It's been a week and a half since the last blog. And not much has happened. I kinda like it that way.
Dad and I played softball Sunday the 16th. Not the best idea. I pulled a groin muscle, and Dad hurt things (wrist, knee, and leg, I think). With our better halves out of town, we were quite a pitiful pair. So the grand idea of spending 3 days a week playing softball went out the window. In spite of our injuries, we did manage to get out of the boats enough to check out some of the restaurants we'd been meaning to try. (The grocery store was way too far to walk, so eating out was the only solution. That's what we told ourselves anyway.) And boy, are there some great restaurants around here! And reasonably priced (we don't do expensive restaurants). We went to 25-cent wing night at the Hurricane, had burgers at the ChikiTiki (dinghied down to that one), and got pizza (before bingo) at Upper Crust. We were doing this for Mom and Trevor, of course. We wanted to check out places so they wouldn't be disappointed in any dinners (or lunches). Lunch is definitely the time to eat out. Several places have $5 lunch specials (I do love a $5 lunch special). I love that stuff!
Oh, and the Gallians (Andrew and Mary-Stuart) came to visit us. They took us out to an amazing little restaurant called the Butterfly Cafe. Excellent food. Fancy stuff. We were stuffed when we left! And delicious sangria!
I also managed to get some work done on the boat while Trevor was away. I scraped the ugly caulk off most of the windows on the starboard side and resealed them with clear silicone. It looks so much better! And keeps water out better, too! I also put the hatch over the v-berth back together. It was toppled upon earlier in the trip and suffered a pretty nasty break. And it's not a part that can just be replaced; the boat is over 30 years old. So it was fix it or get a whole new hatch (this involves cutting out the cabin top and all kinds of awful work we don't want to do). Well, I took the 5-minute quick-cure epoxy and gooed that thing until it had no choice but to hold! It's been through some mighty winds, and it's still holding up, so I have hope. I managed to reattach a couple of wires that had come loose in the engine compartment (don't know what they were). Fixing the wires didn't seem to accomplish much, but I'm sure they needed to be fixed anyway. I also attacked the ceiling with vinegar and vanquished some black stuff (mildew, maybe, and years' worth of grimy fingerprints that had accumulated on the nonskid [side note: why is there nonskid on the cabin ceiling? We'll never walk there. I hope.]). Yikes, punctuation overload right there.
Lots of work, lots of play, and lots of eating. We were ready for our sweeties to come home. Trevor came back yesterday, and brought Thaddeus with him! Yay! So great to see both of them! We've been having fun (hard to not have fun when the cheesy-joke-making Thaddeus is around). Enjoyed Taco Night at the Hurricane (dollar tacos and $3.50 margaritas) last night. Wow, great margaritas! And I know margaritas. Today we had lunch at the Stuffed Pig. Meh. That was the most disappointing meal we've had the entire time we've been here. Food was mediocre, and the service matched. Oh well, I guess they can't all be winners.
Oh yeah, and Saturday was the Health Fair. I think I'll live a few more years. Blood pressure, weight, etc. are fine. My eyesight is about what I expected (no glaucoma, either!). And the dermatologist doesn't think I have skin cancer. Good news all around! Then we ate at Keys Fisheries! This is a very no-frills establishment. But it's always busy, so it's gotta be good (great online reviews, too). And the food was quite good. I would definitely eat there again (lots of menu choices, so we'll have to go back).
A storm moved through last night. Thaddeus must have brought the bad weather with him. This was the first heavy rain we've had in a while. So it put my newly-sealed windows to the test (win!). The dinghy had ankle-deep water in it this morning, but Trevor took care of it (he's so good like that). We took Thaddeus to Daffy Doug's. We'll be going to the grocery store in a little bit to get dinner for tonight (fajitas!).
Life goes on in the Keys. The wind blows (all the freakin' time). We're hoping the weather clears up enough for us to go scuba diving at some point this week. That's all the update I have today. Lots of babble for nothing very exciting (except it's very windy here, did I mention that?). One of these days I'll get my camera out and take pictures.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Yes, Relaxation Has Commenced
Our first week here in Marathon was spent rushing around (including walking miles and miles up and down US 1), trying to complete projects and make life easier on ourselves. The past week has been considerably easier, for the most part. We still had projects to tackle, small ones Trevor came up with. He can't live an idle lifestyle; he has to stay busy or he gets antsy. Like how some sharks have to keep swimming their entire lives in order to keep water flowing over their gills, or they drown (fun science fact thrown in there, yeah!). So we sanded and painted polyurethane on the outside teak. Now our grab rails and door frame look so pretty! Like we're real boaters or something. Maybe when I get my camera out again, I'll post pictures. Sorry about the lack of pictures lately, by the way. I've gotten really lazy about photo-taking. Ho-hum, just another gorgeous sunset. We're spoiled by the daily sunset in paradise; they're all beautiful, and we're getting used to it.
So what is our life like here in Boot Key Harbor? Excellent. We get up in the morning, have coffee and breakfast while we listen to the daily Cruisers Net on the VHF (9am on channel 68). Sometimes we come to shore for showers and internet, sometimes we relax a little, sometimes we actually do some work. Like the wood outside. Or the plumbing. We thought we were finished working on the plumbing, but our deck fill project didn't work. Apparently, water can't go uphill without a pump. So we had to re-run the hose and work some magic, but now it works great! (Tested it this morning, in fact.) We've been reading (I'm working my way through The Thin Red Line right now, and it's quite good), watching tv on Trevor's computer. Sometimes we eat out, usually we don't. Every few days we have to walk the mile up the road to Publix or WinnDixie for groceries (sometimes we only go down to Daffy Doug's Discount Dollar Store for bargain foodstuffs). We also have to get a new bag of ice every few days (no refrigerator; we only have a cooler for our refrigerated goods). My blue hair is a conversation-starter, and we've met some really awesome people here.
This last week has been very windy. The wind calmed Tuesday (and it was hot!). Dad and I played softball (they play every Tuesday and Thursday morning, and Sunday afternoon) with the old guys. I was the only girl and the youngest person by far. It was really fun! I hadn't played softball since I was 16, and I was really happy I could still hit the ball. I played too hard, though, and I was so sore the next day (and the day after, and the day after that, and still a little sore today). The wind picked back up Wednesday, and it got colder. We had to wear jackets. I know temperatures in the 60s sound downright tropical to our friends everywhere else, but we're spoiled living down here, and 65-and-breezy almost kept us from going to Key West.
