Fort Lauderdale to Cocoa 2014

Sunday, April 20, 2014.  We left the Las Olas Marina at Fort Lauderdale at 8am. We mad the Las Olas bridge at 8:15am (it only opens once and hour while under repair). It is sunny and 65 degrees, wind WNW at 10-15. Made the 8:30 opening at the 17^th Street Bridge and then out to sea.  Wind is NW at 15-18.  Seas are flat as we stay only one mile offshore.  At 1pm, the wind is dying and shifting North.  We are motor sailing and the clouds are thick.  At 2pm, the wind dies off and the sun peaks through.  At 3pm, the wind goes NE 10-15 – 2 miles to Lake Worth inlet!  At 4pm, wind is NE at 20+ and the tide is now running against us as we negotiate around Peanut Island and north to Lake Worth north anchorage.  At 5pm, the anchor is down in Lake Worth North.  Wind is 18-22.  Seems the wind is always howling when we come here. Lots of boats here, so leave headed south, some headed north.

Today 53NM, 64SM, MM 1914.  26° 50.20’N  08°03.28’W

Monday, April 21, 2014. Anchor up at 8:30am. Sunny, wind NW@10, 65 degrees.  Made the Parker Bridge opening at 9:15am.  The weather is beautiful, but the tida is running against us.  At 2pm, we have the anchor down in Peck Lake, just south of the St. Lucie River inlet.  The wind has strengthened to 20+ from the North.  The barges and dredging equipment that were here in the fall are gone.  We heard from one of the park rangers that the barges were bringing in sand from the St. Lucie River inlet and then it was being pumped to the beaches.  We can hear clanking of earth moving equipment on the beach.

7 bridges today, 4 scheduled and we managed to make three of the scheduled openings with no waiting.  The other three bridges were on demand. 4 boats here overnight.

22SM, 17NM today.  MM992

27°06.86’N 080°08.56’W

Tuesday, April 22, 2014. Peck Lake Beach Day.  The beach has had a lot of sand pumped onto it.  The height of the beach is probably 6 feet higher than it was a year ago.  Even tho’ the wind has calmed down today, the surf is still up and there is a significant undertow.  Three boats here overnight.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014.  8:30am, we refill with fuel from the jerry cans and anchor up. Sunny, 65 degrees, wind NW 5-10. We bring up a huge amount of black mud on the anchor and the chain.  The water is very murky also.  Maybe a result of the dredging?  When we pass the St. Lucie River, we can see a dredge working at the mouth of the river.  The wind remained pretty constant all day. We picked up mooring 31 at Vero Beach City Marina at 3pm.  Still sunny and 80 with a refreshing NW wind.  Showers and early to bed.

41SM, 33NM today.  MM 951.  1 bridge on demand

27°39.61’N 080°22.28’W

Thursday, April 24, 2014. Vero Beach.  Sunny and 80 degrees.  Wind E@10-15.  Today we rode the bus to the beach and had lunch at a little take-out spot on Ocean Blvd.  Good burger and very reasonable.  We walked back to the marina and stopped at the hardware store and bought a water filter to put on a hose (like with an RV).  Some of the water at the marinas tastes terrible!

 

Someone said that when living on a boat, you really pay attention to things you take for granted on shore, like drinking water, electricity usage, fuel consumption, refrigeration, etc.  You also get very close to the wildlife.  Today we watched a newly born porpoise being taught how to catch fish by its parents.  It was having troubler staying under the water and kept cruising along the surface to breath.

 

At 4pm, a Happy Hour at the North Tiki Hut at the marina.  Not as many cruisers as the last time we were here, but about a dozen folks showed up.  We met Doug and Barbara on Melinda Kay, who were just in Marathon and know Nelson and Ondra (Last Boat) and Dean and Susan (Autumn Borne).  Bob Martin (River House) was there and played mandolin and someone else played guitar.  Bob is trying to learn the dobro – Dean could give lessons!

Friday, April 25, 2014.  Stan and Judy Hedlund picked up Lisa and I at 9:15am and we all drove to Fort Pierce to scrounge around Marine Supply to find something to make a mount for the iPad.  This place has lots and lots of boat stuff, some new, some manufacturers’ overstock, some used.  They did not have what I was looking for, but probably everything else!  Back to the boat and Pete Brocker came by and changed the zincs and cleaned the running gear under the water, then stayed for a beer.  Peter is a nice guy and handy to know.  He is a diver, mechanic and all ‘round boat handy man.

Stan and Judy picked us up at 5 and then an early dinner at “The French Quarter” on 14^th Street.  Nice restaurant and the food was very good and pretty consistent with good New Orleans cooking – can’t say that about many restaurants outside New Orleans.  We saw Sea Major come into the harbor and waved, but haven’t actually run into them yet.

Saturday, April 26, 2014.  Lisa went kayaking this morning and I worked on getting some of the thousands of pictures off her iPhone so it would continue to work.  We then walked over to Riverside Park to the Orchid Festival – very nice.  Then across the street to the Art Museum, which was hosting a children’s festival.  Even so, we got to see most of the museum.  They have a display of time lapse photography by Stephen Lawson which is very special.

