Week 3

Saturday, January 21, 2017 

Anna Marie sporting her "Unity" shirt

Joining the Women's March!

We boarded the 0806 bus to Key West in order to participate in the Women's March. Before the March, we lunched on a Pepper Steak (Seitan) Sandwich. Delicious and even though it's vegan, it tastes like pepper steak! So good.

The March was well organized and peaceful. We only heard one person shouting obscenities from the sidelines. Various newspapers estimated the number of participants to be about 3,500! 

It was an emotional experience, marching while being incredulous at the need to March for women's rights in this day and age.

The bus ride home took almost three hours as we encountered two traffic accidents. The normal ride is a tad under 2 hours.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Overnight Storm!!

It's a beautiful day so we took some beverages to the point and laid about in the chaise lounges looking out at the turquoise water. My photo doesn't do justice to the magnificence.

The Point at Blacken Marina

In the afternoon, we took a walk to Publix for a few supplies. After stowing said supplies back aboard SUNSHINE, we hopped into the F250 to fill up the fuel tanks. On the way back, we stopped for the happy hour crab cakes at the Marathon Ale House and Grille. We timed it so we could watch the last three quarters of the NFC conference championship game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers. The Falcons trounced the Pack!

We had a heck of a storm overnight. It featured rain, hail and plenty of wind. 

Monday, January 23, 2017

A Trip to Islamorada!

Last night's wind continued to blow hard all day long and throughout the night. We even had intermittent showers throughout the day. We took the rainy day opportunity to take a road trip to Islamorada for some shopping at the Worldwide Sportsman and lunch at Morada Bay. 

Once back at Blackfin, the strong wind (30 knots) kept us from doing any work. It was Red Box to the rescue. We watch some movies while the boat rocked in the wind.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

It's Cooler and the Sun is Shinning!

We woke up to a cloudless sky and a cooler temperature. The forecast suggests we'll be in the 70s for awhile. We'll miss the 80s, but they'll be back, so we'll enjoy the cooler conditions while they last. The first project will be to adjust the bunks on the trailer.

Manatee

We spent most of the afternoon upgrading the trailer bunks. The first task was to raise the bunks as the boat rubbed on the fenders. We adjusted both starboard bunks to start. A screw popped out of the inside port bunk, so we took it off, only to find that eight of the twelve screws were loose. We removed them all, drilled out the attachment points and glued in 3/4"hardwood dowels to give the screws fresh wood to bite. We found a similar problem with the outside port bunk so we followed the same procedure on it. 

We stopped work at 1700 hours, making it about a five hour project to date. Tomorrow, we have to get more screws from Home Depot, drill pilot holes and reattach the bunk boards. We didn't do that today because we wanted to allow plenty of time for the glue to dry.

While working, we noticed that a manatee came into the marina and soaked up some sun while floating in the water near our boat.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Finishing the Trailer Project!

After four more hours, the "bunk" project has been completed. I may fine tune the bunks after we put the boat back on the trailer. Next up is the dangling brake line. Since I know nothing about the trailer brakes, I'll need some outside expertise to help with that.

While leaving Banana Bay,
this sailboat ran aground.
After an hour or so, it got off.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Key West!

We boarded the 1023 bus to Key West on this bright, sunny, warm day. The bus ride was uneventful, that's a bit unusual for this route and the characters who ride it. This is the third time we've ridden the bus this year, and, for the third time, by the time we left Big Pine Key, people were standing. 

We exited the bus at West Marine, Key West, and walked a short block to the Key West Marine Store where we purchased Cetol Natural. It is one of the newer Sikkens Cetol products that promises easy application and natural looking teak. We will use it on the eye brow trim, the hand rails and other exterior wood parts that receive a lot of UV radiation from the sun. Normally, we varnish the teak, but the varnish takes a beating in the bright sun.

Following that purchase, we had the Crab and Avocado Salad while listening to Mike McCloud at Schooner's Wharf. We enjoy his music, even though he seems lackadaisical while performing. He did an amazing rendition of Gordon Lightfoot's  "Edmund Fitzgerald."

After lunch we hiked to the Tropic Theater where we enjoyed a bag of popcorn and the movie LA LA Land, a modern, stylized, musical love story. The movie has received 14 Academy Award nominations. It will win in a few categories, most likely, but the one that pops out for me is the lighting. It and the movie were well done.

Following the movie, we visited a couple stores, finding some bargains in the process. I bought two beach cover ups for Anna Marie. She can use them to loung around on the boat and while walking back and forth to the pool.

The Kennedy's perform at the
Marathon Public Library

By now it's time to board the northbound Keys Shuttle to head back to Marathon. The bus arrived at Waton and Whitehead on time at 1702. We disembarked at 1900 hours at the city marina stop, closest to the library where we were scheduled to see the Kennedys in the outside garden. The husband and wife duo were excellent. It's too bad we can't stay for the whole show, but we enjoyed the hour we were able to stay. 

