"Skip Gundlach" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, Hawk Channel is very narrow, so tacking was out of
the question, and, worse, has day marks only to show where we
should be staying, even if we were to "drive" (motor vs. sail)
it. That meant that we'd not be able to navigate it in the dark.


Hawk Channel is anything but narrow. You obviously weren't even IN Hawk
Channel if you make such a stupid claim. For everybody's information, Hawk
Channel is anything from three to five miles wide the entire way from Miami
to Key West with the exception of a small choke point of a couple of miles
in and around Fowey Rocks light. It consists of the area between the
outlying barrier reef and the Keys. Plenty of water there to tack to one's
heart's desire. Skippy is a liar! Obviously makes up more sailing tales
than he actually lives. And, for your further edification, the Gulf Stream
current rarely comes to within three to five miles of the barrier reef. And,
in most places, the reef itself is no barrier to a sailboat that draws five
feet or so. One can tack his way across the reef back and forth in most
places. In many places the reef is ten to twelve feet beneath the surface at
MLW. It's a hazard to shipping but to small sailing yachts it's not much of
a problem. Time to get real Skippy. Your lies about the Florida Keys will be
exposed by yours truly because, like many places up and down the East Coast
and the Gulf Coast and the Florida Keys and the entire Bahamas chain, I've
spent years being there doing that.

Wilbur Hubbard