CRUISING ADVENTURES AND GUNK HOLING IN SMALL SAILBOATS 7

Article By Richard Frye
Part 7 of the series: Backpacking On The Water

Rain, rain, and more rain! And it kept raining with no sign of letting up! Times like this in the life of a sailor, cruiser, gunk holer or whatever name you want to label someone that sails around from one place to another can get extremely boring. Most normal people would rather sail in pleasant weather conditions or at least something better than a pouring down, and very hard southern rain, but I had never claimed to be normal!

As it stands now, I still have a day and a half before they will remove the sutures from my head. Then I can be on my way. More great news! That was actually being a little sarcastic because the latest Coast Guard weather report said, “Rain, heavy at times, with strong winds for the next 4 days!” On top of that, small craft warnings had been issued, and might go to gale status by tomorrow evening! Did I mention “boring?” There is limited space on a small sailboat, and in weather like this you read, sleep or have something to keep you busy during the daylight hours. I enjoy doing rope work, some decorative but I like practical too! Tying knots has been around for thousands of years, and there are so many! Ashley’s Book of Knots is like the bible of knot tying and lists over 3900 knots which can keep a man busy for a lifetime trying to figure some of them out! Many are complicated and these types of knots are primarily in the decorative class but some do have practical applications. This book, like Chapman’s Book of Seamanship and Small Boat Handling should be in the library of every cruising boat, no matter what size she is. The Annapolis Book of Seamanship is also a compliment to the ship’s library. Another that could be of great benefit is Heavy Weather Sailing! These books are full of information that is educational, informative and can even save lives! Your own life could depend on information from the wonderful books. Protect them and keep them in waterproof storage containers of some type.

Other alternatives to counteract the boredom of being confined to a small stuffy cabin is to put on your rain gear/foul weather gear and go sailing, providing there are no warning of gale winds or other dangerous conditions. The second is to go into town and browse around the shops or chandleries and maybe have dinner in some nice restaurant or take in a movie. A third option is to sit in a local pub and shoot the bull with the others that are also cruising and might be in your situation. Most of the pubs open after lunch and serve customers until 2am in most places. After a while when you’ve heard all the stories for the umpteenth time, the boring syndrome sets in again! So what are you to do? I put out two of my box type crab traps right by my boat baited with some meat that was about to spoil. I checked them occasionally. Before darkness fell I had harvested 4 nice blue crabs and a stone crab with larger claws, so there would be no bologna sandwich tonight! Dinner would be an exceptional feast! I got to thinking that some fresh green beans would be a wonderful addition with the crab instead of the old familiar rice, potatoes or corn. A handful of fresh strawberries for desert would be nice too as they were just coming in season in the far south for those that planted a little early so off to the market I went.

Another problem arose. How was I to cook these things in the pouring down rain? My cabin was too small to fire up a stove inside the tiny cabin! It would be like an oven and wind up cooking me! Plus there was an interment possibility of a fire. That’s something no boat owner wants!

I put on my slicker and headed to town as my brain went into action. The local hardware store sold me a piece of Visquene plastic and a new painter’s tarp. I would improvise a boom tent that hung well over the gunnels to help ward off blowing rain as my old leaky sunshade was not large enough for this chore. I could drop one panel now to windward and have the surrounding area wide open for ventilation. This way I could also look out to the sea and river to see what was going on to break the monotony. Behind me were more slips with yachts of all sizes, then a few sail boats ranging from 12 feet to 40 feet in length and a wonderful English dinghy called a Mirror on the far dock that was only 11 feet in length. These sailboats appeared to have been dormant for several weeks. No one had set foot upon them or moved them in any way as far as I could tell. Beyond that was marsh grass! Now and then a power boat would wander into the marina, load on a trailer and disappear down the road. These were fishermen that had had enough of the nasty weather. But in spite of that, I discovered most had decent catches of fish to clean when I went out to talk with them. I offered assistance if they needed it to load their Boston Whalers and Glastron boats with huge outboard motors into their trailers. After helping one fellow that really needed it badly, I was rewarded with a nice sized Flounder from him and his companion. The wind had picked up and occasionally gusted to around 20 to 25mph and made it difficult to get the boat straight and balanced on the trailer bunks. One more person solved that problem by keep the boat from slamming broadside into the pilings! I bought more ice and put the fish in my old cooler. That fish would be dinner in a couple of days. I would only have one potato or roasting ear of corn with that because there was more than enough for two people!

