Living Our Dream

Asleep In DC!

2011-10-01T19:53:00.001-04:00

Even this little guy doesn't like the cold gloomy days we are having lately! I caught him napping on one of our neighbors boats the other day. I'm beginning to feel like I'm living back in Rochester, NY. It's one of least sunny cities in the country. Today the temperature has plummeted to 47 degrees and has been raining all day, yuck! I sure hope this isn't the total end to our warm weather. I have been preparing the boat for the cold but not wanting it this soon. I guess I'll stop winning it is what it is and I can't change it.

We did get a respite of over the Labor Day Holiday. We flew to Florida to visit Mom and Dad. We did have some rain as you can see by the golfing picture of Dad and Larry. Rain coming side ways, wind blowing, clothes flapping in the wind.

We also had several beautiful, warm, sunny days and totally enjoyed our visit.

We went out to Pine Island one evening to go to Red's for dinner. On the way home we took a drive to look out at the gulf as the sun set. I took this picture of the lone palm tree standing guard by the shore.

We took the opportunity on one of the warm sunny days to drive out to Sanibel Island. It was a hot day and Larry and I couldn't resist the urge to swim in the gulf. We have never been to Florida during Summer and were delighted how warm the water is this time of year. As you can see by the picture Mom and Dad were enjoying their walk on the beach. They used to come to Sanibel often but hadn't been there in many years. It was a treat for all of us.

Earthquake and Hurricane in DC!

2011-08-27T19:18:00.001-04:00

It's been a relatively quiet Summer weather wise until this last week.

Tuesday the earthquake shocked all of us. It was my first experience of a quake of that magnitude 5.9. I may have felt slight tremors in the past but not enough for me to even remember them. Larry was at work on the 8th floor of his building. He like the rest of us wondered what was going on and after 5 seconds wanted it to stop. The shaking and rumbling went on for 45 seconds. It doesn't sound like a long time but it sure felt like it. While it's happening, your wondering will the building around you still be standing when it stops. I was on the second floor of the NHM beginning my volunteer shift. The floor beneath my feet felt like a trampoline as the quake started to rumble. At first we wondered had a bomb gone off or was something dropped on the floors below us. When it became sustained we then knew it was an earthquake. We were evacuated to the mall and only after an initial check of the structure, were allow to return to collect our possessions. The museum closed for the rest of the day. In fact all the museums closed until the next day. The Castile is still closed due to damage and is expected to reopen on Monday.

One of the members here at the club shared with me why it felt like a trampoline. The museums that line Constitution Ave are on very large pilings due to the fact that Constitution Ave many years ago was a canal. The soil around it is mostly sand and beneath the sand is bedrock. The sand would not make a particularly good foundation. The pilings are what gave the building a springy feeling.

Several of the buildings in DC were not as lucky as the NHM. The Washington Monument suffered quite a bit of damage. Check out the Post Blog in the link on this page. Click on the title of this post.

Yesterday we spent considerable time preparing for Hurricane Irene's arrival. We removed our canvas tarps and sunshades, lashed down our jerry cans and tied our head sail with several wraps. My plants are on the floor of the cockpit and loose things are safely stowed below with us.

The sun was shinning and when we finished we took the bus to the American Indian Museum. While we were enjoying the museum it had rained, the first of what is to come. It had finished when we came out so we walked home. On the way we stopped at Starbucks for coffee and a Chi.

When we got back the club was hosting it's usual Friday night fun night. This one with a twist, they called it a hurricane party. Everyone's mood seemed to be light, except for a few that were very nervous and afraid of the impending storm. We told them to stop watching the weather channel and prepare their boat and not to worry the weather is out of our control. We stayed longer than we planned but arrived back before 8:30 PM.

Water Fall outside American Indian Museum

It wasn't raining this morning when we got up but it started around 10 AM and hasn't stopped since. It's now almost 7 PM. We didn't get the extreme high tide that was predicted during the night but with all this rain who knows what will happen tonight. We haven't seen winds more than 20 knot gust so far. I hope that is all we get.

The last hurricane, Isabelle, that came though DC flooded the underground garage. Because of that everyone was ask to move their vehicles to the outside parking lot. Larry moved our motorcycle outside yesterday. The last hurricane we went though in Deltaville, Va our bike blew over in the parking lot. This time all the bikes were parked tight between trucks and cars in the lot, in hopes of protection.

This weekend is Larry's three day weekend and we had planned to go down river on the boat. Mother Nature had other plans for us, here we sit at the dock watching out the ports at the gallons of rain as it falls from the sky. Could be worse, at least we are dry and safe.

Picture looking though the dodger at all the rain earlier today!

Cherry Blossom Time in DC!

2011-04-05T15:16:00.000-04:00

The first weekend of the cherry blossoms we took a walk around the Tidal Basin to enjoy the trees in bloom. Most of them were quite full but some still had a ways to go.

The festival is about two full weeks encompassing three weekends with different events going on each weekend. The first weekend suffered from some cold windy weather but no where near as much as the second weekend. This past Saturday was cold and windy with thunderstorms. Here at the waterfront musical bands and vendors we set up for a day of festivities to end at dusk with fireworks. The music was intermitant between the storms and we watched the fire works from inside our enclosed cockpit, it was too cold to be out on the sea wall. Friends here at the club told us how last year you could hardly move on the sidewalk for all the visitors, not so this year.

Today we are having high winds that are blowing the blossoms into the water. Who knows if any blossoms will be left for next weekend. I feel sorry for the visitors to DC with all the rain and cold weather we have been having.

I've included some pictures of our walk around the Tidal Basin two weekends ago and of our walk to the National Mall this past Sunday.

Gail at Tidal Basin

Larry on walkway around Tidal Basin

View of Washington Monument though the cherry trees

Jefferson Memorial

Many visitors at the Tidal Basin

Magnolia Trees and garden at Smithsonian Castile

It's Been a Long Time!

2011-02-12T11:24:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a very long time since I last Blogged. You probably think we have hibernated like bears for the winter. Believe it or not we have been busy and some times enjoying the weather. It's been cold here in DC but not much snow, which has been OK by me. We had our share of shoveling when we lived in NY.

Lots of event have transpired since my last entry. I visited my Sister, Patti in Nevada in September. We have had visits from two of our daughters. Patience came to see us for a long weekend in late September and Sarah came in October. For Thanksgiving we rented a car and drove to Florida to visit Mom and Dad Hodge. In December we rented a car and drove to NY for Christmas, where we got to see all of our children and grandchildren.

Two weeks ago we went on a skiing weekend with Larry's work to West Virginia. We haven't seen that much snow in five years. We had a good time tubing and cross country skiing. Last weekend I hit the big six o and we went to National Harbor for the event and stayed at the Gaylord Resort. The picture is of Larry and me out to dinner to celebrate.

This week end we are staying around the club and taking it easy. The temperature is in the 40's but windy and no snow. It almost makes one think that spring is around the corner. We know better though they got a big snow storm last year in February.

I forgot to mention that we became members of the Capital Yacht Club in September and now have a dock at the club. We moved here from Gangplank just before Thanksgiving. It's nice to be close to the club, not so far to walk for laundry and to visit.

Larry has been very busy at work and came down with a cold bug this past week but seems to be feeling more himself today. He is keeping busy, getting ready to install a SSB (single side ban) radio. We have plans to change and add several things over the next four years.

I've been busy volunteering at the NHM (Natural History Museum), my favorite of the Smithsonian Museums. I started out in the Butterfly pavilion and the Insect Zoo and now I am also in the Orchid Exhibit. The Orchid Exhibit will run until April 24 of this year. I will probably be called back to West Marine in a few months when the boating season begins again here on the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding areas.

I have been taking loads of pictures all Fall and Winter and promise to get them uploaded to Flickr soon. You'll have to keep checking back. It has felt good to blog again and I'll make a effort to not be so long in between blogs in the future.

Summer Coming to a Close in DC!

2010-09-08T16:45:00.006-04:00

A week and a half ago we had two little visitors from Rochester, NY, Jonathan and Joseph, our grandsons. The week went entirely too fast. We packed so much into the week that Papa and Grandma needed a week to recuperate. I'll post pictures of the week when I return from my visit with my sister Patti. This picture is of the boys on our ride back to NY.

Over Labor Day weekend, Larry and I went for a motorcycle ride to the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was much warmer than our last trip to the Blue Ridge two years ago. It actually snowed on that trip. Of course it was the end of October, what did we expect.

This trip, the day time temperatures were perfect, not to hot and not too cold. We rode for two days straight on the Skyline Drive taking frequent stops at the overlooks and visitor centers and lodges.

