Wednesday, April 29, 2009

OK, we are IN the Keys!

"Key Brickell" was the 1st Key we saw today.
Then came Virginia Key & now we are anchored just outside of Hurricane harbor which is part of Key Biscayne. Our trip today was only 9 miles but we are exactly where we want to be, besides bad weather came & went (as it does in the tropics).
Earlier we stopped to top up our fuel & water, rinsed off the salty grime from the deck and emptied our garbage. Tomorrow morning I've planned a celebratory breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast & coffee! We normally just have a banana, water & a granola bar.
For the rest of today we are going to head over to some knee deep flats in the kayaks to snorkel around & then do some fishing, from the boat, this evening.
Mikaela, I didn't see any Miami CSI helicopters ;( sorry..
lol, maybe on the trip back ;)
ttfn~

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Miami then onward

We're still in Miami, a fuel filter malfunctioned & we had to kayak ashore in the middle of Miami Beach.
With my googlemaps phone I found an Auto Zone which, after several minutes of looking, found me a replacement.... for $3 bucks- Bonus! This in the land of nightclubs and Ferrari dealerships.
So, after spending Sunday night, Monday and today in the same place, we'll be able to continue on tomorrow.
We went into total energy conservation to preserve the batteries since the engine would not start - to charge them. I even left a solar trickle charger hooked to the batteries to boost them up. Tonight I finished repairs, bled the lines & the ole girl finally started up :)
Tomorrow we will only travel 14 miles- to get to Biscayne Bay and the Cape of Florida.
But, we will be out of Miami and at the "Jump Off" point for the 2 day grand finale' for this journey! From there we will be in position to sale "outside" in the Atlantic the following day. We are in very high sprits in anticipation for the final 95 miles where we we hit le grand target of Boot Key Harbor/ Marathon Key mooring field.
That's where the scooter is unloaded & part 2 of the trip starts!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Canyon

From Boca Raton, through Vero-Jupiter & Palm Beach to Miami is a stretch of waterway known as the canyon.
Narrow and tall concrete walls (condos) on both sides. Apparently this is why many sailors go "outside" (into the Atlantic) to avoid all this crap.
In 2 days we've gone through 34 bridges from Boca Raton to Miami.
This area is full of rich snobs for the most part (can you tell I'm tired, LOL).
We've seen mansions that could have easily been owned by Trump or Oprah & huge yachts owned by rich and famous..
Me, I felt like Jed Clampit dragging my old ugly floating station wagon through the fanciest of areas.. Just the right incentive to bring her back to her old glory prior to the trip back :)
On a happier note, today Scott pointed out a Manatee while we were doing circles waiting for a bridge to open (some only open every 30 mmin's on the hour & some only on the quarter after & quarter of). After the bridge opened I saw a young Manatee (about 3-4') swimming towards the other!!! Too Cool!!
PS- Mom, that tray of brownies was GREAT!
We are now at Mile 1088
If weather holds (it has been beautiful!) we should end this journey in 3 days.
I have a lot of photos to post a link to- once we get there.
Oh & yahoooooooo, the SOX swept the yanks!!

Friday, April 24, 2009

1000 Miles on the ICW!

Today we hit the 1000 mile mark of this trip.
I also learned from a dear friend that JIMMY will be at mile "0" on May 5th with the today show. We will be there!
OK, so I haven't posted since my visit with my parents.
It was too rushed, I wish I could have spent more time with them, they're great parents.
Mom cooked one of my favorite meals, they ran us around so we could re-provision and then sent us off with a goody bag and tray of brownies- waving from their dock as we hoisted sails and continued our journey.
Since then we have traveled the Indian River at length & I mean forever.
Last night, at our anchorage, we witnessed a sailboat anchor where they shouldn't have & slowly their mast tilted over as the tide went out. They had to be towed off the sandbar in the morning. Anchored next to them was a party boat I can't remember the name (I'll have to post pics later to jog my memory).
So we are anchored at mile 1000.2 & today we jumped into the water soon after anchoring, to celebrate :D
tonight we are cooking burgers on a sandbar in a fire pit!
Tomorrow we'll start our trip thru Miami.
Not far to go now :D

