Another blog update from the helm of Star of Orion. It's been a few weeks since I've updated this and I've got a good reason to type one.
Sailing charters in Fort Myers are doing great. Neither the economy nor the weather is going to stop folks looking for adventure from booking a sailboat ride with me. Here is a picture of such a group dedicated to experiencing a sailboat charter in the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
These sailors pictured here are from an inland lake in Kentucky who booked my Marco Island 2 day/1 night sailing charter. Even though the weather was chilly for Florida with highs in the low 60's, they came fully prepared (1 ton of baggage per couple Ha!) for the trip. Even before they arrived to the boat, I had it all provisioned as per the approved liquor and food list. I do have to thank my wife Dianne for helping me prep the boat for the charter and baking brownies for the hot fudge brownie sundae dessert I served after dinner that night.
After coffee, juice, muffins, and yogurt for breakfast, we departed the dock of Salty Sam's Marina around 8:30 am. The forecast called for a North Northwest wind at 15-20 knots. After passing Bowditch Point at the north end of Fort Myers Beach, we saw that the wind was going to be perfect for a downwind run to Marco Island, 40 miles away. We set the sails, we pointed the bow to about 160 degrees, and began our long open water journey to Marco Island. Our scheduled arrival time to Marco River Marina was before 6pm. I prearranged to have a slip at the marina for the night since the weather was calling for 40 degree temps during the night. We needed heat. Plus after a long adventure like this, a stroll down the dock to a restaurant is always a welcome treat.
I immediately realized that I had some great people on-board. First, they had their sea legs. That's important on long ride like this. Second, they immediately made me feel comfortable by including me in on their amazing stories and humor. But let me tell you...some stories told by the one gentleman (lets call him "Panther") downright made me scared. It seems as though every sailing adventure he's been on, he somehow broke or damaged the boat. Even though him and his wife had new sailing coats, I still kept an eye on him. Ha! The other gentleman (lets call him "PintleHead") and his wife, stayed pretty quiet on this leg of the journey and at one point went below to sleep. Its the quiet ones you need to worry about. LOL.
As the day went on and the miles clicked away, the seas began to build as we passed Naples and then as we came upon Marco Island. During the dodging of crab pots, I happened to notice the 6-8 foot seas we were riding on were building even more as we approached the shallow waters near the entrance to Marco Island. At one point during our approach to the channel, I looked back only to sea a wall of water. In the bottom of the wave troughs, the wave tops were above the top of our cabin. These were ocean waves and they didn't have any breaking water so we were able to just have fun surfing them. I wished I would have snapped a picture, but in those conditions I needed to keep my hands on the wheel.
Although "Pintlehead" was still below sleeping, the rest of the crew helped me navigate the extremely shallow entrance to Marco Island after about 9 hours at sea. As we passed markers 2,4, and 6, we approached the center channel marker where we then turned to starboard as per our map. Then we were to look for number 9 and turn to port. Guess what, number 9 was gone! Number 9 channel marker is a crucial marker as it lets you avoid running aground on a shallow sandbar. With number 9 missing, we guesstimated where to turn and headed for number 11. The shallow water alarm began buzzing but luckily we kept just enough water under our keel to make it to the wider, deeper channel. Later we found out that number 9 marker had broken free and was 300 yard from where it was supposed to be.
After docking at Marco River Marina for the night, we all stepped ashore and headed to "Porky's Last Stand" BBQ restaurant that was within walking distance. What a treat it was for my guests to eat at a restaurant who's salad bar was a farm tractor manure slinger! I got the steak sandwich and stayed far away from the salad bar! After eating, I left a little early to prepare the boat for the night. Once they arrived and settled in, I made warm brownies with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. "Panther" licked his bowl clean. Ha!
After a good night of sleep, I prepared my special "eggcake" breakfast for my guests. I think they loved my cooking since they took the leftovers from breakfast home with them! We checked the tides, wind, and weather and pushed off the dock around 9am. Again the winds were out of the North Northwest, which in this direction were right on our nose. After about 7 hours of tacking and maintaining good speed, we still fired up the motor for the last leg of the trip so we could arrive back to Fort Myers at a decent time (9:30pm). If there is one thing that we all know from this trip, Naples is very longggggggggg! Every time we checked the GPS, we were still sailing offshore of Naples. Nevertheless, tacking back and forth along Naples and experimenting with sail trim was alot of fun for both me and the crew. We had 20 knot winds most of the way back and good seas (3-4 footers). Again, I was impressed by my Kentucky sailors.
Today I received an email from "Panther" thanking me for the experience. I emailed back, thanking them. I really enjoyed their company and their love of sailing and adventure. They had a true taste of what cruising on the Gulf of Mexico can be. They got to experience entering a strange port and pulling up to a new marina. They got to see how sailing doesn't have to be stressful. They saw good winds and waves.They got salty. They lived.
I'd sail anytime, anywhere with this group. I hope our paths cross again soon.
Fair Winds,
Capt Dan
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