Waiting on Seatow

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  Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States
Wednesday, December 19, 2007

This is a real time entry in the blog as I sit here waiting for Seatow come come pull us off the mud.  One of the hazards of 'going inside' is the ICW is in very bad shape.  It is supposed to be a consistent 12 feet based on the corp of engineers but lack of any funding means sit deposits can bring that to 2-3 feet in places depending on the tide.  This morning, while Sue was at the wheel and I was busy attending to "personal business" in the head I feel First Forty become a mud-sled and then come to a firm halt.  We had stuck it. 

Getting my jeans back into 'running position', I rushed up to the wheelhouse to see First Forty's bow raised.  Despite my efforts to turn or back off, we had no luck.  I called Sea Tow (like a AAA on the water) who said the can be out here in 15 min.  The tide has a foot to drop and will not get high for many hours.  My only hope is that he tow boat can get us off and we are not here .....all day.  There is no real danger, but it is very aggravating.  More soon.

.....later

The tow boat arrived in about 15 minutes and began to look at the situation.  First Forty was high and dry heeling about 10 degrees to port.  I looked at the tide display on the plotter and we had about another foot to drop.  No flooding danger to be sure, but we could be here all day if the tow capt cant get us off. 

After dealing with the paperwork (our towing membership pays for this), threw the two inch heavy tow line at me directly hitting me in the face....good start I thought.  We passed it through the hause pipe up forward and he began to haul us to port.  This seemed odd to me  as it would seem that it was a hump there as we were heeling in that direction.   I thought I would defer to his experience unless he wants to do something which I felt could endanger the vessel. 

For nearly and hour he hovered and pulled.  Much of the time was spent fanning the bottom with the big outboards in hopes that he could dig a path.   After about a half hour, we began to pivot somewhat.  Then we went harder to port and began to be concerned about the port stabilizers.   These are movable, computer controlled fins which help keep us upright in rolling seas.  Breaking one of these would be thousands of dollars so I kept my fingers crossed. 

Finally after an hour of work we began to feel the 'Forty' move and slowly we were being pulled off the mud.  The only problem was that in pulling us off we were heading for a red marker.  Yes, we were moving but now where is the nun buoy?:???   We had hooked it on the port stabilizer.   Luckily this was a small, plastic temp marker not the big one ton variety.  I was able to back off safely and the tow capt escorted us through the shoal.  As it happened another vessel had also gone aground a thousand feet down current of us.  The tow capt was a busy man. 

So now we are two hours behind schedule, but vessel and crew are in good shape.  Luckily Florida is all mud and not the rocks and ledges we saw in Maine last summer. 

Sue and I talked it over and briefly considered going out the inlet and doing the likely 29 hour run down to Palm Beach, but we opt not to.  We are not sure that staying up all night would give us more than a half day savings and then we would be trashed.  So we opt to stay in the ICW.

We have decided that the next trip up or down the coast will be done with at least one more person and then go outside in the ocean as much as practical.  We are in the warm weather now and the scenery is nice, but going ICW can be frustrating and putting our ocean capable vessel down the ICW canal is far from challenging.  

Ill call it a day on the blog...I'm going to take a nap.

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