Or is that aweigh? No AIS but doing fine. Not as many crab pots on this side. Oops, spoke too soon.
Brian
Monday, November 2, 2015
TIme to go
Hi All-
We've been in Marathon for a couple of days now, got here Friday and now it's Monday. This is the jumping off point to head to Bimini in the Bahamas.
I signed up for weather routing with Chris Parker, THE weather expert in these parts. I talked with him on Saturday morning and based on that conversation we decided to postpone our departure until Monday, today! I'll give Chris a call again this morning to makes sure it all looks good and if it is I expect to be letting go of the mooring ball about 3:00 this afternoon. Recommendations have been to leave early enough to have daylight until we're passed the reef and all those dang crab pots! I so hoped we were done with them.
While we were here in Marathon we got quite a bit of stuff done. Besides a provision run to Publix (grocery store), we've been to West Marine and Home Depot. Can't be on land and not got to West Marine and Home Depot.
We had a list of stuff for Allen to do while he's with us and he's been knocking things off the list pretty well. He and I finished up the last few connections on the water maker and we are now making fresh drinking water out of sea water! And it tastes good, as much as water tastes. There was one leak in one of the high pressure hose connections I put together. Once that was fixed we were done! Yeehaa!
Allen built us a new table in the cockpit that we've wanted for some time. And I was starting to have some cooling issues on the dinghy outboard but those are sorted out now. He cleaned the cockpit and put some back rests on the aft seats. All that and kept a sharp eye out for crab pots. It's been fun having him here and very productive as well. There's a chance we may have him up the mast in a boysun's chair later this morning.
Unless Chris Parker's forecast changes when I talk to him in a couple of hours we'll let go of the mooring ball at around 3:00, stop to fill up with fuel and water and then head out. Depending on how much of a push we get from the Gulf Stream we are expecting the passage to take about 20 hours.
Did I mention Fantasy Fest? Since our departure was delayed a few days and we had some time we took the bus down to Key West on Saturday (Halloween) and went to Fantasy Fest. That was quite an experience.
We have some pictures (not of Fantasy Fest) to share but I'll do that later as it's getting hectic as we're preparing to leave. One bit of good news. As I was typing this Susan called an electronics guy here in Marathon and he gave us what's wrong with the AIS. And I know exactly what to do to fix it! I feel a lot better about being out on the open ocean at night with it working.
Once in the Bahamas I'm not sure what kind of voice or data connections we're going to have so it may be a while before I post again.
Take care.
Brian
We've been in Marathon for a couple of days now, got here Friday and now it's Monday. This is the jumping off point to head to Bimini in the Bahamas.
I signed up for weather routing with Chris Parker, THE weather expert in these parts. I talked with him on Saturday morning and based on that conversation we decided to postpone our departure until Monday, today! I'll give Chris a call again this morning to makes sure it all looks good and if it is I expect to be letting go of the mooring ball about 3:00 this afternoon. Recommendations have been to leave early enough to have daylight until we're passed the reef and all those dang crab pots! I so hoped we were done with them.
While we were here in Marathon we got quite a bit of stuff done. Besides a provision run to Publix (grocery store), we've been to West Marine and Home Depot. Can't be on land and not got to West Marine and Home Depot.
We had a list of stuff for Allen to do while he's with us and he's been knocking things off the list pretty well. He and I finished up the last few connections on the water maker and we are now making fresh drinking water out of sea water! And it tastes good, as much as water tastes. There was one leak in one of the high pressure hose connections I put together. Once that was fixed we were done! Yeehaa!
Allen built us a new table in the cockpit that we've wanted for some time. And I was starting to have some cooling issues on the dinghy outboard but those are sorted out now. He cleaned the cockpit and put some back rests on the aft seats. All that and kept a sharp eye out for crab pots. It's been fun having him here and very productive as well. There's a chance we may have him up the mast in a boysun's chair later this morning.
Unless Chris Parker's forecast changes when I talk to him in a couple of hours we'll let go of the mooring ball at around 3:00, stop to fill up with fuel and water and then head out. Depending on how much of a push we get from the Gulf Stream we are expecting the passage to take about 20 hours.
Did I mention Fantasy Fest? Since our departure was delayed a few days and we had some time we took the bus down to Key West on Saturday (Halloween) and went to Fantasy Fest. That was quite an experience.
