December 30, 2013
Yesterday we made the 60+ mile trip across the NW Providence Channel from Bimini to West End, Grand Bahama.
The weather, to say the least, has been challenging over the last few weeks. Cold fronts and troughs have dominated the weather pattern resulting in unsettled and unpredictable wind and waves. Two- day windows have been almost non-existent , and often a one-day window is not enough to get you to your next planned stop. Yesterday looked like an opportunity to head north before the winds went lighter, but from the north today.
This trip is a 'blue-water' trip across a very busy shipping channel. This channel is know as the 'Hole in the Wall' and is one of the few places that large ships can transit from the Atlantic to the coast of the US getting around the extensive shallow bank surrounding the Bahamas. We saw 10-12 large ships, but no 'close encounters'. Interestingly, over 1/2 of them were anchored or steaming very slowly, probably killing time before their scheduled docking. Dock space at large shipping terminals is tightly scheduled, so you must arrive on time; steaming hard and then waiting a day or so away from your destination makes arriving on schedule easier.
The day started with actual winds at the dock and from a weather station at our destination below forecast ( 10 knot @ 145). The forecast showed diminishing winds over the day - wrong! The wind steadily increased over the morning to solid 20-25 knots with gusts to 30. The waves progressively grew over the course of the day to 5-7' from astern. With the wind behind us, the ride was actually not that bad. Probably the biggest challenge was getting the mainsail down at our destination. This maneuver entails turning the boat into the wind (and waves) and then lowering and securing the sail(we have an 'old fashioned' fully battened sail, no roller furling or 'Stack-Pac). Luckily, we could tuck in behind a little spit of land south of the marina and escape the wind and waves some. Well the operation was a success and we entered the marina with our mainsail down, but a bit 'messy' with dangling furling and other lines that I would normally neaten up.
Docking at Old Bahama Bay Marina was uneventful, except for being assigned a slip almost on the inner basin wall (the same slip we had here 2 years ago). Maneuvering a full-keel sailboat in and out of a spot like this is not trivial. Before we leave, I am going to make a quick map of the basin, and if we return someday, negotiate a better slip before we are on final approach.
The weather looks like we will be here for about a week. Other than it is relatively expensive, Old Bahama Bay is a pleasant place to be. There is not a lot to do here, however, and we may rent a car and travel to Freeport for a day or two.
Tom
Docked at Old Bahama Bay
West End, Grand Bahama
Monday, December 30, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Change of Plans - Christmas in Bimini
December 24, 2013
There is great truth in the saying "You can sail; or you can have a schedule; but you can't have both".
We have now decided to stay in Bimini for Christmas. Yesterday would have been a window to head north to West End, Grand Bahama, but we could not have made it any farther than that with an approaching cold front. Since West End would definitely have been more expensive and probably not as interesting, we have decided to stay in Bimini for Christmas.
This is our third Christmas on the boat and each has been unique. The first was in Everglades City in the Ten Thousand Islands; there we really enjoyed the service at the community church. The second was at Shroud Cay in the Exuma Land Park; there we were virtually alone at a deserted island. This year looks like it will be Bimini; probably attending services at the Methodist church and maybe catching Junkanoo.
What stays the same, however, is the meaning of Christmas and a few traditions that we carry on. First we always try to remember that it is about Christ's birth and its significance to those of us who are followers of Christ.
Our traditions are simple. Instead of a tree, we have a small artificial wreath which we decorate with a select set of decorations; the criteria in the selection were: small, non-fragile, and of special significance. In spite of a good bath when our water heater leaked last year, our decorations have generally fared pretty well.
We will have a traditional Christmas Eve meal that I have fond memories of as a child. Pierogi and sauerkraut with mushrooms and barley are the foundations of a traditional Slovak meatless Christmas Eve dinner. We always try to provision for this meal before we leave the states.
