This is a story titled, The Sponge Adventure. Captain Bob and his two mates, Dave and Amos fish the Gulf out of Key West in Bob’s sea-going Trawler, Sea Breeze. Captain Bob and Dave are about take Dave’s skipjack sail boat out for a couple of days trial run to do some sponge fishing.
The Sponge Adventure
Next morning at David’s boat dock...
Hey Cap’n! How you doing?”
“I’m all set, wife says ok, and I got my gear in this overnight satchel. The boat sure looks good, especially with those two sails we set up. What’s the plan?” Bob asked.
“Well, you see, it’s going to be easy. We just hook the winch to the front of the boat, and then pull it forward just a bit. Then we take the chocks out from under the rear and winch her down.
“Well, David, I’ll make sure the “ways” is clear. How about the water depth? I’m sure it’s been years since anything has been launched from here.”
“Thanks for reminding me, Capt’n, but I’m ahead of you. I waded out and shoveled off the track last evening. It drops off real quick.”
They hooked the winch cable to the front of the boat.
“Crank...ah, crank...ah, crank...ah.”
“You didn't tell me that this was a manual crank, David,” Bob exclaimed.
“You know Capt’n, I don’t make enough money to go first class!” He laughed.
“You don’t? What happened to your bonus?”
“That is invested in the food we’re going to eat on this expedition!” David stated.
“Well, this winch does have a safety, and it locks both ways. That helps.”
The boat winched down slowly and then floated.
“Hold her there, Capt’n. I’m going to row the sponge skiff over, and tie it to the rear of the skipjack.”
“Ok Capt’n, come on in, and we’ll unhook her, and catch a breeze.”
“Aye, aye! Captain David.”
“Let’s get the centerboard* down...There’s enough clearance in this inlet,” David ordered meekly. “Just turn that crank, and then pop in those two stops. They’ll keep the board down. You can see those other adjustments.”
“It’s nice and cozy inside,” Bob exclaimed. “You just have to watch out for your head at times.”
“Up sails, Bob! You get the fore and I’ll take the aft,” David said.
They sailed down the channel and out into the harbor. The two sails began to fill out nicely. David was in the rear on the tiller.
“Bob, you just have to watch out for this main-sail’s boom when it crosses over from side to side. We’ll each say something when the man at the tiller has to tack.”*
“All right, Captain David, I’m starting to get the hang of operating the sails. That upper boom on the main sail sure spreads a lot of canvas!”
“We’ll go around Dredgers Key right there,” David said as he pointed. “Into Garrison Bight channel, and then northeast up the sound side. It’s about 15 miles up to the north side of Big Torch Key. I figure up there we’d do a sponge fishing dry run. I would like to try the Niles Channel if we can get into it. We ought to be up there around lunchtime.”
“David, we’ll have to keep in mind the water hues. I’m sure you know all of them. Black water is rocks or grass clumps, and white water is a shallow or coral bottom. Red is a sand bar, no-crossing-steer-clear, and yellow or light green is a narrow channel good only for a boat that draws only a couple of feet. And last, dark-green and blue are deep water.”
“Thanks, Bob, It’s a good review. I’ll keep a sharp lookout.”
They began to enter the many small keys and mangrove islands north of Big Coppitt Key.
“Let’s see your charts, David,” Bob said with a question in his voice.
“They are inside the cabin on that shelf on the right.”
“Pretty good charts. We can use the channel markers, land marks, compass and dead reckoning to plot our position. Actually we’ll have to keep our wits about us with all these mangrove islands, sand flats, and sea grass. Of course we don’t have to worry about tying up the propeller with sea grass. There’s no prop!”
They were fortunate the wind was from the south and west. It was pushing them fine. A few times the centerboard scraped, and they scrambled to raise it up some so it would clear the bottom.
“Hey Dave, I looked in the bilge.* It looks like we’ve taken in a little water. But I think the planks are swelling and it is slowing down.”
“Bob, If you will take the tiller, I will work the hand pump, and you can see where it is for your turn. Keep a watch on the main boom. Don’t let it hit your head, especially if it tacks to the other side. I’m also going to inspect all parts of the boat.”
“Aye! Aye! Captain David.”
“Its been about three hours. We’ve just past Sugarloaf Key. We’ll be turning to the south-southeast in about three miles. Everything looks good around the boat from stem to stern,” David exclaimed proudly.
“Captain David, how about taking the tiller, and I’ll dig up some sandwiches from the ice chest,” Bob remarked.
“Sounds good, Bob,” Dave replied.
“There are the channel markers, Captain David,” Bob pointed.
“We’ll tack here. Watch the boom!” David warned. “There’s the bridge up ahead.”
“Here’s your sandwich and a Coke. Captain, what you thinking of doing?”
How about going west of Big Torch Key in the Niles channel getting close, but not too close, to the bridge and anchoring? It’s about 5-6 feet according to the charts. We’ll finish our sandwiches. Then we’ll take the skiff under the bridge into the 9 foot water on the other side, and have a look at the bottom.
They pulled the skiff up to the rear of the skipjack.
“This is a neat skiff, David. I guess the pole with the three long hooks Is to snatch up the sponges from the bottom.”
“Yep,” Dave answered.
“What is this ladder arrangement?” Bob asked.
“Well, Bob, you can lean on it as you scull the oar, and we’ll hang the sponge pole across it. The hooked end goes between the two uprights in the front of the skiff.”
From the Author:
My second full-length book , Florida Keys’ Watercolor Kapers is composed of 336 pages. There are 12 stories running from 6 pages to as many as 72 pages. It is fully illustrated with 88 watercolors and sketches. The watercolors I made roaming around Key West after I finished my 750 mile hike from Georgia to Key West. (See book or Don Browne’s SouthWest Florida Online News records, A Walk Across Florida.) As you read these stories you will experience Key West, the Keys, and the Caribbean. These stories span the time of the early 1800’s to 1969. bkranich.wixsite.com/bobkranich
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