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.
Voyages of Sea Turtle
Monday, February 29, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
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.
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.
Friday, February 26, 2016
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
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..
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..
Sunday, February 21, 2016
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.
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.
Friday, February 19, 2016
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.
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.
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