Return to Marco, Night Time Sailing, & Dolphin Encounters

December 28, 2016

We finally got the boat out of the yard at Snead Island Boat Works and have returned to Marco Island where our current slip is located.

We traveled from Bradenton to Marco via a 24 hour trip sailing night and day.  Many people are interested (concerned?) about traveling on a boat at night, so I thought I would talk about the process and why we do it.

First, if you want to get somewhere as quickly as possible, obviously traveling continuously is your best approach.

But other factors are also in play.  This time of year the days are extremely short, not allowing enough daylight hours for many of the 'day' trips that we do at other times of year. Traversing channels, docking, and anchoring in the dark at the beginning or end of a 'day' trip is very challenging. A well planned night time trip allows you to minimize doing these things in the dark.

Also at this time of year, there are MANY crab and lobster traps in the water in south Florida. Hitting them, especially wrapping a float line around your prop, can make for a very bad day!  However, the traps are rarely in water deeper than 50'.  So going farther off coast, decreases your interactions with traps, but also increases the length of your trip.

So our strategy on on our trips to and from the yard was to leave midday, get past 50' depths by dark, sail down the coast off shore, not returning to shallower waters until first light.

Now how about sailing at night.  Many people are amazed/concerned that we do this, but it is not that hard and has advantages.  It is like a long car road trip in some ways, with advantages and disadvantages.

Like driving,  someone has to always be on 'watch' (driving); you just can't let the boat sail by itself! So we devise a 'watch schedule' that determines who is on-watch and who is off.  It isn't cast in stone, but putting it down on paper, helps regulate the process.  Watching for traffic and monitoring the boat is the responsibility of the watch-stander; getting rest is an important duty of the person off-watch, although they also do other chores like cooking and cleaning up.

The sleeping, cooking, and bathroom facilities on a cruising boat are far superior to those on a car, but on a boat underway they are often tilting and gyrating like a ride at an amusement park!

How about the darkness?  In open water, it is actually easier to see other boats by their lights than during the day.  We are also equipped with radar, which lets us 'see' what is around us.  We also are AIS (Automatic Identification System) equipped, which gives us information on nearby boats, particularly larger vessels.   There is always the possibility of running into something unlit, but that is highly unlikely off-coast.

Sail handling and other maneuvers are more difficult at night, but it is a learned skill.  It is best to learn it initially with someone with experience.

So sailing at night is not that bad, and actually quite enjoyable!

Now how about dolphins. Having sailed in sub-tropical waters for many years, we have seen many, many dolphins - but the thrill of the encounter with these amazing creatures never gets old.  But on this trip, I had what I would rate as my 2nd best ever encounter!

We had a strange 'thumping' noise near the bow of the boat as we plowed through moderate seas that needed to be investigated, so I went forward on the bow.  Going forward in a sea-way at night is not something to be taken lightly.  The motion of the waves is the worst near the bow, and going overboard far off the coast, especially at night, is most likely fatal.  Standard precaution, however, is to be tethered (tied) to the boat which I was.

I found that the lashing of the secondary anchor was not tight and the bouncing of the anchor was the likely source of the noise.  I tightened the lashing, but then showed a light into the water near the bow, to see if by any chance we had somehow caught a trap float.

What I saw was amazing.  There were 8-10 dolphins or more (hard to count)  riding our bow wake. The light gave them a white other-worldly look.  You may have heard about being surrounded by angels, but it seemed like our boat was surrounded by heavenly dolphins!

Bow-wave riding dolphins are not unusual, but the quantity, the length of their stay, and the night time lighting, made this special.  No one really knows why dolphins do this, but it sure seems like they do it for 'fun'.

So that is my second-best dolphin siting ever.  How about my first?  Ask me about it sometime, I  also love to tell that story .

Tom
Docked Rose Marina, Marco Island, FL

Christmas 2016

December 24, 2016

We are currently anchored at Emerson Point in the Manatee River near Bradenton.  We plan to spend Christmas here.

We finally got the boat out of the yard.  We arrived to pick it up on Thursday, hoping to leave the next day.  It was in good shape, but very dirty after the varnish work, so cleaning was a bigger task than expected.  So we had 2 days of hard work before leaving this morning.

We plan to leave here midday on Monday with a 'delivery trip' to Marco Island.  With the short days, a straight 23+ hour direct trip is the best way to go.

We hope to head to Miami shortly after New Years, but this is dependent on the availability of a mooring ball.  If we get one, we plan to stay there 4-6 weeks. The Miami women's basketball  team is currently ranked 11th and we are looking forward to seeing a few games.

