Back in the water where I belong

The surf God is presently angry on the west side of Florida. I know, all you guy’s who live in big water land are looking at my huge surf photos and calling me a sissy. Yeah, well… I’m rubber, your glue-

The Gulf of Mexico has been known to look like a lake on many days. We usually have a very gentle breeze in the morning coming from the east this time of the year. That means flat calm water, which is nice and clear. We usually don’t have the vegetation washed up on the beach either.

It’s easy to tell when the wind and surf is up. The folks with the windsurfing boards show up and appear to be having a great time. I’ve got to keep an eye out for them to keep from getting my head ran over. Sometimes in the surf I’m shoulder deep and just have my head bobbing up.

St Pete beach

When the water is clear I’ve seen Manatee’s swim by, dolphins, and even a shark or two. Sting rays are here most of the time, but the coil of the detector usually runs them off before I step on one. Which, by the way, I’ve done in the past.

I was walking in the surf one time and had my foot yanked out from under me. I tumbled into the water as it was only in knee deep. It took about sixty seconds for the intense pain to begin. It felt like someone had made a slit up my leg with a razor knife and poured a salty lighter fluid solution into the gaping wound and subsequently lighting it afire.

It truly made me, a grown man, cry like a baby.

Just a pretty view of the rough conditions

I suffered like a baby for the next hour until I was in the ER at the local beach hospital. The first thing they did was fill a janitors mop bucket (after removing the dirty mop, it is a hospital after all) and with steaming hot water. My foot was shoved into the water and the most amazing thing happened…

Within thirty seconds I felt the intense burning of the sting ray poison subside. The pain vanished as my foot began to boil like a stunned lobster. A red foot was worth the lack of pain.

I stopped crying.

The lesson here…

Yikes, the big wave... (waterproof camera)

1. Find the hottest water you can. Get it from a coffee pot, the exhaust from the outboard engine, a nearby restaurant, anywhere. The hotter the better.

2. Soak foot.

3. Go to hospital.

4. It’s okay to cry.

Anyhow, I’ve spent time in southern California, and that water is ice cold all year. Big waves and gooey oil stuff in the sand. The Gulf however, is presently at 88 degrees and the sand is usually clean with a fine sugary texture. It’s a pure joy to hang out in the surf, usually. The water today is choppy, cloudy, and just a bit rough. I suppose we have to take the less than desirable on a rare occasion to truly appreciate the wonderful beach weather we have here most of the time.

The scoop shaft is supposed to be straight

I’ve decided to do a little more beach hunting to see what the tourists have deposited in the way of cash and treasures. I’ve managed to collect a few coins and highly valued pieces of scrap aluminum pull tabs when I bent the scoop.

My beach scoop is pretty strong, and should have withstood the massive waves I’m encountering this afternoon, but alas… all is not well in paradise. I had dug it in to start scooping up treasure when a wave got me. Yep, one of those massively HUGE west coast Florida waves. Well, that put an end to the scoop. It bent and is no longer a working beach scoop; it’s simply a hunk of pipe with a basket on the end.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get this one fixed or not. It may be time to stimulate the economy and buy a new one. In any event, I lost the treasure I was digging. I’m positive that last target was the 3ct. diamond ring I’ve been searching for.

The mighty beach hunter in action

I’ll just have to keep coming to the beach and searching, over and over and over again. Agonizing… but someone has to do it.

It may as well be me.

A windsurfer on the way by

The water-boy

The busted scoop

Here comes the boss, time to explain how I broke something again

Click me twice

I told you not to read this, that it would be boring! What are you doing here?
Just a few points of interest. Note the 3 pairs of underwear. Ellen embroidered them as “January, February, March” so that I would have a system. In light of that, we pause for a commercial break.

For all of your embroidery needs, City Stitchers is your best choice! No job is too large, no job is too small. For the best quality custom embroidery, contact CITY STITCHERS! For all of your embroidery needs. Now back to our regular scheduled program…

Can’t you just imagine the conversation on the dock with Marlin tomorrow morning? “Waterline, we don’t need no stinking waterline!”

And for a new development, Marlin’s lovely daughter Stephanie is going to be leaving with us and going at least as far as Bimini, or until she can’t stand us or the smell any more. As a really sharp lady and a Cracker Jack sailor, she will be a real asset and as Admiral, will provide the discipline and structure that we are in desperate need of.

Packed and ready to go...

Enjoy the ride!

Larry Annen / Editor
Two Years Before the Mast – From Skipper to Gilligan

In the days of the tall sailing ships, common sailors were housed in the forward part of the ship, “before the mast” while the ships officers were housed aft. Richard Henry Dana Jr. wrote an excellent book of that title which I highly recommend as reading material.