 

http://www.verobeachmuseum.org/index.cfm?method=Exhibitions_detail&ID=261

http://lumieregallery.net/wp/4368/stephen-lawson-2/

We had hot dogs in the park and then back to the boat to do laundry.  While doing the laundry, someone discovered a possum injured in the parking lot.  It looked as if it had been hit by a car and it died soon after.  We weren’t able to save this animal.  We went over to Riverside Café by dingy for an early dinner (soft shell crab BLT – yum).  We stopped at River House to see Bob and Deb’s composting toilet and then got the boat ready to depart tomorrow morning.

Sunday, April 27, 2014.  We dropped the mooring at Vero at 7:45am.  Sunny, 75 degrees, no wind and just a hint of fog.  10am wind SE @ 10 – foresail out and motor sailing.  12 noon – wind E@10-15 sailing with only the foresail.  2:30 wind dies off a bit and we switch the motor back on.  4pm, we are tied to the dock at Cocoa Village Marina.  Beautiful day, sunny, 85, nice breeze.  We had dinner on board and then walked into Cocoa Village.  Both places that have ice cream were already closed on Sunday night – bummer.  The humidity is building up, so while at the dock, we have the boat’s a/c running – nice!

55.5SM, 44.5NM today.  MM897.5

28° 21.47’N 080° 43.53’W     No opening bridges today.

Click here for pictures of Ft. Lauderdale to Cocoa 2014

Marathon to Fort Lauderdale 2014

Monday, April 14, 2014. We drop the mooring at 7:45am and meet Quicksilver at Burdine’s gas dock.  It is sunny and 75 degrees, wind SE @ 10-15.  There are 5 other boats headed north through the Hawk Channel this morning and everyone pretty much stays in sight of each other all the way to Rodriquez Key.  We motor-sailed until 11am and then were able to sail.  The wind is supposed to stay SE, so we anchor on the NW side of the island. 84 degrees. Anchor down at 4:40pm. By 7pm, there are 14 boats anchored here. Four of the boats are rafted and each flying both a blue and pink flag from the spreaders.  Not sure what that means.

50SM, 40NM today.  Marathon is Mile Marker 1195.  Rodriquez Mile Marker 1145.

025° 03.36’N  080° 27.22’W

Tuesday, April 15, 2014.  Tax Day. Beautiful sunrise.  Anchor up at 7:30am.  Wind SE @ 10, sunny, 75 degrees.  About half the boats in the anchorage overnight head north, and about half head south.  The four boats rafted together head south. Wind was more fluky than yesterday and mostly off our stern at 10 knots, so we wind up motor-sailing all the way outside to the Biscayne Bay Channel, electing to stay outside instead of going through Angelfish Creek and then up Biscayne Bay.  By the time we make the turn into Biscayne Channel, then wind is up ti 20.  We raft with Quicksilver in No Name Harbor at 3:20pm.  Nice and protected in this harbor and there are only 4 other boats here, so plenty of room (the anchorage is small). We are on the east side of Biscayne Bay across from Miami. We broke out the grill and cooked burgers aboard and had Quicksilver over for dinner.  The wind has built up and we have to keep relighting the grill, but finally get the burger cooked.  Relaxing evening.

25°40.68’N  080° 09.74’W  49SM, 41NM today.  MM1096.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014.  Rained overnight, cloudy this morning, but supposed to clear.  Wind is howling out of the north at 20-25.  We elect to spend the day walking to the beach, checking out the restored lighthouse and having an early dinner at the Boater’s Grill, which is supposed to have great Cuban food.  We hear from the Fosters that the wind is howling in Vero, too.

No Name Harbor is part of the Bill Baggs State Park, which seems to be a nice facility.  The boater’s facilities are kind of sparse.  You can tie up to the seawall and use the free pump out and there are (small) bathrooms, a two machine laundry, and an outside shower.  The cost is $20 per night and it is on the honor system.  www.floridastateparks.org/capeflorida/

We walked to the beach with Jon and Marguerite (Edwards, Quicksilver). Nice walk of about a mile from the harbor.  We spent a couple of hours there, but the wind was howling and the sand blowing (and covering everything), so we opted to go view the restored lighthouse, which wasn’t open because a guard rail at the top needed repairing.  Nice grounds tho’, and the lighthouse keepers’ cottage has been restored also.

An early dinner at the Boater’s Grill on the harbor, but no Cuban.  That is available at the other restaurant in the park (the Lighthouse Café), which we didn’t know existed.  They make a homemade Sangria, which was excellent, and the sandwiches we had (fish) were good.  Drinks on board and then early to bed.

More wind overnight.  Every time one of the fronts comes through, the locals say that it is the last one for this winter.  We are beginning to doubt the locals weather knowledge.

