The first day out of Lake Charles I passed the locks nearby and headed west. I had no charts for these waterways, so I used some place mats that were on the boat when I bought it. They showed where to turn to get where I wanted and that was about all I needed anyway. I headed for Inter-coastal City, near Vermilion Bay, Louisiana. The weather was warm and the sun was out. I had installed a bimini to shade the cockpit and it was nice to sit under that and just watch the scenery drift by to the sound of the engine. I could set the Autohelm while looking at the farthest point I could see the waterway up ahead and I wouldn't have to adjust it for a long while. So I could go below and get things like food and drinks, or talk on the radio. The major concern was hitting a bridge with the mast. The rest of the time I had only to keep on the right side and miss the barges. It seemed I was traveling about the same speed as them, which meant I wouldn't see many except the ones I met.
There were some deer eating beside the waterway and when I passed they just looked and returned to eating as usual. It was times like this I began to feel life is good. There are places in this world so peaceful and natural I don't understand why no one lives there. The scenery was varied going through Louisiana from fields of crops, to Cyprus swamps, to cities. I didn't care for any of the cities. At Inter-coastal City, the boat needed fuel. I noticed a station and began making for it when a seaplane landed in front of me and pulled up first. Oh well, I just kept going and found a Mobile station around the corner, operated by a nice fellow who let me tie up alongside for a while since there was a storm coming that night. They were very nice. I guess I'd had all the storms I wanted out sailing in the night. Anyway, it gave me the chance to go to the store and pick up some things.
Next day, I stayed there because it was raining. You can't see in the rain and it would be really dumb to jockey with the barges when neither of you can see ahead. Tied to a steel bulkhead, the waves kept pushing the boat into the jagged metal and wood, so I put out one of my best fenders designed to protect the boat from damage. In the evening, the fender was destroyed and I had to use some old tires lying nearby instead. Next day, I left again on my trip. The sun was up and I was anxious to change the scenery. My next town would be Morgan City, but it wouldn't be possible to get there in one day. I stayed in a hole cut out of the side of the channel where a river crossed. One of the tugboat captains suggested it when he saw me motoring along with the sun going down. There I cooked supper and watched Star Trek on a little black and white 12V TV.
It takes a while to get used to living on a boat and any amenities like TV are good to help prevent culture shock. By now I was doing OK. Most people experience culture shock and get depressed from not having familiar things around them. It's the same with any sudden change, but most obvious when changing to a new environment.
I noticed a strange plant floating in the waterways that turned out to be water hyacinth, a fairly common plant in south America and only now becoming prolific on the Gulf Coast. They are not bad plants, they clean the water and the Manatees love them. But they clog the water intakes of some boats and cause them to overheat, possibly destroying the engines. Powerboat captains hate them.
Morgan City
It was a long leg to Morgan City and lonely. I only saw one or two boats on the way. The current was really strong approaching the city and my engine was struggling and spitting. I thought it was going to give up at any time when I noticed a Texaco dock near the Achafalya river, so, uninvited, I docked the boat. No one was around and it was getting late so I spent the night and tried to figure out what was causing the engine to run poorly. All kinds of bad things haunted me that could be wrong with it, but it finally started to run better. Next morning, the people showed up and wondered what I was doing there. I told them I was having engine trouble and they very kindly said I could stay as long as I needed. Around noon I gave up working on the engine and just decided to go for it. The River was running at nearly flood level and the current was 6.4 knots. I didn't see how I would go up stream with a boat that was rated at 6.5 knots, but I did. The guys at the Texaco dock said I should be able to make it if I stayed near the shore. I did that and sure enough I could hardly tell there was any current at all. I made it through the Morgan City locks and stopped at a little tavern someone told me about on the other side. It was a nasty little place. A man came out and told me I could only stay if I paid thirty dollars so, I paid him. A few minutes later an older man came out and gave the money back and said there was no charge. I stayed there till it was dark and went inside. There was no one there but the barkeep and me. I felt I should buy something from him, so I bought a couple beers and left.
