Tally HO!

Forget all the advertisements you have seen about Key West, it aint like that at all. I am rather disgusted with the filth, lack of litter control, plastic bags in the ocean and general un-sustainability of this island. I can imagine what will happen when fuel becomes scarce.

This weekend is super-boat races, kinda like nascar on the water, fuel smell, oil slicks on the water and obnoxiously loud speed boat zipping around. I need the peace and quiet, I like the mangrove swamps (aside form the no-see-ums) and less light pollution.

Early next week I am headed out, sailing in tandem with We Don't Neaux out of New Iberaia, LA. The captian, Sterling Dore, has a crew of noob sailors that want to learn the ropes and have a sense of adventure. I am just ready to go. I have found some used peanut oil and amd stocking up as much as I can carry, fuel is only going to become more expensive, my finances are at $3.26 so fuel purchases are out of the question.

The exhaust line on Waltzing Matilda finally blew out, I knew it was going to eventually and with a wet exhaust it is important to not leak. I traded some labor for material and replaced it while only cutting the crap out of my hands about 20 times. Today I am climbing my mast to install the rest of my "new" LED running/anchor lights, I've been dumpster scoring lighted toys and things and have built my own lights that use very little power, the mast is now at 4.5VDC using a cell phone charger as a converter. Speaking of dumpster scores, I have stocked up some food gleaned from the fat of the land, I have to dry some of it but I still have a small stock of beans, rice and peanut butter. I need to go to the local charity and stock up on dry goods. I have been catching little fish lately, it takes 4 of them to make a meal but I can catch them on peanut butter and a small tri hook.

Waltzing Matilda Makes Key West

October 17, 2010

Nathan pulled into the harbor at Key West this afternoon, although he landed nearby Felmming Key, the next inhabited key to the east. I think the $80 per month landing fee at Key West discouraged him (“I’ve heard they nickel-and-dime you down here,” he said).
Tonight he told of sailing to the Keys from Marco Island, Florida, where he spent several nights waiting out the weather. Friday night he went to a thrift store next to a classy Italian restaurant. Looking at the menu posted outside the restaurant he saw that no dish on the menu was listed at less than $50. He was behind the thrift store to do some dumpster diving when the Italian restaurant closed and someone threw away the items from the make table. Nathan went over and had “gourmet cheese, chicken noodles and bread, all hot, just out of the kitchen. Considering their prices I probably had a $200 meal.”
Saturday he motored out of Marcos into the Gulf of Mexico. He hoisted sail, but there was no wind to speak of – it took him ten hours to go just 7 miles (“Really, really annoying”). Wind picked up at sunset and “I did not go to sleep. I’ve been to college – I’ve pulled all nighters – so I sailed all night long. I made 68 miles in ten hours of darkness.”
His overnight sailing was amazing, he said. “The water is crystal clear and loaded with phosphorus. After the moon sets at 3 a.m. it’s completely dark. My pupils are probably huge – I can see everything. In fact, when the moon was up I didn’t look at it so that could keep my night vision. Between 3 a.m and 6 a.m. I see thirty-two shooting stars. I’m now far enough south that I am hitting tropical waters. The color is amazing. There are 3- to 5-foot waves, the sea is glowing green, the sky is glowing blue.
In the distance, he could see light. He thinks they were the lights of Miami, which, depending on where he was between Marcos Island and Key West, were 80 to perhaps 100 miles away.
“I navigated all night by the north star. I went below to make a sandwich and when I came back up I noticed there was something wrong with the north star. It didn’t appear to be quite right. I’m looking at it, trying to figure out what’s wrong. Then he turned on his landing lights!”
Wrong north star!
“Sunrise,” Nathan said, “Was amazing. There was a flame-shaped – not grey, not blue, not green – flame-shaped discoloration of the sky. I had been awake long enough to where everything was surreal. I’m in 65 feet of water with no land in sight and there is an aqua-marine blue sea.”
Coming into Key West harbor the wind was good. “I came through the channel so fast even though I had the current against me, the wind was so strong I dipped my head sail in the water. I was making 6 and ½ knots, which is as fast as my boat will go.”
Arriving in the Keys, Nathan docked next to the boat of a friend of some friends (Rick and Cathy Morrell – there’s a post about them on Nathan’s March 7 blog).
In sight are two docked cruise ships: a 300-foot Disney ship and a 400-foot Carnival ship.
Calling it a day, Nathan said “I’m going to sleep in and work on the boat tomorrow.” Having pulled an all nighter and having a grand sailing trip “I’m trying to wind down.”
--Posted by Official Correspondent Dad Landry

