Sniders' Great Loop Trip

MANY THANKS

2007-06-08T08:38:00.001-04:00

THANKS TO ALL This trip would not have been possible if it were not for the help of so many people. We would like to say thanks, first and foremost, to the Great South Bay Power Squadron, who kept us safe and taught us everything we might need to know BEFORE we left the dock. A special thanks to Larry Postel who arranged it so that we could take so many classes in a relatively short period of time. To our family, friends and neighbors who we knew would be there to help our kids in any situation that would require it (and did when Christy had to have her appendix removed). To our employees who kept everything running smoothly while we were away. But mostly, to our son and daughter Christy and Steven. If it were not for them this trip would have been over the day we came up with the idea. At 19 & 21 they took on all the responsibilities of running and maintaining our house, properties and companies (which are all still here and in good condition : ). I don‘t think we could have done as good a job at their age. It was a lot of work and a tremendous amount of pressure and responsibility. What an accomplishment…you make us proud! Also, to all our internet friends across the country (in particular the CHB group and American Diesel). These people were my cornucopia of knowledge for my mechanical and maintenance questions. It gave me an amazing piece of mind knowing, that when I was on the Mississippi river 150 miles away from anything or an out island in the Bahamas, I had somewhere to turn if I couldn’t fix something. And last, but not least, to all the great friends and people we met on the Great Loop. Whether it was our fellow Loopers or a stranger in a small town…everyone was willing to help with whatever you needed. It is amazing how many people want to help you attain your dream… thank you to everyone who helped make our dream a reality!

THE GREAT LOOP COMPLETED

2007-06-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

MAY 30, 2007 (GREAT LOOP- COMPLETED!) What an exciting year! We were very fortunate to have been able to take on such a great adventure. In the past 360 days we traveled over 5,691 miles, have been to 3 Countries, 17 States, passed through 103 locks, 12 rivers/waterways, 27 islands, 10 lakes and many other bays, creeks, sounds, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. We stayed at 179 marinas, 40 anchorages/walls and used 2,650 gallons of diesel fuel. How do you end a log of such an amazing journey like this? As you know, Joyce has been keeping in contact with other Loopers online by posting comments through the AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association) throughout our journey. I think her final posting is a fitting close: Trinity pulled into her home port marina on Tuesday, May 29th. She actually crossed her wake at the Jones Beach Inlet on Sat., but decided to relax at anchor for a few days over the holiday weekend with some local friends. This was truly a terrific ending to a spectacular year of cruising the loop. As some of you already know and others are still finding out, one day is better than the next. Thanks to all the wonderful people we met along the way, the very helpful lockmasters, the friendly marina staff, the USPS, and the online help and support of the AGLCA for making this the most memorable year of our lives. The experience will never be replaced for any of us. We all feel we are so lucky to have met such an awesome group of people from all over the US, Canada and the Bahamas. Jaycie, especially, will never forget any of you. For those of you out there now and the others we met along the way....keep in touch for years to come and hopefully one day we will all be able to do this journey again and enjoy it just the same. Safe cruising on land and at sea, Joyce, Matt & Jaycie Trinity At rest on Long Island in Great River, NY

Great River

2007-06-08T08:08:00.000-04:00

MAY 29, 2007 (Great River) GREAT nights sleep! Woke up to a beautiful day. We checked in with the marina and scheduled to pull the boat (put it on land) tomorrow. Started packing up stuff and made a few trips home to drop off some things. Interestingly enough, it was exciting and not depressing like we had expected. We love being on the boat… but we love being home too. Both our parents came out to see us this afternoon. My Mom showed up with a sign that read, “Welcome home Trinity crew” . We went out to dinner with Joyce’s parents to…you guessed it…Tai Show. The food was great, as usual, but even better because they picked up the tab J. The boat will be pulled 1st AM, so we went home to sleep. It was nice to be home. I will say that our neighborhood is up there with some of the nicest small towns we have seen on the trip. Had we been coming back to a really congested neighborhood or apartment building, it may have been a little depressing.

Zach's Bay to Great River / Home

2007-06-08T08:01:00.000-04:00

MAY 28, 2007 (Zachs Bay to Great River/Home) Christy and Billy came to visit and we picked them up on shore. Spent the day hanging out and relaxing. Slowly the boats left the raftup and headed for home….we did the same. Traveling back from Zach’s Bay was really interesting. It was as challenging as the skinny water down south. We eventually made our way into the Connetquot river. We had planned to anchor out for the night and go to dock in the morning. After setting our anchor we saw Bobby and Corey (our neighbors) and other friends on the dock waving. We took the dinghy and went over to say hi. They convinced us to come in to the dock and tie up… so we did. A lot of people from the marina came by to say hi and to congratulate us. Our daughter came by again, along with my brother and his friend. It was so good to see them. We hung out, answered questions and told stories and had REAL NY pizza for the first time in a long time. Christy and Billy drove me and Steven back to the house (but I didn’t go in) . I picked up my truck and headed back to the boat.

Zach's Bay at Jones Beach

2007-05-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

MAY 27, 2007 (Zachs Bay, NY) What a beautiful morning. Today is going to be the air show over Jones beach and we have front row seats. First am, my brother Doug shows up with his family. Then our best friends Todd & Jenn and their family. Then my sister Sue and Mark come by car so we dinghy over to the beach and get them. This is the most people we have had on the boat since we left. My son calls with boat troubles so we take Todd’s boat to go pick him, his girlfriend and my niece up at the launch ramp. If we took our boat it might take a couple of hours, but since his boat does 70+ mph….we’re there in minutes…AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! We get back to the boat and the raft has grown and everyone is having a great time. Jaycie is playing with all the kids, kyacking around and having a great time. I tell people that there were really very few kids on the loop. And although Jaycie made a lot of friends….they were all retired! While I was out Rick and Bill came by with their wives, I’m sorry I missed them. Lots of people “toured” our boat, we met a lot of nice people and made some new friends. The air show was great… the party was better! Watching Kevin & Bob manage a “raft“ is like watching Picasso paint a master piece. They move people in and out (from anywhere in the raft), set and pull anchors and turn the entire raft around with their little tugs (dinghies). We’ve gone almost 6,000 miles and been in every type of water and situation you can think of, and yet I am humbled to be in the presence of the “raft masters” : ) Late at night the wind picked up and we got a really nice lightening show. Oh, we also noticed the kyack was gone so Steven and I had to go searching for it in the dark. We found it on shore, on the other side of the bay and brought it back. Tomorrow, afternoon we will head into the Connetquot river to anchor for the night.

Atlantic City to Jones Beach

2007-05-29T23:49:00.000-04:00

MAY 26, 2007 (Atlantic City to Long Island) Up at 5:30 because this could be another long day. It is a breezy morning, which is not great (we were hoping for dead calm). We hope the wind did not pick up the seas. As we approach the inlet it seems o.k., so we head out. Overall a nice morning with the sun coming up in front of us and glistening like gold on the water. About half an hour out, we get a call from Mulligan, who is leaving their anchorage. Watching Atlantic City slowly dissapear behind us is a really good feeling….we’re going home! It’s amazing, but we have heard more attitude and rude comments on the radio since we got into the “Metro area” than we have heard on the entire trip….and aurally, it’s a little depressing : ). On a brighter note, the water and day are BEAUTIFUL!! We could not have hoped for better. The water has flattened out with smooth light swells (1’ or less). The water has gotten that “glassy” look. To paint a picture, we are about 10 miles off shore now and I saw “radiating circles” in the water about 20 feet ahead of the boat. I looked for a fish as we came up to it and it was a moth that had fallen in the water and was flapping its wings. Today is the complete opposite of the Bahama crossing, which for our last “big water” crossing….was just how we would have liked it. We weren’t looking for a dramatic ending. The boat ran like a champ. As we saw Long Island in the distance Jaycie yelled ‘Land hoe!”. It was extremely exciting coming up on the Jones inlet (even though it was a zoo). Jaycie was so excited that she went down and stood on the bow. There was a very comforting feeling traveling in our home waters (even if they were shallow). Since we hadn’t expected to be back on the island so early (especially Memorial day weekend) and our marina is not ready for us, we will anchor out for the next few days. It will also give us a little time to assimilate. We know that some of our friends from the Power Squadron go to Zach’s bay for this weekend, so Joyce gave them a call. Kevin said they were rafted with Bob and a few other people and we were welcome to join them…so we headed in. As we pulled into Zach’s Bay it was packed (something we are really not used too : ). The first raft of boats start blowing their horns, waving and cheering….it gave us a really warm feeling. It was Rich and Bill and their friends….what a welcome! As we headed past them they pointed to where Kevin and Bob were. Again, we got another great welcoming as we approached their boats….this is going to be a fun weekend! We made calls to some friends and family with boats and they will be coming out tomorrow….can’t wait to see them. Rick and Bill dinghied over to congratulate us. We talked for awhile and they said they would come by tomorrow. We couldn’t have hoped for a better first day back on the island!

Chesapeake City to Atlantic City

2007-05-28T10:11:00.000-04:00

MAY 25, 2007 (Chesapeake City to Atlantic City) Up at 5:45, dressed and on the sundeck at 5:50...the couple is already untying their boat and shoving off…disconnected and untied by 5:50...I think that’s a new record! Cool, but nice morning. A beautiful sunrise. With the sun so low all the bridges were in silouette….really pretty. We passed a operating nuclear power plant today and finished the C&D canal. We then entered the Delaware river, which interestingly goes all the way to upstate NY and right in front of our cabins. We saw, what we assume will be our last dolphins of the trip. We crossed Delaware bay and it was calm (we were told this can be a really rough, and long, crossing). Entered NJ through the Cape May canal. You can tell we are back in the NY area because the first three boats we saw, NOBODY waved (and they went by in a narrow channel at speed-no courtesy). We were supposed to stay here tonight, at Cape May, but the weather and water are really nice and we figure we will go, on the outside (in the ocean) straight through to Atlantic City. At this point we have been traveling about 6 1/2 hours and its another 5 to Atlantic City. The seas were 1-3, with an occasional 4. But all in all, not bad. Total travel time was 12 hours, I believe our longest day yet (did I mention I LOVE my autopilot!) I’ve been to Atlantic City lots of times over the years, but it was really something special to see it as we approached from the ocean side. We lucked out earlier when Joyce called ahead and got us into a marina (being Memorial Day weekend). Nice marina. Took the Jitney to the casinos and walked the boardwalk. The mall on the pier was redone since I was here last and it is AMAZING. At our dock we met another looper (from Colorado-some people transported their boat to do the loop) and they are 1/3 of the way through it. When we told them we are finishing in the next few days they asked (as lots of others do) “How do you feel?“. The best way to sum it up is that we are VERY happy to be completing the loop, but not happy it is ending. Back at the boat we listened to tomorrow’s forecast and it looks really good. Our next leg is supposed to be to the Manasquan inlet and we were told, if possible, do it on the outside because the inside is SHALLOW and not fun. If we get to the inlet and the ocean is good, we will take advantage of it and cross to Long Island. We are all very excited!

Annapolis to Chesapeake City

2007-05-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

MAY 24, 2007 (Annapolis to Chesapeake City) My Birthday today. BEAUTIFUL morning! Sunny, calm and warm….what a day. Left before 7am. About a 5 hour cruise ahead of us. Fast 2 ½ knot current which worked to our advantage. It got really hot along the way. There was a lot of debris in the water. When we arrived it was a small, quaint storybook town. Perfect place to be for my birthday. Definitely my kind of town. Went walking around town, went to town hall (no, I didn’t have a meeting with the mayor : ) and went out to dinner to celebrate. Jaycie made me a really nice card and a model of our boat out of clay…awesome! Back at the dock we helped Mulligan in, a couple who have cruised from CT to FL every year for the last 42 years (we’re such beginners). We also met a couple from Oakdale….small world. We will leave bright and early tomorrow to take advantage of the currents again (and maybe cruise the outside with Mulligan who is leaving at 6:00).

Solomon's to Annapolis

2007-05-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

MAY 23, 2007 (Solomon's to Annapolis) BEAUTIFUL morning! Sunny, calm and warm….what a day. Left before 7am. About a 5 hour cruise today. Fish were feeding everywhere (it almost made us want to stop and drop in a line). We are all getting really excited about completing the loop. Coming in to the harbor dozens of boats were racing in. As we got into the harbor it was a ZOO! I have never seen so many boats jammed into one spot. They were everywhere and we had to wiggle our way through all of them (and their anchor lines). It was really insane. We headed into the marina (yacht club) and it was great. Nice atmosphere. We got to watch the Blue Angels while eating lunch on our fly bridge…awesome. People were were packed everywhere. On every balcony, dock, restaurant and even roof tops. There were people on top of a 4 story high condo looking building sitting up on the peak. Loved the show and couldn’t have had a better seat. After the show we walked into town (which was hopping) and headed to the Naval Academy. Again, really cool. Their own “compound/town” which you really have to see to appreciate. Graduation is this week so a lot of it was closed to the public, but we got in the model ship museum and it is just amazing. There are actually model ships that were made by prisoners of war out of ivory and bones and the detail is beyond belief. Definitely too touristy for us, but still a lot of fun and exciting. Back at the boat we got to watch a sailboat race right off our dock (yacht club members). Jaycie helped me reinstall the starter (and while I was working on it, I decided to do some touch up painting on the back side of the genset). It started up beautifully and ran great. We’ll leave tomorrow and we figure, weather permitting, we should be home in about a week…..VERY EXCITING!

Solomon's Island

2007-05-27T09:58:00.000-04:00

MAY 22, 2007 (Solomon’s) Borrowed the owners truck but ended up running out of time and couldn’t get to the repair shop (long story). Joyce did school with Jaycie and I caught up on some sleep. We headed to the maritime museum and on the way down the dock met a new looper. They were just starting and loaned us their car to get our solenoid…awesome. Went through a Menonite area (like Amish) and it was great (saw a few horse and buggies). Got to the repair shop and not only did he have the right part, but he put it on and tested it for me ($20 for the part and $5 labor!!! Unbelievable). On the way back to the boat we stopped at the museum. When we got back to the boat, Tim (Carol H) who we met in Canada, was waiting for us. We went back to his house and saw Carol, Shawn (their son / Jaycie’s friend) and Jack (their dog…Boo’s friend). Had a great time, but very strange being in a house and on a deck in a back yard. We caught up on everything and then they took us out for dinner. Great seeing them again. Great people and a great night. Later Joyce and I discussed a lot of the side trips we could do here in the Chesapeake. There are SO MANY that we decide to head home and make the stops that are on the way. We will come back another time when we can spend a couple of months here exploring the area. We will leave in the morning to go to Annapolis. On the news tonight we heard that the Blue Angels will be doing a show right over the marina we will be staying at. Should be great. We really liked Solomons.

Crisfield to Solomon's Island

2007-05-25T23:52:00.000-04:00

MAY 21, 2007 (Crisfield to Solomon) Up early and gone by 7:00. We are trying to be very cautious cruising the Chesapeake. Last night NOAA said 3’ waves, this morning they said 2’ (except if the wind is going against the current and then it can be bigger… We figure we can handle a lot and if things are that bad we can always turn round and come back. The sun’s out, but it’s cool and breezy. Saw Vagabond had pulled anchor and radioed to see where he was. He was about an hour ahead of us and said it was a little bigger than reported out there. Once again most of the day was bow into the swells and wind. Although the other boaters think we are crazy for saying it, we really have fun in the swells. Today we “hobby horsed” the entire 5 hours. White caps were everywhere. It was a steady 2-3 with the occasional sets of 4,5 & 6‘s. Once we even put the bow sprit under (only the second time in 5,350 miles). Although we only passed commercial vessels while traveling, it was so much better than a boring “flat water” run. We were spraying water almost constantly and getting “misted” every now and then on the fly bridge. Everyone wanted to take a turn at the helm. Jaycie had a blast! Once we turned into the river which led to our marina, it was like a different day. Relatively still and hot. The marina we stayed at is the one where we went to a Trawlerfest to prepare for this trip. We saw a few loopers and heard some tried to leave this morning, but turned back because of the rough water. Once in I pulled the generator starter (which wouldn’t turn over) and tested it. It seems to need a new starter solenoid, so I found a local place and the owner of the marina is going to loan me his truck in the morning to get it. Joyce got in touch with Tim, Carol & Shawn from Carol H (we met in Canada). They live here and will come out to show us around and go out to dinner tomorrow. Look forward to catching up with them. Going to go into town after Jaycie finishes some tests.

Deltaville to Crisfield

2007-05-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

MAY 20, 2007 (Deltaville to Crisfield, MD) Cold morning. Left 7:30. Big open water. Water mellow at first then picked up, along with the wind. 5 hours across with nothing to really see…boring! We crossed the Maryland border today (getting really close to home). We were going to go to Tangier Island but decided to go straight through to our next stop across the water (Crisfield). We heard the marinas on Tangier island are very exposed and that we should take a ferry to see it. Crisfield was kind of like a ghost town. Nothing to see or do. We were also told that Tangier island doesn’t really “open” until Memorial Day and there isn’t a lot to see… so we skipped it. We’ll be out of here in the morning.

Norfolk to Deltaville

2007-05-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

MAY 19, 2007 (Norfolk to Deltaville) Very overcast and cool morning. The Chesapeake wind (5-10 knts) and wave heights (1-2’) sounds good, so we left around 7:45. Ultimate Taxi left a few minutes before us. There were some huge military ships and aircraft carriers we passed on the way out. As we came out into the Chesapeake, NOAA was wrong once again. Every time a big set would come and we would send spray flying we would look at each other and say, ‘It’s only 1-2 footers”. Luckily we were bow into the swells, but it was very lumpy the entire 7 hour cruise. It made it a little more challenging. Like when Joyce went down to make breakfast or I had to go down and change a fuel filter, while under way (I may have to consider changing to a 5 micron filter, instead of 2, because they are only lasting around 20-30 hrs). Other than the excitement of the water, it was a long monotonous cruise. Big water, kind of like the great lakes and wide open. We saw a couple of really cool lighthouses along the way. We heard some boats looking for a place to “tuck in” to get out of this. When we arrived at Deltaville the winds were pretty strong (I’m guessing around 20). When we docked we heard other Loopers talking about what a terrible cruise it was and how one wanted to go to a hotel for a week! We considered it pretty sloppy and choppy with occasional big swells, but not rough (although we did get “misted” up on the fly bridge a ½ dozen times-which almost never happens). I think after our experience crossing from the Bahamas, a lot of things are going to seem “not too bad” to us. Thank God we were taking it head on and not on the beam. We met a few new loopers and a few old ones. We took the loaner car into town. Nice town, real small, lots of land, real spread out…..LOVE IT! Back at the boat I changed the other fuel filter, tried to pull the starter from the genset (no luck yet) and put on my wet suit, mask and head lamp and dove under the boat to check our zincs. Sames zincs we left with from NY and they still look decent. They should be o.k. until we get back and haul her. We found out that boats have been waiting for 8 days for decent weather to go out in the Chesapeake. It is suppose to be the same, or better, tomorrow so we would like to take advantage and move on. We here the Chesapeake can get really nasty. They say that there is almost always a small craft advisory out and if not, a small craft warning. Joyce is checking the cruising guides and charts to see where we will go tomorrow. Triton’s Trumpet is about 2 days behind us right now.

Norfolk

2007-05-21T17:27:00.000-04:00

MAY 17, 2007 (Norfolk) Overcast morning, but nice. Met a couple of other loopers last night and looks like we will all staying for a couple of day. We do some school work and business and then head into the city. We go on the battleship USS Wisconsin and are in awe. To give you an idea of the size, our boat weighs 45,000 lbs. Their anchor weighs 35,000 lbs….and they have 2 of them! We could only walk the decks because it is still an active boat in ready reserve. We then walked to the mall which was beautiful (with all the high end stores). Movies are back to $9 a ticket (far cry from the $4 in Alabama). Came back to the boat, played some games, watched some TV and called it a night. Weather is suppose to be “questionable” tomorrow, so we will see if we will leave when we wake up. If we have to stay, there is a lot to do here. (like Hooters having a bikini contest…but that stuff doesn’t interest a happily married man : ) MAY 18, 2007 (Norfolk) Woke up at 7, weather was heavily overcast, so went back to bed until 9. Joyce and Jaycie were still sleeping so I went to go on the sundeck and….WOW! I open the door and there is a MASSIVE white “moving object”. It is one of the largest navy tall ships from Spain, coming in to dock about 30’ behind us, perpendicular to our stern. They’re so close that when they threw a “monkey ball” (the ball with a thin line attached to their monster lines) it hit our boat. Our boat just keeps getting smaller and smaller : ) Suddenly a band starts playing (on board the ship) and I run down and get Joyce and Jaycie up. What an amazing sight. All white uniformed sailors on deck at attention. Someone from the ship threw one of their hats to the people on the dock. A fellow Looper (Sea Sea) caught it and gave it to Jaycie. What a great way to start a day. Did our typical school and work and then headed to the movies. The theatre was so big (and empty) that we made it a double feature day. As we walked back to the marina, we saw Ultimate Taxi at the dock (the 68’ Hargrave). We haven’t seen them since Mississippi. We talked for a while. It was nice to see them again. Funny that their boat, which was HUGE in the river system, is now very average looking and kind of small compared to what is around here. Back at the boat we got to watch fireworks down the river and the tall ship had a party (w/music) going on behind us. Nice night. Side note: When we arrived it definitely felt like a city, but after staying a while it seemed to get smaller. Really nice place to visit.