We did go to Key West on Wednesday, to see Trevor off on his flight back to Chattanooga. My brother Mike's friend Anika was nice enough to drive us around and show us some of the sights. It was really awesome to hang out with her, and I'm looking forward to going back down there again. Key West is pretty neat. The food is good everywhere, as are the drinks (mojito!). And there are even cheap clothes to be found. There are quite a few five-dollar shops, and I stocked up on tank tops. I'm afraid half my wardrobe will say Key West across the front before we're done here. (I can't resist cheap clothes.) Trevor's flight ended up being canceled, due to crazy weather here, there, and in between. But he's trying again tomorrow to head back up to TN.
Mom's in Miami, visiting family, so Dad and I will be on our own for the week! I'm sure we'll play lots of softball. And maybe some tennis (they're starting tennis 3 nights a week here at the park). The community feel here at Boot Key is really great. There are activities going on all the time: Meet & Greets, sports, yoga, crafts, music. With so much to do, it'll be hard to leave.
We're paid up through the beginning of February. After that, we don't have a plan. We kinda need to start working on one. We might go up to Miami. We might go to the Bahamas. Heck, we could stay here another month. Just not sure yet. And hey, did you hear they're starting to open up Cuba? Oh boy! The possibilities are endless (maybe not endless, but there are at least half a dozen options). We'll keep you posted.
Today the Gallians are coming to visit! The wind has calmed, and the temps are back in the 70s. So life is pretty sweet. If it's calm this week, I have a feeling Dad and I might go snorkeling out at Sombrero Reef. Yay! Oh yeah, and there's bingo at the American Legion on Wednesdays. That is so happening!
So what is our life like here in Boot Key Harbor? Excellent. We get up in the morning, have coffee and breakfast while we listen to the daily Cruisers Net on the VHF (9am on channel 68). Sometimes we come to shore for showers and internet, sometimes we relax a little, sometimes we actually do some work. Like the wood outside. Or the plumbing. We thought we were finished working on the plumbing, but our deck fill project didn't work. Apparently, water can't go uphill without a pump. So we had to re-run the hose and work some magic, but now it works great! (Tested it this morning, in fact.) We've been reading (I'm working my way through The Thin Red Line right now, and it's quite good), watching tv on Trevor's computer. Sometimes we eat out, usually we don't. Every few days we have to walk the mile up the road to Publix or WinnDixie for groceries (sometimes we only go down to Daffy Doug's Discount Dollar Store for bargain foodstuffs). We also have to get a new bag of ice every few days (no refrigerator; we only have a cooler for our refrigerated goods). My blue hair is a conversation-starter, and we've met some really awesome people here.
This last week has been very windy. The wind calmed Tuesday (and it was hot!). Dad and I played softball (they play every Tuesday and Thursday morning, and Sunday afternoon) with the old guys. I was the only girl and the youngest person by far. It was really fun! I hadn't played softball since I was 16, and I was really happy I could still hit the ball. I played too hard, though, and I was so sore the next day (and the day after, and the day after that, and still a little sore today). The wind picked back up Wednesday, and it got colder. We had to wear jackets. I know temperatures in the 60s sound downright tropical to our friends everywhere else, but we're spoiled living down here, and 65-and-breezy almost kept us from going to Key West.
We did go to Key West on Wednesday, to see Trevor off on his flight back to Chattanooga. My brother Mike's friend Anika was nice enough to drive us around and show us some of the sights. It was really awesome to hang out with her, and I'm looking forward to going back down there again. Key West is pretty neat. The food is good everywhere, as are the drinks (mojito!). And there are even cheap clothes to be found. There are quite a few five-dollar shops, and I stocked up on tank tops. I'm afraid half my wardrobe will say Key West across the front before we're done here. (I can't resist cheap clothes.) Trevor's flight ended up being canceled, due to crazy weather here, there, and in between. But he's trying again tomorrow to head back up to TN.
Mom's in Miami, visiting family, so Dad and I will be on our own for the week! I'm sure we'll play lots of softball. And maybe some tennis (they're starting tennis 3 nights a week here at the park). The community feel here at Boot Key is really great. There are activities going on all the time: Meet & Greets, sports, yoga, crafts, music. With so much to do, it'll be hard to leave.
We're paid up through the beginning of February. After that, we don't have a plan. We kinda need to start working on one. We might go up to Miami. We might go to the Bahamas. Heck, we could stay here another month. Just not sure yet. And hey, did you hear they're starting to open up Cuba? Oh boy! The possibilities are endless (maybe not endless, but there are at least half a dozen options). We'll keep you posted.
Today the Gallians are coming to visit! The wind has calmed, and the temps are back in the 70s. So life is pretty sweet. If it's calm this week, I have a feeling Dad and I might go snorkeling out at Sombrero Reef. Yay! Oh yeah, and there's bingo at the American Legion on Wednesdays. That is so happening!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Projects Accomplished! Is it time to relax yet?
So the last few days have been crazy busy and productive.
Wednesday, we tackled a couple of plumbing projects. We can now fill our water tank without pulling apart the bed! And we have a toilet that can be pumped out in accordance with Florida law. We had some challenges along the way, of course. A project is never as easy as you think it'll be, and it always takes about 3 times as long as you think. Especially on a boat. First, I had to learn yoga to get into some of those tight spaces with a power drill. And halfway through the day, the battery on my drill went dead. So we borrowed (I mean, we stole in a truly pirate-tastic swashbuckling show of awesomeness) my dad's drill. And we ran the battery down on that one, too, before the end. Also, the bit we bought for cutting holes in the deck was the tiniest bit too small, and the deck fittings wouldn't go through. But with quite a bit of swearing and grumping and maneuvering, I managed to widen the holes enough for them to go in. Also, tightening hose clamps when you can't see them is really difficult. But we managed. And now our plumbing projects are complete! Woot!
Thursday, the mechanic came out and replaced the mixing elbow on the engine. Now it's running great! It has never idled so low or run so quietly as it does now. Awesome! We haven't taken it out for a good test drive yet, because it's been a windy couple of days. But we're hoping to go out for a three-hour tour one of these days and really see how it's doing. Yay! Engine running!
