Change of Plans and Where We are Today!

Well the plan was to head over to the Bahamas per my last blog, but the “weather window” was very small and we received lots of emails and advise…..don’t go, too cold, wait, etc.  So, we had to come up with “Plan B”.  The problem was that we needed a “cruising permit” for the USA.  Ours had expired last year and hence just head straight out to the Bahamas!  We had driven down to Ft. Lauderdale to get some more LED lights for the boat and we stopped in West Palm Beach to get a new “permit” unfortunately, no one from Homeland Security could issue us one as the clerk has gone home, please come back tomorrow. That was a disappointment. We went to the airport in Ft. Pierce the next day and they issued us a “New Permit”.

Me at the Wheel

More cold fronts were coming and our plan now……head south!  It has been a couple of years now since we have been to “The Keys” and Marathon is a wonderful place to meet new people and see old acquaintances in the harbor.  There are about 250 mooring balls in a protected bay from all the “nasty, cold, north winds”.

We left North Lake Worth and traveled back to West Palm Beach via the ICW and went out the inlet into the ocean.  Our destination, Ft. Launderdale before dark.  We had a great day sailing and managed to get there before dark and traveled the ICW again for 2 bridges.  The bridges there are not tall enough to go under, so one must radio them to get them to open so you can get through.  Our mast is 54 feet tall.  Time might be a problem and it was getting dark….plus the bridges do not open after dark.  The tide was with us, so we had good motoring speed to make the time line.

Golf Courses on the ICW

We found a great spot to put down the anchor down for the night and we are only a few more bridges to Miami. It still amazes me as how many high rise apartments and condos there are here! 

We arrived in Miami and headed to the anchorage in South Beach.  There were not too many boats there so there was lots of space.  This anchorage can be rough with all the jet ski’s, power boats and tourist cruises but everything you need is close by.

West Palm Beach Working Area

The Miami Skyline

More boats arrived later in the day. Chris had to go to shore to get some bolts as our alternator decided to break off it’s mount.  Not good.  No alternator, no motor, no go.  So off he went to Ace Hardware.  We spent the rest of the day making repairs, cleaning up and catch up on the weather.  We need 2 full days to make it to the Keys.

Mini Regatta, Key Biscayne

With the forecast in hand and a birthday to celebrate, we celebrated a day earlier and left the harbor on my Birthday.  Our destination…No Name Harbor or Cape Florida. There we would spend the night and head out into the ocean again.

The Full Moon @ No Name Harbor

Cape Florida Light House

Sunset on the Water

As we have been on the boat for a few days, one forgets what walking on land is like and yes a good walk is always in store.  With the State Park Guide in hand, off we went.  The lighthouse here is beautiful. We had never seen it up close but had used it many times as a guide as we sailed off into the gulf-stream and the land disappears.

Dawn on the Hawk Channel

Full Sails Up

The next morning we pulled anchor and set out for the Hawk Channel and headed south.  Wow, what a sail…..7.4 knots and the ocean, it was calm. We have never seen that so it was just wonderful.  With such good speed, we had made our halfway mark early and just continued on.  The tide was going out and with the moon full, the water can get pretty skinny and sand bars do appear.  With no wind to cause us problems, we tucked behind Trevannier Key for the night.  The sunset ….. priceless.

With a good rest, a beautiful sun rise, coffee in hand….off we went!  Next stop, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, Florida. We had a great sail again! Dodging crab pots and all. We arrived in the harbor about 12:30 pm.  With a mooring assignment in hand, we are home for about a month. The rent is cheap, too!

The 7 Mile Bridge, The Keys

Boot Key Harbor

Marathon is a wonderful town. It has all the conveniences one could want. There is a wonderful city park just beside the anchorage.  Chris will be playing baseball again on the guy’s league. We have also purchased some bikes to keep in shape and it is an excellent way to get around and see “The Keys”.

Sail Time! Bahama Bound!

When cold air and warm air meet! And before the "Northerly's" Blast Away!

It’s time to go! (this Wednesday). The weather window has finally arrived!  The storms in the north have made it very cold here in Florida and the seas are rough.  Record cold temperatures and frozen fruit!  Note the price of those lovely strawberries and OJ will again cost lots of $$$. We will be heading to West Palm Beach and spend the night at anchor and be ready to go out into the Gulf Stream on Thursday morning and heading to “Memory Rock” and then onto Green Turtle Cae. Our first leg will be 150 nautical miles. We plan on sailing all day and then the night to arrive by Friday noonish and then check into the Bahamas!

It’s been a very very busy week! With our “To Do List” and the “Shopping List” we are now down to just getting fresh veggies to go! And put the car away for the winter. Not bad. We have never been to the Abacos and we are looking forward to seeing these islands.  We have read all the guides, studied the charts and programmed our “way points”.

Our anchorage “The Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage” is full in spite of all the large winds and weather fronts!  There will be a mass exodus and there should be lots of boats to talk to as we cross the Florida Straits.  Stuart, Florida is a very old city and has lots of history. We have seen free music concerts on the “River Walk” and then strolled the tree lined streets and had lunch under the palm trees. Stuart is also known as the “Sailfish Capital” of the east coast.  The fishing boats and charters are everywhere and you can go out there for a large $$$’s.

We are now Sailing Away!

The Cold Front Coming In and The Sun Setting! Beautiful!

Sailfish Statues. Can you image one of them on your hook!

Freezing in Florida

Well just like everywhere else in North America, winter has arrived with a wallop!  It has been cold on the water and thank goodness for lots of blankets!  We have slept on shore the last few evenings because of the cold and our Auntie would not have it any other way!