This is our 6th Christmas on the boat!  The location has changed every year, but the meaning stays the same.  We joyously celebrate Jesus' birth!

We are wishing Christmas blessings to all our family and friends!


Tom & Joyce
Anchored Emerson Point, Palmetto, FL

2016-2017 Season Plans

November 6, 2016

We wanted to post a quick update on our plans for this cruising season.

Most significantly, we decided last year that we would not go to the Bahamas this season.  We have had 5 wonderful years there and will miss our Bahamian friends/family dearly this year!  Two main reasons why we are not going this year:  First our wonderful Alaskan trip this summer committed over a month away from the boat and combined with our annual month+ pilgrimage to Syracuse for doctor/dentist appointments really cut into our 'preparation' time on the boat.  Secondly, there are some things we would like to do in Florida, that our typical 5-6 month deployment to the Bahamas has not allowed.  

Short term, we will be headed up the west coast of Florida next week to Snead Island Boat Works in Palmetto.  Bottom paint and exterior teak refinishing along with a few additional minor tasks are planned. We plan a straight 20+ hour 'delivery' trip from Marco to the yard.

After the boat work is done, we plan a leisurely trip down the west coast of Florida.  This is where we started cruising 25+ years ago and this will allow us to spend some quality time in this beautiful area. The Bahamas is beautiful, but you cannot beat the wildlife on the west coast of Florida!

Trips to Miami and the Dry Tortugas are also on the agenda.

A different plan, but still enjoying life on the boat!

Tom & Joyce
Docked Rose Marina
Marco Island, FL

You Know You're in Alaska When...

August 28, 2016

As we drove around Alaska, we found quite a few things that you don't find in most of the USA. Here is our top 10 'You Know You're in Alaska When'...

• A major form of tourist transportation is a cruise ship, often followed by a bus excursion.

The day we saw Nieuw Amsterdam in Juneau, there was a total of  4 ships (with maximum capacity of 10,000 passengers) in the harbor.  It's an understatement to say that the streets were quite crowded.  This picture was taken when we were anchored near this same ship in the Bahamas in 2014.

Buses that carried cruise passengers to Denali, parked in the 'Canyon'.

• RV's are a common accommodation.

An RV park in the Canyon at Denali.  Initially, we thought it was a parking lot.

• Many areas can only be accessed by planes, trains or boats.

This was just one of the planes that we took during our trip, a 6-passenger float plane.  The trip also included many commercial flights, with planes much larger than this one.

Trains are a popular way to tour parts of Alaska, but most are quite slow with only occasional views.

The ferry we took through the Aleutians, from Dutch Harbor (home port for Deadliest Catch) to the mainland, a three-day trip.  If we had a car, we would have been able to take it with us on the car deck.

• Someone asks how you scored the 'sweet ride' and it's an F-150 pickup.

This truck is in excellent condition, but sometimes you are just happy to be able to rent a vehicle. 

• Your rental vehicle has an engine block heater.

• Your cabin is built on perma-frost with no running water

This was our cabin near Denali; it had hot and cold running water, but only in the summer.  Most cabins in the area do not have running water any time of year.

• There are bald eagles everywhere.

• Your major form of transportation is a 4-wheeler. 

4-wheelers were a common sight on the dock at Akutan, one of the Aleutian towns.

• Road signs include warnings of moose and information about private Indian land and tsunami evacuation routes.

• There are many 'End Road' signs and they are used for target practice.

We missed the opportunity to take a picture of a road sign telling the whole story about the area around Juneau:
<-- End of Road   24
-->Juneau            12

And, some of the runners up:

• Your attorney's ads show him dressed in camo toting a rifle
• Cracked windshields are plentiful and are not repaired
• The fashion footwear is brown Xtratuf boots, as seen on Deadliest Catch and sidewalks everywhere.

Joyce

Docked Marco Island

Alaska - Glacier Bay, Juneau, and Mendenhall Glacier (Final Leg)

August 28, 2016

After our trip through the Aleutian Islands aboard the ferry Tustumena, we flew to Gustavus, a small town near the foot of Glacier Bay.

We stayed at the lovely Gustavus Inn

Flowers on the back porch of the Inn
Flowers throughout Alaska were gorgeous - the long days and abundant rain are good for growing.

Garden behind the Inn that supplies many of the vegetables in the meals they serve.

Out Glacier Bay tour boat

Mt. Fairweather on a clear day.
The name is self explanatory!

