Bob Sherrod of Apalachee Bay Yacht Club took a group of friends out in his Catalina 30 for a casual sunset sail for Summer Sailstice - it didn't turn out they way it was planned. Bob sent in his tale:
Here is what we experienced at Apalachee Bay Yacht Club's Summer Sailstice event. Our goal was to have a gentle evening sail, watch the sunset from the decks of our boats, and then head in. God and the weather had other ideas. All photos by Matthew Sherrod.
The Apalachee Bay Yacht Club hosted a sunset sail to celebrate Summer Sailstice. The primary reason for a sunset sail was the tides were against us during the day, but we had a high tide right about sunset, which gave us good water to get out and back in. We had only two boats, but fourteen participants. Our boat had nine – the most I have ever had on my Catalina 30 at one time.
At 19:00, when we boarded our boats, with the wind coming out of the west at about 10 knots – perfect to sail out of Shell Point in northern Florida. We sailed out of the channel under partly sunny skies, enjoying each other’s company. On board, besides myself, my wife, Rita, and one of our sons, Matthew, we had an experienced keelboat sailor, Gene and his daughter, Gina, a relative newbie to sail who owns a small catamaran, Laura, and her friend, Rebecca, who only goes with her as a passenger, a former sailor, Ned, who now has a power boat, and his friend from Kansas, Glenn, who had never been on a sailboat before. All in all it was a diverse mix – four women and five men, four or five who were competent sailors.
Our plan was to sail south until 20:00, then reverse course and watch the sunset before going back in. We were watching a storm build on shore for a while, and the other boat chose to head in and try and beat the storm in case it came offshore. We were hoping the storm would stay ashore, or at least not come out as far as we were. The showers we had earlier in the day followed the recent pattern of popping up to the west and crossing eastward, staying on shore or lightly following the coast before falling apart.
Just before 20:00 we came upon a large group of dolphins, which came to our boat and put on a show for us. Those new to sailing were thrilled to get to see these wonderful creatures.
Just after 20:00 we came about, and before we settled on or new course, the wind suddenly turned and came from the north, ahead of the storm. We decided to drop our sails and motor back. We just got the jib furled and the main lashed to the boom when the storm overtook us. We drove through rough seas with breaking waves and strong winds until, just short of the channel, the wind and waves became too much for our little 21 HP engine and two blade prop. We were first pushed to the west, then caught a break and the boat began slowly turning back to the north, only to be pushed past north, and we found ourselves being pushed towards the east.
Unable to make headway, we turned back south and ran before the storm. Where we could make little to no headway against the storm, we now found ourselves surfing down waves at nearly eight knots. We rode the storm in this manner for about four miles, until the storm had pushed well offshore, and the worst had passed us. We waited for a good break in the waves and came about and headed once again to the north. The sky over Shell Point was much lighter than the skies around us, and we could see the lights on shore very clearly now, so we were confident we would be able to make it in this time.
All the way out and back in through the storm we were treated to an awesome lightning storm, with many cloud to cloud and cloud to sea strikes. Unfortunately, I was too busy to really enjoy the show.
We had little trouble getting back, and the closer we got to the channel entrance, the more the wind and seas subsided. As we approached the channel entrance, we noticed the lights of another small craft going the opposite way. As we passed, this other vessel turned and followed us in. I assume he could not find his way in, and waited for someone to come by and lead him in. We made it back to our slip at the Yacht Club at 22:15.
All in all it was a positive experience. We all made it back safely, and no one even got seasick. I am grateful there is a light on the channel entrance. It provided an excellent mark to guide us. Likewise, a radio tower light that is just a few degrees west of the channel light provided a good mark to head for until the channel light came into view. As good as the lights were to helping us get back in, nothing served us better than our GPS unit and our spotlight. Without the light to illuminate the day marks, we would not have made it safely in.
Having several experienced sailors aboard made my job easier. Matthew and Gene furled the sails, and Matthew passed out the PFD’s. They and the other experienced sailors helped keep everyone calm.
We never saw the sun go down, but we had both a beautiful sail and a wild ride. Although we failed to accomplish what we set out to do – watch the sun set, we experienced just about all that nature and sailing have to offer, and we are all thankful for the experience. We all will have new tales to tell, but none more than our new sailing friend from Kansas, Glenn.
Deep in the storm
Those idyllic moments before the storm - who'd have believed things would change so drastically?