From Acorn To Arabella.
In this episode, we sail Arabella over to the clear, blue waters of the Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles west of Key West. Starting from the Ten Thousand Islands, we hit Key West for provisions, hot showers, and to pick up the parts we need to get our auto helm installed. It was a whirlwind stop—less than 24 hours, and it was time to get going for an overnight sail to the Dry Tortugas.
The sail to the Dry Tortugas was magnificent, with a steady 10–15 knots pushing us right to the country’s least-visited national park. As we approached Fort Jefferson, we were grateful to get hailed on the radio by a fan with some helpful information about anchoring in the Dry Tortugas.
In the Dry Tortugas, the sound of nesting brown and black noddies, terns, and migrating Magnificent Frigate birds made for some soothing white noise, while the hermit crabs on land gave Robin a real delight. We anchored on the west side of Fort Jefferson, where we had plenty of privacy and easy access to shore.
The snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas was second to none. First, we took Victoria over to Bird Key for some creative snorkeling—with such a strong current, we decided to stay tethered to the tender while floating the current on a paddleboard. Then we spent time over at Loggerhead Key snorkeling Africa Reef, which was abundant with marine life. We saw barracuda, about a million tropical fish, neon-colored coral, and even a spiny Florida lobster!
With shifting winds, we decided to move the boat over to the east side of Fort Jefferson, where the anchorage was much more lively. Seaplanes come and go, the ferry arrives like clockwork, and… Goliath Groupers visit Arabella with regularity.
The sunsets on the Dry Tortugas were so mesmerizing, that even Akiva took to lying on the side deck to take them in 😉
Being in such clear, clean water makes it a perfect time to get our Spectra water maker back online. The water maker has been offline since we were docked in Harwichport last winter. There are no resources in the Dry Tortugas—no water, food, or fuel—so getting the water maker back online allowed us to extend our stay in this tropical paradise, without worrying about staying hydrated.
Another big project that we’ve been stuck on is the auto-helm. We tried to get this installed back in Boothbay before heading south for the winter, but didn’t have the right parts. While it was discouraging to realize that we STILL didn’t have what we needed to get the auto helm installed…we DID come up with a plan, and it’s a good one that requires a little help from a friend. SV Seeker, SV Seeker, SV Seeker, this is sailing vessel Arabella…come back!
Stay tuned to find out how we solve our auto helm installation issue…
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38′ wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin’s Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel’s gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat—sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they’ve built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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