Leaving Palmetto

April 10, 2009
The boat is on fire. Not really but that is what it sounds like. A slow simmering fire crackling constantly. Not big, just a small fire. Shawn, at Sneads, explained that he knew someone who believed the noise was from water seeping into the boat. That poor guy stayed up all night searching for the leak and was really frustrated. I slept soundly, not worrying about the fire, but wondering what that was. Shawn explained that it small shrimp hitting the side of the boat, apparently searching for food. Either their tails or something hits the boat as they either dart for food or dart to get away from a predator. It is nice to know the boat is not on fire or sinking.
We woke this morning, ate breakfast, did last minute grocery shopping and headed offshore with the winds up a little and roller waves hitting us on the port beam (left side of the boat). These waves create a rolling motion that immediately affects me and not much later, Linda. We don’t get sick, we just don’t feel great. That goes away in a couple of hours.
We are going west out of Tampa Bay, probably fifty or sixty miles before turning north to either Panama City or Pensacola. We head west because we have a south wind which is predicted to veer to the west later tonight or tomorrow. By heading west, we get wind on our beam going out and then, when the wind switches from the west, we turn north and have wind on our beam heading north. This is Mark’s idea. I would have headed north today. That would not have been as much fun.
Mark is an experienced sailor. He has crossed the Atlantic and Pacific on multiple occasions in sailboats ranging from thirty three fee to ninety feet. He is from London. He sailed from there to here and stayed. He lives in the Keys, sells boats, and hires out as a captain. His wife is a professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Maryland.
Mark, in addition to being captain, is now the boat’s cook. He made lentils today, something Linda and I have never knowingly eaten. They were great. He’s making dinner tonight stir fry chicken and vegetables. He says his wife is a fine cook also. We will invite them to sail and cook for us anytime.
We have a gimballed stove/oven. That means that it is hinged and, when allowed to swing, will swing with the boat, keeping the pots and pans level while the boat rocks. It works great even in rough seas. In addition, there should be fiddles on the stove. Fiddles hold the pots as extra security to keep them from sliding. We don’t have any. Apparently none came with the boat when originally purchased. So, we improvise using wire and a ratcheting clamp. It holds fine for now.
The sun is setting. The winds are about 12 knots. The seas are rolling and blue. We saw a sea turtle floating on the surface. It didn’t even move, as we went by, other than to lift its head up and watch us pass. Tonight is Linda’s first night sail ever. We will have a full moon tonight.
Oh, and I almost forgot the event of the day! When I bought my electronics on this boat, I bought an electronic chartplotter. It is our electronic map. The maps are on compact flash cards. We need to change from the card I’ve been using to one that will give us the details for either Pensacola or Panama City. We switch cards but the new card will not work. Tomorrow is Saturday. We won’t get in until late. We will not be able to get the card replaced until Monday, most likely. I guess there is always something. Always an event.
Post again tomorrow
Royal Crescent.