December 29, 2012
We are currently at the small northern mooring field on Hawksbill Cay within the Exuma Park.
We are moored just off a beautiful beach on the west side of the cay– one of the nicest for swimming that we have seen. We also hiked over to an eastern beach yesterday, again very nice. As previously mentioned, the beaches in the Exumas have noticeably less trash than those in the Abacos, although the eastern beaches still receive their share of flotsam and jetsam. But within the Park, visitors can pick up beach trash and pile it in a designated spot; the park staff then periodically will remove it.
The trail we hiked was well marked and led from the small beach just around the point north of the long beach off the mooring field. It leads to some ruins from a Loyalist settlement abandoned in the mid-19th century and then on to an eastern-side beach. They are very overgrown and thus not that easy to view, but then again they have been abandoned for over 150 years and the tropics do not suffer empty space. Most of the Loyalist agricultural efforts failed due to the poor soil and lack of water.
One surprise in the Exumas has been the number and size of motor yachts that we have seen. Boats of 125' and up are quite common. The park even has moorings for vessels up to 150'. We are not sure if these big boats will decline in number after the holiday season or if they are a permanent feature of these islands.
On the subject of large boat moorings, we are currently on one. You are allowed to take one if no other 'small boat' moorings are available. We have learned that it should be a last resort. Our painter (the line to which you attach the boat to the mooring) is huge (probably 3" in diameter) and heavy. I (Tom) was very impressed that Joyce was able to pick it up after I secured our second line to it.
We plan to stay here through the weekend to weather a moderate cold front coming through, after which we will probably go to Warderick Wells, where the Park headquarters are located.
Tom
Moored at Hawksbill Cay
Exuma, Bahamas
Posted by satellite email
Map Cruise 2012-13
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Shroud Cay
December 24, 2012
We are currently moored at Shroud Cay in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The Exuma Park is a national park and a protected area and is reputed to be one of the most beautiful and pristine areas in the Exumas. Certainly the beach that we visited yesterday was one of the nicest we have seen in the Bahamas. The sand is incredibly fine and brilliant white contrasting with the beautiful green and blue water. Noticeably absent was the trash that seemed to mar many of the beaches we visited in the Abacos last year.
Shroud Cay is actually a group of cays and rocks between which lies a mangrove salt pond and estuary. We dinghied through the northern creek to to Driftwood Beach on the Exuma Sound side of the island. This trip must be made at near high tide. We have traveled into the Sanibel Bayou many times and expected this to be similar, but were surprised how different it was. It was lined with mangroves, but they were very short compared to those in Florida. We have noticed that in general the vegetation here is much shorter - it must be the constant trade winds and occasional hurricane that keeps things shorter.
We plan to stay here for Christmas and we are sure it will quite different than any other year. Last year, although we were on the boat, we docked in Everglades City and were at least able to go to a Christmas Eve service. This year we are miles from any civilization, but will still try to maintain as many of our traditions as possible.
Tom
Moored at Shroud Cay
Exumas, Bahamas
Posted by satellite email
Map Cruise 2012-13
We are currently moored at Shroud Cay in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. The Exuma Park is a national park and a protected area and is reputed to be one of the most beautiful and pristine areas in the Exumas. Certainly the beach that we visited yesterday was one of the nicest we have seen in the Bahamas. The sand is incredibly fine and brilliant white contrasting with the beautiful green and blue water. Noticeably absent was the trash that seemed to mar many of the beaches we visited in the Abacos last year.
Shroud Cay is actually a group of cays and rocks between which lies a mangrove salt pond and estuary. We dinghied through the northern creek to to Driftwood Beach on the Exuma Sound side of the island. This trip must be made at near high tide. We have traveled into the Sanibel Bayou many times and expected this to be similar, but were surprised how different it was. It was lined with mangroves, but they were very short compared to those in Florida. We have noticed that in general the vegetation here is much shorter - it must be the constant trade winds and occasional hurricane that keeps things shorter.
We plan to stay here for Christmas and we are sure it will quite different than any other year. Last year, although we were on the boat, we docked in Everglades City and were at least able to go to a Christmas Eve service. This year we are miles from any civilization, but will still try to maintain as many of our traditions as possible.
Tom
Moored at Shroud Cay
Exumas, Bahamas
Posted by satellite email
Map Cruise 2012-13
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Highbourne Cay
December 22, 2012
We have spent the last few days at the upscale Highbourne Cay Marina in the Northern Exumas. If you are a marina guest, you can walk around the island during the day only. You are restricted to the marina grounds after dark; this is to provide security and privacy for the island residents from the ‘rogue’ sailors. Highbourne was abandoned until fairly recently when the marina was built and development started throughout the island. There are a lot of private signs, but the development that we saw was all first class.
In the past, we have been a bit disappointed by the beaches in the Bahamas, since their beauty is often spoiled by the trash that is left behind. Although the water is so clear, showing different colors as it deepens, we often say that we prefer many of the beaches on the West Coast of Florida to the Bahamian beaches. But, Highbourne Cay has a beautiful beach as shown in the following picture.
Off Highbourne’s east beach, you can find reefs called stromatolites. Unlike most reefs which are coral, stromatolites have been built up by blue-green microorganisms. Stromatolites are the oldest known macrofossil, dating back 3 billion years , and provide about 80% of the fossil record. The microorganisms that produced the ancient reefs provided the earth’s oxygen. Although thought to be extinct, living stromatolites have been recently found in Australia, a few place in South America and the Exumas. The Exumas is the only location where they grow in open water conditions. It is fascinating that we can look at these reefs and know that they are living relatives of reefs that existed long before man or any animals roamed the Earth. In the following picture, the stromatolites are in the foreground, the green being the oxygen-producing algae. Also, note the changing colors of the water, showing the difference in its depth.
Although Highbourne Cay marina is quite expensive, we were considering it our reward for finishing the 500-mile trip from our dock in Bradenton to the Exumas. We expected to have a few days of relaxation before we start anchoring and mooring for a few months. Unfortunately, the first day or two were far from relaxing. When we hooked up the power cable, the charger didn’t work. Unfortunately, there was a power outage 10 minutes before we left Bimini, so we weren’t sure whether that had caused a problem with our system, or there was some other issue. After Tom spent hours testing and trying to find the problem, we think that it was because the voltage was too high for our Magnum charger to accept. For a few minutes, the voltage declined to a level that the charger would ‘qualify’ it, and we had AC power. But, that was short-lived. We are not positive that is the only problem, but we do have a friend with the same charger who had the same problem, and only at the Highbourne Cay Marina. It will likely be weeks or months before we dock again and know for sure this is the problem, but we won’t worry about it until then. We will update this entry when we confirm that it was a problem with electrical supply at Highbourne.
Tomorrow, we will be headed south to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park for a week or ten days. We are looking forward to exploring this relatively untouched area.
Docked at Highbourne Cay Marina
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Bimini to Highbourne Cay
December 20, 2012
We had a trip of three long days to go from North Bimini to Highbourne Cay in the Northern Exumas. The wind was predicted to clock S-W-NE Monday and Tuesday ahead of a weak front scheduled to arrive on Wednesday providing almost perfect winds for a trip SE from Bimini to Highbourne. The forecast largely held and we had a good trip.
We left Bimini at around 10:00 AM on Monday about an hour before high tide. There was a significant current still running, but other than a slow exit it was no problem. We headed north and around North Rock and on to the Bahamas Bank. The wind was 10-15 knots, and a little east of south providing a good motor sail which turned into a good close reach by afternoon. We arrived at Mackie Shoal a little before dark and anchored a couple of miles south of the Mackie Shoal light in 12 feet of water. Anchoring on the bank is weird! The horizon looks like you are at sea (no land in sight) but you are in 12 feet of water.
Note to mariners: The Mackie Shoal marker was there, but unlit as of that night.
We got under way around 2:00 AM on Tuesday morning to allow us to reach the Northwest Channel by first light. Winds had backed to west of south allowing for another nice motor sail. We had a very confusing crossing involving two anchored boats and another boat (probably an inter-island freighter). The light configuration was as confusing as I can remember. What ended up as two anchor lights looked like a masthead range that is found on larger ships but there were no other obvious navigation lights that would indicate direction The freighter in the background added more ambigous light. We passed the anchored boats safely as they were getting under way, but a little close for comfort at '0-dark-thirty'.
Our transit through Northwest Channel was uneventful except for the scary remains of the Northwest Channel Light.
Note to mariners: The Northwest Channel light was destroyed as of this date. The remains are about 1 1/2' out of the water at low tide (what we saw) but below the water at higher tides per a report from friends.
From the Northwest Chanel we continued SE across the Tongue of the Ocean where you are in sight of land in several directions, but you are in depths up to 7,000 feet. We anchored Tuesday night in West Bay on the western end of New Providence. The entrance is a little tricky, but a it is a nice pleasant anchorage that allowed us to bypass busy Nassau harbor.
We left West Bay about 8:30 AM Wednesday (we would leave earlier if we did it again). Here the forecast did not follow plan. We expected brisk NE winds, but it was almost dead calm requiring us to motor. We arrived at Highbourne Cay around 4:00PM, fueled the boat, and docked - ending our successful easting. We are now in the Exumas!
Tom
Docked at Highbourne Cay
Exumas, Bahamas
Map of 2012-13 Cruise
We had a trip of three long days to go from North Bimini to Highbourne Cay in the Northern Exumas. The wind was predicted to clock S-W-NE Monday and Tuesday ahead of a weak front scheduled to arrive on Wednesday providing almost perfect winds for a trip SE from Bimini to Highbourne. The forecast largely held and we had a good trip.
We left Bimini at around 10:00 AM on Monday about an hour before high tide. There was a significant current still running, but other than a slow exit it was no problem. We headed north and around North Rock and on to the Bahamas Bank. The wind was 10-15 knots, and a little east of south providing a good motor sail which turned into a good close reach by afternoon. We arrived at Mackie Shoal a little before dark and anchored a couple of miles south of the Mackie Shoal light in 12 feet of water. Anchoring on the bank is weird! The horizon looks like you are at sea (no land in sight) but you are in 12 feet of water.
Note to mariners: The Mackie Shoal marker was there, but unlit as of that night.
We got under way around 2:00 AM on Tuesday morning to allow us to reach the Northwest Channel by first light. Winds had backed to west of south allowing for another nice motor sail. We had a very confusing crossing involving two anchored boats and another boat (probably an inter-island freighter). The light configuration was as confusing as I can remember. What ended up as two anchor lights looked like a masthead range that is found on larger ships but there were no other obvious navigation lights that would indicate direction The freighter in the background added more ambigous light. We passed the anchored boats safely as they were getting under way, but a little close for comfort at '0-dark-thirty'.
Our transit through Northwest Channel was uneventful except for the scary remains of the Northwest Channel Light.
Note to mariners: The Northwest Channel light was destroyed as of this date. The remains are about 1 1/2' out of the water at low tide (what we saw) but below the water at higher tides per a report from friends.
From the Northwest Chanel we continued SE across the Tongue of the Ocean where you are in sight of land in several directions, but you are in depths up to 7,000 feet. We anchored Tuesday night in West Bay on the western end of New Providence. The entrance is a little tricky, but a it is a nice pleasant anchorage that allowed us to bypass busy Nassau harbor.
We left West Bay about 8:30 AM Wednesday (we would leave earlier if we did it again). Here the forecast did not follow plan. We expected brisk NE winds, but it was almost dead calm requiring us to motor. We arrived at Highbourne Cay around 4:00PM, fueled the boat, and docked - ending our successful easting. We are now in the Exumas!
Tom
Docked at Highbourne Cay
Exumas, Bahamas
Map of 2012-13 Cruise
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Around Bimini - Ansil Saunders
December 16, 2012
The last few days in Bimini have been very interesting.
Yesterday we went to visit Ansil Saunder's boat building shop. Ansil is a boat builder and bone fishing guide of some renown.