Waltzing Matilda Gets Bugged

October 15, 2010

Nathan suffered an interruption on his trip toward Key West, Florida. His boat was invaded by tiny no-see-um flies (also “midgies,” “sand flies,” “punkies,” or, if you must, ceratopogonidae [Thanks, Wikipedia!]). Although he put screens up to ward off the pests, they are small enough to pass through the screen. “They drove me nuts. I could not sleep,” he said. Finally, to get relief, he sailed into Marco Island, Florida, a place he describes as very affluent. “I’m in Factory Bay, but I don’t see any factories. It should be called ‘Condo Bay.’ Lots of mansions and marinas.” Not willing to pay high rates for a marina, Nathan docked the dinghy under a bridge (“It’s public right-of-way”) and went ashore.
Again he’s holed up due to weather: the last vestiges of Hurricane Paula mixed with a front moving through have resulted in small craft warnings and 7-foot seas. If he was sailing, he would have a strong wind from the stern, which makes for difficult sailing, “After six hours of it I’m worn out.”
“I know my boat, I know my capabilities, and I know what’s safe and I’m not going.” He hopes to cast off for Key West, about 75 miles away, on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in the course of an hour long conversation tonight, Nathan regaled us with stories:
--Western Florida, he says, has a lot of transplanted Louisianans. When he approaches people about working on their boat, he uses a Louisiana accent. (He reeled out a sentence in pure Cajun to demonstrate). Having a typical Cajun name like Landry doesn’t hurt, either.
--On repairing boats: “One guy wanted me to work on his boat – the starter on his generator wouldn’t work. ‘How much you charge by the hour?’ the guy asked me. I told him I charged by the job, not by the hour. The guy looked at me kind of funny then told me to go ahead and look at his generator. ‘I’ll need your help,’ I told him ‘Got to have somebody press the starter button.’ Then I climbed down in the hold, wiggled the starter solenoid, sprayed some W-D 40 on it, and told him to hit the starter. ‘Vrroom,’ the generator immediately came to life. I popped my head up out of the hold and said: ‘That’s why I don’t charge by the hour!.’”
--Nathan has developed an automatic pilot for Waltzing Matilda. He’s got a line attached to one of his sails that he strung in various ways until it eventually makes its way to the tiller that controls the rudder. When the wind moves the sail, it moves the tiller in the appropriate direction, pulling against a bungie cord. When the wind dies down, the bungie cord compensates by pulling the tiller the opposite way, adjusting the direction of the boat.
--He wants us to get him a good, well-made Arkansas flag. I forget how many Arkansas flags he said he’s worn out on this trip. One of the flags he signed and gave to somebody. Recently he told us about a Coast Guard boat that came by. The crew looked at him with stony faces until one of them, apparently an Arkie, saw the Arkansas flag and got excited, he calls to a fellow sailor, "Look, that boat's from and Arkansas!", the other sailor replied, "I know, I can read, I'm not from Arkansas.

--Posted by Correspondent Dad Landry

Waltzing Matilda Hides Out from Storm

October 13, 2010

Nathan spent the last several months in port, waiting out a hurricane season that produced nothing.
Last week he went back to sea. And now there’s a hurricane.
Or not.
Hurricane Paula grazed Mexico, coming within 60 miles of it and at this writing threatens western Cuba. However, by the time Paula reaches land it is expected to be downgraded, perhaps to a tropical storm or Category 1 hurricane.
But Nathan is taking no chances. He’s heading for Rookery Channel between Naples and Marco, Florida, where he plans to hole up in the mangrove trees “until Friday or until I’m comfortable with the weather.”
Nathan believes in being cautious, which is a far cry from his motorcycling days years ago when it seemed that every week he had a story for me about avoiding a close call on the bike. Eventually “I lost my nerve with the motorcycle,” he said. “And I’m a cautious sailor.” Good. I was glad to see the motorcycle days come to an end. And today I quoted for him an altered version of the old saying about airplane pilots: “There are old sailors and there are bold sailors, but there are no old, bold sailors.” “That’s right,” he replied.
Nathan did face some stormy weather last night. There was no wind to speak of, and he was just drifting on a glasslike sea. Suddenly, within ten minutes, the wind came up and he found himself in 4-foot waves. But it apparently was uneventful as he had no further comments on anything other than the sudden change in the weather.
Visiting Naples, Florida, he met some people in a trawler that is named the same as his boat, Waltzing Matilda. The man was a Key West local who told Nathan about hiding places from hurricanes. Also, Nathan got from the man some contacts which may provide him work in Key West, where he’s thinking of spending the winter.
For now, Nathan is heading for his Rookery Channel hurricane hideout and says he may be out of cell phone contact for awhile.

“Dum DUM Dum DUM” -- Waltzing Matilda Hears Theme from “Jaws.”

October 10, 2010

Nathan called today, his birthday (and the day before my birthday – he was my birthday present 35 years ago). He’s enjoyed the last few days at Cayo Costa State Park near Fort Meyers, Florida. He’s glad to essentially be underway again, says he has more to talk about. Indeed. Some of is it funny. Some of it is ominous.

"I had an interesting event happen and got a little money in my pocket from it," Nathan said. "I was a little bit concerned about getting all the way down to Key West and being flat broke.”

While camped on the island containing Cayo Costa State Park, Nathan met four middle aged people who were excited about journeying on the water. They were in a 14-foot boat similar to the “johnboats” used in Ozarks fishing float trips. The boat had two gasoline motors: a couple of ancient Johnsons from the ‘60s: one 40 horsepower, the other 5 horsepower. Eventually, after having a good time camping on the island, the people (two couples, I think) shoved off. The johnboat, or whatever it was, was overloaded: with the people, their sleeping bags, their coolers. “They decided not to bring an air conditioner or a microwave, but that was about it,” Nathan said. Nathan, too, went sailing. “About 100 yards out, their engines quit. That’s why I hate gasoline engines. A million things can go wrong and it never runs right (Waltzing Matilda has a small diesel).” At this time Nathan was cruising at about 3 knots and he spotted the johnboat dead in the water, with the people waving at him. “Need a tow?” Nathan asked them. “Oh, do we need a tow!” was the reply: in their overloaded boat with dead engines they only had one paddle among them and they were 8 miles from where they had first launched.

So Nathan begins to tow them and there is a problem: he can’t find the channel markers. He has no idea where he is going (with them in tow). The water gets shallow: the depth gauge reads 2 and ½ feet, which is not possible because Waltzing Matilda draws 3 feet; then Nathan realizes that the sea grass is high and the depth gauge is reading the sea grass.

