Day 14 Dec 31, 2016 Saturday

Marineland Marina     St. Augustine, FL

We enjoyed the heat of our furnace last night and today it took most of the day to get the laundry caught up.  We washed and scrubbed the deck of the boat and filled up the fresh water tank.  There is no fuel here but think we are good for a few days more.  We expect to leave about 7:30-8 in the morning.  The next few days the high temps are supposed to be in the mid to high 70s. We will be in shorts & barefoot soon.  We will be anchoring out for the next several days.
Wishing everyone a great 2017.  Have a happy healthy new year.   

Day 13 Dec 30, 2016 Friday

Marineland Marina    Heading S. on the ICW   mm796

Today was a cold day and knowing that was coming we got reservations to take a slip at Marineland.  It is nice to have electricity for the furnace.  The laundry is only one washer and dryer which were in use when we got here so I will try tomorrow to get our laundry done, after nearly 2 weeks we have several loads.  We were not close enough to a restaurant to go out for dinner but had an Italian place that delivered bring us some food so I got out of cooking.  
The dock is fixed with posts you have to lasso :(.  Like my floating dock at home.  When we arrived a couple of guys were getting ready to go to the grocery store using the dock masters car. The dock master asked if I wanted to go to.  I was not desperate for anything but not knowing when I might get another chance I went too.  Got some essentials that would keep well. 
We chatted a few minutes with some other travelers docked here.  Amazes me how friendly the boater community is. We will probably stay here again tomorrow before heading on south. 

Day 12 Dec. 29, 2016 Thrusday

ICW heading South      St Augustine, FL    mm765

We left the Sister's Creek dock around 8:30 after a leisurely breakfast of french toast.  We knew we had a short day planned since the Friday destination was about 1 1/2 days away.  We had a cloudy morning but warm and by afternoon it was sunny and really warm.  We anchored early afternoon just off the ICW and enjoyed the calm and sun.  About 5 the sky got ominously dark and the wind picked up to over 30s kts. The current was one way, the wind another and we were playing ring around the anchor.  The track of the boat movement looked like yarn a kitten had played with.  The water got to mere inches under our keel too.  The rain finally came and the wind calmed down but it was a fun ride for an hour or so.

Day 11 Dec 28, 2016 Wednesday

Docked at Sisters Creek free dock      Outside of  Jacksonville FL

We left Cumberland Island and headed south on the ICW. We had a partly sunny day and warm weather. We had everything opened up. 
A couple of guys at the dock caught lines for us and after a while a local couple came by and chatted with us.  They offered to take us to a store if we needed anything.  We have been out of bread for 3 or 4 days and so we accepted their generous offer.  
Our plan for tomorrow is to anchor out then go to Marineland on Friday where we can have a slip with electricity and water since Fri night is supposed to be cold.  I could use a laundromat too if they have one.  Nothing exciting to tell.  We did enjoy watching dolphins playing today several times.  

Day 10 Dec 27, 2016 Tuesday

Cumberland Island    FL GA border
We slept late and got up to dense fog.  You could not see past the lifelines on the boat until after 1:30 in the afternoon.  It never went completely away until about 4 in the afternoon.  We never left the boat but got a few odds and ends of things done that needed done.

Day 9 Dec 26, 2016 Monday

Heading South on ICW  Cumberland Island mile marker 710

We headed out early hoping to go off shore and make it to the GA FL border.  We traveled about an hour in light fog and overcast sky before we got to St Simon Inlet where we went off shore.  We had checked the stats and we were supposed to have 10 or 11 kts winds, seas 4+ ft, waves at 11 sec intervals and that was not too bad.  We would be arriving at St. Marys Inlet about 4 to come up to Cumberland Island state park to anchor. 
We went out St Simon Inlet and the wind was 17-23 kts and wave interval more like 3 seconds and waves were about 4 as expected. It was a tossy and tippy ride. You had to hold on to something to keep on your feet.  Things below scattered everywhere. After a couple of hours of that we decided it was not fun.  Not dangerous, but not fun. We headed back to the waterway coming in at St Andrews Inlet.  We were going off shore mainly to avoid the extremely shallow water at Jekyll Island, and we had passed Jekyll by that point.  
Once in the waterway things again got calm. We motored for a good while then a cat in front of us hailed us and said the water where they were was very skinny and they were reading less than 4 ft on their depth gauge.  Cats have shallow draft but even they were getting anxious. Lee tried to watch carefully but managed to go hard aground.  He wiggled and went up and back and worked his way off.  While he was doing that a large power boat, maybe 45 ft, came up behind us and tried to go around us.  He ran hard aground too. We got off and went on our way.  
It continued to be cool and dreary until we were almost to St Marys, our inlet to where we planned to anchor. Then suddenly the sun came out and the drizzle stopped and a double rainbow appeared.  We wound our way up the river to Cumberland Island and dropped anchor with sun shining and a belief that the rainbow was telling us tomorrow would be a better day. Today was certainly a physical and emotionally stressful one. 

Day 8 Dec 25, 2016 Sunday

Another great weather day.  Sunny and warm.  We traveled 38 miles today.  We traveled lots of very narrow, very shallow water today. Once for a second it felt like we touched but the depth gauge said 6' so...Nothing exciting happened until we anchored.  Then for no apparent reason a flock of black birds came and lit on our boom and life lines.  It looked like something out of Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds movie.  Fortunately they did not stay long, but I am sure they left a deposit or two. The solar display had not been working but Lee seem to have it registering again, and we turned the wind generator back on.  We will see tonight if it starts making excessive vibration or noise again.  It took a bad hit during the hurricane in Oct. 
Our Christmas dinner was not turkey.  I am ashamed to say it was mac & cheese and hot dogs.  We had two more beef roasts and no more ice and not room in freezer and I just could not face pot roast for the 4th time in a week.  I am cooking the last 2 roasts now and figure they will keep a few days in the frig. Next year I will not bring more meat than I have room for in the freezer.  Live and learn. 

Day 7 Dec. 24, 2016 Saturday

Heading South on ICW mile marker 629    Georgia
Merry Christmas Eve

We had a beautiful sunny warm day to travel.  The water was smooth a glass and during part of the day the current helped us and we made 8 kts. Early we saw a dolphin playing ball with himself. Or as near as a dolphin can.  He was coming up out of the water and throwing a fish up in the air, catching it then diving again. He came up, threw the fish in the air and caught it and went down again over and over.  Finally he swallowed it.  We see lots of dolphin but never have seen that before.  He was clearly playing. 

We went through Hell's Gate today and saw a 4.4' on the depth gauge. With a 4 ft draft that is a scary number. But today nobody bumped the bottom. 

We were both in a better mood today. Although I have several health issues. For one I have a urinary tract infection.  This is a frequent problem so have medication with me and am taking it today but I did not get much sleep last night because of it. Hopefully everything will improve over the next few days. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be another warm sunny day. We have been so much luckier with the weather this trip than last year.  
Since you will not be reading this til the 25th MERRY 
CHRISTMAS  everybody. 

Day 6 Dec. 23, 2016 Friday

Heading South on the ICW mile post 585
We had a rocking and rolling night.  We anchored off the ICW in a not very protected spot. Neither of us slept much so we got up on the wrong side of the bed so to speak. The weather was nice, sunny and relatively warm.  It got hot enough in the cockpit to open both sides.  We seemed to get on each others nerves all day.  We stopped for diesel and to top off water.  We had gone 5 1/2 days on one tank of fuel and still had some fuel. A sail boat is easy on fuel if nothing else.  We are anchored out in the open again tonight but so far does not seem like a rough night. Tomorrow should be a nice day weather wise. let's hope we have a more pleasant day. A decent nights sleep will help. 

Day 5 Dec. 22, 2016 Thursday

Traveling South on ICW   Mile 546

We left our anchorage in bright sunlight at 7:30. Our day warmed up quickly with the passive solar heat created by the canvas surround. By noon it was hot and we opened a section of canvas and I went out on the bow to relax and enjoy the view, in short sleeves even.  Lee was waiting for a bridge to open and was making circles in the waterway when I felt, thump, thump. He had run aground, twice.  Just touched but there was plenty of space to have avoided it.  He was not paying any attention to the depth gauge. 
We traveled until about 3:15 and put out the anchor for tonight. I was so sleepy I crawled under the covers and took an hour and a half nap. Then got up to see what else had thawed and needed cooked before it spoiled.  We are having roast beef again.  Left overs will be used for vegetable beef soup tomorrow night. 
I am afraid to brag too much about the good weather for fear I will jinx it.

