The call of home becomes louder as the month of May leans towards June. It hasn't been the easiest return trip, but it has been full of adventure. Some I could have done without.
Imagine left Frazers Hog in the Berry Islands on May 11 heading for Fort Pierce, Florida and then into Vero Beach. Of course, we became a motor sailer as the wind died and came around behind us.
The adventure began around 2:00 a.m. when the building clouds obscured the moon and the stars. The grey horizon quickly became black. Winds picked up to 30 knots and lightening crackled the sky. I huddled in the cockpit keeping my eye on our rhumb line and wondering why the heck I was doing this anyway. The fortunate thing about squalls is that they don't last long.
As they squall line moved southeast, Imagine bobbed northwest moving along at 9.2 knots with a boost from the Gulf Stream. That's when I noticed a boat coming towards us. I changed course ten degrees to port which would give the other boat plenty of room to pass on Imagine's starboard stern. That's when the mysterious boat turned towards Imagine again. I hailed the vessel to determine its course. No one answered. I made a decision to tack 40 degrees starboard. It worked. The other vessel was now on a perpendicular course off our port beam.
The next step was to get back on the rhumb line for Fort Pierce. I glanced left and noticed that the boat which had been moving away had turned and was heading back towards Imagine. The red and green bow lights grew brighter as it moved closer. At that point the adrenaline began to pump.
What is going on? I hadn't heard about any pirates near Bahamian waters. Was a drug boat waiting for another boat and mistaken Imagine for it? Why aren't they answering the radio? Then blinding spotlights light up the night shining into the cockpit.
I yell for Ed to wake up. "Something funny is going on. You need to get up here quick!" I shout. He peeks out and is immediately awake. He grabs the radio and asks the vessel to identify itself.
At that point the United States Coast Guard announces that it is a Coast Guard cutter and asks us our last port of call and destination. The questions via radio continue, boat documentation number, names, birth dates, home address and are we carrying any illegal cargo?
Finally the Coast Guard explained that they stopped us because they couldn't identify our light configuration. They could see we were under sail but the light configuration indicated a trawler, a white light under a green. Our steaming light was on because we were a sailboat with sails up, but under power. The tri-color light on the mast head was in working order. "Oh now I see it," The young coast guard man replied when Ed asked if the red light was working on the tri-color.
The coast guard wished us a safe journey and thanked us for our cooperation. It's nice to know that the Coast Guard is out on the waters at night. They were doing their job patrolling the seas. However, it would have been nice to know who they were before I nearly wet my pants.
Twenty-nine hours later Imagine sits quietly on a mooring ball at Vero Beach City Marina. After three days in Vero, re-provisioning, doing laundry and resting, the journey north resumes.
The next stop was near the Kennedy Space Center, anchored north of the Addison Point Bridge. We had a front row seat for the U.S. Air Force rocket launch, which put a global positioning device into space. The low rumble followed the fiery trail of the rocket as it disappeared into the atmosphere.
Before dawn, Imagine began chugging north along the Intracoastal Waterway going through 15 bridges, seven of them opening bridges. Manatees greeted us at Haulover Canal. Dolphins enjoyed wallowing in our wake. Fishing kayaks, skiffs and boats dotted the waterway. At its edges fishermen stood chest deep in waters looking for a catch while bald headed pelicans looked for free handouts.
It was a long 12.5 hour day to the mooring ball at St. Augustine, but the scenery was beautiful. Mangroves and live oaks with grey moss beards. Fishing camps and mansions offer a myriad of views to break up the day.
The next three days would be spent out on the Atlantic Ocean heading towards Beaufort, N.C. Inlet and up to Bear Creek where we would finally get a good night's sleep.
The best thing about that leg were the dolphins. They must hear the boat cutting through the waves because they come leaping out of the water, catching air and diving again and again as they leapfrog towards Imagine and then begin frolicking in the wake at our stern.
The worst thing was that the weather forecast for a slim chance of an isolated squall became a dark squall line that followed us for several hours. The winds during the storms gusted to 30 knots and the two to four foot seas become six to eight. Imagine raced under a double reefed mainsail. Rain and hail pelted into the open sides of the cockpit. Turning five miles off course helped us avoid most of the nasty weather. Needless to say I was more than happy to get off the squally lumpy sea.
As this is written, Imagine is tethered to a dock in Coinjock, N.C. The next leg of the journey will put us in the Chesapeake Bay and only three days from GRANDCHILDREN! It's been a long 3,222 miles since Imagine left port last fall. Coming home might just be my most favorite part of the trip.
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