Crikey – I almost dropped me Earl Grey Tea!  It appears we are heading to ye olde British Virgin Islands for a week-long bareboat charter with two other couples. The boat is Ty Soizic, a 41 Lagoon catamaran.  It’s conceived to meet the highest standards – while I, on the other hand was conceived to meet…nevermind. The boat has 5 showers! One of us will have to wait our turn or worse case, double up.

The plane tickets (gulp, see air masks) have been bought, so we are committed. All I know is we fly in, take a ferry somewhere, outfit the boat and head off. A self-admitted bad listener, all I heard was: leave from Tortola, blah, blah, rum, Wiley T’s, blah, blah, rum, Foxy’s, rum, blah, rum.  I’m confident we will find a way to have fun in the islands, so no worries on the destinations. Our other shipmates have experience down there – I’ll let them and the wind determine the course.  More to come as this exciting adventure unfurls.

I lay there in the dark, praying that a small wisp of fresh air will find it’s way down to my sweat-soaked face, into my lungs.  It’s hot, the air is still and I feel like I’m trapped in some  peculiar, v-shaped sauna with an assortment of sailing gear. Sweet Joe – anything, a single flap from a butterfly’s wing – please.

This sweltering nightmare of V-berth barbecue took place about 2:00 a.m. at Beer Can Island in Tampa Bay, Saturday June 20th. Along for this adventure was CannonBall and JackKnife, my devoted crew. They had both fallen asleep earlier in the cockpit watching a Rambo DVD JackKife smuggled aboard. I had gone below and figured the V-berth would be the most painful sleeping area, hoping to leave the more choice berths for the boys to divvy up. I was right about the painful part. Mariola was astonishingly hot down below, even though it was actually quite comfortable up on deck. I tried to sweat it out but couldn’t do it. Around 2:00 a.m. I grabbed my soggy pillow and headed topside, determined to sleep on any flat part of the deck. On my way I noticed JackKnife on the starboard settee so I was looking forward to a vacant cockpit seat. There was one! It was much cooler, but the unjustifiably named “cushions” are hard as a rock – not meant for a long-term prone position. The sleep process was: roll on side, sleep until numb, roll to other side, repeat. It’s amazing how long it takes the sun to come up when you are praying (weeping) for it.

Now, all this suffering could most likely have been avoided. About a month ago I bought a really nice 12v Endless Breeze Fan and have used it – the fan moves a lot of air and will run all night on Mariola’s dual batt bank. Problem is, it needs to be setup (taken out of the locker and plugged in) and it’s difficult to aim it on everybody. Mariola also came equipped with a windscoop. This, I had never attempted to setup until this night - not even unrolled it. Both of these anti-heat measures may have made it bearable down below – unfortunately there was no way to use them. The captain had been posioned. I’m not exactly sure who the evildoer was - it may have been both of them.  I felt disoriented, staggering around, having trouble with my hand-eye coordination – those bastards. My margaritas were in no-way “virgin”. Double-crossed again. The sight of me and CannonBall on the bow, trying to stay on our feet, half-tangled up in an upside-down, inside-out windscoop must have given the other Beer Can overnighters a good laugh.

Beer Can Island (actual name is Pine Key) is an o.k. little drinking destination up near the Big Bend Power Plant in Tampa Bay. It was about a 5 hour sail from our homeport of Gulfport. The water was not the nice turquoise color you find out at Egmont and the crowd seemed a little more power-boat, power-drink oriented.  Partner that with the every-10-minute-cargo-ship and you don’t feel as detached from the mainland as you hoped. I will probably not go back here, but it was still a fun exploration. Something that had to be experienced. Even though the forecast for the weekend was extreme heat, the air was breezy and comfortable out on Tampa Bay. We just need to figure out how to pump it down below – or make deck sleeping more comfortable. The best part on the way to Beer Can, sailing across the bay. We deployed Patches and drug behind the boat. The water was great and there was only one minor incident.

Live and learn, I’ll be more prepared next time, and more diligent when it comes to lime flavoured refreshments.

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This weekend the crew is planning an invasion of beer can island in Tampa Bay. An early morning departure from Gulfport City Marina should allow for an early afternoon arrival at the island. Crew will be CannonBall, Jack-Knife and yours truly. Looking forward to the getaway. Grillin’, drinking and maybe a little treasure hunting. If you are in the area, keep yours eyes peeled for the PyratSail Flag. Stay tuned for pics and vid from the adventure. Will also be testing out the new SPOT finder website/tracking. Yo-Ho!

This weekend brought great temps, light wind and clear water at poplular Shell Key – a great little refuge that forms the south side of Pass-A-Grille.  This is the pass that  takes us out into the Gulf of Mexico, but this weekend was all about spending a little bit of time by the island. Our original plan was to take Mariola, our 32′ Morgan in close, jump out and walk the island. But the wind and current would only let us get close enough for an Olympic swimmer to make it to the beach. It didn’t matter though, the water was warm, beer and tequila were on the boat and it was easy to just take a dip off the stern.

