Rising Star South

2011-07-18T16:02:00.007-04:00

Our new blog

2011-06-21T11:34:00.003-04:00

For those of you who did not delete themselves as followers of our first blog - surprise! Here is the new blog address: http://inbetweencontinents.blogspot.com

This one is land-based, so less trouble to get into and (hopefully) less money in repairs!

Friday the 13th

2010-08-14T13:37:00.003-04:00

We sold Rising Star today. Jim, her new owner (and long time blog follower) is taking her to Marathon, so I want to warn our friends there not to dingy up, knock on the hull and call out for De Anne or me.

The kitty needs to be fed - Soooo......Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's back to work I go.

I'll start a new blog when I retire again.

Jim and De Anne during the trial sail:

Bayfront Park

2010-08-09T10:35:00.005-04:00

Our tour of Bayfront Park:

That's no movie star - that's my wife:

Riding the MetroMover through downtown:

Crossing the river on the MetroMover car:

No free ice

2010-07-24T21:41:00.000-04:00

Tropical Storm Bonnie hit us Friday. After her passage I have been wandering the streets looking for FEMA.

Nobody cares about us survivors! The President has not even done a fly over. I can't find any free trailers, food, or water. To add insult to injury no one is even giving us free ice! How can I enjoy a G&T if I have to spend two dollars of my own money for a bag of ice?

Several hours of 40 mph winds and 18 inch waves and I can't find a shrink or even a social worker anywhere to discuss my feelings.

OK, perhaps I am being politically incorrect, and maybe karma will get me for it, but - gosh it was fun to dodge at least one of Mother Nature's bullets!

Things that go bump in the night

2010-07-19T13:58:00.005-04:00

Mother Nature gave us a reminder of what real power is on Friday morning - just past midnight. While not quite as forceful as the Thanksgiving storm last year in Marathon, it was quite a show.

In the morning I could see 7 boats had been "relocated". One boat in the mooring field broke it's mooring line (not the marina's line) and snuggled up to the bow of a catamaran, also in the mooring field. The marina crew was out at daybreak to untangle the two boats.

The other errant vessels found rocks and/or mangroves to rest against during the latter part of the storm.

During the height of the 30 minute thunderstorm waves 3 to 4 feet and about 10 to 12 feet apart were lashing the boat. When angry, waves quit gurgling and switch to a sinister hissing.

The bimini, which we had furled and strapped up, started to peel apart. I went out to the cockpit with a handful of bungee cords to get it back under control. Losing only 1 bungee cord I was able to get the fabric strapped down and get my bedraggled self back under the dodger.

As the lightning strikes came closer a boat in the mooring field was hit. I just happened to be looking in that direction and saw it. Instantly, just like a 4th of July sparkler, a shower of sparks flew from the mast. Some of the other strikes were just a few hundred yards away and I could feel the heat on my face with each close bolt.

We have enjoyed the strong sea breezes which have made summer here quite bearable; however, occasionally we get too much of a good thing.

I realized I have not shared pictures of Coconut Grove - so here are some downtown scenes about 2 blocks from Dinner Key marina:

Miami City Hall located next door to Dinner Key marina:

Merrick Park

2010-07-12T10:16:00.008-04:00

Just south of Coconut Grove we visited the most upscale, open-air shopping mall I have ever seen. The name of the place was quite pleasing - Merrick Park.

We have met a new friend in the mooring field. Normally I do not use last names on the blog to protect the prvicy of friends; however, Charles will forgive me. He closed a record production deal yesterday afternoon, but missed the last shuttle boat. He called me to pick him up and wanted to celebrate a bit so I took him back to our boat for a sundowner. After a couple he even sang for us.
Album cover from 1992:
Last night aboard:

Meanwhile, back on the boat, we are trying to find a crew position to keep De Anne entertained. So far no luck. Not many boats moving this time of year.

Squalls

2010-07-07T12:23:00.004-04:00

During the past week the number and intensity of squalls has increased. One particularly violent one hit about 2 a.m a few nights ago. While we are quite safe on a mooring some folks save the $300 per month mooring cost - choosing instead to anchor in less than ideal spots - with the following result:

On the Fourth the rain quit about 7:00 p.m. and from our vantage point on the mooring in Biscayne Bay we viewed the nearby fireworks at Bay Point and Peacock Park, plus the displays in downtown Miami, South Beach, Miami Beach, Key Biscayne, Cape Coral, and Homestead. Seeing all these displays kept our heads on a swivel.

Hour of Work, Day of Play

2010-06-17T11:29:00.004-04:00

We have spent the past two months trying to ignore the bottom of the boat. Finally, on Monday, we took turns diving with scraper in hand. Let me assure my readers that the aquatic flora and fauna of southern Florida is flourishing.

After about an hour of tag-teaming we had the bottom back to a semi-smooth condition; however the prop and shaft would wait for another day.

Tuesday we rewarded our hour of work on Monday with a trip to south beach. Note in the photo below that the young lady in the background had just raised her left arm as I snapped the picture allowing me to publish this picture in my G-rated blog. As you can see she is wearing all her clothes on her head.

The outboard came back from the shop and worked fine..... for 2 days. Only 3 items on the repair list today, but tomorrow is a new day.
Our view of downtown Miami:

Continuing repairs

2010-06-10T12:58:00.003-04:00

We got the refrigeration unit back and working again. Yeah!!

Under the tropical sun, the stitching in the dodger and bimini have deterorated. De Anne fixed the bimini, but the dodger required a heavy-duty sewing machine. We made a trip back to the UK sail loft where another boat buck ($100) fixed that problem.

I ordered the special glue needed to repair a leak in the dingy. The day after that repair was successfully completed the dingy motor demanded my attention. De Anne was using the dingy solo when the motor starting misbehaving so I quite naturally delivered my customary spiel about how hard she is on equipment. The motor is in the shop and hopfully covered by warranty.

Even the grill has caused trouble. A few nights ago, with my carnivorous instincts at full throttle, I filled the grill with ribs. The grill mounts on the back rail - hanging over the water. This turned out to be a good thing when the overburdened grill tipped under the load of meat I had piled on. Ribs, ashes, and burning charcoal churned the water and my cries of "shucks", ""darn", and perhaps even a "heck" rolled through the mooring field. The fish under our boat are now pork fed.

De Anne has emitted a shriek or two lately. Occasionally at night shrimp will jump into our dingy. De Anne has tried to evict them in the morning, but if one is still alive and jumps at her, the response is ear-splitting. I don't want to eat shrimp that are dead in the dingy for who knows how many hours; but perhaps some evening soon I will pump an inch of water in the bottom to keep them alive for hors d'oeuvres the next afternoon.

CCoconut Grove skyline from our boat:

Beach Vacation

2010-05-27T12:31:00.008-04:00

DeLinda and Lisa invited us to spend the week with them on Longboat Key. They rented a fabulous beach house and once Denise and David and family arrived the three sisters were together again.
Lisa, Delinda, Denise, with James, Luke, and friend Chris:

Our "pet" who ate out of my hand:
DeLinda in the pool, Ha....the hard life:
Obligatory Sunset picture:
Obligatory biniki shots from a sister-in-law who wishs to remain nameless:

Catch-up

2010-05-15T11:16:00.005-04:00

I have been remiss in posting to the blog so this effort will be an attempt at a quick catch-up.

Our repairs continue. The mainsail has been repaired and the refrigeration unit should arrive back from the California plant next week. We buy a bag of ice every day - very low tech but effective.

As mentioned in an earlier blog we put the boat on the market having tired of multiple repairs every time we moved a few miles, so far no nibbles and no other plans.

I had a small health scare this week, but apparently will live to do more boat repairs.

Linda and Larry caught up with us last weekend and we played tourist in the big city with a trip to town last Saturday. They left Monday and are working their way up the coast slowly. Larry's rule is to anchor by 2:00 PM. A good rule that I may adopt.

We have made 2 trips to South Beach in tha past 2 weeks. De Anne likes the sand, sun, and clear water. I enjoy watching the wildlife. On South Beach it seems thongs are required and tops are not.
Heading to the beach at Surfside:
A model shoot on South beach:
De Anne walking the surf:
South beach 100 yards "inland":

Electric Motor Convert

2010-05-03T11:16:00.003-04:00

As the sun set yesterday De Anne joined me in the cockpit carrying two G&T's - one of which she graciously shared with me. Lounging back she said "You know, I kinda like our electric motor". I reeled back trying to keep my bearings. I checked to see if the sun was setting in the east suddenly.

My wife, bless her heart, has not shared my belief in electric propulsion. I understand. She was raised as a child on a big powerboat. Our first sailboat was a Macgregor 26X - a cross between a sailboat and a powerboat. She likes to go fast!

I needed to get to the bottom of this. I asked if it was seeing San-San with a dead diesel, under tow by the Pump-out boat earlier in the day:

"No" she replied.
I asked if it was the guy at the dock yesterday complaining about spending $11,000 to fix his diesel, only to now discover he needed to replace it.
"No" she replied.
I asked if it was the accumulation of folks we have met along the way with major diesel problems. (There have been a lot!).
No" she replied.
I gave up guessing and asked "Why the change of heart?".
She explained that during the last day of our trip up the keys when we faced wind and current on the nose inside a couple of narrow cuts she had goosed up the throttle and discovered it did have the power to make the cuts. She was afraid she was running down the batteries too much, but when - after the second cut - I checked the battery level and told her we were in good shape with plenty of reserve she was secretly relieved.

Further discussion revealed the truth. I was "babying" the motor and batteries too much and not letting her have the power she needed. Now I was on solid ground again! De Anne not liking the electric motor had always been my fault.

Day Tripping

2010-04-24T11:56:00.005-04:00

We took a bus connector, train, then another bus, and finally a hike to reach Cape Florida. We had a picnic at the entrance of the much fabled (at least to cruisers) No Name Harbor. It's not as big as we expected and all the mangroves and thick scrub looked like perfect bug territory. We walked the entire bay edge of the Cape, visited the lighthouse and walked the Atlantic beach at the surf edge.

Back in downtown Miami we rode the free downtown people mover. It runs above ground and at one point was at least 60 feet above street level. It was a great tour of downtown and we marked a couple stops for a return trip and places to explore in more detail.

In our own neighborhood - Coconut Grove - is every shopping, gallery, and dining possibility required by your average millionaire. All within a few blocks of the marina.
Entrance to No Name Harbor with Biscayne beyond:
Cruiser passing by and stilt houses in the distance:
De Anne headed to the Cape Florida lighthouse:

The Last Leg

2010-04-20T11:32:00.003-04:00

We left Tarpon Basin Friday morning with the intent of making 18 miles to Pumpkin Key. An adverse wind that was stronger than forecast cut the anticipated trip down to 2.3 miles. Now we were on the expensive side of Key Largo. Beautiful homes and landscaping. A professional water skier was the afternoon's entertainment. A chase boat was filming his midair sommersaults, flips and rolls.

Saturday, with slightly calmer winds and a little better angle we started at dawn. We had the first 2 cuts to ourselves and enjoyed watching several dozen racing catamarans fly by in the opposite direction. Then, we saw the rest of the fleet. Over the next hour at least 100 sailboats passed us. The first few were just south of a narrow mile and a half cut called Cutter Bank. We met the main body of racers in the narrow channel. They were sometimes racing 3 abreast in the 80 foot wide channel. Just for added fun a few big powerboats were mixed in. We were the only boat headed north. It is a miracle that we missed them all; although, more than once, I could have boarded another boat with just a quick step over.

Finally we were in Biscayne Bay and turning a few more degrees north were able to sail on a fast and comfortable broad reach. The only problems of the day were when the generator quit working and the refrigerator died. Remember the cruisers motto - "The definition of cruising is: Fixing your boat in exotic locations".

We are now on a mooring ball at Dinner Key Marina, just south of Miami. Now we start replacing/repairing things broken during the 100 mile trip up the calm, protected waters of Florida Bay.
Our water ski show:
The end of the racers, of course I was too busy to take any pictures in the midst of the channel and racers:

Hummm....Cruising Tarpon Basin?

2010-04-15T12:53:00.004-04:00

The title of this blog entry is compliments of Larry who sent me an email yesterday from Marathon. After watching our SPOT positions (see upper right corner of this page) his email was titled the above. Of course it was so funny I shamelessly made it my own.

We anchored on the southeast side of Tarpon Basin Friday and all was well until the wind switched and a storm blew in from the northeast at about 30 knots. De Anne was on the phone with Larry when I noticed we seemed to be underway. In the muddy/weed bottom our anchor held until the wind shifted, then with a ball of weed and mud in the anchor flukes it could not reset. I suggested she say goodbye and take the helm while I pulled up the anchor. We motored to the northeast side of the basin where it was a little more protected.

On Tuesday morning a cruiser came by and asked why we were not over by the government dingy dock. After assuring me the charted depths were wrong and describing the proper path - we got closer to civilization. We joined Richard and Sharron that night on their boat and had them over last night. Alas, they departed this morning, but a couple with 30 years of cruising experience and many trips up and down the keys can take more weather than we can. Once the winds drop under 20 knots we will resume our trip up the keys.

I now have 2 anchors down since Tuesday night's breezes caused us to plow a bit. Not dragging, but a very slow downwind glide.
Key Largo Sunset:
Richard & Sharron departing:

Up the Keys

2010-04-10T13:26:00.003-04:00

We left Marathon Wednesday after a planned 2 week stay and an actual 24 week stay.

Our departure was marked by Larry and Linda snapping pictures and Peter blowing his air horn. It was a great send off!

The wind was SE and brisk so we raised sail just after the last harbor marker. We sailed south to the Moser Channel and passed under the bridge. The wind began to
shift to the east (NOAA lies again) and we tacked our way slowly up the bay side of the Keys.

Thursday we set sail again under double reefed main and jib in 15 knots from the SE. After a few hours, and across from the Channel 5 bridge De Anne asked for a full main sail. I shook out the reef and a few moments later the sail just exploded. There is just no other way to describe a 505 square foot heavy fabric sail suddenly releasing the pressure of the wind and instantly becoming two white flags. De Anne kept us on course while I cleaned up the carnage.

I reflected back to a few years ago when we spent $1,200.00 to have the sail re-conditioned and had considered buying a new main sail. The cheapest one I could find then was just under $5,000.00. I can't imagine they have gotten any cheaper since then.

The anchor got dropped while the unhappy sailor/wife and grinder/husband discussed options: repair/replace main, get a power boat, get a camping trailer, get a job....OK that last idea did not take long to dismiss. We decided to press on to Miami.

Because the rip was below the second reef I was able to set the main again (a permanent double reef) and we were off again, bloody but not bowed. I thought of my favorite sailing movie "Captain Ron" and the best line in the movie was "Hey, if it's gonna break, it'll break out there".

The day ended well when we picked up a free mooring ball off beautiful Shell Key.

Thursday was motor day due to the narrow channels and shoal waters all around. We could see bottom all day. Passing through Cross Bank Cut the chart showed 4 feet of water just after the Cut. This sort of thing can be a problem on a boat with the keel reaching down 5 feet. It looked a little better depth wise to the right so I instructed De Anne to hug the green markers. We went aground. I raised the main some to heel the boat, but it was not enough. A passing power boater took a bow line from us and pulled us free. Although the ordeal lasted only 10 minutes the psychic damage was done. I fretted over our course the rest of the day and in two more spots of dubious depth I even considered anchoring and awaiting high tide; however, thinking of the line from another movie "Risky Business" (unquotable here) we pressed on without incident to Tarpon Basin off Key Largo.

We will sit out a strong NE wind and all the weekend traffic in this protected anchorage and be on our way again Monday.

(Pictures will follow when I have a strong internet signal again.)

Latest Plan

2010-04-05T09:19:00.002-04:00

We have got to quit saying goodbyes. This is getting embarrasing!

The east wind delayed our departure. Wednesday is the next target date and watching the tide (see...I am learning) it looks good for a 10:30 am departure.

Going.....Going....