We enjoyed a small pizza at the Upper Crust and then walked to Walgreens to return the movie to the Red Box. By the time we got back to the boat, it was 2130 hours and time to sit down, relax and enjoy the remainder of the evening, which is exactly what we did!

Friday, January 27, 2017

Hallelujah Girls!

Today's boat chore is to sand the eye brow trim, and the mahogany cap rails and put on as many coats of Cetol Natural as possible. We'll take it slow and steady as this could take awhile. As we got into the project, we added the step pads to our work list. The four steps and two cap rails were removed and sanded. Each piece got a coat of Cetol Matural that gave them a deep, shinny, red finish. The directions say we need to scratch with a scotch bright pad before applying the next coat, and we should put on three or four coats.

Sanding the eye brow in much more problematic. We have to remove 10 coats of varnish with hand sanding (I didn't bring power tools). There are two eye brows each about ten feet long. I manage to sand a six inch section of one today. This really is going to take some time!

Week 2 And We're Settled In!

January 14 -20, 2017

So far, we're digging our new marina. While the grounds aren't as attractive as the White Marlin, last year's base, it's still pretty nice here. The boaters are friendly as is the staff. The location is much better. Everything is within walking distance. It's an easy walk to K Mart,  Publix, and the theater. Home Depot is right across the street. The City Marina and the Community Park, where lots of activities take place, are only a long block away. The Hurricane Bar and Restaurant is on the premises, and the Keys Fishery is within easy walking distance. Perhaps the best dinner happy hour (by one get the second 2/2 off) at the Marathon Ale House and Grille, across the street from McDonalds, is about a mile away. 

Our bicycles extend our range to ten miles or so, but we haven't ridden them at night yet. They make it an easy trip to West Marine, which is a long walk away.

I started installing the solar panels but found that I needed additional parts to make a neat installation. Said parts were ordered on the 19th. The installation will continue when the parts arrive in about two weeks. (NB: Because we're plugged in to electric at the marina, I later decided to install the solar panels when we get home).

We joined in on the Wednesday afternoon Bocci Ball sessions. There must have been 18 people playing the last time. The games start at two in the afternoon and many of the players bring chairs and small coolers containing beer. We're not sure if they all come to play or to drink beer. Observation suggests that drinking is the more important activity. Interestingly, the organizer signs out two sets of balls from the city's recreation department.

On the 19th, I helped Gary, an Illini staying at the motel, trouble shoot some wiring issues on his fishing runabout. It is the first day the boat made it into the water since he's been here. Gary has  been working on it diligently since before we got here, and he even took the boat to Eric from Shoreline for some work. He was a bit dejected by this latest problem, but we managed to trouble shoot the problem and found a loose fuse that prevented the GPS and depth finder from working. He was pretty happy about that!

So far, we're putting an average of about about 3.3 miles per day on our sneakers. We've only ridden the bikes twice, with the longest being 3.2 miles. On Friday, the 20th, we started pedaling in earnest. Riding north, we pedaled over Vaca Cut to the Island Fish Company. We love their Calamari so much, we make several visits just to enjoy it. This is our first visit this year and we were not disappointed! That stuff is good! Our ride covered 11 miles total and included a stop at Outta The Blue Marina to say hello to Steve and to inquire about his special rate for Awlgripping the hull $100/foot). He needs about two weeks to complete the job, weather permitting.

Nationally,  today, Friday, January 20, 2017, is a big deal. It's Inauguration Day. The biggest bozo in

American politics will be sworn in, and we are boycotting the festivities. We will not watch, listen to or read about anything that happens and will be overjoyed when this clown is impeached #notmypresident! It also happens to be a day of celebration for the Bush family.  George W. Bush is no longer the worst president in American history! Tomorrow, we are participating in a peaceful demonstration taking place throughout the country. It's the Women's March. The main protest takes place in Washington D. C. We are participating in the sister march in Key West.

Corey and Ty at Burdines's

The "Kiss" a sculpture
of the iconic WWII Photograph.

We love to listen to the local musicians. During our first week here, we went to Havanah Jacks to see Island Time. HJ's happy hour has good Crab and Corn Chowder ($7), 1lb shrimp ($6), and Caprese Salad ($6). But the best deal, not a happy hour special, but off the dinner menu is the veggie pizza ($16). This week, we caught Ty and Corey at Burdine's and not only enjoyed their music, but the Mahi Ruben and Dusty Fries as well.

On Tuesday, the 17th, we rode a crowded, standing room only bus to Key West. We packed a lot into our time there with lunch at the Cafe, Fences at the Tropic and Royal Reds at the Conch Republic. We took this shot of two cruise ships the were about to leave town and this sculpture of the famous photo "The Kiss."

