Heading North - Captiva Island to Venice

It was hard to leave Captiva Island. There was so much more to see. I never even got to walk the beach on Sanibel Island and look for sea shells.

I did meet Michael and Hope Goodwin from Kentucky who were bareboating (leasing a sailboat) and sailing around this area. Michael gave me two slings for attaching to my hammock between the mast and forestay... or two trees. He also had some great tips, like using a camping mattress pad under the sleeping bag in the hammock to keep from getting cold, since the air flows under you too.

Michael and Hope left about half an hour before I did. I waited for a little more tide to rise. When I did leave the wind was light and the tide was rising. Everything was going my way... even the current. I had to traverse the same channels I used to enter, so I could get back out into the Gulf. Coming in, I was nervous and hyper-alert.  I used to tell my hockey players, "everything you do in your life is scary... until you have done it once". That's definitely true about sailing through harbours. Going out, I was calm and relaxed.

The wind was too light to simply sail. I had a deadline. I hate deadlines. They are the curse to sailors and the cause of stupid mistakes. My deadline was to reach the marina in Venice before they close at 6 pm. So, instead of sailing Slowly at 4-5 knots, I motorsailed at 6 knots.

Once I reached the halfway point, everything changed. I no longer had 5-6 knot winds. I had 18-20 knot winds. It sounds perfect for sailing and shutting the engine off. There was just one problem, though. The winds were coming from the direction in which I was going... on the nose, as we say. So, I still couldn't put up sails, I now had 2-3 foot waves and wind, slowing the boat down even more.

A look to starboard (right)... east

A look to port (left)... west

An hour later, the wind was up to 25 knots and gusting higher. The waves were building and eventually reached 4-5 foot white caps... still on the nose. I had water breaking over the bow, spray blowing back into the cockpit, even some heavy spray was crashing on the dodger just in front of the cockpit.  This was turning out to be a bumpy ride. I kept trying the sails, but there was never quite enough angle with the wind to make them work. After about two hours of this slop, the winds abated and veered east. The change in wind direction smoothed out the water quickly. Now, I was just an hour or so from Venice.

Venice was a quick overnight stay. The Crow's Nest marina is right by the channel inlet and a good distance from town. So, I went to bed early and slept well.

Heading North - Ft. Meyers Beach to Captiva Island

When cruising, you meet some wonderful people along the way. Your path may just cross theirs for a short period of time, but there is a connection because you automatically have something in common. At Snook Bight Marina, I met several people. Last night, Beth & Ned had me aboard their beautiful Motor Cruiser All Bright at Sea for dinner; Chicken Parm... and Beth's famous Rum cake... delicious! We sat and talked about our plans and shared ideas of alternate destinations for a couple of hours. Thank you for a wonderful evening, dinner and conversation Ned and Beth.

I don't write enough about the people I meet and I will try to do better at that. There are some very interesting people cruising on their boats.

I was up early to get my shower and have breakfast before watching the current. The current runs right down the fairway. So, I needed slack current to get away from the dock safely.  I predicted sometime between 7 am and 7:15 am. At 6:30, the current started to slow. I was thinking my estimate was pretty close.So, I pull Distant Horizon out along the floating dock so I wouldn't have to back out.

At 7 am the current had almost stopped. I was so focused on the current, I was shocked when I looked up and couldn't see the end of the dock. I was getting chilled, but thought it was just the morning air. It was fog... thick, pea soup fog. I measured with the radar and visibility was way less than 1/8th mile. There's no way I could go in this!

An hour later the fog had lifted and I departed. I slowly wound my way around the channel and went under the Ft. Meyers Beach Bridge. I was making my way to Sanibel Marina to pick up Laurie (O'Brien) Smith and her sister Carol. We were going to try for a short day sail.I say try, because I would not take passengers in the foggy conditions.

As I made the last turn before entering the San Carlos Bay, I was greeted with a wall of  fog. It was like someone had pulled a curtain across the river. I looked back and the fog was also filling in behind me. I had the radar on, so I could navigate across the sound. I kept going. Besides. I was better off in the bay, than a narrow river channel. I went below quickly and grabbed my air horn to make the proper fog signal. I was a motor boat since no sails were up; 1 long blast every two minutes... simple.

Thankfully, the fog lifted a little bit behind me. I was still navigating by radar, but had about a mile visibility. Behind me I could see Ft. Meyers Beach.