Coinjock to Norfolk, Va

2007-05-18T14:16:00.000-04:00

MAY 16, 2007 (Coinjock to Norfolk) Lots of bridges (and a lock) to try to make on the hour or half hour. I was up at 5:45 (don’t ask why) and by the time I got on deck ¾ of the boats were gone or leaving. It was just light enough to see things…so Joyce got up, we prepped the boat and were gone by 6:15.…WOW! Cool morning, but nice. It was a beautiful sunrise (can’t say we have seen all that many of those-although lately we seem to be getting closer to them). Lots of narrow and large bodies of water. We expecting about 6 hours of traveling. Caught up to all the other trawlers and sailboats (the “go fast boats” were long gone). Got the first bridge and had 30 minutes to make the next bridge opening. If we could get ahead of the sailboats and slower boats (about 8 of them) and cruise at our 8 ½ knots we would make the second bridge without having to wait the extra ½ hour. Then we would get breakfast at a restaurant on the lock wall while waiting for the other boats. Passing took some time so as not to wake them and for some reason one boat was blocking the left side of the channel while not passing (kind of like 30 mph in the left lane of the LIE). Eventually we got passed them and pushed the engines a little to try to make up for the time. We got the then next bridge and were told, by the operator, that we missed it by 2 minutes!!! Ouch! So we hovered, in the wind, eating our breakfast aboard (not the relaxing breakfast served dockside I had imagined : ). ½ an hour later, all the boats caught up (you could almost hear the giggles from the sailboats) and the bridge opened and we headed for the lock. The lock was packed and unfortunately one boat couldn’t even get in and had to wait an hour for the next lock. Without trying to sound cocky, it was only a 3’ drop with a smooth and easy drop. I don’t know why they didn’t have him just raft to someone. We all headed out of the lock and for the final opening of the day…the twin railway lift bridges. When we got there we had to wait for the opening. We waited 15 minutes. Then, when they went to open, the second bridge broke and we were told to sit tight while they get someone to fix it. There were about 15 boats waiting (ranging from a small commercial barge, couple of 70’ yachts, powerboats and sailboats in a variety of sizes). With current and wind pushing everyone towards the closed bridge it was like a 3 ring circus (I should have taken video). For the non-boating readers, each boat, due to draft (hull under water), windage (height above water), weight, size, shape, single or twin engines, etc… will react and handle a little differently in wind and current. So every boat is “blowing/moving” in it’s own unique little pattern. Add to that, that some boats prefer to fight to stay in place, while others drift and others motor around….quite the scene! Then to add to the mess, the bridge we had just come through, lets another load of boats through which add to the “pile up”. Amazing that no one “bumped” boats out here. After about 40 minutes, or so, the bridge finally opens and we are off. Something I find interesting is that the slow boats don’t like being waked by the fast boats…and yet, will not let them “slip by” before going under the bridge, making them have to pass them as soon as they get going on the other side…go figure?! Anyway, as we get closer to Norfolk it is like we are back in the river systems again. Heavy commercial, industrial type operations all over the shores. You can start to feel the Naval prescence as we get closer to the city. HUUUUUGE military ships! Really AWESOME ! Suddenly “Turmoil”, the 210’ expedition tralwer yacht with the 3 boats on her bow…is a TINKER TOY! The wind is still blowing pretty hard and the marina we go to is very narrow and tight. Although I was concerned, docking went well. We are right in the heart of downtown Norfolk, VA. It looks like a great place to be. There are other loopers here, which we have not met, so we will go see them after we settle in. We are pretty sure we will be staying here for a little R&R for the next day or two.

Dowry Creek to Coinjock

2007-05-18T13:31:00.000-04:00

MAY 15, 2007 (Dowry Creek to Coinjock) We got up around 7 and were gone by 7:30. A nice morning with light wind. Coming out into the ICW we ran into Philomenia. We traveled in front of them the whole way. Lots of narrow channels with shallow (1’) water on both sides. The cruise was beautiful as usual. We heard some other loopers up ahead talking on the radio. We are heading to Alligator river marina (about 5 hours), just before the Albermarle sound. We figure we will lay up there and pick a good day to cross. The Albermarle is a large body of water (2 hours across) that can get ugly. Along the way we talked with Skinwalker and their companion boat. They are going to try to cross today. When they get to the end of Alligator river, they are going to “poke their heads out” and see what the water is like. When we get to the last bridge, we catch up to Skinwalker while waiting for it to open. Our marina is just on the other side. Philomenia heads into the marina and Skinwalker heads for the Albermarle. The wind is at our stern, it looks a little lumpy…but we would be going with it. We hover in the channel trying to decide what to do. Jaycie says she wants to do it even though it could be rough and its another 3 ½ hours of travel time (total 9 hours). We radio 3 sailboats who are coming at us and appear to have just crossed. They say it was a little rough and bumpy, but since we are going with it …it should be fine. And so, we’re off! Very shallow approach with markers not where they should be. We get out fine. Skinwalker is going to do the Dismal Swamp, but we have decided against it, we will take the Virginia Cut (ICW). They head to the left and we head to the right. We call and cancel our reservations at Alligator river and Joyce gets us a slip in Waterside marina in Norfolk, VA. Other than a sailboat, in the distance behind us, we don’t see any other boats while crossing. The crossing was fine with a lot of up and down and some rolling (everything seems fine… compared to our Bahamas crossing). We come into Broad Creek and the wind has picked up and is really gusting at times. We have to roll up our flags because the bow and bridge staffs are shaking so much I am afraid they might break. By the time we arrive at Coinjock, the really heavy gusts have let up but it is still really windy. The marina warns us about a really strong current and tells us if we can’t get into the basin to go on the fuel dock. With the current and wind going in the same direction, as soon as we turned broadside to the wind (the same as the opening) we were traveling fast, sideways, down the waterway. With the engines split (one forward/one reverse -to turn the boat), trying to fight the wind and current, the boat wouldn’t even move. It just stayed sideways moving down the waterway (even when I gave it throttle). I went into neutral and let the wind spin me around and then docked at the fuel dock. The current wouldn’t have been a problem, but when my sundeck and all its canvas turns sideways to the wind, it is like a sail. We had a long day and figured we would stay here tomorrow. Our sailing friends from Amityville, NY were here (who we met at the Tiki Bar in Oriental) and said there is NOTHING here. They are doing some engine repairs and are “stuck” here. The people were great and we took advantage of their pool, their Jacuzzi, ate at their restaurant….and decided we would leave in the morning. Nice place to visit……

Oriental to Dowry Creek

2007-05-18T13:19:00.001-04:00

MAY 14, 2007 (Oriental to Dowry Creek) Wind died down a little and cold front arrived. Had to put on long pants, sweatshirts and hats. There’s a 1-2’ chop with occasional 3’s. Water is spraying high across the foredeck….but we stay nice and dry. The waterway is quite wide at this point (wider than the Great South Bay). The day warmed up a bit and got nice and sunny. The first 4 hours (or so) was just big open water. The last hour and a half the waterway narrowed and got nice again. The marina seemed a little exposed, but it was a beautiful warm day and we arrived around noon. The marina is really nice, but in the middle of nowhere. They have a loaner car which we took into town. Drove around and checked out the area. Wind picked up again and was slapping the boat (luckily it didn’t get real bad). Side note: We are all still excited about the trip, but we are also excited to go home. We look forward to seeing our family and friends, but also there is tremendous excitement about “completing” the loop! Coast Guard boat and shrimp boats along the way

Oriental (Mother's Day)

2007-05-18T12:26:00.000-04:00

MAY 13, 2007 (Oriental) Small front coming through today. Overcast and a little windy. Went to “The Bean” for Mother’s day breakfast and then rode our bikes all over the neighborhood this morning….LOVE IT!. Capped off the fuel tanks for the leg home. Wayne & Lynn from skinwalker (the ones who drove us to the airport in Turkey Creek) showed up on our dock. Nice to see them. We should be seeing them along the waterway going up north. Jaycie played with her friends and went fishing and netting. Other than being a little cool today, it was a nice day. Took Joyce out to dinner at a small local restraurant for Mothers day dinner. Nice day. We will move on tomorrow, but will always remember this town.

Beaufort to Oriental

2007-05-18T12:05:00.000-04:00

MAY 12, 2007 (Beaufort to Oriental) Up bright an early and off we go. Nice morning, a little hot (already) and still. We see Virgil (Vagabond) as we leave the harbor, but he’s not leaving until a little later. He asks us to radio him with a report of the water depth in “the cut” (the cut is actually a shortcut to the ICW). The tide is about an hour from dead low. We make the bridge opening within 5 minutes of opening. We run the cut and are about 100’ from the ICW. We call Vagabond and tell him there is 13’ minimum the whole way…except for as I spoke to him I saw 7’. 2 minutes later we hit a sandbar/shoal. We dragged (or as they say down here, drug) ourselves off backing out, but had real trouble finding deeper water. We called Vagabond and told him about the situation. The chart showed plenty of water and we were in the right place, but dragging in every direction we tried. For the first time I felt blind. You couldn’t use the chart because the data was inaccurate. We would just move around trying to find deep water while NOT trying to get stuck “hard aground”. With the tide dropping as we are doing this, I must say it was getting a bit stressful. Finally we retraced our steps backward and used a side channel, which, according to the chart, was a risky choice being much narrower, shallower(?) and no clear connection to the ICW at the end of it. We went as slow as we could (so we wouldn’t go aground hard if we hit) and “felt” our way toward another bridge and then U-turn into the ICW…it worked! Phew!!! As we came back, on the other side, of where we had run aground we saw a sailboat heading for that same bar. We tried to hail them, 3 times, but they didn’t respond….and ran hard aground (if they had their radio on we could have saved them and told them how to get into the ICW). Back in the ICW things were much better, although the water was still skinny and you had to pay VERY close attention. The rest of the cruise was nice and enjoyable. The weather cooled noticeably with a nice breeze. As we came into the harbor of Oriental we got that “I like this place” feeling. We haven’t felt that in quite a while. After docking we loved it. Nice, cozy small town and the people are really friendly. We are told that the population is about 600 and there are about 1200 boats here. Vagabond came in shortly after us. They have a pool and it’s the first time we have been swimming in a long time…it was great. We took our bikes down and road all over town and the neighborhood. Great town! Everybody waves or talks to you as you go by. Even the kids say hi. Back at the boat Jaycie made lots of new friends her age and played while we went to a happy hour at the Tiki hut and met a lot of great people. Most of the locals here are transplants from other areas and most of them found out about this place by boating through it. We will definitely stay for Mother’s day!

Swan Point to Beaufort, NC

2007-05-18T10:52:00.000-04:00

MAY 11, 2007 (Swan Point to Beaufort) Very Calm and still this morning. Shorter cruise today, only about 4-5 hours. Enjoying it a lotm. Skinny water in many spots. Came to an intersection and after discussing which side we should be on….made the wrong call….and ran aground. It didn’t stop us, but we felt the jerk as it slowed the boat (love that prop protecting keel!). We road right through it without stopping and turned hard onto the right side and into the deeper water again. The chart showed it on our port side…but we definitely needed to have it on our starboard side! Not the first time we have seen markers in the wrong spots. It got real sunny and hot and the water is like glass. We got to see a military camp on the side of the ICW, but no “war games” going on. Triumph called us on the phone to tell us they were in NY. We heard Vagabond on the radio and he’s ahead of us by about an hour and heading into Beaufort now. The port fuel filter finally clogged completely and stopped the engine about when I expected. Went below and changed it under way while Joyce manned (or is it “womaned“) the helm. It only took around 5 minutes (I’m getting good at it now : ). I’ll change the starboard one when we got into port. Arrived at Beaufort town dock. We saw Vagabond and Philomenia. Nice “old style” town….but very “touristy”. There is a music festival on the dock tonight…and we will have front row seats! The port/dock is very active with lots of energy, like a big party is going on. I needed some more fuel filters for stock, but the closest West Marine was 10 miles away and it was too late to borrow the loaner car. We want to leave in the morning so I can’t go then either. After speaking with the West Marine it ends up that they have an employee who is going to the music festival tonight and will deliver our filters to our boat for us….SWEEEEEET! We got 3 “beer tokens” from the marina for tonight, which we gave to him with a few dollars and he was a happy camper. The music was a nice mix of quality bands. Different and fun night.

Southport to Swan Point

2007-05-13T21:03:00.000-04:00

MAY 10, 2007 (Southport to Swan Point) Up bright and early (about 6:15), had the boat prepped and ready to leave. Joyce got up (about 7:15) and we were gone by 7:30. Really nice day, wind is much better than yesterday. So far, the people here in NC are really nice. Today, this upcoming stretch doesn’t have many marinas with much to see (a lot like this one). So we will make it a long day (probably around 8 hours) and push on to cover some ground. When we got to Cape Fear river, and made the turn up it, our speed dropped to about 5 knots. This lasted for about an hour and a half. Once we turned off the river and caught that incoming tide again, we were back up at 9 ½ knots (making up for some lost time). We have a couple of “on the hour” bridge openings that we must make today. The “no wake” zones create problems for staying on any sort of time schedule (especially when you don’t know where they are or how long they will last). We got to the first bridge at 11:00 and were ½ mile from the bridge …..it was open! We called to tell them we were in sight would and could they hold it for us….they said, “see you at 12:00. We passed Adirondack docked along the side, just before the bridge. Luckily, when we got to the bridge that said there was a 19’ clearance, we were on an extra low tide. With Joyce standing on the sundeck and her head next to the radar dome, our highest point (checking for clearance), we were able to “squeeze” under the bridge with a “comfortable 18” to spare…NIIIIIICE! The cruise was really pretty and scenic. We saw lots of AMAZING homes (hard to believe some of them were single family homes…but they were!). For the past 2 days we keep hearing the coast guard announcing Pan-Pan for a missing kyacker (who wasn’t wearing a life vest in this weather!) and a 56’ sailboat that was offshore (yes, in this noreaster!) and who’s EPIRB went off (usually meaning they sunk or were in serious trouble) 2 days ago and they are still hoping someone has seen or heard from them…it doesn’t look good. All together we have heard 3 sailboats that were “rolled” (turned over) and one that is lying on the shore of a local beach with the waves pounding it (that crew was saved). We arrived 20 minutes early for the final bridge opening of the day. Better early than late! The waterways are really beautiful and you can really fall in love with all the “open space” around here. The “marina” we are heading to tonight, has no electric on the dock….but has a loaner car. We arrived at the marina (to our surprise they had electric), tied up, got the loaner car and headed to town. We saw lots of military personnel , some very intense looking military RIB’s and helicopters. We hear Camp LeJeune is nearby (hopefully we will get to see some maneuvers). The town was real nice and definitely had the “small town” feel. We saw a hair salon named “Gussy up”- not quite sure it would go over all that well in NY. It was nice to drive around and see the area. That night I realized that the “electric” on the dock was only the outlet itself. There are no lights anywhere and with the condition of this dock/marina…they really could use some light! That being said, it’s a nice quiet marina and good place to stay for the night. We will leave in the morning and head to Beaufort. Everybody tells us its great there…really looking forward to it. Little side note: The engines have been running great. I am watching the vacuum gauges on my Racor fuel filters to find the exact amount of vacuum at failure. Then I will know exactly what vacuum I have to change the filters before failing. Once it fails I will change the filter under way so we don’t lose any time.

Myrtle Beach to Southport

2007-05-13T14:11:00.000-04:00

MAY 9, 2007 (N. Myrtle Beach to South port, NC) Very windy…so what else is new?! It’s suppose to be the last day of the Nor-easter. Half the boats are leaving and ½ are staying waiting for tomorrow when the weather is suppose to get much better. We decided to leave. Had a little trouble getting off the dock because we were being “blown on”. But, eventually, we got off and were on our way. We passed what looked like some sort of hurricane center, with a lot of radar domes on top. Don't know exactly what it was. At first the weather was pretty nice, but then the sky turned really threatening looking. Enough that we stripped the fly bridge of everything and closed the bimini. We were prepared to go inside just in case things get violent. Behind us, where we came from, looked sunny and beautiful. Ahead of us….ominous! There’s a big difference between a sky that turns black and the one that looks like something bad is going to happen. It’s hard to describe, but this isn’t the first time we have seen it on our trip. I began to wonder if we made a bad choice in deciding to leave. We got gusting high winds and short down pours….but nothing overly dramatic….thank God (I was definitely concerned). The dark (typical storm type) clouds came and went all day. We passed a few inlets and the wakes were still pretty big. The wind kept howling. I’m hoping it dies down a little before we get to the marina, wouldn‘t want to dock in this. We still have quite a few hours before we arrive…so we’ll see. We entered into North Carolina today and also passed through a “float bridge“. Very interesting because the middle section of bridge is on a barge and they actually “drive” it out of the way so you can pass….wild! By the time we arrived at the marina the wind had died down a little (no longer those huge gusts) and it was “semi-protected” . Docking went smoothly. Marinas nice, but no where to go and nothing to do. Stayed aboard and a neighboring boat gave us a bucket of blue claw crabs. Joyce cooked them up, but we’ll have them tomorrow. Going to get an early start so played a game and went to bed a little early.

Myrtle Beach Stay

2007-05-13T14:02:00.000-04:00

MAY 6, 2007 (N. Myrtle Beach) Overcast and windy. Not sure if this is ahead or behind the front. We’ll look when we get a chance. Nice to stay put and get caught up on some things (like this blog). Stayed aboard all day doing some business. Joyce and Jaycie went to the outlets (which are right across the street). The wind has been howling all day. Very strong gust hitting us broadside and leaning the boat over. A couple of sail boats came in today and when I heard a commotion at my bow, went out and watch the sail boat just miss our bow. Tough dock, but he didn’t hit us….job well done! A little while later we heard someone yelling Trinity. When we went out, Adirondack had arrived here and was looking for some extra hands coming in. He docked like a pro and we got him tied up. Nice to be here during these high winds. After listening to NOAA, it sounds like we may be here for a while. They are talking even higher winds tomorrow and possibly for the next few days. When I went on the internet it looks like bad weather as far out as the forecast will go (10 days!). This is the first time we heard NOAA say 39’ in the Gulf stream with hurricane speed winds….WOW! Good thing we made the move from Georgetown when we did. This is a great place to “be stuck”. There’s a lot of places we can go and things we can do. That being said, our weather is nothing compared to what the people of Greensburg, Kansas have just been through. 95% of their town has been destroyed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them. On a happier note, we heard from TT tonight and they are now 2 days behind us. Unfortunately, ML is still stuck in Welaca and have just been told it will be another 2 weeks before their engine work is done!!! We wish them luck and hope they get back on the water soon. MAY 7-8, 2007 (N. Myrtle Beach) We ended up staying here for 4 days. There is a huge Nor-easter just off the coast and the winds are really gusting here. They say about once every 6 years a storm this size forms this early, before hurricane season. We here on the VHF that some sail boats were rolled (turned over) off shore. I don’t know how anyone could have got caught off guard on this one when it is so big and has been building for a while. We’re glad we are here because it’s a pretty safe location with a lot to do here. The dock is packed with all boats waiting for the weather. We did the usual Walmart thing (only this time by bicycle), a couple of happy hours and dinners. Made friends with some sailors who are traveling up the coast. Gave us some good tips about the Chesapeake Bay area. We even got to see some Bengal tigers here with 3 cubs…AWESOME! Real nice place, real good time. If the weather lets up tomorrow, maybe we will move on.

Georgetown to N. Myrtle Beach

2007-05-06T13:44:00.000-04:00

MAY 5, 2007 (Georgetown to N. Myrtle Beach) It’s heavily overcast. Joyce immediately checks weather and it is definitely borderline. NOAA says no “hazardous” weather. We discuss it quickly and are prepped and gone in 15 minutes (8:30). Beautiful! Like a well oiled machine : ) It’s very cool this morning and we have long pants, sweatshirts, hats and hoods on. What a change in temperature. It’s about a five hour cruise and we hopefully will beat the weather to our next destination. We have our wet weather gear ready just in case. The reason we had to make a quick decision this morning is because, by leaving early, we could use the incoming tide to shorten our travel time. This portion of the ICW (Waccamaw River) is very winding. It is like traveling on a path through the woods with tall trees all around you. This is the cruising we enjoy the most. Waiting in anticipation of what awaits you around the next corner. The water is the color of tea (not all that pretty). This is what puts a “mustache” on your boat (the brown stain on the front of the bow just above the water line). Boy, am I glad we waxed the hull before leaving Brunswick! The variety of scenery we saw today was amazing. Wilderness, houses (every kind you could imagine), woods, marsh and, of course, condos. In “the ditch” (a long straight section of the passage), you could see lots of building going on. We saw a sign for a brand new, big waterfront home in a nice wooded setting for $275K (some of our fellow New Yorkers may be packing as you read!). By around noon the sun came out, and it is HOT. We are so glad, we chose to leave. We also have to travel long sections of no wake zones, which also translates to “no breeze”. When we arrive at Myrtle Beach it is nice, with outlets near the docks and right away we see 2 fellow loopers there. Partners in paradise, who we met in Kilkenny Creek and Vagabond (Virgil) who we met in Old Port Cove, N. Palm beach, but haven’t seen since the Bahamas. It’s always exciting to run into old friends. Someone else came up to us and said that we have mutual friends. Tritons Trumpet! They were old sailing buddies from way back. After talking, for quite a while, we headed into the stores and got a bite to eat. We then decided to walk to the mall to go see Spiderman 3. It was very entertaining. We called a cab…which never came….and walked back to the boat (about 1 ½ miles). We like it here and will definitely stay tomorrow.

Charleston to Georgetown

2007-05-06T13:08:00.000-04:00

MAY 3, 2007 (Charleston to Georgetown) Another calm, still morning. It’s going to be a hot one today and we have another long day ahead of us (not that I’m complaining : ). Beautiful and interesting waterways. We saw an alligator in the water and got bombarded by greenflies (but no one got bit-hard to believe). I swatted flies, Joyce manned the helm and Jaycie threw the battered fly carcasses overboard. What a team! We arrived at the “marina” and it was run down…and empty….but close to town. It is right behind the Times newspaper plant (the oldest paper in SC) but not a big or noisy operation. The cruising guide said this marina was nice and they were getting cable and new docks in 2005 (guess they’re a little behind schedule). There is still talk of a big front coming through starting tonight and going through the weekend. Jaycie was out cleaning the boat when we heard 2 HUGE claps of thunder and lightening that knocked all the power out. I never saw Jaycie move so fast! She was in the cabin in record speed with that “Holy crap!” look on her face. The power came back on quickly. Just in case, we disconnected our shore power cord from the boat (in case the marinas electrical system takes a strike) and ran our genset until it looked safer out. When it got nicer we took a walk into town. It is a very quaint, old style town. We had dinner at a really interesting restaurant. It had an early African American motif…it was Mexican night….and they had live jazz! We decided to order dinner accordingly (kind of). We had crab stuffed mushrooms, shrimp quesedillas and chicken and mushroom pizza : ) Nothing was really open, but we like this town and will probably wait out the weather here. Back at the boat we played some games. MAY 4, 2007 (Georgetown) Drizzly morning. We took the umbrellas and headed into town. A lot of really interesting shops, unfortunately, most shop owners weren’t all that friendly. The people on the street weren’t either. No one said hi or even made eye contact. Suddenly, are changing our mind about this town. There’s a grocery store a couple of miles away and they actually sent a car to pick us up so we could go shopping. Amazing. Back at the boat we are still watching weather closely because if it will be possible, we are ready to move on! Nice place to visit…but don’t want to stay.