Today, dinner was boiled crabs and fresh green beans! With my boom tent now erected and secured, I fired up my stove near the stern and walked up the dock to the cleaning station for fresh water. I preferred to cook seafood like crabs and especially shrimp in sea water but not from around a marina where gas and oil is always floating around your boat! Do this when you are gunk holing and searching for a secluded cove for the night and get your water offshore if possible. The taste is much better! Fresh water would do for the moment. I had put the plastic sheeting under the tarp after I got it draped over the boom and secured along the sides and well past the cockpit. I could leave my cockpit open and the plastic sheet kept water from dripping all over the place. My new painters tarp wasn’t waterproof yet and used mostly for a sunshade. This was nice for a change and the temperature was comfortable and not bone chilling. The rain was warm, but the wind was slightly cooler and felt good to the skin! I’ve yet to explain that!

This time of the year along the southeastern coast is warm, averaging 88 to the low 90s, but this rain had cooled things off considerably. Temps were in the low to mid 70’s for the moment, but I knew that would only last as long as the rain was falling. After that came hot and muggy!

The stove was secured outside and I found my large pot for the crabs, fired up my stove and ducked inside the cabin to get into some dry clothing while waiting for the water to come to a boil so I could steam the beans in a wire basket first before putting the crabs into the boiling water. I put my wet clothes on top of the companionway hatch and would hang them on the lifelines to dry later.

With about 2 hours before darkness I looked out to the sea and enjoyed the serenity of everything around me. The rain slacked at times but the wind stayed constant 17mph and would later increase. The green beans were now cooked so I dropped the crabs into the pot but got nailed on the little finger by an irate crab because I was careless. They are never in a good mood!

After cussing a lot, I dropped that crab into the boiling water with an expression of triumph on my face; I washed the finger with alcohol, put on a Band-Aid and mixed myself a Captain Morgan with a splash of Coke that had long gone flat! Not a bad injury but it did hurt like hell! My ole buddy, the captain made that pain goes away! I feasted on the crab and green beans, accompanied with some saltine crackers and red cocktail sauce. I sliced my fresh strawberries and even plopped a couple in my mixed drink just for color, but it actually tasted pretty good! It was relaxing but I knew things would get worse through the night as far as the weather was concerned.

It was dreary and dismal at the marina and I would have preferred to be in a secluded and sheltered cove. This would have to do so I made sure everything was secured, lit my little kerosene lantern and stepped into the cabin. I left the hatch open but fastened my mosquito screen in place, like bugs of any type would be bold enough to come out in this nasty weather! Leaning back on a pillow, I continued to read more chapters from my copy of Two Years Before The Mast, by Richard Dana. Wonderful reading of an adventure at sea. This was better than sitting in a tavern half the night with strangers and wasting money on booze!

I fell asleep while reading and woke up to very strong winds about 6am and it was howling like a banshee! I stepped into the cockpit and made sure everything was tied down good. Looking toward the marina was the familiar red flag with the black square flying. Gale warnings were in effect! I was in for a rough night! I checked my doubled spring lines and rode the wild bucking horse for almost three more hours! The storm subsided to about 20 mph winds and when I looked again, the Gale warning flag was being taken down.

The good thing was that I was able to sleep most of the night with Sea Mistress straining to stay put, and the other good thing was that the stitches were coming out today! The bad thing was the crappy weather! I was stuck for a while, and a new front was moving in and this time from the West Northwest! It was decision time, and I had to make it fast or be tied there for at least a week. My home port was about a day’s sail or at least 10 to 12 hours to the south and with this kind of wind I had a broad reach all the way and could make good time if I left with the tide. I was in luck! It would be high tide in about 3 hours! This was going to be some rough sailing!