I was anxious to leave that place and that town because it just didn't feel right. I followed another boat part of the day and caught them entering Homa, Louisiana. It was a 40' Valiant named 'Culmination.' Captain Roy Belew and Trish Leonard were having trouble with the intake getting clogged with water hyacinth. Roy replied on the radio he didn't need any help as I passed by. I docked in a little river in the middle of the town of Homa and later guided Roy in by radio. We had a nice supper on his boat that night and traded stories and agreed to sail together the next day. While we were there I noticed another boat moored closer to the center of town. It was smaller than mine but very nautical looking, with lots of expensive brass fittings and obviously of custom build. Dr. Richard Lawrence was traveling with a hired mate, a young man named David. He was delivering the boat somewhere in Pensacola Florida, he said. At the moment he was waiting for a part for the engine to arrive in the mail so they could continue.
The Mississippi River
Next day, Culmination and I headed east again with fine weather and high hopes of finding a nicer place. It took all day to reach the locks on the Mississippi River and we spent the night in a canal, in a field, a couple miles to the west of those locks. We left early and passed dozens of barges in line waiting to enter. They were very nice and let us go to the front of the line. I think it was more a desire to get us out of the way than one of special courtesy. It's probably well known that sailboat captains are often novices and they have very expensive boats and good insurance companies with lots of lawyers. And it would be really easy to mash a little sailboat to bits with one of those barges.
When we crossed into the Mississippi River I looked at my depth finder and took a second look. It was nearly 200 feet deep. The current was a good 7 knots and I was making 10 knots idling down stream. It would be very important to not miss the exit a couple miles away, since entire trees were rushing past in the water. If it became necessary to go upstream, one of those could easily sink this boat. Just beyond the Norman locks was a carrier escort being cut up for salvage. The large guns had been cut off to about three feet and it looked to be stripped. It was still an impressive sight to me, looking up.
Past the second set of locks, on the other side of the river, the channel led to an area of the Gulf Coast shore called the Mississippi Sound. I had planned to stop somewhere and call some friends I knew from Marina Del Sol that were supposed to be in the area. There was a river to the right that would lead to a place called Fisherman's Paradise I could see on one of my charts and I headed to it. It looked more like a creek than a river and there were many shallow spots I had to dodge. Around the last corner before reaching the dock I lost the channel and went aground, hard aground. I could have walked in water knee deep around the boat. It took a while to get off the ground here. I put up all the sail and let the wind help. Then I throttled up the engine full power and it began to move. Finally doing this got me back to water deep enough to float the boat again so I found the channel by process of elimination. Arriving at Fisherman’s Paradise I discovered the docks were only wooden planks nailed onto piles driven into the mud, but the place had an old nautical look to it. To my surprise they only charged me $5.00 a day to stay there. I stayed two weeks. My friends were glad to see me and I was glad to see them. We had a good time eating out and bringing each other up to date on past experiences. Sharing like this can save a lot of grief if you can learn from someone else's mistakes and inspirations. After eating about 30 pounds of crawfish I left for the next leg eastward. Getting back to the ditch was not too difficult and I was making good progress. By the middle of the day the engine began to run poorly again and this time I thought it would never start running. I even called the Coast Guard for advice. They said there was a little place a few miles away that I might get someone to look at it. I was really getting worried now because I had to anchor in the waterway and if a barge came along there would be no way to move out of the path since the wind was blowing in the wrong direction. Then as suddenly as it had stopped the engine began running fine. Now I was strongly suspecting something to do with the fuel flow.
Earnies Restaurant
Tired, I went to the place called Earnies Restaurant the Coast Guard told me about near the city of Chef Mantur and docked. It was always nice to dock beside a new restaurant. There would be a chance to get some new food and meet some new people. I added a new, clear fuel filter and could find nothing else wrong. Before I left one evening, walking down the dock under the restaurant, in motored the Schooner with Dr. Lawrence and David aboard. It was a welcome meeting and usually is when you meet someone familiar on a lonely voyage. I stayed to see if I could help them for three more days and we left together in case either of us had trouble again.