It’s a Sunday and a lot of boats are out and about and they are causing large wakes behind them. As a result, the heavy-laden johnboat starts taking water, so they have to start bailing. As the sorry parade moves along, Nathan hears a splash. He looks back to find that one of the men who had been sitting on the bow of the johnboat with his legs dangling over the side had fallen overboard. Nathan immediately stops as he sees one hand coming up from the water, hanging on to the boat. Then two hands grab the boat and Nathan determines that the man has the towline tangled around his leg. Nathan throws him a flotation device. The man moves himself to the side of the johnboat and tries to pull himself aboard. The overloaded johnboat now has an extra 200 pounds pulling down on one side, so it starts to roll over. The man then goes to the stern of the boat and pulling himself up, pulls the gunwale of the johnboat to within 2 inches of the water. Then a fast boat goes buy, 15 feet away, pushing up a big wake. “This is about to get bad,” Nathan thinks. But the man made it aboard with no more problems and they resumed the tow to the marina, with the man now wisely wearing a life jacket.

Upon reaching shore, the people thanked Nathan by giving him a much needed $70.

Also, Nathan said that while at the state park he had taken his kayak to a lagoon in the middle of the island. The water was about 4 feet deep and fairly clear. As he moved toward deeper water, he saw fish thrashing at the surface. Then he saw a large white dorsal fin. “This is a shark,” he thought to himself.” “This is a big shark. This is a big white shark. This is a Great White Shark. By now I’m hearing dum DUM dum DUM dum DUM music from 'Jaws.' This shark was as big as a dolphin. It was as big as my kayak. It cruises under my kayak. By now, I’ve got the heebie jeebies. He comes and he bumps my kayak. In the past I swam with sharks – little ones, 1 and 2 footers. But this one was 9 foot.” Apparently the shark had little more interest in Nathan’s kayak. Maybe it had its fill of the mullets on which it had been feeding. That’s good. Somehow, “dum DUM dum DUM dum DUM” doesn’t seem to be the tune one would want in one’s head while sailing in a small kayak.

Meanwhile, it’s a new day tomorrow. “I’m going to run hard the next couple of days to get on down to Key West,” he told me. “I can see the lights of Fort Meyers. I’m going to stop there tomorrow and resupply and refuel. Fort Meyers and a little place called Marco are the only towns between here and Key West. I’m going to be sailing through 100 miles with absolutely nothing (onshore).

--Posted by Official Correspondent Dad Landry

Waltzing Matilda Back at Sea

October 8, 2010
After months in the Tampa Bay area to wait out the hurricane season, Waltzing Matilda is back at sea, working her way toward Key West. Nathan called today to say he is at beautiful Cayo Costa State Park on an island near Fort Meyers, Florida. Yesterday, while coming into the area where the park is, he had a bit of an adventure. He was racing against sunset and had to choose between going through a channel or through a more direct route through the ocean breakers. He chose the breakers. Waltzing Matilda has a 3-foot draft, and the water was 4 feet deep, so he could make it. Initially, seas were only 1 foot, but as he neared shore, the waves grew to 6 feet. Cruising along at 6 knots, Waltzing Matilda was towing its kayak when the kayak flipped over, filled with water, and slowed Waltzing Matilda to 3 knots. Dragging the kayak, waves began breaking over Waltzing Matilda’s stern, and Nathan began to get wet. He tried to flip the kayak upright, but since it probably weighed 500 pounds full of water, he was not successful. Nathan has cable strung around Waltzing Matilda to act as a lifeline for him to hang onto and the kayak’s line snagged one of the lifelines and broke it. Nathan swung Waltzing Matilda 180 degrees around to face into the wind and stop. Now the waves were 10 feet and Mattie the Dog began to get scared. While stopped, Nathan managed to flip the kayak upright but attempting to bail the water out of it was out of the question. He turned back toward shore, hoping to tow the kayak, now upright but half submerged. Progressing at 2.5 knots, with the wind and waves behind him, he had problems with stern waves and with the kayak banging and snagging. Nathan had to make a choice: lose the kayak or lose Waltzing Matilda and himself. Easy decision to make, but he didn’t have to act on it as the kayak’s rope broke and the half-sunk kayak moved away on its own. Nathan made three passes by the kayak trying to recover it, Realizing it was too full of water to handle and that the sun was getting ready to set, he abandoned the kayak and proceeded to shore. Arriving in calm waters he called the Coast Guard to tell them that he was okay and that there was no alarm if a partially sunken kayak showed up. The next day he told a state park ranger of his lost kayak. Ten minutes later, another ranger showed up and said someone had reported a lost kayak. The kayak had washed ashore just a bit more than a half mile where Nathan had landed. He recovered it, but took 45 minutes cleaning an “unbelievable” amount of sand out of it.
He’s enjoying the state park he is at and indicated he will be taking his time getting to Key West in order to enjoy things he encounters along the way.

--Posted by Official Correspondent Dad Landry

A Nasty collision

Saturday the 18th was a nice day and Mattie needed some beach time, she and I walked the three blocks away from the fishing pier to the beach and sat out on the sand watching the gringo bake. When I left the anchorage it was nice sleepy afternoon, Grounds For Divorce was anchored about 60 feet from Waltzing Matilda, lots of families were on the pier sight seeing and fishing, another pleasant day in paradise.

