0730 Zulu Time (that's 12:30 am in Sarasota for all you non-JAG watching folks)
Sarasota New Pass Bascule Bridge
Faith: "Sarasota New Pass Bridge, this is sailboat Faith requesting passage. Over."
SNB: " "
Faith: (background) "what does that say?"
SNB: " "
Faith: (background) "6-7 am on demand. 7am-6pm on the hour and every twenty minutes thereafter. 6pm-10pm on demand. 10pm-6am bridge may be opened with three hours notice. 1-800���
SNB: " "
Faith: (background) "Hi, this is sailboat Faith, we wanted to request an opening for New Pass Bridge."
SNB: "I HAVE THREE HOURS TO OPEN THAT BRIDGE"
Faith: "We know. Just wanted to start the process."
SNB: "Oh. Well. Where are you?"
Faith: "we're 100ft from the bridge."
SNB: "Oh. Jeez. Well, I'll see what I can do."
Faith: " "
Short time passes
SNB: "Sorry, can't get anyone there after all until 6. Oh. Hey. Are you safe?"
Faith: "yeah. We're anchored in the channel. Thanks."
SNB: (for next six hours) " "
And so it was that Faith got into Sarasota Bay Tuesday at 6:01am on the 26th of April. We had spent the night awash in the tides of dreams, basking in the halogen glow of the New Pass Bridge lights, resting in the comfort of certain knowledge: it WOULD open and let us through. If we had to tie ourselves to it to make it happen.
As it happened, the bridge folk were extremely motivated by punctuality. They were opening the bridge precisely on the scheduled time. The Stop Traffic whistle went off at 6:00am on the dot. It was the first time we've heard a siren on this journey knowing it boded well for us.
By six-thirty we had swung by Marina Jack's and decided to anchor in a wide space among the boats on cans (cans are permanent anchorages consisting of a floatation device on a rope to which the lucky renter may secure his boat. People get really pissed off when you steal theirs so we dropped the hook instead.) Respite at last!
Respite was a very sweet four hours. The increasing wind had swept a drying towel and shirt into the drink before my waking eyes. I climbed precariously out of the cabin to avoid waking Brian and Eric, and stood in a sweet billowing wind as I made fast the clothes still clinging to the rigging. Then I went back to my bunk. The mates were already awake when I left a second time to check out why Faith was angled differently from the other boats around her. Sure enough. We were dragging her anchor.
I've always wanted to say, "All hands on deck!" and mean it in its most academic sense. Let me tell you, the response in that situation was immediate and efficient: start engine, pull up anchor, prepare to fend off from obstacles, make ready docking lines and power practicedly to the dock. Lest anyone think we didn't mean to.
Jack, of the Marina, was affable. We acquired a slip without difficulty and were moored by 10:15. Might as well begin the disembarkation!
The crew split up � Brian out to breakfast, Eric and Sean to the store for provisions. All met back at the boat in time for the 4:00 interview with Steve. You can read about that in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Saturday the 30th of April. Faith & Fantasy. (It's linked from our chatroom site or at sarasotahearaldtribune.com.) Afterwards, we were treated to pizza and beer with Mike and Meg Stack, old friends of mine. They even invited us to stay at their house, to which we acquiesced. Good evenings to all!
Day 27: The Art of Making a Pass
We had promised the Stacks we'd show them an evening aboard they'd never forget. I doubt they'll forget what we delivered. The photographer had been forced to wait a day before shooting us. (Who knows how many others yet await that privilege�) We were finishing up about 4:00 when Mike and Meg made their appearance, bucket of bait shrimp in tow. Our exit was notable � especially by the boat owners who thought we had backed into their vessel. Our good old outboard makes a remarkably loud "bang" sound when shifted from reverse into forward with the engine in a high idle. Our guests were treated to our piloting savvy not once but twice as we retrieved caps that had blown overboard. They were suitably impressed by our ability to navigate the bascule bridge, knowing just when to time the openings and closings. Their excitement reached climax levels (you could tell by the way their knuckles turned white) as we drove through the New Pass Channel, bumping once on the bottom but seeming to know just when and where it would happen. They even got some fishing in once we'd dried them off enough. Believe it or not, they each said they wouldn't have missed it for the world. And we didn't even have to threaten them. Evening came peacefully as I hope it does for you.