As I sailed across San Marcos Bay, I was gradually getting better visibility behind me. So, I knew the fog was lifting, but still could not see Sanibel Island. When I was just about 1 mile from the island, I finally got a glimpse.

You can't see the light house, but there is supposed to be a lighthouse there. From this location, I navigated by radar. However, the conditions continues to improve. I had perfect visibility before I reached the inlet to the Sanibel Marina.

When I arrived, Laurie and Carol were there waiting. The gas dock attendant was... let's say, less than helpful. We left as quickly and as safely possible. On the way out, Laurie and Carol said they would sail with me to Captiva Island, which was fine with me. The entrance to Sanibel Marina was narrow and almost half the channel was shoaling on the port side as you enter.

The water was a little choppy and the wind was light. I did not connect the autopilot, as the lines would be in the way. Distant Horizon has a small cockpit. It was designed in away to minimize the volume of water if it were to be filled by a wave. In sailing terms, when a breaking wave from behind you fills the cockpit, you've just been pooped.

Laurie steered the boat into the wind perfectly as I went forward to raise the mainsail. ... and take this picture.

We were not able to sail. We had to motorsail with the mainsail and jib for most of the trip. Still it was a fabulous day on the water. The sun was out and no fog for almost the entire trip. As we neared Red Fish Pass, the sky became a little more threatening and the fog appeared to be settling in again. We safely negotiated a couple small channels to get us to 'Tween Waters Marina".

It was like day and night compared to Sanibel Marina. The dock attendant had me contact him once I reached channel marker "19". He stood on the dock and caught our lines; helping us into position, as we tied along the outside of the main dock.

Karen (Mayka) Dennis was also staying on Sanibel Island. Karen and her husband Charlie drove to Captiva and we all went out for dinner.

Laurie (O'Brien) Smith and Karen (Mayka) Dennis

Heading North - Marco Island to Ft. Meyers Beach

After anchoring overnight in the Gulf of Mexico, I was surprisingly well rested. I was up before sunrise and had the boat ready to depart right at sunrise.

It was a sunny day with 6-7 kt winds. I tried motorsailing, but the wind was from behind Distant Horizon. So, the boat speed is roughly subtracted from the windspeed, leaving almost nothing for the sails. The  engine was doing all the work. I did have the mainsail up to reduce the boat's rolling in the waves.

While underway, I called Sanibel Marina to reserve a slip for a couple nights. I was told they were booked for the next few weeks. I went through the cruising guide to find an alternative location. First priority was the depth of water at the slips. I need at least 8 feet. I found a place in Ft. Meyers Beach that had one available slip because the boat occupying that slip had just checked-out.

Next I had to find a way to pick up Laurie O'Brien Smith, her sisters, and possibly Karen Mayka Dennis and her husband. It would be a crowded cockpit, but I could manage it.

While I was doing this, I heard the engine have... a hiccup... I looked up, and black smoke was pouring out of the cabin. I quickly turned the engine off, went below and opened the engine hood.  When I shut the engine off, I noticed the temp was perfect.The smoke had clearly stopped. Using a flashlight, I investigated as best I could, but could not find anything wrong. So, I decided to get the boat sailing and let the engine cool down. That way I could do a better inspection using my hands to move things around.

I had a special sail made for my other boat; the original Distant Horizon, hailing port Fair Haven, NY. If you have been reading this blog from the beginning, then you will recall both boats share the same name with different hailing ports. This one being Syracuse, NY. This special sail was designed for light wind conditions, which is what I currently had. This sail is called a drifter. Even though that boat was a little smaller, I brought the drifter with me. Now was the time to try it because with the mainsail and the jib, I was doing just 3.2 kts.

It took a few minutes to decide the best way to attach that sail to this boat, but once I did I was amazed. My speed shot up to 4.8 kts and the windspeed was just 6.8 kts!

The under-sized drifter worked out fabulously; keeping us moving in very light winds.

After investigating the problem further, I still found nothing obvious. I decided to start the engine and see what I can find. Instantly I saw the problem. The engine was running okay, but the alternator was not spinning. The black smoke must have been the belt burning up due to the friction. Looking back on it now, it was like a scene straight out of the movie "Captain Ron".