He builds a beautiful flats fishing boat called the Bimini Bonefisher. It is hand-built of oak, mahogany, and a very interesting textured local wood called horseflesh. The draft is 6" and it is designed to fish for bonefish on the very shallow banks or flats.
A number of years ago he guided a gentleman that caught the still standing record bonefish.
However, the most remarkable thing about Ansil is his faith and his connection to Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was visiting Bimini and Ansil was asked to take him to a tranquil place where he could think about and draft his upcoming speech in Memphis. Ansil took him deep into the mangrove creeks. Dr King was struck by the vibrant life all around and asked Ansil what he said to passengers in his boat that did not believe in a God of creation. Ansil said he recites a psalm he wrote - the Creation Psalm. Dr King asked him to recite it and was very inspired by it. The speech he wrote shortly after that included what he wanted for a eulogy. King was killed in Memphis three days later after delivering the speech. Ansil has personal autographs from Correta Scott King and the most recent US ambassador to the Bahamas; both attribute a unique role in the civil rights movement to Ansil. The portion of Ansil's psalm that he recited for us brought tears to our eyes. May God richly bless you Ansil!
On Sunday we went to Our Lady & St. Stephen Anglican Church. Ansil and his brother Tommy (who varnishes the boats) were in attendance. We are not Anglicans and have a little trouble keeping up with the liturgy, but the people were warm and welcoming. We are also not used to 2 1/2 hour services which are not unusual in Bahamian churches. At one point in the service they exchange greetings of peace - not an unusual church practice. But our experience has been that you exchange greetings with a few people around you; not at St Stephens where it seems that everyone exchanges greetings with each and every one present - takes 10 minutes or so. But we always enjoy visiting churches, it broadens your perspective as to the variety in the Church.
Finally a couple of tips it you ever get to Bimini:
Tomorrow we are off for 3 long travel days as we travel to Highbourne Cay in the Northern Exumas.
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
North Bimini, Bahamas
2012-13 Cruise
The last few days in Bimini have been very interesting.
Yesterday we went to visit Ansil Saunder's boat building shop. Ansil is a boat builder and bone fishing guide of some renown.
He builds a beautiful flats fishing boat called the Bimini Bonefisher. It is hand-built of oak, mahogany, and a very interesting textured local wood called horseflesh. The draft is 6" and it is designed to fish for bonefish on the very shallow banks or flats.
 |
| Ansil with a Bimini Bonefisher - note the 'horseflesh' wood on the back of the console |
A number of years ago he guided a gentleman that caught the still standing record bonefish.
However, the most remarkable thing about Ansil is his faith and his connection to Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was visiting Bimini and Ansil was asked to take him to a tranquil place where he could think about and draft his upcoming speech in Memphis. Ansil took him deep into the mangrove creeks. Dr King was struck by the vibrant life all around and asked Ansil what he said to passengers in his boat that did not believe in a God of creation. Ansil said he recites a psalm he wrote - the Creation Psalm. Dr King asked him to recite it and was very inspired by it. The speech he wrote shortly after that included what he wanted for a eulogy. King was killed in Memphis three days later after delivering the speech. Ansil has personal autographs from Correta Scott King and the most recent US ambassador to the Bahamas; both attribute a unique role in the civil rights movement to Ansil. The portion of Ansil's psalm that he recited for us brought tears to our eyes. May God richly bless you Ansil!
 |
| Ansil receiving an award from US Ambassador to the Bahamas |
On Sunday we went to Our Lady & St. Stephen Anglican Church. Ansil and his brother Tommy (who varnishes the boats) were in attendance. We are not Anglicans and have a little trouble keeping up with the liturgy, but the people were warm and welcoming. We are also not used to 2 1/2 hour services which are not unusual in Bahamian churches. At one point in the service they exchange greetings of peace - not an unusual church practice. But our experience has been that you exchange greetings with a few people around you; not at St Stephens where it seems that everyone exchanges greetings with each and every one present - takes 10 minutes or so. But we always enjoy visiting churches, it broadens your perspective as to the variety in the Church.
Finally a couple of tips it you ever get to Bimini:
- Good breakfasts at 'Captain Bobs'
- Awesome box lunches at the 'The Taste of Heaven' bakery. $6 at this writing and they have a number of Bahamian entrees that range from chicken to oxtail - I had the curried mutton which was delicous.
- Visit Ashley Saunders at the Dolphin House
- Visit Ansil Saunders at his boat building shop.
Tomorrow we are off for 3 long travel days as we travel to Highbourne Cay in the Northern Exumas.
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
North Bimini, Bahamas
2012-13 Cruise
Friday, December 14, 2012
Our Stay in Bimini, Bahamas
December 14, 2012
We have been docked at Weech's Bimini Dock at North Bimini, Bahamas for almost a week, longer than we had planned. There were some short windows to make some further easting, but we were looking for a little break after making our crossing and chose not to take them. Now a fairly strong cold front (gale in the Atlantic) has brought stronger winds and seas and we will be here at least until Sunday.
Weech's Bimini Dock has been a comfortable, although not very luxurious, place to stay. The Weechs were one of the earliest settlers of Bimini. Hemingway used to dock his boat Pilar at Brown's Marina right down the channel from Weechs and below is a picture of him posing at Weech's with fish he had caught. Although he apparently only spent a few seasons here, he is quite a local legend. One story is that he had a standing offer that if anyone beat him in a boxing match, they would win $100 - there were few takers and no winners. Hemingway at the time was strong, athletic, and an expert boxer.
We have done a lot of walking around Alice Town (the 'marina' district at the south end of the island) and Bailey Town (where many of the residents live). As with many other 'real' Bahamian towns that we have visited, there is a great deal of poverty here. The recession of the last few years has not done anything to improve this situation. Job opportunities outside the tourism industry and public services are scarce.
At the south end we we visited an old cemetery that included the grave of a member of another old Bimini family - the Saunders. We liked what was written on his grave stone:
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
North Bimini, Bahamas
2012-13 Cruise
We have been docked at Weech's Bimini Dock at North Bimini, Bahamas for almost a week, longer than we had planned. There were some short windows to make some further easting, but we were looking for a little break after making our crossing and chose not to take them. Now a fairly strong cold front (gale in the Atlantic) has brought stronger winds and seas and we will be here at least until Sunday.
Weech's Bimini Dock has been a comfortable, although not very luxurious, place to stay. The Weechs were one of the earliest settlers of Bimini. Hemingway used to dock his boat Pilar at Brown's Marina right down the channel from Weechs and below is a picture of him posing at Weech's with fish he had caught. Although he apparently only spent a few seasons here, he is quite a local legend. One story is that he had a standing offer that if anyone beat him in a boxing match, they would win $100 - there were few takers and no winners. Hemingway at the time was strong, athletic, and an expert boxer.
 |
| Hemingway (far left) on Weech's Bimini Dock, July 1936 |
We have done a lot of walking around Alice Town (the 'marina' district at the south end of the island) and Bailey Town (where many of the residents live). As with many other 'real' Bahamian towns that we have visited, there is a great deal of poverty here. The recession of the last few years has not done anything to improve this situation. Job opportunities outside the tourism industry and public services are scarce.
At the south end we we visited an old cemetery that included the grave of a member of another old Bimini family - the Saunders. We liked what was written on his grave stone:
W J Saunders
"He fell asleep in Jesus"
Acts 7:59-60
Respected by all
How I loved him no tongue can tell,
Yes dearly, fondly and well;
Christ loved him too, and thought it best,
To take him home to be at rest.
Near the cemetery was the remains of an old cement boat that was wrecked in a hurricane.
 |
| What not to do in the Bahamas |
Ironically, we also found a red daymark lying on the beach, underscoring the oft repeating admonition that aids to navigation in the Bahamas are often unreliable.
One day this week we rented a golf cart and toured the island from tip to tip. We went to one of the rental places that had around 15-20 carts in a yard. After discussing rates with 'Trev' the attendant, we agreed to a daily rental. While we filled out some brief paperwork, Trev started to go around the yard trying to find a cart for us - cart after cart failed to start (dead battery). After a while I started to get nervous that this was a bad idea and that we would get stuck somewhere with a cart that would not start. Trev was very nice and apologized for the delay and said that he wanted to get us a 'good one', which we think translates to 'will start'. But he finally found a 'good one' and other than some jerky starts it ran fine. Before taking the cart back the next morning, I returned to the cemetery at the south end of island to take a few more pictures and then refueled the cart before returning it. After walking back to the boat I realized that I no longer had my reading glasses. I have found that glasses on my shirt collar and my camera bag strap are a bad combination, but I still make the mistake. I figured that it would be too difficult to retrace my path and unlikely that I would find them anyway so I gave them up for lost. However, a few minutes later there was a knock on the boat and I looked out to see Trev. He had found my glasses and had walked down to return them. Thank you Trev - you are a gentleman! We typically find the Bahamians to be warm, friendly, and helpful if you treat them with respect.
Today we went to the Dolphin House, a museum and rental house built and maintained by Ashley Saunders, a local writer and historian. He has written a two-volume history of Bimini that we bought and are currently reading. The house itself is incredible - it is extensively decorated with mosaics created primary with shells, sea glass and other materials with a dolphin and island water theme. It is definitely worth a visit if you ever get to Bimini. If you Google his name and Bimini you can learn more about this fascinating man.
 |
| Bimini Sunrise |
When we get some favorable weather, we will crossing the Bahama Bank, then on to New Providence via the West Channel, and then to Highbourne Cay in the northern Exumas
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
North Bimini, Bahamas
2012-13 Cruise
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Crossing to Bimini
December 11, 2012
We are currently docked at Weech's Dock in Bimini, Bahamas after crossing from the US on Sunday 12/9.
Our crossing of the Gulf Stream was OK. The wind was 8-12 knots from the SSE putting the wind fairly high on the bow requiring us to motorsail. The waves were 2-3 feet as we left the Biscayne Bay channel but sharp and confused leading to a fairly bumpy ride and a few waves over the side deck. Fortunately as we left soundings (depth readable by a depth sounder) the waves settled down to a comfortable 2 feet.
As we were close on the wind, we were limited in how far south we could point; that plus dodging a couple of freighters put us about 5 miles north of our desired course about 15 miles from Bimini. This slowed us down significantly as we then had to motor into the opposing current to make our way back south. The gulf stream, even at its eastern edge near Bimini, is a formidable force to be reckoned with in a sailboat.
We cleared immigration and customs without any problem although we were only granted a 100 day stay - we had hoped for 180. This will require us to request an extension as this stay nears its end. The extensions are typically granted, but it is a nuisance to have to coordinate a visit to immigration within a window of a few days.
Our stay in Bimini has so far been consumed by cleaning the boat and getting a Bahamas (BaTelCo) data phone. It took us most of the afternoon to get it working, both as a phone and providing connectivity to our computers. The people at BaTelCo were very nice and special mention goes to the 'computer lady' to whom we were referred by BaTelCo. She was trying to help us get the SIM card working in an air card which included a 'house call' to our boat. Final kudos, however, goes to Joyce who got the phone working as a wireless access point - a perfect solution!
We had originally planned to leave Bimini on Wednesday or Thursday, but with an approaching cold front we may stay until the weekend or early next week - we are not on any schedule at this point.
Tom
Docked at Weech's Dock
North Bimini, Bahamas
2012-13 Cruise
We are currently docked at Weech's Dock in Bimini, Bahamas after crossing from the US on Sunday 12/9.
Our crossing of the Gulf Stream was OK. The wind was 8-12 knots from the SSE putting the wind fairly high on the bow requiring us to motorsail. The waves were 2-3 feet as we left the Biscayne Bay channel but sharp and confused leading to a fairly bumpy ride and a few waves over the side deck. Fortunately as we left soundings (depth readable by a depth sounder) the waves settled down to a comfortable 2 feet.
As we were close on the wind, we were limited in how far south we could point; that plus dodging a couple of freighters put us about 5 miles north of our desired course about 15 miles from Bimini. This slowed us down significantly as we then had to motor into the opposing current to make our way back south. The gulf stream, even at its eastern edge near Bimini, is a formidable force to be reckoned with in a sailboat.
