........MacGregor Index Page..............2015 Bahama Trip Index Page

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--- Placida, Fl. --- --- to --- --- Ft. Myers Beach ---

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............ ......(March 12th and 13th) Anchorage --- N 26º 27.790´ ==== Trip Mileage = 106 miles ..................W 81º 58.040´ ==== Day's Mileage = 44 miles

At the end of the great day sailing with Scott as he got off the boat I said “you have everything don't you?” Of course he said “yes”. Well back anchored that night low and behold there is his phone in the boat. I can't call him so call another mutual friend at the yard and ask him to get ahold of Scott so I can get his phone back to him. We decided I'd meet him back at the dock in the morning at 9:30.

So now it is the next morning and I'm taking the Mac back into the same dock where I almost had a problem the night before. This time things went well getting in, giving him the phone and getting back off. I'd planned on going about 10 miles south on the ICW and go into Pelican Bay and anchor there to rest up with my cold.

Well I get to the entrance going into Pelican Bay but think am I going to feel any better in there vs. just moving on. So I motored on by and continued down the ICW towards Ft. Myers Beach a little over 30 miles away not knowing if I was going all the way there or stopping short of there. I'd been down these waters with Ruth in the Mac in 2011 and back up over them in the Endeavour after we bought her at Ft. Myers Beach so knew this stretch of water fairly well even though it had been 4 years.

After a bit I could see that I could probably make ....

.... it to the area of the Sanibel bridge, see above. So the question became stop before or after. In the picture it looks like I'm close but I still have to motor quite a ways southeast at this point before I can turn more westerly and go under the bridge and out into the Gulf of Mexico. I looked at the chart and found a place on the south side of the bridge between it and Ft. Myers beach that I felt might be a reasonable anchorage. It had no protection from the west but the wind was suppose to be out of the west so figured it might work for one night.

So as the day started to come to an end I motored under the bridge and had to go out a couple miles to avoid a shallow area on my port side. I circled back around the shallows and up near the shore where I thought I could anchor. Well the wind was still blowing waves in from the NW and I thought this is going to be a miserable night so abandandoned that plan and set course for Ft. Myers Beach. I wasn't happy about going in there just before dark but had been in once before and remembered the channel and could see it easily on the 16” chartplotter monitor running OpenCPN>

I anchored just inside well before the bridge and the mooring field and anchorage which is past the bridge. I wanted to be where I could get out quickly for the trip south. Ruth and I had anchored here before along with a couple other boats with no one on them. Now I was the only one here and wondered with some of the new anchoring laws in Florida if I shouldn't be.

That night I decided I lay over here for one day, staying on the boat and getting things better organize with the boat and also develop a plan for going south from here.

The next day up comes a Florida Law Enforcement boat and I'm thinking here it comes I'm going to have to move. Well they threw a fender over the side and hooked on to me and started asking for paperwork and questions like, 'was I living on the boat' and questions about the head. They said that 'if they came aboard what would they find for a head?'.

I pointed out the waste pump-out fitting right next to the guy's hand and explained I had a MSD head with a tank on it and the pump-out fitting. Well he still wasn't satisfied but didn't want to get off his big boat and onto my little one so asked more oblique questions. Finally I asked him if what he really wanted to know was 'did I have a Y-valve and a thru hull fitting where I could do a direct discharge?'. Yes that was what he wanted to know. I said no thru-hull only the fitting next to his hand and finally we were done with the conversation and they left me and a few minutes later fired up their lights and siren and went after a pontoon boat that was going too fast in a 'no wake' zone. Actually I hadn't quite answered the complete question as...

.... I do have a 'Y'-valve and a macerator pump where I can discharge overboard. Just not through a thru-hull but via the deck fitting with a hose attached to it. I just didn't want to get into all of that and since he didn't want to come aboard I just left it as it was.

I was glad that I had installed the MSD head at that point even though....

.... I was using the wag-bag head opposite it in the boat. I might have the only Mac 26S with two heads ;-). More on the 'twin' heads ( HERE ).

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........--- Ft. Myers Beach --- ...............................--- to --- ...........--- Marco Island ---

.... .................(March 14th) Anchorage --- N 25º 58.084´ ==== Trip Mileage = 147 miles ..................W 81º 43.143´ ==== Day's Mileage = 41 miles

OK, time to get away from Ft. Myers Beach and on southward. Next stop was Marco Island about 40 miles south.