Monday, April 20, 2009

Daytona MM 847

Last night we anchored in the dark. We had no choice but to motor on to where we anchored for the night.
There were no anchorages for the last 20 miles so we had no choice but to drive on and hit our mark (in the dark).
We set anchor at 8:20PM so it wasn't like we motored on into the middle of the night.
We're not really pushing it, as some have thought. We get up when we wake up, lol.
Sometimes that's 8am, sometimes it's 10AM.
Yesterday there was a yahoo who sped through the opening under a bridge almost swamping a little boat & didn't slow down even as he passed us (under the bridge).
It would have done us no good to yell at him on the radio because yahoo's like that rarely even have their radios on... Maybe because everyone's always yelling at them for being a bonehead
Besides, the Coast Guard are pretty good at triangulating radio transmissions & busting people for inappropriate/improper radio use.
There was also a near miss as we left St Augustine.
Our anchorage there was 'just' North of a draw bridge.
We radiod the bridge for an opening & as we we just about under the bridge (committed- no turning capable at this point) a small sailboat with no radio (we heard the local marina radio the bridge too to explain a small boat w/out a radio was under the bridge) they turned right at us! They were newbies, covered in grease & out of control!!
I yelled in a voice I only break out once or twice a year & they were all apolojetic, etc.. but it was wayyyyy too close for comfort- AND under an open draw bridge to boot!
Anyway, We're real close to my Mom & Dad's place , so close we'll have lunch with them!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

!!FLORIDA!! ICW MM 777.8


< 3 Snow Bird sailboats heading North
<

Well, it's been a little hectic but we're in Florida finally =]
Not the Keys yet, but we are currently anchored in St Augustine.
On the gps chartplotter today I saw a nearby road. Some of you may have heard of it,
some of you know it well... "A1A" YAYYYYYYY!!!!
But the story for this post started a few days ago.
Let me backtrack a bit. Several days ago as we neared Jekyll Island, GA, the engine quit. We were in a sound where huge cargo ships were going back and forth.
The seas were rough, the tiny ship was tossed (Gilligan's Island reference-LOL).
What happened was with the rough waves & as we started getting low on fuel the filters got clogged from the junk on the bottom of the tanks. We went from 40 feet of depth to 14' very fast as the current and wind were driving us quickly towards shore... and a man-made concrete reef! yikes
So I immediately gave the order to drop anchor. Then commenced to diagnose what caused this. I cleaned fuel lines, checked fuel pumps (2) & changed filters (for 2 hours) to no avail. So as darkness was encroaching we made the call to BOATUS. We had them tow us to the marina we were heading for which was only 4 miles away.
The bill was $510 bucks! Thankfully Scotty (new crew member & new friend) and I both have unlimited towing insurance so it was free ;D
That night we stayed in the Jekyll Harbor Marina (niiice!) It had a luke-warm hot tub, a restaurant & most importantly.... SHOWERS! At this point in the game I hadn't taken one in over 2 weeks [ARRRG]
ANYway, the next day we met up with parrothead friends of mine & went to their house to visit. We anchored the boat in a little cove with other sailboats, kayaked to shore, loaded them onto their SUV & headed to their place. We had fun catching up, playing with their fun dogs & just relaxing.
I kinda had major reservations about leaving the boat anchored, locked & alone overnight. Well, the next morning (as a nor'easter type weather pattern built) we kayaked out to where we left the boat~ but it wasn't there 8^O
"DUDE, WHERE'S MY BOAT" Yes, I went there ;) another movie reference.

