Early on the 25th we aborted our plans to visit
the Dry Tortugas due to unfavorable forecasts over the next week. The window for sailing to the Tortugas exists,
but the extended forecast did not offer a viable window for returning. With only 4 weeks to travel north to Beaufort,
NC we could not afford to sit out the weather in the Tortugas.
Late in the afternoon on the 25th, we departed
Sunset Island on the ebbing tide. Our
destination, Russell Pass, is only 5NM from Sunset Island, but symbolically is
a giant leap as we are now underway.
Anchoring in Russell Pass also sets us up well for an early departure
the next morning.
Still experimenting with our new dinghy, Segundo, we chose to tow her out to
Russell Pass. 15 knot west winds were
stirring up whitecaps across Chokoloskee Bay.
Segundo tracked well behind
C’est la Vie. Unfortunately she did take
on a significant amount of water from spray off her blunt bow. She will require a short leash when towing in
choppy waters.
After setting the anchor we entertained the next hard dinghy
experiment - hoisting and stowing, Segundo,
on deck. The hoist went smoothly despite
the stiff west winds. We did learn a
painful lesson when Segundo disgorged
a couple gallons of sea water on deck.
While we had closed the forward hatches, the middle ports remained
open. Our wardrobe and head were treated
to an unwelcome salt water rinse.
Our plan was to store Segundo
bow forward with her transom resting on the mast step. Enough room then
remained on the side decks to allow comfortable access the bow and windlass. Keeping the dinghy’s center seat from resting
on the forward hatch proved challenging.
Our simple and creative solution (the author is not adverse to a bit of
self-flattery) was to use two boat fenders to elevate the stern and a square
floatation cushion at the bow. Once the
correct clearance was obtained we made her fast to the toe rail, grab rails,
and mast with rope.
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