One of the things we would like to catch here in Bimini is the Christmas Junkanoo celebration. However, this is not a rigorously planned event, but will probably occur somewhere in the early morning hours of Boxing Day (day after Christmas). This will involve the 'band' of drums, percussion instruments, and horns that we saw at the tree lighting ceremony. In Nassau it is scheduled to start at 2AM, but word is that it will be around 4-5 AM here. In case you think it impressive that the Bahamians are up that early, we think that they may be that they have not yet gone to bed. We, on the other hand, will catch some sleep and try to get up for the festivities.
Future plans are to probably head north on Friday and continuing over to Green Turtle over the weekend. The weather will probably have little gradient wind, but will be squally.
Have a blessed Christmas!
Tom & Joyce
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
Bimini, Bahamas
There is great truth in the saying "You can sail; or you can have a schedule; but you can't have both".
We have now decided to stay in Bimini for Christmas. Yesterday would have been a window to head north to West End, Grand Bahama, but we could not have made it any farther than that with an approaching cold front. Since West End would definitely have been more expensive and probably not as interesting, we have decided to stay in Bimini for Christmas.
This is our third Christmas on the boat and each has been unique. The first was in Everglades City in the Ten Thousand Islands; there we really enjoyed the service at the community church. The second was at Shroud Cay in the Exuma Land Park; there we were virtually alone at a deserted island. This year looks like it will be Bimini; probably attending services at the Methodist church and maybe catching Junkanoo.
What stays the same, however, is the meaning of Christmas and a few traditions that we carry on. First we always try to remember that it is about Christ's birth and its significance to those of us who are followers of Christ.
Our traditions are simple. Instead of a tree, we have a small artificial wreath which we decorate with a select set of decorations; the criteria in the selection were: small, non-fragile, and of special significance. In spite of a good bath when our water heater leaked last year, our decorations have generally fared pretty well.
We will have a traditional Christmas Eve meal that I have fond memories of as a child. Pierogi and sauerkraut with mushrooms and barley are the foundations of a traditional Slovak meatless Christmas Eve dinner. We always try to provision for this meal before we leave the states.
One of the things we would like to catch here in Bimini is the Christmas Junkanoo celebration. However, this is not a rigorously planned event, but will probably occur somewhere in the early morning hours of Boxing Day (day after Christmas). This will involve the 'band' of drums, percussion instruments, and horns that we saw at the tree lighting ceremony. In Nassau it is scheduled to start at 2AM, but word is that it will be around 4-5 AM here. In case you think it impressive that the Bahamians are up that early, we think that they may be that they have not yet gone to bed. We, on the other hand, will catch some sleep and try to get up for the festivities.
Future plans are to probably head north on Friday and continuing over to Green Turtle over the weekend. The weather will probably have little gradient wind, but will be squally.
Have a blessed Christmas!
Tom & Joyce
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
Bimini, Bahamas
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Bimini Adventures
December 20, 2013
We have been enjoying our time in Bimini since our arrival last Sunday.
Bimini is somewhat unique (as are most of the islands). It is some ways one of the more 'Americanized' islands, due to its proximity to the US, but still retains a unique culture. There is quite a bit of poverty and no industry outside of tourism. Many cruisers seem to use Bimini to clear customs/immigration and get out as soon as possible; we have typically lingered longer and have grown to enjoy it quite a bit.
First we stay at Weech's Bimini Dock which hosts few cruisers. Other marinas in Bimini offer many more amenities such as wifi, locked gates, picnic areas, pools, etc., but Weech's has a long history and is much more a part of the community. First it is run by the Weech family which were one of the early settlers of Bimini and staying here gives you an opportunity to get to know them. Secondly, it is the marina most open to the community. For example, it is not uncommon to see local fisherman cleaning their catch at the docks and on several nights this week we had two women fishing off the dock right outside our boat. While this might make some uncomfortable, we find it is a great opportunity to meet some locals.
While the Weechs are white, the vast majority of Bimini residents are black. And it is remarkable, especially given the proximity of the island to the US, that the locals are distinctly African, in skin color (very dark), features, and culture.