2010-04-03T08:33:00.006-04:00

The exodus from Marathon has begun. De Anne tells me our turn begins tomorrow.....maybe!
Larry & Linda off on their shakedown cruise:

Our "next door" neighbor Don on Seaquel enlisted the aid of wife and daughter for a trip up the East Coast:
Not everyone was leaving. Peter, crewing for Cindy, arrived back in Marathon with some assistance:

Barnacle Bill

2010-03-30T11:41:00.002-04:00

In prepping for departure we had our bottom cleaned (OK, stop laughing, we will wander out of Marathon some day). Or, more precisely, the hull of Rising Star was cleaned which, in an idle state, has attracted a vast biological and zoological ecosystem.

Barnacle Bill arrived to lighten our load. The brown spots on his wet suit are brine shrimp still clinging from the last boat he cleaned. When he surfaced from cleaning our boat he was almost completely covered in brown, wiggly shrimp. Once the flora and fauna are scraped off the hull the shrimp race to the nearest surface - which in this case is Barnacle Bill.

Pirates galore

2010-03-27T15:39:00.005-04:00

Community is one of the reasons Marathon is a great cruiser hangout. Today Linda and Larry organized a pirate treasure hunt, starting in the harbor and ending on land.

We scurried down the front dingy dock at one o'clock with instructions in hand. De Anne at the outboard yelling "Which way do I go?" and I with instructions and a GPS pointing and trying to sound like I knew what I was doing. Not everyone was going in the same direction and De Anne, suspicious of my directional capabilities, kept referring me visually to others and their wanderings.

I kept up a brave front and insisted my navigation instructions be followed. After several way points we were required to raise the motor and paddle. My intellect was no longer challenged - just brute strength. It was touch and go; however, we reached the inner dinghy dock before my impending coronary infarction. Ha! Larry's fiendish plot to do away with me and get my electric motor failed!

Following the land-based instructions, I was first to count off the paces and dive into the mangrove swamp. Unfortunantely, I did not find the treasure chest first. Fortunately, the Englishman who won, shared the booty - which you can see in the pictures below disappeared rapidly.
The Winners:
Pirates into the booty:
Captain Morgan (aka Larry) discussing dispursal of the booty:

Flexibility

2010-03-24T16:27:00.008-04:00

We got back to Marathon last night just 8 days later than planned - flexibility is easy where you are retired. Our flight out of Rhode Island was cancelled due to the huge Nor'easter that hit (remember we are the harbingers of bad weather wherever we go). Tristan did not leave Saturday morning as planned because his orders were screwed up (imagine - the government messing up paperwork). These two things came together to cause us to go to the airport ticket office where we begged and whined until they exchanged our tickets for an Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale flight yesterday. They were reluctant at first but I bought all my powers of persuasion to bear.

Armed with new tickets we sponged off the new officer and his government travel per-diem for the 1,000 mile trip, 3 day, road trip to Athens GA. In Athens the base gave him a suite for the 3 of us. Apparently, new officers showing up with parents in tow is not unusual. We helped him find a very upscale apartment and rent furniture for his 6 months at the Supply Officers School.
The Ensign:

On Saturday we left Athens for Atlanta. The goal was to surprise De Anne's Family. The surprise could not have worked out better. When we pulled in her father and both sisters were out on the terrace with De Anne's 65 year-old brother from Austria, whom she had never met and did not even know about until a few years ago. Before I even shook his hand I knew he was her brother. He is the spitting image of his father - no DNA test is necessary here! The visit was great and De Anne's german speaking ability quickly returned. We even saw snow Monday morning in Atlanta (remember we are the harbingers of bad weather wherever we go).
De Anne's father and brother:

Navy Maneuvers

2010-03-12T19:21:00.007-05:00

Our son Tristan graduated OCS today and is now an officer in the US Navy. His first post is Athens Ga. just a few blocks down, and on the same street where I worked as Manager of the Village Inn Pizza Parlor in 1975-76.

Admiral Greenert, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, gave his 10 rules for officers to follow. His most important rule was that the new officers should call mom at least once a week. The second rule was to wear sunscreen on the bridge.

It is a small thing; however, seeing my son for the first time in 6 months the very first thing I noticed was that he was not slouching. I spent years telling him to stand up straight - with little success, but a few Marine Drill instructors were able
to fix the problem in just a few weeks. Obviously I missed the corrective nature of doing pushups in wet sand in Rhode Island in the winter.

Please bear with a proud father who is about to post a bunch of family pictures. By the way girls, he is still single.
Tristan is second from left:

The "Hi Moms" reception at the Officers Club, Thursday night:

Admiral Greenert presenting Tristan his commission:

The new Ensign with Uncle David and Aunt Denise:

Note that De Anne doesn't look so tall next to our sons:

Family Travels

2010-03-10T06:47:00.003-05:00

Saturday we left Marathon (known locally as paradise). Larry gave us a dingy ride to shore and graciously drove us to the airport to pickup a car for our trip to Haines City FL where we stayed with my Uncle Bill and Aunt Gene.

Sunday dinner was hosted by Uncle Jim and Aunt Perilie and attended my cousins and their families.

Monday evening we drove to Fort Lauderdale for our flght to Newport RI, interrupted by a layover in Newark NJ (not paradise). It was great for us country bumpkins to see New York city from the air, fly down Long Island Sound, and circle Newport Harbor & Narragansett bay.

We are in Newport for Tristan's graduation from Navy Officers Candidate School this Friday.

I know this is a little off-topic for a cruising blog; however, every sailor gets shore leave, so this episode and the next will be land based.

Weather

2010-02-25T14:53:00.002-05:00

It's 10:30 pm Wednesday night and a gale is blowing from the NNW. Weather was always a topic when I was a landlubber and it did have some affect on me, but now I live it.

Last year on the panhandle we heard from the locals how it was the worst winter in memory. It's deja vu all over again. The locals in Marathon (aka paradise) are declaring this the worst winter in memory.

One example: Last Sunday we played Mexican Train dominoes and one of the couples, Paul and Melinda were leaving Monday morning on their 41 foot Morgan Out Island for the Bahamas. Paul and Melinda have over a decade of experience cruising in the islands, South America and Central America. Monday afternoon, around 4:00 pm, I was in the Marina lobby when the very wet (still in foul weather gear) Paul and Melinda checked back in. One thing about cruisers is that you don't bother folks just coming in - they have enough on their minds and are usually feeling a little physically worn. We got the story when they came over Tuesday. The short answer was (and remember gentle reader - you have heard this from me more than once before) NOAA lied.

Weather is packing Boot Key harbor to the gills. The last I heard, the waiting list for a mooring has reached thirty. Every good, and not so good, anchorage spot is taken; plus a dozen boats are anchored outside the harbor hoping some of us will leave.

Des and Betty subcribe to Chris Parker (a cruising weather guru) and are getting such discouraging data that they are considering putting their boat on the hard and heading back to Canada.

We are thinking about tip-toeing up the Keys on the inside next month after we get back from Tristan's Navy OCS graduation. Larry, a veteran of the inside route, spent the afternoon with me marking up Keys charts with travel data for us. We will still have to be careful of the weather, but conditions are always a bit calmer on the inside with far more anchorages possible.

I am sure once (if ever) we clear the last marker out of Boot Key Harbor we will be able to hear the cheering from the waiting list crowd.

We go boating again

2010-02-23T11:54:00.006-05:00

Saturday offered fair skies and balmy temperatures so we could not resist the temptation offered by Larry and Linda to accompany them on a boating adventure to Long Key.

Heading east, the miles sped by quickly due not only to the pleasant company but also to the fact that we traveled by car to Long Key park where we then switched to canoes.

With paddles in hand we braved the mangrove surrounded waters. Due to De Anne fidgeting in her bow seat I (always safety conscience) lowered our center of gravity by sitting on the canoe floor. I reviewed overboard proceedures and quickly determined that if one or both of us went over the side and ended up prone in the water by quickly flipping onto our backs death from drowning could be cheated. The water depth varied from 3 to 6 inches. Of course the required life jackets were provided by the rangers and if needed could have been dropped overboard and used as a platform to stand on keeping our feet dry until rescue crews arrived.

While Linda and Larry never went completely aground, for some reason we did. Strangely enough, once I stepped out of the canoe - sinking up to my ankles in the briny deep - we were no longer aground. In deeper waters I handled all rudder functions (semi-successfully) while offering De Anne encourgement to paddle harder in order to keep pace with Larry and Linda. They seemed to both be paddleing simultaneously for some unknown reason. As always, I conscientiously conserved my physical resources in case some emergency arose requiring the services of a 57 year-old corpulent man with a lisp. (Yes, the tooth is still missing - but I digress).

After a while we realized we were fighting a current. So, after going aground and then having a foul tide we realized the only thing missing from our usual boating experiences was wind on the nose.

It was great to be out again, and to cap off the day we stopped at Coco Plum Beach for a walk. A man on the beach was throwing rocks into the water and his dog would swim out and dive for them. I had seen dogs fetch floating things before but never a salt-water diving dog!
Boy Scout Troop carrier:

Looking west

2010-02-12T10:05:00.004-05:00

From our current mooring ball on the east side of the marina channel we have an unobstructed view of the shallow area west of the channel. Although marked with warning bouys denoting the shallow grassbeds some sailors, after wandering around the harbor - unable to find a spot to drop an anchor, see this wide open area as salvation.

First off, the fines for anchoring in protected grass beds are staggering; and secondly, very few sailboats can maneuver well in two feet of water, although, as the picture below shows, some are willing to ignore the bouys and climb to high ground.

When the view is unobstructed by boats aground:

Small World

2010-02-04T11:24:00.002-05:00

Last night we attended the weekly Wednesday evening "meet & greet" pitch-in in the marina lobby. De Anne and I, always crafty where food is involved, arrived early and commandeered a table for six. We had already been asked by Ken and Marie on Tempest to hold a couple seats for them so we had two seats open. A couple we had not yet met, Dave and Barb on Lafalot, asked if they could join us. We chatted with them for a few minutes until Ken and Marie arrived.

It turned out our table mates knew each other from several ports along the east coast! In fact there were several interesting and cryptic comments about running into each other. The buffet table opened before we could question them in greater depth, and of course the call of free food took priority. We must remember to question more closely another time.

Dave introduced me to Burmuda ginger beer (non-alcholic) mixed with Burmuda black rum (80 proof). Quite a novel and tasty mix! Ken had interesting stories about his job with the start-up of the Bloomberg financial system and since we used it in the Treasurer's Office and I was familar with it we had a "computer geek" conversation. It was a fun evening.

Marie (tall and athletic) made plans with De Anne to walk to Pigeon Key today. De Anne was quite happy to have a walking partner who - unlike me - would not slow her down. Sadly, Marie hurt her back leaping off her boat for a late night dog walk and so this mornings' power walk to Pigeon Key got postponed.

Full moon arising:

Not Leaving - Episode 4

2010-01-29T09:57:00.002-05:00

We had planned to buddy-boat with Larry and Linda on a little tour of the Keys this week. Unfortunately, the Fates charged with preventing our leaving Boot Key harbor for the Bahamas also cover the Keys.

We were at the Hurricane (a local watering-hole) watching the Colts game with Des and Betty and enjoying a pizza when De Anne heard a strange little clatter on the floor. She looked at the floor then at me and said "what was that?". I calmly asked her to please pick up my front tooth. De Anne, Des, and Betty were able to finish the pizza without the assistance of my considerable pizza eating talents.

A Jets fan, sitting behind us, had asked De Anne just before the game if I would get violent during the game. A missing front tooth did not make me any less scary looking.

Since the dental clinic works on a sliding scale I forlornly await my W-2 so I may prove I am a poor retiree and get a better rate. The Treasurer's Office fiddles while I unwittingly frighten people on the streets of Marathon.

Still trapped in paradise.....

Life is Good.....again

2010-01-22T08:39:00.004-05:00

This is more like it! Nights in the upper 60's and days in the mid 70's, lots of friends around, and all the activities anyone could wish for. I always knew the idle life suited me!

Below is a picture of Linda and Larry using what he refers to as his "Mary Poppins spinnaker". Note this picture was taken during the cold snap - thus everyone, including De Anne on board Rising Star, is bundled up. You can see how close we are to the new dingy dock (background - right) which is located in front of the tiki hut.

Hotel Califorina

2010-01-11T13:15:00.004-05:00

(with apologies to the Eagles) "You can check-in, but you can never check-out". That's how Marathon feels. We have heard from several here, "I came here for a month, and that was five years ago". I just paid for another month. We now intend to stay until Tristan graduates from Navy OCS in March, then perhaps another stab at going to the Bahamas.

Since we are in the warmest spot in the US, east of the Mississippi, I know I won't get much sympathy from friends and family; but it's cold here! Last night it got down to 39 and may not even hit 60 this afternoon. All you dirty old men (like me) reading this can count on not seeing any bikini pictures any time soon.

We did play tourist last week with a trip to Crane Point Nature Preserve. It was recommended by fellow cruisers Andy and Dinata who also volunteer at Crane Point. The first picture shows Dinata in the blue jacket exiting the cart with Andy at the wheel. The second picture looks out from the nature preserve on Florida Bay.

Random musings - Study this picture:

Live bait is sold in the middle shop, Sushi on the right, and pizza on the left. I wonder if there is symbiotic relationship between shops?

A few more musings:
De Anne is pictured on another blog (the 01-08-2010 entry). Note she is wearing her yellow LMSA tee shirt. http://kittywake.us/

We have moved to a more desirable mooring. We are now next to the main channel - on the left, four rows up from the Tiki Hut as seen from the Boot Key cam - http://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/index.aspx?NID=600

Friends

2009-12-31T10:19:00.002-05:00

A year ago today we were on I-65 - a one way trip south.

It has been a year of adventure, a few mis-adventures, and a steep learning curve. Most of all it has been about friends.

At our starting point in Mobile we met Jeff and Sue on their trimaran with their 3 teenage daughters. They are in Marathon now, as are Des and Betty who we met in Carrabelle. Jim and Abby (also met in Carrabelle) called last week and they are headed to Marathon in January.

Chuck and Leah (again, Carabelle) were the best dockside neighbors anyone could ask for.

Skip and Caroline (Destin) lost their boat going aground, otherwise I suspect they would be here too.

We chased Gary and Lisa from Port St. Joe to Carabelle and got to Clearwater a few hours ahead of them after we had a three day head start. We met Skip and Rose in Clearwater and they helped us in so many ways besides entertaining us.

In Fort Meyers we met many of the liveaboard/cruisers but Bob frequently kept us entertained at sundown. It was Lindsey and Lynne loaning us their car that saved us during the hot summer days and gave us the freedom to explore the area.

In Marathon, Larry and Linda have shown us around. When Larry expounds politically or philosophically De Anne rolls her eyes because she has heard the exact same positions from me. Linda is an accomplished seamtress and we have benefited from her skills. They introduced us to Lou and Deb. Deb is as aggressive a sailor as De Anne!

Nancy and Ginny have added to our cruising knowledge based on their years of experience.

Peter with his delightful Austrialian accent and droll sense of humor adds to the fun.

Tut makes the best Cajun oyster dressing and has an extensive inventory of boat parts in his truck. One time he pulled over when De Anne was walking down the street, found out we needed 5/8" flax packing, reached down and handed her a package of it. How many folks carry 5/8"" flax packing in their vehicle?

We do stay in touch with old friends too, from Lake Monroe, the State House, and Carmel.

All the places we have been in the past year, all the new sites and scenery are pictures framed by friends.

Back to Marathon

2009-12-14T14:46:00.006-05:00

We left our mooring Tuesday morning and staged outside the Marathon harbor for an early Wednesday departure. The predicted wind from the south did happen and we were off at dawn.

Within a couple miles we were past the reef and into the open ocean. Also into the ocean swell. I have been seasick before, but never like this! I now fully understand the old description: "First you are afraid you are going to die, then you are afraid you're not." After 5 hours of this I feebly begged De Anne to take shelter inside the Channel Five bridge we had just passed.

We anchored in Jewfish Bay where I slowly recovered. Thursday we motored north in a flat calm. The generator and electric motor kept us going all day at a sedate 2.8 - 3.0 knots using just 12-16 amps. Unfortunately, several times our speed dropped below 2 knots and I got a chance to stop the boat and go swimming (in mask and flippers) to clear the prop of weeds. We anchored at Cape Sable and discussed new plans.

