Distance is a wonderful thing: making distance on a journey like this one means you accomplish something simply by moving from one place to another, distance from an event provides the ability to tell it as a story with a beginning and an end. This is the story of our “shocking experience”…
On Saturday, February 5th, we ran into the power line which stretches across Pine Island Sound between Sanibel and Pine Islands. We had gone out for an afternoon sail to Chino Island (track 1), had lunch and were on our way back to Pine Island (track 2) when we hit the line (*3).
These are a couple of pictures of what a 39 kV strike can do to solid metal… how it magically melts and fuses metal. Most people helping us afterwards likened this to a lightening strike. The working theory is that we hit the power line with the top of the forestay, the current traveled down the furling extrusion, jumped to the anchor and from there into the water.
The damage was extensive: we damaged the forestay (the metal wire which holds up the mast in the front) and the genoa furler (the device that holds the large front sail) beyond repair, blew out all of the marine electronics and the marine network (chart plotter, radio, depth gauge, wind gauge, auto pilot, radar), multiple fuse panels, the propane safety switch, the shore power galvanic isolator and the control board for the diesel heater.
This litany of destruction does not, though, outweigh the gratitude we feel for how VERY lucky we were: there were six passengers on board that day and no one was hurt, the boat did not catch fire and we did not sustain any hull damage which could have resulted in a sinking. It is a strange but true statement to say that we are REALLY glad it was only these “things”…
Additional causalities of the event were the disrupted vacation plans of two sets of guests: Dave & Wendy didn’t get to sail after the 5th and Tom & Heike spent the first of their two weeks on land. (Another thing we are extremely thankful for – Peg & Den who were so kind as to let us stay in their condo when we could not stay on the boat).
Complicating the situation, the ability to get replacement parts and contractors to do the work was challenging. The original marina we contacted to have the boat pulled for the safety and insurance inspection said the earliest we could come was two weeks away. And that was not even to begin repairs! We finally found a yard, accessible only at high tide, through a tiny, manual lock, buried deep in the suburbs of Port Charlotte. This is a shot of Aurora on her first arduous journey to Safe Cove (highlighted by Island Girl’s location).
Christian spent a long week lining up inspections, ordering parts, hiring contractors for the few things he was not going to tackle himself, and dealing with the insurance company. Parts were mostly 10 days out so we left Safe Cove to try and salvage what we could of Tom & Heike’s vacation. We would return on the 25th for the start of the REAL work.
Looping in Pine Island Sound
One of a number of early morning visitors on the dock at Ft Myers Beach.We wondered why this fisherman was working so hard to bring in his catch… and then decided we didn’t want to go swimming at Gasparilla any more. The shoals on the south end of Cayo Costa.Manatees are camera shy so this is as good as it gets in pictures.The perpetual human ritual of drinking to the sunset and hoping for a green flash on Captiva.
The anchorage at Punta Blanca
The man with the rosy-colored glasses who never gives in to despair. I so admire that in him…Bounty from the Farmer’s Market on Captiva.The best ending to Tom & Heike’s vacation; we had been searching everywhere we went for alligators and saw none. The morning they were leaving, this guy is just laying in the water off our starboard stern, waiting to have his picture taken.🇺🇦 This is all such a first world problem in the big picture…
Back to Work
Transiting the lock at high tide, with the mosquitos, on our way back to Safe Cove. Why is high tide ALWAYS in the middle of the night???While not a marina, Safe Cove is now one of my favorite places on the Loop. Aurora was rescued here…The cart is filled with all of the stuff that Christian needed to re-install. He worked 10+ hour days for a solid week to get everything replaced and operational.We went back into the water, whole again, on Thursday March 3rd. I cannot convey how amazing that timeframe is, how quickly we recovered… A beautiful sight… on our way to Marco Island, where we are now.
7 comments
Glad all are safe and you are back on your adventure. Peter says all alligators are remote controlled!!
I glad you all are safe and were still able to have a great time with your friends. Happy the Aurora has her sea legs again. Enjoy the rest of your voyage and THANKS AGAIN for all of the posts. I am really enjoying them. 🙂
What a shocking experience… You are an amazing couple conquering this situation. Thankful nobody was harmed. Glad you are back enjoying sunsets & alligators 💕
Glad all are safe and you are back on your adventure. Peter says all alligators are remote controlled!!
Thank goodness you guys are okay❤️That sounds like it could have been much worse. I hope your back on route in no time😊
I glad you all are safe and were still able to have a great time with your friends. Happy the Aurora has her sea legs again. Enjoy the rest of your voyage and THANKS AGAIN for all of the posts. I am really enjoying them. 🙂
Wow, what a crazy experience and so glad to hear no one was hurt! And, yes, Christian is amazing (and Heidi, too!). Miss you guys!!
What a shocking experience… You are an amazing couple conquering this situation. Thankful nobody was harmed. Glad you are back enjoying sunsets & alligators 💕
Glad all are safe after a situation with so much potential (heh) for danger. Your speed in repairs is very impressive!! Fair winds and stay safe 🤗
On Bimini and conk, I shellfish in Barnstable and pickup welks, they make great conk (well) salad. You do have to boil them first.