A Change of Plans!

Friday, February 10, 2012 From: Everglades City, FL MM 63.0 To: Naples, FL Latt: 26 07 88N Long: 081 47 60W Weather: Fog in the morning and evening; variable wind generally less than 5 knots; high80, low 67; sun after morning fog then partly cloudy, then evening fog Comments: After leaving Everglades City, we set a course for San Carlos Bay and Fort Meyer's Beach. The prudent mariner must go pretty far south and west before turning north so as to avoid the Cape Romano Shoals just south of Marco Island. Recognizing that we wouldn't be able to turn to the north until about noon, and having listened to the weather forecast (a cold front is moving in tomorrow), we decided to change the destination to Naples. Rather than motor in the Gulf, we decided to take the inside route behind Goodland and Marco I. This route would give us something to see. It also allowed us to get rocked by small boat wakes.

Sailboat or Motorboat?

Thursday, February 9, 2012 She's a Sailboat!

From: Little Shark River, In the Everglades MM 100

To:         Everglades City, FL MM 63.0

Start Hours: 399.0

End Hours: 400.8

Odometer:         47.8

Latt:           25 51 50N

Long: 081 23 28W

Weather: Low 67, high 83; overcast in the morning, partly sunny in the afternoon; NE 15+/- knots; 5 hour sail!

Comments: So, we're already a day out of Marathon and after yesterday's long slog, we were hoping for salable wind conditions. The forecast for north wind at 15 knots wasn't promising. It the forecast is right, it'd be a long, along and very bumpy motorboat ride to Everglades City.

As we entered the Gulf from our anchorage, we found lumpy seas caused by wind that was out of the NNE. We could sail (yeah), but we wouldn't be able to hold the rhumb line the Indian Key, the entrance to Everglades City. We were able to sail within 10-15 degrees of our intended course. About two miles ahead and a bit to weather of us was another sailboat. Great! We have somebody to race! 

As early morning gave way to mid-morning, we clawed our way to windward of the lead boat. The wind was backing a bit and soon we were able to cross to windward of the rhumb line. We were sailing almost as high as the monohull and much faster. It took less than two hours to pass him. We waved as we went by.

We reached Indian Key by 1250 hours. The 1000, 1100 and 1200 hours averaged boat speeds of 8+ mph, proving that SUNSHINE is much better sailing than motoring!

We were tied up to the Rod and Gun Club in Everglades City by 1430 hours. We walked around town for a couple hours, stopping for a delicious seafood dinner at the Oyster House (about two miles from the Rod and Gun Club).

There is a nice museum in town, but we didn't go in because a tour bus just off loaded its passengers for a museum tour. It would have been too crowded for us to enjoy. We stopped next door at Sussie's, a restaurant/museum of sorts. It looked like a neat place.

After our walk, we rested on the Club' veranda before boarding SUNSHINE for the evening!

Departure Day!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 

From: Boot Key Harbor, Ball L-7, Marathon, Florida MM 145

To:         Little Shark River, In the Everglades MM 100

Start Hours: 388.8

End Hours: 399.0

Elapsed:        10.2

Odometer:        50.6

Latt:         25 17 66N

Long: 081 08 59W

Weather: overnight low made it down to 75 F, the high reached 80; winds were light and variable at 5-10 knots; Florida Bay was calm but became choppy for several hours before settling down just before we anchored 

Comments: Leaving Marathon can best be described as bittersweet! We love the harbor, the activities and life in the mooring field. But, we're looking forward to new adventures, a slow cruising pace and meeting friends along the way.

It's great to be underway again. The motors hummed along quietly and didn't miss a beat. We put the mainsail up, but the wind was too light for it to do any good. We even unfurled the jib, but couldn't get enough bit to have it draw. 

We made our destination, the Little Shark River by early evening (1810 hours). It was a long, slow motorboat ride to get here.

January 23 - February 7

Well things have been pretty much standard since my last post. We have continued walking, bicycling, and eating Marathon. Here's the synopsis for January 23 - 31:

Monday, January 23, 2012 Pine Needle Baskets

Happy Monday! That's right it's Monday, the day of the week that Anna Marie and other folks from the harbor to meet with Libby (S/V Tarwathie) who teaches them to make Pine Needle Baskets. Libby is a real artist when it comes to making these baskets. She is very creative and her baskets are exquisite.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Bike Ride!

Today's ride was only ten miles. We rode north to the airport, then behind the field to Vacca Cut and south to Banana Bay, where we enjoyed our picnic lunch.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 Laundry and 36 Gallons of Water!

