Cutting Corners...night two.

The glow entering the jetties as the waves were reduced to high chop by the out going tide!

Shortly after taking the sunset picture I turned Gemini Dreams hard 90 degrees.  The water dead ahead seamed to boil!  Okay brain work!  First was it me or the water?  Everything else made sense but the water didn't I looked like the waves were crossing an underwater jetties!  I used a light to check the paper chart, I checked the laptop and Fugawi.  Every thing agreed there was nothing there to hit.  Then I hit me...it was just the outgoing tide crashing into the waves being blown in from the south.  You always hear stories of how the water looked at some time or event, but this is the first time I have actually scene it appear to boil.  Must have been a perfect balance of tidal rush and wave strength!  At this point I was only one mile out of the "cut".  There was no way I wanted to stay outside for the night as the waves were already 3-4 feet and due -to be 5-7 by dawn, and 7-9 by midday  .  With only the glowing horizon to see by (and a bright LED flash light) I proceeded ahead.  The waves as I approached the jetties were very similar to the top end of Gasperson Sound the day I left Cayo Costa.  I seriously expected the GPS to say 7 plus knots from the way the waves held the boat escorting it into the bay.  The GPS actually said 2.3 knots meaning the out going current was around 3 knots!

The lingering glow guiding s/v Gemini Dreams to safety in the bay.

Going through the cut was more of "keeping it between the rocks".  Reminded me of trying to balance on top of fence posts when I was a kid. The waves held Gemini Dreams to match their speed. but it was up to me to stay off the rocks.  Then as I entered further into the channel the waves slowly disappeared.  Once passing the last markers on the leward side of St George Island the seas were almost flat.  I found a place to drop anchor and rest for the night just to starboard!  Seven miles to go before the storm gets here in 24 hours! I made the crossing with a day to spare!

wes

PS the adventure continues in the morning!  You didn't think it would be this simple did you?