Sea Lions

Sea Lion

Brown Bear

Mountain Goats

Snow-capped mountains in upper Glacier Bay

Margerie Glacier
Ship in front of the glacier is a large cruise ship

Closer to the Margerie Glacier

Glacier 'calving' - piece breaking off into water

Bergie-bits in the water 

This is a glacier too, the Grand Pacific.  This is called 'black ice' because it is covered with glacial silt.

More mountains and small glacier

Pretty mountain waterfall

Black bear

Puffin

Sea Otter

We then flew to Juneau, the state capital.  There we visited the Mendenhall Glacier.

Mendenhall Glacier

A raven near Mendenhall Glacier
Although pretty much a big crow, they are very smart
They are at the center of  native Alaskan 'creation stories'.

Well, that ends my photo-essay on our Alaskan trip.  It has been an incredible experience.

Joyce plans to do a "You know you are in Alaska" blog soon to wrap up blogging for this trip.


Tom
Docked Marco Island

Alaska - Dutch Harbor (Unalaska) and the 'Tustumena' Ferry

August 26, 2016


After leaving Kodiak we flew to Dutch Harbor, home of the 'Deadliest Catch' fleet during crabbing season.  Although that is the name of the harbor, the actual name of the town is Unalaska. Dutch Harbor is well out on the Aleutian Island chain that stretches towards Russia in the Bering Sea.

Dutch Harbor road closed for plane takeoff

Flying to the out-posts of Alaska is interesting.  First, typically no TSA security, just show your ID and eventually walk to the small plane.  Since many out-post locations can only be reached by plane or boat, luggage allowances are very liberal - you often see people transporting all kinds of stuff back home.

Landing in Dutch Harbor was exciting.  A interesting perspective on the airfield goes back to WWII - the Aleutians were an active battleground in that war - Dutch Harbor was bombed by the Japanese and several islands further out on the chain were occupied by the Japanese and taken back by the Americans in very bloody marine assaults. While Dutch Harbor was a major supply point for the armed forces there, the military deemed Dutch Harbor 'unsuitable' for a airfield due to the mountainous topography and built their airfield on a nearby island.

When you approach for a landing to the north, you fly between two large mountains - you are below the peaks and the port wing seems way too close to the hill on that side.  Then you turn sharply to the right (to avoid hitting the mountain ahead) and land on the short runway just off the water and a road that gets closed when planes arrive or depart with 'railroad crossing' style gates.  Joyce says she was glad she didn't know what the landing was like, or she would have worried the whole trip!

Approaches to Dutch Harbor, from high on the hill where Ft. Schwatka a WWII army base was located to guard the harbor.

Another view overlooking Dutch Harbor - NO trees in the Aleutians - weather is too brutal!

Fishing boats - no Deadliest Catch boats seen here.
Most actually have homeports elsewhere, only here during crab season

Crab pots ready to go!

Russians were first European settlers here and Russian Orthodox still the dominant denomination

Russian Orthodox church

Much of the land around Unalaska is now native owned.
A land-use permit and a 4-wheel drive vehicle are well worth it to explore the dramatic hills and military artifacts

Impossible to capture how steep and narrow this road is in a picture!

Coast on the way to Summer Bay - the purple flower in the foreground is 'Fireweed'

There are so many eagles in Unalaska, that they approach 'pest' status

Juvenile Eagle - they don't have the black and white plumage until they are over 3 years old 

Red fox not that worried about me on a hill high above Unalaska

Finally decided to leave after quite a while!

Visitors to coastal regions in the US are familiar with hurricane evacuation signs - here it is Tsunami evacuation

We left Dutch Harbor on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry 'Tustumena' that makes a trip up and down the Aleutian Chain.  It is the lifeline the people that live in the small settlements along the chain.   Although there are tourists aboard, many of the passengers are locals traveling along the chain.

The 'Tusty's route:

Fog shrouded hills on departure from Dutch Harbor.  Most of the trip was foggy and rainy so not that many pictures.

First stop = Akutan

'Downtown'  Akutan

Russian Orthodox church in Akutan

You know you are in Alaska, when locals meet the ferry on 4-wheelers.

Recognize this boat in King Cove?
Cornelia Marie from Deadliest Catch

No great pictures from Cold Bay, Sand Point, Kodiak, or Chignik - rain and fog or nightime stop.

Dutch Harbor (Unalaska) and traveling on the Tusty were unforgettable experiences - probably the favorite part of our Alaskan trip!

Tom
Docked in Marco Island