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American Spirit II - Day 475; We Leave Key West for South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island; Sunday, April 26, 2015



New tracker information from Rally Control:

Now that the World ARC has finished, the rally reporting and mapping has also finished. Yourself, family and friends can follow the progress of American Spirit on your YB private page http://my.yb.tl/americanspirit

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One year ago today:
"Day 113; Paul and David Fox Arrive; for Their Second Leg; Saturday, April 26, 2014. Back at the boat at noon; then left again to walk to McDonald's near the boat. Ordered a double cheeseburger, fries and coke. First time in a McDonald's since leaving on the trip. Only problem was that I expected the double cheeseburger to be smaller than it was. Ate it, but shouldn't have. Joel ordered a frappe and got a serious case of ice cream forehead. I'm glad he didn't pass out because I wasn't giving him mouth to mouth resuscitation. I felt sorry for him so I ordered an Oreo Mc Flurry...and got 'ice cream teeth.' Never experienced that before. Must be the constant heat we've been enduring. While in the restaurant I noticed a frail, 4 foot tall worker whose job it was to clean the tables. Nice lady. Good worker. Made her day by giving her something unusual. Every now and then we all deserve a break today. I believe that's an old McDonald ad line. Or was it Burger King?"

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Joel and I are up at 7:55 AM; and arrive at Two Friends Patio Bar and Restaurant at 8:15 AM. Darlene was sleeping in. After breakfast Joel drove to Enterprise Car Rental to turn the car back in, while I walked to a CVS Pharmacy to buy some camera chips and a new headphone for Darlene.

At 10:20 AM we pulled out of our slip and at 10:25 AM we pulled into the A & B fuel slip for some diesel, taking on 44.9 gallons.

We departed the fuel dock at 10:33 AM;and at 10:40 AM we barely missed a guy in a small row boat by 5 feet. He was rowing in from the mooring field a half mile away. It was a really, really small row boat. By 11:45 AM we had exited the Northwest Channel. Five minutes later the Key West Express (ferry) shot by us on the way into the channel, doing 20 knots.

We turned the engine off at 11:55 AM and had a full mainsail and jib out. Our speed was 5.9 knots.

Our noon position was 24 degrees, 39 minutes North; 81 degrees, 54 minutes West; and we were 118 miles from Captiva Island. We could hear the Naples City dock on our VHF, about 100 miles away.

Joel headed below for a nap, until 2:30 PM.

At 12:30 PM I had to change course to sail around Smith's Shoal, as our track line took us right over it. Oops. I got us back on our correct course at 12:43 PM.

At 1:30 PM we sailed past a sailboat heading into Key West, a port to part passing. The boat was a couple hundred yards to our port.

I napped from 2:40 PM to 3:45 PM.

At 4:04 PM the wind is 12 knots and we're sailing at 6.0 knots thru the water and 5.8 knots over the land.

At 4:30 PM we sailed by a military tower used by navy planes to aid in their bombing practice runs in the Keys.

At 5:01 PM the wind is 14 knots and we're sailing at 6.4 knots thru the water and 6.4 knots over the land.

Dinner at 6:00 PM consists of blackened rib-eye steaks and corn-on-the-cob cooked on the grill by chef Joel; homemade French fries; green peas; and 'enhanced' garlic bread. 'Enhanced' meaning extra garlic powder and butter was added to it before it was put in the oven.

During dinner we could hear radio broadcasts from the US Coast Guard from Miami, Key West, St. Petersburg and Ft. Myers. A busy day on the water, with one boat in the Gulf Stream sending out a distress call without their position. It was driving the Coast Guard nuts. At 6:15 PM I put a reef in the mainsail to help 'level' the cockpit table while we were eating dinner.

At 6:35 PM the US Coast Guard send out an 'AIS Alarm,' listing the estimated position of the 'distress' vessel.

At 6:42 PM the wind is 17 knots and we're sailing at 6.0 knots thru the water and 6.2 knots over the land. The wind is from the southwest, which is unusual. It should be from the southeast this time of year.

At 7:10 PM we changed the starboard jib sheet from outside to inside, using the 'Vlado El Capitan Climbing Tool' to do so.

At 7:15 PM I shook out the reef in the mainsail.

The sun set at 7:50 PM, a red orb, into a band of clouds above the horizon. So no green flash.

At 7:53 PM we sailed by, to port, another military tower.

At 8:05 PM the wind is 11 knots and we're sailing at 6.1 knots thru the water and 5.7 knots over the land.

The wind got light and we were sailing at 4.5 knots, so I rolled up the jib and turned on the engine, running it at 1,600 RPM's.

At 9:05 PM the wind is 11 knots and we're motor sailing at 6.8 knots thru the water and 6.8 knots over the land.

At 10:06 PM the wind is 9 knots and we're motor sailing at 6.7 knots thru the water and 6.6 knots over the land. There is a half moon out and a ton of stars. The wind is on the port bow and its a little bumpy.

At 10:21 PM I see two fishing boat lights off our starboard bow. Since these boats often aren't looking where they're going while they're fishing, you have to keep a sharp eye out for them. A boat in the act of fishing has right-of-way over a sailboat.

At 11:00 PM the wind is 6 knots and we're motor sailing at 6.4 knots thru the water and 6.6 knots over the land.

At 11:55 PM I drop the engine RPM's down to 1,400 from 1,600 as we're going to get to Captiva Island too soon at the higher throttle setting. We need to make a daylight landfall when the marina opens at 8:00 AM. Reducing the throttle setting decreases our speed .7 of a knot. The wind is 7 knots and we're motor sailing at 5.9 knots thru the water and 6.0 knots over the land.

Joel relieves me at midnight.

Brian Fox


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