Thursday, April 17, 2014.  Today is a lazy day.  The wind is still howling, this time out of the east, as it “clocks around”.  Hopefully, it will die down tonight.  They NOAA weather is talking 8-10 foot seas on the outside.  Quicksilver can go on the inside on the ICW going north, but we can’t fit under the Julia Tuttle Bridge north of Miami, so we have to go outside to Fort Lauderdale.

We walked in “inside trail” over to the Lighthouse Café (which is right next to the beach where we were yesterday – who knew?).  Jon and I ordered Cuban Sandwiches (the only Cuban item on the menu), and were thoroughly disappointed.  More like a cold ham and cheese sandwich.  So much for reviews.  We found a nature trail, which a sign said leads to the Harbor and followed that back.  Nice walk.

Quicksilver is leaving in the morning and going inside to Fort Lauderdale, so we decide to try the outside.  The wind is supposed to calm down and the seas subside.

 Friday, April 18, 2014.  Good Friday.  For some reason, we always seem to be traveling on the holidays.  It is cloudy and hazy, but the wind appears to have let up a bit and shifted more to the south.  We depart at 7:30am and agree to keep in touch with Quicksilver as we both head north.  Once we are out of the protection of the land, the seas are rolly, but not unmanageable.  We decide to make it north to Government Cut (Miami Harbor entrance) and then decide if we should continue on.  When we get to that channel, the day still seems manageable and we only have 20 miles to go, so on we go.  Of course the wind and waves continue to build, and by noon, we are off the Fort Lauderdale Channel and the waves are 6-8 feet and the wind is back up to 20-25, albeit from the SE.  What a ride!

When we get to the 17^th Street Bridge, where the inlet channel to Fort Lauderdale and Port Everglades meets the ICW, there is Quicksilver.  It took them exactly as long to go inside as it did for us to go outside!  We stop at Lauderdale Marine for diesel and then on the Las Olas Marine, where we opted for a slip for 2 nights.  Quicksilver has opted for one of their moorings.  We are on the dock at 2:30pm, and it nice that the boat is still!  Sunny 82 degrees, wind SSE here in the marina.

Lisa and I walked over to the Quarterdeck for an early dinner.  Lisa had a fish Reuben there when we were in Fort Lauderdale earlier on the trip and really liked it.  It was good this time also.

2 Bridges today, both scheduled.  39SM, 32NM today.  MM1064.

26°07.21’N  080° 06.51’ W

Saturday, April 19, 2014.  Today we took showers, did laundry and washed the boat.  Not fun things, but these need to be done and it is easier in a nice facility, which this one is. We met two couples on a boat on our dock from Toronto, who say they have met us previously.  The older couple (Marilyn Devine and Stuart Spanglett) actually bought their boat (a Nauticat “Union Jack”) in Penetanguishene, but a few years ago.  The younger couple, Gary and Shanna (the daughter of the older couple) still live and work in Toronto and visit the boat in Fort Lauderdale when they can. Their boat is “Traveler”, a Hunter 42.

Tonight we are supposed to have dinner with Olga and Frank (the couple we met on our last visit to Fort Lauderdale – who just got married).  Frank got tied up at work but Olga came by to take us to Riverside Market, where they have 100 kinds of beer and great pizza.  Nice evening.  Crazy busy place, but if you are ever looking for a non-tourist place……www.theriversidemarket.com

Click here for Pictures of Marathon to Ft. Lauderdale 

Marathon Part 3

Wednesday, April 9, 2014.  Today we walked to Home Depot and then to Hurricane’s for lunch with dean and Susan and then across the street for ice cream.  We stopped at Buck Woodcraft to get some teak for version three of the VHF mount. The folks we met on Risky Lady, Dan and Lupe, brought by some fresh fish they had caught.  These are the folks who Richard Mansfield helped bring down their boat (O’Day 35) from Islamorada.

Thursday, April 10, 2014. Today is pump out day and Cory shows up at 10am.  I worked on the version three mount and then we went to the beach.  Risky Lady’s fish for dinner.

Friday, April 11, 2014.  Jim and Judy Foster drive down from Port St. Lucie to visit.  We all went to dinner at The Sunset Grill and had a very nice dinner and were treated to a great sunset as well.  Jim and Judy spent the night with us on Rhiannon. Mailed our taxes today.

Saturday, April 12, 2014.  The Fosters and Lisa and I went to the Stuffed Pig for Brunch.  You can tell the “season” is winding down as there was no wait for a table.  The food was great and plentiful as always.  Lisa and I head back to the boat to work on projects and Jim and Judy take off to look at marinas they may want to consider on their next trip south.  We meet again in time for the pot luck dinner/jam session at the Tiki (at the marina).  The Fosters opt to stay with us another night.  Very nice.

Sunday, April 13, 2014.  We all have breakfast aboard (coffee, tea, fresh fruit) and then the Fosters take off for the return drive to Port St. Lucie.  They will get to their boat in Fort Pierce, where it is being waxed and the bottom painted, on Tuesday and then start their trip north to Baltimore.  We spent the balance of the day getting Rhiannon ready to depart tomorrow.

