LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195
Still Cool, but Warming up
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: Mostly cloudy; high in the mid 70s, low in the mid 60s, NE wind @ 15 knots and gusty
Comment: We’re finally in a warming trend, although the wind is supposed be right around 20 knots and gusty for the next two or three days.
We joined the Funston’s and their friends (these folks were a hoot! We hope to meet them again) at the Bluegrass and Barbecue festival at the Episcopal Church in Marathon. The chicken B-B-Q was good and flavorful although not spectacular (they had no white meat) and the sides of baked beans and potato salad were typical.
The music on the other hand, was spectacular. The oldest five (of ten) children of the Doerfel Family sang with intriguing harmonies and displayed excellent musicianship. The 18 year old (only daughter) fiddle player was spectacular. Three of the youngest children played or sang on several songs. Mom and Dad Doerfel were introduced as was one of the grandmas. The oldest Doerfel (20) was married eight months ago and his wife, Angelica, joined in for at least half of the show.
Here's a video I found on YouTube (I don't think it does them justice, but it'll give you a samle of their talents):
This was a great evening and the proceeds from the affair went to the Grace Jones Day Care Center to help pay the mortgage and, it's one of the many reasons we like Marathon. There are plenty of things (like this) to do.
Sunshine almost always makes me high! (John Denver)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Days 115, 116
LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: It is still on the cool side! On Friday, the overnight low was 48 degrees, up four degrees from the previous night. The high made it to 70 degrees on Saturday. 65; We've had sunshine and overcast conditions with strong, gusty N and NE wind @ 15 – 25 knots and some chop in the harbor, which can make for a wet dinghy ride.
Comment: Beside the usual boat maintenance chores, and reading (Bill read 7 books in January and three for Anna Marie) and game playing, we try go ashore for a daily walk or bike ride.
Our friends, the Hodder’s from SCYC, were driving by and pulled over to say hello. We rode with them back to the marina and visited for a while before they had to leave. They were on their way to visit Al’s brother who is staying on Cudjoe Key, about 20 miles from Key West.
We're thankful that we seem to have started into a warming trend today, Sunday, February 8. 2009. The wind is predicted to be out of the east, northeast and strong and gusty for the next two or three days. Small craft warnings are posted for the Atlantic and Gulf until Tuesday evening.
We are joining the Funston’s and their friends and will attend the Bluegrass and Barbeque festival at the Episcopal Church in Marathon. Just another of the many things to do in Marathon.
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: It is still on the cool side! On Friday, the overnight low was 48 degrees, up four degrees from the previous night. The high made it to 70 degrees on Saturday. 65; We've had sunshine and overcast conditions with strong, gusty N and NE wind @ 15 – 25 knots and some chop in the harbor, which can make for a wet dinghy ride.
Comment: Beside the usual boat maintenance chores, and reading (Bill read 7 books in January and three for Anna Marie) and game playing, we try go ashore for a daily walk or bike ride.
Our friends, the Hodder’s from SCYC, were driving by and pulled over to say hello. We rode with them back to the marina and visited for a while before they had to leave. They were on their way to visit Al’s brother who is staying on Cudjoe Key, about 20 miles from Key West.
We're thankful that we seem to have started into a warming trend today, Sunday, February 8. 2009. The wind is predicted to be out of the east, northeast and strong and gusty for the next two or three days. Small craft warnings are posted for the Atlantic and Gulf until Tuesday evening.
We are joining the Funston’s and their friends and will attend the Bluegrass and Barbeque festival at the Episcopal Church in Marathon. Just another of the many things to do in Marathon.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wind Chill 30 Degrees (Day 114)
LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: 0730 temp is 44 degrees (wind chill 30 degrees), it warmed up to the high 50s by mid afternoon; N wind @ 20 – 25 knots; moderate chop in the harbor;
Comment: What’s going on? We had a wind chill warning (30 degrees from Key West to Marathon) until 0900 hours!
The crew of SUNSHINE spent the day on the boat, playing games, reading books and doing a few boat chores.
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: 0730 temp is 44 degrees (wind chill 30 degrees), it warmed up to the high 50s by mid afternoon; N wind @ 20 – 25 knots; moderate chop in the harbor;
Comment: What’s going on? We had a wind chill warning (30 degrees from Key West to Marathon) until 0900 hours!
The crew of SUNSHINE spent the day on the boat, playing games, reading books and doing a few boat chores.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Laundry and Dinghy Motor Repair (Day 113)
LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: Bright and sunny at wake up time; wind light; low temp 55, high temp 67; NE wind picks up to 20 in the afternoon as another cold front moves through.
Comment: It is laundry day! We went ashore with a single purpose in mind; do the laundry. Anna Marie took her place in line. We arrived at the marina's laurdry facility at 0750 hours and there were already three people ahead of her. I waited around, checking the news and weather and walking the dock, but eventually returned to the boat to try to accomplish some boat chores.
I had just completed a couple of small tasks when Anna Marie called to say she was ready. On the way to pick her up, the dinghy engine stopped running. I was able to get it started again, but within minutes, it stopped running and no amount of coaxing could get it running again. I broke out the oars and rowed in to get her.