The crew this Saturday was my wife, her mother and her aunt. The picture-perfect island framed by the green Gulf water was the perfect backdrop for a day of chilling out on the boat. This was one of those days that you remember for quite awhile. It would have been fun to make it to the beach and do a little beach combing – but the laziness in the air kept us lounging in the cockpit. Next time, we’ll bring Patches along to dinghy ashore.

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Friends and fellow sailors, Antony and Kathryn setout last week for an 8 day voyage down the West Coast of Florida on their 30′ Catalina, Bliss. From Tampa Bay to Port Charlotte, they experienced strong winds, sunny days, pleasant marinas and quiet anchorages. Here’s their story with pictures as told by Antony:

One of the benefits of being shackled to my computer day after day is that every so often I get to make friends via the internet. Thanks to a few referrals through SailMonster.com, WhaleWhisperer, a sailor from Monterey California, contacted me about possibly going sailing with her and some family members.

The email conversations began with Marie (a.k.a WhaleWhisperer) planning a trip to Tampa Bay and chartering a sailboat for a day sail with friends and family. She was looking for a local experienced sailor to help her out. I fit the criteria of local, so I offered to go along. The more we talked, the more my rum head realized that I had a perfectly good boat sitting in a slip down in Gulfport waiting to go. I suggested she skip the charter and we take Mariola out for a day of easy sailing on Boca Cieg Bay - it ended up being the heaviest conditions I’ve had Mariola in to-date.

The winds on Saturday, March 28th were 35+ Knots and gusting. Weather was reporting sustained at 40 mph when we left around 10:00 a.m., but ol Mariola can take it. With about 1/3 of the jib furled out and my T-shirt acting as a staysail, we zipped back and forth across the bay. Okay – FLEW across. It was a great time and great sail – WhaleWhisperer knows her stuff. Her parents John and Ginny had been left windless on previous sail outings and this one made up for it. Seriously!

After a couple hours of sailing we dropped anchor near shore and had lunch below. Marie brought awesome California style pasta salad to share, along with a special bottle of rum for the capn’.  The day was a little to tricky to open the rum so we enjoyed great food, super company, a few beers and then headed in. It wasn’t long before we were back in the slip and Marie was sporting her well-earned (hey, she survived a trip on Mariola) PyratSail hat. Special thanks to SailMonster.com for bringing us all together.

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Ross and Kay, along with their two children, have embarked on their epic voyage to the Florida Keys aboard Lola, their 25′ Oday. You can experience the journey LIVE! They have taken the PyratSail SPOT locator with them and it is transmitting position updates about every 10 minutes.  Follow them here on the SPOT Public link.

Ross and Kay are planning on returning on or around the 12th. Ross will be reporting in every so often via cell phone. Stay tuned here and in the forum.

To celebrate the mind-numbing fact that I will achieve 40 this coming April 4th, we are planning a sail trip to Egmont Key. Here’s the link to the official Sailmonster event. Any and all are invited to watch me drink myself stupid during the day and through the night. Mariola should arrive sometime around noon and will spend the night at anchor. We’ll be monitoring VHF Channel 8. If weather is bad we may go up the Manatee river. The blue jug will be by my side.

It happened out there boss. This Super Bowl weekend the Admiral and I took Mariola to Longboat Key, following our friends on Bliss. Now, if you’ve read some past posts, I’ve been working like crazy to solve some starter and alternator problems on Mariola and by Wednesday, before the trip everything was working the way it was supposed to be. That lasted about 5 minutes.

At Moores in Longboat Key

We show up at the dock Saturday around 10:00 a.m. with loads of food, blankets and, of course spirits. It doesn’t take long to stow everything and make ready to cast off. I turn the key, light up the system and reach nervously for the start button - the Daltons one slip over on Bliss are watching……Mariola responds immediately and fires right up! This cruise is going to be a cakewalk. I have decided I want to top off the diesel so we motor over about 200 feet to the marina fuel dock. Bliss heads out into Boca Ciega Bay to wait for us. Five gallons of diesel and three bags of ice later, I now confidently reach down to mash the starter button and begin our great adventure. Nothing – AAAAAHHH!!!!  Down into the cabin to remove all the engine covers and investigate, pull out the spare wire and jump across the stater. It fires up. Two days of hunkering over this diesel and I still have to start it like this. Gremlins 1, hapless captain 0. I’m sure I’ll score some points later…

PRESS ON, PRESS OFF

Maybe I can tinker with the switch/wiring while The Admiral steers across the bay. We meet up with Bliss and motor on to Structure C. Talking back and forth with Bliss on the handheld VHF while crossing the bay, I notice the battery is almost dead. Strange for a device that sits on the charger when not in use. Admiral runs below and produces the spare battery that is more dead than the first one. Gremlins 2, Capt. 0. Still have the regular VHF down in the cabin – awful hard to hear it with the diesel chugging away.