Click here for Marathon Part 3 pictures.

Marathon 2014 Part 2

Wednesday, April 2, 2014.  Sunny, 80 degrees today. Lisa and I walked north about 1.5 miles to a place called Crane Point.  This is 60 acres of preserve originally owned by the Crane family as their winter retreat.  For those familiar with Crane’s Beach in Ipswich, MA, this is the same Crane family.  This is also the site of the Wild Bird Center, which is where the pelican was taken to recuperate.  www.cranepoint.net for more information.  We had a nice nature tour, but did not see the pelican.  We believe he was in cages segregated from public view.

Later in the day, we went to Last Boat (Nelson and Ondra Gainey) and had cocktails with them, Sue and Dean (Autumn Borne) and Tess and Tony (Endurance).  Endurance and Last Boat are leaving in the morning.  When we arrived, Nelson is in the water with scuba gear and Dean is feeding him hose and giving directions.  Seems, Nelson dumped Ondra’s iPhone5 overboard when he was dumping ice out of their bag from the beach.  Believe it or not, he actually found it on the bottom in 12 feet of water!  Even more unbelievable, after being down there for an hour and a half, it was working and beeping that it had messages!  It was in a Life Block case.  I think everyone is now looking for one of those cases.

After celebrating the recovery, everyone went across the street to Upper Crust for pizza (great pizza) and dessert – banana tort (mmmmmm!).

We bid farewell to the departing folks and hope to cross paths with them again!

Thursday, April 3, 2014.  Sunny and 80 degrees today. Today was a relatively low-key day.  It is pump-out day, so we wait for the pump out boat to arrive and empty of holding tanks.  Lisa and I had lunch at the Conch Café, then to Publix for some groceries.  Lisa wanted to find a place to get her nails done, so we stopped at three different places that said they did manicures, but none had a technician available.  Later we went to the beach and then back to the boat for dinner aboard.

Friday, April 4, 2014.  Sunny and 80 degrees today. We spent today cleaning and doing boat chores.  Viking Bobby (diver) came by to clean our bottom and running gear.  We had dinner at Dockside, which is right on the water, and listened to the Eric Stone Band www.docksidetropicalcafe.com

Saturday, April 5, 2014.  Sunny and 80 degrees today – boring weather! Lisa went kayaking with Sharon Dunsworth (Trawler – Island Queen).  We have been wanting to move the location of the VHF radio in the cockpit, so while she was gone, I took the binnacle (the post that holds the steering wheel and all the instruments) apart to see what that move would entail.  Then I had to figure out how to remount the unit – looks like a wood mount on the side of the radar pod.

Tonight is open mike and jam night at the Tiki Hut in the marine, as well as a pot luck dinner.  Lisa made a pasta dish with mushroom soup, parmesan and sun dried tomatoes.  The music was nice and tonight the weather was great – not like last week!

Sunday, April 6, 2014.  Sunny and 83 degrees today.  A bit humid.  This morning we walked across the street to the Stuffed Pig for breakfast.  Terrific food – maybe not quite as plentiful as the American Legion Breakfast – or as cheap, but still lot’s for great food and the price was not unreasonable.  Joining us were Dean and Susan and Joe and Jamie Schwartzott (Trawler- Lady Lee). The rest of the day was spent trying to walk off that breakfast!

Tonight is open mike and jam session at Dockside.  We went with Dean and Susan, Sharon Dunsworth and none other than Jon and Marguerite Edwards (Quicksilver), who just arrived from Key West – nice!  I think most of the people there this evening were from boats in the marina.  The bands were great.  One guy named Mickey, a horn player, originally with Glenn Miller, 96 years old and still going strong (played Summertime and Night Train).  Eric Stone’s band plays backup for all the artists.  Dave Preston sang blues, George Spicer Band did 70’s rock, Gary Bush did a little country.  Lisa even got me up to dance!  A great night was had by all!

Monday April 7, 2014.  Sunny and 80 degrees, but really humid today!  Storm coming tomorrow.  Dean and I walk to Home Depot.  He needs bits and pieces to install a new wind generator and I need to materials to make a new mount for the VHF.  Lisa is moving a bit slowly after last night’s partying.  Lisa went visiting and I spent the day fabricating a VHF mount – twice actually – I was not pleased with the first one – just did not fit right. 

Lisa used the remainder of the pasta she made for the pot luck as a base for “clean out the fridge”.  The concoction was very tasty and we had Dean and Sue over to help dispose of the food.

An early evening.  Very humid tonight!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014.  Hot and Humid today.  Reminds us that we probably don’t want to be here in the summer!  Completed the varnishing of the VHF mount and helped Dean get his wind generator set up.  Lisa and I disassembled one of the big primary winches in the cockpit, cleaned everything, replaced a couple of springs and then finally got it re-assembled.  Works nice.  You may remember we did three of the other winches when in Fort Lauderdale last year – and we made a trip to West Palm to get parts.

