FL 120 2K23 Day 2: Fort McRee to Big Sabine
After waking up, getting breakfast, getting dressed, getting rigged, and getting underway in very light winds, I was treated to my:
Usual View of the Fleet. :'(
20230518_081026 1024X768.jpg
Flatness of the water, should give you an idea.
This was going to be one of those "character building" days, i.e., into the wind.
That boat at center is a Siren 17, Suzy Blue, from Georgia on the opposite tack ahead of me.
My son used to own a Siren 17, even took it to some early BEER Cruises.
20230518_091113 1024X768.jpg
And away he goes!
20230518_091157 1024X768.jpg
Boats on opposite tacks.
20230518_094442 1024X768.jpg
I have no idea what this guy was doing; going back for forgotten gear, perhaps.
20230518_101347 1024X768.jpg
This guy sailed his Hobie Cat all over the place, the whole week.
This was a typical view for me.
After 3 tacks within the same half mile, I realized I was fighting a foul current by the Pensacola Pass and fired up the engine, to motor out of that predicament.
20230518_102011 1024X768.jpg
THIS is more like it!! :)
It's GREAT to be in the groove, washing the ports!
Even better: After my ports modifications, my ports only get washed on one side!! YAYYY!!!
(Hey! You take your victories, where you can get them!)
20230518_103435 1024X768.jpg
Son-in-law, Ed, chilling out.
20230518_110707 1024X768.jpg
How did I get ahead of the Siren?!? ???
Oh, Yeah.
Motor.
20230518_114800 1024X768.jpg
They hold their own, when it's only sails involved, though.
20230518_114954 1024X768.jpg
After a boatload of tacks and a brief motoring through the Pensacola Bridge, we got to Quiet Waters Park, answering the question:
Did we want Peanut Butter and Crackers for lunch, or something from a restaurant?
Dumb question.
Totally Gratuitous Token Perve Shot for my readers. ;)
tgps_3.jpg
Quiet Waters Park now has lots of piers, pilings and other obstacles, in what used to be a nice anchorage for transient boaters.
This year's BEER Cruise is planning a stop there and I don't know WHERE all those boats are going to find a space to spend the night.
We mainly stopped there because we needed ice.
That's my story and I'm STICKING to it!! :D
20230518_141126 1024X768.jpg
Decided on Flounders, since it may very well be my favorite restaurant on that strip.
Lots of good memories from previous BEER Cruises, if nothing else.
20230518_143201 1024X768.jpg
A platter of one species of everything they have in the kitchen, fried to perfection.
20230518_144336 1024X768.jpg
Under way again and headed for Big Sabine.
Note that we're still using the genoa for tacking.
20230518_161447 1024X768.jpg
It's a tough job, but SOMEBODY'S got to do it!! :D
The wind swung around far enough south, that we were able to use a whisker pole and keep moving in the winds that were getting lighter and lighter.
20230518_173431 1024X768.jpg
You KNOW you're not moving very fast, when a Pelican doesn't even bother to move out of your way!! >:(
Can't get no respect, from ANYTHING!! :'(
20230518_173457 1024X768.jpg
For a guy supposed to be on vacation, Ed sure did a lot of his contracting business over the phone, including filing for permits over the web, while we were out there.
20230518_174801 1024X768.jpg
Later on, he told me this was the most continuous sleep he'd gotten in several years.
Reaching Big Sabine, (finally!) our boat neighbor was long-time BEER Cruiser, Steve Gully on his super-modified Puddle Duck Racer, Modi-5d
20230518_190629 1024X768.jpg
And you only thought the stuff you could SEE, looked crowded!! :o
20230518_190638 1024X768.jpg
Apparently, he kicks enough stuff out of the way, in order to go to sleep.
Our buddy on the Hobie Cat.
Discovered that while we had been slogging upwind on long (and tiring!) tacks all day, he would tack to one side of the Santa Rosa Sound, take a swim, tack to the other side of the Sound, take a nap, rinse, repeat.
I admired (and secretly hated) him at the same time.
20230518_192414 1024X768.jpg
Urchin peacefully tied up for the night.
20230518_192435 1024X768.jpg
I got a lot of comments on my Sand Stake, both at the recent Cedar Key Small Boat Meet and on the FL 120.
Besides holding well in sand, it has the ability to hammer/pound it into the sand and ALSO! To hammer/pound it back OUT, again.
No back strain, attempting to tug a stake out of the ground.
So many people have commented, that I decided to include links.
As usual, they've made improvements/changes since I bought mine, lo, these several decades ago.
https://www.westmarine.com/west-marine-shore-anchors-P014063853.html
P014063853_1500.jpg
They have a 9 pound and an 11 pound version. I'd recommend the 11 pound version for boats 16 feet and up and the 9 pound version for all the smaller beachable boats.
Or one closest in appearance to mine:
https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-shore-stake-anchor
51NWrUZ-iJL._AC_SL1500_ 1024X768.jpg
Or this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GH69WXR/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07GH69WXR&linkCode=as2&tag=bbaawps-20&linkId=f5cb00e9d74e09131abb60d0fd4253fe
BP_Shore_Stake.JPG
And if ya want to get REALLY fancy:
https://www.slideanchor.com/shore-spike-1/shore-spike-jyhze
Shore+Spike+Galvainized+3+shot+w+dim 1024X768.jpg
So I donwanna hear any more about it!! :)
Note that there are not as many boats at Big Sabine.
20230518_192510 1024X768.jpg
Seems like some of them didn't need their "character" built up all that much.
But, all of the Ususal Suspects were there.
20230518_192517 1024X768.jpg
Much braver men than I, to camp out in the MIDDLE of no-see-um land.
I had a Thermacell in my cabin and counted myself lucky.
I don't know what these Stoics did all night.
20230518_192627 1024X768.jpg
Scott Widmier's ComPac Something Cat, again.
20230518_193227 1024X768.jpg
Anything better looking, than a recently painted boat sitting quietly at anchor, just before sunset?
Not to me!! :D
20230518_193413 1024X768.jpg
I bet every one of these guys felt that exact same way, sitting on their boats.
20230518_193645 1024X768.jpg
We even had entertainment.
Guy had a really good fingerstyle guitar playing method and a warm, easy voice, strongly reminiscent of James Taylor.
I secretly admired him and hated him too, at the same time, an emotion known only to singer/guitar players of lesser talent.
(Not false modesty, here. I play guitar better; he sings wayyyy better.)
20230518_195457 1024X768.jpg
Getting up late in the night for the inevitable Aging Male Ritual, I was struck at the peacefulness and was also curious if my camera could take a picture in such low light.
20230519_050407 1024X768.jpg
Charles Brennan
Always enjoy the photos. It is great that there are sailors from all over attending. But, as seems to be normal, there are not many younger ones in the group. Other than racing it seems like small boat sailing is a senior pastime.
Dutch power yachts most always have over sized heavy duty spikes like tent spikes. While there are rural canal side mini parks in the form of a wooden dock that will hold 1 or 2 30' power boats and a mowed grass area the same length 10 or 15' wide (occasionally a bench or table) often you just pull to the side of the canal and drive two stakes to keep you in place during lunch or overnight with sheep, cows or an occasional bicyclist on the dyke bike path for company.
There are also duck docks and ladders so ducks can climb out of the canals into sheltered nesting areas.
I recognize a bunch of those names, from here and from past BEERs.