While there we had a merry meal in the restaurant and one on the boat. There were some gambling machines in the little bar upstairs and we tried them out. Like most gambling machines they took our money. The second day David and I decided to take a walk to the nearest auto parts store. Someone said it was about four miles away. We got tired at about ten miles and turned back. The next day we found a way to drive and discovered it was over fourteen miles to that auto parts store. While walking along, we noticed something interesting. There were the remains of small alligators and shotgun shells lying beside the road and in the ditches. It seems a common activity in those parts is to drive along the road and shoot alligators in the ditches, no doubt a nighttime sport.
Eventually we headed for the Mississippi Sound on the other side of Lake Borne to the east. The water is a distinctly different color east of the Mississippi River. This was the first time I saw blue water near the shore. We traveled together to Gulfport Mississippi in increasing winds. Mississippi Sound is a very nice place to sail most of the time. There are little islands with names like Dog island and Cat Island about a mile from the shore most of the way across the Sound and the water is usually clean and blue. The little islands are popular places to swim and sunbathe in the summer. But on this day the waves coming from the ocean were not being completely blocked by the narrow islands that protect the Sound. They were about four feet high in the ditch all the way to Gulfport, Mississippi on this windy day. I was doing fine since I had reefed my sails, but Dr. Lawrence was taking it harder. I could see his boat behind leaning and they were scrambling here and there doing things on board. When we reached the channel entrance to Gulfport it was necessary to make a hard left turn and head downwind. I did this with no problem, but Lawrence nearly turned his boat over because he could not reef his sails and he was flying far too much canvas in that wind. We spent the night docked there for thirty pieces of silver. I thought thirty dollars for being tied to a post overnight was a bit high. It was not without value though because it was here I noticed little black pieces of rubber in the new fuel filter I had put on the day before. Now I had an idea what may be the trouble with my engine. I took a cab to a nearby auto parts store where I bought some new neopreme fuel hose and replaced the fuel line. I then dissected the old one and discovered it was so decayed that pieces were coming off and clogging it from one end to the other. I never had any more problems with the engine.
Bear Point Marina
We left Gulfport and headed east again. The weather was nice and there was a light breeze and few clouds in the sky. This leg of the I.C.W. was not as nice as the last and not nearly as scenic. We followed this water highway through hill and dale always motoring since you could never get good wind and were always turning corners. Another day traveling took us to Bear Point Marina, Alabama, nestled in the piney woods of the Coastland. It was not a bad place, in fact, it was here I began to feel much better about my possible success of completing this journey. There was a kind of joy in the air and things began to look different. It seemed like there was a different spirit over the land and sea. Whatever the reason it was a much more cheerful trek from this point on. We stayed at the Marina overnight and left the next day eastward.
Rod & Reel Marina
By the end of the day we reached Pensacola, Florida. This is a very scenic place. The Beach is long and clean and the water is a nice turquoise color, clear enough to see through. Here the clouds and the wind and water dominate the world. They are usually so breathtaking compared to what was left behind travelers are stunned. I intended to stay here quite a while and wait for my friends sailing Arima and this was the best place I had ever seen. People come to this place to enjoy nature and the ocean and it is obvious why the beach is popular. Surprisingly, there are hotels on the beaches, not just where the land meets the water. Here the beaches are surrounded by water like those little islands at Mississippi Sound. It is quite the vacation spot. I found a little marina called the Rod & Reel Marina, perfect. The manager named Les, is very nice and let me stay on a monthly basis as long or short as needed. The Marina is situated behind some condominiums and a restaurant called Rusty's. They serve mullet there that is simply delicious.
I got my first chance to do some underwater spear fishing off the beach across and near the entrance to the channel. It was great. I took some snapper and a crab my first time out. I was so proud I took them back to the boat and had them for supper. I caught two flounder from the dock that were mighty tasty and bought a wooden dingy from a man I met on a cruising sailboat. After that I had something to do to repair and paint the dingy to match Frontliner.
