1st Cruise C-25 Port Charlotte to Jacksonville

[Showsea]

I have been reading posts on CF since probably 2005. So I know that most of you will think I am crazy for not having my new to me C-25 trailered the 4.5 hours from Port Charlotte to Jax.

That being said I am crazy excited because the realization of a life long dream is becoming a reality.

I am not soloing by myself down to Ft. Myers, accross lake Okeechobee, thru the locks, and then up the ICW. I hired a sailing instructor to accompany me on my Journey. I figured what better way to become a competent sailor using the rig specific to my vessel than 5 or 6 intensive full days covering pretty much every type of sailing I will encounter while Florida coastal cruising. With a very experienced sailor on board.

I bought the C-25 fixed keel pop top about a month ago. Why a small C-25? Because I have never sailed before and sometimes dreams don't match up with reality. It is affordable to slip, less expensive to repair, and most of all if I don't like it, it will be easier to sale either to upgrade down the road or to swap for something that goes vroooooom.

Since I own the C-25(cash purchase) I have allowed my instructor to familiarize himself with it in my absence, along with the former owner. He has sailed it and is confident my C-25 is seaworthy.

So I am 2 days away, the trip is 09/05-11/13 and I am so excited it almost can't be contained.

so what do ya'll think?

[Showsea]

We were caught in a gale without power and no comms. We're about 2 mile out from myers city dock when it hit like a sledge hammer to the face.

Jib was up, sail was not reefed, and anchor was on deck. We were parallel to marker 60 and the edison bridge. My instructor was missing his chart for the Cahullahatchi River. So we knew nothing of water depth which is scary anyway.

We were hit by 50 to 70mph winds for about an hour and half. We dump the the jib and began to tack as it pushed us closer and closer towards the bridge. The jib slapped wildly accross the deck until it eventually wrapped around itself.

We tacked endlessly from oneside of the river to the other but the hull speed could in no way match the wind. We were pushed back further and further until we were a mere 15-20 yards from hitting the bridge pillars at probably 15 to 20 knotts.

We were heeled over 30 degrees to the rail was completely submerged and the would dump the wind. It was endless tacking trying desperately not to have to jibe because we knew we would be f**ked.

Then there was a brief window when the winds subsided to 15-25 mph and I yelled lets get our asses up wind and back to marker 60. We decided i would try to deploy the anchor and and also try to take down the jib.

The anchor was tangled around a stantion and hangin below the boat the 5-8 ft waves would not allow me to untangle it. We had one anchor and I could not just let it go. So I moved on to the jib. The jib was hopeless it was knotted and tangled and it was what it was but we were moving upwind almost to where we were when it began.

The 2nd wave of the storm hit and it was worse than the 1st. We fought back and forth with no to low visibility trying to spot and avoid manatee zone and unlit marker signs.

This was crazy.

[sailstoo]

So, uhhhh, otherwise how was the trip?

[Showsea]

Lol it was terrifying afterwards but at yhe time u just do to survive. This was a lesson alright. 1 in which I had never had but at the same time I learned so much. Had the sail been reefed we would have 1. Hit a seawall or 2. Hit the pillars of the bridge.

I learned to never ever think that this storm will be like the other that we had last night, never ever go without a missing chart, and last you people are wrong about how much weather a C25 can take.

Do I want to go thru this ever again? Well Hell No! But it will happen at some point, hopefully not soon.

[Showsea]

We are in the marina trying to get repairs. Lol

[Showsea]

Oh and I bought that missing chart!