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Published: December 10th 2010
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Sara Fishing
But not for long in the cold Thursday morning Sara and Trevor got up bright and early, turned on the weather forecast, then went back to bed. Seas 2-4’ are not what we were looking for. So we spent the day doing odd jobs. I finished all the caps and scarves for the kids, then Sara and I played MasterMind and Phase 10 until our brains were tired. Then we knitted a cap for Kerry, thinking maybe that would chase off this darned cold weather. In the afternoon Sara and Trevor put up their radar reflector.
The wind and waves started picking up after supper, and by midnight were really rocking us. Someone said, “Let’s just go.” And we did, through the dark for 3 miles, unable to see the rollers heading our way. Finally we gave up the foolishness and went back to Alligator Harbor and anchored separately, and went back to bed hoping for a couple more hours of sleep.
Up Friday morning before dawn and underway again. Not too bad at first, but by the time we got out to our first marker, it was rolling again. To make matters worse, Sara and Trevor were having engine trouble, it would just quit. It
Radar reflector
for the Gulf crossing got progressively harder to restart the engine, until at last it wouldn’t start. Sara got on the radio and called TowBoatUS. They got her coordinates and told her to drop anchor and wait for the towboat to get there. Unfortunately the captain had been sent to pick up a radio antenna somewhere and was still 30 minutes away from his boat. Thankfully, Sara had increased her towing coverage with BoatUS, and didn’t have to pay for the tow, which would have cost probably $2,000.
So they sat, rocking and rolling, but not in too bad spirits, while we circled them like mother hens, lending moral support. At last the towboat got there, got tied to their boat, and they headed in toward St. Marks. With the waves all confused, they still had a rough ride for a while, but they were moving forward and at a faster pace than they normally travel. We followed. I went below and napped for an hour, and when I got up, the water was much smoother. At last, around 4 we arrived at Shields Marina in St. Marks. Nice folks here in a beautiful setting.
The towboat captain, Capt. Biggin, said he
Sunset
from Alligator Harbor thought it was probably the racor filter, which Sara had never changed, though she did change the fuel filter on this trip. When the mechanic arrived, he said there was water in her fuel, which the racor filter would normally take care of. As for the grumpy starting, it’s an old engine, and diesels don’t like cold weather. So now she has a new racor filter, and a spare to take along, and the engine is purring like a kitten.
Kerry and I have already tested the showers, which were not only very satisfying, but much needed. So once the kids have their showers, we’ll head down the street for dinner in a restaurant. As for when we get underway to Steinhatchee, that remains to be seen. The forecast is for really nasty weather Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
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Barbara
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WOW....what a trip so far!