Irma has left the building; how did she treat us??

Better late than never, post-Irma update. We tell you how M/V Aqua-Cultured fared during the storm, where we evacuated, what happened to our hotel, and how the boats were all sitting on the bottom due to the reverse storm surge.

[@ironichumorist]

As a kid I lived in North Palm. Many years later (2001) I moved back to FL in the Clearwater area for work. Having lived in Charleston, SC and Hilton Head Island, SC I can honestly say there is no place like the Florida Gulf Coast. From the Tampa area down to Marco it is just beautiful. If I can ever swing it I would love to spend some time cruising all the gunk holes and passes in that area. It's nice to see some footage of my old stomping grounds.

[@AquaCultured]

100% The Florida Gulf Coast is hard to beat, particularly the area you mentioned. I am so fortunate and grateful for being able to grow up there!

[@Judgementcomingsoon]

Wow, great news, so glad you 2 are safe and that Aqua-Cultured faired so well indeed.Whoop whoop

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks so much Claire!

[@lasserichardt2260]

I am so happy to hear both of you are allright and thanks for the update .......... looking forward to hear more from you :-)

[@AquaCultured]

Thank you Lasse!

[@michaelshort9543]

I have been enjoying your posts, so happy to hear everyone got through that hurricane relatively unscathed. Looking forward to watching your continued adventures. I have a 42-foot trawler up on Vancouver Island, so I always have my eyes open for tips and tricks when it comes to cruising!

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks very much Michael. We are very happy to have you aboard, and hope that we provide you with some helpful tidbits. I would love to visit Vancouver Island sometime! What make trawler do you have?

[@LetsGoOutdoors]

She is a Universal Litton Trawler, built in 1986. Twin 130 Perkins engines. Cruising up in the pacific northwest I'm sure would be a different experience, for sure. I have only been at it for five-years and would love to try some cruising in the southern waters!

[@kevlarandchrome]

Hi, found your channel tonight, watched your videos, and you've got a new subscriber. Really glad you made it through without serious damage. I'm in St. Pete myself, lived here for the last 30 years. I'm a full time RVer, and much like you I didn't know if I was going to come back to a pile of scrap when I had to evac. Thankfully all that happened was it tore out a bush on my lot that I've been meaning to dig out anyway, and I was out of power for a week. I don't know what gods are watching over Pinellas during storm season, but I hope they keep it up. I've been thinking of switching out the 5th wheel for a boat. You've got a good way of explaining things, so I'm looking forward to your future videos and what I can learn from them.

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks so much kevlarandchrome! And please accept our apology for the delayed response. Glad you made it through the storm unscathed as well. We certainly have lived in a hurricane force-field in Pinellas, I hope it stays strong for many more years! We really appreciate you following along, and hope you are still hanging with us!

[@harvey604journeyman8]

Just checking in to see how things are going. I see you guys have not posted in a while! Wondering if you are no longer posting to your channel? I really enjoyed what you have done so far, and was looking forward to viewing more. I also see that your "Radar Arch" is hinged for low clearance passages, at some point will you be showing the step by step project videos like the operation of how that works. "Fair winds and tight lines" to you both. :)

[@AquaCultured]

Hi Harvey! So sorry for the absence, we are back! Just posted a video a day ago and we are currently uploading a bonus video. Yes, the radar arch is hinged, but I don't know if we will ever use that option. If we find ourselves needing the clearance, we will definitely document the process. Thanks so much for joining us, and we hope you continue to do so.

[@dalemorris8609]

Ocean City, MD. Inlet was formed by " North Eastern. They didn't call them hurricane back then. 😮

[@cnev3824]

GOOD TO SEE YAS MADE IT THROUGH OK

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks Chris!

[@joemack1884]

That strip of wood, if it is quarter round and you are going to paint it white they make plastic quarter round available at lowes, it is white and will never need maintenance

[@AquaCultured]

That would be an awesome fix, but unfortunately the teak on both sides of the windshield are one piece, carved from the same section of wood. So I would need to saw off the little bullnose rail on the outer side of the acrylic in order to replace it with the plastic quarter-round.

[@gvc56100]

that white plastic will yellow from the uv rays in a season...

[@michaelrutledge7048]

Yes, that activity of a hurricane creating the channel as John's Pass is called 'scour'... an awesome display of the power of the sea. In coastal construction, those areas (passes) are known as 'velocity zones' due to the incredible movement of water.

[@AquaCultured]

You got it my friend!

[@keyster1234]

Really glad to see that all is well for the AC team! I lived in Gulfport in the summer/fall of 1991 when I had gone to FL to visit my folks who had just moved there. I actually worked at the Sand Pebble on Treasure Island and the Island Sands on Madeira Beach. They were timeshare hotels there at the time. Interesting coincidence that I would happen to end up following your series when you're anchored there. Really appreciate that you go to the trouble of making the videos. We've never owned even a small boat so your series is going a long way towards helping us learn! We plan to have our first dinghy before next summer! It's our first tiny step towards making life aboard a reality. If we can't take care of a dinghy then we may want to reconsider the idea of a yacht, eh? Please let us know how we can support your cause through the purchase of hats or t-shirts or whatever you have going on. Thanks again!