Culturally, for example, we have learned that Bahamian houses are often nicer on the inside than the outside. While we are far from anthropologists, I think that this stems from the community nature of African culture. I learned the most about this concept from a story told by a pastor from our home church. The church has developed a relationship with a group of national pastors in Ghana and the relationship has grown to regular 'mission' trips to Ghana by members of the staff and congregation. While in Ghana, the pastor observed that there were many 'free range' chickens in a village and that the residents had to go to great lengths to retrieve a meager number of eggs. He made a suggestion to one of the men. Why don't you build some cages, buy some feed, raise chickens and sell the eggs; you may make a little money and everyone will have more eggs - a win-win. Oh no, exclaimed the man, I could not do that! If I had more eggs than I could use, my family and neighbors would expect that that I would give them my excess - it would not cross their mind that they would pay and I would be considered an evil man if I tried to sell them. So to borrow a saying from another more egalitarian culture (Australia) - no one wants to be a 'tall poppy'. Even though it is only 50+ miles a way, it is a different universe from Coconut Grove (Miami) where everyone must drive the most expensive car possible.
Last night we went to the second annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony here in Bimini. Like good Americans, we were there at the advertised starting time and found only a few people gathered at that time - we never seem to learn :-) It started about 45 minutes later and moved at a glacial pace. There were numerous musical and other presentations and it seemed like everyone that wanted to be a part of the program was welcome to participate. But overall it was a neat experience:
Now a few more mundane items (food of course):
If you get to Bimini, you must try the food at the Taste of Heaven Bakery. It is THE staple for box lunches/breakfasts for the locals. Many traditional Bahamian dishes (curries, steam fish, chicken, etc.) for lunch ($6 for a small; $8 for a large including rice and 2 sides) and simple breakfasts (mostly grits and a meat) for $2, $3, or $4. Lunches are not ready until around Noon and usually gone by 1:30 or so.
Also, in the 'don't judge a Bahamian food provider by the building' category - GREAT conch salad at Stuarts.
Currently we hope to leave Bimini on Monday morning and travel north across the NW Providence channel (heavy shipping lane) to West End, Grand Bahama, where we will probably wait out yet another cold front - well it is December!
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
North Bimini
'
We have been enjoying our time in Bimini since our arrival last Sunday.
Bimini is somewhat unique (as are most of the islands). It is some ways one of the more 'Americanized' islands, due to its proximity to the US, but still retains a unique culture. There is quite a bit of poverty and no industry outside of tourism. Many cruisers seem to use Bimini to clear customs/immigration and get out as soon as possible; we have typically lingered longer and have grown to enjoy it quite a bit.
First we stay at Weech's Bimini Dock which hosts few cruisers. Other marinas in Bimini offer many more amenities such as wifi, locked gates, picnic areas, pools, etc., but Weech's has a long history and is much more a part of the community. First it is run by the Weech family which were one of the early settlers of Bimini and staying here gives you an opportunity to get to know them. Secondly, it is the marina most open to the community. For example, it is not uncommon to see local fisherman cleaning their catch at the docks and on several nights this week we had two women fishing off the dock right outside our boat. While this might make some uncomfortable, we find it is a great opportunity to meet some locals.
While the Weechs are white, the vast majority of Bimini residents are black. And it is remarkable, especially given the proximity of the island to the US, that the locals are distinctly African, in skin color (very dark), features, and culture.
Culturally, for example, we have learned that Bahamian houses are often nicer on the inside than the outside. While we are far from anthropologists, I think that this stems from the community nature of African culture. I learned the most about this concept from a story told by a pastor from our home church. The church has developed a relationship with a group of national pastors in Ghana and the relationship has grown to regular 'mission' trips to Ghana by members of the staff and congregation. While in Ghana, the pastor observed that there were many 'free range' chickens in a village and that the residents had to go to great lengths to retrieve a meager number of eggs. He made a suggestion to one of the men. Why don't you build some cages, buy some feed, raise chickens and sell the eggs; you may make a little money and everyone will have more eggs - a win-win. Oh no, exclaimed the man, I could not do that! If I had more eggs than I could use, my family and neighbors would expect that that I would give them my excess - it would not cross their mind that they would pay and I would be considered an evil man if I tried to sell them. So to borrow a saying from another more egalitarian culture (Australia) - no one wants to be a 'tall poppy'. Even though it is only 50+ miles a way, it is a different universe from Coconut Grove (Miami) where everyone must drive the most expensive car possible.
