New Neighbors

Weather: Most of the day was overcast and we had several periods of rain showers; there were periods of bright sunshine to remind us we were still in Paradise; temps ranged from the high 60’s to the mid to high 70’s

Comment: We enjoyed a lazy day today. We spent considerable time ashore, watching the comings and goings of various boats. We also spent some time in the cruisers’ lounge, watching a couple of football games – the NY Giants played the Minnesota Vikings in the early game. The Giants got trounced!

We returned to the boat for dinner and welcomed two new vessels to our mooring ball. As they approached our port side, the crew of “Rum Tum Tiger” a Leopard 40 (catamaran) asked what our hull number was. They had owned PDQ hull number 17, but felt they needed something a bit larger. “Rum Tum Tiger” towers over “SUNSHINE.” She makes our boat look very small! They have been traveling with the Hunter 44 monohull, “Albie II.”

After diner, we went back to the cruiser’s lounge and had an enjoyable evening watching the Eagles play the undefeated Patriots. They Eagles played a great game, but the Pats remained undefeated.

During the day, I just about finished reading “The Coalwood Way” by Homer Hickam, the second in his trilogy about the mining town in West Virginia. I previously read Volume I of the trilogy, “The Rocket Boys: A Memoir,” on which the movie “October Sky” was based. It is one of my all time favorite books and movies.

One of the pleasures of cruising is reading. I don’t take enough time to read when I’m home.

A Dinner Party

Weather: We continue to enjoy very pleasant weather. Temps range from 70 to 78 degrees; the days provide plenty of sunshine, although there are periods when the clouds come out to play. Tonight, we have a 30% chance of showers and thunder showers. As or 2000, only a very brief shower ( a duration of perhaps two minutes) breezed through te anchorage.

Comment: Last night, we heard that the last two or three tables to reach the Thanksgiving Buffet table had slim pickings and no turkey. We were disappointed to hear that realizing that their meal couldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable as ours. We also felt bad, because we didn’t know what to expect or what to bring to the feast. We brought a pie, but it seemed rather insignificant when compared to the culinary efforts others put into their contributions. We learned our lesson and will be better prepared next year.

As it happens, Anna Marie and I like to enjoy the left over Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings throughout the weekend. Our River House feast was most enjoyable, but we certainly didn’t have any leftovers. While shopping last Tuesday, we purchased a three pound turkey breast that would serve as our “leftovers.”

John and Diane (“Duetto”) accepted our invitation and came bearing wine, shrimp and turnips. I had rubbed the turkey with a secret mixture of garlic and rosemary (and other spices) and roasted it on the grill. Anna Marie prepared sweet potato casserole, corn, gravy, stuffing. The meal was served with dinner rolls. It was delightful. We had pleasant conversation with our guests and shared stories about cruising experiences, favorite anchorages and anchoring techniques.

The meal was capped off with angel food cake and fresh strawberries.

John and Diane bid farewell boarded their dinghy and headed back to “Duetto.” Such is cruising; good wine, good food, and above all good friends. We look forward to enjoying John and Diane’s company at other stops along the way and hope to do the same when we reunite with the “Flock.”

Black Friday

Weather: Mostly Sunny, high in the mid 70’s, low in the low 70’s

Comment: Happy Black Friday! That is how the waitress greeted us at the little café by the boardwalk. We seldom eat out, but today we were up for a treat. After morning chores, we took off in the dinghy and made way to the dinghy dock which always seems to be crowded. We pushed our way into an opening and tied off with about a nine foot tether. A long tether is most helpful as it allows the dinghy to be pushed aside to make room for new arrivals. If everyone uses a long tether, it is a simple matter to push other boats out of the way in order to bring the dinghy up to the dock for boarding. Generally speaking, when crew tie up their dinghies on short tethers, it is assumed that they are inexperienced cruisers.

We were in the mood for a long walk today. Our trail led us from the marina to the north end of the boardwalk. Near the north end of the boardwalk, we found this air-conditioned lifeguard station. It is a state of the art unit and superior in everyway compared to the giant lifeguard chairs common on the New Jersey Shore.

