Le Menagerie Logbook: 05/21/2005: Island Times

Wind: 12-22 SSE, higher gusts / Air Temp: 85 / Water Temp: 83 / Tide: Falling / Skies: Clear / Water: Off Color, Whitecapped /Seas: 2-3'/ Depart: 1300 Arrive: 1900.

Been promising the twins all weekend that we would take them fishing on Menagerie. Of course, that’s an excuse to get in a good sail trip too. Packed an icechest full of supplies and another full of ice for the fish and headed out to the Marina around noon. Winds were picking up. I shortened the tiller about 8” and took care of the crack at the rudder attachment, and moved the camcleat over about 3”, and redrilled it into the cabin top the previous night so the boat was ready to go.

At the marina talked briefly with our friends Jim and Janice who own Island Times, a new 37 Island Packet. Beautiful boat. Yankee cutter rigged with two headstays and in mast furling, all of the bells and whistles. Jim is taking off next Monday for Rio Dulce Belize for the hurricane season, then points south and west, through the big ditch and then up to the Sea of Cortez. He’s not coming back. Jim said his son called last week and told him “you should’ve done this 20 years ago”, he told him “the hell with it….I’m doing it NOW”. He’s 62. Former Huey pilot in Viet Nam, then with the US Geodetic Survey in Central America, he owned land in Panama and just sold it to down pay the Island Times. Said he’ll be making payments until he’s 82, but what the hell, they’re only 70 dollars a month more than his social security check, and it’s all done direct withdrawal. No insurance..... no guts, no glory. I wish him well, and can’t help but let my envy show.

Underway it was a circus just backing out with all of the public boat ramp jokers jockeying to and from the ramp, and after banging Menagerie around somewhat rudely in her slip, I finally got her spun around and headed out of the harbor.

On the outside, we reefed the main, and put out about 35% of the big genny, and were cutting quite a rug; three or four tacks and we were at the Pirates Landing pier, Kelani balled up in a lump on the cockpit seats, screaming and carrying on, a real drama queen, back to the old song and dance about not heeling…..

I missed the line under the causeway, and relined up, drew out a little more genny (the winds are blocked off and light near the bridge), and shot the gap, about halfway through, when all of the sudden, the starboard sheet tore out of the jamb cleat and we had to wrestle canvas for a second to get it back under control. It was a bad time too, because the gap is so narrow, and the tack so tight, and we ended up almost next to the western concrete pilings on the way out to the southern part of the bay. Just a few long tacks on the choppy south side, and we were in the shallow water near the remnants of the old causeway. We dropped the canvas, and I put the hook over, and the girls got ready to fish.

Kelani had quit her histrionics now, and she and Savannah grew intent on fishing. I rigged their rods, and immediately they had bait in the water, eyes glued to their rod tips.

We ate a bit of lunch, and I went below in the shade and passed out on the port settee in the heat, only stirring when I heard the lid of the ice-chest open and a fish flop inside. And then another, and another.

The wind had picked up to about 20 or so, and long fetch whitecaps rolled by. Every now and then big boats plowed close by, and we rolled violently on the anchor. Around 1830 we decided to pick up the hook and head back. I lit only the genny about 65% on a dead downhill run, and we sped toward the causeway channel. We made a single jibe, lined up and cruised through, never missing a beat. On the other side, we jibed again and took it all the way back to marker 17, dolphins accompanying us off the starboard bow. The tide was so low that a large trawler style sportsfisherman was aground on the right side of the channel as we passed the green entrance buoy and stowed the canvas for good. We made the slip about 1900, weaving our way through the dayboaters again. Washed Menagerie down as the girls fished in the marina. They’re a couple of fishing fools those twins.