Day: May 28, 2017

Total miles:   1400 miles

Saturday

The winds were calm and the seas were 0-1 foot all day long.  It was Memorial Day weekend and many people were on the beaches and on boats.  For most of the trip, we stayed several miles out to stay out of the shallow water.  My brother enjoys the water and we made several stops to jump off the boat and swim for a bit.  By early afternoon, we made it to the dock of the Seafood Shack in Cortez, Florida.  Below is a video of one of the Florida beaches.

We enjoyed being out in the Gulf of Mexico and even saw some porpoises swimming.

While we were there, we tried to find a hotel.  All were booked.  So, we ended up sleeping on the dock/boat.

While at the dock, I looked over the boat.  Looking closely, I noticed significant signs of mechanical stress to the boat.  Six screws had fallen out of the furniture and other screws were 3/4 of the way out on the swim ladder.  It was the constant offshore pounding that had to be the cause.  A few other boat issues were occurring: motor was stalling due to sand in the lower unit intake,  fuel gauge was broken and there were ripples between the bolts where the pontoons are connected to cross-members.  We temporarily fixed the overheating by blowing compressed air into the water intakes.  That helped.  However, I thought it was time to service the motor and consider putting a hold on the journey.  So the decision was made to head toward Steve’s home and service the motor.

Some of the successes of my trip include:  completing 25% of the loop (1600 miles), completing the Tennessee-TomBigbee leg, solo Gulf Crossing, and not getting lost.

Biggest Feat:  Solo Gulf Crossing on a pontoon.

Scariest Part:  Boating in the Mobile Bay Commercial Traffic Channel during a Small Craft Advisory.

Best Part:  South-Central Florida and spending time with my brother and Gina.

220 miles

Friday

Weather was better today.  The seas were 2-3 feet all day and the winds were 10-15 knots.  So, I stayed on schedule and left early Friday morning to cross the Gulf of Mexico.  Some boaters choose a route that follows the big bend of Florida, staying closer to land.  It adds distance and time to the crossing, so I chose a straight shot across.  After exiting south of the barrier islands (St. George Island), I cruised about 4 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico.  Contemplating my next move, I was overwhelmed with a sense of uncertainty.  It wasn’t panic but it was this feeling of “should I try it or not.”  It was probably only about 5-10 minutes, but I was wavering.  So much time planning this trip made me feel as if I should give it a go…  And as I sat there, I knew that it was now or never.  So, I turned the boat east, set my way point on Steinhatchee, Fl and powered it up to 30 mph.

Everything was operational and I kept the two way radio set to the weather channel; getting constant updates for the next 6 hours.  As time passed, the islands behind me became smaller and smaller and less distinct.  The voice over the radio was repetitive and sounded like a true friend.  Someone that was constantly helping me as I took this small boat far out into the Gulf.  The water was a beautiful blue color all day and a few clouds were scattered over me.  As I headed through the cloudy areas, I didn’t encounter rain but the water was a bit choppy.   Then it was more like a gentle, rolling sea with a period long enough to follow it smoothly.

Periodicially, I would drift off course because the seas seemed to be pushing me north-easterly.    Then, I would correct my angle.  Over and over, I did this as I made my way toward the west coast of Florida.  Eventually, all land disappeared.  Now, I was completely alone and it was peaceful in some odd way.  A few hours in (maybe 100 miles out) I saw a large sea turtle floating on the surface.  It was my only sighting except for a sail boat closer to the west coast of Florida.

After about 6 hours of travel, I began to see land again.  There is a nuclear power plant at Crystal River (Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant) that has two stacks that make land noticable from further out.   I had successfully crossed the Gulf of Mexico solo on a Tritoon.

I made it on down to Crystal River, Florida where my brother met me.  He lives in the area and I was able to spend the night at his house.  He and Gina were great hosts and I appreciate their hospitality.

155 gallons of fuel were on board on this day.  Midway across the Gulf, a 12v fuel pump was used to pump fuel from an ATL bladder into my main tank.  It was like having a gas station out there on the open water.   Safety equipment was imperative and I had emergency positioning equipment, a satellite phone, and wore an inflatable flotation device.