That's right, it's laundry day. Anna Marie did four loads in about three hours. After returning to the boat, I made two runs for water (36 gallons) to replenish the fresh water tanks.

Thursday, January 26, 2012 Key West!

Friday, January 27, 2012 Bocce & Provisioning!

Ever hear of panniers? That's right, they're kinda like saddlebags for bikes. Those things are expensive. We couldn't afford them, even though we could use additional carrying capacity for our bikes. Besides, fancy panniers might make our bikes more attractive to thieves. What to do? I've got it... We'll purchase a few cheap plastic trash bins and zip tie them to the bikes. For the princely sum of $10.00 and a few zip ties, we now have new trash container panniers. Pretty neat!

Saturday, January 28, 2012 Family Fun Day!

The Marathon Community Park was the site for Family Fun! There were games and activities for kids of all ages, with lots of valuable prizes. We went for the music. Misery Loves Company, a local band of four young teens was the headline act. They are good musicians who seem to specialize in classic rock, perhaps influenced by their music teachers. It interesting to see their progress over the last couple of years. They need to develop stronger vocals and a stage presence to go along with their virtuosity on their instruments (guitar, bass, keyboard and drums).

Sunday, January 29, 2012 Dinner Guests!

The crew of Quequeeg joined us for dinner tonight. They kept a watchful eye on SUNSHINE after SUNSHINE while she was on the hard at Driftwood Marina. Thanks Mike and Bev!

Monday, January 30, 2012 Basket Class!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 Road Trip!

Went to check out Belle Hatchee Marina as a possible place to store SUNSHINE for the summer. We passed on the idea.

Here's a summary of our February Log:

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 Broke another spoke and the Wednesday Evening Meet n' Greet!

Thursday, February 2, 2012 Saw the movie War Horse!

Friday, February 3, 2012 Played Bocce in the Park and had ginner guests in the evening.

Saturday, February 4, 2012 The Wild West or Is It the Untamed South?

The Bus breaks down. 1 hour wait for the replacement bus. No problem for us as it he driver pulled to a stop about a mile from the Big Pine Flea Market which was our destination. We were lucky. I'd hate to be the people waiting for the bus at stops just down the road!

Just in case you thought that the Keys were becoming tame and that all the eccentric personalities have gone elsewhere, here's a story for you:

This observation occurred while sitting at the bus stop waiting for the Key West bus to take us to Big Pine Key. Across US 1, a middle aged woman was walking northbound. She was having a rather loud conversation with herself when, suddenly, she stopped, became rather animated, yelling and flailing her arms. Apparently she wasn't happy with some of the things she said to herself! After a couple of minutes, she started to calm down and began walking when, she suddenly stopped again, began shouting and took some swings at herself! She yelled, argued and fought for several minutes before walking away.

Now that's the kind of behavior we've come to expect in Florida. Jimmy Buffet says the cosmic baker took us out of the over too soon. He may be right!

Sunday, February 5, 2012 Super Bowl Sunday!

Watched the Super Bowl in the marina. The Giants beat the Patriots 21-17 in a pretty even contest. The crowd was fairly quiet. There Wasn't really any vociferous cheering, except on the really good plays.

The Relay for Life Team sold hot dogs, nachos and pop corn. They also had a Super Bowl pool. We never heard who won. We watched the game in one of the TV rooms. All the chairs were filled, but we only met the Captain of almost Heaven.

Monday, February 6, 2012 Moving the Truck!

Drove 326 miles to Westland Marina in Titusville where we parked the truck until the spring. Westland will be SUNSHINE's summer home. We left her there two years ago and were happy with the storage arrangements. They've made major improvements to the marina facilities and reduced the price by $1.50/ft. since our last stay!

Before parking the truck, we picked up the rental car from Avis in Titusville. Then we drove the 326 miles back to SUNSHINE, That's right, it was a very long day of driving.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 Final Preparations for Departure!

