October 25, 2025 • 34 mins
A single upgrade can change the way you move through the water. We just installed a below-deck autopilot and walk through what it means for safety, stamina, and real backup when steering cables or hydraulics fail. From the bypass pin to the rudder feedback sensor, we get hands-on with the hardware and talk about keeping linkages clean, joints aligned, and fuses easy to reach when the sea is bouncing and decisions need to be quick.
We also demystify how a Garmin marine network talks alongside a NMEA 2000 backbone and even plays nice with a Raymarine drive. Think of it like two classrooms with a shared hallway: radar, sonar, SiriusXM, and chartplotters on one side; heading sensors, ECU, and drive control on the other. Then we share the calibration routine that avoids hunting and overcorrection—run the setup wizard, carve big circles in both directions in moderate conditions, and set a mid-level response so the unit stays sharp when winds build.
Routing and weather drive the rest of the game plan. With a storm threading Jamaica and the Bahamas while a cold front presses across Florida, timing is everything. We weigh a sheltered stop at Cedar Key, a calmer push to Tarpon Springs, and when to choose the ICW over the Gulf. There’s practical seamanship throughout: seven-to-one or ten-to-one scope when it pipes up, a second anchor for pet-friendly nights, and the unglamorous but crucial logbook entries that insurance adjusters and the Coast Guard will ask for if your screens go dark. We touch on Hydrovane and other self-steering options, lobster and stone crab pot fields, king tides, and how local knowledge can shave hours without adding risk.
If you sail coastal miles, want clearer electronics integration, or need a smarter approach to anchoring and weather windows, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a skipper who needs a redundancy nudge, and leave a review with your best calibration tip or Gulf Coast shortcut—we’ll feature our favorites next time.
SALTY ABANDON: Cap'n Tinsley, Orange Beach, AL:
Oct 2020 to Present - 1998 Island Packet 320;
Nov 2015-Oct 2020; 1988 Island Packet 27
Feb-Oct 2015 - 1982 Catalina 25
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tinsley (00:00):
Okay, we are live.
So did you want to make a bigannouncement, Vanessa?
Vanessa (00:04):
Go ahead.
I am now a new member of theteam at Adventure Yacht Sales
with Terry Ivans.
I haven't met everybody yet.
Still here in Key West, stillhere in the Keys.
Can go all the way up to theEastern Seaboard now.
My specialty is in cataran'socean cruising sailboats and
power boats.
Adventure yacht sailors.
Tinsley (00:24):
Okay, so we'll put the contact up.
People that watch this channel.
There's nobody watching at thismoment, but people will be
watching in the uh in the in thereplay.
Vanessa (00:35):
So number 305-680-9986.
Love to help you out finding orselling a boat anywhere near
the keys.
I don't like to step on anybodyelse's toes in the company.
Or if you know me or any oceancruising boats, any catamarans,
happy to help out.
Tinsley (00:50):
What's your number again?
Vanessa (00:52):
305-680-9986.
Tinsley (00:56):
And what's that email again?
Vanessa (00:59):
My new email is Vanessa at adventureyachtsales.com.
Tinsley (01:03):
You're very qualified.
I know you can sell any boat,but sailing is your love.
You live on a sailboat, youlive on a sailboat in Key West.
You sold a lot of sailboats.
You sailed all around.
You got a lot of experience,and you help me all the time.
So thank you.
Vanessa (01:17):
You're welcome.
To help everybody everybodygets around there safely and
keeps the slippery side down,most important.
Tinsley (01:24):
That's very important.
Vanessa (01:25):
Hey, is that what butt kicked across the goal?
Tinsley (01:28):
I'm gonna I'm I got let's talk about my new toy.
And I want to bring this videoup so you can comment on it.
It's the video I put up thismorning.
Did you watch it?
Not yet.
Okay, here it is.
It's not that long.
Video (01:43):
That's it.
You can move it back and forth.
See how it pivots against thewall and all.
And then this pin here, you canpull in the event that you ever
had an actuator seize or afailure, drop it off the link
and your steering still attachedup here.
This is your Nemo 2000backbone.
Vanessa (02:04):
Alright, we'll come back to that.
But what do you think?
I think it's beautiful.
There's three things I want toadd.
More important, if youractuator ever seizes, but if
your actuator doesn't seize andyou lose your steering arm, you
break your cables, either or,depending on what kind of
steering you've got.
You can always use yourautopilot as a backup.
(02:25):
You're not incapacitated.
You can always have yourautopilot on, even to get all
the way into the dock and dockthe boat.
If you ever end up breakingyour cables, or you end up
breaking your hydraulic arm, ifyou have a problem with an arm
or something happens with that,lose all your fluid, you can use
your autopilot now as a backup.
You can't touch to be pushingthe buttons.
Tinsley (02:47):
I think you told me yesterday that it's probably
going to change my life.
Vanessa (02:52):
One of the things that I learned, I've sailed halfway
around the world on my own on a42-foot full keel with a cutaway
29-ton boat with a barn doorrudder, which is a monster to
steer, especially in storms.
Unless you're not having anyproblems with your hydraulics.
We know hydraulics get bubblesin them every once in a while.
(03:13):
Things can happen.
And the very first thing that Ilearned from a couple of old
farts that were fabulous oldfarts, cup love is still around.
Actually, there's a guy that Imet a long time ago by the name
of Robin Knox Johnson.
Oh person talking to him aboutsingle-handing because he'd had
a good record behind it.
And I had the pleasure ofgetting to meet him in my team.
He's doing the golden glowbrace, and he's one of the
(03:35):
official members of thecommittee now.
Tinsley (03:36):
I want to interview him.
Is that possible?
Vanessa (03:39):
Associated with his golden glow brace.
You got to talk to him infirst, and you've got to stand
right in front of him inEngland.
He's up there, he's 80s now,but his hearing's not so.
I'll go to England.
In the village the minisat andthe golden globe race right now.
Is he gonna do the race?
He's on the committee 2026.
(03:59):
One of the things that hetaught me a long time ago when I
was in my teens aboutsingle-handers was that the one
thing that you always have tohave on the boat no matter what
is your autopilot.
Remember, I've told you thatbefore.
I know it from experience.
Having an overly robustautopilot for the kind of boat
that you have is what's mostimportant.
(04:20):
Butter, you've got to have anautopilot that's gonna suit it.
You also think about it as aback.
You also think about it asokay, I want to get a little bit
of sleep.
I have to, in order to stayhealthy.
What's gonna keep my boat goingother than a couple of bungee
cords and a little old wheelpilot?
Tinsley (04:37):
Oh, I was very creative on how I couldn't get it to
stay just more than a couple ofminutes.
Another I had lines attached toit so I could at least go like
this with the lines.
And it was still terrible.
Vanessa (04:51):
It was terrible.
You can fix a block and tacklesystem.
It's really difficult to dounder your engine unless you got
some sail area that's up.
And you've got to put some sailarea up.
I'd say a double reef main andactually, no matter what, keep
your engine in an RPM where it'sbalanced, but it's not about
making time, it's about stayingbalance, right?
And paying attention to what'sgoing on with your wind
(05:13):
direction.
One of the easiest things I'veseen is with a block and tackle
system on either side of thewheel that you can sit there and
adjust.
That's a two-to-one purchase,like you find on a small boom
bang on a dinghy racer, on alaser or on a sunfisher of 420.
Tinsley (05:28):
Here, let me show you the rest of this because then we
had to get in the other lockerto get to the backbone.
He also replaced my audio.
Goose says, Melissa's stillintense fighting headed
northwest.
How are you feeling?
I'm not sure what you mean bythat, but if you're talking
about my mental state, it is soup and down.
One minute I think I'm crazywith grief.
(05:49):
And then what am I doing?
I'm endangering these babies'lives.
Look at my and next minute, I'mlike, let's go.
So, yeah, so I'm a goose, I amup seen hatchy, so I'm pretty
safe right here.