Last night we went to the second annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony here in Bimini. Like good Americans, we were there at the advertised starting time and found only a few people gathered at that time - we never seem to learn :-) It started about 45 minutes later and moved at a glacial pace. There were numerous musical and other presentations and it seemed like everyone that wanted to be a part of the program was welcome to participate. But overall it was a neat experience:
- While it lacked the 'professionalism' that seems be mandatory at similar events in the States, almost every presenter addressed the real meaning of Christmas (Christ's birth) including the Island Administrator - try that in the US.
- The program ended with a 'Junkanoo Rushout'. Junkanoo is a very African-inspired form of Christmas celebration with similarities to 'Carnival'. The 'band' consists of mostly drums and other rhythm instruments with a few horns. They marched around the seating area and ended up in the road. The beat was absolutely hypnotic! People old and young were dancing to the beat. We stayed for quite a long time, in part to see how long they would go on, but they outlasted us and were still going strong when we headed back to the boat. Vigorously beating the drums, particularly the big ones, must be exhausting and in fact we did notice that they traded off playing these.
- As always, the kids were very cute, especially as they danced to the Junkanoo!
Now a few more mundane items (food of course):
If you get to Bimini, you must try the food at the Taste of Heaven Bakery. It is THE staple for box lunches/breakfasts for the locals. Many traditional Bahamian dishes (curries, steam fish, chicken, etc.) for lunch ($6 for a small; $8 for a large including rice and 2 sides) and simple breakfasts (mostly grits and a meat) for $2, $3, or $4. Lunches are not ready until around Noon and usually gone by 1:30 or so.
Also, in the 'don't judge a Bahamian food provider by the building' category - GREAT conch salad at Stuarts.
Currently we hope to leave Bimini on Monday morning and travel north across the NW Providence channel (heavy shipping lane) to West End, Grand Bahama, where we will probably wait out yet another cold front - well it is December!
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
North Bimini
'
Monday, December 16, 2013
We are in the Bahamas
December 15, 2013
We crossed the Gulf Stream today and are currently docked in Alice Town, North Bimini.
We had originally planned to go to West End on Grand Bahama, but the weather did not cooperate, so we decided to at least get across the stream in this window.
The wind was 14-17 knots from the south, which with the effect of the current had us close-hauled for most of the day. The morning was sailable, but not with enough boat speed for the trip so we motor-sailed. Around midday the winds clocked a little towards the west and we were able to sail. Overall our boat speed was great and we made very good time. The seas were a bit rough, however, which made for a less than comfortable ride.
Tomorrow we will try to re-activate our Bahamian phone.
Tom
Docked at Weech's Bimini Dock
Alice Town, North Bimini, Bahamas
Via Satellite Phone
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Farewell Miami - Hello Bahamas
December 14, 2013
After over a week in Miami we are hoping to cross the Gulf Stream tomorrow to Bimini in the Bahamas. This is a change from our original plan to overnight to West End on Grand Bahama. With fronts passing rapidly through, it has been difficult to get good weather on both ends for the 16+ hour trip from Miami to West End. It does, however look like we can squeeze in a quick 10 hour dash across to Bimini tomorrow. This will at least allow us to get over the Stream and plan our next legs from there. It will mean a few more miles, but hopefully worth it in time and safety.
A Gulf Stream crossing, however, is never to be taken lightly so we take all the precautions required for an ocean passage.
Miami, as usual, has been interesting. We have been enjoying our last tastes of 'civilization' before heading to the Bahamas. We did some old favorites (Vizcaya, Barnacle, Starbucks, gelato, Pollo Tropical....).
If you get to Miami, make sure to dine at Pollo Tropical - fast food with a Caribbean twist. They make the best grilled chicken and sides like beans and rice and yucca for Latin tastes and dishes like waffle fries for more American tastes. They are only located in Florida and a few other southern states, but believe it or not, they are owned by a company in Syracuse.