Beaufort to Charleston

2007-05-03T22:22:00.000-04:00

MAY 2, 2007 (Beaufort to Charleston) Got up at about 6:30 (beat the 7am alarm) and got ready to leave. The weather is pretty calm, but looks heavily overcast. I listen to NOAA to see what’s going on, but everything seems fine. They do say that air quality will be terrible today (especially for seniors, small children and asthmatics). The current is moving, but should help us get off the dock. I prep the boat and have it all set with the standard 2 “tie backs” (so you can leave the dock without getting off the boat or getting assistance- if I haven’t mentioned that before). Joyce wakes up, takes Boo for a quick walk and we are gone. It’s now about 8:30 and the day has an eerie feel to it. It feels like a stormy day or late night…and yet it’s very calm and warm. The overcast / haze is smoke from the wild fires. That’s why NOAA was warning about air quality. It is a really strange feeling cruising in this haze. A lot of the sections we are cruising today are just 100% nature. As far as you can see is just marsh, water, bushes and trees. The only man made things are an occasional marker in the water. It is really very peaceful and relaxing. Tide is high again, so we don’t have to worry too much about shallows (although we still stay pretty strictly within the channels). We traveled in smoke almost the entire day. It’s amazing to travel for hours without seeing any real civilization. On the long desolate stretch we passed only one boat (in about 4 hours of traveling). As we turn toward Charleston, who do we see, but the 210’ yacht. This is the 3rd time now that we are seeing it. Got into Ashley Marina, Charleston, South Carolina. Arrived at slack tide which was nice. There’s a 4 ½ knot current here when it is moving. Long day. Not sure yet if we are staying tomorrow...but we might need the breather. We’ll see.

Savannah to Beaufort

2007-05-03T22:14:00.001-04:00

APRIL 30, 2007 (Thunderbolt to Beaufort, SC) We woke up to a ½ dozen Crispy Cream donuts on our deck. That’s what this marina does for its transient boaters. NIIIICE! This morning the air is still and the water is like glass. Its suppose to hit 89 degrees today. We would love to get going, but I am waiting until 9:00 to call American Diesel about my injector check valve. If everything goes smoothly, we will leave then. Pulled and cleaned the injector check valve without incident. Hopefully ,that will do it. Left the dock around 10am and unfortunately, within a very short time, we have the loss of rpm’s in the port engine….again! I call American diesel and discuss it with them. After hearing that air escaped when I remove the check valve, they tell me I have an air leak somewhere in my fuel supply lines. We discuss how to trace it and then I remember….this is the same thing that happened to my starboard engine back at the beginning of the trip. They say I have an air leak in the fuel line. I ask if a the supply fuel line from the tank to the lift pump could “get loose” over time and he tells me “absolutely”. So I head down to the engine room and….sure enough! The supply line nut is loose. I turn it the wrong way and we lose the engine. Tighten it up….restart…and voila! Problem fixed. It wasn’t filters, fuel or check valve….just a lose fuel line. I didn’t see or smell fuel because it was on the suction side of the pump. What a great feeling to track down, what ended up, a petty problem. So nice to hear those diesels humming in harmony again J. By afternoon it was really hot, but nice. Talked to Miss Liberty along the way. They may drive down to meet us tomorrow (they are still waiting for their boat to be finished up). Passed by Hilton Head, SC. Pretty island with nice homes. The intercostals is as tranquil and pretty as usual (so far). We got into Beaufort around 3:00. The tide was ripping! While docking that, and the wind, were blowing us off the dock heavily. A little bit of a challenge, but we got in just fine. Not so lucky for a boat that came in after us and hit another boat. Luckily, no serious damage. We warned Jaycie to be extra careful on the dock because if she falls in the current will definitely take her. Settled in for the day and met another Looper on a power cat ( ). Jaycie and I gave the boat a really good washing (it was covered in salt- miss that fresh water). We caught up on home school and some business. We will go into town tomorrow and check it out. From our view it looks really nice. MAY 1, 2007 (Beaufort) Nice morning. Finished up school work and business. Headed into town to look around. What a nice town. Old fashion and neat and clean. A lot of nice shops with interesting items. We met a couple who’s family started their store in 1902. They are in their late 80’s and have been married 50 years. Great people with great stories. We walked around some more and found out that there is going to be a world class bicycle race in town tonight. It is going to be a night race which, evidently, is uncommon. We went back to the boat for dinner and then back to the races. At the marina, we saw a mother duck with her duckling resting on the reeds in a boat slip. The town roads were shut off and for the one mile track, they lined both sides of the streets with metal railing/fence and hay bails. It was really a lot of fun. Music playing, people everywhere (even yelling from the balconies). Women raced first and later the men. They travel about 50 laps doing each mile at just over a minute. There’s around 50 bikes racing. Very exciting…Jaycie loved it. They give out bells to ring to motivate the racers. Luckily we had a “race expert” (seriously) next to us to explain everything about bicycle racing. We got back to the boat pretty late, so we watched everybody loves Raymond and went to bed. We have a long day tomorrow and have to come in mid afternoon to hopefully catch the tide at a slow time. These 6-7’ tides, twice a day really make for some aggressive currents!

Kilkenny to Savannah

2007-05-03T22:07:00.000-04:00

APRIL 29, 2007 (Killkenny Creek to Thunderbolt) Beautiful morning. My ankle is much better than last night but I’ll still have to go easy on it. Port engine wouldn’t start so I quickly changed the filter and it started fine. About 20 minutes into the cruise the engine acted up. Since we are going to Thunder Bolt, which is right by Savannah, I will pull the injector check valve there. This way, if anything goes wrong, I am at least near civilization. Total cruise is only about 3 hours today. We hit Hellsgate (a very shallow and strong current cut) at the perfect time. The water was high and it was really no trouble. When you have a 6’ tide and draw only about 4 ½ feet…any water on the chart turns into “good water”. We are passing some really nice homes with large columns and beautiful woodwork. Once again, there are so many wildfires burning in Georgia, that you can smell it in the air. Dolphins, pelicans, fish and birds are everywhere. It really is a beautiful state. I must say we all love to be cruising again…it feels great! We got into Thunderbolt and it was a relatively busy Sunday on the water. Lots of boats and watercraft. The marina is really nice and as we pull in we see Adironadak at the dock waiting to help us with our lines. Jaycie and I go for a walk around the marina and check out the “BIG” yachts. There are some real beauties here. When we get back I go into the engine room to look at the injector pump check valve….but can’t determine where it is. Since it’s Sunday and American diesel isn’t open, I’ll have to wait until the morning to call. While playing Mexican train dominos we see a lot of lights flashing outside and find a large (approx. 90’) Azimut yacht being towed in by 3 tow boats. Not sure what happened, but interesting to watch.

Brunswick to Kilkenny Creek

2007-05-03T21:57:00.000-04:00

APRIL 28, 2007 (Brunswick to Killkenny Creek) Weather is breezy, but a nice morning. Got an early start (7am) and headed for the fuel dock. TT met us over there to say goodbye. Jaycie was very sad to say goodbye again. They assured her that they would catch up with us, probably around Norfolk and will be definitely stopping in on Long Island to visit us if not. John drove up to the large suspension bridge down the waterway and took our picture passing under it. (He’ll email it to us when he gets internet). We have a 70 mile day today and have been warned about a lot of “skinny” water. We could have gone on the outside (in the ocean) and skipped the shallows, but NOAA said it was 5-7’s (and we know what happened last time they said it was 2-4’s!). The first bad water was called Mud river (I guess the name says it all). The water ranged from 4’1 (yes we draw 4’3) to the 6’ range with the tide not at dead low. Definitely a little nerve wracking because the tide range is about 6’ and if we go hard aground we could end up laying on our side before the tide comes back and “floats” us off. All went well, so “it was easy”. A really nice cruise and for the first 4 hours we didn’t even see another boat. There aren’t many houses either, so it is just like boating through a huge nature preserve. The waterways are winding and twisting almost the entire way….we love it. Interesting note, about 2 hours into our cruise we hear Adirondack on the radio. We met them back in the rivers. It’s really pretty wild that as far away and as desolate a location as we are…we hear another Looper’s voice. Awesome! We’ll see them up ahead in the next few days. Looper Rendevous was in Charleston and ended last Friday. That’s about 75+ loopers. We are looking forward to crossing paths with a lot of our old friends…and a lot of new ones too. Still seeing a lot of dolphins along the way. The boat is running great…except….the one engine is still dropping rpm’s. I polished the fuel and change all the filters and it started about 3 hours in (way too early for a filter). We haven’t lost the engine, it just drops down about 100 rpms every 10 minutes or so). When I get to the next stop I will check and clean the check valve on the injector pump (I think that is going to be it…hopefully). Winds started gusting, but when we arrived at Killkenny marina it was totally protected. Cute little marina. While Joyce & Jaycie walked Boo, a fishing boat came in and they got to look, up close, into a tiger shark’s mouth. That evening there was a small sailboat race (440) right behind our boat. We watched for awhile and Jaycie said she would love to try it someday. The dock here is extremely “wobbly” and when jumping down from the boat I rolled my ankle. It doesn’t seem too bad. We headed to the restaurant for dinner and met some of the racers. Dinner was great and the view was spectacular. By bed time I was having a really hard time walking. Hopefully, with a little rest tonight, it will be better by morning.

Final Day in Brunswick

2007-04-29T23:07:00.001-04:00

APRIL 27, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) We’re suppose to leave today, but strong winds, and more importantly, the boat still has tools and stuff all over the place. We really don’t want to leave so unorganized. Went out for ribs with TT as a “last supper” (until we see them again on the waterway). Their stay is delayed, so they won’t be leaving until next week some time. Did some last minute shopping and got the boat squared away... And now, we are ready to leave. Side note, after sitting here for almost three weeks I checked the fuel tanks and bilge…NOTHING! No fuel anywhere. The fuel “leak” in the engine room, a while back, had to have been from that rough crossing from the Bahamas…thank God. Starting tomorrow we will be able to get back to writing a “normal” log again. Can’t wait to get traveling…we’ve been sitting WAY too long!

Savannah

2007-04-29T23:00:00.000-04:00

APRIL 19-24, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) Weather has gotten beautiful. We took advantage of it for refinishing teak (which needs coats & coats of finish). It’s lots of hours, but needs to be done. Just like spring at home for boats, after 11 months of cruising, it’s time to take care of that yearly maintenance. We’re getting anxious to get going and will probably leave in a few days. I want to get a coat of wax on the boat and then (other than unforeseen things) we should be good until we get home. It’s almost a shame that we haven’t been cruising on these beautiful days (but lucky we had them for the teak). There have been major problems, here in Georgia, with wild fires. It’s been so dry there are huge fires burning (I’m sure the wind last week did not help things). One day, when we got up, there was a burning smell in the air and it looked like a light fog. We will head to Savannah for one last road trip…and then it will probably be time to move on. When we got to Savannah, on the River Walk, we happened to see the same 210' yacht that was in Brunswick a few days ago. That's Jaycie on the dock next to the bow.

Cumberland Island

2007-04-29T22:59:00.000-04:00

APRIL 18, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) Taking a rest today and going to Cumberland Island. John & Linda came with us. We took a ferry ride to get there and the wind (as usual) was ripping. The ferry captain had a lot of trouble docking and later limited the pickup to one location. Cumberland island has been protected from change. They only allow 300 people per day TOTAL (employees, rangers, visitors, residence) to be on the island. We got to see wild horses, armadillos and some of the old Carnegie Mansions all around the island. It’s really beautiful. Glad we came.

Jekyll Island

2007-04-29T22:45:00.000-04:00

APRIL 17-19, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) Still windy, but much better today. We took a trip to Jekyll island today and visited some loopers at the marina (Vagabond & Tara). Only Tara was there so we caught up on what everyone’s been doing since we parted. The water really hits this dock badly and we were told they had a really abusive night…glad we went to TT’s marina. The tide is out so low again that a lot of these boats are sitting, at the dock, in the mud. The floating dock is twisted from being caught up on the mud on the one side. Some sections are starting to break their wood frame from the twisting. The ramp to get up to land is so steep it is an effort to climb it (forget bringing a dock cart up or down it). Nice weather, but very windy. We drove around the island and went out on a few of the beaches to go exploring, shelling, etc. TT will be leaving Brunswick in about a week, so we will wait for them and take the time to do some of the jobs that require days and dry time (teak, compound, wax)

Mega Yacht

2007-04-29T22:43:00.000-04:00

APRIL 16, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) Still high winds today and non-stop. Last night a 210’ trawler yacht came in…WOW! We talked with the some of the crew (it’s a 15 man crew) and they said it was 40 knots out in the ocean and 35 at the dock today. They were concerned about the dock not being able to hold them so they put out an anchor just in case. They said there was a 5-6’ “chop” in the ocean (that 5-6’ would be giving us a rough day-but to them it’s like it isn’t even there!).

Brunswick Stay

2007-04-29T22:40:00.000-04:00

APRIL 13, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) We are going to take the time here to get the boat fully prepared to head home (teak, wax, etc.). They’re all big jobs and will take some time to complete. We also have a “swing out” stool at our desk/office in our bedroom. It can get uncomfortable if you are sitting for a long period of time and we always wanted a back on it. I picked up a secretarial chair at, where else… Walmart and cut it down and modified it to mount on our “swing out” piece. It came out great and is much more comfortable now. Joyce got caught up on some business. APRIL 14, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) We gave the boat a really good wash. When you see that much salt on it, it really makes you miss the rivers and lakes. We hear talk of a pretty big storm coming in, but it’s not suppose to start up until later in the evening. According to TT, this is a really good place to be for storms. We had dinner on TT with their brother-in-law, Doug (who we met in Canada with Linda’s sister, Lisa). APRIL 15, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) It really poured over night and the wind is RIPPING today. About 30-35 knots consistent (all the boats in the marina on leaning over from the constant pressure), with gusts to 50+. Because of lunar activity the tides have been really high and low too. The weather changes rapidly from very hot and sunny to black and down pouring. We are all doing inside boat stuff today.

Brunswick

2007-04-29T19:11:00.000-04:00

APRIL 11, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) It was supposed to rain today, but we got beautiful weather instead. TT drove his cousin from Holland into Savannah, so I decided it would be a good day to polish the fuel, change the oil and filters on both engines and get a first coat of paint on the generator and touch-up a few nicks and scratches on the Lehmans. Everything went well. We had dinner with TT and his cousin and caught up on old times. It’s like we never separated. Tomorrow he will give us a tour of the area and then we will pick up some more supplies. APRIL 12, 2007 (Brunswick, Georgia) We got the tour today, a very mixed area. Some very pretty…some depressed. We had the privilege of getting onto a “mini-tall ship” today. A friend TT met in the area. The boat’s name was Avany (now changed to Peace Maker. It was bought by a religious group (The 5 something of Israel?) from a Oil tycoon. It is a 120’ wood boat, with a 15 foot draft. It looks like the Mayflower. This boat is really a work of art. Beveled glass, stained glass, carved wood, etc… AMAZING! There is a lot of work to do (quite frankly a bit overwhelming), but he has large numbers of people to work on the boat and it is coming out beautiful. The transom folds down flush to the water and hydraulically extends to accept a helicopter (that they won’t be using). The name Avany is stamped/cast on everything…even the ships bell. This boat was definitely a “money’s no object, labor of love” project of the original owner. The new owners ended up buying the boat/ship for the cost of the metal on it….what a steal! I didn’t bring my camera, but was invited to come back and take pictures another day. I can’t wait! We took TT’s pick-up truck and went in town to get some supplies. It’s a good size town so we found a lot of what was on our list.

Fernanadina Beach to Brunswick

2007-04-29T18:37:00.000-04:00

APRIL 10, 2007 (Fernandina Beach to Brunswick, Georgia) Woke up early and the weather seems good enough to travel. I did a quick fuel filter change on both engines. We only have about 4 hours of traveling, so that should hold us over with no problems. We contacted TT and will be going to their marina today. We decided to skip Cumberland and Jekyll for now and possibly do both by car from Brunswick, since the weather is so nasty. The cruise was really beautiful. Winding, narrow waterways surrounded by nature and shrimp boats. Passing through little oasis’s of small homes, mini-marinas and docks. There are lots of nice bridges along the way too. Coming into Georgia felt great knowing we are in another state. Unfortunately, our starboard engine acted up after only an hour of travel (I really can’t believe it). I went below to my “well lit” engine room and saw that the vacuum gauges had already moved. It definitely confirms that the fuel is really bad. It gave us “RPM” trouble the entire way and I thought for sure we would have to come in on one engine…but we didn’t (gotta love those Lehman’s!). Since we will probably be waiting out some weather and spending time with TT, we will polish all the fuel in all four tanks before we leave. I also would like to get a coat of wax on the hull and the teak rub rails could use a couple of coats of urethane too. I just hope we have enough time and weather to get it all done before we leave. We are really enjoying being on the boat in this “simple” world. It’s really amazing, but we keep getting more and more comfortable traveling and living aboard. Originally, we had planned on selling the boat when our trip was done, but we have had a change of heart. We have decided to keep the boat. NY is a great starting point for a lot of other exciting adventures….and we would like to have more of them! TT loaned us his truck and we went to a movie in town. Tall Ship as we enter Brunswick Harbor Jaycie anxiously awaiting our arrival

Jacksonville to Fernandina Beach

2007-04-29T18:31:00.000-04:00

APRIL 9, 2007 (Jacksonville Landing to Fernandina Beach) Woke up to an overcast morning…and cold. This cold front won’t leave! There’s a 70 percent chance of rain, but as TT used to say, “We’ve traveled in rain before!”. So untied and left. The current was moving fast and pushed us up to a whopping 10.2 knots…we were flying (don’t laugh “go-fast” boaters). It started to drizzle, but on and off. It was definitely cold and I piloted from below, but after a short time went back up to my usual position. The drizzling stopped although it remained heavily overcast. The water calmed and looked like glass. It was a long windy waterway and we loved it. Among all the open land and natural waterways, with barely a house in sight….we saw a for sale sign sitting in the middle of no where (I couldn’t even tell what was for sale)! We went under a tall bridge followed immediately by a R.R. swing bridge, which started closing as we approached. As we waited for the train it finally started over the bridge at about 2 mph…and we though we were slow. We kept our fingers crossed that it was not one of those “mile long” freight trains and that we would be stuck here for half an hour. Luckily it was short and we traveled on through. Passing through we passed another looper only going SOUTH (someone always has to be different than everyone else : ). Shortly after, our starboard engine started acting up again (and only 7 hrs. since we changed it- we definitely have a dirty fuel problem). When we get to Fernandina we will have to polish our fuel. Since there are two fronts coming through (with thunderstorms) we will probably be there for a couple of days. After 4 ½ hours of cruising we arrived at Fernandina. It’s a really cute little waterfront with an old town charm. Jaycie met a young girl as we docked and hit it off really well. We walked into town and it was really nice. Small shops with an old town feel. Very unique stores. We found a Fred’s store (there were some back in the rivers). We also bought a sign that says “Home sweet home” for the boat. We are still waiting to see what this weeks’ weather will bring. Two strong fronts are suppose to come through this week. We are also suppose to hook-up with Triton’s Trumpet (TT) again and we are all very excited…Jaycie is VERY excited.

Six Mile Creek to Jacksonville

2007-04-29T18:10:00.000-04:00

APRIL 8, 2007 EASTER (6 Mile Creek to Jacksonville Landing/City) It’s another very cold morning (not the “Florida Easter“ I imagined). Although we stayed comfortable all night, we had to start the generator and put some heat on this morning. Oh, the Easter Bunny did find Jaycie on the boat. (Amazing Senses!) They are having an Easter service at the restaurant, so we headed up there. At least the sun is out and makes it feel warmer than it is. The Minister was young and very entertaining. For his sermon, he had everyone do “personal checklist” of 5 of the 10 commandments. He went through 4 of them and got to “thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor (lie)”. He then said, “If any of you didn’t check off any of the first five….you better check off this box!” : ). He had some great messages and made it very enjoyable and fun. All the members were very friendly and made us feel very welcome. They passed around a plate but said NOT to put anything in, but instead, take a penny out. Each penny had been stamped with the 10 commandments! (if we lived here we would have joined this church). We headed out and unfortunately, by this time, the sun had disappeared and it was very cold (45 degrees). We headed out, cold without sun…but at least it wasn’t windy! Still, in four hours of travel, we only saw 1 other boat. As we came towards Jacksonville, you could see the city in the distance. We were suppose to stay at a marina before the city, but no one was answering their phone or radio (maybe because it was Easter…Duh!). As always, we have an alternative plan and headed for the municipal docks in the city. They were nice and clean and as we pulled in we saw a looper flag (a boat we heard of but never met) and someone up at the restaurant yells out, “Hi Trinity, it’s Skinwalker!”. After we dock, it’s Wayne (and his wife), from back at Turkey Creek…he’s the one who drove us to the airport. But weirder still is….he’s not here on a boat! He just happened to be driving his sister to the airport and stopped here for some ice cream and saw us coming in….what are the odds! This is a nice city, and as much as I don’t like them…it is pretty nice here (and NO it is not just because there is a Hooters restaurant next to our boat). You can, however, tell we are back in a city because the people are not overtly friendly…again! We had lunch at Hooters and although the food was just average…the scenery was great : ). We will try to leave in the morning, but there are a couple of fronts coming in and we will track them closely and see what is happening, before making our decision.

Welaka to 6 mile Creek

2007-04-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

APRIL 7, 2007 (Welaka to 6 Mile Creek) Wow is it cold….and windy!! After our late night, we were up bright and early (7am) and headed in for our pancake breakfast. It was the best $2.50 we ever spent. We headed back to the boat, and even though we probably should have stayed another day (due to the high winds), we left anyway. ML was there to see us off (as were 5 other people-most commenting about leaving). We gave our hugs and said our goodbyes….we will really miss traveling with them! Jaycie tried to hideout in the trunk. We were the ONLY boat on the water. ML called to see how we were doing, but everything was fine. Choppy, windy and white…but fine. I told Joyce to choose a couple of alternate locations in case it was too hard to dock when we get there (weather was expecting 30+ mph). It was a really long and lonely cruise without our friends. As with everything else on this trip, we will adjust to traveling alone….again. Just as I had thought, we get to our destination and the wind is still kicking and the marina could not be more exposed to the wind and water. We decide that we will not go into the marina and instead head to our alternate location, The Outback Crab Shack where we had lunch the other day (I wanted to go back there anyway). As soon as we get into the mouth of 6 Mile Creek, the wind is blocked and it is a sunny and beautiful day…hard to believe it is the same one! They have a ¼ mile long dock for guest and don’t charge for staying over night…I love a “freebie”! We dock and find out that the 42’ boat ahead of us (on the dock) is from across the St Johns river and brought his boat over today because it was getting beat up on the other side. He asks if I would keep an eye on it until he comes back in the morning to get it. He says it can get a little wild here (that’s why we chose near the end of the ¼ mile dock). We go up for dinner and have this huge platter of boiled seafood….DELICIOUS! The atmosphere is great and the music even better. The crowds disperse pretty early because of the cold temperature (even the band stops early). We get a call from ML and the bad news just got worse…his engine has to come out! After pulling the heads they found that a couple of the pistons have “thumb size” holes in the top of them….OUCH! He is going to be there for a while. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that everything goes as smooth as possible. We head back to the boat and the only problem is that they have no water and electric on the dock. We run the genset and turn on the heat to get the boat nice and warm before going to bed (while we watch My Cousin Vinny). It’s nice and toasty by the time we go to bed (hopefully it will stay warm until morning).

