Kindred Spirit cruise tax. This is the story of my greatest boating fear – crossing the Gulf of Mexico at night. 180 miles of open Gulf water to cross requiring 20 and a half hours of continuous running is an adventure. Add the fact that you had to make this run at night and the word adventure takes on new meaning. Clark and I were in the process of taking our boat from Waukegan, IL to Fort Myers, FL. It was a challenging trip as we navigated sweet water Lake Michigan, the muddy waters of inland rivers that cut through the heartland of America, and the salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico. But it was the Gulf crossing that made all boaters chew their fingernails.
We could only take the Intercostal Waterway which provided us with protected waters as fas as Carrabelle, FL or Apalachicola, FL. Then it was time to make the big commitment to cross. Weather, weather, weather was everything for this kind of trip. We had just ridden out a late season hurricane/tropical storm in Apalachicola. Now we knew we had to wait for the Gulf to settle down. Several days after a major blow there is usually period of time when the winds take a break and seas calm down to the point where they don't even qualify as a wave. That's my kind of boating conditions – no wind and no waves. But would this forecast actually come to fruition and how long would it last? Would the Gulf be kind to us for twenty and a half hours?
We gathered with six other boats to discuss our options and make a plan. We would leave at three in the afternoon allowing us plenty of daylight to navigate out of the bay area and into the deeper Gulf waters. We needed to be able to see the crab pots that can run out as far as thirty miles into the Gulf. If we hit a crab pot line and it wrapped around our props we would be dead in the water. We also needed to see them when we reached the waters off the coast of Clearwater. At our boat cruising speed of 9 miles hour, overnight was the only way to safely navigate those waters.
My fear of the unknown was the beast that scared me the most. What the hell could and would happen to us out there? Would I be able to safely walk the decks of the boat in the pitch black night? Would I be able to take my shift running the boat so Clark could rest? How do you navigate with only the instruments – GPS and radar? I had never had to rely solely on them before. Would the weather hold and the seas be good to us? Would the boat keep chugging along and not need repairs? We would be a least 60 miles from shore in all directions meaning our radios would more than likely not be heard if we had to call for help. These were the things going through everyone's minds as we left Apalachicola Bay. The first task was to get into a formation with the other boats and set our speeds so that we weren't running too close to each other or eating another boat's wake. Then we established radio coms and learned about our cruising companions and where they were in the formation.
Clark and I decided on two hour shifts. While he ran the boat I would sleep or fix us food or focus on calming my nerves. I tried to have everything we might need on the bridge in case it got too rough for us to go down below deck. Our emergency gear was in an old cooler with our boat name and documentation numbers on the lid. We knew it would float and water would not leak into it. The hope was that if we went over the cooler would float to the surface and we could access the survival items in it. That sat on the upper aft deck of the boat. When I ran the boat Clark would sleep, check the engines, walk the decks, and rest. So we passed the night in a calm manner until Clark woke me up and said in a rather alarming way that he wanted me to see something. I took the binoculars and looked into the cave dark sky where he pointed and there it was. Bright sparkling multicolored lights circling a sphere of some sort. It wasn't long and all the radios came to life as we tried to figure out if we were actually seeing an UFO. So the boredom of the night was broken as we all chatted about our own UFO until a sailor who knew celestial navigation explained to us what we were witnessing. It was in fact the star Sirius. The lights were caused by gases coming off the star and were not at all uncommon. We just never see the stars that way until we are in the dark of a moonless night with no other lights around. While we were relieved that we hadn't crossed into the Twilight Zone we did miss the distraction.
We safely navigated our way across the Gulf on calm seas and kissed the dock in Clearwater. FL. What a relief to have that behind us. I would not trade the memory of the gorgeous Milkyway in that darkest of night for anything. The sound of our boat hull slipping through the water in the tranquility of the night was soothing. I could and did walk the decks of our boat without issue and when it was my turn at the helm I kept us on course and out of trouble. What I remember the most about this trip was how proud I was of myself for doing it. I could now say I belonged to the club of those who braved the overnight run across the Gulf of Mexico.
The photo is of Kindred Spirit tied up at Cabbage Key, FL.
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What an mazing story and such beautiful writing! Have you considered writing a memoir? Thanks so much.
I agree Jane, wonderfully written. I would buy your memoir Libby!
Thank you Jane. I’m glad you enjoyed my adventure. I have journaled all our trips and they are presently in Florida. When I get there in January I’ll be better able to share some more . Don’t think there’s a memoir in my future but I appreciate the vote of confidence.
Wow!!! Libby, I was anxious just reading this! What an adventure. I could really feel your fear throughout this journey and also the relief to get to the dock. This was so well written, I felt like I was right there with you, every step of the way. Not only is this an excellent story, but you’ve done it justice with the way you’ve written it. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you mei lan for your kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed my adventure across the Gulf.
This was such a great read! I’m with Mei Lin, I’d buy a memoir too. Pre-order!!!
What a story Libby! Thank you for sharing, I loved reading every single word. ❤️❤️❤️
Great story and beautifully written
I absolutely loved reading this Libby! You’re a very talented storyteller. It’s a shame we don’t live closer; it’d be fun to hear more of your adventures while we get ourselves into trouble flouring floors together!
Thank you for your kind remarks Jane. Here’s to flour power and many laughs!!! I’ll try to write something about cooking in a small galley while underway in rough waters. Now that’s a trick I feel we can find ways to giggle together online. I’m grinning to myself as I write this and visualize one of our kitchens totally floured. The air so cloudy with flour dust we choke when we laugh!! Have a great weekend.
I can picture that scene very clearly and almost feel the powder in my throat already! We’d have a blast, wouldn’t we? If we had a bakery, we could call it “The White Kitchen”. Sounds so clean and aseptic, but we’d know the true meaning! Can’t wait to hear your story about trying to cook in choppy waters!
Wow! What an adventure and so beautifully written.
Awesome story, Libby! And so well-written. Kudos for facing your concerns and forging ahead. Such a wonderful reward, with that sighting of the stars in such a special way; something that only a few special people, I imagine, ever get to experience! I look forward to hearing more of your adventures!