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April 5, 2009
Every day has an event. We woke this morning in Cabbage Key. We ate breakfast in the dollar bill restaurant. It would be embarrassing to tell you what we ate, but it was good.
I woke thinking about the macerator. I don’t know of any less exciting thought. I dug out my Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual and learned about a boat’s plumbing system, including the "sanitary waste system." Great reading and it worked. I got the macerators running. We didn’t have to go to Uncle Henry’s. Linda was happy. I was ecstatic.
The winds were light. We motored through the Intracoastal Waterway to the channel. Raised the main and headed out to sea. The day was so calm and uneventful that there is nothing else to say. I wrote blogs. The problem was, after writing a blog, I looked up and right in front of me was a sailboat! That boat appeared out of the blue. That was so weird. Regardless, this was a lesson and I learned it well. I have radar on this boat and it should be set to warn me of any vessel within 2 miles. Even that does not allow a person at the helm to get engrossed in anything other than sailing.
Linda called her Mom. They were visiting as we were just o ff Sarasota. There was this brown patch in the water. I thought it was a weed patch, but it wasn’t. It was a turtle. I realize this when it raised its softball size head out of the water to look at us. I hollered to Linda who went through the same series of thoughts as me until she saw the head. We did not get a picture though. It all happened too fast.
We arrived at Sarasota about 4:30 pm. I radioed Sea Tow to gain local knowledge of the channel from the Gulf. Sea Tow is to boats like AAA is for cars. They provide a local knowledge service. You radio them and they give you information about the area. I asked about the channel. "Let me call the Captain," the female voice said. "He said fine so long as you stay in the channel," the female Sea Tow voice said. "He said it’s low tide." I thanked her and pulled up the tide tables on my instruments. We were at low tide and it was a low tide but not the lowest. There are four tides in a typical day, two low and two high. One of the lows is lower than the other . One of the highs is higher than the other. We were at the higher low, if that makes sense. I decide to wait a while. We were having a great time anyway so there is no immediate need to go in.
I radioed a couple of boats going in the channel and none responded.
There is a buoy system on channels. There are red buoys on one side and green on the other. If you are headed out to sea, the green buoys are on the right (starboard). If you are returning to port, the red buoys are supposed to be to starboard. Green going, red right returning. Remember that, and all is fine. Unless you are entering Sarasota channel.
I sailed along the coast, with binoculars, watching boats come in and out of the channel in Sarasota. One large yacht and another boat went in with the red marker on the port (left) side. "Green going, red right returning," I thought. "They are familiar with the area around the channel and know where it is safe to get out of it." I continued. But my draft is too deep. I have to stay in the channel.
I didn’t feel good though. I just did not feel good about this channel. We stayed offshore an hour and a half, and let the tide go up a foot. If Sea Tow says I’m fine at low tide, I must be fine a foot higher.
"Okay, we are going to go in this channel. I don’t trust something. Sea Tow says it’s fine." The problem was we had hung around to go in at Sarasota. The winds were about to pick up. We needed to be inshore. I felt comfortable that the Sea Tow guy was doing his job.
I still worried. "If we hit bottom, here is what we are going to do," I told Linda so she would know what was going to happen. I explained we would try to head out to sea and get back in deep water.
"Okay. We are going in." I said after the tide had come up a about a foot. Frankly, I was worried. We stayed in the channel. "Green going, red right returning." We were returning to port. Red on starboard.
The depth meter beeped but it had done that before. In fact, Mark had taken us in shallow water to see the actual depth meter reading when the keel hits bottom. Three and one half feet. That’s because the transducer is on the bottom of the boat below the waterline.
So as I came in the Sarasota channel I knew I needed the depth meter to stay above 3.5 feet. The depth meter went to 4.8. Bump! We hit something with the keel. I’m heading inshore. If we bump here, if I get closer, we will have a big problem. I turn hard to port to get us away from that red marker. Into deeper water. Boom. We hit again. Bump, the stern hits. The steering is stiff. (Expletive)! The motor digs in though and pushes us off. We are in deep water but it’s really hard to steer.