Dirty Dick from Possum Crick
There was always something interesting to do like just meeting new people. One day I noticed an interesting looking gentleman with a mustache and goatee, about in his seventies, on a boat docked near the office and not far from my boat. I walked over and said something nice like "that's a good dingy you have there." In fact, it was about half the size of his boat and very sturdy looking. He was on a Bayfield 25, a very sharp sailboat. He invited me aboard and we became friends immediately. He was a retired professor from the University of Arizona at Tucson. He had been working with the Navaho Indians on the Reservation there and could speak some of the language. He would often burst out with it at odd times. He was an odd fellow, but very likable. For several days we met and had supper at the restaurant near the marina. He said he had been diagnosed with cancer and had to retire from the university. Five years later he would discover this was not true and he still had a boat. He was a good companion and a tough sailor. He related a story that I found remarkable. He said he had no experience sailing, but he bought the sailboat anyway and left St. Petersburg Florida for the Dry Tortugas. He had no idea how to navigate or sail the boat but intended to learn on the way or die. He said he had no Autohelm and had to steer all the time by himself. When it was necessary to go up front and change the sails or something, he would tie the tiller with a rope and go in slow circles until he finished. He said he became so tired at one point that he had to just forget about the boat, go below decks and sleep.
I told him I know how he must have felt. He always had lots of marks on his arms because his skin was tinder and would bruise and tear easily. You hurt yourself nearly every day on a sailboat. He liked being called Dirty Dick from Possum Crick, but I always called him Professor, partly out of respect and partly because it made me think of the characters on an old TV show called Gilligan's Island.
Arima Arrives
This was the first really nice place I had ever been and I stayed well over a month fishing, diving and working on the dingy. One day I was expecting my friends from Marina Del Sol to arrive and had been listening to the radio. Lori is a pretty girl with dark hair and Chuck looks like Clint Eastwood, they make a nice couple and not what you would expect to find on the high seas. Finally, I was able to reach them. "Arima, Arima, Arima, this is Frontliner, over." I called them every thirty minutes. Then, I heard Lori, "Frontliner this is Arima go ahead." Ha, ha, they made it and a grand meeting was coming up. They had been sailing for eight days from Galveston and the winds had not been good. The winds are never good in the Gulf. They had experienced no wind for two days and a storm with too much wind one night and hard sailing close to the wind most of the way. Finally, they had to start the engine. The engine had stopped several times and Chuck thought they had run out of fuel, since he didn't know how much fuel he had because the fuel gauge was broken and the tank fill was such that he could not put a stick down it to measure. The reason sailors don't like to use the engine is that's the only way to dock the boat if the wind is not in the right direction when they arrive somewhere and it usually is not. The only alternative is to do like the sailors of old time and anchor off shore, paddle in with the dingy and bring the ship in when the wind changes. With other ship traffic and thieves it's really not a good idea to do that, as I discovered when I left my boat in the Bahamas later on.
When they said they could see the entrance, I borrowed a hand radio and climbed my mast and intended to guide them in from about two miles away. I gave them all the essential information like; go past the first channel and turn left at the second and continue about a mile and we are on the right. The wind was blowing into the Marina and it was going to be difficult to dock without plowing into it. We discussed them anchoring the night and docking in the morning, but I let them decide. They decided to go for it. It was really hard and large sailboats do not maneuver well even in good weather and it was dark by now. Chuck managed to get docked with an impressive bit of motoring and tiller work all against the elements and the only damage was caused when the bow rail in front bumped a post and got bent. It was good to see my friends and I handed them a cold beer when we had the boat secured.