Day 4 Dec 21, 2016 Wednesday

Traveling South ICW Mile 570

What a glorious day to be on the water.  We caught the current just right as we left Charleston and flew through Elliot Cut. It was sunny and warm and with the canvas closed it got hot enough we unzipped some of the panels.  The new windows Jack (Sunset Canvas) put in are as clear as real glass. We took turns in the afternoon sitting on the bow just enjoying the sun, warmth and view.  Lee even went up top at sunset and blew the conch shell.  A tradition in the Bahamas. It will get cold tonight, 30s and we are anchored out so will have to bundle up and use the propane heater until we burrow into our sleeping bags.  But we both prefer anchoring over being in a marina so we will tough it out as long as we are comfy in the daytime. Nothing exciting to report.

Day 3 Dec. 20, 2016 Tuesday

We left shortly after 7 from McClellanville. We had another cold cloudy day. We came into Charleston City Marina before 3 and hooked up to power.  Although the thermostat is still not being responsive and the furnace needs to be  manually  turned off and on it still is better than using the Little Buddy propane heater.
We were about to eat dinner when we got a call from the couple who are house sitting for us.  Apparently the sewer was backing up into one of the bathrooms.  This happened last spring on our first day back from our winter on the boat.  It also effects our neighbor as the condo is a duplex. It was a mess overflowing in the floor and out into the hall.  The city claimed it was not their problem and we got a plumber to come fix things.  He never did know what was wrong just that it quit backing up.  There was permanent damage to the hall floor and the front bedroom. We are glad someone was there to know it happened because if there had not been it is hard to know how much damage would have been done.  The floor would not have survived water standing on it indefinitely.
We are sorry our house sitters are having to deal with this as they have had their fill of water in the house.  They were destroyed by the flooding with Hurricane Matthew.
We hope to be off by 9 tomorrow. A nearby bridge is closed from 6:30 to 9 for car travel so we will have to wait to depart.

Day 2 Dec. 19, 2016 Monday

Heading South on ICW

In Leland Oil Co. Marina

McClellanville, SC

What a difference a day makes.  Hot and sunny one day and cold, rainy, and dreary the next.  It got colder and colder as the day passed. Really seemed worse because of how beautiful and warm yesterday was.  We decided we were wimps and wanted our furnace all night instead of just a few hours of heat from the little Buddy propane heater. Just too old to tough it out.  

The day was uneventful except for getting into the marina.  I turned so as I approached the face dock I would be positioned right to head out in the morning. Low tide is 7am and this is a shallow marina. We arrived at about midtide and should have had 8 ft.  We draw 4ft.  I was in the midst of turning and 6.2 suddenly turned to 4.2 then 4 and I was aground. I got off in a minute but had to go straight forward which did not put me in a good position to approach the dock.  Why when you pull everything off with the greatest of ease and like a total pro is no one ever watching, but when you are awkward  there is always and audience? Just is not fair.  

We hope to get to Charleston to the city marina tomorrow night to have power again since it looks like another cold night.  By then it starts to warm up some and we should be able to anchor out comfortably for a few days again. 

Day 1 Dec. 18, 2016 Sunday

Heading South on ICW
anchored at Bull Creek

Today was a great day to start our winter journey.  It was foggy early but cleared about an hour after we left our marina.  It was sunny and warm, 70s all day.  It got to 78 for several hours in the afternoon.  We encountered a lot of boat traffic, as many people were out enjoying this unusually warm Dec. day. Unfortunately we are expecting much colder and rainy conditions for the next several days starting before dawn Monday. 

It was the night before departure and all through the boat is stuff piled everywhere, clutter galore.
The sailors are tired and grouchy and anxious to depart and begin to relax and enjoy the journey- the trip.  It is about the sunset and sunrises and the peace and the warmth and the sand,  The silence and sense of independence and freedom you have.
Lightkeepers Marina    Little River SC   Dec 17, 1016

The Home Stretch

Day 86 & 87
March 28 & 29, 2016
Monday & Tues

Day 86   3/28/16  Monday
We left before daylight Mon. morning to catch a bridge opening.  We put in a bouncy windy day and anchored at Church Cr. south of Charleston, SC.  The wind and current gave us a bouncy evening but by bed time it had settled down and was quite calm.  It was a chilly night, first we have had in some time. The next 2 nights promise to be the same. 

Day 87    3/29/16  Tuesday
We had a relatively easy day.  There was a little congestion north of Charleston with some jet skis that had small children on them that basically parked in the water in front of us. We traveled over 60 miles so it was a long day. I napped in the morning and Lee napped in the afternoon. It was sunny but cool again. Tomorrow Stricklands will be home in Socastee and day after tomorrow we will be home in Little River. Yea  can't wait.  

Beaufort, SC Hiding from weather

Day 84, 85 & 86

March 25, 26 & 27, 2016

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Downtown Marina, Beaufort, SC

Day 84   3/25/16 Fri

We arrived at the Beaufort, SC marina under threatening skies and tied up to a face dock.  We walked a few blocks to a restaurant in town and ate dinner. We grabbed the free courtesy car and went to a grocery store. The part of town we walked through was really nice. There were art stores, jewelry stores and other nice things, not the typical tourist junk places. Lee found a barber shop and got a much needed hair cut while I got a thing or two for the grandchild to be and Stricklands got ice cream. Oh must not forget the gals beat the guys at cards tonight. 

Day 85   3/26/16  Saturday

It was another day at the marina. Still looking gloomy but not a lot of rain really. We took the car again and went to West Marine and the liquor store. We came back to town and ate at the ice cream place that has 10 or 12 specialty hot dogs. Even Lee who is not a hot dog fan thought they were good.  Mine was Southern Nights and had honey mustard and fried onion rings crushed on top. Yum

And of course we got ice cream too. We let the guys win tonight since it hurts Mitch so bad to lose. 

Day 86   3/27/16  Sunday

Happy Easter.  The bunny did not leave any candy. It also happened to be my birthday. It started raining in the night and poured all day long.  We did not leave the boat until 6:30 when we went to Journey to play cards.  I had an upset stomach so we cut the game short and went back to Sea Turtle. In the afternoon I called our good friends Jane and Roger Bonner in Little River to wish them a happy Easter and talk to them and their company. Bonners collect stray people for holidays so nobody sits home alone.  We would have been there too if we had not been on our cruise.  The whole crew sang Happy Birthday over the phone. Our older son called and prodded our younger son to do the same, to say happy birthday too, no singing. 

We plan to leave before 7am to get thru a bridge that stays shut 7-9 for morning rush hour traffic.  We should have a sunny day even if it does start too early. It should be about a 48 mile trip tomorrow.  Looks like we will be home on Thurs.  

Killkenny, GA and Hilton Head, SC

Day 82 & day 83
Wed & Thur
March 23 & 24, 2016

Day 82   3/23/16
We left Frederica River just at dawn. It was beautiful. The moon was full and still up and the sun was rising out of the water too. 
We pushed hard all day and made it to the marina at Killkenny, GA.
It was about the least excuse for a marina I ever saw. There were no cleats, just 1X6 boards stuck up to tie around.  We ate at a little restaurant near the marina. The food was not bad so they get a plus for that. What was bad was the no see ums.  They were thick. It was about the worst we have seen. Do not think I will be docking there again. 
After dinner we played cards til 11:30. Time just got away from us. Martha and I won. We were behind until the last hand or two but our last hand was a good one. Nice to win once and a while.


Day 83   3/24/16
We left Killkenny and headed north at 7:30. It was a foggy start but soon cleared up. Hell Gate was a piece of cake so Lee tells me.  I slept while he went thru it.  Much ado about nothing. It was a sunny day with variable winds. We sailed a bit in one of the larger sounds. The no see ums from last night stayed with us all day, scores of them were dead in the cockpit, but live ones were around all day.  We passed into SC today, so we feel we are on the down hill drag now.  We pulled off the waterway at Hilton Head and dropped anchor around 5:30. We immediately shut things up so the bugs could not get to us. We may have 15kt winds tonight so we shall see how restful our night is. 