I cooked some salmon and we had dinner on board.

The front showed up right at dinner time.  Lots of wind and rain overnight, but the wind has shifted into the NW and it is much cooler and drier.

Click here for more pictures of the Marathon adventures.

Marathon 2014

Marathon

Monday, March 24, 2014.  Marathon (officially Boot Key Harbor) is a unique place.  Our son Jeff calls it adult day-camp.  There is always something going on.  There are 300+ moorings here and at least that many slips, and people on almost every boat, so there are a lot of people here.  There are always people coming and going, but there are also people who stay a while.  Many cruisers spend the winter months here, and many more spend a week or two.  We also have met people who have been here for years!  They came for a while and then just stayed! Every morning at 9am, the Marathon Cruisers Net comes on the vhf channel 68.  Here you can hear new arrivals, boats departing and destinations, there’s a on-the-air flea market, there is a time for folks needing help with anything, trivia, announcements of upcoming activities, etc.

We get the dingy in the water and go ashore to check in at the marina office.  We use the trip to shower and then back to the boat to prepare dinner.  Benny makes Chicken Lillian for Dean and Sue and Nelson and Ondra on “Last Boat”.  We first met Dean and Sue (“Autumn Borne”) at Hop-O-Nose Marina on the Hudson (Catskill Creek) last fall after completing the trip from Penetanguishene and then through the Erie Canal.  We met Nelson and Ondra last year in Vero Beach.  The wind is howling 25+ and Nelson and Ondra elect to pass on dinner as they are on a mooring at the far end of the harbor.  We had not seen Dean and Sue since this past summer when we visited our boat in Oxford and then drove up to Kingston to visit Lisa’s relatives – and then on to Catskill to have brunch with Dean and Susan.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014. Lisa went kayaking today and I worked on this blog.  If I ever get it caught up, I am not going to get this far behind again! (Famous last words!) We met George and Susan Barlow, our friends from NH who are now down here in a motor home.  You may remember them from our trip across the Erie Canal when they were crew the week before they got married.  Great folks.  We have known George for many years and always manage to find each other in our travels.  Tonight, they take us to the Sunset Grill, here in Marathon for dinner.  The food was good and the sunset was terrific!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Today, Lisa and I walked to Publix, Home Depot and then tried to find a shop where Lisa could get a manicure.  Although we went to two shops, neither had a “technician” – sounds like a job opportunity here.  We went to Hurricane’s for their $5 lunch, which was a good selection.  However, the beer we had cost more than the food.  I guess you have to make a profit somewhere.

Thursday, March 27, 2014. Today is pump out day, which can sometimes be an event, but thankfully not today.  Again, today we have showers and then go to Tony and Tess Mart’s boat Endurance for cocktails at 4:30.  At 6, we all trek across the street to Upper Crust Pizza for dinner (great pizza) and then more trekking up Route 1 to the Marathon Community Theatre to see “9 to 5”, an adaptation from the movie.  Music by Dolly Parton.  It was well done by a cast of locals and a good time was had by all.  It was a late night tho’, and we were not in bed until midnight.

Friday, March 28, 2014.  George and Susan Barlow pick us up at 11am for a day trip to Key West – one of our favorite places.  We arrived a bit after noon and agreed to meet George and Susan at the Hog’s Breath Saloon at 2pm.  We also called Jon and Marguerite Edwards (Quicksilver) and asked if they would like to join us and they agreed!  They are here on their boat.  Lisa and I went looking for a hammock like the one Jeff bought here, but the guy at the hammock shop said they have been out of those for the past six months!  We had a very nice lunch at the “Old Town Mexican Café” on Duval St, did some shopping and arrived at the Hog’s Breath at 2pm.  George and Susan and Jon and Marguerite are already there, as is Bary Cuda, The Piano Man, who is who we came to hear, not to mention an all afternoon happy hour. We all then went to Alonzo’s Oyster House for more happy hour at 4pm, then dinner and ice cream at The Conch Tour Train Depot.  We stopped at the 7 mile bridge to take a look at the sunset and were back on the boat by 9pm.  All this relaxation and recreation is beginning to take its toll!

Saturday, March 29, 2014. George and Susan pick us up at 9am this morning.  The destination is the flee and farmer’s market on Big Pine Key.  You have to get there early or there is nowhere to park and the traffic gets very heavy.  We are out of there by 10:30 and take a ride to see the Key deer.  They are plentiful and protected on Big Pine so it is not difficult to find them.  I don’t know how people who live on this island have any shrubs or gardens!  We have lunch at the world famous No Name Pub, then stop at the Blue Hole.  This is a fresh water pond in the middle of the island with several resident alligators (who prefer fresh water – which is why they are found in golf course ponds and swimming pools).  There are a couple of the gators willing to show themselves, but we stayed out of the water!  We are back at the boat about 2pm. http://www.the-floridakeys.com/bluehole.php

While dozing in the cockpit, the phone rings, and it is Richard (Gari), who has been hired to bring a couple of new boat owners and their sailboat from Islamorada to Marathon.  He is here in the harbor and looking for cold beer.  They are only 2 moorings over!  We dingy over and meet the new owners (Dan and Lupi), as well as Richard’s friend Diana.  They have a ride back to Islamorada picking them up, but it is great to see him again and meet the other folks!  Oh, by the way, the boat is an O’Day 35, which is the same type of boat George Barlow once owned.