The plan was get up when it was still dark and head out for an early start. Well that didn't exactly happen. I start to bring the rode in and then can't. I thought now what is the problem. Well it had wrapped around the center board on the tide changes. There is a big current where I was anchored so don't anchor there unless you really trust your gear. I usually always pull the centerboard all the way up into the truck but must of left it down a foot or so and the line wrapped. Once I figured that out I thought am I going to have to get in the water and I didn't want to do that as I'd have to put a wet suit on as it is cold and I couldn't find my weight belt so that would be a problem. I lowered the centerboard all the way down but still couldn't get it free. Then I started the outboard and turned it hard over in reverse and ran it slow hoping that I had it figured out which way the line was wrapped and that I wouldn't get the prop into it. Low and behold that worked and the line came free and the anchor was up and I was on my way. Still before the sun and I ran my lights but about 30 minutes later than I had hoped to leave.

You have to run in the Gulf pretty much at least as far as Naples where you can go in and go along the Inland Waterway (not the ICW down here as it cuts across the state starting up at Ft. Myers). Ruth and I had done the Inland Waterway anchoring along it one night on the 2011 trip and it was nice but there is a lot of boat traffic on it so my plan was to stay offshore all the way to Marco and go in there. Well it almost didn't turn out that way. The wind was out of the south and I actually was headed SW for a bit so could motor-sail on the main and Genoa until I made the turn to the south. Then the Genoa came in but left the main up for stability but sheeted in tight.

I finally got out of Ft. Myers Beach and was headed south when the sun came up. The seas were starting to build and they would build a lot more along with the wind from the south. It was all motoring and as the morning went on and I worked south it got worst.

In the video ( HERE ) you can see how the boat was starting to hobby-horse running directly into the seas and it only got worst as the seas went to the 2 feet that were on the forecast. I didn't think that would be a problem but remember when they forecast wave height it is for the average of about 30% of the anticipated waves and there will be 10% or so that will run higher than that. Well it wasn't the height that proved to be the problem but the interval which was 2 to 2 ½ seconds. 2 seconds between crests is not much time. The 2 footers were no real problem but when a set of 3-4 footers a couple seconds apart hit head on the boat would go up on the first, land on the second and then bury the anchors in the third one and kill the boat speed down into the low 2 kt range. I had no choice but to run pretty much into them and it was a slow pounding day. If I was going to get seasick this probably would of been it. As I finally neared Naples I thought I needed to take the Inland Waterway between Naples and Marco and get out of this pounding.

I'd been running about 3-4 miles out from shore so started to angle towards shore under sail ( see video HERE ). I headed towards the Naples inlet a couple miles ahead. Hitting the waves at an angle under sail was much better but I couldn't tack back and forth and still make Marco before dark but at least it was better until I got in further. I'd been running the main also to just help with stability but into the wind it wasn't doing anything else except probably adding more drag to the boat and more work for the outboard.

As I got closer to shore conditions improved so I though I can handle this and I'll forget the waterway and just stay closer to shore. Well that worked past the inlet to Naples but south of there the coast turns more SE on down to Marco. When I made the turn I was again exposed to the waves but now at least I could run at an angle on the rest of the run so even though they were bad the ride was much better ( see video of this run HERE ).

I got down to Marco and the main actually also started to help with my new course angle. Off the inlet to Marco I used the autopilot on the tiller to keep the boat more or less into the wind and got the main down into the sail-pack (love it). I had been using the tiller-pilot most of the day but angling in towards Naples it would be overwhelmed by the waves at times. The boat would climb a wave at an angle and go over the top and fall off the other side to fast for the tiller-pilot to handle the situation so had to hand steer for a while during that time.

It was a relief to get into the channel up into...

.... Marco Island....

.... with no shortage of high priced frontage property.

If you ever go to Marco and want to stay a few days you should turn off the main channel and follow the one in the picture above to Smokehouse Bay which is totally protected in all directions. I passed it by and ....

..... continued towards Factory Bay that is to starboard before the bridge ahead that connects Marco Island to the mainland. I just wanted to spend the night....