We saw Catching Fire (Hunger Games book 2) twice - great movie!
We went to the new Perez Art Museum of Miami. Most of the art was a bit abstract for our tastes, but here are two favorites:
We went to the Miami Zoo - it is huge - impossible to take it all in in a day. We really enjoyed the Amazon exhibit. Monkeys, jaguar, lemurs, several snakes that will ruin your day, and the cutest gold Panamanian frog. No Amazon pictures, however, but here are some classic flamingos.
Next blog will hopefully be from the Bahamas!
Tom
Moored Coconut Grove (Miami)
After over a week in Miami we are hoping to cross the Gulf Stream tomorrow to Bimini in the Bahamas. This is a change from our original plan to overnight to West End on Grand Bahama. With fronts passing rapidly through, it has been difficult to get good weather on both ends for the 16+ hour trip from Miami to West End. It does, however look like we can squeeze in a quick 10 hour dash across to Bimini tomorrow. This will at least allow us to get over the Stream and plan our next legs from there. It will mean a few more miles, but hopefully worth it in time and safety.
A Gulf Stream crossing, however, is never to be taken lightly so we take all the precautions required for an ocean passage.
Miami, as usual, has been interesting. We have been enjoying our last tastes of 'civilization' before heading to the Bahamas. We did some old favorites (Vizcaya, Barnacle, Starbucks, gelato, Pollo Tropical....).
If you get to Miami, make sure to dine at Pollo Tropical - fast food with a Caribbean twist. They make the best grilled chicken and sides like beans and rice and yucca for Latin tastes and dishes like waffle fries for more American tastes. They are only located in Florida and a few other southern states, but believe it or not, they are owned by a company in Syracuse.
We saw Catching Fire (Hunger Games book 2) twice - great movie!
We went to the new Perez Art Museum of Miami. Most of the art was a bit abstract for our tastes, but here are two favorites:
 |
| 'Progression with Bar' - Tom's Favorite |
 |
| Huge yarn sculpture - Joyce's Favorite |
We went to the Miami Zoo - it is huge - impossible to take it all in in a day. We really enjoyed the Amazon exhibit. Monkeys, jaguar, lemurs, several snakes that will ruin your day, and the cutest gold Panamanian frog. No Amazon pictures, however, but here are some classic flamingos.
 |
| Flamingos - how classic Floridian can you get |
Next blog will hopefully be from the Bahamas!
Tom
Moored Coconut Grove (Miami)
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Quinceañera at Vizcaya
December 7, 2013
Yesterday (Saturday) we visited Vizcaya on Biscayne Bay. Vizcaya was built in the 'gilded era' of early 20th century by millionaire James Deering and is now a county-run museum/garden. With its European-styled architecture and formal gardens it is the perfect venue for Quinceañera photo shoots. We have been there several times before, but this time we went with the specific purpose of 'shooting the Quinceañera shoots' on a fair Saturday afternoon.
First, just a little bit about Quinceañera (pronounced: [kin.se.aˈɲe.ɾa]. It is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday in Latin cultures and is hugely popular in Miami. It represents a girls transition from childhood to young womanhood and in earlier times announced her availability for marriage.
It is a big, and I am sure expensive, endeavor including a huge party, extensive wardrobe, and many photos. It is quite a show to see the girls with multiple changes of clothes and a entourage of family, friends and photographers. They almost always have a 'traditional' dress (which are always our favorites) along with several more contemporary outfits.
In the following photos I tried to capture some shots of the girls, but also shots of the 'production'.
Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
Yesterday (Saturday) we visited Vizcaya on Biscayne Bay. Vizcaya was built in the 'gilded era' of early 20th century by millionaire James Deering and is now a county-run museum/garden. With its European-styled architecture and formal gardens it is the perfect venue for Quinceañera photo shoots. We have been there several times before, but this time we went with the specific purpose of 'shooting the Quinceañera shoots' on a fair Saturday afternoon.
First, just a little bit about Quinceañera (pronounced: [kin.se.aˈɲe.ɾa]. It is a celebration of a girl's 15th birthday in Latin cultures and is hugely popular in Miami. It represents a girls transition from childhood to young womanhood and in earlier times announced her availability for marriage.