But what I was gonna say is hedid replace the weather XM.
I went through all checks withWeather XM and Garmin, and it
(06:10):
wasn't showing up as a device onmy Garmin.
We've narrowed it down thatit's probably that little audio
module, that little powermodule, whatever it's called.
But she said, check for thelight.
I didn't know where it was, Iknow where it is now.
When this guy came and wasgonna put this thing on, I asked
him, I told him about that.
He said, I just happened tohave one of those coming in for
(06:31):
another boat, and I ordered two.
I said, Perfect, I'll take it.
So that he's about to show thathere.
Let's see.
Crap one, by the way, on yourreception.
Okay, let me turn that off.
Video (06:45):
This fuse is gonna be the fuse to the autopilot pump or
actuator that we just installed.
As you can see, pull this thingout, got a 40 amp inline right
there, and that runs over thereto it.
Coming over to this way, showyou here.
That's your Sirius XM.
They call it a audio powermodule.
This GMS 10 is gonna be thenetwork expansion hub for your
(07:07):
Garmin.
That is gonna run the marinenetwork.
So that's gonna control SiriusXM.
It's also gonna control radar,sonar, and other things on that
network.
It is a separate network fromthe NEMA 2000.
This is more communicationsbetween other systems, and this
is more talking amongst theGarmin.
The GHP12 ECU, the autopilotcontroller.
(07:28):
So it's got a handful of thingson it.
Obviously, power in, which isgonna be this larger cord.
This is called the CCU, whichis gonna be the reactor 40.
It's basically the compass.
This is your drive, so that isthe output to the actuator, and
then this little guy rightunderneath there, you can see
it, it says feedback.
(07:49):
That is gonna be the rudderfeedback sensor.
Tinsley (07:51):
And also, you tidied up my back button.
It looks much better.
Video (07:55):
My name's Wyatt.
Tinsley (07:56):
And you're with Sea Hag Marina.
I have, and you're gonna sailsomeday.
This is my sailing channel, sogo ahead and say it.
Go ahead and declare it.
Video (08:04):
Yeah, one day, before I'm 40.
That's the end goal rightthere.
Tinsley (08:07):
And he's 29 right now.
Video (08:09):
Yeah, still young.
I didn't like that.
Tinsley (08:13):
I know, it's just starting.
Video (08:15):
Yeah, I know.
Tinsley (08:16):
Cool.
Yeah, very good connection.
That guy was 29 years old.
I had no idea, but he wants tosail, and uh, by the time he's
40, he's all what did you thinkabout what he did?
All that stuff was alreadythere in that locker, the Garmin
(08:36):
components, everything.
But he was basically I askedhim just to explain it, and I
was kind of and then I have thevideo to go back and look at it.
You got what it all is now,right?
Yeah, pretty much.
Vanessa (08:47):
I'd like to hear what you have to say.
You understand how those twonetworks don't really you have a
hub in the middle, but you'vegot the Garmin assigned to doing
certain tasks, you've got theautopilot and the Ray Marine
stuff assigned to doing certaintasks, and it's difficult
sometimes to get them to talk toeach other, but the way that
it's set up right now, they canactually talk to each other.
Not all instruments talk toeach other.
(09:08):
If you want to put a system inthere, you'd gotta have to have
a whole individual network and awhole individual network of
everything else.
You wouldn't be able tocross-reference a CPU and your
information station.
Tinsley (09:19):
One of the things explain what he said about this
part, it has the instrumentstalking to each other, then the
backbone works with othersystems.
I didn't realize that.
I thought it was more aboutthem talking to each other on
the backbone.
Vanessa (09:33):
So that hub, I remember it's like having two different
radio stations, but yeah,there's one that if you it's
later on in the afternoon, youcan get that one over there.
But they're both Garmin.
Tinsley (09:43):
So you got the the what was it?
The GMS 100 autopilot's a raymarie.
Vanessa (09:50):
Right.
What not the autopilot?
The drive is a ray marine,right?
Yeah, the autopilot is aGarmin.
So you've got two differenttalking to each other.
Tinsley (10:02):
Absolutely, I understand that.
Um the Garmin that was abovethe controller for the
autopilot.
Explain that one.
Oh, that part is a network.
Vanessa (10:15):
The GMS 12 or whatever.
You've got the network set upfor your depth finder, your wind
speed, your indicator, and yourGPS on your autopilot.
Excuse me, yeah.
GPS and your screen.
Right, or your chart plotter.
Yeah, your chart plotter areall a separate system.
They're in their own littlenetwork, they're in their own
little classroom talking to eachother.
(10:36):
So now you got your autopiloton here in another classroom.
Not everyone the autopilotgraduates and wants to come to
the other classroom and talk tothe Garmin stuff.
So it's not Garmin.
The autopilot is Garmin.
I'm referring to the drive asyour autopilot.
That's what is your autopilot?
Is your head, it's just part ofthe network.
Tinsley (11:00):
I do want to show Goose says I sail with three Springer
annuals.
And then he also said, Glad yougot below deck unit.
These well pilots are bad news.
Next, get a hydro bean.
Yeah, a lot of people have saidthat.
And I guess if I was goingaround the world, that would be
something I definitely becauseit just it doesn't use any
(11:21):
power, right?
Vanessa (11:22):
It uses a minute amount of power if you're gonna have
it hooked up to your autopilot,but it's essentially a
self-steer for the boat, andit's relative to your
conditions, having a wholeseparate rudder.
The hard part with a hydro veinfor you is that you're doing
short stints, and so by the timeyou get it set up, until you
get super comfortable, you'regonna be at your destination
(11:43):
order.
I'm not planning on goingacross the Atlantic, but you
never know.
I think the the step thatyou've made right now is a
really good one.
And there's something I want totell you about before I forget,
but that's really important formaintenance on your autopilot.
Keep an eye on where that pincomes through that little arm
that actually has the actuatorhooked up to the bottom with the
clip that comes out of therereal quick.
Yeah, you gotta pay attentionto that pin in there once a
(12:06):
month or after a big long trip,you need to be looking at where
that hole goes through thatlittle arm with that pin.
Has it worked its way out?
It's gonna move up and down alittle bit.
And when you look at it at theangle that you took a video of
it, it's not perfectly rightangle.
I saw that.
Yeah.
So off of your steering ram,there is a ball in a little
(12:27):
socket on a joint.
A little round joint that thencomes up to the arm and attaches
to the top head of that thing.
Yeah, he showed me the piecesbefore he put them together.
So that little round jointright there has a nylon sleeve
on the inside of it.
That's it.
It was yellow.
That little sleeve can weardown.
(12:47):
If you ever have a situation,just try to remember this, and
you're trying to turn your helmand all of a sudden you can't
turn and it's jammed.
First thing to do is go rightthere to that little joint and
look at it.
I bet you money that's actuallygone sideways a little bit far.
Tinsley (13:01):
This right here?
Oh, I don't know if you can seethat.
Right there in that littlebottom ball.
Vanessa (13:06):
The ball up at the top of that pin.
Oh, up there, yeah.
That top of that pin goes toyour rudder arm, and that little
joint right there could becrooked.
So if you ever have yoursteering jam, look right there
first.
Keep that whole thing juicylubed up with some corrosion
block, nothing else.
On a couple of boats that I'verun, and we would see a lot of
(13:29):
white powder come up on that pingoing in between that little
arm where that pin rides up anddown as the boat's moving all
the time.
It starts to make the hole alittle bit bigger.
I took a little piece ofcleared water hook, put it
around the edge of the pin sothe pin had a nice snug fit in
the hole in the arm.
(13:49):
Because as it ages and itworks, it's gonna start making a
bigger hole in the aluminum theway that it's sitting right
now.
Tinsley (13:57):
Yeah.
Goose says uses zero powerever.
He's talking about hydrovane.
Power up.
Huh?
Well, it depends on how you setthem up.
Vanessa (14:07):
I guess if you're saying you could hook it up to
your autopilot, is that whatyou're saying?
