Sailing Kathryn: Crossing The Gulf to Florida

It’s been a month since we left Corpus Christi and I have been putting off writing the blog for the Gulf crossing because I’m lazy and “Wasting Away in Margaritaville”, aka Key West. There just doesn't seem to be any urgency to do anything down here, other than make sure we are on time for “Happy Hour”. We haven’t been late yet, whatever time it has been.

We have been at the Stock Island Marina since April 15^th. It’s a new marina on the key next to Key West. The facilities and staff are excellent. We have shuttle and bus service to downtown Key West, which is about a 20 minute ride. Life is good here and very relaxed.

Since this blog is about the Gulf crossing, I had better go back to the beginning on April 1^st. Kathryn was ready and provisioned for the crossing. In the morning, I took Nancy to the airport to fly back to Indiana, as she, for some reason, doesn’t like to sail across the Gulf. I just don’t understand her; she is a little funny about these things. At around 6 PM that night, I went back to the airport in Corpus and picked up my two friends, Buford and Lee. We went to the boat and prepared for an early morning departure from Padre Island Yacht Club.

Lee Watson & Buford Eddy

On April 2^nd, we left the Yacht Club and motored to Port Aransas where we topped off the fuel tank and headed out into the Gulf. We headed east and were able to sail close-hauled on southeast winds. It was a beautiful day on the water. After dark, we were still making good speed on the southeast breeze.

First Sunset of the Trip

During the evening, Lee started feeling very ill. Through the night he became very sick and I decided we needed to head north to Freeport, TX to get him help. If we didn’t head north now, we would be committed to a couple of more days as sea before we could make land fall. We arrived in Freeport the next afternoon and docked at the public marina. Lee was feeling a bit better, but decided it was best for him not to continue. He was able to make reservation and fly out the next day. Buford and I decided to continue on to Florida, but we would really miss Lee.

Buford and I left Freeport on April 5^th and started heading southeast.

Headed East to Florida

Buford Keeping the Spot Radio Working So Everyone Can Monitor Our Progress

We had smooth sailing on southeast winds. By the next morning, the winds were on the nose so we found ourselves motor sailing. Not what I want to do at the beginning of a long trip when we only have a limited amount of fuel. We continued to motor east and dodge oil rigs. After another day of motoring, we decided we needed to get fuel so we headed for Grand Isle, LA. We arrived early in the morning of April 8^th. We filled up with fuel and did some laundry. My friend, Andy Galliano, who lives there, stopped by and took us out to dinner. We had great burgers and swapped stories with Andy.

The next morning, April 9^th, we left Grand Isle at around 9AM. We spent most of the day motoring south into a 15 knot winds and rolling seas. Not uncomfortable, just slow and not much fun. Once we got 50 or so miles south, we were able to start heading east and sail on the south winds. The next day was probably some of our best sailing. We were sailing in an east current and, on a couple of occasion,s hit 10 knots and consistently doing 8 knots. But all good things come to an end and our favorable current and south winds were no exception. The winds turned out of the east and we were back to motor sailing into the wind. That was the story all the way to Venice Fl. Wind on the nose.

Buford Playing His Guitalele and Fishing

One of the interesting things that happened on this part of the trip was the hitch hikers we picked up. About 60 miles west of Venice, FL. a couple of small birds, that reminded me of barn swallows, started flying around the boat. I thought it was very strange that these birds were more than 60 miles from any land. They looked a bit tired and as it got dark they decided to land on the boat. One landed on Buford’s leg and sat there for a minute before flying off again. The second bird decided to land behind the dodger and didn’t have any problem with us getting very close to him. Buford went below to rest when the second bird landed on my arm. He let me stroke his wing a couple of times and then took off. As night fell, the bird behind the dodger tucked his head under his wing and went to sleep, while the other found a perch back in the dinghy and did the same. They spent the night and just after the sun came up, as we arrived at Venice, they few off.

A Tired and Sleepy Bird

The Second Hitchhiker

Close Up

We arrived at Venice, FL around 7 AM on April 13^th. Kathryn needed fuel and an oil change. Buford and I needed a shower and some food and drink. I was surprised to hear from my friend, Bill Boyd, who was on vacation and was only a half hour away. Bill drove over and took us to a grocery store and we all enjoyed a good dinner at the Crow’s Nest Restaurant at the marina.

Kathryn at Venice FL

The next morning Buford and I left Venice and set sail south to Key West. We had been fighting easterly winds for the past three days and were looking forward to sailing south on them. But, no luck. The winds had shifted to the south and we found ourselves motor sailing again. We continued motor sailing for the next 34 hours until we reached Stock Island.

This was a much more uneventful trip than last year. The Gulf was kind to us this year with generally smooth seas and mild winds even though they were almost always out of the direction we wanted to go. Maybe my crossing back will

provide us with better wind and a little more excitement.