20DEC2009:I checked out the boat on Saturday (19 DEC 09) and found that I had to replace the jack on the trailer. After failing to find what I needed at the local trailer supply place, the local farm supply place, the local Auto Shop and the local WalMart, I finally found what I was looking for at the local Home Depot. Though the WalMart turned out to be a good stop because I scored #36 tarred seine twine for $7.36 for a 1lb roll. Apparently they use it for sport fishing down here. Who knew?
I checked NOAA and got the following for Tampa Bay; "SUNDAY NORTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS. BAY AND INLAND WATERS A MODERATE CHOP." NOAA also indicated the following tides at Edgemont Channel for the 20th; High: 12:28AM and 03:21PM, Low 07:17AM LST 06:12PM with a tidal rise and fall of around 1.5 feet. The tides hit the Alafia River, my intended ramp, about 2.5 hours after the entrance to Tampa Bay at Edgemont Channel.
The tide tables always used to confuse me until a captain on the schooner Pioneer asked me what the tide was at Hell Gate. As mate I'd never checked Hell Gate before, I mean who cared we only looked at what the tide was doing at the Battery since that was where we were going. However, the tide at the entrance to the bay - or the two entrances to New York Harbor in this case - determines the tides for the bay. It made sense to me only when I thought about it as an incoming wave or as water being drawn out to the sea, rather than as a rise or fall in the Bay itself. Since then I've always checked the tide at Edgemont Channel rather than at the ramp in Tampa Bay I might use. It makes me more aware of and observant to what the tide is doing.
As I indicated I put into the Alafia River boat ramp around 1200 on Sunday the 20th. There were few other boats at the dock and the air temperature was only 55 degrees when I put in, so I donned foulies. For some reason, I did not put a reef in the mainsail. Because Marjorie is so tender in a fresh breeze, I usually tuck a reef in the main if there were projected gusts to 20 knots, but I was somewhat overconfident. The wind appeared out of the north and I thought I'd try sailing off the dock, so I ran the docklines over the cleats and back to the boat, then raised the main and jib. Unfortunately, by the time I got the engine started, the wind had veered to the west and had pinned me to the dock. I slipped the bow line, backed down on the stern line until the wind caught the jib, then cast off, put the engine in neutral and sailed down the river and out the channel.
Once clear of the Alafia, I realized almost immidiately that I didn't have a good feel for the boat. I wasn't anticipating the wind and I didn't have a good feel for the tiller. I hadn't sailed at all in two months and I hadn't sailed Marjorie since the summer. I was rusty and decided to do a couple easy tacks across Hillsborough Bay just to try and get back the muscle memory. The winds were gusty and the scattered white caps did seem to indicate that the wind was around 15 knots. But the wind was out of the northeast, while the waves were larger than they should have been and were out of the north (toward Tampa and the head of the Bay). I was expecting around 2 - 3 foot waves - and I certainly had them here - but every ten waves or so was a 4 - 5 foot wave. There was no traffic in the bay, so it wasn't wakes. I still haven't figured it out.
About half way across the Bay, heading toward Ballast Point, I fell off from a close reach to a beam reach, toward MacDill AFB. The waves were largely on the starboard quarter, when I suddenly had a gust push the boat over to about 80 degrees. Water poured in over the coaming and I had two thoughts; I can't believe I didn't anticipate that and I should have covered over those old speakers in the cockpit. Yes, the previous owner had put speakers in the sides of the cockpit, which now allowed about twenty gallons of seawater to rush into the main bilge. Note to self: get rid of the speakers.
I immediately released the main sheet and pushed over the tiller and came up into the wind. Then when she righted, I continued with the tack, passed the jib and sheeted in the main. We were now closehauled and pounding into the waves heading toward Pendolla Point. It was exhilerating and exhausting. I was carrying way too much sail, but I was still having fun, despite my best attempts to sink the boat.
I still kept up the full main and stayed out for about three hours all told. But I recognized that I need more tiller time to get back my feel for the boat. It was really more of a struggle than it should have been.
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