03/23/2012
Since I last blogged, we have been on the move: Los Olas, Lake Worth, Vero and tonight Titusville. We spent an extra day in Vero and got caught up on a couple of things. We met Drifter and have been sounding for them since Lake Worth. Their boat draws nearly two feet more than ours, so we go ahead and let them know if we find any shallow water. So far we've all stayed afloat.
Bruce sent a couple of pictures I want to share. Among his many activities, he's an instructor at Coconut Grove Sailing Club and someone shot a couple of pictures while he was hove to with a class.
We hope to be in New Smyrna tomorrow and will spend a day or two with Father Eugene before he heads north as well.
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03/20/2012, Ft. Lauderdale
To catch up on our day yesterday let me start by saying it began well and ended well; in between it got a little interesting. After leaving Coconut Grove Sailing Club at 7:30 am, we went to get fuel at Grove Harbor Marina which is just around the corner. A lady walking her dog said they didn't open till 8 so we decided we could top off the fresh water while we waited. Eight o'clock came but no attendant. Finall at 9 am a couple of guys sauntered out to the fuel dock and we were able to get fuel. They're tip was parallel to their helpfulness - zip.
Then it was off to Governor's Cut. The cut is like a funnel bringing the tide back to sea while the wind was blowing into the bay which forms giant waves! There were boats ahead of us so we figured it they could make it so could we so off we went into the washing machine! Before I said it was a bounce, bounce, bounce but that does not really explain it. First it's a hurl up the face of the wave; all you can see is the sky. Then the bow tips earthward and gathers a snoot full of sea water which it has only enough time to collect before the next ride up begins, so she throws it over her head to engulf the boat and its occupants in the chilly brine. As the crest of the wave passes under the boat it hits the bottom of the dinghy and splashes into the transom giving the captain the effect of a Jacuzzi tub for just a few seconds. Then it's back to the top and we start all over again. We did this for about a mile before clearing the inlet and got out to sea. The waves here were not so big or splashy as we took a beam reach north up the coast toward Ft. Lauderdale. We had some good 5 and 6 foot swells, but other than tiring us out there were no real problems. Well, for us anyway.
Listening to the VHF radio we heard a fishing boat three miles off the coast call a May Day. His boat was taking on water. He was alone, but had donned his life jacket as he tried to thwart the flow. The Coast Guard responded and talked with him getting his GPS location and other information. They were sending a helicopter out and other vessels in the area headed his way. Finally there was a panic stricken hail that the boat was going down and he was in the water and then nothing, a bone chilling silence. The Coast Guard reported their location and that they would be on the scene in several minutes. The wind at 15 plus knots and the waves continued. One can only imagine the poor man's terror. Within fifteen minutes the CG came back on the radio to say that the man had been successfully removed from the water and the civilian boats could return to their prior courses. The whole time the young lady Coast Guard radio operator maintained a cool and professional demeanor. Our praises go to her, the crew and all who risk their lives for our safety and freedom.
As we neared the Port Everglades Inlet, it was time to furl the headsail. I grabbed the furling line and started to pull when I realized it was all ready in. This is not good; quite confusing. Something was not right. We are still bouncing around pretty good, but with the wind behind us it is much less. Terry went forward and was able to furl it by hand as I kept her steady. He tied it off and returned to the cockpit. Disaster averted! We arrived safely in Ft. Lauderdale and took a slip at Los Olas City Marina.
Since we wanted to leave the next morning, we set about washing the encrusted salt off Zephyr and repairing the headsail furler even though we were very tired. Upon close inspection, my brilliant captain found the problem: three screws had loosened themselves and jumped overboard. Fortunately, we had replacements that fit and Lock Titened them in place. The test run worked like a charm and we were back in business.
After dinner and showers we were quickly in that prone/snore mode. Today is going along much less eventfully and we'd like to keep it that way!
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The boat was moving so violently, all I could was hold on, point the camera and shoot.
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03/19/2012
Just a quick note and then off to a prone positiion. Left this morning and headed out Governor's Cut inlet. I've seen pictures of the waves that can stack up in inlets, but never experienced them...until today. Waves 10 to 12 feet high greeted us; it was as if we were trying to fly and having a hard time taking off; bounce, bounce, bounce! It was quite an experience. In the midst of trying to hang on and duck the water flying I grabbed the camera and got off a couple of shots before it just beame too much.