Today, I helped Dad install his pumpout-ready toilet. I learned he has trouble letting a power tool sit and charge. We spent half the day letting the drill charge for a little bit, then running it dead. It never achieved a full charge. But we did manage to get his toilet installed! So now we can stay in Boot Key Harbor as long as we want.
And we are now officially here for a month. We live here! How cool is that?
Wednesday, we tackled a couple of plumbing projects. We can now fill our water tank without pulling apart the bed! And we have a toilet that can be pumped out in accordance with Florida law. We had some challenges along the way, of course. A project is never as easy as you think it'll be, and it always takes about 3 times as long as you think. Especially on a boat. First, I had to learn yoga to get into some of those tight spaces with a power drill. And halfway through the day, the battery on my drill went dead. So we borrowed (I mean, we stole in a truly pirate-tastic swashbuckling show of awesomeness) my dad's drill. And we ran the battery down on that one, too, before the end. Also, the bit we bought for cutting holes in the deck was the tiniest bit too small, and the deck fittings wouldn't go through. But with quite a bit of swearing and grumping and maneuvering, I managed to widen the holes enough for them to go in. Also, tightening hose clamps when you can't see them is really difficult. But we managed. And now our plumbing projects are complete! Woot!
Thursday, the mechanic came out and replaced the mixing elbow on the engine. Now it's running great! It has never idled so low or run so quietly as it does now. Awesome! We haven't taken it out for a good test drive yet, because it's been a windy couple of days. But we're hoping to go out for a three-hour tour one of these days and really see how it's doing. Yay! Engine running!
Today, I helped Dad install his pumpout-ready toilet. I learned he has trouble letting a power tool sit and charge. We spent half the day letting the drill charge for a little bit, then running it dead. It never achieved a full charge. But we did manage to get his toilet installed! So now we can stay in Boot Key Harbor as long as we want.
And we are now officially here for a month. We live here! How cool is that?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Where's the Money Going? Compliance, that's where.
An interesting phenomenon happens when we're in a safe place with readily available internet and more free time than we know what to do with. I blog. Twice in two days. Not the exciting "we almost died (but were totally safe, Trevor's Mom, I promise) and now here we are" antics of my older blogs. Nope, today I'm going to talk about plumbing.
Yesterday I bemoaned the City Marina making us change our sanitation system. The people at West Marine (the ultimate store of boating things) were completely unhelpful. We even asked a boat yard how much it might cost for a new system. "I'm working on one right now, and it's already up to $3000." What? There's no way we, the poor people in the cruising community, can afford that kind of money. Hell, that's half what the whole boat cost! So we were frustrated. We talked to a knowledgeable woman at the marina office about our options. "Can we anchor out and bring our toilet in to empty a couple of times a week?" "You can, but you can still get a ticket." A ticket! A ticket for improper equipment. The Florida Keys are a marine sanctuary, and if you're caught with a toilet that can't be pumped out, you can get a whopping ticket. Blast! We looked sad and said we just couldn't afford a new toilet and all the fittings (that might fail and dump poop into our boat at any time). She then proceeded to tell us about a "permanent portable" that West Marine sells. It's just like what we have, except it has extra fittings so you can run a hose up to a fitting on the deck and get that crap pumped out. It makes us compliant with the law (not outlaws anymore!) and costs less than $300, fittings and all. Hey, that sounds more reasonable.
So off we went to West Marine (we were assured they had a couple of the helpful people there that day) to check out the better toilet. We shopped, we compared, we monopolized the salesman's time, and we got the equipment we needed. Plus a couple of t-shirts (mine says "Captain", and Trevor's says "First Mate"; we're so cute!) that were on sale. And we bought hardware for another project. Do you have any idea how expensive deck fittings are? Crazy expensive! Either the pump-out fitting or the water-fill fitting was priced at $45! Slap the word "marine" on it, and you can triple the price. We're going to Home Depot for the last of our supplies later today.
We have projects. Today is going to be crazy busy. The mechanic is coming at some point to put the motor back together. Hopefully, all of our problems with that will be solved. We've got this toilet project. Pump-out day is tomorrow, so we're on a bit of a deadline. And we're plumbing our water tank to the deck for easier filling (currently, we have to move the mattresses, lift a door, and run a water hose through the hatch to fill it). Busy times! We won't know what to do with ourselves when we accomplish all this stuff. Maybe we'll get to that fabled retirement condition where we sit around and read books and play Scrabble. Oh, I love Scrabble!
Also, we're thinking about staying here a while. We might pay for a month when we go up to the office today. So if you're wanting to come visit us, this may be a good time. But not Jan 25 throught Feb 1; that's when Thaddeus is coming to visit. And Trevor will be gone for a week starting next Wednesday. But roundtrip tickets from Chattanooga to Key West can be as low as $244. Just something to think about. :)
Alright, time to get to work. Retirement is hard work.
Yesterday I bemoaned the City Marina making us change our sanitation system. The people at West Marine (the ultimate store of boating things) were completely unhelpful. We even asked a boat yard how much it might cost for a new system. "I'm working on one right now, and it's already up to $3000." What? There's no way we, the poor people in the cruising community, can afford that kind of money. Hell, that's half what the whole boat cost! So we were frustrated. We talked to a knowledgeable woman at the marina office about our options. "Can we anchor out and bring our toilet in to empty a couple of times a week?" "You can, but you can still get a ticket." A ticket! A ticket for improper equipment. The Florida Keys are a marine sanctuary, and if you're caught with a toilet that can't be pumped out, you can get a whopping ticket. Blast! We looked sad and said we just couldn't afford a new toilet and all the fittings (that might fail and dump poop into our boat at any time). She then proceeded to tell us about a "permanent portable" that West Marine sells. It's just like what we have, except it has extra fittings so you can run a hose up to a fitting on the deck and get that crap pumped out. It makes us compliant with the law (not outlaws anymore!) and costs less than $300, fittings and all. Hey, that sounds more reasonable.
