The yacht club we belong to planned a cruise to St Augustine, Florida in October for a Halloween weekend. The plan was to cruise up on Friday and socialize Friday evening. Saturday was for exploring the city and Saturday evening was for the kids to dress up for Halloween and go trick or treating on the dock.

We were excited about the prospect because we had never sailed any distance, usually we did day sailing in the immediate area. This would be the first time we had a planned destination to sail to. It was our first test to see how we would do. It is about 41 miles to the St. Augustine Municipal Marina so I was estimating around 10 hours for the trip. Most of the folks traveling there would do it in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours with their power boats.

We did not spend much time and effort worrying about provisioning being that we would be sailing on the Florida Intracoastal Waterway. I had recently done an oil change and the boat was in good shape for an excursion. I brought enough food for a couple of days, although as it turns out it is much better for my wife to take care of this part of the planning. I never bring enough or what everyone would like to eat.
The plan was to leave by 8:00 am to give us an early start. We ended up leaving at 10:00 and the trip began.

Dogs and sailing. Have you ever met a dog on the docks that was unfriendly? I haven’t. I’ve walked many docks in several countries and the dogs have always been friendly. It amazes me how dogs will adapt to the boat and new surroundings so quickly.

One concern you always have is losing a pet, especially while traveling. A company called Top Tag Pet ID, has the first waterproof USB Pet ID tag. It contains 7 major categories and 14 subcategories of pet-specific care information. Information about your pet can be accessed by most any Windows computer with a USB drive. It can be easily customized with contact information for each trip you take. You can find their product here: Top Tag Pet ID . I think this is a great idea and well worth the money if it brings a missing pet home.

It was a great weekend for sailing the Daytona Beach, Florida area. If you were willing to brave the weather you were treated to uncrowded waterways. There were scattered showers Sunday but we were able to dodge most of them. We headed north and caught the tail end of one storm heading east out over the Atlantic and enjoyed the storm generated winds. To the south of us another storm passed by and we could no longer see the bridge due to the squall activity. By the time we turned around to come back this storm had passed. Very little boat traffic on the intracoastal waterway made for an enjoyable outing. With the passing of Labor Day we are looking forward to more days like this!

Like most two year olds mine is rather rambunctious. Several of the past Sunday mornings have been spent on the boat, just father and daughter. My wife and seven year old would go to church while I would watch Gabby. While the community at church is a very accepting and forgiving bunch, two year olds and church can be a test of endurance for all.

It has been amazing to see how well she does on the boat. A couple of the weekends I worked on sanding the brightwork and putting a new coat of finish on. I would hand her a sponge brush and she would work along side of me. At other times she would examine the different parts of the boat. She behaved very well. I enjoyed quality time with her knowing that anytime you can spend one-on-one time with your child it strengthens the bond.

Earlier this week I needed to run to the grocery store. I grabbed Gabby to bring her along for the ride. I strapped her into the car seat and she looked up at me. Boat? Yes, another sailor is born!

Whether you are planning to stay in a chicago hotel or an miami hotel, it is always best to have hotel reservations well before time. This is equally true for las vegas hotels as well.

Last Sunday afternoon we decided to go out for an afternoon sail. Winds were coming out of the east 10 knots perfect for a quick sail up the intracoastal waterway or as some of the locals call it the Halifax River. We headed out with a full crew. Myself, my first mate our two children and friends M— and L— and their two kids.

It’s interesting to observe people getting onto a boat. Sometimes they can be a little reserved or comment on the boat shifting when they step on it. Others will step aboard never missing a beat. I wasn’t sure what to expect because one of the children had mentioned the boat tipping when we moved. I thought about the steady wind blowing across my face and how in 20 minutes we would be heeling over.

It was a great day. We swung out of the marina and headed north cruising between the huge concrete pilings supporting Seabreeze bridge. The kids were getting acquainted and starting to get their sea legs. Quickly we came across a of school of dolphins heading the opposite way. I don’t care how many times you see them it is a sight to behold. Everyone oohing, aahing, and pointing as we passed each other.

We pointed up into the wind and set the mainsail followed quickly by the jib. Falling off a bit the wind catches the sails and we are now under sail. We shut the engine off and our guests were able to experience the quiet power of the wind. I love it when someone comes aboard a little fearful but after a few minutes of heeling over they have their feet dangling over the sides catching the spray on their feet!

We kept this course for close to two hours and then tacked and headed back. During the course of the day the kids had been kicking around one of the fenders. We were close to arriving in port when M— yelled that one of our fenders was drifting behind us with the wind pushing it out of the narrow channel. Now I do have to tell you I’m a bit fond of my maroon Taylor fenders. We quickly went into our now familiar man overboard drill having already gone through the drill for our 2 year old daughter’s baby bottle.

The fender was now 20 yards east of the channel marker and we were slowly making our way towards it. As we passed the channel marker there was that fleeting thought of shallow water ahead. No I’ll have enough water to ease my 3’10” draft over to the fender. The depth gauge went from 6’ to 4’ to 2’. Two feet! That can’t be – the soft but quick stop shook that thought out of my head. The wind continued to push against the sails driving us more securely into the soft muck bottom.

Meanwhile the distance between the fender and boat was quickly increasing. I hopped over the side. Stood up and was in 3 feet of water. I could see the expressions of disbelief of everyone on board. I quickly swam over to the fender and brought it aboard.

I then dropped the sails and jumped over board and proceeded to try and pull the boat out. It was going to take more that me to pull five tons of boat out. M— jumped in to help but neither of us could get the boat to budge. I was starting to think about calling a boat towing company knowing it would be five to six hundred dollars.

A person on a jet ski came by and offered to help. We attached a line, put the boat in reverse, M— and I tugged, and the boat started to move. We got the boat out to the edge of the channel and with a little difficulty on the first mate’s part got the boat to shut off (this will be another blog). We thanked the jet skier and we were on our way again.

The remaining quarter mile was uneventful and we made it into the marina satisfied with a good sail and maybe a little wiser.

I am creating this site as a result of my interest in the water and the path that has taken me to where I am today. I have always dreamed of sailing and I have decided to chronicle the paths I travel while living my dream. I started sailing in San Francisco while attending college and taking a sailing class. Wind surfing was a logical choice after finishing college with not having much money to spend. I finally bought my first boat in 1997,  a 1982 25 ft. US Yacht. I spent several years sailing on Lake DeGrey in Arkansas learning the basics with this boat before moving on to my present boat. I now own a 1992 30 ft.  Catalina.

Come along with me as I learn more about the basics of sailing and the experiences I encounter in beautiful Daytona Beach, Florida.