Crew needed

 

Ocean Passage #1

 

Ocean Passage #2

On our planned journey from Kemah, Texas to Miami, Florida, we plan on taking the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW), a.k.a. "The Ditch", for as much of the trip as possible.  It's preferable than trying to cut across the Gulf of Mexico, for several reasons.  First off, in the Gulf we'd be sailing straight into the wind for the entire eight hundred mile long trip.  And there are few to zero places to duck into if things get bad.  And this will be in February, for gosh sakes, when the weather there can get really nasty.

However, the ICW has its issues, also.  There are two places where we must head out into the Gulf anyway, both in Florida.

The first one is from Pensacola to St. Joseph Bay, a distance of 120 miles.  This is necessitated by the existence of three fixed bridges in that area that are too low for my 55 foot tall mast.

The second one is from Apalachicola to Tarpon Springs, which is just north of Tampa.  The distance is 150 miles, and is necessitated by the fact that the ICW fizzles out there.

In between these two passages is a 60-mile inland journey in the ICW across what I call the "Apalachicola Bump".  (It's not prominent enough to be an official "peninsula".)  

The question is often asked if both passages could be combined, and eliminate the inland passage over the "Bump".  Well, yeah, we could, but now you're talking about a 300-mile ocean passage, and we're back my original reason for avoiding long sails out in the Gulf at that time of year.  The advantage of breaking it up into shorter passages is that it gives you the flexibility to WAIT for a good weather window.  You just put the anchor down and watch the weather forecast, and when a cold front comes thru and clocks the wind around to the north or west, you make a run for it!  But a weather window like that only lasts for about a day; long enough for a 150-mile sprint, but not a 300-mile slog.

So where am I going with this?  Well, the fact of the matter is:  I need some HELP!  I need someone, somebody, ANYBODY who is ready, willing, and able to meet us in Florida, come aboard, and help Joan and me get Dragonfly across the water.

Interested?  Here are the details: 

Some boating experience is nice but not mandatory.  What IS mandatory is a yearning for adventure, willingness to learn, and a positive attitude.  Oh and you need to be able to take the time off.  AND cover your transportation costs to get to point A and get home from point B.  (Food, drink, lodging, and entertainment are on us.)  Couples are welcome too, but we don't have a guest sleeping space big enough for two adults.  One of you would have to sleep on the salon couch.

How much time are we talking about?  The two ocean passages are a day each, and the inland passage is about three days.  But we must wait for weather windows, and that could take anywhere from one to a few days per passage.  Put it all together and we're talking roughly ten days, give or take a day or two.

When:  late February or early March.  Can't be more precise than that because it all depends on the weather, and how many miles a day I can push Dragonfly.  As we get closer, I'll be able to narrow the date down better.

If this sounds fantastic but you just cannot take ten days off, then another option would be to join us for just ONE of the passages.  Now we're talking about maybe three or four days, including the weather window wait.  And that gets me halfway to my crew needs.

So, I am officially sending out a broadcast:  I need crew!  If you, or anybody you know, inlaw or outlaw, friend or foe, would love to come join us aboard Dragonfly for a trip or two across the ocean, please get back with me.  Spread the word!

(If I don't get a response, I'll have to advertise on one of the internet boards and bring on a total stranger.)