So off we went to West Marine (we were assured they had a couple of the helpful people there that day) to check out the better toilet. We shopped, we compared, we monopolized the salesman's time, and we got the equipment we needed. Plus a couple of t-shirts (mine says "Captain", and Trevor's says "First Mate"; we're so cute!) that were on sale. And we bought hardware for another project. Do you have any idea how expensive deck fittings are? Crazy expensive! Either the pump-out fitting or the water-fill fitting was priced at $45! Slap the word "marine" on it, and you can triple the price. We're going to Home Depot for the last of our supplies later today.
We have projects. Today is going to be crazy busy. The mechanic is coming at some point to put the motor back together. Hopefully, all of our problems with that will be solved. We've got this toilet project. Pump-out day is tomorrow, so we're on a bit of a deadline. And we're plumbing our water tank to the deck for easier filling (currently, we have to move the mattresses, lift a door, and run a water hose through the hatch to fill it). Busy times! We won't know what to do with ourselves when we accomplish all this stuff. Maybe we'll get to that fabled retirement condition where we sit around and read books and play Scrabble. Oh, I love Scrabble!
Also, we're thinking about staying here a while. We might pay for a month when we go up to the office today. So if you're wanting to come visit us, this may be a good time. But not Jan 25 throught Feb 1; that's when Thaddeus is coming to visit. And Trevor will be gone for a week starting next Wednesday. But roundtrip tickets from Chattanooga to Key West can be as low as $244. Just something to think about. :)
Alright, time to get to work. Retirement is hard work.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Boot Key Harbor
Sunday morning, we woke up and had coffee in a leisurely manner. (We've earned that leisurely coffee, I say.) Had to back out of that tricky slip, pas the boat parked behind us. And I did it masterfully! The big post we would have hit was just far enough back for us to get moving backward and get water flowing over the tiller for steerage. And I slipped right past that post and the parked boat. Whoop! Then back out to the Atlantic. It was still quite bumpy out there, but better than the day before. We had to zigzag down the coast because the waves on our beam rocked us mightily and made me uncomfortable. (Didn't want to fall out of the seat; that would have been embarrassing!) As it was, I drove the whole way with my right foot on the seat opposite me to keep me braced. But it wasn't dangerous, just a bit of a wild ride.
And you know what we saw? Well, we passed a little plastic bottle-looking thing floating next to us. I couldn't figure out what it was. Some kind of new crab pot ball? Not very visible. I forgot about it. Until we came across another one. This one was closer, and maybe the water a little less rocky, so I got a better look at it. It was bluish-clear and full of air. But then there were dark tentacles hanging down. It was a Portuguese Man-Of-War!!! A little one, only about 5 inches across the bell. But so cool! I'd never seen one before. We saw a few more going down the coast. And a couple of small sea turtles. I read yesterday that sea turtles feed on them, so that would explain why we saw turtles in their vicinity. Awesome!
Right, back to the travels. The waves got smaller as we headed down the coast. We got into Boot Key Harbor with no incident and tied up to the mooring ball with little incident (old crappy rope and a dropped boat hook). Signed in at the marina office, where they told us we had only seven days to replace our sanitation system (toilet). We have a little porta-potty, and they don't allow those here. Replacing the system will cost hundreds of dollars. We're just not ready for that kind of installation undertaking right now. We don't have the room, the funds, or the patience for it. So we'll probably be gone in a few days. And anchored at the end of the bay, most likely. We'll see. I don't like the marina forcing us into expensive renovations. We've been getting along fine with what we've got. And I'll be really unhappy if they sic the Coast Guard on us (we've heard they've done it before). *grumpy grumble*
But in other news. We had a mechanic out to look at the engine yesterday. Didn't take him long to yank off the mixing elbow (whatever that is) and declare it a mess. Apparently, it was pretty clogged. Luckily, Yanmar did have the part (pretty good for a 35-year-old engine), and it should be here tomorrow. So maybe tomorrow we'll have a fixed engine. He said they were 98% sure that's the problem. If that doesn't fix everything, then they'll have to start digging and finding what's going on. I hope it's just the mixing elbow. At $100 an hour, troubleshooting will be terribly expensive.
But for now, we're enjoying sunny, warm weather. Tomorrow will bring something new, hopefully something awesome.
And you know what we saw? Well, we passed a little plastic bottle-looking thing floating next to us. I couldn't figure out what it was. Some kind of new crab pot ball? Not very visible. I forgot about it. Until we came across another one. This one was closer, and maybe the water a little less rocky, so I got a better look at it. It was bluish-clear and full of air. But then there were dark tentacles hanging down. It was a Portuguese Man-Of-War!!! A little one, only about 5 inches across the bell. But so cool! I'd never seen one before. We saw a few more going down the coast. And a couple of small sea turtles. I read yesterday that sea turtles feed on them, so that would explain why we saw turtles in their vicinity. Awesome!
Right, back to the travels. The waves got smaller as we headed down the coast. We got into Boot Key Harbor with no incident and tied up to the mooring ball with little incident (old crappy rope and a dropped boat hook). Signed in at the marina office, where they told us we had only seven days to replace our sanitation system (toilet). We have a little porta-potty, and they don't allow those here. Replacing the system will cost hundreds of dollars. We're just not ready for that kind of installation undertaking right now. We don't have the room, the funds, or the patience for it. So we'll probably be gone in a few days. And anchored at the end of the bay, most likely. We'll see. I don't like the marina forcing us into expensive renovations. We've been getting along fine with what we've got. And I'll be really unhappy if they sic the Coast Guard on us (we've heard they've done it before). *grumpy grumble*
But in other news. We had a mechanic out to look at the engine yesterday. Didn't take him long to yank off the mixing elbow (whatever that is) and declare it a mess. Apparently, it was pretty clogged. Luckily, Yanmar did have the part (pretty good for a 35-year-old engine), and it should be here tomorrow. So maybe tomorrow we'll have a fixed engine. He said they were 98% sure that's the problem. If that doesn't fix everything, then they'll have to start digging and finding what's going on. I hope it's just the mixing elbow. At $100 an hour, troubleshooting will be terribly expensive.
But for now, we're enjoying sunny, warm weather. Tomorrow will bring something new, hopefully something awesome.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Christmas in the Keys
What a great week! Half a week, I guess is more accurate. It was definitely too short a time.
