March 29, 2012
This morning we will be leaving Old Bahama Bay, West End and traveling east along the north side of Grand Bahama.
We will leave around 0900 to allow the tide to come up for the shallow Indian Cay Channel and then on to Great Sale Key for a few nights. We will then continue east towards the Abacos - not sure yet of exact stops. Weather looks settled for the next week.
We have suspended service on our cells phones for the duration of our stay in the Bahamas; roaming is very limited here and extremely expensive! We will also have no internet connectivity for the next 7-10 days. We do have our radios and a satelite phone for emergency communication.
See y'all in a week or so.
Old Bahama Bay
West End
Grand Bahama
http://g.co/maps/e2twe
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
West End, Grand Bahamas
March 28, 2012
Warning: Joyce has lots of words today.
We have spent the past four days at Old Bahama Bay, which often sounds like Obama Bay when it's hailed on the VHF. It's the first resort stay we've had in about two years. The resort amenities are primarily a pool, but it's a very nice pool overlooking the beach, and we've spent hours relaxing by it. The resort also has wifi, so it's been good catching up with everyone before we lose the wifi coverage for a few days. (We have a personal hot spot when we're in the states, but it doesn't work in the Bahamas). It is our understanding that John Travolta's vacation house (where his son died) is on this property. It is quite remote and would be a good place to get away from it all. We had originally planned to stay two or three nights, but seeing we don't have a strict schedule and the winds have been brisk, we decided to extend our stay to five nights. Here is Barefoot in her secure slip at Old Obama Bay:
This resort property contains about 70 condos and a marina with about 70 slips. The cost of a slip for the night is about 30% the rate for a condo, and the boaters have access to the resort amenities. That may be one reason why the marina has been close to capacity most of the time we've been here while the condos seem fairly empty. However, this has been a good weather window for boaters arrriving from the states and it is not yet 'high season' for the condos. We are curious to know what the occupancy rates will be in the more popular months, although we've been told that hurricanes followed by the recession have had a very negative impact on the area. The larger development does include some very nice houses and a lot of empty lots. You can envision the grand neighborhood (Pine Island of the Islands) that was planned, but only partially executed. Like Florida, you can see the unfulfilled ambitions that people had before the bubble burst. From these pictures, you can see that we had to fight off all of the tourists to get a place on the beach or poolside.
The water is incredible here! I was in awe of the indigo blue ocean water, but just as impressed by the crystal clear water here that changes colors depending on the depth and whether the bottom is sand or coral.
We went into the village yesterday. The night before, we had asked our waiter, Harold, for a recommendation for a restaurant in town. Many times, the response will be, this is the best reastaurant in the area, and no alternatives will be offered. But, since there is only one eatery in the resort, and we wanted to experience the area off the tourists' beaten path, we really hoped Harold would give us an honest response. And, he did! He said if you really want some good food, you should go to Ella's which is run by my sisters; Ella was my mother's name. He gave us directions to the restaurant, but also suggested that we might want to ask for a ride into town, in order to get our bearings, and then walk back if we wanted. That was a very good suggestion. Although Harold's directions were very good, they included turn right at the liquor store. We would have missed this entirely, because the liquor store was named the Bahamian equivalent of Jones & Smith and did not say Liquor Store nor have any signs advertising different spirits as you would see in the states. And, the maps on our phones, which we have come to rely on, are useless. It finds where we are, but there are no corresponding maps on the phone. So, you are on a gird with no further detail.
When we arrived, Harold was picking up lunches for some of the staff at the resort. He had close to 20 lunches that he was delivering; we could see that this was definitely a locals' spot. While we were there, there was a constant stream of people coming for their take-out lunches. We decided to make this our dinner, and it was the BEST meal we've had in ages. We thank Harold for his honesty!
On our walk back to the marina, we saw many local people and were very impressed by their friendliness, and their welcoming greetings. This has been true of all the local people we've encountered, both in town and at the resort. We have found that the tourists are often who spoil the experience.
We are happy to finally be here in the Bahamas, and it looks like the spring, more-settled weather is coming soon. That will make it so much easier to move around and see the Abacos. We are glad that we decided to delay our crossing, even if the delay was longer than expected.
A few more views of OBB:
Joyce
Old Bahama Bay
West End
Grand Bahama
http://g.co/maps/e2twe
Warning: Joyce has lots of words today.