So as my life turned upside down my mouth went dry.
I scanned the horizon, nothing.
I kayaked back to the marina hoping it had maybe dragged anchor & someone towed her there. I scanned the marina back & forth for a pirate flag. No pirate flags were seen (I fly one off the stern).
So, as clamly as I could muster I asked the nice older lady at the desk (near the VHF radio in the marina office) "had anything exciting occurred overnight.... like, I don't know, maybe a boat which had dragged anchor- or anything like that?"
She said one had dragged off anchor in Florida. I retorted with "no, I mean like locally?". She then said oh yeah, one dragged out South into the sound about a mile away!
So she had a dock hand (who had seen it earlier) shuttle me out to it & there was SunRunner anchored way out there by herself a mile further South than I was!
I was happy as a pig in mud at that point, the world was right again & all's good.
From there "it was a dark and stormy night, a shot rang out, a ship appeared on the horizon" Actually (sorry for the Snoopy reference)from there it has been really smooth sailing. Today we did 61 miles saw more great scenery and dolphins & motored along with the Jib (front sale) up for most of the morning. I even sailed under a fixed bridge ( vs motoring under) for the 1st time ever. This afternoon contained a stretch about 10 miles long which was straight as an arrow, nicely narrow and very scenic. I had had my eyes on that stretch for several days. Each night we plan and map out the next days leg where we factor in weather, stops and unplanned issues. It's fun to look beyond & in one nights planning I had found that stretch. Finally today we got to it at Mile Marker 750.
I was ready to hoist the sails & enjoy the ride... Would you believe it, no wind!
ARRRRG! So I grabbed a Diet Mt Dew, a book and went up to the bow to read and sunbathe. It was so cool! I really enjoy seeing the houses along the ICW & their elaborate docks!
No Manatee or Alligator sightings yet but today, as I rode on the bow doing a Titanic moment on the very front, I saw a dolphin 2 feet below me swimming along. It was long enough for him/her to take 3 breaths then it dove & was gone.
Finally as we entered into this anchorage "Starey Larry" came peeping his head out of his sailboat like a groundhog as I was about to anchor near him. Then he yelled over, "DON'T anchor there, you'll run aground in the morning at high tide" ...WHAT?!! That's just crazy talk, LOL!!
Dinner tonight was ribs (thanks again Sam!) mac-n-chees and green beans :)
'nite y'all

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Jekyll Island, Georgia ICW MM 684

We stopped at a marina tonight (a very rare treat).
1st shower in 2 weeks! Plus there was a hot tub =]
We may not get to the Florida Border until Friday- even though we are around 20 miles from it. We're stopping in to see friends, phellow parrotheads, in St Mary's, Ga.
We have some re-provisioning, laundry, rest and that Nor-Easter to get done/ through before we head to Mom & Dad's hose.
Once we get going I'll post again (Fri or Saturday).
Leave some comments
miss y'all... especially Mikaela!!!!
TTFN

Monday, April 13, 2009

:)

All's good. Stopped @ 4pm today to let weather pass.
Ty, hope you are doing better.
Mikaela , miss u bunches xo
At MM 646, bad reception area...
Suz, will call in the morning.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Saturday Night Live

Coming to you from Hilton Head Island, South of "Paris Island" (Marines)..
Another fine day on the water. We covered 62 miles today, hitting our mark for the 3rd day in a row for a 3 day total of about 184 miles!
We stopped today at ICW Mile Marker 563.6 / where Norfolk, Virginia is Mile 1
Our coordinates are:
N 32* 10.8858'
W 80* 49.3281'
Highlights for today were great weather, numerous dolphin, seeing Paris Island and alot of great scenery.
We'll be in Georgia by lunch tomorrow.