Tonight is a pot luck dinner and music at the Tiki Hut at the marina and we meet some new people and enjoy the music until about 8pm, when a thunderstorm rolls in.  We made it back on the boat just as the wind hit 30 knots and the rain started.  A full and fun day was had by all!

Sunday, March 30, 2014. This morning we meet Dean and Susan, Nelson and Ondra (Last Boat) at the dingy dock at 9am and walk to the American Legion for breakfast.  The Legion does this every Sunday and for $7 you can get a huge breakfast, coffee, juice etc.  Needless to say, it is a very popular place and no leave who isn’t stuffed!  Later in the day, we meet these same folks (and others) at Sombrero Beach for an afternoon of relaxation, swimming and sun. 

The Pelican.  As we are leaving the beach to head back to our boat in the dingy, 2 guys in an offshore fishing boat hail us and ask if we can help a pelican who is tangled up in a fishing line.  We find the bird close to shore.  Lisa and Nelson manage to surround it and then wrap it in beach towels to keep it from struggling.  The bird had a large fishing lure with treble hooks in its beak and another three in its chest.  Additionally, it had the monofilament line wrapped around itself.  Lisa held the bird, Nelson removed hooks, Benny went out to Dean and Susan’s dingy (who supplied some tools) for Nelson and Ondra called the bird rescue hot line.  Finally, someone showed up from the rescue group and Lisa and Nelson walked the pelican to shore.  The rescuer took the bird to the Marathon Wild Bird Center www.marathonwildbirdcenter.org  I made Lisa and I dinner on board.  I think the adrenaline rush has wiped her out!

Monday, March 31, 2014. Today is laundry day and we have a lot because we have not done any since leaving Fort Lauderdale.  I walked down to West Marine (about a mile each way) to get some swivels and other hardware for the dingy davits.  Hopefully, this will keep the ropes from twisting and getting fouled when we raise and lower the dingy.  Because the water is so warm, things grow in boat bottoms quickly, so being able to raise and lower the dingy easily is important.   This evening, we have our final dinner with George and Susan in Marathon as they are leaving in their motor home tomorrow morning for the trip to Massachusetts.  Hopefully, we will see them up north this summer.  Dinner was at the Florida Keys Steak and Seafood House, which used to be Anita’s.  It is right across the street from the marina, so it is convenient.  Dean and Susan join us for cocktails and then everyone remembers that Dean and Susan met George and Susan at Hop-O-Nose Marina in Catskill, NY when George and Susan crewed for us bringing the boat on the last leg of the Erie Canal.  Sometimes, the world is indeed a small place.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014. So I am working on the davits and Lisa is getting her kayak ready to go into the water and along comes a Boston Whaler with folks yelling “Hey Rhiannon!”.  It is Al and Teri Jensen and their dog Hooper (Golden Retriever).  Hooper recognizes us too and is all excited!  We met Teri and Al (and Hooper) last spring on the trip north.  They were traveling in their Mainship 40 “TeriAnn”.  They live on Long Island in that area devastated by Hurricane Sandy – although their house survived. They are staying in Palm Beach in a condo this winter and brought the Whaler down with them to “poke around” some of the areas.  We spent a couple of hours catching up and then they took Hooper to the beach.  Maybe we will see them again in Palm Beach on the way north.

More Pelican News. Lisa called the Wild Bird Center today and was told that they were able to remove the last of the hooks in the pelican, who by the way is a male, and that other than a mild bacterial infection where the hooks were in his beak, he is doing fine.  They are giving him antibiotics and should be released back into the wild in a couple of days.  Nice.  Kudos to Lisa and Nelson and all who helped.  I guess this is not uncommon, as the sea birds can’t tell the difference between a lure and a real fish.  Thankfully, he did not ingest the lure!

Tonight was a pot luck dinner at the Tiki Hut sponsored by the Seven seas Cruising Association.  Met some nice cruising folks and had a nice time.

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Vero Beach to Marathon

Vero Beach to Marathon

Tuesday, March 11, 2014. We depart the mooring at Vero @ 8:15am clear, high clouds, 65 degrees, wind SW @ 5-10.  2pm wind S 20, no clouds. 4:30pm Indiantown Road bridge has an issue and cannot open. Finally opened at 5:30pm.  7pm tried to anchor at Lake Worth at 7pm.  The anchor chain hung up on our second anchor.  The second anchor had come loose and was not secured.  Once the anchor was secured, the primary chain cleared. 