We have spent the past four days at Old Bahama Bay, which often sounds like Obama Bay when it's hailed on the VHF. It's the first resort stay we've had in about two years. The resort amenities are primarily a pool, but it's a very nice pool overlooking the beach, and we've spent hours relaxing by it. The resort also has wifi, so it's been good catching up with everyone before we lose the wifi coverage for a few days. (We have a personal hot spot when we're in the states, but it doesn't work in the Bahamas). It is our understanding that John Travolta's vacation house (where his son died) is on this property. It is quite remote and would be a good place to get away from it all. We had originally planned to stay two or three nights, but seeing we don't have a strict schedule and the winds have been brisk, we decided to extend our stay to five nights. Here is Barefoot in her secure slip at Old Obama Bay:
This resort property contains about 70 condos and a marina with about 70 slips. The cost of a slip for the night is about 30% the rate for a condo, and the boaters have access to the resort amenities. That may be one reason why the marina has been close to capacity most of the time we've been here while the condos seem fairly empty. However, this has been a good weather window for boaters arrriving from the states and it is not yet 'high season' for the condos. We are curious to know what the occupancy rates will be in the more popular months, although we've been told that hurricanes followed by the recession have had a very negative impact on the area. The larger development does include some very nice houses and a lot of empty lots. You can envision the grand neighborhood (Pine Island of the Islands) that was planned, but only partially executed. Like Florida, you can see the unfulfilled ambitions that people had before the bubble burst. From these pictures, you can see that we had to fight off all of the tourists to get a place on the beach or poolside.
 |
| Bahamian men selling lobsters on the beach |
The water is incredible here! I was in awe of the indigo blue ocean water, but just as impressed by the crystal clear water here that changes colors depending on the depth and whether the bottom is sand or coral.
We went into the village yesterday. The night before, we had asked our waiter, Harold, for a recommendation for a restaurant in town. Many times, the response will be, this is the best reastaurant in the area, and no alternatives will be offered. But, since there is only one eatery in the resort, and we wanted to experience the area off the tourists' beaten path, we really hoped Harold would give us an honest response. And, he did! He said if you really want some good food, you should go to Ella's which is run by my sisters; Ella was my mother's name. He gave us directions to the restaurant, but also suggested that we might want to ask for a ride into town, in order to get our bearings, and then walk back if we wanted. That was a very good suggestion. Although Harold's directions were very good, they included turn right at the liquor store. We would have missed this entirely, because the liquor store was named the Bahamian equivalent of Jones & Smith and did not say Liquor Store nor have any signs advertising different spirits as you would see in the states. And, the maps on our phones, which we have come to rely on, are useless. It finds where we are, but there are no corresponding maps on the phone. So, you are on a gird with no further detail.
When we arrived, Harold was picking up lunches for some of the staff at the resort. He had close to 20 lunches that he was delivering; we could see that this was definitely a locals' spot. While we were there, there was a constant stream of people coming for their take-out lunches. We decided to make this our dinner, and it was the BEST meal we've had in ages. We thank Harold for his honesty!
On our walk back to the marina, we saw many local people and were very impressed by their friendliness, and their welcoming greetings. This has been true of all the local people we've encountered, both in town and at the resort. We have found that the tourists are often who spoil the experience.
We are happy to finally be here in the Bahamas, and it looks like the spring, more-settled weather is coming soon. That will make it so much easier to move around and see the Abacos. We are glad that we decided to delay our crossing, even if the delay was longer than expected.
A few more views of OBB:
Joyce
Old Bahama Bay
West End
Grand Bahama
http://g.co/maps/e2twe
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Bahamas!
March 24, 2012
Well, after a 3 week wait for a 'weather window' we finally made a gulf stream crossing from Miami to West End, Grand Bahama. We are are currently docked at the very nice Old Bahama Bay Marina at West End http://www.oldbahamabay.com/.
For the non-sailors, a gulf stream crossing has to be planned and executed carefully. The stream is one of the most powerful ocean currents in the world and flows particularly fast (up to 5 knots) and close to land as it turns north around south Florida and heads up the coast. Any strong winds from the north, raise large, sharp waves against the north flowing stream. Although winds from the east do not have the same wave effect, sailing into a significant wind is difficult.
We arrived in Miami in early March, expecting to wait about a week, but the easterly trade winds were unrelenting for weeks; there was one earlier short window, but we were not quite ready to go at that time. Then a window appeared to open up 3/23-25. This is called waiting for your weather window.