We have some pictures (not of Fantasy Fest) to share but I'll do that later as it's getting hectic as we're preparing to leave. One bit of good news. As I was typing this Susan called an electronics guy here in Marathon and he gave us what's wrong with the AIS. And I know exactly what to do to fix it! I feel a lot better about being out on the open ocean at night with it working.
Once in the Bahamas I'm not sure what kind of voice or data connections we're going to have so it may be a while before I post again.
Take care.
Brian
Crab Pots
Hi All-
From Ft Myers Beach all the way to Marathon, the thought for the day is "crab pots". They are everywhere. From Ft Meyers Beach to Naples, our first stop, there were quite a few we had to dodge. The main issue was the wind and waves, we had more than enough of both. It was some of the roughest water we'd been in. We stayed in Naples for one night and then had a little bit of excitement the next morning when we were leaving. The inlet in and out of Naples is pretty well marked. Unfortunately there is one marker missing and that one is rather important. We had the tide behind us and were moving at a pretty good clip when the water went from 15 feet to 6 feet and we hit bottom, hard. The wind was creating some decent waves in the inlet where the water was going one direction and the wind another. I lost count of how many times we hit the bottom but I cringed every time. We eventually got off the shoal and were on our way with no further excitement. What a difference a day makes. Almost no wind and calm seas after an uncomfortable trip the previous day. No excitement with the exception of thousands of crab pots to dodge.
The next night we anchored just inside Little Shark River in the Everglades. It was beautiful there and we met Ed and Maureen on Manatee that had been on a mooring ball close to us in Ft Myers Beach. It was nice sitting in the cockpit talking with them until about sunset when the bugs came out. The mosquitoes were bad but the noseeums were worse. We all scattered to get below in our perspective boats. The sky was gorgeous that night, seen through screens in the hatches.
The next day was from Little Shark River to Marathon. Somewhere shortly after we left Little Shark River the AIS stopped working. I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with it. It has to be a cable problem but so far the cable checks out fine. Hope to get that going again soon but it doesn't look like we'll have it for crossing the Gulf Stream to Bimini. More crab pots. We just thought we'd seen a lot in the two previous days. It was about a 7 hour trip and we spent the entire time zigging and zagging to avoid crab pots. No exaggeration, I could sit down for about 10 to 15 seconds and then have to stand up for 10 to 15 minutes threading our way through the pots. Then I could sit down for a few seconds before I was up again. Allen was standing in the aft seats built into the dinghy davits and was calling out everything he saw to make sure I saw them too. Fortunately the water was smooth which made it easier to see the floats.
Getting to Marathon City Marina from the Gulf side requires either going all the way around Key West or going under the Seven Mile Bridge. Reports said the bridge height may not be correct. The charts say there is a clearance of 63'. Our mast is 63' with a VHF antennae on top that adds another 12 - 18". We went through a couple of hours after high tide and the boards on the bridge showed the clearance to be 66'. I'm not sure I believe that as it appeared we had only two or three inches to spare above the antennae.
But we made it and then motored on into Boot Key Harbor and picked up a mooring ball at the City Marina. That's all for this post so as to not make it too long. Next post I'll cover our time in Marathon.
Take care.
Brian
From Ft Myers Beach all the way to Marathon, the thought for the day is "crab pots". They are everywhere. From Ft Meyers Beach to Naples, our first stop, there were quite a few we had to dodge. The main issue was the wind and waves, we had more than enough of both. It was some of the roughest water we'd been in. We stayed in Naples for one night and then had a little bit of excitement the next morning when we were leaving. The inlet in and out of Naples is pretty well marked. Unfortunately there is one marker missing and that one is rather important. We had the tide behind us and were moving at a pretty good clip when the water went from 15 feet to 6 feet and we hit bottom, hard. The wind was creating some decent waves in the inlet where the water was going one direction and the wind another. I lost count of how many times we hit the bottom but I cringed every time. We eventually got off the shoal and were on our way with no further excitement. What a difference a day makes. Almost no wind and calm seas after an uncomfortable trip the previous day. No excitement with the exception of thousands of crab pots to dodge.