Friday, April 10, 2009

South of Charleston

Nearing Paris Island..
Tomorrow we'll aim for Hilton Head Island.
We're closing in on our anchorage for the night after doing about 51 miles today.
51 miles (1 more then the average for sailboaters on the ICW) is awesome considering the conditions today.
It was very windy, we were heading into it all day, and we fought the tidal currents too.
At times we were doing 3 or 4 knots/hour!
1 small stretch (about the length of a football field) was called "Elliot's cut".
It was very narrow and we were fighting a 4 knot current!
In that stretch we were barely making headway at times, hovering at a forward net speed of about 2 Kts/hr!!!!! WHEW! I was white knuckling it for about 20 minutes!!
More pics tonight when we stop :)
PS, I've been told by several blog followers that they can't wait to login to see what's up.
I do the same each day to read the comments ;) hint
If there's anything you'd like us to report on differently or in more depth, whatever- just let us know by commenting.
There's no registration required any longer now :)






Thursday, April 9, 2009

Awesome day on the water!

We traveled 71 miles today & hit our predetermined anchorage.
Our current postion (listed below) sets us halfway between Georgetown, SC and Charleston.
MM 448 on the ICW.
N 32*54.036'
W079*40.109'
We're pretty happy with the days work.
Tomorrow we'll make a quick pitstop for fuel & water, head through Charleston & aim for Mile Marker '500' near Edisto Island.
:D

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Crew Change


Ty had some medical issues he needed to take care of so he went home.
I've been solo-ing for the past 3 days or so.
While awaiting that tornado watch to expire the other day I met a cool live-aboard couple who invited me to their boat for some great coffee & to watch the weather channel.
While there I met Scotty... My new crew!
He has kayaks and a chart plotter (plus ICW experience) to add to the adventure so I decided to welcome him in.
This will be a great relief since I have a bruised(?) rib from pulling up the anchor yesterday.
Once in the Keys he'll fly home..

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Slow, Steady & Safe

That's all to report for now.
Weather dipped into the 50's today!
Frost warning tonight then the rest of the week will be great.
Georgia is the goal by weeks end.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Dog Overboard found 4 months later!


SYDNEY (AFP) – A pet dog that fell overboard in rough seas off Australia has been reunited with its owners after surviving alone on an island for four months, reports said.

Sophie Tucker, apparently named after a late US entertainer, fell overboard as Jan Griffith and her family sailed through choppy waters off the northeast Queensland coast in November.

The dog was believed to have drowned and Griffith said the family was devastated.

But out of sight of the family, Sophie Tucker was swimming doggedly and finally made it to St Bees Island, five nautical miles away, and began the sort of life popularised by the TV reality show "Survivor."

She was returned to her family last week when Griffith contacted rangers who had captured a dog that had been living off feral goats on the largely uninhabited island, in the faint hope it might be their long-lost pet.

When the Griffiths met the rangers' boat bringing the dog to the mainland they found that it was indeed Sophie Tucker on board.

"We called the dog and she started whimpering and banging the cage and they let her out and she just about flattened us," Griffith told the national AAP news agency.

"She wriggled around like a mad thing."

Griffith said that when the dog was first spotted on the island she had been in poor condition.

"And then all of a sudden she started to look good and it was when the rangers had found baby goat carcasses so she'd started eating baby goats," she said.

Sophie Tucker, a member of the Australian cattle dog breed, had been quick to readjust to the comforts of home, complete with airconditioning, Griffiths said.

"She surprised us all. She was a house dog and look what she's done, she's swum over five nautical miles, she's managed to live off the land all on her own," Griffiths said.

"We wish she could talk, we truly do."


Sunday, April 5, 2009

Red Skies at night...

Sailors' delight or in Italian;
Rosa sta serra, buon tempo despera.