We left our mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club (which has been a great place to stay) at 6:20 PM on Friday, 3/23 and traveled out the Dinner Key channel, across Biscayne Bay, and out the Biscayne Bay channel. It was almost dark by the time we got through the channel - we should have left a little earlier!
The ship traffic around Miami was very exciting - we had to dodge a few smaller boats and one large freighter.
We then settled into our calculated course to West End. To arrive at a course, you need a take into account the effects of the current - the direct course to West End was around 050 degrees magnetic, but I had calculated a course to steer of 062 degrees. We were, however, a bit surprised by how quickly we felt the effects of the current and over-corrected, which along with the confused seas from the recent strong easterlies, gave us a relatively slow crossing.
We saw numerous big ships throughout the night, but had only one 'close encounter' as a cruise ship crossed about 1 mile in front of us - that sounds like a lot, but believe me, it always feels closer with a huge ship!
We pulled into Old Bahama Bay at around 11 AM Saturday 3/24. We have not had much time to explore here yet, but the various colors of the water are incredible. We left 'deep' ocean water only a few miles from West End where the water was a deep indigo blue; as we proceeded in the water changed through various beautiful shades of green and it is so clear you can see down 20+ feet.
After cleaning the boat of the salt accumulated from the crossing and some laundry (boat work is never done!) we will be ready to enjoy Old Bahama Bay for a few days.
Tom
Docked at Old Bahama Bay
West End, Grand Bahama
http://g.co/maps/e2twe
Well, after a 3 week wait for a 'weather window' we finally made a gulf stream crossing from Miami to West End, Grand Bahama. We are are currently docked at the very nice Old Bahama Bay Marina at West End http://www.oldbahamabay.com/.
For the non-sailors, a gulf stream crossing has to be planned and executed carefully. The stream is one of the most powerful ocean currents in the world and flows particularly fast (up to 5 knots) and close to land as it turns north around south Florida and heads up the coast. Any strong winds from the north, raise large, sharp waves against the north flowing stream. Although winds from the east do not have the same wave effect, sailing into a significant wind is difficult.
We arrived in Miami in early March, expecting to wait about a week, but the easterly trade winds were unrelenting for weeks; there was one earlier short window, but we were not quite ready to go at that time. Then a window appeared to open up 3/23-25. This is called waiting for your weather window.
We left our mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club (which has been a great place to stay) at 6:20 PM on Friday, 3/23 and traveled out the Dinner Key channel, across Biscayne Bay, and out the Biscayne Bay channel. It was almost dark by the time we got through the channel - we should have left a little earlier!
The ship traffic around Miami was very exciting - we had to dodge a few smaller boats and one large freighter.
We then settled into our calculated course to West End. To arrive at a course, you need a take into account the effects of the current - the direct course to West End was around 050 degrees magnetic, but I had calculated a course to steer of 062 degrees. We were, however, a bit surprised by how quickly we felt the effects of the current and over-corrected, which along with the confused seas from the recent strong easterlies, gave us a relatively slow crossing.
We saw numerous big ships throughout the night, but had only one 'close encounter' as a cruise ship crossed about 1 mile in front of us - that sounds like a lot, but believe me, it always feels closer with a huge ship!
We pulled into Old Bahama Bay at around 11 AM Saturday 3/24. We have not had much time to explore here yet, but the various colors of the water are incredible. We left 'deep' ocean water only a few miles from West End where the water was a deep indigo blue; as we proceeded in the water changed through various beautiful shades of green and it is so clear you can see down 20+ feet.
After cleaning the boat of the salt accumulated from the crossing and some laundry (boat work is never done!) we will be ready to enjoy Old Bahama Bay for a few days.
Tom
Docked at Old Bahama Bay
West End, Grand Bahama
http://g.co/maps/e2twe
Monday, March 19, 2012
Miami Errands
March 14, 2012
Although we have largely traveled around South Florida on foot and using public transporation, we rented a car last week to do a number of errands. All of our destinations were in, or near the 'Little Havana' section of Miami.
First stop was the Publix supermarket. It was obvious that the store was largely Spanish-speaking as we entered, but I did not realize the extent until I had trouble asking where the men's room was. My very small amount of Spanish does include 'el bano' so eventually I was sucessful. We ended up getting everything we needed ( a Publix is a Publix even in Little Havana).