We cleared immigration and customs without any problem although we were only granted a 100 day stay - we had hoped for 180. This will require us to request an extension as this stay nears its end. The extensions are typically granted, but it is a nuisance to have to coordinate a visit to immigration within a window of a few days.
Our stay in Bimini has so far been consumed by cleaning the boat and getting a Bahamas (BaTelCo) data phone. It took us most of the afternoon to get it working, both as a phone and providing connectivity to our computers. The people at BaTelCo were very nice and special mention goes to the 'computer lady' to whom we were referred by BaTelCo. She was trying to help us get the SIM card working in an air card which included a 'house call' to our boat. Final kudos, however, goes to Joyce who got the phone working as a wireless access point - a perfect solution!
We had originally planned to leave Bimini on Wednesday or Thursday, but with an approaching cold front we may stay until the weekend or early next week - we are not on any schedule at this point.
Tom
Docked at Weech's Dock
North Bimini, Bahamas
2012-13 Cruise
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Coconut Grove and off to the Bahamas
December 8, 2012
We have been moored at Coconut Grove Sailing Club for almost two weeks. We plan to cross the Gulf Stream tomorrow to Bimini in the Bahamas.
Our stay in Miami featured a visit to cousins Corrine and Matt who have remodeled a house in Coconut Grove built in 1938. They have done a wonderful job and the house looks great. Matt is continuing to landscape utilizing primarily native plants - definitely a great way to go.
We also drove back to Bradenton with a rental car to attend dock neighbors Rick and Susan's wedding. The wedding was at a wonderful bed and breakfast in Palmetto across the Manatee River from Twin Dolphin Marina. It was great to attend the wedding and see many of our friends from the marina. Best wishes for a blessed marriage Rick and Susan!
We continue to enjoy Coconut Grove and Miami. We are not city-people, and the first time we came here we thought we would 'endure' our stay. But we have been greatly surprised that we really enjoy Miami. It is a very Latin city with great food, a vibrant vibe, and lots to do. Public transportation makes it relatively easy to get around.
Our current plan is to cross to Bimini in the Bahamas tomorrow. The weather looks fairly settled with winds from the SSE. It probably will be a motoring/motor-sailing crossing, but that is difficult to avoid on an eastbound crossing. One unknown is the length of the cruising permit that we will receive from Bahamian Customs. We would like a 6 month permit, but it up to the discretion of the officer and many people have rather arbitrarily been receiving 60-90 day permits. They can be renewed, but the process is somewhat of a hassle so we are asking and hoping for longer.
From Bimini we will look for an another window to make further easting across the Bahamas Bank and to the Exuma Islands. First stop will probably be Highborne Cay.
Tom
Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Miami, FL
Map - Cruise 2012-13
We have been moored at Coconut Grove Sailing Club for almost two weeks. We plan to cross the Gulf Stream tomorrow to Bimini in the Bahamas.
Our stay in Miami featured a visit to cousins Corrine and Matt who have remodeled a house in Coconut Grove built in 1938. They have done a wonderful job and the house looks great. Matt is continuing to landscape utilizing primarily native plants - definitely a great way to go.
We also drove back to Bradenton with a rental car to attend dock neighbors Rick and Susan's wedding. The wedding was at a wonderful bed and breakfast in Palmetto across the Manatee River from Twin Dolphin Marina. It was great to attend the wedding and see many of our friends from the marina. Best wishes for a blessed marriage Rick and Susan!
We continue to enjoy Coconut Grove and Miami. We are not city-people, and the first time we came here we thought we would 'endure' our stay. But we have been greatly surprised that we really enjoy Miami. It is a very Latin city with great food, a vibrant vibe, and lots to do. Public transportation makes it relatively easy to get around.
Our current plan is to cross to Bimini in the Bahamas tomorrow. The weather looks fairly settled with winds from the SSE. It probably will be a motoring/motor-sailing crossing, but that is difficult to avoid on an eastbound crossing. One unknown is the length of the cruising permit that we will receive from Bahamian Customs. We would like a 6 month permit, but it up to the discretion of the officer and many people have rather arbitrarily been receiving 60-90 day permits. They can be renewed, but the process is somewhat of a hassle so we are asking and hoping for longer.
From Bimini we will look for an another window to make further easting across the Bahamas Bank and to the Exuma Islands. First stop will probably be Highborne Cay.
Tom
Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Miami, FL
Map - Cruise 2012-13
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Coconut Grove
November 28, 2012
We are currently moored at Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami. This is a great place at which we stayed earlier in the year. They have a limited number of transient moorings and we are not sure if we are going to be able to stay longer; we will find out today. If not, we will move to the less protected and less convenient Dinner Key mooring field. Hope we get to stay.
On Saturday we left Marco Island on the west coast of Florida and made the lonely trip down to Little Shark River. This is a very desolate, but interesting area. We wished that we could have stayed there a day or two, but we were racing a cold front to Miami so we needed to move on.
Sunday had us traveling down off of Cape Sable to Marathon in the Keys. This stretch has an incredible number of stone crab traps. Sometimes it seems as though you have no way out of them! Although our hull and rudder configuration makes us less susceptible than many boats, we must avoid the traps or risk tangling the lines in our prop. This would necessitate a dive to attempt to cut the line which tends to wrap tightly around the shaft. After a stressful trip we anchored in Marathon just outside Boot Key Harbor.
Monday had us motor-sailing up the Hawk Channel against a wind on the bow. Numerous crab traps, but nothing like off Cape Sable the day before thankfully. We anchored at Rodriguez Key that night where we were not well protected from the east - southeast winds, but thankfully they were light overnight.
Tuesday had us sailing up the remainder of the Hawk Channel under sail. The wind was 10-18 knots and we were on a close to beam reach. It was one of the best sails in recent memory! We made great time.
Just a word about the Hawk Channel. It is a broad area of water between the barrier reefs and mainland stretching from Miami to Key West. It is defined by widely separated markers that show where shoal water exists. It is protected on the Atlantic side by only the reefs and can get pretty lively in bad weather. Today was gorgeous!
After transiting the Biscayne Bay Channel and crossing the bay, we called Coconut Grove Sailing Club on the radio. It is a great place, but they have a limited number of moorings that are not used permanently by members and they do not take reservations. So you never know if you will get in. As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, we had a mooring for last night, but we will find out if we can stay longer today.
After 4 long travel days we are ready for a little R&R in Coconut Grove. Next week we will be traveling back to Bradenton, by car, to attend a friends' wedding. Then we will be looking for a 'weather window' to cross to the Bahamas.
Tom
Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Miami, FL
Map - Cruise 2012-13
PS An addition to the 'Only in Miami' file. Last evening I was out on the foredeck when I noticed some people taking pictutes across the channel at Dinner Key Marina of what I thought was a young girl in a white skirt. After several poses including climbing up and leaning over the fence rails like a model might do at a photo shoot, I was very surprised when the 'girl' jumped down from the fence and started to walk around on all fours. After I shook my head a couple of times I finally realized that it was a dog (like a golden retriver) wearing something that looked like a skirt and posing for the pictures. It was a photo shoot, but for what I have no idea. As I said - only in Miami!
We are currently moored at Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami. This is a great place at which we stayed earlier in the year. They have a limited number of transient moorings and we are not sure if we are going to be able to stay longer; we will find out today. If not, we will move to the less protected and less convenient Dinner Key mooring field. Hope we get to stay.
On Saturday we left Marco Island on the west coast of Florida and made the lonely trip down to Little Shark River. This is a very desolate, but interesting area. We wished that we could have stayed there a day or two, but we were racing a cold front to Miami so we needed to move on.
Sunday had us traveling down off of Cape Sable to Marathon in the Keys. This stretch has an incredible number of stone crab traps. Sometimes it seems as though you have no way out of them! Although our hull and rudder configuration makes us less susceptible than many boats, we must avoid the traps or risk tangling the lines in our prop. This would necessitate a dive to attempt to cut the line which tends to wrap tightly around the shaft. After a stressful trip we anchored in Marathon just outside Boot Key Harbor.
Monday had us motor-sailing up the Hawk Channel against a wind on the bow. Numerous crab traps, but nothing like off Cape Sable the day before thankfully. We anchored at Rodriguez Key that night where we were not well protected from the east - southeast winds, but thankfully they were light overnight.
Tuesday had us sailing up the remainder of the Hawk Channel under sail. The wind was 10-18 knots and we were on a close to beam reach. It was one of the best sails in recent memory! We made great time.
Just a word about the Hawk Channel. It is a broad area of water between the barrier reefs and mainland stretching from Miami to Key West. It is defined by widely separated markers that show where shoal water exists. It is protected on the Atlantic side by only the reefs and can get pretty lively in bad weather. Today was gorgeous!
After transiting the Biscayne Bay Channel and crossing the bay, we called Coconut Grove Sailing Club on the radio. It is a great place, but they have a limited number of moorings that are not used permanently by members and they do not take reservations. So you never know if you will get in. As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, we had a mooring for last night, but we will find out if we can stay longer today.
After 4 long travel days we are ready for a little R&R in Coconut Grove. Next week we will be traveling back to Bradenton, by car, to attend a friends' wedding. Then we will be looking for a 'weather window' to cross to the Bahamas.
Tom
Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Miami, FL
Map - Cruise 2012-13
PS An addition to the 'Only in Miami' file. Last evening I was out on the foredeck when I noticed some people taking pictutes across the channel at Dinner Key Marina of what I thought was a young girl in a white skirt. After several poses including climbing up and leaning over the fence rails like a model might do at a photo shoot, I was very surprised when the 'girl' jumped down from the fence and started to walk around on all fours. After I shook my head a couple of times I finally realized that it was a dog (like a golden retriver) wearing something that looked like a skirt and posing for the pictures. It was a photo shoot, but for what I have no idea. As I said - only in Miami!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Little Shark River
November 25, 2012
We are currently anchored in Little Shark River near the southwest tip of the Florida peninsula. Very little wind yesterday so the trip down from Marco Island was motoring. Very desolate waters - in the 35 miles after rounding Cape Romano shoals we did not see a single boat. We are sharing the river with one other vessel.
Today we head down to Marathon. We expect many crab pots on this leg requiring a sharp lookout.
It is notable that this post was done by satellite email - no cell coverage here.
Tom
Anchored in Little Shark River
We are currently anchored in Little Shark River near the southwest tip of the Florida peninsula. Very little wind yesterday so the trip down from Marco Island was motoring. Very desolate waters - in the 35 miles after rounding Cape Romano shoals we did not see a single boat. We are sharing the river with one other vessel.
Today we head down to Marathon. We expect many crab pots on this leg requiring a sharp lookout.
It is notable that this post was done by satellite email - no cell coverage here.
Tom
Anchored in Little Shark River
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Marco Island - Thanksgiving
November 22, 2012
As planned, we are at Marco Island for Thanksgiving.
We have a reservation for Thanksgiving dinner at Marek's Restaurant which is about a 1/2 mile from the marina. We made the reservation without a lot of information and have since learned that it is quite a fancy (and expensive) place. We have decided to still go - we have not dined out much this month, so the 'budget' should support it (we hope). I just hope we 'meet their standards' and they let us in.
This has been a busy week getting a number of things done, most importantly a new water heater. After finding that the 11 gallon replacement I had ordered would not fit, we were lucky that a 6 gallon unit could be shippped in quickly. The installation went fairly smoothly. The boat yard was able to return the unit we could not use, with only a small restocking fee. Kudos to Rose Marina for a job well done!
Yesterday afternoon was our first day to really enjoy Marco. Sipping coffee at an outside table at Starbucks overlooking the fountain at the Esplanade was very nice.