We walked the length of the boardwalk and then walked along the beach for about a mile. We exited the beach near the beachside center town and enjoyed a cool beverage at an establishment named the “Working Cow.”

Refreshed, we continued our walk throughout the town and did a little window shopping. These are very upscale shops and many stock unusual items. We actually made a purchase! We bought what can best be described as a hot plate seemingly made of plastic. It would appear that a hot pot would melt the thing, but oh contraire, it stands up to the hottest pot!

Our walk was completed when we arrived back at the marina. We hopped aboard the dinghy and made our way back to the mother ship!

Before we left for our walk, we helped Andrew and Vanessa (“Tally Ho”) cast off from our port side. They are off to Fort Pierce. Their departure marked the official disbanding of the “FLOCK.” Each vessel is off to seek its own adventure. I expect that we will renew acquaintances in Marathon, if not sooner. We waved goodbye and wished Andrew and Vanessa pleasant sailing.

We enjoyed a delicious grilled steak and sautéed broccoli for dinner.

We continue to enjoy pleasant weather and are having a great time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Weather: Sunny and warm; overnight temp 70 daytime high 82 – a beautiful Thanksgiving Day!
Comment: Happy thanksgiving! We’re in Vero Beach to celebrate the holiday. We started the day with morning chores, included running the generator for an hour. Our mooring mate, “Tally Ho,” also ran their generator. Andrew and Vanessa invited us to join them for coffee/tea and we enjoyed talking to them about the day’s festivities and our plans for the next few months. There has been much talk about “jumping” over to the islands.

After our morning beverages, Anna Marie and I prepared to depart for the better part of the day. We rode the dinghy a short distance to the county boat launch area adjacent to the River House, site of the nautical swap and our Thanksgiving feast.

The swap meet consisted of about a half dozen boaters who either set up little tables or placed pieces of material on the ground on which to display their wares. We purchased a few DVD’s for the assortment of nautical equipment and original jewelry that was for sale. During the sale, we met and talked to several more boaters and shared stories of their adventures and ours.

Ray and Pat (“Reflection”) were the first of the flock to arrive and they reserved a table for all of us. We eventually made our way into the river House, found the table and took up our seats. Our Thanksgiving mates were Pat and Ray, Andres and Vanessa (“Tally Ho”), and Joe and Sigi (“Sigi VII”). It was a delightful group. Your already know that Andrew and Vanessa came to the states from Great Brittan 26 years ago. Joe and Sigi came to the states from Germany in about 1960. Our initial conversation was about accents, word pronunciation and differences in language.

The Thanksgiving buffet table was chock full of delectable food. There were several turkeys, hams and a pork roast, mashed potatoes, cheese potatoes, several different presentations of sweet potatoes, including a sweet potato praline soufflé that was out of this world! There were several varieties of stuffing including a cheese, sausage, squash and other goodies, about one dozen different kinds of salads, an assortment of rolls, not to mention an assortment of pies, cakes, cookies, and brownies. Most all of the victuals were homemade.

Our pre-meal conversation was accompanied by several varieties of wine and our table, as did others, toasted to friendship, fair weather, good food, smooth sailing and safe passages.

After grace was said, tables were called to the buffet line in random order. All in all, we counted 14 tables each with about eight people for a total of about 112 boaters.

The meal was as good as it looked and the camaraderie was enjoyed by all! It was a delightful holiday meal. Anna Marie and I enjoyed ourselves immensely, but we thought often of our family and what everyone was doing. We hoped they found the holiday as special and enchanting as we did. We missed them immensely.

After dinner, which was served between 1300 and 1500 hours, we headed back to our boat for some R&R. We were to convene on “Reflection” to bid farewell to Pat and Ray, who planned to slip their mooring ball in the morning. We started the farewell party with our traditional playing of Arlo Gutherie’s “Alice’s Restaurant.” Andrew, Vanessa, Joe and Sigi were not familiar with the piece, but Pat and Ray joined in the choruses.