Marlin the Captain of this adventure...

His epic tale will surely pale in comparison to mine though as I’ve decided to give up the lofty position as Captain of my ship and sign aboard as crew on a sleek Catalina 47 for a cruise to the Bahamas and maybe back under Skipper Marlin Brigman, a hard, strict man. Leaving port the ships compliment will be the Skipper, an Admiral (his daughter), and the deck crew (me). He assures me that there will be plenty of floggings handed out amongst the crew (me).

I will, as always, tell this tale in the format of our esteemed leader, Jimmy Buffett (hat removed, head bowed in reverence), as a work of fictional facts and factual fiction. As a work of fiction, I am free from having to verify all facts and assure complete accuracy. In other words, if I don’t remember what the wind speed was, I can guesstimate. Being able to adjust the facts also makes for better reading and flow. For instance, “The Captain stood in the companionway with giant waves breaking over him, yelling down to me for help as I cowered in my bunk, afraid to respond” might read something like “I stood rock steady at the helm as the waves crashed over me bringing the ship through the storm with my skill and determination.” See? It’s a true story in that there was a storm at sea, I was on the boat, there were breaking waves, and my pants were wet!

This story will be told in series as I get an internet connection to send Larry what I have so far. The next chapter will be nothing but the list of personal effects (crap) that I’m taking with me, so don’t even bother reading it as it will be boring.

We will be shipping with the tide on Monday the 19th, in 2009 in the year of our Lord. May the seas be kind and the heads remain functional.

My Gulfport cutie-pie

Let’s see here> Beer: Grain, wheat, hops, barley, pure sparkling spring water… then the O.J. (no, not the guy in jail ((hahahaha by the way)) but the round thing that grows on trees all over Florida, which by the way, is a great source of vitamin C.

So then, we are basically looking at a bottle of pure health food with a shot of vitamins. All the ingredients in the beverage have biodegradable by-products with recycled bottles and glasses. This is apparently the ‘green’ trend to healthy eating. My coffee simply supports foreign industry… I may have to rethink my meal choices.

Anyhow, we find this really neat place called Peg’s Cantina. It’s nestled along the main street a block or two on the right, if your walking away from the beach. We take up residence outside at a nice picnic table. The restaurant is doing a brisk business, a sure sign of success.

Ellen-PEG!-Larry-Sheree

Considering my new health food menu choices I ask for a beer. The young lady waiting on us turns out to be the famous Peg herself! Talk about great service. She starts down a list of beers from strange and foriegn ports of call. They have a long list of different flavors and micro-brewery type beers. This is beginning to sound like a health food store in disguise. A guy could live forever here!

Then she starts with the menu. Talk about a neat mixture of stuff. Shrimp stuffed into a burrito – who would have ever guessed? How hot would you like your hot sauce? Then I go for it… the pizza.

Peg tells me that I’m too early for the pizza, something about it only being available after 4PM on weekends during a full moon while I’m wearing roller skates, or something like that… I’m depressed, so I’ll have the nachos, a bottle of health beverage, and some hot sauce. There will have to be a return trip for the pizza – it was highly recommended. (and another healthy beverage)

Nuclear LSD infused chili pepper sand flea

Peg, being a very friendly sort (I don’t think she was just trying to get closer to Nat either) sits down for a quick visit. She is a real sweetheart. We ask her about the icon she has beneath her sign. Peg tells the story of a few years ago where a starving artist came up with it (we suspect illicit narcotics involved) and a bunch of health food consumers voting in the ‘what is it’ category. Some folks think it’s a nuclear radiated sand flea, others… something to do with the hot chili. You will have to decide for yourself.

The ladies find us getting healthier by the minute. We should look like young studs after a few hours of this. To help with that fantasy we offer up some very interesting wine selections to help the girls with our visual transformation.

Cheers! This place is a definite must do in your travels along the coast. When you finally stop in for a healthy moment or two… tell Peg we said hi and give her your vote for the nuclear LSD infused chili pepper sand flea!

http://www.pegscantina.com/

OMG! More shopping bags?!?!?!?!?

Well, the weather finally calmed down up in the Manatee River. The winds settled a bit so we hoped into the dink, collected our friends and headed for Desoto Point.

T

The winds began to kick up at about 11pm again. Gusting up to 20. We had swung in numerous circles over the past couple of days while the tides and currents went one way and the wind went another. The anchorage became a little bouncy again but hey, it’s a boat. Off to bed after a long day of adventure and exploring.

