January 27,2007

This was Shorty's day to test his legs on the Gulf. The morning started when Mike came down and got me up and going at 6 AM. Then he brought me a list of things which keep Shorty and I in good shape and out of trouble for the trip. And he brought me a greatly needed cup of hot coffee.

I decided that on Saturday we were between two fronts and the weather was going to be nice. We made the run out to the last marker on Crystal River, took a deep breath, set a course of 270 degrees or west and then went looking for the first waypoint on the chartplotter, we found it breathed another sigh of relief and headed South on a heading of 180 degrees which after we cleared what is known as Gomez rocks we then changed course slightly toward land and there on the horizon was the next waypoint, this is good, we now headed for the third one when the chartplotter map quit scrolling with the boat image in the middle, bad news, I worked out a solution which I then used for the next waypoint which would take us to the Intracoastal waterway, hit it on the nose and a little further and there was the next one Green 37 right where it ought to be. Now we are going down the line when oops, here are so many different markers private and ICW and me being colorblind sitting there in the middle of them saying I think this it it and off we go again and I was right thank goodness. I would not want to show anyone our track which goes all over the place. It seemed like every time I thought I had gone by the last crab trap bouy well here comes another line so I kept changing course and slaloming through them. Going down the intracoastal was different with traffic and things to watch for. I got to Clearwater area and things got busier. I was headed for Madiera Beach Public Marina which is close to my friends who live in Redington Beach, Fl. I got their directions over the phone and made wrong turn when I turned for a cruise tour boat I was looking for. Wrong tour boat, so back I went and further south. I found the right one and this time when I arrived there was the dockmaster waiting to tie me up at the fuel dock. It was seven thirty at night and I was so tired from nervous exhaustion of the day that I just went to bed. Well about that time my pants pocket started to ring and it was my friends on the cellphone calling to say they were at the gate and could I let them in, well I was the last boat in so the night watchman had went home for a meal. We shook fingers through the fence and they said they would be over about 9:30 on Sunday. I went back down got in bed, listening to the howling north wind out in the gulf a couple of blocks away, said Good Night Shorty and slept through the night like a baby. Well maybe all babies dont sleep through the night, but whenever I awoke it was still howling wind and rain on the roof of the boat but I am snug as a bug.