Departing Boot Key

Departing Boot Key

Sunday 14th – Monday 15th March 2021

Sadly our planned early morning departure coincided with the change to daylight savings time.  It seemed exceptionally difficult to roll out of the sack at 6:15 am (or 5:15 in standard time).  We dropped the mooring line and set off about 7:00 just as it started to get light.  Cautious motoring got us out through the channel and as we turned into the wind we put up the mainsail.  Once we were out of the shelter of Boot Key it was obvious that the forecast was correct 10 to 15 knots from the east.  The seas were about 3 feet with a very short period.  While it wasn’t dire, it wasn’t great either.  I couldn’t help thinking that I wouldn’t be able to handle 30 hours of those conditions. 

Happily over the course of the morning our course was increasingly to the northeast and the wind started to move roughly to the southeast.  By 1:00 pm we were sailing.  Either the seas had dropped down or the direction of the waves was better for us.  This portion of the journey seemed so easy and different from the first few hours.  What a blessing. We continued sailing until the wind eased so much that we weren’t make good speed.  When you are hoping to do 200 miles, keeping a decent speed is important or the passage could turn into a multi-day event.

During the planning phase, we had thought that we might make our way through the reef to join the easterly current that flows along the Florida Keys and eventually becomes the Gulf Stream.  We realized that the easterly wind would be opposing current. That combination usually leads to steep seas, so we thought that staying inside the Hawk Channel made a lot of sense.  

By about 9 pm we were approaching Miami and making our way into the Gulf Stream.  There was a tiny sliver of moon that could be seen once the sun had set.  It wasn’t going to shed enough light (or stay above the horizon long enough) to help us.  Instead, there was plenty of light from Miami and the other coastal cities.  For some portions of the night, we were far enough off shore that all saw was a glow in the west.  It gave an impression of dawn breaking in the west!

At sunrise, we had about 25 nautical miles to go to reach a waypoint off Fort Pierce inlet.  Those last 25 miles did seem to go by slowly.  Once we left the Gulf Stream we were literally going much slower.  We did try some fishing, dragging a lure that is supposed to catch Wahoo, but with no success. It was about noon when we got to the anchorage just off the inlet channel.  

If you recall we had spent a night here on the way from Vero to Miami.  The vessel that we had mentioned at that time (200 feet of scope out in 10 feet of water) is still here. I guess his plans to sail to the Bahamas on a religious mission didn’t work out. We thought we had picked a spot well away from the Preacher/captain.  However when the current changed, the two boats were much too close together.  More anchor drills ensued.  We are both very tired and glad to be settled. 

Gloria

27 27.853 N, 80 18.838 W

Perfect sailing ... 10-15 knots of breeze on a beam reach. We are slightly north of Rodriguez Key at this point, the choppy seas have settled down and the winds were gentle and steady from a good angle. Sailing doesn't get better than this. It lasted for about 5 or 6 hours before the wind faded.

Sunset behind Biscayne Bay

The cockpit of Cotinga at night out in the Gulf Stream. With winds at <5 knots we were motor sailing with just our main sail up in very mild conditions that are unusual for the Gulf Stream. Note: the glow on the left of the photos is mainland Florida at night. The lights in the top right are a passing cargo ship

A similar shot, slightly different perspective. These night time shots are ~ 3 minute exposures. I use a tripod, but even so it's tough because Cotinga moves around in the waves (small as they were) and also the engine creates a certain amount of vibration. Note you can see Gloria catching some ZZZss on the bench

The arrival of first light is always a source of joy. This shot (split tone B&W) was hand-held with a 1/2 second exposure and gives some sense of the motion. In the Gulf Stream we clocked speeds over the ground that were consistently in the 8-9 knot range despite motoring very gently

Dawn in the Gulf Stream - unusually calm conditions

The sun peaks above the horizon

Early morning sun filtered through few clouds ... no land and no boats visible in any direction. A wonderful moment

Cotinga forging her way ahead in the early morning. Typically with just the two of us on board at night one person will sit on the seat at the back behind the wheel so they can look around for other boats and keep an eye on the radar and chart plotter whilst the other tries to get some sleep lying on the cockpit bench. The autopilot does the vast majority of the steering. Gloria and I worked a 2 hours on / 2 hours off schedule from 7pm - 7am. With more crew (4)  we like to run a 2-hours on watch, 2 hours supporting in the cockpit and 4 hours off below.

Cotinga motor sails into a dead calm morning.