Consulting the cruising guide, the warnings about not going to Marco Island, Naples, or Fort Myers Beach during the Holidays are quite explicit. The hordes of boaters all head there this time of year. Since going north was out we went south - back to Marathon.

To add to the fun our propane system gave up the ghost and the packing in the rudder finally failed. I will purchase a new propane system in Key West tomorrow and then take care of the rudder packing.

On our first day back in Marathon De Anne attended a ladies-only wine-tasting party. I am one lucky man! When she told our sad tale of an aborted Bahamas trip other women had even worse stories of failed Gulf crossings. Thank the Lord - I am saved!!!

Tuesday morning in Marathon (picture courtesy of Linda & Larry):

....and my picture of Linda & Larry (poorer quality than their picture):

Sunset Tuesday night:

A few hours after our return - a visit from Santa::

Missed Opportunties

2009-12-04T15:47:00.004-05:00

Last week we missed a weather window because of a dental appointment for De Anne, so yesterday's window was not to be missed. We spent a hectic Wednesday morning in last minute preparation and stocking. Our indolent lifestyle had left us with many things to do before slipping the mooring ball.

Finally, one more chore - reinstall the speedo. A speedo is a device with a paddlewheel that fits through a hole in the bottom of the boat. The paddleweel turns as the boat moves and measures speed through the water and displays it in the cockpit. The infernal device has not worked most of the year. One well placed barnacle can render it useless. In Fort Myers I had fixed it but not reinstalled it. I was quite proud of the repair since I had used a 99 cent cotter pin instead of the $35 pin that would have to be ordered and shipped. I removed the plug, opening a 2 inch diameter hole underwater. Try to imagine my dismay when the speedo did not slide into place stopping the geyser. I quickly re-inserted the plug and listened to the bilge pump take off.

After inpecting the speedo I realized the cotter pin was interfering with the close tolerance of the speedo and it's fitting. My next mistake was using pliers to "fix" the cotter pin (some boys don't know when to back off!). Now I was ready for the second geyser episode. It fit better but still baulking and of course water was still coming in. Time for the next mistake - hit it with a hammer. That drove the speedo in but still a trickle of water. Nothing the pumps couldn't handle.

It was time to quit making mistakes and do the right thing. I called the closest marina and arrainged for the boat to be pulled. The $35 I saved only cost me an extra $700. I taught the speedo a lesson. I threw it away and had the marina fiberglass the hole. My chartplotter has GPS SOG (speed over ground) and that will now be sufficent.

Some good came of this - we scraped 20 pounds of barnacles from the hull and prop. We now have one less thru-hull to worry about and we saw a manatee up close in the marina.

Rising Star at the boat yard:

Our close encounter with a manatee:

It is aganist the law to feed fresh water to a manatee because it attracts them to marinas where they are injured by boat props. A nice little man walked by and turned the hose on and left telling me to turn it off. I did so, but not before the manatee roled onto his back and got a drink. I then realized the fiendish plot perpetrated on me. My fingerprints were the last on the hose spigot. I have eluded the authorities so far......

Strange Lights

2009-12-01T10:25:00.003-05:00

The City park, of which the marina is part of, is decorated for Christmas. Street lights are wound with evergreens and festooned with big red bows. The highlight is the special - only in the keys - light display.
A Christmas fish:
The traditional Holiday flamingo:
The season would not be complete without an alligator attacking an elf:

Our neighbors on Willow (42 Valiant) Nancy and Ginny visited us for sundowners Friday then treated us to a great turkey dinner. Their onboard oven was large enough for a whole turkey.

Nancy doing repairs from a bosun's chair while Ginny offers encourgement from the deck:

In answer to the burning question "Why are you still there??". The same old answer - waiting for a weather window. We have about given up on a big enough window to go directly to the Bahamas and will settle for one to No Name Harbor, south of Miami, where we can make the Gulf Stream jump in one day. No hurry - saftey and comfort comes first!

Electricity

2009-11-25T14:39:00.002-05:00

I use to be proud of my solar panels - a 48 volt, 200 watt panel for the 8 motor batteries and a 12 volt, 50 watt panel for the 2 house batteries.

When it comes to producing electricity here in Boot Key Harbor I am small change. Here amid the cruisers, many have 3 or 4 - 75 to 100 watt panels plus a wind generator. One motorsailor has 2,000 watts of panels on his pilothouse top and his bimini. He can run his waterheater plus his air conditioner every day off solar power. The wind generators are interesting in that they need about 10 knots of wind to start producing, but at around 25 knots they howl like a helicopter taking off, then the blades feather and they power down to protect the machinery. After a few minutes they cycle back up and repeat the process.

If that's not enough most cruisers are equiped with a Honda 2000i generator. At least I can hold my head up in that regard! Today is a second cloudly day with just a bit of wind so the harbor will softly hum tonight with the sound of all those quiet Hondas (including mine) producing the needed amps.

Update Wednesday:

Last night, actually about 2:30 am, the wind picked up and a storm rolled in. A few readers may be aware of my usual sound sleep trait. This one woke me up. The wind peaked at 117 miles per hour. all boats were heeled way over, a few were knocked down, and one turtled. Afterwards the harbor waters were littered with deck cans, fenders, and hatches. We have experienced 60 mile winds a couple times. It is impossible to describe 117 mile winds. We had to shout inside a closed boat. Everything, including us, was vibrating. Rain was moving horizontally and hitting like BB's.

Many dingys were flipped and outboards submerged. A lot of guys spent the morning pickling outboards in an attempt to save them. Pickling is removing the salt water, cleaning with fresh water, then oiling the motor inside and out. Sometimes this attempt is successful. We always tie our dingy with forward and stern lines to cleats on the side. We could see it airborne but it survived because of the 2 point tie. Those who secured dinks with a single line to the stern suffered for it.

We had closed and secured our bimini Tuesday evening so it was saved - several lost theirs.

The folks in the marina will still try for a Thanksgiving pitch-in dinner at the Dockside Bar & Grill even though it is about half down. When De Anne and I dingied over a little while ago they were still clearing debris. I'll get some turkey somehow!

And now, back to the fun......

2009-11-20T20:48:00.006-05:00

We took a day trip to Pigeon Key, orginally settled as a work camp for the railroad. Now a delightful small island restored with it's historic past still evident in a few remaining buildings.

The pictures speak for themselves.
The island landing :

Blue Heron waiting motionless for lunch to swim by:

Our picnic lunch view:

De Anne swims with the fish (and one nurse shark):

This is a Christmas Palm - kinda obvious name isn't it?:

A few technical details

2009-11-18T21:03:00.002-05:00

It's not all fun and games in sunny Florida. Replacing the burned out battery charger has been a comedy of errors - I just haven't been laughing.

The new charger was a special order from West Marine. It was to be delivered within 5business days. After a week I called the store and they said it was on the way. After 2 weeks I went to the store in person and leaned over the manager's desk until he tracked it down. It had been delivered to a sunny locale alright - California. By the time I got it the charger had traveled more miles than I could hope to cover in a couple years.

Meanwhile, after ignoring several emails from me the Zivan charger folks got a rather biting email from me and decided I needed to send it in for repair. After a hundred dollar repair and $60 in shipping I got it back. Unfortunately the burned out connector had 2 pieces and they forgot to include 1 of the 2 connectors in the return package. They readily admitted the mistake and when I requested they send it overnight they refused unless I paid the shipping charge. The conversation when downhill rapidly. I found an electric car shop in Marathon who will have the part for me this Friday.

We are seeing a small glimmer of a weather window opening this weekend. We are trying not to get too hopeful too soon, after all (I know I sound like a broken record) NOAA weather reports often lie.

The Marathon dingy dock at an uncrowded moment:

The Cruisers day

2009-11-11T19:26:00.004-05:00

A day in the life of a cruiser (at least De Anne and Merrick on Tuesday) began at 7:00 am with coffee in the cockpit. We did a little cleanup and reading until the daily Cruisers Net at 9:00 am which covers upcoming events, buying and selling gear, weather, and any help needed.

We packed a lunch and drove the dingy out Sisters Creek, through the mangroves, to Sombrero Beach. There is a small dingy beach just inside the ocean cut where we landed, stripped the dingy and flipped it over to scrape and brush away the saltwater flora and fauna that had made a home on the bottom of our dingy during the past two weeks.

De Anne hard at work:

I napped in the shade of a palm tree while De Anne strolled the beach. After her return I watched a fisherman land and very carefully unhook a two foot shark. Sneaking back to our palm tree - not too difficult in sand - I caught De Anne in a rare moment of calm repose:

We returned to the boat in early afternoon and made a trip to the marina for showers. With the mooring all boats get an access card for the restrooms. There are about a dozen individual bathrooms. You slide the card, open the door slowly so you can shut it quick if someone screams or worse, invites you in to wash their back, although most folks remember to throw the dead bolt once inside rendering the card useless for that door.

We ran into Peter who had just flown back from a long weekend in Trinidad and made plans to go to the Hurricane for dinner. Tut, a local mooring field resident, had alerted us to dollar taco night so the four of us had a fun evening at the local watering hole.

The wind has finally calmed down so our evening dingy ride back to the boat was our first one in days that did not end with "dingy bottom". This is a condition where powering through choppy water leaves you with a saltwater rinse by the time you return home.

We read for a while and called it a night, retiring to our gently rocking berth.

It's hard to call this a typical day because there is always something different going on or chores to do but it is usually relaxed and free-flowing whenever we are docked, moored, or anchored in a safe place like Marathon.
Sister Creek is a little wider than the Indiana version of creeks:

Trapped in Paradise

2009-11-06T11:03:00.002-05:00

Here we are for a second week in Marathon FL. Please suffer with us! Highs in the low 80's and lows in the mid 70's. Shore-side amusements are a short walk or dingy ride away. Our new Suzuki four-stroke dingy motor is a delight and unlike our old motor De Anne can run this one solo. She has her freedom back.

We have a new neighbor Peter, solo sailing on Bowtie Lady who left Sydney, Australia a couple years ago going through the Indian Ocean, around Cape Good Hope, across the Atlantic, up through the Carribean to New York and back down to Marathon. His stories are facinating and made more so by his accent. However I am not tempted to emulate his adventure even with intrepid sailor De Anne at my side. As Dirty Harry said "A man's got to know his limitations". A few days at a time at sea is sufficent for my adventure level.

Some work is involved in our stay here. I am waiting for my new battery charger and the old has been sent off for repair. A few other boat repairs are on my list and of course De Anne continues her never ending struggle to keep the boat spic and span in the face of Mother Nature's steady and relentless march to corrosion and wear.

The weather makes our time here worth every penny. Here is a sample NOAA report for today. Same tomorrow, in fact as far as the forecast goes for a week:
TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS 25 TO 30 KNOTS...WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS NEAR 35 KNOTS. SEAS BEYOND THE REEF 8 TO 11 FEET...EXCEPT HIGHER IN THE GULF STREAM. SEAS INSIDE THE REEF 3 TO 5 FEET. NEARSHORE WATERS EXTREMELY ROUGH. SCATTERED SHOWERS.
Don't you just love the offhand comment "....except higher in the Gulf Stream."

Anyone wishing to spy on us - we are on the Boot key webcam http://www.ci.marathon.fl.us/index.aspx?NID=600 . On the screen showing boats in a V formation with a can bouy at the bottom of the V. Count up 4 boats at a left 45 degree angle from the can - that is us.

Different Strokes

2009-11-01T12:51:00.005-05:00

De Anne wanted to go to Key West for her birthday, so Friday morning we took the bus 50 miles down US 1 to the end of the Keys.

A little event known as Fantasy Fest '09 was going on. We are still not sure of the event's signifigance; however, it involved lots of drinking and nudity. Our first clue was packed bars at 10:00 am and seeing a man in black boots and a small black cod piece. As the morning progressed we saw women in g-strings and pasties. A little later the women wearing just paint started arriving.

We walked the full length of Duval St. which is the main drag in Key West. By 2:00 pm I was tiring in the heat and suffering from some sensory overload. We worked our way back to the trolley which took us back to the bus stop and "home" to Marathon.

We noted that the job of police officer in Key West must be an easy one. There are no moral or community standards to uphold.

Not many guys can say that for their wife's birthday they got to see about a hundred naked women.

The birthday girl on the pier. Note the man in the gold lame' swimsuit over her right shoulder:

Duval St. in the morning before the crowds arrive:

Some dressed in a more conservative manner:

The Adventure continues......

2009-10-27T11:38:00.006-04:00

We left Fort Myers on Friday armed with an excellent (and wrong again) NOAA forecast. I don't know why I don't just stare at tea leaves or chicken bones for a correct weather forecast.

Bob from Curmudgon helped us with an uneventful dock departure, the best kind. Our trip down river was aided by a falling tide and we made San Carlos Bay in good time. Just as I was putting up sails in San Carlos Bay for our exit into the Gulf our battery charger died. Our trip to Marathon became a sails only marathon.

Big yachts passing us port and starboard on the river:

The winds were much lighter than forecast and from a different direction, but other than that the forecast was correct with the prediction of a sunset and the correct time of that occurance. We meandered down the coast at a speed that could be generously called leisurely. The pace slowed as night fell. We made 12 whole miles south during the night.

Saturday morning was more glass-like seas and faint whispers of breeze. We could hear the dophins breathing half a mile away. One pod was chasing a school of fish toward the boat while De Anne was sleeping. One fish jumped when he should have dived and hit the boat like a rubber mallet. The Admiral came out of bed like a shot and was not amused. After my explaination, and using her psychology degree to exam the veracity of both my story and delivery, she believed my fish tale and decided we had experienced a new dolphin behavior requiring a white paper. Dolphins using a boat as a tool to render prey unconscious.

Finally, on Saturday the winds built up from the north until we had 15 knots on the stern. By dusk we had shortened sail down to a double reefed main and were still moving at 4 to 5 knots. I began to think we would arrive outside the Marathon harbor (Boot Key Harbor) before daybreak. Those that follow our realtime Google Maps route already know the answer - wishful thinking.

Faithful followers of this blog already know our feelings about crab pots. The more south we got the worse it got. Twenty miles off-shore and we were still dodging pot bouys. For the non-sailors - if a pot line hooks your rudder, or worse, your propeller then you have to stop and dive under the boat to clear the tangle. There is also the possibility of yanking the propeller and shaft out of the boat thus violating the first rule of boating - keep the water out of the boat. A missing shaft would create a one inch diameter underwater opening in the hull, universally considered by sailors as a least desired event.

After hitting 3 pot bouys in a 15 minute span around 3:00 am Sunday morning the general consensus aboard was to park the boat until daylight. We dropped anchor 17 miles from shore in 20 feet of water. At daybreak we could see that we were surrounded by pots as far as the eye could see. We set sail again and enjoyed a good breeze and a pleasant sail, marred only by the constant need to dodge pots. The wind died an hour later. Our last 10 miles to Moser Channel took 5 hours at 1.8 to 2 knots. Our arrival at the Moser Channel bridge coincided with the last hour of high tide. Our carefully conserved power (remember the battery charger was dead) was squandered recklessly fighting a 3 knot current under and past the bridge.

It was now only 3 miles to the Boot Key entrance. We went back to sail power, only to find the most vast array of pots, ever established by mankind, between us and the entrance. After three hours of this devilish aquatic slalom we dropped anchor just outside the harbor entrance and declared happy hour.

Monday afternoon, after the solar panel recharged the batteries and a favorable tide was running, we completed the last 2 miles into the harbor to our mooring ball. The wind was a brisk 10-15 knots; however, De Anne handled the boat beautifully and I snagged the mooring on the first try without any yelling or drama.

We held our usual post-overnight discussion of "never again", but in a few weeks, even this cruiser paradise, we will likely rediscover the urge to move on once again. Next intended destination is the Bahamas.

Our first sunrise over Boot Key:

Looking west in the harbor:

Weather window watching

2009-10-21T15:46:00.002-04:00

We are poised to get under way again. The hot weather broke last weekend, but ushered in high winds. We have several memories of the wave action in the shallow Gulf during winds of 20 knots and wish no encore. Friday now looks good on paper, but final judgement is reserved.