"Sea Tow, this is the sailing vessel Royal Crescent on Channel 11," I fume. They answer. "Would you call me on my cell?" The cell rings. Okay, this guy tries to tell me that if I stay in the channel I’ll be fine. Surely I went out of the channel. Try it again. I explain no, I am not trying it again. I am not going to another port. It is almost dark. He cleared me and advised me how to enter channel. "I want a lead in. I’m a member of Sea Tow and I request a lead in. I don’t know if my vessel is safe. I do not feel secure in going to another port." "All our boats are busy. They won’t be available for at least an hour and a half." He stalls. "It won’t be dark until an hour and forty five minutes. I’ll wait. Please get a lead in out here." Linda and I sail. And we sail.
Finally, a boat comes through the channel. It is not Sea tow but it comes out a little way then turns around to ease back in. I radio. No response. I ask Linda to pull out the horn. I honk it. They hear. They radio. I explain. They agree to lead us in.
They go in about 100 yards ahead of us, to the right of the red marker! What happened to red right returning? "The marker moved and hasn’t been replaced," I’m told. It apparently has been that way for two months.
After we are safely in, I radio Sea Tow to tell them the error. They simply say I should call the Coast Guard and report the buoy. How useless. The rudder is hard to turn. Interestingly, as we are coming in a Coast Guard boat with emergency lights flashing heads out to the Gulf. Coincidence?
I need to make two things clear. Sea Tow is a good organization. It has successfully helped many, many boaters. Even they make mistakes. Second, this is my vessel and I am responsible for everything that happens on it. I had a bad feeling about going into that channel. I should have not hesitated to contact as many people as often as necessary to get in. That said, the marker should not have been out of place.
I have to admit, it is after dark and I’ve had enough problems. I radio a sailboat we pass. They have a sign 346-SAIL. I call the number. They are helpful, courteous and they lead us in to dock. Thanks. They also refer me to Snead Boat Yard.
We get docked. (I’m leaving some details out). We tie up. We eat. We go to bed. We are tired. I don’t sleep well.
Post again tomorrow
Royal Crescent.
Every day has an event. We woke this morning in Cabbage Key. We ate breakfast in the dollar bill restaurant. It would be embarrassing to tell you what we ate, but it was good.
I woke thinking about the macerator. I don’t know of any less exciting thought. I dug out my Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual and learned about a boat’s plumbing system, including the "sanitary waste system." Great reading and it worked. I got the macerators running. We didn’t have to go to Uncle Henry’s. Linda was happy. I was ecstatic.
The winds were light. We motored through the Intracoastal Waterway to the channel. Raised the main and headed out to sea. The day was so calm and uneventful that there is nothing else to say. I wrote blogs. The problem was, after writing a blog, I looked up and right in front of me was a sailboat! That boat appeared out of the blue. That was so weird. Regardless, this was a lesson and I learned it well. I have radar on this boat and it should be set to warn me of any vessel within 2 miles. Even that does not allow a person at the helm to get engrossed in anything other than sailing.
Linda called her Mom. They were visiting as we were just o ff Sarasota. There was this brown patch in the water. I thought it was a weed patch, but it wasn’t. It was a turtle. I realize this when it raised its softball size head out of the water to look at us. I hollered to Linda who went through the same series of thoughts as me until she saw the head. We did not get a picture though. It all happened too fast.
We arrived at Sarasota about 4:30 pm. I radioed Sea Tow to gain local knowledge of the channel from the Gulf. Sea Tow is to boats like AAA is for cars. They provide a local knowledge service. You radio them and they give you information about the area. I asked about the channel. "Let me call the Captain," the female voice said. "He said fine so long as you stay in the channel," the female Sea Tow voice said. "He said it’s low tide." I thanked her and pulled up the tide tables on my instruments. We were at low tide and it was a low tide but not the lowest. There are four tides in a typical day, two low and two high. One of the lows is lower than the other . One of the highs is higher than the other. We were at the higher low, if that makes sense. I decide to wait a while. We were having a great time anyway so there is no immediate need to go in.
I radioed a couple of boats going in the channel and none responded.
