Rodriguez Key to Ft. Lauderdale--April 13

Cruisers have only a few basic rules and one of the most basic is “Do not have a schedule,” forging ahead into situations on the water where you should not go. 

Predictable patterns of rains in FL have begun and this morning around 4:30 we were awaked to the daily downpour.  Well protected just north of Rodrigous Key nine monohulls were safely anchored through the two-hour thunderstorm without incident.  Glad that it passed earlier rather than later, we were again under sail by 7:15.  Our initial intent was a 30 mile short day to "No Name Harbor" in Biscayne Bay south of Miami, but when we began having difficulty with our autopilot, we opted instead for the 70 mile longer day to Ft. Lauderdale and the world’s largest West Marine, running the iron jenny around 7 knots. 

Even after seeing storms to the west moving northeast, we set our heading north, putting ourselves in the path of a red and yellow band of thunderstorms; a big mistake!  The problem was not the undulating waters nor the torrential downpour, but the frequent lightning strikes and duration of the storm.  The lashing began around 1:30 and subsided at 3:00.  When it was through, we were soaked, shivering…and without electronics.  But more important, very lucky for the captain to still be in command of our ship.  Each time we saw a flash, he would immediately pull his hands back from the wheel, and the last one, only one or two seconds away, hit the water closeby.  Immediately the instruments went blank.  Soooo not good!  But Captain perservered through the last vestiges of the storm until the clouds began to part and blue skies once again appeared.    

First Visual Assessment:

1.        Captain, First Mate and Fritz fully functional and without injury.

2.        Chart plotter rebooted, without radar

3.        Depth, wind, knot meters not functioning

4.        Engine and oil temperature gauges zeroed out

5.       No VHF Radio

6.       And you know that new antennae Dennis went up the mast several times to replace…nowhere in sight.

Checking down below I could smell a faint burned odor around the instrument panel, but no apparent fire. Our first attempt to revive the precious electronics was to flip the thrown breakers, resurrecting the depth and knot meters.  So we’re thinking maybe this isn’t so bad after all.  But there’s still no radio, wind meter or engine gauges and more assessment would just have to wait. 

Lena Bea and Aurora making the 17th Street Bridge at 5:30 was a cause for celebration after having to slow for an enormous Princess cruise ship departing the Port Everglades channel. Luckily, at Wayne’s suggestions before the storm hit we had made reservations at the Los Olas marina in Ft. Lauderdale for the next two nights, so we limped on in afraid even to make our planned stop for fuel, not wanting to turn off the engine.  Dennis went immediately down below to for a second assessment of the damage.

Second Assessment:
1.        No Electrical AC power because the battery charger is history

2.       Still no radio

3.       Outside visual assessment of the mast showed where there once had been antennae, now   only a black glob.

After this assessment Dennis commented, “This could be the end of our trip.”  Nodding I agreed.  With our group of 5 boats ready to depart on early Monday, there was no way we could follow.  Ironically we had decided to call about extending our insurance coverage to the Bahamas in the morning.  When the agent finally called again, we told her to call us back in another hour and that we might actually have a claim instead of needing the extra coverage.        

At 7:00 and with nothing to eat since early this morning, Michele called and asked if we wanted to go out to dinner, so with not much else Dennis could do we joined them at Bubba Gump’s.  After a margarita and gumbo, everything seemed a little better.

So here we are in Ft. Lauderdale, Los Olas Marina, definitely without that schedule mentioned earlier, and definitely not Bahama bound, but blessed again to be fully functional, and very lucky cruisers.  

Marathon, Boot Key Harbor to Rodriguez Key

Yesterday was R & R & R in Boot Key Harbor.  A different kind of rest; Showered in a real shower in the marina:  Time ashore off the boat.  Recreation; Yoga in the park for me: Dennis biked to West Marine, yes, guys, that’s 2 WMs visits in 3 ports:  Then later some dolphin entertainment off the bow of the boat.  Repairs; New brackets for the chart plotter:  Remounted the boat hook in a different location after it was yanked from its Velcro straps on the rails by the head sail spinnaker:  Replaced screws in the passageway hatch for the second time in a week. 

