Next stop was the anchorage at Islamorada - Christmas Eve! We sailed all the way here; making our way through the mangrove cuts. Nice downwind sail! When we turned into the anchorage we were motoring directly into the wind and realized how strong the wind was blowing (20+ knots). After the anchor set, we dinghied to shore to the famous Lorelei Restaurant for drinks & conch sandwiches. We sat with Scott from "Allez", a singlehander on a C&C 26. He has pretty much sailed everywhere in the Caribbean. On Christmas Day the wind was blowing from the south at about 10 knots. We made the decision to cross Florida Bay to the west coast of Florida. A few people talk about going through the Yacht Channel rather than going all the way to Marathon to do the crossing. Although it is abit shallower, it saves the 40 mile trip to Marathon. Now that we are in our 2nd year of cruising and getter braver, we decided to do it - piece of cake! The shallowest water we saw was a momentary 5.9! We arrived at Little Shark River in the Everglades at 1645. There were no other boats there - just many "no see-ums. We still managed to grill a great sirloin steak for dinner to celebrate Christmas and a safe passage. Next morning we weighed anchor at 0700 with a plan to sail 50 miles to Marco Island. This passage requires us to go around the Cape Romano shoals. The wind was lighter than expected from the North; but the chop was very uncomfortable. After motorsailing 28 miles towards the southern end of the shoal, we realized that we would have to go directly into the chop for another 20 miles. So.....we made a hard starboard turn and sailed in the direction of Indian Key; a spot by Everglades City that we have gone to twice before. We spent a lovely, peaceful evening anchored in Russell Pass. This decision turned out to "make lemonade out of lemons", because the next day we made weigh for Coon Key Pass near Goodland, Florida. Most people last year said that this route was not possible for us because of our 4'5" draft; but Rick on "Sea Language", a very experienced sailor, said we could do it on a high tide. We could also avoid the Cape Romano shoals. We headed towards Coon Key Light in Gullivan Bay; and entered Coon Key Pass by Tripod Key - plenty of water under our keel! Made our way to anchor in Goodland, Florida, a very happening place; particularly on Sunday afternoon. Live music, tons of people of every description, dancing, drinking, and just having fun! I should have had the camera! After a great time on shore, we spent a very quiet night on "Kismet". Today we left Goodland at 0930, with a rising tide near 2 feet above low. The tidal range is around 3'5", motored the 5 miles via the inland route to Marco Island. The chart showed places where the water depth was 3 feet or less; but we never saw less than 5'9" - whew! Hurray - we made it through and anchored by Green "15" in Marco - waiting a couple of days for an east wind to sail to Fort Myers Beach.
P.S. Check out pictures that I posted prior to this post!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Now He Is Monitoring Too Much Energy.....
Those of you who know Jim as the "Monitor of All Things", need to know that now with the new wind generator, up and going, Jim is VERY BUSY monitoring this new toy 24/7. We left the Venetian Islands in Miami yesterday morning and actually sailed south on Biscayne Bay to Pumpkin Key at the beginning of the upper Keys. The wind was only blowing about 7 - 8 knots from the NE, so we put up the Code Zero sail (for light air) and were able to sail at about 3 - 5 knots. Last night the wind started to pick up and today it was blowing 20 knots. The wind generator was spinning wildly! We had a fun downwind sail with our mainsail through Card, Little Card, Barnes, & Blackwater Sounds. By 1330, we set the anchor for the night in Tarpon Basin; well protected from the East wind. It is nice to be sailing again after a couple of months of motoring on the ICW.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Anchored By The Venetian Islands
We left the Hollywood Municipal Marina on Saturday at noon, and motored 16 miles to Miami Beach to drop the anchor between Di Lido & San Marino Islands with "Passages". On Sunday, we were lucky to make contact with Chuck on "Soulmates" who had a rental car and offered to drive us to West Marine so that we could replace our broken VHF radio. It decided to stop working for no reason the day we left the marina. We also toured "Little Havana". On Monday, we dinghied into Miami to go to the Holocaust Memorial (our second visit to this very powerful memorial), and we strolled down Lincoln Mall. The weather is cool & cloudy; not your perfect Miami Beach weather, but way better than up north! Looks like after traveling with Mo and George for two months that they will be leaving us to travel back to Vermont because of family illness. We will miss them. Tomorrow we will head south towards Key Largo.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Bailing Out Porty in Hollywood!