Welaka Stay

2007-04-21T22:51:00.000-04:00

APRIL 5, 2007 (Welaka) It’s a cool morning, but we take the dinghies and go exploring. We stopped on the way to fuel up, but we had to walk 3 blocks from the dinghy dock to get some. Across the way there are dozens of small rivers/streams that go off in all directions. We have a map (although it didn’t do us much good). We travel about an hour into the wilderness with ML and their guests. We see all kinds of birds, fish and alligators (actually only 5 babies, 1 medium size and 1 large one by the end). We would have had some really great pictures, but unfortunately, when we went to take a picture, it told us “no card in camera”. We never put it back in after downloading the last set of pictures…DAMN! Luckily ML has theirs and we will grub a few pictures off of them. As we got deeper into the waterway, we had to wiggle our way through narrow passages, around (and over) fallen trees and through lilly pads and shallow mud (maybe this should have gave us a hint we were not “on the right path”). Anyway, it ended up a really awesome morning and we definitely went….where no dinghy has gone before! When we got back to the boat. ML rented a car (the smallest one I have ever seen) and made 2 trips to get us all out to a restaurant. We had a great time. APRIL 6, 2007 (Welaka) Last night, while sleeping (or trying to) the wind kicked up and the water got choppy. The dinghy, which we left on our Weaver davitts on the swim platform was making a major racket and woke me up. I went out to rearrange it to stop the racket. There I am on the swim platform, with my arms slapping around in the water, trying to secure the dinghy…when I realize that these waters have alligators in them! (we were even warned to be prepared to see one on your swim platform…so look before you leap. Every splash of water or slap against the boat is making me paranoid. Suddenly….I am a wimp! So I tie the boat and get the hell off that swim platform. Today ML’s guest are leaving and luckily they finally got to see some manatees at the dock. ML is still having trouble with his engine and a mechanic tells him the bad news…it looks like his heads will have to come off! He is going to be here for at least a week. We feel bad for him, but there is nothing we can do. That afternoon, ML drove their friends back home. While they were away, I met a boater across the dock from us. It ends up he just bought the boat (trawler) 4 days ago and they are getting ready to “go cruising“…maybe even the loop. I start asking him about his boat and although I didn‘t think it was possible, I definitely met someone who is WAY less experienced/prepared than I was. I tried to talk him into getting some “training“, but I don‘t think it is going to happen. Well, we learned…and so will he (now I know how “green“ I looked when I met Popeye back in Jersey City : ). We gave them, what we felt were important, pointers and wished them lots of luck on their journey!. When ML got back we headed for the wooden boat museum. WOW was it interesting. It is a building full of old wooden boats that Richard Speas built. He also did a Great Trip, but he went from Michigan down the rivers and kept going down the islands until he reached St. Croix. Oh, did I mention it was in 1961...and with 5 small children. What a journey! It definitely was more of challenge back then than it is now. I give him a lot of credit. His boat work is beautiful! All antiques, hand built and powered by simple engines (gas & steam). We feel honored to have been able to see his life’s accomplishments. It’s still a little chilly, but we got together on our sundeck for “the last supper”. Knowing it was our last night together, we stayed up later than usual (especially ML who is usually in bed by “boater’s midnight”- 9pm). We played 500 Rummy and had a really nice night. We will be sad to leave them. (we did, however, decide to go to a local church for their pancake breakfast before leaving in the morning)

Palatka to Welaka

2007-04-15T16:17:00.000-04:00

APRIL 4, 2007 (Palatka to Welaka) Even though we slept o.k., it was not a great nights sleep because we slept “light” and got up a few times during the night to check on things. We leave today for Welaka (about 2 hours away). ML is still having engine troubles and there is a marina there. We had a hard time starting our starboard engine, but I put on my auxiliary electric fuel pump and it starts fine. When I turn it off it is still running so we leave. The river narrows a little and it gets even more scenic. It’s a beautiful cruise through winding and narrowing waterways. Lots of birds and wildlife abound. Along the way the starboard engine starts fluxuating rpm’s, as if it had a dirty fuel filter…only I just changed all of them 2 stops ago. We never lose our engine, but it keeps acting up for most of the run. Coming into the dock there is a lot of current and a bit of wind. The dockmaster, although it ends up is very knowlegable, tried to tell me how to dock. I listen, but test his theory before committing to it (in the end, it is my responsibility if I hit something or something goes wrong). His advice was good- he does know his dock and waters. It’s a little, small town marina. There is nothing anywhere…if you don’t have a car. Although, you can dinghy to a few different places. I am going to try to figure out what is up with the engine (hopefully) and then we will do some exploring in the dinghies. Once docked I called American Diesel for some advice and then got into the engine room immediately. After checking the bleeder screw on the secondary filters I found there was air in them. I bled it out and will wait until tomorrow to see if that was the problem…I hope so. We went up to a “boaters gathering”. There weren’t any “Loopers” (besides ML), but what a great place and really nice people.

Black Creek to Palatka

2007-04-15T15:38:00.000-04:00

APRIL 3, 2007 (Black Creek to Palatka) We all had an amazing sleep. Got up and went down (with Jaycie) to change filters. Didn’t want to play games, so just changed them all. Oh, did I mention how bright my engine room was while changing them? : ) Everything went fine, and after working out, we pulled anchor at around 10:00. We are heading to the crabshack, in 6 mile creek, for lunch. It’s about 7 miles away. Pulled in and docked. It had a ¼ mile long pier. We docked and headed for the food. We are a little off season, so it was still pretty calm there (but you could see that it must really hop “on season”). It was great, sitting in this little natural creek enjoying lunch. This is the first time we actually stopped to have lunch, knowing it was not our final destination. We do hear there is a “drive/boat-in” Burger King, which can accommodate our boat….you can be sure we will do it on the way back….even if just to say we did! While there, we ran into Aurora, a trawler we passed about a week ago and came in, last night, and anchored down aways, in Black Creek. Ends up they are from Michigan, but leave their boat here. They boat this area every year and gave Joyce a lot of good recommendations (he has a Lehman, so we talked engines…which I love). Great people. After lunch we started to untie, when ML told us their engine was having trouble. We stay tied as he change his fuel filters (also, not done since Bahama crossing). Luckily, we didn’t leave. It ends up I left my hat and camera on the table in the restaurant which we definitely would have had to go back for. It seems, all things do happen for a reason. We left and headed for our final destination of Palatka. The water is so flat and calm, I want to go wake boarding….or water skiing…or something (although we did see an alligator cruising out in the middle of the waterway). Can’t remember the last time the water (and wind) were this calm, but we are enjoying it while it is here.

Jacksonville Beach to Black Creek

2007-04-15T15:17:00.000-04:00

APRIL 2, 2007 (Jacksonville beach to I’m glad there is no wind this morning, because getting out of this slip is TIGHT! Because I can’t pivot in the slip, I have to stay straight on the way out, but there is a boat with a bow sprit sticking out past the pole and in my way. That means I have to go a little past him on his port side pivot then and back down the waterway and out (I couldn’t do a full spin in the space available). It wasn’t a big deal, but had there been a strong wind….it would have been a challenge. We leave (ML had 2 guests on board) and head to St. Johns River, Black Creek. Beautiful, calm, tranquil (and hot) day. A great cruise. We head up the St. Johns River and see military ships, commercial vessels, cruise ships, industrial areas and even a coast guard gun boat going by at high speed (very cool). It really does give you a comforting feeling seeing them patrolling our waters. My starboard engine was sputtering a little, but hopefully we’ll get there without having to change filters on the way (the secondary filters, from Bahamas crossing were not changed yet-I’m sure they are the problem). The commercial feel of this section of river is nothing as compared to what we have already been through. We are going to be heading south on this river, which means it will have to back track to get out. Not sure how far we will be going down this but we were warned to “put up with” the commercial, wide beginning to get to the really nice sections up ahead. Personally, at this point, I backtracking ,so I am questioning whether we should be “wasting time” going down it. At the beginning section, we passed the Celebration Cruise Ship and many cargo ships with containers. There were a lot of ships unloading cars, Mercedes and Toyotas. There were a few Naval Air Bases nearby as well. As we get out of the industrial section of Jacksonville, and get closer to our first stop, it’s getting prettier and prettier. We go down a creek (which is 30 miles long) and “shop” for an anchorage spot. We come to a fork with a little island in the middle and we decide to anchor behind the island. We rafted together. What a choice. The night was perfect. Small craft were going by, everything from pontoon boats, wake board boats, hydroplanes, jet skiis, etc. But not annoying…just nice. We drop the dinghies and go exploring. We passed a wakeboard boat which was towing a guy on an air chair (hard to explain if you don’t know what it is), but the guy was doing back flips on it…INCREDIBLE and SKY HIGH! We played around for about 4 or 5 miles and then headed back. The evening was spectacular. The water was like glass. The air still. The sunset, with the silhouetted island and trees, was unbelievable and to top it off….it was a full moon night. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer anchorage. It was hot this evening, so we put on the generator and air conditioning to cool off the boat.

Jacksonville Beach

2007-04-15T15:10:00.000-04:00

MARCH 31, 2007 (Jacksonville Beach) We were awaken early this morning and asked if we could move from the fuel dock. I told them no problem, where would they like us to go? D24. I told him that that is the same slip they tried to put me in yesterday and it is too small. He said he would check. He came back and told me it was 16’ wide and would be fine for me. It was a calm morning, so I told him I would give it a shot. When we got there it still looked extremely narrow, but I carefully squeezed it in… but it was VERY tight! When we tied up I told him that it was no where near 16’. He said, “It is a little tight”. A little….I pulled out the tape measure and measured it. From pole to pole….16’ (as he stated). Unfortunately, he forgot to account for the 4’ wide floating dock…which deducts 2’ from the slip space (leaving 14‘ wide to dock a 14‘ wide boat!!). Thank God I called it right yesterday and didn’t attempt to get in with the high winds. It would have been impossible. ML had a mechanic come in to check out an engine fluctuation that’s been plaguing him for a while now. It got a little more involved than he had anticipated…but hopefully this will cure it. We spent most of the day doing more boat projects. Every large yacht I have gone on has had a brightly lit engine room… and it looks awesome. I decided that I want that same lighting. This was one of the most fun projects (so far). Jaycie and I put 4 large fluorescent lighting fixtures in the engine room with a single light switch. WOW!…is it bright. I love it! Every time I went into the galley I had to lift the steps and turn on the lights : ). Jaycie kept saying, “Not again!“. We took a break in the afternoon and we all did scratch boards art projects. Later we went into town, had dinner and walked around. APRIL 1, 2007 (Jacksonville Beach) ML went with some of their friends so we did a little more….you guessed it, boat work! Today was “spring cleaning”. We emptied our garage (that’s what we call it). It’s a very large space on the fly bridge, under the “dash board”. Pulled everything out, neatened up some past (sloppy) wiring. It took hours (there’s a lot of junk under there). Re-arranged and labeled all storage boxes. Now you can find, and get to, anything. We took our bicycles and went out to dinner, Walmart and a movie. I took my saddle bags off our bike (which were stuffed like an oversized suitcase) and went into the theatre. I though it was strange, that in this day and age, nobody questioned me about the bag. Maybe it was the “family” image thing? Anyway, we had a great time and got back to the boat around 10:30. We layed up here, pretty much, so that ML could meet with some friends. I must say it is great to stop, not travel and have all that free a lot of work done.

St. Augustine to Jacksonville Beach

2007-04-15T15:01:00.000-04:00

MARCH 30, 2007 (St. Augustine to Jacksonville Beach) Tough night! Because of the electrical situation we bowed in to the slip. The current and wind was so strong last night that it was POUNDING the stern of the boat. LOUD and SHAKING! I can’t even figure out how it was hitting the boat so hard. I had to got up to the front of the boat and sleep in Jaycie's room..which you could still hear the pounding water- but much better. When I got up in the morning and spoke with ML, he said he heard it in his boat and had to go into the salon to sleep…sorry John! It was really overcast and the wind was ripping. The wind was probably around 20-25 knots. Weather said it would be gusting to 30. We decided to leave anyway. I was ready to leave the slip, but got lots of warnings and “help” from marina staff and fellow boaters-who were staying. They’ll help with lines, watch out for this and watch out for that, be careful the current is really strong and with this wind…, a Tiara just missed broad siding the dock when he pulled out earlier! Now they have me doubting myself and thinking “maybe I’m being a little over confident?“. As soon as I start to back out I tell them to throw the lines on board and I pull out just as I would have expected to. The boat handled fine and without incident. It’s nice to have everyone concerned for you, but I think they were a lot more nervous than I was. The cruise was about 4 hours with wind, chop and white caps most of the way. As we passed an inlet you could see the MONSTER waves outside…not a day to be in the ocean for sure. First couple of hours we didn’t even see one boat. There was one section, around the middle of the trip, that was an exceptionally nice area. I said it before and I’ll say it again (probably more times than you are going to want to hear)….I love the ICW. When we got to Jacksonville Beach, I was hoping the wind would have died down…but it didn’t. The marina was wide open to the north wind. When I got in the entrance channel and got to the front of the marina, I passed our dock. I went to back up and turn to starboard and while doing it, the wind spun our boat around in the opposite direction….I couldn’t believe it. I told Joyce we’ve got some problems (later the dock had told ML that our boat looked like a sail in the wind). I got the boat under control, but it was a real fight. Our slip was down a rather narrow waterway between the docks. The wind would be abeam to us. As soon as I start to pivot the boat the wind is going to grab it hard and spin us, so I told Joyce we have one shot to get it in. Looking down to our slip I also noticed that the boat next to us is sticking out past the poles by about 3’. If we miss our slip, we will probably rip off or at least crush his anchor pulpit. I tell Joyce to get a line on that pole fast, but as we approach the slip looks way too narrow. The dock hand tells me its’ 16’ wide (we’re 14’3)….but NO WAY! On a perfect day I “might” be able to squeeze it, but not today I don‘t want to try and find out I don‘t fit. I tell him I won’t dock there (a man’s gotta know his limitations-Dirty Harry). He tells me I can stay on the fuel dock for tonight...which is fine with me. When we dock/blow in and tie up, Joyce finds out that they say the slip is 16 wide, but they don’t account for the poles! That would bring it down to about 14’6...always trust your gut. Sorry, this is a little long, but a lot happened. Meanwhile, ML is going in to our “old” slip. I run 3 docks over to give an extra hand in the wind and no one else is there to help him and he is blowing sideways past the slip and coming up on another opening. Long story short, he got blown past the slip and the dock hand there, threw the lines back to the boat….only one missed and went into the water….and wrapped his prop….and stalled his engine…and then wrapped his other prop…and stalled that one too!! He’s dead in the water, and he (and Sue) are remaining exceptionally calm, as he gives commands to get control of his boat and Sue is tossing lines. I get a stern line and try pulling his boat into the slip as it “blows” by to about a 45 degree angle passed the opening. Just then the dock hand shows up and helps fight his boat into the slip. Don’t ask how, but we get it into the slip…with NO damage to the boat (or anyone else’s). AMAZING! ML has done about 6500 miles so far and never wrapped a line….until a high wind day….but that’s how it goes. John dove in, went under the boat and cut the lines free. Another exciting day boating-lets just not have too many of them! : )

Daytona to St. Augustine

2007-04-08T19:19:00.000-04:00

MARCH 27, 2007 (Daytona to St. Augustine) Overcast morning, but nice. Left for St. Augustine and again, a really enjoyable, nice cruise. We got there a little late and decided to anchor out tonight. All the anchorages were pretty crowded…so we made our own. Shortly after we arrived with ML, Triumph showed up. Within a short time we had 6 boats there. it’s a really calm and beautiful evening. We got together on Triumph for dinner and then went back to the boat to play some cards with ML. We’ll head over first thing in the morning to the marina. MARCH 28, 2007 (St. Augustine) Got up and pulled anchor, then headed over to the marina. Strong current getting into the slip. They’re doing some construction on the large bridge next to the marina, but with the portholes shut and the air-conditioning on, you don’t even know they are there. St. Augustine is the oldest town in America. They have a trolley / train that runs around town, so we got tickets and toured the area. Very touristy. Some nice old homes and buildings. Enough of that…I headed for the marine surplus store a few blocks away. It was like Wolf’s (only smaller) in Michigan. It’s like a rummage sale of all boat parts…lots of fun. Buy, sell or trade. As you go through the store you just think of any little (or oddball) project you want to do and then look for parts. I found a ½ dozen little things I could use (of which he gave me 3 for free). I have to get some measurements, back on the boat, before picking up some items. On the way back o the boat we passed a wax museum which had Brittney Spears prominently displayed in their front window….bald! (talk about kicking a girl when she’s down!). But, I have to be honest….I did laugh. Anyway, when we got back we headed out to play miniature golf. MARCH 29, 2007 (St. Augustine) Another nice day, we went back to the Sailors exchange and this time I brought that new teak flag pole that I didn’t end up using. Figured I could use it as trade. Picked out some stuff I needed (water tank level indicator gauge, sender, wire, etc.) and traded him my pole + $5 for everything…gotta love it! Went to the movies at a really unique little theatre (Pot Bellies). The theatre was an “Ebayer’s” paradise. It was covered, wall to ceiling in memorabilia and collectibles. It was a little dumpy, but cute. One girl ran the whole show…right down to being the projectionist. The theatre inside had small counters in front of every row of seats. You could actually order food and they will bring it to you…now that’s different. When we got back to the boat the wind was kicking up and so was the water. The boat had quite a bit of motion to it…could make for an interesting night.

Daytona Beach

2007-04-08T19:01:00.000-04:00

MARCH 26, 2007 (Daytona) I built a second shelf and installed it in our cabinet under the wet bar, on the sundeck. Always felt it was a waste of space only having 2 tall shelves there. Came out great. We all walked over to the beach after lunch and went for a swim (even though there were jelly fish, rip tides and sharks near shore warnings out. Felt the rip tide, saw a couple of man-o-wars…no sharks! Cars are parked all along the beach, in a line…very strange. Not at all what we are used to on Fire island or Jones beach. Took away from that nice feeling. Jaycie had a blast going crazy in the waves. She also road her bike there. Since the sand is so hard packed she was actually riding her bike in the water…a very funny site (and the only bike on the beach). Every now and then we stop to talk and I would get a call for help from her. If she stayed put too long the water would sink her tires into the sand and I would have to pull her out. A little praise here for “older women”. As far as the “hard bodies” on the beach go, the 30+ women had the better bodies (looks like the younger women have some competition : ).

Titusville to Daytona

2007-04-08T19:00:00.000-04:00

MARCH 25, 2007 (Titusville to Daytona) Another beautiful day, it’s starting to feel like summer down here. Busy weekend with boats EVERYWHERE! It’s a zoo…can’t imagine what it is like during their busy part of the summer. Took a little side trip to pass the Ponce De Leon lighthouse. All red brick…pretty cool. When I told ML how much I am liking the ICW, he said this is nothing compared to going up the coast….we can‘t wait! We come into Daytona and find out that Triumph is here (last saw them at Tarpon Springs). We all went out to dinner at a really nice restaurant to celebrate Sue (ML) completing the loop. She said she is a little sad knowing she is headed home. Had a great dinner ….CONGRATULATIONS SUE!

Titusville / Kennedy Space Center

2007-04-08T18:55:00.000-04:00

MARCH 24, 2007 (Titusville) Wake up and get an early start to the Kennedy Space Center. Get breakfast along the way. What a great tour. We would recommend it to anyone coming down this way. We spent a full, long day there and if you really wanted to read and watch all the movies, you would need a second day. Learned a lot…really enjoyable. We had a great time. Headed back to the boat, but stopped at CVS on the way. We needed to get mineral oil for polishing the shells we brought back from the Bahamas. On the label of the bottle it says, “May be used as a laxitive”, followed by a caution: “Do not use with muscle relaxers!”….Wow, I’m glad they told me! (Childish? Maybe…. but I found humor in it : )!

Melbourne to Titusville

2007-04-08T18:49:00.000-04:00

MARCH 23, 2007 (Melborne to Titusville) Woke up to a beautiful NON-WINDY day! I was starting to think they didn’t exist (no wind). The intracoastal is getting really nice and quaint again. I love cruising the narrow and interesting waterways. The day was a nice, relaxing, 6 hour cruise. We arrive at Titusville and run into Philomena, which was the looper we met at Melborne. Jaycie and I did a major exterior clean of the boat (definitely of little overdue). We got a rent a wreck and headed to…where else….Walmart! Tomorrow we will head over to the Kennedy Space Center. It should be fun.

Ft. Pierce to Melbourne

2007-04-08T18:48:00.000-04:00

MARCH 22, 2007 (Fort Pierce to Melbourne) Another windy morning, but we decided to move on anyway. Next marina is supposed to be pretty protected from the wind. Nice sunny day. The cruise is going to be about 6 hours. We heard Triumph is at Daytona and will be staying a while. We are looking forward to seeing them again. ICW is nice cruising with a lot of nature and beautiful homes to look at along the way. We got in to the marina and it was really sheltered from the wind…it felt like a different day. We saw Gandolf, whom we haven’t seen since Dog River, Al. Met a couple loopers we didn’t know. We’ll be heading out tomorrow.

Ft. Pierce

2007-04-08T18:46:00.000-04:00

MARCH 20, 2007 (Fort Pierce) VERY windy (20-30knts). Did some business (love having an onboard office) and home school. Walked to the stores to get some supplies. Had some fuel filters delivered to the boat for stock. Had dinner on ML and played a quick game before heading back to watch prison break. MARCH 21, 2007 (Fort Pierce) VERY windy again, so we decided to stay another day. ML’s anniversary today. . Fuel smell/wetness seems to have gone away. I’m going to post the situation on my CHB list online and see if anyone has ever had a similar situation. Checked all battery fluid levels and engine oil. Cleaned all strainers. MARCH 21, 2007 (Fort Pierce) VERY windy again, so we decided to stay another day. ML’s anniversary today. . Fuel smell/wetness seems to have gone away. I’m going to post the situation on my CHB list online and see if anyone has ever had a similar situation. Checked all battery fluid levels and engine oil. Cleaned all strainers.