It is a big, and I am sure expensive, endeavor including a huge party, extensive wardrobe, and many photos. It is quite a show to see the girls with multiple changes of clothes and a entourage of family, friends and photographers. They almost always have a 'traditional' dress (which are always our favorites) along with several more contemporary outfits.
In the following photos I tried to capture some shots of the girls, but also shots of the 'production'.
 |
| Very traditional & pretty dress |
 |
| Train-carrier - look closely at the footwear under the fancy dress |
 |
| Hair & makeup |
 |
| Very non-traditional, but very cute! |
 |
| Wardrobe |
 |
| Contemporary little black dress |
 |
| With Dad? |
It is nice to see the continuation of tradition in these families - something that I think we could use more of in our culture. I am hopeful that these photos capture a little piece of this tradition and thankful that I completed the shoot without being accused of being a stalker or being punched out by a protective dad :-).
Tom Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Winter Days, Spring Tides, and Crab Pots - Oh My!
December 5, 2013
We are currently on a mooring in Coconut Grove (Miami) after 4 days of travel from Marco Island on the west coast via the Keys. Overall we had good travel days with motor-sailing/sailing winds and great boat speed. But the trip was not without its challenges.
Winter Days - We are approaching the shortest day of the year, and at best we have about 11 hours of daylight travel time. Each of the last four days were 8+ hours of travel which doesn't leave a lot of daylight to spare.
Spring Tides - Twice a month, at the full and new moon, the tides are exceptionally large (high and low) and our travel spanned a new moon. Adding to this was that the lowest-low was in early morning, increasing the difficulty of getting underway early.
Crab Pots - Stone crab season starts October 15 and the number of pots and floats in the water, especially on the far south west Florida coast, can be incredible. Each pot offers the possibility of wrapping a line around our propeller - a very bad thing. Our full keel design offers more protection from this than most boats, but the risk is still there.
Day one had us leaving Rose Marina on Marco Island a few minutes before sunrise. A light fog further limited visibility. The channel out the bay where the marina is located is narrow and surrounded by shallow shoals. We had recorded a 'track' (a record of where we traveled) on our way in and following it back out helps the navigation immensely. However, as we were about half way out the bay, I noticed that on the chart plotter, our track went on the 'wrong' side of a green day marker. That and a nearby sign disoriented me enough that we strayed out of the channel and ran lightly aground. The tide was rising and in about 5 minutes we were able to back off and continue on our travels.
While overall, we have been very happy with our new Garmin chart plotter, I have been a little disappointed in the accuracy of the cartography. It turns out that the marker that led me astray was misplaced on the Garmin chart. On the way in, navigating visually, I did not notice the discrepancy. Goes to show that the old saying about using 'all available means of navigation' is a wise rule.
That night we planned to anchor in Little Shark River, a place we have been many times. We were a little concerned about the depth at the entrance for departure the next morning, but with a an hour or so delay, we had no problem the next morning. We really enjoy the wildlife in Little Shark River, and were sorry that we could not stay longer.
The crab pots on the next leg, between Little Shark and Marathon are incredibly thick - often you simply do not know which way to turn to avoid them. We were under sail and doing pretty well avoiding them (it actually can be a bit fun - somewhat like a video game) until the wind got light and variable and we had to take the sails down in a section with some of the thickest pots. Since you have limited maneuverability during this process, avoiding the pots becomes even more difficult. Apologies to some crabber, because one float came too close to our propeller and we shredded it. It did not appear that we caught the line at all, but we will do a visual inspection before we leave for the Bahamas.
After an uneventful night anchored off Boot Key in Marathon, on departure we noticed a significant decrease in our cooling sea-water flow. We have transited through a lot of 'eel grass' and likely we have a blockage somewhere. I had cleaned the strainer (filter) the night before so we knew that was OK. So after re-anchoring, I donned my snorkel gear to dive under the boat to look for, and hopefully clear, any obstruction where the water enters the boat. As is typical, conditions were not great with a strong current, but I was finally successful in clearing the blockage and we were on our way up the 'Hawk Channel'.