Tom
P. S. By the time we left for dinner, Tom had me nervous that we were not going to be allowed into the restaurant. One website described it as being dressy, for special occassions, and we have no clothes on the boat that would fit the description. We both dressed in some of our best clothes (Tom even wore socks), and we were greeted warmly upon arrival. Although we were not the best-dressed people there, we were in about the 50th percentile of casual/formal. We keep forgetting that we are in Florida; even Marco Island is quite casual compared to the north.
And, we are not washing dishes because we couldn't pay the bill, so that is a real plus. The meal was good, but I would have preferred Plainville Farms (may it rest in peace). The chef has cooked for the Queen, when he and his wife lived in England, and the building was the former home of one of the founders of Marco. All-in-all it was a very pleasant experience, although we missed family and friends.
Next door to the marina is a vacant lot in a very nice neighborhood of large houses. After investigating, Tom found that there is a burrowing owl nest. This is an endangered species, and cannot be disturbed. We had to feel sorry for whoever owns the property, because the value is greatly diminished if no building is allowed. As we were coming back from dinner, a little owl was sticking up out of its burrow. We were about ten feet away from him, and he was such an adorable guy; we felt so fortunate to see this rare sight. Tom is hoping to take a picture of him with his good camera: his phone camera just doesn't do the little guy justice.
Joyce
Docked at Rose Marina
Marco Island
Collier County, FL
Map 2012-13 Cruise
As planned, we are at Marco Island for Thanksgiving.
We have a reservation for Thanksgiving dinner at Marek's Restaurant which is about a 1/2 mile from the marina. We made the reservation without a lot of information and have since learned that it is quite a fancy (and expensive) place. We have decided to still go - we have not dined out much this month, so the 'budget' should support it (we hope). I just hope we 'meet their standards' and they let us in.
This has been a busy week getting a number of things done, most importantly a new water heater. After finding that the 11 gallon replacement I had ordered would not fit, we were lucky that a 6 gallon unit could be shippped in quickly. The installation went fairly smoothly. The boat yard was able to return the unit we could not use, with only a small restocking fee. Kudos to Rose Marina for a job well done!
Yesterday afternoon was our first day to really enjoy Marco. Sipping coffee at an outside table at Starbucks overlooking the fountain at the Esplanade was very nice.
Tom
P. S. By the time we left for dinner, Tom had me nervous that we were not going to be allowed into the restaurant. One website described it as being dressy, for special occassions, and we have no clothes on the boat that would fit the description. We both dressed in some of our best clothes (Tom even wore socks), and we were greeted warmly upon arrival. Although we were not the best-dressed people there, we were in about the 50th percentile of casual/formal. We keep forgetting that we are in Florida; even Marco Island is quite casual compared to the north.
And, we are not washing dishes because we couldn't pay the bill, so that is a real plus. The meal was good, but I would have preferred Plainville Farms (may it rest in peace). The chef has cooked for the Queen, when he and his wife lived in England, and the building was the former home of one of the founders of Marco. All-in-all it was a very pleasant experience, although we missed family and friends.
Next door to the marina is a vacant lot in a very nice neighborhood of large houses. After investigating, Tom found that there is a burrowing owl nest. This is an endangered species, and cannot be disturbed. We had to feel sorry for whoever owns the property, because the value is greatly diminished if no building is allowed. As we were coming back from dinner, a little owl was sticking up out of its burrow. We were about ten feet away from him, and he was such an adorable guy; we felt so fortunate to see this rare sight. Tom is hoping to take a picture of him with his good camera: his phone camera just doesn't do the little guy justice.
Joyce
Docked at Rose Marina
Marco Island
Collier County, FL
Map 2012-13 Cruise
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Marco Island
November 18, 2012
We are currently docked at Rose Marina in Marco Island after being at anchor for 2 1/2 weeks.
We had a great sail down from near Fort Meyers! One of the elusive beam reach sails with 15-18 knot winds all the way. A beam reach is where the wind is coming towards the side of the boat. It is the fastest and most comfortable point of sail.
Rose Marina is not the fanciest (or most expensive) marina in the area, but they are very nice to us here and we enjoyed our stay last year. As is our 'speciality', it is a relatively inexpensive entry to an exclusive community.
The agenda for the next few days is to wash clothes, clean the boat, and hopefully get our water heater replaced. Another benefit of Rose Marina is that they are a full service boat yard.
We have reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at what looks like a very nice place about a 1/2 mile away from the marina. Friday will feature a trip to Publixs to restock our fresh provisions which are pretty scare right now.
We plan to leave here on Saturday or Sunday and continue down the coast to Little Shark River.
Tom
Docked at Rose Marina
Factory Bay
Marco Island, FL
Map 2012-13 Cruise
We are currently docked at Rose Marina in Marco Island after being at anchor for 2 1/2 weeks.
We had a great sail down from near Fort Meyers! One of the elusive beam reach sails with 15-18 knot winds all the way. A beam reach is where the wind is coming towards the side of the boat. It is the fastest and most comfortable point of sail.
Rose Marina is not the fanciest (or most expensive) marina in the area, but they are very nice to us here and we enjoyed our stay last year. As is our 'speciality', it is a relatively inexpensive entry to an exclusive community.
The agenda for the next few days is to wash clothes, clean the boat, and hopefully get our water heater replaced. Another benefit of Rose Marina is that they are a full service boat yard.
We have reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at what looks like a very nice place about a 1/2 mile away from the marina. Friday will feature a trip to Publixs to restock our fresh provisions which are pretty scare right now.
We plan to leave here on Saturday or Sunday and continue down the coast to Little Shark River.
Tom
Docked at Rose Marina
Factory Bay
Marco Island, FL
Map 2012-13 Cruise
Friday, November 16, 2012
Headed to Marco I - Anchored at York I
November 16, 2012
This morning we left Pelican Bay to start heading down to Marco Island. Pelican Bay is one of our favorite anchorages and it is always a bit sad to leave.
Currently we are anchored off York Island in the southern part of Pine Island Sound. We had hoped to anchor in 'Horseshoe Bay', another favorite anchorage near Ding Darling Preserve on Sanibel Island, but the wind would have put us on a lee shore (wind blowing towards shore) there, so we headed over to York Island for better protection.
We had planned to be in Marco for Thanksgiving, but are heading down a little early after discovering a small leak in our water heater. The water heater is about 18 years old, and it is almost certain that the small leak will grow larger fairly quickly, so we hope to replace it at Rose Marina in Marco. 18 years is a great service life for a water heater, so we are just glad we discovered the leak before we headed to the Bahamas. It had crossed my mind to replace the water heater proactively, before it began to leak, but you never want for things to fix on a boat so it never rose to the top of the list.
Tomorrow we will head a little south (Punta Rassa) to stage for an early morning departure for Marco on Sunday. The weather is forecast to be a bit frisky (14-19 knots) on Sunday, but from a favorable direction, so we should have a good sail down.
Tom
Anchored at York Island
Lee County, FL
Map - Cruise 2012-13
This morning we left Pelican Bay to start heading down to Marco Island. Pelican Bay is one of our favorite anchorages and it is always a bit sad to leave.
Currently we are anchored off York Island in the southern part of Pine Island Sound. We had hoped to anchor in 'Horseshoe Bay', another favorite anchorage near Ding Darling Preserve on Sanibel Island, but the wind would have put us on a lee shore (wind blowing towards shore) there, so we headed over to York Island for better protection.
We had planned to be in Marco for Thanksgiving, but are heading down a little early after discovering a small leak in our water heater. The water heater is about 18 years old, and it is almost certain that the small leak will grow larger fairly quickly, so we hope to replace it at Rose Marina in Marco. 18 years is a great service life for a water heater, so we are just glad we discovered the leak before we headed to the Bahamas. It had crossed my mind to replace the water heater proactively, before it began to leak, but you never want for things to fix on a boat so it never rose to the top of the list.
Tomorrow we will head a little south (Punta Rassa) to stage for an early morning departure for Marco on Sunday. The weather is forecast to be a bit frisky (14-19 knots) on Sunday, but from a favorable direction, so we should have a good sail down.
Tom
Anchored at York Island
Lee County, FL
Map - Cruise 2012-13
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Cayo Costa - Indigenous Plants
November 14, 2012
Alert - probably a fairly boring blog entry to most :-)
Cayo Costa Island has been managed to have only plants native/indigenous to Florida. Being a sub-tropical climate, the variety of plants is impressive. The tropics do not suffer empty space for long - plants grow quickly and large.
The plants do need to be adapted to the two-season climate - a wet season where it rains nearly every day, and a dry season where rain is sparse.
Following is a collection of photos of Florida plants, as found on Cayo Costa. Some obvious species are identified - many are not.
Trees
Three common native trees are the cabbage palm - named for the edible content deep in the trunk, long-leaf pines, and live oaks, an extremely strong wood used in early ship building.
Shrubs, Vines, Flowers, and Berries
Some examples of the rich variety of tropical plants:
Sorry that more of the plants are not identified. We have a National Audubon Field Guide to Florida, but it is so detailed that if you don't know what you are looking for - you probably won't find it.
PS Additional identification provided by Ranger Mary of Florida Parks - thank you Mary!
Tom
Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, Florida
Map 2012-2013 Cruise
Alert - probably a fairly boring blog entry to most :-)
Cayo Costa Island has been managed to have only plants native/indigenous to Florida. Being a sub-tropical climate, the variety of plants is impressive. The tropics do not suffer empty space for long - plants grow quickly and large.
The plants do need to be adapted to the two-season climate - a wet season where it rains nearly every day, and a dry season where rain is sparse.
Following is a collection of photos of Florida plants, as found on Cayo Costa. Some obvious species are identified - many are not.
Trees
Three common native trees are the cabbage palm - named for the edible content deep in the trunk, long-leaf pines, and live oaks, an extremely strong wood used in early ship building.
 |
| Cabbage Palm |
 |
| Long Leaf Pine |
 |
| Live Oak with Spanish Moss |
Shrubs, Vines, Flowers, and Berries
Some examples of the rich variety of tropical plants:
 |
| Some colorful berries - American Beauty Berries |
 |
| Colorful Flower on salt-tolerant vine - Morning Glory |
 |
| Looks like a small apple - Coco Plum |
 |
| Tropical pricklers are mean - Nicker Beans |
 |
| 'Air' Plants growing on a palm - Pencil Fern? |
 |
| Poison Ivy is a native vine - beware! |
Sorry that more of the plants are not identified. We have a National Audubon Field Guide to Florida, but it is so detailed that if you don't know what you are looking for - you probably won't find it.
PS Additional identification provided by Ranger Mary of Florida Parks - thank you Mary!
Tom
Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, Florida
Map 2012-2013 Cruise
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Pelican Bay - Lives Up to It's Name!
November 10, 2012
We have been relaxing in beautiful Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island for the last week.
The big story is the number and type of pelicans we have been seeing this visit. In number there are an astounding number of pelicans, many more than the usual number. But most notably,there is a large number of white pelicans sharing the bay with the more typical brown pelicans.
White pelicans are migratory, spending their summers in places like Montana and Canada. They fly astonishing distances to spend the winter in sunnier climes. In the winter they are typically found in Florida on the far southwest portion of the peninsula - the Ten Thousand Islands/Everglades. We have seen them there in large numbers before - see our blog entry Indian Key Pass - White Pelicans of last December. Previously we have occasionally seen them in Pine Island Sound in small numbers, but right now there are probably hundreds in the area.
A cold front has recently gone through, so this may be a temporary migration stop, or maybe they will set up shop here for the winter - time will tell.
They have been difficult to photograph, as opposed to the ones we saw at Indian Key last year, but here are a few pictures.. I will add to the collection if I get luckier.
Tom
Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, FL
Map 2012-2013 Cruise
.
We have been relaxing in beautiful Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island for the last week.
The big story is the number and type of pelicans we have been seeing this visit. In number there are an astounding number of pelicans, many more than the usual number. But most notably,there is a large number of white pelicans sharing the bay with the more typical brown pelicans.
