A Lull in the Action

Happy Hour Beer at Southport Raw Bar
where we dock the dinghy

It’s not that we haven’t been enjoying the cruising life but I realize that I"ve barely taken a picture all week.  What’s that all about?!  We’ve been in Lake Sylvia since Monday night (almost a week ago already) and we’ve done dinner out at Rocco’s Tacos, had a BBQ at Justin’s where we scorched some ribs, had a sundowner with a neighboring boat in the harbor, Justin brought his boat over to raft up with us one night here and spent the morning enjoying leisurely coffee and breakfast . . . and finally, last night, Judith and Kev came to spend the evening and we had a blast catching up since our last encounter several months ago.  SO – pics?

Mini cannon reproduction that fires
off wine corks.  More sundowner fun! 

It would appear that I’m losing my touch.  Maybe this is all becoming so “normal” that I’ve forgotten we’re still on a wild adventure!  Maybe it’s that although we’re having great fun and different experiences, there’s nothing SO out of the ordinary that I’m shaken to awareness to grab the camera.  Who knows!  But I must say that as I sit here, I’m sorry I didn’t. 

Rob with Sebastian, our new
anchorage neighbor.

It HAS been a great week and we’ve been so enjoying contact with the friends we’ve made and we haven’t had an idle moment.  I spent yesterday cleaning and refitting the main salon and other areas while Rob worked on installing new equipment we purchased at the boat show to further ensure our safety.  We’ve gone into town numerous times for errands and such, lugging two heavy pieces of engine equipment that we had taken in for repair – my NEW exercise routine.  HA! 

Thoughts of home are increasing with things like the tax return and renting the house as of April have begun to require some energy.  There are trips to plan to French Quarter Festival in New Orleans with my Mom, Rob's 60th coming in June (look for details to come!) and other home-side distractions that are now taking the forefront.  Looks like we're on our way . . . home.

Another Lake Sylvia Sunset

There’s certain to be great adventure yet to come – we have numerous offshore legs and several new anchorages yet to experience before finishing the long journey to Charleston – all bound to provide some good stories.   For now, however, we’ll just continue to enjoy the friends we’ve made, the sunsets, and the current “lull” in the action without the need to hang onto our seats!

Moving North . . .

The weather didn’t get in the way although it wasn’t ideal to sail.  Justin and friends had a need to be back in Lauderdale Monday so we decided to join them for “the ride” and headed out the Biscayne Channel at 11am for the quick hop north.  Would you be at all surprised to find out that the quick hop wasn’t quick at all?!  Well, neither was I after all previous experiences . . .

Despite the wrong wind direction, it was a lovely day to be on the water.  The wind had just turned to the north so the swell wasn’t prohibitive against the strong gulf stream.  The sun was shining and life was good.  And then . . . Justin’s engine started acting up. 

Buddy boating – essentially this entails accompanying another boat, both understanding that they’re sailing as partners.  So when Justin’s engine showed signs of trouble, we were both prepared to tag team to wherever it took us.  Ultimately, this situation took us into the port of Miami after a pass at sea where we threw a fuel filter into their boat and several other diversions.

Justin’s 22 and has been sailing since he was born for the most part.  He’s comfortable and capable – so he felt a lot better about sailing without engine capacity through the inlet at the Port of Miami than we did.  He made it, though, and we found a calm anchorage just off the shipping channel. 

Long story short, the final determination was that Evensong (his boat) was demanding to be fed.  Contrary to what Justin had been led to believe, his boat held less fuel than expected and he was bone dry!  This was after a lot of guesswork and other antics to find the problem including our sending some disposable jugs over to them via a passing kayaker! 

After three hours of this, it was getting late and Evensong still had to make it back to Ft. Lauderdale before the end of the day . . . so out we headed again, but this time up the ICW.  In case he encountered additional trouble, we didn’t want to be out at sea where we couldn’t anchor or otherwise assist. 

We JUST made it under the one bridge that only allowed for 56’ and the tide was still rising.  We both heard our antennae on the top of the masts clicking along the underside of the bridge as we passed through.  And then it got dark.  We spent the next five hours navigating through intercoastal marks and countless bridges before we finally pulled into Lake Sylvia after 10:30 that night.