Okay.
You don't need to, unlessyou're in really heavy seas, it
will work.
That's what's cool.
Tinsley (14:17):
So it's better than your You broke my heart and said
I'm gonna have to do thecalibration again.
It has an automatic wizard.
So I just go through thewizard.
Vanessa (14:30):
Go through the wizard, but one of the things that I
would suggest when you'reinitiating an autopilot ever,
doesn't matter who themanufacturer is.
I found this on three of them.
Go out in moderate conditions,supposed to have moderate to
light conditions tomorrow.
Spin a couple of circles withthat autopilot first before you
(14:50):
go anywhere and have theautopilot engaged.
Do a couple circles first, andyou'll see a opposite of each
other, and then flip it over andgo the other direction.
Big circles.
And the unit will calibrateitself for your conditions.
When you're doing a circle likethat, it has an intrinsic scale
(15:12):
in it for light to medium toheavy conditions.
Response time changes, and whenyou go in a circle, it puts it
on a mid-level response.
Tinsley (15:22):
Okay, let me make sure I understand.
I need to go ahead and initiatethe wizard and then start going
in a circle.
Vanessa (15:29):
Yep.
Big in a clear area, yeah.
Now pick up a mid-level so whenyour autopilot's going for the
first few hundred miles and youget in some heavy conditions,
the autopilot won't get confusedand tell you to reset it.
Tinsley (15:47):
What if I don't do that when I leave and I do it
further down the road?
Vanessa (15:54):
It's acclimated for lighter conditions, and at some
point, when the wind fakes upand it gets heavier, your
autopilot's gonna slow down orstop.
It's gonna be because you needto recalibrate what your
condition level is.
Way than wind speed andcloseness to the wind and how
the boat's riding angle isworking.
Tinsley (16:12):
Wow, I'm gonna need to make a beeline for Cedar Creek,
get there at high tide, which isabout eight or nine hours.
Goose is still talking aboutthe hydro vane here.
You can hook up one to a tillerpilot, but the vane uses no
power.
The tiller pilot does monitor awind vane is easier to hook up
to an autopilot, yeah.
(16:32):
Good point.
Okay, so we're gonna look atthis.
Oh, I have to remove somethingfirst.
Okay.
You can look at both the wind.
This is the waves, and this isthe wind.
(16:55):
And they move together.
Look at that.
So where am I?
Oh, right here.
Okay, so this is tomorrow atnoon.
Pretty mild.
Yeah.
So let's go to that night andlet's go down to Cedar Key.
It looks a little roughtomorrow night.
Oh hang on a minute.
(17:18):
My computer's not responding.
It's not happy with you.
Yeah.
Okay, we're gonna look atSunday night.
And I'll have to anchor rightabout I got 14 knots out of the
east.
For tomorrow night?
Yeah.
(17:38):
Yeah, that's not good.
Vanessa (17:40):
So Monday night four knots.
Tinsley (17:43):
Goose says you're gonna have to do it.
Calibration.
I should be able to do it, butI just don't want to do it.
I want to get down to the ICW.
So when there's a day of notideal weather, I want to be able
to make some progress.
That's the thing.
So anyway, Cedar Key, that'swhy I want to anchor and see.
It's pretty exposed, especiallywith that wind and the waves
(18:06):
coming from this direction.
Vanessa (18:08):
Well, there's an area off of Cedar Key that you could
tuck up in above the edge ofCedar Key.
Up here?
Because this is the anchor spotright here.
So if you anchor up around thecorner on the other side, also
up there, you can tuck in, butyou gotta be careful and read
your water coming in there.
(18:29):
So you can also on Cedar Keyanchor up off the edge of this
one.
You can anchor up.
But look at it.
12 knots.
You can anchor up on thenorthern edge right up there,
and you're gonna be a little bitprotected from those east
winds.
Right here?
Yeah, it's still 12 knots.
(18:51):
You've gone up a little bitfurther.
The thing is, that thing's nottelling you about your breeze
and your protection.
Yeah, I guess not.
But 12 knots isn't bad,Tensley.
You'd be fine in that.
And if we have worst casescenario, you get your first
anchor down, back down on it,make sure you're set real good
with a little bit of extra road,seven to one, and then put a
(19:11):
second anchor out if you want.
You can always do that.
Remember that?
Tinsley (19:18):
I do no, I know.
I'm not worried about myself.
I just want it to be nice andpeaceful for the cats.
And that's one second anchorout if you wanted to make it
really peaceful.
I need to get one.
I knew you were gonna embarrassme.
And look, someone gave me a acaptain's log.
(19:38):
I save all my receipts in thisbook right here.
You see this book?
There is a track record.
Have you done your onlinecourse?
No.
Doug, come on now.
Stop.
Nope, don't embarrass me.
Vanessa (19:54):
It's vent safety.
And then your instruments goout, and you're able to have a
VHF radio, and you're able to dopawn-pon or you're able to do a
Mayday call to the Coast Guard,and you don't have electronics
because your electronics havehad something happen.
Tinsley (20:09):
They've gone I've had it happen before, and I used the
N-Reach Explorer to navigate.
Vanessa (20:14):
You would have your position right there in your log
that you should be keepingimmediately to be able to refer
to.
This was my last position.
Put the time on it, and theycan track exactly where you are.
And you don't even have to haveenough time on it.
But you but I do have andyou're required to do that with
your insurance.
I'll shake my finger at you.
(20:36):
Don't get me in trouble.
Don't get me in trouble.
The very first thing theinsurance company and the Coast
Guard ask you for is do you haveyour law?
Tinsley (20:53):
So what's this storm gonna do?
Vanessa (21:00):
I think it's gonna hurt.
I think Jamaica's gonna be Ithink Kingston and the amount of
time that this thing is gonnasit on Kingston is gonna be a
very painful cost.
I think there's gonna be a lotof damage.
Tinsley (21:14):
When's it gonna hit?
Let's see.
Tonight.
Vanessa (21:18):
Beginning of the effects.
It's rolling.
Tinsley (21:21):
As I come here, what's gonna happen?
I haven't even looked atanything.
I have to deal with things inlittle increments.
What's in front of me?
Vanessa (21:29):
They should be starting to feel the effects around 9-10
o'clock tonight in Kingston.
It's right there.
They've had a pretty decentday.
Now it's predicted that it'sgonna stay on them.
The south side of the islandcome right up in the middle of
(21:50):
the island Tuesday morning.
Go over the top Tuesday andcome up over the edge of the tip
of Cuba.
Right over the Bahamas.
In the mid to the south side ofthe Bahamas, south of Clarence
Town.
(22:11):
Firks and Caicos are gonna getrailed right over.
And then this is where theanomaly starts happening with
this cold front that's coming upnorth and the jet stream dip
down.
It's our cold front is what'skeeping this off of us.
Now, our breeze and our northwind and our cold front on
Thursday the 30th is rolling outover the Bahamas, coming over
(22:35):
south and central Florida.
We're gonna have breezes out ofthe north for a day and a half
before that here in Key West.
You can have north winds to flyif you wanted to fly down for a
couple of days.
I do.
Which might be a nice trip foryou.
Yeah.
Okay.
They're gonna be 15 to 20, butthey'll be fun.
(22:56):
Look at that.
Yeah.
That's a beautiful figure.
Tinsley (23:04):
Look what Goose wrote.
He's on your side.
Vanessa (23:08):
What's that?
Tinsley (23:11):
He said if you use chart kit, just plot your course
on it.
Note you're running fixed righton the chart.
You can transfer the data toyour logbook.
Vanessa, you get on her, makesure she does it.
Uh uh.
Don't you know?
I got a whole bunch of devicesthat are recording everything.
Okay, so there's one time I hada situation where you wish you
(23:34):
would have done that.
Tell me.
The storm's gonna go to theBahamas.
What's gonna happen in theBahamas?
Vanessa (23:41):
They're gonna have a rough go.
You should be thankful you'renot in the Bahamas right now.
I am.
There is a reason why you'renot in the Bahamas right now.
Other than costing me money?
I hear ya.
It's not only about costing youmoney, but if you were in
Georgetown now, I'd be running.
(24:03):
Yeah, you better be doingsomething.
Tinsley (24:07):
Wonder what the boats are doing.
Have you looked?
Have you been on those sites,vessel finder or whatever?
Vanessa (24:14):
Um, I have not actually looked lately because I've been
a little bit busy doing someother stuff.
I have a fantasy fest rightnow.
Fantasy fest parade is tonight.
Tinsley (24:27):
Oh, you're not going to that, are you?
Vanessa (24:30):
I live in a fantasy fest every day of mine.
Tinsley (24:33):
Yeah.
I went once.
That's it for me.
I saw some things I can'tforget.
I can't unsee.
Some people wear clothes.
Vanessa (24:51):
Good, but never take the clothes.
Tinsley (24:53):
People need clothes.
Vanessa (24:56):
It's not for public consumption.
So this thing's gonna go overthe Bahamas.
That's really gonna let itdecide what it's gonna do, but
it looks like it's gonna windup, stay out of sea.
And it's when it's going overthe Bahamas, the problem with
the Abacos and some of the otherareas are gonna be the effects
of the water.
(25:17):
You gotta remember all the wayup until the 5th of November,
we're in our king tide phase.
We're in the highest high tidesof the year during the course
of this month, going into thebeginning for about the third to
the 5th of November.
So when you get a high tide andyou have a hurricane and you
(25:38):
have a surge along with that,even if it's out your back door
and not right on you, that cando a lot of damage.
And when you've got consistent10 to 15 foot seas, because the
way that this thing's planningon parking for a little bit, we
really can't tell how big it'sgonna be once it crosses over
Jamaica.
That's yet to be determined.
Tinsley (26:00):
So it's gonna be a one, a four, a five, a four, a two,
and then a one.
Vanessa (26:04):
But it's going out to sea.
Providing that coal front isbig enough to keep moving it out
of the way, which it looks likeit is.
Then we're gonna have some highwater that's gonna come out of
it anyway.
And then we're gonna have agorgeous beaver moon coming up
in the beginning of it.
(26:25):
Hopefully, I'll be there inNovember.
Let me get here within the nextweek.
Tinsley (26:32):
Yeah, as soon as I get to Tarpon Springs, I can pick up
the pace.
Even on a windy or unappealingday, I can still travel then
ICW.
Vanessa (26:42):
If you decide to take the ICW and you get down to
either Marco Island or FortMyers, don't make a beeline
straight here.
Go farther out east, west,before you bang yourself.
And it'll actually be shorterthan beeline.
Tinsley (27:00):
I'll take Oh yeah, I know I have to go around those
shoals.
But I'm gonna go into EvergladeCity Cabangus.
What is that?
How do you say it?
What's the name of that passagethat's right below Canvas?
Rainfart.
Vanessa (27:15):
Matanzas?
Matanzas is farther north.
The passage at Everglades City.
Right below, Marco.
Tinsley (27:25):
I had local knowledge on it.
Here it is.
Here it is.
I'm gonna bring it up.
Okay.
Vanessa (27:33):
Trying to figure out what you're talking about if
you're over a little sharp rivernorth of it.
Tinsley (27:38):
It's right here.
You see this right here?
It's right here.
So you just come out of Marco,and then instead of going all
the way around Cape Ravano, youcan come in right here.
It has to be a high tide.
I've done it.
And you come in here.
It gets a little sketchy atthis.
(28:01):
I can't remember exactly where.
But you go right.
Yeah, Marco's right here.
If I had it would be shorter ifI didn't have such a high mass,
you could get under this bridgehere, but that bridge is not
for me.
But see how short it would beto come right here.
But I got some local knowledge.
(28:23):
I stay at that marina.
You're right in though overthere.
So if you go all the way outhere, believe it or not, it
takes about an hour.
unknown (28:34):
Yeah.
Tinsley (28:35):
Then you come out here, and instead of going all the
way around Cape Romano, you cango in right here.
I got that from a local captainat the marina.
He said high tide, stay in themarkers.
How long is it?
Yeah, it's a shortcut rightthere.
Vanessa (28:49):
That information.
Tinsley (28:50):
It takes three or four hours.
Vanessa (28:51):
And then we come in here.
Remember that little oldhurricane that hit Fort Myers
last year?
Tinsley (29:01):
I'll check on it.
I'm not gonna rule it out.
But what are you trying toaccomplish, Golden?
It did take a lot of time off.
Where are you gonna go?
To Goodland.
I've done it.
Why are you going to Goodland?
Because uh Key West John meetsme there.
He actually wants to skip that.
He wants to go to Everglades.
I can't seem to find it.
(29:22):
That's not far down.
And we've done that too.
Vanessa (29:25):
Keep coming down.
Come back over towards theGulf.
Look for a little shark river.
Let me put it in.
Tinsley (29:33):
It wasn't that far away.
So we go there.
Check Alaska Bay.
And then come out.
Maybe it's right here.
Anyway.
Vanessa (29:49):
We're not looking at a chart, so it's hard to tell.
If you're gonna go all the wayback in there instead of going
out of Marco.
One, it's gonna take you longerto get to get it.
Tinsley (30:01):
I've done it both ways.
I've done that.
Yeah, I'm going to marathon.
I've gone directly to QS fromFort Captiva.
I've gone many times from Marcoto QS or Marco to Marathon more
than anything.
In 2023, I met John atGoodland, and it really broke
the trip up a little more.
(30:22):
It wasn't 18 hours.
It's more 14 hours.
And that was nice.
John loves to go intoEverglades City.
And it's a tough one because ithas a big old tide to it, three
or four knots.
You pull it up, and you got it.
I said, I'm not gonna do itmyself again because the boat
got pulled right out of myhands.
There was a painter that cameover and helped me out.
(30:44):
There's no deck cancer.
So anyway.
Vanessa (30:49):
You gotta remember a couple of things when you're
going in there this year.
There was a big, hugehurricane.
Area right over there.
That was a little bit farther,and I don't know that you're
necessarily gonna be able to getall the way up there during
this team tide.
The other thing to remember isthat the lobster pots are out
(31:15):
now, and the stone crab potswill be as well, and there's
gonna be a lot more stone crabpots closer in.
A lot of the fishermen getlobster pots out.
They didn't put lobster potsout, they waited to be able to
put stone crab pots out.
So stone crab pots are gonna beplentiful, they're not as easy
to see.
They're spread out a little bitdifferently, but they're in a
(31:38):
little bit deeper water, each 10feet, and that's gonna go out a
little bit further this yearthan what you've seen before.
The tip all the way back up.
Tinsley (31:48):
In the meantime, I need to get to tarpon springs.
Vanessa (31:53):
You're gonna have a good tread now.
Probably gonna be Monday.
12 to 14 knots is not bad.
Just put more road out.
Make sure you got a good holdon it, put more road out, do an
eight or a ten to one purchase.
Let's see.
And see where y'all.
Yeah.
I'll check it out in themorning.
(32:13):
And tuck up in the corner upthere, and with 14 knots, you're
good.
Because you've then got thenext day where it's relatively
calm to go from Cedar Key toTarpon Springs.
And the wind is going to bewalking around out of the north
for you.
You couldn't ask for that to bemuch calmer and do a much
better thing.
It's going to flip to the westreal quick, not for very long,
(32:36):
and then it's going to come outof the north.
What's that going to do to thewaves?
It'll be fine where you arethere once you're down past
Cedar Key.
It won't have a chance to buildup.
So it's the second day when thebreeze starts building more
after Tuesday when those seasare going to pick up some, but
they're going to be pushing you.
You're going to be goingdownwind by that time.
(32:58):
You'll be going well.
That could be a lot of fun.
Because you're still talkingless than 20.
You're not talking about 18 to20 until uh Thursday morning.
Yeah.
Fight over there.
So that's why you've got somegood running time and some light
(33:18):
stuff.
Keep the kiddies hat.
I called a captain in CedarKey.
Tinsley (33:24):
And uh it was a woman, and she's she was a racer and
everything before.
She runs a couple of commercialboats.
They're not sailboats, but shehas a sailing background.
I asked her about the channeland she said, You'll be fine.
I'll be coming in at high tide.
But I don't even think it wasthat important that it's exact
high tide or anything.
(33:44):
No, not Cedar Key.
I looked at Swanee and that wasa no-go.
It'd be nice to be tucked up inthere, but there's a lot of
things that are different overthere now.
I lost her.
Yeah.
She's gone.
(34:05):
I'll probably look at leavingtomorrow, but I'll probably do
it Monday.
Anyway, that's it.
It's just just gap and Vanessalecturing me.
She's got good suggestions.
We'll just go ahead and end itthere.
Salt you banned.
We're out.
Okay, we are live.
So did you want to make a bigannouncement, Vanessa?
Vanessa (00:04):
Go ahead.
I am now a new member of theteam at Adventure Yacht Sales
with Terry Ivans.
I haven't met everybody yet.
Still here in Key West, stillhere in the Keys.
Can go all the way up to theEastern Seaboard now.
My specialty is in cataran'socean cruising sailboats and
power boats.
Adventure yacht sailors.
Tinsley (00:24):
Okay, so we'll put the contact up.
People that watch this channel.
There's nobody watching at thismoment, but people will be
watching in the uh in the in thereplay.
Vanessa (00:35):
So number 305-680-9986.
Love to help you out finding orselling a boat anywhere near
the keys.
I don't like to step on anybodyelse's toes in the company.
Or if you know me or any oceancruising boats, any catamarans,
happy to help out.
Tinsley (00:50):
What's your number again?
Vanessa (00:52):
305-680-9986.
Tinsley (00:56):
And what's that email again?
Vanessa (00:59):
My new email is Vanessa at adventureyachtsales.com.
Tinsley (01:03):
You're very qualified.
I know you can sell any boat,but sailing is your love.
You live on a sailboat, youlive on a sailboat in Key West.
You sold a lot of sailboats.
You sailed all around.
You got a lot of experience,and you help me all the time.
So thank you.
Vanessa (01:17):
You're welcome.
To help everybody everybodygets around there safely and
keeps the slippery side down,most important.
Tinsley (01:24):
That's very important.
Vanessa (01:25):
Hey, is that what butt kicked across the goal?
Tinsley (01:28):
I'm gonna I'm I got let's talk about my new toy.
And I want to bring this videoup so you can comment on it.
It's the video I put up thismorning.
Did you watch it?
Not yet.
Okay, here it is.
It's not that long.
Video (01:43):
That's it.
You can move it back and forth.
See how it pivots against thewall and all.
And then this pin here, you canpull in the event that you ever
had an actuator seize or afailure, drop it off the link
and your steering still attachedup here.
This is your Nemo 2000backbone.
Vanessa (02:04):
Alright, we'll come back to that.
But what do you think?
I think it's beautiful.
There's three things I want toadd.
More important, if youractuator ever seizes, but if
your actuator doesn't seize andyou lose your steering arm, you
break your cables, either or,depending on what kind of
steering you've got.
You can always use yourautopilot as a backup.
(02:25):
You're not incapacitated.
You can always have yourautopilot on, even to get all
the way into the dock and dockthe boat.
If you ever end up breakingyour cables, or you end up
breaking your hydraulic arm, ifyou have a problem with an arm
or something happens with that,lose all your fluid, you can use
your autopilot now as a backup.
You can't touch to be pushingthe buttons.
Tinsley (02:47):
I think you told me yesterday that it's probably
going to change my life.
Vanessa (02:52):
One of the things that I learned, I've sailed halfway
around the world on my own on a42-foot full keel with a cutaway
29-ton boat with a barn doorrudder, which is a monster to
steer, especially in storms.
Unless you're not having anyproblems with your hydraulics.
We know hydraulics get bubblesin them every once in a while.
(03:13):
Things can happen.
And the very first thing that Ilearned from a couple of old
farts that were fabulous oldfarts, cup love is still around.
Actually, there's a guy that Imet a long time ago by the name
of Robin Knox Johnson.
Oh person talking to him aboutsingle-handing because he'd had
a good record behind it.
And I had the pleasure ofgetting to meet him in my team.
He's doing the golden glowbrace, and he's one of the
(03:35):
official members of thecommittee now.
Tinsley (03:36):
I want to interview him.
Is that possible?
Vanessa (03:39):
Associated with his golden glow brace.
You got to talk to him infirst, and you've got to stand
right in front of him inEngland.
He's up there, he's 80s now,but his hearing's not so.
I'll go to England.
In the village the minisat andthe golden globe race right now.
Is he gonna do the race?
He's on the committee 2026.
(03:59):
One of the things that hetaught me a long time ago when I
was in my teens aboutsingle-handers was that the one
thing that you always have tohave on the boat no matter what
is your autopilot.
Remember, I've told you thatbefore.
I know it from experience.
Having an overly robustautopilot for the kind of boat
that you have is what's mostimportant.
(04:20):
Butter, you've got to have anautopilot that's gonna suit it.
You also think about it as aback.
You also think about it asokay, I want to get a little bit
of sleep.
I have to, in order to stayhealthy.
What's gonna keep my boat goingother than a couple of bungee
cords and a little old wheelpilot?
Tinsley (04:37):
Oh, I was very creative on how I couldn't get it to
stay just more than a couple ofminutes.
Another I had lines attached toit so I could at least go like
this with the lines.
And it was still terrible.
Vanessa (04:51):
It was terrible.
You can fix a block and tacklesystem.
It's really difficult to dounder your engine unless you got
some sail area that's up.
And you've got to put some sailarea up.
I'd say a double reef main andactually, no matter what, keep
your engine in an RPM where it'sbalanced, but it's not about
making time, it's about stayingbalance, right?
And paying attention to what'sgoing on with your wind
(05:13):
direction.
One of the easiest things I'veseen is with a block and tackle
system on either side of thewheel that you can sit there and
adjust.
That's a two-to-one purchase,like you find on a small boom
bang on a dinghy racer, on alaser or on a sunfisher of 420.
Tinsley (05:28):
Here, let me show you the rest of this because then we
had to get in the other lockerto get to the backbone.
He also replaced my audio.
Goose says, Melissa's stillintense fighting headed
northwest.
How are you feeling?
I'm not sure what you mean bythat, but if you're talking
about my mental state, it is soup and down.
One minute I think I'm crazywith grief.
(05:49):
And then what am I doing?
I'm endangering these babies'lives.
Look at my and next minute, I'mlike, let's go.
So, yeah, so I'm a goose, I amup seen hatchy, so I'm pretty
safe right here.
But what I was gonna say is hedid replace the weather XM.
I went through all checks withWeather XM and Garmin, and it
(06:10):
wasn't showing up as a device onmy Garmin.
We've narrowed it down thatit's probably that little audio
module, that little powermodule, whatever it's called.
But she said, check for thelight.
I didn't know where it was, Iknow where it is now.
When this guy came and wasgonna put this thing on, I asked
him, I told him about that.
He said, I just happened tohave one of those coming in for
(06:31):
another boat, and I ordered two.
I said, Perfect, I'll take it.
So that he's about to show thathere.
Let's see.
Crap one, by the way, on yourreception.
Okay, let me turn that off.
Video (06:45):
This fuse is gonna be the fuse to the autopilot pump or
actuator that we just installed.
As you can see, pull this thingout, got a 40 amp inline right
there, and that runs over thereto it.
Coming over to this way, showyou here.
That's your Sirius XM.
They call it a audio powermodule.
This GMS 10 is gonna be thenetwork expansion hub for your
(07:07):
Garmin.
That is gonna run the marinenetwork.
So that's gonna control SiriusXM.
It's also gonna control radar,sonar, and other things on that
network.
It is a separate network fromthe NEMA 2000.
This is more communicationsbetween other systems, and this
is more talking amongst theGarmin.
The GHP12 ECU, the autopilotcontroller.
(07:28):
So it's got a handful of thingson it.
Obviously, power in, which isgonna be this larger cord.
This is called the CCU, whichis gonna be the reactor 40.
It's basically the compass.
This is your drive, so that isthe output to the actuator, and
then this little guy rightunderneath there, you can see
it, it says feedback.
(07:49):
That is gonna be the rudderfeedback sensor.
Tinsley (07:51):
And also, you tidied up my back button.
It looks much better.
Video (07:55):
My name's Wyatt.
Tinsley (07:56):
And you're with Sea Hag Marina.
I have, and you're gonna sailsomeday.
This is my sailing channel, sogo ahead and say it.
Go ahead and declare it.
Video (08:04):
Yeah, one day, before I'm 40.
That's the end goal rightthere.
Tinsley (08:07):
And he's 29 right now.
Video (08:09):
Yeah, still young.
I didn't like that.
Tinsley (08:13):
I know, it's just starting.
Video (08:15):
Yeah, I know.
Tinsley (08:16):
Cool.
Yeah, very good connection.
That guy was 29 years old.
I had no idea, but he wants tosail, and uh, by the time he's
40, he's all what did you thinkabout what he did?
All that stuff was alreadythere in that locker, the Garmin
(08:36):
components, everything.
But he was basically I askedhim just to explain it, and I
was kind of and then I have thevideo to go back and look at it.
You got what it all is now,right?
Yeah, pretty much.
Vanessa (08:47):
I'd like to hear what you have to say.
You understand how those twonetworks don't really you have a
hub in the middle, but you'vegot the Garmin assigned to doing
certain tasks, you've got theautopilot and the Ray Marine
stuff assigned to doing certaintasks, and it's difficult
sometimes to get them to talk toeach other, but the way that
it's set up right now, they canactually talk to each other.
Not all instruments talk toeach other.
(09:08):
If you want to put a system inthere, you'd gotta have to have
a whole individual network and awhole individual network of
everything else.
You wouldn't be able tocross-reference a CPU and your
information station.
Tinsley (09:19):
One of the things explain what he said about this
part, it has the instrumentstalking to each other, then the
backbone works with othersystems.
I didn't realize that.
I thought it was more aboutthem talking to each other on
the backbone.
Vanessa (09:33):
So that hub, I remember it's like having two different
radio stations, but yeah,there's one that if you it's
later on in the afternoon, youcan get that one over there.
But they're both Garmin.
Tinsley (09:43):
So you got the the what was it?
The GMS 100 autopilot's a raymarie.
Vanessa (09:50):
Right.
What not the autopilot?
The drive is a ray marine,right?
Yeah, the autopilot is aGarmin.
So you've got two differenttalking to each other.
Tinsley (10:02):
Absolutely, I understand that.
Um the Garmin that was abovethe controller for the
autopilot.
Explain that one.
Oh, that part is a network.
Vanessa (10:15):
The GMS 12 or whatever.
You've got the network set upfor your depth finder, your wind
speed, your indicator, and yourGPS on your autopilot.
Excuse me, yeah.
GPS and your screen.
Right, or your chart plotter.
Yeah, your chart plotter areall a separate system.
They're in their own littlenetwork, they're in their own
little classroom talking to eachother.
(10:36):
So now you got your autopiloton here in another classroom.
Not everyone the autopilotgraduates and wants to come to
the other classroom and talk tothe Garmin stuff.
So it's not Garmin.
The autopilot is Garmin.
I'm referring to the drive asyour autopilot.
That's what is your autopilot?
Is your head, it's just part ofthe network.
Tinsley (11:00):
I do want to show Goose says I sail with three Springer
annuals.
And then he also said, Glad yougot below deck unit.
These well pilots are bad news.
Next, get a hydro bean.
Yeah, a lot of people have saidthat.
And I guess if I was goingaround the world, that would be
something I definitely becauseit just it doesn't use any
(11:21):
power, right?
Vanessa (11:22):
It uses a minute amount of power if you're gonna have
it hooked up to your autopilot,but it's essentially a
self-steer for the boat, andit's relative to your
conditions, having a wholeseparate rudder.
The hard part with a hydro veinfor you is that you're doing
short stints, and so by the timeyou get it set up, until you
get super comfortable, you'regonna be at your destination
(11:43):
order.
I'm not planning on goingacross the Atlantic, but you
never know.
I think the the step thatyou've made right now is a
really good one.
And there's something I want totell you about before I forget,
but that's really important formaintenance on your autopilot.
Keep an eye on where that pincomes through that little arm
that actually has the actuatorhooked up to the bottom with the
clip that comes out of therereal quick.
Yeah, you gotta pay attentionto that pin in there once a
(12:06):
month or after a big long trip,you need to be looking at where
that hole goes through thatlittle arm with that pin.
Has it worked its way out?
It's gonna move up and down alittle bit.
And when you look at it at theangle that you took a video of
it, it's not perfectly rightangle.
I saw that.
Yeah.
So off of your steering ram,there is a ball in a little
(12:27):
socket on a joint.
A little round joint that thencomes up to the arm and attaches
to the top head of that thing.
Yeah, he showed me the piecesbefore he put them together.
So that little round jointright there has a nylon sleeve
on the inside of it.
That's it.
It was yellow.
That little sleeve can weardown.
(12:47):
If you ever have a situation,just try to remember this, and
you're trying to turn your helmand all of a sudden you can't
turn and it's jammed.
First thing to do is go rightthere to that little joint and
look at it.
I bet you money that's actuallygone sideways a little bit far.
Tinsley (13:01):
This right here?
Oh, I don't know if you can seethat.
Right there in that littlebottom ball.
Vanessa (13:06):
The ball up at the top of that pin.
Oh, up there, yeah.
That top of that pin goes toyour rudder arm, and that little
joint right there could becrooked.
So if you ever have yoursteering jam, look right there
first.
Keep that whole thing juicylubed up with some corrosion
block, nothing else.
On a couple of boats that I'verun, and we would see a lot of
(13:29):
white powder come up on that pingoing in between that little
arm where that pin rides up anddown as the boat's moving all
the time.
It starts to make the hole alittle bit bigger.
I took a little piece ofcleared water hook, put it
around the edge of the pin sothe pin had a nice snug fit in
the hole in the arm.
(13:49):
Because as it ages and itworks, it's gonna start making a
bigger hole in the aluminum theway that it's sitting right
now.
Tinsley (13:57):
Yeah.
Goose says uses zero powerever.
He's talking about hydrovane.
Power up.
Huh?
Well, it depends on how you setthem up.
Vanessa (14:07):
I guess if you're saying you could hook it up to
your autopilot, is that whatyou're saying?
Okay.
You don't need to, unlessyou're in really heavy seas, it
will work.
That's what's cool.
Tinsley (14:17):
So it's better than your You broke my heart and said
I'm gonna have to do thecalibration again.
It has an automatic wizard.
So I just go through thewizard.
Vanessa (14:30):
Go through the wizard, but one of the things that I
would suggest when you'reinitiating an autopilot ever,
doesn't matter who themanufacturer is.
I found this on three of them.
Go out in moderate conditions,supposed to have moderate to
light conditions tomorrow.
Spin a couple of circles withthat autopilot first before you
(14:50):
go anywhere and have theautopilot engaged.
Do a couple circles first, andyou'll see a opposite of each
other, and then flip it over andgo the other direction.
Big circles.
And the unit will calibrateitself for your conditions.
When you're doing a circle likethat, it has an intrinsic scale
(15:12):
in it for light to medium toheavy conditions.
Response time changes, and whenyou go in a circle, it puts it
on a mid-level response.
Tinsley (15:22):
Okay, let me make sure I understand.
I need to go ahead and initiatethe wizard and then start going
in a circle.
Vanessa (15:29):
Yep.
Big in a clear area, yeah.
Now pick up a mid-level so whenyour autopilot's going for the
first few hundred miles and youget in some heavy conditions,
the autopilot won't get confusedand tell you to reset it.
Tinsley (15:47):
What if I don't do that when I leave and I do it
further down the road?
Vanessa (15:54):
It's acclimated for lighter conditions, and at some
point, when the wind fakes upand it gets heavier, your
autopilot's gonna slow down orstop.
It's gonna be because you needto recalibrate what your
condition level is.
Way than wind speed andcloseness to the wind and how
the boat's riding angle isworking.
Tinsley (16:12):
Wow, I'm gonna need to make a beeline for Cedar Creek,
get there at high tide, which isabout eight or nine hours.
Goose is still talking aboutthe hydro vane here.
You can hook up one to a tillerpilot, but the vane uses no
power.
The tiller pilot does monitor awind vane is easier to hook up
to an autopilot, yeah.
(16:32):
Good point.
Okay, so we're gonna look atthis.
Oh, I have to remove somethingfirst.
Okay.
You can look at both the wind.
This is the waves, and this isthe wind.
(16:55):
And they move together.
Look at that.
So where am I?
Oh, right here.
Okay, so this is tomorrow atnoon.
Pretty mild.
Yeah.
So let's go to that night andlet's go down to Cedar Key.
It looks a little roughtomorrow night.
Oh hang on a minute.
(17:18):
My computer's not responding.
It's not happy with you.
Yeah.
Okay, we're gonna look atSunday night.
And I'll have to anchor rightabout I got 14 knots out of the
east.
For tomorrow night?
Yeah.
(17:38):
Yeah, that's not good.
Vanessa (17:40):
So Monday night four knots.
Tinsley (17:43):
Goose says you're gonna have to do it.
Calibration.
I should be able to do it, butI just don't want to do it.
I want to get down to the ICW.
So when there's a day of notideal weather, I want to be able
to make some progress.
That's the thing.
So anyway, Cedar Key, that'swhy I want to anchor and see.
It's pretty exposed, especiallywith that wind and the waves
(18:06):
coming from this direction.
Vanessa (18:08):
Well, there's an area off of Cedar Key that you could
tuck up in above the edge ofCedar Key.
Up here?
Because this is the anchor spotright here.
So if you anchor up around thecorner on the other side, also
up there, you can tuck in, butyou gotta be careful and read
your water coming in there.
(18:29):
So you can also on Cedar Keyanchor up off the edge of this
one.
You can anchor up.
But look at it.
12 knots.
You can anchor up on thenorthern edge right up there,
and you're gonna be a little bitprotected from those east
winds.
Right here?
Yeah, it's still 12 knots.
(18:51):
You've gone up a little bitfurther.
The thing is, that thing's nottelling you about your breeze
and your protection.
Yeah, I guess not.
But 12 knots isn't bad,Tensley.
You'd be fine in that.
And if we have worst casescenario, you get your first
anchor down, back down on it,make sure you're set real good
with a little bit of extra road,seven to one, and then put a
(19:11):
second anchor out if you want.
You can always do that.
Remember that?
Tinsley (19:18):
I do no, I know.
I'm not worried about myself.
I just want it to be nice andpeaceful for the cats.
And that's one second anchorout if you wanted to make it
really peaceful.
I need to get one.
I knew you were gonna embarrassme.
And look, someone gave me a acaptain's log.
(19:38):
I save all my receipts in thisbook right here.
You see this book?
There is a track record.
Have you done your onlinecourse?
No.
Doug, come on now.
Stop.
Nope, don't embarrass me.
Vanessa (19:54):
It's vent safety.
And then your instruments goout, and you're able to have a
VHF radio, and you're able to dopawn-pon or you're able to do a
Mayday call to the Coast Guard,and you don't have electronics
because your electronics havehad something happen.
Tinsley (20:09):
They've gone I've had it happen before, and I used the
N-Reach Explorer to navigate.
Vanessa (20:14):
You would have your position right there in your log
that you should be keepingimmediately to be able to refer
to.
This was my last position.
Put the time on it, and theycan track exactly where you are.
And you don't even have to haveenough time on it.
But you but I do have andyou're required to do that with
your insurance.
I'll shake my finger at you.
(20:36):
Don't get me in trouble.
Don't get me in trouble.
The very first thing theinsurance company and the Coast
Guard ask you for is do you haveyour law?
Tinsley (20:53):
So what's this storm gonna do?
Vanessa (21:00):
I think it's gonna hurt.
I think Jamaica's gonna be Ithink Kingston and the amount of
time that this thing is gonnasit on Kingston is gonna be a
very painful cost.
I think there's gonna be a lotof damage.
Tinsley (21:14):
When's it gonna hit?
Let's see.
Tonight.
Vanessa (21:18):
Beginning of the effects.
It's rolling.
Tinsley (21:21):
As I come here, what's gonna happen?
I haven't even looked atanything.
I have to deal with things inlittle increments.
What's in front of me?
Vanessa (21:29):
They should be starting to feel the effects around 9-10
o'clock tonight in Kingston.
It's right there.
They've had a pretty decentday.
Now it's predicted that it'sgonna stay on them.
The south side of the islandcome right up in the middle of
(21:50):
the island Tuesday morning.
Go over the top Tuesday andcome up over the edge of the tip
of Cuba.
Right over the Bahamas.
In the mid to the south side ofthe Bahamas, south of Clarence
Town.
(22:11):
Firks and Caicos are gonna getrailed right over.
And then this is where theanomaly starts happening with
this cold front that's coming upnorth and the jet stream dip
down.
It's our cold front is what'skeeping this off of us.
Now, our breeze and our northwind and our cold front on
Thursday the 30th is rolling outover the Bahamas, coming over
(22:35):
south and central Florida.
We're gonna have breezes out ofthe north for a day and a half
before that here in Key West.
You can have north winds to flyif you wanted to fly down for a
couple of days.
I do.
Which might be a nice trip foryou.
Yeah.
Okay.
They're gonna be 15 to 20, butthey'll be fun.
(22:56):
Look at that.
Yeah.
That's a beautiful figure.
Tinsley (23:04):
Look what Goose wrote.
He's on your side.
Vanessa (23:08):
What's that?
Tinsley (23:11):
He said if you use chart kit, just plot your course
on it.
Note you're running fixed righton the chart.
You can transfer the data toyour logbook.
Vanessa, you get on her, makesure she does it.
Uh uh.
Don't you know?
I got a whole bunch of devicesthat are recording everything.
Okay, so there's one time I hada situation where you wish you
(23:34):
would have done that.
Tell me.
The storm's gonna go to theBahamas.
What's gonna happen in theBahamas?
Vanessa (23:41):
They're gonna have a rough go.
You should be thankful you'renot in the Bahamas right now.
I am.
There is a reason why you'renot in the Bahamas right now.
Other than costing me money?
I hear ya.
It's not only about costing youmoney, but if you were in
Georgetown now, I'd be running.
(24:03):
Yeah, you better be doingsomething.
Tinsley (24:07):
Wonder what the boats are doing.
Have you looked?
Have you been on those sites,vessel finder or whatever?
Vanessa (24:14):
Um, I have not actually looked lately because I've been
a little bit busy doing someother stuff.
I have a fantasy fest rightnow.
Fantasy fest parade is tonight.
Tinsley (24:27):
Oh, you're not going to that, are you?
Vanessa (24:30):
I live in a fantasy fest every day of mine.
Tinsley (24:33):
Yeah.
I went once.
That's it for me.
I saw some things I can'tforget.
I can't unsee.
Some people wear clothes.
Vanessa (24:51):
Good, but never take the clothes.
Tinsley (24:53):
People need clothes.
Vanessa (24:56):
It's not for public consumption.
So this thing's gonna go overthe Bahamas.
That's really gonna let itdecide what it's gonna do, but
it looks like it's gonna windup, stay out of sea.
And it's when it's going overthe Bahamas, the problem with
the Abacos and some of the otherareas are gonna be the effects
of the water.
(25:17):
You gotta remember all the wayup until the 5th of November,
we're in our king tide phase.
We're in the highest high tidesof the year during the course
of this month, going into thebeginning for about the third to
the 5th of November.
So when you get a high tide andyou have a hurricane and you
(25:38):
have a surge along with that,even if it's out your back door
and not right on you, that cando a lot of damage.
And when you've got consistent10 to 15 foot seas, because the
way that this thing's planningon parking for a little bit, we
really can't tell how big it'sgonna be once it crosses over
Jamaica.
That's yet to be determined.
Tinsley (26:00):
So it's gonna be a one, a four, a five, a four, a two,
and then a one.
Vanessa (26:04):
But it's going out to sea.
Providing that coal front isbig enough to keep moving it out
of the way, which it looks likeit is.
Then we're gonna have some highwater that's gonna come out of
it anyway.
And then we're gonna have agorgeous beaver moon coming up
in the beginning of it.
(26:25):
Hopefully, I'll be there inNovember.
Let me get here within the nextweek.
Tinsley (26:32):
Yeah, as soon as I get to Tarpon Springs, I can pick up
the pace.
Even on a windy or unappealingday, I can still travel then
ICW.
Vanessa (26:42):
If you decide to take the ICW and you get down to
either Marco Island or FortMyers, don't make a beeline
straight here.
Go farther out east, west,before you bang yourself.
And it'll actually be shorterthan beeline.
Tinsley (27:00):
I'll take Oh yeah, I know I have to go around those
shoals.
But I'm gonna go into EvergladeCity Cabangus.
What is that?
How do you say it?
What's the name of that passagethat's right below Canvas?
Rainfart.
Vanessa (27:15):
Matanzas?
Matanzas is farther north.
The passage at Everglades City.
Right below, Marco.
Tinsley (27:25):
I had local knowledge on it.
Here it is.
Here it is.
I'm gonna bring it up.
Okay.
Vanessa (27:33):
Trying to figure out what you're talking about if
you're over a little sharp rivernorth of it.
Tinsley (27:38):
It's right here.
You see this right here?
It's right here.
So you just come out of Marco,and then instead of going all
the way around Cape Ravano, youcan come in right here.
It has to be a high tide.
I've done it.
And you come in here.
It gets a little sketchy atthis.
(28:01):
I can't remember exactly where.
But you go right.
Yeah, Marco's right here.
If I had it would be shorter ifI didn't have such a high mass,
you could get under this bridgehere, but that bridge is not
for me.
But see how short it would beto come right here.
But I got some local knowledge.
(28:23):
I stay at that marina.
You're right in though overthere.
So if you go all the way outhere, believe it or not, it
takes about an hour.
unknown (28:34):
Yeah.
Tinsley (28:35):
Then you come out here, and instead of going all the
way around Cape Romano, you cango in right here.
I got that from a local captainat the marina.
He said high tide, stay in themarkers.
How long is it?
Yeah, it's a shortcut rightthere.
Vanessa (28:49):
That information.
Tinsley (28:50):
It takes three or four hours.
Vanessa (28:51):
And then we come in here.
Remember that little oldhurricane that hit Fort Myers
last year?
Tinsley (29:01):
I'll check on it.
I'm not gonna rule it out.
But what are you trying toaccomplish, Golden?
It did take a lot of time off.
Where are you gonna go?
To Goodland.
I've done it.
Why are you going to Goodland?
Because uh Key West John meetsme there.
He actually wants to skip that.
He wants to go to Everglades.
I can't seem to find it.
(29:22):
That's not far down.
And we've done that too.
Vanessa (29:25):
Keep coming down.
Come back over towards theGulf.
Look for a little shark river.
Let me put it in.
Tinsley (29:33):
It wasn't that far away.
So we go there.
Check Alaska Bay.
And then come out.
Maybe it's right here.
Anyway.
Vanessa (29:49):
We're not looking at a chart, so it's hard to tell.
If you're gonna go all the wayback in there instead of going
out of Marco.
One, it's gonna take you longerto get to get it.
Tinsley (30:01):
I've done it both ways.
I've done that.
Yeah, I'm going to marathon.
I've gone directly to QS fromFort Captiva.
I've gone many times from Marcoto QS or Marco to Marathon more
than anything.
In 2023, I met John atGoodland, and it really broke
the trip up a little more.
(30:22):
It wasn't 18 hours.
It's more 14 hours.
And that was nice.
John loves to go intoEverglades City.
And it's a tough one because ithas a big old tide to it, three
or four knots.
You pull it up, and you got it.
I said, I'm not gonna do itmyself again because the boat
got pulled right out of myhands.
There was a painter that cameover and helped me out.
(30:44):
There's no deck cancer.
So anyway.
Vanessa (30:49):
You gotta remember a couple of things when you're
going in there this year.
There was a big, hugehurricane.
Area right over there.
That was a little bit farther,and I don't know that you're
necessarily gonna be able to getall the way up there during
this team tide.
The other thing to remember isthat the lobster pots are out
(31:15):
now, and the stone crab potswill be as well, and there's
gonna be a lot more stone crabpots closer in.
A lot of the fishermen getlobster pots out.
They didn't put lobster potsout, they waited to be able to
put stone crab pots out.
So stone crab pots are gonna beplentiful, they're not as easy
to see.
They're spread out a little bitdifferently, but they're in a
(31:38):
little bit deeper water, each 10feet, and that's gonna go out a
little bit further this yearthan what you've seen before.
The tip all the way back up.
Tinsley (31:48):
In the meantime, I need to get to tarpon springs.
Vanessa (31:53):
You're gonna have a good tread now.
Probably gonna be Monday.
12 to 14 knots is not bad.
Just put more road out.
Make sure you got a good holdon it, put more road out, do an
eight or a ten to one purchase.
Let's see.
And see where y'all.
Yeah.
I'll check it out in themorning.
(32:13):
And tuck up in the corner upthere, and with 14 knots, you're
good.
Because you've then got thenext day where it's relatively
calm to go from Cedar Key toTarpon Springs.
And the wind is going to bewalking around out of the north
for you.
You couldn't ask for that to bemuch calmer and do a much
better thing.
It's going to flip to the westreal quick, not for very long,
(32:36):
and then it's going to come outof the north.
What's that going to do to thewaves?
It'll be fine where you arethere once you're down past
Cedar Key.
It won't have a chance to buildup.
So it's the second day when thebreeze starts building more
after Tuesday when those seasare going to pick up some, but
they're going to be pushing you.
You're going to be goingdownwind by that time.
(32:58):
You'll be going well.
That could be a lot of fun.
Because you're still talkingless than 20.
You're not talking about 18 to20 until uh Thursday morning.
Yeah.
Fight over there.
So that's why you've got somegood running time and some light
(33:18):
stuff.
Keep the kiddies hat.
I called a captain in CedarKey.
Tinsley (33:24):
And uh it was a woman, and she's she was a racer and
everything before.
She runs a couple of commercialboats.
They're not sailboats, but shehas a sailing background.
I asked her about the channeland she said, You'll be fine.
I'll be coming in at high tide.
But I don't even think it wasthat important that it's exact
high tide or anything.
(33:44):
No, not Cedar Key.
I looked at Swanee and that wasa no-go.
It'd be nice to be tucked up inthere, but there's a lot of
things that are different overthere now.
I lost her.
Yeah.
She's gone.
(34:05):
I'll probably look at leavingtomorrow, but I'll probably do
it Monday.
Anyway, that's it.
It's just just gap and Vanessalecturing me.
She's got good suggestions.
We'll just go ahead and end itthere.
Salt you banned.
We're out.
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