Time to move on...

The time has come to move on, hurricane season is over, chances are greatly diminished, and looks like we have a weather window behind this front. It is sad to leave such a wonderful place like this, all the wonderful people we met, but the friendships and memories will always be with us for a lifetime, Carrabelle  You Rock!!!

Beer can decorations...Thank you Rabbit(Mike)

Monday, October 31

It’s 5 am, I look out the boat and to my surprise and delight there is John and Susane, had come to see us off, and then Rick is here also. We love you guys, wonderful friends, this meant a lot to us.
At 6 am we cast off our lines, it is dark and moonless. Minutes down river... Oh S!&# my cockpit windows are completely fogged, we panic... oh, just follow markers on radar while Kathy cleans windows, its dark anyway and I can hardly see.
Behind us is SV Rebel Soul, with Mike and Terry, and three dogs ?  They are new at this and wanted to follow us across to Clearwater. Advised them of forecast, ENE 15 to 20 knts winds and seas 4-6 ft.
Made it out the East Pass in time to see a beautiful sunrise as we set sails and a course of 136 degrees. It is all good, doing 5.5 knts, wind 12 knts ENE, seas 3 ft, as we settle in for the crossing. Snacks and drinks in the cockpit as dolphins frolic on our bow wake, it can’t get better.
By 10 pm winds increase to 18 to 22 knts, running on head and main sail, doing 8.5 knts, she handles great and smooth ride, heeled 10 degrees. Rebel Soul behind us about 2 miles, we have a visual and radar contact. Kathy tells me there is water in the engine room...WHAT!!!  no problem it was a split potable water line, but it did pucker me up.
It is now 1130 pm  and things are getting interesting. We are 60 miles NW of Clearwater, winds are  east, sustained 27kts with gust 32knts and seas are building 9 to 10 ft and a 3 second period. Last contact with Rebel Soul, they were trying to douse sails, and were having a hard time, we advised them to run south, dousing sails in these conditions would be short of suicidal if not insane. At minimum you risk shredding sails to pieces as you point into the wind to douse them.
By 3 am we have lost radar contact, and last radio call was unintelligible... ok, take a deep breath, in these conditions not much we can do for them, not sure if we would be able to recover them from the water. Began to run a search pattern towards last known position. Oh no! I'm getting sick, where is my bucket? Like I don't have enough to deal with.
 By 7 am winds subside to 15 knts from the east, finally able to douse sails so we could begin heading east. Seas down to 7 ft, we are now 46 miles east of Clearwater Pass. Our navigation lights are missing, found one on deck, the other one went to the deep blue sea, they fell victim to flogging sheets. The life raft has slid a foot from its mount, and bellow decks... well just imagine after 9 hours of a wash, spin, rinse, spin cycle in the lovely Gulf of Mexico.
Still no radio or radar contact with Rebel Soul, made a call to the Coast Guard and reported the situation as we continued east under engine power. Five miles from Clearwater Pass Coast Guard notified us they had found them and were heading in. We rigged white light on the bow, anchor light and stern light. Not the proper navigation lights to approach a busy pass at night, the other option was to call Boat US and request an escort for safety. Insurance does not cover an escort? But they could tow me in.... Ok, met them at entrance to the pass, and had them throw a line, and we followed them in. Arrived at Clearwater Marina at 10 pm. Rebel Soul arrived several hours later, they ran aground several times on the way in the pass, and had ripped the sacrificial cover on the head sail, but still usable. It is time for a good night sleep now.

Wednesday, November 2
Clearwater Marina is very clean and nice, but a long walk to showers, laying along the ICW the wakes can get a bit much. Spent the day repairing water hose and trying to get below decks back together, did some maintenance and washed the salt encrusted deck and dodger. Went for a walk to the showers (and of course took a shower), and fishing pier.
It has been  long trip, so it is order out Chinese food tonight, and get boat ready to cast off by 8 am.

Thursday, November 3
We are off by 8 am,  following my previous tracks coming in, and Bump! We hit ground, and the tide is falling fast. Rebel Soul comes along side to help... really, I’m aground, what do you think is going to happen? He runs hard aground, fortunately a small work boat came around and gave us a tug off sand bar, We are free but the tide is falling real fast and Rebel Soul is going to have to wait for high tide, about 6 hours.
We decided to go back to Clearwater Marina and wait for them. It was 1 pm by the time they were free, decided to spend another night and try again in the morning. Harbor master said if we left early he would not charge us for another night, mighty nice of him.

SV Rebel Soul... aground, hard aground