When I returned about an hour later everything was in an uproar, Grounds for Divorce was damaged and lots of people were talking about the collision. Some drunken jerk in a 270HP jet boat was racing around in the anchorage (a posted Manatee/no wake area) and buzzing the pier, He had pissed off and soaked a lot of folks and he went flying up the ICW through a bascule bridge, turned 180 degrees and shot back into the anchorage plowing into the bow of Grounds For Divorce snapping her anchor rode and knocking Sailor John down the companionway stairs. The Coast Guard was standing by in the ICW about 400 yards away but were unable to respond.
Coast Guard: "Whats your GPS coordinates?"
Concerned Mariner: "look out your port window and you'll see the vessel speeding around in the anchorage"
CG: "do you have a life jacket on?"
CM: "are you going to stop that vessel?"
CG: "What's your GPS coordinates?"

After slamming into Ground For Divorce the drunk jerk sped around in the anchorage a bit more, got his photo taken by a witness and took off north, he was arrested for a BUI when he tried to load the speed boat on a trailer, forgetting to get the tailer and launching the boat up the concrete ramp.

Florida Fish and Wildlife commission responded after about 90 minuets and took statements from Sailor John and other witnesses, I had already contacted the witnesses on the pier, gotten a photo of the perpetrator emailed to John and we had the vessel's registration number. FWC hasn't filed charges yet, (it takes 5 days), Bradenton Beach PD wasn't aware that there had been an accident till Tuesday. The owner of the speed boat has no insurance on the thing and claims that it was his son operating the vessel without his permission and claims no responsibility. Even in a non-boating state like Arkansas, any vessel with more than 10hp is required to have liability insurance. John has holes on either side of his bow, the forestay chain plate is ripping out, a bent chain roller and cracks running length wise along his gunwales.

Sailor John finally found a lawyer willing to take this case, his journey is halted until repairs can be made, the crack all the way to the waterline makes his craft un-seaworthy. Fortunately Waltzing Matilda was not hit, the weight and speed of the drunk jerk craft would have ripped her in half. It's a really good thing I was not onboard when this event was taking place, I might be in jail for firing a safety flare into the offending vessel.

Anna Maria Island

After months in the same dirty bay I finally sailed south, I had a great time in Gulfport but was afraid of getting too comfortable, when I walked the dog too many people stopped me to say hello so my and my friend from Panama City sailed south. I met Sailor John a few months ago and he met up with me again in Gulfport, he sailed the 30' Morgan named "Grounds For Divorce”, he has been a transient sailor for 9 years and knows these waters well.

Yesterday was the best sailing I have had in a long time, the wind was from the East for the last few days and the Gulf of Mexico was as smooth as it can get, a nice 15kt wind and full sails we made great time, John made better time, I had my new anchor fall off the bow and dragged it through most of Tampa Bay, I didn't notice until I hit shallower water, then I noticed in a hurry. The entrance to this channel was narrow and hard to spot, once inside the channel it snaked about with 1' depths on either side, the statement “stay in the channel” was well heeded.

We arrived in near Cortez on Anna Maria Island just after dark, John had motor trouble at the last bascule bride and had to clear the bridge under sail, very impressive due to the fact that the bridges take away all wind. Once through the bridge he headed towards my vessel and promptly ran aground. If you decide to come to the this anchorage via the ICWW here is some local knowledge to assist, heading south pass under the Bradenton Causeway and take the channel that runs parallel to the bridge that is just on the south side of it, follow that channel to green marker #3 and turn south, stick close to the fishing pier and the anchorage is easy to wander into, otherwise you will run aground. I didn't know this but Waltzing Matilda rarely runs aground, it pays to have a shallow keel boat.

The anchorage here is grand, clear water, nice little town, free showers, water on the floating dock, poached wifi, and an awesome pier, almost like a marina, sans fees. There are the usual anchor rats but they seem friendly enough, every free anchorage has “live aboards” that are not the most upstanding citizens. Many derelict boats here, but a very laid back atmosphere on the shore, a really nice island and (dare I say it) great surfing. I need to find a surf board! Not a $300 used one from a shop, more like a $25 yard sale score, I am going to beat up the board and it will be my first one, so spending a bunch of money does not sound like a good idea, but I need a surf board.

Tomorrow, clean the hull, replace the prop shaft zinc and catch some fish, the fishing here is dandy, too bad I am a lousy fisherman.

lots of new photos

Updated From Boca Ciega Bay

It's been a while since I have written and I apologize for that, there hasn't been much going on so I haven't had much to say. I should correct that statement, there has been plenty of stuff going on, just none of it traveling via Waltzing Matilda so I haven't felt it worthy of posting in the travel blog.

I will touch on some of the highlights of interesting things that have occurred. I got blown ashore in a storm, again, no Coast Guard this time. There was a stiff SW wind blowing for three days and I was up early when the 3/4” anchor rode was sawed through by what ever nasty piece of junk it wrapped around. I was alerted to the issue when my kayak began banging against the side of the boat and I realized I was drifting sideways into some mangroves. I bumped the ground softly once and was able to get an anchor out and stop the drifting, I fired the motor and backed off of the shoal narrowly missing a crab trap with my prop. (I hate crab traps!)

The next day I took a small grappling hook to the approximate area that my anchor was set and fished around looking for it, the visibility in the bay was down to 1” and the amount of garbage, old 55 gallon drums, sharp chunks of iron and other things that would rip my hands open as I felt around dissuaded me from any more exploration and I gave the anchor up for lost. Thats three anchors I have lost since I left Arkansas, at a rate of one every three months this journey is getting expensive.

I did get a new anchor on trade, a #20 plow, haven't gotten any chain for it yet, plus I'll need shackles, a thimble and a swivel. Chain or solar panels.... hard choice to make.

Hurricane season is almost over, I've been working a bit, trying to get enough money to score some solar panels from harbor Freight tools, I was at the closest store (an 18 mile bike ride north) and the solar panel kit I want was on sale for $150, I had $100.... dang it. 'll bet by the time I get back up there with enough money they will be back at their regular price.

