The Perfect Storm: Tracking in Rough Water Field Notes from Susan Butler Click on image to view the weather loop of the storm Credit: Intellicast Susan Butler   Ready to Launch I arrived at POI marina, got the boat ready for launching and loaded the tracking equipment on board. While doing this I observed that the winds were gusty and there was a chop on the water in the marina and surrounding canals. My volunteer helper for the day was Bill Hammond (my father) and upon his arrival we launched the boat. We were anxious to get on the water and begin radio-tracking as we knew that there was going to be some bad weather moving in from the Gulf and it was predicted to come ashore in the early afternoon hours. We were going out to look for Anna, Gulliver, and Actual. Jim Reid had called me earlier with the latest satellite locations. Anna and Gulliver plotted in the Hog and Whitehorse Key areas and Actual plotted near Round Key. As we headed out the Faka Union Canal we checked the salinities at various points. Salinities ranged from 6ppt at POI, 25ppt at Faka Union Bay and 32ppt at the outer islands. Winds Picking Up On our journey out we observed that the winds were picking up and the water was becoming rougher. We decided it would be best to cut out of the channel and go around the back side of Panther Key because we knew it would not be as rough a trip. As we came around Panther Key we crossed paths with fellow biologist, Terry Doyle from the FWS, who was heading out to Panther Key to check for turtle nesting sites. We spoke briefly with him and made sure that each of us knew what was coming weather wise. We continued on our way toward Hog Island and began receiving some signals from Gulliver's tag. The signals were in the direction of Hog and Whitehorse Key. We decided to try to go out and around the Gulf side of Whitehorse Key to see if we could pick up signals from any of the other tags. We did not get very far out before we began encountering 4-6 ft. waves and the waves were rapidly growing. They were too large for our boat to take on so we quickly turned around and made our way in behind Whitehorse Key. Listening for Signals NEED CAPTION Credit: FWC We anchored and listened for signals from any of the tags but heard nothing. At this point we observed that the wind was definitely picking up, the water was becoming even more rough, and there were several dangerous looking storm cells to the southeast and southwest of us. We decided to head around the back side of Hog Key and listen for signals and then continue back to POI. About this time I received a call from my mother in Fort Myers who was terribly concerned for our safety. They were getting horrendous storms there and she had seen on the weather channel that there were bad storms heading for us.....she wanted us to be safe and off the water! I assured her that we were O.K. and would be heading back in soon. As we came around the back side of Hog Key we began receiving signals from Gulliver's transmitter again. Now it was a challenge.....could we find him within our window of safety? About this time a boat waved us down. The couple aboard (who had been fishing and were heading back to safety before the approaching storms) told us there was a tagged manatee along the shoreline of Panther Key and pointed to an approximate location. We had been getting strong signals from Gulliver but the wind driven waves were making his exact location hard to find. Thankfully, between their helpful information and our tracking gear, we found Gulliver pretty quickly and were able to observe him while he milled along the shoreline of Panther Key. He was alone and his tag looked in good shape as it bobbed up and down in the waves. Dangerous Weather Approaching We had been observing him for about 20 minutes when we realized that the dangerous weather was approaching rapidly. The storm cells from the SE were now converging with those from the SW and beginning a swirling motion which was all coming in on us quickly. It was then that we realized that we needed to leave immediately. We headed back around Panther Key and to the channel heading into POI. I made a radio call to Terry Doyle to check on his whereabouts and make sure he was heading in as well. He had seen the same thing we had and quickly left Panther Key to make his dash back to Goodland. He was also trying to outrun the storm! We agreed we would call each other back when at the safety of our vehicles. We encountered several bouts of rain on our way back in and watched what looked like a "wall" of heavy rain follow behind us as we traveled up the Faka Union Canal. We were able to stay ahead of that and when we got to the boat ramp we very quickly pulled the boat out of the water and unloaded our equipment before the rain started again. At the marina office I learned from the dockmaster that all of the electricity had been knocked out there and to all of the residents in the area. He also told me that tornados had touched down in Naples and Everglades City. It was then that I realized the severity of the weather we had just encountered. It also made me realize how fortunate we had been for the help of the folks who approached us with the sighting of Gulliver and that we had friends and family to check on our safety when on the water! All in all.....another day in the field! Try This! Journaling Question Have you ever been caught in a storm? On land? In the water? What steps would you take to get to a place of safety?   Copyright 2003 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form