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American Spirit II - Day 476; We Arrive at South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island After Completing Our Last Overnight Sail; Monday, April 27, 2015



One year ago today:

"Day 114: The Car Tour thru the Clouds and 20 Waterfalls; Sunday, April 27, 2014. Paul and David were early (6:30 AM) risers. Breakfast at 8:00 AM was special in that besides eggs, we had bacon for the first time on our trip. Along with French bread, of course."

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As I said in the subject line above, we just completed our last overnight sail. We had somewhere between 170 and 200 of these on our trip. Of course, whenever you have an 'overnight' sail, you're sailing 24 hours a day.

Up at 5:55 AM to relieve Darlene. We're a couple of miles off the coast of Sanibel/Captiva Island. I call on my cell phone South Seas Plantation and found out that the marina personnel come in at 8:00 AM.

The wind is 8 knots and we're motor sailing at 5.5 knots thru the water and 5.6 knots over the land, with the engine set at 1,400 RPM's.

We arrive at Redfish Pass at 6:54 AM. It's too dark to enter the pass and we need to call the marina anyway when they open to get any local instructions on entering. Our chart plotters say that the shoaling waters are 'subject to change.' A minute later I roll up the mainsail.

At 7:00 AM the sun rises, another big red orb rising over Redfish Pass. I wake Joel at this time. As we motor around, I approach the entrance buoy from the northwest and end up in 7 feet of water. Not good as we draw a little over 5 feet.

At 8:00 AM I call the South Seas Plantation marina office and am told to proceed to green buoy number 1, steer 90 degrees from there into the pass, and keep the red number 4 buoy on our right and number 5 green buoy on our left. As we enter the pass, there are breaking waves on the left and right sides of the pass, 70 yards from us on each side. Isn't this fun?! Once in the pass and thru the shallow entry point, the depth increases from 8 feet to 27 feet.

At 8:26 AM we're tied up at K Dock.

Breakfast at around 9:00 AM consists of bacon, 3 eggs, potato, left over steak from last night mixed in with the potatoes, chilled peach slices and cinnamon bread.

At 11:00 AM Darlene and I head to one of the 3 or 4 swimming pools. Joel stays on the boat doing pictures, getting a few hundred together to put on a flash drive to have a slide presentation for the party. Joel joins us at the pool at 2 or 3 PM. I am reading a book titled 'Rescue of the Bounty: Disaster and Survival in Superstorm Sandy.' The Bounty was the ship in the movie Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando, and was also used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Joel had actually sailed on the ship, based in St. Petersburg, Florida in the winter;and personally knew the captain, Robin Walbridge. Joel is convinced that Walbridge purposefully 'went down with the ship' when it sank, ala the Titanic captain.

We leave the pool and head back to the boat at 4:10 PM. I take a nap, Joel works on pictures again and Darlene reads.

Dinner from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM is at the Harborside Bar & Grill. Joel and Darlene split a mussel appetizer, while I have a shrimp cocktail. We both then have a surf and turf, filet and lobster tail with asparagus and mashed potatoes. For dessert, Jim Lee, the restaurant manager, delivers a free dessert tray to our table in commemoration of our around the world trip. Key Lime Pie, Carrot Cake and Peanut Butter Cake. We had talked to Jim about our circumnavigation before ordering our dinner and he had mentioned a girl named 'Tania' who he knew while he lived in New York and who sailed around the world as a teenager. We told Jim that we had met her in French Polynesia during the Pearl Island Regatta last spring. Small world.

Back on the boat at 9:40 PM. Joel goes back to his computer to organize and select pictures for the party; Darlene reads; and I type one of my last 6 logs. As of May 2nd my log writing and typing days will be over. I'll be back at the computer next week, though, to start working on a book. Stay turned. Rally Control in the UK, which reads all logs sent to the World Cruising Club web site to make sure they're up to 'proper standards,' will be happy to not have to read my logs anymore, I am sure. Right Suzana?

Tomorrow we will travel up the intercostal waterway to Venice, 42 nautical miles away. When looking at the tracker it might appear that we're traveling on land; but we're not. We're taking the inland route because a storm front is coming and will be upon us some time in the afternoon. The beach at Venice is noted for having small prehistoric shark's teeth in abundance mixed in with the sand. A half hour walk could easily see you finding a half dozen or more.

Finally, for those of you whom I don't know or haven't met; or for those I do know but you don't have my email address; I'm going to now list my land based (versus ship based) email address: [email protected]. If you have any thoughts you want to share or send to me; or questions, fire away. Who knows, some of them might end up in my final logs this week. Go figure.

Brian Fox


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