White pelicans are migratory, spending their summers in places like Montana and Canada. They fly astonishing distances to spend the winter in sunnier climes. In the winter they are typically found in Florida on the far southwest portion of the peninsula - the Ten Thousand Islands/Everglades. We have seen them there in large numbers before - see our blog entry Indian Key Pass - White Pelicans of last December. Previously we have occasionally seen them in Pine Island Sound in small numbers, but right now there are probably hundreds in the area.
A cold front has recently gone through, so this may be a temporary migration stop, or maybe they will set up shop here for the winter - time will tell.
They have been difficult to photograph, as opposed to the ones we saw at Indian Key last year, but here are a few pictures.. I will add to the collection if I get luckier.
Tom
Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, FL
Map 2012-2013 Cruise
 |
| White Pelican in Flight |
 |
| White Pelicans in Flight |
 |
| Brown Pelicans in the Mangroves |
.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
One Year Anniversary
November 5, 2012
This week marks the first anniversary of our living aboard Barefoot. It's been a very busy time, with preparing the boat for cruising twice, preparing for hurricane season once, cleaning out and selling our house, and actually cruising for seven months. One of my main concerns about retiring and cruising was that I would miss the structure and the knowing that this is what I am expected to accomplish today. During the past year, this has not been a concern, because we've had so much to do.
But, I know that this year will be a bit different because we will not have easy access to the Internet for most of the winter. And, we don't expect it to be as hectic as last year. This year, we should feel more like retirees.
I love to read, and that fills many of the down times, but when I am engrossed in a book, I have a hard time putting it down. I really wanted something that would be easy to stop and start but would not require power or Internet. I decided to start knitting again, after a 20 - 30 year hiatus. But, we don't really need mittens or scarfs, and I don't have enough patience to try a sweater. I thought of knitting hats for preemies, but then decided that I would rather help to support fellow cancer warriors and make chemo caps. I've made one so far...hopefully, in the spring I will have several to give to the cancer center.
Joyce
Anchored in Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, FL
Map 2012-2013 Cruise
This week marks the first anniversary of our living aboard Barefoot. It's been a very busy time, with preparing the boat for cruising twice, preparing for hurricane season once, cleaning out and selling our house, and actually cruising for seven months. One of my main concerns about retiring and cruising was that I would miss the structure and the knowing that this is what I am expected to accomplish today. During the past year, this has not been a concern, because we've had so much to do.
But, I know that this year will be a bit different because we will not have easy access to the Internet for most of the winter. And, we don't expect it to be as hectic as last year. This year, we should feel more like retirees.
I love to read, and that fills many of the down times, but when I am engrossed in a book, I have a hard time putting it down. I really wanted something that would be easy to stop and start but would not require power or Internet. I decided to start knitting again, after a 20 - 30 year hiatus. But, we don't really need mittens or scarfs, and I don't have enough patience to try a sweater. I thought of knitting hats for preemies, but then decided that I would rather help to support fellow cancer warriors and make chemo caps. I've made one so far...hopefully, in the spring I will have several to give to the cancer center.
Joyce
Anchored in Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, FL
Map 2012-2013 Cruise
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Winter Cruise Begins
November 3, 2012
On November 1 we left Twin Dolphin Marina and made the short trip down the Manatee River and across Tampa Bay to Egmont Key where we anchored for the night. Egmont, while not an ideal anchorage, allows us to get a easy early start the next day. George and Jane from Happy Hours (IP44) joined us in the anchorage for a lunch hook.
Up at dark-30 (3:45AM) the next day to prepare for departure down the coast to Boca Grande channel and Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa. Going outside down the coast takes us 12-13 hours so it requires an early start to get into the anchorage at Pelican Bay before dark. The alternative is to take the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) with its umpteen bridges, which takes 2-3 days - we much prefer the outside route. Incidently, right now one of those bridges (Siesta Key) is stuck in the down position until repair which effectively closes the inside route anyway.
We got underway around 5:30 AM and transited out of Tampa Bay via the SW Channel on an outgoing tide. The wind was forecast to be light from the NE and swinging to the NW in the afternoon - not a good wind to make it to Boca Grande under sail or mototsailing by dark. Fortunately we had light winds from the E all morning; not enough to sail alone, but giving us a delightlful motorsail.
We transited into Charlotte Harbor through the Boca Grande Channel on an incoming tide; favorable currents in our departure and arrival channels - wow! We anchored in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island around 5:30 PM.
Pelican Bay is a favorite anchorage that we have been in many times before. Plan is to now 'chill' for a while after all the frantic activity of selling our house in Fayetteville and getting the boat ready for departure.
Tom
Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Map 2012-2013 Cruise
PS Some great pictures of our depature from Twin Dolphin Marina thanks to friends Eric & Gail of M/V Viking's Dream. You can't get pictures like these yourself. Thanks Eric & Gail!
On November 1 we left Twin Dolphin Marina and made the short trip down the Manatee River and across Tampa Bay to Egmont Key where we anchored for the night. Egmont, while not an ideal anchorage, allows us to get a easy early start the next day. George and Jane from Happy Hours (IP44) joined us in the anchorage for a lunch hook.
Up at dark-30 (3:45AM) the next day to prepare for departure down the coast to Boca Grande channel and Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa. Going outside down the coast takes us 12-13 hours so it requires an early start to get into the anchorage at Pelican Bay before dark. The alternative is to take the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) with its umpteen bridges, which takes 2-3 days - we much prefer the outside route. Incidently, right now one of those bridges (Siesta Key) is stuck in the down position until repair which effectively closes the inside route anyway.
We got underway around 5:30 AM and transited out of Tampa Bay via the SW Channel on an outgoing tide. The wind was forecast to be light from the NE and swinging to the NW in the afternoon - not a good wind to make it to Boca Grande under sail or mototsailing by dark. Fortunately we had light winds from the E all morning; not enough to sail alone, but giving us a delightlful motorsail.
We transited into Charlotte Harbor through the Boca Grande Channel on an incoming tide; favorable currents in our departure and arrival channels - wow! We anchored in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island around 5:30 PM.
Pelican Bay is a favorite anchorage that we have been in many times before. Plan is to now 'chill' for a while after all the frantic activity of selling our house in Fayetteville and getting the boat ready for departure.
Tom
Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Map 2012-2013 Cruise
PS Some great pictures of our depature from Twin Dolphin Marina thanks to friends Eric & Gail of M/V Viking's Dream. You can't get pictures like these yourself. Thanks Eric & Gail!
 |
| Getting ready to take in final lines |
 |
| Joyce checking for traffic around the corner |
 |
| Yes, the fenders and little dock step will come in shortly :-) |
 |
| Out of the marina and crossing the Manatee River |
Sunday, October 21, 2012
SeaTrial Trip
October 21, 2012
We are on target for leaving Bradenton for the winter near the end of October. We just completed a short 3-night trip in which we tested as many boat systems as possible. We were pleased that we found only a few minor problems that we should be able to resolve.
We left Twin Dolphin Marina on Thursday October 18 and traveled down the Manatee River and across Tampa Bay to anchor at Egmont Key. Egmont Key, while interesting, is not the best anchorage - exposed to the East and 'rolly' in the best of weather due to large ship traffic transiting the Egmont Channel and boats in the Intracoastal Waterway across the Bay. It is also home to the Tampa Bay Pilots, who guide the large ships in and out of the port, so their boats are going in and out at all hours. But the weather was settled and we had only a little rolling. An interesting note is that Egmont was the first place we anchored in Florida on a charter here almost 25 years ago.
We go to Egmont to get a short sail across the bay and test some equipment there. In particular, we need to purge storage chemicals from our watermaker and do a water making test. The water at Egmont is much clearer than that in the river, where our filters would quickly clog. Our watermaker test was good.
We also wanted to test our new satellite phone antenna, which is mounted on the arch, with a clearer horizon than we have at the marina or even in the river. The antenna has not been performing very well at all, and unfortunately a clearer horizon did not help. The technician is coming over on Monday to check it out. If it can not be fixed, we can continue to use the 'hockey puck' antenna we used last year.
On Friday we returned to the Manatee River and anchored at Emerson Point for two nights. We enjoy this anchorage a lot; there is a preserve ashore with some neat hiking trails; however, we can also easily reach it by car, so it is not that exotic an anchorage for us. There we tested additional systems including the dinghy.
Above is a picture of Barefoot at anchor at Emerson Point in the lower Manatee River. One notable addition to her equipment this year that can be easily seen in this picture is the D400 wind generator. This will complement our existing solar panels to supply electricity when we are away from the dock (which we usually are). It seems that when the sun doesn't shine, the wind blows, so they are a good pair. These systems minimize the amount that we need to run the ship's engine to charge batteries.
Upon arrival back at Twin Dolphin, we had a package waiting from our mailing service. We were initially a bit surprised by the size of the box, since we only expected a dozen or so envelopes. But inside was a great surprise. A friend of Joyce's from high school had made her a wonderful quilt with a breast cancer awareness theme - Joyce is a breast cancer survivor. It is really beautiful - thank you!
Well it looks like we will be ready for our planned departure around the end of this month. The rough schedule has us transiting down to Pine Island Sound and kicking around there for a couple of weeks and then working our way to Miami, via the Keys for an early December crossing to the Bahamas. We will be exploring the Exumas and some of the far southern cays this year.
Tom
Bradenton, FL
We are on target for leaving Bradenton for the winter near the end of October. We just completed a short 3-night trip in which we tested as many boat systems as possible. We were pleased that we found only a few minor problems that we should be able to resolve.
We left Twin Dolphin Marina on Thursday October 18 and traveled down the Manatee River and across Tampa Bay to anchor at Egmont Key. Egmont Key, while interesting, is not the best anchorage - exposed to the East and 'rolly' in the best of weather due to large ship traffic transiting the Egmont Channel and boats in the Intracoastal Waterway across the Bay. It is also home to the Tampa Bay Pilots, who guide the large ships in and out of the port, so their boats are going in and out at all hours. But the weather was settled and we had only a little rolling. An interesting note is that Egmont was the first place we anchored in Florida on a charter here almost 25 years ago.
 |
| Pilot Boats at Egmont Key |
 |
| Barge Outbound Egmont Channel |
We go to Egmont to get a short sail across the bay and test some equipment there. In particular, we need to purge storage chemicals from our watermaker and do a water making test. The water at Egmont is much clearer than that in the river, where our filters would quickly clog. Our watermaker test was good.
We also wanted to test our new satellite phone antenna, which is mounted on the arch, with a clearer horizon than we have at the marina or even in the river. The antenna has not been performing very well at all, and unfortunately a clearer horizon did not help. The technician is coming over on Monday to check it out. If it can not be fixed, we can continue to use the 'hockey puck' antenna we used last year.
On Friday we returned to the Manatee River and anchored at Emerson Point for two nights. We enjoy this anchorage a lot; there is a preserve ashore with some neat hiking trails; however, we can also easily reach it by car, so it is not that exotic an anchorage for us. There we tested additional systems including the dinghy.
 |
| Barefoot at anchor at Emerson Point |
Upon arrival back at Twin Dolphin, we had a package waiting from our mailing service. We were initially a bit surprised by the size of the box, since we only expected a dozen or so envelopes. But inside was a great surprise. A friend of Joyce's from high school had made her a wonderful quilt with a breast cancer awareness theme - Joyce is a breast cancer survivor. It is really beautiful - thank you!
Well it looks like we will be ready for our planned departure around the end of this month. The rough schedule has us transiting down to Pine Island Sound and kicking around there for a couple of weeks and then working our way to Miami, via the Keys for an early December crossing to the Bahamas. We will be exploring the Exumas and some of the far southern cays this year.
Tom
Bradenton, FL
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sea Trial
October 16, 2012
After a month of hard work, Barefoot is (hopefully) ready to go cruising.
Work this year included varnishing most of the exterior teak and stripping and cleaning the 7 winches along with the typical putting on sails, etc.
Shortly, we plan to take her out for a few days to excercise everything; we usually find a few minor problems that hopefully can be resolved before our planned departure for the winter at the end of the month.