There is a buoy system on channels. There are red buoys on one side and green on the other. If you are headed out to sea, the green buoys are on the right (starboard). If you are returning to port, the red buoys are supposed to be to starboard. Green going, red right returning. Remember that, and all is fine. Unless you are entering Sarasota channel.
I sailed along the coast, with binoculars, watching boats come in and out of the channel in Sarasota. One large yacht and another boat went in with the red marker on the port (left) side. "Green going, red right returning," I thought. "They are familiar with the area around the channel and know where it is safe to get out of it." I continued. But my draft is too deep. I have to stay in the channel.
I didn’t feel good though. I just did not feel good about this channel. We stayed offshore an hour and a half, and let the tide go up a foot. If Sea Tow says I’m fine at low tide, I must be fine a foot higher.
"Okay, we are going to go in this channel. I don’t trust something. Sea Tow says it’s fine." The problem was we had hung around to go in at Sarasota. The winds were about to pick up. We needed to be inshore. I felt comfortable that the Sea Tow guy was doing his job.
I still worried. "If we hit bottom, here is what we are going to do," I told Linda so she would know what was going to happen. I explained we would try to head out to sea and get back in deep water.
"Okay. We are going in." I said after the tide had come up a about a foot. Frankly, I was worried. We stayed in the channel. "Green going, red right returning." We were returning to port. Red on starboard.
The depth meter beeped but it had done that before. In fact, Mark had taken us in shallow water to see the actual depth meter reading when the keel hits bottom. Three and one half feet. That’s because the transducer is on the bottom of the boat below the waterline.
So as I came in the Sarasota channel I knew I needed the depth meter to stay above 3.5 feet. The depth meter went to 4.8. Bump! We hit something with the keel. I’m heading inshore. If we bump here, if I get closer, we will have a big problem. I turn hard to port to get us away from that red marker. Into deeper water. Boom. We hit again. Bump, the stern hits. The steering is stiff. (Expletive)! The motor digs in though and pushes us off. We are in deep water but it’s really hard to steer.
"Sea Tow, this is the sailing vessel Royal Crescent on Channel 11," I fume. They answer. "Would you call me on my cell?" The cell rings. Okay, this guy tries to tell me that if I stay in the channel I’ll be fine. Surely I went out of the channel. Try it again. I explain no, I am not trying it again. I am not going to another port. It is almost dark. He cleared me and advised me how to enter channel. "I want a lead in. I’m a member of Sea Tow and I request a lead in. I don’t know if my vessel is safe. I do not feel secure in going to another port." "All our boats are busy. They won’t be available for at least an hour and a half." He stalls. "It won’t be dark until an hour and forty five minutes. I’ll wait. Please get a lead in out here." Linda and I sail. And we sail.
Finally, a boat comes through the channel. It is not Sea tow but it comes out a little way then turns around to ease back in. I radio. No response. I ask Linda to pull out the horn. I honk it. They hear. They radio. I explain. They agree to lead us in.
They go in about 100 yards ahead of us, to the right of the red marker! What happened to red right returning? "The marker moved and hasn’t been replaced," I’m told. It apparently has been that way for two months.
After we are safely in, I radio Sea Tow to tell them the error. They simply say I should call the Coast Guard and report the buoy. How useless. The rudder is hard to turn. Interestingly, as we are coming in a Coast Guard boat with emergency lights flashing heads out to the Gulf. Coincidence?
I need to make two things clear. Sea Tow is a good organization. It has successfully helped many, many boaters. Even they make mistakes. Second, this is my vessel and I am responsible for everything that happens on it. I had a bad feeling about going into that channel. I should have not hesitated to contact as many people as often as necessary to get in. That said, the marker should not have been out of place.
I have to admit, it is after dark and I’ve had enough problems. I radio a sailboat we pass. They have a sign 346-SAIL. I call the number. They are helpful, courteous and they lead us in to dock. Thanks. They also refer me to Snead Boat Yard.
We get docked. (I’m leaving some details out). We tie up. We eat. We go to bed. We are tired. I don’t sleep well.
Post again tomorrow
Royal Crescent.
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