N. Palm Beach to Ft. Pierce

2007-03-30T13:48:00.000-04:00

MARCH 19, 2007 (N. Palm Beach to Fort Pierce) Fuel situation seems o.k., but I’ll keep a close eye on it just in case (if it shows up again, I will have to start “dismantling) things to find a source, but so far, so good….I’ll keep my fingers crossed. When checking out, Joyce spoke to Suzy (the office girl who we befriended last time here) and she only charged us $100 for 4 days of dockage (that’s cheap!). Anyway, it’s nice to be cruising in the ICW again. Lots of scenery instead of just big open water. Small waterways go off in every direction. Total leg today will be about 6 hours. When I do an engine check, I don’t see fuel or anything. Over the radio we here the coast guard inquiring about a sail boat (which left Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas and headed for Jacksonville, Fl.). It’s in some sort of trouble. The Coast Guard is looking for anyone who sees them to assist them any way they can…although I’m not sure how many boats will be out there today with the seas and winds as high as they are. Later we here the same announcement. We hope they are o.k. and that it’s not any of our friends we have met. Got into Fort Pierce and the wind really kicked up. Had to dock in 20 - 25 knot winds…but all went o.k. By the time we settled in, it started to rain pretty heavily. This is a nice municipal marina. We had dinner at their restaurant and then called it an early night. We hit 4200 miles today and have been out 287 days.

N. Palm Beach

2007-03-30T13:13:00.000-04:00

MARCH 16, 2007 (N. Palm Beach) What a great nights sleep! We really needed it. We’re back in N. Palm Beach and it is as windy as when we left (glad we came across yesterday- we definitely would have ended up having to stay there for a long time before getting the next window. One of the boaters, who we met here last time, loaned us their car so we could go to customs and “check in”. The front is definitely on its way because when we get back to the boat the wind was really whipping, and the clouds were covering the sky. We pull everything down from the fly bridge and take a nice relaxing day. MARCH 17, 2007 (N. Palm Beach) Still windy. Time to re-provision. Hit the local West Marine, Grocery store, Home Depot, Costco and Target. Got back to the boat and smelled a strong diesel fuel odor. Went into the engine room and did a intensive search. Found some diesel in the bilge (absorbed it with a bilge boom) removed my bilge pump so, if it is a leak, it will not turn on automatically and unintentionally pump anything overboard. I also turned off each fuel tank and since I just did all 6 fuel filter changes, checked the filters, lines and pumps…no leaks. I narrowed it down to my port fuel tank. It’s not dripping or running, but definitely fuel. I cleaned it up and will monitor it over the evening. I put some absorbent pads down just in case. When I checked later, there was still some very slight wetness, but no puddle or running fuel (that’s good). It may have spilled out the top from a loose hose fitting or maybe a vent while rolling around during that long and rolly crossing. I will check it again in the morning. MARCH 18, 2007 (N. Palm Beach) The smell is gone but went down and checked the fuel issue again. I checked the engine room and there is still some very slight dampness by that port tank (but not even enough to leave a mark on the absorbent pads)…maybe its just left over residue. Again, it’s still windy today. Glad we left Bahamas when we did, or we would have been there for a long time waiting for a weather window. Fixed the flag pole by inserting a metal rod up the center, with some gorilla glue and then worked on business the rest of the day. Later we went out to dinner, got ice cream and came back and played Clue. If weather is good, we should be leaving in the morning.

Back to the USA

2007-03-28T23:46:00.000-04:00

MARCH 15, 2007 (West end to North Palm Beach, FL) Up before sunup (around 6am). A bit windy, but NOAA says 2-4 in the Gulf stream…so it’s a go. At sun up we left the dock and started across. Well, NOAA was wrong! There is a saying, “Never trust NOAA”….today that saying was right. The crossing ended up a trip that would test our mettle. When we got out of the marina and into the ocean, the seas were already 2-4 (near shore). On the radio we hear another boat say they are turning back and Jaycie starts crying (a little) and says she wants to go back too. We told her we are not going back and she’s just going to have to tough it out. Once we got out a ways, nearer to the gulf stream, I would estimate (without exaggeration) seas were about 4-7, with some bigger rough waves, every now and again. At times we could see ML all but disappear in the swells (we could only see her fly bridge windshield and bimini with enclosure. My biggest concern at this point was that we would lose an engine (or two!). We topped off fuel so the “slopping around” inside the tank wouldn’t stir up any sediment , if there is any, on the bottom of the tank and since we have all new filters, we should be fine. The total trip should be about 7 hours, so we will have to suck it up for a LONG TIME. The gulf stream runs at about 3 knots. With strong seas our best bet is to head directly into them, however, when we do that we drop to around 4 ½ to 5 knots, which would increase our travel time dramatically, and I don‘t think this was the best choice for our companion boat (ML). I do believe on heavy passages it would be best to travel with a boat of the same type, because what was best for me, was not for ML and visa versa (therefore, we both took courses and speeds which were not optimum for either of us). Anyway, we decide to take the sea abeam, which creates a wild “rolling” situation for our boat whenever the big sets of swells come. Luckily Joyce and Jaycie took Dramamine before we left. Even with it, they were having a little trouble with their head. Being captain and having to pilot the boat, I refused to allow it to enter my mind (although, I was definitely aware of how wild it was). When I would go below to do engine and cabin checks it would start to “get to my head” (and a little to my stomach). If I stayed in there for a long period of time I think I would be in big trouble. As we got deeper into the Gulf stream the rolling became really dramatic. Let me just say that at no time did I fear for the safety of us or our boat. I do believe this boat could take almost anything you could throw at it (I was so confident in the boat that I was actually hoping the bow would go under just so I could see it “pop” back out). Before I describe the next events, I want to make sure you understand what “rolling” and a “beam sea” is (my apologize for boring you experienced boaters). A beam sea is when the swells/waves are hitting you directly on the side/broadside of your boat. Rolling is the motion the boat takes on after being hit with this constant beam sea and your boat rocks from left to right. Being a sundeck (and I believe our full keel), we have a lot of “high weight” compounding this effect. Because of our type hull, it is not a hard snapping motion, but rather a smooth rocking motion back and forth. Before going into rough water we lay everything down inside the boat that we think could fall. Well, we rolled so hard and so many times the inside of our boat looked like it “blew up”! First our kyack on top of the sundeck lost its back end control and started swinging from side to side. Joyce took the helm and I donned my life vest and climbed up top, crawled over and re-secured it while rolling side to side. We were constantly hearing bangs and small crashes from inside, but ignored most because, even with all our hand holds below, it was still difficult (and dangerous) to walk around-inside or outside. If the crash sounded loud enough, I would go below and investigate. The next big crash was from the sundeck. We secure the furniture by tying it to the side wall, unfortunately the 48” glass top was not, and it flew off on the floor….don’t ask how it didn’t break! (thank God). While checking on that I looked in the cabin and things that you though could never fall were strewn all about the cabin. Even our “ditch bag” from under the stairs was now out, down the stairs and on our bedroom floor (still easy to get if we should need it in an emergency : ). Lamps, binders, pots, fans….you name it, but at this point they are safer on the floor. The next big crash was our wall unit with flat screen TV!!!!! Right off the wall! Pulled off its mounting (no damage to the wall or floor). Again, left it there. It’s safer there and we can check damage when we get to port (about 4 more hours). At this point, we’re bummed that we might have smashed our flat screen, but we’re still enjoying the challenge of the passage. As the bigger swells pass under us you can hear the water rush past the opposite side of the boat . You can’t see down the swell, just a big “drop off” on the other side of the swell as it rolls away from us. Very exciting…but definitely stressful and wearing. Jaycie cried a couple of times and Joyce and I yelled at each other too (usually after saying, “What’s that noise?…Well find it!!!). After doing some calculations (thanks to ML) we realize our seven hour passage is going to be more like nine!! Time to gut it out. ML has radio trouble when they get sprayed with water. They switch to a hand held and we’re back in touch. Just then we get hit by a big swell and Joyce, who is laying down on the side bench seat is literally dumped off her seat (with the cushion) and lands on the floor…along with the binoculars and anything else on the seat. When she gets up she goes for the binoculars and we get hit with another roller and she goes down…this time hard! She hit’s the bikes (which are strapped on the fly bridge) and scrapes her back on the peddle and arm on the sprocket. Two of the teeth from the sprocket penetrate and go under her skin (rusty, of course). Luckily she has had a tetanus shot recently (from her eye scratch). Jaycie takes the helm as I go below to get the first aid kit. Joyce is cleaned up and bandaged in about 10 minutes and I‘m back at the helm. I have to say that Jaycie did an AWESOME job!!! I don’t know any 9 year old who could have handled the boat, and the pressure, that well (the Power Squadron would have been proud). Three times we roll hard enough to pull the prop out of the water. When we finally get out of the gulf stream, on the Florida side, we head into the swells which is great for us and not so good for ML. The water is not as big on this side, but rougher. Water is spraying everywhere, but we only got “watered down” three times (which we thought was great). We come in the inlet, passing the beaches and looking out, there is no way we would have left from here on that day. But, we’re here and all is good! We take a nice leisurely stroll down the ICW and head to the same marina we left from, Old Port Cove. It’s nice and relaxing coming into this area because we know it so well. The winds are 15-20 mph but we get into the dock fine (other than the dock hand has a line across my flag pole and they snap it off- I thought we were done with damage! : ). We go below to assess the damage and what a mess! It took us over an hour to clean up. First, and most important, the TV is fine (I don’t know how, but it is). The wall unit sustained some damage (split seams, dent in face wood, broken retaining bar, etc.), but everything is repairable. The boats are COVERED with salt. Just putting your hand on the railing it comes up with white crystallized salt all over it. We wash down the boats and are too worn out to go anywhere, so we order a pizza, make some margaritas and toast the completion, and safe passage back from the Bahamas. It was a wild crossing, but definitely challenging…. and fun! (Joyce and Jaycie thought so too) The aftermath

Grand Cay to West End

2007-03-28T23:43:00.000-04:00

MARCH 13, 2007 (Grand Cay to West end) Today we travel to our “jump off point” at West end. That was our first land fall coming over here. We have about a 6 or 7 hour run today. The weather is nice and the water is relatively calm. Along the way I did a little boat work (replaced a toggle switch, filled a gelcoat chip and measured for a shelf), while Joyce and Jaycie did school. Our port engine has been acting up. It feels like a fuel filter, but it’s a little early for that (although I still think it is). Before coming over here we had switched to a new filter arrangement (large micron primary/low micron secondary), but after seeing this and giving it more thought…I don’t really care for it. We’re only about ½ way to our West end. I hope we can make it there before engine failure….I would rather not change filters on a hot engine, while moving next to a running one….but I’ll do it if I have to! Luckily, it never came down to it. The engines ran rough about 8 more times, ranging from 11-60 minute intervals. We got into West End fine and fueled up before docking. Like the first time here, we love this place. Went for a swim, had dinner, played 500 Rummy and called it a night. Seas are expected to be 4-7’ tomorrow, so we will stay and hope to leave on Thursday or Friday when the seas calm down (hopefully). Meantime, it will give me time to change the fuel filters before crossing. There’s a shuttle launch from Florida this Friday and we would really like to be over there to see it. ML cooked a lobster tail dinner to celebrate our completion of the Bahamas. Nice ending to a beautiful part of the trip.

Allans Pensicola to Grand Cay

2007-03-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

MARCH 12, 2007 (Allans Pensicola Cay to Grand Cay) I woke up a couple of times during the night to check on our postion, but everything was fine. I guess it was the short road, back in Cabbage Cay, that made us slip. Anyway, it was very secure, just like in always use to be. It’s a really nice morning and we pulled anchor and headed for Grand Cay. It’s about a 4 hour cruise and we will be staying at a marina. Very shallow entrance way, we dragged bottom a little on the way in (soft, no problem). Cute little Cay, but very depressed. They have been hit with 3 hurricanes and you can see they repair things as they get the money. A real eye opener. They must not get very many white visitors here, because we heard the words “white people” more than once. It was interesting to be the minority and feel as if you didn’t fit in. A great learning experience for Jaycie to see what it feels like to be “different”. We walked the entire island. The houses were small and very close together. The grocery, restaurant and pizzeria (yes pizzeria) were extremely tiny. People were mixed between friendly and stand offish (kind of like NY). We ran into the only white couple living on the island and got some history and local information. It was really interesting. He just bought a house and move here a few months ago. He said that people here are set in their ways and most adults live to about 55. He tries to tell them health things for longevity, but they are not interested. We went back to the boat and had a very relaxing evening. Although I wouldn’t want to spend time here (there really isn’t much to see or do), I am very glad we came. A little side note, for the most part no one looked happy on this island. I pointed out to Jaycie that houses still have wood covering their windows, debris everywhere…you really feel for these people : (. People hang their laundry out on lines and yet we have a washer and dryer on our boat….it really makes you appreciate what you have.

Green Turtle Cay to Allans Pensicola Cay

2007-03-26T21:54:00.000-04:00

MARCH 11, 2007 (Green Turtle Cay to Allans Pensicola Cay) Today we turn back our clocks and lose and hour…not that it matters when you don’t have a time schedule. We were a little bugged about being overcharged for water (250 gallons) but we couldn’t find the paper that had the starting meter numbers (it’s only $50...but it’s the principle!). We left around 10:00 for Allans Pensicola Cay anchorage. It’s pretty well protected and especially from the northern winds, which we currently have. It’s a little windy so we put out an extra 25’ of chain (don’t want to make that mistake again). It’s a really private anchorage with lots of little beaches to see….so we jump in our dinghies and go exploring. We did some shelling and found lots of nice ones. Later ML went back to their boat, Jaycie and I drop Joyce off at the boat and head out to a string of rock islands to snorkel. Before we leave I mention to Joyce “what if we run into a shark (we are in a really remote location)?”. Joyce says don’t worry about it, but I get my leg knife just in case. You always feel a little more vulnerable when you have your “little girl” with you. Anyway, we get to our spot and we are looking over to pick a good spot to start and suddenly Jaycie is in the water. I ask her if she was in a rush to get started and she said, “No, I fell in!” . So I jump in with her and tie the dinghy around my waste (with a bowline knot-thank you power squadron) to tow the dinghy while I swim, holding Jaycie’s hand. Within 1 minute of being in the water a HUGE spotted ray…BEAUTIFUL…with around a 4’ tail goes by us at about 10’…AMAZING! Of course, Jaycie was not very pleased…but she did remain calm and even stayed in (for about 5 minutes) after it disappeared into the distant haze. She then got back in the boat and with her mask and snorkel, snorkeled from within the safety of the boat. I towed her all around the island and we saw some amazing sights (coral, starfish, every kind of fish, schools of fish, biscuits, etc.). After about ½ an hour I was about to make a second lap around the island, when out of the gray comes a SHARK! No kidding! I don’t’ know how big it was, but big enough to scare me. As he cruised by, swaying back and forth…I ejected myself from the water (I think I ran on top of the water) and into the dinghy (good thing I brought my knife : ). One minute I’m in the water and in seconds I’m in the boat. Jaycie turned around, surprised and I told her what happened. We both laughed and headed back to the boat. I think that’s enough snorkeling for one day. Back at the boat ML came over for dinner and to play a game. That night, before bed, I was a little concerned about our anchor dragging while we sleep (amazing what one bad experience can do), so we set our anchor alarm, watched a movie and then went to bed.

One more day

2007-03-26T21:47:00.000-04:00

MARCH 10, 2007 (Green Turtle Cay) We called Christy and she sounds rested and actually good. It was good to hear her in such good spirits. Interestingly enough Joyce had her appendix removed at the same age. Luckily, the new way of doing it doesn’t leave a big scar and the recuperation time is much faster (less trauma to the body). Our next stop is going to be an anchorage and we will have no guaranteed way of contacting Christy, so we stayed put in Green Turtle. The weather is overcast and rained (and poured) for a good part of the day. Jaycie went to the beach and pool with a little girl she met on the snorkeling trip. Joyce and I stayed back at the boat and did some business. It‘s funny, you don‘t even mind doing business when you are sitting in the Bahamas : D. We called Christy again and she said she was “walking” out of the hospital and going to get a bite to eat on the way home….unbelievable! Surgery yesterday and walking and home today! She said we should move on and that she was fine and that she had lots of family support (plus her boyfriend Billy will be there and I am sure he will watch over her!). Thanks, Billy!

Snorkeling with Brendal

2007-03-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

MARCH 9, 2007 (Green Turtle Cay) Today’s the day. We met this morning and went on our snorkeling excursion. Unfortuately, the water was very rough (2 people got sick). Luckily we were “in shape“ for those conditions and it was a non-issue. It also started raining (hard at times), but to us it didn’t matter…we’re going to be wet anyway. We are really proud of Jaycie because, in those rough conditions, she got in the water and snorkeled with us for a while (luckily no rays came by). Joyce and I then went to the outside of the reef and saw schools of barracuda, more fish than you could count and a sea turtle. It was awesome, meanwhile the weather cleared up. When everyone was back in the boat we headed for a little island. We had the best picnic / barbeque ever. Conch salad (that Brendal made along the way), red snapper and lobster tails (all which he catches and cooks himself)...MMMMMM! Then, at the shore, we got to see and feed sting rays. Even Jaycie conquered her fear and fed them! It was pretty cool, you could stick some food between your toes and the would come up and suck it out….very cool. A gray colored shark (about 4’) came in close to shore and just cruised the area a little….we were close enough to shore to run if we had to….I think!? : D There was a little girl (5), from Colorado on the trip with us, so Jaycie had someone to play with. We headed back to the marina and had rum punch along the way. On the way back to the marina, Brendal let Jaycie drive the boat. She took it the whole way back. She handled it like a pro. What a party! When we got back, Joyce had 5 messages/missed calls. We found out that Christy is in the hospital and had to have her appendix removed. Luckily, our families were there to lend her support and since her Aunt Debbie is an RN at that hospital, she and Doug (my brother) made sure everything was handled right. She also had a lot of visits from both sides of the family, so she wasn’t alone in her time of need….THANKS GUYS! We called and she said she was doing fine…but tire, so we said we would call her tomorrow.

Green Turtle Stay

2007-03-21T19:46:00.000-04:00

MARCH 8, 2007 (Green Turtle Cay) What a gorgeous calm morning! We went for breakfast with ML, but Joyce had gotten her legs eaten (by bugs-somewhere) and took benedril to sleep….it wiped her out! She slept in. When we got back Jaycie and Joyce did some home schooling, while I went into the engine room to check on the leaking oil cooler. While getting out my spare, I found that Ward (previous owner) had a new one in stock too…thank you ,Ward! After inspecting further I noticed it had a pin hole leak that was easily accessible. I decided to JB weld it instead (I’ll still have the spares if the need should arise). The JB weld that I used on my coolant tank and muffler worked beautiful and hopefully this will do the same. The stuff is awesome. After it sets, you can grind it, sand it and paint it….great stuff (JB weld is a proud sponsor of the Trinity’s Great Loop : D . A while back I bought that “flexible corrugated black plastic tubing stuff” (it’s an industry term), and wrapped some loose wires and hoses in the engine room…looks neat…I love it! Did I mention it’s the simple things in life that can give the greatest pleasure? Afterwards, we took our dinghies into town and went to the bakery (and homemade ice cream). On the way back we checked out a few anchorages and stopped on a desolate little beach. We headed back and it was funny to see how our “big” boat was just a little dinghy here. Looking from our boat to the left….we were big. Looking from our boat to the right… we were small (finishing of the line with a 129’ Trinity yacht at the end of the dock. We had to be careful not to accidentally go on the wrong “Trinity” at the end of the day : D . When Jaycie drove the dinghy down the side of the boat, I realized I could easily sand the fiberglass repair I had done on the second day of our trip! So she got me some sand paper and I finished it up. In a little while we will head out to dinner to eat some more of our dockage. Tomorrow we will go on our snorkeling excursion (Joyce called to let the kids know we would be out all day and out of contact).

Great Guana back to Green Turtle Cay

2007-03-20T20:29:00.000-04:00

MARCH 6, 2007 (Great Guana Cay to Green Turtle Cay) It’s a nice morning although a still a little cool and pretty windy. We’ve decided to move on today. We will head back to Green Turtle Cay. We all loved it so much we are excited to go back. It’s about a 2 hour trip. When we went out in the ocean, we had decent size beam seas for about a 40 minutes (nothing really bad-no furniture flying J ). About a week ago, I had noticed some “wetness” on the starboard side of the starboard engine. Since we’ve only been doing “short hops” lately, I haven’t been doing engine room checks while traveling. Once we got out of the beam seas I went below to do an extensive check. I found that there was a leak. The oil cooler was leaking raw water (salt water) and a good rate. I tightened the hose, but it didn’t help. The engines too hot to lean over to the outside of it, but from the back it appears to be a crack in the cooler itself (luckily I keep a spare on board). It’s not critical (yet) and since we are going to stay at Green Turtle for the week, I will fix it sometime in the next few days. When we arrived at GreenTurtle we were all very excited. We love this place! We were surprised to see Whale Rider here (a Krogen 58 which we haven’t seen since Pebble Isle, Tenn.). We went to lunch to start “eating” our dock fees (remember they deduct your bill from your dockage). Joyce and Jaycie cleaned the stainless and I did some business. MARCH 7, 2007 (Green Turtle Cay) This morning it was still windy and cool…but nice. We found out that, once again, we skated by some pretty rough weather. A few weeks ago, when we got hit with those 50+ mph winds at Marsh Harbor, Green Turtle got hit with a micro burst of 105mph and hail. One person said they saw their dinghy “hover” off the ground like a kite! No major damage here (it wasn’t sustained wind) but some boats had canvas ripped off. Once again we lucked out…with the light 50mph winds! We saw four other people from last time we were here and once again it was like homecoming. We rented a golf cart with ML for the day and explored the entire island (every road and non-road). The golf carts here have oversized tires for better driving on unpaved roads. Along the way we met a couple of new loopers at another marina. We got invited into a new construction home (1.3million) and what a view! 360 degree on top of the island-water in every direction…beautiful. We went into town and had lunch. We saw a horse roaming around on some property, we stopped to see it. It came right over to our golf cart. We made friends with some more “locals” who were older and lived here their whole life. After talking, for a while, we began to realize just how small this island is. We started getting the “local gossip”. Everyone knows everything about everyone. I guess 200 people on an island is a little too small and toooo intimate. Going down a sand road, we found a great snorkel spot which we will come back to in the next couple of days. We also found the local garbage dump, called "Garbage Depot" by the locals. They burn their garbage here, once or twice a week. We had to stop in and see. Persystence (a sailboat we met at Seaspray and then again at Orchid bay came in right across the dock from us. We had a little party on the dock. Really enjoying it here, and look forward to spending the week. Friday we are going on a snorkeling/diving excursion with a local outfit (Brendal‘s)…can’t wait. It’s an all day adventure ending with eating lobster on the beach (I believe we are going to catch them…wow!).