Following are a picture of Barefoot from yesterday and when we arrived in September. Like the 'puzzle' pictures where you find the differences between two photos, see how many changes you can find if you have some time to kill.
Bradenton, FL
After a month of hard work, Barefoot is (hopefully) ready to go cruising.
Work this year included varnishing most of the exterior teak and stripping and cleaning the 7 winches along with the typical putting on sails, etc.
Shortly, we plan to take her out for a few days to excercise everything; we usually find a few minor problems that hopefully can be resolved before our planned departure for the winter at the end of the month.
Following are a picture of Barefoot from yesterday and when we arrived in September. Like the 'puzzle' pictures where you find the differences between two photos, see how many changes you can find if you have some time to kill.
TomBradenton, FL
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Varnishing Teak
September 30, 2012
I just finished putting a maintenance coat of varnish on a large portion of the brightwork (teak) on Barefoot. Varnished wood looks great on a boat, but is a major maintenance item, particularly in the Florida sun.
First a confession before I am disclosed as a fraud by a varnish purist - I used Cetol (gasp). Cetol is often referred to by purists as 'varnish for beginners', but I AM a beginner, having varnished for the first time last year about this time. Cetol is applied in two steps, first a color coat (I use Marine Light) and then an optional gloss coat.
I have had pretty good results, but varnishing, even with Cetol, is a vodoo science. Let me quote from the directions: do not apply when the humdity is above 80%, do not apply unless the dew point is at least 3 degrees Celius below the air temperature; do not apply in wet weather; do not apply in the sun or if the surface is hot; apply a liberal coat, but not too thick; flow the product on, do not brush....
In other words, it is basically impossible to apply it on a boat in Florida.
The last two days are a case in point. The probability of rain on both days was low (10-20%) - about as good as it gets in Florida this time of year. But the dew and remnants of rain from the prior evening did not let me get started until 11:00 - 11:30 AM; any moisture or humdity present when applying is deadly. But of course by then the sun has come up in full force and it started to get hot.
About 25% through the color coat on Friday, I could not touch the deck with a bare hand it was so hot and it then starts to get more difficult to 'flow' the product on. I learned a cute term last year, a spot that does not get a smooth coat of the varnish is called a 'holiday' by varnishers; doesn't that sound like fun, your brush goes on vacation while you are stuck in the hot sun. Four hours and numerous bottles of Gatorade later I completed the color coat.
Saturday started similarly, but with scattered clouds so it was not quite so hot. But about 75% through the gloss coat the clouds started to get ominously dark. The decision - quit or try to finish. A little rain on top of the varnish that is at least 'dust dry' is not fatal, but moisture on the surface before application is lethal, so I pushed on to finish. Luckily, the clouds produced only a faint dusting of moisture after I finished and it appears that it has not caused any significant clouding, crazing, or other problems in the finish.
I coated about 80% of the teak (toe or cap rail, grab rail, and cockpit coamings) and will probably leave the rest for later this year. Some pictures follow, but it is hard to really show the finish.
Ah, the boating life!
But on the other hand, the view from our boat this morning:
Tom
Bradenton, FL
I just finished putting a maintenance coat of varnish on a large portion of the brightwork (teak) on Barefoot. Varnished wood looks great on a boat, but is a major maintenance item, particularly in the Florida sun.
First a confession before I am disclosed as a fraud by a varnish purist - I used Cetol (gasp). Cetol is often referred to by purists as 'varnish for beginners', but I AM a beginner, having varnished for the first time last year about this time. Cetol is applied in two steps, first a color coat (I use Marine Light) and then an optional gloss coat.
I have had pretty good results, but varnishing, even with Cetol, is a vodoo science. Let me quote from the directions: do not apply when the humdity is above 80%, do not apply unless the dew point is at least 3 degrees Celius below the air temperature; do not apply in wet weather; do not apply in the sun or if the surface is hot; apply a liberal coat, but not too thick; flow the product on, do not brush....
In other words, it is basically impossible to apply it on a boat in Florida.
The last two days are a case in point. The probability of rain on both days was low (10-20%) - about as good as it gets in Florida this time of year. But the dew and remnants of rain from the prior evening did not let me get started until 11:00 - 11:30 AM; any moisture or humdity present when applying is deadly. But of course by then the sun has come up in full force and it started to get hot.
About 25% through the color coat on Friday, I could not touch the deck with a bare hand it was so hot and it then starts to get more difficult to 'flow' the product on. I learned a cute term last year, a spot that does not get a smooth coat of the varnish is called a 'holiday' by varnishers; doesn't that sound like fun, your brush goes on vacation while you are stuck in the hot sun. Four hours and numerous bottles of Gatorade later I completed the color coat.
Saturday started similarly, but with scattered clouds so it was not quite so hot. But about 75% through the gloss coat the clouds started to get ominously dark. The decision - quit or try to finish. A little rain on top of the varnish that is at least 'dust dry' is not fatal, but moisture on the surface before application is lethal, so I pushed on to finish. Luckily, the clouds produced only a faint dusting of moisture after I finished and it appears that it has not caused any significant clouding, crazing, or other problems in the finish.
I coated about 80% of the teak (toe or cap rail, grab rail, and cockpit coamings) and will probably leave the rest for later this year. Some pictures follow, but it is hard to really show the finish.
Ah, the boating life!
But on the other hand, the view from our boat this morning:
Tom
Bradenton, FL
Thursday, September 27, 2012
We are Officially Houseless...The Boat is Our Home
September 27, 2012
Late this afternoon, our attorney left the closing for our house, with check in hand. It had seemed like forever since we signed the contract to sell, but in reality, it was less than three months. Since the offer was made less than a week after the house went on the market, the wait to close seemed endless.
We are officially houseless - the boat is now our home. We are so thankful that we were able to spend 30 years at 115 Huntleigh Ave, in a great neighborhood and in a house that was perfect for us. The house was not too big and not too small, and had lots of charm. With many improvements that have been done in the past five years, the biggest being a new kitchen with a dishwasher, we hated to sell it. But, the time had come...the boat was our home, and we didn't want to have to close up the house for winter, rake the leaves, mow the lawn and make sure the driveway was shoveled for another year.
Since it was so much work getting the house ready to turn over to its new owners, we really didn't have a lot of time to wax nostalgic, although we will miss it.
Thirty years ago, after the closing to buy our house (and before we moved in), the first meal we had was wine and cheese and crackers, sitting on the livingroom floor. We thought we would do the same thing for our last meal in the house, but we decided it would be too painful. So, we brought the wine to Florida, and we are celebrating our first meal in the only home we now own, the boat. But, 30 years later, we will be sitting on the settee, not on the floor.
In the end, you really never own things. You only have a chance to use them for a while before you pass them on.
Joyce
Bradenton, FL
Late this afternoon, our attorney left the closing for our house, with check in hand. It had seemed like forever since we signed the contract to sell, but in reality, it was less than three months. Since the offer was made less than a week after the house went on the market, the wait to close seemed endless.
We are officially houseless - the boat is now our home. We are so thankful that we were able to spend 30 years at 115 Huntleigh Ave, in a great neighborhood and in a house that was perfect for us. The house was not too big and not too small, and had lots of charm. With many improvements that have been done in the past five years, the biggest being a new kitchen with a dishwasher, we hated to sell it. But, the time had come...the boat was our home, and we didn't want to have to close up the house for winter, rake the leaves, mow the lawn and make sure the driveway was shoveled for another year.
Since it was so much work getting the house ready to turn over to its new owners, we really didn't have a lot of time to wax nostalgic, although we will miss it.
Thirty years ago, after the closing to buy our house (and before we moved in), the first meal we had was wine and cheese and crackers, sitting on the livingroom floor. We thought we would do the same thing for our last meal in the house, but we decided it would be too painful. So, we brought the wine to Florida, and we are celebrating our first meal in the only home we now own, the boat. But, 30 years later, we will be sitting on the settee, not on the floor.
In the end, you really never own things. You only have a chance to use them for a while before you pass them on.
Joyce
Bradenton, FL
Monday, September 24, 2012
Where are you from?
September 24, 2012
Where are you from? Always a simple question right? Well we have recently been wrestling with how to answer this question.
Why so complicated you ask? Well....
First we have sold our home in Fayetteville NY (closing in a couple of days). So it does not seem accurate to respond Syracuse (Fayetteville). The boat is now home.
We are legal Florida residents, but our residential address is that of our mailing service in Green Cove Springs, FL near St. Augustine. That is the address on our driver's licenses, vehicle/vessel registrations, voter registrations, etc. We could answer we live there, but we know nothing about the area and have little connection to it.
Our boat hails from Pineland, FL a small community on the west coast of Florida near Sanibel and Captiva. We chose that as our hailing port because we own land there and hope to build a home there someday. But somewhat like Green Cove Springs we do not currently have a strong connection with the area.
Our boat's home dock for the last 3 years has been in Bradenton, FL. But we were away from here crusing last year for over 7 months and will similarly be away this year as we cruise to the Keys and Bahamas. We plan to return here next summer, but may not after that.
So do we live in Fayetteville NY, Green Cove Springs FL, Pineland FL, Bradenton FL or somewhere else?
Joyce has settled on the quick answer of "We lived near Syracuse NY for 30 years and now live on our boat"
I am more undecided and am currently somewhere between "That is a tough question" to "We live on our boat"
What do you think we should say?
Tom
Bradenton, FL
Where are you from? Always a simple question right? Well we have recently been wrestling with how to answer this question.
Why so complicated you ask? Well....
First we have sold our home in Fayetteville NY (closing in a couple of days). So it does not seem accurate to respond Syracuse (Fayetteville). The boat is now home.
We are legal Florida residents, but our residential address is that of our mailing service in Green Cove Springs, FL near St. Augustine. That is the address on our driver's licenses, vehicle/vessel registrations, voter registrations, etc. We could answer we live there, but we know nothing about the area and have little connection to it.
Our boat hails from Pineland, FL a small community on the west coast of Florida near Sanibel and Captiva. We chose that as our hailing port because we own land there and hope to build a home there someday. But somewhat like Green Cove Springs we do not currently have a strong connection with the area.
Our boat's home dock for the last 3 years has been in Bradenton, FL. But we were away from here crusing last year for over 7 months and will similarly be away this year as we cruise to the Keys and Bahamas. We plan to return here next summer, but may not after that.
So do we live in Fayetteville NY, Green Cove Springs FL, Pineland FL, Bradenton FL or somewhere else?
Joyce has settled on the quick answer of "We lived near Syracuse NY for 30 years and now live on our boat"
I am more undecided and am currently somewhere between "That is a tough question" to "We live on our boat"
What do you think we should say?
Tom
Bradenton, FL
Friday, September 14, 2012
Barefoot Welcomes Us Home
September 14, 2012
Barefoot welcomes us home today after 3 months away. She has done well over the summer and looks great. Now the work begins to get her back in crusing form.
We have a contract to sell our house in Fayetteville and expect to close shortly. Over the summer we have cleaned out 30 years worth of accumulation - quite a job - but the house is now ready for her new owners.
From now on the boat is home!
Tom & Joyce
S/V Barefoot
Docked in Bradenton, FL
Barefoot welcomes us home today after 3 months away. She has done well over the summer and looks great. Now the work begins to get her back in crusing form.
We have a contract to sell our house in Fayetteville and expect to close shortly. Over the summer we have cleaned out 30 years worth of accumulation - quite a job - but the house is now ready for her new owners.
From now on the boat is home!
Tom & Joyce
S/V Barefoot
Docked in Bradenton, FL
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Canada
August 9, 2012
First, this is a non-sailing adventure.
Since we returned to our home dock in Bradenton in early June, up until now, it has been nothing but work, work, work. First getting the boat ready for the summer, then getting our house ready to put on the market.
Well, we got a great offer on the house which we have accepted, with closing scheduled in early September! Sooo we decided to take some time off and head to Canada for a week or so.