The next night we anchored just inside Little Shark River in the Everglades. It was beautiful there and we met Ed and Maureen on Manatee that had been on a mooring ball close to us in Ft Myers Beach. It was nice sitting in the cockpit talking with them until about sunset when the bugs came out. The mosquitoes were bad but the noseeums were worse. We all scattered to get below in our perspective boats. The sky was gorgeous that night, seen through screens in the hatches.
The next day was from Little Shark River to Marathon. Somewhere shortly after we left Little Shark River the AIS stopped working. I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with it. It has to be a cable problem but so far the cable checks out fine. Hope to get that going again soon but it doesn't look like we'll have it for crossing the Gulf Stream to Bimini. More crab pots. We just thought we'd seen a lot in the two previous days. It was about a 7 hour trip and we spent the entire time zigging and zagging to avoid crab pots. No exaggeration, I could sit down for about 10 to 15 seconds and then have to stand up for 10 to 15 minutes threading our way through the pots. Then I could sit down for a few seconds before I was up again. Allen was standing in the aft seats built into the dinghy davits and was calling out everything he saw to make sure I saw them too. Fortunately the water was smooth which made it easier to see the floats.
Getting to Marathon City Marina from the Gulf side requires either going all the way around Key West or going under the Seven Mile Bridge. Reports said the bridge height may not be correct. The charts say there is a clearance of 63'. Our mast is 63' with a VHF antennae on top that adds another 12 - 18". We went through a couple of hours after high tide and the boards on the bridge showed the clearance to be 66'. I'm not sure I believe that as it appeared we had only two or three inches to spare above the antennae.
But we made it and then motored on into Boot Key Harbor and picked up a mooring ball at the City Marina. That's all for this post so as to not make it too long. Next post I'll cover our time in Marathon.
Take care.
Brian
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Ft Myers Beach
Hi All,
It was a busy five days in Ft Myers beach. We got there on Thursday and got a mooring ball in the municipal mooring field and got settled in. The last couple of days the battery charger / inverter was acting strange so we found a mechanic to come look at it on Friday. We're not sure if it was the original or not but it was overcharging the batteries and generating way more than 120 volts AC when inverting so a new one was ordered.
Friday afternoon Susan's College roommate Pam and her husband Mike picked us up at Bonita Bill's Waterfront Cafe. It sounds much nicer than it is. It's a bar that also serves food. It's a great place to have a beer and watch the boats go by but when I think "cafe" I think of something at bit more upscale. But we liked it and would definitely go back. Anyway, we left our dinghy at their dinghy dock for the weekend and went with Pam and Mike to their place in Naples. Saturday they were nice enough to loan us their car so Susan and I went shopping for everything we could think of that we might need on the boat, plus a bunch of food and drinks. A bunch of food and drinks.
Sunday morning Pam had to fly off to New Jersey so we all took her to the airport and then Mike took Susan and I back to our dinghy. And it was still there! It was a great weekend and so nice to be able to take real showers, but it also felt weird to be on land for so long.
Monday Susan and I loaded our new folding bicycles into the dinghy and took them over to Ft Myers Beach and rode around for a couple of hours, including a picnic lunch by the beach.
Tuesday was a very busy day. The mechanic came with the new charger / inverter and installed it. He got to the boat about 10:30 and I took him back to the dock at around 3:30, in the rain. As we were unloading his tools and the old inverter out of the dinghy the taxi with our friend Allen Williams pulled up. Allen flew in from Texas on Tuesday to cross the Gulf Stream with us. We had a nice steak dinner on the boat and spent the evening catching up with Allen.
Wednesday morning, after filling up with fuel and water we left Ft Myers Beach and headed to Naples. Our original plan was to get as far as Marco Island but the weather didn't cooperate. We had plenty of wind along with rain and pretty rough seas. Not to mention a good part of the way we were dodging crab pots, I felt like a downhill skier trying to zig zag through gates. With the rough seas they weren't easy to spot. We got to Naples around 3:00 and everyone was ready for the day to be over so we pulled into the first anchorage we came too. It is really nice here, we're in a small cove surrounded by very nice homes.
A picture of our moon rise. Moon to the left, lightning to the right.
That's all for now.
Brian
It was a busy five days in Ft Myers beach. We got there on Thursday and got a mooring ball in the municipal mooring field and got settled in. The last couple of days the battery charger / inverter was acting strange so we found a mechanic to come look at it on Friday. We're not sure if it was the original or not but it was overcharging the batteries and generating way more than 120 volts AC when inverting so a new one was ordered.
