DAY 3 - Apalachicola, FL. / I DID IT.

sunrise St. Joseph Bay

I made it, Apalachicola FL.  8 yrs, hundreds of thousands of dollars and i have traveled about what you could drive your car in a day.  (10hr, 47m from Kemah to Apalachicola)  I just had to leave my: job, house, car and almost all my stuff behind.  Am i happy - Yes.  Would i change it - No.  

I am a Pirate.

LINKS:
to travel with me in 'almost real time':  the AIS link.    (hint: 'hit track')
to see a Spot every couple of hours: this link - the SPOT 

Today was the completion of a three day Trek.  i wanted to accomplish the move and see if i could.  #1.) do the computer chart plotting and not hit anybody.  #2.) anchor the ship, plus get back up and on the move again.  (both without hitting anybody.  remember in practice back in kemah i hit my neighbors house and caused 'damage' which i paid for. Sorry Gerry!  That's how i lose more sushi buddies...)

These are the same: time / place / view.  shown on my 3 different computers.

chart plotter shows graphic with boat overlayed in place.  i 'steer' toward targets i preset.

back up - my laptop with 2nd GPS and different software also tracking.

(the little Garmin sitting behind) back up redundancy.

my Actual View from the cockpit *of that exact same spot above.

The muddy ditch - ICW.  it turned out to be freshly pine scented with plenty of twists and turns to keep me AWAKE!  i was just starting when i met a shrimp boat head on under the bridge in St. Jo Bay.  Here i am trying to navigate all the buoys and my AIS signals a hazard approaching.  I look up and there is a shrimp boat dead ahead and we will meet directly under the bridge.  The tide is coming fast toward me, so i cant stop or i'll be swept into the bridge or the shallow shore.  Fortunately he 'guns' his engine and cuts in front of me to deep water.  Crises averted.  *Note to self: look further ahead and not down.  After my first encounter, i saw about 6 tiny fishing skiffs, one dredging barge thing and a second shrimp boat.  No danger to report.  I got all the way to Apalachicola without any problem.  I have not gotten down off the boat yet.  I was too tired after all the white knuckle driving at 5mph to try any excitement on a Friday night.  I'll just rest and start again tomorrow.

I had some great questions today:  #1.) Gene Gould asked how long is Prodigal.  I guess i need to tell ya'll more info?  She's 46' and was constructed in 1980.  The mast height is 55'6" and she draws 5'3" of keel depth.  She's ketch rigged.  (did that help or do you have more questions?)
#2.) my sister Lynn asked,  Is the entire ICW man-made? I assume the straight part is, and the squiggly part isn't? Or started out as natural, since squiggly? And how wide and deep? Can anyone use it? Why did you?What do you look for when stopping at a place? Depth, so your anchor will hold, marina for gas, groceries, dinner? Quiet? Safe (and what designates that)?

WOW Lynn is the question Lady!  Oh well i asked for it.  Answers:  no, it's not all man made. i was in the ICW all day, but part of it was a river, and we cut through a lake.  yes they dredged parts of it.  (dug straight lines of canals)  Except for the lake portion it was about 150' wide and about 12-25 feet deep.  (unless you got too close to shore where it got shallow)  Yes anyone can use it.  it was mostly empty today.  i expected much more traffic.  I went on the ICW today because to go 'outside' in the Gulf was 71 miles and on the ICW was 33 miles.  *note: this is the first time i had bridges tall enough for me to use the ICW.  on earlier trips there were 48' bridges.  For a stopping place i look for:  a.) how far can i travel in a day.  b.) is there a 'place' there?  c.) can i anchor?  d.) is there a grocery store, a town, a laundry mat? can i buy boat stuff?  (diesel fuel, parts)  As for depth of anchoring, the rule is 1:5 for normal and 1:7 for heavy weather.  (if you are in 10ft, you want 50ft of anchor chain)  Quiet and Safe?  i never really thought about those.  it's usually quiet when you anchor because, like today, i am across from town.  (they could be having a carnival i would not hear it)  YOU choose where to anchor.  For 'safe' i lock my stuff to the deck fittings so it's not easy to steal and i insure all my gear very heavily.   I have no fear of being 'attacked' by the boogie man.  Plus i do have multiple firearms on board and will use them to protect myself should the boogie man come calling.  (even Navy Frogmen would have trouble sneaking up on me at anchor.  Are there Navy Frog-boogie men?)

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Apalachicola.  i've only seen it out my port for now.  Tomorrow i will take the dingy over and check it out.  I'll also pack my bike so i can ride the entire town.  From my view today across the way it looks like my little town of Searcy Arkansas when i was a child.  (about 7,000 ppl then)  Except this town is maybe smaller and sits on the edge of the water.   I'll have more to report after seeing it.

It's getting late and i'm already into another time zone here.  So it's really 10pm i think.  (feels like it and that's good enough for me)  I'm tired, it must be bedtime?

I hope you made all your split second decisions right today and didnt sink your home either?  
Yaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr!  -Capn Skip

PS.  a big shout out to the CITY of Apalachicola FL for providing FREE wifi downtown.  I am enjoying 'blazing speeds' of internet out here at anchor.  Thanks!