Weather: rain and thunder showers; low temp 71, high temp in the high 70s; south wind @ 5 knots

Comments: rather than rush around this morning attending to last minute preparations for departure, we decided to take our time. I expect all our tasks to be completed by 1600 hours. Those tasks include:

• Return car,
• Home Depot
• Pack/load bikes
• Stow dinghy
• Final trash run
• Register for one more day on ball
• Make birthday movie for Madie
• Run generator
• Check out @ marina

January 16 - 22

Monday, January 16, 2012        Martin Luther King Day! At about 1000 hours this morning, festivities to honor Dr. Martin Luther King began in the little park across US 1, just opposite the Marathon Community Park. It sounded as though a DJ mixed old Motown hits and recordings of Dr. King's speeches. Although we didn't go over to the park, it was interesting to hear portions of the speeches. It served to remind me of the power of his voice. He was most assuredly a great orator! We picked up the parts we ordered from Eric. Tomorrow will be project day! Tuesday, January 17, 2012    Project Day! Right after the Pump Out boat finished pumping out SUNSHINE's holding tank, I began disassembling the toilet. It didn't take long. I've had a lot of practice recently. As a result, I've become become pretty proficient. We went ashore to cut some pieces that we'll use to modify the base and the cover the new access hole I cut. While ashore, we went to Home Depot to get stainless hex head bolts to replace the brass slotted screws that had anchored the base to the boat. Back aboard, after attending a presentation on making a Turk's Head bracelet, I finished shaping and drilling the new pieces. In no time at all, the head was installed and, what do you know? No leaks! A successful project to be sure. Wednesday, January, 18, 2012    Key West! Ah yes, it's time for a trip to Key West. One of our favorite places to visit. Ostensibly, we went to see the sailboat races, but, after lunch at Pepe's, the oldest eating establishment in KW, we took in a movie (Tailor, Tinker, Soldier, Spy) at the Tropic Theater (my favorite theater!) 1/2 block off Duval Street. Besides the movie and lunch, we managed to walk around KW for an hour or so. It was nice not to have to transfer to the local busses for a change. Last fall the routes changed and the Lower Keys Shuttle now goes into Old Key West! We were back aboard SUNSHINE by 1915 hours. After dinner we made a special Happy Birthday video for Geoffrey. We hope he likes it. Thursday, January 19, 2012    Happy 13th Birthday, Geoffrey! Did twenty miles on the bicycles today and enjoyed a picnic lunch along the way. Yesterday, we made a video of us singing a "calypso" type "Happy Birthday" to Geoffrey. We called him today to wish him Happy Birthday and to see how he liked the video. It was like pulling nails to get him to talk! The girls thought it was funny! Friday, January 20, 2012        Bocce in the Park! We had about 12people show up for the first Bocci Ball competitions of the year. Several of the folks played last year. George and Pat (S/V Air Time) brought a set of Bocci Balls so we had both courts in play. After another picnic lunch, we took a 7 mile round trip bike ride to Sombrero Beach. We got back to SUNSHINE by about 1700 hours. Time for a little R&R before dinner. NB: In the last sixteen days, we have walked or biked just over 100 miles, an average of 6.6 miles per day! Saturday, January 21, 2012    Another Picnic and Some Shopping! After breakfast, we got out the Yoga On Board book and tried a bit of Yoga. The session went well although it was short. We hope to expand it into an hour or so of daily stretching on board. We enjoyed another picnic lunch today, this time on one of the park benches on the bike path to Sombrero Beach. Earlier in the day, we attended a presentation on dehydrated food. Samples were available and tasted good. We decided to order a few things thinking that the items will come in handy when we cruise up the west coast. We went back ashore in the evening for the informal meet and greet. Music was provided by the crew from Valkyrie, Chip Ahoy, and Randy (1/2 of the duo The Barnacles). We haven't heard anything about the Barnacles this year and haven't seen Chris (the other half) in the harbor. We assume he's moved on to another harbor. Sunday, January 22, 2012        100th Anniversary of the Completion of Flagler's RR Our plan to go to the nautical flea market in Big Pine Key was thwarted when we decided to get some exercise in by walking to the bus stop by the shopping centers rather than the one near the marina. We didn't get there in time, so we stopped at Home Depot on the way back to get a couple of items needed to finish the head project. Shortly after returning to the boat, the trim was installed, the tools were put away and the head was cleaned. There are no leaks and the finished product looks neat. A successful completion! We went into the marina to watch the football game (New England beat Baltimore) and enjoyed a crispy, thin crust pizza at the Hurricane before heading to the Community Theater to see Paul Jellinick's portrayal of Henry M. Flagler. Today marks the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Key West extension of the Flagler's Florida East Coast RR.

January 8, 2012 - January 15, 2012

Sunday, January 8, 2012 The Harbor!

It's always interesting to see what boats are in the harbor. We only know a handful of boaters by name but we remember boat names even though we never met those who live aboard them. 