Great Guana

2007-03-18T22:08:00.000-04:00

MARCH 5, 2007 (Great Guana Cay) Although the front missed us, we have decided to stay around for another day. It’s a little cool (65 degrees- how quickly we get spoiled). Joyce, Jaycie & ML went for a walk into town (all 2 stores) and then walked around the island for a while. My back still isn’t feeling great, so I stayed back and did some work on the boat (re-enforced a wooden floor grate in the head, rebuilt the gray water tank inspection cover plate and wire brushed/repainted the “Westerbeke“ name plate on the genset). Later, that evening, we walked to a local restaurant to watch "Prison Break" and "24"....great shows…great ribs…life is good!

Great Guana Cay

2007-03-18T17:22:00.000-04:00

MARCH 4, 2007 (Elbow Cay to Great Guana Cay) A really nice morning. Weather says a strong front is coming, but won’t be in until later today. We only have to travel a couple of hours to Guana Cay today (they are having a pig roast at “Nippers“). We decided to move on and what a cruise. Gorgeous day. We arrive at Orchid Bay marina and again, another quaint marina on a small island. Love it! We come in and see other loopers we know. We settle in and head over to Nippers. When walking over, a golf cart with a driver in a top hat stops and offers us a ride there. The driver was interesting. He puts out his cigarette and says, They don’t allow smoking when he has passengers”, then he says, “Next thing you know they won’t let me drink and drive either!“ He drops us at Nippers and we give him a few bucks. Nippers is a well known outdoor kind of club, on the beach with a salt water pool and everything is painted brightly. What an atmosphere. They’ve got a band playing, people dancing….one big party! We had some food and then I took Jaycie swimming in the pool. We saw lots of people we knew. We went for a walk on the beach. There was a rock that had a “natural Jacuzzi” (kind of) hole that the waves would roll into. We climbed in and had a great time. You could see the storm clouds coming our way in the distance, but there was still plenty of time until they got here. If we do get the weather, we will probably be here for 2-3 days.

Elbow Cay

2007-03-18T08:51:00.000-04:00

FEBRUARY 26, 2007 (Elbow Cay) My back is starting to show signs of improvement (thank God!). But I’ll still want to be very careful not to aggravate it. Today we took a short hop to Elbow Cay. A quaint little marina which we liked immediately. We’re starting to get that old feeling of “I like it here…I think I could live here.” Two boats down from us is a 65’ Marlow. A beautiful “fast” trawler yacht. I told my friend’s wife Jenn this (they’re into race boats) and when I told her it would do as high as 20mph she broke out laughing- well to us “trawler folk”….it’s fast! We took the dinghy and went shelling and snorkeling. When we got back, we dinghied to lunch at a restaurant on the ocean. It was beautiful. Interesting side story, there are two large (approx. 4’x6’) pieces of the shuttle Challenger, which blew up. They said they called the US and told them they were holding them for us. When our “representatives” showed up, they had such “cocky” attitudes that the Bahamian government said, “forget it, we’re keeping them.”….and here they are sitting on the deck of the restaurant. Anyway, we like it here and think we’ll stay a few days. FEBRUARY 27, 2007 (Elbow Cay) We woke up to a raging thunder storm with rain…AWESOME! We woke up because the air conditioner went off and on a couple of times, then the power in the marina stayed out all morning. We cooked breakfast using the genset. By afternoon it was beautiful out, sunny and warm. We definitely love it here. I went and talked with the Captain from the Marlow 65 (Never Better). We dinghied over to Hope town…again beautiful. From my first opinion of the Bahamas it has changed dramatically. Even though, at first, I felt we had wasted our time coming here, now we are in love with all the small islands and love ’Island hopping”. First we went to the Hope town light house and climbed to the top…what a view! Spectacular. We dinghied across to Hope town and it was a really cute, quaint little town. It reminded us of Fire island a bit. We walked around and shopped. Going back we had an unscheduled dinghy race which Jaycie loved. When we got back I met Dot, the owner of Never Better. She was really nice. I talked with her about the operational costs of ownership. Afterward, told me to come by with Joyce tomorrow and she will give us a tour… I can’t wait! Jaycie went over to the boat next to us to catch some fish. FEBRUARY 28, 2007 (Elbow Cay) It’s another stormy morning. We went up under the overhang to go on line. Even while in a storm we really like this place. We took advantage of the bad weather to get some business and home school done. Home schooling is going really well (thanks to Joyce). We called Joyce’s Dad to see how he was doing (he’s getting some tests done today). Things seem to be progressing well. Later, ML was coming over to play Mexican dominos when he tripped getting off the boat….14 dominos went in the water. We still played with what was left (we‘ll try to get the others in the morning). MARCH 1, 2007 (Elbow Cay) A very windy day. When it calmed down I went “snorkeling for dominos“. When I went under I saw 15 dominos. ML told me there are only 14 down there. I looked again and still saw 15, but they reassured me that there were only 14. I looked one more time and counted 14. I noticed a nasty jellyfish floating near me and told them to keep an eye on it for me. When I dove down to get the first domino I realized that all the “dark spots” on the bottom (which the dominos were laying among) were ALL jelly fish!!! I use some precision instruments to get them from among the jellyfish (Jaycie’s “alligator on a stick”-like PeeWee Hermans). I got them all but one, which ML gave me a needle nose plier to pull it out of a little hole it fell in. I went back to the boat and got a lot more business done. We want to finish up a few business projects before we head back to the US and head up the coast. Then ML informs me…there were 15 missing! DOH! I went in again and looked over an approx. 8’ square area with a fine tooth comb for about 20 minutes….but no luck. Went out to lunch at that ocean front place again. When we got back Sue (ML) says she sees the domino. We take a look and sure enough we can see it looking down where I had already searched. The only thing we can figure is it was under a jellyfish or in one of those skinny holes and whatever was in it pushed it out. Anyway, once again I jumped in and now we have ALL THE DOMINOS! That evening we walked down to the ocean and Jaycie blew her conch at sunset. MARCH 2, 2007 (Elbow Cay) Spent the day organizing the boat and doing a little cleaning and exterior maintenance. MARCH 3, 2007 (Elbow Cay) Nice weather, so we went snorkeling again. This time we went to “the wreck”. Actually it was 2 boats (20‘+), the front end of a jeep, some cars, a barge and a tractor…very interesting. The cool part was that it was like a man made reef. There were fish EVERYWHERE! It felt like we were snorkeling in a tropical fish tank. It’s amazing how comfortable we are getting here. On the way back we beached the dinghies and walked to a grocery store. We talked to the locals and said we didn’t care for the Bahamas (Freeport) when we got here, but now that we are on the small out islands, we love it. She told me these are the family islands (meaning local families) and that we shouldn’t go Nassau either. I asked how is it when a hurricane comes through? She said, “Scary as Sh#*!” (ask a dumb question,….). That evening we went to Cracker P’s, on Lubbers Cay, by dinghy. They are having a Full Moon party and a lot of the loopers will be going. It was a really nice place with a unique atmosphere. We had our drink and then head back in the dark (the dinghy is really getting some use now). It was a dark night and a couple of boats, at anchor and in the channel, had NO lights on, making it next to impossible to see. We had a spot light so it wasn’t too much trouble for us. Back at the marina they were having a band, which was really good. We ordered a barbeque chicken pizza…MMMMMMM! We enjoyed the food and music and then called it a night (it’s a tough life, but given enough time I think I could force myself to like it! : ). We do hear that a strong front is coming in, so we will listen to the weather to see if we will stay put or move on tomorrow.

More Marsh Harbor

2007-03-05T13:11:00.000-05:00

FEBRUARY 21-24, 2007 (Harbor View Marina) I can‘t figure out what I did to my back, but its done (the worst it’s been since before we left). I stayed in bed all day. Joyce, Jaycie & ML took the dinghy and went shelling. They got lots of shells and had a great time. Later they went to another yacht club, by dinghy, for a farewell party for Vagabond’s friends (which they had $2 drinks-rum punch). Wish I could have gone, but I decided it would be best if I stayed in bed for a few days. If my back gets much worse, it could end the trip. Sunday, there will be a “mini-rendezvous” at Boat Harbor and quite a few loopers are expected to show. FEBRUARY 25, 2007 (Boat harbor) A pretty nice day. Back still hurting, but I can move around. ML offered to take my boat around and come back and get his, but it’s going to be a short hop so I think I can handle it (good thing I spent weeks trying to find a really supportive helm seat!). We left our marina and headed around to the other side of Marsh Harbor to Boat Harbor. This is where a lot of loopers stay for the winter because they have a yacht club you can join and get a really inexpensive monthly rate (less than half price). We would only be here for a couple of weeks total, so it didn’t pay for us to go there, besides, we really want to do a lot of island hopping. We like exploring the smaller islands better than staying in one place and taking the boat out for side trips. The other side was pretty windy when we got there, but no problems. We really don’t care for Marsh Harbor too much. A little too congested and no “small town” feel. We went to the Rendezvous, on the beach, and there were a lot of people we new. We also met some more loopers we hadn’t met. We had some food (everyone brings a dish) and then I took Jaycie down to build a sand castle (it‘s easier for me to be kneeling, than sitting or standing). We came back for the ’Looper introductions” (so everyone meets everyone). Then they played some games, of which Jaycie and I didn’t participate. During tug of war the huge rope they had broke and everyone ended up laying in the sand. We had a conch blowing contest which Jaycie participated in. She didn’t win, but did a great job.

Marsh Harbor

2007-03-05T12:58:00.000-05:00

FEBERUARY 16, 2007 (Marsh Harbor) Last night the there were high winds (I’m guessing 25+ knots). At about 3am a creeking cleat woke me up. It was our spring line and there was a tremendous amount of pressure on it. I set up another spring line to an additional cleat. By morning it was still a little windy (but not nearly as strong as last night). It was a pretty nice day, so I worked on some gel coat chips. I discussed going around to the marina on the other side, but ML said they would stay here and Joyce agreed….so here we are (although I’m not so sure it’s the right decision). I installed an anemometer (wind speed gauge) and although it turned on, it wouldn‘t give wind speed. I’ll have to contact Raymarine after the weekend. By the afternoon, the wind was really starting to blow (20-30 knots). Everyone was out and securing their boats. Unfortunately, we have a lot of fetch (wide open water) in the direction that the wind is coming from, which is creating quite a chop in the marina. I saw the marina owner checking boats and lines, and I mentioned I was considered leaving. Our boat was sticking out past the pilings making it hard to secure it to the dock. Our boat (40,000 lbs.), was basically holding on by one cleat. He showed me how they tie 70 footers that stick past the pilings and once I added the new lines I felt much better. Our boat was very active. but not uncomfortable (if we had just started the trip it might have been a different story). We decided to go to dinner at Snappa’s, which overlooks our marina/boats. We ran into Vagabond there and they had a great band (no…not the gully roosters). One guy played the “hand saw”. We had a great time! From the restaurant we could see all the boats bouncing all over. This still isn’t the gale we are expecting. FEBRUARY 17, 2007 (Marsh Harbor) Had a great nights sleep. We walked a couple of miles to the ferry, which brings you to a Flea market on Man-o-war cay. A lot of loopers were on the ferry. Man-o-war is a really quaint little island with golf carts and small motorcycles all around. After doing a little shopping, looking around town and seeing the local fiberglass boat builders, we walked around the island. It reminds me, a little, of fire island back home (if you added palm trees and aqua green water). Really nice and comfortable feeling. When we went back to the boat it was a really nice afternoon. FEBRUARY 18, 2007 (Marsh Harbor) Woke up to howling wind and choppy waters (still, a nice nights sleep). Perfect day to do some reading, watch a little TV and make some bead bracelets. Interestingly enough, even with all the motion, we can still do everything we normally would do. We then took a walk into town to GNC (that’s right…they have a General nutrition center here-go figure) but they weren’t open. We headed to the supermarket and it was great. A little expensive, but had everything you could want. While inside it poured…luckily it let up before we had to walk back. But the wind was getting more intense. By afternoon the wind was hitting 50+ knots. The water was complete white caps smashing into the boats. Very exciting (now that my boat was secure). The 70’ sailboat next to us was losing its life vests and cushions, and no one was aboard, so we boarded and secured everything. We went on ML and had a Daytona 500 “party” and dinner. After going back to our boat the wind was still raging, the boat was rocking and every now and then the water would pound the hull. Every now and then you can hear loud howling wind outside. Later, we watched Desperate housewives and called it a night. FEBRUARY 19, 2007 (Marsh Harbor) Today is Joyce’s birthday! Went out for a birthday breakfast. While I kept Joyce distracted most of the day, ML was working on a surprise party. We told Joyce we were going to a cocktail hour at Boat harbor marina across the way and then out to dinner to celebrate. Sue had gotten together all the loopers that were around; Vagabond, Encore, Happy Clams, Lion Heart, Tara, Peace keeper, and a lot more…it was great! She was completely surprise. Sue (with Jaycies help) got party decorations and made a cake and everything. Definitely a birthday to remember! FEBRUARY 20, 2007 (Marsh Harbor) A flat, calm morning. Went back to “Curly tails” for breakfast. Finished gelcoat old screw holes/chips on boat…came out great. Joyce and Jaycie cleaned the outside of the boat. Nice to be in one place for a while, it gives us time to get some things done from our punch list. A big part of the cruising life is a lot of preventative maintenance and cleaning. Somehow I hurt my back (pretty badly). Hopefully it will be better in the morning. I’ll stay lying down for the rest of the night.

Green Turtle to Marsh Harbor

2007-02-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

FEBRUARY 15, 2007 (Green Turtle Cay to Marsh Harbor) Got up, went for a walk and the weather was calm. By Sunday they are expecting a front with gale winds. I passed the ocean and it looked calm too. We decided to check out and head to Marsh Harbor. Jaycie went and said goodbye to her friends and hopefully we will run into them again. Water was nice, winds picked up as we traveled. Only about a 3 hour cruise. Not as nice as Green Turtle, but we’ll see when we go into town tomorrow. We saw a lot of people we know and a lot of loopers are in the area. We look forward to seeing them. While we were settling in at the marina, the 91 yr. old guy we met at the anchorage came by in his dinghy, as did Candy Dish, Sea Fox and Happy Clams came by after dinner. This marina has a lot of movement in the water (and there is very little wind). We are considering moving to the other side of the island, where a lot of other loopers are staying. It sounds like it is better protected from the weather. We’ll have to see in the morning if the weather is nice enough to move.

Green Turtle Cay

2007-02-24T20:42:00.000-05:00

FEBRUARY 14, 2007 (Green Turtle Cay) Nice day. Rented a golf cart and drove into town (about 3 miles away) with ML. Very weird getting used to driving on the left side of the road. What a unique and cool little town. Houses and stores packed tightly together. Went to a little environmental museum. Saw an old jailhouse, an Episcopal church and of course, a graveyard. Talked with some locals and found out there is no crime on the island. They said there is only one cop and he drives around in a golf cart and waves to everyone. They said when a hurricane comes everyone boarders everything up and hunkers down. Then, as soon as it’s over, everyone comes out and helps clean up and rebuild. When we got back from town we went to the beach. We snorkeled and built a fire to cook some hotdogs (on a rusty barbeque that they have just sitting there). At night we went to the restaurant with Jaycie’s friends for a Valentine’s Day dinner. After 1 ½ hours of waiting we got our appetizer and salad, the kids got their pizza, and they said it was going to be about a ½ hr. more for our dinners. Needless to say, we canceled our order and left. We went back to the boat and had a “brownie dinner” that Joyce and Jaycie had made for me. We went up and listened to the Golly Roosters (did I mention they’re the best band in the Bahamas?). Anyway, listened for a while and then headed back to the boat. We are considering leaving in the morning if the weather is nice.

Great Sale Cay to Green Turtle Cay

2007-02-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

FEBRUARY 11, 2007 (Great Sale Cay to Green Turtle Cay) It was a beautiful, quiet, tranquil anchorage and everyone had a good nights sleep. It’s been so long, we forgot how nice it was sleeping in an anchorage. The new “battery management system” (from Turkey creek) worked beautiful. Ran a lot of electric all evening and engines cranked over perfectly in the morning. We were off at sunrise and headed for Green Turtle Cay. The ocean was a bit rocky and choppy at first, but laid down as the day went on. It was another long day of about 8 hours. A few shallow spots right to our keel, but we didn’t drag or run aground. The day had sun, but was mostly overcast. The water was crystal clear and looking down it was almost as if you were snorkeling. We saw another pair of dolphins in our bow wake. We arrived around 3pm. A really quaint marina in, what appears to be, a nicely protected cove. Interesting docking fee here. Whatever you order at their restaurant is deducted from your dockage bill. Also, the marina charges 25 cents per gallon of water and a flat fee of $17 for electric for us per day. We got word that there would be a boaters get together at the picnic tables at 5.…so we went. Jaycie met some kids and was very excited. There were five children on a catamaran sailboat. They have been cruising for 3 years and loving it. Four boys and 1 girl, all ranging in age from 2-11. Jaycie went to their boat to watch a movie with the kids and we went to the gathering. We were told there is a great local band that plays at some get together. The guy said, “They’re the best band in the Bahamas…just ask them!“ (I thought it was funny). There was talk about a strong front moving in, that will last about 3 days. We’ll have to decide whether to stay or move on in the morning. As usual, nice night with some great people. John and Sue didn’t make the gathering, unfortunately they got a call that their 17 old cat, back home, had to be put down and were not in the mood to party. We headed back to the boat and Jaycie's new friends asked if she could stay another hour. It’s funny, but the boat felt a little empty without Jaycie aboard….but great to see her with some kids again! FEBRUARY 12, 2007 (Green Turtle Cay) Woke up and I walked some dirt roads to the ocean side of the island. Really nice, quaint small rural town. At the beach I found a small spot in the palms that had a picnic table and a barbeque. We will definitely come back here if we stay. Jaycie had made plans with her friends to play after they all home schooled (great to have other home schooled kids…they all got along great). We went to breakfast with ML (deducted from the marina’s docking bill…of course). The front is going to blow 35 knots and push seas to 12-15’. We could leave now, but we really didn’t get to see much here, or wait until after the storm (probably 4-5 days total). After taking everything into account we decided we would stay. We’re glad, because we like it here. We also have some business work which we need to complete (the stormy days will give us time) and Jaycie has someone to play with (which allows us to work freely). We met some people back at West End who have a similar boat to ours and oddly enough his profession is cemetery monuments (for those of you who don’t know, we are in caskets). Anyway, they are across from us at the dock and are really nice people (I know, all-most-boaters are). So we’re hanging out, doing some work and waiting for the weather to arrive. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that there were a couple of dolphins swimming around in the marina, and right behind our boat this morning. Very cool. Also, the catamaran (Jaycie’s friends) has a line with a seat/sling attached to the mast which the kids “fly” around in…Jaycie is keeping her fingers crossed that she gets to go in it. This afternoon Jaycie’s wish came true and she got her turn. The kids on the boat were having so much fun! They were all climbing all over the outside of the cat…it was quite a sight! One crawling through the sail cover, popping his head out the other end, 2 hanging upside down from something, 1 climbing the mast and yet others climbing the stays (wires/ropes). It reminded me of the monkeys going wild on a car at Great Adventure. More boats came in that we knew (Sara and Vagabond). Went to dinner with everyone…great food.

West End to Great Sale Cay

2007-02-22T09:20:00.000-05:00

FEBRUARY 10, 2007 (West End to Great Sale Cay) We left this morning at about 8:00 to head for the Great Sale Cay. We will anchor out tonight and then head to Spanish or Green turtle in the morning. The weather is really nice. The water was really shallow and since there is so much coral around we have to be extra cautious. Even though we are in the ocean and out of sight from land for hours, the reality is if we hit a coral reef and punch a hole in the bottom so badly that we sink….the boat draws 4’….after it sinks we should be able to get out and stand on the coral while we wait for help :D We got to the anchorage and there were about ½ dozen boats there. Some we know, some we don’t. Feels like a good location and we took our boat in deep to be protected form wind and weather should it change. We were told by the other boaters that at 4:00 everyone was going to make a “dinghy raft” and have a party. We took our dinghy around the cay to explore. We found an area where we could beach the boat and went ashore. On this uninhabited and desolate island we found a decayed foundation of something, a concrete staircase, buried in the brush, that went up a hill and at the top was an 8’ high trapezoid. I climbed on top and it had to be the highest point on the island…what a view…we could see our boat on the other side. We headed back to the boats because we didn’t want to miss the party. It was awesome. A dozen dinghies in total. Great people and great fun. We actually met a 90 yr. old surgeon from Long Island who knows Dr. Mountain from North Shore Hospital, who passed away recently, a friend of Joyce’s dad….what a small world! He’s been up and down the coast 50+ times…and still doing it. I hope I will be that active when I am 90. We all went back to our boats and will be heading out in the morning (by this time there are 15 boats in the anchorage). We’ll leave at sunrise because we have about 7 hours of cruising to the next destination.

West End Stay

2007-02-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

FEBRUARY 8, 2007 (West End) Love it here! Jaycie washed the boat this morning, while Joyce and I did some odds and ends. Then we went down to the beach to snorkel with Jaycie. She was a little apprehensive after swimming with the Manatees in Crystal River. I talked her into doing it and we were only about 10-15’ from the shore. I was pointing out all kinds of fish, crabs, shells and stuff when I feel her pulling on my hand in a bit of a panic….wouldn’t you know it….a GIANT sting ray is swimming by in front of her…and that ended her snorkeling career! Joyce went with me later and we saw the remnants of a wreck (basically a pile of lumber) that was haven to hundreds of fish, eel, starfish, lobster and all kinds of stuff…really cool. When we got back to the dock, in this beautiful post card marina, you could smell diesel and there is a HUGE slick across the entire marina. Ends up a sport fisher was transferring fuel from one tank to another, must have not been paying attention (don’t ask how!) and overflowed his tank….badly! A boat near him said it looked like a large garden hose flow of fuel being pumped into water….NASTY! Anyway, they worked on cleaning it up all evening, but the damage was done. What a shame! Ended the day with a little party on the dock with some old and new friends. Side note, at the end of our dock is a beautiful 84’ Lazzara yacht. I looked it up on yacht world and it costs around 6 million! Matt snorkeling in the background The dock at night FEBRUARY 9, 2007 (West End) Woke up this morning and you could still see the fuel rainbow in the water. We went to breakfast on a deck overlooking the marina. The weather is spectacular. I finished some caulking on the sundeck that I had started a long time ago. Joyce and Sue hired a van to take us on a tour of West End, Freeport and Port Lucaya. The Island, in general, is really depressed. I didn’t mention earlier, but the marina we are at has been bought by a man who is going to build a huge resort….and I mean huge. It will employ 3,000 to build it and about 4,000 to operate it. Unfortunately, it won’t be the same….I’m glad we got to see it now. The locals are happy because it will help their economy. As we drove around we notice mountains of conch shells. Mr.Kelly (our guide) told us they are from the fisherman who cut out the conch and leave the shells. We stopped and picked up a couple of shells.

