Dry Tortugas voyage

[AT]

Finally, I made it to Dry Tortugas in the Eclipse. This was my third time there, two previous trips were made in Mac-Gregor 26.
I will write up a trip summary soon when I have some time (have to go and wash the boat now and recover from it later). If anyone has particular questions, please feel free to ask so I can address them.

Also, I have posted seven pictures from this trip, mostly depicting the boat, to the image gallery's Eclipse section. Enjoy!

[AT]

Introduction

I like visiting Dry Tortugas for several reasons. It is a good cruising exercise for a small boat: it lets you sailing in the open ocean without being too far away from the civilization. Unlike islands in the North East, where I used to sail before, it is not crowded at all at Dry Tortugas. In places like Nantucket, Block Island,  and Martha's Vineyard it is often hard to find a spot to drop an anchor. Besides, water is cold and murky in the Northern areas, the season is short and there are no coral reefs and tropical fish to watch. Compared to other sailing destinations in Florida, Dry Tortugas gives one an opportunity of a remote island paradise without a need to cross the Gulf Stream and go through the immigration hurdles.

Getting there

The first time I sailed to Dry Tortugas in 1999, I launched at Dolphin marina on Little Torch Key, sailed to Key West, then to the Marquesas Keys, and then to Dry Tortugas in three days. The second time I launched at a marina at Fort Meyers Beach and sailed straight to Dry Tortugas, which took me almost 40 hours. I was sailing single-handed then and the crossing was quite tiresome.

It is very important to closely monitor the weather when going to the Tortugas in a small boat. The last time I encountered winds gusting to 35 knots and 9 foot waves, which I wouldn't want to do again in a trailerable boat. In this respect, starting from the Keys makes the trip more flexible allowing one to synch with the weather.

So this time I decided to launch at Dolphin marina again and sail to the destination in two or three days depending on weather. Also, I was prepared to change the plans and not to go to Dry Tortugas at all should the weather becomes non-cooperative.

Launching

We came to Dolphin marina on Friday December 23 at approximately at 10 AM. "No Sailboats" sign was still posted at the ramp. Before, I was told that it is due to the power line crossing the setup area, which would require launching a sailboat with a mast down. I paid for the ramp and for parking the trailer ($10 a day) and backed the trailer down the ramp. The boat did not float. The tide was too low and the ramp was too shallow. In 1999 I had to wait for the high tide with a boat that did not have a keel. Now it was probably hopeless. Unfortunately, there are not too many launching options in that area. Friends launched once at Kew West, but they did not like the facility. There is a Bahia Honda State Park near by with a ramp, but they do not allow overnight parking. Supposedly, there is a possibility to launch from a Sunnyland campground just before Bahia Honda Key, but they are located on the bay side, so one would need to go under a low bridge and raise the mast in the middle of the open water afterwards.

While getting my refund at the office, I asked a girl at the counter for suggestions and she kindly pointed to a public ramp in the same area. She did nod know details about it, but it was so close so we decided to check it out before trying other options. The ramp looked reasonably good. It was deeper than in the marina with two small docks next to it. The parking lot across the street looked sad. There were three graffiti covered stripped down cars, lots of trash and only one truck with a trailer. I wish I took a moment and took a picture of that place. Nevertheless, we decided to leave the trailer there. Good thing was that the ramp and parking were free and there were no signs restricting the parking term. That public ramp was on the bay side and did require going under a low bridge with the mast down. However, the Dolphin marina is right after the bridge and they have plenty of docking space where we tied up to set the mast up. By 12 PM we were already sailing!

Day One

The weather was excellent. The wind was north-east at about 10 to 12 knots. We sailed close to the shore screened from the waves and making full hull speed of 5.6 knots. The apparent wind was right at the beam, the balance was perfect. The weather forecast for next day was south-east wind at 5 to 10 knots, and for Sunday south-west at 15 to 20 knots. We did not want to beat against 20 knots winds in the open ocean and decided to try reaching the destination in two days. Unfortunately, the wind has died in the evening and we did not make it to the Marquesas that day. We anchored at Boca Grande at approximately 10 PM after covering about 45 miles.

Day Two

The forecasted 5 to 10 knots SE wind started only at 4 PM. It was definitely below 5 knots before that. So we were floating at about two to three knots trying to save the fuel for the return. When the speed dropped to a knot and a half in the afternoon we motored for two hours until the wind picked up at 4 PM. By the time it became dark the waves were already 3-4 feet high and the sailing was not were comfortable since we had to be running with the following seas. Also, we were quite tired. Eventually, we dropped the sails when we approached the Dry Tortugas Park and motored into the harbor. It was the midnight when we finally set the anchor.

The mistake we made that day was not using the motor earlier, when the speed under sails was below 2.5 knots. We could have easily saved at least two hours if we did. Nevertheless, we made it and anchored safely at the first attempt. The next morning we were fully recovered and ready for the easy part of our vacation.

