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Delivery of S/V Carina
From Ft. Lauderdale, FL. to Clear Lake, TX
May 2004
The first true "Blue Water" BARR non-event - Capn' Gene moved up from his Irwin 31 Citation (S/V Solstice) and bought a Morgan 43. One little detail had to be worked out - How to get it from Fort Lauderdale, FL. to Clear Lake, TX.?? Many an option were looked at but the most attractive was to SAIL her home! It IS a SAIL-BOTE, isn't it?? We prepared and provisioned for almost 2 days before leaving. We had four experienced folks on board. We were fortunate that one of the crew is an MD and made sure we were we prepared for almost any medical issue that might arise. We rented an EPIRB from BoatUS. We carried plenty of fresh water and lashed an extra 20 gallons of diesel to the deck. The boat is well equipped... holding plate fridge and freezer (seperate compartments), a 4kw Westerbeke generator, large inverter/charger, high output alternators, a 450ah house battery bank, full dodger and bimini, etc. About the only thing it did'nt have that we wished we would have had was a radar and maybe a spinnaker. We left Ft. Lauderdale at about 2:30pm on Friday, May 7th and arrived at Clear Lake, TX at about 2:30am on Sunday, May 16th... a total of just over 1070 nautical miles. We made short stops at Looe Key and at the Dry Tortugas (both located in the Florida Keys area). Lot's of downwind and broad reaching!
Click on the small images below for a full-size image...
 The boat - Originally named "Emotional Rescue"... Gene changed the name to S/V Carina. We're almost ready to toss the lines... extra diesel stowed on deck, dinghy secured in the davits, etc. |
 Doc Frank stowing provisions in the galley prior to our departure. "Now where did I stash the rum and beer"?? |
 The final bridge in Ft. Lauderdale before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean. |
 Frank at the helm offshore of Miami - a good broad reach at this point doing an easy 6-7 knots. It was great watching Miami and the lower Florida coast roll slowly by. |
 We werent sailing long before the reel screamed out... "DINNER!!" This dorado was immediately cleaned and served for dinner the following evening at the Looe Key anchorage. Friday, May 7, 2004 |
 Russ filets our first catch of the trip. A nice 10-15 lb. dorado. Talk about FRESH FISH!!! |
 Here's a shot of Miami slowly rolling by to starboard on the evening of Friday, May 7th. Under FULL sail on a broad reach!! |
 Sunset over the Miami area - Fri., May 7, 2004 |
 Sunset over the anchorage at the Dry Tortuga's. That's Fort Jefferson in the background. May 9, 2004 |
 Cap'n Gene EXITS the water after he spots a 5 foot shark hanging out under the boat. Dry Tortugas anchorage. May 9, 2004 |
 Frank tanking the dink for a spin at the Dry Tortugas. May 9, 2004 |
 Paul takes a well deserved rest in the cockpit at the Dry Tortugas. May 9, 2004. |
 The seaplane from Key West delivers tourists to the Dry Tortugas. I think they made the trip a little faster than we did - but they didnt get to enjoy the sail and rum drinks! |
 Welcome to the Dry Tortugas National Park - Fort Jefferson. This a pretty cool place to explore (and to stretch your legs). |
 S/V Carina at anchor in the Dry Tortugas. May 10, 2004 |
 Frank and Gene with Dry Tortugas/Ft. Jefferson disappearing in the background. We're committed to heading straight across the Gulf of Mexico. |
 It's hard to tell what this is but it's a tortugas "mooning" us. The ONLY tortuga we saw! |
 The chart plotter shows us at 9.2 knots as we work our way across the Gulf of Mexico. |
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Good luck! The dolphins came to visit several times during our trip. They were lots of fun to watch as they played in the waves and near the bow. |
 Russ shows off another catch. 3pm, somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, May 10, 2004 |
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The following seas kept us rolling for over 6 days. This photo was taken mid-Gulf of Mexico, May 12, 2004 |
As odd as it sounds, we discovered that we had cellphone coverage about 140nm out from Galveston. The coverage only lasted for a short while on AT&T cellphone service near 28 07.614N 92 19.541W. We all scrambled to call home to let everyone know we were OK. Who knows what that bill will be??