Captain Dave offered to tow us, but, given the fact that it was a bright sunny day with light wind, we declined his gracious offer.
Along the way, Larry (Tropical Gail Winds) offered to tow us. We thanked him for the offer but kept rowing. It really wasn’t tough to row but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it in 25 knots of head wind.
Within an hour, I removed, cleaned and reinstalled the carburetor, cleaned out the fuel line and had the engine running again. By this time, the wind had picked up and it was too lumpy to put the motor back on the dinghy. We left it on the kicker pad and will put it back on the dinghy tomorrow or whenever we need to go ashore again.
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: Bright and sunny at wake up time; wind light; low temp 55, high temp 67; NE wind picks up to 20 in the afternoon as another cold front moves through.
Comment: It is laundry day! We went ashore with a single purpose in mind; do the laundry. Anna Marie took her place in line. We arrived at the marina's laurdry facility at 0750 hours and there were already three people ahead of her. I waited around, checking the news and weather and walking the dock, but eventually returned to the boat to try to accomplish some boat chores.
I had just completed a couple of small tasks when Anna Marie called to say she was ready. On the way to pick her up, the dinghy engine stopped running. I was able to get it started again, but within minutes, it stopped running and no amount of coaxing could get it running again. I broke out the oars and rowed in to get her.
Captain Dave offered to tow us, but, given the fact that it was a bright sunny day with light wind, we declined his gracious offer.
Along the way, Larry (Tropical Gail Winds) offered to tow us. We thanked him for the offer but kept rowing. It really wasn’t tough to row but I wouldn’t have wanted to do it in 25 knots of head wind.
Within an hour, I removed, cleaned and reinstalled the carburetor, cleaned out the fuel line and had the engine running again. By this time, the wind had picked up and it was too lumpy to put the motor back on the dinghy. We left it on the kicker pad and will put it back on the dinghy tomorrow or whenever we need to go ashore again.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Cookingand Baking (Day 112)
LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: cloudy & windy
Our New Stove Top Oven
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: cloudy & windy
Our New Stove Top Oven
Comment: We received the new Coleman camp oven in the mail yesterday. This oven was ordered to replace the Heat Pal oven we tried a last week. Since we stayed aboard all day today, Anna Marie wanted to try the new oven. She also wanted to make soup and bread pudding. It seems she spent the whole day cooking!
She started out by “seasoning” the oven. When it was ready, she baked a loaf of Hawaiian Sweet Bread. As an aside, it should be noted that we used to sail to Block Island for summer vacations. While anchored in the Great Salt Pond, we would by the Portuguese Sweet Bread from Aldo. Aldo owned the bakery and patrolled the harbor in the morning and afternoon to sell his baked goods. We really liked the Portuguese Sweet Bread, but have never found a recipe that could reproduce the flavor. Anna Marie hoped that her find of the Hawaiian Sweet Bread mix would finally fill the bill.
Hawiian Sweet Bread
She started out by “seasoning” the oven. When it was ready, she baked a loaf of Hawaiian Sweet Bread. As an aside, it should be noted that we used to sail to Block Island for summer vacations. While anchored in the Great Salt Pond, we would by the Portuguese Sweet Bread from Aldo. Aldo owned the bakery and patrolled the harbor in the morning and afternoon to sell his baked goods. We really liked the Portuguese Sweet Bread, but have never found a recipe that could reproduce the flavor. Anna Marie hoped that her find of the Hawaiian Sweet Bread mix would finally fill the bill.
Hawiian Sweet Bread
After some 45 minutes, the bread came out of the oven and it looked fantastic! After letting it cool for a while, I cut off a couple of slices. We both agreed that it tasted as good as Aldo’s Portuguese Sweet Bread. This box mix is a winner!
Following that success, Anna Marie set out to make some chicken soup from the carcass of the Beer Butt Chicken we enjoyed at Porky’s last night. Without a doubt, the soup was the best ever chicken soup we had even tasted! Anna Marie was on a roll.
The Beer Butt Chicken from Porky’s cost $13.50 and it served us not only for dinner, but we enjoyed Beer Butt Chicken Soup for the next two lunches. What a great deal!
Surprisingly, Anna Marie wasn’t done exploring her culinary talents. She went on the make a Sweet Beef Stew for dinner and Bread Pudding for dessert. Both dishes were prepared in the pressure cooker, which has been getting a lot of use. For weeks it has been too chilly and/or too windy to use the grill. Anna Marie has seemed to enjoy learning the ways of the pressure cooker and it has become the most used appliance in the galley.
Following that success, Anna Marie set out to make some chicken soup from the carcass of the Beer Butt Chicken we enjoyed at Porky’s last night. Without a doubt, the soup was the best ever chicken soup we had even tasted! Anna Marie was on a roll.
The Beer Butt Chicken from Porky’s cost $13.50 and it served us not only for dinner, but we enjoyed Beer Butt Chicken Soup for the next two lunches. What a great deal!
