Dive Report -- Vortex Spring, Florida

There is quite an inter-connected system of freshwater springs in western Florida.  Matt Cooper and I went SCUBA diving in Vortex Spring, close to the town of Ponce de Leon, FL.  Named after the Spanish explorer who searched for the fountain of eternal youth.  Vortex Spring may not provide eternal youth, but its easy-diving, playful atmosphere does allow you to feel like a kid.  The spring forms a cave that terminates in a locked metal grate at 110' depth.  This cave was the site of an out-of-air emergency when Matt and I dove there before.  This time, due to a sinus block, we stayed shallow and played around in the main basin.  The water is a constant 68 degrees, so after two tanks of air apiece, we were ready to warm up and head home. 

Sailing Report -- Back Bay of Biloxi

Spent another day sailing the Back Bay of Biloxi.  This was really just a relaxing afternoon of enjoying the warm weather and the holidays.  Six people were on board Jim Boernge's boat Short Circuit, including John, an 85-year-old, who did an amazing job of steering the boat.  We sailed past the VA hospital, so that CJ Boernge's sister Gale and her invalid husband Ken could see the boat.

Safety Harness and Tether

Spent most of the day building a Safety Harness and an Elastic Tether.  During rough weather, a harness and tether are essential to keep you connected to the boat.  During fair weather, it is still a good habit to wear them.  My goal in building the harness was fit and comfort.  The elastic tether is 6' long with a piece of shock cord inside the tubular webbing to shorten it and keep it out of the way.

Lift Bag

Lift bags are used to float heavy objects to the surface.  Lift bags for sale seem flimsy and overpriced, so I sewed one from heavy weight cloth.  This one is also designed differently, since a rising objects's momentum can let the bag break the surface, topple over, spill some air, then the object starts sinking, which may collide with an ascending diver.  Am planning to go diving on 30 December to see how well this works.

Sailing Report -- Back Bay of Biloxi

Spent the day sailing in the Back Bay of Biloxi with Jim Boernge, his wife CJ, their dog Sam, and Millie Newman, on Jim's boat Short Circuit.  While much of the country was facing sub-freezing winter weather, we were out sailing in t-shirts.  

Biloxi Shrimp Boats

The Biloxi shrimp boat fleet sits idle in the Back Bay of Biloxi.  One of several local casinos rises in the background.  Like other places, Biloxi struggles as the old economy slowly dies out and the new economy takes over.  Many of the old-timers complain about the pervasive negative impacts of the casinos.

On Again -- Nigeria Trip

The Nigeria trip is on again.  The boat owner found out how expensive it would be to ship his boat overseas and decided we could deliver it much cheaper.  Looks like we will start getting ready just after the Holidays and will head out during the middle of January.  Winter is a rough time for transiting the Caribbean, but a good time for the transatlantic leg, since the equatorial trade winds usually don't kick up until March.

Chaos

Fitting everything needed for a long trip into the inside of a small sailboat can cause absolute chaos. 

Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

It is high time to point out fraud, waste, and abuse of tax dollars.  The marina at Keesler Air Force Base is almost deserted.  After spending millions of dollars to rebuild it in the three years since Hurricane Katrina, there is no electricity or running water to the docks.  Last week, three of us boat owners held a conference with the marina manager, a member of the base civil engineering section, and a contractor.  After one and one-half hours, when everything was said and done, alot was said and still nothing was done.

Cancelled -- Nigeria Trip

Today the trip to Nigeria was cancelled.  The boat owners decided to load the boat on a ship to transport it across the Atlantic rather than pay us to deliver it there.  With that out of the way, I can focus on preparing for my own sailing journey.  Still need a week or so to get ready and really shouldn't take off during Christmas, so will plan to leave in early January.  Jim Boernge may go with me as far as Key West.

Mini Dinghy

Just finished building a mini dinghy.  Used a 13.6"/24" inner tube for a tractor tire, then sewed a cover for it from an old sail.  Added some web loops for towing and handholds.  My regular inflatable tender takes awhile to assemble and inflate, so this will be handy for jobs like setting out an anchor or towing dive gear.  Will be able to sit on it and scull from the front, or lay on it and paddle by hand like a surfboard.  Am thinking it will be fun for playing in the surf.

Trip to Nigeria

Recently agreed to assist in the delivery of a 120-foot workboat from Biloxi, MS, to Lagos, Nigeria.  The crew will consist of Captain Ray O'Quinn, his cousin who also holds a Captain's license, an Engineer, and myself.  We plan to leave shortly after Thanksgiving.  The boat has large tanks used for hauling water to oil rigs.  Filling these with 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel will be necessary to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  Even so, we will stop in Barbados and top off.  The trip should take 30 to 35 days and the roughest section should be past Barbados for a few hundred miles, until we enter the intertropical convergence zone close to the equator.