It took us an hour and a half from DC to Front Royal and the beginning of the park. When we arrived on Saturday we went to our motel to see if we might check in but our room wasn't ready so we started to drive the park. We went about half way and decided to take the valley back. We knew it would get cooler as the afternoon faded into evening. We enjoyed the drive though the valley every bit as much and the drive on the ridge. It was evening by the time we returned to Front Royal. Upon our return we went in search of a place to have dinner. We found a quaint little place within walking distance from our motel. The food was very good.

The picture is of the Shenandoah River taken from one of the first overlooks upon entering the park.

On Sunday after breakfast we started our day by taking the valley to the bottom of the Skyline Drive and entering the park at Waynesboro. We drove the entire length of the park that day. Making frequent stops to give our behinds a break.

The picture was taken while we were driving to the one and only tunnel on the parkway. It goes right though the mountain.

Sunday night finding a place for dinner was more of a challenge, as not many places were open for our business or anyone else's for that matter. We finally found a little place in town. It was more of a wine and cheese place but the owner was very accommodating and managed to serve us enough to satisfy our hunger.

This picture is for Mom Hodge. We found this thistle growing by the side of the overlook and it fit in well with our shot of the valley below.

It's Monday and time to return back to DC but not until we visit the Skyline Caverns. After breakfast we drove the less than mile and a half form the motel to the caverns. We chose this cavern because it looked less commercial than the one in Luray. It proved to be a good choice and we enjoyed our tour very much.

The picture is of Larry and me by a stalagmite on the floor of the cavern. I have many more pictures of the weekend and will put them on the web when I return from my sisters.

We had a good drive back to DC, but the traffic did pick up the closer we got.

Big Birthday for Larry!

2010-07-19T08:54:00.013-04:00

We celebrated Larry's 60th birthday on the 8th of July. Our celebration party consisted of two, Larry and me. I made his favorite meal of lasagna. With all my food allergies, he doesn't get to have it at home very often. I was able to find substitute ingredients for it here in Washington and it was delicious. We had it for two dinners. The picture is of Larry ready to did in. My food challenges have prompted me to experiment and create my own recipe library. I may not be able to have everything when I'm out but I can at home. I find it hard to believe he is 60 and I'm not far behind him. I think our life changes over the past five years have very much contributed to our quality of life as we know it. I can honestly say we neither one have any regrets and are living life large.

The weeks of Summer are ticking down at a very rapid pace. It's been very hot here, we have had temps above 90 degrees for about 50 days now. I hope it means Winter will also be warm. Ha Ha.

The weekend following Larry's birthday we rented a car and drove to Deltaville to empty our storage shed and visit with our friends Tom and Cathie Dunn form S/V Interlude. Whey live in Gloucester Pt. We had a beautiful weekend and a great visit.

Larry seems to be settling into a routine at work and enjoying it. I find that comforting because this sure is a change for him, considering he was retired for 7 years. It definitely has been a big change for both of us. We love the city even with its crowds of people and constant noise. If you wish you could never have a dull moment.

After the 4th of July at West Marine business starts to slack off, believe it or not. My hours have been cut from two days at eight hours each to one day at six hours. My main reason for working there is for the discount but the extra money is good. I seem to manage to be busy regardless of the cut in hours. It's still life on a boat and every errand takes at least half a day.

I have today off but received a call from Larry about 8:15 AM and he needed a tie. He didn't wear one and had a meeting at 9 Am at the FAA building. What can I say my boy forgot his lunch and Mom had to bring it to him. Got my exercise this morning. It was a good walk the air was some what cool compared to what it has been and the walk was in the shade of the buildings. I may change my route to the Metro for work and catch it up by Larry's work. My present walk is straight up a hill in total sun. Hmm, let me think.

We had our first over night company since arriving here in DC. Our friends Keith and Jane from Rochester, NY. They were on vacation by car and making stops to visit with friends. We had a wonderful weekend. The weather was sunny and very warm, no rain in site accept after we were asleep, perfect. They arrived Friday evening around 5 Pm. We had dinner and visited.

Saturday morning we got up early and went to the Yacht Club for breakfast. After breakfast we headed up to the city by Circulator bus. We had planned to see the movie, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Saturday evening. We went first to the theater to buy our tickets, thus avoiding the line before the show. With tickets in hand we walked to the National Aquarium. This is one of the few National sites that charges a fee. It was $9.00 and was only a partial one floor exhibit. We didn't wish to be disappointed like those coming out and saying it wasn't worth the money so we left.

We then walked to the National Mall and the Air and Space Museum.The photo was taken of one of the planes suspended from the ceiling. We spent several hours and still didn't get to see the entire museum. More another day. Larry and I joke that we have five years to see it all and we think it will take that long. From there we went to the National Portrait Gallery to visit the Norman Rockwell exhibit. Jane and I both are fans of Rockwell and we all enjoyed the exhibit. I would have liked to see more of his work.

After the Portrait Gallery we walked across the street to Gordon Biersch Brew Pub for dinner. I had called earlier in the day for a reservation but the person I spoke to failed to put our reservation in the computer. They were very apologetic and got us to a table right away. We were not in a big rush it was 5:30 and we had tickets for the 7:30 show. We were enjoying our drinks and didn't realize how late it was getting until our food came. We didn't rush but when we were finished and the waiter came to see if we wanted anything else, we said the check please. He left and came back a few minutes later and said our meal and drinks were on the house. We sat there in total surprise while he explained their policy is to get your meal out in 15 to 20 minutes after you order, ours took 45 minutes. Wow. I guess they want to make sure you return and don't bad mouth them to others. It works, we'll be back. We gave a healthy tip to our waiter and left for the movies.

There was a line for tickets, prior purchase, good move on our part. The critics didn't give this movie a very good rating but in my opinion they don't know what I like and I liked this movie. It made me laugh and those of you who know me, know how I like to laugh. Keith got a kick out of how I laughed out loud. I told him that's why Larry doesn't like to take me out in public to the movies. We all had a good laugh about that.

On Sunday morning we had a cooked breakfast on the boat before they had to head to NY. We heard from them that it took just under 7 hours. It pays to travel on Sundays and avoid the rush hour during the week. We'll look forward to their next visit.

Tuesday night, tonight, at the club is spaghetti night. We plan to meet Sally and Andy there for dinner. I of course will bring my own.

Independence Day in the Capitol!

2010-07-05T21:16:00.004-04:00

This weekend DC was a very busy city. Thousands of tourists traveled to the city and especially the water front. Mainly to watch the beautiful fire works display. We were lucky we just sat in our cockpit for a front row seat. The picture above doesn't do justice to the beauty of the display. The show went on for 17 minutes and ended in a grand finally. The anchorage was packed with anchored boats seeking an unobstructed view. The music and festivities at shore started around 1PM in the afternoon and continued for some time after the fireworks ended. The air temperature steadily rose all week after a cool beginning. It made for a steamy 4th of July. It was not only very warm but noisy for the entire day. I can't remember the last time I witnessed this much of a celebration over the 4th of July.

This is our little friend India from the boat next door. She joined us on our boat to watch the fire works.

We both have been keeping very busy and it felt good to have an extra day off with the holiday but we worked doing boat jobs and laundry and errands so it went buy fast without any breaks and now it's back to work tomorrow.

Saturday we went for a ride in the dinghy. It felt good to be out on the water even though it was in the dinghy and not our sailboat. We may pick up a small fishing boat to use while we are in DC. That is if one presents itself at a much reduced rate of exchange. If not the dinghy will have to do.

Two weekends ago we played tourist again and visited the Natural History Museum. We also visited the Folk Life Festival on the Mall. I have put some new pictures up on Flickr. Be sure to click on the link at the right of the page to view them. I'll be gradually adding pictures now that I'm getting my albums organized on my computer.

Well it's getting late and it's off to work tomorrow so I'll sign off for now.

Doing The Tourist Thing!

2010-06-18T10:15:00.002-04:00

Week two down and Larry is still enjoying his new position at North Star. I think the big issue is getting used to a schedule of getting up each day and getting out on a regular basis. After five years of no schedule or a very loose schedule, this was a big change. I put in my second week at West Marine, only two days but I'm not used to standing all day for 8 hours on a concrete floor. I walk a couple miles in the morning and evening to get to and from the Metro. In the morning I don't mind the walk but at night my legs don't want to cooperate. Larry and I both are very tired in the evening and are waiting for this syndrome to expire, hopefully the day will soon come.