Our plan was to leave Hollywood this morning along with "Passages" who came into the Municipal Marina a couple of days ago. But....the rain started to fall yesterday around noontime and hasn't stopped yet (24 hours later)! More than 13 inches of rain fell. At times it has been torrential! There have been tornado watches & warnings, and the parking lot here is flooded. We kept waiting for the rain to let up last night so that we could walk to "Le Tub" but it just wouldn't, so we had grilled ham & cheese sandwiches, and played dominoes with Mo & George. As all boat projects go - the wind generator install is taking longer & longer to complete; but we do see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
We Have Arrived in Hollywood
We are doing some marina & land time in Hollywood, FL - visiting Mom in Pembroke Pines for about a week to 10 days. "Kismet" is tied up in the Hollywood Muncipal Marina where Jim will be completing some boat projects; installing the Kiss wind generator and three new batteries, replacing the cockpit remote VHF radio, & general boat maintenance. On the day we arrived, I did a long overdue defrost of the refrig/freezer. I hope to never wait that long again! We are also doing tons of laundry - particularly the things that don't get washed on a routine basis - canvas bags, comforter cover, shower curtain, etc. On our way here, we stopped in beautiful Jupiter Island (Hobe Sound) for our semi-annual visit with friends Judy & Ken McBrayer (friends from High School in NH). The trip there from Vero was pretty exciting - thunderstorms & very heavy rain - we couldn't see the ICW markers & we didn't dare go through the bridges til the rain let up. But it was all worth it - had a great dinner & evening with friends. Next stop was the anchorage just beyond Peanut Island in Lake Worth. Went aboard "Cookie Monster" with Robin & Corbett for Happy Hour; which of course made dinner a non-issue! Around 2000, Jim realized that we had moved a significant distance from where we anchored; so we had to reset the anchor. This has only happened a couple times in the 16 months that we have been gone. Probably because the wind and current were so strong in opposing directions. We left Lake Worth at 0700 on Monday. Went out the inlet to check out the conditions in the ocean - it was pretty rough around the inlet, but once we got out about a mile and turned south, conditions improved & we had a nice motorsail to Fort Lauderdale, about a 40 mile trip. We avoided about 20 bridge openings. That was particularly nice because our remote VHF wasn't transmitting. Anchored in beautiful Lake Sylvia in Lauderdale for the night. On Tuesday morning, we arrived at the Marina - pumped out & filled our diesel tank & tied up in the slip. After attacking the defrost job, Jim and I walked to "Le Tub" for pina coladas & fabulous burgers!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Hanging Out in Vero Beach
We motorsailed to the mooring field at Vero Beach on Monday; and rafted up on ball #4 (by the bridge) with "Passages". Jim & George spent two days improving the insulation on "Passages" refrigeration; while Mo & I enjoyed the free bus service to do errands, Mo gave me a haircut, and both of us were up to the challenge of driving our dinghies without the guys. We are expecting rain, thunderstorms, and some wind for the next few days, so we may be here til Saturday. The mooring field is great here - $14.00 a day with good showers & laundry. The field is pretty full so most balls have 2 or 3 boats on them. Many folks stay here all season; hence the name - Velcro Beach!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Making Tracks
Had a great Thanksgiving Dinner at The Columbia Restaurant in Saint Augustine with Mo & George. We were more than full when we finished our meals. On Friday morning we weighed anchor at 0640 and headed south to New Smyrna Beach. Unfortunately, Mo didn't feel well; so they stayed in St Aug. for another day. We anchored in beautiful Rockhouse Creek, with a view of the Ponce Inlet & Lighthouse (the 2nd tallest in the U.S.). Today, we weighed anchor at 0630, and motorsailed 55 miles to Cocoa. Tomorrow we will stay here and enjoy the village, and get together with old friends from Sodus Point - Jim & Joyce Ebmeyer. Also, "Passages" & "Polar Pacer" will be here tomorrow & we will all go to Vero Beach on Monday.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thanksgiving in Saint Augustine, FL
Almost a week has past - Jekyll Island was fun; at least for Jim, since I was nursing my wounds on the boat. We did have a good time at "Trivia Night" at Seajays Restaurant at the Marina with Mo & George. On Thursday we went to Cumberland Island and spent two nights there. The Park service had some great all terrain wheelchairs available for the handicapped to tour the island - it was great! I got to enjoy the entire 4 mile loop from Sea Camp to Dungeness to the beach! Jim and George shared the driving. From Cumberland we went to the Fort George River, and on Sunday we arrived at the North anchorage in Saint Augustine, FL. We will stay here til Friday & celebrate Thanksgiving with Mo & George. It has been a week since my sidewalk Splat; and I am making daily progress! Yesterday, Ed & Karin from "Passages" came here by car to deliver our 3 new batteries; one of which Jim dropped on his toe (about 70 lbs)! They were on their way to Boca Raton to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
We're in Jekyll Island, GA