Just before dusk, the party broke up with well wishes and hopes for future meetings. By 0900 tomorrow, the flock would be dispersed to various ports. We hope to meet after the holidays in Marathon.

A Most Unusual Thanksgiving Tale

It has been said that pictures are worth a thousand words. The situation I am about to describe is just such a case (look for more photos in the november 2007 file).

Late on Wednesday, November 21, 2007, a sailboat entered the harbor. This was no ordinary sailboat. It sported a long, shiny black hull that sparkled in the fading sun. Hanging from its eighty foot tall mast were two large yellow balls.

We had heard rumors that a sailboat with an eighty foot tall mast was navigating the Intracoastal Waterway. Knowing that the waterway’s fixed bridges provided a clearance of only sixty-five feet, we thought it incredible that a skipper would take on such a challenge. Still, here, entering the harbor was a boat with a mast that appeared to be all of eighty feet tall!

On Thanksgiving morn, Andrew approached the vessel and found a most gregarious skipper who informed him that the boat would soon be leaving the harbor and passing under the adjacent bridge. He would get to see the spectacle if he wanted.

Upon hearing the report from Andrew, Anna Marie and I jumped into the dinghy and proceeded to the far side of the bridge with camera in hand. Sure enough, the vessel appeared and began the process of canting the boat in order that it fit under the bridge.

Somehow, the large yellow balls swung out to one side to the vessel. As the tethers were let out, the balls gently moved further from the boat until the grazed the water’s surface. At this point, the boat was heeled over to an angle of about thirty degrees off of its vertical position. It fit under the bridge with perhaps about five feet of clearance. The process was so smooth and efficient, that it wasn’t hard to imagine that the crew had perfected the procedure and have repeated it frequently. Once on the other side of the bridge, the balls were hauled in and up; the boat was once again vertical and steamed to the next bridge, less than a quarter mile distant, where it would repeat the process once again!

It was a most incredible sight!

Boat Repairs

Weather: It sounded as though we had a shower or two last night, but the decks were dry when we got up at 0730. The day started out very overcast, and there were showers on the mainland, but none here in the marina. The sky cleared by 1200 and we basked in the bright sunshine and 80 plus degree temperature.

Comment: We were up at 0730, had pancakes for breakfast and made it to the bus stop at 0900. We took bus route 1 to the mainland and transferred to bus 2 for a trip to the super WalMart. We purchased some supplies, among them spare fuses (mini 5A’s) for the refrigeration cooling pump/fan. For some reason, the fuse blew. We bought ice yesterday because we shut the refer down until we could get the cooling apparatus working today.

We were back to the boat by 1200 and after a brief lunch, set about repairing the refer and the water heater. After running a few tests, we found that the refer cooling water pump was the culprit. Apparently it has developed a short which blew the fuse. I disconnected the pump, allowing the refer to be cooled by the internal fan. We’ll order a new pump and install it when we return after the holidays.

The water heater was problematic. There’s not much to go wrong with it and certainly not much to repair. After checking the propane line and joints, it looked like we might need to call in a professional. Andrew and I discussed the problem and he asked about the solenoid. I only checked the wires to the switch. While talking to him, I checked the solenoid itself and found that both the positive and negative wires had become dislodged. After crimping them and reconnecting, the water heater problem was solved. We toasted Andrew with frozen Margaritas!

Anna Marie and I rode the dinghy back to the marina to check out the cruiser’s lounge and to visit with our friends. They are leaving tomorrow and we wanted to be sure to say good bye. Problem is, they aren’t home. We’ll check back later.

We rode over to tell “Reflection” that we are going to try the theater tomorrow. They’re interested in attending the show as is the crew of “Tally Ho.” “Duetto” motored by in their dinghy and said they were interested and that they were hosting a cocktail party tomorrow. After a full day, we returned to “SUNSHINE” for dinner and some down time. We talked to “Tally Ho” for a bit and among the four of us, we have plenty of detail questions about the Thanksgiving bash. We'll try to get answers to our questions tomorrow.