Hanging out with my brothers, their families, and Grandma was awesome! And the house they rented was pretty great. We took full advantage of a free washer and dryer and did tons of laundry. Okay, Trevor did most of the washing, because he's good like that. Did some work on the boat. Installed a new compass (thanks, Mom and Dad!). It's the nicest-looking piece of equipment on the boat, mounted on a nice piece of teak (we look swanky, if you only look at that 8x8' square). We may have killed our batteries in the process. The compass lights up when we turn on our nav lights at night. Well, we turned on the lights to see if we wired it in right. And then forgot to turn the lights off. Not sure how long they stayed on, but we're having trouble getting the batteries to hold a charge. Note to everyone: Never buy batteries at Wal-Mart. This is our second pair now that have been killed by one run-down. And there are no Wal-Marts in the Keys, so we can't even exchange them. We're still trying our best to charge them up, though, so we'll see.
In addition to battery trouble (new problem = extra frustration), we're still not sure what's going on with the engine. It's probably a pretty big deal, though. Mike thinks it might be on its way out. But we might be able to have it rebuilt instead of buying a new one (a new engine would be more money than the whole boat is worth). We're going to try to get a mechanic working on it Monday. Then we'll know more.
But other than the usual engine trouble and the new battery trouble, we've had an amazing few days! We played tons of Wii Bowling. When we come back to the real world and have a living room and a tv, I'm definitely getting a Wii. So much fun! And a workout. I bowled pretty hard, so I had Wii-shoulder. There was also a fair amount of Uno, Rummy (Ethan taught me to play), and Jenga (hard to play with 5-to-7-year olds). The last two days, the pool was even warm enough to swim (so nice!).
At one point, I was volunteered to go diving for lobster. Dave agreed to go with me, so we loaded up in Dad's dinghy and went out. We stopped at a shop to get a dive flag (gotta be legal), which we lashed to a fishing pole (totally worked). We rode over to the Gulf side and tied up to a mangrove tree in a foot of water. We donned our wetsuits and snorkel gear and took off. Yow, that water was cold! So cold we could do nothing but giggle over the absurdity for a few minutes. We toughed it our for about half an hour, then decided maybe the Atlantic side might be warmer (or maybe at least a little clearer). No luck. It was just as cold. We didn't get more than waist-deep over there. With the wetsuits, our bodies were warm enough (barely), but our faces were so cold they hurt. So we gave up and went back to the house. We stepped into the swimming pool to see if it had warmed up yet, and it felt amazing! Also a great place to wash wetsuits and snorkel gear. But it wasn't long before we realized the water wasn't actually very warm, just felt that way compared to the 60-something degree water we'd been swimming in. So no lobster tails for dinner that day.
Yesterday, Mike took me, Ethan, and Sean fishing at the 7-Mile bridge. The pesky fish there just kept stealing our bait. Sneaky little devils. Eventually we figured out the right hook size to catch them. Check out my whopper!
And my fish was the biggest.
My brothers were determined to eat as much seafood as possible while they were here, so we ate really well. Our first night, Crystal made Manhattan clam chowder. Amazing! The next night we had pizza (to appease the Dad); it was probably the best Pizza Hut pizza I've ever had. Thursday, Dave did a shrimp boil (shrimp, potatoes, onions, broccoli, corn on the cob). So good! And Mike grilled mahi mahi (yum!). And last night we had stone crab claws. Lots of work, but oh so good.
This morning, we all said goodbye and left the house. We planned to head down to Boot Key Harbor to get a mooring ball until we could find a mechanic for our boat and a boatyard to haul out Mom and Dad's boat for some bottom work. We headed out the way we came in, the water getting rougher every minute. We estimate they were probably 4-foot waves. They rocked us all around. Trevor and I were splashed pretty good a couple of times. It was not comfortable, and was heading toward unsafe. So we called it off and headed back to shore. We tried to find a place to anchor, but the bottom was hard coral rock. No luck there. We finally headed around the point and back inland a little (ah, the calmness in protected waters). Mom and Dad found a marina and parked. The slip I was supposed to take had another boat tied up in it. They expected me to maneuver around it and get in. I could have done it under normal conditions, but we had a wicked cross-wind. Finally, they moved the boat, and we parked the boat. So happy to be secure and off the water! When we went to the office to register and pay, the lady told us the restaurant had a happy hour with 25-cent shrimp and wings from 4-6. Oh yeah! We were there by 4:10, hungry and ready. The four of us ate 48 shrimp and 30 wings. It was delicious! And filling. We're still not hungry.
Tomorrow we try again for Boot Key Harbor and the awesomeness of mooring balls. It's a great community there, so we're hoping other boaters can point us in the direction of a good diesel mechanic.
Happy New Year, everybody!
Hanging out with my brothers, their families, and Grandma was awesome! And the house they rented was pretty great. We took full advantage of a free washer and dryer and did tons of laundry. Okay, Trevor did most of the washing, because he's good like that. Did some work on the boat. Installed a new compass (thanks, Mom and Dad!). It's the nicest-looking piece of equipment on the boat, mounted on a nice piece of teak (we look swanky, if you only look at that 8x8' square). We may have killed our batteries in the process. The compass lights up when we turn on our nav lights at night. Well, we turned on the lights to see if we wired it in right. And then forgot to turn the lights off. Not sure how long they stayed on, but we're having trouble getting the batteries to hold a charge. Note to everyone: Never buy batteries at Wal-Mart. This is our second pair now that have been killed by one run-down. And there are no Wal-Marts in the Keys, so we can't even exchange them. We're still trying our best to charge them up, though, so we'll see.
In addition to battery trouble (new problem = extra frustration), we're still not sure what's going on with the engine. It's probably a pretty big deal, though. Mike thinks it might be on its way out. But we might be able to have it rebuilt instead of buying a new one (a new engine would be more money than the whole boat is worth). We're going to try to get a mechanic working on it Monday. Then we'll know more.
But other than the usual engine trouble and the new battery trouble, we've had an amazing few days! We played tons of Wii Bowling. When we come back to the real world and have a living room and a tv, I'm definitely getting a Wii. So much fun! And a workout. I bowled pretty hard, so I had Wii-shoulder. There was also a fair amount of Uno, Rummy (Ethan taught me to play), and Jenga (hard to play with 5-to-7-year olds). The last two days, the pool was even warm enough to swim (so nice!).