Once ashore at Desoto point we walked a trail to where we found a visitor center and museum. The display was very nice with lots to read and even some interactive things. Next was a trail around the park that had a self guided tour. There were cutouts of period figures along with detailed explanations of the events that were depicted. This is an area with quite a lot of history. The walk was welcomed and thouroughly enjoyed.

Well, about 1am we heard a very loud crash up on deck over our heads. Startled awake and jumping onto the deck in my underwear (a scary site) I discovered that we had become attached to a large steel hulled boat on anchor in the same bay. The wind was blowing at 20, his anchor line is riding up my port side stripping off my deck light and tossing it on deck. (the noise) We were kissing his bow with our stern. I ran up to my anchor rode and found that it was piano string tight. I start pulling, and discover that I can’t overcome the 20mph winds so I set up the anchor windless. Sheree is busy tending to the dinghy in tow and physically pushing us off his bow.

After much grunting and groaning we finally freed ourselves from our newest neighbor. He had finally come on deck hearing my engine start up and shouting directions to Sheree while coordinating our separation from his anchor line. The putz could have been a little friendlier, especially since we were in our underwear. There was no damage, other than a slightly bent lifeline clip.

We went to the other end of the bay, upwind of Nat’s boat and reset the anchor. All of the turning back and forth had finally pulled the anchor free and sent us plowing a furrow along the bottom until slowed by the other boat. We had been between Nat’s boat and the one we kissed. Nat was now between us and the boat we kissed.

We stayed awake for a while after that, trying to exhaust adrenalin and get back to sleep. Sheree spent the rest of the night popping up on deck checking our new position.

The next morning we went up in the cockpit for our am coffee. I saw Nat was up so I gave him a call on the phone. “Hey, what are you doing on the other side of us?” I inquired.

Nat told me a story about how he got up at around 2am and saw everything had changed. He immediately assumed that he had broken free and went on to reset his anchor. Sheree and I were chuckling quite hard. I wanted to let Nat think it was him that had drug anchor, but Sheree made me eventually fess up.

We broke anchor (intentionally this time) and got underway. Nat headed home, and we headed south.

The Gulf was rough and choppy so we motored south on the Intercoastal Waterway. It was a nice ride, but a bit windy. We arrived in Sarasota bay intending to visit the Ringling museum, but scratched that when we saw the whitecaps in the anchorage.

Continuing south we ended up in Venice. Were staying put for the next 2 days with just some easy hanging out. I pulled my shoulder terribly bad hauling on the anchor rode so I’ll heal over the next day or so. No heavy lifting or scuba diving for the next few days. There are some geocaches in the area and we will explore Venice by dinghy along the ICW.

Heading for Venice

That’s if for now from the crew of the,

s/v AbbyGale

We arrived Monday afternoon after a nice ride across the Tampa Bay channel and headed south into the Manatee River. We have not been here before so it’s a new place for us. I got to use the new chart plotter to try and keep us in the marked channel, which was really nice. It’s a handy gadget.

The winds were kicked up so we motored here for several reasons. I want to burn out some of the old diesel fuel (purchased at $1.53 a gallon) which has been sitting in the tank for over a year. We just don’t burn lots of fuel on a sailboat. Besides, I want to replace it with some $ 4.50 a gallon fuel as it surely must be better diesel fuel due to the higher cost.

We ran into some old friends who were going on the hook here as well. Nat and Ellen onboard the Sanp1. It’s an older Morgan, big and roomy.

SNAP1 at anchor

We went to the shore and discovered Emerson State Park. It’s an archeological preserve. The place is full of old Indian mounds with loads of history. I towed Nat and Ellen to shore because of the high winds, which have not subsided since our arrival on Monday. (he is outboard-less pending repairs) It would be really nice for the winds to lay off a little bit. The wind generator has been screaming along since our arrival producing lots of free electrons. I’ve not had to run the generator in the past two days to recharge the house batteries. The wind is keeping up with the reefer’s demand for 12 volts just fine.

The beach walk was nice and the preserve had great trails. We found three geocaches in the preserve whilst on a walk about.

Sheree went fishing a couple of times, without success. Just a couple of small critters which were released back into the wild. Fortunately she brought some smoked mullet from Ted Peters fish company before we departed.

If the winds ever die down we are going across the bay. There is a rather large white cross over there. Its got something to do with Hernando DeSoto landing there in the 1500’s. I’ll know more after we pay our visit.

That’s it so far. Kind of windy and chilly this am so we are hiding below decks for now.

From the decks of the s/v AbbyGale