Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Bayport / Spring Hill to Naples
0700 HRS
I've got my provisions, suitcases, and bike stowed away and I'm ready to weigh anchor. Starting Lat 28 degrees, 32 minutes North; Long 82 degrees, 39 minutes West , which is just south of Bayport, I'll head out (to the west) about a mile off shore and then swing south southwest to bypass the inland waterway. According to my NOAA charts... 11405-11429 my target is 26 degrees, 8 minutes North; Long 81 degrees, 48 minutes West; about 237 nautical miles, with arc. Projected arrival time (with one stopover anchorage) around noon tomorrow. I've set my trusty Tom Tom and I'm off.
No...a Tom Tom is not an Indian drum, it's a GPS.
It's a bit of a chilly morning (51 deg) and absolutely no breeze, so I'm starting out under power. According to my NOAA data, this cold nip came to us from the coast of Texas; and it's a couple of days early. The winds should pick-up to around 20 knots as I edge into the Gulf. I'm already feeling the breeze.
Allot of fishing boats are putting out to favorite fishing haunts. Grouper and snapper are pretty good catches this time of year. This is also the time of year when bait fish make their run across the Gulf, so I'm not surprised at the boat traffic. Kingfish (mackerel) also make their spring migration north up the coast of Florida. Should be exciting for fishermen. I'm guessing many of them are out after Blackfin tuna, which also abound in bait fish rich Gulf waters.
0730 HOURS
The wind is out of the southeast at 20 knots... so I'm on a close haul, trimmed tight and angled southwest. Sailing across six to eight foot swells is not the challenge it used to be. I'm staying close to the wind... but not too close, lest I start pinching. Afterall, I'm still a bit of a novice and I'm not yet ready for bold challenges. All is well.
There's really not a whole lot to do right now, except enjoy the ride and the scenery. So I'm thinking about blogs to share. The question currently on my mind is... Do we really understand people?
I think... sometimes, many of us like to think so. I'm not so sure we succeed. Except to color them en mass with our own personal paint brush; revealing more about ourselves than them.
Mostly, I have stopped trying. For me, it's challenging enough to understand myself, and get a grip on the subtle changes in me that surface from time to time lately; altering the me I've known for so long, and giving me pause to wonder about my excessive spontaneity.
The challenge of understanding others is probably more successful if we learn to accept differences. I mean, we don't have to agree, but it's sure much easier to agree to disagree rather than get all swoll-up over our differences. Just a thought.
I'm also thinking...probably I should revisit my attitude about committed relationships. I mean, it would sure be much more fun to have a sailing partner to share life and voyages with. Oh well... that for another time. I tend to get weak in my resolve when I sail alone.
Bayport / Spring Hill to Naples
0700 HRS
I've got my provisions, suitcases, and bike stowed away and I'm ready to weigh anchor. Starting Lat 28 degrees, 32 minutes North; Long 82 degrees, 39 minutes West , which is just south of Bayport, I'll head out (to the west) about a mile off shore and then swing south southwest to bypass the inland waterway. According to my NOAA charts... 11405-11429 my target is 26 degrees, 8 minutes North; Long 81 degrees, 48 minutes West; about 237 nautical miles, with arc. Projected arrival time (with one stopover anchorage) around noon tomorrow. I've set my trusty Tom Tom and I'm off.
No...a Tom Tom is not an Indian drum, it's a GPS.
It's a bit of a chilly morning (51 deg) and absolutely no breeze, so I'm starting out under power. According to my NOAA data, this cold nip came to us from the coast of Texas; and it's a couple of days early. The winds should pick-up to around 20 knots as I edge into the Gulf. I'm already feeling the breeze.
Allot of fishing boats are putting out to favorite fishing haunts. Grouper and snapper are pretty good catches this time of year. This is also the time of year when bait fish make their run across the Gulf, so I'm not surprised at the boat traffic. Kingfish (mackerel) also make their spring migration north up the coast of Florida. Should be exciting for fishermen. I'm guessing many of them are out after Blackfin tuna, which also abound in bait fish rich Gulf waters.
0730 HOURS
The wind is out of the southeast at 20 knots... so I'm on a close haul, trimmed tight and angled southwest. Sailing across six to eight foot swells is not the challenge it used to be. I'm staying close to the wind... but not too close, lest I start pinching. Afterall, I'm still a bit of a novice and I'm not yet ready for bold challenges. All is well.
There's really not a whole lot to do right now, except enjoy the ride and the scenery. So I'm thinking about blogs to share. The question currently on my mind is... Do we really understand people?
I think... sometimes, many of us like to think so. I'm not so sure we succeed. Except to color them en mass with our own personal paint brush; revealing more about ourselves than them.
Mostly, I have stopped trying. For me, it's challenging enough to understand myself, and get a grip on the subtle changes in me that surface from time to time lately; altering the me I've known for so long, and giving me pause to wonder about my excessive spontaneity.
The challenge of understanding others is probably more successful if we learn to accept differences. I mean, we don't have to agree, but it's sure much easier to agree to disagree rather than get all swoll-up over our differences. Just a thought.
I'm also thinking...probably I should revisit my attitude about committed relationships. I mean, it would sure be much more fun to have a sailing partner to share life and voyages with. Oh well... that for another time. I tend to get weak in my resolve when I sail alone.
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