Another Day in Boot Key Harbor (Day 090)

LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195

Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W

NOTE: To view our position, click (on the right hand column) "Position Reports.” You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.

Weather: N wind @ 10 knots; Low temp = 70 & high temp =80; partly cloudy

Comment: Ordered “C-Cushions” cockpit cushions in gray with a Persian green pinstripe today. Delivery is expected within 6 weeks. We’ll probably be exploring the West Coast of Florida from the Everglades up to the Tampa area beginning sometime after the first week in February.

We measured the mast height off the water today. Our air draft is 47 feet as the literature suggested. We’ll be able to clear the RR Bridge on the Okeechobee Waterway. Being able to clear that bridge makes the west coast trip possible without coming all the way back to Marathon. It also means that we’ll skip all of the bascule bridges south of Stuart, FL.

Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. But we have options!

Eric stopped by to work on the lock down mechanism yesterday. We weren’t home. He needs to come back as he didn’t have a tool that he needs. He also found out that the starboard engine’s choke is sticking. He’s going to take the carburetor to the shop to clean it out.

Besides some shipboard activities, we took a long dinghy ride to take pictures of some of the more interesting boats in the neighborhood. Anna Marie snapped a dozen or so, and I wondered why the camera was beeping with each snap of the shutter. When I went to download the photos, I found that I had neglected to put the SD (memory) card back into the camera after the last download. Now we have the opportunity to tour the harbor again so we can get some photos of the interesting boats in this community.

Bike Riding on a Beautiful Day (Day 089)

LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195

NOTE: To view our position, click (on the right hand column) "Position Reports.” You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.

Weather: Another gorgeous day in Paradise; temps from the low to high 70s; wind – light and variable, calm in the evening and overnight; some clouds but mostly sunny

Comment: The crew of SUNSHINE did an 8 mile bike ride in beautiful riding conditions. The route took us north to the Vaca Cut. This milestone means that we have biked from one end of Vaca Key to the other.

After the ride, we went to the marina to watch the Iggles beat the Giants 23 – 11. Next up is the NFC conference championship against the Arizona Cardinals.

Anna Marie has been making good use of the pressure cooker and new recipes we printed. Last night’s linguine and chicken cacciatore was great!!

We capped the night off with a movie before hitting the sack.

BIg Pine Flea Market (Day 088)

LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195

Lat/ Long: 24 42 32 81 05 57

Weather: A repeat of yesterday! Bright sunshine some clouds in the pm; temp in the mid to high 70’s; N to NE winds @ 10 to 15 knots to calm in the evening

Comment: Following breakfast, we listened to the net then boarded a bus for the Big Pine Flea Market. The plan is to buy parts for my improvised lock down system from the marine supplier. With mission accomplished, we returned to the boat where we hung out and watched the sights. Capt. Dave stopped by to see if we wanted to go to the Dockside for the Prime Rib special. “Of course,” says she.

That we did and the meal was great! Dave arrived first and selected a table right on the water but within view of the stage and a TV. After dinner, we watched the final minutes of the Tennessee (10)/Baltimore (13) playoff game. The “Stone Crabs,” a trio (bass, drums and keyboard/guitar), began their first set. We listened a bit and then headed back to the boat.

Check our position by clicking the Position Reports" tab in the right hand column.

Entertainment Options (Day 087)

LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195

Lat/ Long 24 42 32 81 05 57

Weather: Bright sunshine all day; temp in the high 70’s; N to NE winds @ 12 to 17 knots;

Comment: New Entertainment Gadgets Aboard SUNSHINE

While in Vero Beach, we installed a new 19 inch flat panel TV/DVD player to replace the little 9 inch one we were usning. The 19 inch unit is mounted on the main bulkhead, easily viewable from the salon. Over the holidays, Anna Marie and I exchanged gifts from the $5.00 DVD bins at various K-Marts and WalMarts we visited over the holidays. Son-in-law Greg made DVDs of the John Adams HBO series for us. So we have quite a few new DVD’s to enjoy on the new TV. We added two Oil Lamps flanking the TV. They provide a warm glow to the cabin.

The Christmas holidays were kind to us. We received a DS Lite Nintendo hand held game system. It provides a ton of gaming opportunities. We currently have about one-half dozen different games packs for it. Until now, we had one electronic solitaire game that we shared. We also received an electronic book reader (eBookwise). We loaded about a dozen books into it. It is very easy to read and to use. The battery lasts about 10 hours between charges.

SUNSHINE boasts a new addition to her crew too. Squawks McCaw came to live aboard with us. He’s a welcome addition to our crew. What good sailboat doesn’t have its own parrot? “Squawks” has a vocabulary of about 50 words and phrases. The grandkids had a lot of fun talking to him while we were home. He even knows their names!

Finally, I should mention that the boat repairs are minor. Eric will be out this weekend to fix the problem with the lock down mechanism. He fixed it so it would lift up while we were away. He never checked to see if it would lock down. It doesn't.

The lock down mechanisms on these engines are notorious for being unoperative. Several owners have devised other simple systems for locking them down. I used one of them last year when we first had the problem. I have since thought about an even simpler version that will be even easier to use than the current mechanism. I'll install it on both engines after Eric had completed his work.

NOTE: To view our position, click (on the right hand column) "To see where wer are and where we have been." You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.