Although not something I will choose to repeat, it was rewarding to know we made another new hurdle in our cruising skills and experience.  I guess that’s what this whole season is about – getting through the new and adding to our “resume” of experiences.  I’m happy to report that although I felt like someone beat me repeatedly and I slept harder than I had managed in the month prior, somehow I feel like this was one of the better challenges we’ve faced.  And another chapter is added.

No Name Partyin'

No Name Harbor has been our home for the past few days.  We arrived here Friday after Rob successfully removed ANOTHER crab pot line from our prop and we headed out on a beautiful morning to motor up Key Biscayne.  The sun was shining and I finally saw a bit of wildlife in the calm crystal waters as we motored along.  First I spotted a small (maybe 18”) sea turtle darting across our path.  The water truly was like glass and although the bottom seemed close enough to touch, we were never in less than 10’ of depth! 

Crystal clear water - taken while moving and 10+feet deep.

Next I saw two funny looking diamond shaped fish maybe a foot long each just hanging out as we passed by.  Still don’t know what they were but may actually check the “fish” book before to long to identify them.  They weren’t colorful but they were fun to see.  Soon afterward, I saw a baby hammerhead shark.  This little guy was probably only 24 – 30” long but he was clearly a hammerhead – I was excited.  Then came another larger sea turtle and a MUCH bigger shark – maybe 7’ – to top off the day.  I hadn’t seen much in the way of marine life so it was a banner day!

We really haven’t had any idea what we’d run into when we planned a new anchorage and of course that was the same story for No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne.  We pulled in around noon to find another lovely protected anchorage fully surrounded by a state park site and a seafood restaurant at the end of the anchor field.  We settled in quickly and before long dinghyed into shore to see what the nearby town was like.

Key Biscayne is an upscale Cuban community just south of Miami.  It has beautiful roadways, parks and plazas – we likened it to a Cuban Hilton Head.  We walked several miles into town and then through the park a ways before heading back to the boat.  When we arrived, we found that many more boats had shown up – mostly very large power boats with pretty boisterous Cuban families on board.  One boat played BeeGees music loud enough to share with the entire harbor for a couple of hours . . . oh boy!  And then more boats showed up and the anchorage started to get a bit crowded – and hoppin’! 

Key Biscayne Lighthouse built in 1825

Our closest “neighbor” was another large power boat with folks that seemed friendly enough but when the sun set and we tried to settle in, they closed up their cabin and started their diesel generator for the balance of the night – sharing their engine hum and fumes with us for the duration.

Miami Strictly Sail Boat Show

So after a not great night’s sleep we rose to get a good feel for the beautiful park we were in and were lucky enough to run into a guided tour of the island lighthouse which has stood here since 1825.  It was just recently totally restored and is another quite impressive additional to this amazing state park.  We walked the perfect beach and through the forested areas and then stopped back at the boat before heading over to the Miami Boat Show we came to here to check out.

Ceiling in the free metromover terminal

It was fun riding the bus and the free “metromover”.  The public transportation system is clean and well run and convenient and made our 20 mile journey easy as can be.  We spent the rest of the day at the show and even stayed for the show party on Saturday offering free beer and pizza along with entertainment.  It made for a fun day and night.

We came back to the anchorage to find that LOTS more boats had shown up to party for the weekend and party they did!  It was like an invasion!!!  There were boats everywhere and when the room to anchor ran out, they just pulled up to other boats and rafted up with them - as many as five in one cluster. 

Our friend Justin, who we cruised to the Marquesas with earlier in our adventure, came to No Name to join us for the weekend and we spent this morning sharing coffee and recent stories before we ran out to catch the bus back to the show for the second day where we reconnected with Kev and Judith (who we met on the very first leg of our trip south).  It’s just such great fun to see how easy it is to run into our cruising friends as we move along! 



One of the many groups of rafter boats in the anchorage

When we finally made it back from the show tonight, we shared dinner with Justin and friends aboard Evensong.  Will made the most amazing tuna seviche !!!  Yummy!  We had a good time laughing at the continued antics of the other weekend boats in the harbor and now it’s time to call it a night.   