We’re through Structure Ca around 11:45 and Bliss sets sail, so do we. The wind is all over the place, really flukey, and chilly too. For the heck of it, I mash the start engine button – it works. I’m not going to dignify this with a score count. It’s rough in the channel, I’m reaching my redline for frustration and the wind is jibing us, throwing us and chaffing my butt even more. I bring up the option of turning back but the look of disappointment on The Admiral’s face changes my mind. Bliss also gave me some calm, encouraging words over the hard-to-get-to VHF so we keep going.

Side-note: After some harrowing experiences in perfectly working vessels, I’m very apprehensive about going to sea in something that’s malfunctioning. A lesson Papa RumHead taught me while growing up in Ohio – always make sure your stuff works BEFORE you go.

Our micro-flotilla travels out Pass-A-Grille, into the Gulf and down to Egmont. It’s cold, the wind is dead out of the South on the nose and we decide to head into Tampa Bay and motor. Before long we have motored through Anna Maria Island causeway, Cortez causeway, and find ourselves tied to the dock outside of Moores Restaurant.

WHEW, MADE IT

This is NOT The Call of The Sea

After some of the biggest and swear-to-baby-Jesus, best tasting raw oysters we have ever had, it’s back to the boats for more food and drinks. This little bay is amazing. Quiet except for a few kyakers mucking about. Appetizers and cocktails are served on Bliss and then it’s over to Mariola for steak and tuna on the grill, dinner in the cabin. A couple of rounds of Pass-The-Pigs were played and then the rest turns into a blur. All I remember is that is was a hell of a lot of fun. I do remember the cabin lights getting dim, messing with the battery switch and thinking I set it back to the house battery….

Next morning, after a beautiful sunrise, coffee and banana/chocolate chip bread from Bliss- we’re ready to head back. The faithful starter button in mashed and I’m met with the familiar sound of failure. Dead Jim. Antony comes over to help and we determine that both batts are stone dead. He lends me a battery and I still have to jump the starter - starter button is still on strike. On top of that, while checking the oil after breakfast, I noticed black engine oil sitting in the normally clean pan under the motor. This is new. Gremlins – oh hell, I’ve lost count.

It really is beautiful down in Longboat Key and I hope to return soon with a boat that doesn’t cause so much vein popping in my head. The water is very clear and I feel like I’m in The Keys. Truly a beautiful place. As we pull away I think I definitely will return – or maybe won’t be able to leave. Marooned here forever. So back into the Gulf we go via the single span Longboat pass bridge. It was a beautiful sail home even though it felt like Bliss was holding our hand like some little kid sucking his thumb, hiding behind Mom. Many thanks Bliss.

TO SUMMARIZE THE THORNE I CALL MARIOLA

Here’s a crap-out list of items from this weekend – not including me.

• Starter push switch or some unknown wiring problem
• Handheld VHF radio batteries
• Stuffing box leaks like crazy when motoring – not while sitting
• Mystery oil under engine on way down, not on way back – WTF
• My new watch stopped
• Both boat batteries went dead, think only one was switched on – this could be wrong because of all the rum. Gotta make sure though, and get more rum
• Camera battery went dead prematurely

At this point, if somebody came around with the right amount of $$ they could most likely walk away with Mariola and Patches - it wouldn’t take much $$ either.  My time could be used to finish building my Penobscot 14 - a gaff rigged sloop with no electronics. The Admiral is against this, but we’ll see how long the sting of these problems fester in my head. This bigger boat ownership thing is turning into one of those love/hate relationships – Mariola and I haven’t talked since Sunday.

See the full gallery of pics from this trip.

UPDATE: Video from the trip.

This Saturday the 17th found my wife and I on Mariola in Boca Ciega Bay around 3:00 p.m. with our Sailmonster friends Ross_In_Tampa and MamaKay. The wind was flukey – all over the compass for about an hour, but the temp was a pleasant 65 or so, and of course there was beer and rum in reasonable amounts. We wandered around the bay long enough to catch an amazing sunset and feel the cold, biting air the sun left behind. We headed back with just enough light to find our way in.

Just as we stopped Mariola in her slip, our friends from Bliss walked up and we instantly decided to all head to Pia’s in Gulfport. Pia’s is a Gulfport jewel that serves the best Italian food this rum-soaked sailor has ever had. The smoked salmon lasagne is only available every so often and I’ll get it anytime I can. Outstanding! Tampa Bay sailing doesn’t get any better.

Click the pic to see gallery from the trip.

Just got the YouTube account up and running. Here’s a vid from Saturday: