Trawling the ICW, day 11
I'm basically a blue jeans kind of guy, and summer is typically well advanced before I trade in my blue jeans for shorts. But on this my last day of the trip, even I had to drag out my shorts. It was a beautiful warm day on the ICW, with a south wind to keep things from getting too hot. This was Florida weather at it's best. The water had changed, too. The standard ICW gray water and mud beaches were rapidly turning into clearer blue water and sand beaches. The houses were changing, too. Instead of the occasional mansion, there was one mansion after another. Palm Beach seems to be "ego row" when it comes to real estate. After an easy half day on the water, we pulled into what would be for me my final stop of the trip. I would return to Charleston to pick up my car, and then drive back to Norfolk to resume my life as a working slob, and as a sailboat liveaboard.So, what did this "sailor" think of trawling? I found it curiously lacking in pain. I mean, on a cold wet day, sailor-types bundle up in foul weather gear and do battle with the elements. Trawler-types simply go inside and steer in relative comfort. Sailor types carefully trim sails and figure out which tack is favored when going upwind. Trawler-types simply drive the boat any direction they feel like, including (GASP!) straight into the wind. Sailor types impatiently wait for draw bridges to open. Trawler types simply motor under the bridge. Sailor types live in a somewhat "cave like" environment, down low inside a sailboat. Trawler types live a little higher above the water with a nice view of their surroundings. The list goes on and on. How could someone like me possibly get their fair share of abuse in a trawler? I don't have the answer to that question, but as I get older and as my body starts slowly falling apart, I may just be tempted to explore these types of questions in much greater detail. Trawlers are WAY cool.
It had been a great trip for me with Captain Frank and Di Di on Sea Smoke. I throughly enjoyed my trip down the ICW, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys coastal boating. I think you could easily spend several months per year over a period of several years exploring all the twists and turns and towns along the beautiful ICW.
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