This year, we recognize bunches of familiar boats, but it seems that almost 1/2 of the boats in the harbor have never been here before. There are always new people asking directions to one store or another, or where they can get propane bottles filled. It makes for a very interesting community!

Monday, January 9, 2012 Nothing to Report!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012 A Three Activity Day!

Talk about being back into the swing of things. We had our first Yoga session since last spring and we found that... Yep, we're out of shape! It was tough doing some of the stretches. We struggled through. We'll be back at the next time.

After Yoga, we used the bikes to run a few errands. All in all, we peddled 5 miles, including a stop at the foot of Ole Seven (the old Seven Mile Bridge) for a picnic lunch. On the way back to the marina, we stopped at the community park for a couple of games of Bocci Ball before heading back to the boat where we finished up a few more chores.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012 First Storm!

A couple of days ago, I saw a cloud over Boot Key Harbor. It was a first since we've been in the harbor. The day have been warm (temps in the mid to high 70s) and the nights mild (lows in the high 60s & low 70s), except for a 40 degree night when we arrived on January 3.

There are clouds, plenty of them, over the Gulf Stream, which is just outside the reef, not five miles from Boot Key Harbor. They can be seen daily. As the evening temps cool, the clouds over the Stream break up a bit and occasionally drift toward the harbor just after sunset.

Today's weather was different. From the time we got up, it seemed clear that rain would be coming. Even though it was sunny in the harbor, there were clouds building all around. The weather didn't impede us from doing our tasks. We had to visit Shoreline to order parts for the head and dinghy; we had to pick up my bike (new tires) and drop off Anna Marie's (tires too). We walked to Burdine's for lunch and back to the bike shop to get Anna Marie's bike. 

By the time we returned to the marina, we thought the rain would arrive shortly. We arrived back aboard SUNSHINE and prepared for the rain and possible gusty winds. Not too long after we completed our tasks, the rain came. The wind was strong and gusty. There was even some thunder! The storm lasted about three hours. It prevented us from going to the first meet 'n greet of the season. Too bad. We were looking forward to renewing acquaintances we have previously made in the harbor.

SUNSHINE took the rain and howling winds in stride. We watched a concert (DVD) and a couple episodes of Seinfeld for entertainment. 

Thursday, January 12, 2012 More Rain!

No Yoga today. Anna Marie doesn't feel well. She called for a day of rest. So be it!

After lunch, I did a water run and we added 18 gallons of fresh water to the tanks. While in the mood to do projects, I made a mounting block for the teak binocular/cup holder.

After dinner, we fired up the generator and watched a movie and some old episodes of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.

It got hot after the storm yesterday, mid to high 70s overnight and hot and muggy today. We enjoyed liquid sunshine showers around the dinner hour and again at 2300 hours. They were accompanied by loud claps of thunder. It didn't cool off. These showers did not bring the the high winds that accompanied yesterday's showers. In fact, it's been unusually calm all day.

A dive company was hired to inspect the morning apparatus in the harbor. The inspection team consists of three people, the boat operator, a boat guy to handle the hoses and a diver. The diver does most of the work which includes power washing the apparatus and reporting the on condition of the equipment. His helmet has a built in video camera that is wired to monitoring equipment on the boat. While working on our ball and surrounding moorings, I could clearly hear his descriptions, which accompany the video. each ball takes about fifteen minutes from start to finish.

Friday, January 13, 2012 A False Start to the Bocci Ball Season!

Oh no! Last night's showers have probably soaked and muddied the Bocci Ball courts. We didn't go to shore to do an inspection, but anticipating the worse, I made an announcement on the Cruisers Net to cancel the games until next Friday. That's a disappointing start to the season!

Bicycling became our preferred activity. Heading north, we decided to pedal to the "end of the line" so to speak. It would make for an 18 mile ride. Along the way, we stopped off at the Island Fish Tiki Restaurant where we enjoyed a great lunch. 

Back on the trail, we rode to within a couple hundred feet of the trail's end when, "PING," a spoke broke. This happened last year at about the same location. Anna Marie rode her bike back to the marina to get the truck. I walked the bike two miles back to our rendezvous point, the bench near the Curry Hammock State Park nature trail. In about 1 1/2 hours we were on our way to drop off the bike to the repair shop. The spoke was replaced while we waited.

I rode it back to the marina where I waited for Anna Marie who went to Publix for some provisions. We were back aboard SUNSHINE by 1715 hours.

Saturday, January 14, 2012 Windy!

The wind picked up to 15 to 20 knots last night. SUNSHINE seemed to be the only boat in the harbor whose halyards weren't clanging!