If only I didn't have to do laundry or eat, I'd have so much more gear!

Key West for Halloween?

Musical Anchorage

when the winds blows, everyone change places!

Every evening we have storms from the east build up and collide with the sea breeze coming in from the west, this produces everything from a light drizzle to brilliant displays of electrical power in the sky, there are lots of rainbows and the news is full of stories of who or what was struck by lightning. One of these sumer evening storms was building as I paddled back to Waltzing Matilda the other evening, they are usually preceded by strong gusts of wind and will often rotate the boat 360 degrees in the course of the rain.

I battened down the fore hatch and sat in the chair in the bow while the winds began to build, I felt something strange, moment that wasn't the usual. I looked out my companionway hatch to see my canoe that was tied to the stern about 10' off the bow of the vessel anchored downwind from me. It only took a second for me to realize that I was drifting, and another second for the lightning to illuminate the concrete fishing pier that was in the near future. I took time to put on my life vest and fired the motor, by the time I got to the bow and dropped another anchor I was nearly on top of the 30' vessel anchored near me. I had fenders out so as we swung beam to beam there was no chance of too much impact or damage, I still fended off collision and made the decision that I had to move and needed to get as much room between me and the fishing pier as possible.

I bounced off the 30' vessel one more time as I lashed the tiller one direction, put the engine in gear and went forward to pull anchor, I found a milk crate fouling the tangs of one of them, thus the drifting. By the time I had the anchor on deck and was back at the tiller the winds had built to a very high rate and I was able to motor into the wind and out into the bay, Waltzing Matilda was heeling just a bit and my radio began to crackle with others in the anchorage asking where I was since they couldn't see my vessel in the spot she lad the last two weeks. I got out 300 yards and upwind of the main body of vessels and dropped a 25# danforth on 100' scope in 10' of water. The storm continued to grow and began to dump rain, I took the opportunity to take a shower on the bow.

After a little while I heard my radio crackle again as another vessel hailed a 56' that was drifting down on him, I looked out and could see the silhouette of the 56' heading towards another 30' and the fishing pier. Someone overhead the radio call and called the captain of the 56' on his cell phone to wake him, in the lightning flashes I could see him on deck running out more chain and finally getting his vessel under control. He came to rest lying almost exactly where Waltzing Matilda had been. I'm glad I moved.

Anchor stories are easy, but I'm ready for hurricane season to be over so I can get underway and exploring again.

Some Arkies are coming to visit today!

Bye bye Bonnie

The first tropical storm of the season blew through this week, the media made a big deal out of nothing (as usual). I've already been through much worse storms than Bonnie and had no problems, other than my SSB radio stopped receiving anything, no AM, FM, LW, or SW... just funky fuzz. I fixed the radio by taking the case apart, rising it in vinegar then rising the vinegar off with 90% rubbing alcohol. Salt air does terrible things to electronics.

I've had a re-occurring dream on this voyage, the basics are that Waltzing Matilda gets destroyed and I have to find a way back to Arkansas, I am frustrated and wake up inside my berth to discover it is a dream. I've laughed out loud several times when this happened. Last night the dream was extremely realistic an with a bit of a twist. This time Waltzing Matilda and I were riding out a hurricane at anchor, the sampson post ripped out and the fore began to fill with water. Despite my best efforts the mast was ripped off, and we began to take on water. I started the motor to have some control and was able to choose where we were washed ashore, we wound up between buildings in an apartment complex. There were people there that helped me get a few things from the boat and put me up for the night. I awoke and thought, "whew, it was just a dream" but I found myself in a strange apartment sleeping on the floor. I started to make my day and noted that the clock on the microwave said it was 5:00am. By 8:00 I was almost done salvaging what could be from the boat.

We burned the remains and I started to hitch hike home, after a day of catching lifts I stopped to sleep under a bridge, and woke up in my berth, safe and dry in the Waltzing Matilda

Whew, it was just a dream.

Another anchor story

Anchor stories are easy, they happen so often!

The city of Gulfport posted notices that all vessels had to be 300 yards away from the fishing pier for the fire works show. I wasn't interested in getting hot ash rained all over Waltzing Matilda, nor do I want another bullet hole so I was quite happy to relocate further out in the bay.

I motored out and dropped hook in a good spot and after cleaning and maintenance things laid down for a nap. I was in the middle of a bad dream involving my dragging anchor when I was awakened by the sound of a motor close to me. I popped my head out of the hatch to see a local "sailor" (I use the term lightly) having his vessel towed to anchorage about 100' off my bow. Seems that his engine wasn't working correctly and he was out of 'sail fluid'.

I had 75' of anchor rode out and this should have given plenty of clearance, except that the other sailor dropped a bow and stern anchor out so that his vessel could not swing, he then boarded the tow boat and left his vessel.

I moved rather than tangle with another vessel

I got my Uniden radio back from the factory last night, it was sent in for warranty repair after it quite working. The customer support was fair , nice people on the phone but I was on hold an average of 20 minuets each of the three times I called them. I had a note on the returned item telling them to contact me for shipping address but they just shipped it to the address it was ordered to. Mom shipped it to me in a box with some sweet goodies.

When the unit got back to me the invoice showed that the main board, mic and faceplate were all replaced, leaving only the original shell with all new guts. This is nice except that they did a poor job re-assembling it,the rubber gasket that seals the faceplate to the body was pinched out so I had to take it apart and assemble it correctly.

The radio works fine again, I hope it lasts more than 6 months this time.

