Florida 120 day 3, Saturday 5/20

On the chart with the GPS tracking layered, the yellow is the outbound eastward route with two shades for Thursday and Friday. The violet track westward is the return on Saturday. With the wind behind us, Saturday’s sail was very nice for reaches and broad reaches with a just few gybes. I had thought of raising the gennaker, but decided that without a crewman for the helm, I would be in for a lot of work. Just settled back and enjoyed the ride. JF got off the beach about forty-five minutes ahead. I couldn’t catch up until about the Middle Ground Channel crossing. I looked at my radio and the batteries died. After passing the Sand Island, I heaved to so that I could rummage below for spare batteries. JF got the lead again until after the Perdido Bridge. Like previously noted, there the intercoastal narrows just west of the bridge, plus the traffic seems to increase for some reason. So just cruise along, sail nice, stay to the right, and just cruise. Then somewhere about marker 39 or 41, the wind doubles. Time for this Astus tri to giddy up and go. The port ama flies up and like a sling shot, were doing about 14 to 15 kts, as reported by Mr. Garmin. And there we go flying the intercoastal where there is a no wake zone maybe. Have not had these rides so often, except out on the Gulf. On starboard I got a jet skier flanking me to pass outside the channel and he has got this whiskey tango foxtrot look on his face looking at me. So I ride it for what it’s worth. JF is way back there now.

Get to marker 58 and decide to heave to and wait for JF as he is not responding to by radio calls. Going into Perdido Bay, with the wind picking up, we need to decide if to retrieve the boats at the Lillian ramps, that are facing an onslaught of two-foot chop, or camp back at Dupont Point in the lee of the wind. Dupont it is and retrieve the next morning.

The ride to Dupont was a close reach, with wind maybe now 15 kts and making 9 to 10 kts headway in the two-foot white caps. Again I should have found some wind break reefed the main at marker 58. Would have not been so bad if had some crew for windward ballast. I decided to wrap the jib. That was a bit dumb as now could not point as high as I wanted and the desire here was to make the 5 NM to Dupont on the one starboard tack. Looking at the wound jib, thinking a little is too much and none is not enough. With the roller furling line held fast, I tried pulling the port side jib sheet some and got a just bit of unravel on the jib. I let out an inch maybe on the furling line and the jib opened up about a foot. This is not supposed to be a roller reefing jib system, there I had it in storm jib mode, and steering with a heavy helm to keep a close hauled reach. Only needed that for about 20 minutes or so to make the beach head. Three other sailors, who set out at least two hours before me at Navarre where just ahead. Passed on portside, Mike in a 21 ft. Dovekie. Later on at the Dupont beach head, Mike remarked about how high up the starboard ama was when he was passed. I couldn’t tell, too busy managing the helm.

I got up higher past the beach pong to a sandy cove with more wind break from the trees. The wind picked up even more and this made for good shelter. JF came up a bit later and both agreed that that was a rough and rougher fetch. Looking across then bay at that point, about halfway over to Lillian, there were considerable white caps. Retrieving would be just short of an unnecessary nightmare, and it was getting darker quickly. Quick check with NOAA, and we were in for thunder storms in a short while.

At anchor on the shore line, decided to sleep indoors tonight. No tent on the tramps with cool shore breeze. Was going to hunker down in the cabin. Then the sun came out quickly as is does on the beach and now we got radiant heat. I offered JF my beach umbrella for cabin cover. I stretched out a backpack tarp on my rig for shade. Chill time. Surprising I had one somewhat fairly cold beer left. JF come over to my crib, we dined on essential camp cuisine: corn beef casadias and curry lentals, and reminisced about the past few days of sailing. I did not mention this before but JF’s parents live in Pensacola, have and nice 32 ft. single mast sloop rig cruiser that draws 4 ft. They met us at Dupont Point at the onset and cruised along until breaking away before Middle Ground to head back to port. We talked about how fortunate to have sailing family. JF had planned to retrieve tonight and head over to parents place for home cooked meal. That was not happening tonight. The wind picked up, rain started to go from light to gonna be heavy real quick, the mess was squared away, and the tarp was doused, least get blown away. JF got back to his RoG and hunkered down with the umbrella over his big hatch opening. I got back in the cabin and it just let loose for a couple of hours, heavy rain and lightning. Survived the night.