Funny story about how I learned that.
You have time for a story? Always polite to ask.. (line from a movie, lol)
While in the Army, in Italy, I was on patrol with my partner for the night, an Italian cop.
He spoke very little English, and at the time, I spoke very little Italian.
So we passed the evening teaching each other how to say the above sailor's quote :)

OK, down to business.
My current position is:
N 33*51.559'
W078* 38.055'
Today SunRunner did 60 miles and got me into South Carolina!
I was just holding on, she did the hard part ;)
Today was just a gorgeous day on the water!
I saw big casino boats, a dolphin and many awesome houses along the ICW.
SunRunner's anchored in a wide spot with a channel marker to the bow and a dock protecting my "6" (stern).
I threw an anchor off the stern so I wouldn't swing on the hook out into the channel ;)
That 2nd anchor was given to me by a friend of the family, Peter.
So here's a shout out to him!
Thanks Peter! :D


Friday, April 3, 2009

WINDY Friday

Well, we're still in a weather hold near Wrightsville Beach, NC.
It's very windy, 25-35 mph gusts.. but at least it's Sunny!
The wind will be ending tonight so we plan on an instant coffee/early start tomorrow!
It looks to be a beautiful weekend!!
No dolphins today but a wind surfer zoomed by a little while ago, lol.
I'm laying here in the aft/Captain's quarters rolling to the waves, listening to a local rock station swinging on the anchor line. Every once in awhile the boat will swing so my cabin is filled with vitamin D (sunshine) & I love it!
Each night Ty and I swap off cooking. We had sausage filled tortolinis with marinara sauce last night. During dinner we usually watch a couple episodes of the old WWII documentary; "Victory at Sea". I have the sries on DVD & love it.
I remember watching "The World At War" on PBS- as a kid with my Dad :)
Not much more.. Next update tomorrow afternoon.
Well, we're still in a weather hold near wrightsville beach
it's very windy, 25-35 mph gusts..
The wind will be ending tonight so we plan on an instant coffee/early start tomorrow!
It looks to be a beautiful weekend!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Due to the weather, circumstances, etc..

We've decided to turn around and abandon our FOOLish endeavor...





you know what's next, right??

APRIL FOOLS!!
Onward South, in the rain.
Looking to get South of Wrightsville Beach today :)

Also, today I'd like to make mention of the Boat, "April Fool".

Hugo Vihlen was a $23,000-a-year pilot for Delta Air Lines when he decided a few years ago—for no reason he has adequately explained—to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the smallest boat ever used for such a purpose. His vessel, called April Fool and measuring precisely 5'11?" from stem to stern, was less than half the length of Robert Manry's Tinkerbelle, the previously smallest craft to make the crossing.

The voyage is described by Vihlen in a diary he kept and which is now published as a book, April Fool (Follett, $5.95). The book jacket suggests the reader may appreciate Vihlen's feat the more by imagining sailing the Atlantic in "your bathtub with a mast and a three horsepower outboard motor...." Certainly the photographs that accompany the story are no help; they make April Fool look as though she has been cleaved in half—or thirds, as if perhaps both bow and stern are missing.

Vihlen had not sailed for 18 years when he decided on his trip, and so when the plywood and fiber-glass boat was launched he kept making elementary mistakes—things like getting hit by the boom. When he asked people for advice or help, he was usually advised not to go. His first attempt was aborted when—after getting two months' leave from Delta and crating his vessel off to North Africa—he got hung up in official red tape, design deficiencies and by the African inshore winds. When he gave up, the Delta company magazine commented: "Rub a dub dub, Hugo's tub was a flub."

But Hugo Vihlen is nothing if not determined. He shipped his boat home to Florida, where he made extensive modifications, learned a good deal more about African coastal winds, and re-embarked from Casablanca the following March. This time he cleared the coast, caught the trade winds and—in spite of idiosyncrasies in his vessel like not being able to sail any closer to the wind than 90 degrees—made the 4,480-mile trip to Florida in 85 days.

The trip was predictably wretched. He was forced to sleep on his back with knees bent in his 5-foot cabin, and to set his alarm for two-hour intervals so he could keep adjusting his steering. It was also boring, but his health stayed good, his only complaint being a sore arm from steering.

When he finally reached the waters off Florida and was picked up by the Coast Guard, he was astonished to find himself a hero. The state appointed him a commodore, Astronaut Walt Cunningham sent his congratulations, and so did President Johnson. A whale was named after him.

And Delta Air Lines suspended him for being late getting back from vacation.