Geoff Schultz wrote in
:

The first thing that confused me was where they were. I've only been
up
and down that section of coast 2 times and I've never considered
approaching Marathon from the Gulf side. Maybe I would do it now with
30,000+ miles under my keel, but conditions would have to be perfect.
Not on my first real trip in the dark with 8' seas and 20+ kts of wind.



After talking live with Lydia long after the event and having been dead
exhausted and confused myself, luckily in deep water, I can understand
what happened. They lost focus mixed with a little panic attack. It's
that simple. I'm near Skip's age and in good condition compared to
others I know. My limits in big water are about 12-14 hours before I've
had it. I wouldn't sail out there with just a woman my age for relief.
I know, I know, lots do it and get away with it. Old and bold? I also
think approaching Marathon from that side was the way wrong decision and
would have said so to them had I known about it, even in the best
conditions...it's TOO CLOSE TO THE BOTTOM!

Anyone looking at a "chart", made years ago even if you just bought it,
needs a reality check. Today, that's gotten real easy, Google Earth,
whos pictures are only a few months old of the USA and updated regularly.
In the Keys, you can SEE the bottom and the reefs and the flow of the
currents from the trails in the bottom. Put in Marathon, FL and take a
look at it. What a TERRIBLE place to go sailing! This area would be
awful in a flats boat! Running aground with a 6' keel is inevitable, not
just a chance. Google Earth is free from http://earth.google.com/ Look
at the bottom where YOU sail.

Larry
--
Democracy is when two wolves and a sheep vote on who's for dinner.
Liberty is when the sheep has his own gun.

On Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:03:10 -0500, Larry wrote:

Put in Marathon, FL and take a
look at it. What a TERRIBLE place to go sailing! This area would be
awful in a flats boat! Running aground with a 6' keel is inevitable, not
just a chance. Google Earth is free from http://earth.google.com/ Look
at the bottom where YOU sail.

It's not quite that bad. We've run both north and south from Marathon
never seeing less than 7 feet or so. You do have to be careful
however and stay very close to your route. Sailing it would not be
advisable except in ideal conditions.

If there is one single lesson to be learned from this, I think it is
to be *very* wary of becoming fatigued, particularly in bad conditions
and close quarters. I've had some personal experience with this and
it is all to easy to find yourself making questionable decisions after
you've been on the go for a day or two. I don't want to sound like
I'm second guessing, but there are any number of good places to seek
shelter from an easterly coming south along Florida's west coast.

There was a case in the northeast a number of years ago where a woman
was sailing transatlantic from England to Newport, Rhode Island.
After several days of fog and rough weather she made a navigational
error, mistaking Pt Judith Light for Brenton Tower. After
successfully sailing over 3,000 miles, she parked the boat on the
rocks at Pt Judith.