Staying in the Park

We spent the next three days at Dry Tortugas. The first day it was quite breezy. The forecast did not lie about the 20 knots winds caused by the passing cold front. That prevented us from sailing around and snorkeling at surrounding reefs and shipwrecks. We visited the fort, walked on the island, swam in leeward side of it and cooked fish that we traded for beer from the fishermen that spend nights in the harbor. There were only a handful of boats in the harbor, only 3 or 4 at a time.  It is advisable to have a dinghy to be able to go ashore. We brought a Sevylor inflatable that can carry three people and fits into a small bag for storage. Deflated, it is about 10 times smaller that my 11 foot "regular" hypalon inflatable. I think that it is the most convenient tender for a small sailboat. I can raw it against the 15 knot wind with two passengers reasonably well.

There are three islands that surround the harbor. One is the Garden Key where the fort is. Another is Bush Key next to it; it protects the anchorage from the North. The third is the Long Key at the East. Usually, Bush Key is allowed to be visited in the fall, but this time it was closed to allow replanting vegetation after it was blown away by hurricanes. Dry Tortugas experienced the full force of four major hurricanes in last two seasons and the damages are apparent. Most of the palm trees lost leaves completely. There are many structural damages to the fort's walls that are currently being restored.

Other place to go in the park is the Loggerhead Key and surrounding reefs with very good snorkeling. Unfortunately, due to the passing cold front the waves were 6 to 8 feet, so we did not go there. When the waves subsided by Wednesday, it was time to go back.

Coming Back

The forecast for Wednesday was north-west winds 5 to 10 knots and 1 to 3 feet seas. Well, they were right about the seas, but there was no wind that day. Not a blow. So we motored all the way to the Marquesas covering 45 miles in 10 hours. It was the only time during the whole voyage when we set an anchor when it was still a day light. Other than the inability to sail it was a pleasant trip. Seas were calm; we saw many dolphins that followed us and swam next to our bow. There were also quite a few turtles that we sighted.

Usually, when we sail at home at Biscayne Bay we use 36 V electric trolling motor, which is quite adequate for powering the Eclipse. For this trip I took he 15 HP 4 stroke Yamaha that we normally use with the inflatable to go to coral reefs for snorkeling in a summer. The motor is a little heavy and it has a short shaft, but it is still long enough when three of us are in the cockpit. It starts to cavitate when someone goes up front, so setting the anchor is tricky, but otherwise it works well. The best feature is that it is very quiet. It pushes the Eclipse to 5 knots at high idle speed when the throttle it still set below the starting point. It also proved to be very economical. I estimated that we used it for about 18 hours and coved at least 80 miles under power during this trip. When we came back, the tank still was 1/3 full, meaning that we spent about 4 gallons for 80 miles! Not bad at all. We should have definitely used the motor more on the second day.

For Thursday the forecast was south-west wind at 10 to 15 knots subsiding to 10 knots by the afternoon, which turned out to be almost true. We sailed in the morning in 12-16 knots of SW wind close hauled going south from the northern shores of the Marquesas where we spent the night. Beating against 15 knots and 4-5 foot waves was easy and still comfortable. It became even more comfortable when we rounded up Boca Grande and turned east. Our speed that morning was in 5 to 6 knots range. Briefly, we saw up to 7.7 knots on GPS when surfing down large waves. The wind slowed down gradually during the day, but for the most part we were able to go at 4 knots or faster. The speed declined to below 3 knots just before the sunset, so we dropped sails and started the motor to go into the Newfound Harbor. We set the anchor about one hour after the sunset and spent a quiet windless night few miles away from the place we launched.

In the morning we lowered the mast while still at anchor and prepared the boat for trailering. We then motored to the ramp where we found our car exactly where (and how) we left it. Soon enough we were having lunch at Cracked Conch Café in Marathon!

Towing

We tow the Eclipse with Acura MDX SUV. It is rated at 4500 pounds, has locking central differential and is quite well adapted for towing a boat like Eclipse. Before this trip we always launched at a local municipal marina that is only 6 miles from our house, so this was the first substantial travel with the boat in tow, 116 miles each way. It felt very well; fuel mileage was 14.0 MPG at speeds in 55-60 MPH range. Fuel consumption without the trailer is at about 24 MPG at these speeds.

Equipment

We use Garmin portable cartographic GPS model 276C. It is an excellent unit that has a large high-resolution display, can be loaded with marine charts and highway navigation maps and can be used in a car as well as in a boat. I think it is a best compromise between portability and screen size and resolution. We use it with "gravity" mount, which is a shot-filled fabric base with built-in mounting bracket. It is very versatile in mounting capabilities and avoids drilling holes or gluing a permanent bracket to the boat. In our trip we would not be able to enter the Tortugas harbor at night without the cartographic GPS safely. In the past I used to have an older Garmin model that I used together with paper charts. Now I a carry paper charts for back-up purposes only (along with that old GPS unit). I do not have a depth sounder on my boat, nor do I feel that I need it.

