We and many of the cruisers went to Fathoms that evening to clear our minds and relax. Although the crossing was the major topic of conversation, we had a great evening and decided to let be what will be. None of us could change the impending weather conditions so we had to wait for things to unfold the next day. To gain as much knowledge as we could, Duane was was all over the current forecasts, one of the boaters signed up for Chris Parker’s weather report and guidance and we were meeting with a local Captain the following morning to get additional input.
Getting together at 1pm Duane started the gathering by telling everyone the local Captain did not see today as a good opportunity for anyone to make the crossing. The winds were against us and her exact words were “there is no amount of duck tape” to keep your boat and crew secure. Chris Parker was even skeptical but gave us a detailed course to navigate if we choose to venture out in the predicted conditions. At the closing of the meeting, most boats were paired up and 4pm was the estimated time of departure. Most boaters were confident in following the Chris Parker track and thought the local Captain was being overly cautious. Rushing back to the boat, I busied myself rearranging the cabin by securing all the glass and putting anything that may become a projectile low to the ground. Duane went through his engine and maintenance checklist as I packed a cooler to last us the next 24 hours and also make a comfortable area to nap at the helm. If it was going to be lumpy and bumpy, we were planning to camp out on the flybridge and only descend into the cabin by sheer necessity.
Leaving the dock we waved goodbye to Greg and Pam who were going home for Christmas and radioed Tom and Riley on Dancing Bears who were to be our buddy boat. Dancing Bears was having voltage issues, which was not a good omen, but decided to continue on and followed us into the open water. The first few hours were not terrible as we all checked in on the hour to get updates and adjust our course for a more comfortable ride by what was being relayed back to us by the faster boats. In all, Bella Donna, Dancing Bears, Short Vacation, Samantha, Salty Paws, Archimedes, Alcyone, Here’s To Us, We Wine A lot, God’s Grace and Reel Grace were proceeding forward into the unknown.
It was soon pitch dark and very unnerving not to see where the next wave was coming from while we waited for the moon to rise. The quiet seemed intensified by the blackness and we were startled when Riley’s panicked voice came on over the radio. Dancing Bears had smoke in the cabin! Upon hearing that, Duane flipped the boat around and we turned on every light so they could locate us in the distance. As we tried to make our way back to them we were pounded by waves and being thrown around mercilessly. Duane called the coast guard and was instructing me to get fenders and lines ready in the event we had to get them off the boat as he tried to keep the boat as steady as he could as waves crashed over the bow. At the same time, Kirk and Cathy on Samantha had turned around and were making their way back. It was soon determined that the engine had overheated due to a pump failure and coolant spilled out on the hot surface filling the boat with steam, not smoke. With no fear of fire and me now violently getting sick, Duane flipped the boat back around and idled along our previous course standing by to see how the situation unfolded. Kirk and Cathy were amazing and coordinated the radio calls with the coast guard, Tow Boat US and made sure Dancing Bears was anchored and secure awaiting help. We felt horrible leaving them, but once we heard they were in no eminent danger and the anchor was holding, we began to increase speed and move away. It was still early in the night and we had many hours ahead of us.
My stomach settled after a few hours and the moon was soon high in the sky providing a bright light on a clear night. This was one development that was going in our favor. The rest of the night passed without incident as we took our shifts driving switching every two hours. As Duane said, he was “Auto” and I was “Pilot.” The tediousness of manual steering with no object on the horizon to focus on, was a challenge. Well a challenge for me at least, as I somehow managed to flip the boat around and blamed the little boat marker on the computer screen I was supposed to be following the course of which was now upside down. Duane just rolled his eyes, put us back on course and laid back down.
The sun was soon up and I felt much more at ease even though we had about 8 hours to go until we reached Tarpon Springs. As we made it closer to land, we were able to check in with our fellow travelers to see how everyone was faring and get tips on avoiding the crab pots. About 20 miles off the coast, the winds picked up and the water became extremely choppy as we banged against wave after wave. The Gulf was not letting us off that easy. Five miles off shore with land in sight, the water calmed and I was getting the anchor ready. We decided to anchor and get some sleep and catch up with everyone the following day. At 2:53 pm, almost exactly 23 hours after our departure, we were safe and secure beside Anclote Key. I checked in with Tom and confirmed Dancing Bears had made in back to the marina in Carabelle, opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate our arrival and we were fast asleep by 7pm.
Moving into the Tarpon Springs Marina next to the famed Sponge Docks, we were elated to see a few boats from the crossing tied up there. Bill and Molly from Salty Paws accompanied us to lunch at Mama’s located in the Greek section of town off the docks. Over authentic gyros, we recounted the previous day’s adventure. Later that afternoon, a larger group gathered at the Dock Bar and toasted to our accomplishment.
A cold front had moved in overnight and wind and rain soon followed. My family was driving up to visit us and we planned to have dinner at Hella’s that evening. My cousin Brian and Teresa arrived earlier in the day, so after giving them the grand 5 minute tour of the boat, we went to have cocktails at a courtyard bar across the street and then drove over to Captain Jack’s for Happy Hour. My Aunt Anita, George and cousin Scott also braved the stormy weather and treated us for a delicious meal at Hella’s–A Greek staple in Tarpon Springs. It was so good to see them after all these years and after so much time away from home.
There was a chilly brisk wind blowing the next day and we decided to take the trolly to Clearwater beach for lunch. Patty from Alcyone came along as her boyfriend Todd was not feeling well these past few weeks and was resting. Although it was unseasonably cold, the three of us had a fun afternoon on the Jolly Trolly tour strolling the beach and having some frozen cocktails. As cold as the day was, it felt good to have sand between our toes once again.
Stocking up on Greek pastries and sweets to keep us satisfied through the next few days, we had agreed we should move on. We had Christmas plans in Fort Myers with Renee and Pierre and were so looking forward to seeing them. That night we had docktails and dessert on Short Vacation along with Patti. It was very much appreciated by all of us that Pam and John had downloaded some very useful information to aid in our travels down the Florida coast and on into the Bahamas–a crossing we were planning to tackle the beginning of February.
With the Gulf crossing now behind us, we took off South toward warmer weather to spend the next five days exploring before we headed into Fort Myers for Christmas Eve.