After bringing the groceries back to the boat, we venturerd out for round two.
First we went to a laundromat/laundry on SW 27th Ave. It had a coin laundry, a wash-and-fold service, and a cafeteria - great combination. We weren't sure if I was going to leave Joyce there alone, but it seemed relatively safe. With only one other English-speaking customer, Joyce said, "I just kept saying to myself - I am in Havana (Cuba)."
I (Tom) ventured on to Home Gas for Propane where English skills were virtually non-existent. It was, however, pretty obvious what I needed from the 10 pound propane tank I was carrying so I managed to get it filled. They got a kick out of the fact it did not take much to fill the tank; Joyce had told me it didn't need it, but I wanted to 'top it off' before leaving for the Bahamas.
I needed a haircut pretty badly, but the shops I had identified via the internet were either closed and/or in very bad neighborhoods. I was fairly resigned to going to the 'Super Cuts' salon near the bus stop - a first trip to a 'salon' for me. On the way back to the laundromat, however, I saw a sign for a small barbershop. Initially I was not sure it was open beacuse of the tinted windows, but I thought I might as well try. It was open and I got a great haircut for $8 - cheapest of the trip so far.
After picking up Joyce at the laundry, we returned to the boat with a very sucessful outing! We had accomplished everything we wanted; although we had some difficulty communicating, everyone had been very friendly and helpful.
After this trip, we could better appreciate my cousin Matt's saying - "The nice thing about Miami, is its proximity to the United States".
Tom,
Miami, FL
Although we have largely traveled around South Florida on foot and using public transporation, we rented a car last week to do a number of errands. All of our destinations were in, or near the 'Little Havana' section of Miami.
First stop was the Publix supermarket. It was obvious that the store was largely Spanish-speaking as we entered, but I did not realize the extent until I had trouble asking where the men's room was. My very small amount of Spanish does include 'el bano' so eventually I was sucessful. We ended up getting everything we needed ( a Publix is a Publix even in Little Havana).
After bringing the groceries back to the boat, we venturerd out for round two.
First we went to a laundromat/laundry on SW 27th Ave. It had a coin laundry, a wash-and-fold service, and a cafeteria - great combination. We weren't sure if I was going to leave Joyce there alone, but it seemed relatively safe. With only one other English-speaking customer, Joyce said, "I just kept saying to myself - I am in Havana (Cuba)."
I (Tom) ventured on to Home Gas for Propane where English skills were virtually non-existent. It was, however, pretty obvious what I needed from the 10 pound propane tank I was carrying so I managed to get it filled. They got a kick out of the fact it did not take much to fill the tank; Joyce had told me it didn't need it, but I wanted to 'top it off' before leaving for the Bahamas.
I needed a haircut pretty badly, but the shops I had identified via the internet were either closed and/or in very bad neighborhoods. I was fairly resigned to going to the 'Super Cuts' salon near the bus stop - a first trip to a 'salon' for me. On the way back to the laundromat, however, I saw a sign for a small barbershop. Initially I was not sure it was open beacuse of the tinted windows, but I thought I might as well try. It was open and I got a great haircut for $8 - cheapest of the trip so far.
After picking up Joyce at the laundry, we returned to the boat with a very sucessful outing! We had accomplished everything we wanted; although we had some difficulty communicating, everyone had been very friendly and helpful.
After this trip, we could better appreciate my cousin Matt's saying - "The nice thing about Miami, is its proximity to the United States".
Tom,
Miami, FL
Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens
March 18, 2012
As we continue to wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas we get an opportunity to further explore Miami. There is a saying that that says "you can sail or you can have a schedule, but you can't have both"; cruising is about enjoying where you are.
Today on Joyce's birthday we went to Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Coral Gables. Since there is no public transporation to Coral Gables on the weekend, we took a taxi which is always exciting. Sometimes we think that having better Spanish skills would help in getting around south florida and they would, but the range of languages you hear in this area is really astounding. On point, the taxi driver that took us out to Coral Gables was Greek and the driver that took us back to Coconut Grove was Arabic.
Fairchild was built in the 1930's under the Civilian Conservation Corp program. We are often amazed by how many of our parks and recreation areas were created under this program.
Fairchild is a large park that showcases tropical and subtropical trees, schrubs and flowers from around the world. You could spend many days there and not see everything in detail.