Tomorrow, Saturday morning we are taking a motorcycle ride to Front Royal near the Blue Ridge Mountains. The weather is supposed to be in the 90's and partly cloudy, a perfect day for a ride. We'll spend the night and return on Sunday. It will be nice to escape the city with the high temps but we do really love being here.

Last weekend, on Saturday we hung out on the boat, read and napped. We both needed the break after a very busy week. On Sunday, we played tourist and took a walk around the Tidal Basin and visited, along with all the other tourists, the monuments. It rained on us a few times but it was a delightful day. We ended the day at Trader Joe's for some much needed food and took the Circulator Bus home. We decided we liked taking the subway better. It is faster and no need to wait for a transfer. We did although use the bus on Friday night when we went into the city on 9th St to Ella's for a pizza (gluten free). That worked out, it was a straight shot, without the need for a transfer. The picture at the top was of the arch at the beginning of Chinatown. Chinatown was only a two block long area not as big as Chinatown in NYC.

Larry's First Day!

2010-06-08T09:56:00.005-04:00

Monday morning, rise and shine! Larry had his first day back in the corporate world. He looks pretty good in his sports jacket, shirt and tie and slacks. Oh don't forget the shoes, I don't think his feet will be the same again. After wearing sandals for five years and now dress shoes. He did clean up pretty good though. I can't wait for his Dad to see this picture, it's been so long for this type of dress, I don't think he'll recognize his son.

After a few hours of showing him around and introducing him to his coworkers he got thrown right into a meeting. Not just any meeting but one he is to be the lead. They gave him a break for this one but I'm sure not the next one. They kept him busy for the day and it sounds like today will be much of the same.

On occasion the owners give a happy hour after work for their employees and spouses. Larry just happened to start on the day they had one scheduled. They stopped work at 3:30 and went to the roof patio of the building for drinks and snacks. I forgot to mention this roof has a splendid view of the Capital building. I think this will be a good place for Larry to come out of retirement for a few years. They not only compensate their employees well, they recognize a need for occasional breaks from the norm.

Larry arrived home excited to tell me the days activities, a good sign. We both agree we love the city thus far and now it looks like he will love his job. We have been down to the yacht club several times now and each time feel very welcome. With all that we should have a good few years here semi on land in Washington, DC.

Your probably wondering what I did all day when Larry left. Fear not I had plenty to do. The boat was in desperate need of a cleaning in and out. I didn't want to waist the last few days before Larry went to work doing tasks on the boat so we didn't. I sat for a few moments and pondered being all alone for the day then went to work. I cleaned done below and threw things no longer of use away and packed away the rest. In Spring in DC the bug population is immense and our cockpit was just plastered. I set about scrubbing the cushions and fiberglass. It looked good when I got done but this morning there are more. Hopefully when spring ends so will they.

Today I start my training at West Marine I have to be there at 2 PM but will leave the boat at 12:30 PM. It will take me about an hour walking to and from the transit and riding on the transit to get there. I do the same thing on Thursday and next week I'll be put on a regular schedule of two days a week. I don't have to dress up like Larry but will wear a West Marine shirt and khaki shorts or pants. Larry already gave me a shopping list of things we need. The discount sure does make a difference. I'm sure I also will enjoy working, so far everyone there seems friendly.

Trip to New York!

2010-06-05T22:02:00.003-04:00

We left early Thursday morning a week ago to travel by motorcycle to Rochester, New York. Getting out of DC was interesting, even early in the morning the traffic is dense and bumper to bumper. I don't know how anyone survives driving in DC. I will much rather take the public transit, which we have all week since our return. It took us nine hours to get to Rochester and ten to return. My hind end may never recover.

The picture is of the party at our daughter, Jennifer's house on Saturday. It was good to see all the children having so much fun. The day was beautiful and the company and food were also good. Our grandson, Jonathan celebrated his 10th birthday on this day as well.

Sunday we visited our son, Dan and his family. Our granddaughter, Kira got to sit on her papa's motorcycle but as soon as the engine was started she was ready to get off.

Monday we hung out at Jennifer's house and had a visit from our daughter, Patience's best friend Kristen and her children. You can see Patience pictured here doing what she loves best playing with the kids. Left to right Kristen's son, Nick and Jonathan and our other grandson, Joseph.

Tuesday morning we left very early before the grand kids woke and they wake up very early. It was just beginning to become daylight. I thought for a moment we were still traveling by boat. Oh and yes of course it rained for our trip home. We wouldn't have felt complete if it didn't rain, it always rains. With the rain and decreased visibility it took us an hour longer to get back and we got back just in time for rush hour traffic.

We have spent most of this week discovering the transit and getting Larry's last minute details for work ready. I also, as Larry puts it am gainfully employed by West marine. Larry starts Monday morning at this job and I start Tuesday afternoon. He will be working five days a week while I only work two.

Our friends Greti and Richard M/V Uschi are here in DC for the week and we have gotten together on several occasions. I made for them a canvas hatch cover today and tomorrow the four of us are going to take the subway to Trader Joe's. They plan on leaving Monday morning to travel to Block Island for the Summer but plan to stop back in September. It has been good seeing them.

Well it's getting late and time for bed, tomorrow will be another day.

Exploring DC!

2010-05-26T21:28:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Andy and Sally drove us to Deltaville to get or motorcycle. It took almost 3 hours one way, that made for a very long day. It was great of them to do this for us. Now we will be able to drive to NY to visit our children and grandchildren. That is the plan for tomorrow.

This morning we walked to the Harbor Police department to get our boat registered for DC. We are a documented boat but they still want us to register if we plan to be here for an extended period of time. When we were finished we went for a short walk where I took this picture of the Titanic Memorial. We then stopped back to the boat and had lunch. After lunch we walked to Larry's new place of employment, it took just under 20 minutes. Not bad for a commute on foot.

The building is just a block from the National Mall so we walked up to take a look. I forgot how impressive the structures around the mall are. We went into the Air and Space Museum but it was packed with tourists from school kids to adults. I think we will go back at a less crowded time. We strolled though some of the gardens and they are in full bloom. The sweet smells of the flowers was very pleasant.

Tonight we went for a second visit to the Capital Yacht Club and met more members. Next week we will submit our paper work to start the process for membership. So far the members we have met are very friendly and welcoming. We are looking forward to being part of the club.

We'll it's getting late and I have to pack. We plan on getting started to NY by 7 AM and I'm very tired from our excursions today.

We're in Washington, DC!

2010-05-24T22:19:00.004-04:00

This morning we left the anchorage by 6 AM. We needed those extra inches that the high tide would lend for our escape from the shallow anchorage. We made it out but will never enter it again. It was a peaceful night but I think Larry was up most of night worrying about the morning, not me I slept like a baby.

The rain continued today with a drizzle until we got almost up to DC, then the clouds parted and let the sun shine. It hurt my eyes it's been days since we saw the great orb in the sky.

The picture is of Fort Washington. We don't know if one can visit this fort but I'm sure we will check it out eventually.

This was our last bridge, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. It is a bascule bridge but with a 75 foot vertical clearance we didn't need an opening.

This was a shot of the Capital building as we came up the river.

This is the Washington Memorial as seen from the water.

This is a plane taking off from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. There were many planes taking off and landing while we were coming up the river. The noise over head at our dock will take some time to adjust to I'm sure.

There was a special event happening at the Naval Academy as we came into the channel to take our slip. We actually were hailed on the VHF radio and escorted by one of the small inflatable boats. At least no one was manning the gun on the front like in Georgia.

We arrived at our dock about 11:30 AM not bad with the tide against us all the way. We checked in at the Gangplank Marina and went for a walk to check things out. We walked to the new Safeway store about a block away. The prices reflect were we are, a bit to high for my liking. I figure I'll have to find my way to Trader Joe's and Wal*Mart.

We walked next door to the Capital Yacht Club, it's very nice. We plan to get started with the membership process when we get back from NY. Wednesday night we will go to the club to meet more new members. We already have an offer form to members to be our sponsors. At Gangplank the people are nice but there just doesn't seem to be a community atmosphere about the place. Time will tell when we get to meet some of our neighbors.

Larry already turned in for night and I'm not far behind him. Tomorrow we are getting a ride from our friends Sally and Andy to Deltaville to get our motorcycle. It's about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour ride and we are going to get an early start.

Rain on the Potomac!

2010-05-23T21:50:00.003-04:00

We left our anchorage very early this morning to catch the rising tide up the Potomac. Just as we lifted our anchor the skies opened up and deluged us to the point that it was difficult to see. The rain brought with it cool air and the need for a fleece. A while later the sun came out and turned things into a sauna and the the whole cycle started all over again. This went on for the better part of the day.