At one point, I was volunteered to go diving for lobster. Dave agreed to go with me, so we loaded up in Dad's dinghy and went out. We stopped at a shop to get a dive flag (gotta be legal), which we lashed to a fishing pole (totally worked). We rode over to the Gulf side and tied up to a mangrove tree in a foot of water. We donned our wetsuits and snorkel gear and took off. Yow, that water was cold! So cold we could do nothing but giggle over the absurdity for a few minutes. We toughed it our for about half an hour, then decided maybe the Atlantic side might be warmer (or maybe at least a little clearer). No luck. It was just as cold. We didn't get more than waist-deep over there. With the wetsuits, our bodies were warm enough (barely), but our faces were so cold they hurt. So we gave up and went back to the house. We stepped into the swimming pool to see if it had warmed up yet, and it felt amazing! Also a great place to wash wetsuits and snorkel gear. But it wasn't long before we realized the water wasn't actually very warm, just felt that way compared to the 60-something degree water we'd been swimming in. So no lobster tails for dinner that day.
Yesterday, Mike took me, Ethan, and Sean fishing at the 7-Mile bridge. The pesky fish there just kept stealing our bait. Sneaky little devils. Eventually we figured out the right hook size to catch them. Check out my whopper!
My brothers were determined to eat as much seafood as possible while they were here, so we ate really well. Our first night, Crystal made Manhattan clam chowder. Amazing! The next night we had pizza (to appease the Dad); it was probably the best Pizza Hut pizza I've ever had. Thursday, Dave did a shrimp boil (shrimp, potatoes, onions, broccoli, corn on the cob). So good! And Mike grilled mahi mahi (yum!). And last night we had stone crab claws. Lots of work, but oh so good.
This morning, we all said goodbye and left the house. We planned to head down to Boot Key Harbor to get a mooring ball until we could find a mechanic for our boat and a boatyard to haul out Mom and Dad's boat for some bottom work. We headed out the way we came in, the water getting rougher every minute. We estimate they were probably 4-foot waves. They rocked us all around. Trevor and I were splashed pretty good a couple of times. It was not comfortable, and was heading toward unsafe. So we called it off and headed back to shore. We tried to find a place to anchor, but the bottom was hard coral rock. No luck there. We finally headed around the point and back inland a little (ah, the calmness in protected waters). Mom and Dad found a marina and parked. The slip I was supposed to take had another boat tied up in it. They expected me to maneuver around it and get in. I could have done it under normal conditions, but we had a wicked cross-wind. Finally, they moved the boat, and we parked the boat. So happy to be secure and off the water! When we went to the office to register and pay, the lady told us the restaurant had a happy hour with 25-cent shrimp and wings from 4-6. Oh yeah! We were there by 4:10, hungry and ready. The four of us ate 48 shrimp and 30 wings. It was delicious! And filling. We're still not hungry.
Tomorrow we try again for Boot Key Harbor and the awesomeness of mooring balls. It's a great community there, so we're hoping other boaters can point us in the direction of a good diesel mechanic.
Happy New Year, everybody!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
We Made It! Hello, Florida Keys!
We're in Marathon!!!
It's been a while since the last update, so this will be a long one. Be prepared.
When last we left our intrepid adventurers, we had arrived in Tarpon Springs. Yay! That was the night of the lunar eclipse. No, we didn't stay up to watch it. I think I went to bed around 8:00. But we did set the alarm for 3:00 to see the progress. It was pretty cool! Very dark and red. Neato!
Got up early and left before sunrise. The moon was setting, and the sun was rising behind us.
As excited as we were to get to the ICW, we decided to ignore it and run outside on the Gulf. Theoretically this would save us some miles and a ton of times on bridges (being tall-masted, we would have to have 10 of them raised for us that day). Well, the plan worked like a dream, and we had an amazing day! We managed to motorsail a little bit. It was nice and calm on the outside. Calm and gorgeous!
We ended up 65 miles down the ICW from where we started. Heck yeah! We went through the Longboat Key Pass, under a bridge. We anchored in a calm, secure place. Very nice.
The next day, Trevor and I decided to try running outside. The forecast was for a west wind at 15 knots. It would be on our beam, which means super fast sailing. But it could be rough. So we headed out (yep, at sunrise). We had to go back out through the bridge we came in the night before. Well, there was a hellacious current rolling through there with the outgoing tide. So we were heading in at a normal angle of attack when we were suddenly being pushed very quickly toward the bridge! Just before disaster, I turned the boat around and got out of there. We turned back around and tried again, this time at a more conservative angle. We were going with the current, aiming right for the middle. But the current pushed us again! Oh no! So I told Trevor to hammer the throttle down, and we powered through the bridge. It was a little more exciting than we like our mornings, but we made it through unscathed. So we headed out to the channel, ready for awesome sailing. But the wind was coming out of the southeast. What direction were we heading? Southeast, of course! We thought maybe it would turn west, like it was forecast to do. But it didn't. We had a headwind all morning. The plan was to re-enter the ICW at Venice Pass, whatever the weather. So we did that.
Venice is crazy beautiful! I couldn't believe it. Aqua-blue water in the canals, cute houses everywhere, and people that just seemed happy to be there. But then we came to a bridge. We had to wait 15 minutes for it to open, no big deal. We went through and headed to the next bridge. That bridge was close. And scheduled to open 10 minutes later. So we waited just upstream from it, but the tide was pushing us closer and closer. Opening time came, and the bridge was still closed. I put the boat in reverse and ended up sideways in the canal. Just at that time, the bridge opened, so we headed through. Luckily, there was no traffic there at the time, so we were fine. We chugged down to the next bridge. Hauled ass down to the next bridge, actually, since we had a rockin' current moving us down there. But this one was a call-to-open bridge, so we didn't have a problem except a traffic jam caused by a water-cop. We ended the day at Cape Haze Marina. Best showers of the trip! They were amazing!