The boat is stocked high and tight. We have paper towels and toilet paper for 4 months - barring unforseen complications - none of which would ever be reported here.

Our last weekend (maybe) in Fort Myers called for a visit to a Sanjah performance on Friday. Saturday was ZombieCon 09 day, commemorating the filimg of Night of the Living Dead (or some zombie movie) in Fort Myers. The best part was watching the belly dancer while that old zombie disco favorite "Staying Alive" was playing. Of course De Anne noted, and I quote, "I can do that!".

We visited Cecilia and Denny in Punta Gorda last night and had a great time swapping cruising stories and reminiscing about Four Winds Marina on Lake Monroe where we first met them.

Watch for action on Google Maps, and play connect the dots with us.

...while you are making plans.

2009-10-09T15:27:00.003-04:00

Life has been busy!

Last weekend we visited my Aunt and Uncle again and cousins Tom and Bob came by Sunday for a great visit.

Tom, me and Bob:

We have been busy prepping the boat for the resumption of cruising at the end of October. I have also helped Bob (across the dock from us) on Curmudgon, a 41 foot motor boat, set up a new PC as a chartplotter.

Last night I got word that a former high school girlfriend passed away last weekend. I met Liz Dahl my freshman year of high school and we went out on exactly one date each year of high school - the last at the Senior Prom in 1970. Between each annual date we were good friends.

She went to work for Stokley Van-Camp and in 1972 recommended me for an entry-level position. After I moved a few rungs up the corporate ladder she was my secretary - back in the days of shorthand and typewriters and carbon paper. I have only talked to her a couple times in the past 30 years, but her death triggered a stream of memories of a cheerful, outgoing friend.

Life is what happens while you are making plans.

Liz, the head majorette at Shortridge:

Finally! Another cruiser!

2009-09-19T09:45:00.004-04:00

After two cloudy and cool weeks in Atlanta visiting family, and a particularly satisifying visit with both sons, we made our way back to sunny, hot Fort Myers. Transportation involved car, train, plane, bus, and the last 6 blocks on foot back to the boat. If a horse-drawn carriage had been available I might have used it just to complete the travel experience.

First thing back the air-conditioner was re-installed. While it labored mightly we went food shopping. Thursday was back to business as usual with a trip to the Farmers Market.

At the market:

While we were tasting the joys of big city life a real live cruising boat snuck in next to us. We met Bill aboard Wanderlust, a 40 foot Endeavour center-cockpit sailboat. He, his wife, and 3 children left Chicago on September 18th, 2007 for a 2 year cruise which took them all the way to Venezuela and back. His family returned to Chicago earlier and he departed in a U-Haul yesterday (two years to the day) leaving a for sale sign on the stern.

Bill on Wanderlust: (ignore the shaky camera work)

We did manage to distract him several times in order to glean a few cruising stories and advice. We bought Bill's left over Bahama currency and his extra Bahama courtesy flag which, I guess, means we are now fully committed to head in that general direction. We no longer say we are "going to", only that we are "headed toward". (The discerning reader will note a few occasions where our travel intentions were not fully realized.) This was a joyous circumstance as Admiral De Anne had pointed out to me regularly, over the past year, our lack of a Bahama courtesy flag and the dire consequences which would befall us. Five dollars well-spent.

De Anne - ever vigilant to the slothful ways of men - realized our distractions were causing Bill to fall behind in emptying his boat and decided to throw her whirlwind self into the fray and that I might be of some small use as a draft animal. (those of you who know her now have a vivid mental image and perhaps have had a tiny, involuntary shudder). While De Anne threw herself into the task at hand I carefully husbanded my efforts in order to maintain sufficent energy reserves just in case any unforseen crisis arose needing my attention. Although, when pressed - I did, from time to time, load the cart and make a trip to the truck.

Bill made sure to reinforce our behavior by showering us with cruising gifts. As his waterline rose ours sank. Among the many items bestowed, we are now ready to fish underway, our firstaid kit is now extensive and has items unavailable in the USA, and I now have 12 feet of fire hose - much coveted as the ultimate in chafe guard for anchor and dock lines.
Wanderlust with Rising Star in the background:

While we enjoy the company of several live-aboards here at the marina ( some are former cruisers), it was a special treat to visit with Bill - having just arrived from an extensive cruising trip.

Lazy days of Summer

2009-08-26T17:27:00.004-04:00

Finally! A few tropical storms and even a hurricane - properly placed far out in the Atlantic. Still nothing that, in hind sight, would have prevented us from moving on down. De Anne points this out on a semi-regular basis. I remind her of my "luck" and assure her that Mother Nature is simply waiting for us to poke our noses out to sea.

Next week we will go to Atlanta for 2 weeks with her family and our sons. Tristan has been sworn in to the Navy and reports Oct 25th in Rhode Island for Officers Candidate School. Since that is when we start south for the Keys we will visit in September. Theron is flying in from Houston for one week.

Last week we went to Marco Island and had lunch at the Snook Inn. The best clams this Indiana boy has ever tasted! It wasn't just a gastronomical adventure, we were also checking out the anchorage across from the Inn. I now fear we may dally there for an extra day if I can't get rid of the memory of our meal there and require an encore.

Meanwhile...back in Fort Myers... we have become sorta groupies for a Reggae band called Sanjah. We have gone to a couple performances in different places. Here is her myspace page for those who would like a sample of her music: http://www.myspace.com/sanjahandharveyhouse

The picture below is the Sanibel lighthouse which holds the honor of being the least picturesque light house I have ever seen. This picture does not really do it justice. It is a metal frame work the color of red primer paint. Our first night after leaving Fort Myers we will anchor in the cove behind it.

Free to roam

2009-08-05T13:14:00.003-04:00

We finally made it to Sanibel Island and Captiva Island. We hopped from one beach to another moving up the coast of the two islands. De Anne, after careful consideration, pronounced the beach at the north end of Captiva the winner. First prize is a return trip next week.

Captiva beach

This begs the question "how did we beach hop?". By car! Last Friday we had a visit from Lindsey and Lynne who were introduced by a mutual friend. They live in Indiana but also have a home in Cape Coral and keep a car down here. They most graciously offered it to us while they were away. We accepted with profound graitude. Sunday we went to Wal-mart without the usual bus ride and transfer each way. It was quite strange to put an item in the cart without carefully judging weight and volume for the walking and bus riding ahead. More importantly, De Anne feels (and me too) less confined with the possibilities of a few beach and sightseeing trips now available. Thank you Lindsey and Lynne!!

Friends from Indiana

2009-07-29T18:12:00.007-04:00

After a couple near misses of friends from Indiana we had a visit from Brian, Michele, and Sarah today. They are vacationing in Boca Grande and drove down to witness our (semi)nomadic lifestyle.

We had a great lunch at a little place in town, where Michele was able to catch me up on the tales from the Statehouse. We strolled downtown and the waterfront, then back to the boat to await happy hour. Fortunately, since they were in the company of cruisers that time came early. While De Anne doled out G&T's (the official drink of cruisers - medicinally necessary for hydration and malaria prevention) Sarah worked on her tan in the cockpit.

The dark clouds rolled in and the heat broke so we re-grouped in the cockpit for pictures.

I had told them about our turtle and warned of a possible visit. Sure enough, five minutes after they left our "pet" turtle showed up with a friend in tow. Obviously word of our hospitality to reptiles had gotten around -even under water. I must confess that once I tossed some food out cordiality ended and a free-for-all erupted. Even a 3 foot catfish joined the fray, but did not stay long when the turtles objected to his presence.

This morning we were approched by a TV news crew wanting to interview us as out-of-state cruisers about the water quality along the Florida gulf coast. De Anne, having just gotten out of the shower and feeling less than photogenic fled below leaving me in week-old shorts, dirty shirt, and a stubbly chin to do the interview solo. Check back - I'll link it if it shows on TV. This should be better than the last time I was on TV. Then, I was shown walking into the Indiana Statehouse while the voice-over explained the need for more Statehouse security measures. I appeared very sinister and they used it for months as stock footage.

We have others coming Friday. All visitors are welcomed!

Day to Day

2009-07-07T17:53:00.004-04:00

We have been in Fort Myers 6 weeks now with 15 weeks to go. I try to do a boat chore every morning while De Anne takes her morning walk. I'd go with her but I would simply slow her down. We sometimes take an evening walk together.

She usually comes back from her walk with fresh fruit. She has located the best places to pickup mangos, papayas and coconuts. She has found an avocado tree that will be ripe in a couple weeks. These trees are on public land or vacant lots - she is not climbing anyone's fences to get fresh fruit.

We use green coconuts for the liquid to make a drink mentioned in a book we just read "An Embarrassment of Mangos" about a cruising couple from Canada.

We do get some occasional excitement. A couple weeks ago the marina staff towed a semi-derlict sailboat from another dock and locked it to the finger dock next to us. It was sinking and had one of the marina's big pumps working almost continuously to keep it afloat. They found a hose disconnected from a thru-hull. The manager asked me to keep an eye on it. A few days later, after dark, some people boarded and started the engine. I called the manager at home and he was on the dock in under 5 minutes. At brief scene occurred. The owners were one week short of being 4 months behind in their slip fees. At 4 months the boat can be seized and sold. 2 days later the boat was gone, the lock had been cut and a new lock left to replace the cut lock. I can't imagine where a leaky old sailboat with a 5 foot draft and a top speed of 6 mph is going to go in a few hours that the police boats with their 600 horsepower engines can't find them.

Since the boat is tied to the dock we don't get many scares; however, the IRS provided a big land-based one. I got a small inheritance from my mother's estate and knew it was too small for taxes. Wrong. Apparently I am the only person in the USA that did not know the one and only exception was inheriting an IRA. At first I thought I would lose a big slice of my cruising kitty and even sent out a few resumes. Of course that is a joke in this economy. After a trip to the local H&R Block office all is taken care of and the cruising kitty was only dented not broken. My languid retirement continues unabated.

The 4th fireworks display was scheduled to be done from a barge in mid-river; however, after a few rockets.... nothing. A Police boat came by the marina and explained there was a problem with the barge and the display would be moved ashore and start at 10:30 pm. About 10:45 pm boats started leaving and I noticed the bridge crowd thinning. Finally at 11:20 the show started. They had set up just behind the city pier which is next to the marina. I had never been so close to a fireworks display in my life. Because of the late start I think they hurried it along, but that was just fine. It was 15 minutes of non-stop mulitple shots.

The heat is intense. Once or twice a day dark clouds may roll in and sometimes let loose a 10 minute shower. Once in a while it will be a real stom with 60 mph winds, but again 10-15 minutes tops. Everything cools down for an hour, then right back to steamy. I avoided the Indiana winter so this is a little payback at the other extreme - I accept my fate.

My customary bridge pictures:
Looking from the bridge towards the marina and downtown

The anchorage across from the marina

A Season Over

2009-06-12T08:54:00.003-04:00

The cruising season is over and we sit out hurricane season in Fort Myers counting the days until November when we will be free again.

With time on my hands I am pacing myself on boat chores and engaged in a little trip down nostalgia lane in reviewing our first season. We covered 595 miles - 352 under sail, 236 under power, and (unfortuately) 7 under tow. We stayed in 8 marinas and 11 anchorages, which doesn't count the times I had to pull and re-anchor in the same vicinity.

Our season was a half season since I was working during November and December and then came the 6 weeks of waiting in Mobile. Of the 105 days total since leaving Mobile we traveled 21 days, voluntarily remained in port 52 days, and had 32 days of weather forced inactivity.

Some cruisers we have met along the way are far ahead of us. Sadly, several have succumbed to the rigors of cruising. It is a hard lifestyle that punishes a wrong decision, a moment of inattention or just bad luck. In the real world (or unreal, depending on your point of view) there is much cushioning. Here, as I have said before, Mother Nature wins.

The rewards however are truly spectacular. I wish I could share adaquately the following experiences:
Sailing a beam reach down Sarasota Bay.
We have seen hundreds of dolphins and had up to 30 surrounding our boat at one time, but I have yet to get a good picture.
The ospry is a magnificent bird that has a silly, high pitched cry.
If you want a truly religious experience take a small boat 30 or 40 miles offshore in heavy weather.
The feeling of accomplishment and sense of relief when you run a channel and spot your anchorage after a day or two at sea.
The asmatic wheeze of a 4 foot long sea turtle surfacing.
Appreciation for a capable wife/sailor
The jubilation of going a whole day without scraping bottom.
When a pelican hits the water after a fish, the sound is like a fat man doing a belly flop.
The excitement of a correct weather forecast.
White powder sand under your bare feet.
Bucking the tide in Captiva Pass
Finding ripe mangos just laying on the ground.
Waves over the bow.

I know what you are thinking - you can almost hear Julie Andrews singing "These are a few of my favorite things" in the background.

Since we are docked for an extended period my blog output will slow down until cruising resumes.

At the Ft. Myers dock with a cruising Mainship 35 in the background:

El Cheapo

2009-06-07T15:50:00.004-04:00

All cruisers are cheapskates. I am not sure if cheapskates become cruisers or vice versa.We like to sail - even if it is only to turn off the expensive motor and generator. Some cruisers (and you know who you are!) will dumpster dive while owning a financial profolio. Goodwill is a good place to shop for clothes, but church thrift shops are better. Cruisers always get the day pass for the bus and plan detailed shopping expeditions - leaving the day pass a tattered mess by the end of the day.

De Anne and I fit the profile. Tuesday we went to Fort Myers Beach (15 miles south of Fort Myers). For the two $2.50 day passes we took 4 bus rides and 3 trolley rides. We walked the beach in the morning - and we've seen better, walked through town, passing up numerous resturants, until we dined off the McDonalds dollar menu. First McD fries I have had in five months - a new record!

Thursday we walked to the once-a-week farmers market conenviently located a few blocks away. For $9 we stocked up on fruit and produce for the week. Our $9 got us a watermelon, 6 peaches, 2 avacados, 3 cucumbers, and 3 green peppers. A cheapskate's dream!

On the first Friday evening each month the City sponsors an Art Walk. Downtown businesses host different artists in their stores complete with food and drink. The Art Museum had a free play and a great buffet. For a "suggested" $5 donation we had wine, great food, and saw a good stage comedy. Their sausage casserole with 5 kinds of sausages, potatoes, and plantains was so good I had three (although small) plate loads. After touring the downtown locations, some with better finger food than others, we rested in the square and listened to a blues group for a while. Last stop on the tour was a restored 1901 Victorian home to view some more art work (more wine and finally dessert). While talking to the curator of the home we were invited back for a tour of the house next week. Another fun and inexpensive evening lined up for next week.

In Memory of Brigadoon

2009-06-01T19:33:00.004-04:00

One thing about cruising is the friends you make so fast. We stay in contact, if not frequently, at least occasionally with a dozen cruisers we have met along the way. Big boat, small boat, experienced or novice, we are all tiny to Mother Nature so trust and camaraderie form quickly.

We met Skip and Caroline on Brigadoon in Destin. Last Thursday I got an email from Skip saying he had just started a blog and that they were in Carrabelle getting ready to make the Big Bend crossing (see our April 11th post: "A Hard Day's Night).

A couple hours ago I found out they lost their boat. I recommend reading his account. http://cruisingwithbrigadoon.blogspot.com/

City of Palms

2009-05-31T21:39:00.004-04:00

Fort Myers calls itself the "The City of Palms". It is true. It seems like you can never get more than ten feet away from one. The marina is on the riverfront in the downtown historic district. A lot of money has been spent on brick sidewalks, brick streets, old-style street lights, building facades, and of course, more palm trees. It is about 90% done and is a beautiful downtown.
Downtown Ft. Myers:

The marina is full of trawlers trying to cover their insurance requirements by moving north out of the main hurricane zone. Watching them dock is not nearly as much fun as watching sailboats dock. With two engines and a bow thruster they can turn 360's in their own length. A beautiful North Harbor N37 pulled in next to us tonight and had some trouble docking. They were embarrassed, but we assured them that we had done worse more than once. The marina dock hand had to jump aboard several times to fix the lines and lost his VHF radio overboard. When it surfaced De Anne and I kept an eye on it until he got the marina boat to fish it out.