As we continue to wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas we get an opportunity to further explore Miami. There is a saying that that says "you can sail or you can have a schedule, but you can't have both"; cruising is about enjoying where you are.
Today on Joyce's birthday we went to Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Coral Gables. Since there is no public transporation to Coral Gables on the weekend, we took a taxi which is always exciting. Sometimes we think that having better Spanish skills would help in getting around south florida and they would, but the range of languages you hear in this area is really astounding. On point, the taxi driver that took us out to Coral Gables was Greek and the driver that took us back to Coconut Grove was Arabic.
Fairchild was built in the 1930's under the Civilian Conservation Corp program. We are often amazed by how many of our parks and recreation areas were created under this program.
Fairchild is a large park that showcases tropical and subtropical trees, schrubs and flowers from around the world. You could spend many days there and not see everything in detail.
 |
| Welcome center - built from local limestone |
 |
| A peaceful bench near the cafe. |
They had a very interesting collection of arid-climate plants, many from Madagascar:
 |
| Check out the 'thorns' |
And a Baobab tree from Africa. This tree was huge and the tram guide said that it is a 'small one':
Overlook of the 'formal' gardens:
 |
Since South Florida has a sub-tropical climate, many of the true tropical plants were in a conservatory (big greenhouse):  |
The orchids were spectacular:
And finally the rain forest. Although South Florida gets quite a bit of rain in the summer, the rain forest must be irrigated:
Tom
Coral Gables, FL
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Vizcaya
March 12, 2012
We've been in Miami for about a week, waiting for a good weather window to cross to the Bahamas. We've had a chance to catchup with some of Tom's cousins, we've become reacquainted with Starbucks and other modern amenities that haven't been available for the past few months, and we've visited some interesting parks and museums. One museum, Vizcaya, really stands out from the rest.
Vizcaya was the winter home of James Deering, a vice president of International Harvester and an heir to the IH fortune. It was built during the gilded age in the United States when fortunes were made that make the Gates' and Buffett's fortunes pale in comparison. This was the era of the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. It was also an era when these newly rich people built estates to show off their wealth.
Vizcaya was inspired by the grand estates of Europe, and James Deering went on many trips with the mansion's designers to study the European architecture and pick out furnishings. The idea was to make the house look like it was built 400 years ago, with each generation adding its own period furnishings, but adapted to the subtropical climate of Miami. Also, it was built with all of the most modern conveniences available in the early 20th century, including electricity, refrigeration, central heating, telephone and elevators. When James was in residence, it required a staff of 70 to take care of it.
Although the house was very ornate and over-the-top, we were actually a bit more impressed by the gardens and property surrounding the house. At one time, the estate was 180 acres, but it is now much smaller. The house sits on Biscayne Bay, with a channel that comes right to the dock. While we were there, we saw a few boats that appeared to be escorted out of the channel by the coast guard. Were there some dignitaries visiting a nearby property that were leaving after an important meeting?
The gardens are very popular with photographers, and we saw two wedding parties and two girls whom we believe were celebrating their Quinceanera (15th birthday). Although we don't know for sure that any of these parties were being held on the grounds, it was obvious that there would be parties in at least two venues over the weekend.
An orchid garden was another highlight of the visit, and I took a few pictures with my phone, since we didn't have a camera with us.
These additional pictures were taken from the Internet.
Joyce
Coconut Grove (Miami),FL
http://g.co/maps/dfg9t
We've been in Miami for about a week, waiting for a good weather window to cross to the Bahamas. We've had a chance to catchup with some of Tom's cousins, we've become reacquainted with Starbucks and other modern amenities that haven't been available for the past few months, and we've visited some interesting parks and museums. One museum, Vizcaya, really stands out from the rest.
Vizcaya was the winter home of James Deering, a vice president of International Harvester and an heir to the IH fortune. It was built during the gilded age in the United States when fortunes were made that make the Gates' and Buffett's fortunes pale in comparison. This was the era of the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers. It was also an era when these newly rich people built estates to show off their wealth.
Vizcaya was inspired by the grand estates of Europe, and James Deering went on many trips with the mansion's designers to study the European architecture and pick out furnishings. The idea was to make the house look like it was built 400 years ago, with each generation adding its own period furnishings, but adapted to the subtropical climate of Miami. Also, it was built with all of the most modern conveniences available in the early 20th century, including electricity, refrigeration, central heating, telephone and elevators. When James was in residence, it required a staff of 70 to take care of it.
