TROUBLE X 2!

We pulled out of our campsite at Phipps County Park at 0800 on March 17. Motoring north on I 95 at a leisurely 60 mph, we were making decent progress. We passed through Jacksonville with the usual traffic, but no delays. We were thankful for the relatively easy passage through the city.

We were looking forward to crossing the Florida/Georgia boarder while changing our target destination. We would arrive at our planned stop at about 1400 hours. The trip was going smoothly and we decided to locate a campground about 100 miles further north. That's when we ran into TROUBLE!

The F 250 abruptly lost power. We had a few minutes to find a relatively wide, safe shoulder and managed to pull over without incident. A quick check of the engine compartment revealed that the serpentine belt fell off its various pulleys. Further inspection showed that the vacuum pump pulley was missing. Last year, as we were towing M/V Sunshine home, the vacuum pulley seized. This time,   it may have seized and the spindle/axle broke off.

Our insurance company arranged for a tow to the local Ford Dealership. We phoned them to alert them to the problem. They told us they were busy and couldn't look at it for a week. We changed the plan and went to the tow operator's shop. He can secure the needed parts and get us underway tomorrow.

He even dropped us off at a safe hotel. It seems that several in the area are frequented be the local prostitutes. He offered that they wouldn't be particularly safe for travelers.

By 1300 hours, we were able hook the boat and truck together and be on our way.

The F 250 being off loaded at at the repair shop.

We stopped at the South of the Boarder Campground on the North/South Carolina boarder for the night. The trip from the repair shop to the campground was uneventful. We even managed to miss the rush hour traffic in Savannah.

We drove home from South of the Boarder without incident. We took our usual route, departing I 95 at Emporia, Va to head east toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We arrived home in time to unhitch the truck and drive to Medford to see Sandi's new house. Along the way, we picked up Geoffrey and Madi (Claire was at a soccer game) for Pizza night. With that, our cruise was officially over and we eased into home activities.

The very next day, we woke up to more trouble... wait for it... SNOW!

More trouble!

We left Marathon on  March 14 to meet my sister and Ed at Phipps County Park in Stuart.

M/V Sunshine is a camper now!

Retro Winnebago Brave

Marje and Ed watching the St. Patty's Day Parade in Jensen Beach.

Haul, Powerwash, Barrier Coat, Bottom Paint and Place on Trailer!

This is a series of photographs documenting the work that the folks at Outta the Blue Marina did to M/V Sunshine.

Hauled!

Power wash complete. Taping  for dustless paint removal underway.

Dustless paint removal

Brian continues to work in the dark.

Barrier coat applied, first bottom coat going on.

Because the paint was still soft, we put plastic on the bunk rugs to protect the bottom paint.

Sunset!

Watching sunsets is something of a sport in the Keys. We watch many sunsets. We don't always photograph them. I have tons of sunset photos. On this particular evening, we photographed the sunset from Banana Bay Marina.

This is a watercolor of the second photograph, painted by the Waterlogue App,

The Ford!

The first trip-motor Transcontinental plane visited the Marathon Marina. Read about at this link: The Ford Tri-motor Airplane (Wikipedia).

This is a video of the flight of a Ford Tri-motor:

 Here are some photos of the classic Tri-motor plane that was on display at the Marathon Airport. For $75.00 one could board the plane for a ten minute flight around Marathon.

Music, Music, Music!

Many Keys establishments try to enhance their diners experience with live music. There are so many music venues that it might be a musician's idea of heaven. But, there are a lot of folks who offer their talents and I doubt the establishments pay very well. I suppose that most of them depend on the tip jar to enhance their income.

This year we saw Howard Livingston in an acoustic performance and with the Mile Marker 28 band. We also saw the Doerfels in concert. Other performers that we liked were the Jesse Brown Band, Island Time, Dan Sullivan, Joe Mama and we don't remember the names of all the bands we saw at the island Grass Festival in support of Habitat for Humanity.

Playing Janga during Island Time's performance

Island Time performs at Cabana Breezes

The Doerfels perform at Boondocks

Mangia, Mangia!

Ya gotta eat, right? Of course! We frequented many Marathon haunts with our friends Joe and Dee. The list includes, Sparky's (25 cent shrimp and wings), Cabana Breezes (25 cent shrimp and wings), The Island Fish House Tiki Hut, Herbies, Sunset Grill (good happy hour deals), Porky's (beer butt chicken), the Stuffed Pig, Barnacle Barney's, IHOP, Boondocksand The Marathon Bar and Grill (delicious happy hour 2 bogo dinners). I don't have photos for all of the restaurants we visited, my camera doesn't have enough memory for that!

