Trip West of Key West

[KMacDonald]

Fort Jefferson or BUST!!!!!!!!!!!

[John Bell]

What dates are you planning to go?

[Michael Wick]

We plan to leave Key West on February 20 for the Marquesas and then watch our weather. We are to be back home by March 4.

[KMacDonald]

Mike has a SPOT he will be bringing. I dont know if he plans to post the link here or not. If not I think he could post the track after the trip. Any pirates in that area?

No, but lots of blood suckers in the Marquesas.

Mike, its OK with me if you want to post the SPOT link. I dont think the blood suckers have internet yet.

[orbb]

Post it. We can call in air strikes if we perceive bloodsuckers. We'll use the WoodenBoat drone - it's carvel planked with white oak ribs, and carries a silicon bronze cannon. Classic but not very stealthy.

[John Bell]

They aren't bloodsuckers or skeeters. More properly they are 'swamp angels'. You can hear them play their harps in your ears every night.

Good luck to you both.

[marshcat]

The weather and wind looks pretty good for these guys - East 10-18 for the next few days, then South. Waves 1-2 ft. That would be right in the sweet spot for my Marshcat.

[Breakaway]

http://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.ph...055&syn=gmz005

[John Bell]

Assuming they started sailing yesterday, they had winds out of the N, 10-15 knots. Today it's gone E, 10-15. Should have been OK to get out to Tortugas. From NOAA:

Today...East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Nearshore waters a moderate chop.

Tonight And Wednesday...East to southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 1 to 2 foot. Nearshore waters a light to moderate chop.

Wednesday Night And Thursday...Southeast to south winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Nearshore waters a light to moderate chop.

Friday...South to southwest winds near 15 knots...shifting to northwest late. Seas around 2 feet. Nearshore waters a moderate chop. Isolated showers.

Saturday...North winds near 20 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters choppy. Isolated showers.

I'd plan on heading back no later than very early Thursday morning.

Looking forward to seeing a report of the trip.

[Thad]

Agreed!

[pefjr]

Assuming they started sailing yesterday, they had winds out of the N, 10-15 knots. Today it's gone E, 10-15. Should have been OK to get out to Tortugas. From NOAA:

Today...East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Nearshore waters a moderate chop.

Tonight And Wednesday...East to southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 1 to 2 foot. Nearshore waters a light to moderate chop.

Wednesday Night And Thursday...Southeast to south winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Nearshore waters a light to moderate chop.

Friday...South to southwest winds near 15 knots...shifting to northwest late. Seas around 2 feet. Nearshore waters a moderate chop. Isolated showers.

Saturday...North winds near 20 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters choppy. Isolated showers.

I'd plan on heading back no later than very early Thursday morning.

Looking forward to seeing a report of the trip.

Yep, I would not want to be in Rebecca Channel on Sat. with a 20 knot north current bucking wind. The chop will be higher than 2/3. RC has the meanest chop I ever experienced.

[SBrookman]

The intrepid voyagers have made it to Fort Jeff. We wish them a safe return trip and look forward to hearing their tales.

You can follow Mike and Kevin here.

Looks like the winds will be turning on them this weekend, a 20kt easterly would not make for a very pleasant return.

[John Bell]

Wish I was there with them... Looking at the gribs they need to start their return sometime tomorrow to beat the big front coming on Saturday. Hopefully they can still get the NOAA weather broadcasts. I'd hate to be out there with no outside info, which makes me a thoroughly modern weenie I suppose.

[gstanfield]

Wow, I'd love to make that trip one of these days. Thanks for sharing the spot link

[John Boone]

Well done guys! Looks like some pretty decent winds for a return trip today. I'm looking forward as well to the tales from the journey.

Best Regards,

John

[John Bell]

Agreed. Weather looks great for the return today. Winds S 10-15 knots, but getting lighter towards the afternoon. Their Spot has them about eight miles east of Ft. Jefferson as of about an hour ago. At that time, they had 32 nm to Marquesas, ~50 nm to Key West.

[MiddleAgesMan]

It looks like they will have to keep moving through the night if they want to avoid tomorrow's bad weather. They took their time going out (fishing?) but they can't dilly dally on the return. I hope they have a good motor and plenty of fuel.

[John Bell]

Looking at the GFS forecast model for the rest of the day, It looks like they'll be fine as long as they are in by tomorrow afternoon. Biggest issue is that it's going to go light this afternoon and evening.

[davebrown]

Can they run in if they are caught short, or will they be out there slugging it out? I don't know the area, although I am captivated by the adventure of sailing the old pirate waters.

[John Bell]

The passage from Fort Jefferson to the first real shelter at the Marquesas Keys is ~40 nautical miles of open water and Key West is another ~20 nm further east. To the south, Havana, Cuba lies 90 nm SSE of the Dry Tortugas. The nearest inhabited spot on the FL mainland is Marco Island to the NE at 95 nm.