And speaking of fishing... Our first full day here I pumped out our holding tank. We have been in a couple marinas that claimed to have dockside pumpout. This is the first that has it working. I opened the box, leaving the lid up where the instructions were printed, took out the hose, connected both ends, and turned it on (waiting for the punch line?.... hang on!). It worked great! I turned it off, dipped the hose in the water and back on to rinse it out, shut everything off, when a gust of wind caught the open lid of the empty hose storage box and tipped it into the water. I watched horrified for a few seconds as it sank out of sight. I reported it at the office and they sent a dockhand out to stare into the water. I got out a couple boat hooks and we both laid on the concrete dock fishing for the box. After a few minutes I snagged the lid and we were able to rescue it. No CPR required.

We have doubled our dock lines (a marina requirement) and put up the sun shade (dorky looking). It has been in the ninetys; however, on the waterfront, in the shade, with the breezes coming up river, we have not suffered yet. First time I break a real sweat I will take a bus to Walmart for a hundred dollar air conditioner, mount it in the main hatch, and tarp it over. The dorky sunshade will hide the dorky air conditioner.

Ft. Myers City marina:

Back to Civilization

2009-05-27T16:22:00.007-04:00

We arrived in Ft.Myers a couple hours ago and I have internet for the first time in almost two weeks. Below is a compilation of the time "away".

Sunday 5/17

We left Sarasota on Friday with hopes of a marina berth in Venice. The marina told me over the phone that they were full. Plan B was to dock at a free slip at a Venice city park with 3 slips that allowed one overnight stay. We arrived at 2:00 pm but the slips were taken. Plan C was to anchor just off the slips. Pulling in beside another sailboat we went aground. Trying to motor off didn't work so I ran back and forth rocking the boat - to no avail. We launched the dingy and I tried pushing and pulling but only succeeded in turning us 90 degrees. A week and a half earlier in Clearwater I had upgraded my towing insurance to the Gold package for another $78. That saved me $490 when TowUS came out to pull us off. We moved 100 yards back down the channel and tucked in behind a marker, got stuck again, got off ourselves, and rigged front and stern anchors to hold us squarely in the little bit of water deep enough for us. Other cruisers came in and packed the small anchorage tight. The last few boats came in one channel, saw there was no room, and went out the other channel.

The tight little anchorage in Venice:

We left the next morning in light east winds that were predicted to switch northeast. NOAA (once again) was wrong exactly 100%. The wind switched to the southwest, not the predicted northeast. We tacked a 55 mile course to cover the 32 miles to Boca Grande, anchoring about 6:30 pm. A man in a speedboat stopped by, said he was once a sailor, and recommended we move to a more sheltered anchorage about 2 miles north. I had read about the anchorage he was referring to in the cruising guide so we decided to move. A very bad decision.

As we entered the Boca Grande yacht basin, just after sunset, a massive thunderstorm came roaring in. We were 200 yards from the anchorage when we went aground again, in the middle of the narrow channel. The wind pivoted the boat almost into an enclosed boat garage attached to a waterfront home. With De Anne at the helm giving full throttle in reverse and me at the bow pushing off the corner of the garage the boat spun with the wind and lay parallel to a sea wall. The wind drove the boat further toward the seawall and the list increased to 20 degrees. The keel and rudder pounded with every gust and wave. The noise of the storm and the sounds from the boat were a horrible grinding, big slams, all with the background of howling wind. De Anne broke out life vests and prepared waterproof bags of our few important things. I called the Coast Guard and told them our situation, and that no lives were in jepordy. We could have waded to shore if necessary. They called TowUS for us. This time it took quite a while to get us off. The tow captain had to zig-zag back and forth for at least a half hour to inch us off.

Because of the rudder damage we were towed to the nearest marina that does boat repair in the area, Gasparilla. We arrived at the marina about midnight. Total cost of the tow was $1,149 - my cost $0. My $78 investment saved us over $1,600 in the past 2 days. My hope is to never increase my savings like that again.

Of course errors in judgement led to the need for "Unlimited Gold Card" towing. We knew there was only one small anchorage in Venice if the one deep-draft marina was full. We left Sarasota on Friday knowing the weekend and huge amounts of boat traffic were aganist us. We will now move on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday only in open water - never in the intercoastal. Boat traffic from Clearwater south is enormously greater than central or northern Florida. Second lesson - If the anchor is down with lots of clear room around us we will stay put for the night. I had 100 feet of chain out in 10 feet of water so we were quite likely secure. In the future, I will smile, and say thanks to folks with well-intentioned advice, but that is all.

I'm getting tired of going aground but it seems that's not unusual on the Florida gulf coast. Skinny water is everywhere and the NOAA charts are only a bit more reliable than their weather predictions. As a slight modifer I do understand that shoaling and silting are constant here. The TowUS guy said his work is steady and some days he'll pull the same boat twice in one day. Misery loves company.

The good news! We got real showers today. A quart of water and a damp washcloth only go so far during 10 days of anchoring. De Anne washed clothes too although we are not going through many now in warmer weather. Shorts and tank tops or tees don't make a big pile, especially when you wear the same set for three days. Gentle Reader, don't be squemish - this is the "dirty" secret of all cruisers - except the ones that go a week between changes. Just as you can tell a cruising boat by the junk on deck, you can spot the "refined slob" look of the cruisers. The uniform shirt of male cruisers is the "old men rule" tee-shirt.

Update Tuesday 5/19

We met Steve and Mark on Periwinkle, a Pearson 39, when they pulled in with engine problems and docked next to us. They left today headed south with a goal of Miami in a week. With gale force winds predicted tonight and tomorrow I'll be thinking of them tonight as we sit safe in a protected marina tied to a floating dock.

Periwinkle at the dock with Rising Star:

De Anne and I took a long walk this afternoon between rain showers (actually, huge gully-washers) and discovered we were in the middle of nowhere, unless we wanted a bait shop or to charter a fishing boat. After we returned she struck out on her own in a different direction and learned a new Florida lesson - watch for gators. She almost stepped on a 6 foot gator. The rest of her walk was on red alert.

We await a pull to assess the damage from the storm grounding. The almost constant storms have set the marina travellift schedule back. After repairs our next destination is North Captiva 18 miles south, then to Ft. Myers city marina which we will use as a base during huricane season.

Update Wednesday 5/20

The Gasparilla Marina folks have been very good to us. The office manager printed out my insurance form and faxed it for me. The Ship's Store manager discounted my dockage for the week by $200 and is driving us to Publix tomorrow to stock up on food.

Update Sunday 5/24

The Marina pulled us on Friday.The rudder damage was not near as bad as I had feared. They glassed the ragged bottom, checked it inside and out, epoxied it and bottom coated. The bill was $670 and my deductable on insurance is $640, so no sense in turning it in. I also took advantage of being out of the water to have them put on a bigger, fixed blade, bronze prop and committed my Kiwi composite folding prop to backup. De Anne is fearful of a loss in sailing speed, but after 4 months understands because of how much motoring we do - despite our best efforts.

The rudder repairs:

We launched Saturday and promptly broke one of our rules (no weekend travel)and set out down the intercoastal. It was thick with big and small boats - all with big wakes. The new prop seemed to help with a bit more speed. We arrived in North Captiva and anchored across the channel behind Cayo Costa island. Then we broke another rule (leaving a decent anchorage for no compelling reason) and decided to anchor behind North Captiva and be closer. We did not run aground (chart says 9 feet of water), but at 5 feet on the depth meter I tossed out the anchor. De Anne went ashore to visit her sister. Turned out to be a bad spot when the keel started hitting bottom about midnight. We raised anchor and moved 100 yards to 12 feet of water and re-anchored. After a night on anchor watch we (me!) raised the anchor yet again at 7:00am and headed back to the original spot.

Update Monday 5/25

We spent the morning ashore on Cayo Costa. It was a shell collectors paradise! There was even a 7 foot dead nurse shark washed ashore. Back on the boat we watched huge sea turtles, dolphins, and lots of big manta rays- some in groups.

The view of Captiva Pass from Lisa and DeLinda's porch:

The view of Captiva Pass from Rising Star:

In Sarasota

2009-05-14T10:07:00.003-04:00

Sarasota is a wonderful town under 3 conditions: 1) you like to eat in restaurants. 2) you are crazy about shopping at small boutiques for expensive nic-nacks that your heirs will sell for pennies on the dollar. 3) you have a boatload of money. Since we only fulfill item number 1 we are getting bored fast. However, under item 1 we did have a great lunch at a little Thai restaurant today. We feel lucky in that there were 50 other restaurants to choose from in 2 blocks and we picked so well.

It's also a great place for getting your hair done. There is a barber shop and beauty parlor/spa on every block. In fact, on one block there was a beauty shop with a barber shop on each side. There is also a dry cleaners every where you turn. The winner though is coffee with 2 shops per corner and if that is too far to travel there are always a couple in the middle of every block. I have resisted a $5.00 cup of coffee even for the free wireless. I am using the Library internet, which unlike all other Florida towns who give you a free hour, only allows two 15 minute sessions per day. To make it worse the system pops up messages every couple minutes warning you your time is about to expire. You have to click out to get back to what you are frantically trying to finish. Finally, to end this rant - the only grocery store is Whole Foods, a rather expensive place.

We bought bus day passes to go to Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island. Upon our return De Anne, wanting to get full value for the two $3 passes, suggested we take the bus down to Venice (our possible next stop). The buses to the beach and island were mostly empty and the few of us on them were tourist types. The bus to Venice was populated by .... ahem... more general population types. One man was proclaiming his faith to another and it might have been more believeable had he used only one cuss word per sentence instead of 3 or 4. The driver had to wake a drunk and that caused a mentally disturbed man to freak out. Back on the boat we pondered the world we left behind - over the favorite sailor sundowner, with a slice of lime, of course. De Anne noted she had married me so she would not have to ride buses anymore and has now, 28 years later, come full circle. In the interest of full disclosure I married her so I would not have to do laundry anymore. My side of marital bliss is intact.

On a more somber note - our one and only beach towel took flight in a freak wind shift. Two boats dragged anchor during the brief storm and distracted us from securing all items. The towel sleeps with the fishes.

On to Sarasota

2009-05-13T10:11:00.005-04:00

We took the Gulf route south from Clearwater to Tampa Bay and anchored behind Egmont Key on Thursday night with a few other cruising boats. The island is a bird sanctuary - I don't know how the birds know it but millions of them seem to. I thought they would quiet down after dark, but that was quite a wrong estimate on my part. Lucky for me I can sleep through anything and proved it once again.

We waited until 8:30 am to leave since we wanted to miss rush hour traffic. To explain: we needed two low bridges to open in order to use the Intercostal and felt we stood a better chance of a quick opening if we got to them after rush hour. At our very first bridge we turned on the VHF and hailed the bridge tender for the time of his next opening. He told us in a slightly irritated voice that he had been trying to hail us. He was holding another boat on the other side waiting for us "so hurry up!". We went through, but the other boat did not wave when I waved to them. I didn't think the VHF radio was the place to declare our bridge virginity and explain our low power because of the electric motor. I did, however; leave the VHF on the bridge channel (9 in Florida) and was ready to make a better account of ourselves on the next bridge 2 miles on.

Those were our only 2 low bridges for the day. As we passed Longboat Key the scenery was spectacular. I took the helm while De Anne marveled at how beautiful the setting was. When we got to Sarasota Bay we raised sail and De Anne helmed the boat at 5.5 to 6.1 knots straight up the Bay. When we got to the marker in front of the Ringling bridge (history note: This was the winter quarters for the circus) De Anne could not stand for the sailing, in such ideal conditions, to end so she tacked and we ran the bay again.

We anchored amid 50 other cruisers and liveaboards with Island Park and the city to the north, gazillion dollars home to the south and Lido Key across the bay to the west. Some of the boats in the anchorage are in such disrepair and/or so odd looking that I can almost have some sympathy for city wanting to get rid of them. A few don't have masts and others have shredded sails hanging off booms, and most are rusted or stained hulls with a foot of growth waving gently in the swells. The common denominator is the appearance of the folks - aging hippie chic.

We paid the $2 dingy parking fee for a safe place to lock up the dingy Saturday morning and walked into town. Past Marina Jack's on the other side of the park Main St. was blocks of coffee houses and exclusive little shops. We dressed up for the walk and it was a good thing. Very upscale. We toured the farmers market and spotted the bus station. After checking schedules and routes we plotted our own tour of Sarasota by bus for Monday. De Anne had a hankering for pizza, something missing from our diet for the past 4 months, so we had lunch in a little place on Main St. By this time it was getting hot in the city and we retreated back to the cooler bay.

We went ashore again in the evening and 2 hobos approched us while we were sitting on a park bench gazing out over the bay. They were talking weird and likely drunk so I told De Anne "let's move on". The hobos seemed offended and later De Anne said they were likely our "neighbors". She was probably right.

I had taken De Anne to a seafood/prime rib buffet in Clearwater with Gary and Lisa for Mother's Day, but as an extra treat I took her ashore Sunday morning and dropped her off for a few hours of solo time and window shopping while I did boat chores and ran the generator to charge up our various devices. It's amazing the number of cordless things we have. Drill, cell phone, spotlight, 2 handheld VHFs, and of course my laptop. Except when motoring the intercoastal waterway the 200 watt solar panel does a good job keeping the 2 banks of motor batteries topped off. I even have excess amps which I use on the refrigeration and freezing my main necessity - ice cubes. Yes, I am reckless and have the power make my own ice and I am not ashamed to admit it.

Sunday afternoon De Anne spotted a woman in a dingy floating by and alternating between pulling on the motor start cord on her outboard and some ineffective rowing. In the brisk breeze the dingy was floating by. De Anne called out to offer a tow but she refused. After she drifted another 1/4 mile she waved for help. I dingied out to her and towed her to the boat west of us. A three-year-old child was there to greet us. The little boy looked as if he had not bathed or changed clothes during the past month. Just after I got back to our boat De Anne spotted the same woman drifting back again. De Anne was astonished and I vowed no more rescues for that woman. She was now trying to row back to her boat when a man came on deck and shouted words of encouragement like "row faster" and "use your left oar more". She covered the 100 yards in about 1/2 hour.

We look forward to Monday and the absence of the weekend crowd.

In the Tampa Bay Shipping channel - as close as you would want to get to a big ship!

Sunrise over Tampa, behind Egmont Key

Sarasota Bay looking northeast

Sarasota Bay looking southeast

Marina Jack's (yes, we passed up a marina!)

Can you find us? - hint look to the right of the pass in the background.

De Anne and egret on beach (egret is white dot to her left)

Longboat Pass

Last Day in Clearwater....(maybe)

2009-05-06T15:03:00.003-04:00

The weather window looks good for tomorrow. We spent the morning on chores in preparation to leave, then a last trip to the beach.

We now have a line around the far windward piling to help us pull out of the slip thanks to Lisa and Gary. They went for a dingy ride and stopped by to run the line for us. I took pictures as they approched and lest someone misunderstand the picture below that is not Lisa waving to me - she is threating me. It took a couple libations to secure her model release to post one photo.

Lisa in dingy:

De Anne in the surf:

Fun in the sun

2009-05-03T23:52:00.005-04:00

Saturday morning we walked to the bridge over the pass from Clearwater bay to the Gulf. On the way back we took the beach walk and saw a volleyball tournament starting. Tall girls in bikinis! How could I resist watching! We double-timed back to the boat, cleared the camera, grabbed a cold drink and back to the beach. De Anne went swimming for a while but rejoined me at the tournament site later. I was relieved to have her with me so I looked less like a dirty old man. She had on her string bikini and looked very much like all the other girls around. She did however veto the picture I took of her for the blog.

Sunday we were going to take our boat out for a day sail with Skip. While we were waiting a couple with a decided european accent was walking the dock and asked if there were any boats for sale. It finally came out that they wanted to buy our boat. I let them look around and De Anne approved an interior tour. While his wife was still below he came back on deck and offered me $30K. I then realized he was serious. I told him I really couldn't sell our home. He then asked how much did I want. I told him I was sorry - no sale. If he comes back tomorrow I'll say $55K and see how hard he gulps.