We are anchored next to Nite Cap II (Ruth and Darrell Richards).  We haven’t seen them since we ran aground on Jekyll’s Jetty.  They are now headed north as we continue south.  They have to be north of the 40^th parallel by June 1^st.  Hopefully, we will see them again along the way.

26° 50.21’ N  080° 03.19’W  62SM, 49.6NM today.  MM 1014.  8 bridges today.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014. We depart at 8am.  Hazy sun wind SW 20+ and the current is against us today.  We say farewell to Nite Cap.  12 bridges today and we miss a lot of the scheduled openings.  We anchor in Lake Boca at 3:30pm.  Beautiful spot.  Not a lot of people during the week.  

 

26° 20.50’ N 080° 04.21’ W.  34SM  27.2NM today.  MM 1048.

Thursday, March 13, 2014.  Anchor up at 9:20am to make the 9:40 opening at Camino Real Bridge.  Sunny, 70 degrees, wind NW @ 15.  Made it through 8 bridges today – all on schedule following a catamaran and a commercial excursion boat (the bridges open or hold openings for commercial vessels).  We also had a tug and tow following us part of the day.  Short day and we arrive at Bahia Mar Marina in Fort Lauderdale at 12:45pm.  At first they sent us down the wrong fairway and then we had to back out!  Getting better at that, but this boat’s strong suit is not going backwards.  As we tie up in our slip, it is sunny, 75 degrees, wind NE @ 15-20.  It seems Florida is experiencing a lot of wind this winter!  Bahia Mar is an expensive marina ($3/foot), but it right across from the beach and close to restaurants and the airport. 17NM, 13.6SM today, MM1064. 

26° 06.86’N  080° 06.38’W

Friday, March 14, 2014. Very, very winds today.  Walked the beach, but with the wind blown sand it is like being in a sand blaster.  The kite surfers, however, think this is great weather! Hazel and Rose come for a visit.  Hazel is Jeff and James’ godmother and we have known her since the 1984.  Rose lives in Boca and Hazel lives in Salem, MA, and has been staying with Rose during a liver transplant process.  We had lunch at The Quarterdeck and then a walk along the beach.

Saturday, March 15, 2014.  We changed Jeff’s flight to tomorrow as his dorm will be closed until then and he would have no where to sleep if he went home today.  I don’t know why I did not know this when we made the plane reservations initially.  In any event, it is good to have him with us another day.  We rent a car to take him to the airport for him 8am flight tomorrow.  Today is a great beach day and we spend a few hours working on our sunburn.  Lots and lots of people.  It is also St. Patty’s Day week-end and spring break.  We also gave the boat a bath.  Between the salt and the blown sand, she really needed it.  We went to Cold Stone Creamery and had ice cream for dinner.  Today is also my sister Liz’s birthday.

Sunday, March 16, 2014.  The wind this morning is howling again, this time out of the SE.  We are up early and take Jeff to the airport.  He made it home safe.  We miss him already. We stopped at Publix on the way back to the boat and bought groceries.  The beach is mobbed.  Traffic is stopped in both directions.  There is a bike race also.  We walk over to The Oasis for lunch, then walked along the beach.  Every parking space is full, even the private lots like the marina, with lines of cars waiting to park. 

We met the folks on the boat in the next slip, Frank and Olga.  They are working on the teak in their power boat.  Olga is in her bikini sanding the swim platform.  They are getting married on Friday, March 21.  They come over for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  Lisa and Olga are drinking Marguerite’s cocktail of coconut rum, pineapple juice and nutmeg. We have dinner on board and early to bed.

Monday, March 17, 2014. Today is actually St. Patty’s Day, but it is Monday and the crowds are substantially smaller than yesterday.  We turn in the rental car.  We want to head to Miami, but the wind is again howling, this time out of the South at 20-25.  Thunderstorms are predicted.  We hope to get out of here tomorrow.  Next time in Fort Lauderdale, we will find a less expensive place to stay.  We walk down the beach to Dos Caminos for dinner (OK Mexican food), then back to The Oasis for dessert.  It looks like it is going to pour any second.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014. Lots of wind overnight – SW 20-25 – then lots of rain this morning.  By noon, the front has passed, the winds have gone NW @ 15 and are dying off and it is clearing.  We wait for the party fishing boat Flamingo behind us to leave at 1pm, then we are off the dock as soon as he does.  This way we use his big slip behind us to turn into the fairway going forward.  We make the 1:30 opening of the 17^th Street bridge and head out to sea.  We tirn south at 1:45pm, sails up, wind NW @ 10.  By 2:20pm, the wind is slacking.  At 4pm, we bring in the sails and start the engine as the wind has died completely.  5:30pm, we are at Government Cut in Miami.  There are 4 dredges working different parts fo Fishermans’ Cut (the southern channel).  One looks to be working on East Pass, which would be great, as then you would not have to go all the way into Miami to head south to Dinner Key (Coconut Grove).  Hopefully, they will put up channel makers when they get it dredged. At 7pm, we pick up mooring 84 at Dinner Key. 