St Augustine to FT George to Fernanda BeachFL to Frederica River, GA (Sunday,Monday,Tuesday)

Day 79 & 80 & 81
Sunday, Mon. & Tues
March 20, 21, & 22, 2016

Day 79  Sunday  3/20/16
We left St. Augustine and went to Ft George, FL. Ft George is narrow and the tide and wind are frequently in opposition to each other. We moved from one shore to a marker during the night. Missing each by a narrow margin. Our electronics said we moved 1.4 kt miles while at anchor so you can see we shifted all night. It was quite windy too. I have been at this anchorage before and never liked it, still don't. 

Day 80 Monday  3/21/16
We left Ft George and went to Fernandina Beach picked up a mooring ball and settled in for the night.  We filled up with fuel and water in the morning and headed north again. Also picked up a 12 pk of coke. I was out, a desperate situation. 

Day 81  Tuesday  3/22/16 
We left Fernandina and crossed into GA first thing in the morning. The wind was very light but the water was not very deep. As we passed Jekyll Is. we were in water that should have put us aground. It is very nerve racking to be seeing depths the same as your draft. We managed to get through with out bumping by some miracle. 
We are anchored in Frederica River just off the ICW. 

Titusville to Daytona to St. Augustine

Day 76 & 77 & 78 & 79
March 16, 17, 18, 19, 2016
Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, 


Day 76  
Titusville to Daytona Beach
March 16, Wed.
Dinghy into shore to Jacks Restaurant. Had good food and a drink. 
Uneventful travel and quiet night. 

Day 77
Daytona Beach to St Augustine.
March 17, Thur
Grabbed mooring on farthest away ball.  Lee did not feel well and napped a lot of the afternoon. A pushy sail boat almost ran over me and never hailed to pass. As we approached Bridge of Lions rain started and it thundered and lightninged. Water taxi brought paperwork to  be signed. 

Day 78
St Augustine
March 18, Fri
We took the taxi to shore expecting to see Stricklands. We thought they took the first of 2 trips to shore at noon.  We waited around the shower house for half an hour and never saw them. Finally we called to see where they were and they had never been picked up.  Lee was starting to feel too bad to stay on shore so we went to a restaurant we had been to before and ordered coconut soup. Sounds weird but really good.  Lee got balaclava to have for breakfast tomorrow, then left it on the taxi but the the taxi driver brought it back to us. 

Day 79
St Augustine
March 19, Sat
We went to shore for a charity fund raiser event. There was a low country boil and burgers, silent auction and music.  We also had some ice cream. Martha and I bought souvenir bracelets.  After we ate we went back to Journey and played cards and other games and Mitch brought us back around 6:30 to Sea Turtle. Plan is tomorrow to head north again. Shooting for being home in a little over a week.  

Palm Shores and Titusville

Day 74 & Day 75

March 14 & 15, 2016

Monday and Tues

Day 74   3/14/16

We left Vero Beach Marina early got water and diesel  and dumping trash.  We had a sunny warm uneventful days travel. We were able to put sails up part of the day. We anchored of Palm Shores and had a restful night.

Day 75   3/15/16

We headed out about 9 and anchored at Titusville around 2:30.  We had our sails up most of the day. We got in a few places with little room to maneuver under sail.  We anchored and almost immediately saw manatees near the boat.  They stayed around all afternoon and near dusk one came up to the bow and looked us over. We were out on the bow looking it over too.  It was within 5 feet of us for several minutes and in sight for several hours. They have such human looking eyes.  

It started out cloudy but cleared up and has been a really warm sunny day. May be an uncomfortable hot night.  The no-see-ums came out at dusk followed by a few mosquitoes.  The bane of my existence when out doors is how much the bugs that bite like me. 

Last Days in Vero

Day 72 & 73

March 12 & 13, 2016

Sat. & Sun

Moored at Vero Beach, FL

Day 72   3/12/16  Sat

We got up early and went to the dinghy dock to catch the bus to the beach to go to the Saturday Farmer Market.  When we got to the bus door the driver said not run to the beach today. The road was closed for a St Pat's Day parade. 

We decided to walk to the Riverside Restaurant to get brunch.  While we were there a fishing charter came in and started cleaning its customers fish at the guest dock right beside the window we were sitting at.  A dozen pelicans came to catch the tails, skin, and heads the capt tossed in the water.  A couple came right up to his feet and he kicked them off in the water.  They fought for every scrap. It looked like a few were about to choke to death on the big heads. 

After brunch Lee and I decided to go to the craft and arts show that was nearby.  We heard it was a big event. Martha and Mitch passed and went back to their boat.  There were over 200 vendors and thousands of beautiful things.  I could have spent a fortune but bought one little item. We walked until my knees were ready to give out then came back to the boat.  

We played cards after dinner and beat the guys again.  Not sure Mitch can recover from the humiliation. LOL

Day 73 

March 13, 2016

Sunday

Vero Beach

We planned to go to Target and Lowes by taking a couple of city buses to get a few things. The most important of which was cig lighter plug adapters to charge our phones and ipads. When we got to shore we found out the buses did not run on Sunday.  Since we plan to leave bright and early Monday morning we really needed those adapters. We walked most of 3 miles to a tiny podunk grocery store and they had them for $15 a piece. (way more than normal) They had cords with them, which we did not need. We got some for us and Stricklands. While we did that Martha went to the craft and arts fair by herself.  We dingyed her over to the restaurant guest dock and she walked from there.  When we all returned to the boats Lee took Martha and I to the laundry and we did a final wash/dry before departing tomorrow.  We expect to be on the hook for a while and not have access to laundry facilities.  

Cruising =Working on your boat in exotic pace

Day 70
March 10, 2016
Thurs
 Vero Beach, FL

Mitch stayed on the boat most of the day tinkering on his generator. Unfortunately it is not fixed. Lee took Martha and I to shore and we caught the bus to Publix and West Marine and the beauty shop. We hauled all we could carry back to the bus stop and brought it back to the boats. Stricklands got their dinghy motor back and have transportation to shore now. The husband of the chef who invited us to the cook out looked at Mitch's generator and found a faulty resister and hoped it was the problem. They ordered a new one and got it overnighted to the marina. 

We dealt  with a problem with an IRA I have. Tough to do when you have no business stuff on board, no account numbers, statements or anything. Think we may be getting close to straightening it out. 

We played cards and Martha and I had the guys on the ropes but lost in the last hand. Eventually we will win. 


Day 71
March 11, 2016
Friday
Vero Beach,FL

Today was a continuation of yesterday. We went to the marina office to run off some forms I needed to return to the broker on the IRA. Then Lee started trying to replace the joker valve on the head. This turned out to be much more of a chore than it should have been. 

The husband of the chef came and helped Mitch most of the day but still no working generator. He has about given up. Mitch also put cigarette lighter plugs in his boat so he can charge the cell phones and tablet off the battery. 

We took the bus to town to get a nice dinner out at TooJays. 
Last but not least the ladies beat the guys at cards, FINALLY.

You Win Some You Lose Some

Day 69

March 9, 2016

Wed.

Vero Beach FL

Mitch's generator has quit charging his battery and he and Lee opened up the floor and stared at the thing.  Not sure either one of them knew what they were doing but it did not get fixed in any event. 

We got on the free town bus and sort of figured out how to get places on it.  We were attempting to go to the city power plant where the Vero Beach app said you could see manatees. We went through 2 buses and walked a little to the spot. The signs said Manatee Parking here. But we did not see anything and signs said No Trespassing. A woman came by on a bike who looked like she might be a local and I asked her about the contradicting signs. She said that the power plant had closed 3 years ago and that it no longer put out warm water that attracted manatees and they quit coming in March unless it was a real cold spell. Looks like the Vero Beach app they tout could have deleted the power plant viewing spot in 3 yrs.  We got back on the bus and came back to the marina. 

