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