It was then time we all got our boats ready for the next leg of the journey. Chuck and Lori worked on theirs and I helped with anything they would let me do. I was waiting on the new Autohelm to arrive from the manufacturer and had finished my repairs and updates, so I had nothing else to do. We installed a topping lift on Arima. The topping lift holds the boom up while someone changes the sail at sea and Chuck worked with the Global Positioning System and the fuel tank. He was able to discover the tank was large enough and all it needed was cleaning and venting, both of which he was able to do before we left.
I introduced them to professor Simpson and we all had a grand time visiting together for several days. We went to my favorite diving place and spearfished and swam in the clean, blue water at the beach. Better times began here.
We met two other very nice gentlemen; Bill Williams and Ted Cook. While walking down the dock on the way to town, we asked directions from them. When they understood we had no vehicle, Bill insisted we take his Chevy Suburban and just handed us the keys. We were really surprised he would do that and it was a great help at the time. That was uncommon kindness.
When we all got ready to leave and had convinced the professor to not go to Texas, we traveled east together. It's a lot less lonely traveling with other people and we had some good times doing it.
We followed the I.C.W. from Pensacola headed for Apalachicola Florida. It would take nearly a week to make the trip traveling along about six miles per hour. The end of the first day found us anchored in a wide place in the channel that looked safe from other traffic. Chuck and Lori decided to anchor on the north side and the professor and I decided to anchor on the south side. During the night, a storm came and blew from the north so the professor and I wished we had gone to the north side of the channel with Arima. The bottom was not very good here and the tide went out in the night leaving us too close to the hard bottom. Both of us were shaken by the wind and could not sleep. About 3:00 am we both could feel the boats bumping on the bottom and we had to pull on the anchor lines to move the boats to deeper water. The Professor had to lift his anchor and move into deeper water, which was quite a feat in that wind and all alone on his boat. Next morning, neither of us had gotten any sleep and my dingy was missing. I noticed it about a hundred yards aft, washed up on the shore. I called the professor on the radio and he brought his dingy over so I could fetch mine from the shore. Then we had to figure out how to get his dingy back. The professor sailed so close by my boat that I was able to hand him the rope to the dingy as he passed by. The professor was so tired he could not continue very far the next day. He said he was going to take his ease beside a K-mart store we spotted. All this communication was happening over the VHF radios we had on each of our boats.
Frontliner and Arima continued traveling east until the end of another day. We reached the east side of Lake Catachwatchie, where we anchored on the south end of the lake. This time I went along with Arima and anchored wherever they decided. That evening the Harvells invited me over for dinner aboard Arima. They got out their newly equipped sailing dingy and tried to sail over to my boat. It didn't sail very well and I had to rescue them with my dingy and a small outboard engine. We decided the mast needed to be cut down some and later we would discover it worked. We were anchored in the small part of a lake where it went into a channel so there was some protection from the wind, except from the north. Mealtime is nearly always a happy time when you are on a journey. Everyone gets together and shares what they have. Later that night the wind blew from the north again and it was another bumpy night, but I got a little sleep. I think I was getting used to it. I don't think the Harvells got any sleep at all. Next morning we headed east again for another day of hard motoring. It took all day without stopping to reach Panama City.
Panama City
We discovered a wonderful little protected lagoon just south of the Panama City Dock, where we found just enough room for about four sailboats. There was already one there, but we didn't see anyone at home all the while we were there. This was a picture perfect little anchorage protected on every side and we spent an extra day there for no reason at all.
One evening we were just finishing dinner aboard Arima and having drinks when we looked up and here came Puffin. The professor didn't recognize us and went about anchoring his boat until we shouted at him. He was delighted and wasted no time in coming to join us. It was such a surprise to see him again and we were delighted he was OK. Chance meetings like these will always be one of my fondest memories.
While we were in the little anchorage, I decided to try some stingray. There were plenty of them swimming around my boat so I waited on deck with my spear gun till they swam by. I took one and prepared it. Nasty is the only way to describe the results of my effort. It was really bad and if anything tasted worse, it must have been when we tried to eat a nurse shark. They're big and easy to catch, but they taste really bad.