By the time we got back to the marina it was time to go to a cook out we were invited to. The chef from Riverside Restaurant invited us to come. There were about 15 people, some locals, some passing through like us. Mitch was able to find a couple of people to talk his generator problem over with and they drew some conclusions.  One of the guys, Dick is coming over tomorrow to look at it.  Fellow boaters and cruisers are almost always friendly and very helpful. We had a nice time at the cookout, yummy food and a couple of cute dogs. One Gracie that stole my heart. 

Vero Beach FL

Day 67 & 68
March 7 & 8, 2016
Mon & Tues
Vero Beach FL

Day 67    3/7/16
We left Jensen Beach anchorage after a windy night and headed to the north. We picked Vero Beach because it let us get a mooring ball cheaply and have access to all the perks of a marina.  We knew it was protected because we stopped there last winter. We were able to sail part of the day and were really moving along with 15kt winds but we came to a bridge that had an inspection crew under it on scaffolding rigging and the bridge tinder made us take our sail in. We had to wait for the inspection team to get off which cost us all the time we gained by our speedy sailing up to that point.  

We got to Vero Beach City Marina and rafted up on one mooring ball with Journey. That was much easier than I remembered from last year. The guys went in to pay and get maps and bus schedules and Martha and I stayed on the boats. Tomorrow we will go ashore too and get the lay of the land. 


Day 68   3/8/16
Moored in Vero Beach.  We gathered clothes and went to shore to do laundry. The dinghy dock is nice and not to far from the laundry. While the clothes washed and dried I loafed in the lounge and watched TV and Martha raided the swap library. She walked away with a bunch of good books that looked new.  I landed a Chesapeake Waterway Guide 2008. 

While we were there Martha checked out the business cards on the bulletin board and found a motor mechanic and called him. She explained their dinghy outboard issue and he said he could get to it tomorrow. Every other inquiry had gotten 2 weeks maybe to get to it.  She called Mitch and he talked with the man and arranged to have the outboard picked up this afternoon at the marina office. The guys had caught the bus to the beach and were exploring for marine stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, and restaurants. 

When the guys got back we were just finishing laundry. We took our laundry to the dinghy dock and waited. And waited. And waited. After an hour and a half they finally came and picked us and the laundry up.  While we were waiting they were trying to get the motor off. The key would not open the lock and eventually they cut the lock to get the motor off.  Then Mitch waited for the mechanic because he wanted to talk face to face with him before he left with the motor.

 Mitch stayed on shore and Lee took Martha and me to the boats with the laundry. Then we returned to shore to meet Mitch and take a bus to the beach to eat. While we were waiting on the bus Mitch struck up a conversation with a woman also waiting. She happen to cook at the Riverside Restaurant which was within walking distance so we all decided to walk there and skip the bus. She recommended the fish and chips so that is what everyone except  me. 

Full and satisfied,  we towed Mitch in his dinghy back to the boats. Unfortunately Lee's method of towing left Mitch fishtailing (in a hard shell dinghy) bouncing off large power boats in slips. After he finally got away from anything he could hit Lee got us all back to our boats. Mitch was up for a card game but Lee and I were beat and Martha's back and mine were none to happy so we declined.  We hit the hay early.  I was too tired to sleep, strange as that sounds but I did rest. 

Jensen Beach FL

Day 65 & 66
March 5 & 6, 2016
Sat and Sunday
at anchor Jensen Beach, FL

Day 65     3/5/16   Sat
We were up in the wee hours of the morning and headed north from West Palm Beach by 7. We were not sure where we would end the day but had a few options for anchoring.  The waterway on a weekend is crazy. We were tossed like a cork by passing power boats and the wind too.  It was a tiring and bouncy day. At 3:30 after rejecting 2 anchorages we finally settled on one at Jensen Beach. We went aground, barely, while hunting the perfect place to drop anchor.  Then another boat came in and anchored uncomfortably close to us. We are watching it. After last night we do not want to play bumper boats again. 

Oh, I wrote yesterdays log before the middle of the night fiasco. We anchored last night and when wind or tide shifted we came way too close to a boat I had said could be a problem if things shifted at the time we anchored. But Lee did not listen. After dark we did get too close and pulled anchor and moved.  We anchored among power and sail boats at reasonable distances and went back to bed.  Lee yells in the middle of the night, get up!! (2am) and we are against the side of one of the big power boats.  He tells me to pull anchor and I do and he starts backing up.  Our anchor is under the other boat so apparently their anchor drug and they came over to us.  In the process of getting away from them, Lee backed up into 2 large power boats that were rafted together.  Somehow our dinghy or something on our stern was tangled in a rope on their boat. He was out fending off our bow sprit from their side and I was trying to steer us forward and away from the boats. Finally the rope broke loose.  How all 3 boat loads of people slept through all this I do not understand but we never heard or saw anyone. We then moved way away from most other boats and dropped anchor again. By this time we were both so hopped up on adrenaline that nobody was sleeping. Lee stayed in the cockpit on anchor watch until 4 and I gave up trying to sleep and came and joined him. Although I wanted to go to the Manatee Discovery place we had both had it with the non-anchorage anchorage.  Thus the early morning departure Sat. 


Day 66   3/6/16 
Anchored at Jensen Beach temps low 70s bright and sunny but wind in high teens to 20 all day. We decided to stay put and relax and avoid the weekend madness. Tomorrow Mitch is going to check with the marina insight and see if they can check out his dinghy motor. With no dinghy you are trapped on your boat.  There are some good things around here if we went to shore I think. Whether we stay or go tomorrow depends on what Mitch does, either way it looks like we are in for a week of winds in the high teens and 20s. But at least it looks like sun so temps in the day will be 70s. Not much interesting to report today, but after Fri night/Sat morning I am good with dull.  

West Palm Again

Day 63 & 64
March 3 & 4, 2016
Thurs and Friday
Miami to West Palm

Day 63   3/3/16
Today began early with a trip to the dock to top off our water. We then headed out of Biscayne Bay into the Atlantic Ocean. We spent the day on comfortable seas in sunny warmth coming back inside at  Ft. Lauderdale  where we anchored for the night at Sunrise Bay.   We could see all the skyscrapers on shore a lot of the day which was awesome. You don't get the massiveness of the development when you are in it. The water off shore was such a deep aqua it was beautiful and it was nice not to be dodging  other boat and timing bridges.  Stricklands stayed inside where our mast would not let us be. 

Day 64   3/4/16
We left at the crack of daylight because we knew it would be a long day and we would be dealing with bridges all day. We went through 20 bridges today. Most were timed, a few were on demand. It was looking like rain in the afternoon but it never came. Once we were anchored in West Palm the wind picked up to 20kts.  The city anchorage and dinghy dock area was totally empty. This is not normal. Several boats were anchored across the ICW from the city anchorage. We went over there and dropped anchor then looked at Active Capt to see if it said anything about what was up with the city anchorage. Could not find any info so I called the water front West Palm tourist info center.  They did not have a clue why no boats were anchored where normally 10 to 20 are.  We still do not know what is going on. Maybe tomorrow we will find out. 

Stricklands were getting a vibration in there motor and stopped to have a diver check their propeller and shaft.  It was a coconut husk wrapped around the propeller. Took a few hours out of their day but good news. Could have been worse.  They are faster than us so they will catch up to us by dark so we will be together again.  

Tomorrow I want to go to the new Manatee Discovery center in northern West Palm then I am ready to move on unless we get a bad weather day. 

Coconut Grove

Day 60 & 61
March 1 & 2, 2016
Tues and Wed
Miami, FL

Day 60   3/1/16
We got up and met Enterprise to get a rental car.  We did not need it to drive to West Marine because it was literally beside the car rental place.  We walked over got a new pump for the shower drain and a waterway guide for southern FL, the Keys and the western side of FL. We went to breakfast, at 11, so I got hot dog but everyone else ate breakfast food. Then we drove to Walmart, Lee was hoping they would have an optical dept that could adjust his new gasses. They didn't.   Then  to a nearby store, Fresh Market.  It is a lot like Trader Joes. Got good stuff. Stricklands got steaks to grill and I got salad.  Lee was not hungry. We got other miscellaneous stuff too.  Oddly that took almost all day.  The last water taxi leaves at 5 so got to head back to the boat by 5

Lee tried installing the new shower drain pump but it did not fix the problem. He finally concluded he needed a new switch not a pump. When we return the car in the morning he can pick up a switch. We listened to election results as much as we dared. We are eating up data like it was candy.  Our guy won a few but is not in the lead.  But I still hold out hope, good guys can finish first occasionally.


