Our Sail in Florida Bay

The day has arrived to put into practice our sailing skills learned over the last few days from our wonderful and patient teacher, Captain Diana. I will attempt to describe our trip in detail so that I can learn and remember these newly acquired skills and terms.

For those of you who want the shorter version:

We left, we had fun, it was beautiful, we made it back, and with no mishaps.

Now for the details:

We could not have asked for a more perfect day. We charted our course for Nest Key using our nautical chart taking care to look at water depths we would encounter. We left the dock of the Key Lime Sailing Club around 10:00 am with our supplies including life vests, drinks, lunch, sunscreen, snorkeling gear, towels, flashlight, and extra gas. In hind sight, we should have also brought a medical kit, toilet paper, and lawn chairs. The wind measured SE 5-10 mph and the day promised to be sunny, in fact there was not a cloud in the sky. We did a quick check of the boat to make sure no water was in the bilge, sheets (lines to the sails) were in good condition, we had plenty of gas, we knew the location of the anchor, and the motor and centerboard were operational. We left word with the managers of the club what our destination and planned arrival time would be.

I released the port and starboard dock lines, then Jeff idled the Cindy out of the dock and around the maze of moored boats. I used the jib halyard to raise the jib and only had a problem clipping the clew to the stay (how do you like the new terms I’ve learned). We raised the mainsail using the main halyard, careful to place the ties and cover below deck so that we could find them at the end of our journey. We decided that because the wind was coming from directly behind us, we would run wing-on-wing to power us directly toward Porjoe Key before changing our reach toward the beach of Nest Key to avoid a shallow area extending from the east side of Nest Key. To my delight, we only saw one boat that did not even come close enough to warrant a course adjustment. We both looked back toward the Key Lime Sailing Club dock on several occasions to identify landmarks to finding our way back such as a tall tower, the moored boats, and thatched cabanas.

Jeff and I found the beach area, and as we came into the shallow water, we readied the boat for dropping the anchor, just as we had previously practiced. To ready the boat, I needed to unclip and store the jib and not accidently step into the hatch or on the pointy steel anchor. I know there must have been an easier way, but we just took our time. Jeff idled the motor, and took down the mainsail. We slowly let down the anchor leaving seven times the depth in anchor line, as is the internationally understood length so that any boats navigating around our moored boat would not get caught in our anchor (which was not a real problem here because we were all by ourselves, but is a good habit to practice). After disembarking the boat, we decided instead to raise the centerboard and pull the sailboat onto the beach and tie the anchor to a tree. Jeff has a fear of anchor dragging and he didn’t want a stray boat and us stranded.

We explored the island finding hot mud beds which some people swear by the mud’s skin enhancing qualities. We decided it wasn’t for us today… the mud was burning hot and the biting flies and mosquitoes were too much. However, we enjoyed the pristine beach, turquoise water, and swimming. There was also an abundance of translucent colored ~12” needlefish along the shore. We ate cold pizza and drank our sodas before heading back.

After we got underway, we lowered the centerboard, which keeps the boat from heeling and makes the boat more responsive to the rudder. The centerboard started bumping the bottom. We raised it and thought perhaps we were going out at a different angle than we came in. However, we could not entirely lower the centerboard until we were in Buttonwood Sound (which is halfway back). The water was just too shallow. Thank goodness for an adjustable centerboard.

Another problem we encountered was the direction of the wind was now in front of us and we would be sailing upwind all the way back. We would need to tack our way back. Tacking involves heading to the right or left of your destination, then resetting the sails to the other side of the boat and heading to the left or right of your destination again, making a zig zag pattern across the water. This takes longer to get back and more muscle power. However, it was cooler and the boat was fast running in the water. I experimented with sitting in different areas of the boat enjoying the breeze and the shade from the sails. That is until Jeff needed me to help him tack. He would say “Ready about”. Then I would say “Ready!”, then he would say “Hard Alee!”. At that point I released the jib on one side and then pulled the jib to the other side with the jib sheet (or line). I had to pull the line tight wrapping it around the winch and sometimes using the winch handle to get it even tighter so we could point the boat more precisely into the wind. I think Jeff was adjusting the mainsail and rudder at that time. Anyway, after doing this several times on the trip back, my fingers were getting blistered. .. found a glove onboard later. Oh, well.

We navigated closer to the tower that was our landmark, but surprisingly still unable to immediately see the dock at Key Lime Sailing Club. Oh I see! Da! It was the dock with all the sailboats! We had to bring the Cindy in with sails down and engine on idle and do an about face to get the port side and bow pointing out. It was a piece of cake, I just lost my shoe… but it floated and was easily retrieved. We left the boat with everything we brought aboard, tied and covered the main sail, put the anchor in the bow, and generally made sure we left all in good order. Jeff realized while we were docking that the bow and stern lines, which I call mooring lines for holding the boat to the dock, were color coded red for port side, and green for starboard side.

We arrived back at approximately 5:00 pm. This sailing trip was definitely an adventure and a great learning experience. There was hardly any noise, just the two of us and the wind in our hair. I like the orderliness and consistency when dealing with the lines, using the wind for power, and keeping everyone safe. I realized that there is a time to work and a time to play and that sailing is both.