The picture is of the route 301 bridge. We traveled under it for the first time with the boat. We have travelled on top of it many times driving back to NY from Deltaville. It sure does look different form this angle.

You can see from the picture the sun was out at this time but the wind had picked up and with the outgoing tide created a fetch. We bounced into it until we made a turn just past these cliffs and into our anchorage. We are anchored in Mattawoman Creek. It was a very narrow, weedy and shallow creek. I'm sure we will never use it again. It's very protected and calm in here but we bumped coming in. I hope we don't bump going out. Larry is already in bed and I'm not far behind him. We will get going around 6 AM so we have the highest tide when we leave the creek. We have only 30 miles to go tomorrow and should be in around noon, where our journey for now ends.

We're on the Potomac!

2010-05-22T20:54:00.003-04:00

We left Deltaville around 7:30 AM this morning and arrived at our anchorage about 1:30 PM this afternoon. It felt good to have a short day. The bay was not quite a trawler day but it wasn't bad. When we started the wind was 5 to 10 knots out of the East with 1 foot waves. As the day progressed the wind built to 15 to 20 knots with 1 to 3 foot waves. By that time we had made our turn to go up the Potomac River and it was all behind us. All in all we had a comfortable day. We listened to the VHF weather channel and now there is a small craft warning out on the river. You would not know it back in where we are anchored. We picked St Ignacio Creek just off the St. Mary's River. It's a pretty spot that reminds me of our anchoring in the 1000 Islands on both the US and Canadian sides of the St. Lawrence River.

Tomorrow we will leave around 7:30 to catch the ingoing tide up the river. We will travel about another 50 miles and put the anchor down in a creek for the night. Monday we should be in DC. We plan an early turn in tonight.

A Short Layover in Deltaville!

2010-05-21T13:10:00.005-04:00

The last several days have all run together. We were out of cell phone coverage in NC for most of the time and if we had it, it was spotty at best. We would anchor for the night in a protected anchorage. Arriving late and leaving very early at daybreak. We came into cold and rainy weather. A shock to the system. The picture above was taken on the Pasquotank River. We see these blimps each time but they still fascinate me. The hanger also is huge. After arriving in Elizabeth City we followed the Dismal Swamp Canal, or preferred route.

We spent the night rafted up with these boats at the Visitors Center for Tuesday night. Here in the picture on Wednesday we are tied up waiting for the lock to release it's water so we can continue on our way. Wednesday night we anchored in our usual spot, Fort Monroe. It was a calm and restful night.

This is some of the large boat traffic we had to dodge getting to Fort Monroe.

Thursday morning we woke and were underway by 6 AM. The Chesapeake Bay was calm and as a friend of ours says it was a trawler day. We made it to Delataville about 1:30 PM. We planned to stay for two nights so we could say hello and goodbye to our friends. The weather has become nice and sunny so yesterday and today have been very pleasant.

We have some news to share with those of you that haven't heard. Larry has taken a position in Washington DC with a company. It can last for as long as we wish and we plan on between 2 and 4 years. We are excited about this new chapter in our lives. We will still live aboard our boat and will be at Gangplank Marina in downtown DC. Our ultimate goal is to become members of the Capital Yacht Club and secure a dock with them. This is a process as some of you know. We don't know any of the current members and we need sponsors. We will visit the club and meet new people and start the process.

We are glad that the positives far out way the only negative we can think of (snow and winter). We have never lived in a city, especially one as big as DC. We are looking forward to using the transit for our exploring. We will be closer to our Children and Grandchildren and be able to visit on holidays year round. In fact we will be heading to NY shortly after we arrive in DC for the Memorial Day weekend and to celebrate our Grandson, Jonathan's 10th birthday.

I plan to obtain a job with West Marine for very part time to keep our employee discount. I also plan to do some canvas work and become a docent at the Museum of Natural History. I feel there is plenty to keep me busy while Larry is at the office.

All of this came to pass in the past two weeks. One of our cruising friends Andy connected Larry up with this opportunity and everything happened fast. We will miss our friends here in Deltaville and our jobs as well but these opportunities don't come along that often and we felt we would be foolish to pass this one up. It gives us the chance to build up our investments so we can continue to live this live on the water that we love so much. I will definitely keep up the blogging, DC has a lot to offer that I will like to share with you.

We are doing some catch up today and plan to leave early tomorrow morning. It should take us about three days to get to and up the Potomac and into DC. If my cell signal holds I'll do a nightly update.

Our Days Are Starting To Blur Together!

2010-05-15T21:30:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning we left Barefoot Landing as the sun was beginning to rise. The picture shows the swing bridge with the sun coming up behind it. We were the first to leave the dock and went though the bridge opening by ourselves. It was a long day and after a stop in Southport for diesel fuel we went on to Wrigthsville Beach and anchored for the night. It was our first time in this anchorage and it turned out to be very busy and a good one. In the evening the wind died down and we got a good nights sleep.

This was the Pontoon Bridge and as you can see it is being replaced by a high rise. All of us cruisers will be happy. This bridge is only open on the hour and when the tide is extremely low it can't open. Sometimes it breaks down and will be closed for hours even days. Even though it is the only one of it's kind on the East Coast ICW it won't be missed.

This morning we again got up at sunrise. I believe a pattern is beginning to develop again. Thank goodness it will be short lived. We will eventually get to our destination. Our day was long but ended at 3 PM this afternoon. We decided to take a dock at Dudley's Marina. It's an unheard of price of $.75 per foot per night including electric and they have a courtesy car. We needed to get to the grocery store, so what a deal.

Tomorrow we plan to go beyond Oriental, NC and anchor. We don't plan to get up super early but I'm sure we will wake up with the chickens. It's getting late and we both are not long for this world.

Moving Again!

2010-05-13T21:56:00.005-04:00

Tuesday when the repair guy came for the engine he realized that they forgot to order a new gasket. Another day to wait. I'm told patience is a virtue, besides being our youngest Daughter's name. We have found we have to have plenty when it comes to getting things fixed and the weather too, of course.

We finally left Georgetown this morning. We had a good ride with the tied today and arrived in Myrtle Beach early this afternoon. After tying up to the dock at Barefoot Resort and Marina we went for a walk to the shopping outlet across the ICW. It's bike week here this week so we also did a walk though to see what the vendors had to offer. When we returned to the marina we put on our swim suits and went for a dip. After a shower we went back to the boat for a late dinner.

Tomorrow morning we will get an early start and head to Southport. Depending on the tide we may go beyond Southport and up the Cape Fear River. We'll make that decision when we get to Southport.

The picture is of the aerial cars carrying the golfers form one side of the ICW to the other.

Repair Update!

2010-05-11T08:47:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning we got a call from the engine repairman telling us our part will be here today. It was overnighted from New Jersey. In fact, one of his workers is here now removing the old part. When the part comes in today they will return tonight and put it in. We should have no problem leaving tomorrow morning to press on with our journey.

One thing about being held captive at the dock, we get to go for walks. I become stiff when we have days in a row that we don't get off the boat. Some places that we anchor we have access to shore with the dinghy and some we don't. The problem with when we have access is that we don't always choose to go to shore because we are just to tired and sometimes it's late.

The past two days we have gone for a walk and today we will if the rain holds back. Right now it is very overcast and looks to be threatening rain.

The picture is of a Great Egret that fishes from the dock by our boat. I was watching him yesterday morning. He cranes his neck looking for his prey(fish) and when he spots one he swoops in for the catch. It was interesting to watch him as he fished and kept one eye on me, making sure I was no threat to him.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T19:02:00.003-04:00

This morning we just hung out on the boat until afternoon. I cooked an egg breakfast for us and we enjoyed each others company. It felt good not to get going early for a change. Of course we woke up early but that was OK as long as we didn't have to start moving.

In the afternoon we both did some cleaning, me down below and Larry topsides. After we finished we went for a long walk into town. I forgot how pretty Georgetown is. It's been a long while since we have gone ashore here in Georgetown. It felt good to stretch our legs.

While we were in town we went out to eat a late lunch/early dinner. We went to the Goat Island Grill. We have been there before and we are never disappointed.

After we ate we went for a walk on the boardwalk. While we were walking, Interlude came into anchor in the harbor. We talked to Tom by phone and he said it was cold and very windy on the ride up from Charleston. They may stay tomorrow and if they do we will get together. If not we will probably catch up with them along the way.

The picture is of two replica cruise ships the Nina and the Pinta. They were docked at a pier above the boardwalk waiting for customers to board.