It’s been a great couple days here in No Name and Miami and, unless the weather just refuses to allow it, we’ll all head up to Fort Lauderdale to return to one of our first anchorages in Lake Sylvia tomorrow.  And the story continues . . .

Hidden Treasures

We’ve had a great two days of moving slowly up the Keys.  We left the harbor early on Wednesday and spent about an hour and a half refilling our fuel and water tanks – wow, we were DRY!  400 gallons of water is a lot to fill through a garden hose!

Last morning in Marathon

The seas were light and the winds weren’t quite favorable so we ended up motoring our way at sea about 30 miles before making the cut at Channel Five and moving into the intercoastal waterway.  Just around sunset, we dropped anchor in the Cowpens Anchorage and had a glass of wine at sunset and a leisurely evening.

I caught the sunrise yesterday morning and it looked like we would have a great day.  The winds had shifted and we were able to sail through most of the day with the exception of the small channels leading between different keys.  The scenery here is just beautiful and we made a good 5-6 knots headway. 

We really didn’t have a specific destination in mind for last night and figured we’d see how far our progress took us.  Until the winds died mid-afternoon, we thought we might make it to No Name Harbor, our intended weekend destination.  With the fall of the wind, however, we saw we’d need to choose another spot.  Unfortunately, I just couldn’t find one that had the kind of reviews that made me feel comfortable.

 As we were working our way down the “path”, two sailboats came up on us from behind and I hailed on the radio, raising Cutter Loose, a 46” Island Packet owned by Eric and Pat Fulmer, to find that they were headed to an anchorage I had totally overlooked.  So we joined the small group of boats heading in that direction and made our way to Boca Chita Key.

What a surprise we had in store!  We motored into the bay and then into the cut and then into the cove and found a miniature tropical paradise.  There’s a long finished wood wall to pull boats up to with camping facilities and bathrooms.  The property is on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of Biscayne National Park.  The island was bought and developed in 1930 by Mark Honeywell who sold it after his wife suffered a fatal accident here 7 years later.  The park service bought it and has maintained it since the 50’s.  They’ve has done a beautiful job keeping up the area and it’s said that weekends bring throngs of people coming and going, crowding in.  We’re glad to be here before the craziness but are thrilled to have found another “secret treasure” to keep on our cruising list!

I did my first docking job in a space with about 5 feet to spare and did okay, I’m glad to report.  We had our own “sundowner” on board and settled in for our first night tied up to a dock since the first week of December.  One thing we hadn’t thought about was mosquitoes!!!  We spent quite the night trying to dodge the incessant attacks by flying jaws.  Oh – the trade offs!!! 

Once again, it’s a great morning and we’ll be pushing off to move the last 10 miles to No Name Harbor today.  Rob’s diving under the boat now to check the prop after we heard funny noises “from below” yesterday and then we’ll be off.  ONWARD!

The Marathon is Over . . .

We intended to pull out of Marathon Harbor yesterday morning.  As this new life would have it, however, we spent so much of the day before on busy projects – laundry, groceries, happy hour, gatherings . . . that we weren’t quite ready to go when we woke up yesterday.

Along with our projects on Monday, we had lunch with other owners of CSY yachts in the harbor.  Our sailboat is a 1979 44' CSY Walk Over (Caribbean Sailing Yacht).  They were manufactured in Florida from 1976 – 1979/80 and just over 300 of our size (44’) were ever made.  We had over 10 boats represented at the luncheon and there were lots of stories, info  and woes to share. 

We continued with groceries, etc after lunch before sharing happy hour with two neighboring boats, Sea Notes and Snow Goose.  So we woke up yesterday not quite ready to weigh the anchor, so to speak.  After a short while debating, the decision to stay wasn’t that hard.  First off, it was Valentine’s Day AND we had more friends to have a last sundowner with AND (fill in the blank) . . . . so we stayed in Marathon for what we determined would REALLY be our last day.  

