It’s difficult for me to get out and dive in Key West. Running out to one of the offshore reefs in my little dinghy (9′ with a small 6 hp motor) means I can only head out on the calmest days. Those calm days always seem to happen on a work day. But a couple months ago I was able to get out to the Western Sombo reef which is due south of Stock Island. This...
Took a little trip around Stock Island on WikiWiki (the dinghy) to see the islands from a water perspective and also to see what it is like to travel a long distance on a little dinghy. The trip took 3 hours to make total and burned up 3 tanks of gas (the internal tank on this little motor only holds a quart). I’ve clocked my dinghy at 5 mph so it was probably...
I sailed Pomaika’i from Fort Myers to Jacksonville, FL where I live on her. While this trip was filled with challenges, it was one of my most adventurous outings. There were a lot of firsts for me on this voyage. First time sailing overnight, and on top of that solo sailing at nightFirst time offshore on my boat, and solo.First time on the west coast of Florida...
Well, the first day of boat ownership was a challenge. A perfect storm of poor planning on my part, inexperience – again on my part and mechanical issues. Palani is Hawai’ian for “FreeMan” and the sailboat will provide a means of leaving the gilded cage of society. Poor Planning As I hadn’t really expected to find a boat this early in my search I...