Skip arrived and the wind increased. I was reluctant to go out, but decided with his help we might get out of the slip without leaving too many boat pieces on the pilings. Since he is the company captain for Regal Yachts and has about 1,000 times my experience I told him my plan and asked for his advice. Once we had a plan we sprung into action. Mother Nature had a plan too - turn the boat sideways in the slip. After several trys I called a halt. Skip then invited us back to his house to sail on his Oday. They keep their cruising boat (32 Westsail) in New England and use the Oday in Clearwater. He has restored it to better than new condition and keeps it on a lift in the canal behind their condo. De Anne, Rose, and I played railmeat as Skip tacked fearlessly back and forth in the crowded Intercostal Waterway. He then took us on a brisk broad reach north almost to Caladise Island. With cocktail hour fast approching we made good time back to their slip and had gin & tonics poolside before firing up the grill for burgers. Unfortunately the evening ended abruptly when I remembered I did not have my marina gate key and we had to hurry back before lockdown. A great day and weekend!

Looking out on the gulf:

South side of the pass:

Pelican doing an eagle impression:

Beach volleyball:

De Anne gazing into the bay (approved picture):

Clearwater Pictures

2009-04-30T13:48:00.005-04:00

Photos from our beach walk to Caladesi Island this morning. It's not really an island since we were able to walk the five miles to it.

Click on any picture to enlarge
Huge, private beachfront homes in Clearwater

On the beach looking towards Clearwater

looking towards Caladesi Island

Bikini babe in front of "shell" tree

Here is where I went on strike - taken from a bench in the shade

Blue sky, green sea, white sand, and (expletive deleted)crab boat

Proof I completed the walk - from the rear of our boat

Family visit

2009-04-26T20:20:00.001-04:00

We visited my Uncle Jim and Aunt Perilie Saturday and stayed overnight. A real bed and a 20 minute shower in a non-public bathroom were novel treats for me. Aunt Perilie cooked a wonderful dinner and Uncle Jim and I shared a few trips down memory lane. The house they live in now is the replacement for the original house lost in a tornado years ago, but I remember first water skiing on their lake 40+ years ago.

We watched 2 adult and 2 young sand hill cranes walk their beach and backyard several times. The male was very aggressive in protecting his young.

Jim and Perilie treated us to a delicious Sunday Brunch at their Country Club. On the way in De Anne noticed the sign calling it a country club and yacht club. Jim told her there was only one party pontoon boat, but she had to see for herself so as we were waiting for the car to be brought up she broke ranks and discovered, just as she had been told, there was only a pontoon boat. This was her second time AWOL today. Early in the morning she went for a walk, got lost, stopped at a Publix for directions and ended up walking about 5 or 6 miles.

Their home:

Sand hill cranes (taken from the screened porch) click on picture to enlarge:

A busy social life

2009-04-24T22:23:00.005-04:00

We have been working on our tans at the beach as good vacationers do; however evenings have been busy. We had Lynne and Kent (No Bad Days) over on Monday and visited their boat Tuesday. They are doing the Great Circle Loop.

Wednesday we took the bus to Tarpon Springs to see if we missed anything by not going into town when we were anchored at Ancote Key. We wandered the main drag and walked the docks - even bought a couple sponges (what Tarpon Springs is famous for). We followed Lynne's recommendation for lunch and had a great greek meal.

Back in Clearwater De Anne, having not yet had enough fun, dragged me down to the beach to check out the free entertainment. It turned out to be New York based break dancers. One of them went into the crowd and grabbed two young black men for a competition, then they grabbed a slender, young white man - obviously for a laugh. Unfortuately they didn't stop there. Just to round out the humor they pulled me in. I guess it was some formula selection requiring an old, fat, white guy. The young white guy won, and I came in second. My prize was an autographed picture of the group. Of course I had to stay for the whole performance after that. We took a short, sunset beach walk, then back to the boat. Skip and Rose were on the dock looking for Kent and Lynne who were gone. We shared some Greek pastry we had brought back from Tarpon Springs when Kent and Lynne returned. It turned out they were in the crowd watching my performance. I might have to check YouTube for Clearwater or Pier 60 breakdancing just to see if my humiliation is complete.

Today we went back to St. Petersburg to visit Jim and Abby at the downtown marina. We arrived just as the yacht broker was leaving. They have decided to sell their boat and will be leaving for Michigan in just a few days. We took the trolly around town and had lunch at a great little cafe they had found in downtown St. Pete. They still have a 23' gaff-rigged sailboat on Lake Michigan and we wish them the best of luck for a summer of sailing up there.

Back at the marina we spent some time conversing with our new neighbors, Steve and Lucille on a Catalina 350. He is a retired Naval Officer and since Tristan has recently passed all the tests for Officer Candiate School and is awaiting a report date we were very interested in his perspective as a career Naval officer. It's hard to believe but Tristan is now a lean, mean, fighting machine.

Tomorrow we are renting a car and traveling to Haines City FL to visit my Uncle Jim and Aunt Perilie.
The Bounty - built for the 1960 movie. Jim and Abby reading the signs.

Start of a sailboat race to Mexico. The Pier to the right.

Adventures with Skip

2009-04-21T22:24:00.008-04:00

It was time for the afore-mentioned Regal yacht to be taken to St. Petersburg for shipping, so Skip invited us to go. A day on a new, big yacht? We threw our sailor's pride overboard and went over to the dark side.

We cruised up the intercoastal at 8 knots in the no-wake zones and 35 knots in between. Skip showed us all the anchorages not mentioned in the cruising guide. He also can identify every sailboat by make, model, and size from about a mile out. After pulling the boat we took off the 4 props (2 counter rotating per engine), and had lunch at a great water-side cafe where Rose joined us. Afterwards we helped (sorta) pack up the boat for travel.

I can heartly recommend the Regal 4460 to anyone looking for a superb motor yacht in the 500K+ range.

Skip and De Anne

The intercoastal

De Anne at the helm - front and back.....

Entering St. Petersburg

On vacation

2009-04-17T19:51:00.006-04:00

This may elicit some groans and eye-rolling, but we have decided to take a vacation. I know some of my readers may consider us "on vacation" already; however, Clearwater Beach Florida is a top-rated beach and by some considered the best on the Gulf. We agree and don't want to leave so soon, hence a three week vacation right here in paradise.

We realize that getting to the Bahamas before hurricane season and having the time to really cruise the islands is slipping away. We would have to hurry, which is a bad idea for cruisers. The Florida weather this year has been terrible (not that we would know, but all the local sailors we have talked to have said so). As followers of this blog have noticed, our progress has been slow and compounded by delays in Mobile during January and Feburary. We will continue to move south during May and June in order to be positioned for the crossing to the Bahamas in November. We would like to spend a week or two in Sarasota and some time in Charlotte Harbor, plus it is almost a cruising requirement to spend at least a few days on the Little Snake river in the everglades. After that we will take a mooring in Ft. Myers for Rising Star and then perhaps some land travel to visit neglected friends and family.

A new pirate ship showed up today. De Anne and I were invite aboard for a tour by the owner. He told us the owner of the Clearwater pirate ship (see earlier blog entry) yelled obsencenities at him even though he is just staying overnight on his way to his new home port in St.Augustine. His captain is Ron.

Lots of exotic birds

A view of the islands north of us

One of the beach entertainers, a fire juggler

Clearwater FL

2009-04-14T20:07:00.003-04:00

We are settled comfortably at Clearwater Muncipal Marina. Just across the street is a wide, beautiful beach and the water is a striking green. The city provides free entertainment on the beach every night. Until today the weather has been beautiful even though a bit too windy for us to be tempted out to sea.
Tomorrow's planned departure has been cancelled. No beating out on the Gulf for us! Last Saturday's sail to Clearwater was fun and comfortable - we intend to keep our heads down until we can get more of the same.

We were going to anchor in the bay just outside the marina; however, with the high winds that keep blowing through prudence and comfort dictated staying in our slip. I extended our stay with the dockmaster. A week ($10 per foot) is the same price as 5 days ($2 per foot) and a month ($15 per foot) is equal to a week and a half. I am thinking of taking the month and waiting for calmer weather to arrive. I may even send De Anne out to get a job on the pirate ship. They had a help wanted sign out today. And speaking of the pirate ship - every time they come back to port (5 times a day) the last song they play is Who Let the Dogs Out? I now know precisely when they cue the music so some evening when I have had too many rum & cokes and/or gin & tonics I may start singing it about 10 seconds early, distract their customers, and ruin their cute little finale.

A trolley runs from Clearwater to the southern tip of St.Petersburg. Today we rode it to the end to see our next harbor entrance - North Channel at Pass-a-Grille island. Just after we arrived the first wave of a major storm blew in. We took shelter, waited for a clearing and walked the channel boardwalk. The next wave hit just as we were getting back on the trolley. We got back to the boat just as the third and most serious line of storms hit. I had already doubled up some dock lines but the wind was so strong the dock lines were stretching and I had to shorten several. The boat was pitching and rolling which caused me to have to time my leap to the dock. Graceful I ain't.....

Storm front moving in at North Channel, Pass-a-Grille

Rising Star in Clearwater

Boycott crab!

2009-04-12T22:27:00.001-04:00

We have decided never to eat crab again. Into Tarpon Springs and then, all the way to Clearwater we dodged a few million crab pots. Each pot owner paints his pot bouys a different color and I curse the guy who chose sea-green as his color. I despise the ones who use too much line (leaving 20 feet floating around just below the water) and the ones who lay pots in a random pattern. There are so many pots I cannot imagine how a single crab lives through the season. The bouys are about the size of a grapefruit and very hard to spot if there is any wave action at all.

We are experiencing culture shock in Clearwater Fl. After several months in Alabama and the Panhandle the noise, cars and vast amount of people is overwhelming. Just coming into the pass with charter boats, tour boats, and other yachts was mind boggling. We are use to passing the occasional boat and waving. Here it was like a rush hour on the highway. Of course we were the old granny as the slowest boat. There are even intersections, but without lights, so you make your turns and hope the other guy is chicken. Lucky for us guys in expensive boats don't want to hit a cheap, old sailboat.

Jim and Abby have had more excitement. The painter on their dingy broke while they we anchored outside of Crystal River. The Sheriff's Dept.found it washed into a marina. Gary and Lisa (Ocean Spirit - 44') arrived in Clearwater this morning. I happened to look out and saw them approaching the marina and was ready at the dock to take their lines. We have been hopscotching with them since Port St. Joe. They were the experienced cruisers I commented on in an earlier blog when I said we wouldn't leave Carrabelle until they did. I lied. We left first and they waited two more days for a much more pleasant night out.

We took a walk this morning and met Skip and Rose, long time cruisers who have settled in Clearwater. Skip does some occasional work for Regal and as one thing leads to another, we were aboard a new Regal 4460 that Skip was commissioning and needed to move out of the marina. They gave us a water tour of Clearwater, then took the boat and us back to their home on one of the canals. They then drove us to West Marine to pick up a new battery for our extra dingy motor we bought in Carabelle (electric Saltwater Riptide trolling motor). Their cruising boat is a Westsail 32. Thank you Skip and Rose for an unexpected fun morning and all your hospitality!

We may leave the (expensive) marina and go on anchor until the next weather window (maybe on Wednesday) when we plan to sail to Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay.

A hard day's night

2009-04-11T23:31:00.005-04:00

Written Thursday 6:00pm at anchor between Ancote Key and Tarpon Springs
We left Carabelle Wednesday morning in a most unceremonious way - backwards. As we pulled out of the slip the river current caught the back end of the boat and yanked it downstream. We went with the flow literally and figuratively. About a half mile downstream where the river widened and the current was weaker we turned the boat around and kept the pointy end forward for the next 140 miles.

There was no wind the first 10 miles of the trip or the last 10 miles, but plenty in between. Sailor friends will appreciate that we topped out at 7.5 knots around 2:00 am with no headsail and only a double-reefed main. De Anne claims to have hit 8 knots but that was while I was asleep at 8:00 pm and she still had the jib up. To add to the festivities the seas were just a few points off the beam. (waves hitting the boat sideways) so keeping a compass bearing of 135 meant trying to stay somewhere between 150 and 120. Our wake was a big, lazy "S".

On the good side we made better time than I dreamed possible and had a full moon providing light all night. Sleep time was on the floor with a pillow. It was too rough for sleeping on the settee, even though we have a lee cloth (sling) setup for it. At my 3:00 am nap I was sleeping without even bothering to remove my inflatable PFD and harness. On a more delicate note: from now on I will remember mal-de-mare requires using the downwind side of the boat. There are some things best not done into the wind. Sorry, but I must offer my readers the good, the bad, and the ulgy.

Written Friday 3:10pm on anchor
We were buddy-boating with Jim and Abby on Escape - a Morgan 33. Because we motor at 3 knots under power we left first. We had set up for VHF checks every even hour. After trying to raise them at 10:00, noon, and 2:00 we figured they must have had a problem and not left the marina. We since found out that they did leave, took down sails when the weather picked up, and motored. Unfortuately they had engine problems at midnight, couldn't get the sails up because of snarled halyards, and had to call for a tow into Crystal River which is about 50 miles north of us. They lay ahull (adrift in the water) for 2 hours before the tow arrived.

I had to dive on our prop today. On the last leg in Thursday our speed kept dropping. I finally guessed we were picking up some of the floating weed . It was a good guess. I had to dive 6 or 7 times to clear it all. Lucky for me I had a great dive knife that Lee Bridges had given me just before we left Indianapolis.

Our rudder was making odd sounds after our robust Wednesday night sail. I got behind the aft cabin and figured it was the packing that was wearing a bit faster at sea than it would have on Lake Monroe. I tightened down the collar, compacting the packing and the rudder is tight again. I will replace it on my next trip to West Marine.

We will leave our anchorage behind Ancote Key Saturday morning and sail south. How far we don't yet know.

Saturday 9:00pm Docked at Clearwater Fl.
After waiting until 10:30am for the fog to clear we sailed from Ancote key to Clearwater. De Anne loved the sail since it was tacking upwind the entire time. Of course that made a 16 mile trip actually 25 miles. NOAA lied to us again, claiming west winds when they were acutally south. An hour after we docked the wind changed to the west. We just got back from the beach where we ran into a few thousand people.

Ancote Key -

A tacky floating tourist trap -

Waiting and waiting

2009-04-04T11:44:00.002-04:00

We arrived in Carrabelle two weeks ago. I scan three weather reports daily with no weather window in sight. Because we are making a jump of 140 miles I must check the 0 to 20 miles out, the 20 to 60 miles out forecasts and the Tarpon Springs 20 to 60 mile forecast. Coordinating 3 is enough, so I don't even bother with the Tarpon Springs 0 to 20 mile forecast since we feel we can stand anything for 20 miles.

I am looking for 2 days and 1 night of winds less than 20 knots and seas less than 6 feet. Additionally the wind must not be from the southeast because then we would have to tack. (Sidebar for our nautically-challenged friends: since a sailboat can't sail directly into the wind it must sail a zig-zag pattern upwind to make progress.) Tacking could add another 50-100 miles to the trip and add a second night out. We have been teased a few times with east winds, north winds, and even west winds, but the old familar southeast winds return after a day or less. There is an old nautical saying: Gentlemen don't sail upwind.

There are 5 other cruising boats, in just this marina, waiting for the same window. We watch the big 40 footer and 48 footer with experienced criusers aboard knowing that if they won't venture out there is no sense in us even considering it. It's been bad enough that the fishing boats have stayed in port. One of the cruuisers mentioned today (tongue-in-cheek) that he was considering buying property here. When we all do go it may look like the Spanish Armada in the Gulf.

All is not grim however, we have made more friends, Jim and Abby on a 33 Morgan (who may buddy-boat with us), Thursday night we won a Trival Pursuit contest at 2 Als resturant, last night was a cruisers pitch-in on the marina porch (cruising women sure do know how to drink!) and, of course, the beach is within walking distance.

De Anne and Abby walking the beach:

Carrabelle in pictures

2009-03-31T12:38:00.008-04:00

One of the band of faithful followers of this blog has asked for more pictures. I guess my thousand words is not enough.....