We had a great lunch at Chikiriki on the channel into the harbor and shared our table with an older couple, Herb and Nance, who are in Marathon in their RV from Boston.  We did more projects, checking the engine belts, doing some minor stowing of stuff around the boat, etc and climbing the mast for some last minute checks.

Climbing the mast is always an interesting project and requires a lot of attention and backup assistance.  While the person rising must be sure to have all of their tools secured so as to not drop them unexpectedly on the crew on deck, those raising them must be on full alert to ensure no catastrophes occur.  This requires a strong arm on the winch and someone else tailing behind them to act as an additional guarantee.  After our friends John and Penny assisted us, we followed them to their boat Caribbean Soul and raised John up his mast.  All projects being successfully complete, we continued to break out the Valentine’s sundowner with beverages of choice and Penny’s gooey turtle brownies . . . this has not exactly been a HEALTHY voyage!

The morning dawned beautiful and early and it’s time to start the engines and head to the dock to fill the fuel and water before heading out to sea.  Leaving all of our new friends behind is sad but this does take us one step closer to our friends and family at home.  The great thing about cruising is that we’re sure to meet up with all of these folks again somewhere along the island trail.  What lies ahead is bound to be interesting . . . and "home" awaits!

And Life is Good!

Life is rough in paradise!  Pigeon Key . . .

Well, days have passed and life continues on . . . and it’s all good.  It’s really not that we have much to report other than our every day form of fun.  Our life has taken on a “come what may” progression.   Ha, most days pass without our ever even looking at the time.  What time we woke up or went to bed . . . those are just things that aren’t taken into account any more!

That being said, the new pace after 30 years in small business is a welcome relief.  I’ve never seen Rob able to relax like this.  He’s taken to reading BOOKS and has happily spent two days on the beach with me – two things that we just not in the cards in “life before.”  This really does have to be good for one’s health.

Our days have been filled with enjoying new friends and taking advantage of whatever comes along.  We watched a salvaged boat be lifted out of the water for entertainment one afternoon.   The weather treated us to another chance at the beach which we took full advantage of and watched a storm system roll past right out at sea while we happily soaked up the sun.  We've ticked boat projects off the list, visited the birds at the pet store again, went to two different art festivals . . . we've certainly not been bored!

A baby African Gray . . .

We’ve enjoyed the new friends we’ve made.  Ian and Lynn are now in Nassau having made the break this week and we had the boat full one night with a potluck BBQ and viewing of Captain Ron for two couples that (horror of horrors) had never seen it before!  (By the way . . . if you haven’t seen it yourself, now’s a good time!)  We’ve done $.25 wing night and pot luck at the cruiser’s lounge . . . the list goes on. 

Today started with $6 breakfast at the VFW, an experience we’ve never had before.  They apparently served over 210 meals this morning - pretty amazing for an all volunteer staff!  And great food to boot!

Then we headed out to tour Pigeon Key, a settlement created when the Flagler railroad was built in the early 1900’s.  It was really interesting and Rob was especially intrigued as he had just finished the book about the whole endeavor.  (Last Train to Paradise) 

We finished the day having dinner with new friends, Jim and Linda aboard their boat Double Trouble.  Jim’s an avid fisherman and he grilled up some amazing freshly caught yellowtail snapper with tequila sauce that was just amazing.  A great meal, the required discussions about boat projects and comparisons and a new favorite drink – hot tea with amaretto – made this cold and windy day end on the perfect note.

Tomorrow marks final preparations for our exit for points toward home on Tuesday.  It will be hard to say goodbye to the casual pace, comfortable mooring and mostly our new friends but it’s sure been a great run here in Marathon!

Community

A flower from Captain Jack

I can’t believe that it’s been this long since I’ve posted a blog.  That has to say something in itself, don’t you think?!  As of my last report, I relayed that things had gotten a bit commonplace around here.  I’d have to say there is still a low level of surprise these days which is both good and bad, right?  

Happy Birthday, Capt Jack!

