Last night was a windy one and we were up multiple times to check that the anchor was sticking. We left bright and early (0830) while the breeze was ripe. Scott guesstimated that it was blowing around 15-20 on our port quarter. I guessed that it was 12. We put up just the main for a short time to determine how strong the wind actually was, I was wrong. It was really flat throughout the ICW so it was actually really hard to accurately judge what it was blowing (my justification for being wrong). We put up the little jib and took off at 11s for a while. When the cuts became less narrow we unfurled the screacher.
We had an absolutely amazing 50NM sail. We were hauling! Scott had the boat going 14 consistently for nearly an hour. And the coolest thing was that it was so smooth and stable because the water was so flat. The only problem was that anything less than 14 felt a little sluggish. I guess that’s the thing with going fast though; once you get a taste you only want more. It was basically awesome fun all morning long.
Scott set a new boat record with 15.6 knots (we had previously had a record of 15.5 in the lake this past summer). And even with all of our cruising gear! This is unbelievable to us because the waterline is a couple if inches underwater when we are sitting at the dock. According to Corsair Marine, Inc. maximum weight on the boat is 1000lbs; gear, persons, and motor. I undoubtedly know that there is more than 1000lbs on this boat right now. I can’t even fathom how fast this boat would go without the extra weight.I spent a little bit of time down below making lunch. While I was in the cabin, Scott was working away to get the boat on a plane. It was during this time period that I noticed something revolting. Our centerboard trunk spews water. It appears that the volume of water spewing is directly proportional to the speed at which we are going. This is truly unfortunate for me as my bed cushions lie directly on top of the centerboard trunk and are now saturated in salt water. And as you know with saltwater, saturated clothing items, fabrics, cushions, etc. the salt leaves a damp feeling behind. It’s delightful to sleep on as it never truly dries. The other bad news is that during a gybe we started losing ball bearings from our traveler car again.
We arrived at Marathon Yacht Club in time for lunch. We put the boat away and walked down the street to Keys Fisheries. We both ordered fresh seafood. Additionally, I ordered a slice of key lime pie. It’s been an experiment of mine to basically sample it at every restaurant. Keys Fisheries actually claimed that theirs was the best and albeit, theirs was indeed the best I’ve had thus far (Scott agrees).
After lunch we sat around the boat for a little bit. Scott had me running out of the bathroom after he said he spotted 3 foot lizards. In my mind, I imagined 3 foot geckos…really they were 3 foot iguanas. Our communication skills could use some work sometimes. After chasing the Iguanas around the dock, we overheard someone in the harbor talking about West Marine so we decided we would pop in there as well. We haven’t been as outgoing at Marathon Yacht Club with meeting people so we walked there; it wasn’t far. On our way, we saw a turtle hospital and decided to stop in to check it out. It was a little pricey so we looked around the lobby and left. But in the lobby, there were shells of all the different turtles in the area and I was able to find the type I keep seeing. Have I mentioned that I’ve seen sea turtles? I think I keep forgetting to…but I’ve seen 3 of them thus far, Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. We made our way to West Marine and replaced the regulator valve (we lost ours on our day from hell sailing up the coast), purchased some ball bearings, and sail tape. On our way back we decide to make two more stops; chocolate stop and we want to stop in and see Boot Key Harbor.
We swung by Tom Thumb for my treats and continued to Boot Key Harbor Marina. Boot Key Harbor was a completely different type of community. The whole harbor is filled with boats tied to mooring balls. You could get mail for your boat at the Marina and they have a massive book swap area, which I always like looking around in. Scott said that there are pump out boats that sidle up to you while you’re on the mooring ball and pump your holding tank out. And there are little docks for those with dinghies to come to shore and tie up to. The harbor was pretty cool to see but I’m not sure it would be that much fun for us to be in such close proximity to our neighbors when we spend most of our time outside of the cabin.
After our walk we were pretty worn out. The adrenaline from the morning was starting to wear away and we realized how long our day had really become. We had Upper Crust Pizza for dinner. The pizza was decent, but mostly we were hungry.
Sleeping in,
Lauren & Scott
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