As it happened, I had a brand new alternator on the boat. That was good too. We were sailing so well, we were just 2.5 miles from the inlet. I took down the sails and started the motor. Good thing it was high tide, because the inlet was shallow, as was the channel to the marina. When I arrived to the marina, the dock hands were surprised I made it coming from the south and told me it would have been much better if I had come from the north. I would be leaving to the north in a few days. So, that was good to know.

Heading North - Little Shark River to Marco Island

I was up before the sun this morning; getting Distant Horizon ready to depart. I noticed that after I went to sleep last night, three sailboats had arrived and were anchored in the cove. They were also preparing their boats to depart.

I was farther up river. When I had reached the entrance to the cove, the wind was light, but in a perfect direction for raising the mainsail. So, I actually departed with the mainsail up; making it much easier once I was out in the gulf.

It is was near low tide. I had to go a couple miles out before I was comfortable with the depth.When I was finally able to relax, I took one last look back at Little Shark River; knowing I would probably see this area again in June on my return trip.

Departing Little Shark River

The morning was mostly cloudy with threatening skies. I didn't worry too much. The weather report had a slight chance of rain in the keys, but no where else.

I finally set the jib, and we were off! ... and so was the engine. Distant Horizon was doing a nice 6.8 knots and the only sound was the water gurgling against the hull. "Otto" my nickname for the autopilot was steering. Even though it was a grey day, I went below to get my logbook. When I returned to the cockpit, it was time to do my hourly log.

While writing in the log, I was startled by a pelican that was landing to my right just a few feet from the boat. If I reached out I would not be able to touch it, but I certainly could with the boat hook! ... not that I would, remember I like pelicans.

I reached for the camera, but the boat was moving too fast and the bird was too far behind for a good shot. When I finished logging, I looked back, and here come two pelicans gliding just above the water behind Distant Horizon.

For almost an hour these birds would land next to Distant Horizon, and then wait until I had moved well ahead them before taking flight and gliding in once again.

Each time, this one would land to the right.

This one would land to the left.

They would never trade sides. It was very entertaining to watch them go through this process. I imagine it was very efficient for them because 90% of the time they were either sitting in the water or gliding.

That was the excitement for the day. The wind continued to decrease until 1pm. I was just motoring now. this was a completely uneventful day. It started out with great sailing and ended up motoring.

Approaching Marco Island

It was sunny and hot all day. I was tired when I reached Marco Island. I went in the entrance channel, but the water was getting shallow fast where I wanted to go. I didn't feel up to a challenge. So, I turned around and left Marco for another day.

I didn't go far. I anchored off the beach in the Gulf of Mexico. The weather report made it seem perfectly fine to do this. If the weather did change, I was in deep enough water to just weigh anchor, turn and go. I felt this was the safest decision. I add a margin of safety, I let out 150' of chain, which was almost twice required for the conditions and depth of the water.

Heading North - Little Shark River Day 3

Again it was low tide, everything was in order. I guess I was feeling nostalgic after having Jiffy Pop last night. After sleeping through the whole night with no issues, concerns, or funny noises, I woke up with that old song in my head “Oh what a beautiful morning, Oh what a beautiful day…” It was too! Well, except for the temperature. It was 40 degrees in the boat. I had taken the propane heater back home since it was so warm in the keys.

At least I was smart enough to turn the refrigerator off and leave it open all night to let the cold air in. That's a good savings on the batteries. I no longer had anything in the freezer. So that made sense.

It’s also nice to have had a daughter who worked for Under Armour. I quickly dressed in UA layers: first, a base layer, then a micro fleece mock tee, and finally a fleece sweater… all Under Armour. I was toasty warm… except my nose.

Yesterday and today, I woke up and spent some time on deck in the sun before having breakfast. It just happens to be low tide in the morning right now. Both times, I saw dolphins fishing in the river. They would swim downstream with the current along the river bank and heard fish to the shallow areas. Then in a synchronous manner , they would use their tails to create a wave and wash the fish up on the river bank. This picture is one of those dolphins; it also shows the heron following. The heron picks up the fish that are washed too far ashore for the dolphins to get.

 While I was eating breakfast, I turned on the VHF radio to get the area’s weather.  It just so happened the radio was set to the distress channel (Ch 16) and someone said something about the Little Shark River. So, I called back and asked them to repeat. It turns out that one of the sailboats (Valhalla) in the cove was aground. He was trying to pick up his anchor at low tide and went aground. He wanted to move to a better spot like I had yesterday morning. He figures he dropped the anchor near high tide.