Week 1 Floating!

SUNSHINE at her berth in Slip #4
with sea grass brought in by the
strong North wind in the foreground.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Floating!

We finished waxing the port side this morning. At 1400 hours, we had SUNSHINE in the ramp. The anchor was about to get caught up with the winch drum but GM/Dockmaster Barry hopped aboard to lift it out of the way. Before entering the ramp, we deployed the Extend-A-Hitch. It enabled us to get the trailer deep into the steep ramp. As easy as you please, SUNSHINE simply floated off the trailer, making it our easiest launching ever!

The motor fired right up and I eased SUNSHINE into Blackfin Marina Slip 4. Anna Marie expertly tied her up and in another hour or so, we were all set up with chairs, cooler and cold beverages.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Bicycling!

Blacken Marina's
fairway to the bay

The bikes have been retrieved from the truck and, after an hour of work, they are road worthy. Our planned shake down ride was only a couple of miles. It's a good thing too, because Anna Marie's bike developed the same problem that magically disappeared since she rode it last. A quick trip to the bike shop and $26.00 fixed the problem. On the way back to Blackfin, we stopped to watch the Bocci games at the city park. They only had one set, so we offered the use of ours. Eight folks were playing truncated games (7 points). We even played a game. Our rust showed as we got skunked!

We purchased a pair of cockpit lights and successfully mounted them near the entrances to the cockpit. Nighttime activities in the cockpit will be more comfortable.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Short Walks!

We have not yet settled into a groove. Our day was consumed by short walks and boat chores. The wind continues to blow in the 18 to 20 knot range with a high in the mid to high 70s and the low in the low 70s. Mornings have been sunny, but by noon, clouds start to appear. The evenings are very cloudy, masking the glorious sunsets we are accustomed to seeing.

Friday, January 13, 2017

A Little of This and a Little of That!

Today's boat chores included cleaning out the starboard quarter berth locker, shampooing its liner, and cleaning the fiberglass. All this in an effort to clean up the slight gas odor Anna Marie detected. I checked the tank, hosed and fittings for leaks and came up empty. It appears that the smell is fresh and clean now!

While she was doing that, I cleaned the port top sides. When finished, that side of the boat looked spiffy.

Chuck from the Island Time Band
playing the Conchelele!

In the evening, we went to Havanah Jacks to have a bite while listening to the dulcet tones of Island Time. Chuck played the "conchelele" on a few of the songs. Quite an interesting instrument!

Days 6 & 7 - In the Marina but not Floating!

Sunday, January 8, 2017
It's Windy!
Shortly after we arrived yesterday, and before we could launch the boat, a cold front arrived. It brought some rain, and it brought a lot of wind. So much wind that we decided not to launch the boat today either. Instead, we walked around town to see what hast changed.

Monday, January 9, 2017
Still Windy!
We didn't launch today either! We did manage to wax the starboard hull. We'll do the port side tomorrow, before we launch. The forecast says the wind will be out of the NNE at 20 to 25 knots for at least the rest of the week. The wind has blown seaweed into the harbor. Considering the forecast, the seaweed will only get worse. So even though conditions are expected to improve, it will be better to launch sooner rather than later.

Drive Day 5 - We Have Arrived!

Saturday, January 7, 2017
We Have Arrived!
After 30 hours of drive time covering 1400 miles, with two breakdowns thrown in for good measure, we have arrived at Blackfin Resort and Marina on Vaca Key in Marathon, FL. That's right, we are in the fabulous Florida Keys!

We picked up the truck from Advantage Ford at 0745. We are satisfied with their service and especially the fact that they went out of their way to save us money. Most unusual! I was a bit hesitant about this dealership because their social media reviews are not good. I discussed that with the service manager and told him our experience does not match the experiences of the folks who rated them on social media outlets. He was aware of the problems and the poor social media comments. "That's why I'm here," he said. "I just arrived here specifically to turn the problems around," he continued. According to our experience, he seems to be making a difference.

We accomplished the final 213 miles of our journey in a little under four hours. The turn into Blackfin is tight. I had just enough swing room to clear the coral heads used in the entrance way landscaping.

We parked the boat and trailer, had lunch at the Hurricane. We finished eating and departed the restaurant just as a cold front punched through with some rain and wind. It's supposed to dip down into the sixties tonight!

It's blustery Blacken Point.
We'll wait until the wind dies down before
launching SUNSHINE.

Drive Day 4 - Delayed!

Friday, January 6, 2017
Delayed!
What a trip this is! While hitching the truck to the trailer, the air pump froze up, causing the pulley and the serpentine belt to break. We were towed to the Advantage Ford for repair. This is the third time an air pump has failed in the last 3 1/2 years.