We first went to Quebec City where the New France Festival was going on last weekend. Quebec is a destination that we have enjoyed many times before. The old part of the city is walled and dates back over 400 years. If you have ever wanted to go to France, in 6 hours (from Syracuse) and for a fraction of the cost, you can have a wonderful French experience in Quebec.
No it is NOT true that 'They all speak English, but they won't" I don't know how this 'urban legend' got started, but it is simply not true. Especially outside the larger cities the vast majority of people know little or no English. But they are very friendly and between our little French and their little English, you get by - although it is sometimes an adventure!
The New France Festival (http://www.nouvellefrance.qc.ca/en/ ) is an annual event that celebrates the arrival of the French in Quebec in 1608. There are parades, many people in period costumes (some 'actors', but many 'real' people just 'dress up' to attend), food, and great music. A little French helps, but you will enjoy it without any.
The following video gives a feel for the festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FwkmJEbOmkM
We then traveled to St-Faustin-Lac-Carre, a little rural town in Quebec near Mont Termblant. When I (Tom) made the reservation at the small B&B (http://www.gitedelagare.com/index-en.html) that we stayed at, I realized our hosts spoke minimal English, so I was a little worried that the arrangements were made properly. But it was a cute little place and our hosts were expecting us as planned.
After arrival we had a great conversation with two (English speaking) guests from Montreal. Topics were wide-ranging including their upcoming provincial election. I don't know if it happens every election, but this year there is quite a bit of discussion among the candidates about Quebec independence from Canada. It is a complex issue and I personally don't think it will ever happen, but over the years I have come to better understand some of the French-Canadian's frustrations with Anglo-centric Canada - but that is a whole other discussion!
We then traveled to Kingston, Ontario for our last few nights in Canada. The highlight of trip there, was lunch at Chez Piggy (http://www.chezpiggy.com/ ). The best item on the menu is an appetizer called Gambas al Ajillo. It is shrimp baked in a cast iron pan with oil, garlic (lots), and some pepper. We ordered it with extra (great French) bread and our server said "You have been here before haven't you?" Yes, Yes we have. You use the bread to soak up the oil and garlic and it is a meal. Just don't plan any social engagements afterwards, until you can thoroughly brush your teeth :-)
Tom & Joyce
Fayetteville, NY
First, this is a non-sailing adventure.
Since we returned to our home dock in Bradenton in early June, up until now, it has been nothing but work, work, work. First getting the boat ready for the summer, then getting our house ready to put on the market.
Well, we got a great offer on the house which we have accepted, with closing scheduled in early September! Sooo we decided to take some time off and head to Canada for a week or so.
We first went to Quebec City where the New France Festival was going on last weekend. Quebec is a destination that we have enjoyed many times before. The old part of the city is walled and dates back over 400 years. If you have ever wanted to go to France, in 6 hours (from Syracuse) and for a fraction of the cost, you can have a wonderful French experience in Quebec.
No it is NOT true that 'They all speak English, but they won't" I don't know how this 'urban legend' got started, but it is simply not true. Especially outside the larger cities the vast majority of people know little or no English. But they are very friendly and between our little French and their little English, you get by - although it is sometimes an adventure!
The New France Festival (http://www.nouvellefrance.qc.ca/en/ ) is an annual event that celebrates the arrival of the French in Quebec in 1608. There are parades, many people in period costumes (some 'actors', but many 'real' people just 'dress up' to attend), food, and great music. A little French helps, but you will enjoy it without any.
The following video gives a feel for the festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FwkmJEbOmkM
We then traveled to St-Faustin-Lac-Carre, a little rural town in Quebec near Mont Termblant. When I (Tom) made the reservation at the small B&B (http://www.gitedelagare.com/index-en.html) that we stayed at, I realized our hosts spoke minimal English, so I was a little worried that the arrangements were made properly. But it was a cute little place and our hosts were expecting us as planned.
After arrival we had a great conversation with two (English speaking) guests from Montreal. Topics were wide-ranging including their upcoming provincial election. I don't know if it happens every election, but this year there is quite a bit of discussion among the candidates about Quebec independence from Canada. It is a complex issue and I personally don't think it will ever happen, but over the years I have come to better understand some of the French-Canadian's frustrations with Anglo-centric Canada - but that is a whole other discussion!
We then traveled to Kingston, Ontario for our last few nights in Canada. The highlight of trip there, was lunch at Chez Piggy (http://www.chezpiggy.com/ ). The best item on the menu is an appetizer called Gambas al Ajillo. It is shrimp baked in a cast iron pan with oil, garlic (lots), and some pepper. We ordered it with extra (great French) bread and our server said "You have been here before haven't you?" Yes, Yes we have. You use the bread to soak up the oil and garlic and it is a meal. Just don't plan any social engagements afterwards, until you can thoroughly brush your teeth :-)
Tom & Joyce
Fayetteville, NY
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Back at our home dock in Bradenton
June 5, 2012
On Tuesday June 5, we returned to our home dock at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, FL, completing our 6 month winter cruise!
On Monday we made the 75 mile trip outside in the gulf from Boca Grande to Tampa Bay, anchoring at DeSoto Point in the lower Manatee River. On Tuesday morning we made the 'long' 4 mile trip up the river to Twin Dolphin Marina where we refueled and put Barefoot back in her old slip.
The trip has been great and we are looking forward to next year. Right now we need to get the boat ready for summer (hurricane) season) and then get north to sell our house.
A few statistics from our trip:
Miles: 1298
Days: 189
Docked 73 (including 54 at Harbour Cay Club, Marathon) 38%
19 (excluding HCC) 14%
Fuel (gals) 197
Water Made (gals): 765
Areas visited (also see map at end):
West Coast Florida:
Pine Island Sound
Ten Thousand Islands
Florida Keys - Marathon
Miami
Northern Bahamas:
Grand Bahama
Abacos
Observations:
This will probably be our last blog until next fall - see you then!
Tom
Bradenton, FL
Map
On Tuesday June 5, we returned to our home dock at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, FL, completing our 6 month winter cruise!
On Monday we made the 75 mile trip outside in the gulf from Boca Grande to Tampa Bay, anchoring at DeSoto Point in the lower Manatee River. On Tuesday morning we made the 'long' 4 mile trip up the river to Twin Dolphin Marina where we refueled and put Barefoot back in her old slip.
The trip has been great and we are looking forward to next year. Right now we need to get the boat ready for summer (hurricane) season) and then get north to sell our house.
A few statistics from our trip:
Miles: 1298
Days: 189
Docked 73 (including 54 at Harbour Cay Club, Marathon) 38%
19 (excluding HCC) 14%
Fuel (gals) 197
Water Made (gals): 765
Areas visited (also see map at end):
West Coast Florida:
Pine Island Sound
Ten Thousand Islands
Florida Keys - Marathon
Miami
Northern Bahamas:
Grand Bahama
Abacos
Observations:
- We really didn't find that it was really much different than our 2-3 week trips over the last 20+ years, other than, obviously, it was longer.
- This year was intentionally fairly modest in terms of miles traveled, and it was a relatively easy first year out as planned.
- A surprise was that I (Tom) didn't get as much boat work or cleaning done as I expected. I thought that would be lots of time to work on projects and keep the boat in sparkling condition. In reality, the demands (and pleasures) of day-to-day life while you are cruising don't seem to leave that much extra time. Additionally, when you are anchored or moored, electricity and water are at a premium, making projects requiring these assets prohibitive. We will probably dock a bit more next year.
- We saw some great locations and met many very nice people. And can't wait to get out again next year.
This will probably be our last blog until next fall - see you then!
Tom
Bradenton, FL
Map
Friday, June 1, 2012
We are 'home'!
June 1, 2012
We are 'home'. No not Fayetteville nor Bradenton, but our boating home on the west coast of Florida.
As I write this we are anchored in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island, where we have been many times before and our first destination on this cruise; our previous anchorage was at Little Shark River in the Ten Thousand Islands also a familar destination.
We have traveled many miles over the last week and I want to talk about the trip, but first I want to talk about what we both feel - that we are 'home'.
The Bahamas are nice: the water is clear and multi-colored; the beaches are pretty; there are many interesting settlements to explore.
The west coast of Florida is as beautiful, however, in its own way. But two striking and related differences between the two places are immediately apparent: the water here is murky and the wildlife is incredibly abundant. I say that they are related, because the water is murky because it is full of nutrients and micro-organisms. This forms the foundation for a rich food chain. Since arriving here yesterday morning we have seen: numerous dolphins, a manatee, brown pelicans, egrets, an osprey carrying a freshly caught fish; two osprey nests visible from the boat; two roseate spoonbills, and numerous other birds. That is probably more wildlife than we saw in two months in the Bahamas.
And it just feels like home!
Now about the trip.... To put our recent travels in perspective, we took about 5 months to travel from Bradenton, Florida near Tampa to Hopetown, Abacos, Bahamas; we will make the return trip in about 3 weeks. We are covering some water!
On Tuesday May 29th, we made about a 75 mile trip from Rodriguez Key to Little Shark River on the southwestern-most tip of Florida. The first leg was about 30 miles down the Hawk Channel to the 'high' bridge at Channel 5, where we crossed into Florida Bay.
We then traveled up the so-called 'Yacht Channel' to Cape Sable. This was our first time on this channel and will probably be our last. This channel cuts the corner across Florida Bay and sports some shallow water and tricky sections. We did not have any depth problems although the depth sounder often read alarmingly low numbers, that interestingly were often less than charted depths. This may be due to shoaling, but also may be due to grass on the bottom 'fooling' the depth sounder. There certainly was a lot of floating grass.
As we were approaching Cape Sable, our sea water cooling flow again started to show signs of restriction. We stopped and checked the strainer (filter) which had minimal contents. So I again played 'deep sea' diver and dove under the boat to clear the thruhull. For context this is a very desolate piece of water, we had not seen another boat since near Channel 5 (about 25 miles). As I jumped in the water I found that there was a significant current running and of course the water was very murky. After rigging a couple of lines to hold on to, I finally found and cleared the thruhull of a significant wad of grass - problem again solved.
After a 13 hour day, we anchored in the beautiful, but very buggy Little Shark River.
The next day, we rested up for our planned 120 mile overnight to Boca Grande and Cayo Costa leaving around 3:30 in the afternoon. People talk about the need for self-reliance on passages like gulf stream crossings, but let me tell you, those waters are 'crowded' compared to the waters around Cape Sable - we saw ONE sailboat in the distance for a short period in about 10 hours of sailing.
Then the first excitement of the night... I was on watch a little after midnight. Due to my excellent watch-keeping skills (or blind luck more likely :-)), I saw what I thought was an unusual dark shape off our port side. I followed it and it seemed to be somewhat hull-shaped - an unlit fisherman, a pirate, or just a vivid imagination in the dark? I pulled out my bright flashlight and shined it in the direction of the shape - a hull-form, with some reflective material, curving around to approach our stern, was obvious. Seconds after my light, the boat erupted with a returning spot light and a burst of speed, completing his not so stealthy approach to the stern of our boat. From a position off our starboard quarter, they identified themselves as Coast Guard, asked a few questions, said "Have a nice night", and disappeared into the darkness.
Later I was off-watch and sleeping when around 4:00AM Joyce woke me up regarding some confusing traffic; we were now south west of Sanibel Island. There were two fishing boats that, as they often do, were making numerous turns making the crossing situation very confusing. Complicating the situation was that the working lights (the deck lights used to provide illumination for work on deck) were completely obscuring any navigation lights on one boat.
After quickly throwing on some shorts and shaking the sleep from my eyes, I confirmed a truly confusing passing situation. I made a call to the fishing vessel at position X and received a reply from the Shrimp Trawler 'Miss Maddy'. We exchanged courses and we were, in fact, on slowly converging courses. He also confirmed that some of his navigation lights were not working. Complicating the situation was that he was planning a turn to the west, right in front or at us. He also said that he was constrained by a lot of 'bad ground' in the area. I agreed to turn right and go across his stern and to the east. Well we passed safely, but definitely a bit too close for comfort.