Day 61   3/2/16
We caught the 8 am water taxi to shore. We all ate at the Fresh Market except Mitch.  Lee had a sweet roll, I had mini scones, and Martha had a strawberry pillow.  It was enormous and covered with powdered sugar and good creamy stuff.  Martha could hardly attack it.  It dumped sugar all over her, left her with a whip cream mustache and we all enjoyed watching her try to eat it. Even other diners were laughing. While the guys returned the car to enterprise Martha and I did laundry. About the time we finished the laundry the guys were back.  Lee got a new lucci light and a new switch.  We took our stuff back to the taxi dock and went back to our boats.  I napped and Lee fixed the shower drain.
When 2 rolled around we went to shore again and walked a block or two to the edge of Coco Walk and ate at a place called the Book Store. We missed the 4 oclock taxi by a hair so had to wait til 5 to go back to the boat. We plan to get water and head north to do a day of off shore to Ft Lauderdale tomorrow. Check Lee's facebook for a pic of Martha and the Monster Strawberry Pillow.

Keys to Miami

Day 57, 58 & 59
Feb 27, 28 & 29, 2016
Keys to Miami

Day 57   2/27/16
Left Plantation Key and headed north. We made it to Steam Boat Creek anchorage in Barnes Sound. It is the place the mosquitoes attacked on the way south.  We anchored out far enough not to be reached this time. We had high winds and quite a bit of chop on the open sound. We sailed a little when the winds were not too fierce but only with the main up. Had nice sun and warmth during the day and a restful night. 

Day 58   2/28/16
We left Steamboat Ck anchorage heading for Coconut Grove, FL but the wind picked up and the chop got rough. We detoured to Sands Key and got in a protected spot. We had a calm evening and night.  We will decide about going on in the morning when we see what the wind has in store. 

We sailed a couple of times today when we were in wide open places. We used the jib alone but got a some speed out of it. Love turning off the motor and hearing silence when we sail. 
Out of cokes for over 24 hours.  My go thru withdrawal if I do not get some soon.  

Day 59   2/29/16
Happy Birthday to you '29ers. We took off from Sands Key and headed to Coconut Grove, FL and Dinner Key in the sunny blue warm morning. God is smiling on us. Wind only 3 to 5 kts but at least there is not vicious bouncing. We could not sail but it was a lovely day to motor.  We arrived at about 2 and grabbed a mooring ball. No trouble finding the one assigned at all. It is a big mooring field and it can be hard to find the right  ball sometimes.  We only took the ball because a free water taxi services the mooring field every hour from 8 til 5. That way you do not need to take your dinghy to shore to their  very crowded dinghy dock. 

Well did something today I have never done before and at my age that is saying something.  I was having a caffeine withdrawal headache cause I had been without a coke for 2 days. Mitch and Martha have pepsi on their boat. Not coke but still has caffeine.  We pulled up close beside them and Martha tossed a coke to me on the deck of our boat.  Unfortunately it fell slightly short and it did not float.  We swooped around again and this time Mitch tossed me a pepsi. Success !! I caught it.  Pepsi is not bad when you do not have coke.  

We caught the 3 oclock water taxi to shore paid for our mooring ball and checked out the laundry facilities for tomorrow. I found a coke machine put in a $5 bill and got $2.25 Change back. Expensive 20 oz coke. When we got on the water taxi Stricklands were already on there with several other folks. I asked Martha if I could kiss her husband, she said yes. I kissed him on the cheek and he had to explain to the people why that happened. Martha got a pic of me trying to catch the bottle. 

We have arranged for a car tomorrow and will get a new sump pump for the shower, get a few groceries, do laundry and eat a meal at a restaurant, or at least that is the plan. Plans have a way of changing. 

Blocked Dock

Day 56 Friday
Feb. 26, 2016
Plantation Key FL

We had planned to make today the beginning of our trip back north. We needed water in our fresh water tank, diesel, and to ditch a couple bags of trash.  Plantation Yacht Harbor was in sight so figured on pulling in there before we headed north.  We called and they told us we could not get fuel and it might be tomorrow before we could. There was a large boat that was disabled at their fuel dock and they could not move it.  The mechanic might get out today or maybe not, to fix the problem. There was also a strong 20-25 kt wind that was going to make getting to the fuel dock hard if it were empty. We looked at other nearby marinas for access and depth and could not come up with anything we liked so we sat. In  the afternoon the marina called and said the boat magically started to run again and had left the fuel dock. The wind had magically disappeared too so that was a double header. We went in and got filled up with water and fuel and came back to Journey and anchored beside her  We did the refill on such short notice we did not have our act together.  We forgot to fill the 2 water cans, the 2 fuel cans and did not hose  the salt spray off the eisen glass.  Well at least we will be set to go on Sat. morning. It is supposed to be mid 50s tonight and the wind has settled so maybe we will have a good nights sleep to start our journey home. 

Windy Days

Day 54 &55
Wed and Thur 
Feb 24 & 25, 2016
At anchor Plantation Key, FL

Day 54  Wed. 
We hung around on the boat and enjoyed the sun and read.  We had defrosted, well sort of, our freezer because the temp had gone up to 28 degrees while at max cold.  After returning the frozen food to the freezer the temp was 38.  Lee had run Mitch over to the marina for some ice for their boat. We added a 10 pound bag to our freezer, shifted the solid insulation to the bottom from the side, added bubble wrap to the top and slowly the temp came down. It was to 32 by bed time so I breathed a sigh of relief.  

The mechanic who worked on the dinghy outboard in West Palm Beach called and said Lehr, the motor manufacturer, sent him a check for $850 for warranty work done on the motor. That would have been all well and good except we paid him in cash before he gave us back our motor. We had sent the invoice to Lehr explaining we had paid the mechanic and they should reimburse us but ...  Oh well the mechanic is going to send us a check for the bill.  Glad he was honest enough to tell us he got paid twice. 

Day 55 Thur
Wed night was another rocky rolly night. Damn El Nino! We are hoping after Bill runs his errands today he will let us use his car to get our 10lb kitchen propane tanks filled.  It was another sunny but bouncy day at Plantation Key.  Lee went over to Bills house and waited for Bill's return. Then Bill took Lee to Key Largo which was the closest place to get tanks refilled.  You can not just swap tanks like you can for a bar b q grill. The wind calmed down a little by 5. When they came back to Bills, Bill and Sunshine came on over to the boat with Lee. We had a nice visit and ate dinner together. We hope to head north in the morning and they will head north day after tomorrow so it is probably the last time we will see each other for a long time. Access to transportation and a place to tie up the dinghy have been a nice plus to having a friend living in the Keys. It is so nice to see  Bill so happy, they are definitely good for each other.

Still at Anchor

Day 52 &53
Feb 22 & 23, 2016
Monday & Tues
At anchor off Plantation Key, FL

Monday Feb. 22
Today was another sunny warm day in paradise.  In the late afternoon Bill called and said he had returned from his errands and we could borrow his durango to go to the laundromat. (Bless Bill) 

That was very welcome news because it had been quite a while since I had access to a washer and dryer.  There was a laundromat about a mile away. When we arrived it had a note on the door saying it was closing in 45 minutes. That was not going to do. The woman running the place said the next one was several miles away in Key Largo and gave a rough description where it was. We went to it and it was a  busy mad house.  So crowded you could hardly walk. I think we must have been the only ones in the place who weren't Spanish speaking. I crammed 5 loads of clothes in 4 washers. 

After a bit I walked down the side walk in the strip mall where the laundromat was. Lee picked up an auxiliary speaker for our computer so we could hear the cds of House of Cards we brought along and I went to Subway and got us a bite of dinner to eat while the clothes dried. All in all in 2 hours we had clean clothes and started back to Bills.