Waltzing Matilda is a Foulmouth Gypsy

I have learned a lot on this voyage, little things like how to sail, to important things, like how to call the Coast Guard for help. One of the coolest things I have learned so far is what kind of vessel I am sailing. I don't mean what style or how she sails, I mean who made her, when and where.


I had been led to believe that she was a Robert Tucker designed boat but none of the sketches of his boats really matched up. I recently ran across a photo that looked exactly like my boat, and began to follow the URL trail until I found real data about Waltzing Matilda (not by name/serial number)
Medium displacement fibreglass / wood cruiser / racer
LOA 24ft 0in 7.3 m
LWL 19ft 0in 5.8m
Beam 8ft 6in 2.6m
Draught 2ft 9in 0.8m
Sail area 244 sq ft 22.7 sq. m
Displacement 1.85 tons 1900kg
Ballast 1000 lbs 454kg

I began to dig deeper and found her builder's history and discovered that she is considered a racing boat. I know that she was originally a twin bilge keeled boat and seeing the conditions the British owners harbor in I can see why, I am very happy with Waltzing Matilda being a single keel, it makes it easier to get her off the sand when we do run aground. All this information came from a group of Brits that sail together in Falmouth Gypsys, looking closely at their photos I could see that several of them had the same style rigging that I have, a couple had modified theirs to both cutter and yawl. I would love to put a bowsprit and another fore sail on, I've been thinking about it now that I have more sails and am planning to re-rig anyway.

I still want to head down to the Everglades before hurricane season really sets, and maybe cruise back through Key West, I've scoped and plotted a course and want to get that done soon, so I am working on raising some cash and re-stocking the boat with months worth of food. After Key West I will run back up to the St Petersburg area for the storm season.

I finally figure out how to follow the track my GPS makes in Google Earth, now you can play it too and see how close I anchored to shore, how deep the shoals that I ran over were and how slow I moved in 5kt variable winds, I posted the kml file in Google Docs, and I put more pictures up at Picasa

On Board the Waltzing Matilda

I went to a pirate festival, imagine Silver Dollar City meets a renaissance faire, add some Disney costumed douchbags, mix in plenty of cos-players and add one dirty hillbilly pirate for flavor and you have the John Levique festival. For some reason any man that dresses up like Johnny Douche's pirate character immediately walks, talks and behaves like a flaming queen, there were at least seven of them, and a few tourists that were wearing the head gear recently acquired from Rat World ( Walt Disney Hell). I was quite disappointed that there were no Somali's represented.

I don't know who or what John Levique was but I am guessing that the name "John's Pass" may have something to do with him. I sailed in and noticed a bunch of slack jawed locals pointing and staring at me, apparently they had never seen anyone 'sail' their boat through the shoals, everyone motors through and runs aground frequently. I sailed through Friday night and did reconnaissance to see where I would drop my hook the next day, I made certain to come in at low tide so that the shoals were exposed.

I headed a bit north and anchored near a dock operated by McDonald's, went to shore to get beer and food and since I used the McDonald's dock felt it was only right that I spent money there, my stomach reminded me that night "don't eat McDonald's"

there was some pretty neat things to see at the festival, but it was difficult to get to shore, they weren't prepared for boats to attend, they were more prepared for bus loads and autos. This fellow made himself a set of really cool goggles, it has a movable iris and look pretty darn cool. It's hard not to like bag pipe music and there was a bit of that too.



I did pretty well for myself, my little dog rode around in a cloth shopping bag and made plenty of friends, when people discovered that I wasn't "in costume" but was the real deal they bought me food and drinks in exchange for stories of the high sea. When beer is served on the street and a thirsty pirate walks by, the beer may disappear, I learned at Skatopia how to poach beer.


Here are a couple of clips of idling and steaming aboard the Waltzing Matilda out of John's Pass,FL.



After all the excitement I needed to get out and do some sailing, I slept in Sunday, I have a knack for being invited aboard other vessels and the hospitality of boaters is unmatched, thus my hangover. After I made it through John's Pass at high tide I headed out to the end of the channel and turned due south. I arrived at low tide and threaded my way through the shoals to anchor on the West side of Egmont Key. I got right up on the beach since I knew which way the wind was coming and knew that I was in 4' at low tide.

It was a beautiful evening, there were thunder storms rolling out to sea and watching the lightning was awesome. The 2' waves lulled me to sleep but being able to hear the beach kept me awake, bad dreams of Horn Island when I did sleep.

When the sun rose I took a dive before setting out, thanks to many kind folks I have a great set of snorkel gear, I didn't need my wet suit as the water was 88F and the water was 10' visibility. Mattie got upset because I was off he boat when she wanted her morning walk, but Egmont Key has big signs all over it forbidding pets and the rangers were doing morning patrol in their little electric golf cart.

Crossing Tampa Bay Channel was like playing the old video game "Frogger", I saw no less than six large vessels using the channel, these are big things that make the lil' boats I dealt with on the Mississippi and Louisiana look like toys. The rules are simple, these vessels take 20 miles to stop and are moving way faster than it looks, stay out of their way. Egmont is not far enough out for me, I've had all the karaoke and bright lights I can handle. I'm planning my route for the next time I go out, living at the hook sucks but living in the blow rocks. Next destination? 24°39'37.18"N 81°44'01.42"W

News from Boca Ciega Bay, Fl

*Jerry recently acquired his first boat, a 27' ft sailboat. It's missing a few things, like an engine, sails, interior, but he only paid one dollar for it and is enthusiastically acquiring needed things. He convinced Sam, a live aboard that has been at anchor for about a year here in Gulfport FL, to take him out in his sail boat to show him the ropes.
The two sailed south out to Egmont Key and were unable to make it home before dark so they sailed into some shallow water and dropped hook for the night.

