Sailing Through John’s Pass
This past weekend we decided to forego our usual route to the Gulf of Mexico (via Passe-a-Grille) and opted to head north on the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW). The plan was to exit into the Gulf from John’s Pass, then sail south and hang a left through Passe-a-Grille and back to the slip before sunset. The northerly route up the ICW was a chance to see some new sights- think running commentary by the whole family ala HGTV on architectural design and house color choices , as well as a chance to go under three draw bridges. With all due respect to anyone who has been an impatient motorist waiting for a bridge, there is some allure to being the reason a bridge is opening. I think it is a little bit Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, whispering under your breath “open sesame!” as the bridge slowly pulls up on its massive gears and opens before our little sailboat.
Magical incantations aside, many of the bridges have a set opening schedule every 15 min – 30 min, depending on the bridge. We used the aptly named website drawbridgeahead.com to check the schedules so we could time our passages. First up was Corey Causeway, a bright blue bridge just north of our marina. Dave gave a courtesy hail on VHF Channel 9 to confirm we were requesting an opening at the next scheduled time. We held our position about 10 minutes watching all the little power boats tuck under the closed bridge without clearance concerns, then waited for the bridge opening routine to commence— the lowering of gates to stop traffic, the horn that signals the bridge is opening, and watching as the bridge splits in two and its sections slowly move upwards. We motor through the opened bridge, admiring the gears and hydraulics that make up the underbelly of the structure, and give a wave to the draw bridge operator perched up in his control room on one of the bridge’s pillars.
Next was the Treasure Island Causeway, which we timed just perfectly and only had to hold position for less than 5 minutes before the bridge opened. The last bridge was John’s Pass. This draw bridge doesn’t have a set opening schedule since strong currents in the passageway make it difficult to hold a position waiting for a fixed opening time. We hailed the bridge about a quarter of a mile away and tucked on through to the Gulf of Mexico.
It was a beautiful day out on the Gulf with winds 10-12 knots out the north. It was also a nice breeze to test out our recently-installed autopilot system. Heading south towards Passe-a-Grille, we checked the depths on the charts, then programmed the autopilot on a southerly course of sail. The autopilot comes with a remote (seen below on a strap around Dave’s neck). We both went up to the bow to sit and enjoy the sail, adjusting the boat slightly via the remote control when we encountered an upcoming crab pot in our path. We joked it was like sailing on a cruise with a paid captain!
Sailing Salema 