We picked up the new alternator guide yesterday and Chris will install it today.  This guide broke about 3 years ago and a new one was made at that time but it did not allow for any adjustments on the belts.  Very important little item on a boat.

Most of the provisioning has been done and packed away. We are almost ready to go but with the nasty weather it makes crossing the Gulf Stream very dangerous and rough.  The seas today about 7 foot waves, scary stuff plus you would be a popsicle very quickly! All the mooring balls in the anchorage are filled and everyone is waiting for the first break!

Captain Chris and I will watch and wait to ensure that we are safe and our sail will be comfortable.  We are heading to the Abacos first.  We have not been there and it will take about 2 days of sailing to get to the sheltered area of those islands, so it is really important that the weather and sea allows that travel.  Just like when you wake up in the morning and there is a foot of snow to move before you can leave the driveway and hopefully the road has been salted and sanded so that you can go safely.

We continue to watch the news and the weather!

Another Day

Well, we decided that the "old fridge" had to go. What a energy pig.  We broke down and spent the $$$ but it is sure worth it!  We installed it yesterday Dec 2 and it only uses less than 2 watts of power.  What a dream.  So the task is now to make a cabinet, stain it and she looks built in.  Home Depot is wonderful here, got the wood, had them cut it to size (no charge) and is ready to install.  The old fridge and freezer now will become storage areas for dry and canned goods.

Also, we wanted to have music....have the satellite radio but the radio on board is old, the speakers have crumbled and the sound, yuk.  So, we updated that so we will have tunes inside and out and now even out on the water!

The SSB (single side band) radio still needs work.  We can receive but not send!  As Chris and I are not electrical/electronic wizards, it will be a challenge to fix!  This radio is used to listen to "The Weather" each morning at 6:30 am and gives us what is coming through the Bahamas and South.  This is an excellent way of keeping track of other boats, their location and helps us to get where we want to go.

A cold front came in just the other day and wow the temperatures dropping and the winds picked up from the north.  Extra blankets are at hand and the dinghy ride into shore can be a little rough and wet! It will stay cool for another week or so. 

So, back to work.....today's chores are waiting......fix the head, wax the cockpit, install new radio!

Well It’s Time To Tell

December 1, 2010

Chris and I decided to leave home (Windsor Now!) a day earlier than planned because of the weather (see we are already getting in practice, but as Canadians, we are always watching the weather). Glad we did that, we missed some real heavy rains through Ohio.  Our first leg of the trip as land lubbers took us as far south as Richmond, Kentucky. The next day took us as far as Tifton, Georgia. Our next destination….Clearwater, Florida.  There are two reasons why we went to the west coast of Florida.  First, to see our good sailing friends – Joel and Jackie from s/v Oblivion.  We met a few years ago sailing and since then, they have settled there. The second reason, I have never seen the Gulf of Mexico, nor been to the west side of Florida.  The beaches are BEAUTIFUL, the sand is just like powdered sugar.  If there was any evidence of an oil spill, we did not see any. That is a blessing!

Clearwater Beach, Florida...
The Gulf of Mexico

After a wonderful weekend!  Thanks Jackie and Joel! It’s now Monday and time to head to “No Keys”.

With leaving early in the am, we took advantage of no traffic and took the scenic route and went as far south as Fort Meyers, there we cut across the state and headed to Indiantown.  We arrived in the afternoon and checked in and went to see how “No Keys” held up since March, 2010.  She is green but that’s OK! We covered the cockpit this year and that saved us a lot of work!  We are lucky this year that we do not have to re-do the bottom and we had no major projects to complete.  Almost a clean, splash and go.  We did however need new batteries.  Over the past few years, we have changed out a lot of old tech and have gone green….led lights, solar.  It sure makes a difference.

We spent the USA Thanksgiving Week with family and cleaned and scrubbed and scrubbed and cleaned.  The sun does do wonderful things and so does the wildlife of the sky’s.  At our marina, there was all kinds of festivities with fellow sailors, great music (Chris really liked the bands that played…great guitar playing, singing, etc.). There were some familiar faces and lots of new ones too!

Indiantown Pets that swim around us!

We had the batteries installed and managed to get a “splash day”….Wednesday.  Not bad for only being away 7 days from home.  The “splash” went well….no leaks!! She Floats!!  So, we finished the wash down, ate Turkey and left there Friday morning to to head to Stuart, Florida (22 miles).

The Waterway has some beautiful, if not the best views of “another world” than the asphalt road.  There are alligators, eagles, turkey vultures, cranes, egrets and pelicans.  Along the river way as well is one of best polo pony breeding facilities as well as polo fields in Florida.  We had the river to ourselves for a long way.  There is a lock to go through to continue the rest of the way down to Stuart.  We arrived in the Stuart and are now attached to a mooring ball.  There are about 64 balls and most of them are filled. The facilities here are GREAT! So with our To Do List’s in hand as well as the “Long Shopping Lists” it’s off the endless shopping mecca of the US #1 Highway.  What helps us a lot is being familiar with the area and checking those yellow pages. 

Polo Ponies on the St. Lucie River

Our water taxi is doing great too!  This year my goal is to be able to take that baby anywhere I want to.  So, I now am “getting my learner’s”. Hopefully, the captain will pass me, in time.  We are so glad that we made the “Arch” last year.  With the dinghy safely stowed up out of the water, it allows us to sail faster and it keeps it safe and clean.

Entering The St. Lucie Lock on the East End

Almost empty and the gates are opening

Our Anchorage in Stuart, FL

So we are continuing to get the “To Do” list done and making “No Keys” seaworthy and home! 

Back to the “To Do’s”