The Formidable "Crossing"

The reason we had to travel 184 miles to our next port is that our boat draws 4.5' of water, and the topography of Florida's "Big Bend" area has no port or protected anchorage which is deep enough for the Admiral's yacht.  The reason it takes us 18-19 hours to do this is because we are a "crawler" which travels at only 10 mph.  Oh my.......the problems of owning a ya-chut!!

We left Carrabelle about 1300 at slack tide (see, you CAN teach old dogs new tricks about tides & currents!), and headed to East Pass through Dog Island cut.  Winds were south at 20 mph & we began to wonder if the forecast of west winds 10-15 mph was really accurate.  As we got into the Gulf of Mexico, the winds shifted to obey the forecast.  Seas were 1-2', but on our starboard beam, which caused constant rolling of 20-30 degrees.  We would have to live with this all night.  We thought we had secured everything on the boat, but the rolling dislodged much more personal gear.  We learned to keep one hand on the boat to balance ourselves & use only one hand to carry stuff like our food.  Of course, if we had a little green sailboat named "Coquina", or a white one named "High Noon", this trip would be even more adventurous, but we're supposed to have a big ya-chut, which ain't supposed to rock & roll.  We were a mere speck in the big Gulf of Mexico!

The two biggest assets during the crossing were a working chart plotter (with the "go to" point plotted) and a full moon (to help maintain a heading, as well as to allow us to see the waves & sea swells).  Well.......having the engines run flawlessly also helps, since we were 60+ miles off shore.  Early on, the Admiral started feeling queasy, but after a couple ginger beers (non-alcoholic) & eating something, she started feeling better. We tried to cat nap when we weren't at the helm, but neither of us got any sleep.  So, at sunrise when we finally made the sea buoy at Clearwater inlet, you can imagine how punchy we were!

We entered the inlet with an incoming tide & winds behind us (the proper way to enter an inlet) & found Clearwater Beach Marina, surrounded by the tourist attractions, high rise hotels & condos.  The Admiral backed into the slip very nicely (with expert "guidance" from the Deck Ape) and secured the boat.  We took showers to wash the sweat off ourselves, then crashed & burned into bed.  All that's left to do is wash the thick layer of salt spray off the boat!