Noon rains washed the salt off Aurora lowering both humidity and temperatures, but when a hatch wasn’t closed all the way, that refreshing rain also left a wet spot on the bedding and pillows in our berth.  You know that free and cheap dryer we used to have…sun and wind…it still works pretty darn good.  This extra day in the harbor was a nice change of pace and as refreshing as the rains.  

As we turned into the Atlantic with the early morning sun on Hawk’s Channel around 7:30 a.m. today I reflected on how much easier this trip has been than last year’s east coast venture.  Where there was great apprehension, there’s great anticipation.  Instead of fear of the unknown there’s knowledge and confidence that we can handle the unexpected, which invariable will come.  Multiple times on the 2012 cruise I literally wanted to pack my bag and hop the next flight home to PGI.  Fear would have won out though, while tenacity, self-confidence and courage would have forever been my loss.  My advice if you think you want to try cruising, don’t let the overwhelming feeling of fear and unwillingness to venture into the unknown keep you home.  Instead let it build your courage, confidence and character.     

Another enjoyable aspect of this trip is we’re doing much more sailing and much less motoring.  Again today we were blessed with 8-10 knot SE winds, allowing us to average 5.5 knots with little motoring.  Cha-ching!  A mile sailed is a dollar saved.  Safely anchored at Rodriguez Key tonight and pushing on to Ft. Lauderdale in the morning.

 

Little Shark to Marathon (April 10-11, 2013)

Most of us get in our cars for a vacation trip and it’s not unusual to travel three hundred miles or more in a day which just doesn’t happen when traveling by boat.  So not only do you have to think of living in small spaces when cruising, you have to get used to thinking of traveling short distances in a day as good progress.  It’s not unusual for us to cover only 30 to 40 miles to get to the next port.  And where in a car you can average 70 miles an hour, on a boat it’s probably going to be only about 5 or 6 nautical miles in an hour, making a 40 mile day sometimes stretch into an 8 hour passage.  The nagging questions of “Are we there yet? or When will we arrive?”  do still come up, but are answered quite simply by our electronic road map, ie chart plotter showing a computer read out of our present location and distance to the next way point.  Captain has entered these points all along our journey to make sure we get to the correct destination and avoid any shallow or hazardous areas especially given Aurora’s 5 ½ ft draft.

Yesterday was an almost perfect sailing day, and every bit as good as our trip to Burnt Store last Friday.  Leaving Little Shark at 7:00 our heading was south with easterly sustained 15-18 knot winds, thus we traveled all day on a one-tack reach with no engine power.  Almost as soon as we left the anchorage at Little Shark though, crab pots littered the water by the hundreds and even with the engine off we kept a sharp lookout to avoid hitting and wrapping one around the prop.   From Little Shark three of the Bahama bound boats with shallower drafts (less than 4 ft) in our group, Chatty Cat, Broadwater II and Chat-eau took an easterly route heading for the ICW, the inside route up the east coast of FL to Miami, while the other three of us with deeper drafts, the Sharps on Lena Bea, Beers on Valhalla and us, needing the deeper water of the outside route cleared the Seven Mile Bridge about 1:00p.m and into Boot Key Harbor by 2:00 p.m.  And then the decision for the Bahama bound Sharps and us, do we stay here two nights, or only one and then head north in the morning?  With winds tomorrow predicted to be 20-25 knots we opted for a day of R, R, and R (that’s rest, relaxation, and as always, repairs) here in the safe harbor.  

Valhalla's plans all along were to accompany us just this far on their maiden gulf coast voyage and then stay to explore the Keys for a few days before returning home.  We cheered as they pulled into their final destination, Boot Key Harbor, picking up their mooring ball on the first try and with the high winds quite an accomplishment!  We have been blessed to get acquainted with these two amazing and tenacious sailors.  Last night during our sunset dinner at Burdines they leaned forward and gave each other a kiss, something they said they have done for the last 45 years:  a truly amazing couple.

Just imagine sailing for 6 hours covering 36 nautical miles with no engine, certainly a wonderful first for us, and making short distances a perfect way to travel.