The next morning they awoke to rough seas with a strong current and wind pushing them towards the key. There happened to be a Coast Guard vessel nearby that could see that they were struggling with the current. The CG radioed them and asked if they were in need of assistance and advised them that they were being blown into a shoal. Sam replied that they were under control but struggling to make way, I'm not exactly certain about the content of that conversation but the CG decided to board him.

Jerry is watching the CG dinghy approaching through the glasses saying "Oh shit, they're coming" over and over, Sam at the helm informs Jerry it is a good thing they are about to be boarded because it's very rough and he is afraid of running aground in a bad place.

When the CG boards Sam tells Jerry to take the helm while he goes down for his papers and goes below, one of the guardsmen stayed on the deck high enough to be hit by the boom. Jerry has only sailed the day before, the seas are still rough and the vessel is still caught in the current, so of course he makes an accidental jibe and swings the boom hard across. The guardsman caught the boom and hung on as it swung him and was able to hook his boots into the top life line. Sam runs topside when he hears the guardsman yelling "get this vessel under control" and took the helm back.

Jerry is still kind of freaked out about sailing, but knows he'll never forget the surprised look on the coastie's face on his first time out sailing.


*obviously not their real names

Life on the hook ain't fun

I have been at anchor for almost a month now, longer if I count the weeks in Vinoy Basin. I am really sick of being in the same place, Gulfport FL is a great little town with one major drawback, karaoke seven nights a week. Sound carries extremely well over water and even though I am about 150 yards off the shore where the loud bar is I can hear everything, and the bar has the "over-amplified is better" attitude. I hate karaoke.

I really want to be underway, but with storm season coming and my dis-trust of my mast and standing rigging it may be best that I stay where I am for a few more weeks. I need to re-rig but finding a place to do so is not easy, it makes it even harder when I don't get paid for the work I do, when the things cost so much (2 peaches and a pear for $3!) and when things on Waltzing Matilda are wearing out faster than I can keep up. In just 7 months time I have rusted completely through a piece of 3mm galvanized cable.

My stress level has been extremely high for the last three days, between the power boats and jet skis, the morons getting dragged around behind gasoline fume belching sport boats and karaoke singing idiots, I understand why Einstein built that bomb. Some loud drunk chicks caterwauled until 02:00 this morning, when they finally shut up and the bar shut down I couldn't sleep. I stayed up and read until 05:00 then napped for 2 hours till the sun came up and the heat began to rise.

I need to be underway, I need to be in a less populated location.

BTW Geek Love is a great book

Free fuel from BP

Sure am glad I got to see the bayous and keys before the great oiling of '010.

I've been working in the hold of an old '84 powerboat, big stinky GM 671 power plant, monstrous twin 200 gallon fuel tanks, stinky silge in the mucky bilge. The owner is going on vacation a missionary trip "some place tropical" and the old trawler is to be his base of operations and home during said "missionary trip". The vessel may be capable of living comfortably but traversing 1,000Ktm is a bit of a stretch. I hate power boats.

But free fuel is coming, (brought to you by BP).

I went to the biggest flea market I have ever seen and got some good tools. Most of the vendors there were selling crap henco en China but the guy with the white tarps had real tools, lots of old tools and bona-fide hard files. I picked up a used hoof rasp since I learned what a great tool it is for rough working wood and fiberglass. Waltzing Matilda looks great with white tarps instead of the ugly blue ones, and she's cooler too.

Almost done with the rudder, the final fiberglass coat set up overnight and will be getting a good sanding today. I am going to epoxy fiberglass rods into the wood where the new lags will hold the mounting hardware, that way the wood is completely sealed with 'glass.

100% organic, whole oil is coming soon, free for the collecting (brought to you by BP), rumor has it that a couple of tar balls have washed up in Key West, but it might be resin from somebody's pipe, can't tell till the lab results come back.

Crew member wanted needed

It's been a long time since I sailed with anyone else on board, I've done the last 1,300 miles alone and forgot that it is really much easier to sail with another set of hands around.

A friend from near New Iberia called me a few weeks ago and wanted to come learn to sail, rather than go to one of those nice (expensive) sailing schools he called me. On Tuesday morning Jake showed up with a cooler full of great food, real coonass food, the kind of food that Florida can't offer, he also supplied a sheet of 3/4" fir plywood. First thing on the list, we cut out my new rudder. Waltzing Matilda has needed a new rudder since I bought her but I cut corners and didn't replace the rudder during the restoration, while crossing the Gulf of Mexico I realized that it was past time to replace the rudder.

With the new rudder on board we headed out early and set sail for Egmont Key. We got becalmed at one point in the afternoon and just tacked back and forth to the East and West until the wind came back, then with the current at our stern and on a nice beam reach we hit 5.5 knots and landed at Egmont Key about an hour before sunset. Jake had never seen such clear water and spent some time stooped over with his camera filming hermit crabs in the surf. Mattie wasn't "allowed" on the island since it is a wildlife refuge but she ran on the beach and swam in the surf.

The next morning we hoisted sail and got underway the old fashioned way, without firing the motor, Jake was at the helm most of the day as we came under the skyway and back into Tampa Bay. Around 15:00 the winds died and the whole bay got smooth as glass so we fired the motor and puttered the last 6 miles into the Vinoy Basin.

We had a great time sailing, Jake took to it like one of those round pegs and holes and discovered the peace in sailing, he was asking what kind of boat he should buy when he got back home (I recommended a MacGregor 23'). Jake left early on Friday morning and kicked some money toward voyage expenses, I spent the money on the fiberglass supplies for the rudder.