Friday afternoon Susan's College roommate Pam and her husband Mike picked us up at Bonita Bill's Waterfront Cafe. It sounds much nicer than it is. It's a bar that also serves food. It's a great place to have a beer and watch the boats go by but when I think "cafe" I think of something at bit more upscale. But we liked it and would definitely go back. Anyway, we left our dinghy at their dinghy dock for the weekend and went with Pam and Mike to their place in Naples. Saturday they were nice enough to loan us their car so Susan and I went shopping for everything we could think of that we might need on the boat, plus a bunch of food and drinks. A bunch of food and drinks.
Sunday morning Pam had to fly off to New Jersey so we all took her to the airport and then Mike took Susan and I back to our dinghy. And it was still there! It was a great weekend and so nice to be able to take real showers, but it also felt weird to be on land for so long.
Monday Susan and I loaded our new folding bicycles into the dinghy and took them over to Ft Myers Beach and rode around for a couple of hours, including a picnic lunch by the beach.
Tuesday was a very busy day. The mechanic came with the new charger / inverter and installed it. He got to the boat about 10:30 and I took him back to the dock at around 3:30, in the rain. As we were unloading his tools and the old inverter out of the dinghy the taxi with our friend Allen Williams pulled up. Allen flew in from Texas on Tuesday to cross the Gulf Stream with us. We had a nice steak dinner on the boat and spent the evening catching up with Allen.
Wednesday morning, after filling up with fuel and water we left Ft Myers Beach and headed to Naples. Our original plan was to get as far as Marco Island but the weather didn't cooperate. We had plenty of wind along with rain and pretty rough seas. Not to mention a good part of the way we were dodging crab pots, I felt like a downhill skier trying to zig zag through gates. With the rough seas they weren't easy to spot. We got to Naples around 3:00 and everyone was ready for the day to be over so we pulled into the first anchorage we came too. It is really nice here, we're in a small cove surrounded by very nice homes.
A picture of our moon rise. Moon to the left, lightning to the right.
That's all for now.
Brian
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Ding Darling
Hi All,
We made it to Sarasota with no issues. As we were coming through Sarasota Bay there was a race with one of the marks right next to the ICW so I took a few pictures.
We spent the night on a mooring ball at Marina Jack in Sarasota and then moved to an anchorage near Don Pedro Island State Park. We had a good anchorage across the ICW from the park but the wind was up and kept us from being able to explore the park in our dinghy. After staying there two nights we moved on down the ICW to Cayo Casta State Park. The anchorage was pretty shallow so we felt our way in until we bumped bottom and then dropped the anchor until the tide rose some to let us get to a little more protected spot. We were there early enough to drop the dinghy and do some fishing in the mangroves. Susan caught a Snook which fed us both last night.
With our anchorage being shallow we had to get up at 6:30 and be gone by 7:00 to make sure we had enough water. That also gave me an opportunity to try out the $50 SSB radio receiver we bought. With the antennae held against one of the stays I was able to hear Chris Parker's weather broadcast. Unfortunately, it's time that I start listening to Chris every morning. I've rather enjoyed sleeping in these last few months. Oh well. Knowing what the weather has in store is a lot more important than sleeping in.
Now we're anchored at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. What a name! The wind finally let up a little bit and we sailed almost the entire way here. The blessed silence of no engine running. :-)
I know sailors are supposed to like the wind but 20 to 25 kts with gusts up to 30 was starting to wear thin. We really are fair weather sailors.
MarineTraffic.com seems to do a much better job of keeping up with us on the West coast of Florida than it did through the bayous of Southern Louisiana. Here are a few screenshots of our journey since Long Boat Key with the stop in Sarasota and then on to Cape Haze (Don Pedro State Park). The trip from Cape Haze to Cayo Costa is missing which is good because you would have seen us go in circles for an hour waiting for a bridge opening.
That's it for now. Take care.
Brian
We made it to Sarasota with no issues. As we were coming through Sarasota Bay there was a race with one of the marks right next to the ICW so I took a few pictures.
