A Post By Dad

Well I have been instructed by my daughter that I have an obligation to contribute to the blog as I am unhappy with her tardy newsletters.

So carrying on where she left off….

We spent another 5 days in Marathon waiting for the cold front to go through. We had a couple of horrendous thunderstorms and were glad to be on a mooring ball surrounded by boats that had higher masts than us. Two boats close by us got hit by lightning and lost all their electronics. I think Kerry’s estimation of the boats in the harbour is a bit low, I figure between the mooring balls and the anchorage, there are at least 400 boats of all shapes and sizes.

(Our boats rafted together)

Willie went to Yoga classes and I nearly got press ganged into a game of softball. My excuse being I didn’t have the right footwear. Willie and I got our daily exercise walking at least 2-3 miles a day. Kerry and Sal went running two days under the pretense of trying to get back into shape but rumour has it that it was just an excuse to visit McDonalds guilt free.

We finally left Marathon on Friday the 28^th with a good 15 knot NW wind, making a 40 mile run up to Cotton Key, where we anchored for the night. Chautauqua was just 5 miles out of Marathon when a sudden bang occurred and the engine quit. I was in panic mode, what’s wrong now? Has the engine or the transmission seized? And to make matters worse I couldn’t turn the steering wheel. So we doused the sails and dropped the anchor. The skipper and the mate put their wet suits on and over the side to see what was going on down there. Lo and behold a crab pot was entangled around the propeller shaft with 15 feet of rope wrapped tightly around it. So armed with a serrated bread knife and 45 minutes later we removed the line. Enough trauma for one day.

(Cutting the line around the propeller)

So our next leg was back to Sunset cove where we had previously spent 4 nights a few weeks ago. It’s a beautiful, quiet and protected anchorage away from the hustle and bustle of the traffic and humanoids. This morning I heard a pssshhht sound, which I presumed was a ‘porkie’ (our nickname for a porpoise). Much to my surprise I saw a manatee and then another one. And then they proceeded to swim right under the boat eating the grass (remember we are anchored in 6 feet of water so we had a real close up encounter). I screamed for Willie to get the camera, which she did and then instead of taking a picture she accidently turned it off meanwhile the manatees quietly swam away. This is the same spot we had our previous manatee encounter.

(Doing a little cleaning)

The plans are to try a crossing on Thursday. But things can change so we are going to head north to check out our departure anchorage. The plan is to leave at 4am arriving at 5pm at Bimini. We’ll keep you posted.

Fred.

Our Week in Marathon

We have heard much about this popular cruising destination. It has a mooring field with over 200 mooring balls and many boats also anchored. We arrived on Monday and have been here enjoying ourselves ever since. It’s nice to be in a place where a shower is a dinghy ride away and there is much to see and do ashore. We have spent a little bit of time on a beach that is about a 15 minute dinghy ride away. The weather has been the nicest yet, with temperatures in the mid to upper twenties and a light breeze blowing to keep us cool. The water is nice and refreshing for the hot days when you need to get cooled off. The city of Marathon has a great city park with facilities for just about every sport available including a skateboard park. Like almost every other place we have stopped to in the Keys there’s a highway with shopping, restaurants and grocery stores. Which is nice in some ways, but in other ways it would be nice to leave civilization behind for a while. The cruising community here is very strong and every morning at 9am they have a program on the VHF radio that provides everyone is listening range a place to communicate. They welcome new arrivals and have a time for them to announce themselves; they can announce lots of activities going on and where they can advertise items for sale. We try to catch it any morning for any events going on that might interest us. Many people stay here for a month or two because it’s warm, protected and the price is definitely right.

Sal and I have done a bit of plumbing and electrical work. Our battery was not being charged so we had to figure out the problem and try to fix it. We are definitely becoming a lot more handy around the boat. My parents have become beach bums and have been there more than we have! All they need is some comfortable beach chairs and I swear they would be there all daylong if they could! Sal and I visited the local museum and wildlife reserve where we were able to see close up some of the local birds (because they were injured some way and are there to be rehabilitated). We learned a bit about the history of the keys and about some of it’s animal inhabitants.

(Nurse Shark in an aquarium)

Other than that we have just been taking things easy, relaxing, enjoying the warm weather and reading as much as we can.

The Upper Keys

We left Miami and entered the Florida Keys January 9^th. We have slowly worked our way south, mostly sailing from place to place. The 10^th was very warm, and the first time that we actually went swimming during this whole trip. We were having a crocodile debate. There are salt-water crocs in the upper keys, so Sal and I were a bit worried. My dad assured us that there were none around but we were very cautious. The water was quite clear so we were able to see the bottom. It was early morning so we just jumped in quickly to cool down. Sal didn’t partake this time but ‘kept watch’ for us. We had to motor that day because there was hardly any wind around. It was the hottest day yet! We anchored in Buttonwood sound with protection from the north winds as we knew that the calm warm weather was about to end overnight as another cold front was forecasted to come through. After we anchored we took advantage of the hot weather to do some swimming and snorkeling. This time Sal came in with mom and I. We put on the fins and goggles and did some underwater exploring. Nothing much to see, a few small fish, seagrass and some small jellyfish. It was so great to be finally swimming. I was worried I had brought all those bathing suits for nothing!