I've been working more now that my reputation is getting known, been doing lots of carpentry in tiny spaces, yesterday I built a frame for new fuel tanks in the belly of a 46' trawler, it was dirty, smelly, greasy and hot, but the owner liked my work despite my dog crapping on the his poop deck I've got more work to do on that boat.

Waltzing Matilda has new sails, new rudder and is about to get re-rigged and have a new mast, new tabernacle, all new standing rigging and as much new running rigging as I can afford. She will be a very stout little sail boat, capable of ocean crossing. After the new rigging the next to things acquire, decent solar panels and good batteries. I will be moving my anchorage next week from downtown St Petersburg to Gulf Port.More photos

Pirates don't wear eyeliner

It's been a hot week in St Pete, but a very productive one for me and very beneficial for Waltzing Matilda. This week I have acquired several things I have needed since the beginning of this trip, if things continue to go well I should be able to get Waltzing Matilda fitted for ocean crossing quite well, not that I am ready to cross an ocean but it would be nice to have a vessel that is. I will be taking on a crew member next week as well, a friend I made in New Iberia, LA. is driving out to learn to sail, and to help me build a new rudder.

New gear this week, I have a new mainsail (hooray!), the new main is a storm sail, slightly smaller than my primary main with reef points and a leech line, I have a new Genoa (hip hip hooray!)and am working to make the rigging to be able to run a twistle yard. I traded a donated hand held GPS for a 12.5' fiberglass canoe, now I can get my bike to and from shore without having to rig lift lines to palm trees.

I've made friends with Capt. Nikko, Capitan of the 1929 cutter Quest and Commodore of a local band of pirate pretenders, I call them pretenders because they like to dress up, drink and shoot cannons but don't really pillage or loot anything, about the most dastardly thing I have observed is trash pickup en-masse. I will be sailing next week with the Quest and Magic to a local hurricane hole to get ready to ride out the big blow season.
There is a triathlon going on around the pier today, lots of fancy bikes and tour de pants riders about, just to fit in I made a "race number" for my beach cruiser and tooled along the race route with my little dog in the basket and my "Axles of Evil" banner flying proudly.

It's been nice to be anchored downtown, it enabled me to get some work but I am ready to get someplace quiet.

I don't know if it is homesickness that I am feeling but I miss all the good folks in Fayetteville, I miss the Axles of Evil, I even miss not being able to go anywhere without running into 6 people that know me. This journey is great but I am only 1/3 of the way through it.

Don't anchor so close to me

I am still in St Petersburg, really enjoying this town, great bike folks (sans a few numb nuts on fixies, but thats expected everywhere), great bike paths, cool bikes everywhere, even the post office delivers on bikes. Lots and lots of sailboats, I was recommended St Pete as a "blow boat community" and it definitely is, unfortunately just because someone owns a sail boat doesn't mean that they can operate the thing.

When I first dropped anchor in the municipal north yacht basin I got close to the west sea wall, rigged a line to a palm on shore and a block on my bike, hoisted the line via my topping lift and the bike zipped to shore, I stayed anchored near the west wall hoping that no one would want to come near me since there was a nasty shoal nearby. I awoke the third night there to some yelling and discovered that some people had come in at 01:00 in the crappiest McGregor 22 that I have ever seen afloat and dropped their anchor line right over mine. They were the proud new owners of said McGregor and the guy they bought the boat from explained to me "well I always park here". I'm not one to be a grammar Nazi when t comes to nautical terms but the use of the word "park" instead of the correct term "anchor" was a clue. His lack of nautical knowledge was confirmed when he told me that he removed the swing keel from the McGregor and used "rocks an stuff" as ballast to sail her, he commented that she would only sail downwind and relied on an outboard to move in the other 350 degrees.

I moved my boat away from the McGregor.

The wind began to blow from the east, pushing me closer to the sea wall and shoal, and it continued to blow, and blew harder getting the water choppy and made for uncomfortable sleeping. On the advise of several other sailors who had spent time anchored in the "snake pit" I decided it was time to move Waltzing Matilda away from the west sea wall and get into a better spot to ride out a storm. It was dark when I got her underway and motored across the snake pit, it is hard enough to judge distances on water but in the dark I find it nearly impossible, I made sure to steer clear of all other boats. I got her to a good spot, laid anchor and ran out 8:1 scope, then left the engine running for 2 hours to recharge the batteries and stood watch (in between watching "The African Queen") till 04:00 to make certain that she hooked up and held. Sleep had a lot less rolling and I felt much more comfortable in my anchorage.

Yesterday I was up a mast in the marina when the wind changed, after coming from the East for over a week it started to come from the South, I checked on Waltzing Matilda when the wind shifted and could see she was just fine but a 40' sailboat had anchored to the north of her, I thought that a vessel that big the captain would surely run enough rode out to swing free and wasn't too worried about it.

This morning that boat was gone and when I got to shore another sailor asked me if my hook had dragged, I assured him I was dead on the same spot I had been for 4 days and he informed me that Waltzing Matilda collided with the boat that anchored next to me. I didn't see the collision but when the wind changed and she swung Matilda got her motor mount tangled in the chain of the larger vessel.

They moved their boat.

Still looking for more work, got a little bit of paying work washing boats, but I need more. I am going to rebuild my rudder while here, she needed it when I bought her in '08 and now it is becoming dangerous. This is the best place to do work on my boat, lots of sailors and people are very interested in my stories. On a side note, I finally scored a SSB radio on trade, I listened to the news out of Belgium last night.