The nurse at the clinic removed the sutures, gave me some written instructions, a few pain pills, and I paid my bill then headed back to Sea Mistress! No time to waste now! It was still raining and I had on my slicker so I began removing my makeshift boom tent, packed it away, and the tarp was mostly dry except for the corners. The plastic was wiped clear of excess water with a towel and stored forward in the v-berth. I thanked the owner of the marina that wouldn’t accept any fee because I wasn’t in a regular slip. I was in a transient mooring that was free to people headed to where ever, and he must have considered the bad luck I was having! I would certainly remember the kindness and generosity of these people around the Folly Beach area and was invited back! I would return later for sure! I had roller reefing but preferred to use my own sewn in reefing points as it was easier for me to shorten sail that way. I tied in the second reef, not sure of what was waiting on me and quickly drifted away from the dock. With this wind no motor was needed at all! I hauled in the sheet and when resistance was felt Sea Mistress lurched ahead and out to the waiting ICW. She picked up speed as we sliced through a two foot chop. I was alone in the ICW as I pointed her bow toward the south and soon the pounding eased up.

My rubber boots felt good and my storm pants were pulled down over the tops. I kept a hand towel tucked inside my slicker to wipe the rain from my face occasionally. I was glad I put in the second reef because the wind was gusting to 34 mph and we were sailing under a reefed mainsail. No lapper or Ginny today! Sea Mistress was making good speed and with full sail I would have surely been knocked down a few times. My safety line was secured and my offshore life jacket was adjusted for comfort. We were good to go now, and Sea Mistress plowed her way through the waves at an amazing speed to be reefed to half the sail area! She was a fine boat and a fast one for her size!

The water was brown and nasty looking but the white caps took some of the ugliness away! We sailed hard for 4 hours on a beam reach and I slacked off the mainsheet and locked down the tiller so I could grab something to eat. The rain was easing up a bit too. I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich, grape Kool-Aid that I had premixed in my canteen, and a melted Three Musketeers that I licked off the wrapper. I had forgotten to put in the cooler. After my lunch, I shook out the second reef, but put in the first one for more sail, then sheeted in and headed south at an alarming rate of speed when I hauled up the jib. I might have to put that second reef back in and take the jib down altogether, but the wind kept steady and had dropped to about 14 or 15 mph that made my little ship zip down the waterway, planning at times and was making very good time. Two hours later under full sail most of the time, and six hours of hard sailing behind me was taking its toll, so I eased up on the sheet, spilled some air and relaxed for a while.

By late afternoon I could see Tybee Lighthouse and was only a couple of hours from my home port. Just before dark I had covered the distance and tied up in my own spot. Many options had gone through my mind and I decided to moor her for the night, and spend the night in my apartment. I was totally exhausted! After a full night’s rest I would replenish supplies before heading south again. It was still early and after a hot shower I felt refreshed. I filleted my fish and baked it with a few select herbs and spices, while basting it in butter and lemon juice. I normally didn’t have that luxury aboard the boat!

It was way too much food for me so I invited a neighbor over to dinner to share the meal. I made a nice salad with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onion, olives, pine nuts and raisins with some homemade Thousand Island dressing and sprinkled on some grated sharp cheddar cheese! I’m not a bad cook! I also steamed some broccoli and that was enough. Claudia, a very attractive brunette and close friend brought her big cat along that also got a portion of a fish, and wanted more! Big Momma as she was affectionately called received more fish, as there was plenty for all of us!