The heart of downtown:

From the bridge looking down river at the town:

and from the other side of the bridge, looking up river:

A successful fisherman on our dock:

During the gale this well-protected cove is quite choppy:

What I have learned (so far.....)

2009-03-26T09:34:00.000-04:00

The wind blows southeast in Florida day in and out and that is the direction I want to go.

I learned to pay attention to the tide when leaving a harbor or anchorage. Then I learned the same about arrivals.

The boat can take more than I can.

A forecast that mentions 20 knot winds implies "or more", just as variable implies "none"

A forecast of waves 3-5 feet implies a 10 footer every 3 or 4 minutes.

Forecasts are 100% correct when the boat is tied to a dock.

A tough, capable wife - don't leave the dock without one.

Sleep is a habit that can be broken by being 20 miles offshore in adverse conditions.

Sea water is free - until you pump it into your holding tank. Being 3.01 miles offshore makes it free again.

I have learned that running aground is not shameful, but it's no great honor either.

There is not too big an anchor or too much chain after dark.

A marker just spotted is not necessarily the one you want just because it's the only one you see.

Exploring a new town every few days and finding what you need is fun.

Small town folks are friendly.

The Gulf is lousy with dolphins. They have to do tricks now before I get excited.

If you ever want waterfront property now is the time.

Cruisers are the nicest people - even the ones in trawlers.

Carrabelle

2009-03-24T11:51:00.002-04:00

Our greeting to Carrabelle was provided by Chuck and Leah from Wings (Hunter 29.5) who are experienced cruisers. Chuck was ready at the dock to take the bow lines from De Anne right after our initial docking was aborted due to an unexpected and quite contrary current in the river. After I backed away I found shallow water one foot past the channel marker. Luckly for me I was able to power off and make a successful run at the dock from the other direction, only dragging the expensive solar panel lightly across a piling.

After a much(MUCH!) needed shower and shave we repaid Chuck's help with a gin and tonic or three. Chuck and Leah are a delightful couple from Minnesota and we swapped many entertaining stories late into the night. For our landlubber friends - late into the night for cruisers is any time past 8:00pm.

Saturday morning Chuck and Leah invited us to join them for a visit to St. Vincent Island Nature Preserve. It is west of Apalachicola so we retraced our day-long journey of two days ago in about a half hour. It was quite eerie passing over the bridge into Apalachicola and seeing where we had just spent two nights on anchor.

The Nature Preserve is accessable only by a pontoon boat ferry. High wind and big chop made anticipation of the ferry ride (fortunately) more exciting than it was. We wandered the peaceful trail through woods and dune scrub down to a wide, unspoiled beach.

We had a late lunch at the Seafood Grill in Apalachicola, drove back to Carrabelle, and stopped at Chuck's favorite ice cream store. They greeted Chuck and Leah by name. Good thing a waffle cone and ice cream are part of a balanced diet.

After all that food I cancelled dinner without a complaint from De Anne, and capped off a wonderful day with a small seista. Have I mentioned retirement is great!?

Rising Star in Carrabelle with Wings next to us. Note we are now using our bug screens over the hatches. That is De Anne sitting quietly in the cockpit - normally she is moving so fast the camera is unable to capture her:

Out of Range

2009-03-20T15:25:00.004-04:00

It's 6:00am Thursday morning and we are on anchor across from Apalachicola Fl. I have had a good night's sleep since the bugs drove us indoors about 8:00pm last night and we were asleep by 9:00pm. Because I am out of range of internet access I don't know when this will get posted.

Apalachicola is a quaint little tourist trap and fishing town. We walked the waterfront and did go into one shop. If you own an old boat don't throw away any pieces. Ship bells started at $1,800. That old compass might be worth $2,000.

We visited the Apalachicola Maritime Museum. It was locked up, but a carpenter next door saw us and came over to unlock the door and turn on the lights. He also threw open a large overhead door facing the water and left. A few minutes later a big gust blew through the door and scattered papers and brochures all over the Museum. De Anne and I ran around picking them up and finding heavy items to secure the stacks. We left, thanked the carpenter, and never saw anyone else. Based on the prices we saw in the afore-mentioned shop we could have left the Museum with a million dollars worth of antique boat parts.

Because this is the oyster capitol I felt required to sample some raw while here. The faithful follower will remember I have been investigating this delightful item at every stop since Mobile. Using a grading scale of freshness/size/cost Port St. Joe wins. Sorry Apalachicola, it's a subjective judgement.

Today we travel to Carrabelle, the shrimp capitol. I guess my eating habits are about to change.

Here is Apalachicola from one side of the boat:

....and the other side of the boat:

Blog addition Thursday night 8:30 pm

We left Apalachicola and motored through the morning. The bay is shallow and staying between markers is a must. Even in the marked channel we found some areas where depths were only seven feet. Once we entered St. George Sound depths were better and we could deviate some from the channel. Much better! Sails up and spirits soaring! We had a great sail on one tack 11 miles to an anchorage in Shipping Cove, four miles south of Carabelle.

We are anchored in the sound behind Dog Island. At this point the island is only 50 yards wide. We can see the Gulf from our cockpit and hear the surf on the other beach. Before dinner we rowed to the beach and walked the Gulf side. Back on the sound side De Anne walked the beach while I antagonized the hermit crab population. When 2 hermit crabs meet they fight. I provided introductions. Sometimes you just can't bottle up the inner little boy.

Here is sunset 30 minutes ago:

Another addition Friday 2:30 pm

The wind shifted and increased last night (not in the forecast - of course). Our beach became a lee shore (wind blowing us towards shore), the fetch (wind-driven waves increase the more distance they have to build) was up to 2 feet and we decided to vacate the anchorage without a morning stroll on the beach. High winds off-shore are anticipated over the next 3 days (gusts to 35 knots or in english - 40mph) so we will stay in Carabelle and visit with the other cruisers holed up here just like us.

After 3 days of travel and anchoring out it is nice to be at a dock and in a new town.

Moving On

2009-03-15T22:01:00.001-04:00

This is a marina I could learn to love. The facility is just short of the San Diego Yacht Club. Yes, we were there as guests of De Anne's cousin who owns a J 160 Trans-Pacific racing yacht.

The entire staff is friendly and attentive. A morning paper and weather forecast is delivered to the boat, restrooms are big and bright with separate facilities just for live-aboards (oops - I mean cruisers - live-aboard is a bad term in Florida), a dock-side bar and grill that has great food at reasonable prices, and free loaner bikes.

Alas, even with all this, the wanderlust is building in both of us. We plan to use the IWW and take the overland route through the canals and river to Apalachicola on Tuesday. A couple days of oyster eating there and on to Carabelle where we will wait for the weather window necessary to make the 140 mile hop to Tarpon Springs. Yes, another overnight. Maybe the third time will be the charm.

Tomorrow we stock and prep for a couple hours then have some last day fun in this beautiful little port town.

Port St.Joe

2009-03-11T23:42:00.006-04:00

On the east side of lovely St. Joseph bay is the town of Port St. Joe. It reminds me of the Florida of my childhood. Wide streets, slow moving traffic, and no feeling of dense, hurried life. The Piggly Wiggly is a block away. Everything is within walking distance. I ambled over to Advanced Auto, bought 2 new house batteries to replace the failing ones and when I told them I was a cruiser at the marina they offered to loan me their cart to move them.

De Anne has washed the boat stem to stern (in her shorty shorts - I'll sneak a picture in someday and get into trouble), gone to the laundry, cleaned the entire interior, and that was just this morning. We walked in the nearby park after lunch and De Anne visited with Lucy, another cruiser. I have adjusted the dock lines and sat in the cockpit watching the tide come in. Here is my view from the cockpit:

......and since I have free wifi, courtesy of the marina, I am posting a few more gratuitous pictures:

Risng Star at the dock

De Anne at the waterside town park

Overnight, again

2009-03-10T21:30:00.004-04:00

We left Destin at dawn Monday morning. The anchor came up clean -quite an auspicious start. 500 yards into our trip to Panama City we went aground. A few days before we had watched, from the Destin boardwalk, the boats leaving the lagoon to get an idea of the course to use.Three boats left in the first half hour. All three went aground. One was a coast guard patrol boat. We did see a few make it out, but with a fearsome tide and having to parallel the bridge the successful captains were really gunning the engines.

We left at low tide so the current would sweep us away from the bridge and out to sea. Good plan, until we planted the boat in sand. The current heeled us over 20 degrees and with motor running we slowly bounced our way off and back into the lagoon. We turned around and made a second try, successfully this time. Of course the south ebbing tide met the swells from the south at the inlet and we got a great washing machine effect from the two opposing forces of water. We had 8 to10 foot breaking waves for about 100 yards. De Anne did a superb job of avoiding the biggest breakers.

Once the south wind rose we had a calm and relaxing sail towards Panama City, complete with several pods of dophins visiting us throughout the day and a sea turtle pacing us for about half an hour. The auto-pilot handled the steering and De Anne and I lolled in the cockpit watching the scenery and wildlife.

Novice skipper that I am, I failed the mental calculations of our actual speed with an arrival time in Panama City. No worries, a few hours of night sailing on a calm night with 2 foot seas didn't scare us after the experience of two weeks earlier. Then the wind died completely, and the fog rolled in. On with the motor and at 1:00am we lined up the markers into the Panama City cut. The boat speedo read 4.6 knots, but the chartplotter showed SOG (speed over ground) at 1.2 knots. It got worse the closer to the cut we got. Too much current, so we turned tail and ran. Next stop - Port St. Joe, about 40 miles down the coast.

We motored, at a slow 3 knots, through the night, in dense fog, relieving each other once an hour. We have found we prefer 45 minute naps to the more traditional 4 hour watches. Morning broke but the fog didn't. Finally, around 10:00am, just as we were looking for the first Port St.Joe marker the fog cleared. The bay was breath-taking. We could see the bottom 25 feet down. Miles of white sand beaches, untouched by any development. The camera just doesn't do justice to the view:

The Port St. Joe marina is clean, luxurious, and cheap! De Anne announced (after 3 rum and cokes - one over her limit) that we will stay here forever. Knowing my wife well, I am confident forever will end in 4 or 5 days.

The decerning reader of this blog will notice by now that we seldom end up where we plan to be. It gives real meaning to the phrase on our boat card "You're not lost if you don't care where you are."

Chores

2009-03-06T14:33:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we decided to find and ride the Destin city bus just to do some sightseeing and perhaps a bit of recon.

While on the bus (we were the only passengers), the driver pulled into his regular turn around spot, got off and told us to follow. We walked out to the beach. He just wanted to show us the beautiful Fort Walton beach and the amenties offered. It was sparkling white sand and clear blue/green water. Back into Destin we rode pass every store, and mall that the conspicuous consumer would ever desire.

One of two goals was completed when the laundomat was spotted. Now our only need is a place to fill our propane tank. It's not empty yet, but getting close. The pumpout boat comes tomorrow, we will have all clean clothes this afternoon, the water tank is full (thanks to a handy spigot, thoughtfully placed on the dingy beach), the larder is full, so all we need now is a north or northeast wind in the 5 to15 knot range. Do I ask too much?

The last of sundown in the anchorage. Skip and Carolyn's boat on the left and Russ's boat on the right.

Gale Conditions

2009-03-03T18:21:00.003-05:00

We weathered gale force conditions Sunday here in Old Pass Lagoon. The wind built through Saturday and during the night. By Sunday morning foam was blowing off the tops of the waves creating an interesting streaking pattern in the water. Since this is a protected bay the baby waves never got higher than one foot, so I was surprised to see this type of wave and blowing foam action here. I have not regreted my oversize anchor and 100 feet of 5/16 chain. Once an hour I would crawl to the bow, check the anchor, and readjust the snubber and chafe gear. For you non sailors - it is not wise to let the boat be held by just the chain. the snubber is a heavy rope 15 to 25 feet that is attached to the chain that provides a second attachment to the boat and allows some elastic properties. Chain would cause too much stress used alone. Below is an example of 2 reasons to have good ground tackle:

Many locals and cruisers have told us this is the worst Florida winter in memory. Sure, now that I'm here. The good news is that the worst Florida winter beats the best Indiana winter.

We were visited yesterday afternoon by a cruising couple anchored 1/2 mile west of us. Skip and Carolyn are on a 28' Catalina. They were interested in our electric motor. Their inboard gave up, a couple outboards have failed them and they are now using a British made, 40 year old outboard. They had some interesting stories, not the least of which was bouncing off a barge in the Intercoastal Water Way when one of their outboards failed.

The forecast is for warmer weather in the 70's; however, the wind is from the SE - just the direction we are headed. We are in a safe, comfortable anchorage with shoreside amusements so waiting for favorable weather is no hardship.

R&R in Destin

2009-02-26T15:30:00.002-05:00

Rising Star is back in ship shape condition and ready to travel again;however the occupants have found many reasons to tarry on their travels. Every possible store from West Marine to Winn-Dixie is a short dingy ride away. Going in the other direction are white sand beaches and clear water.

We packed a picnic lunch today and took the dingy to the beach. The water was so clear I thought I was stepping out into 2 feet of water and it turned out to be 5 feet deep. It has always been my job to provide entertainment for De Anne. Mission accomplished! My new beach towel, unused dating back to 2002, finally filled it's purpose in life. I had prepared for just such an incident by always putting my wallet in a ziplock bag before stepping into the dingy. We had a fun time, brought some beach sand back to the boat, and hung my clothes on the lifelines just as a tour boat passed by. It is part of identifying yourself as a cruiser - lots of junk on deck and clothes drying on the lines. I'm sure the view from the million dollar yachts (must be a hundred here in Old Pass Lagoon) is like looking at a mobile home with 3 junk cars up on cement blocks.

The weather is looking bad for sailing this weekend so we will enjoy this protected lagoon several more days. There are quite a few nice restaurants with dingy docks so we will have to pick carefully this weekend.

This was my view with coffee in hand this morning:

Lesson from Mother Nature

2009-02-25T16:42:00.003-05:00

We left Pensacola Beach on a rising tide without incident. This time we were ready. Jacklines and harnesses deployed, both reefs (to reduce sail area) in the main ready, and all equipment tested and charged.

The forecast was great, 10-15 knots from the north and seas 2-3 feet. The only unsettling prediction was lows overnight in the 30's, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad, so we left for an overnight sail, our first, into open saltwater, another first for us.

We blasted along under sail through the sound, turned the corner out of Pensacola bay into the Gulf. Back to a beam reach with the north wind and watched the sun set behind us. Just to be on the safe side I took down the jib (front sail) and double reefed the main.

The offical government forecaster (NOAA) was half right about the wind speed and only fractionally correct about the wave hight. Temperature estimate was spot on. It was a long, long night. The autopilot took a seista at a bad moment, the reefing line chafed almost through before I caught it. Waves over the bow cleared the dodger and gave whoever was at the helm a salt-water rinse. The 5 year-old house batteries decided the proper moment had arrived to give up, so I had to run the portable generator most of the night. The dingy tried to jump ship, so I spent my free time adding and adjusting new lines to the davits and dingy throughout the night.

I thought many times of my favorite line from the movie Captain Ron - "if it's gonna break, it'll break out there".

On the plus side we have our first overnight done. We learrned a lot real quick. We both escaped unharmed, although the chart table will never be the same after De Anne body-slammed it when the boat fell off a wave.

A funny thing happened on the way to...... oops, I used that line before..... OK, we didn't make to to Panama City, but we are anchored in Old Pass Lagoon,in Destin. We are now the middle boat in a row of 5 cruisers. We may stay here awhile and make some repairs and adjustments based on Monday night's experience.

A final special note: Kudos to De Anne - she manned the helm most of the night, freeing me to take care of little problems before they became big. After the autopilot scare she hand steered for 5-6 hours with just a couple ten minute breaks until we got the autopilot working again.

