Christmas in Marsh Harbour, Abaco

December 18, 2014

Well, this year we have made it to where we had hoped to spend Christmas - Marsh Harbour in the Abacos.  The biggest reason that this was our target destination this year was so that we could spend Christmas with our Grace Baptist Church family in Dundas Town.

The transit weather was great, as opposed to last year where we spent two weeks in Bimini and almost a week in West End traveling from Miami to Marsh Harbour.  This year we made the trip in less than a week with a 3-night stop in West End.  Great weather window!

We are docked at Harbour View Marina where we plan to stay at least a few weeks.

Time to take the fids off the coffee pot and tea kettle!

We have put up our Christmas decorations; we have a small wreath, instead of a tree.  When we were selling our house we gathered a small collection of ornaments to bring on the boat.  The criteria for selection were: small, relatively unbreakable, and of sentimental value.  In spite of a water dousing courtesy of a leaking water heater a few years ago, they have held up fairly well.  Our 25+ year music-box ornament still plays 'Silent Night'!

'Sled-bear' sliding down our cabin wall

Always remembering the true meaning of Christmas:

Wishing all a blessed Christmas from the crew of SV Barefoot!


Tom & Joyce
Docked Marsh Harbour, Abaco

Arrival West End, Grand Bahama

December 12, 2014

We have arrived in the Bahamas after crossing the Gulf Stream from Miami.

As planned, we departed Coconut Grove at 1430 on Thursday (12/11).  We like to leave so we can exit Biscayne Bay and start to get away from the coast before it gets dark.  After transiting across Biscayne Bay and out the Biscayne Bay Channel, we set a current sailing course for West End on Grand Bahama.  Because of the strong Gulf Stream (up to 3 knots) you must allow for the current in your course, essentially aiming somewhat 'upstream'.  There are calculations that help to determine your best course, but in the end it is always a bit of trial and error.

Wind was light and variable, so this was primarily a motoring trip. This was not a particularly fast crossing, but we were taking off speed for almost half of the trip to delay our arrival until after the marina opened and we still arrived too early. The wind picked up a bit about 10 miles from West End, but at that point we were really trying to slow up so as not get to the Old Bahama Bay Marina too early.

We still arrived at 0830 on Friday before any dock staff were on duty.  We temporarily docked on the seawall to await the opening of the marina and customs.  This docking was probably the most exciting part of the trip with a moderate wind blowing off the dock. With no assistance from the dock to handle lines, this is a relatively difficult maneuver, but after a couple unsuccessful attempts to get a line around a piling we finally snagged one.  Luckily, we had plenty of room.

After clearing customs and immigration, we moved to our slip.  Catching up on sleep and cleaning the boat after a month of Miami birds topped the activities list.

On Monday or Tuesday we will continue on to Great Sale Cay and then Green Turtle Cay, where we will spend some time.  We had planned to be in Marsh Harbour by Christmas, but it seems we rarely spend holidays where we thought we would.  We may or may not make it - that is the cruising life - you can sail or you can have schedule,but you can't have both!

Tom
Docked Old Bahama Bay
West End, Grand Bahama

Farewell Miami - Hello Bahamas!

December 11, 2014

It is with mixed emotions that we plan to leave Miami shortly and transit to the Bahamas.

It is with some sadness that we prepare to leave Miami.  We have been here for a little over a month, and have had a great time.  Miami is a vibrant and interesting city that we have grown to like very much.

When people imagine cruising on a sailboat, they naturally think about tropical islands and deserted white sand beaches - and certainly that is something that we experience in  the Bahamas.  But another aspect of cruising can be immersing in a city like Miami for an extended period of time - maybe call it 'urban-cruising'.   Seeing the sites yes, but doing everyday things like shopping, doing laundry, and riding mass-transit also makes you feel like a real part of the city.

Goodbye Miami -  we will be back!

But it is with gladness that we think about transiting to the beautiful Bahamian islands and seeing our many Bahamian friends.