We did not expect to get back as late as we did and had not left the anchor light on. The sun had set but it was still light enough to see the as we took our clothes back to the boat  The full moon was huge and low in the sky and beautiful. It probably could have lit our way if it had been dark when we returned to the boat. The wind picked up soon after dark and we rocked and rolled all night. It was definitely the most sleepless night I have had on the trip, even the nights when it was really cold I slept better.  It was in the mid 70s all night so it was anything but cold last night. 

Day 53
Feb 23, 2016
Tuesday
at anchor Plantation Key

We did not sleep much last night and the day continued to be bouncy and rolly polly. I tried to nap but could not for the same reason I did not sleep at night.  In the afternoon Stricklands came over and we played cards. We actually played two different games and the guys beat us in both. It was just not our day. They love winning so guess some good came out of it.  We did some planning on what happens after we leave here. Weather changes plans so I won't share til it happens but we are staying put until Sunday at least. At dark the wind and waves calmed down so maybe tonight will be more restful. We got word back home is expecting 20-30 sustained winds with 50 gusts and hail and possible tornadoes. Glad we will be here not Little River on Wednesday..

Snappers

Day 51

Feb. 21, 2016

Sunday

Islamorada, FL

anchored 

Sunday was a lovely warm sunny almost perfect weather day.  We met Bill and Sunshine and Stricklands and we all went to a nearby restaurant called Snappers for Sunday brunch.  It is a very cool place, with outdoor tables right on the water and live acoustic guitar music.  The atmosphere and the music were as wonderful as the food.  We had Eggs Neptune and champagne mimosas and got the best table in the place right in front of the musician.  We hung around til 1. I think everybody hated to leave it was so pleasant.

When we got back to Bill's and walked out on the dock there was and iguana sitting there. Martha was especially enchanted by it.  She still has not seen her manatee but there still is a chance. We know they hang out in the canals around where Bill's house is. We were all full and Bill had a million things to do so we went back to out boats, I started to read and decided lying in the sun and napping was a great idea.  Our friend James Farmer woke up the sleep fest with the bad news that out boat mechanic friend Richard was worse and it looked pretty hopeless. Such a sad situation. 

Appreciate your health and your friends, they are both more valuable than any treasure you might have. Losing either can happen in a heart beat. Live like everyday is your last. 

Glasses & FlesMarkets

Day 49-50
Feb. 19, 20, 2016
Fri- Sat- 


Day 49
Feb. 19, 2016
Fri
Islamorada, FL
at anchor

Friday Lee's replacement glasses came. Just before dark he got a text they were delivered.  He dinghied over to Bill's house and picked them up. He was a happy camper.  We had spent a lot of the day cleaning and straightening up. Things have a way of getting dirty quick on a boat and there are ongoing maintenance types of things that always need done. We stayed on the boat except for getting the glasses. Stricklands are still in the marina 5 miles or so north of us. 
We expect Bill and Jane (Sunshine) to arrive late tonight from the ranch in upper FL. Looking forward to seeing them again. 


Day 50
Feb 20, 2016
Sat

Bill called and asked if we wanted to go to yard sales with he and Sunshine but we told him we were going to the nautical flea market. We went to shore to the Founders Park which has a huge annual nautical flea market.  We went last year so we knew what to expect.  We got several things even though we didn't really need anything.  Mitch and Martha were supposed to bring Journey to anchor outside the park and go to the flea market too. They did not come to Cow Pens until after noon and then did not come to the nautical flea market.  By the time we got back to Sea Turtle they were in Cow Pens.  We had moved closer to the park to make the dinghy ride in a short one so we pulled anchor and went back to the other end of Cow Pens nearer to Bill's house. Stricklands wanted to play cards but 3 hours on my feet had my legs hurting and swelling so I rested for a while, but we did finally go over for a card game. 

Before we finished playing Bill called and invited us to come over for a visit so all of us went to Bill's house.  It was the first time Bill and Sunshine and the Stricklands had met.  But Bill never saw a stranger and Sunshine is as friendly as a puppy so everyone had fun.  We ordered a couple of pizzas and Sunshine made the best brownies and we all had dinner and talked.  Lee tried to down load his cloud stuff on his new phone but I do not think he ever got it all done. It was dark when we dinghied back to the boats.

On The Move

Days 47 & 48
Wed and Thur
Feb 17 & 18, 2016


Day 47 Wed Feb 17, 2016
This morning Stricklands decided they did not want to try to get into the marina at Bahai Honda St Pk and they were heading to Tavenier  about 5 miles north of Cow Pens anchorage and Bills house.  We were at Fat Deer Key because they really wanted to go to Key West so if they were aborting the trip we were not going either. We headed to Cow Pens anchorage between Islamorada and Tavenier and they headed for Mangrove Marina in Tavenier. There was almost no wind, a real switch since the wind has blown incessantly this trip. It was sunny and freaky flat out on the water. We anchored in Cow Pens about 4:30. Apparently Stricklands had quite a time at the marina, no finger docks, Martha could not get off the boat, they changed slips and the dinghy got loose. The really weird thing is once they got in the second slip the dinghy apparently came to them, like they had called it to come home. 


Day 48 Thur Feb 18, 2016
Strickland arranged for a rental car, drove from the marina they stayed in to Bills house and picked us up and we all went to Key West. Mitch was craving frozen key lime pie on a stick dipped in chocolate and he knew where to get it.  We also went to Sloppy Joes for conch fritters and their sandwiches. I have had conch fritters there before and they were good but today they were not.  Lee spent all night with an upset stomach he blamed on the conch fritters. We walked around and over to Mallory Square but it not being sunset nothing much was going on. I picked up a new pair of swim fins at a nice dive shop in Key West and Martha got a tee shirt but that was about all we spent money on. It is always a bit of a curiosity to go to Key West. You always see some very different people there. One woman was all dressed in gold and acting like a statue, a guy in a costume riding a bike and more. Got back after dark and had forgotten to turn on our anchor light. We had a little pen light that did not project very far. I searched the water and found the boat as we flew past it with the dinghy on plane.

Change of Plans

Day 46
Feb 16, 2016
Fat Deer Key,FL
Tues

We got up this morning and it was sunny and blue.  It did not look like a rainy morning that was predicted at all. I said, Let's head on south. Martha agreed so the guys had not choice but to pull anchor and go.  After we were underway I looked at the MY RADAR app on my phone. There was a band of medium hard rain headed our way.  It was a narrow band and probably would take less than an hour to pass over but rain was definitely coming. It did, we survived and it was all sunny again. 

During the day Stricklands worked on hunting a marina in Marathon. We did not have guide books or anything to go by for information but they did. Unfortunately all the marinas in Marathon were booked 2 months out. I looked at the next key south, Big Pine Key and tried a marina there. The first one said forget it, but suggested that we try the state park. Bahai Honda.  It had a camp ground and a marina. So I called the state park and we have reserved 2 slips there for Wed and Thur night. The fly in the ointment is that the channel going into the marina in 3ft at low tide and 5 at high so we have to time our arrival at high tide and our departure also. We shall hold our breath entering and exiting. We will need to stop somewhere on the way to get fuel as they only have water and electric not fuel. 

Tonight we are anchored at Fat Deer Key out in the open but the wind should not be an issue. The winds of the last few days have finally died down and it is pretty calm now. 

Ups and Downs

Day 45
Feb 15, 2016
Monday
Plantation Key
at anchor

Today was a day of ups and downs. It was mostly cloudy, windy and sprinkled a little. We stayed at the anchorage we were at last night again. On the upside Lee went to Bills house and picked up the Fedex package that had his new I phone in it. He got insurance this time so if it goes swimming it is not out of pocket to replace. He was happy to have the new phone. He even had his addresses and stuff. Seems he only lost a few pictures. He thought since he has no wifi out here he would not have the address book etc. 

On the down side, we got a call from good friend James Farmer telling us that our ace boat mechanic and friend Richard Truett was in ICU and it did not look good. His liver is failing and he has bleeding in his brain and some other not good stuff going on. It is hard to hear that kind of news when you are so far away. Even though we know we could not do anything if we were home. Richard is only in his early 60s and much to young to be saying good bye. Let's hope he somehow pulls through. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy and rain until mid afternoon so we are planning to sit right here.  I am having another bout of urinary tract infection and started back on medication today so I can use tomorrow to start getting better. Oh I messed up yesterdays Day.  It was Day 44 not 43. 