Mardi Gras

2009-02-22T18:38:00.006-05:00

We have missed (avoided) Mardi Gras celebrations along the coast for the past few weeks but when the parade happens a block from the marina it's just too close to pass up. It's a wonder the island didn't sink for all the bumper-to-bumper traffic. Drunk drivers were no problem, since cars were moving slower than pedestrians. The dirty old men on the floats tried to entice young ladies into lewd acts but although I kept an eagle eye out I did not see anyone having to work for moonpies or beads. Perhaps it was a bit too cool and breezy.

The plan de jour (remember cruising means no schedule) is to take the weather window starting tomorrow afternoon and sail through the night, bypassing Destin and going straight to Panama City. But who knows where we will land......

At the beach

2009-02-18T20:57:00.001-05:00

A funny thing happened on the way to Destin..... we went to Pensacola Beach instead.

It's good to be in a snug little marina! Outside, at this very moment a near-gale is blowing, and I have just finished adjusting dock lines and adding a couple backup lines. Low tide will arrive in a few hours and I will go out for another inspection then. After all, I wouldn't want the boat just hanging from the cleats! The wind is blowing from the stern and even in this shallow, little bay the waves hitting the transom create a slow drum roll inside. I watch the catamaran anchored 200 yards out and calulate that with the current wind direction he won't hit us if his anchor drags. Straining at the lines our boat shudders frequently in the gusts. The new Fortress anchor, a backup mounted on the bow rail, has added a new sound - a slightly musical sound like a wind chime.

We spent the morning walking the beach, the afternoon reading, De Anne made my favorite chicken casserole for dinner, and an evening with Mother Nature providing entertainment. What more could I want?

On the road again......

2009-02-15T16:36:00.002-05:00

We are away, slipping the lines at dawn Thursday morning. We raised sails just past the Dog River bridge and romped along at 7 knots through Mobile Bay. All was well.....until the wind died, for the first time in a month.

De Anne said "OK, now we see what YOUR electric motor can do". It was all theory up to this point. I turned it on, powered up to 20amps (50 amps is max) and started the Honda 2000 generator. I plugged it into our shorepower recepticle and turned on the battery charger. Theory worked in practice! We motored into the IWW (intercoastal water way) and to our first anchorage in Ingram's Bayou AL, covering 44 miles - 11 under sail and 33 under power.

We saw our first pod of dophins in Wolf's Bay on the IWW. 10 minutes of dophins along side made the whole day worthwhile.

Even though the forecast was bad for Friday, it started calm and clear. It was only 12 miles to our next planned anchorage. Mother Nature took umbrage at our attempt to sneak in a few extra miles by hitting us an hour later with 15 knots on the nose and a foul current. Our 12 miles took 5 hours. The anchorage was behind Red Fish point in Big Lagoon just west of Penscola FL. The crusing guide stated it was a good anchorage for every thing but a north wind. We had been fighting an east wind all day, but of course once the sun went down the wind shifted - from the north. Oh, the wnd speed increased to 25-30 knots too. I was confident in our oversized Bruce anchor with 100 feet of chain out and went to bed. De Anne stayed up to play "What's that sound?". With all the rocking and rolling, rain, and howling wind she was quite busy identifying many new creaks and groans. After a few hours I got up and checked the anchor. Things were settling down a bit and likewise De Anne.

The next morning, after listening to a bad marine forecast, I came up with the idea of getting a slip in Penscola Harbor. De Anne was happy to stay on anchor, but allowed me to decide. I chose comfort. I started to raise the anchor, but had to stop every 4 feet to scrub mud off the chain. Gentle Reader, if you are squemish stop reading now - I have decided to raise the anchor from now on naked. This Florida mud is the most sticky, gooey mess I have ever touched. I haven't gotten this dirty since it was intentional as a boy. I'm glad laundry isn't on my job description.

We dodged a few barges and reached the marina in early afternoon. We are docked in a new, posh (expensive) marina with floating docks, dock boys, and lots of expensive yachts like the floating palace below:

We will stay here a couple days until the next good weather window, then head to Destin and on to Panama City. We are having a blast - living the dream.

The Shack

2009-02-09T08:44:00.002-05:00

We are finally unencumbered by shore life! DeAnne's insurance is set, the boat is insured, and my PC is home again (after several days on various FEDEX trucks in Mobile).

Other cruisers tell us this "hurry up and wait" is just warm up until we reach the islands where we will learn the true scope and meaning of waiting.

De Anne has food stowed in every nook and cranny. I have 1 large and 2 small gas cans filled and strapped to the rail. DeAnne will walk the propane tank across the bridge for a fill-up. I offered to help but she doesn't want me and my short, stubby legs slowing her pace.

Below is a picture of our favorite Mobile hangout called "The River Shack". Some new cruising friends, Brad, Jay, and Gary treated us to dinner there after we loaned them our car; however, we have been back several times on our own. The name is an apt description. It is a plywood shack decorated with a few discarded boat parts and, central heat is provided by an open burner propane heater with a 20lb tank. The heater is moved around frequently based on where customers come in and sit. During happy hour a dozen raw oysters, served with a pile of crackers (saltines - not people), sauce, and a side of fresh-grated horseradish are $4. Bigger and fresher than any I have ever had anywhere!

Since the Shack is just across the river it is 2 miles away by land and bridge or 200 yards by water. Because I sold the car last Thursday we will inflate the dingy today in preparation for our next visit.

It looks now like our next weather window to leave will be Friday. Stay tuned for movement on our Google map!

Trapped by Snow

2009-02-02T09:31:00.003-05:00

OK, the title is a bit misleading, we have enjoyed mild weather in Mobile; however, we are waiting for my laptop PC to come back from the the repair shop.

Two weeks ago I was installing a new GPS, a Garmin 18. It came with a metal frame holding the GPS and had 4 suction cups to allow mounting on a window or hatch. I spent all day getting it to talk nicely with my PC. Just minutes after it was finally working properly the suction cups gave way and it hit my PC screen - breaking it.

I sent it to the authorized repair shop, located in Jeffersonville Indiana, with the promise of a 3 day turn around. the day after it arrived Jeffersonville was hit by an ice/snowstorm and the repair shop was closed for several days!

I am still at the mercy of Indiana weather although I expect little sympathy from those of you who experienced it first hand.

First Sail

2009-01-24T09:06:00.004-05:00

We said goodbye to Northern Light as they pulled out bound for Pensacola a few days ago.

Itching to get out for a first test sail we were finally free after the marine surveyor appeared on Thursday.

Leaving the dock under high wind conditions was difficult. Once out in the bay we discovered a few small problems in the rigging to be fixed this weekend. After a wonderful sail and heading back in I discovered that staying in the narrow channel was a must. Luckly for us Mobile Bay bottom is soft muck and a kind powerboater with a 250 hp engine put us back in the channel in under 30 seconds.

Returning to dock - still high winds - I opted for straight in. Fortunately, our pilings slowed us down.

De Anne and I agreed it was a learning experience and no great harm to us or the boat and called it a successful day.

Dock Life

2009-01-15T11:34:00.005-05:00

As the pictures show De Anne has rapidly gotten the interior in top shape with her usual speed. It feels like home now!

I have been fixing all the little things that boat maintenance requires. The water level in the bilge was rising and the smaller pump was not working, so in keeping with the first law of boating (keep the water out of the boat) I made tracking down the leak tops on the to-do list. Turned out a water filter was leaking so with West Marine $28 richer, and half an hour of laying on the floor, the sea was once again - temporarily - on the proper side of the boat.

Wednesday morning De Anne, foresaking the usual good morning greeting, woke me with a cheery "the bilge pump went off several times last night". The first law invoked again. This time it was the water filter on the fresh water tank, so instead of infinite water only 50 gallons was in play. All is fixed now, and the small bilge pump is working again.

It's not all work. The sound of the travel lift is a siren song to me. This is a working marina so boats are regularly being hoisted in and out. West Marine is a short stroll away and I seem to need to visit several times a day. Also, a huge wooden trimaran from Galvaston that was damaged in hurricane Ike is here for repairs and I feel obliged to regularly check the quality of repairs.

Tonight we will join some new friends on their Tartan 41 for a drink.

I haven't missed work yet, maybe later........

Boat Afloat

2009-01-13T09:35:00.001-05:00

We launched today! How I wish I could speak of feats of strength and daring-do; however, it was sunny, high 50's and gentle breezes. On top of all that a fellow cruiser with 20 plus years of experience rode along to help me do my first stern-to docking aganist what we northern inhabitants call telephone poles.

We should be ready nautically with about two days of rigging and provisioning; but waiting for the new boat insurance and DeAnne's health insurance may take another week. We don't care - we are living aboard as of tonight ......getting ready to watch our first sunset in our retirement home.

On Location.....

2009-01-07T09:43:00.002-05:00

In Mobile, great weather.....but .... boat insurance we have had for years won't work here, so new company wants a marine survey. Surveyor says a new bottom paint job is needed. De Anne sanded the bottom yesterday and will finish it today. We will paint tomorrow and launch on Friday, and hopefully be back on track this weekend.

Last Day in Indiana

2008-12-30T10:45:00.003-05:00

An original poem written and recited by Richard E. Mourdock, Indiana State Treasurer, at the Board of Directors meeting of the Indiana Board for Depositories bidding farewell to Merrick:

From whence cometh the wind that fills my sail,

What chases the calm wind into a gale,

When questions are pondered,

While on the ocean I wandered,

It beats worrying about which bank would fail.

Thank you Richard, those worries do indeed fall to others now!

Obligatory bikini issue

2008-12-21T09:55:00.005-05:00

What good is a sailing blog without a picture of bikini beauties on deck. Although the picture lacks the proper tropical background - your author believes the ladies will distract your view from said sub-standard backdrop. The decerning follower will recognize Admiral De Anne in the navy blue and her sunning partner is Shauna Cooper.

Of course the husbands of the lovely ladies (Captain Merrick and landlubber Randy) are safely behind the camera, so as not to distract from the scene with their ruggedly rotund physiques.

Hopefully in a matter of just a few weeks the background will improve!

See Spot Run

2008-12-15T22:35:00.005-05:00

I have activated our newest toy called "SPOT" (Satellite Personal Tracker). For all you techie types here is the web site : http://www.findmespot.com/ .

For those who would like to follow our every move on the water just click on the link at the top right side of this page and you will see a screen like this:

Just click on the picture to enlarge it.

Of course this test was done deep in the heart of Indiana -- had this been a real post Google Maps would have shown saltwater around (hopefully) the entire mark. Just give us a couple weeks.

If the mark doesn't move for a couple weeks we are having a great time in an idyllic location, or that's where the boat sunk.

Corpus Christi

2008-12-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

Our pre-retirement vacation was with Theron in Corpus Christi.

This picture of De Anne & Theron was as close to the port as
possible without breaking Federal laws.
An Officer was quite detailed in his description of where I could point the camera and monitored my every camera movement.

Wednesday night, like so many other marinas, there is sailboat racing in Corpus Christi. De Anne was able to help out one racer by alerting him of a fender still deployed. He took it with good humor and confessed another woman on the other side of the pier had teased him about it.

The picture shown is at the moment of collision between two boats just after the start of the race.

We enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast of fresh tamales on the beach at Padre Island. The first barefoot Thanksgiving I can remember.

Electric Motor

2008-11-11T19:48:00.000-05:00

My relationship with diesel began when the Admiral and I sold our outboard powered Macgregor 26X and upgraded to a Freedom 32. The Freedom was priced according to the neglect it had suffered for years, but a fixer-up bargain was just what we were looking for.

My initial diesel lesson was impellers, quickly followed by a bad exhaust elbow, cranky instrument panel, faulty sensors, overheating cooling system, vapor locks, wobbly engine mounts, and various lesser gremlins. Every docking was an act of faith, and every weekend a new opportunity to embed grease under my fingernails and smear my blood on the cabin sole. Thousands of dollars and three years later I was ripe for a way to free myself from the tyranny of my diesel.

I found the electric motor converts and joined that small band of fossil-fuel rebels. It may have been a conversion more emotionally driven than intellectual; but, I was hooked.

I studied and surfed the internet for a year while slowly indoctrinating my dear wife. With her grudging blessing I began buying parts, for I had determined to build my own system from scratch. After months of unsuccessfully playing engineer and tweaking a sort-of working electric system I discovered Electric Yachts. My hard won knowledge convinced me I needed a professional, turnkey system. Although there are several companies offering various groupings of components, the one piece drop-in unit combined with a good price made the decision to use the Electric Yachts unit easy.

Although I received my system in April, Mother Nature thwarted me with record high water until July. Since I was replacing the prop and shaft seal at the same time as the motor I did have to have the boat pulled out of the water.

Three days were devoted to ripping away all the old equipment, then one bright morning I started at 8:30 am with just a bare prop shaft resting in the cutlass bearing. I installed my new Kiwi, composite, three blade prop in about one and a half hours, then the new PSS shaft seal in just under an hour. I hoisted the Electric Yachts motor aboard, adjusted the mounts a couple times, shimmed the unit to true it to the prop shaft and drilled the four new mount holes. I screwed down the lags, securing the new motor to the diesel bed and tightened down the coupling connecting the prop and motor shafts. This took about an hour and a half to complete.

I did a few boat contortions running the two control cables from the cockpit to the motor and plugged them in. Since the batteries were already in from my first electrical attempt all I had to do was connect the positive and negative cables to my master switch. By 3:00 pm I was powered up and spinning the prop.

The maiden voyage was a success! The only problem came when Admiral De Anne discovered our top-end speed was 5 knots vs. the boat’s hull speed of 6.2 knots. Since we were not drawing maximum amps at full throttle I determined the new prop needed more pitch. Lucky for me she demurred and allowed me to defer the plunge into murky Lake Monroe to adjust the prop pitch with a solemn promise to make the needed change on the hard in Mobile. I have added 3 degrees more pitch and anticipate discovering the missing 1.2 knots in Mobile Bay as we hurry south this January. The things we do for love!

Mobil Bay arrival

2008-11-02T07:58:00.000-05:00

Rising Star is resting comfortably on the hard at Turner Marine on Mobile Bay. Jim at Marine Tech picked it up Monday morning at Fourwinds and delivered it safe and sound on Tuesday.

The crew at Turner Marine had it on stands within 20 minutes of arrival. De Anne did a quick inventory and declared everything safe and sound.

We spent the next few days re-installing hardware, davits, solar panel, mast, boom, and lines. De Anne cleaned strap marks and waxed the hull. She did find time to visit several cruisers. One German couple on a huge catamaran, and a British couple on a ferro-cement boat were in to have their masts stepped after coming in from the Great Circle loop. She also met a man from Atlanta who is leaving at the end of the month on an east-to-west circumnavigation. We may meet up with the British couple in the Bahamas. Their ferro-cement boat will not be hard to pick out at a distance - it is green hulled with orange and white trim and looks like a pirate ship with carved wooden rails and posts and lots of rat lines leading up the two masts.

The fitting out went so quick and smooth we decided to spend a few days in Atlanta visiting family.

Ready for the road

2008-10-25T22:23:00.000-04:00

Taking down our 55 foot carbon fiber mast is always a nail-biting experience. First, it is seldom done so I seem to forget some step along the way. Second, having something that big (not to mention expensive!) swinging through the air is nerve-wracking. Even when it goes well it takes a few minutes for the adrenal rush to subside.

Everything is packed for the highway. Stowage must be considered for 60 MPH not the usual 6 MPH. De Anne has done a great job of finding a place for everything. If anything happens to her all is lost - both literally and figuratively.

The first part of the journey is the 750 miles to Turner Marine on Mobile Bay. That will take two days. From then on that many miles will likely consume a few months.

Time for a cool change...

2008-10-18T20:51:00.000-04:00

With apologies to the Little River Band it is "Time for a cool change..."

This weekend we pulled our Freedom 32 sailboat, Rising Star, from Lake Monroe for the final time. Everything is stowed for shipping. Next Friday the mast is unstepped (nautical for removing) and the following Monday (October 27th) the shipper arrives to haul our retirement home/boat to Mobile Bay.

We said goodbye to friends at LMSA last week and then again to friends on D dock at the Fourwinds marina this weekend.

We hope to keep up with everyone, but have patience! The next couple months of retiring, training my replacement, moving the boat, getting rid of 99.9% of our worldly possessions, and generally creating an entirely new way of life may keep us preoccupied.