Shrimp at Banana Breezes

Just add a straw for a refreshing beverage

Beer Butt Chicken at Porky's

Free Pancakes at IHOP in honor of National Pancake Day)

Shrimp and wings at Cabana Breezes

Boondocks on Ramrod Key

Water, Water, Everywhere!

This year, we spent much of the winter in and around the Islands of Marathon, one of our favorite cruising destinations. While there, we walk a lot. Sometimes on the beaches, but almost always within view of the water. Here are some of the scenes we encounter during our walks.

The waters off Coco Plum Beach sparkled today! 

The view from "Old Seven," the old 7 Mile Bridge currently open for walking and bicycling.

Full moon rising over our back yard!

Pretty Joe Rock (from Banana Bay Marina)

Spring break at Sombrero Beach 

Kite boarding at Coco Plum Beach

The view from Outta the Blue Marina

The Harbor Hillbillies!

Shortly after we left Boot Key Harbor for the dock at Outta the Blue Marina, the Harbor Hillbillies opened up shop. Here's a link to an article about their business.

The Harbor Hillbillies

Tough Going!

Thursday, February 5, 3015     Not Again!

The hook was up at 0700 and M/V Sunshine headed out Sisters Creek. Outside, we found rollers and 12 to 15 knot wind out of the south. Yesterday's whitecaps are gone and it looks pleasant enough. Looks can be deceiving! Among the rollers, we found a stiff chop with three foot waves. Once again, the boat crashed down so hard that the GPS unit shut off. It powered right up again, but it is disconcerting to have that happen. These conditions persisted until we passed East Sister Rock. That took less than ten minutes.

For the rest of the seven mile trip, we just had to deal with the rollers. They weren't too bad. The boat was secured in the slip and plugged into electric by 0830. Now we'll kick back and rest for an hour or so before we go to coloring this side of Marathon.

At 1015, it started to rain. It saved us from washing the boat. When the rain is finished, all the salt should be gone. 

Well, the boat got a good bath. It rained the rest of the day.

Alone Again!

Wednesday, February 4, 2014    And Then There Was One!

Shortly after saying goodbye to Kathy, Bill and Steve, we dropped our lines from Bahia Honda and headed out to the Outta The Blue Marina in Marathon. Even though the wind was blowing at 15 knots, there was only a light chop on the bay. As we rounded Moser Channel into the Atlantic side, the chop became moderate. Our route took us into Boot Key Harbor and back out to the Hawk Channel side by way of Sisters Creek. Once out of the entrance channel, we found three to four foot seas. We tried taking the waves at different angles; we tried varying the speed; we even tried plugging along at 3 mph! All to no avail. The boat was pounding hard into the waves. We crashed down so hard off one particular wave that the GPS turned itself off. I don't know why that happened but it powered back up right away.

We turned around and went back into Sisters Creek, toured the harbor and anchored for a bit. We made two more unsuccessful attempts later in the day. We finally dropped the hook in Sisters Creek and relaxed the rest of the afternoon and evening away. Tomorrow we we'll try again.

It appears that the Nomad's limits are 15+ knots of wind on the nose and three to four foot chop.

The Last Day!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015 The Last Day!

Nomads Able Explorer and Slo Poke have decided to rent a car so they can drive back to their points of origin to retrieve their cars and trailers. One will return tomorrow and the other on Thursday. We expect to depart tomorrow, weather permitting.

The crew of both vessels expressed appreciation for the experience and challenges of long distance cruising. We are all impressed that the boats did well in some difficult conditions.

We enjoyed a late lunch of burgers and fries at Burdine's after our new friends rented a car for tomorrow's drive.

Bahia Honda!

Monday, February 2, 2015 Flamingo to Bahia Honda!

First light... That is when we all agreed to depart Flamingo. Our destination is the marina at Bahia Honda State Park. Bahia Honda is an immensely popular park. Many visitors refer to it as "paradise." Even though it is remote from shops, stores and typical touristy things, it has a natural beauty that is breathtaking.

Our actual departure occurred before first light. Spotlights and the GPS tracks from our trip into Flamingo, provided our guidance out of the marina and through the flats. After twenty or so minutes, first light appeared. We motored through the flats in calm water as the sun rose behind us.