We arrived at Pelican Bay around 10:30 the next morning after about a 19 hour trip. We were more than ready for a little nap and a light day.
On Monday we plan to make our final major leg as we transit from Boca Grande to Tampa outside in the Gulf. Then it will be a short hop the next day up the Manatee River to Twin Dolphin Marina, completing our 2011-12 cruise.
Tom
Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, FL
Map
We are 'home'. No not Fayetteville nor Bradenton, but our boating home on the west coast of Florida.
As I write this we are anchored in Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa Island, where we have been many times before and our first destination on this cruise; our previous anchorage was at Little Shark River in the Ten Thousand Islands also a familar destination.
We have traveled many miles over the last week and I want to talk about the trip, but first I want to talk about what we both feel - that we are 'home'.
The Bahamas are nice: the water is clear and multi-colored; the beaches are pretty; there are many interesting settlements to explore.
The west coast of Florida is as beautiful, however, in its own way. But two striking and related differences between the two places are immediately apparent: the water here is murky and the wildlife is incredibly abundant. I say that they are related, because the water is murky because it is full of nutrients and micro-organisms. This forms the foundation for a rich food chain. Since arriving here yesterday morning we have seen: numerous dolphins, a manatee, brown pelicans, egrets, an osprey carrying a freshly caught fish; two osprey nests visible from the boat; two roseate spoonbills, and numerous other birds. That is probably more wildlife than we saw in two months in the Bahamas.
And it just feels like home!
Now about the trip.... To put our recent travels in perspective, we took about 5 months to travel from Bradenton, Florida near Tampa to Hopetown, Abacos, Bahamas; we will make the return trip in about 3 weeks. We are covering some water!
On Tuesday May 29th, we made about a 75 mile trip from Rodriguez Key to Little Shark River on the southwestern-most tip of Florida. The first leg was about 30 miles down the Hawk Channel to the 'high' bridge at Channel 5, where we crossed into Florida Bay.
We then traveled up the so-called 'Yacht Channel' to Cape Sable. This was our first time on this channel and will probably be our last. This channel cuts the corner across Florida Bay and sports some shallow water and tricky sections. We did not have any depth problems although the depth sounder often read alarmingly low numbers, that interestingly were often less than charted depths. This may be due to shoaling, but also may be due to grass on the bottom 'fooling' the depth sounder. There certainly was a lot of floating grass.
As we were approaching Cape Sable, our sea water cooling flow again started to show signs of restriction. We stopped and checked the strainer (filter) which had minimal contents. So I again played 'deep sea' diver and dove under the boat to clear the thruhull. For context this is a very desolate piece of water, we had not seen another boat since near Channel 5 (about 25 miles). As I jumped in the water I found that there was a significant current running and of course the water was very murky. After rigging a couple of lines to hold on to, I finally found and cleared the thruhull of a significant wad of grass - problem again solved.
After a 13 hour day, we anchored in the beautiful, but very buggy Little Shark River.
The next day, we rested up for our planned 120 mile overnight to Boca Grande and Cayo Costa leaving around 3:30 in the afternoon. People talk about the need for self-reliance on passages like gulf stream crossings, but let me tell you, those waters are 'crowded' compared to the waters around Cape Sable - we saw ONE sailboat in the distance for a short period in about 10 hours of sailing.
Then the first excitement of the night... I was on watch a little after midnight. Due to my excellent watch-keeping skills (or blind luck more likely :-)), I saw what I thought was an unusual dark shape off our port side. I followed it and it seemed to be somewhat hull-shaped - an unlit fisherman, a pirate, or just a vivid imagination in the dark? I pulled out my bright flashlight and shined it in the direction of the shape - a hull-form, with some reflective material, curving around to approach our stern, was obvious. Seconds after my light, the boat erupted with a returning spot light and a burst of speed, completing his not so stealthy approach to the stern of our boat. From a position off our starboard quarter, they identified themselves as Coast Guard, asked a few questions, said "Have a nice night", and disappeared into the darkness.
Later I was off-watch and sleeping when around 4:00AM Joyce woke me up regarding some confusing traffic; we were now south west of Sanibel Island. There were two fishing boats that, as they often do, were making numerous turns making the crossing situation very confusing. Complicating the situation was that the working lights (the deck lights used to provide illumination for work on deck) were completely obscuring any navigation lights on one boat.
After quickly throwing on some shorts and shaking the sleep from my eyes, I confirmed a truly confusing passing situation. I made a call to the fishing vessel at position X and received a reply from the Shrimp Trawler 'Miss Maddy'. We exchanged courses and we were, in fact, on slowly converging courses. He also confirmed that some of his navigation lights were not working. Complicating the situation was that he was planning a turn to the west, right in front or at us. He also said that he was constrained by a lot of 'bad ground' in the area. I agreed to turn right and go across his stern and to the east. Well we passed safely, but definitely a bit too close for comfort.
We arrived at Pelican Bay around 10:30 the next morning after about a 19 hour trip. We were more than ready for a little nap and a light day.
On Monday we plan to make our final major leg as we transit from Boca Grande to Tampa outside in the Gulf. Then it will be a short hop the next day up the Manatee River to Twin Dolphin Marina, completing our 2011-12 cruise.
Tom
Pelican Bay
Cayo Costa Island
Lee County, FL
Map
Monday, May 28, 2012
Rodriguez Key
May 28, 2012
We made the 50 mile trip from Miami down to Rodriguez Key near Key Largo today where we are currently anchored. The wind was 10-15 knots from the south which put it on the nose, but we were able to motor-sail with a little pure sailing and made pretty good time. It has been a while, however, since we have had 15-20 degrees of heel, so that took a little adjustment.
We started out leaving Miami two days ago, but had low sea-water cooling flow before we had gotten out of Biscayne Bay; the engine was not overheating, but the flow just wasn't right. We have been having a lot of sea grass (Sargassos grass I think) and I had cleaned the strainer (filter) the day before after we got fuel. Well we stopped and I checked the strainer - no significant contents. When we opened the sea cock with the strainer top open, however, it was clear that the flow was restricted before the strainer. We put down a quick anchor in the Bay, and I proceeded to pull a hose from the sea cock; the water was flowing, but definitly light. I tried to clear it from inside the baot, but was unsucessful.
So we headed back to Coconut Grove. There I dove under the boat and found and removed a nice clump of grass lodged in the thru-hull. After that I changed the sea-water impeller for good measure (it was about 15 months old).
We then had a healthy flow of cooling water!
Tomorrow we have a long day continuing down the Hawk Channel to Channel 5, and then across Florida Bay via the so-called 'Yacht Channel' to Cape Sable and then Little Shark River ( no internet there!).
We then plan an overnight to Boca Grande either Wednesday or Thursday night.
Tom
Rodriguez Key, FL
http://goo.gl/maps/HRgz
Note on the map - Places we are revisiting on our return trip are shown in green.
We made the 50 mile trip from Miami down to Rodriguez Key near Key Largo today where we are currently anchored. The wind was 10-15 knots from the south which put it on the nose, but we were able to motor-sail with a little pure sailing and made pretty good time. It has been a while, however, since we have had 15-20 degrees of heel, so that took a little adjustment.
We started out leaving Miami two days ago, but had low sea-water cooling flow before we had gotten out of Biscayne Bay; the engine was not overheating, but the flow just wasn't right. We have been having a lot of sea grass (Sargassos grass I think) and I had cleaned the strainer (filter) the day before after we got fuel. Well we stopped and I checked the strainer - no significant contents. When we opened the sea cock with the strainer top open, however, it was clear that the flow was restricted before the strainer. We put down a quick anchor in the Bay, and I proceeded to pull a hose from the sea cock; the water was flowing, but definitly light. I tried to clear it from inside the baot, but was unsucessful.
So we headed back to Coconut Grove. There I dove under the boat and found and removed a nice clump of grass lodged in the thru-hull. After that I changed the sea-water impeller for good measure (it was about 15 months old).
We then had a healthy flow of cooling water!
Tomorrow we have a long day continuing down the Hawk Channel to Channel 5, and then across Florida Bay via the so-called 'Yacht Channel' to Cape Sable and then Little Shark River ( no internet there!).
We then plan an overnight to Boca Grande either Wednesday or Thursday night.
Tom
Rodriguez Key, FL
http://goo.gl/maps/HRgz
Note on the map - Places we are revisiting on our return trip are shown in green.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Leaving Coconut Grove (Miami)
May 25, 2012
We have spent the last week comfortably tucked in on a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami. This has allowed us to get a few boat chores done (laundry, provisions, a few repairs, etc), enjoy the amentities of Coconut Grove, and wait out some more squally weather.
On the weather, a wave of low pressure formed south of Cuba and is being monitored for tropical storm development (Invest 94). It has not yet been declared a tropical storm, but it passed through Miami yesterday with wind gusts up to 50 knots! We were glad we were in a protected mooring field. It may yet become a tropical storm off the North Carolina coast and head towards the Florida-Georgia border. We will be heading in the opposite direction tomorrow, but will be keeping an eye on it. If it is named, it will be the second named storm in the Atlantic before the 'offical' start of hurricane season on June 1!
We plan to leave Miami tomorrow morning and head down the Hawk Channel to Rodriguez Key (40 miles) where we will anchor for the night. On Sunday we plan to continue down the Hawk Channel to Channel 5, where we will cross over into Florida Bay and up to the Little Shark River via the so-called 'Yacht Channel'; this will be a long 75+ mile day. Little Shark River is a very secure anchorage, so we will be safe if the tropical storm remnants come calling, but it will be very buggy (biggest risk is that the bugs will pick the boat up and carry it deep into the mangroves) :-).
After clarifying the weather situation and resting a bit, we plan to head up to Boca Grande (Cayo Costa) via a 100+ mile overnight. We then hope to spend a few days relaxing in Pelican Bay, where our winter cruise began in December, before our final leg up to Bradenton (75+ miles). We hope to arrive in Bradenton about 6/4.
It has been a great trip, but the weather is starting to get a bit frisky with the tropical storm development, and it is getting hot, so it is time to head back to the dock, air conditioning, and getting the boat ready for the summer season.
Tom
Moored at Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Coconut Grove (Miami, FL)
http://g.co/maps/whz9b
We have spent the last week comfortably tucked in on a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami. This has allowed us to get a few boat chores done (laundry, provisions, a few repairs, etc), enjoy the amentities of Coconut Grove, and wait out some more squally weather.
On the weather, a wave of low pressure formed south of Cuba and is being monitored for tropical storm development (Invest 94). It has not yet been declared a tropical storm, but it passed through Miami yesterday with wind gusts up to 50 knots! We were glad we were in a protected mooring field. It may yet become a tropical storm off the North Carolina coast and head towards the Florida-Georgia border. We will be heading in the opposite direction tomorrow, but will be keeping an eye on it. If it is named, it will be the second named storm in the Atlantic before the 'offical' start of hurricane season on June 1!
We plan to leave Miami tomorrow morning and head down the Hawk Channel to Rodriguez Key (40 miles) where we will anchor for the night. On Sunday we plan to continue down the Hawk Channel to Channel 5, where we will cross over into Florida Bay and up to the Little Shark River via the so-called 'Yacht Channel'; this will be a long 75+ mile day. Little Shark River is a very secure anchorage, so we will be safe if the tropical storm remnants come calling, but it will be very buggy (biggest risk is that the bugs will pick the boat up and carry it deep into the mangroves) :-).
After clarifying the weather situation and resting a bit, we plan to head up to Boca Grande (Cayo Costa) via a 100+ mile overnight. We then hope to spend a few days relaxing in Pelican Bay, where our winter cruise began in December, before our final leg up to Bradenton (75+ miles). We hope to arrive in Bradenton about 6/4.
It has been a great trip, but the weather is starting to get a bit frisky with the tropical storm development, and it is getting hot, so it is time to head back to the dock, air conditioning, and getting the boat ready for the summer season.
Tom
Moored at Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Coconut Grove (Miami, FL)
http://g.co/maps/whz9b
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)