Tucked into our slip now. We'll have no trouble sleeping tonight I bet.
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03/18/2012
What a lovely four days we've enjoyed here in Coconut Grove. We caught up with our friend Judy and were hosted by our former teaching mate, Bruce, here at Coconut Grove Sailing Club. Judy is a watercolorist and I spent a wonderful day under her tutelage. What fun it was to have someone who could teach me new things! One evening we got together for dinner with Bruce, his wife Catherine and Judy at the lovely Sonesta Bayfront Hotel overlooking our boat and beautiful Biscayne Bay. The dinner was sumptuous; the food and service above average and the company just terrific. I think I'm beginning to understand the attraction Terry has for fresh tuna, I even ordered it myself. (Even though raw oysters still give me a little quiver as they slide down, this shows progress.)
Yesterday Judy and I took the bikes for a ride and perused the West Marine store and then she treated me to lunch at Peacock Garden Café; just a beautiful outdoor garden tucked in a little niche between two large hotels. Once again the food, service and companionship was a joy, especially after being holed up on the boat for a week while waiting out last week's weather.
Today Judy, the single-handing 5'3" marvel, left to spend some time in the keys. Bruce has been a real pal, loaning us his car to restock our larder and freshen our laundry. The folks who run the sailing club here have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Twenty-four hour shuttle service to the dock has been wonderful helping us tote all our provisions and bikes. Thanks to all. Hope to see you again.
Tomorrow we're setting the rudder for the North Atlantic (sounds dramatic, doesn't it?). If the weather holds as reported, we'll go outside rather than the ICW. If it holds really well, we'll stay out for 24 hours to put some distance under our keel, possibly Ft. Pierce. We'd really like to get to Auntie Gladys' by Easter. (Speaking of whom, today is her 87th birthday!! We wish you happy birthday dear friend and many, many more years of good health and good humor!)
Ta Ta
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03/14/2012
Although the wind was still from the east, we set out to test the waters. We thought we'd stick our nose out into Hawk Channel and see how the winds were pushing the waves. It was better than Sunday, so we decided to go for it. The waves were in the two to four foot range with an occasional boat soaker thrown in to keep us awake. All in all it wasn't a bad tripp up to Channel Five where we cut to the inside on a rising tide and snuck through the skinny cuts without touching bottom...but at times had only an inch or two to spare! We traversed 56 miles and anchored in Tarpon Bay off Key Largo. The first set of our anchor didn't hold and we found we had moved nearly a quarter of a mile when we noticed the sceenery was changing! We reanchored and got a good set this time and stayed put all night. This morning we awoke to calm waters and much less wind. We should be able to make Coconut Grove this afternoon. We have been on the boat without touching land for seven days now. Wonder if we'll have sea legs?
The picture is an example of cooking at sea...the stove is gimballed and is level. I, on the other hand, am not!
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03/12/2012
We left Naples Friday and had a gorgeous sail down to Little Shark River; flew all the canvas and just breezed along! Saturday we continued on to Marathon. The decision to go up the intercoastal was nixed in view of the forcast of strong winds from the east for the next few days, so we decided the protected waters of Boot Key would be a better choice. A call to Tow Boat US for local knowledge confirmed our fears that the ICW would be tricky with the wind causing extra low tides and it being normally shallow just north of this area.
The first night we anchored outside and spent a pleasant night in the shelter of the mangroves. Sunday morning, the forcast wasn't too bad, so we headed out only to be bashed about trying to head directly into the wind and seas. Tacking would be the seamanshiply thing to have done, but adding extra time in the bash wasn't our idea of fun. So, we returned to Marathon and anchored inside (no moring balls were available at the City Marina, as usual). The weather was much better, but still a few whitecaps in this protected anchorage! Today, Monday, it's blowing worse than yesterday, so we'll sit tight another day and wait and see.
Having to wait makes us both antsie and looking forward to being home, where by-the-way, the weather is reported to be lovely...go figure! LOL.
