04/18/2009, Anchored, Indian Key
Friday, April 17. By morning the wind had, indeed, switched to ENE and was gusting above 20 kts. We decided that we were well dug in and that moving 75' closer to the key would not substantially change things, so we just let out another 25' of scope and attached my home made kellet. After a lot of thought, I put the kellet on a 5' line and hooked it to the bridle with a carabiner. This allowed it to hang just above the sea bed and keep a constant downward pull on the bridle, improving the angle to the anchor. After it was deployed, I swam it and the anchor. It was bobbing just as hoped and the anchor was totally buried in soft sand/mud. I will sleep well even if it blows like stink. For the rest of the day, Deb did her Guatemalan laundry and I replaced the lights and fans in our berth. The lights got LEDs (and got rid of the nasty replacement they had come up with in Belize in favor of an original from the workshop) and the fans were replaced with quieter, lower power, higher air movement three speed units. Stew for dinner and then we actually watched a movie - Jackal - the first time we have watched a movie since leaving Naples.
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04/16/2009, Anchored, Indian Key
Thursday, April 16. Today was about as opposite from expected as could be. NOAA was predicting winds 5-10 from the W building to 10 from N. We awakened to 5-10 from NW, OK, close. I raised the main, Deb raised the anchor and helped me unfurl gennie, and we sailed out of the anchorage without ever using the engines. After we got to deep water (8' instead of 6'), we furled gennie and popped the spinnaker. We were comfortably making 4 kts to SE as we noted rain on the other side of Hawk Channel. Probably won't make it to us, but the dark clouds are certainly building our way, and with them gusty wind. We snuffed and dropped the spinnaker as the first strong gust hit. After rolling out gennie again, Deb kept us headed in the right direction while I stuffed the spinnaker back in its bag. We were making 7 kts to SE in 15 kts from NE. Must be just cloud effect. It won't last. But by the time we reached the outer edge of Hawk Channel, it was still blowing strong from the NE, so we tacked and headed back towards land. At this point our VMG was 0, but at least it wasn't negative and we were making good headway on the outbound tack. Sure enough, by the time we made the edge of Hawk Channel the second time, the winds were dying, but still from the NE. We sailed a bit beyond the Channel into the Florida Straights and the sea was flat as a mirror. Finally we gave up sailing and motor sailed toward Indian Key, our destination and still 15 nm away. As we were out over the reef and going back and forth from deeper water to shallows, we really should be able to catch a fish. Ballyhoos were jumping all over the place, so I rigged my Ballyhoo lure. It looked good to me, but not to any fish. I also put out the vibrating squid lure. It hummed nicely, but no fish liked it. All the way back over Tennessee Reef. If ever there was a sail that should have caught a fish, this was it, and we didn't. So, if anyone wants to get me something for my birthday, get me some lures that are guaranteed to catch reef fish in the Bahamas or pelagic fish on the trip to Panama. The ones I bought in Florida sure aren't working! Fishless, we sailed into Indian anchorage and picked a spot between two mooring balls. Of course now the wind is blowing 10-15 from the W! The prediction for the next couple days is 15-20 from the NE to E so we are planning to hang here for it to pass, but we have to set the anchor with winds from the W. I dropped back as close tot he island as I dared (6.2' with the tide @ +1.7. close!) so that when we swing we will still have good protection. We may have to pick it up and move it, we'll see what tomorrow brings.
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04/16/2009, Anchored, Vaca Key Bight, Marathon
Wednesday, April 15. As predicted, winds this AM were light from the SW. I raised the sail at anchor, Deb brought up the anchor, and we motor sailed back out the "channel" repeating Larry's mantra, "Six feet is good water." We were passed by no fewer than six boat loads of middle schoolers probably 15-20 per boat. Must be some type of camp or school program. We tried hailing them on VFH, but they did not answer. Once out the channel, we sailed out towards the reef on a broad reach @ 2-3 kts until we could swing and point towards Marathon and sail down wind with the spinnaker. After initial adjustment, I don't think we touched it for 3 hours. Beautiful sail. Usually 3-4 kts (in 5-6 kts of wind). After rounding East Sister Rock, we snuffed the spin, took a 90* right and unfurled gennie to sail up to the anchorage. Anchored in Vaca Key Bight, well protected from W, NW, N all the directions the wind is predicted to swing.