Although the house was very ornate and over-the-top, we were actually a bit more impressed by the gardens and property surrounding the house. At one time, the estate was 180 acres, but it is now much smaller. The house sits on Biscayne Bay, with a channel that comes right to the dock. While we were there, we saw a few boats that appeared to be escorted out of the channel by the coast guard. Were there some dignitaries visiting a nearby property that were leaving after an important meeting?
The gardens are very popular with photographers, and we saw two wedding parties and two girls whom we believe were celebrating their Quinceanera (15th birthday). Although we don't know for sure that any of these parties were being held on the grounds, it was obvious that there would be parties in at least two venues over the weekend.
An orchid garden was another highlight of the visit, and I took a few pictures with my phone, since we didn't have a camera with us.
These additional pictures were taken from the Internet.
Joyce
Coconut Grove (Miami),FL
http://g.co/maps/dfg9t
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Miami/Stilsville
March 2, 2012
Today after another 50 mile sail up the Hawk Channel we entered Biscayne Bay and the Miami area today.
Although we have sailed in Tampa and San Diego, this was our first 'big city skyline' landfall. Due to very early childhood memories of the Miami skyline from the Jackie Gleason show (who remembers that?) to Miami Vice, to CSI, the skyline here is dramatic, but very familiar in some way. In any event, even though we are not really city-folk, it was a spectacular sight (picture from the internet).
The Biscayne Channel that we used to enter the Miami area goes through the somewhat famous 'Stiltsville'. This is an area of Biscayne Bay where there are stilt-houses out over the water that people were able to build in the past. No one can build a new one, but I believe that owners of existing houses can continue to use them. Again after reading about them numerous times, it was neat to actually see them (picture from the internet).
A strong front is coming through on Sunday night and we wanted to get a mooring ball at the well protected Coconut Grove Sailing Club on arrival, but since there were none available, we took a mooring at the not-so-well-protected Dinner Key mooring field. Thankfully, a mooring ball opened up at CGSC and we moved over Saturday Morning.
Now we make final preparations and wait for a weather window for our crossing to the Bahamas.
Tom
Coconut Grove (Miami) FL
http://g.co/maps/dfg9t
Today after another 50 mile sail up the Hawk Channel we entered Biscayne Bay and the Miami area today.
Although we have sailed in Tampa and San Diego, this was our first 'big city skyline' landfall. Due to very early childhood memories of the Miami skyline from the Jackie Gleason show (who remembers that?) to Miami Vice, to CSI, the skyline here is dramatic, but very familiar in some way. In any event, even though we are not really city-folk, it was a spectacular sight (picture from the internet).
The Biscayne Channel that we used to enter the Miami area goes through the somewhat famous 'Stiltsville'. This is an area of Biscayne Bay where there are stilt-houses out over the water that people were able to build in the past. No one can build a new one, but I believe that owners of existing houses can continue to use them. Again after reading about them numerous times, it was neat to actually see them (picture from the internet).
A strong front is coming through on Sunday night and we wanted to get a mooring ball at the well protected Coconut Grove Sailing Club on arrival, but since there were none available, we took a mooring at the not-so-well-protected Dinner Key mooring field. Thankfully, a mooring ball opened up at CGSC and we moved over Saturday Morning.
Now we make final preparations and wait for a weather window for our crossing to the Bahamas.
Tom
Coconut Grove (Miami) FL
http://g.co/maps/dfg9t
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Adjustment to Non-dock Living
March 1, 2012
As Tom mentioned, after almost two months of staying in a marina, we are on our way again, primarily anchoring in harbors and bays. For these two months, we've had electricity and water dockside and trash and pump out facilities within a very short walk. We could have used the marina cable with our TV (which hasn't been used for the 2 1/2 years we've owned the boat) and we've had wi fi available.