Lazy Day

Day 44
Feb 14, 2016
Sunday
Islamorada, FL

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. Know many people are getting snow for Vday. We had mid 70s and sunshine and gentle water for today. We slept in, enjoyed the sun and warmth and had a lovely day. The guys went on a ice run in the dinghy. Lee and I dinked over to Journey for some games.  The gals beat the guys at cards and at pegs and jokers.  They guys really got beat up today. 

A guy from the Raleigh NC area is anchored near us in a trawler and came over to say hi. We chatted a while. Seemed like a nice guy about our age. Formerly a sailboater. The wind generator got a good work out last night and today and seems good as new. No loud sounds, no vibrations, and putting charge in the batteries like gang busters. So now we have solar and wind power both again. 
Tomorrow we plan to do more of the same, or as Lee says, Pile up what we did today. 

Islamorada , Plantation Key

Day 43

Feb 13, 2016

Saturday

Plantation Key

Islamorada, FL

When Lee got up on deck the cockpit was full of mosquitoes. (last nights escapees) He started swatting and got about 3 dozen more killed.  It was sunny and warm. We got back to the trail of the ICW and headed to Plantation Key. We got there in the early afternoon and hunted a good place to anchor.  There is a lovely marina (plantation yacht harbor) at the northern end of the anchorage area, called Cow Pens. But it is $111 a night plus elect and tax, so not being desperate for water or clean clothes opted for anchoring. 

At the southern end of Cow Pens we are near to an area that has channel homes, one of which belongs to our friend Bill Sears. The whole anchorage area maybe 1 1/2 to 2 miles long is shallow 4 to 8 ft.  We picked around til we found a spot with a 6-8

ft depth and dropped anchor. It is a comfortable dinghy ride to Bill's house but a little long for the marina. We will dinghy in to Bill's and grab a cab to the grocery store while we are here. Bill is away at one of his other homes right now. Lee is having his new iphone fedexed to Bill's address and also the new glasses he is having made. So we will need to hang around til that all arrives. 

It is supposed to be around 20 mph winds tonight so we shall see how we ride that out.  We are pretty far from shore but protected from most directions from wind. There is one other trawler and one other sail boat in here beside us and Journey. If Stricklands find it too bouncy they may arrange to tie up at Bill's dock but that is yet to be seen.   

No mosquitoes on the boat but there is on land so staying out here on the water in the boat. yea!

Mosquitoe War

Day 42
Feb 12, 2016 
Friday
Steam Boat Ck
near mm 1130

We left Dinner Key in Biscayne Bay and headed south.  We had not particular destination in mind just a safe place to drop anchor for the night.  We had sunny warm weather and got on shorts, tee shirts and went barefoot.  Happy campers we were.  We stopped at an anchorage about a mile off the ICW called Steam Boat Creek and we had it all to ourselves.  Unfortunately we got a little to close to the land and the mosquitoes found us.  They love me.  Lee put steaks on the bar b q and it was dusk. They invaded before he was through. He got several bites. I got upwards of 50 and am very sensitive to their poison. I could not even enjoy my food.  

We declared war and started swatting with the fly swatter and killed 35 in the eating area of the boat and another dozen in the sleeping area and the cockpit was full of them too. Oddly Journey was a little behind us and they were far enough not to get any of them at all. I will itch for weeks. Hate mosquitoes!!! I did not sleep at all for scratching. 

Pleasant day but from dusk on it was miserable. Headed for Islamorada tomorrow.

Biscayne Bay

Day 41
Feb 11, 2016
Thursday
Dinner Key, Biscayne Bay, FL

We left Ft Lauderdale around 8 and headed out into the Atlantic.  We left Journey behind because she was going to stay in the ICW. 
We had variable winds of 10 to 18 knts. Unfortunately the wind was coming right on our stern which does not make for the best sailing.  We motor sailed most of the day and turned the motor off for about 45 minutes just to hear the sound of silence. The waves were making it a bit rolly polly but tolerable.  

We went through the main channel in Miami Harbor to come back in from the ocean but got turned back by harbor petrol. Had to back track and take the more industrial channel. Huge cargo ships with scores of containers lined the way. Not the prettiest travel scenery. 
We cleared that and headed south to Dinner Key.  We are at anchor
there and planning to head down the Keys to about half way to Key West by Sat.  It was partly sunny and cool but tomorrow and for the next week it is supposed to be in the mid 70s. Sure looking forward to warm and sunny. 

Do not know if Lees phone is dead yet.  It is napping in rice. Time will tell. 

Ft Lauderdale

Day 39 & 40
Feb 9 &10
Tues & Wed
Ft Lauderdale, FL

Day 39
After leaving Boca Raton Lake we arrived about noon at Ft Lauderdale. We  did 10 or so more bridges.  We docked at the Swimming Hall of Fame Marina. It was just a short distance from Los Olas where we had hoped to pick up a mooring but could not reach them to see if any were available. 

The business where we got our wind generator last yr is here in Ft Lauderdale. Lee had called them about the vibration problem and they agreed to take a look at it. Someone from the store came and picked it up after Lee and Mitch got it down from its perch. He promised to bring it back Wed after the store closed. 

I did 4 loads of clothes one load at a time and it took all afternoon to finish. Soon after that we went to a nearby place called Coconuts for dinner. We had eaten there before and knew it was good. We were cold because the breeze was chilly and the doors were all open. We returned for a game of cards and Martha and I killed the guys. Slept like logs, warm and calm in our boat. 

Day 40
We sat around and did pretty much nothing until noon. Mitch wanted to go to Sailor Man and Lee was into going along too. Martha and I thought we could skip that. The guys could not decipher the bus routes to tell how to get there by city bus so they just hopped the first one they saw and got as close as possible. They ended up walking several blocks to get to the store. They found some anchor chain Mitch was needing and figured they got a pretty good deal. 

Martha and I walked to a nearby 7 11 so I could buy some coke. Then we walked over to the beach and sat a while with our feet in the sand. The clouds came in and the wind picked up and we froze out so we came back to the marina. The guys came back around 4 and I had to go admire their find.  We all walked over to the beach road and looked for a place to grab dinner. Everyone but me got hamburgers, I had a salad.  

After that we stopped at Stricklands boat to talk about what comes next. We will have to go out in the ocean for tomorrows travels because there is a bridge which is fixed that is too low for us.  Stricklands will continue in the ICW. But we should all join up again tomorrow evening at Dinner Key and continue traveling together from there.  While we were there the wind generator was returned so we took it back to Sea Turtle. After we got on the boat Lee remembered he had borrowed some of Mitch's tools and he started back to their boat to return them. Unfortunately he tripped on a dock line getting off our boat and fell in the marina. After his swim in the dark I got out the swim ladder and he climbed aboard. He was fine but the cell phone and his glasses are casualties. It was funny until we realized his new glasses were gone and his cell phone is probably a loss too. Wonder if the Water Gods prefer human sacrifices or various boat paraphernalia?  

On the Move Again

Day 38
Feb 8, 2016
Monday
Boca Raton, FL
at anchor

We left West Palm Beach at 9 and went through 11bridges today. Some were on demand, some specified times. We only got 26 miles. We are about 20 miles north of Ft Lauderdale, which is tomorrows destination. The Miami Boat Show is this week so that is adding to the crowd wanting slips and mooring balls. We have reservations for tomorrow night so we will have laundry facilities and power etc. It is quite expensive so do not know if we will stay there more than one night.  We expect to be in Lauderdale for 2 or maybe 3 days, but hopefully not in a slip all that time. Today was a lovely day, highs in the 60s , but comfortable inside the canvas and sunny as could be. We stopped about 3:30 at Boca Raton and anchored for the night. It was a pretty uneventful day, which can be a good thing. 