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04/14/2009, Anchored, Newfound Harbor, Big Pine Key
Sunday. April 12. Easter Sunday. We celebrated by doing laundry. Loaded garbage and laundry into dinghy and motored across the channel to town. Dumped garbage @ recycling center and then walked ~3 blocks to the laundromat. I left Deb there to do laundry and I went back to dink, returned to boat, got all the recycling and the empty jerry cans for diesel and returned to town, dumped off recycling, filled the diesel, and returned to the boat. By the time I had it all put away, it was time to return to town and pick up Deb and laundry. For Easter dinner we had "hamburgers in paradise." with jalape=F1os and cheddar.
Monday. April 13. Another new experience. We went into town in dink (getting wet along the way thanks to the wake from Party Cat!), took a taxi to the Publix grocery store and got provisions for another two weeks. Then taxi back to dink and dinghy ride (drier this time) back to boat. Certainly not the easiest way to do your grocery shopping, but ti works. By making several calls to ads I found on the internet newspaper for Ft. Lauderdale, we were able to find a nice protected and secure dock for the month of May for only $450. Considering this is the first money we have spent on dockage, it's not bad.
Tuesday, April 14. Up fairly early (anchor up by 8:30), motored over to fuel dock to top off tank. This is the first diesel we have bought since Mexico. With the jerry cans I got Saturday, it comes to ~$80 for fuel in 4 months. Raised sail as soon as we were clear of the fuel dock and motor sailed until beyond the point of Key West. Then fell off, unrolled gennie and sailed. We had one reef in from before and so left it in. Wind was 15-20 initially so we made 7+ kts. Wind gradually fell to ~10 kts from S, but we were making 5-6 toward our destination and we didn't want to get there too fast because the sailing was so great that we just left the reef in. Beautiful turquoise water. Ran the watermaker for 3 hours to replace what we used at anchor. As we turned in to Newfound Harbor channel @ Big Pine, we dropped main and ghosted along under gennie right up to our anchor spot and dropped anchor under sail. I rolled up gennie as we drifted back on anchor. Not a bad way to end a beautiful sail.
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04/12/2009, Anchored, Key West, Conch Republic
Saturday, April 11. I had been putting off installing the Racor filters for our engines in place of the little silver screen ones that came with it. I had heard all these horror stories about air bound engines and not being able to get them started, etc. I figure if I really screw it up in Key West, I can always get help - either from another cruiser or a profe$$ional, so I had at it. Removed the old filter (French thread compression fittings) and was able to force the 5/16 fuel hose over the compression fitting making it a very secure connection once clamped. Installed the Racor filter, filling it with diesel. I decided to start the engine at this point rather than changing the filter on the engine itself at the same time - fewer things to go wrong. It started immediately and after running a little bit, I was ready to celebrate when it died. And would not restart. Tried bleeding injectors - no fuel. Removed the on engine filter bowl - it was empty. Changed the filter, filled it with diesel, engine started fine, then died. Filter bowl empty again. Filled it through the vent hole in top (used a bottle for lube oil with a fine point on cap which I had saved for just this sort of thing.) Engine started, ran, died. Bowl empty again. ??Lift pump is not filling bowl. Why? By now I surely must have sucked any air out of the system. Called my brother Dave who has quite a bit of experience with diesels. He immediately said, "you're sucking air somewhere." Of course, I was thinking, 'why no fuel' but forgot that the pump could not pull all the fuel out without air going in - cannot create that kind of a vacuum! So look for air leak on new filter. Ah- hah! Racor filter mounts have inlets/outlets on both sides and come with plugs to close off the unused side. I had used the open fittings - carefully using teflon tape on the hose barbs and cranking them in tight, but had never checked the plugs. They were not even finger tight. There was my air leak. Taped and torqued them, refilled the lower filter bowl and she started and ran like a champ. Port side engine took about 15 minutes and ran perfect first time. Lesson learned.
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