 

25°43.22’N 080°13.75’W  36SM, 30NM today MM 1094.

 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014.  Bumpy in the mooring area, as it often is, with the wind out of the east.  Today, we walked Coconut Grove, had lunch at a Gelato stand, shopped for clothes for Lisa and had dinner at Scotty’s on the waterfront. A beautiful day in Miami, but really warm when you got away from the water.

 

Thursday, March 20, 2014. Beautiful, calm morning.  Lisa goes kayaking and I work on the blog.  In the afternoon, we go to the Fresh Market for groceries, and then walk into Coconut Grove for dinner at Georges in the Grove.  We stopped by a Gelato store, and then walked back to the dingy dock.  We get everything stowed and are ready to cast off the mooring tomorrow.

Friday, March 21, 2014.  Off the mooring at 7:45am. Sunny, some fog, 75 degrees, no wind.  We head south down Biscayne Bay to Angel Fish Creek, where we cross into the Hawk Channel (ocean) at high tide.  The water here can get very thin, so high tide is good.  We pass several Canadian boats headed north.  At noon, we are through Angel Fish Creek, the weather is near perfect, 80 degrees, wind S @ 5. 

We talked to Richard Mansfield on Gari.  They are in Islamorada.  We may stop and see he and George tomorrow.  Richard will check with some locals about coming in from the Hawk Channel.  I also call TowBoatUS and they say there should be plenty of water for us at high tide (the tides are only about a foot here).  They also say to stay to the center of the channel and to line up on the first channel markers about 1000 yards out, as the water gets very shallow on either side.

4:20pm anchor down at Rodriquez Key.  No wind and the ocean is like a pond.  The water is crystal clear and you can easily see the bottom.  Still 80 degrees.  Lisa and I go swimming.  Lisa snorkels to the bottom several places.  We open a bottle of champagne to celebrate Frank and Olga’s wedding and Lisa feels obligated to finish it. Dinner on board and early to bed.

25° 03.49’N  080° 27.10’W  46SM, 37NM today.  MM1140. No bridges today.

Saturday, March 22, 2014.  2am, wind comes up out of the SE at 15-20.  Now this is more consistent with the Rodriquez Key I am familiar with!  Still windy and cloudy at 8am.  The sun is out at 10am and we pull the anchor and head down to Islamorada, only about 15 miles.  Lisa is a bit shaky, still working off the effects of the champagne.  Olga and Frank sent us a lovely picture from the wedding.  We find the entrance to Snake Creek Channel at 12:45pm and make the scheduled opening at the Snake Creek Bridge at 1:pm.  At 1:30pm, we tie up at Smugglers Cove Marina, bow in.  There are no finger piers, so you have to climb over the bow to get on and off the boat (ala Elizabeth City, NC).  There is a new bath house under construction, but not yet complete, but there is water, electric and pump out and it is $25 a night.  George (from Gari) helps us tie up and Richard and his daughter, Abigail, arrive shortly after.

We dingy over to dinner at Island Grill with Richard, George and Abigail.  Seated outdoors, lovely evening, great food and company.  Back at the boat at 8pm and to bed shortly after.

24° 57.29’ N  080° 35.01’ W.  15SM, 12NM today.  MM 1152.

Sunday, March 23, 2014.  Richard’s daughter, Abigail, leaves at 3:30am to catch a plane out of Ft. Lauderdale.  A friend of Richard’s drove all the way down here, picked up Abigail and then delivered her to the airport, 7 hours of driving in the middle of the night!

At 8am, it is sunny, 70 degrees, wind SW @ 7.  We give the boat a bath, fill the water tanks and manatees arrive – 8 of them!  They love the fresh water from the hose and congregate at the dock.  They will let you pet them and seem to enjoy the interaction!  Take a look at some of the pictures!  Fantastic experience!

We say farewell to Richard and George at 11:45 and head to the Snake Creek Bridge for the 12 noon opening.  Perfect day!  No problems getting out to the Hawk Channel from Islamorada.  The wind SW@10 is on our nose all the way to Marathon.  We now are now longer headed south, but west along the keys.  It seems you are still going south, but once you leave Rodriquez Key, it is west to Key West.

We arrive in Marathon Harbor to find Dean and Sue Perry (on Autumn Borne) in the dingy and waiting to help us tie up to mooring D11.  They then tell us to change, there is a group of folks going to dinner at the Keys Fishery.  Welcome to the cruisers’ life in Marathon!  So, literally 15 minutes later, we are on our way to dinner with what turns out to be 15 people!  Many are heading north tomorrow morning (and are Canadian), so this is the “last night dinner” for them. Lisa had the famous lobster Reuben and I had fried shrimp.  The restaurant is jammed!

24° 42.51’N  081° 05.21’W  45SM, 38NM today.  MM1195.  One scheduled bridge.

Click here for pictures of Ft. Lauderdale to Marathon