Next day we were all off again headed for Apalachicola, Florida. The weather had been pretty good except for a couple storms in the night during the trip. It was another long hard day of motoring down what was now a pretty narrow channel, but one with strange looking trees. They were thick and matted in places and unlike anything I had ever seen. I still don't know what they were but they looked similar to the mangroves of southern Florida.
When we reached Apalachicola, it was a little disappointing to not get to go to town, but we docked at a nice little place just before Governor's Cut and spent the night. Once again, we had a grand supper in the restaurant there that served all kinds of fresh seafood. Chuck and I were contemplating the crossing over open ocean to Tarpon Springs and all the possible problems that could occur during that one hundred-fifty mile jaunt in the open sea. We decided to listen to the weather the next morning and decide what to do then. Next morning, the National Weather Service said the winds would be 15 knots from the southwest all day. We decided to go immediately. It was a good thing we did because it is rare to get winds from that direction in the Gulf, or at least we thought so, us old sailors.
When we got our dinghies onboard and everything ready to go, it was near noon. You always put the dingy on the big boat when crossing the ocean in case of bad weather or something causing it to be slammed into the back of your boat. In addition, it takes speed away from the sailboat dragging behind and everybody wants to get across fast as possible. It was not a bad crossing at all, but the professor said he had oil squirting from his engine and stopped to repair a broken hose. We kept in radio contact as long as possible and when we arrived we had the Coast Guard check on him until he made it inland. He actually got to St. Petersburg before I did. I anchored just off the coast of Tarpon Springs behind a little island for the night with Arima. We had intended to go to St. Pete the next day, but I had parked in a place that was a little too shallow. I really needed to stop doing that. I watched Arima leave and now we were all spread out again. After working with a kedge anchor and all the sails flying, I asked a fisherman in a small 14 foot boat if he would pass by going fast a few times to rock me off the bottom. He did and I was on my way again with no harm done. I went to Clearwater and docked at the Bel Crest Beach Resort for $10.00. That was the last cheap rent I ever saw on a dock. Next day, I went around the corner and laid anchor behind the Don Caesar Hotel. It was a pretty nice place and there was a bus stop near by, so I went sightseeing. There was a market not far away and I was able to pick up a few things I needed for the larders. I found where the professor lived and went to see him in my dingy. We worked on his boat and installed a boom-vang and worked with his new Global Positioning System.
Fred
After a couple days in that place, I decided to move to the place where Arima was docked. It was a nice place and I spent the night there, but the current was so strong you could hardly come and go. While there we all went to the nearby store one morning for something or other. Anyway, there was a large, white bird, over four feet tall, standing near the door when we arrived. He just stood there and was not afraid of us, so we just watched him. Shortly, the store opened and the bird went to the door and knocked with his beak. When the man opened the door, the bird went inside and stood at the counter. We followed him inside and it turned out to be a bait store and every morning when the owner removed the dead bait-fish from the water, he put them on the counter in front of the anxiously waiting bird he named Fred. After he ate the fish, Fred walked over to the door and waited till someone opened it for him, then he walked outside and flew away. That's got to be the strangest arrangement I've ever seen.
I soon left that place and anchored in a nice little bay a couple miles away. This turned out to be a resort place where people came to play, but it wasn't too bad. It was a lot less expensive too. The Harvells had gone somewhere to visit relatives and the professor had done something much the same. I decided to continue the trip alone and headed south down the I.C.W. until I reached a little dock called the Crow's Nest. It was a very small place but the water was so clear I couldn't resist stopping for a while. While there, I got out my spear gun, put on a dive suit and mask and slipped into the water to catch supper. It took no time at all before I speared a nice fish about four pounds. I took it to the boat, cleaned it and fired up the grill. This was another expensive place. They charged $30.00 to park for the night. I figured it was not so bad if you include the fresh dinner and a nice little swim.
