Boat Show #2 - Trial by Water

As mentioned in previous articles, I have a contractual obligation with Outer Reef that lets them use Guided Discovery in four boat shows.  With Miami complete there were three to go.  By previous arrangement we had agreed to do the Passagemaker Lake Park (Florida) TrawlerFest  (2/27 to 3/1) and the Palm Beach Boat Show (3/22 to 3/25).

Guided Discovery at Marina Bay Marina (notice the tender is off the boat)

The plan for Lake Park: Diana and Kodi would drive north while Pam and I cruised the boat to Lake Park.  Captain Randy scheduled our departure for 6:30 AM to enable us to make the bridges before they close down for the rush hour (8:00 AM to 10:00 AM).  He was commanding the Outer Reef 70.  Today was my first solo cruise.

Pam joined the crew on Tuesday evening in anticipation of the early departure.

We departed Marina Bay Marina on schedule and headed east down the New River with the 70 in the lead.  Fifty minutes later (7:20 AM) we connected with the ICW.  We had no delay from the 7 bridges along our way.  Nine minutes later we entered Port Everglades and six minutes after that we were in the Atlantic Ocean.  At 7:35, we turned north bound for the Worth Inlet some 44 miles ahead. 

The conditions were perfect.  Temperatures in the low 70s, calm seas and light winds out of the south.  You could not ask for better.  We set the throttles to 1,600 RPM and began cruising at 11 MPH.  The fuel burn rate showed 10 GPH (1.1 GPM).  Not bad.  Our ETA for the Worth Inlet was 11:59 AM.

The 63 is a totally different experience from our 48 Sundancer.  Commanding the 63 from the flybridge is magnificent especially in perfect conditions.  The helm chair is super comfortable, the visibility is very good and there is no engine noise.  The only sound is the wind, which was minimal as the wind was behind us and our forward motion mostly cancelled it out.

The forecast called for winds to pick up around noon to 10 to 15 knots from the southwest and then beyond that for a chance of showers late in the evening as a cold front moved south across Florida.

I utilized Garmin's G2 Vision capability and let the system determine the optimum route.  G2 Vision takes into account our draft of 5 feet and air draft of 31 feet (i.e., our height above the waterline to the top of the antennas) to map the optimum route.  G2 Vision took us along the shoreline within 1 to 2 miles for a perfect view of the magnificent homes along the way.

As the morning progressed the winds began to shift to the southwest and increase in velocity as predicted by the forecast.  At noon when we turned west into Worth Inlet we were a bit surprised  by a 15 to 18 knot winds and a gust that registered 26 knots on our wind indicator.  Why the surprise?  Simple.  We were heading north at 11 MPH with the wind at our tail and that masked the increasing velocity.

Why do I tell you this?  Well, it is material to what happened as we approached the channel to our destination, Lake Park Marina, and the situations (emphasis on the plural) that followed.  

Back to the journey.  Pam and I shared the helming and she was in command as we headed town the inlet and around Peanut Island to connect with the ICW.  I took over as we approached the channel to Lake Park Marina.  

Randy in the 70, had reached the marina about 10 minutes before us and was already docked when we reached the channel.  Oops.  There were two boats (a 40 something and a 48 Krogen North Sea) holding station in the 1/4 mile channel and the wind was blowing at 15 to 18 knots.  We too needed to hold station and await our turn to enter the marina. 

Explanatory Note: As a general rule, we often had little traffic approaching marina when we did the Great Loop.  Boat shows are different.  The day before the show when the boats arrive there is considerable traffic.

It was clear from our position just outside the marina that we were going to face the challenges.  First holding station in the ICW and the Lake Park channel.  Second, getting through a narrow harbor entrance that was made EVEN NARROWER by a barge (stupidly, carelessly, thoughtlessly, etc.) parked at the harbor entrance and a concrete jetty that extended out on an east west line.  Third, getting past the 70 to dock to its starboard in what appeared as a narrow fairway even from a 1/4 mile distance.

Did I mention that this was my first solo cruise?