Finally, Crossing Over

2007-02-11T22:41:00.000-05:00

FEBRUARY 7, 2007 (Lake Worth to BAHAMAS/West end) After sitting in Lake Worth for almost 3 weeks, it appears that “weather windows” during the winter season can be far and few (and small) between. When you come in you hope for a 3 day window, then 2 day window and then, finally, a one day window. Doing the crossing for the first time and not knowing what to expect, we were extremely cautious. Only through experience of seeing what good and bad is (3 week worth!) can you make a somewhat educated decision on crossing. We had just decided that if the next window came and was not usable, we would forget the Bahamas and move on. Fortunately, for us our break came today. We spoke with an English couple, waiting to cross, and they had only been in the marina a couple of days. They were optimistic about a 3 day window and weren’t going to leave today…maybe they’ll get lucky. Today ended up a beautiful day to cross. We left at sunup and headed for the inlet. This time it was relatively calm and uneventful. As we got out into the ocean the chop/swells picked up, but not unmanageable. As the day went on the water got better and better. We saw flying fish (which fly, like a bird, for hundreds of feet), man-o-war jelly fish (which looked like plastic bottles floating everywhere) and dolphins (which always ad to the day). A few swells got big, as we watched Miss Liberty all but disappear behind them. We set our auto pilot, and as antique as it is, only touched the wheel when coming out of the inlet and then going into the Old Bahama bay marina. It definitely made the journey much easier on us. The crossing took about 7 1/2 hours total, but it felt great to be cruising again. What a spectacular feeling being out of sight from land, rocking and rolling with the sun shining on a 78 degree day…BEAUTIFUL! (I know you haven’t heard that word in a while). A side note: being on the boat for 3 ½ weeks was very comfortable and we easily could stay on it for an indefinite amount of time, but without moving, it felt as if we were no longer on a big trip. It felt like we were living on a boat. It‘s great to be back cruising. As we came towards the marina, we noticed that we were in 40’ of beautiful blue/green water and you could see the bottom. The marina is first class, clean, friendly and all the amenities of a resort (which it is part of). We had a frozen drink to celebrate our crossing and went for a swim in the heated pool. It feels so good to be out of Florida and back on our adventure.

One last week

2007-02-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 31- FEBRUARY 6, 2007 Looks like Saturday may be our window ….we’ll see. We saw a lot of beautiful yachts pulling in and out of the Marina to fuel, stay, etc. One other one was Sunday Money. Turns out it belongs to Dale Earnhardt. It left after a few days to head up to Daytona for the start of the race season. (Not a bad way to get to work). Well Saturday‘s weather, once again, changed quickly, so we’ll keep waiting. Finally, NOAA reported that Wed., the 7th looks good. Jaycie and I along with John from Miss Liberty got out the zip zaps one day a built a few and raced them on the table with the small track. On the 6th, Miss Liberty rented a car to go see some relatives in Ft. Lauderdale and when they got back we took a ride with them down to the beach to walk around and look at the inlet to see what it was like. It was a whole lot better than last week, so we figured NOAA was finally right. Ran to the store to pick up some last minute groceries (again) and we’re off.

Still here

2007-02-11T22:16:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 22, 2007 (Lake Worth) Joyce located a couple of auto stores for my filters and went with Sue (Miss Liberty) to get them. They also stocked up on 6 weeks of food for the Bahamas. I stayed home (on the boat) with Jaycie and we did some engine maintenance. Changed all the hoses on the genset, replaced a goose neck that was corroded and repaired and reinstalled the genset muffler. Also, replaced all engine fuel filters, even though it wasn’t quite time, but don’t want top take a chance of failure when crossing to the Bahamas. Half way through the day it looked as if we might have a weather window tomorrow to cross, however, by later in the afternoon the winds picked up and reports changed. We will wait until the morning to make our decision. Nice thing is that the boat is ready and stocked. Jaycie and I went for a Jacuzzi and swim…which was well deserved! I definitely feel much better knowing the boat is ready to go. JANUARY 23, 2007 (Lake Worth) High winds this morning…glad we didn’t go. There might be a possibility of leaving at 5am tomorrow… but at the moment, I’m against it. If we don’t get this window we will be here for at least another week because there is a front moving in. JANUARY 24, 2007 (Lake Worth) Beautiful morning…but decided last night against going. We joked that we are looking for a weather ‘window” and that this was more like a weather “porthole”. Although it was a nice day, we heard from another boat who did go today and they said it started out nice but got very windy. At the end of the day they were glad to get tied to a dock…. We called it right. Besides, there are always some things on the “to do” list and we would rather do them here than in the Bahamas (we found an unsoldered wire in my fly bridge radio and re-soldered it. Also replace the lower helm radio’s antenna today). Once we’re over there, I would rather be enjoying the islands. Heard fuel could be $5.00 gallon so we fueled up here. This way we are ready to go anytime and will not have to fuel for a long time (well after we get back). As it stands right now, it looks like Sunday could be our window. JANUARY 25, 2007 (Lake Worth) Our Sunday window, changed to Saturday, and then it came and went….no window. We’ll just have to be patient. Winter is a tough time to cross. Weather windows can be 10-20 days apart. JANUARY 27, 2007 (Lake Worth to…..Lake Worth) We woke up at 5:30 (too early) to take advantage of the window. We spoke with Tara,(a sailboat), who had left a short time ago. They were alone, in the dark were through the inlet. It was too rough so they turned back. There was a east wind, more than 10 knots. NOAA (marine weather) said it was suppose to lay down after lunch. It’s about a 7 hour trip, so we waited until around 7:00 and headed out. We also picked up Vagabond (trawler) to our group. Tara tried again, leaving about an hour before us (she travels slower). It was smooth sailing to the inlet and then we made our turn into the inlet….WOW! 4-6’+ short and steep! Boats were in it being tossed like toys. We figured once we passed the inlet the swells would spread out, so we plowed our way through them. We weren’t slamming, but we were putting our anchor under…A LOT! Water was spraying as high as the fly bridge (first time during the trip), and Jaycie was still downstairs in her bunk. Joyce quickly went below to get her up top. While down there she had to remove some pictures from the walls (one had already fallen off-but didn’t break). We then got waked by a big sport fisher passing us at about 20’. Normally I would turn hard into their wake, but the swells were strong and steep I couldn’t turn the boat broadside to them. So not only were we going up and down, but hit hard from side to side. The table on the sun deck was now freely (on carpet) sliding from once side of the boat to the other. What an experience (although it was kind of fun!). We got through the inlet and kept waiting for the swells to spread out….they didn‘t. About 3 miles out we contact Tara who informs us that the swells are not spreading out and they are making no headway…they’re turning around. At this point Boo tosses her cookies and Jaycie says she’s not feeling so well…so we turn around too. Although we could probably have sucked it up for the next 6 hours….but why? We’re in no rush. We’ll just have to wait for another….weather window. We head back to the marina, call in and our slips are still available. JANUARY 28, 2007 My brother Doug flew into Florida yesterday to visit a childhood friend (Stefan and his wife, Andrea-hope I got the spellings right). They all drove up from Miami to visit us. Unfortunately, Doug was just starting to feel lousy (ends up he caught a 24 hour bug!). Even though he felt terrible, he stayed for the day and laid down up on the fly bridge while we talked boating with Stefan and Andrea. They too, would like to do the loop someday. We had a great time, I only wish Doug had felt better. JANUARY 30, 2007 Called Doug to see how he was doing, and he felt much better and was going to go out sailing with Stefan and Andrea. They’re big sailors and even competitively race. Should be a good day for it. We’ve now been here for 2 weeks. Doug actually asked me how it was being here for so long and I told him it’s only 2 weeks (which he found funny). Besides, we really like this marina and it’s so different when you are not on a time schedule. We’ve been staying busy with a lot of business work and some boat stuff. Made some nice friends here (who have driven us places or loaned us their car). Although we had a couple of cold fronts hit us and we have the heat on overnight in the boat, we’ll just keep watching the weather and waiting. Looks like Saturday may be our window : )….we’ll see.

Everglades Park

2007-02-09T22:20:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 21, 2007 (Lake Worth) Nice day, drove to the everglades today. Went on an awesome fan boat rider and got stuck! The driver had to roll up his pants and get out to push…right after telling us about the alligators, coral snakes and saw grass (which cuts you up pretty badly). We noticed something burning in the distance and by later in the day, the sky was a black and orange ball of smoke....it was MASSIVE! Ends up it was a controlled burning….but we were pretty sure it got “out of control”. Tried to locate some fuel filters on the way back, but no luck.

Lake Worth Stay

2007-01-31T22:03:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 18, 2007 (Lake Worth) Spent today trying figure out a solution for my muffler for my genset. Lot of hours, not a lot accomplished…no real solution….back starting to hurt…..bad day. JANUARY 19, 2007 (Lake Worth) The second “mental” day of the trip. I’m writing this the day after, so I’m not as crazy as yesterday…luckily. Long story short, I hurt my back-some how- (which many of you know wrecked about 10 years of my life) and it was getting worse, putting me in a nasty funk! Besides that, had a lot on my mind with getting prepared for the Bahamas… and business…stressing the crap out of me! Horrible day…glad it came to an end!!! (I can never figure out if my back hurting brings on the stress or the stress brings on the hurting back?- all I know is it escalates to a point where I wouldn’t want to be around me! Know thyself? If I knew myself I would run away! : ) JANUARY 20, 2007 (Lake Worth) Spent the morning driving around for the last parts I need (we rented a car) . All my other parts came in the mail today…YAAAAHOOOOO! I got about 80% of what I needed today. Took a Jacuzzi to help my back. By afternoon my back was improving which improved my mood dramatically. Changed a hose on my generator (with help from John) and since I couldn’t square away my generator muffler, I fixed it up with a wire wheel and some JB weld….amazing stuff! Ivor (Lazy Susan) came by to visit us. We talked for a while and had a good time. Went to an awesome Italian restaurant and had a great time. Found out that 2 of the yachts here (100’+) are owned by a ball player, someone Ken Griffy, Jr. and the other by some guy who owns the NASCAR tracks. At the marina next to us is “Privacy”, Tiger Woods yacht (I think it’s a 140’). Tomorrow we are driving to the Everglades tomorrow, should be fun.

Stuart to Lake Worth / N.Palm Beach

2007-01-31T21:20:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 15, 2007 (Stuart to Lake Worth/N.Palm Beach) When we got up we though we would stay. The weather was overcast and a little rainy, but the air was still and the water was calm. After talking it over we decided to move on to Lake Worth (this way, when we get our weather window, for the Bahamas, we will be in position to make a move). The cruise to Lake worth was really nice. Unfortunately, Miss Liberty lost their “Looper flag” somewhere along the way. We felt real bad for them, because although it can be replaced, it will not have the year of weather and travel that they have “earned”. We “dragged” through some really shallow channels. One read 4’1 and our boat draws (boat depth under water) 4’3. Luckily it only lasted about 100 yards. The houses along this stretch were really beautiful…and the boats to match. When we arrive at the marina there are some really amazing yachts there. The two nicest ones are, “Chosen One“ and “Magic” (130’ tri-deck)….unbelievable! We walked over to take a look and the fenders were bigger (a lot bigger) than Jaycie. Looking at these awesome boats reminds me of a movie where, pointing to his own boat, a guy says, “You see that big white yacht over there?” and the girl says, “That’s yours?”. To which the guy replies, “No, mine is the piece of sh*# next to it, covered in seagull crap!” JANUARY 16, 2007 (Lake Worth) Great marina. We picked a perfect place to stay (even if we have to hang out for 10-20 days). Upscale marina, discounted rates (thanks, boat US), heated pool, hot tub and every store you can think of….what’s not to like? Spent the day making lists of what I need for mechanicals for the Bahamas. Ordered lots of spare parts. Glad we will be here awhile, I have quite a few things I want to do before we leave. John and I took our bikes into town for some hoses and West Marine incidentals (but we’ll be back again), while the girls all walked into to town to get some groceries. Had to get my quarantine and Bahamian flag. We also want to rent a car and go to the everglades from here. Ivor (from Lazy Susan- a while back), lives nearby and we all will be getting together for dinner on Friday. We’re all looking forward to it. Had dinner on Miss Liberty and then went up for a Jacuzzi….AHHHHHHH! JANUARY 17, 2007 (Lake Worth) We’ll probably be here awhile, so unless there is something worth writing about, I will keep these brief. A front is coming in with wind and rain. Walking early this morning, the sky was looking very ominous (although not raining yet), and yet there was a huge, bright rainbow across the dark sky…wild! Cleaned all contacts on generator wires, checked inventory of fluids and filters. Measured for hoses needed, cleaned out exhaust elbow and adjusted fan belt tension on genset.

Clewiston to Stuart

2007-01-23T21:18:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 14, 2007 (Clewiston to Stuart) GREAT sleep! Beautiful morning. Each day we settle in a little bit more. Miss Liberty narrowed down the water leak to water getting in (from somewhere) when he is doing his wash down at the end of the day-he’ll try to narrow down “where from”. We get word that 30 boats are sitting and waiting to cross to the Bahamas. We heard from Happy Clams and they want to see if we can get to Lake Worth in 2 days to cross with them (that’s the weather window-good time to cross). The weather/water has been so bad for crossing that there are around 30 boats at anchor waiting to cross. Its not that unusual, for this time of year. It’s not unusual to wait from 10-20 days for a weather window. We talk it over and decide not to rush and cross. There is a lot of provisioning and preparation to do before crossing. We will be there from 6-8 weeks and there aren’t grocery, marine, auto parts or Walmarts like there are here. We don’t want to rush and then arrive unprepared. We left Clewiston and headed across the “great” Lake Okeechobee… it is BIG and beautiful. One thing I will say for Florida is that the weather really is beautiful this time of year (spoke with Christy and she told us about a cold front they were getting back home-no thanks!). Weather went from sunny, to cloudy to windy and back again. As we got to the other side of the lake we saw a huge cloud of black smoke. It was from a local sugar cane plant, where this time of year, they burn all the sugar cane plants in order to prepare for the next harvest. All in all though, a really nice cruise, albeit a little long. We didn’t account for all the no wake, manatee zones, which slowed our travel time by a lot. We did one more lock, and for Miss Liberty, it is their last lock of the trip. While traveling, we tried to line up a marina and EVERYONE was full. There was a boat show going on and no one had room. Finally we get lucky and arrive to a “near empty” beautiful marina. We find out it just opened 2 days ago. They still have nothing on any of their shelves in the office. As we look around it hits us… this is the marina across from the Trawler fest (boat show/seminar) we went to 2 and 4 years ago, when we first started to plan this trip. Our first “Great Loop seminar” was here! How wild to come in from the water side to where it all began…AWESOME! We didn’t immediately recognize the area, because when we were last here, this marina which held 1,000 boats was hit so hard by hurricanes that all their docks were gone and they only held about 100 boats. They whole area was a disaster. Now the marina is back and there are condos and unbelievable amounts of construction going on. I guess time really does heal all. We got a drink at a little “wood deck” café we knew of, went to Wahoo restaurant and then called it a night.

Clewiston

2007-01-22T13:29:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 13, 2007 (Clewiston) We use the first day to work on finishing up some work and boat stuff. Miss Liberty had a water leak and asked me what I thought. It was fresh water, but didn’t know where it was coming from. I recommended putting food coloring in the tank and see if any of the colored water ended up in the bilge. He did, and it didn’t (which is good because its not coming from his water tank). Joyce, Jaycie and Sue get the “loaner limo” and go to town (it really is a limousine, only from 1970...SWEET! J When they got back we hired a fan boat to take us out on Lake Okeechobee. It was a blast flying (especially compared to a trawler) through the tall grass and shallow water. We went where no trawler has gone before! Alligators, birds and nature everywhere. Very exciting. We saw a lot of bass boats out there. There is a tournament on. We even saw one where he shouldn’t be…and stuck! We went over to see how they were doing, but they were real “macho men” and basically ignored our inquiry. Our fan boat driver, who tows boats out of the shallows regularly, told them one of them would have to get out and push….good luck!…and we were off! Push…with the alligators….have fun! (They should have been a little more cordial and I’m sure the fan boat would have pulled him out). We got back, went to see the some of the results of the fishing contest and then all had dinner on our boat. Great day, but we all still have that feeling inside that we “broke our momentum” and can’t get fully “back in the groove“. But it’s only been a couple of days, so we’ll give it a little more time.

Turkey Creek to Clewiston

2007-01-22T13:16:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 12, 2007 (Turkey Creek to Clewiston) New battery set-up worked great. Tried to run down batteries overnight, but engines started fine (without even using my “back-up” battery). Hopefully we will be all set for the Bahamas. Even though I haven’t slowed down yet, it is very comfortable being back on the boat-although not adjusted to our cruising lifestyle yet. Still a few business things to finish up and with the Bahamas coming up quickly, a lot of work to be done in preparations. It was a long cruise today. We started out with a lock right away, but by now, even though pretty high winds, they are no problem. Everywhere you look is flatland. Surprisingly we have not seen a lot of alligators. Then just before we turn into the last lock (which is open to cruise straight through), on the port side is a HUGE alligator. I mean giant! Unfortunately, we were so in awe, we never ran to get the camera…sorry (and NO, it’s not like the fish that got away!). We went through the lock and the marina was a short distance away. The lock, we found out, is to save the town. Should the river and lake go to flood stage they would close the doors to keep the water out. As we pull up to the dock we can see Miss Liberty on the wall….very exciting to see them again. We tie up and there is a Tiki bar with live music…I feel like I’m on vacation. Great atmosphere. We see John & Sue and have a great reunion. We go to dinner and talk about being home for 3 weeks. They did about the same but have been back about a week now. They said, they still haven‘t fully settled in yet either.

Turkey Creek

2007-01-22T12:41:00.000-05:00

JANUARY 9, 2007 (Home back to Turkey Creek) We flew back and got picked up at the airport by Dawn (our friend). She brought us to Price Club for supplies and we went back to her house. She had arranged for her family (Mom, Dad, Brother, Wife and Kids), who we already know, to come to her house for dinner with us. GREAT people! Had a really good time. Dawn and Mark (her brother), drove us back to the boat (about 45 minutes away). We walked up to the boat and it felt VERY STRANGE. We had everything closed up for 3 weeks and they had 80-85 degree weather the whole time. Unfortunately, it was too late to open up and air out and settle in, so we’ll do it tomorrow. Definitely, a weird feeling being back. JANUARY 10, 2007 (Turkey Creek) Slept GREAT! When we all woke up we felt like “we’re home”. We like sleeping on the boat better than at home. Got invited to have a cup of tea with Mark & Joyce (the owner’s of the dock we are at). Talked to him about my electrical system (it’s what he does and he knows EVERYTHING). After lunch he came on board and we went through everything. He made some relatively simple changes that rearranged where and how power was being distributed from my batteries. Now I should be set-up to have reserve power for starting in the mornings. Since we will be “on the hook” (at anchor) a lot in the Bahamas, I wanted to be squared away with that. Also checked the leak from the port rudder and only took on about a pint of water. I showed it to Mark and he agreed, it isn’t going to be necessary to haul the boat to fix it. I can wait until we get back (famous last words). Anyway, that’s great news because it means we won‘t have to lay up. Also, my battery charger, that died a ways back, can be removed completely since my inverter has a “built in” smart charger (and I have a portable backup). Love removing clutter from my engine room and freeing up space. Joyce started home school again with Jaycie and I finished up the “suggested changes” that Mark told me. They invited us for cocktails with “Skinwalker“ (their friends who drove us to the airport). Had a nice time. Got more advice about the Bahamas and told them about the Trent Severn, Georgian Bay and North Channel (which they will be doing this summer). Spoke with TT, they are still stuck in Dog River, AL. waiting for weather (about 2 weeks behind us). Spoke with Miss Liberty, they are about 1 day ahead of us. Couldn’t finish all my work on the boat today, so I’ll do it tomorrow. JANUARY 11, 2007 (Turkey Creek) Beautiful morning. Had breakfast on the sundeck. Looks like we are planning on leaving in the morning so I will finish my work and test start the engines today. Finished everything and all went well. We took a walk around the area one more time, we will leave in the morning. Still in a bit of “high gear” from being home. Haven’t settled in yet.

OUR VISIT HOME

2007-01-19T13:12:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 15 - JANUARY 8, 2006 (HOME) WOW! A lot has gone on the last few weeks. But, since it really isn’t trip related, I will give you the super short version. The first week home was a MAJOR re-adjustment for us. Forgot how “fast” New York really is (although coming back holiday week didn’t help that). It was hard to get use to “normal” life on land. Our kids did an amazing job with our house and business. We couldn’t be prouder! Had a busy time going to parties and visiting family and friends. It was great to see Jaycie playing with her friends. Time went quick, but we are all ready to get back to the boat. A lot of people asked me if Jaycie was excited to go back? I answered, it seemed like it. The night before I heard her singing a song in our back room “I’m so excited to go back to the boat!”. She even wrote down the lyrics…which I kept. It’s good to know that she’s as excited as we are!

We're Coming Home

2006-12-18T21:28:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 14, 2006 (Turkey Creek to HOME) We fly home today. We are all very excited to see our family and friends.

Turkey Creek

2006-12-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 13, 2006 (Turkey Creek) First thing this morning, Joyce knocks on our boat and introduces us to a neighbor who is going to drive us to the airport tomorrow (about an hour away). Amazing. We’re all getting really excited to go home. We will spend the day packing up and “prepping” then boat for leaving. Oh, that Krogen 42 that is across the way from us, I knew it looked familiar. Before we bought our boat I had pictures of 3 boats with all their specs and notes from the owners of them, on our wall at home. This was one of the three! I never came down to see it, but had been in touch with the owner a number of times trying to make my decision….what are the odds! Dawn called and her & her daughter will try to meet us at the airport for lunch, before our flight.