Last Day in West Palm Beach

Day 37
Feb 7, 2016
Sunday
West Palm Beach, FL
city anchorage

After an all night rain we had a cloudy morning that hovered around mid 50s. But by noon the sky was all blue and sunny the sunroom was so hot we had to unzip some of the panels. The actual temp outside got up to 67 but much hotter in the sunroom because of the greenhouse effect. We treated ourselves to a late breakfast of waffles and real maple syrup.  

I did some cleaning. Seems like dirt magically appears from nowhere. The boat gets dirty faster than the house and I can not figure out why or how. Todays main job was the bathroom and shower. My least favorite things to clean. Lee spent a lot of the day working on the umpteen bridges we will encounter in the next 2 days. We hope to make a morning departure and get as far as reasonable but not clear to Ft Lauderdale tomorrow.  We are finding marinas, mooring balls and anchorages there to be quite full. That is a staging area for people making a boat run to the Bahamas. Since it can take several weeks to get the right weather window to cross people get in position to be ready to go fast when the time is right, thus a bit of a log jam can happen.  That is what is going on now.  Looks like it may be midweek next week (10 days) before the time is right for a good crossing. If and when a window opens up, space will open up in Lauderdale. For now we go south and take our chances on finding somewhere to land and hope. 

We went out to dinner at Tin Fish just on shore. Quick dinghy ride and short walk. Everybody had fish but me and I had a hamburger. Guess most people are watching the super bowl tonight but we did not even know who was playing. Talk about tennis and we know who and where and when but ftball just is not our thing.  If it is yours hope your team won. 

Silence is Golden

Day 36
Feb 6, 2016
Saturday
West Palm Beach, FL
City Anchorage

Today was warm and sunny with a light breeze. After dark it began to rain but daytime was lovely. We had planned to go to the farmers market just on shore but I woke up with a bad urinary tract infection. (My achilles heel) Fortunately my doctor knowing this ,supplied me with the necessary medication to take when I needed I it. I did not feel like going anywhere so sat around hoping how soon the meds would start to help. Lee however did go ashore. 

The motor mechanic called and said he was finished with the dinghy motor and was going to deliver it this morning. So Lee, Mitch and Mark all went to shore to help Lee wrestle the motor on to the dinghy. The big concern is dropping it in the water while you are trying to mount it on the transom. They got it on and Lee paid the repairman. $850, which almost all was labor. We are set to leave anytime now. Lee and Mitch went to Publix on the trolley for Ice and water and Martha hit the farmers market. 

There was a water jet shoes set up at the dinghy dock near us. You put on the thing that looks a little like a skate board and the strong jets of water coming down lift you high in the air above the water. You could tell some of the people were experienced. They got 50 ft high and did midair somersaults . Other people could barely get above the water. It was interesting to watch but would not want to try it. 

There was a reggae festival on shore. About mid afternoon the music started. Someone had a bass speaker that was so loud and so powerful that it shook the boat.  You could feel the percussion of the beat on your body and on the boat.  It completely overwhelmed any other sound that was being made. It was miserable and went on way into the night. It was as though someone was hitting you with their fist every second or two.  You know when someone pulls up beside you at a stop light and their bass jars your windows but then the light changes and you go off. Well imagine 7 hours of that and you can not get away. We went below and shut everything up and it still made the boat vibrate. We ran the motor but could not drown it out. Hope they get lots of complaints. This entire end of town was overwhelmed with the thudding. 

Out and About

Day 35
Feb 5, 2016
Friday
Anchored in West Palm Beach FL

It was a cloudy and cool and very windy day. We woke up to see every boat in the anchorage turned in a different position. Normally boats all lay in the same direction according to wind or current influences. It looked like a giant had taken a spoon and stirred all the boats. We went to the shore to catch the trolley to the grocery store. When we got to the trolley stop we saw the trolley did not run til 11 am and it was not quite 10:30. We decided to hunt somewhere for breakfast (2nd breakfast) and then grab the trolley. We went to breakfast and caught the trolley to the store.  After shopping we came back to the boats. Mitch played tow truck and towed us to and from shore so we did not have to row.  When we returned it was obvious that Journey had drug anchor and shifted positions. Mitch put out more rode and backed down on the anchor to reset is firmly. 

The repair man called and said all the parts were in and he might have the outboard fixed by tomorrow but at least by Monday so we may finally get to move on. No clue what this is going to cost us. Guess we don't have a choice so...

Lee was out of scotch and rum so he and Mitch went back to shore in the afternoon and went to the liquor store. Lee got a bottle of clear rum with a dolphin suspended half way up in the fluid.  Really pretty, going to keep that for a candle holder. 

The 3rd time we went ashore we went to eat at an Italian place and met Stricklands and Handleys (of Windbird) for dinner.  We ate and walked back through the marina park which had colored water fountains dancing up and down and palms lit up. Really pretty, we got some pics that maybe I can insert tomorrow. Enjoyed getting our last year and this years sailing buddies together. 

The next week will be cool, cloudy and windy. More of the same. Sure would like some of that sun and heat we enjoyed all last winter. 

West Palm Beach

Days 32-33-34
Feb 2 & 3 & 4. 2016
Tue, Wed, Thur
West Palm Beach, FL

Still waiting for dinghy outboard to be repaired. The part that was to arrive Tues from the manufacturer did not come until Wed. Another part still had not arrived but was expected today. We have not heard from Dave the repair man to know if the last of the parts have arrived or not. This is a nice anchorage but I am ready to move on. Even if we should get the motor back tomorrow our traveling companions on Journey do not want to travel on the weekend. Too much boat traffic for their liking.  So Monday looks like the soonest we will leave West Palm.  

We have had warm sunny weather so it has not been unpleasant to be here. The winds were above 20mph all day and paddling the dinghy against the wind was too much of a chore so we stayed on  board.  We had hoped to get to a laundromat as we are running out of things but it didn't happen. Maybe tomorrow we can get it done. 
I could use a quick run to the grocery store too. 

Strickland's came back Wed from a drive up to Lake Placid to visit her older brother . They enjoyed the trip, visit and motel with lots of hot water. LOL  Handleys returned from the west coast of FL and their visit with Mark's siblings Wed also. We have  been official boat watchers while everyone else is away. 

We have read, slept and relaxed enough and are ready for some more adventures. Will let you know when we finally can move on. 
Remember "Cruising is fixing boat problems in exotic places" so guess that makes us officially cruisers. 

The Waiting Game

Day 30 & 31
Jan 31 & Feb 1, 2016
Sunday & Monday
West Palm Beach, FL
at Anchor

Day 30 Sunday
Lee and Mitch took our dinghy  to the dinghy dock and took the outboard off. The repair man, Dave, called and said he was on his way to get it.  A helpful passerby helped carry the motor to the sidewalk and they waited about 10 minutes til Dave showed up. 
We did not hear from him on Sunday but he called Monday afternoon and commented on some issues. He is supposed to be getting some parts overnighted from the manufacturer. So Tuesday he should be able to replace the parts and run it to see if any thing else is wrong. Up to this point he has not even run the motor. 

Lee, Mitch and Martha took to trolley to Publix and picked up a few groceries. I was really sleepy from not sleeping 3 nights in a damp bed plus my stomach was acting up so I stayed on the boat. That about covers it.  It was warm, overcast and spit rain a little. 

Day 31 Monday
It was another warm, cloudy, off and on rainy day.  We stayed on the boat and read most of the day. In the evening we paddled the dinghy to Journey and played cards. The girls got beat again. :(
I tried to take a sun shower today but it was not the least warm.  You really need 3 hours of good sun and warm temps to have water warm enough to shower. So I did the best I could with cold water from our fresh water tank. Being on the hook has many advantages but the big draw back is no hot water. 

Dave called and told us it might be the end of the week or even the beginning of next week before we got our dinghy motor back. We are really bummed. We are only a day away from Ft Lauderdale and that is our next stop. Los Olas Marina. Nice laundry and I am desperate to do laundry. 

Stricklands are renting a car and going to meet her brother tomorrow. He spends winters in Lakeland, FL. . Then they will spend the night in a motel and enjoy endless water in the shower and TV. I miss tv but Lee thinks it is great not having it. We can not watch on the computer because it eats up data too fast. I have listened to some programs that broadcast audio only. Poor substitute for the real thing.