When I sailed single-handedly, the next most important piece of equipment was an auto pilot. Perhaps it was the most important one, it is hard to say. Definitely, I would not go to Dry Tortugas alone without it. This time I sailed wit my two 12 years old sons and we could easily share steering the boat between three of us. However, I find it somewhat depressing to steer a boat at night. It is also a good convenience article during the day.

Since my motor does not have an alternator, I got a 15 Watt rigid solar panel. We used it underway when we sailed in light winds and when anchored. It provided enough power to compensate for GPS, autopilot, navigation lights, cabin light and anchor light, which we used every night. I was looking for a flexible panel, but could not find one available. However, the rigid panel stows very well. Its size is quite manageable.

I have a handheld VHF radio with weather channels. I don't really care for the VHF radio, but the capability to receive NOAA weather forecasts is very important. The radio worked all the way to Dry Tortugas, but the reception becomes less reliable past the Marquesas. Climbing to the top of the fort helped with the reception quality and made it 95% reliable. Last time I had a fixed FM radio with the weather band that did not work in Dry Tortugas.  

We have a 64 quart West Marine cooler (by Ingloo) that was still cold in the morning on the sixth day. Ice is kept in 2 liter plastic bottles, so we can use that water as an emergency reserve. It takes roughly one 2-liter bottle a day to keep it cold, so we had 6 bottles this time. For weekend trips we usually take 3 bottles of ice.

Other equipment is more or less typical or standard.

Conclusions

Three of us spent seven days on this tiny yacht in a reasonable comfort. The children slept inside in quarter berths, I slept in the cockpit. We were lucky that it did not rain, for the V-berth was packed with the supplies, so there was no room for the third person to sleep inside. Evidently, we oversupplied. The food and water we took was good for at least another week of cruising. Definitely, the Eclipse is capable for this type of cruising when carrying one person or a couple. For three people it is more suited as an overnighter, which is how we initially planned to use it and have used it so far. The boat is capable of handling typical coastal navigation at average weather conditions. I think I would not be comfortable sailing her in winds above 20-25 knots and waves higher than 6-7 foot, but it is true for all boats of this size and weight. It handled 4-5 foot waves and 15 knots winds perfectly even without being reefed. This trip did not reveal any shortcomings. When I asked the children what they would like to change about the boat, the immediate answer was "make it bigger."

[Connie Meadows]

I enjoyed reading your article!!  Thanks for sharing.  Sounds like you and your boys had a great time!  I love the Tortugas.  I have only been there on dive boats, but plan to visit via sail after next hurricane season.

[Connie Meadows]

Hi AT  I just looked at your picts.  Beautiful boat.  Explain to me about the anchoring set up.  In your pic, the anchor line comes down and is hooked to the front of the bow.  Can you explain that to me and how you get it hooked and unhooked??  What is the purpose and advantage?  Just curious.
Thanks!

[AT]

Connie,

Sometimes after setting an anchor I tie a strap (a piece of webbing sold by West Marine works well) around the anchor line to the bow eye. It reduces the length of rode that you need to use to achieve a desired length-to-height ratio for the anchor rode to maintain the same pulling angle and thus reduces your swinging radius (by about 10-20 feet). It is especially useful in crowded anchorages and when you anticipate that the wind will change direction to an opposite one and you are anchored close to shore or another stationary object, which was the case there. The second benefit is a reduced chafing of the rope against the bow roller bracket, so I usually do it when I anchor for more than one night regardless of the swinging constraints.

[Connie Meadows]

AT-  Thanks so much.  I just learned something new!! Appreciate it.

[spaul]

AT, nice article, worthy of reading. We (family) were just there on Grassy Key and had a great time. I look forward to doing the Tortugas run myself in the future. How do you feel about a cp27 making that run. Draft is 3'6" by the way.
I especially appreciate your writing skills, felt like I was with you.
Steve Paul
cp27/2
Nashville, IN

[AT]

Steve,

Thanks for your kind words!

After sailing there twice in MacGregor 26 and now in 20 foot Com-Pac I can say that virtually any sailboat can get there. The most difficult part is the leg from the Marquesas to Dry Tortugas, so I would try to time a trip to sail it in easy weather. Seas can build up fast in that open area. Also, if you have to anchor at either eastern or northern side of Marquesas, pay attention not to go too close to shore - it gets very shallow there. You may need to anchor as far as half mile from the land. Southern and western shores are much better. One more thing: there is a passage again between Bush and Garden key in Dry Tortugas. It used to be closed for a while a few years ago. It is deep and wide now, you can navigate it safely - it will save you from motoring around Garden Key.