Scott here! Long day is over! We have had longer, but we had one major challenge. Let’s start with how the planning went.

Plan v ACTUAL
Start at: 7:00 am ACTUAL 7:05 AM
End at: 6:00 pm ACTUAL 5:25 PM
Total Time: 11:00 hours (10:24 travel time + bridge and no wake zones) ACTUAL 10:17 HOURS
Distance: 93.7 miles

What happened today?? Let’s start with our first minor challenge. Our air draft (the part of the boat above the water) is 20’9″. We had to go under three bridges this morning to get to the Gulf. First one, 24′ no big deal. Second one is 18′, but I read you should add 4′. I called the bridge tender, and he said the same. Rita kept watch, and we had room to spare. No problem!

Bridge #3 was 17′ so we had to have that one opened. It was just opened on our way there, and that bridge tender wanted to get traffic through, so we waited. As it opened, we got pulled by the current and were way out of position.

Stay calm Scott! I set up again and the current takes me again. Stay calm and pray. We get through, but I need to give her some more RPM’s to make sure the current doesn’t push us into the walls as there is not a lot of room to spare. We made it. Looking into the Gulf we are seeing white caps, and I start second guessing our plan. I see on the charts there is pretty shallow water on each side of the channel getting out to the Gulf and am guessing that is why we are seeing white caps. I was right!

Once we take a left to head south it is pretty smooth. Wind at our backs, and we surf down some swell (thus the 14-mph max speed!)

Now the major issue of the day. TONS and TONS of crab pots most of the way. I missed seeing one, feel the starboard engine shake, Rita looks back and see’s us pulling a crab pot!! Darn it!! How did I miss that?? Slow down and turn the engines off.

We recently read online where a veteran looper suggested backing up to get the crab pot off. Another veteran boater (don’t know if he was a looper or not) said don’t do that, you will damage your equipment. Putting the engines in reverse didn’t see like the right thing to do. Now what?

I brought my wetsuit and goggles for a reason! Time to don the equipment and take my first swim in the Gulf for this trip! I stay by the swim platform waiting for Rita to let me know when we have a lull in the swells for me to go under the boat and check-out the damage.

Yep, I see the line and white/yellow buoy. Back up, think to myself I really need to work on holding my breath while underwater. Then I get a knife from Rita and wait for her to give me the go ahead to go back under. Big breath and down I go.

I was able to cut the line and drop the pot on the first go around. It took about 3-4 more times going under to cut the buoy loose, and a final time to go under to make sure I got it all.

Now the swim ladder really isn’t accessible with the dinghy in the way. How to get back on the boat?? Tie a line to make a loop to step into and simply climb back on board. Easy peasy!

I did injure by left foot a little by kicking the prop to get some more air at one point. Just some scratches, a little hydrogen peroxide and tea tree oil and I’ll be fine!!

Look how small those darn things are!! They don’t just drop them in a straight line and if there are crab someplace, multiple fishermen will drop their pots in the same area. It really is a mine field. I feel bad for any crab that were in the pot and for the fisherman losing his equipment, but I am happy we had NO damage and were able to move on after removing it.