Surprisingly, Anna Marie wasn’t done exploring her culinary talents. She went on the make a Sweet Beef Stew for dinner and Bread Pudding for dessert. Both dishes were prepared in the pressure cooker, which has been getting a lot of use. For weeks it has been too chilly and/or too windy to use the grill. Anna Marie has seemed to enjoy learning the ways of the pressure cooker and it has become the most used appliance in the galley.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Beer Butt Chicken (Day 111)
LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: Overnight temp started at 64 degrees, but made it to 70 degrees by 0430 hours; overcast in the morning with showers; light wind out of the south in the morning; heavy north wind (max 60 mph) and heavy showers began at 2000 hours; the wind subsided by 2200 hours and light showers visited throughout the night
Comment: What do you get when you stick a can of beer up a dead chicken’s butt? After 350 degrees in an oven for who knows how long, it is served as Beer Butt Chicken. At Porky’s, this delicacy costs $13.50 with another $6.00 for sides, you get a tasty meal for two, with enough chicken left over for lunch (or in our case, soup) for the next day.
By the time the meal was over, the wind and rain had started. Rather than head boack to the dinghy, we boarded “Hielan’ Lass” for a game of cards. We played for an hour or two and by the time we finished, the wind and rain had diminished to a tolerable level. John drove us back to the Boot Key Harbor City Marina, where we pumped out the accumulated rain water that covered the dinghy floor and headed for home. With our foul weather gear on, we didn’t even get wet!
Lat/ Long: 24 42 32N 81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out bread crumbs.
Weather: Overnight temp started at 64 degrees, but made it to 70 degrees by 0430 hours; overcast in the morning with showers; light wind out of the south in the morning; heavy north wind (max 60 mph) and heavy showers began at 2000 hours; the wind subsided by 2200 hours and light showers visited throughout the night
Comment: What do you get when you stick a can of beer up a dead chicken’s butt? After 350 degrees in an oven for who knows how long, it is served as Beer Butt Chicken. At Porky’s, this delicacy costs $13.50 with another $6.00 for sides, you get a tasty meal for two, with enough chicken left over for lunch (or in our case, soup) for the next day.
By the time the meal was over, the wind and rain had started. Rather than head boack to the dinghy, we boarded “Hielan’ Lass” for a game of cards. We played for an hour or two and by the time we finished, the wind and rain had diminished to a tolerable level. John drove us back to the Boot Key Harbor City Marina, where we pumped out the accumulated rain water that covered the dinghy floor and headed for home. With our foul weather gear on, we didn’t even get wet!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Super Bowl Sunday (Day 110)
"Valkyrie" a home built cruiser
LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195
It seemed that the Cardinals were the sentimental favorite for this crowd. The Steelers won in the waning seconds of the game. Even Cardinal fans had to agree that it was a good game.
We took some pictures of interesting boats that are in the harbor. Some are included here, the others are in the February photo album.
LAY DAY: Boot Key Harbor, Mooring Ball L-10 MM1195Lat/ Long:
24 42 32N
81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out
bread crumbs.
A live aboard Tartan 27
24 42 32N
81 05 57W
NOTE: To view our position, click "Position Reports” in the right hand column. You can zoom in for a detailed view or zoom out to see out
bread crumbs.A live aboard Tartan 27
Weather: Partly Cloudy (solar gain 49.9 amp hours), low in the mid 60s, high in the low 70s; NE wind 10 – 12 knots
Comment: It is Super Bowl Sunday. We partied in the marina building with about 80 other people. Captain Dave is a Steelers fan so we joined him in rooting for the
Steelers although we really preferred to see a good game. That’s what Captain Dave wanted too. We were joined in our “booth” by Chris from “New Wave.” Chris was torn between rooting for the Steelers or the underdog Cardinals. He too, was hoping for a good game.
An expanded houseboat
Comment: It is Super Bowl Sunday. We partied in the marina building with about 80 other people. Captain Dave is a Steelers fan so we joined him in rooting for the
Steelers although we really preferred to see a good game. That’s what Captain Dave wanted too. We were joined in our “booth” by Chris from “New Wave.” Chris was torn between rooting for the Steelers or the underdog Cardinals. He too, was hoping for a good game.An expanded houseboat
Our party consisted of hoagies and chips with some sparkling water to wash it down. Others 
partied with beer and spirits. One captain brought 14 cans of beer and 9 ounces of Bourbon. A couple of folks overindulged and wound up stumbling around and breaking things. One couple took a hard fall but appeared to have escaped injury and that was before half time!
partied with beer and spirits. One captain brought 14 cans of beer and 9 ounces of Bourbon. A couple of folks overindulged and wound up stumbling around and breaking things. One couple took a hard fall but appeared to have escaped injury and that was before half time!Ian Farrier designed folding Trimaran
It seemed that the Cardinals were the sentimental favorite for this crowd. The Steelers won in the waning seconds of the game. Even Cardinal fans had to agree that it was a good game.
We took some pictures of interesting boats that are in the harbor. Some are included here, the others are in the February photo album.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)