This is a pretty heroic open boat trip by most folks measure, including mine. I'm going to do it one day myself, but I think I'd prefer to do it as a flotilla with 1-2 other similar boats in company.

As of about 2 hours ago, they were about 12 miles from the Marquesas.

[John Boone]

Looking at their SPOT plots they have been averaging about 4.5 knots today and are approx 7-10 nm wsw of the Marquesas about now. They should be able to overnight up inside the Marquesas and then finish the trip to Key West in the morning.

Winds are currently 9 knots gusting to 10 knots out of the south as reported by the tower at Sand Key (not too far from them) and the wind forecast looks like it will hold for them to make their morning run to Key West. Depending on their route 20-25 nm.

Other than a few bugs up inside the islands they should be able to get inside via that southern cut you see and tuck up in the lee for the night. It is shallow but they should be able to get inside OK. Sport fisherman anchor up inside frequently.

Seems like these guys have their act together and I bet this has been a great trip so far.

[pefjr]

From the spot, it looks like they are coming back on the Ocean side of the Marquesas. Trying to make KW? It will be dark long before they make it.

[John Bell]

I think the southerly route is to get south of the Quicksands, shoals that stretch westward from the Marquesas. Also, with the wind expected to shift to more towards the E, going south gives a better angle when it does. Their problem looks to be they'll run out of wind tonight. Tomorrow is shaping up to give them light winds from the east which means a pretty long beat back to KW. The stronger winds aren't supposed to arrive until much later.

The problem is the forecasts are usually pretty good about giving wind velocities and directions. It's the timing that always seems to be wrong. Either the big shift comes 6 hours early or 6 hours late just never when you expect it.

[John Boone]

That's where the adventure comes in!

[Philip Maynard]

And I saw this AM that starting tomorrow the wind was from the east for the next 10 days - so today was the day. An hour ago they were at Erik's bay

[sailboy3]

There'd better be lots of pics!

[John Bell]

Looks like the started out of Marquesas a little after 8am this morning.

From NOAA:

Today...Southeast to south winds 5 to 10 knots...becoming northeast 10 to 15 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters a light chop becoming a moderate chop. Isolated showers in the afternoon.

Tonight...Northeast to east winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet...building to 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters choppy to rough. Isolated showers.

Hopefully they can cover a lot of ground before the predicted wind shift heads them too badly.

[Thad]

Making good progress.

[Ted Hoppe]

The leg home. Nice inspiration. I look forward to the story and pictures.

[davebrown]

Super. Looks great!

[John Boone]

Looks like a pretty afternoon to finish up a grand sailing adventure.

Clear			79°F Feels Like: 82°
Wind Chill:	79°		Ceiling:	Unl
Heat Index:	82°		Visibility:	10mi
Dew Point:	74°		Wind:	6mph
Humidity:	84%		Direction:	160° (SSE)
Pressure:	30.12"		Gusts:	NA
Report Text: KEYW 251753Z 16005KT 10SM CLR 26/23 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP198 T02610233 10267 20228 58010

Well Done guys! Looking forward to a thread about the trip.

[Thad]

Practically back, 28 min. ago at the mouth of the harbor.

[orbb]

They look well east of Key West now - perhaps looking for a Cheeseburger in Paradise?

[Thad]

Just having too much fun!

[MiddleAgesMan]

Looks they are in some sort of amphibious vehicle.

[Garret]

The tracking lines don't seem to worry about anything except connecting the dots do they? Looks like they went up to Cudjoe Key. Mighty pretty & mighty shallow.

[John Boone]

They appear to be using the "Check In" Feature only and not the tracking feature. Meaning that one of them occasionally manually presses the check in button . The system is pretty rudimentary in that the track lines then simply connect the positions between check ins.

There is a "Tracking" function available but an additional fee is charged annually. Using that feature, once the tracking mode is engaged, a position report is transmitted every 10 minutes until the tracking mode is disabled. Even in this mode the position points are simply connected so on occasion it still looks like one has sailed across a bar or island.

SPOT is a nice tool to have aboard and it provides a simple way to send periodic position reports that folks at home can view. When I sail, the wife likes having the check in messages sent to her.

On our last trip out to the Tortugas, we were out of contact for 5 days and several members of the family began to get a bit worried. We were fine, but had no way to contact them as there are no phone services out there and we were not carrying a radio other then the VHF. Now with a SPOT we can easily check-in or request assistance.

The SPOT is not a replacement for an EPIRB in my opinion but it has a place onboard.

I am looking forward to hearing the sailing tales these boys will have when they return.

Regards, John

[marshcat]

I assume they got out and back well within whatever schedule buffer they built in, so they are spending the extra time cruising the Keys. Lucky b*****ds.

As for depth, they only draw a few inches with the board up.

We rented a little center console at Big Pine Key to dive at Looe Key, and I would love to go back.