In just under two hours, we made a southerly turn toward the Keys. The wind built to 10 knots, but the sea remained flat. After three hours, a light chop began. It might have made it to a moderate chop as the wind increased to 15 knots on the nose. Still, it was not uncomfortable and the boat powered through the chop. Our speed decreased by about one mile per hour and added an hour to our ETA.

Commercial crabbers are not permitted to set their "pots" within the Everglades NP. The boundary line is marked on nautical charts and there are pilings set in the water to mark the boundary. The crabbers set hundreds if not thousands of pots just across the boundary. Some push the envelope and set the just inside the line. This plethora of pots seems to be worst within about 500 yards of the boundary unwary after which  the number of pots this out a bit.  

Able Explorer and Slo Poke pass under the Overseas Highway

Stuck in Flamingo

Sunday, February 1, 2015      Stuck in Flamingo!

That's right, the crew of the three Nomads left on this cruise are spending another day in Flamingo as a result of 20 knot wind on Florida Bay. The funny thing is that it was calm in the harbor and the immediate area until after noon. The 20 knot ENE wind in Marathon and Florida Bay kept us in dock.

We enjoyed a 4 1/2 mile walk and chatting with our Nomad comrades, not to mention another Grouper sandwich for lunch!

We also met the Buckley's. The are back country volunteers who live on a houseboat in Tarpon Lake. They are the eyes and ears of the back country and keep tabs on visitors, lending assistance when necessary. They were delightful to talk to and we learned a lot about volunteering in the National Parks.

People continue to stop by to talk about the Nomads.

Slo Poke has a visitor

Flamingo?

Saturday, January 31, 2015 Day 5 - Crossing Florida Bay!

It's first light and the anchors are up. We were the first of over a dozen boats in the anchorage to leave. As we departed, I notice the leaves in the trees were stirring. The sight gave me pause to contemplate the sea conditions.

The forecast suggested 15 to 20 out of the ENE. It appeared that the wind speed was on the lower part of the range. The seas had not yet built to a frothy chop, but that was sure to come.

At East Cape Sable, the point at which we were to make the "go/no go" decision, I was entering the route to Upper Matecumbe Key into the GPS. We decided that destination gave us the best opportunity to reach the Keys in safety and comfort, but when I looked up, the sea was brown and frothy. If we continued on our present course, it would soon get uncomfortable and we had at least four hours to go. We turned toward Flamingo on a course that would put us in the protection of the land. With spray flying, we made it safely to our new destination.

Once tied up, we thought about braving the chop to get to the Keys. Conditions deteriorated throughout the day.  I felt it was a good decision to wait for better conditions.

Day 3 - In the Gulf!

Thursday, January 29, 2015 Day 3 - In the Gulf!

We raised the anchor at 0715 to give us time to motor over to the other side of the inlet where everyone else was anchored. Our planned 0730 departure got off a few minutes early since everyone was ready to go.

Once out in the Gulf, we found northeast winds of about 15 knots. The sea could best be described as confused. The wind and wave action demanded a firm hand on the wheel and each skipper had to anticipate each movement of the boat and counteract it with an opposite movement of the wheel. It was impossible to steer a straight course.

We found the going a bit easier closer to shore and things got even better when the wind backed to the north. Our stern was no longer being bashed around. It took about two hours for conditions to be somewhat tolerable. We certainly wouldn't want to travel for eight or ten hours in those conditions.

By 1030, we made it to Gordon Pass. Our timing was perfect. It was slack before ebb and the inlet was easily passable. It was great to be inside and in calm water. We traveled at 2900 rpm's doing 7+ mph. By 1230 hours, four Nomads were tied up in Rose Marina on Marco Island.

Eagle kept on course to make Port of Islands by late afternoon. Nimble 20, with our hosts Dick and Hope, bid farewell as we were pulling up our anchors this morning, leaving the five Nomads to brave the Gulf. That's two members of the fleet who have departed.

After we tied up, Barney asked how I rated the days travel on a scale of one to ten with ten being great. I gave it a five. Barney gave it a three. At dinner later in the day, the others rated it a five or six.

During lunch at the Tiki Bar adjacent to Rose Marina, Barney and Pat discussed their disappointment in the handling of the boat. They decided that tomorrow, they would rent a car, return to Fort Meyers to retrieve their truck and trailer, and upon return to Rose Marina, they would have Arthur Dent put on the trailer for their return to Fort Meyers, where they would put the boat up for sale. Barney suggested that he'd get a bigger boat to live aboard. He has no desire to go anywhere in it. 

