The final leg of my trip from Jacksonville to Key West is the Marathon to Key West Harbor leg. The plan was for this to be a simple daysail trip down the keys with current and wind going for me. As with all things I do there is a “let’s make things go the hard way” tax due. I decided I would take care of this tax before leaving the anchorage...
It was time to move on. The next leg of the journey was to head from Rodriguez to Marathon, a few miles further down the Keys. Straight line the trip was just under 50 miles but the day I chose to leave was light winds so it would be another slow sail. In studying and reading about this lifestyle all the forums and books focus on what to do in extreme storms and high...
My time in Jacksonville, FL was over, and it was time to sail from Jacksonville to the Florida Keys. While I was only partially done with the refit the job I had moved to Jacksonville for was complete and it was time to move on, the project I was hired for was ending. Time to take my boat and find some clear waters and get out of town before the winter temperatures...
It’s been a year since I made the six-day (just under 700 miles, at around 4 – 5 knots) solo sail around the coast of Florida from Fort Myers to Jacksonville between Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. As is commonly the case when sailing to a schedule, I had a week to move a boat that was ill-prepared between two hurricanes; the trip had some highlights:...
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...
I had a productive Saturday. Practiced docking stern first which is harder to do with a sailboat. Since there is only a single propeller sailboats tend to walk (move sideways, in the case of Palani to the port side) in reverse. So you have to compensate for prop walk, the cross wind that was up as well as moving backward. With an older heavier boat it’s extra...