He was trying to call Tow Boat US. We spoke for a few minutes on the radio. I explained the tide would rise and he would float off long before Tow Boat US arrived… if he could reach them. After I told him the times of the tidal changes, he agreed to wait. We scheduled to talk on the radio again at noon. High tide would be about 2:30pm. Before noon, I noticed he had moved his boat. So, the strategy worked for him.

He called at noon as we agreed. It turns out that he is heading north too. I explained I was leaving in the morning on Saturday. Actually, I was planning on leaving on Sunday morning. However, before noon I listened to the latest weather forecast and decided Saturday would be a good day to leave. I’m hoping to make it to Marco Island. He is trying to make it to a bay just south of Marco Island. Later I checked my charts, but could not figure out where that would be. The only reasonable bay would have a long entry and exit.

Valhalla on the Little Shark River at sunset

Last night on the Little Shark River, looking west.

As they say, "red sky at night, is a sailor's delight!" So, I knew it was time to go. That is the plan… depart Little Shark River early in the morning for Marco Island.

Heading North - Little Shark River Day 2

It was another night of high winds, gusting to over 30 knots at times. The boat did well, but it was a bit rolly. So, just as last night, I stood anchor watch getting up every hour to check the anchor, the winds, the tide, and our position on the radar and GPS.

I was looking at two more nights here and didn't want another restless night like the last two. It was low tide when I woke up. It was also almost slack tide. Slack tide is when there is no current flowing due to the tidal changes.  So, I immediately weighted (raised) anchor to move farther upstream.  Many people wait for high tide to move. I prefer to move cautiously at low tide. If I did get stuck, I would just have to wait for the water level to rise and float the boat again. I was happy not to put that to practice. In just half an hour, I had moved the boat. This was a much better location. I had 10 feet of water under the boat (at low tide). The river was much narrower, so the trees were closer. I was hoping this would better protect us from the winds which were forcing me to stand an anchor watch each night.

After making breakfast, I took some time to enjoy my new location. It was sunny with clear skies, but a little nip in the air. The temp was around 55 degrees and a slight breeze… and I mean slight; just 6 knots.

Little Shark River looking east

My view for two days at low tide

Low tide on the Little Shark River

The rest of the day was spent cleaning up some things. I scrubbed down the galley area. I fixed a control line to the wind vane steering system. I readjusted the anchor snubber line. The snubber line is used to take the load of the anchor and chain from the deck hardware.

I did spent time resting by taking a nap and also reading Grace’s Kindle. I thought it was very nice of her to let me take the kindle with me.

For dinner I had more pasta with the Bolognese sauce. After dinner, the temp  was really dropping fast. There was the potential of freezing temps over night. After a while I was too awake to go to bed and too cold to stay up. Normally, that would be a problem. However, I decided it was snack time! How many of you remember this?

Jiffy Pop popcorn!

It’s a horrible picture, I know. I had the red light on in the cabin. The red light helps to maintain your night vision while still allowing you to see. I forgot to switch it to a white light for the picture. If you can’t tell… it’s Jiffy Pop! It’s the perfect boat snack. They store flat and don’t take up much room. There is plenty in one container. Popcorn provides good carbohydrates for energy. …and most of all… It’s popcorn, who doesn't like that? The bonus was… cooking it heated the cabin quite nicely. I read the kindle and ate popcorn until I was ready for bed.

Heading North - Little Shark River Day 1

I brought Distant Horizon to the Little Shark River; arriving early in the evening yesterday. Never having been here before, I didn't know what to expect. From the charts, it was a small river running basically east west and it had a protected cove just inside its inlet. The forecast was for winds from the north. So, it sounded perfect.

I had imagined my arrival would be a simple matter into this secluded area. I would motor over to the area in the cove that I had picked on the charts, and then drop the anchor. Then, I'd settle in for a long stay.

When I did actually arrive, there were two sailboats boats already in the cove; a large power boat farther up river just past the cove; and two more sailboats even farther up the river. I picked a spot as close to the area I had predetermined.

