I’ve completed the little seepage repair from the sail up her from Key West and the sealant should have set well enough to sail now. The repair only took a few hours but it took two days to find the dremel tool I wanted to use to cut away part of the inner hull to access the bolt and bracket that ties into the keel trunk. The bolt was loose as well as the bolt holding the bulkhead to the inner hull forward side of the battery compartment. I plan to sail tomorrow and find my emotional reactions to that quite interesting. There is the more obvious twinge of anxiety and excitement, but there is also a sadness about leaving this place. I really liked it here. Under the surface is a peace and serenity as the cares of this world become insignificant as I ready Joanna for moving on. It doesn’t even bother me any more about how that stork or swan or whatever it was would hang out on my inflatable every night pooping all over it.

April 10, 2001 10:39 p.m. – Boot Key Harbor to Florida Bay north of John Sawyer Bank

N24^o 46.00’ W81^o 6.88’

I had this trip planned so well, but it just didn’t work out that way. I was going to be anchored tonight off Long Key or if I couldn’t make there, the East end of Vaca key. But here I am unprotected in the middle of Florida Bay. I left Boot key Harbor this morning at 10:15 a.m. so I could go with the tidal current under the seven-mile bridge west of Vaca Key. I had to go under the drawbridge leaving the harbor as the fuel docks were just on the other side. I was trying to reach the drawbridge attendant on channel 16 when some kind soul broke in and informed me I had to reach him on 9. That went well, they opened the bridge for me and after I passed under, the attendant was kind enough to call me back and warn me that I was headed for the wrong side of the markers and in danger of grounding. So I altered course and when I got to the fuel dock, I made an excellent entry. I figured the hardest part was over. The woman at the fuel dock brought me the nozzle and I toped off the tank and filled the empty 6-ga. Can. (I have two.) I pulled out very gracefully and headed down the channel towards the seven-mile bridge. About halfway down the channel, the motor sputtered once then died flat. I could tell by the way it quit it would be no use to try and restart it so I tried to get the jib up real fast so I could stay in the channel. Things got real confusing and I’m not sure how this happened, but I ended up stuck in the mud by some mangrove trees. By this time I pretty well guessed that the fuel attendant had given me the diesel nozzle. First I ran the second anchor out in the inflatable and pulled Joanna out of the mud. Then I emptied the fuel tank into two 5-gallon buckets and purged the line. Fortunately I had one 6-gallan can of fuel uncontaminated so I refilled the tank and got the motor running. It was diesel I had bought. So I went back to the fuel dock bought gasoline and dumped the diesel. By the time I got that all straightened out and tried to approach the channel under Seven-Mile Bridge the tide had turned. Between the motor and the sails I could only do 2 knots but my speed through the water must have been high because the rudder wouldn’t stay down because all the barnacles on it made so much resistance. The auto-helm wasn’t doing any good with the rudder up and all the turbulence from the current and so with my right foot on the tiller and my hand turning the motor for steerage I fought the current for 1.5 miles until I was past the bridge far enough I could put the rudder back down and sail. The sun was going down about this time and I had to work windward tacking back and forth between the bridge and Bethel Bank. Once I got past Bethel Bank I just went north to get relief from the endless tacking. I was going to try to go windward of John Sawyer Bank but it was too close so I passed leeward of it losing some of my eastward progress. After passing John Sawyer Bank as closely as I dared in the dark, I guess I pushed Mr. Autohelm a little too much trying to point windward and he got us in irons. I was so tired and disgusted by this point knowing that I was no farther East then when I started out this morning, having to backtrack to cross under the bridge and fight my way windward that I just said, “That’s it!” and dropped anchor out here in the middle of Florida Bay. It’s a lousy place to anchor as Joanna is pitching and rolling and the hanging cordage is slapping against the inner hull, but she can drag anchor for 3-4 miles before we’re in danger so this is good enough for the night.

April 11, 2001 9:31 a.m.

It took a long time to go to sleep last night. I don’t think it was the rolling and pitching of the boat as much as after the long fight to windward in the dark between the banks, shoal areas, and little keys I was wound up like a sugared up ten-year old.

At 2:30 a.m. this morning I shortened the scope on the anchor rode hoping to lessen her swinging at anchor, which kept, bringing her near broadside to the wind and waves. It didn’t help. Within a couple hours after that however the wind lessened and I was reasonably comfortable.

Tacking back and forth yesterday the sheet on the Genoa caught the split ring that holds the pin secure on the top of the turnbuckle on the outer shroud. It opened that split ring wide up so I had to bend it back around, then I wrapped it with black tape to prevent it from happening again. I felt fortunate it happened before dark. It was one of those split rings that wind in like a clock spring or curly cue, rather than the key chain type. The clock spring types are easier to install having the end of the wire exposed but I sure see the disadvantage now. The sharp end of that little wire can snag things.

When Mr. Autohelm got Joanna caught in irons last night, somehow the dinghy painter got wrapped around the rudder so that will be my first order of business for today after breakfast. I’m going to look for the putty knife too as that rudder just isn’t working very well with all the barnacles on it.

