Triumphant Return

02/25/2021

Of course the voyage of the Sybaris ends with challenges. We cleared the 17th St. Bridge last night, and found a dock at Ft. Lauderdale marina. Fine for reloading fuel, but their pump off station was down. Scramble mode.

One thing about this crew: We are good at solving problems. When the water based pump off service offered radio silence, John found a land-based guy, who knew the harbormaster at the Hilton. Get a slip at the Hilton; watch Sarah thread the canals and park next to the 65-foot catamaran. Yawn.

Evacuate the tanks, and voila, we are underway again. Only one bridge between us and our destination, where we will deliver the boat on time, and in shape. We broke a boat hook (tools break), and we had to cut a dock line that had become tangled in a propeller, but other than that we anticipate a solid return of our damage deposit.

There is some talk of putting that money into escrow, as a down payment on our next trip.

I’m sunburned, well rested, well fed, a little on the salty side—ready for a proper shower—but other than that I am returning to land in much better shape than when I left.

I think my Canadian sailing buddies are right. This can be a tricky part of the world in which to sail. Big tides, big currents, shifting sands, shallow reefs, occasional heavy boat traffic—but all in all it is entirely possible to find your way. Next trip? I would like to sail out of North Carolina and find our way out of the grey and into the sun.

Yes. Florida can be tacky. The trick is to give yourself over to it—enjoy the palm trees and the birds and the abundant seafood. Really this has been a wonderful escape from our workaday cold February lives.

We spotted a pair of northern gannets in the Gulfstream yesterday, meaning John is wearing the yellow jersey on the bird count. We had a second dolphin escort, and Julie flipped out over flying fish—which she insisted we add to the bird list. That’s not going to happen. At least not while I’m captain.

Adventures like this give us plenty of time to reflect on our normal lives, and make us wonder about what sort of tweaks and hacks would be necessary to accommodate longer journeys.

I think I am putting the Dry Tortugas on my new life list…

Thanks to everyone who followed along. Your feedback, comments and messages were a fun aspect of this trip.