[@AquaCultured]

Thank you very much kb1617! The Sand Pebble, near and dear to my heart. I have been a skimboarding enthusiast since I was about 7 years old, and the Sand Pebble to this day has always been the spot to go around here. And I was actually floating off the Sand Pebble this evening watching the sunset from the dinghy. Small world. Super glad to hear that we are providing some helpful information for you. Always a good idea to start small and work your way up, and you will! You will always pine for the next bigger vessel, and then one day you will all of a sudden be living aboard. We will definitely let you know how to buy some Aqua-Cultured apparel and gear, that's coming very soon! Thanks for the support!!

[@harvey604journeyman8]

Preparation is half the battle .... Ameera and yourself obviously did your part to secure Aqua-Cultured....and a little good luck is added in the mix as well.

[@AquaCultured]

You got it! Preparation and luck are certainly a good recipe for survival. Thanks!

[@amyg1957]

Thanks for the detailed update Captain. Question, how does all the water running out of the bay and all the boats sitting on the bottom affect the running gear of boats without full length keels?

[@AquaCultured]

Hi Amy! So sorry for the delayed response. For the most part, I believe the soft mucky bottom spared the running gear on the boats. I did not hear of anyone having any issues after. However, we just had another major low tide, possibly lower than Irma's, so we will see what comes of it. Alot of the boats were sitting high and dry on the running gear, so, there is a chance that the weight of the boat on the gear may mess things up a bit. We are uploading a video right now showing this latest major low tide.

[@kevinparker7953]

I've been looking for this video everyday. I'm sooooo relieved to hear you and the boat made it through unscathed. Since my boating has been in the Pacific Northwest it seems peculiar (but understandable) to hear a boater looking forward to cold weather. I appreciate the educational and common sense aspect you bring to your videos Butch, as well as taking the time and effort to interact with your audience in the comment section. I look forward to enjoying your videos for years to come. Best wishes to you and Amira from a fan in Canada.

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks again so very much Kevin! Yeah imagine that, I am not a fan of cold weather whatsoever, but I always look forward to giving my nerves (and air-conditioners) a bit of rest once the cold fronts dominate the forecast. We really appreciate your support Kevin.

[@captred_beard4588]

hope all is well. havent seen yall go through my subsciptions so i thought id check in with yall

[@AquaCultured]

We appreciate you checking in on us! And obviously you saw that we are back, hence the comment on the latest vid ;)

[@buffettfanman]

Or you could oil it and then all you would need to do is apply blue tape to the white surface and use a small sponge and give it a quick wipe with oil

[@AquaCultured]

If only I didn't despise the blue taping process as much as I do.

[@heywa01]

Happy to hear everything went well for you and your friends........... It was nice of you to help your friends out like that....

[@AquaCultured]

Thank you Byron! We know our friends would have done the same for us. Boat families are the best.

[@keyster1234]

Also meant to say that I feel very fortunate that no hurricanes visited FL when I was there! I was oblivious of them then. Keep up the good work!

[@Lou_Zasil]

grow thy beard further down your neck under thy chin.

[@AquaCultured]

I've tried, too itchy for me

[@noobpvptv5176]

I noticed you don't run solar. Is that by choice?

[@AquaCultured]

No solar currently, but am definitely planning to in the near future.

[@JCAJCA3]

Very happy to see you guys did well! GOD bless. JC

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks JCA!

[@richardbohlingsr3490]

Happy to hear that the boat weathered the storm very well. Will not take too much work getting her back to ship shape. As far as sitting on the bottom if your bottom is soft, the props, shafts and rudders should be ok. Happy sailing.

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks Richard. Yeah I am not worried about the running gear at all, the bottom in our marina is just a pile of muck!

[@AquaCultured]

I guess I should have said that all of the boats in the marina were sitting soft on the bottom! ;)

[@mattf49006]

glad you guys made it ok...thanks for the update

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks Matt!

[@buffettfanman]

Glad you and the boat made it! Stay safe

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks so much buffettfanman!

[@kelzescape986]

Good to see you made it fine through hurricane season especially since today is the final day for 2017. Kelly and I are working our way out of typical home life and moving onto the boat for the next untold number of years living in the Key's and up and down the east coast. We just started our channel and are documenting our adventures. Enjoyed watching our video's!

[@AquaCultured]

Hi Kelz Escape, so sorry for the major delay in responding. We will definitely check out your channel! Thanks so much for following. Hope to see you out on the water

[@mitchcopeland8693]

Glad to hear all is well !

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks Mitch!

[@jacklabloom635]

Great job on securing your boat. Glad you made it through the hurricane without suffering any serious damage.

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks Jack! We are so happy to have made it through another hurricane season!

[@cyclomaniac9086]

Great Video...

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks Cyclomaniac

[@frankrice5364]

Glad y,all did well

[@AquaCultured]

Thanks Frank!

[@natersthegamer1953]

What boat do you have?

[@natersthegamer1953]

Nvm, Found it. 44' Bluewater :)

[@AquaCultured]

44' DeFever POC

[@debbiewack9543]

Ok it’s a 5yo video