[CapnMikel]

Hi, I'm Mike, I've been a live aboard on my 35' Chris Craft for about 2.5 years
She's a tough ole boat & I mean tough! I sailed down to the Keys from mile zero, home (Norfolk, VA) in March & returned in August. I was unemployed so I said what the hey, wanted to do the ICW for awhile so I did.
Boy did I learn a lot!! Main thing I learned was that the boat can usually take more than your nerves can
Coming back I single handed her 1000 miles of the 1200 mile trip.
Now I'm still unemployed, a little greyer around the edges but still smiling
I kept a blog of the whole adventure too, lol.. Som e of you may learn a trick or two from it, others may get a laugh or 10 out of it & still others might scowl or scorn the way I did things but I knew it would be a huge learning experience & it was. I mainly did it for 2 reasons; 1) to be able to say "I've done the ICW" & 2) To get hours & exp towards my Capt license which I will get this Winter/Spring
So That's me in a nutshell. I hope to learn from the members here & share stories whether they be semi true or not hahaha
-Mike

 

[smackdaddy]

Hey Capn - welcome to SN dude. This place is all about sailing stories. So start throwing them down.

 

[CapnMikel]

Hi, thanks for the welcome & about stories (chuckles) well, to quote an ole singer/sailer from the Keys.. "OH the stories I could tell....!"

I had to do a lot of thinking (ouch) at times to get myself out of a pickle. Like the time I entered an anchorage in Georgia listed in the Skipper Bob guide (invaluable book- except for this one anchorage). Well I entered just as it stated to, ran aground in mud at mid tide (thankfully!) and watched and waited as the tide flowed out. It ALL left! My anchor and prop were out of the water & I was leaning over at 22*. Things were falling & finding new homes in the cabin, I kept watch until I was certain the tide was done (after getting approx info from my phone & chart plotter) Then I knew how much time I had to fix things. So, I jumped in my kayak, scraped the entire starboard side free of barnacles & put a new zinc on the prop shaft well, I had to do something or else I'd sit there worrying myself to death. So 1:31 AM (High Tide) was approaching & "SunRunner" was righting herself. I was frantic to know if enough tide would come in. I had already kayaked out my anchor to winch off just incase. Well the tide came in, I was floating & "almost unstuck" but as I turned/backed/turned/etc I kept getting stuck & free.. finally she wouldn't move & I was in slack water..
I had precious little time to fix things so I started winching her to starboard at a 45* angle to get her turned towards deeper water/ the channel of the ICW infact. It worked!! SIGH!! The tidal difference in that area was over 8 feet! THAT was a long night!!!!! & That's just one of many "adventures" from that trip.