Whether in Miami or the Bahamas, meeting people from other cultures is what makes travel special.  As we meet, spend time with, and get to know 'them' -  they magically become 'us'.

In the 'nuts and bolts' category - we plan to leave Coconut Grove on Thursday afternoon around 3 PM and transit the Gulf Stream to West End, Grand Bahama overnight.  This allows a daylight departure from Biscayne Bay and a Friday morning arrival at Old Bahama Bay Marina in West End.  Any Gulf Stream crossing must be taken  very seriously with the strong current and large amount of commercial traffic.  We will post some location updates while underway and another blog entry after arrival.

Tom
Moored Coconut Grove

Great Pizza - 'Visa-O1' in Miami Beach

December 8, 2014

Ice cream and pizza are two things we crave when we are in the Bahamas.  We find lots of good ice cream and gelato as soon as we return to the States, but good pizza is more illusive.  No longer...we've found a great pizza restaurant and coffee shop in Miami Beach, Visa-O1.  The chef, Renato, is in the US on an O1 visa, which are reserved for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement.  Renato has won many pizza competitions in Italy, and now we can enjoy his masterpieces here in Miami.  The crust is very thin, with a wonderful sauce and just the right seasonings.  And, his pastries are to die for, especially the Nutella croissants.

All Photo Credits TripAdvisor

Visa-O1 is not the easiest restaurant to find, being tucked in a back corner of the first floor of an office building.  In fact, the first time we went there, we had to ask the guard if there really was a pizza place in the building.  But, this is the way Renato likes it.  The hidden location and homey atmosphere make it special.

The entrance of the 1680 Michigan Ave building

Visa-O1 has been open 6 weeks and currently has 74 Trip Advisor reviews, 72 being the highest ranking (excellent) and the other two being very good, putting them number 1 of over 700 restaurants in Miami Beach.  Since we discovered it two weeks ago, we've visited three times, even though it's a 1/2 hour drive from Coconut Grove,  Today we took public transportation, a trip of 1-1/2 to 2 hours each way, which required two different buses, the Metrorail and the Metromover.  But, it was worth it! 

Renato in his native Italy

And, Miami Beach is always interesting, with a mix of model thin young people in high fashion and tourists speaking almost any language but English.  People watching becomes a favorite pass time.


Joyce
Moored Miami (Coconut Grove)

Miami - Nuts & Bolts

November 26, 2014

We have been in Miami for a couple of weeks now and have been having a great time.  This post is about some 'nuts and bolts' of  a Miami visit - particularly by boat.

We are staying on a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club where we have stayed many times before - a great place right in the heart of Coconut Grove .  A few years ago when we starting coming here, they had a number of open moorings which were available for transients on a first-come-first-served basis.  Although not guaranteed, there was a reasonable chance you would get a mooring.  Now with the improving economy, all their moorings are leased on a long-term basis (with a waiting list). Mooring balls are available to transients on a limited basis only when the regular boat is away (on trip or in the yard).  We feel very lucky that we got one this year, and know that the chances of getting one in the future are much slimmer than in past. This will certainly change our Miami adventures!

Although we usually rent a car for a few days to do our major shopping, we primarily rely on the great public transit in Miami.  The buses, MetroRail and downtown MetroMover can get you just about anywhere you want to go at a reasonable price.  In Coconut Grove the 'Circulator' (249) can take you around the Grove and to the Coconut Grove or Douglas Road Metro stations.  The basic fare is $0.25.  The Metro train can take you south to the University or north to downtown Miami or the airport and further north.  For the first time we 'graduated' to an 'Easy Card'  and a week's pass.  Although I am not sure we save a lot of money on the pass, it is very convenient and we find we take trips that we might not take otherwise.

We shop at the Publix on 27th Ave.  A 'Fresh Market' is within walking distance of Dinner Key, but it is very expensive and does not have the selection of a Publix.  Note, however, that there is not a lot of English spoken here - it is primarily a Spanish-customer store - but that adds to the adventure!

