Rough seas and safe harbors

The wind has been relentless over the past few days, about 20 knots on average. It has made for some really choppy seas, about four-foot waves, and tiresome traveling on the ocean. After experiencing the last two days on the open sea, not going to the Bahamas makes more sense. The waves going out there would have been at least five feet, and they'd be clashing with the Gulf Stream. Not to mention, they're calling for isolated thunderstorms for the next week. And on top of that, there's a chance we'd get stuck in the Bahamas waiting for fair weather to return.

On our way from Key Largo to Marathon today, everything from the chairs to the entertainment system were tossed around the boat. If we weren’t struggling to steer the boat with the waves, we were busy strapping things down better. Naturally, I once again got seasick. It was only a four or five hour trip from Key Largo to Marathon, but it was probably the toughest day of travel yet. We decided we’ll be taking the inside route on the way back.

Right now we’re tied to a mooring in Boot Key Harbor. A few courteous boaters on a dinghy back to their boat helped us pick up the mooring by taking the first line and tying it on for us.  Once we were settled in we took a long nap since we hadn’t gotten much sleep the past three nights due to the excessive wind in Dinner Key mooring field and our Key Largo anchorage.

So as enjoyable as the voyage is, it still comes with its challenges. Another challenge is keeping in mind all the new terminology that comes with living on a boat. Here’s a list of nautical terms I had to learn while at sea.

Left – Portside
Right – Starboard
Front of boat – Bow
Back of boat – Stern
Side of boat - Beam
Steering wheel – Helm
Map – Chart
Rope – Line
Shallow water – Skinny water
Island – Key or cay
Sinking – Taking on water
Filling up water tanks – Taking on water
Overturned - Capsized
Yacht – Pleasure vessel
MPH – Knots (or close to it)
Miles – Statute miles
Miles as measured on the sea – Nautical miles ( about 1.2 miles)
Kitchen – Galley
Oven/stove – Range
Window – Hatch
Bedroom – Cabin
Anchor – Windlass
Toilet – Head
Groceries – Provisions

The plan is to stay in Boot Harbor for a few days. It will be a much-needed rest considering the past few days.