Cleaning the Hull

Jim Boernge and I dove in the muddy marina waters today to clean our boat bottoms.   We were afraid that a summer's worth of marine growth and barnacles would be quite bad.  I was particularly worried about barnacle fouling on my propeller.  Fortunately, the marine growth was easy to remove and no barnacles were found.  But the water was so foul that visibility was only 5 inches using a strong flashlight.  And a cold front had just moved through, so the weather was quite cool and the wind was blowing about 20 knots. 

One-Winged Pelican

Spent most of today working on mounting the wind vane, but was pestered by a one-winged pelican.  Most pelicans swoop down and scoop up fish to eat, so a one-winged pelican must get pretty hungry.  It really begged for food, but then spit out the banana pieces I threw to it.

Mounting the Wind Vane

Started mounting the wind vane self-steering mechanism.  It is a used Norvane unit from another Albin Vega, like Pequod.  The challenge is holding it over the water at the right height to figure out where to drill the holes.  Wind vanes are generally preferred over autopilots for small sailboats on offshore passages because they do not use any electricity.  They do require much more attention to sail trim and the overall balance of the sails and helm.  This unit will be able to steer in most conditions, allowing time to cook food, take a nap, and make repairs.

Beach Report -- Pensacola Beach

On Sunday, I checked out Pensacola Beach while waiting for the local surf shop to open.  The white sand and blue water of Pensacola Beach is amazing.  A few surfers were riding small waves by the Pensacola Beach Pier.  The beach population was growing, even though it was an overcast Sunday morning.  Overall, this seems to be a first class beach.   Then I headed over to Yancy Spencer's Surf Shop in Gulf Breeze and talked to Greg about a longboard, but am still not sure where to carry a surfboard on Pequod. 

Sailing Report -- WFORC

Spent Friday and Saturday sailing on Tom Stokes' boat Free Spirit in the Western Florida Ocean Racing Circuit at Pensacola, Florida.  Saturday night, after five total races over two days, we were in a solid 4th place out of six boats in our class.  The courses were Windward-Leeward with about 1.5 mile legs and twice around.   I was the bowman and the bottom line is that was a lot of work for a big, heavy boat on such short courses.  But it was a good time and great experience.

Sailing Report -- S/V Cool Runnings

Spent yesterday afternoon and evening helping Scott Corey move his boat, S/V Cool Runnings, from the boatyard at D&H Marine in Gulfport back to his slip in Pass Christian Harbor, a trip of about 30 miles.   At first, we motored because one of his wooden spreader tips had rotted off and the mast was only supported by the lower shrouds.  With a perfect wind for sailing, I finally tired of motoring, so I climbed the mast and used a couple pieces of strap iron and 4 hose clamps to splint the spreader tip back in place.  After that we had quite an enjoyable sail, mostly by the light of a half-full moon.  

Cat Island Race

Raced around Cat Island today as part of an annual race sponsored by the Pass Christian Yacht Club.  Nine sailboats started and I raced on a 36' Pearson owned and skippered by Tom Stokes.  We placed 2nd in the Spinnaker division.  It was a great day for racing, with light breezes, lots of sunshine, and occasional visiting dolphins.

Horn Island Trip

Six of us, on two sailboats, headed across the Mississippi Sound and spent an overnight at Horn Island.  Horn Island is a very natural place, being part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and the least visited and largest of the Mississippi Barrier Islands.  Jim Boernge and his wife CJ, along with CJ's daughter Phyllis and her friend Piper, sailed on Short Circuit.  Millie Newman and myself sailed on Pequod.

We anchored both boats close together about 200 yards off the northern side of Horn Island.  The anchor riding sail I built worked quite well for steadying Pequod at anchor.

The dinghy rides to shore  were more exciting than necessary because the outboard motor really did not want to run.

Horn Island is about 15 miles long and almost a mile wide.  It really takes a beating when hurricanes hit the Gulf, but the ecosystem's speedy recovery is a true testament to the healing powers of nature. 

We found a dead sea turtle washed up on the beach.  Blood coming out of its head suggests it was struck by a fast boat.  

A short hike across the island brought us to the Gulf side.  On this day the swells were small and stingrays were swimming in the clear blue water.

We returned as the sun was setting and dinghied back to the anchored sailboats.  There we rafted up and fixed supper.  

Short Circuit's Salon was home to an enjoyable evening, with a feast of porkchops, boiled shrimp, baked beans, rice, salad, and wine.

The next morning, a school of dolphins entained us by playing near the boat.  About noon, we weighed anchor and they escorted us for awhile. 

The weather was absolutely perfect.