Coconut Grove is home to arguably the 'best hardware store anywhere' - Shell Lumber.  When my cousin first started raving about this store I was skeptical, but experience has shown that it is a great store.  They have everything, and with quality and selection way beyond the big-box stores or most hardware stores.  Check it out if you are in town.

We do our laundry at Mary's Laundromat and Cafe also on 27th avenue.  Also not a lot of English spoken here, but many machines in relatively good repair and a Cuban cafe on site.  So you can clean your clothes, eat a Cuban sandwich or a Media Noche, and sip you Cafe Con Leche in one stop - how can you beat that!

Today I tried to order a Cafe Americano (American Coffee) at Mary's with only partial success.  The server spoke almost no English and I speak limited Spanish and she had to ask another server how to make it.  Moral of the story- stick to Cafe Cubanos!

We usually try to top off our propane in Miami before we leave the States.  We  have found that propane is one of the hardest things to get in the Bahamas.  We go to Home Gas, also on upper 27th Avenue.  Jesus always cheerfully fills my tank, although he often chuckles good-naturedly when it is a partial tank fill;  kind of  "stupid guy - why don't you run it dry before you pay for a fill". I try to explain the situation, but I think I fail to adequately communicate my reasoning.

So enjoy Miami.  Embrace the diversity. Learn a little Spanish.  You will have a good time!


Tom
Moored Coconut Grove (Miami)

Miami - Entertainment

November 21, 2014

We have grown to really enjoy Miami!  It is a young and vibrant city with a distinct Latin vibe.

We have been here for about 10 days and have had some really fun adventures.

Mockingjay  (Part I)
We got to see Mockingjay (Part 1) the day it opened.  I (Tom) have been a huge fan of the Hunger Game books from before the first movie opened and I have found all of the movies well done and true to the books.  It is a very well crafted story that deals with a lot of very real (if somewhat exaggerated)  issues of income disparity and government control.  Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen perfectly as the reluctant hero.  I have to admit that I was disappointed when they split the third (final) book into two movies, but now, at least,  I can look forward to another movie.

University of Miami - Women's Basketball
We have long been fans of Women's Basketball and would have loved to see Syracuse play here, but that game is scheduled later in the season.  But we figured it would be interesting to just see a game and we went to see Miami open against Oakland.  They won handily, but it was a fun game.  It was a mid-day game which is unusual, but great for our commuting on mass-transit.  On arrival, we learned that the primary reason for the timing was that it was 'Student Day' when groups of elementary students can come for free.  There were about 4,000 kids there that day and we were very impressed by the good manners and behavior of the public school students sitting next to us.  Although enthusiastic and high energy, they dutifully put their trash in the designated bags and polite 'pleases and thank-yous' were abundant.  Well done parents and Miami-Dade Schools!

Miami Elementary Students enjoying the game

Some of the action
Not a great picture but the best I could do with my phone

Steel Pan (Drum) 'Seminar'
On a car-trip to Miami earlier this year, we had enjoyed a Steel Pan concert at History Miami (http://www.historymiami.org/).  The 21st Century Steel Drum Band was the 'Artist in Residence' this quarter and they were offering a seminar where you could learn more about the instruments and 'learn' to play.  We thought it would be fun and signed up.  It was a blast!   It was hands-on and we were taught a few songs - we actually didn't sound half bad on a simple version of 'Matilda'  - the more complicated 'Silent Night' was another matter.

Pan-Master Joyce

Tom with the ensemble

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens  (http://www.fairchildgarden.org/
We had been to this large botanical garden on a previous visit, but enjoyed it so much that we wanted to return.  We were not sure how many trees/scrubs would be in bloom at this time of year, but were pleasantly surprised to find that there were a lot of blooms on display.  Also the butterflies were posing nicely and I got some fairly nice shots.

Doesn't this tree look like it's decorated for Christmas!

Huge blossoms like above - different color

Rainbow Eucalyptus

Banana tree flower and fruit

Colorful shrubs

One of the art pieces from the exhibit that is currently being installed - major theme is 'balls'

The hope is that a predator would aim for the head with the big eye

On a personal note, we have also been able to spend some great time with my cousin and her family that live in the Grove.

