Tempting Fate

. . . BY MAKING ABSOLUTE STATEMENTS

Did we write that Carina had no problems so far? Our advice is: never tempt fate by making a statement like that.

After our sailing friends, Bob and Trish, left us at Pensacola, we spent a couple of leisurely days getting from the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) to a pass out to the Gulf. To go east from Pensacola, boaters can either sail the ICW or sail out in the Gulf. We had only one choice: the Gulf. Carina’s mast is too tall to go under the Destin Bridge on the ICW. Our first overnight stop from the Gulf side was Destin Harbor; our second stop, Grand Lagoon near Panama City Beach; and our third, Port St. Joe.

Destin Harbor was chilly, but there were still plenty of fishermen, 

plenty of tourists and plenty of condos.

The Destin leg of the Gulf cruise was long and uneventful. The next day, we left the Destin harbor very early for a 50-mile motor sail to Panama City. Dolphins swam with us for about 10 minutes, leaping around our bow wave.  The winds were blowing 10 to 15 and gusting higher with waves of three to five feet coming at a 90-degree angle to the wind, causing the boat to wallow. It was tiring at the helm, but not awful.

About six miles into the trip, the engine stopped humming and started making a grinding noise. The noise stopped when we reduced throttle.  We were able to return to our original speed. Thirty minutes later the grinding began again, and so it continued for the next two hours. After two hours, it mysteriously stopped grinding.

Jane was smiling at the helm until about five minutes later 

when the grinding started in the engine.

After all, we’re a sailboat

If the engine goes, we can always go sail only, right?

As we battled the wave-wind combination and worried about the engine, suddenly the mainsail started flapping violently. The shackle attaching the boom to the traveler had broken. When a boom with in-boom furling starts going haywire around the boat, it’s dramatic, loud and dangerous. We lowered the main – no mean feat in those waves, latched the boom down and temporarily replaced the shackle with a small brass lock. Carina motorsailed, jib-only, the next 30-plus miles to Panama City in what we learned was a Small Craft Advisory.  

We were proud of our teamwork in dealing with problems. Carina didn’t limp into Bay Point Marina in Panama City, but her captain and crew were glad to get there. The next day we replaced the broken shackle with a bigger, stronger one.

The new shackle is slightly larger and stronger than the one that broke.

A repairman looked over the engine, finding no problems inside the boat. Maybe there was a problem outside. At that moment, a diver walked by on his way to work on another boat. He dove in to check Carina, found a loose zinc that caused the grinding noise, and repaired it with an Allen wrench – a simple problem with a simple fix.

If anyone needs a good diver in the Greater Panama City area, we highly recommend 

Chris Fowler, at jfowler886@gmail.com. He's a former Chattanoogan, too.

Everything was fine with the Port St. Joe leg, except the air conditioning didn’t work when we connected to power at the marina. (We know there are “air violins” being played by some of you; poor babies don’t have air conditioning.)  It appears that the fresh water pump on the heat and air system died. Another is ordered.

Kent took the V-berth apart to check the air and heating system. 

We'll replace the fresh water pump in Tarpon Springs.

Not Alone Long

In our first days alone, we wondered if we would meet other sailors. Most Loopers are massed up at the Demopolis Yacht Basin until the end of the month because of provisions in their insurance. Those questions ended after Port St. Joe. We’ve met some wonderful, interesting people – “Trawler Trash,” catamaran sailors and monohull sailors going on the Loop, to the Keys, to the Bahamas or just cruising the Gulf.

Pat and David on Sanctuary are among the many interesting people 

we've met along the way.

Trawlers are among the nicest neighbors, although they dwarf us in every way.

As we talked with one couple docked at White City -- David and Pat on Sanctuary, it turned out they were close friends with a lot of our long-time sailing pals in Florida, once again showing that it’s a small world.  

The Crossing

We are now in Carrabelle waiting for the best weather window for “The Crossing.”

Carina and Truthsayer, a 51-foot boat from Texas, await the right 

weather window at C-Quarters Marina in Carrabelle. C-Quarters is a small, very friendly, reasonably priced marina.

The crossing is the way boaters get from the Panhandle to south Florida or vice versa and usually refers to a straight line crossing, out of sight of land. The Gulf is shallow in the curve a little past Apalachicola, so only boats with shallow drafts can follow the curve. Carina will go in a straight line. At Carina’s speed, it’s about a 30-hour trip with watches by both of us.

Our crossing looks like it may be tomorrow.  Wish us luck. We’ll let you know how it goes.

Next: The Crossing to Tarpon Springs