To make matters worse, the service manager told us the new alternator has the wrong pulley! Social media reports do not rate this dealership very well. Replacing parts for no reason is a theme. Knowing that, I told the service tech I wanted all of the parts they are replacing.

As luck would have it, they realized they only needed to replace the pulley. Rather than getting a whole new alternator, there would only be a small additional labor charge for the pulley exchange.

We rented a car for $35.00 so we could get around. Then we went to a matinee showing of Hidden Figures. I thought it was an inspirational movie. Here's my Facebook post about it:

Just saw the movie Hidden Figures. Saddened to be reminded the way minorities were treated before the Civil Rights Act. Beaming with pride at their contributions to the space program and their contribution to the American spirit. Then I departed the theater, came back to reality, and recognized that there is no hope for progress, inspiration or pride in American accomplishment for at least the next four years.

After the movie, we received a voice message telling us the truck is fixed. We'll get it when they open at 0730. The folks at Blackfin understand our dilemma and have changed our reservation to start tomorrow.

Drive Day 3 - Another Day on the Road!

Camping aboard SUNSHINE
in Phipps County Park,
Stuart, FL

Thursday, January 5, 2017
Another Day on the Road!
Our third day of driving with SUNSHINE in tow is complete, at least the driving part. We completed another 300 miles. It took six hours behind the wheel. The weather was sunny and warm; the A/C was on the entire time.

Our neighbor at Phipps County Park

Once set up in Phipps County Park Campground (Stuart, FL), we went for a walk. Even with all the driving, we have managed to log seven miles on our shoes these past three days. That's pretty good considering we have spent so much time driving, but we expect that to increase dramatically when we get settled in the Blacken Resort and Marina in Marathon!

Drive Day 2 - A Shorter Day!

Camping at
Crooked River State Park

Wednesday, January 4, 2017
A Shorter Day!
After a lengthy sleep, we were underway at 0930. The truck ran fine and the new alternator was doing its thing. As we made our way further south, the temperature began to rise. When we stopped for lunch, it was shirt sleeve weather. After lunch, it was warm enough to require the AC to be turned on. At around 1430, we checked our progress and found we would be going through Jacksonville right during rush hour. Rather than press on to Stuart, we decided to stay at Crooked River State Park, one of our frequently used migration stops.

We were set up in our site by 1530 hours and headed down one of the trails. The mile long trail provided nice views of the river.

We took the truck into town to fill up with fuel. We ate at Bessie's, right on the waterfront. The shrimp platter was very nice and quite the deal at only $8.00.

Back at the park, we took another walk before boarding SUNSHINE for the evening.

In two days, we have driven about 900 miles in about 30 hours.

Drive Day 1 of 2017 Cruise - Breakdown!

New alternator installed after
the breakdown.

2017 Cruise!
Driving to the Florida Keys
Tuesday, January 3, 2017 Departure!
14 Hours on the Road
After waking at 0500, we attended to the list of final activities to accomplish before we could leave. At 0535, we were in the truck and pulling out of the driveway.

We followed the usual route making our way on our local roads to the Garden State Parkway, more local roads to Route 40, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, US 13 through Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, across and through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I 64, US 58 from Suffolk to Emporia and finally I95 south.

There were no jam-o's along our route, nor were there any construction delays. It didn't seem like we were making good time, but we passed our usual first night stop at the Dixie Crossroads somewhere around 1500 hours. Thanks to our earlier than usual departure, made possible by the fact we chose not to wait around for a slip at the town dock, it was too early to stop. Our new destination became the Bass Lake Campground at exit 193 in Dillon, SC. About 90 miles before reaching said destination, I noticed the battery was discharging. Things electrical started going south in a hurry. We limped off the highway in Selma, NC and pulled into a Burger King parking lot, across from an auto shop. There were people milling around it and the lights were on. Were we lucky enough to find a repair shop open at this hour (1900)? Yes and no! The shop wasn't really for repairing autos. They repaired cars to take to auction for sale and, they were closed! One gentleman (Donald) came over to look at the truck. He immediately diagnosed that the alternator was at fault. He used his commercial account to get a $250 one from the Auto Zone, just around the corner, for $148. In a matter of 40 minutes he and I removed the old unit, walked around the corner to Auto Zone to get the new one and install it. The key to the operation was Donald's long pry bar extension. Without it, we wouldn't have been able to de-tension the tension roller t\necessary to put the serpentine belt back on the pulleys.

By the time we finished, his wife showed up with his car. He positioned it to give us a jump and after a few minutes, the old F250 fired up. I offered Donald $70.00 for his trouble and he gladly accepted. We were on our way in 40 minutes from the time we stopped. Interestingly, two other folks offered to lend a hand while we had the hood up. How nice is that?

By 2030, we mad it to Bass Lake Campground and enjoyed a good night's sleep aboard SUNSHINE, our first night aboard since our mini cruise to AC last summer.