Challenge #1 - Holding Station: Those of you who follow this blog may remember (assuming you have nothing better to do) that the wind blew me aground while holding station just north of a bridge in Sarasota Bay.  While it was a gentle grounding, it was still a grounding and it slightly bent the starboard prop.  Here I was faced with the same type of problem.  A narrow 200 foot width on the ICW and a 100 foot width on channel to the marina.

We held station for 20 minutes while waiting for Show Management to give us the green light.  I used the opportunity to get a better feel for the boat's maneuverability.  My goal was to hold he nose into the wind.  What I learned was that the thrusters are powerful enough to pivot the boat in her own length and to move the boat sideways with the wind on her beam.  The engines, on the other hand, are less effective in pivoting the boat.

Explanatory Note: The 48 Sundancer pivoted easily in her own length.  The 63 does not.  The difference is hull design.  The 48, which is a planning hull, has a flat bottom and very little draft at the bow.  The 63's displacement hull has a keel and deep draft at the bow.  That limits the engine's effectiveness in pivoting and turning the boat.  Fortunately, we equipped the 63 with hydraulic 12" bow and stern thrusters powerful enough to maneuver the boat.  And hydraulics thrusters, unlike electrics can thrust as long as the engines are running.  Electrics time out when the motors get hot.  This often occurs in less that 1 minute.

Challenge #2 - The Barge: Did I mention that someone thoughtlessly left a barge in a position to narrow the entrance to the channel when a plethora of boats were arriving for a boat show? 

We finally got the green light to enter the channel.  Captain Randy called me on the cell phone and reminded me to take the barge close of the port side and to approach with power.  I'd already figured that one out but it was nice to have two heads (even if his was sitting safely parked on the dock).  The problem: With a stiff wind from the southwest we risked being blows across the narrow channel into the concrete jetty.  I executed as planned and safely made it into the harbor.

Challenge #3 - Backing into the slip: Stuff happened fast at this point.  The fairway is very narrow and the wind is still blowing (although its force is somewhat reduced by the boats to our port side). Two large 70 footer are parked on the t-dock to our port with their large beams narrowing the fairway to maybe 80 feet between their sides and the slip's two pilings.  The slip was about 25 feet wide, which was a good thing.  My challenge.  Back the boat in a narrow fairway into a slip with a 15 to 18 knot wind blowing me towards the slip and the bow pulpit of the boat to my starboard and the nose of the 70 to my stern. Oh did I mention that I cannot see the transom from the flybridge helm or the bows of the boat's to my port side when operating with the remote from my stern.  Fortunately, I had Pam with a simultaneous talk headset and several people on the dock providing guidance. 

It took two tries.  On the first I did not pull far enough west.  On the second I used the thrusters and engines to pivot the 63 without hitting the side of the boat to port or the 70 to stern and got her aligned with the slip.  The crew on the dock said your in and I reversed her into the slip.  It was 1:00 PM.

Phew!!!

Guided Discovery next to the 70 at Lake Park Marina

Stern of the 70 and Outer Reef's booth

Randy and the show management folks secured the boat and I shut her down.

Pam hung out until 5:00 PM.  Then Diana ran Pam back to Marina Bay Marina to get her car (some 55 miles each way).  I finally relaxed and sat around chatting with folks who had just got out of their Trawlerfest seminars.  I also ran into a former neighbor, Al, who was attending the seminars.  We sat together on the lawn and got caught up on old times.  Al is a serious cruiser with a 47 Nordhavn, a single engine trawler capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

Later that evening our good friends, Jim and Heidi Kargman, joined me on the boat.  We opened a bottle of 2012 Rombauer Chardonnay and waited for Diana to return from her trip south.  Then I went to dinner with Jim and Heidi in Palm Beach and had a superb meal at a restaurant called Charlie's Crab (which is right on the beach).  I finally got back to the boat at midnight.  I was dead tired.

The day ended with an email from Captain Randy: "Just wanted to say u did a great job docking today.  U keep ur cool in a difficult situation." I was pleased with my performance but it was nice to have Captain Randy's seal of approval.

Reader Note: This article is actually out of sequence.  The article I should have published, "Commissioning Challenges on Steroids," is not complete.  Further it is difficult to write as it pertains to the "hellish" time we had last week.  Well, maybe hellish is too strong but trust me, we were not having fun.

Written by Les.