Moving North . . .

The weather didn’t get in the way although it wasn’t ideal to sail.  Justin and friends had a need to be back in Lauderdale Monday so we decided to join them for “the ride” and headed out the Biscayne Channel at 11am for the quick hop north.  Would you be at all surprised to find out that the quick hop wasn’t quick at all?!  Well, neither was I after all previous experiences . . .

Despite the wrong wind direction, it was a lovely day to be on the water.  The wind had just turned to the north so the swell wasn’t prohibitive against the strong gulf stream.  The sun was shining and life was good.  And then . . . Justin’s engine started acting up. 

Buddy boating – essentially this entails accompanying another boat, both understanding that they’re sailing as partners.  So when Justin’s engine showed signs of trouble, we were both prepared to tag team to wherever it took us.  Ultimately, this situation took us into the port of Miami after a pass at sea where we threw a fuel filter into their boat and several other diversions.

Justin’s 22 and has been sailing since he was born for the most part.  He’s comfortable and capable – so he felt a lot better about sailing without engine capacity through the inlet at the Port of Miami than we did.  He made it, though, and we found a calm anchorage just off the shipping channel. 

Long story short, the final determination was that Evensong (his boat) was demanding to be fed.  Contrary to what Justin had been led to believe, his boat held less fuel than expected and he was bone dry!  This was after a lot of guesswork and other antics to find the problem including our sending some disposable jugs over to them via a passing kayaker! 

After three hours of this, it was getting late and Evensong still had to make it back to Ft. Lauderdale before the end of the day . . . so out we headed again, but this time up the ICW.  In case he encountered additional trouble, we didn’t want to be out at sea where we couldn’t anchor or otherwise assist. 

We JUST made it under the one bridge that only allowed for 56’ and the tide was still rising.  We both heard our antennae on the top of the masts clicking along the underside of the bridge as we passed through.  And then it got dark.  We spent the next five hours navigating through intercoastal marks and countless bridges before we finally pulled into Lake Sylvia after 10:30 that night.

Although not something I will choose to repeat, it was rewarding to know we made another new hurdle in our cruising skills and experience.  I guess that’s what this whole season is about – getting through the new and adding to our “resume” of experiences.  I’m happy to report that although I felt like someone beat me repeatedly and I slept harder than I had managed in the month prior, somehow I feel like this was one of the better challenges we’ve faced.  And another chapter is added.