Marco Island to Little Shark (4-9-13)

Smokehouse Bay at Marco turned out to be a delightful anchorage, with only a five minute ride to a wonderful dinghy dock at Winn Dixie, and West Marine a few blocks from there.  In the evening Sharps, Kidwells and, Beers gathered on Aurora with us for snacks and cocktails sharing how to disengage mooring ball lines from props and other amusing antidotes. 

With a long day ahead to cover the 52 miles to Little Shark we were up washing clay off the anchor by 7:15 as were several others.  When traveling with a group you see how many little things can go wrong to slow cruisers down and make a long day even longer.  One boat was pulling up anchor at the same time we were, but as we exited the channel were nowhere in sight.  Come to find out their wash down system wouldn’t work to clean off the anchor and they spent an hour working on it before finally hauling bucket after bucket of water to the front of the boat putting them an hour behind schedule.  Another had to stop drop a hook in the channel and work on his rudder making him also have a much later start than planned.  Still another waited 45 minutes at the fuel dock.  Once underway, we were all treated to several hours of sailing on a southerly heading with winds out of the east, but as it often goes once we set our heading more eastward, sails were dropped and engines again purred.  Arrivals at Little Shark were at varied hours, but thankfully everyone, after solving all the unexpected issues in the morning settled tired but comfortably into the anchorage.  One last boater had to pull a crab pot off the prop after he arrived, with luckily no damage done.  Even with brisk east winds, which kept the bugs at bay, holding was excellent and the starry sky was just brilliant at this place known as Little Shark, part of the Everglades National Forest.

(At Little Shark we had no phone or internet service but will get the blog up to date tomorrow as we have good service now that we arrived here in Marathon this afternoon.)

 

 

Ft. Myers Beach to Marco Island

Just before bedtime last night Dennis had to tighten up our mooring line and then the east winds gently rocked us to sleep.  In the morning we had no issues getting underway around 7:45, but later learned that two others in our group had mooring balls to catch under their boats causing them to take the plunge into the 78 degree water of the harbor to free their lines.  Burrrrrr…glad not to have that experience to describe. 

Easterly winds were around 10 knots making for another good sail, not completely engineless, but blessing us with more quiet sailing than noisy motoring.  We made the 40 mile passage to Marco from Ft. Myers Beach in around 6 hours with only a few pesky crab pots to avoid, pulling into Smokehouse Bay around 2:00p.m.  Amazingly, on our arrival Don Kidwell, a fellow Mariner who is not on the cruise with us, came to our rescue and dinghyed over to explain the best spot to set the hook.  If he hadn’t we might have been aground at low tide in the middle of the night.  Proving again that Mariners are just the best, coming to the aid of others!!! 

 

Tomorrow we will have a 56 mile trip to Little Shark and will not have any service while traveling for the next two days, so look for a long post on Wednesday evening. 

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We call it “living large in small spaces”…think of a living in a 300 square foot house for 2 months.  But you know what, it’s one of the best things about cruising, living efficiently.  So think again of everything you couldn’t live without, then ask yourself what purpose does it have, and could it be used for something else.  Dual purpose and fitting into small spaces helps narrow the choices.  All that being said we seldom have to leave behind the things that make life easier, albeit if it uses electrical power it might get quickly vetoed, as saving power is a top priority, especially when anchoring.   But back to living efficiently…how much “stuff” that fills our lives is really that necessary for a good life, and does taking care of the “stuff” sometimes keep us from having the time to do the things that really matter?  Cruising makes you slow down, treasure time with friends and family, and throw off the chains of the “stuff.”  Sorry about the rambling…and oh by the way, there’s lots of time for philosophizing in these small spaces.

Burnt Store Marina on Charlotte Harbor to Ft. Myer’s Beach

Clear skies, rising tide, easterly 10 knot winds creating following seas, and light chop on the water escorted us from Burnt Store Marina into Charlotte Harbor around 10:20a.m. this morning, finally Bahama bound. 

It’s been three days since we left home, but already the cruising routines have begun.  Before leaving in the mornings everything inside the cabin must be secured, routes must be charted and weather apps carefully studied to make sure conditions are good for travel.  Upon departure, all lines, hoses, electrical cords and fenders must be secured, with instruments turned on to make sure they’re functioning properly. 