We left a little later the next morning so the guys could shower (the showers closed at 5pm, how weird is that?), and we loaded up on ice (free!). We stopped about 10 miles down for some fuel. Then we hauled up the sails in hopes of gaining a little extra speed. We were going about 6.3, which wasn't bad. Then we came across where Charlotte Harbor opens on the Gulf, and the breeze was a little stiffer. I looked at the GPS, and we were going 7.8! Even after we passed it, we were averaging 7.5! Oh yeah, we could get used to this. All day, we had a strong breeze. I don't know that we dropped below 6.5. So we were happy. My steering arm got a good work out in some choppy water. We encountered a ton of inconsiderate boaters, going fast past us and kicking up a wicked wake that would rock us something fierce. But we made it through the day. We ended up in Fort Myers Beach, on a mooring ball! Mooring balls are awesome, because you don't have to worry about the anchor slipping or anything like that. And it was only $13 a night, considerably cheaper than a marina. If we had extra time, we all agreed we would have loved to spend a few days there, at least.
The next day was Christmas Eve. Trevor and I left early (sunrise? why, yes) and raised our jib. We were booking it! We were averaging at least 7 mph, so we were happy. When we slowed down to 6.7, we thought it might be a good idea to raise the main sail, too. This was overly ambitious. The wind picked up, and the waves got choppier. The boat leaned, and we had to fight to keep on a heading. After about 10 minutes, we dropped the mainsail back down. Ah, that's better. We continued to speed down the coast (we had reached the end of that portion of the ICW, so it was open water the rest of the way), past Naples and on to Marco Island. It was only 1:30. We had made amazing time! It seemed way too early to stop, but it was a long, bumpy, and treacherous way around Cape Romano and the Cape Romano Shoal. So we took the inland route through the Big Marco River. It looked intimidatingly shallow on the chart, but Dad's guidebook said it was okay. And the tide was coming in, so there was no better time to try. We got through without incident, and it was a really pretty run through mangroves.
We went 5 or 10 more miles to anchor near Panther Key in the Ten Thousand Islands. Great anchorage, pretty and well-protected. We slept well.
And we knocked a day off our trip by going so fast, and by eliminating the dreadful trudge around the Cape Romano Shoal. So now we were only 2 days away from Marathon! But weather was moving in. We had one day to get somewhere to hunker down.
Christmas morning dawned calm and beautiful. We left (you know when we left, sunrise) early and ran to Little Shark River in the Everglades National Park. The day started a little breezy, then the wind died, and then the wind came up again at the end of the day. In our faces. It ended up choppy, but we made it into the river fine. We rafted up with Mom and Dad, them with a bow anchor and us with a stern anchor to hold against the reversing currents.
Just as I was dropping off to sleep, I heard a thunk. Weird. Then Trevor was outside, and so was Dad. So I got up to check it out. Our anchor had apparently slipped in the wicked strong current. But we were holding, so we all went back to bed. None of us slept well that night. In the morning, our anchor came right up when we tried to pull the slack out of the line (not good). The current was rolling back in, so we were holding fine on Dad's anchor. Dad and Trevor got in the dinghy and took our stern anchor out as far as they could to try and reset it. When the current went back out again, it kinda held. Enough to keep us from careening back out to the Gulf (those currents were crazy strong). But when the current reversed again, we knew we had to come up with a better plan. We discussed moving the boat, using only Dad's anchor, and tying up to the mangroves that lined the river. We finally decided to put a longer rope and a chain on our anchor. They dinghied the anchor back out and dropped it. This time it held. We slept well that night.
The next morning we still had strong winds and rough seas, so we were going to sit it out where we were. But it occured to us that with a 5+ mph current coming in, a boat that tops out at 6 mph under motor power might not make it out if the current was not in our favor. So we plotted again. Should we run to East Cape and get a jump on tomorrow? Should we run to Marathon? Should we move closer to the mouth of the river? Trevor and I took a dinghy ride to the mouth of the river to ascertain conditions outside and inside. It was bumpy on the bay. We didn't want to get beat up for 3 hours for an anchorage that might not be protected, so moving to East Cape wasn't happening. We did notice, however, that the current in that part of the river was considerably less than where we were anchored. And the trees looked like they would give us better protection from the wind. So we moved about a mile downriver. Success! Less current, less wind, more comfort. We slept well again.
Yesterday we were up before the sun and making a run for Marathon. The weather finally sounded good enough for us to go. The bay was choppy, and on our beam, so it was a bumpy ride until we turned south. We pulled up a sail, and we were moving! Throughout the day, the wind dropped. The waves dropped with it, so that was good, but the sails drooped, and that was not good. At last we spotted land! And then the 7-Mile Bridge! Huzzah! Because the bridge is so big, you can see it from a long way off. It takes forever to get there! Just when we were getting close, our engine sounded rough and started spitting black crud out of the exhaust. Nooooooo! We added oil, and that seemed to help for a little while. Then it spit out black crud again. Why, little Yanmar engine, why??? The oil was fine, so that wasn't the problem. We ran it at a lower speed, and that helped. Then we made it under the 7-Mile Bridge!
Once we passed through it, we were in the Atlantic! Hello, Atlantic Ocean! We turned east, and the wind was strong on our beam. So we raised both sails, and flew toward our final destination! Getting into the canal was a bit tricky, but we made it in. And my brothers were waving from the dock! Dave passed me a daiquiri as soon as I stepped off the boat. Life, my friends, is good.
It's been almost two months, and we've finally made it to Marathon. We were only a day late on our deadline, which is pretty good, especially considering the uncooperate weather and never-ending engine trouble we've had. We are so happy to be here!
We've got fishing to do, a warm pool to swim in, crab pots in the water, and kids everywhere (though it's blissfully quiet right now; they went to Key West). Good times!
It's been a while since the last update, so this will be a long one. Be prepared.
When last we left our intrepid adventurers, we had arrived in Tarpon Springs. Yay! That was the night of the lunar eclipse. No, we didn't stay up to watch it. I think I went to bed around 8:00. But we did set the alarm for 3:00 to see the progress. It was pretty cool! Very dark and red. Neato!