We were all saddened by this turn of events. In just three days, our fleet of six Nimble's is down to just three. Each day, one boat has dropped out. We certainly wish Pat and Barney well.

Our plan to stop in Everglades City hit a snag as there are no available spots to tie up. We have decided to head for the Little Shark River, 58 miles distant, in the hopes of reaching Bahia Honda on Sunday. We are hoping for calm seas for sure.

Anna Marie still hasn't found a marina in Marathon that has space to accommodate us. We may just bounce around the Keys for the month!

Anchor Down and Rafter in the Little Shark River

The sun sets over the Little Shark River

Nomad Keys Cruise, Day 2!

Wednesday, January 29, 2015 Day 2!

 It's 0800 hours. Time for breakfast, thanks to the magnanimous hospitality of the Hughes. We enjoyed another gathering of the crew and the delicious breakfast Hope and Dick prepared for us. At 0900, boats started slipping their lines. It took a few minutes for all the boats to get underway. By 0930, we were all steaming through the Cape Coral canals on our way to the Caloosahatchee River. Along the way, neighbors waved and exhaulted in seeing our six Nimble boat flotilla. After dozens of thumbs up, we made it to the Caloosahatchee River, turned to starboard and headed off toward Fort Meyers Beach. The waterway was relatively calm except for some boat wakes that rocked us. The Gulf had a very light chop. We motored past the mooring field in the backwaters behind Estero Island. A shortcut through the shallows proved impossible so we went back to the channel and made our way to Dog Beach, our anchorage for the night. Sunshine bounced along a sandbar in the middle of the area a few hundred feet from the Pelican Island Resort dock. 

Sunshine chose to anchor a few hundred feet from the ferry dock behind the island. The other boats anchored near Dog Beach with a good view out the inlet.

An 0730 departure is planned for tomorrow and Anna Marie made reservations for four boats (Sunshine, Slo Poke, Arthur Dent and Able Explorer) at Rose Marina on Marco Island. Eagle will try to make 10 miles further and Nimble 20 will stay at anchor on Dog Beach for the day and return home on Friday.

Day 1 of the Nomad Cruise!

Tuesday, January 28, 2015 Day 1 Nomad Cruise!

After a weather related lay day (high wind), we departed the Fort Meyers Yacht Basin after fueling up. As we departed the fuel dock, we found Arthur Dent on the river, ready to go. We headed west in a moderate chop towards Cape Coral, with the windshield taking spray regularly.

After about two hours, we turned to starboard and followed the entrance channel toward Bimini Basin, a well protected anchorage that we enjoyed with About Time a couple of years ago. Just before the basin we turned to port and motored to the end of Tudor Canal. Dick and Hope we're waiting for us and guided us into our slips. The slips are owned by folks in the adjacent condos and they graciously allowed us to use the slips for the evening.

In short order, five Nomads joined the resident Vagabond and we enjoyed meeting Eagle's Captain Bill Bordeaux, Able Explorer's Captain Steve Ehrler, Slo Poke's crew Bill and Kathy Towers, Nimble 20's crew and our hosts, Dick and Hope Hughes. Arthur Dent's crew Barney and Pat Ward and Anna Marie and I aboard M/V Sunshine rounded out the list of boats and crew for the Nomad Keys Cruise.

After settling in, Dick and Hope hosted a very nice get together that included food and beverages. We had a brief skippers meeting during which we all agreed that considering the forecast, we would be better served staying on the inside tomorrow. We chose Dog Beach at the southern end of Estero to be our destination. The following day's weather would be more conducive to traveling in the Gulf. Our third day's destination would be Rose Marina on Marco Island.

The Crew of the five Nomads and one Vagabond take a moment from the Skippers Meeting to pose for a picture.

Top photo: (on the floor from left to right) Anna Marie Martin (M/V Sunshine), Steve Ehrler (M/V Able Explorer), Kathy Towers (M/V Slo Poke), (seated, from left to right) Bill Martin (M/V Sunshine), Hope and Dick Hughes (our hosts and crew of the Vagabond, Nimble 20), Barney and Pat Ward (M/V Arthur Dent), Bill Towers (M/V Slo Poke). Not in the picture Bill Bordeaux (M/V Eagle) was the photographer.

Bottom photo: everyone is in the same position except that Bill Bordeaux has replaced Bill Martin who is now behind the camera.

At 0800 tomorrow, Dick and Hope are hosting a breakfast. Departure is scheduled for 0900.