Position: N 27 39.725 W 080 22.384
We've
been sailing for 13 years, owned Rachel for 8 years and have been
cruising full time for over 5 years. In all that time we've been
members of BoatUS, a boating association that offers reasonably
priced unlimited towing insurance. This insurance offers free towing
if you run aground, have engine problems etc. So far, knock on wood,
we have never had to use it. That is until this month.
Within
4 days we grounded twice and both times we had to call Tow BoatUS and
be towed off. We
were in a hurry to get to Vero Beach to see an ailing friend (who we
missed by one day and who sadly died the day before Christmas).
Because we so wanted to see Bruce one last time, we were taking
chances traveling through known shallow problem areas at low tide.
The
first spot was just south of Fernandina Beach, Florida. In our log
from last year when we transited the Amelia River at high tide we
wrote “Several shallow spots. Do not travel through this area at
anything less than mid-tide”. So we obviously were not thinking
clearly. As we were approaching a turn, a passing boat told us we
should keep way to the right of the channel. For some reason we
decided to follow their advice and …...boom. We hit bottom. We
rode up over a hump, then bumped into another one. So we ended up
being stuck unable to go either forward or backward. Luckily it was
only mud. A sailboat passed by us, about 25 feet further into the
channel, and shouted “we're in 12 feet right here”. Great! We
sat for a while but the tide was still going down so we would have
been sitting there for at least 3 or 4 hours. Well, we were in a
hurry and that's what we pay the insurance for, right? So we called
and Captain Joe who came by and towed us off.
Today
we thought that we might try going 56 miles from Vero Beach to Lake
Worth, but due to the timing of a falling tide at a trouble spot
between here and there we've decided to just go 10 miles to Ft Pierce
today. Then we'll leave Ft. Pierce first thing tomorrow morning so
we can get to the trouble spot near high on a rising tide. We're
turning over an old leaf, being cautious and doing it the way we've
always done it – slowly and carefully.
If
the weather predictions hold we'll be heading over to the Bahamas
sometime this week.