I was quizzed by this neighbor about my adventure and was told that she would like to do that one day. I said, “Sure, that would be great”, and let it drop. Then added, “I’m heading out to Florida tomorrow and won’t be back for at least a month. I’m trailering Sea Mistress down to West Palm. I have a friend living there and I can leave my truck and boat trailer at his house and huge yard without having to worry about it or paying a storage fee with security, then I am going to cruise further south and do some diving in the Keys, probably around Key Largo.” She noticed the shaved bare spot in my head where the stitches were and the gash that was healing and wanted to know how that came to happen, since she was a registered nurse. I told her what happened and she nodded, said it was healing nicely but was a little red, and we watched TV for a while on the sofa. Around 10pm she thanked me for the meal, told me I looked tired and to get some rest, then took Big Momma with her and reassured me that she would like to go on a trip one day when she was had time to spare and had a sitter for her kitty. I said, “OK”. I liked the big cat as she was friendly and cuddly and loved to play. When I was around I would often “baby sit”, and bring her to my place just to have company and kept cat toys around all the time. She weighed almost 17 pounds! Not a lightweight by any standards for a kitty that was just barely 2 years old! She likes to lie on my chest which made breathing difficult! I had a very good nights’ sleep, and the next day took my time while gathering supplies, etc.

While having a wonderful breakfast of bacon, eggs, grits, and orange marmalade with an English muffin, I notice my injured finger was swelling a bit and throbbing. I had a small cut and a huge blood blister about the size of a pencil eraser! The cut part appeared to have the beginning of an infection and looked nasty. I washed it and treated it with peroxide, alcohol with and antiseptic and applied another bandage. It was getting more painful. When Claudia got home I had her look at it and told her about the crab pinch, and she told me to get to the ER pronto. It was infected much worse than I thought. I got another shot in the butt and more pills! This was not my week! I got this infection partially from the illness that was still in my system! When you have an infection still in your body, every pin prick, scratch or cut will also get infected! And that’s what was happening! I was going to be home for at least 2 weeks and maybe longer, and I was prescribed a new type of antibiotic! No problem there! I had plenty to do while healing up. I did not need this type of stuff going on during my trip down the coast! Good health was a major issue now, and was a must factor before I headed anywhere!

As the rain slacked I was able to clean out my boat from one end to the other, give her a good scrubbing and restock my basic supplies, and fuel for my outboard. I hadn’t noticed but here was about a cup left between the 1 gallon gas container and the custom made 3 gallon tank! That wouldn’t get me very far. So I emptied out the old gas, grabbed some 2 cycle oil measured out the amount needed and headed to gas station to fill both containers. Gas was around 29.9 cents per gallon, and almost that much for a loaf of bread! Ridiculous! Milk was already sky high! Everything was getting so expensive for some reason! Coca Cola had gone to an outrageous 11 cents, and a penny deposit for the empty bottle was even put on some! What was the world coming too?

It took me all day to get the boat squared away and the salt rinsed off. The wind was too strong to hoist the sails and wash them so I laid them on the dock and did the best I could. It was still raining and hard to dry anything but it had to be done. I took the sails home and had them draped in the living room to dry with fans running. It had to be done! Claudia was working second shift at the hospital, so Big Momma kept me company till she got home. I was grounded for a while and next week she would be working grave yard, and Big Momma would be with me for at least 7 nights. I wanted to leave and head south but that wasn’t to be, as things kept happening to delay my departure.

I got a phone call a day later and was offered a job from a friend that was a general contractor for doing the interior trim on some new apartments going up and this job included the installation of all the inside doors and hardware throughout each unit! I took the job for the extra cash and the pay was excellent and almost triple of what it would be normally because he had a deadline to meet! Or get a bunch of fines! This also meant that I would not be sailing until late summer or possibly after Labor Day! However I would have my weekends free for lots of sailing, fishing and going to my favorite gunk holes to relax all weekend. West Palm would have to wait! The extra money in my bank account would be more than enough to keep me cruising comfortably for a full year! I couldn’t turn it down! Besides I was thinking about moving up to a larger boat! After 5 years of sailing this 21 foot boat, Sea Mistress was great for one cruising person and I loved her dearly, but if I took on a guest, I would need a lot more room! My sights were set on a 22 or 23 footer of some type and maybe a 24 or 25! A foot or two on a sailboat means a lot of difference in space! She still had to be trailerable! The thought of having a female sailing companion on an extended voyage down the coast intrigued me as I updated my log book with a huge cat in my lap! Hmmmmm!