(Fishing for dinner, but no luck so far)

That night as we were having dinner aboard Chautauqua (pasta with tomato sauce and a salad) there was a definite thump on the boat. Dad climbed outside and yelled ‘hello, is there anyone out there?’ Sal also went outside to explore a bit further and yelled for us to come out. He had the flashlight shining in the water and on a humongous manatee swimming around and eating sea grass. He must have bumped the boat with his tail fin. The water was so calm and clear that we were able to see him/her under the water. The manatee must have been at least 7 feet long and very wide. We all were out on the boat watching until he swam away. There’s always something going on which makes the trip so neat.

(Pizza made in a frying pan on the stove. Mmm)

That night a cold front came in and brought the wind and cold air. We spent the next two days cooped up in our boats. One day Sal and I made dinner for my parents (yes all 4 of us were cramped into Second Wind, it was quite an intimate affair). Friday the 14^th: we all had a touch of cabin fever, the wind had died down so we moved over to the Upper Keys Sailing Club and got a berth for the night. It was our first time being on land in almost a week! We walked down the streets of Key Largo for probably 4-5 kilometers and our legs and feet were so sore! We decided to get some groceries before heading back and then opted for a cab because I was pretty sure I would not have been able to walk back. We’re a little embarrassed at how much muscle we have lost being in a boat. Dad took us out for dinner as a treat and then we all came back to the boat and shared a key lime pie.

(The picture does not do justice to the gorgeous colour of the water)

The sailing club was hosting a regatta so we enjoyed watching all the small sailboats and catamarans zoom around. We left the following day to slowly make our way south. We are having a debate whether to turn back and wait for a window to cross to the Bahamas or to head south for Marathon (Boot Key) for a week or so then make our way back. We are really enjoying ourselves here, it’s warm and we are doing some sailing and the water here is so beautiful and in every shade of green. We can’t believe how fast the winter is going by so we’re going to spend another week or two in the keys and then maybe try to get to the Bahamas.

(Just drifting along, not in any hurry to get anywhere)

(Southward bound)

West Palm Beach to Miami

My dad has been chastising me for not posting soon. We have not had a good internet signal and our boat battery has been too low to charge our computer... our apologies.

(Expensive houses in Fort Lauderdale.. McMansions)

So after a few days resting up in Palm Beach we decided to head south. So back on the ICW we went. I wanted to sail on the outside but my dad was not sure about the inlet we hoped to come in, so we took the inside route. This means that we would have to go through 26 bridges! Almost all of them are either on the hour and half hour or quarter past the hour and quarter to the hour. Needless to say that we had two long days of trying to catch bridges or waiting for them. We went during the week and were lucky because there was not too much boat traffic other than a few power boaters and some sailboats. We passed through Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and the northern part of Miami. Both days were quite warm and the wind was calm. We did see a couple of manatees along the way, but we were not close enough to get a picture. Going through Fort Lauderdale was probable the richest area we have seen. The mansions were so big, some even having their own statue and each house has their own boat of course. The water has changed into the most beautiful aqua colour. It looks so inviting, but still cold when we dip our toes in.

(Miami Skyline)

We anchored off Miami beach in a protected little lake surrounded by million dollar homes. We wanted a protected spot for the cold front coming through. There were a few other boats but lots of room to anchor. We were having breakfast when a couple from Whitby, Ontario came over to tell us where to go ashore and to give us a warning. The house that we were near was known to detest cruisers and does not like them anchoring in front of his house. They warned us that he will play rap music very loud to deter us. So around 11am the music started. Sal and I actually liked the music!! We went about our day and ashore to Miami beach. We walked down the trendy Lincoln Street with all the shops and outdoor restaurants. We walked down to the beach and tested out the water… too cold! Anyway, when we got back to the boat, we were minding our business when this crazy guy starts swearing at us and telling us to go back to where we bleep bleeping came from!! I was quite afraid, but Sal wanted to stand our ground so we decided that we’d stay the night and then move in the morning. So we went over to Chautauqua for dinner and discussed this madness!! When we got back to the boat, this crazy man was shining his spotlight on our boat and threatened that we would have this spotlight on us all night! Well because the wind was blowing and the current flowing through the anchorage, it’s impossible to keep a spotlight on a moving boat, so we weren’t too bothered but the NERVE! Anyways we moved in the morning before things got out of hand, and we knew we would never win with this crazy man.

(Miami Beach)

(Windy Afternoon as a cold front blew in)

We spent 3 nights in Sunset Lake before we headed out again. We motored past Miami on Sunday morning and it was so quiet and calm. We then entered the Florida Keys. The Biscayne Bay is shallow but it’s open. We finally got to put up our sails again and do some real sailing. We have spent the past two days sailing south and anchoring off deserted keys.