Vero Beach

Weather: Temperature range 66 to 82 degrees; overcast in the morning giving way to partly sunny and then mostly sunny by afternoon; winds were out of the north @ five knots the ICW waters were flat calm.

Comment:
This is a great day for traveling. The overcast sky means that we won’t be looking directly into the golden path of the morning sun. At this time of the year, it’s always nice to leave a bit later. It gives the sun a chance to get higher in the sky which is easier on our eyes. Today, we broke our raft with “Tally Ho” and were underway 0800. We rafted for the first time in a very long time; our last time was probably a decade and a half ago when we used to tie our Tanzer 26 “Sea Quester” to the stern of George and Pat Henkel’s Tartan 27, “Goose I.” We had great times exploring Barnegat Bay in those days.

Speaking of Pat and George, we are looking forward to spending some time with them. They winter in a campground in Sebastian, a mainland community not too far from Vero Beach.

There were plenty of dolphins playing in the Indian River today. We probably saw hundreds of them over the course of our 39 mile run. We also saw five sky divers and shortly after they landed, we heard a frantic call that one had landed in the water just off of Hiram’s Marina. We kept a close watch, but didn’t see anyone. After about ten minutes, a happy sky diver reported that the errant diver was found.

We also made radio contact with friends aboard "Hielan' Lass II." I worked with the Captain John for twenty years and we have shared many sailing adventures. It was great to hear him and we’re happy to hear that he and his wife are doing the trip. It’s pretty impressive because John is still gainfully employed on a full time basis. With judicious use of accumulated vacation time and holidays, they are able to do the trip in segments with some trips back to the job in PA.

We pulled into the mooring field at Vero Beach at 1340 hours. We were promptly notified of a gam and cocktail party planned for 1630 hours on the marina grounds. We met some interesting characters to be sure. Many of these folks are heavy duty cruisers, some full timers, who have done the islands frequently. I talked to more than one about the trip. I’m getting increasingly interested in making the trip, but Anna Marie is still hesitant.

We bid a fond farewell to Larry and Fran (“Kallista”). They will leave the marina at 0900 and will reach Fort Pierce, their final destination tomorrow afternoon. It was a sad farewell. They are the second of the “Flock” to leave. Dave, of “Canvasback Too” stayed behind in Oriental. I think we all thought that he would catch up, but we last heard that he was in Brunswick, GA for a few days. We all wished Larry and Fran safe travels and hope they enjoy the holiday season with their family. We will miss them!

We returned to the boat just in time to view a beautiful sunset and relax in the cockpit for a while. Tomorrow, we'll tend to some boat chores.

Dragon Point

Weather: Not nearly as cool as predicted! Temp range 60 – 77 degrees; North wind @ 5 clocked to east and then southeast and built to 10 knots; skies were clear and bright, a few clouds developed along the ocean in the afternoon.

Comment: We sailed for almost two hours today! We haven’t had the main up and the engines off since the Chesapeake! Our speed ranged from about 3 to 6.3 mph in the light winds and puffs. This section of the Indian River has depths of ten feet outside of the marked ICW channel. As the wind clocked to the southeast, the river was deep enough to allow us to take several tacks across the channel.

We anchored at Dragon Point, where the Banana River dumps into the Indian River. the "Dragon" from which Dragon Point got its name has gone into ruins. I found a photo of the "Dragon" in its former glory.

Friends in the PDQ power cat “Duetto” caught up with us today. We first met them on our Catboat Adventure aboard “Fodder’s Cat.” They left Connecticut on or about October 1 and had a lengthy side trip to Washington, DC.

We hosted another cocktail party and the crew of “Duetto,” John and Diane, joined the “Flock” aboard “Sunshine.” It was great to see John and Diane again and hear about their travels. They gave interested crew of the “Flock” tips on doing the Bahamas.

Tomorrow, everybody will arrive at Vero Beach and all but “Kallista” will enjoy an extended stay. “Kallista” will be off for Fort Pierce where they lay up for the winter.