Well, lesson learned… don’t have a predetermined anchor spot. No big issue, I thought I would be well protected and was. What I didn't know, was the current runs pretty strong through here. As it happens with a full keel boat, the boat moves to face the current, not the wind when at anchor. Next time, I'l pick a spot less affected by the winds since I can't control the current.

NOAA hit the bulls eye on the weather forecast. As predicted, the southerly breeze turned to north late in the evening; thunderstorms started after midnight; and 20-25 knot winds followed the thunderstorms.
All night I was getting hit with strong gusts that caused the boat to heel over.

To be safe, I stood anchor watch all night using an alarm clock, set to go off every hour. I would get up, check the anchor, the depth, and the winds. I would also check my position using the GPS and radar to ensure the anchor was secure.

 Needless to say, I did not get a lot of rest. The good news is, the anchor held just fine in the ever changing conditions and there was always enough water under the boat at low tide to keep the boat afloat.

When the dawn finally arrived, it was still a bleak day. This is my first look out the boat in the morning.

Looking west from the Little Shark River

NOAA had promised clear skies by late morning. That never happened.  They were right about the winds, which never subsided all day or Wednesday night. The only bright spot for the day was… A pelican! He came swimming by. You can see it is low tide. I was surprised by the 3 foot tides; almost twice that of Marathon.

Not much happened all day. I watched the anchor and how the boat was affected by the current and wind. What's most unnerving, as my friend Jon knows, is when the boat is pushed forward over the anchor by the wind. So now, the anchor line leads behind you. It's actually quite good. Instead of the anchor having to turn around, the pressure never changes. So, I think it's actually more secure.

Last night, I had salmon with rice and spinach for dinner. After a long day of sailing, I needed the protein. Tonight, after such a dreary day, I decided on something hearty for the cold front. So, I made a Bolognese sauce and cooked some pasta to serve it over. Since I was going to be here for several days… I made plenty.

After dinner and doing all the dishes, I took one more look around outside; checking the anchor and all. I was treated to this twilight. The sky must have cleared while I was cooking dinner.  I almost completely missed it.

Heading North

With just a quick glance at the title, you may think I have fried my brain with all that sun… who in their right mind would head north in February? Especially since the northeast was buried in snow and suffering through an arctic blast.

Well, rest assured, I have not lost my mind. From Marathon, I will head a little west and then turn north into the Moser Channel, passing under the Seven Mile Bridge into the Gulf of Mexico.

In the picture below, you can see the two Seven Mile brides in the distance. The taller is the new Seven Mile Bridge. The shorter is the older bridge.  Looking at the lower, older bridge, you can see the gap where sections were removed to allow sailboats to pass. Otherwise, I’d have to go all the way to Key West to get into the Gulf.

Approaching the Moser Channel to go under the Seven Mile Bridge

Here I am about to go under the bridge. The current was strong. So there was no letting go to take a picture while directly under the bridge.

About to go under the Seven Mile Bridge

More Pelicans! These guys were just resting underneath the new bridge.

This series of entries will describe my journey north, along Florida’s west coast in the Gulf of Mexico. My final destination will be just south of Sarasota. The reason I am going at all is because I am delivering the boat to have the teak decks refurbished. The work on the teak decking is complicated and time consuming. They want the boat there as soon as possible so the work can be completed before their rainy season.

While that is being done, I will fly home on March 6th. I will be doing some bicycle training and taking care of things around the house until I rejoin the boat in late May or early June.

This is what the Gulf of Mexico looked like as I entered. I was sailing close to 6 knots with a southerly breeze gently pushing me from behind. After having worked on the engine to resolve an issue where it was running too hot at power, sailing like this just seemed to be too good to be true.

... and if it seems to be too good to be true... it IS too good to be true! Just an hour later, the wind had died to nothing.  It lasted like that for at least another six hours.

Then finally, a slight breeze came along to cool things down. It wasn’t enough to sail ( I kept trying).  I was thinking… “What a boring day”. No sailing. No other boats to watch for. Then, as if by command from my thoughts, these three guys came along to play.

It was entertaining to watch them. There were no big waves, and my bow wake isn’t very large, but they seemed to be pumping on the bow wake much like a kid on a boogy board would. They stayed for abut 15 minutes and then went on their way.