I don’t know if it’s all the barnacles on the hull, keel, and rudder or what, but the best track I could get into the wind was 75^o-80^o off the wind. Of course I can’t get as much with the autohelm as hand steering unless the wind is real steady but still that seems like pretty poor performance.

April 11, 2001 7:47 p.m. – Florida Bay to between Russel Key and East end of Vaca Key

N24^o 44.16’ W81^o 02.11’

Boot Key Harbor was in the middle of Vaca key and now I’m at the East end of Vaca Key. This is where I walked to when I picked up my bicycle from the shop. It took me two days of sailing to get here. I missed a lot sailing west but it looks like I’m going to see it all coming back. I just scraped the barnacles off the rudder. It was too rough to do it in Florida Bay. No wonder I could hardly tack. The rudder couldn’t have been doing much good, and no wonder Joanna is so slow going to windward with the hull and keel covered with barnacles. Today I sailed between 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. with 10-13 mph winds and a very easy sail to windward with only two tacks.

April 12, 2001 6:54 a.m. – to East end of Grassy Key

I’m four miles from where I started. That sounds pretty bad for two days sailing, one of which was hard. But that’s not the whole story. Because of backtracking to go under Seven-Mile Bridge, I have actually made straight-line distance of 12 miles or 6 miles per day. If you figure the distance I made over water with all the tacking you come up with 29.5 nautical miles at 1.8 knots. It all comes down to this, straight line distance I’ve been averaging .75 knots, with the average wind speed of 13 mph. This is the first time I’ve tried to sail any appreciable distance with unfavorable winds.

7:30 a.m.

I pulled up anchor and set sail.

10:45 a.m.

I just had to stuff a rag around the cable that pulls the keel up, down into the top of the plastic hose the cable comes up through. I guess water rushing under the hull was forcing some up through there. Just every now and then a little water would gurgle up and spit out. The rag is working.

11:16 a.m.

I just noticed blood from somewhere. I finally traced it down to my elbow or the back of my arm where I can’t see. It’s not much so I’m not worried about it. It may have happened when I tacked. I had to jump up on deck and back the jib. Sometimes I get a little clumsy when I get excited.

4:35 p.m.

I anchored at 3:15 p.m. and Joanna is setting just 104 feet from my projected anchorage waypoint. I thought that was pretty good considering I was running the motor coming up to anchorage and trying to get the sails down when the autohelm slipped off the tiller. I was busy with the sails and just let her do the 360. After the circle I just brought her in with the depth gauge and just got lucky to hit the mark that close.

I got in my 6 miles today and did a little better averaging straight line distance at .78 knots.

April 13, 2001 10:32 p.m. – East end of Grassy Key to Islamorada, Upper Matecumbe Key

N24^o 55.50’ W80^o 38.18’

At 5:30 this morning while still dark I hoisted the mainsail, pulled in the anchor and then raised the Genoa while drifting. I quietly slipped out of the little cove I was in and headed for the light marking the shoal area West of Tom’s Harbor Channel. I passed as close to the light as I could to preserve my eastward progress. I guess I timed it just right as daylight was breaking just in time to see the markers at Channel Key Pass. According to weather forecasts after today’s wind there would be two days of calm. I wanted to make it to Islamorada so I could shower and explore the town through the weekend of no wind. So each time I had to tack back South I ran the motor and went southeast so as not to lose any eastward progress. I ran the motor 25-30% of the time and ended up making 22.5 miles in 7.25 hours, anchoring at 12:45 p.m.

I was anxious to shower and get my bike into town to go exploring and didn’t run my anchor light up. I motored the dinghy back out to the anchorage after dark and it was one of those real dark nights with many anchored boats spread out over a large unfamiliar area. I motored all over the whole cove before I found Joanna. I was just about to give up, go back to land and wait for the moon to come up in the wee hours of the morning as I was already low on fuel and I didn’t want to make one problem turn into two. But I found her just before I gave in. I won’t do that again.

April 15, 2001 9:35 p.m. – Islamorada, upper Matecumbe Key to Tavernier, south end Key Largo

I didn’t plan on sailing today. I attended Easter services but when I got out the wind was coming out of the west. I knew that it soon would be Northwest, then North, then Northeast, so I took a shower, snapped a couple of pictures and pulled up anchor late at 4:10 p.m. I was able to sail back to the ICW and nearly to Tavernier but with the sun going down I ran the motor from 6:30 to 7:55 at which time I dropped anchor. N25^o 00.98’ W80^o 30.94’

April 17, 2001 – Tavernier, south end Key Largo to Key Largo

I left Tavernier at 6:45 yesterday morning to motor directly into the wind until I turned east at the ICW. But when I got to the ICW, the wind was dead. Anxious to get to my mail at Key Largo, I dropped the sails and motored ‘til 8:58 a.m. at which time I dropped anchor. I guess I should have put out both anchors as the wind picked up with the approaching cold front during the night and I’m off a lee shore same as that day my anchor dragged. I had more scope this time and the anchor held fast but waking at 3:30 this morning I couldn’t go back to sleep for worrying about it. So at first light, I set the second anchor. N25^o 05.56’ W80^o 26.90’

Continue to Chapter Five

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