Yesterday the engine repair man came and gave us the news of what had happened to our engine. We had a small whole in the mixing elbow on our exhaust. It became a big one when the build up of salt was removed. It was a matter of time till the salt build up came free on it's own. He told us he would have to wait until Monday to order the part, but it should be here on Tuesday. He will install it Tuesday night and we plan to be on our way Wednesday morning. That is providing the supplier has the part. We are hoping for the best.

Georgetown for an Engine Fix!

2010-05-08T08:42:00.004-04:00

We left Charleston yesterday morning around 8AM. We had to wait for the 9 AM opening of the Wahoo Creek Bridge, that was when it came off restriction. Tom and Cathie stayed behind and waited till 10AM. They could not get their slip until 11AM, so there was no need to rush. They planned to spend a few days in Charleston at a marina. We spent one full week there last trip North when we had our mast replaced, so we didn't wish to stay. We hope to see them on the Chesapeake this Summer.

We crossed the harbor and got to our next and last bridge for the day in time for the next opening. When we arrived and ask for the opening we were told that the bridge was shut down for 45 minutes for repair. Go figure, what luck we have. This time we dropped the anchor to wait. While we waited, Larry went down to check the engine. I had noticed water by the steps and felt he needed to check. The water we think came from the wall by the shower but he did notice that the engine now has a mist of white powder on it. It is still making the slight noise and now has what appears to be exhaust mixed with vaporized salt water covering it. We no longer feel we can wait to have it looked at. Larry called the Yanmar repair service in Charleston and left a message. We got our bridge opening and continued on.

We didn't receive a call back until we were several miles beyond Charleston. Not wanting to turn around and go back we ask if he could find a Yanmar repair service in Georgetown. He did and Larry called and left a message. When we got a return call that he could take a look at our engine this morning, we made arrangements to take a dock at Georgetown Landing Marina.

We arrived at the marina late around 7PM. The dock hands were still here and lent a hand docking. We were so exhausted from the day that we didn't even get off the boat. We showered and had some dinner and went to bed.

This morning we got up early and had breakfast and I was off the boat by 8AM to do laundry. It is already steamy outside and promises to be a hot day. Larry is at the boat waiting for the repair guy to arrive. We hope we are not going to have to stay the weekend and wait for parts but it won't be so bad if we can use the pool next door at the hotel. I would very much like to get back to the chesapeake and make it to NY for our Grandson's 10th birthday, so the sooner we get underway the better. We'll do what we can do.

The picture is of us this morning comfortably sitting and waiting at the dock.

At Anchor in Beaufort, SC

2010-05-06T15:43:00.004-04:00

We left Beaufort, SC this morning around 6:30. We needed to get though the Ladies Island Bridge before they closed to boat traffic at 7 AM, during rush hour car traffic. you can see by the picture of Interlude and the bridge that it was foggy. In fact just before we weighed anchor we could not even see Interlude and he was next to us. Fog is not a good thing on the water or land.

As the morning progressed the fog lifted and gave way to sun shine mixed with clouds. With the sun came the bugs, horse flies and some kind of small black bug. We don't know what kind it was and it didn't bite but it smelled if you squashed it. The horse flies on the other hand could and would bite if given the chance.

The night before last we did make it to Isle of Hope Marina. We arrived in the pouring rain. I opted to not do laundry. Schlepping it to and from the boat in the rain was a good reason. We have plenty of clothes and sheets and towels to get us though till the next available laundry but it will take considerable time for the chore.

It's now 4 PM in the afternoon and we are sitting comfortably at anchor in the Stono River just below Charleston, SC just off the ICW. Interlude is still with us but tomorrow we will part when we go onto Georgetown, SC and they stay in Charleston for two more days. It's been fun to see them again and I'm sure we will meet up in the Chesapeake this coming Summer.

Long Days and Skinny Water!

2010-05-04T07:11:00.006-04:00

The last two days have been very long and tiring and I will be very glad to be done with this trip. It's a few minutes after 7 AM and Larry and Tom are trying to figure out the swishing sound our engine started to make late afternoon yesterday. This year has proved to be very challenging as far as the boat and break downs go. I guess we are being tested for our determination for this life aboard. Well I guess we are going to get underway the engine works and we will run it and hope for the best. There is always Tow Boat US to come to the rescue.

We have been on the inside route ICW for the past two days. It has been high winds on the inside and even higher on the outside, with the threat of thunderstorms thrown in. Today the forecast is much the same.

We went by Cumberland Island yesterday and we can usually count on seeing wild horses on shore. I never tire of looking for them or at them. We saw six in total, two different places yesterday. The three in the picture were grazing and running along the beach at the North end of the island.

Kings Bay is just across from Cumberland Island, it is a naval submarine base. We have been treated to view an escort several times while transiting this area. I don't remember a gunner on the front of the Coast Guard boat before but one was there yesterday. It never ceases to amaze me how close we actually get to these vessels, but as you can see by the size of the gun on the front of the Coast Guard boat they are well protected.

We are now underway and it is 8:05 AM and the skies are overcast. Storms are predicted for today with heavy rain fall. We decided to lift anchor anyway, we can always stop if visibility gets impossible to navigate the ICW. There are plenty of small anchorages along the way. All the shallow skinny water is behind us, we did that yesterday. Georgia is known for shoaling and lack of dredging but it is behind us now.

Our ultimate goal today is to get to Isle of Hope and take a dock at the marina for one night. We need to get fuel, groceries and do some laundry. The marina has a courtesy car and the four of us will go shopping and stop on the way back for dinner. We should get to the marina mid afternoon. Tomorrow we will push on to South Carolina.

St. Augustine and the wind keeps howling!

2010-05-01T22:31:00.005-04:00

We picked up anchor very early this morning to pass though the Mantanza Inlet around high tide. With all the shoaling and reports the Coast Guard has been putting out over the VHF radio we didn't wish to take any chances. We made it safely though with plenty of water.

We arrived early afternoon to the Bridge of Lions, St Augustine, Fl. Unfortunately for us we missed the 1:30 Pm scheduled opening by 5 to 10 minutes. This meant we would need to wait for the 2 PM opening, that never happened. The bridge decided to break down just as it closed from the previous opening. After waiting for what seemed an eternity we decided to anchor and wait. Sometime after 3 PM we transited though the bridge opening. S/V Interlude was ahead of us and made the 1:30 opening. S/V One With The Wind went aground before he even made it to the bridge. Tow Boat US, came to his rescue and he anchored near us but decided he had enough excitement for the day and stayed put for the night.

It's 10:45 PM now and the wind and tidal current are battling for control of the direction of our boat. It's noisy and loud and I hope it soon quits so we can get some sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day. The tide will change at midnight and the wind is suppose to die down, promises, promises.

At Anchor in Daytona!

2010-04-30T15:37:00.003-04:00

By the picture you can see we had an early start this morning. We spent last night anchored out in Titusville, Fl. The railroad bridge which is generally open except when a train is coming though, was scheduled to be closed most of today for repairs. This made it necessary for us to rise early and get through the bridge before it closed at 7:30 AM. I can't say I like these early starts but if we are ever going to get back to Virginia, we have to do them.

This afternoon we had our anchor set by 2 PM. That was even with getting fuel and water at the marina across from where we are anchored. It was heavy winds today gusting above 20 knots. I'm glad we were on the inside, ICW and not in the ocean. Of course the weather report called for much less wind. You just can't trust those guys!

We are still with Tom and Cathie S/V Interlude and Kris and Rich S/V One With The Wind. We will gather on Kris and Rich's boat to discuss the tidal depths in Mantanzas Inlet for tomorrow. We draw the least 5', Interlude 5 1/2' and One With The Wind 6'. Shoaling has been a major problem at Mantanzas. The coast Guard has been putting out regular alerts via the VHF radio. It has tended to have all the cruisers concerned. We will have to time our arrival to be at mid tide. We'll decide the time to leave when we get together tonight. I know it will not be a late night tonight for Larry and me.

At Anchor Dragon Point!

2010-04-28T21:47:00.004-04:00

You can see by the picture we met up with Tom and Cathie S/V Interlude last night in Vero Beach. We were at Beachside Doubles tonight with them and another cruising couple Kris and Rich S/V One With The Wind, for dinner. Our three boats are sitting comfortably at anchor in the Banana River.

We had a good day on the ICW today, light winds and sunshine but the air was quite cool. It's supposed to get warmer over the next few days. I hope so because we are all thinking maybe we should turn around and go back South. It was actually warmer in Virginia today than here in Florida.

Tomorrow we plan to have another shorter day's travel like today. We will be in Titusville after about six hours of travel. I like shorter days it gives us a chance to relax before it's time to go to bed. Besides we need to rest up so when we get a window for an over night, we'll be ready to take it. That is if the weather cooperates. Well it's getting late and I'm about to call it a night.

