I know that predicting the weather isn’t easy. I’m definitely not a meteorologist, but when winds are predicted to be 8-10 knots from NNE, and they end up being 16-18 knots from E, along with 6′ waves on the beam, I can assure you they kinda got it wrong.
Thats why we tucked in to Boca Grand Pass and waited until the next afternoon to set out for Key West. But that gave us time to cook some meals, better prepare our ditch bag, and make up our big, comfy saloon bed. That’s where we sleep on overnight passages. This way, whoever is on watch can see the person sleeping, and vise versa. Easy communication.
We left the anchorage at 4:00PM, expecting a 20-hour sail. Winds were supposed to be 8-10 knots from NNE, dropping to 4-5 knots from N in the late evening. And they were. But those damn waves! The 6-8 footers on the beam are the ones that really get my stomach churning. And we had them, lots of them!
Jeff and I were both a little sea sick. I, however, freely and readily admitted it. Evening was a tough one. Jeff tried to take a nap at 6:30. Unsuccessful, he got up at 8:00. I tried my hand at napping and did get some rest, no sleep though. I got up at 10:00, heated up some comfort food, and assumed my position behind the wheel at 10:15. Jeff went down and actually did fall asleep. By midnight, the waves began to behave themselves, and I started feeling more comfortable. But I was so so so so tired, and cold. So freaking cold! WTF? This is Florida! Thank you, Mike Rowe, for the many “The Way I Heard It” podcasts that I downloaded before we left. I couldn’t have made it until 3:15AM without you.
That’s when I gave in. I woke Jeff up at 3:10, he rubbed his eyes, we gave each other a quick kiss, and switched places. That bed felt so good, so warm, and the pillows felt extra soft. It was like the best bed EVER. Either that, or I was just stupid tired. Probably the latter. By 3:30 I was sound asleep and didn’t open my eyes until 7:00. I felt like a new woman. It’s amazing what 3.5 hours of dead-tired sleep will do for you. Jeff was feeling ok, so I slept for another hour. Then I got up, made him some breakfast, ate the rest of my late-night comfort food, and we switched places again.
Land Ho around noon. It was a nice site to see. We tucked into our anchorage on the west side of Flemming Key, cleaned up the boat, made dinner, finished our latest YouTube video, took showers, and now at 8:59PM we’re going to bed. Until tomorrow!