[John Bell]

Aye, tracking is an extra $50/year. I would not have tracking on my Spot except for WaterTribe events require it. These guys are using the basic service that only sends a message when they press the OK button. It only shows stops along the way and not the actual path being traveled. This basic service costs $99/year...

A PLB is cheaper, but you can only send a message when you call for the cavalry to come and rescue you from whatever woe befell you.

[Breakaway]

but you can only send a message when you call for the cavalry to come and rescue you from whatever woe befell you.

Actually ACR has a service where you can send up to 60 "self test messages" that can be received by up to five individuals of your choice by email and or text. The equivalent of " Im Ok". But there is no other sharing, messaging or tracking features like SPOT.

Kevin

[KMacDonald]

I am now back home safely and Mike is on his way home from my house. We had a great trip!!!!!!! The winds cooperated for the trip to and from the Dry Tortugas and we spent several days cruising the Keys after our return.

Mike and I encountered a total of ZERO bugs on the entire trip. Not a single one, even in Mooney Harbor in the Marquesas. None!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bush Key viewed from the top of Fort Jefferson.


little t anchored off the dingy beach.


Seaplane bringing visitors to Fort Jefferson. The water is really that blue!


Fort Jefferson.


Lighthouse on Loggerhead Key.

[gstanfield]

Congrats on a successful trip, but dang it you just made my arctic winter that much more miserable seeing such beauty while I'm stuck here freezing!!!

[SBrookman]

Glad you had a great trip and the weather (and bugs) cooperated. Those pictures are great, bringing back memories. It hasn't changed much.

Surely there must be some sailing tales a comin'.

[Dave_C]

Nice trip, great pics. Well Done.

[John Boone]

Well done guys. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip out to the fort. Did you get any snorkeling in while you were out there? The local reefs are pretty interesting.

I would be interested in hearing more about how you were provisioned for your trip. I think it would be helpful for folks interested in small boat cruising. What worked well and what changes would you make the next trip?

Thanks for sharing the SPOT link and trip with us.

Regards, John

[Breakaway]

Awesome

[Michael Wick]

I know, the job isn't finished until the paperwork is done. All the information is in a slightly soggy copybook; we talked and I wrote on the trailer trip home. Now the clotheswasher is rumbling downstairs and we are enjoying the luxury of modern plumbing and beloved partners.

[marshcat]

Let me add my congratulations, and to the requests for more details once you are rested up. What were the sea conditions like? Did the currents cause any problems? Did someone have a hand on the tiller the whole time, or did you tie it off sometimes?

[KMacDonald]

I just finished unloading the truck. Lots of wet and salty items to wash and dry. Now for a couple of details about the trip.

We spent the night in Mooney Harbor in the Marquesas Keys the night before the passage to the Dry Tortugas. The southeast entrance was blocked by a shoal and was not passable so we worked our way to the two south channels that lead into the harbor. It was a well protected anchorage even though Mooney Harbor is about 3 miles across. It is very shallow with a few channels running through the flats. These flats keep the waves to ripple size even in strong winds. Surprisingly there were no bugs there, and I mean none. What was there were large sea turtles and a 8ft wing span Leopard Ray not to mention the 6ft tarpon rolling in the channels. Outside the harbor was about a 40ft Island Packet packet anchored for the night in preperation for the passage to the Dry Tortugas in the morning. We left the harbor before settling in for the night in preperation for a pre-dawn departure since the channels require daylight to navigate. Seas were light and we slept well.

We woke before dawn to find a 15mph east wind, perfect for the crossing. We departed in the moonless dark and set a course for the Dry Tortugas. The seas were sloppy as there had been 20kt winds of varying direction for a few day prior. We started out with a reefed main but quickly shook out the reef. Once past Rebecca Shoal the seas increased to 3 to 5 feet but were more comfortable than the short chop of the Quicksands. There was some current but it seemed to average out over the 10 hour run and should not be a concern to anyone making the trip. The lighthouse on Loggerhead Key appeared on the horizon first. Then the huge Fort Jefferson appeared. Several hours after sighting the lighthouse we pulled up on the dingy beach at Fort Jefferson. We went and checked in with the park ranger are were informed of the park rules, etc. The crossing was a delightful downwind run, no trauma, just great sailing.

An hour or so after ariving the Island Packet pulled in. The crew asked if we were the boat near them the in the Marquesas the night before. Mike told them we were and asked how their passage went. They said it was too windy for them to rase sail and was very rough. They motored the whole downwind trip!!!!!!!!

[WI-Tom]

They said it was too windy for them to rase sail and was very rough. They motored the whole downwind trip!!!!!!!!

This is hilarious! And it's exactly what I see when I'm cruising in an open boat; especially downwind, seems like lots of bigger boats have a low tolerance for actual sailing.

Great trip--you've got me thinking...

Tom