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

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:

'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)

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'. 

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)

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.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Marco

November 28, 2013

This is our third Thanksgiving since we began living on the boat, but the first time that we cooked a Thanksgiving dinner on boat.  It was, without a doubt, one of the BEST turkey dinners I can remember.  Kudos to Joyce the chef!

Our first Thanksgiving on the boat we enjoyed a poolside turkey dinner at Twin Dolphin.  The marina restaurant supplied the turkey, everyone brought a side-dish and it was a lot of fun.

We were in Marco last Thanksgiving as well (an unintended tradition?) and we went to Marek's, a nearby and very fancy restaurant.  In fact we really didn't know how fancy it was when we made the reservation and only realized when people around the marina said " You are going to Marek's?"  While the meal was good (and expensive), it was not great; but, the service was exceptional.

This year it was a Publix's turkey breast, cooked to perfection in our small, but capable oven.  The turkey was incredibly moist and tasty.  Complimented by mashed potatoes, dressing, and green peas and topped with perhaps Joyce's best gravy ever it was simply delicious!

I have always been a fan of our Princess stove,  but she really outdid herself today.  We had the oven and all three burners going at the peak of the cooking.  Propane is a compact and versatile cooking fuel and you can do anything you can imagine - you just have to be creative on space at times.




Princess Stove - picture is of a newer model, but basically the same as ours!

We have pumpkin pie for dessert, but it will be a while before we are ready to eat another bite.

Tom
Docked at Rose Marina
Marco Island, FL

Burrowing Owls on Marco Island

November 28, 2013

We are spending an unplanned Thanksgiving at Rose Marina on Marco Island.  We had originally planned to leave her on Tuesday after laundry, provisioning, and some repairs, but a strong cold front has delayed our departure until the weekend.

The delay did provide an opportunity to get some pictures of some burrowing owls that nest near the marina.  We have seen the owls on several previous visits to Marco, but it is difficult to get good photos.  But today, one did some great posing and I got some decent shots.

The burrowing owls are 'a species of special concern'  (not quite classified as endangered) and are heavily protected in Florida.  You can learn more about them at the following website http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/owls/burrowing-owl/ 

You do have to feel just a little sorry for the owner, of what I am sure is a fairly valuable piece of Marco real estate, who can do nothing with his property. 

We are cooking Thanksgiving dinner on boat today and enjoying a relaxing day.

Just as an update, our windlass seems to be working fine after some 'adjustments'.  We also did a long overdue replacement of the sensor on our propane fume detector.  The old sensor was getting increasingly flaky.  The design when the detector was first installed was a sensor on a 20' cable connected directly to the control unit.  This necessitated pulling a new cable, which was not an easy task.  The new sensor has a 12" pigtail which will make future replacement much easier.

Current plans are to leave here on Saturday or Sunday and start heading to Miami via Little Shark River, Marathon, and Key Largo (Rodriguez Key).


Tom
Docked at Rose Marina
Marco Island, FL

Marco Island

November 24, 2013

We are currently docked at Rose Marina on Marco Island.  As is our practice, Rose Marina is a relatively cheap entrée to an up-scale community.

We left Pelican Bay on a high tide the afternoon of 11/20/2013 and made the short trip to an anchorage near Useppa Island.   Useppa Island is another exclusive enclave that during the 1960s was a base for training the men involved with the Bay of Pigs 'invasion'. They lived on Useppa and trained on Cayo Costa in relative privacy and secrecy - how things have changed in 50 years!   Our  move from Pelican Bay was uneventful, except for discovery of a problem with intermittent engagement of our anchor windlass.  With the help of the 'wind-lad' (me) we were able to successfully raise our anchor.

On Thursday 11/21/2013 we traveled down Pine Island Sound and anchored at a spot off Punta Rassa in San Carlos Bay to stage for a trip down off-coast to Marco Island.

Friday offered a beautiful sail down the gulf coast with 15-20 knot winds almost close-hauled (off the bow); this was the second year in a row that this leg has been a great sail.  We made record time and were in Capri Pass, fueled and docked at Rose Marina by 2:00 PM.

Our first couple days here have been consumed by laundry and working on the windlass problem.  Lighthouse, the manufacturer, has been great and offered some good suggestions.  One of these was to relieve any strain on one of the power connections - apparently strain on one of the cables  has had a history of putting the related solenoid out of alignment and making it work erratically.   Totally removing the waterproof gland where the cable enters the control box markedly improved the performance,  but I had to 'play' with reinstalling the gland so as to not reintroduce the problem.  The biggest breakthrough, however, was when I disconnected the windlass switch in the cockpit (my idea).  This switch was installed in parallel with the primary foot switches and for reasons too complicated to go into, I suspected it might be draining too much of the control circuit current.  This pretty much eliminated the problem, at least for now.   We will be ordering a new solenoid assembly to carry as a spare if the strain/erratic solenoid issue returns/grows.  Since we spend the vast majority of our time at anchor, windlass performance is very important to us (especially the wind-lad)!

We had planned to leave here and head for Little Shark River on the far southwest coast of Florida on Tuesday, but a strong cold front is coming through tonight and will probably delay our departure.  Currently it looks like the best day to continue south will be Thursday (Thanksgiving Day).  We will probably celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday at Little Shark.

After yet another cold front passes, we will continue on to Miami.

Tom
Docked Rose Marina, Marco Island