Our Next Boat!

2010-04-27T09:11:00.004-04:00

Thought I'd show you our next boat, or should I say yacht! We have seen several of these since coming on the inside, ICW. I would have to have a crew just to clean the thing. They sure are amazing. I imagine it has close to the space we had in our house, no thank you. It sure is hard to imagine a bad economy when you take a ride though this area. Enough on that!

Yesterday we woke early to over cast skies and threats of heavy thunderstorms. Which we got mid morning. It's hard to concentrate on the driving and bridges when lightening is surrounding you. We made good time even with all the bridges. One good thing about nasty weather, we had no boat traffic with us or coming at us. Not even the fishermen come out in this weather. It meant we didn't have to wait for slower boats to catch up at the bridges that were on request. When we have to wait it makes it hard to get to the bridges that are on a schedule. All in all it was a pretty easy day.

We arrived at North Lake Worth and had the anchor down at about 5 PM. It was a quiet evening with no wind or waves to contend with. It was the least amount of boats at anchor that we have seen in Lake Worth in the past. Most of the cruisers gave up on the weather and headed North earlier in the month and last month.

Today we started out before 7 AM, we are planing to get up to Vero Beach. The sun is shining and the air is warm and the current is with us. What more could you ask for. It's 9:30 AM and we already have several miles under our keel and several bridges behind us. It has the promise of a glorious day.

Fort Lauderdale!

2010-04-25T17:42:00.003-04:00

After a very windy and rough ride on the ocean we made it to Fort Lauderdale around 2 PM this afternoon. the picture is of the pilot boat and barge we dodged coming past the Government Cut inlet in Miami. I can say I'm really glad to be at anchor here in Lake Sylvia for the night. I know I've said it in the past my days of heavy seas and stiff winds are over and I didn't enjoy today's ride. Call me a wimp if you may, I don't care. I think my captain will agree that today was very exhausting, and he was glad to arrive also.

I know it's been a while since my last blog, Marathon to be exact. After my phone broke and I got my new one in Islamorada, I had a very weak to no signal on my connection. We are back to populated areas so I should have a signal and will up date frequently.

Tomorrow morning we plan to head to Lake Worth. The wind is expected to clock around to the West, Southwest. If it does and the waves calm down we will go back to the ocean to avoid the twenty some bridges. If not we will take the ICW and all the bridges. At least it's Monday and all the crazies should be at work.

Windy, Windy, Windy!

2010-04-15T17:15:00.003-04:00

We are still waiting it out in Marathon. The East winds continue to blow and have reached higher than 30 knots. It is getting to all of us as we wait it out to go East to Miami and continue on North to our destinations for the Summer.

We have provisioned several times and keep eating up our stores while we wait. The sun has been shining with only a few thunderstorms rolling in. At least it has been warm which helps us handle all the strong winds. Unlike this past Winter when it was extreme cold with the winds. No sense in complaining, could be worse places to be stuck.

Today my cell phone broke but all is well, Verizon is sending me a new one, no charge to me. I'm having it sent to Islamorada. We don't need anything more to hold us up. Other than a few phone calls it was relatively easy to get a new phone.

As of today the weather looks like we will be able to leave on Saturday if we go on the bay side. I don't mind, I like that route, lots to see and many choices to anchor. Maybe we will be lucky and the weather won't throw us a curve. For now we are managing to keep busy doing things we would do when we arrive in Deltaville.

Back in Marathon

2010-04-11T17:13:00.004-04:00

We arrived in Marathon yesterday late afternoon. It was a beautiful sail from Little Shark River to Marathon. The sun was shining and the winds were 10 to 15 knots and gave us a beam reach, a comfortable one. Larry feels that it was one of our best sails in many years. The trip from Indian Key to Little Shark River, the day before, was under motor the entire way. That made Saturday's trip even more refreshing.

Last night we went to the store to get some much needed food and made it back to the boat just before the rain came. We did manage to squeeze a shower in too.

This morning we went to church and were greeted by our friends there and at the marina. Everyone was glad to see us even though they didn't expect to see us until next year. We have forged so many friendships here in Marathon. It certainly has made making the trip each season, very rewarding.

Tomorrow morning Larry will go to the dentist and I will do some laundry. He plans to clean the dinghy and boat bottoms when he returns. While we were in Fort Myers Beach the crud grew at an alarming rate. I have to do some mold removal in hidden areas inside the boat. In the humid climate it is an never ending battle for both of us.

It doesn't look like we will get out of here on Tuesday like we planned because of some heavy weather coming in. We plan to make the best of it. We have made plans to meet up with some of our friends for cocktails. Wednesday I plan to meet up with the sewing group. It's like we never left.

Delayed by the Weather!

2010-04-08T18:52:00.005-04:00

We did something today that we very seldom do. We turned around and returned to whence we came. The weather took a turn not to our favor after we entered the Gulf of Mexico and had traveled 8 miles. The wind was 15 to 20 knots with large waves coming right on our bow. This made for a very uncomfortable ride and a very slow go of about 4 knots. We had left Everglades City at 9:30 AM to get a rising tied for the shallow depths of the Barron River. It was around 11 AM when we passed Indian Key and entered the Gulf. All was well until we were 3 miles out and the wind increased. We would not have arrived until almost dark at the rate of speed we we going. We really don't like to back track but we also don't like getting beaten up. After all this is supposed to be fun, right!

When we got back to Indian Key the fetch had white caps in the anchorage so we decided to go one mile further up to Russell Pass. The wind is still howling but we are sitting quite still here at anchor and are looking forward to a good nights sleep.

Tomorrow our plan is to try again to get to Little Shark River and then the next day on to Marathon. If not we will just sit tight and go explore in the dinghy.

The Everglades by Canoe!

2010-04-07T19:54:00.002-04:00

This morning we left our boat by bike around 9:30. We waited for the no-seeums to stop biting before we ventured out. We biked to the rangers station, were we signed up for a guided canoe trip. The loop was about five miles long and when we left we were into the wind and current. We were fresh from sleep and it was a good thing. It's been a long time since I've had so much upper body work. I'm sure I'll hurt tomorrow but that's another day. We were out for about four hours. We stopped and tied to the mangrove trees for a quick lunch beak and rest. We were not able to get out because the tied was higher than normal and didn't expose any of the sandy beaches. We did stop at a shell mound where the Calusa Indians once lived but the bugs were too much to hang around for very long.

When we returned to ranger station, Larry and I went in search of food for dinner. We went to the Carmellia Street Cafe. One of the visitors on the canoe trip recommended it to us. She said it was where the locals eat. She had eaten there yesterday and said it was good and she was right. I liked it better than last night.

I don't think either of us will be up late tonight. Tomorrow morning we will leave and anchor at Little Shark River for the night. It will be on to Marathon on Friday.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-04-06T22:12:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe 20 years have passed since we said our I do's but it has. We had a great day on the water today together. It doesn't get any better than this. I'm sure all our cruising buddies would agree.

We left Marco Island before 8 AM and arrived in Everglades City around 2:30 this afternoon. The wind was on our nose so we motored the 25 miles on the Gulf. The distance was increased because we had to go out around Romano Shoal. The wind was out of the Southeast and created a fetch the further out we went so it was a bit bumpy. I wanted to bake a cake for us but was afraid it would fall. Good excuse, I thought so.

The ride up the Barron River was beautiful. The depths were a bit skinny in some areas but we saw no less than a foot under our keel. When we arrived at the Rod and Gun Club and tied up to the dock and checked in we went for a walk into town. This place still looks very much like it did 50 years ago.

We had dinner at the Rod and Gun Club tonight to celebrate our 20 years of wedded bliss. The picture is of us on the screened in porch were we ate. The Inn is beautiful and I took some pictures which you can view on Flickr at the side of this page under my links. I'll add more pictures tomorrow, we plan to ride our bikes to the Ranger Station, rent a canoe and see the Everglades.

Marco Island

2010-04-05T20:43:00.004-04:00

I'm told the economy isn't good in this country but it doesn't look like it's bad here in Marco Island, Florida. In the picture is a bucket demolishing what was once a house. Probably a small modest home. I'm sure if we we return next year we will find a lavish very large home in it's place. Like the one to the right in the picture. Some people must have some money. We see this happening all up and down the coast and in the ICW. It's hard to believe we have a bad economy when you see this kind of progress but it's evident when we see the many homeless in Marathon. It would be nice if it could somehow be balanced out.