That night we had an uneventful anchorage at Rodriguez Key, and a good travel day up to Biscayne Bay on our final transit day.
On arrival in Miami we were lucky to get a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club (our favorite place here), but their transient moorings are limited, and we are not sure if we will be able to stay. In any event, our plan is to be in Miami for a week or so and then look for a favorable weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.
Tom
Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
PS It looks like we will be able to stay at Coconut Grove Sailing Club for at least a week or so - hopefully longer if needed.
We are currently on a mooring in Coconut Grove (Miami) after 4 days of travel from Marco Island on the west coast via the Keys. Overall we had good travel days with motor-sailing/sailing winds and great boat speed. But the trip was not without its challenges.
Winter Days - We are approaching the shortest day of the year, and at best we have about 11 hours of daylight travel time. Each of the last four days were 8+ hours of travel which doesn't leave a lot of daylight to spare.
Spring Tides - Twice a month, at the full and new moon, the tides are exceptionally large (high and low) and our travel spanned a new moon. Adding to this was that the lowest-low was in early morning, increasing the difficulty of getting underway early.
Crab Pots - Stone crab season starts October 15 and the number of pots and floats in the water, especially on the far south west Florida coast, can be incredible. Each pot offers the possibility of wrapping a line around our propeller - a very bad thing. Our full keel design offers more protection from this than most boats, but the risk is still there.
Day one had us leaving Rose Marina on Marco Island a few minutes before sunrise. A light fog further limited visibility. The channel out the bay where the marina is located is narrow and surrounded by shallow shoals. We had recorded a 'track' (a record of where we traveled) on our way in and following it back out helps the navigation immensely. However, as we were about half way out the bay, I noticed that on the chart plotter, our track went on the 'wrong' side of a green day marker. That and a nearby sign disoriented me enough that we strayed out of the channel and ran lightly aground. The tide was rising and in about 5 minutes we were able to back off and continue on our travels.
While overall, we have been very happy with our new Garmin chart plotter, I have been a little disappointed in the accuracy of the cartography. It turns out that the marker that led me astray was misplaced on the Garmin chart. On the way in, navigating visually, I did not notice the discrepancy. Goes to show that the old saying about using 'all available means of navigation' is a wise rule.
That night we planned to anchor in Little Shark River, a place we have been many times. We were a little concerned about the depth at the entrance for departure the next morning, but with a an hour or so delay, we had no problem the next morning. We really enjoy the wildlife in Little Shark River, and were sorry that we could not stay longer.
The crab pots on the next leg, between Little Shark and Marathon are incredibly thick - often you simply do not know which way to turn to avoid them. We were under sail and doing pretty well avoiding them (it actually can be a bit fun - somewhat like a video game) until the wind got light and variable and we had to take the sails down in a section with some of the thickest pots. Since you have limited maneuverability during this process, avoiding the pots becomes even more difficult. Apologies to some crabber, because one float came too close to our propeller and we shredded it. It did not appear that we caught the line at all, but we will do a visual inspection before we leave for the Bahamas.
After an uneventful night anchored off Boot Key in Marathon, on departure we noticed a significant decrease in our cooling sea-water flow. We have transited through a lot of 'eel grass' and likely we have a blockage somewhere. I had cleaned the strainer (filter) the night before so we knew that was OK. So after re-anchoring, I donned my snorkel gear to dive under the boat to look for, and hopefully clear, any obstruction where the water enters the boat. As is typical, conditions were not great with a strong current, but I was finally successful in clearing the blockage and we were on our way up the 'Hawk Channel'.
That night we had an uneventful anchorage at Rodriguez Key, and a good travel day up to Biscayne Bay on our final transit day.
On arrival in Miami we were lucky to get a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club (our favorite place here), but their transient moorings are limited, and we are not sure if we will be able to stay. In any event, our plan is to be in Miami for a week or so and then look for a favorable weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.
Tom
Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
PS It looks like we will be able to stay at Coconut Grove Sailing Club for at least a week or so - hopefully longer if needed.
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