On Tuesday, we motored 56 miles to anchor in New Teakettle Creek. We weren't going to go that far, but we wanted to go through the Little Mud River on Wednesday morning at high tide, so that dictated our stopping point on Tuesday. Transiting Little Mud was no problem. "Passages" and "Kismet" decided to anchor by Fort Frederica in the Frederica River on Wednesday after a short 20 mile trip. "Polar Pacer" has decided to move South at a more rapid rate so we bid them farewell. Frederica is a very cool spot - this was a village of about 1000 residents in the mid 1700s. Only minimal ruins are left, but great stories of this historical area. The dinghy dock to access the Park was a big problem. It is only accessible from mid to high tide. We tied Porty up about 2 hours before low tide in very shallow water. We thought that we could just walk out in the mud when we returned. NOT POSSIBLE! Two hours later when we returned it was low tide and the mud was the kind that one sinks into quickly! No walking out the dinghy to deeper water. So.....we had to wait about 2 hours before we could return to "Kismet" in Porty. To make matters more difficult, while the four of us were exploring St Simons Island, we decided to run by a sprinkler that was watering a sidewalk. Well - I immediately went SPLAT on the sidewalk - with scrapes, a very sore knee, & ripped pants, we all walked back to the dinghy about a mile away. I was so looking forward to getting back to the boat, getting ice on my wounds, and relaxing - but now we had to wait for the tide to come up. Fortunately, the Park ranger gave us some ice. What an adventure! Today, we arrived in Jekyll Island. We were so looking forward to coming here; since we haven't stopped on previous trips. Jim is off exploring the island with Mo & George and I am sitting on the boat, resting, and icing my knee, that is pretty swollen & achey!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Enjoying Georgia
On Friday morning the weather did improve and the trio of boats left the Bull Creek anchorage. We motored across the Savannah River and went into the Herb River to anchor for the night. The last two trips on the ICW we bypassed stopping in Savannah. Our plan this time was to definitely spend a couple of days exploring the city. There is a dock right in downtown Savannah to stay at, but it is 8 miles up the river, and we couldn't be sure that there would be space for the 3 boats there; so we stayed at Hogans Marina on Turners Creek for a night. We hadn't touched land for 5 days when we arrived at the marina! We all took the local bus ($1.50) into Savannah for the afternoon, and celebrated my birthday with a lunch out at The City Market Cafe. We bused it back to the marina and ended the night with cake and ice cream on "Passages"! On Sunday, we went to The Isle of Hope Marina (we had wanted to stay here for the 2 nights, but they didn't have room). Spent the afternoon doing laundry, and other boat chores; then borrowed marina bikes and went to the Wormsloe Plantation, nearby to check it out, with Mo and George. Very beautiful spot. It was built in 1737 as a country estate for British colonist, Noble Jones. Today only the remains of the original tabby house are left. That evening, the six of us, used the complimentary loaner car, a Honda Odyssey, went to dinner at the Driftaway Rstaurant; very good, and then went into Savannah to enjoy some live music, dancing, and people watching at a couple of bars. A good time was had by all!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Waiting Weather in Bull Creek
We left Beaufort, SC, on Tuesday, and motored about 30 miles to Bull Creek, just beyond Hilton Head, SC, to wait out the bad weather associated with Tropical Depression Ida. We will be here til Friday when the winds are expected to subside. Fortunately, we were just to the south of the nastier weather. Winds were gusting to 30 knots, and the rain wasn't too bad. It is nice to have the company of "Passages" & "Polar Pacer" while anchored here. We have been doing dinner on each others boats, so that breaks up the day - lasagna on "Kismet" on Tuesday & meatloaf on "Passages" last night! Porty maintains his reputation as "Rescue Dinghy" - last night Jim had to tow Chris & Tom's dinghy back to their mothership because their motor wasn't working. Porty comes through again!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Southward Bound
We had a wonderful time in Charleston for 3 days. Our good friend Karen from "Blue Moon", that we met last year, came for a visit from Georgetown SC. We took another carriage ride, had lunch at Jestines Kitchen, had cocktails at "Big Johns", a local hangout, and dinner at Henrys. On Day 3, Jim and George from "Passages" went to the aquarium, and Mo and & I had an afternoon of walking & mostly window shopping. We have been traveling with "Polar Pacer" & "Passages - Vermont". Lots of fun having happy hours & dinners on each other boats. We all upped anchor on Friday morning, zipped through Elliot Cut at 10 knots, and found a great anchorage for the night at Tom Point Creek. On Saturday we arrived in Beaufort SC and decided to anchor in Factory Creek because it is closer to the laundromat, Publix, and the hardware store where we could refill our propane tanks. We did all of our chores by 1300, weighed anchor and motored a whopping mile to the anchorage by the Beaufort City Marina (closer to historic stuff)! We will probably be here for another day or two depending on the course Tropical Storm Ida takes.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
A 25 Hour Sleigh Ride
While in Wrightsville Beach, we talked with friends on "Argonauta", "Polar Pacer" & "Passages" about going offshore from Wrightsville to Charleston, SC. This would be a 24 - 30 hour passage; involving an overnight. We have not done an overnight since we started cruising; so this would be a good opportunity to sail with other boats. We headed out at 0630 on Monday morning & decided to motor down the ICW to Carolina Beach and then motorsail down the Cape Fear River, and out the Cape Fear Inlet. We had the current with us & just flew - often over 9 knots! The conditions were near perfect for the entire trip - wind 15 knots close to our beam. Only one glitch - our inmast furler hiccupped for the first time ever. As it was getting dark, Jim wanted to reef the mainsail - the furler wouldn't budge. The tack of the sail had slipped off the connecting hook & the hook dropped down and blocked the furler from turning. Jim was able to make the fix just before night fall. The night sail was even better when the full moon peeked through the clearing clouds in the sky. We averaged over 6 knots for the whole trip. We arrived at the Charleston channel just before dawn and watched the sun rise as we entered the Harbor. By 0745 the anchor was set.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
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