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03/08/2012
We cannot change the wind, but we can adjust our sails, and that's exactly what we're going to do. We've been waiting here in beautiful Naples, FL for five days waiting for the winds to shift somewhere other than the east and it looks like it might be soon, however, this strong easterly that has been blowing for days has succeeded in blowing water out of Lake Okeechobee to such a level that it is now too shallow for Zephyr to cross. So we change our sails and backtrack to Marathon on Boot Key and then up Hawk Channel to Miami. Very disappointing, but we are SO glad we made the trip to Naples!
We have had a splendid time with our friends Ann and Ed! Besides the sightseeing they shared their beautiful sunset on the beach ritual with us two evenings. It couldn't have been more perfect. Can you believe there is a restaurant that delivers to the beach? They even salute you as they leave and the food was delicious (or was it the wine?) But it was a wonderful time and we thank you dear friends. (Had the first advacado today, Annie, and it was wonderful!) The picture is of Ann and Ed.
We have also enjoyed meeting fellow cruisers. I must mention Judy first, what a lady! She is single-handing her Catalina 35.0 from Ft. Myers to Miami where she will pick up a crew member and continue to the Bahamas! We spent some time together checking out art galleries and come to find out she is a watercolorist. She and I got to spend some time together talking technique (she is far more advanced than I) and she gave me some wonderful tips as well as some great watercolor paper to try. We must keep in touch.
We also were fortunate to meet Norman and Nancy who sail out of Swan Creek on the Chesapeake and Tim and Noreen who hail from St. Paul and are also Garrison Keilor fans. We're looking forward to meeting them again in St. Paul next fall for the opening program.
We have been staying at Naples City Dock and are overwhelmed by the professionalism, talent and friendliness of the staff. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty. I especially was impressed with Marlene! I believe that girl can get any boat into a slip in any condition if the captain just listens to her directions! She is amazing! I speak for many boaters here when I say "Thank you, Marlene. You rock!"
So, tomorrow we will head out at first light to return to the Little Shark River, then back to Marathon and north from there. I guess it's okay to start towards home; it's been in the 60's this week and the robins are back!
Fair winds,
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03/05/2012
We left Boca Chita last Wednesday. Made very salty-splashy journey east in easterly winds to Boot Key where we stayed for two days on a mooring ball at the City Marina. Joe and Joyce on Shibon II buddy boated with us through the lobster trap buoys, 3-4 foot waves and 18-20 knot winds. They were continuing up Hawk Channel so they anchored at the mouth of the key and continued north and left the next morning. We'll miss you fun guys!
We took the next day to spend time with Clarice and Rodney, friends from home who also were hiding from winter here in the beautiful keys. It is always so nice to find friends in faraway places.
Friday we headed north through the Gulf of Mexico to Little Shark River in Everglades National Park. It's a beautiful anchorage with great holding. It is so isolated (no cell or internet) that there is no light pollution. When the stars came out, the sky lit up with millions of stars! I had just downloaded Star Walk on my iphone and was able to point the phone to the sky and it identified the stars, planets and constellations! Unfortunately as the stars came out, so did the mosquitoes and no-see-ums which shortened my star gazing class.
Up early the next morning, we pulled the anchor before sunup in a haze of insects and motored back toward the gulf. We saw a collection of water birds but no reptiles (i.e. crocodiles) in the river, let alone sharks. Once out into the gulf we had out ran the insects and continued in peace. We had a lovely following wind with some decent rollers coming from the aft quarter which rolled us around pretty good, but we were able to set the yankee and make 6-7 knots all day. We were visited by several curious dolphins during the day and one very large something. (No Johnnie, it wasn't a sea monster!) In the distance I saw something leap from the water and sail through the air for several yards. It was too big to be a dolphin, and was colored brown on the back and creamy white under. Our best guess is that it was a large ray.
By 4:30 we had made our way the 74 miles to Naples and took a slip at the City Marina. Stormy weather was predicted and we wanted to be tied to a dock. The weather hit early Sunday morning with gust of 30 and pelting rain. It did a good job washing the encrusted salt off Zephyr!