What we HAVE been up to is what in our normal life would be adjusting to a new neighborhood.  We’re meeting the neighbors, so to speak.  We’ve found ourselves just going in to “town”  (also known as the cruiser’s lounge!) just to see what’s up.  Doing laundry, taking yoga, doing fixit projects – anything you do around here is joined by others.  Last week's Meet and Greet Potluck provided a chance to celebrate Captain Jack's 90th birthday.  Captain Jack is an old salt who's been around this area living on his 27 foot sailboat for countless years.  He's quite a character and a joy to know.

Lynn, Georgette and Ian

Rob’s been back and forth to the Battery Shack getting our alternator repaired.  He’s met up with several other guys that are just as anal and fanatic about their boats as Rob is (okay, this trait is REALLY NOT hard to find around here!).  He’s learning new concepts and techniques and info every day which is sure to serve us well in our adventures to come.

The wet trek post SuperBowl

I’ve been meeting new people at yoga every class and we’ve had a nonstop chain of visitors and invites.  We’ve had Ian and Lynn over for cocktails before they headed to the Bahamas, John and Penny came for coffee and scones yesterday, we’ve been to the Hurricane for $.25 cent wings with Jim and Linda and Bob and Georgette several times, one night dancing til the band stopped playing!  Superbowl last night was another kick and ended the consummate bar game of Foosball.  PS – I won the entire superbowl pool at the marina . . . go Moonshadow! . . . and donated a chunk of our proceeds to the local Relay for Life team that sponsored the pool.

Billy gets a taste of the Cruising Life

A recent surprise was the chance to entertain an old friend from Charleston, Billy Campbell, who was in Homestead for a business meeting and drove out to spend an evening with us.  We found a great little restaurant, the Keys Fisheries, where they require you take a famous personality to retrieve your food by (Marilyn Monroe, your order’s up!)   Great night of good food with a good friend.  You know we welcome visitors any time!

So things aren’t too out of the ordinary for the cruising life here in Marathon.  It’s fun to talk with folks heading to the Bahamas and beyond and we are learning a lot and storing it up for next year when we’ll be island bound.  Until then, being in “the neighborhood” is just fine by me.

Home is . . .

We had another adventure yesterday.  You may have caught my moody post several days ago before I pulled it from the web, but we were on standby all weekend regarding a lawsuit we’ve been involved in.  Word had it after our attorney returned from vacation last Friday that we may need to be in court this week . . . so we sat waiting.

Yesterday morning the word came in at 11am that we would be expected in court at 9am on Tuesday . . . in Charleston!  We were kind of expecting the news and when it arrived we were tutoring our neighboring boat friends Jim and Robin on Lameroo on how to keep our batteries charged up.  We jumped into overdrive and threw a few things into a bag, grabbed the trash and dirty laundry, dumped the most perishable items from the frig into a cooler bag and threw it all in the dinghy in the 25 knot winds blowing.

We called a cab from onshore and headed to the airport to the rental car desk where we met the most lovely Sherry at Budget who helped us with a great deal and got us on the road in no time.  And we started driving.  After eight plus weeks on a boat, this was quite the shock.  Neither of us had been behind the wheel in months and the stress of the whole situation felt beyond foreign.  Packing was so unfamiliar that I managed to forget even the most basic items . . . like a jacket for cooler weather and UNDERWEAR!

To make a long story short – after seven hours of reviewing depositions and plugging forward, we received the call that the plaintiffs had agreed to a settlement.  Our attorney was delighted and said “Turn the car around and head back down, it’s over!”

This is when the reality hit me.  Although the lawsuit was a totally unwelcome and unpleasant reality, the change in plan and the resulting headway towards “home” took me as being surprisingly unwelcome.  I had secretly planned every minute of our intended 6 day stay with enjoying my boys, surprise visits to my friends and getting logistical details taken care of.  So when we did, in fact, turn around – I felt a distinct drop in my mood.

How do you like the red one?!

 

 

The word “home” has become a confusing term.  I told friends I was heading HOME again and we both weren’t quite sure which way that meant!  It’s taken me the whole day to make the transition BACK into the cruising lifestyle and once again, it’s taken its hold of me – wandering town and stopping in wherever the mood inspired including this pet store where we had a blast with the multitude of bird personalities. 

 

Guess the saying will always hold true -

"There’s no place like home”.   

Wherever that is!