Now that we are anchoring most of the time, there are many adjustments we need to make, because we have to conserve valuable resources. I've recently learned that many cruisers have generators, so they will use their microwaves and electric coffee makers while they are anchored. The only time we use any electrical outlets is when we charge our phones and other electronics (usually once a day for an hour). For this, we use an 'inverter' which converts DC to AC electricity. Things like the refrigerator, lights, fans, and even water pressure are all run by batteries which have to be charged daily. Much of our charging is done by solar panels, but we do still need to 'top off' the batteries by running the engine. Many times this just happens automatically when we are moving from one place to another. Other times, we do have to run the diesel engine while we're anchored to finish charging the batteries. One advantage of running the engine is that is the only way we can make hot water when we're away from the dock, since our water heater is AC. The bottom line is that we have to be very careful of power consumption, and have made our boat as green as possible. Some examples are the installation of our solar panels, replacing our light bulbs in the main living area and the anchor light with LED (translate expensive) lights, and the replacement of our old refrigerator with a more efficient model.
Electricity is just one of the valuable resources we have to monitor carefully. Our water is limited to a 170-gallon tank. We can only refill the tank when we go to a marina or use our water maker, which is run by batteries. 170 gallons may sound like a lot, but the average 4-minute shower uses almost 20 gallons. Our water maker would have to run for 2.5 hours to refill the tank for one average shower, so we don't take average showers. We try to use minimal amounts of water for dishes and showers and use marine toilets (uses a hand pump and sea water instead of fresh water to flush). Starting to sound a lot like camping, isn't it?
Maybe our biggest challenge is garbage disposal. We've made green progress, like using our boat water for drinking (by sanitizing our water tank and lines and using a high-efficiency filter for the drinking water), using refillable water bottles, making G2 and Crystal Lite from powder, and greatly reducing our soda consumption. But, we still have a lot of trash that needs to be kept for a week or two before we can dispose of it properly. Convenient trash disposal is probably what I miss most about marina life.
As you can see, there are lots of challenges while at anchor, but last night was just great. I took a nap in the cockpit after we anchored, with a nice breeze blowing and a gentle rocking. Later, we had dinner outside and watched the sun set over the channel...and it was bug-free. As the sun went down, there was a spot of green for a short time. I'm not sure that it was the proverbial green flash, but it was different than anything I'd ever seen. And, today we had a great sail, motoring only in and out of our anchorages.
While we'll miss the conveniences of Harbour Cay Club, and more importantly the people of Harbour Cay Club, we are also very excited about our upcoming adventures.
Joyce
Rodriguez Key
Monroe County, FL
http://g.co/maps/7jfe2
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Barefoot Underway Again!
March 1, 2012
Well, after almost two months docked at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon, on Wednesday February 29 we left the dock and got underway again.
We enjoyed the comfort and security of being docked: pump-outs, water, garbage disposal all easy peasy. We also enjoyed the people of Harbour Cay Club. But boats are not meant to be docked.
One of the reasons that we planned a dock stay in January and February was to have access to shore-power for heat during the colder months. Ironically, a mild winter and a few degrees of lower latitude made it so we never ran the heat in Marathon - air conditioning yes - heat no.
We left the marina around 1PM on Wednesday and just went 5-6 miles through the Moser Channel to the ocean-side of the Keys and anchored just outside Boot Key Channel for a quiet night at anchor.
Early this (Thursday) morning we were underway for a great 50 mile sail up the Hawk Channel to anchor behind Rodriguez Key near Key Largo. It felt great to have a good day of sailing with winds giving us a close to beam reach all the way.
Tomorrow we will again leave early for a similar distance sail up to Biscayne Bay in the Miami area.
Tom
Rodriguez Key
Monroe County FL
http://g.co/maps/7jfe2
Well, after almost two months docked at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon, on Wednesday February 29 we left the dock and got underway again.
We enjoyed the comfort and security of being docked: pump-outs, water, garbage disposal all easy peasy. We also enjoyed the people of Harbour Cay Club. But boats are not meant to be docked.
One of the reasons that we planned a dock stay in January and February was to have access to shore-power for heat during the colder months. Ironically, a mild winter and a few degrees of lower latitude made it so we never ran the heat in Marathon - air conditioning yes - heat no.
We left the marina around 1PM on Wednesday and just went 5-6 miles through the Moser Channel to the ocean-side of the Keys and anchored just outside Boot Key Channel for a quiet night at anchor.
Early this (Thursday) morning we were underway for a great 50 mile sail up the Hawk Channel to anchor behind Rodriguez Key near Key Largo. It felt great to have a good day of sailing with winds giving us a close to beam reach all the way.
Tomorrow we will again leave early for a similar distance sail up to Biscayne Bay in the Miami area.
Tom
Rodriguez Key
Monroe County FL
http://g.co/maps/7jfe2
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