.... and get gas the next day and make a quick trip to the grocery store (Publix) and West Marine which is next to Publix and get out of here and head south on the inland waterway under that bridge to Goodland and on into the 10,000 Islands.

So spent the night there, took the inflatable to Rose Marina in the morning and got the gas. Took two trips for 19 gallons (topped off the main tank and filled the two 5 gallon containers and the 2 gallon one). Then it was off to the store and West Marine.

Scott was worried about me so ordered a PLB (Personal Locater Beacon) that hopefully will find a satellite if you are in a life or death situation and also hopefully point help to where you are. I was going to put my info in it and when I got back give it to him and we would change the info to his. This was really big of him to do this for me and I really appreciated it but hope to never use it. So I got the PLB at West Marine and dropped $170 on a tether for my safety harness. There again Scott had loaned me his tether but after using it I knew this was something I 'd be foolish not to have in the future also so bought my own. More on the safety harness and tether a page or two from now.

Well after the 1 mile round trip (did my legs good) towing my little cart with wheels (folds up and another WM purchase probably from here on Ruth and my earlier trip. This might be a good time to give you a link to that trip as it was much slower and had the location of more anchorages and such that I'm rushing past on this trip. So if you think you might sail this area at some point and further south into the 10,000 Island area and the Everglades and then over to the Keys click on the link ( HERE ) and book mark it.

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.....--- Marco Island --- ....................--- to --- .--- Whitehorse Key ---

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............ ..(March 15th and 16th) Anchorage --- N 25º 52.049´ ==== Trip Mileage = 166 miles ..................W 81º 34.058´ ==== Day's Mileage = 19 miles

I've gotten my gas and groceries and visited West Marine so it is time to move on into the 10,000 Islands. It is around 1 pm and plenty of time to get to White Horse Key except I can't get the anchor up. I pull the boat to where I'm just above it and usually at that point I can get it to break free of the bottom but it isn't budging. It feels as if it is welded to the bottom. I cleat it off and wait for the wakes of some passing boats to get the Mac rocking up and down thinking surely that will break it loose. Nope still solid as can be. This is a very popular anchorage so now I'm starting to think I'm attached to someone's abandoned anchor or chain or who knows maybe a sunken boat or something. So thoughts of the wet suit having to go on and getting into water where I can't see much start to drift around inside my head.

OK one more thing to try that I've never had to do before. That is run ahead with the outboard. I have it running anyway so what is to loose. So put outboard into forward and give her some gas and wonders of wonders the anchor breaks free. No wet suit or going into water where the creatures there can see me but I can't see them. I go forward and stow the anchor on the bow roller and close the rode bag up and I'm on my way to Goodland on the inland waterway.

I've been over it 3 times before so I thought I'd remember the way with no problems. The night before I clicked in the waypoints in a hurry thinking I don't even need them, do I? I motor up and under the bridge where you then make a 90 to starboard to keep from running aground in shallow water. I remember this so no problem. Next you parallel the bridge towards the shore before making a 90 to port. I passed the marker where I should of turned but didn't as I didn't see the marker on the post and just thought it was a post. So next thing I know the rudder kicks up, meaning I'm now in water under 3 feet. I reach over and grab the outboard tiller and make a hard turn to port see where I had screwed up and got back over to the channel.

Now I'm starting to think I'd better pay more attention to those waypoints I put into the handheld GPS. So about a mile later I come to an Island and my waypoints go to the left of the Island but there are channel markers off to the right. Hey they must be private ones going into someplace that I don't need to go so I turn to port to run with the Island on my starboard side. The chart even shows the deeper water where I'm going but a few hundred yards later the rudder kicks up again and I'm quickly trying to get the boat turned around.

Now I know why there are so many boats going around the island on the other side and there are a lot as it is Sunday and lots of boats are running back and forth between Goodland and Marco. So the night before in my big 'know it all rush' I clicked the waypoints in going up the wrong side of the Island.

Now I think it might be best to not trust them so much but I do have OpenCPN running and check the screen on it to see if I made any other obvious screw-ups and decide to really watch were the other boats are coming from and going too as some of the beer I've drank in the last 4 years must of played trick on the little cells that had all the info about this passage.

Well even after all that over in Goodland I manage to start of a channel into a marina before I figure out it isn't the channel out into the Gulf.