This morning we left Fort Myers Beach around 8AM and fueled up at Moss Marine on our way out to the Gulf. As we left the mooring ball Larry noticed that the knot meter wasn't working. After attempting to clear it from inside the boat failed. He finally got into the water and used a brush to clear the gunk that accumulated while we sat still in Fort Myers' not so clean water. We set our sails and shut off the engine but it didn't last long before the wind died and we had to turn on the iron jenny again. It was a beautiful day on the water and we arrived early in the afternoon here at Marco Island. We anchored in about the same spot as on our trip up. It was quite noisy when we arrived, with the demolition and the boat traffic but it quieted down just before sunset. We should have a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we plan to go to Everglades City for about two nights, then back to Marathon till Tuesday.

Visiting Mom & Dad

2010-04-04T21:37:00.004-04:00

On Wednesday we went by trolley and three buses to get from Fort Myers Beach to North Fort Myers to visit with Mom and Dad Hodge. It was a smooth trip but took about three hours and only cost us three dollars each. Local transit systems sure are convenient and cost efficient as long as you are patient with the many stops. The four of us mainly visited except for the trip to Wal*Mart and the computer store. Dad and Larry played a round of golf on Saturday and had a beautiful day for it. Our time went quick as usual but it was good to get together before we head North.

I took this picture of Mom, Larry and Dad in front of their house this morning before they drove us back to catch just the trolley at Summerlin Square.

A shot of our home on the water as we approached in the dinghy tonight.

Our plan is to leave tomorrow morning when we wake up. We will get fuel and water here in Fort Myers Beach and head for Indian Key to anchor for the night. Then the next day go up Indian Key Pass to everglades City for a day or two. We then will head back to Marathon so Larry can visit the dentist before we head North.

Change of Plans!

2010-03-28T20:27:00.009-04:00

Wow! It's been over a month since my last blog. We've been getting calls asking where we are. It's been a long busy month. Aside from all the drama with the boat, we have kept busy sewing and visiting. Catching up on all we missed with the cold weather and not going out to socialize. Once the weather broke and we had our local nautical flea market, I had several sewing jobs for canvas, ranging from dog beds to enclosure panels. At the flea market we brought several items to sell and displayed one of the jerry can covers I had made for us, with a small sign saying new canvas and repairs. I received five jobs that day, which led into other jobs when cruisers saw me sewing in the work room and Larry doing installs for me. The biggest reason that I haven't been on the intenet, I was too tired at night. We didn't want to pass up the extra cash flow but were now running out of time to go to the Bahamas. The weather windows were short and very few and the weather in the Bahamas wasn't much better than here in Florida. All good reasons not to go. So we didn't. We decided instead to take a trip up the West coast of Florida and visit with Larry's Mom and Dad.

Every Wednesday a group of us would get together and share ideas mostly about sewing but we gradually got into beading. One week I demonstrated how to fit canvas on a jerry can and create a cover. The next week the group after getting the tools, fit and cut one out themselves. It was a fun time each week and everyone had something to share. The Monday before we were to leave most of the group got together for lunch. From left to right, Gail(me),Anna, Linda,Debbie, Sherry, Annie and Sally. I'm gonna miss you girls!

My largest project was the side panels pictured here. I'm quite proud of me and my helper(Larry). The couple who own this boat are friends of ours, Nancy and Norman. When Norman saw Larry on the dock putting grommets into curtains I had made for one of his neighbors he ask if we could make side curtains for his boat. It was the biggest job that we undertook and I'm glad we did. It's nice to know that my machine and I can handle a job this size.

With all our projects complete and the boat provisioned and ready to go we left early Thursday morning. It was one of those absolutely glorious days on the water. The sun was shining bright the wind was 10 to 15 knots and on our starboard beam slightly too our stern, just how I like it. Not healing too much is good for all the house stuff down below. Helps it stay put on the shelves. We saw several dolphin and lots of sea turtles. I was concerned that there wouldn't be any turtles with all that died during the cold spell this Winter. It was good to see so many. That evening we anchored in Little Shark river with six other boats. It was a quiet evening at anchor, always a good thing.

We left anchor on Friday morning not quite as early as Thursday bit still early. We are in travel mode now. We just started out and Larry like on Thursday put the line out and trolled for fish. He didn't get even a nibble on Thursday but got a hit right away on Friday. He pulled in a 22 inch Spanish Mackerel. Put the line back in and bamm another hit, it must have been very big, it broke his 40 pound test line. The big ones always get away. He re-rigged and got another hit, this time a 29 inch Mackerel. He decided not to catch more in case we didn't have room in the freezer. The picture is of one of the fish. We have already sampled some and I can tell you they are tasty.

Friday evening we anchored at Marco Island. We attempted to anchor just inside the channel at Coconut Island but it was to shoaled and shallow for our draft. We very carefully returned to the channel and motored back to Factory Bay. There were several other boats already there. We had another quiet night.

We left again around 8 AM on Saturday morning. We were under motor sail and watching the progress of the heavy weather storm coming across our path. We were getting close and decided it was time to bring in the sails before it was too difficult to do so. We were moving along and I noticed a couple of little birds flying as though they were going to land and hitch a ride for awhile. We often get hitch hikers out in the ocean when we are traveling. They stay with us for a while and rest then leave. This little bugger actually came into the cockpit enclosure sat for a few minutes then few out and brought back five of his buddies. We had them all over us, on our shoulders on our heads sitting on our fingers. I was even petting one. I had to keep the companion way doors closed to keep them out of down below. They were real interested in seeing our nest. No way I drew the line. When I brought our lunch up they kept landing on my plate wanting my salad. They kept us entertained until we got to Fort Myers Beach Channel just before we turned to go into the harbor. The picture of the bird in my dead herb pot is the same one who brought his friends in out of the storm. After the long trek to the back mooring field we finally found an empty ball. It had no painter and I almost pulled Larry into the water when he hooked it with the boat hook. We got settled and went into the office to check in. We then went for a walk to the beach.

This picture shows only a small part of the wall to wall sunbathers and anchored boats. It was a little too much for us so we went back to the quiet of the boat.

Sunday morning we didn't worry about getting up too early we had only planned to go to shore and take the trolley to the Publix grocery store. Before going Larry decided to check the antifreeze in the engine only to find out our raw water pump for the engine was leaking.
We seem to be having quite a year of it. We just changed the water pump two years ago on our way back from the Bahamas. I don't know if it's a case of they just don't make things like they used to or our luck or lack of it this year. Well that's a job for Tuesday.

Monday we got up early and left the boat at 7:50 AM. We rode the dinghy to shore to catch the trolley to Lovers Key where we took a transfer to the trolley for Bonita Springs where we again took a transfer to the bus to Coconut Point Mall, to the Apple Store. I know you were wondering what I was going to do with the money I made on sewing canvas. I've been saving for a while to get a new computer. Now I'll have no excuse when it comes to blogging. I'm using it right now and it sure is nice.

I think I tired Larry out today he has his eyes closed I don't think he is long for this world. I won't be up late either. The wind is howling and the boat is making all kinds of noise but I don't think it will keep us up. Larry needs some rest he has a boat to fix before we go to visit Mom and Dad on Wednesday.

Unpredictable Weather!

2010-02-26T11:31:00.006-05:00

The weather here in Marathon swings from one end of the pendulum to the other just like elsewhere in the country.

Tuesday it was a beautiful day in paradise. We decided to take a sail out in Hawk Chanel just out side of Sisters Creek. This was the first time we ventured out the shallow creek known as Sisters Creek. It was just shy of high tide so we felt safe. We went slow and made it out with no less than a foot and a half to spare under the keel. There was very little wind about 8 knots but we put the sails up and got 3 1/2 knots of speed over ground. Hunters are light boats and do well in light winds. Everything was going well until I went below and noticed a strange noise. I ask Larry to come below and listen to it. Sometimes under sail the prop still continues to turn and makes a soft swishing sound. We had that sound but with a clicking sound, not good. Larry usually puts the transmission into reverse and the prop stops turning. It didn't work! He then, after starting the engine, put the transmission into forward gear but the boat didn't move. Oh Boy we had trouble. After bringing in the sails Larry began to investigate. He checked the transmission, which is located of course under our bed. He discovered that the shaft for the prop came out of the transmission. He then went into the water to make sure we had not wrapped a crab pot around the prop or shaft. No crab pot. After some working he was able to put the shaft back into the transmission. The forward motion and force kept the shaft in place under slow propulsion so we could limp back to our mooring. We had ask a friend to stand by just in case we missed the ball. We could not put the transmission into reverse because the the force would also be reversed and pull the shaft out. Our normal approach is to come up onto the ball and then put the boat into reverse, which will stop the boat. We were lucky there was very little wind and we made a safe landing. When we got settled, Larry decided to wait for the next morning to get a fresh start to tackle the job.