After lunch, we biked to Pigeon Key for the 100th Anniversary of the completion of the Flagler Overseas Railroad. There are 100th Anniversary celebrations all over the Keys this year. We anticipated some problems dealing with a 20 knot headwind, but pedaling wasn't too bad. The only thing that suffered was our average speed.

Tomorrow we'll go to Crane Point for a similar celebration. 

Sunday, January 15, 2012 Canceled!

It started out as a typical day. Come to think of it, the end was typical as well. In between we intended to participate in concert and picnic at Crane Point Nature Center and Museum. When we arrive, we saw a notice that both events were canceled. Too bad. We walked the 1 1/2 mile loop before returning to the marina.

Happy New Year! We're Back Aboard SUNSHINE!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Anna Marie and I are back aboard SUNSHINE! Our plans are to stay in Boot Key Harbor for six to eight weeks and then cruise up the west coast of Florida. We're invited to a wedding in Tampa and we'll be arriving by boat!

The following are blog excerpts to get you up to sprrd:

Monday, January 2, 2012 Heading South in the Ford Truck

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 Arrived in Marathon 

After yet another great Christmas, Festivus and New Year of partying, and another bittersweet good bye to our kids and grand kids on New Year's Day, we packed the truck with clothes and boat supplies. Our planned departure time was 0600 hours for the 25 journey SUNSHINE in Marathon, FL. 

January 2's drive was 14 hours and got us to Hardeeville, SC, a mere 5 miles from the Georgia State Line. 

By 1745 hours on January 3, we were seats in Sparky's, ready to dig into a salad and a few dozen shrimp. Since we arrived at the boatyard in the dark, we weren't able to assess the work that was done to the boat over the summer. 

We did some light cleaning and organizing, unpacked some stuff. The boat is in great shape. She weathered the blistering hot summer well. All the wood and fiberglass surfaces were washed with vinegar before we left. The cushions were spread out in each stateroom and the 6 solar fans and damp-rid  did the rest.. We don't have any mildew or mold. 

We already miss Sandi and Shelley and the kids. Before we left home, we made arrangements to meet the in Myrtle Beach for Easter Vacation. 

We hope to get over the melancholy and get into the swing of things in Marathon quickly. In fact, we'll start tomorrow just as soon as we set up the boat and get launched.

Wednesday January 4, 2012 SPLASH!

Log. Wednesday, January 4, 2012

SPLASH!

SUNSHINE is looking great! We had some gel coat work done in the cockpit, we hired a guy to wax the hull and the yard to put on four coats of ablative bottom paint! We're happy with all of the projects.

The yard did a nice job splashing the boat. They used great care lifting her and placing her in the water.

In November, Anna Marie and I replaced two portlights. We're happy to repot that we have no leaks in them or anywhere for that matter.

The mooring field is full! It's the first time in six years that we couldn't get a ball. We were put on the waiting list. Be mid-afternoon, we received a call that Ball L-7 was available. We took it, but we never made it to the harbor. We spent the day getting SUNSHINE ready for living aboard. We still have lots to do. 

We'll be on our mooring ball by

Noon tomorrow.

The batteries are fully charged. As a result, the solar panels only added 6.2 AH.

Thursday, January 5, 2012 Arrive Boot Key Harbor!

Goodbye Driftwood! Hello Boot Key Harbor!! After getting situated, we retrieved the truck, picked up a part for the dinghy motor, went to the movie theater (MI 4), and spent the last two hours finishing the head seal replacement project. It works smooth as silk now. The real culprit was a little piece of lint that clogged the relief valve. 

The solar panel delivered 24.2 AH to the batteries today.

Friday, January 6, 2012 Back in the groove!

Well it certainly didn't take long to get onto the groove of harbor living. We awoke at 0730, got out of bed at 0800, did some cleaning, enjoyed breakfast aboard as we listened to the Cruisers' Net for the first time this year.

After the Net, we spent 3 more hours cleaning and stowing gear, supplies and clothing. Anna Marie worked on the inside while I attacked the cockpit. I'm guessing we have a week to ten days of work (3 or 4 hours a day) to get things shipshape.

After lunch, we bicycled to Driftwood Marina to drop off the payment for the waxing guy. The roundtrip was 12 miles. 

Saturday, January 7, 2012 SORE!

Yikes! What did we do? Both Anna Marie and I are very sore! It couldn’t be from yesterday’s cleaning activities could it? Because of the aches, we’re on light duty today!