Next day, I left early down the I.C.W. headed for Fort Myers. It would take at least two days to get there, but I was in no hurry. I found a wide place where the waterway turned late that evening and anchored the boat. There was a little squall as small rain cloud was passing, so I battened down the hatches and waited for it to pass. When it was over I noticed another boat nearby. I got into my dingy and paddled over to meet them. They were a very nice couple, older than me and their boat was a 37 foot Morgan. They had much more room, or would have if not for all the stuff they had packed into it. The next day we journeyed together in case either of us had any trouble. Sure enough, when they arrived at Fort Myers their engine went out. They left the boat at the marina and went off somewhere to get the Captain some long delayed medical treatment.
The Fort Myers Marina sits just behind the Hilton Hotel. It is clean and nice and you can go into the Restaurant at the Hilton. After a couple days here it was time to move on. I filled up with gas and headed to Fort Myers Beach on the ocean. There was an anchorage with about two dozen boats anchored. I took the dingy and went to shore and walked around town for awhile and down to the beach. The water there is marvelously blue and clean looking and there were lots of people basking in the sun and swimming. This is obviously a tourist town. I spent about three days here until I thought it was time to move on. The next leg of the trip would have to be done outside the shore in the ocean - in the ocean, alone again. I was a little anxious about this for some reason.
I left about noon because I figured it would take about 24 hours to get to Marathon, in the Florida Keys and I wanted to arrive with the sun high. This way I could see the reefs under the water in case my charts were off, so I could still navigate through them. It was really a peaceful trip in spite of my trepidation. There was a light wind off my starboard beam, right side and I just sailed along and watched the water and sea creatures float past. At one point somewhere near Everglade City, I noticed a small cloud off to the right. There was a fishing boat under it that I could barely see. The next minute a funnel came down from the little cloud very near their boat. As I watched, something white began to appear in front of the boat and shortly, I realized it was white water being splashed by the boat moving quickly. It took very little time for the boat to reach and pass by my location headed for the shore. They must have been a little shook up by that waterspout coming down beside them. I reefed my sail a little and continued on. Looking down, I was surprised by all the crabs swimming in the water. I didn't know crabs could swim at all, much less reach the surface, but there they were, baby crabs everywhere. They look funny swimming sideways.
Another fascinating thing I saw, while sitting on the front of the boat swinging my legs off the side and watching the water, were flying fish. I thought flying fish could only jump from the water and glide, then fall back. Not so. They actually do fly by flapping their wings. The boat surprised a school of them while I was watching and they sprang up like a covey of quail and flew off in all directions. If they could not fly, but only sail along, they would have all gone the same direction. What's more, they flew about fifty yards only a foot above the water. What's even more, since I was right over them when they left, I could hear them beating their wings.
Now the sun was beginning to set on the horizon and I could see big clouds up ahead. When the sun went down and it began to get dark there was lightning in those clouds. I knew there would be high wind and rain soon. Marathon was still about a hundred miles away and so was any other land within reach. I reefed the mainsail all the way and rolled the jib up and secured it. It's important to protect that roller furling from damage in high winds. I started the engine and motor sailed along. A towel covered the Autohelm to keep most of the water off when the rains arrived and I went below into the main salon. The wind hit while I was below, so I just closed the doors and lay down on the couch. I was really grieving about this storm and all the lightning which had not happened to me before. It was not as bad as I expected. The water didn't get very bumpy because the wind had not been blowing for very long and the water was not very deep. After the little blow was over, things returned to normal and the stars came back out. I sailed all night and in the morning the sun revealed something on the horizon. It just looked like some dark spots at first, but as I got closer, I could see it was a bridge. I was arriving at Marathon. When the sun climbed higher so I could see into the water, I actually shouted out. Looking over the side of the boat, I could see rocks going by as clearly as if I were flying in the air, or the water was only a foot deep. I looked at the depth gauge and it read 15 feet, plenty of water. I stared at that for a long time trying to decide if I was running onto a shallow place or what. It turned out the water in the Keys is that clear nearly all the time. This was a place like I had never even dreamed about before. I wondered what else I would find here in this other world.