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Great article. The bouy incident reminds me of one night about 20 years ago, before we were certified seniors and GPS was some Geeks dream, we were sailing a friend's Cal 40 from Galveston to Puerto Isabella. We left after dark as well, it was overcast, no moon or stars and pitch black - one of those nights when you can't see your hand if you hold it up to your face.
As we were sailing through the safety fairlane (that's where all the mega oil tankers park for the night, waiting for first light and the pilot boat to come get them), heeled over about 15 degrees and hauling. I looked forward under the sails and hollared to Dave, "fall off, fall off!!!!" We were just before broadsiding a black hulled tanker - fortunately, we did not plow into it, but it was a crazy experience and we all vowed to forever leave with enough light to be well offshore before "twilights last gleaming".
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s/v Paloma, Bristol 29.9, #141
Slipped in Bahia Marina, easy access to Corpus Christi Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Last edited by johnshasteen; 09-04-2010 at 02:59 PM.
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