Shipwrecked!

Shipwrecked!

This Blog might take the record for the shortest-lived ever. Regrettably, It appears our cruise has come to an abrupt end.

Our weather window finally arrived, and so at last we departed Carrabelle and looked forward to getting past Florida’s “Big Bend” and down the coast. We enjoyed a beautiful sail over to Alligator Harbor on Ochlocknee Bay, where we planned to stay overnight and leave for Crystal River in the morning.

As I furled the Genoa jib, Caroline steered for the harbor entrance, using the small red daymarks outlining the narrow channel. Unfortunately, the number 4 daymark turned out to be missing, and there was also a confusing set of marks which turned out to be on the other side of the bar. A quick discussion ensued and we attempted to turn back, but it was too late, and we were aground on the bar. Not able to motor off, I rowed an anchor out with the skiff and we tried to winch back to the channel, which was a short distance away.

In contrast to NOAA’s forecast for light winds and fairly smooth seas, we were pummeled with waves and wind which kept pounding us onto the bottom. The keel bolts could no longer take the strain, and we lost the heavy lead keel and began taking on water. Caroline called for help on the VHF radio, and a pair of local fishermen came to our rescue. The Coast Guard overheard and jumped in, asking us ceaselessly for information such as type and color of our boat, etc. This was while we were pumping water and trying to rig a towline and talk to our rescue boat on the radio. We felt like telling the Coast Guard girl to “shut up,” as we had more than enough to do without trying to answer her questions. She was just interfering with the rescue operation.

We fastened a float to the main anchor rode and let it go, and were towed into Alligator Harbor to a shallow sandy beach, where we are now beached. A wooden plug has replaced the leaking keel bolt and we no longer ship water, the other bolts still tight in the hull. It has been a bit of a chore to keep Brigadoon upright on her bottom, and during low tides we’ve experienced her tip over in the middle of night. It’s a ton of fun sleeping on a bunk at a 40 degree angle!

We are, of course, devastated and heartbroken about this turn of events. We have worked hard on the boat, and with the winters’ upgrades, finally felt she was ready for whatever came our way. She’s become a beloved member of our little family and this is like the death of a relative. We don’t have the resources to raise her keel and put it back on. Her rudder and rudder post are bent badly and inoperative, too. There are no yards near this area, and if there were, they’d be prohibitively expensive, like everything else in Florida.

To top this off, we haven’t liked Florida and often wished we were sailing someplace else. The contrary winds and shallow water make sailing here difficult and dangerous (and we hate the bugs.) The south end of the state is a “Police State” for boaters and cruisers. I don’t know why anybody would choose to live here. We have found ourselves just wishing we could skip Florida and get to someplace else. And now, Hurricane Season is here! We’ll take the electronics and most hardware off the sailboat and hang a “for sale” sign on her. She would still make a good motor cruiser if someone would remove her mast and do a good seal on the keel bolts.

So, we are done. We’ve had some good times and some bad ones. We’re glad we have had the experience. We still have our skiff, Brigid, which we built ourselves. We’re not sure where to go from here, but will probably go back to Texas and then likely on to Puget Sound.

Thanks for your comments and concerns. We appreciate you all. Keep in touch.

Skip & Caroline