The wind was a sailor's dream.  How often does the wind allow you to sail both ways and use the spinnaker most of the way?

Prep for Horn Island Trip

Spent the day frantically preparing for a two-day trip to Horn Island, starting tomorrow.  Horn Island is the largest of the  barrier islands forming the Mississippi Sound and is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.  I have never been there, but hear the island is home to a tremendous array of wildlife.  The trip will be about 20 miles out to our planned anchorage and the marine weather forecast predicts favorable winds.

More Work

Replaced some rotten wood on the sink countertop and put a coat of finish on it.  Should be able to install it tomorrow.  Built a Jib bag to put around a hanked-on Jib sail.  This will allow me to store one jib on the forestay, but still protect it from ultraviolet damage.  Re-stitched a Bimini top for Scott Corey, a fellow sailor I met in Bernard Bayou as we were getting ready for the hurricanes.  The material was in good shape, but the thread was breaking, so it was a simple matter to re-stitch it. 

Sewing Day

Spent the entire day sewing.  First was a set of lee cloths for both salon berths.  Then three bags that fit inside a plastic milk crate, which will keep small items from falling out.   Next I sewed a red and white "diver down" flag and a blue and white "Alpha" code flag that is also an international diver down signal.  Finally, started on three tote bags, but finished only one and decided to quit for the night.

Sunset at Keesler AFB Marina

After a long day of work, the sunset over the marina was a pretty sight.  The two hurricanes this summer took out the electricity in the marina, so when the sun goes down it is time to quit working.

New Mainsail Cover

Finished sewing a new mainsail cover today and mounted it.  Am quite happy with the way it turned out.    

Sailboat Racing

Spent Saturday and Sunday racing on a 19' Flying Scot at the Pontchartrain Yacht Club for the Back to School Regatta.  Joey Stokes, Amanda Schrantz, and myself represented Long Beach Yacht Club and placed 5th out of 8 boats.  During the third race on Saturday, we capsized the boat and  had to be towed back to the harbor.  Lake Pontchartrain is so shallow that the mast stuck in the mud and it bent pulling it back out.  Some frantic boat repairs fixed everything well enough to sail again on Sunday.

Beach Report -- After Hurricane Ike

Following Hurricane Ike the beaches around Gulfport, Mississippi, are still closed and look to be closed for awhile.  I am afraid they will return them to postcard-perfect before allowing humans on them.  They looked fantastic before the hurricanes, with miles of light-colored sand, easy highway access, and sheltered water due to the barrier islands.  Even so, rarely do they draw a crowd and then only tourists, as the locals typically shun them.   Whereas in California, people from all over crowd onto marginal beaches seeking the beach high-culture.  Am I missing something?

Moving Boats Home

Finally moved my boat back to the marina at Keesler Air Force Base.  The seven lines tied to trees and the two anchors required a couple of hours to undo.  Jim Boernge and his friend Al readied Jim's boat "Short Circuit", while Millie Newman and myself readied my boat "Pequod."  Then both boats headed back the six miles to Keesler AFB.  With a 12 knot South wind, I was able to sail the last half of the trip.  It was interesting to see the boats along the way that did not make it through the two hurricanes.  Quite a few boats were merely anchored in the Back Bay of Biloxi and several of them broke loose, ending up stranded on the shore.  At Keesler AFB, the hurricanes tore loose the aluminum walkways to the floating docks.  A couple of guys could fix the damage in a day, but the government is only now letting contracts.  Bet you that I sail away long before they re-attach the loose walkways, or restore the electricity and fresh water.

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike is due South of us this evening.  Lots of rain, tropical storm force wind gusts, and a storm surge of about 5 feet.  Definitely not as bad as the people around Galveston will get tomorrow evening, but I am still glad it is going somewhere else.

Waiting for Hurricane Ike

Will Hurricane Ike hit us? Most people are just leaving boats in their hurricane hole, waiting. Many people discuss leaving the Gulf Coast altogether. At the end of the day, hurricane season puts a real damper on peoples' lives. The uncertainty seems to be worse than the actual storm.

Sailing Report

Went sailing today on Scott Corey's boat Cool Running, a 36-foot Columbia. Scott and I left Point Cadet Marina in Biloxi, MS, in the mid afternoon and sailed South towards Ship Island. We turned around out by the Intercoastal Waterway and made it back by dusk. Winds were SSE at 15-20 knots and it was a nice sail.

Hurricane Gustav

Hurricane Gustav has passed.  Went with Jim Boernge into Bernard Bayou and tied up our boats a few days early.  Then I swam out to the boat the night before it hit and waited for its arrival Monday morning. Once things settled down again, I swam ashore and walked home.  My boat was fine and it was a good learning experience. Effort invested in hurricane preparation definitely pays off.