Running Aground – From Pensacola to Clearwater, Florida

Passage Revelation:  There are only two types of boaters, the ones who have run aground, and the others who will.

Lessons Learned:  Know tribal knowledge in navigating through new seafaring territories.   Ask directions from local sailors, before leaving the dock.

It is very tricky leaving the Pensacola Bayou Grande Marina.  The markers are confusing; yes I went aground, but recovered very quickly.  Over the years I have found the best solution to running aground is to re-track your boat steps.  This was especially important, as I had followed a local sailor, in a sister Vancouver 42-foot Tayana sailboat, into the marina.    The only difference in our boats; he was the original owner and bought an aft cockpit; whereas, we are the second owner and bought a center cockpit.

When I ran aground, I put the boat in reverse, and returned the way I had come, and backed into deeper waters.  Come to find out my husband and crew previously had run aground, but recovered by flying the spinnaker (whopper), in another area of Pensacola Bay.  The spinnaker provided the propulsion to ease the boat off the bottom.  So after 2 weeks, the JonNe’ had run aground 3 times; once in Portofino Marina, Houston and twice in Pensacola, Florida.  Fortunately this time, TowBoatUS is not required for the Pensacola groundings. 

After the almost running aground incident, we set our course to open seas heading toward Clearwater, Florida.  As night approached, the sky darkened with no moon to guide the way.  Previously we had 14 days of moonlight, with clear skies all the way.  Tonight the moon did not appear until midnight.  Out in the darkness, I heard whistling and blowing noises.  I searched for the sound, but nothing was over the side, except a phosphorescent illumination on the water’s surface.  This beautiful glowing light had replaced the moon and was guiding the boat through the ocean.  Then I heard the noise again, and saw magnificent dolphins gracefully diving in and out of the waves.  The dolphins were the culprits responsible for the magical seafaring sounds. 

The translucent light sparkled against the boat and dolphins as if fireworks on the fourth of July.  This brightly speckled light is plankton on the surface.   The dolphins were feeding on the micro -organisms available for other sea mammals.  The shimmering iridescent light accompanied our sailboat for hours, but soon the dolphins disappeared into the darkness.   This light had served two purposes:  one to light our sailing course; two, and the most important, as a food source, instrumental to the ocean’s Eco life cycle.

 

Temptation of the Sea – Heading toward Tampa

Passage Revelation:  It is comforting to know we have an electronics blanket to keep us safe and warm.

Lessons Learned:  Ensure all electronics are working correctly by checking them regularly, and listening for any changes in the performance.  Always have a backup plan, if your electronic world fails. 

It is another gorgeous day on the ocean with warm winds, fair skies and dolphins playing on the starboard and port bow of the boat.  They would dive from side to side playing in the waves.  The grace and beauty of these creatures mesmerize me in thought and soul.     I would like to back wind the sails and hove to, so I could jump overboard and play with these lovely sea animals.  Logically, they are wild mammals and as such; I should not be tempted by my inner desire.  It reminds me of the ancient sailors, who would hear the sirens on shore and jump overboard to join them.  The sirens were not real, but the sailors desire to join their singing and their comforting were real, if only in their minds.  This was the 6^th day at sea and the temptation of swimming with the dolphins is real.

In life, beauty of objects mesmerizes both men and women.  You must determine inner beauty from the outer beauty.  What is real and what will be the best decision, whether it is a choice, person or entity.   The choice to head for Tampa was not conducive with the winds.    We fought the head winds right on our bow for days.  It was apparent we needed to change direction, and give our crew a rest.  We set the GPS and headed into Pensacola, Florida.   

In setting another course, the winds allowed us to sail for the first time in days.  The sail was exhilarating.  Finally, we were sailing. The temptation to continue on our original course to Tampa perished. The change in course was right for us, the boat and our crew member Kent Brownhill.   It allowed us to visit with our wonderful friends; Keith and Diane Davis from Hammond, Louisiana, Loretta Revis and Charlie Baucom from Pensacola, Florida.  

 

Real World of Electronics - Dependency

Passage Revelation:  It is comforting to know we have an electronics blanket to keep us safe and warm.

Lessons Learned:  Ensure all electronics are working correctly by checking them regularly, and listening for any changes in the performance.  Always have a backup plan, if your electronic world fails. 

Epiphanies happen when one is surrounded by tons and tons of deep, endless, cobalt blue water.   This realization came to me about my years of racing sailboats.  In retrospect, that experience has given me a base of understanding how to maneuver the boat:  whether it is trimming the sails or understanding the direction of the wind and waves.  In racing you watch the waves to know the direction of the wind.  They move from the same direction.  This knowledge has come in handy for my now cruising world.   In my earlier racing years, electronics were not used to determine the direction of the wind or the depth of the sea.  You used the same knowledge the Vikings used as they read the stars, watched the waves and interpreted the skies.

 

It is important to keep an eye on the electronics.   On the GPS you can tell your distance from land, your point of origination, and your destination.  At that moment we are 100 nautical miles south of Pensacola and 225 miles northwest of Clearwater, Florida.   The depth meter indicates we are in 8,400 feet or 1,400 fathoms of water.   To me the sea is truly an endless well with no bottom. 

There are no birds, no sign of life on the surface and not a ship to be found.  There are no fishing vessels, because of the restriction on fishing following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the Louisiana coast.  The only sound was water coming over the bow making 6.2 knots, Speed over Ground (SOG).

The silence of the men sleeping gave me security knowing that soon they would be at the helm again and I was truly not alone.   Being alone at sea would not be comforting to me.  Another feeling of well-being is the sound of the engine working like a dream, humming and sputtering along.  It is truly the heartbeat of the boat. 

As the men awake, we run the generator and to our surprise it begins cutting off.  I call out, “Switch the fuel tanks”.   My husband open and closes the appropriate valves from the empty fuel tank to the available full tank.   This quick maneuver saved my husband the aggravation of bleeding the engine after it shuts down from fuel starvation.

We are now making out way southeast, so we can head directly into Tampa Bay.  Our stop at Tampa Bay will allow us to catch up on necessary computer work.  The SPOT Messenger tells everyone our location at sea.  It sends a message telling all our friends and love ones that we are OK.  Unfortunately, you can’t escape the real world of electronics.  The electronics on the boat are comforting.  Where the engine is the heartbeat of the boat, the electronics read the pulse.   They provide us the knowledge of where we are and what we are doing at all times. 

My husband faithfully writes on a log the longitude and latitude, so if our electronics quit we can continue our passage.  He has a sextant just in case we have to know where we are by stars.  If necessary, we can still use celestial navigation just as our forefathers did.

What would the world be without electronics?  I don’t think we can ever imagine, but out in the open sea we are far away from the complexity of technology.