We spent the night on a mooring ball at Marina Jack in Sarasota and then moved to an anchorage near Don Pedro Island State Park. We had a good anchorage across the ICW from the park but the wind was up and kept us from being able to explore the park in our dinghy. After staying there two nights we moved on down the ICW to Cayo Casta State Park. The anchorage was pretty shallow so we felt our way in until we bumped bottom and then dropped the anchor until the tide rose some to let us get to a little more protected spot. We were there early enough to drop the dinghy and do some fishing in the mangroves. Susan caught a Snook which fed us both last night.
Now we're anchored at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. What a name! The wind finally let up a little bit and we sailed almost the entire way here. The blessed silence of no engine running. :-)
I know sailors are supposed to like the wind but 20 to 25 kts with gusts up to 30 was starting to wear thin. We really are fair weather sailors.
MarineTraffic.com seems to do a much better job of keeping up with us on the West coast of Florida than it did through the bayous of Southern Louisiana. Here are a few screenshots of our journey since Long Boat Key with the stop in Sarasota and then on to Cape Haze (Don Pedro State Park). The trip from Cape Haze to Cayo Costa is missing which is good because you would have seen us go in circles for an hour waiting for a bridge opening.
That's it for now. Take care.
Brian
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Moving Again
Hi all,
After two months in St Petersburg, Florida, we are moving again. We left our slip at 9:30 yesterday morning with several of our friends helping us off and waving goodbye. It was a bittersweet departure. We had a great time in St Petersburg and were able to spend time with both previous and new friends. It was starting to feel like home and we were afraid if we stayed much longer we wouldn't be able to leave. But leave we did.
For the first time in a long time we were able to sail with no motor. We sailed all the way through Tampa Bay, under the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge to the ICW.
Along the ICW we had two bridges to get through. We had to wait 10 minutes for the first to open (opens every 20 minutes) and that put us in perfect time to get to the next bridge when it was time to open. We weren't on the ICW much more than an hour when we arrived at Long Boat Key, where we planned to anchor for the night. The anchor was set by 3:00, which was our target.
We went ashore to Mar Vista for a drink and dinner and were back on our boat in time for sunset.
We aren't going to be able to go far today as we need to wait for high tide to get out of here and that isn't until the afternoon. So we'll make a short run to Marina Jack (Sarasota) for tonight.
That's it for now. Take care.
Brian
After two months in St Petersburg, Florida, we are moving again. We left our slip at 9:30 yesterday morning with several of our friends helping us off and waving goodbye. It was a bittersweet departure. We had a great time in St Petersburg and were able to spend time with both previous and new friends. It was starting to feel like home and we were afraid if we stayed much longer we wouldn't be able to leave. But leave we did.
For the first time in a long time we were able to sail with no motor. We sailed all the way through Tampa Bay, under the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge to the ICW.
We went ashore to Mar Vista for a drink and dinner and were back on our boat in time for sunset.
We aren't going to be able to go far today as we need to wait for high tide to get out of here and that isn't until the afternoon. So we'll make a short run to Marina Jack (Sarasota) for tonight.
That's it for now. Take care.
Brian
Sunday, October 11, 2015
SPYC Race
Yesterday the St Petersburg Yacht Club had a race in Tampa Bay. Unfortunately I didn't get pictures when they were all flying spinnakers but I did get a few as they came back in after the race. Most motored but there were a few that sailed back in to the yacht basin.
Notice the fuel dock in the background. An hour or so later there were both a US Coast Guard boat and a St Pete Police boat sitting at the dock when a power boat with 10 or 12 guys hooting and hollering came through, going way too fast. Either the police or USCG yelled at them to slow down, which they did. Surprisingly though, neither stopped and boarded them. If that had been me...
Also, here is a picture of Another Life as they motor sailed past us a couple of weeks ago on the way to Egmont.
Have a nice Sunday.
Brian
Notice the fuel dock in the background. An hour or so later there were both a US Coast Guard boat and a St Pete Police boat sitting at the dock when a power boat with 10 or 12 guys hooting and hollering came through, going way too fast. Either the police or USCG yelled at them to slow down, which they did. Surprisingly though, neither stopped and boarded them. If that had been me...
Also, here is a picture of Another Life as they motor sailed past us a couple of weeks ago on the way to Egmont.
Have a nice Sunday.
Brian
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