To break the monotony I started cleaning up the cockpit, removing stains of rust on the stainless steel. I heard a large splash and looked around but saw nothing. So, I continued with my tasks. Then, I caught him through the corner of my eye. It was another dolphin! It had jumped high out of the water to my level. I had never seen that before. It was like he was saying, “Hey look at me!” When I got up and grabbed the camera, he went to the bow of the boat to play.

The dolphin was too close to the boat to get a good picture. Plus, I think ihe was trying to splash me. At first ihe was definitely trying to get my attention... then he went to the bow as I'm sure he knew I would... then the dolphin was riding high on the wake and would splash his tail before diving down. He definitely was trying to splash me. This dolphin came to play! ... and who better to come to?


The dolphin stayed at the bow for about 10 minutes. When I stopped taking pictures (to keep the camera dry). He left.

Eventually, I made my way to the Little Shark River on the northeast edge of the Everglades where I had planned to anchor and wait out the storm and cold front. Altogether I may be here for four days. It was a decent sunset, and nice to be away again.

Looking west from the Little Shark River to the Gulf of Mexico

Too Much of a Good Thing...

I have been working on the boat, pretty steady for about a month now. Although, I would agree it has been at a laid-back pace. It's not that there have been any major issues, because there haven't been. The engine running hot has bothered me, but It has never overheated. The chartplotter needed replacing, but then I took on the task to clean-up the binnacle. I had Keys Rigging come back to the boat and take some measurements to replace the forestay..etc. etc.

Even so, too much of a good thing is not good for you. So, today I decided to take a day off and go for a bike ride. I haven't been taking many pictures either. I took the camera on the bike too. The goal was to get some time in the saddle... a head-start on the upcoming cycling season. It's been two years since I was on my bike. So I needed this. As I sit here writing this, I can tell you... Oh did I ever need the time in the saddle.

My first stop was a 6 mile ride to Pigeon Key. I have heard of Pigeon Key, but have never seen it. To get there by bike, I had to ride 2 miles along the pedestrian bridge, which is the old seven mile bridge.

Along the way, I was greeted by pelicans soaring for their lunch. One almost hit me as he had his eye on a tasty treat below.

Pigeon Island has a few homes on it. The ramp was closed. The best I could guess was the people get there by boat. However, this was the only dock on the key.Since the ramp was closed, I took the picture from the bridge.

The pedestrian bridge is an older, dilapidated seven mile bridge, which was replaced many years ago. The new bridge now has a tall span to allow boat traffic to go underneath, which you can see in the distance. The corresponding span of the older bridge was removed. Another span was removed from the older bridge immediately after Pigeon Island. These make it impossible to ride my bike any further.

I had to return back along the pedestrian bridge. Then I turned to take the motor vehicle seven mile bridge.
The ride was going well as I crossed Bahia Honda and I decided to take a few pictures on my way back. I rode just to Big Pine Key before turning around and heading back.

My bicycle seat was getting a little uncomfortable and I decided to not stop and take pictures... just get this ride over. I've had enough time in the saddle at this point. A couple miles along the seven mile bridge, I decided that was a foolish decision; because I needed to stop. Luckily, there is no shortage of scenery in the keys.

Money Key

As if on cue, my pelican friends came soaring back, obviously not satisfied with their earlier lunch... or was it brunch?

Altogether, I did 30 miles and enjoyed some new scenery. For me, 30 miles has been a milestone. In recent years, I started getting knee troubles between 25 and 30 miles and it would take months to be able ride farther. Eric Hudson taught me a stretch for my leg which has cured the knee problem. So, even with a somewhat tender bottom side, this was a fabulous ride all the way around; not even a slight twinge from the knee.

What could be better than that? How about a cookout! Regine Brennan-Szkotak is visiting Marathon with some friends. They invited me over for a cookout tonight.

We watched Tom catch a Snapper.

We watched the pelicans lining up to watch Tom; waiting for their portion.

We even sipped some West Virginia moonshine... which was amazing, by the way!

Marathon Wildlife

After working on the engine and resolving an annoying issue, I decided to go for a walk. I've heard of the Iguanas in the keys, but have only caught a glimpse of two of them. Today, since I was taking a casual walk, I was a little more observant.

I caught this one sunning itself and feeding on those plants.

Look at the tail on this one.

This one was a little shy and tried to hide in the scrub brush. It was by far the largest. At least twice the sice of the others.

Then there are always the pelicans... :-)

Gracefully gliding above the water