(Miami from the other side)

(First time Chautauqua has all the sails up)

Happy New Years!!

I’m very disappointed to report that we did not get to spend New Years in the Bahamas. That’s not to say that we did not try, but this time the Gulf Stream won. We left Stuart once the wind had calmed down and made our way to Lake Worth. I had been watching the weather intently and saw a potential window. The winds were from the southeast 11-14 knots and waves were only 2-3 feet. We discussed this possible window Tuesday evening. Dad thought that the winds were a little bit strong and from directly the direction we needed to go. I insisted that we could head south along the coast for a while before crossing over. Where we intend to go is only 56 nautical miles away, BUT (the big but) in order to get there you have to cross the gulf stream, which has a very strong current pushing northwards. So instead of heading straight there on a bearing of 100 degrees, we figured that we would have to head between 120 and 130 degrees! It was decided that we would give it a go Thursday evening (which would give us 12 hours to get across, and hopefully arrive when the sun was up). Wednesday we did last minute groceries, and Thursday morning we spent the day deflating the dinghy and storing it on deck, lashing anything that would move down, cleaning up the cabin and putting everything securely away and getting any equipment we needed ready. We felt more prepared this time compared to when we did the Jersey Shore. We were ready to go by noon and rafted up to Chautauqua for the afternoon to have lunch and talk out any last minute details. I was a bit nervous but the weather reports reported no change from before. We all wanted to get across to the Bahamas.

We left the anchorage before 4pm and motored our way up to the inlet. Second Wind headed out first to get fuel, water and our holding tank pumped out. We had a bit of problems finding a marina with all those, and some had already closed for the day. We did find one, but we were running behind schedule (We wanted to be on our way before the sun went down). We got gas and water but the place did not have a pump out. We decided to just go ahead and get it done on the other side. My parents were out in the ocean waiting for us (Mom was not going to leave our side). The winds were about 8 knots and a little rolly seas but nothing over 2 feet! We decided to give it a go. It got dark just after we pulled up the sails. We tried to head 120 degrees but the wind was coming from that direction, so we headed a bit further south. Second Wind was not making the speed we had wanted to even with the motor going. We ate a bit of dinner in the rolling seas but when I went down to try to get to the bathroom – that was it for me, sea sickness hit, and didn’t leave for the night. A giant cruise ship passed us off to our starboard, but not too close by so we didn’t feel worried. What was worrying us was the lack of ground we were covering. We had been out there for 3 1/2 hours and had only made about 9 miles. Our GPS reported that we would not arrive until 7… 7pm the next day!!!! Things were not good, we were just not going fast enough and thus we had to head further south to compensate for the gulf stream. On the plus side Sal saw a flyingfish (he thinks) and the water had some sort of phosphorescence and would shimmer in the wake – very pretty. About 10pm things were not looking up for us and it seemed to get windier and the waves were well beyond 2-3 feet. My dad told us today that he was sure we had some 6 foot rollers. Sal and I were getting tossed around quite a bit and soaking wet from the spray coming over the bow. I called dad on the VHF and said ‘this is not good’. He agreed and we all decided that we had better head back because it wasn’t going to get any better. Also a very menacing dark cloud was lurking over our shoulder. The decision to turn back wasn’t difficult to make, but actually turning the boat around over the giant waves was not fun. We were now going more or less with the waves, and it’s quite a bit more ‘unpleasant’. The boat would roll over as the wave would fall and then we would be in the trough, and then on top. Second Wind took it in stride and didn’t let us down. Mom said that she couldn’t watch the little boat fly along. Even the lights on Chautauqua would disappear when going down a trough. It took us quite a while to get back, and we had been pushed quite far north, so had to head south about 5 miles. Sal navigated us safely back through the inlet at around 2am and we found an anchoring spot just inside. We were happy to be back in safely but disappointed not to have made it.

New Years eve we spent cleaning up. Not too much water made it in Second wind and happily no clothes got wet. Our holding tank got a little churned up in the waves, so we badly need to get it emptied soon. We got in a bit of sleep and had discussions of the night. We learned that realistically we can’t leave from Lake Worth to cross as second wind is not fast enough to do it. We are going to head further south and use the stream to our advantage. If no window opens up again soon than we will head to the keys and maybe spend a bit of time there. We still want to go to the Bahamas, we just have to rework our strategy to getting there. And we were all a little peeved with NOAA (the weather reporter) because they lied to us!

We had a quiet New Years eve in the anchorage. For some strange reason we decided to watch Marley and Me (not a good idea as we were all teary eyed by the end). We made some ridiculous hats and were kicked out of Chautauqua at 10pm as my dad wanted to go to sleep. Sal and I stayed up for the count and got to see all the firework displays around us. It wasn’t a bad New Years at all – just quiet.

(Sorry no pictures yet, could not get internet at the boat and are currently at Starbucks)