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My parents and I were sailing up to Charlotte Harbor to rendezvous with my sister when, over the course of the day, a low-pressure system unexpectedly and quickly began strengthening in the Gulf.
We sailed north as the day deteriorated into a wet and grueling mess. We had a relentless following sea the entire way, and the rolling waves increased with the worsening weather. It’s the only time I ever recall being seasick. Donning foul-weather gear, my father held the helm while my mother held my belt as I leaned over the side offering my partially digested breakfast to the fish for lunch.
We originally intended to reach Punta Gorda, but the growing storm suggested we adapt our plans. The weather became less cooperative, and my color became somewhat greener, so my father radioed Cabbage Key to see if we could duck in there for the night.
I recall watching the buoys and channel markers as we turned into Boca Grande pass, knowing that passing each one brought us closer to solid land.
As we tied up at Cabbage Key, the rain beat down hard around us. Cold, windy, and wet, we secured the lines, and I immediately stepped onto the wooden dock to just stand there, feeling the solid planks beneath my feet, watching the rain splash and pool on the dock as my equilibrium returned.
We didn’t make the rendezvous with my sister, although we spent a couple days hunkered down onboard, docked at Cabbage Key. We played cards and read, and made occasional trips up to the Old House to grab a burger and black beans to stave off cabin fever. On the dock, a little shack housed the boater’s showers displayed a sign that read "Conserve Water, Shower with a Friend," and the crabs would peeked at you through the dock planks as you washed. It became one of my more memorable trips.
Last year I returned to Cabbage Key with my wife and two kids of my own. I was surprised to see the number of tourists, dropped off by water taxi, waiting in line to grab lunch, buy a T-shirt, and sign a dollar bill to add to the walls, ceiling, etc. of the Old House (a longstanding tradition.)
Although the tiny mangrove island has become a lot more popular in the past 35 years since we first sought shelter there, the Old House still serves the same burgers and black beans, and the shower... (now next to a gift shop on the dock!) still displayed the famous sign “Shower with a friend” to conserve the island water.
And I’m sure a new generation of crabs scurry underneath the showers...
Life always tends to get busy for us in the fall, and I haven’t had much time to get back to the boat building. (It could also have been that I just didn’t want to deal with sanding the extra epoxy mess I made of the keel weights.)
Today, Tropical Storm Eta (the storm that officially ties the year 2020 with 2005 for the most active hurricane season) brings a dreary rain and wind, much like those days we spent hunkered down on Cabbage Key year ago - the perfect time to get back to the keel.
Using the pavers again as a vise, and my handheld power sander, I tackled getting the epoxy smoothed out against the weight.
Using 60 grit sandpaper, the epoxy cleaned off well, and it showed me the areas that I didn’t quite get filled in. Here’s a photo of where there was gap in the epoxy at one of the screw holes
After doing most of the cleaning off, I mixed a little epoxy to start filling in the gaps.
I found using the brush was helpful to the epoxy in the right place
There were a few more gaps around the bottom where the weights sandwiched the wood, so I went ahead and took care of those as well.
This time I did use a craft stick to smooth things out.
Time to let it dry again before sanding it back down. I plan to use a finer grit sandpaper the next go around. The 60 grit will not be necessary since this application was much neater.
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