Location: 29.47.07N/84.39.541W Dog Island, Carrabelle, FL
The oil leak was found to be at one of the hydraulic connections to the transmission cooler. The connection was disassembled, Teflon tape sealant was applied and the connection was reassembled. The connection was tested with an 8 hour passage from Steinhatchee to Carrabelle with no further leakage. We ran a straight line about 80 miles across the Big Bend to Dog Island, which is a barrier island just outside Carrabelle. When we arrived at Dog Island we were heading right into a thunderstorm so we dropped the anchor in a protected cove on the north end of the island. The wind shifted and as we write this message we are rocking and rolling tethered with 200 ft of chain in about 20 ft of water. We have made it through many storms in the past so we have great confidence in our ground tackle. More storms are forecast for the night so we’ll be rocked to sleep.
Our passage across open water started out smooth in an east wind and as we moved offshore the seas were lumpy again with 2 -3 ft whitecaps on top of 4 ft swells with an occasional 5 or 6 ft pileup. It was uncomfortable to say the least and Tom had to steer manually (instead of the autopilot) to maintain control of the boat. We were accompanied on the passage by several pods of dolphins. They stayed with us for quite some time and included a large dolphin with spots and a small baby. All the dolphins were jumping and passing under the boat from side to side. About 30 miles out from our anchorage the seas quieted down again and we were able to run the last 30 miles with the autopilot.
We arrived in time for a sunset after the storm passed. We always look for a sailboat in a thunderstorm to snuggle next to. That lightening rod pointing to the sky provides some measure of protection for us. We have now settled in for the night watching NCIS and The Mentalist on TV. Tomorrow, we will go to Apalachicola for a couple of nights in the City Marina.
The oil leak was found to be at one of the hydraulic connections to the transmission cooler. The connection was disassembled, Teflon tape sealant was applied and the connection was reassembled. The connection was tested with an 8 hour passage from Steinhatchee to Carrabelle with no further leakage. We ran a straight line about 80 miles across the Big Bend to Dog Island, which is a barrier island just outside Carrabelle. When we arrived at Dog Island we were heading right into a thunderstorm so we dropped the anchor in a protected cove on the north end of the island. The wind shifted and as we write this message we are rocking and rolling tethered with 200 ft of chain in about 20 ft of water. We have made it through many storms in the past so we have great confidence in our ground tackle. More storms are forecast for the night so we’ll be rocked to sleep.
Our passage across open water started out smooth in an east wind and as we moved offshore the seas were lumpy again with 2 -3 ft whitecaps on top of 4 ft swells with an occasional 5 or 6 ft pileup. It was uncomfortable to say the least and Tom had to steer manually (instead of the autopilot) to maintain control of the boat. We were accompanied on the passage by several pods of dolphins. They stayed with us for quite some time and included a large dolphin with spots and a small baby. All the dolphins were jumping and passing under the boat from side to side. About 30 miles out from our anchorage the seas quieted down again and we were able to run the last 30 miles with the autopilot.
We arrived in time for a sunset after the storm passed. We always look for a sailboat in a thunderstorm to snuggle next to. That lightening rod pointing to the sky provides some measure of protection for us. We have now settled in for the night watching NCIS and The Mentalist on TV. Tomorrow, we will go to Apalachicola for a couple of nights in the City Marina.
Glad to hear you made it across with no boat problems!! Hopefully it will be a good trip for the rest of the way. Enjoy those oysters in Apalachicola!! Beautiful picture of the sailboat. Nancy & Gary
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