anything to declare and any guns on board. We replied "no".
They made everyone move to the far side of the boat while tow agents boarded.
One keep the boys above deck while I went below to
observe the search. Eventually, they asked for ID from all of us. I showed
them my military ID and Florida
drivers license. I don't think he was impressed.
Chris and T were allowed to get their IDs one at a time and under the
supervision of an officer. Closets were opened, boards were lifted, bags were searched. (Luckily, I have made easy access to
all hidden areas for maintenance). I asked if they wouldn't mind running into
West Palm to get us some fuel (since it would be minutes for them and hours
for us). They said they had to get their own fuel and didn't seem
sympathetic. We suspect they thought we were coming in from the Bahamas
with drugs or something. They didn't seem to understand why were so far out
in the Gulf Stream and choosing to come to West
Palm Beach. When we told them we had last been in Marathon
(a couple of days to the south west), it didn't add up for them. I gusess they don't get many long range sailors there.
We headed into the harbor at West
Palm Beach about noon.
The plan was to fuel up the boat and get a cheese burger, check the weather and
head back out into the Gulf Stream.
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