So soon I can see the Gulf ahead and the wind is in the right direction for once so I first put out the Genoa and decide to run on just it until I really am out. I get into some crab pot floats and start playing chicken with them and thinking we never, well Ruth never, snagged one and we literally went by hundreds on previous trips. So one comes up and I glide over it thinking it is just under the port side of the boat. I look back waiting to see it pop up. No float pops up and the boat comes to a halt. So get the Genoa in and the outboard in neutral, so at least it isn't wrapped around the prop, that is good, but what is it wrapped around. I figure it must be the centerboard but I it seems like I can pull it up. OK only thing left is the rudder. I kick it up and the crab pot float pops to the surface and the Mac is free of its grip and I'm off again.

I only had to run about 3-4 miles south before cutting in at White Horse Key but this sailing was now going good so put the main up and the Genoa back out and turned towards Mexico and ran a few miles out into the Gulf on a broad reach and then did a 180 and sailed back right up to the cut into White Horse Key. Nice, very nice, I enjoyed that a lot.

With the sails down I motored in and behind a small Island just off the east side of White Horse Key and put the anchor down planning on spending a couple days here on the beach reading a book, but that didn't happen.

Before this trip I added a side mount for the 3 ½ HP Tohatsu that is used on the inflatable. I use to carry it on a high stern mount. It was a pain back there as I couldn't safely or easily lower it directly into the Zodiac. It is suppose to weigh 40 lbs but for me now trying to get an awkward 40 lbs from one rocking boat into an other one is an ordeal that could end up with the outboard going to the bottom. With Ruth's help I'd get it off the stern mount and into the Mac's cockpit and then balance it on the coaming. Ruth would hold onto it while I climbed down into the dingy that was tied alongside. Then I'd get it down into the dinghy and onto its transom. We kept a safety line on it just in case but I hated it although it was much better than trying to do it with the 60 lb Nissan we started with.

With that in mind I figured if I had the side mount I could stand in the dinghy and lift the motor off the mount and straight down into the dinghy. I did this when I picked up Scott but still it seems like the two boats are never rocking in unison and having to get the motor up past my chest on and off the mount was not very fun. I had gone in the right direction but still wasn't quite at the final solution. As I ran south I thought about this and remembered that I had a couple blocks in the junk on the boat so thought about using them to rig up a block and tackle system and then did while at White Horse.

I attached one block up under one of the rear solar panels and also tied off one end of the line there. The line ran down to another block that had a caribiner attached to it and then up through the top block and then back down to the operator, me.

With some line I carry I made up a harness for the Tohatsu that will just stay on it. There is a SS ring at the top and the caribiner attaches to it. Now it is much easier to get the motor from the Mac to the Zodiac or the other way around. I can use one hand on the line and the other on the outboard's lower-end shaft guiding it with that hand and lifting it or lowering it with the other. With the 2 to 1 advantage it is like lifting about 20 lbs so pretty easy and under control all the time.

Above I show the line on the outboard while it is still on the transom. I don't lift or set it in place from this position. I leave the line on for 'just in case' something goes wrong but lower the motor onto the solid floor in the dinghy and then lift it onto or off the transom. This part of the operation has never been too bad, it was getting it to and from the Macgregor. I'm very happy with this now and don't dread moving the outboard unless I'm just tired and beat, which is often.

If I feel that I need to dock on that side I'll first lower the outboard into the dinghy as it is out past the rub rail on that side and after a previous minor disaster now have all of the solar panels inside the rub rail on the sides of the boat.

I also cooked up a meal so that I'd have leftovers to eat the next couple days. I make all different variations of what follows and it isn't bad hot and on this trip I found that I really like better still cold from the fridge. If I have it I'll then add lettuce and/or tomatoes and a little salad dressing and it is really good cold.

I like it as you don't get a lot dirty fixing it and cleanup is easy. I try to keep the whole meal deal from making, eating, cleanup as simple as possible most of the time to help keep my energy for other things.

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At the end of the day I took a dinghy ride around the key next to White Horse on the SE side and then decided to move on down to Little Shark at the lower end of Florida's SW coast and over to the Keys and north as I had pretty much talked myself into going to the Bahamas if I didn't chicken out and I wanted to have all the days I could for over there and coming back here without Ruth just wasn't the same.

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