Our newest crew-member!

Addendum  11/23/2014  UM Women's Volleyball

We went to our first Women's Volleyball game as University of Miami hosted Boston College.  It was much more exciting than we imagined.  'Kills', 'Digs', referee flag signals - so much to learn.  They play hard and fast with occasional 'change-ups' to keep the opposition off balance.  Pretty exciting!

Again, less than great cellphone picture, but hopefully it conveys a sense of the action

There was a middle-school band and dance team from a local Miami-Dade school at the game.  The band was amazingly good!

Tom
Moored Coconut Grove (Miami)

Barefoot Departs - We are in Miami

November 11, 2014

Miami Skyline

We have started our winter cruise leaving Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton on Tuesday, November 4th, and are currently in Miami.

In previous years we have taken our time and gunk-holed down the west coast of Florida taking 3-4 weeks to reach Miami.  For several reasons this year we decided to do a quick run to Miami and reached there in a week.

The biggest reason for the different strategy was a desire to minimize the number of  crab/lobster pots that we would have to dodge.  All down the near-coastal waters, you find crab pots and they get more numerous the father south you go, reaching 'epic' proportions from Cape Sable to Marathon. These pots must be carefully avoided - wrapping a line around the prop or rudder is a serious problem.

So we decided to go down the coast farther offshore, basically taking a rhumb line from Tampa Bay to Key West until about latitude 25.5 and then cutting over to Marathon.  This kept us in 40+ feet water and trap-free for most of the trip.  We still had quite a few traps from the 30' depth contour in, so I don't know if the effort was a total success, but we clearly had fewer traps in total and many hours where we did not have to keep a vigilant eye for traps.

This route, however, was about 215 nautical miles long and we were underway for around 35 hours - our longest passage as a couple.

We started the passage on Wednesday morning from anchor at Emerson Point on the Manatee River with a 3 AM departure out of the river.  This section features some shallow water outside the channel that requires careful navigation in the dark; a near-full moon, however, made it easier than usual.

Sunrise off Sarasota

 The trip was pretty uneventful except for some stronger than forecast winds on Wednesday night with 3-4' seas on our port quarter, that gave us quite a bumpy ride for a while.

Sunsets at Sea never get old!

We arrived in Marathon at around 4 PM on Thursday where we anchored off the Boot Key channel. Staying two nights here let us catch up on sleep at bit, do one major maintenance item and get some fuel.

Within miles of Marathon we ended up picking up some grass in our cooling water thruhull (inlet) that needed to be cleared.  A large amount of the grass around this time of year has a 'straw' like consistency that tends to get stuck right where the water enters the boat.  There is a strainer (filter) further down the line that is supposed to filter out debris, but this grass never reaches it.  We were able to motor relatively slow and get to the anchorage with the blockage without over-heating.  Then on Friday I (Tom) donned my snorkel gear to clear the thruhull.  When the visibility is low and a current is running (conditions I often face when I do this) this can be a difficult task.  At slack tide and with decent visibility in the water, I cleared it on my first dive!

Saturday had us passage up the Hawk Channel to Rodriguez Key, where we anchored for three nights, waiting out some squally weather in the Miami area.  A notable event of this leg was the large number of pink/purple jellyfish that we saw. One dive-boat Captain called them 'Moon Jellies'. When we were at Cat Island last winter, we saw thousands of little tiny jellyfish (about 1/4-inch in diameter) that appeared to have hatched recently - maybe these guys came from there? :-)

Monday we continued up the Hawk Channel to Biscayne Bay and Coconut Grove where we picked up a mooring.

Key Biscayne Skyline

Cape Florida Lighthouse

'Stiltsville'

'Stiltsville'

Miami Skyline

About 320 miles in a week - much faster than our usual pace.  Joyce will be very quick to tell you that this is equivalent to 3,200 car miles.

We plan to spend a few weeks in Miami, and then look for a weather window to cross over to the Bahamas.

Tom
Moored Coconut Grove, Miami, FL