Got up early and left before sunrise. The moon was setting, and the sun was rising behind us.
 |
| Moon setting over Anclote Key |
The next day, Trevor and I decided to try running outside. The forecast was for a west wind at 15 knots. It would be on our beam, which means super fast sailing. But it could be rough. So we headed out (yep, at sunrise). We had to go back out through the bridge we came in the night before. Well, there was a hellacious current rolling through there with the outgoing tide. So we were heading in at a normal angle of attack when we were suddenly being pushed very quickly toward the bridge! Just before disaster, I turned the boat around and got out of there. We turned back around and tried again, this time at a more conservative angle. We were going with the current, aiming right for the middle. But the current pushed us again! Oh no! So I told Trevor to hammer the throttle down, and we powered through the bridge. It was a little more exciting than we like our mornings, but we made it through unscathed. So we headed out to the channel, ready for awesome sailing. But the wind was coming out of the southeast. What direction were we heading? Southeast, of course! We thought maybe it would turn west, like it was forecast to do. But it didn't. We had a headwind all morning. The plan was to re-enter the ICW at Venice Pass, whatever the weather. So we did that.
Venice is crazy beautiful! I couldn't believe it. Aqua-blue water in the canals, cute houses everywhere, and people that just seemed happy to be there. But then we came to a bridge. We had to wait 15 minutes for it to open, no big deal. We went through and headed to the next bridge. That bridge was close. And scheduled to open 10 minutes later. So we waited just upstream from it, but the tide was pushing us closer and closer. Opening time came, and the bridge was still closed. I put the boat in reverse and ended up sideways in the canal. Just at that time, the bridge opened, so we headed through. Luckily, there was no traffic there at the time, so we were fine. We chugged down to the next bridge. Hauled ass down to the next bridge, actually, since we had a rockin' current moving us down there. But this one was a call-to-open bridge, so we didn't have a problem except a traffic jam caused by a water-cop. We ended the day at Cape Haze Marina. Best showers of the trip! They were amazing!
We left a little later the next morning so the guys could shower (the showers closed at 5pm, how weird is that?), and we loaded up on ice (free!). We stopped about 10 miles down for some fuel. Then we hauled up the sails in hopes of gaining a little extra speed. We were going about 6.3, which wasn't bad. Then we came across where Charlotte Harbor opens on the Gulf, and the breeze was a little stiffer. I looked at the GPS, and we were going 7.8! Even after we passed it, we were averaging 7.5! Oh yeah, we could get used to this. All day, we had a strong breeze. I don't know that we dropped below 6.5. So we were happy. My steering arm got a good work out in some choppy water. We encountered a ton of inconsiderate boaters, going fast past us and kicking up a wicked wake that would rock us something fierce. But we made it through the day. We ended up in Fort Myers Beach, on a mooring ball! Mooring balls are awesome, because you don't have to worry about the anchor slipping or anything like that. And it was only $13 a night, considerably cheaper than a marina. If we had extra time, we all agreed we would have loved to spend a few days there, at least.
 |
| Mooring area in Fort Myers Beach |
 |
| Off Our Rocker on the mooring ball |
 |
| Sunset in Fort Myers Beach |
 |
| One of the marinas on the Big Marco River |
 |
| Birds and mangroves in the Big Marco River |
 |
| On the other side. You know what's down there? The Florida Keys! |
 |
| The other side of Marco Island (see the buildings way off in the distance?) |
And we knocked a day off our trip by going so fast, and by eliminating the dreadful trudge around the Cape Romano Shoal. So now we were only 2 days away from Marathon! But weather was moving in. We had one day to get somewhere to hunker down.
Christmas morning dawned calm and beautiful. We left (you know when we left, sunrise) early and ran to Little Shark River in the Everglades National Park. The day started a little breezy, then the wind died, and then the wind came up again at the end of the day. In our faces. It ended up choppy, but we made it into the river fine. We rafted up with Mom and Dad, them with a bow anchor and us with a stern anchor to hold against the reversing currents.
Just as I was dropping off to sleep, I heard a thunk. Weird. Then Trevor was outside, and so was Dad. So I got up to check it out. Our anchor had apparently slipped in the wicked strong current. But we were holding, so we all went back to bed. None of us slept well that night. In the morning, our anchor came right up when we tried to pull the slack out of the line (not good). The current was rolling back in, so we were holding fine on Dad's anchor. Dad and Trevor got in the dinghy and took our stern anchor out as far as they could to try and reset it. When the current went back out again, it kinda held. Enough to keep us from careening back out to the Gulf (those currents were crazy strong). But when the current reversed again, we knew we had to come up with a better plan. We discussed moving the boat, using only Dad's anchor, and tying up to the mangroves that lined the river. We finally decided to put a longer rope and a chain on our anchor. They dinghied the anchor back out and dropped it. This time it held. We slept well that night.
The next morning we still had strong winds and rough seas, so we were going to sit it out where we were. But it occured to us that with a 5+ mph current coming in, a boat that tops out at 6 mph under motor power might not make it out if the current was not in our favor. So we plotted again. Should we run to East Cape and get a jump on tomorrow? Should we run to Marathon? Should we move closer to the mouth of the river? Trevor and I took a dinghy ride to the mouth of the river to ascertain conditions outside and inside. It was bumpy on the bay. We didn't want to get beat up for 3 hours for an anchorage that might not be protected, so moving to East Cape wasn't happening. We did notice, however, that the current in that part of the river was considerably less than where we were anchored. And the trees looked like they would give us better protection from the wind. So we moved about a mile downriver. Success! Less current, less wind, more comfort. We slept well again.
Yesterday we were up before the sun and making a run for Marathon. The weather finally sounded good enough for us to go. The bay was choppy, and on our beam, so it was a bumpy ride until we turned south. We pulled up a sail, and we were moving! Throughout the day, the wind dropped. The waves dropped with it, so that was good, but the sails drooped, and that was not good. At last we spotted land! And then the 7-Mile Bridge! Huzzah! Because the bridge is so big, you can see it from a long way off. It takes forever to get there! Just when we were getting close, our engine sounded rough and started spitting black crud out of the exhaust. Nooooooo! We added oil, and that seemed to help for a little while. Then it spit out black crud again. Why, little Yanmar engine, why??? The oil was fine, so that wasn't the problem. We ran it at a lower speed, and that helped. Then we made it under the 7-Mile Bridge!
It's been almost two months, and we've finally made it to Marathon. We were only a day late on our deadline, which is pretty good, especially considering the uncooperate weather and never-ending engine trouble we've had. We are so happy to be here!
We've got fishing to do, a warm pool to swim in, crab pots in the water, and kids everywhere (though it's blissfully quiet right now; they went to Key West). Good times!
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