Ft. Myers to Turkey Creek

2006-12-18T21:10:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 12, 2006 (Fort Myers to Turkey Creek) Exciting day…we head to our final destination before going home. We will be leaving our boat behind someone’s house in Turkey Creek. This is the home of a friend of the friends we met back in Pebble Isle, Tennessee (Stan & Linda). Amazing how cruisers help one another in so many different ways. Off the subject a little, but the other day John (ML) was trying to find o-rings. I told him I have a selection that would rival any hardware store. I let him take some of all the sizes so he would have some stock in an emergency. He was appreciative. Later when he was helping me work on my genset, one of my cables was bad. He said he had just had marine cables made and they were a little too short for his, but I was welcome to them….and they fit like a glove! Amazing how everyone helps everyone. Just another example of how great the cruising community is. Anyway, the cruise to Turkey Creek was AWESOME! Back into fresh water again. No longer were we in the “cookie cutter” Florida that you see in all the pictures. We were cruising down, relatively, narrow passages and you started to feel like you were in the country. We went through a lock and it got a little more rural. Beautiful homes and properties but there were cows, horses and wild life all around. We really love this. Our second lock, we locked through with a fan boat. Shortly after we came to Turkey Creek. I was very apprehensive, because when Joyce had just called and let him know we were arriving he mentioned our boat would tie on the end of a “T”, amidship (meaning our bow and stern would overhang the dock-that’s a big concern for me with wind and ripping his dock off). As we progressed down the creek it got narrower and shallower. I asked Joyce if he new the size of our boat? She confirmed that he did. As we approached the first canal (ours) I looked down and couldn’t believe we would fit. Narrow, shallow and boats on both side. I saw him standing on his lawn (I assumed it was him) down the canal. I had Joyce call again, because it was windy and there was no room for me to turn around if I got into trouble. He assured us it was tight but we would be fine. He said at the very end we could maneuver a spin if we had to… so in we went. I noticed a 42 Krogan across the canal from where we would dock. It is a full discplacement trawler with around a 5’ draft. That gave me comfort in the depth….on that side anyway. We got down the canal and squeezed into our space. All went well. He had land anchors for bow and stern so that put me at ease too. As tight as this was, it is a GREAT place to leave the boat. It is almost a “hurricane hole”. The owners of the house are Mark & Joyce….great people! We got to know them quickly and they invited us to eat with them and then to a community Christmas singalong and celebration tonight. It was great. What a nice community and great group of people. Interestingly enough, most of the residence are, or were, cruisers. We really like it here. Everyone is sooooooo nice. We headed back to the boat for a good nights sleep.

Sanibel to Ft. Myers

2006-12-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 11, 2006 (Sanibel Island to Fort Myers) We only have to travel about 16 miles today. Really like it hear, too bad we couldn’t stay a little longer (but we have to fly home soon). Windy day, but nice. ML closed his loop at mile marker 101! We were very happy for them. Got to Fort Myers we all (ML and us) started prepping our boats for going home. ML will leave their boat here for 2-3 weeks and we will leave ours further ahead. Although they competed their loop, they will continue on to the Bahamas. We will keep in touch and hopefully travel with them again. While cleaning the boat, I looked up toward the end of the dock and there was some sort of Iguana on the ramp. I called to Joyce and Jaycie to come take a look. Dawn & Chuck came by with their kids (Jesse (11) & Samantha - Jaycie’s age). What a reunion. Nice to see someone you knew so when they were young, doing so well. Not only did she move down here, but her parents, brother and in-laws…great people! We went out to dinner, visited family and showed us all around…what a night! Jaycie had a blast. We will try to get together again while down here.

Sanibel Island

2006-12-18T20:36:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 10, 2006 (Sanibel Island) Great nights sleep! Feeling much better and more rested and relaxed. The wind has died down (a little) and the temperature is very comfortable. The marina dropped off a newspaper and some fresh muffins on our deck this morning. Joyce called Dawn (a former gymnast/student/friend) who she has kept in touch with over the years (about 20 to be exact) and lives in Fort Myers. We are looking forward to getting together with her (and husband and kids…sheesh….we’re sounding old!). We left to tour the island by bicycle at about 10:30-11:00. Really nice island. Stopped in some shops, ate at a really cool 50’s type place called, Cheeburger, Cheeburger (and they made an awesome cheeburger). Went biking some more. They have bike trails all over the island. One part of the trail (a narrow, nature path) warns you to be careful, you are in a alligator habitat (very comforting). We kept a close eye on Jaycie and rode through. We went to the beach to collect shells, then doubled back to Cheeburger, Cheeburger to get some shakes (one of the best shakes I ever had- peanut butter/oreo MMMMMMMM). Did more riding. We really ride at a mellow, comfortable pace. Interestingly enough, Joyce asked how fast we were riding and I told her 11 mph (that’s faster than we travel by boat : ). Rode to the other side of the Island to see the lighthouse and by this time it was getting dark. We had been biking ALL day.

Cabbage Key to Sanibel Island

2006-12-17T23:38:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 8, 2006 (Cabbage Key to Sanibel Island) We were really tired from last night. The wind was still ripping, but the water was not as rough as yesterday. I hear Joyce talking with John on the radio and saying, “I think the wind has died down quite a bit”. I am in the back of the boat listening to canvas flapping and wind whistling…are we on the same boat? Although I am a little apprehensive, since it was so windy (and we at least have a good anchor where we were), higher authorities (Joyce) decides to move on. Winds are still steady and gusting pretty high and I have my concerns about docking later in the day. We go to pull anchor and our BRAND NEW, USED ONLY 4 TIMES, windlass is BROKEN! Are we having fun yet? The gypsum freewheels (the “gear” that pulls the chain in). I have a snubber (rope and hook attached to the chain to prevent “shock” to the boat as it goes up and down) which is holding the chain from running out. I don’t know when it broke, or how, but there is no way to get the anchor in. I could pull it by hand, but the wind is so strong, it is impossible. And if, while I am pulling it in, Joyce loses control of the boat- high probability in this wind- the chain would free flow out. Luckily John (ML), comes up with the idea to raft to us and he will control our 2 boats, pulling us forward as I pull in the chain and anchor by hand….it works! We left to chain on the deck to clean later, since it was full with weeds and mud. We un-raft and head on our way. John calls on the radio and says, “3 things went bad in a row…you should be done now“... I certainly hope so! Traveling most of the day was “with the wind” so it was a pretty pleasant cruise. Sun kept going in and out, but basically nice most of the day. The water was still quite choppy and again, especially rolly when passing the inlets and larger bodies of water. Still “skinny” water everywhere. You have to be real careful. The wind and current kept pushing you out of the channel line… no relaxing here! Dolphins everywhere (had to put in something positive). We get to Sanibel Island marina and are told to wait an hour for the water to come up (they had a negative tide (lower than low)…which we already new about). Then someone else chimes in, “No it’s o.k….just stay to starboard”. The opening is narrow to start with and half of it is shallow with sand showing. There is a strong cross wind to starboard and on that starboard side is a concrete pier…stay to starboard!? Long story shorter, stress was high, but we got in fine, docked fine and what a beautiful marina. We all decide that we will stay tomorrow and tour the island by bicycle. ML makes us all well needed margaritas. A stressful couple of days comes to an end….we hope! I guess they can’t all be good days…even in paradise. We are looking forward to a good nights sleep (I’ll stop whining now).

Sarasota to Cabbage Key

2006-12-17T23:09:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 8, 2006 (Sarasota to Cabbage Key) We left Sarasota, in light wind (5-10), for Cabbage key (despite warnings of winds 20-25 mph -we usually chose “marina alternatives” , but most of them were full or weren't large enough to accomodate us…so we had no option). As we cruised along we saw trees filled with pelicans just itting (probably too windy for them too). We cruised through some of the shallowest waters so far (I would have had nice pictures to post, but we grabbed the video camera instead). You really needed to pay close attention to your charts and markers. During an engine room check I felt the boat listing. When I got back up to the helm, Joyce had drifted just a little out of the channel and we were running on the bottom with our keel while the wind was pushing us over (hence the list). We passed the first town and decided it was too soon, so we kept going. Passed by a few inlets and through me large bays and by this time the wind was picking up and the water was getting choppy and swells. Of course the dolphins were playing around us again. We came to the first anchorage but it looked too unprotected with the wind from the NE and a long fetch (distance for wind to build swells) before it. Besides it was right next to an inlet, which we also didn‘t like. We traveled further and found a second anchorage which seemed much better (seemed). It was across from Cabbage Key which is a small Island with a population of about 70...and a resturaunt. Cabbage key is famous for Jimmy Buffet writing some song with the words “cheesburger in paradise”..or something. So we anchored out and decided to dinghy over to the restaurant. The wind was really picking up and the water was getting really choppy, but we didn’t have far to go. As we got away from our, somewhat, protected waters it definitely was getting worse...and colder. We tied to the dock and made sure our dinghy wouldn’t blow under it. We walked the island, climbed to the top of a wooden water tower and had a fun time. We went into the restaurant and (we heard about this) the walls and ceilings are COVERED in dollar bills. They were EVERYWHERE! People write their names on them and then tape them up (Jaycie’s name is now on the wall). There was NO ONE there, but they tell us it is usually crowded. That should have been the first hint that NO ONE is coming out tonight. We had a great dinner (they even had a fire going) and then headed back to the boat. The wind was howling, making the forecast come true (maybe even a bit more). We get in our dinks and we are getting soaked. It’s black out, the chop and wind have increased and water is spraying us constantly. Just then our dink dies. I try to restart…but it won’t. The wind is blowing us into some bushes and branches hanging over the shore line. Joyce and Jaycie grab onto some branches while I try to figure out what happened. Then I feel that somehow the gas line has disconnected from the gas can… although I have no idea how it could have happened?! I reconnect re-prime and we are back on our way. Again getting splashed and it is cold (by this time Jaycie is in tears). We left our anchor light on so it wasn’t too tough to find. ML goes to their boat and we go to ours. We’re too cold and wet to realize that our boat is no longer where we left it. John, who was on our side is now well ahead of us. As we get aboard and start settling in we realize we are dragging (anchor through the bottom). I’ll admit, panic sets in. The boat has moved, while we weren’t here, about 75 yards. The boat that was well behind us is now a lot closer and a little to the side of us (thank God we didn’t crash into him). It is then that we realize we are he is getting off to the side of us….we are still draggng. By this time I already have the engines started and we’re trying to figure out what to do. Then suddenly we stop moving. The wind is blowing so hard and it is so black it is hard to get your bearings. People are swinging on their anchors so it’s not easy to tell who is moving and who isn’t. We get a bearing on the boat (now) off our side and a slight silhouette of a tree on the shore. Then once again we start to move and then resets AGAIN. I can’t decide if I should pull the anchor and try again in the dark (we already had trouble grabbing the first time). We have 75’ of rode (chain) out in about 6’ of water…should have been fine. We put on radar so I can a least see the boats and land around me and set an anchor alarm to warn us if we drag. We also mark the boats around us to see if we are still dragging…but we are not…for now. But there is no way we are going to go to sleep. We are sailing heavily at anchor (swinging side to side from the wind). We shut down the engines and stay on the couch in the salon “just in case”. We dozed in and out most of the night keeping a close eye on the situation. Luckily, everything went well the rest of the night. Side note: The main reason we came here was to see the “tunnel of love” (a dinghy ride)…which was no longer here! Lesson learned #1: Don’t anchor out in 25+ winds unless you have a mountain nearby to block the wind. Lesson learned #2: Florida doesn’t have any mountains!

Sarasota Stay

2006-12-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 6, 2006 (Sarasota) We rented a car and ML went to pick it up. Drove to a few stores and checked out the town (city). After lunch we drove to the Barnum and Bailey Circus museum. Well worth it. It was a huge estate consisting of 5 different buildings, right on the water. They had a miniature circus museum that was incredible. Someone actually spent their whole life building it…AMAZING! We also got to go into his mansion which was as decadent as they come. He was also an art collector, which he built a huge museum-like building to house the collection….WOW! Jaycie lost Joyce’s good sun glasses and we actually got them at the end, because someone turned them in (I wonder if they would have been returned in NY?). That took most of the day and we headed back to the boat. We had dinner on our sundeck with steel drum music playing and a huge party going on, on the dock. Very nice day. Funny side note: While driving with ML the word “station wagon” comes up and John asks Jaycie if she knows what it is. Jaycie replies, “Oh yeah, I saw one of those in a museum”. A few days earlier she also commented on the “round phone” (dial) she saw in a museum…ouch…I’m starting to feel old (and to all you young whipper snappers, I remember gas when it was only 25 cents a gallon too! : ) DECEMBER 7, 2006 (Sarasota) We like Sarasota and decided to stay another day. It is a real party atmosphere. When out on anchor the other night the generator had trouble cranking over and wouldn‘t start. It wasn‘t a big problem because we have 8 batteries on our inverter system, which can easily get us through the night. However, if we are going to go to the Bahamas for a couple of months, we will be anchoring out a lot and I would want to have my generator trouble free. I went over to help Miss Liberty install a shower drain (although he was almost done) and then John came over and helped me go through my electrical/generator/inverter systems. He’s an electrical engineer and knows quite a bit. After going over my electrical schematics and previous owners notes he explained my system. Without getting too involved, the system has a battery charger, an inverter/charger, a battery combiner, 2-8D starting batteries, 1-6D staring battery, 8- 6 cell batteries and a generator. All integrated into an amazing electrical system. Now if I can just understand all of it and how they integrate with one another. John gave me a good understanding of it all. The generators battery wires contacts needed to be cleaned, so we replaced them instead. The generator cranked over fine after that…but still wouldn’t start. I noticed that a wire tie was stopping a solenoid from engaging. I moved it and we got the generator to start. However, since it had this problem for a while it damaged the solenoid and it now has to be replaced (not that big a deal). I’m glad that is all it was. We took a bus into St. Armand’s Circle…downtown. It was really nice and we had a great time. 4 more loopers came in today along with Janie O. We will probably leave tomorrow, but forecasters are predicting 20-25 knot winds….hopefully they will be wrong. Side note: The owner of this marina is the former owner of Augusta Raceway… really nice guy. At the Marina

Manatee River to Sarasota

2006-12-15T19:33:00.000-05:00

Dolphins are jumping more than ever. We actually believe they love to perform for you.

Tiera Verde to Manatee River (Bradenton)

2006-12-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 4, 2006 (Tiera Verde to Manatee River) It’s pretty windy today but Joyce wants to move on, so off we go. Only a short run today (about 2 hours), so we didn’t have to leave until after lunch. Nice day, although quite windy. The bay was quite choppy, with the swells quartering us for the last leg of the journey, making steering a lot of work. When we got into the marina the wind had picked up and was hitting us broadside. That being said, the dock went smoothly. First class marina. Heated pool, Jacuzzi and everything well maintained ($2.00/ft - marinas are back up in price). Walked around town with ML (Miss Liberty). His dad used to live here. Really nice town. Even their back alleys are clean. A little strange though. There are houses and condos everywhere. You see cars parked everywhere….but almost no life! The entire walk we saw very few people walking or driving. Like a ghost town. The town was lit up for Christmas all along the waterfront. Got back to the boat and went for a late night Jacuzzi and swim with Jaycie. DECEMBER 5, 2006 ( Manatee River to Sarasota ) You could here the shrimp/fish nibbling on the hull last night. It sounded like a light clicking sound. There was a full moon last night, the tide was REALLY low this morning (although we weren’t sitting on bottom). Went into town for breakfast and then headed over to a museum to see the manatees. Joyce got in for free (as a teacher) with Jaycie and I went back to the boat so we would be ready to leave when they got back. Joyce and Jaycie had a great time at the museum. They got to see the oldest Manatee alive, he was 58 years old. (unheard of as far as Manatees go). We had about a 3 hour cruise. We went through some really skinny (shallow/thin) water, even in the channels. When we headed out into another bay, along the way, we noticed 100’s of dead fish floating on the top of the water for as far as you could see. They were about 18” long. We tried to contact a marine conservation officer on channel 16...but no one responded. A little further along we saw Triumph ahead of us. They were just leaving as we were coming in. We’ll see them further along. ML and us anchored out in front of Marina Jack’s. We rafted up amongst lots of sailboats. Tomorrow we will head into the marina and stay another night.

Clearwater to Tiera Verde

2006-12-10T23:12:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 3, 2006 (Clearwater to Tiera Verde) We left around 9am and the weather was really nice. We decided to travel on the “outside” (in the gulf) rather than in the intercostals because it would save us more than an hour and John (Miss Liberty) was meeting his sister. The water was beautiful with dolphins jumping (as usual). All along the shore you could see large condominium complexes. As we came in the inlet you see amazing homes (with no property). The variety of color homes are really beautiful (most of them-although you can keep that pumpkin color). We arrived at the marina/resort and it has a HUGE freeform pool and giant Jacuzzi. We spent the afternoon washing and cleaning the exterior of the boat (it was WAY overdue). When we were done we bicycled into town and had dinner at Billy’s crab house. A really unique place with a bar that is on the 3rd floor and open to the outside scenery…really nice. Joyce’s eye is feeling much better, but still very sensitive to light and gets tired easily. We will probably move on tomorrow, but waiting to hear about weather since high winds are expected.

Clearwater

2006-12-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 2, 2006 (Clearwater) Interesting morning. Beautiful and calm (although cloud covered). We decided to stay here another day. Joyce went in to get Boo from Jaycie’s top bunk, but Boo was a little over excited. As Joyce picked her up, she scratched Joyce’s eye. Joyce’s eye was bothering her enough that we needed to see a doctor. Miss Liberty, who also opted to stay, went up to the office with us to get a cab to go to the hospital. The woman behind the counter offered her car to us…did I mention…unbelievable! John and Sue (Miss Liberty) went with us and then took Jaycie shopping with then while we were at the emergency room. After doing a test, they found out she had an abrasion (not a cut) about 1/8” in diameter, in the color portion of her eye, just missing her pupil. They gave her a tetanus shot, pain killer and anti-biotic eye drops. They told her to stay out of the sun, no reading, TV or computers (oh no…that includes chart plotting!). Thank goodness I took the piloting and advanced piloting classes too (although I didn’t enjoy them the way Joyce did). While we were at the hospital, Jaycie called from the hardware store to see if I needed any “blue crimps”…which I did (she’s good….she’s very good….with my help, she could be the best! : )! We went back to the boat to get Joyce some rest. Bright light will be very uncomfortable for Joyce. Maybe I can find a pair of those really stylish black sunglasses (you know, the ones that look like horse blinders) for her. Sue told me that Joyce shouldn’t cook tonight and invited us over for dinner.

Tarpon Springs to Clearwater

2006-12-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

DECEMBER 1, 2006 (Tarpon Springs to Clearwater) Ready to leave first thing in the morning, but then we heard they were going to “splash” the big workboat at about 10am…so we stayed. It was worth the delay. Very exciting to something that big, just slide down railways into the water. Then a wave (small) of water comes across the cove…very cool. All the wood that supported the vessel is now floating all over and small workboats run around and collect it all. We check weather and see a small, but intense, storm coming our way. It shouldn’t be here until later this afternoon so we head out. It’s only about a 2 ½ hour run, but the winds pick up from 10-15 to 10-20. You can see bad weather on the horizon, but we should get in well ahead of it. The water is a little choppy (1-3) and swells when we pass the open gulf. Other than fishing boats, we don’t see any other boats along the way. Shortly we will be in the intracoastal. Still seeing dolphins jumping out of the water near our boat. Lots of falcons and even bald eagles. Thankfully, the work I did yesterday works out great and the boat runs without a hitch. We are now seeing lots of condos and big buildings, fancy waterfront homes and dense population….don’t really like it (look forward to getting back to small towns). Passed a “go fast” fishing boat with their name down the side in big letters: “The (picture of a manatee) Mauler” -(Janie O would not be happy). We arrive at Clearwater with pretty high winds. Our friends from Miss Liberty are here and help us get in. Luckily, the surrounding buildings help block much of the wind. The water is really clean here and there are fish of all types, colors and sizes right under the dock. That night we head down to the beach and pier. They have a sunset type festival, like key west, with street performers and vendors. Unfortunately, the wind is still high so there are not a lot of them and very few spectators. We watch a juggler, who puts on a very entertaining show. He has a real wise attitude, which we really enjoyed and, of course, Joyce got picked to help with his performance…what a surprise (believe it or not, this happens quite often). We walked the docks (not by our boat) and saw a boat we liked (56‘ Navigator). When we went up to get a closer look at it, we met the owner who then invited us aboard to look around. He gave us the grand tour, right down to the engine room….AWESOME! Nice layout with a really comfortable feel (maybe our next boat?). We talked for a while and they had lots of questions about “The great loop”. Ends up they were having a “guys night out” and invited me to stay for the party…but Joyce wouldn’t let me! :) So we headed back to our “little” boat in the “low rent district“. We stopped for dinner on the way home. An interesting observation is that once again we noticed that people, on the street, are very withdrawn and not outwardly friendly. If you say hi, they respond (sometimes), but try not to make eye contact. We’re hoping Florida is going to get better.

Tarpon Springs Repairs

2006-12-10T22:39:00.000-05:00

NOVEMBER 28, 2006 (Tarpon Springs) Across the way is a ship building yard (commercial boats/steel) with ships in various stages of completion. It’s really interesting to watch what’s going on. One of the ships looks like it is nearing completion. Maybe we will get to see them launch it. Posted some questions about my exhaust problems on the internet and spoke with other boaters to get some advice/opinions. When I get all the responses, I will decide what my course of action will be. NOVEMBER 29, 2006 (Tarpon Springs) I have decided to pull the exhaust hose and take a look in. After doing so, I find that the hose is still in very good condition, but the risers (the elbow before the exhaust that lets water mix and cool it) are clogged almost completely solid. I can barely tell that there are any holes for water at all. It’s amazing that any water got through them at all. I arrange with my supplier to overnight them and some other parts I need for stock. Luckily, while talking with them, they remind me NOT to take of the riser before emptying the coolant from the engine. Even with that warning, I drain 4 gallons of anti-freeze and when I pull off the riser….it’s like a garden hose! I do everything I can to catch it but it ends up everywhere. I collected an additional gallon…and mop and suck up another gallon from the bilge and drip pan. The next riser I am a little wiser on. As soon as I pull the riser of the engine I stick my thumb over the hole (just like a garden hose), then line up my funnel-with the hose I have attached- and put it in the pail. Much neater this time! I have everything stripped, cleaned and ready for a nice clean assembly tomorrow. Oh, while I was doing this, Jaycie was removing (yes, by herself) the exhaust blower from the front of the engine room…really amazing (I know a lot of adults that couldn’t do that). Hopefully everything will come in on time tomorrow, we will install them and be on our way. NOVEMBER 30, 2006 (Tarpon Springs) My parts arrive at 10:40 and I am ready to go. I install the new SS risers, reattach all the hoses, refill the coolant and I am ready to start the engines. One small leak, but it only requires a re-tightening of a clamp and all looks good. The water is flowing out the exhaust better than it did when I bought the boat. At 2:00 we borrow the owners car and go pick up our blower at West Marine. We get back in plenty of time to install it. Jaycie hooks it up, I crimp the wires and another repair is under our belts.