S/V Seeking Kokomo Sails Her First Overnight Crossing

0940: On our way to Key West

After 3 days of boat work, we left our anchorage off St. James City at 0940 today for Key West. Nick was up most of the night last night. He stresses a lot about the boat, systems and equipment all working correctly. He checked a lot of stuff yesterday but is still worried. The drive shaft seal is leaking a bit, putting water in the bilge. The rate of water entry seems to increase when we motor, which we know we will be doing a lot of today. However, we also know it isn’t enough to sink the boat. The batteries seem to be holding their charge (FINALLY!) We are also worried about our furling system for our mainsail, as it wants to get stuck when we pull it out and the furling line is slipping in the winch when we pull it in. Not sure what will make it sticky…dirt? Honey? OK…searching Google, again!!

While Nick worries about the boat, I worry about the weather. I’m scared of big winds and big seas. I’m hoping for a gentle crossing, but I’ve decided you need to add 5-10 knots to the wind predictions and 1-2 feet to the wave predictions because the weatherman has the only job in the world that you can be wrong 50% of the time and stay employed! Florida Bay, the water between Naples and Key West, has a reputation for being really rough. It’s a combination of the open water that picks up the wind and the relatively shallow depths that creates big waves with a short period between. That makes for a really rough ride.

1345: Under sail down the Florida coast

We are making good time under sail. The main sheet and jib are all the way out in 9 knots of wind, so we are making about 6 knots. We had some lunch, pumped the heads and now Nick is napping while I mind the helm. He really needs the sleep after last night’s stress fest. I hope we get to the point soon where he manages this better. It takes such a toll on him.

I’m feeling pretty comfortable right now. The boat is handling well, there are no other vessels around us and we are about 5 miles offshore heading almost parallel to the coast. It’s peaceful and quiet. The only sound is the water rushing under the keel and the occasional squawk on the VHF radio. This is why we sail!

Nick tweaked my booster seat this morning with a backrest for me. I couldn’t see over the front of the boat to steer if I sat down and it gets tiring standing all the time. This is so much better and quite comfortable!

The crab traps out here form an obstacle course. You really have to mind where you are going so you don’t get one tangled in your prop. They usually run in a straight line, which helps to see them coming but the last few were painted dark blue. What fool does that?? They are so hard to see in the water!

2000: My adventures at the helm after dark…

Calm wind and flat seas had me cooking chicken and vegies for dinner tonight in the oven. I need to learn not to grab onto the stove for support when I have the gimbles loose! (Gimble means our stove rocks to keep it level, even when the boat is moving. Keeps dinner from flying away.) Dinner was good, the dishes are washed and coffee is ready in the percolator pot on the stove for morning. Now I get watch duty for a few hours while Nick gets some sleep.

We have a bright full moon guiding us across Florida Bay tonight–enough so I can actually see to write this sitting in the cockpit. We have been motoring since sunset because the wind is coming from the south (so much for the weatherman who promised an east wind!) and that is exactly the direction we need to go. Also, we are not comfortable having the mainsail out at night because it is so powerful and we have issues getting it rolled in. The wind is steadily increasing to 18-19 knots now with gusts up to 22 and the seas are building too. I’m bad at estimating the waves, but I figure 4-5 foot seas because most of the waves are as high as the freeboard on the boat. I can no longer see the shore in any direction. The radar has not a blip except some kind of towers about 3 miles away. Nick is up again, so I take a quick pee break before he goes back to sleep.

I rummage in the cockpit table for something and accidentally land on the air horn when a wave rocks the boat. OOPS!! Silence from below…thankfully, it didn’t wake him!

However, shortly after that I started taking spray all the way up to the dodger and the hatch was open. Getting to the hatch is a procedure because we have a rule when sailing in rough seas or at night–you tether yourself to the boat. So I’m attached to the boat with about a 3 foot cord. Not long enough to reach the hatch and I’ve swore to never release it when I’m alone. (I feel like a dog on a chain with this thing attached, but it is a safety thing to prevent going overboard. We figure the worst possible experience would be to wake up and find your partner long gone and have no idea where he went.) So I clip the short line to the other end of the table. Unclip the long line. Still not close enough. Clip long line to table and unclip short one. Finally reach the hatch and close it so water doesn’t splash down below. Now reverse the procedure. Next thing I hear is Nick hollering “What’s going on up there?” OK buddy, the air horn doesn’t wake you but my metal leashes rattling around does?? Go back to bed. I’m fine!

The winds are sustaining at 20 knots and the spray is flying everywhere. I stuck my nose out and got my glasses sprayed, so now everything is streaky. Note to self: bring eyeglass cleaner into the cockpit at night. Salt water is a hot mess to get off your glasses! It does look pretty from a distance though. I had a wee scare when I thought I saw sparks coming from the front of the boat, but when I realized it was the red port light reflecting on the water droplets, it was beautiful to watch. It looked like fireworks going off on the bow. Here comes Nick again to check on me. I’m fine Nick…I don’t even have to pee yet!

2330: I scare us both to death!

At the helm, I am constantly watching our navigation, heading and radar. Every hour, I get up and check the oil pressure and motor temperature. All has been well this trip-until this time. I’m checking the gauge and all of a sudden the engine throttles back. Nick is in the cockpit in a heartbeat. I throw the boat in neutral and send him back below to get his life vest and tether. Last thing I need is to loose him overboard!! We troubleshoot for about 10 minutes before we realize my dog chain (oops–tether!) has caught the throttle when I got up. We are both surging with adrenaline and probably in SVT!

0200: Nick’s turn at the helm

Nick finally got an hour’s sleep and comes to relieve me. I’m getting sleepy and now I really need to pee!!!! I’m off to bed.

0600: Sunrise over Key West

I wake up to a beautiful sunrise and Key West on the horizon. We sit in the cockpit and drink our coffee, watching the sun come up. It is finally calm seas and calm winds. Our trip up the channel to Key West is uneventful. Two big cruise ships came just ahead of us, but were thankfully berthed before we met up with them. It took us 5 tries to get the anchor to set. The anchorages are really crowded here so we worry about having room to swing without hitting anyone and the darned anchor wouldn’t dig in. I found out later this area is littered with trash on the bottom, which makes it hard to get the anchor down. We seem to be holding tight. Guess who is napping again??? I think I might join him….