SPLASH!! (Day 086)

From: Marathon Boat Yard
To: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195

Weather: Although the day began partly cloudy, it eventually became mostly sunny. The temperature was supposed to be in the mid 70’s but our thermometer showed a temp of 84 degrees. The wind was out of the northeast at about 10 knots. After nightfall, it blew to about 15 knots.

Comment: Before SUNSHINE was launched, I filled up the hydraulic steering reservoir and checked to see that the engine locking mechanisms were working. Eric (Inflatable Boats) serviced them and repaired the mechanisms. Unfortunately, the starboard engine wouldn’t lock down. It would be virtually useless for reversing.

Both engines started without difficulty and we slowly motored from the marina to the mooring field, a distance of about ½ mile. We were assigned to ball L-10, the same ball we tied to last year. We are back home!

After registering at the marina and returning our FedEx package to the boat, we trudged off to tell Eric the bad news about the lockdown problem on the starboard engine, Eric will come out this weekend to fix it.

Our walk continued to the Boat Yard from whence we came. Before being launched, we set up our folding bikes and chained then to the fence. We retrieved them and rode, in the opposite direction, past the Boot Key Harbor Marina and on to the Home Depot where purchased some clean burning fuel for our new oil lamps (from the FedEx package referenced earlier).

We can report that the folding bikes are the cats’ meow! They almost go by themselves! We expect to ride around town doing some four and five mile rides to get our butts accustomed to the saddles. Eventually, we’re looking to do some more aggressive rides in the 20 to 25 mile range. There is a great bike path that heads east for miles. We’d like to see how far we can ride it. Heading west is a bit more difficult. We have ridden the to 7-mile bridge in the past, but have never crossed it on bicycle. Although we have seen bikers cross the bridge, it has a very narrow shoulder, too narrow for us to attempt. We’ll opt for the safety of the bike trail in the other direction.

Before returning to SUNSHINE, we visited Capt Dave. Fortuitously, he was just about to visit us. We lead the way back to SUNSHINE and Dave arrived carrying his pack of cigs, three beers and a sausage. Anna Marie broke out the cheese and crackers and we were back in cocktail mode. That didn’t take long!

Dave left just before sundown so he could turn his anchor light on. Anna Marie had dinner and watched a movie before hitting the sack; we’ll be up and at ‘em tomorrow.

Flying to SUNSHINE (Day 085)

From: West Creek, NJ
To: Boot Marathon Boat Yard, Marathon, FL MM1195

Weather: We departed our home at 0415 in 30 degree weather and rain, heavy at times. By the time we reached the Atlantic City Airport, the rain stopped, but it was still cold and windy. It could be a bumpy plane ride.


Comment: The flight departed on time but, due to head winds the whole way, we arrived in Ft, Lauderdale about five minutes late. We flew at 38,000 feet, above two layers of clouds to get out of the “bumpy” air. The entire eastern seaboard was thickly blanketed by clouds. I’ve never seen the entire coast covered by clouds. We didn’t see any “ground” until a few minutes before Ft. Lauderdale.

The landing was sooth, Hertz had our car ready to go and at about 1015 hours, began the driving portion of our trip back to SUNSHINE, we stopped at the Homestead WalMart to provision. Besides that stop, we made a 45 minute pit stop for lunch at Alabama Jacks, a local restaurant with lots of color, just before the Card Sound Bridge.

On the way to Marathon, we made one other stop for cold beverages. At 1600, our long day of traveling was over. We pulled into the Marathon Boat Yard to see SUNSHINE resting comfortably right next to the travel lift well.

After off loading the provisions, we visited the local establishments that did work on SUNSHINE while we were away. After the chores, we did dinner at the Island Tiki Bar. While dining, a severe storm blew through causing customers, who were enjoying their repast near the water to scurry for cover. The rain came quickly and the wind blew to 45 knots. I took about twenty minutes for things to settle down. The restaurant staff was very gracious to those who had to move quickly, offering free desert or a free beer to the patrons.

We made it back to the boat and began to prep for tomorrow’s launch.

Old Barney Guides the Way, Again!

BARNEGAT LIGHT — For the first time since 1927, Old Barney, the quintessential symbol of the Jersey Shore, was back at work as a functioning lighthouse tonight on this the 150th anniversary of its first date of service.

Braving freezing temperatures and a windchill factor that put the temperature below zero, several thousand bundled-up people crowded onto the northern tip of Long Beach Island from all over the tri-state area to see Barnegat Lighthouse relit shortly after 5 p.m.

Angelo Rinaldi, president of the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, the organization responsible for raising the money to purchase a new Coast Guard-approved lens from New Zealand, had to manually override the light sensor on the 172-foot high beacon to accommodate the crowds present. Starting tomorrow, the rotating light will be triggered on an automatic basis.

Luce and Willis Gray and Anna Marie and I made the trip to the relighting ceremony of this LBI (Long Beach Island) icon out of a sense of history and to start the New Year in the shadow of it's new guiding light. Our sense of history and hope was overridden by the cold temperature. We decided to go to a local eatery and see the light after the large crowd dissipated.

We have climbed its 217-step spiral staircase on several occasions, most recently with grandchildren Geoffrey and Josh.

P.S. We're looking forward to several more sleep overs with our grandchildren. But, the cold, wind and lack of sunshine have conspired to get us to think about our return to SUNSHINE. She has been enjoying daily sunshine and 80 degree temps in our absence.