We are fortunate to have friends here in Naples, Ed and Ann who spend their summers in Johnstown. They offered us a ride to church which we gladly accepted and then we all went to lunch at a gorgeous little restaurant that sits right on the water. After lunch we headed to the Everglades to see some native wildlife. We were amazed at all the alligators we saw in the canal that runs along highway 41. (See gallery) They are quite amazing, just languishing in the sun or gliding down the canal with just a barely visible flick of their tail. The water was clear enough to see many fish; large gar and non-native Oscars as well as sergeants and minnows. It was all very amazing.
As we made our way toward Everglade City we encountered many vultures on the roadside cleaning up the remains of an unfortunate alligator presumably the victim of an automobile. (Why did the gator cross the road???) In Everglade City we visited the Rod and Gun Club (I don't think they have a reciprocal agreement with the Dunlo R & G Club). Many presidents have visited this historic site and it's been maintained in all its glory with original furnishings, paintings and décor. Among the news articles and pictures posted on the walls at the entry is a story of disgraced President Nixon's visit here where, when on a hunt, he lost his shoe in the thick swamp mud. President and Mrs. Eisenhower also visited and their youthful looking picture graces the wall.
Then we went on to the train station, well, it used to be a train station. Now it's a delightful restaurant with a buffet of real southern cooking. It was hard to imagine eating again, but once we dived into the fried okra, southern fried chicken, steamed shrimp, carrot soufflé and coconut-guava cake, we had no problems developing raging appetites! (The cake was, in Ann's words, "the bomb!")
Now, Monday morning, we once again sit and wonder about the weather. The wind is going to be kicking up pretty good for the next week and mostly coming from the east, the direction we need to go to cross shallow Lake Okeechobee. If the wind builds the waves to two or 3 feet and the depth is seven or eight feet, we'd be hitting bottom in the troughs; not good...in fact very bad. So, we may be here a while, hummmm.
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02/27/2012
When the breeze sways the palms under a cumulus speckled baby-boy blue sky, and the sun glistens on the cat paws rippling across the harbor, you know you're in a paradise. It's hard to believe the hungry birds are flocking at the feeders with their feathers fluffed to ward off the cold at home. We too shall have to be on our way north again soon. But, we're taking the long route to avoid as much of the cold as possible. As my dad always said, your blood thins in the summer and thickens in the winter as a means to regulate body temperature (folklore?) and right now ours is pretty thin so we'll probably freeze when it's 60 degrees. But for now, we're enjoying the warmth, but I will confess that we got out the airconditioner to cool the boat a bit. (Yes, I know, we're a pair of wooses!)
The past three weeks have flown by. The last of our guests, Cathy and Jeff Kloss from Johnstown spent a few days of their vacation here in Key West and we got together to do a little Duval crawling with them as well as go out to Sambo Banks for some snorkeling Thursday. With the water pump and alternator back on the engine we wanted to do a shake-down sail before we leave for good. Going the four miles off shore to the coral reef was the perfect trip. We were joined by Joe and Joyce, our marina buddies who also wanted to check out their boat's fixes before departing. Happily, all parts worked perfectly and we have the green light for the next leg of our journey! We motor-sailed out to the banks, picked up a mooring ball placed there by the state to protect the reefs from anchors and Jeff and I jumped in. The water temperature was perfect, there were very few swells and no waves to speak of, and the fish and coral were beautiful. Terry stayed aboard not completely trusting the mooring and Cathy wasn't quite ready to take the plunge. The reef actually is so close to the surface here that waves break over it, an area we astutely avoided.
Once back at the dock we cleaned up and headed to the Key West VFW for their Thursday night prime rib special. (Delicious and even at 7:30 we were able to get rare!) We had such a good time with Cathy and Jeff that we hated to see them leave. Jeff called Friday morning on their way out of town with the lament, "Friends don't let friends leave Key West!" We wish they could have stayed.
We have met more great people here at the marina: Joe and Joyce, Joe and Joan, John and Linda, Jenna, Pat and Larry have all become good friends as well as others we've only met briefly. Wednesday morning three of us are heading out and will be nearby until Marathon when we'll go our separate ways. Hopefully we'll cross paths again on our trip home. From Marathon we will go up the west coast to Ft. Myers and cross the Okeechobee Waterway to the east coast at Stuart. After that it will be pretty much a straight shot north with stops to visit Fr. Eugene's and Auntie Gladys' and then to the Chesapeake.
PS Just added new photos in Last Days in KW
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