Crossing Charlotte Harbor was easy and uneventful arriving on the ICW near Boca Grande around 12:00p.m.   At Useppa we were joined by another Mariner sailboat, Valhalla, with crew Louis and Sherry Beer on their maiden voyage to the Keys.  The Miserable Mile in Ft. Myers was enough to make even the seasoned sailor ill with large vessels kicking up wakes of all shapes and sizes.  Finally under the Sanibel Bridge we motored to Ft. Myers Beach picking up a mooring ball around 4:30p.m., covering the 43-mile day in about 6 hours.  Overall a good day, except for heavy Sunday afternoon boating traffic, we were all ready to relax.  Four of the seven boats gathered aboard Wayne and Michele Sharp’s  “Lena B,” for appetizers and cocktails, while the other three wandered ashore to explore the Ft. Myers Beach sand sculptures and have dinner at Nervous Nellies.  Gentle breezes should make for gentle dreams for the night, resting crews for tomorrow's destination, Marco Island.    

Being on the water means leaving the hectic pace of retirement life and slowing to a turtle’s pace, immersed in the wonder of nature.  Seeing everyday things in a new perspective, senses intensify and the beauty of God’s world is again brought sharply into focus.  Elements of wind and water now control our destination, and possibly destiny.  Venturing into the unknown to test self-reliance and strength of our faith, we feel both privileged and grateful for this awesome opportunity. 

Home to Burnt Store Marina

After months of preparation, anticipation, and occasional consternation, we cast off Aurora’s lines and departed our home port of Punta Gorda Isles yesterday at 10:00 a.m.   Unlike last year when we quietly slipped off the bowlines with little a due, our departure was noted by our neighbor’s hand-scripted “Bon Voyage” sign and as we motored about a half mile into the canals were surprised to be joined our friends Dave and Anna aboard their Catamaran  “Lion’s Paw.”  Another 15 minutes, a Hunter, “Southern Bell” with skipper Joe and first mate Lisa, pulled into the procession, then followed more Mariners, Jim and Dawn on their newly acquired Hunter vessel, “Tranquillo.”  

So you know Aurora’s Bahama Bound, and some of you know that 7 assorted vessels are also headed for the Abocos with us.  But none of the above mentioned sailing vessels are making the that crossing, instead we all set a course for Burnt Store Marina about 9 nautical miles south of Ponce Inlet.  Morning rains had freshened the winds and made for an amazing two-hour engineless sail across the harbor in 8-15 knot winds.  What a fun sail for everyone and what better way to start the first leg of our trip than accompanied by our sailing friends.  In our minds we’re thinking, “This could be the best sailing of the whole trip!”   Just a little before 1:00p.m. Captain Dennis guided “Aurora” into her slip, with the other sailors in the flotilla all safely harbored shortly thereafter.   

Greeting us as we docked were members of our PGI Mariners boating club who had also arrived for our annual Regatta, which includes but is not limited to a race for the sailboats, crazy games, fabulous food, entertainment, dancing, prizes…everything you can imagine for a fun-filled two-day event.  Last night was Hollywood night, with skits, surprise visits from Mariner/Hollywood stars, prime rib, with all the fixin’s, then DJ and dancing into the night.  Today was team games…more food…manatee sitings…scavenger hunt…crafts.  Tonight…more food…more dancing…more good fun with our boating friends.   It doesn’t sound really relaxing, but after a month of listing, purchasing, washing, packing, hauling,  cleaning house and boat for departure, it’s actually quite a nice change of pace, and quite enjoyable.  Plus it will be two days in the luxury of a marina before we are again “Bahama Bound.”   

To those of you who followed last year, welcome back, and for those just joining us welcome aboard…and hope you enjoy the journey with us.   We will be able to post almost every day till April 15, then only when we have access to Wifi, which may not be every day, so please be patient if you do not hear from us but every few days.  Just know we miss each of you that you are in our thoughts and prayers throughout our journey, and please keep us in yours.