Wednesday morning I went to shore to do laundry and Larry started his repair. After working for several hours to remove four bolts that just would not budge, he called the diesel repair shop. He set up a time to take the boat to shore for the work to be done. We weren't looking forward to that bill at $90 dollars an hour. After lunch Larry decided to give it one more shot and off came the bolts after sitting with a product called Blaster soaking in for a few hours. Yeah! Now to find the proper fitting wrench (30 mil). After riding his bike for miles and visiting several possible sources with no luck, it looked like we were still going to need a mechanic. While I was in the laundry I met another cruiser and her husband was a mechanic. Yeah! He didn't have the proper metric tool we needed. Worth a try! Guess we still need to go to the mechanic tomorrow.

Well as you can see by the picture the weather turned foul again on Thursday. No way are we going to move the boat to a dock in this weather. We cancelled our appointment.

Here in Marathon we have what is known as the cruisers net, every morning at 9 AM. On this net you can ask for help from other cruisers. We did just that and ask if anyone had a wrench we could borrow. Unfortunately no one did but our friend from the laundry came to our rescue. He had the night before sat with conversion tables and found a wrench he had that would work. Yeah! With that wrench Larry was able to fix our transmission and shaft. Now we just have to wait for a new dip stick for the oil on the transmission. When he went to remove it to fill the oil that drained out the threads broke off. Go figure. All in the life of a sailor. We feel fortunate that all this didn't happen on a Bahama crossing over the Gulf Stream.

New Link to Our Pictures!

2010-02-13T17:13:00.003-05:00

As promised on my last entry, a picture of our new throne or head as it known in nautical terms. When I reread our last two entries I realized that I hadn't put the whole story of the head in details. Two entries ago I mentioned Larry was at the Home Depot to buy a larger snake. Well as you can probably guess it didn't work. We had no choice, if we were ever to use the facility on our boat, but to change the 18 feet of sanitation hose between the toilet and the holding tank. The trick is to not make a mess and get the new hose in place using the existing hose. Larry explained many times at West Marine this Summer to customers the process of doing just that but had never done so himself. He got his opportunity to see if it works, first hand.

To start he disconnected the old hose from the toilet and connected the new one to the old one with a joint and taped them together. Then corked off the open end outside. The trick is to push, not just pull the new hose though the many 90 degree turns and distance between the toilet and the tank. Being that it was 18 feet of distance it required three of us to do the job. It is the sign of a true friend when someone is willing to help with this job. Last year Larry went up the mast for Chris on S/V Maggie M. Chris heard about our dilemma on the morning net when we ask for suggestions the first time and he offered to help. Larry was on the pushing end, Chris was in the middle working under our bed and I was outside in the stern. The process had to synchronized as not to disconnect the two hoses because then we would have a very much not wanted mess. Larry would push and move the hose about a foot, then Chris would pull in the middle and I would pull outside. To our delight the whole process was fast and we didn't spill a drop. After Larry had us all hooked back up he noticed that the pump on the toilet was leaking where it had cracked. We could have replaced just the pump but we also could use a new seat and the parts cost more than a whole unit. I guess I will never understand that concept but oh well isn't our new toilet pretty. OK we won't go that far but we like the new design that twists and locks via the pump handle. No more smell! Yeah!

Last Saturday was my birthday and I did just what I wanted. Read a book and relaxed on the boat. It was a warm enjoyable day.

Sunday night I noticed that I seemed to be coming down with Larry's cold. Living in close quarters as we do we tend to share everything. He was under the weather but still moving around with his cold but it seemed to knock my feet out from under me. I had several things planned for the week but canceled them all.

Yesterday I finally went to shore for more than a shower, we went to Publix for some food. Our weather took a turn for the worse last night and we wanted to ready to stay aboard and not have to do errands that took us out in the weather. About 6:30 PM last evening the wind came up to 20 knots and the highest we saw was 34 knots. The boat was like a disobedient child having a tantrum tossing from side to side. I moved a few things from on our shelves so they didn't hit the floor and sat down so I didn't hit the floor. The front came though fast and gave us some pelting rain as a result.

During the night as well as today we have had high winds with some gusts. We have stayed put on the boat except for our trip to shore for a shower. To our surprise the water was hot not just luke warm. With the mooring field full, chances of getting a hot shower are slim. I guess most everyone must have stayed on their boats today.

We had cancelled the internet service we used with a tether to our cell phone in January. We felt we would use the service at the marina to save some money. Today we subscribed again to our internet. Convenience won out over saving money. I've been on for a good part of the day and finally figured out how to link my new picture page to this site. The pictures are from a few years ago but now I'll put more on the site now that it is linked. If you look on the links at the right sidebar and click on Flickr pictures you will be able to view more pictures that I've taken. I will be adding more so keep checking back.

Saturday at the Flea Market in Big Pine Key

2010-01-31T16:59:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday we got up at the unheard of 6 AM and headed to shore to meet Carol and Pete on S/V Crazy Cat. We were headed to the nautical flea Market in Big Pine Key. The picture is of the fog in the mooring field.

We none found great finds at the market so we headed to the No Name Pub for lunch. The picture is left to right Carol, Pete, Larry and me. Check out the wall paper behind us. It's all one dollar bills stapled to the wall. We had a great lunch and enjoyed the company even more.

We came in Pete's truck camper so they took us for a drive to see Big Pine and the Key Deer that roam free. The picture is of Carol feeding a deer. They are much smaller than the deer in NY.

It took a few days to rest up last week. Since we have been sitting still we don't get up early.

The past two weeks have been busy. Larry had to change out our toilet and the hose that leads to the holding tank. This was a job we had hoped to do in Deltaville this coming Summer. Well it's done now and the new design of the toilet is great. If I remember I'll take a picture for the next time.

Record Low Temps In Florida!

2010-01-19T15:09:00.003-05:00

Along with the rest of the country Florida has had record low temps for the longest stretch in years. It was difficult keeping warm. Most cruisers didn't have a heat source they could use. The stores selling warm clothes were sold out as well as stores selling portable heaters. In the after math the strawberry crop and corn crop was destroyed. The local grocery store displayed a sign stating there will be no strawberries for an indefinite time. Florida just isn't equipped for cold weather.

One week ago we rented a car and drove North to North Fort Myers to visit Larry's Mom and Dad. It just happened to be the coldest few days of the cold snap. Their furnace struggled to keep up and there were power outages in nearby housing developments. In spite of the cold we had a nice visit with Mom and Dad. We don't get to visit with them as often as we would like. I also got a chance to visit with my girlfriend Karen from NY. She was also visiting her Mom and Dad here in Florida.

This past week we got a call from Brockport Yacht Club friends Larry and Trish Beneway. They were here in the Keys for a few days. We made a plan to get together for dinner at Porkey's. We have not seen each other since Larry and I left NY in 2005. It was great to catch up on the happenings in each of our lives since we last were together.

With a break in the weather friends from last season Chris and Divia on S/V Maggie M treated us along with about thirty other cruising couples to a opera on the water. Pictured here are Chris and Divia at the stern of their boat.

This picture shows a few of the many dinghies rafted up behind Maggie M. You can see the sky was threatening to drench us all but held off for the occasion.

The weather has finally given us a break from all the layers of clothes but is still cool at times depending where you are. When the wind is blocked and the sun is on you it feels quite nice. With this break several of the cruisers have taken the opportunity to jump off to the Bahamas. Our friends Tom and Cathie on S/V Interlude left yesterday morning and spent the night at Rodriquez Key and when we spoke this morning they left for their crossing. One week ago the marina had a waiting list now they have open mooring balls.

This morning I helped Larry change the joker valve on the head. It went the smoothest it has ever went. That should have been our first clue to trouble. Latter in the afternoon trouble reared its ugly head. The toilet would not pump, of course we had used it. We figured some of lime that builds up on the inside of the hose broke loose and stuck a few feet down the hose. Larry tried with a coat hanger and a small snake we borrowed but no luck. He is now at Home Depot purchasing a larger snake. I hope it works. We had already planned to change the toilet and the hose this Summer, I hope we wont have to do it tomorrow. It's getting late so we'll see what happens. Hopefully we won't have to resort to the old fashion bucket for the night.

A Cold New Year!

2010-01-06T11:42:00.004-05:00

We stayed on the boat this New Years Eve. I had had a reaction to some tuna I ate for lunch the Monday before and was down for the count all week. I can say I'm doing much better now. We did wake up at 11:55 to the celebrating in the harbor. Horns blowing, cheers and fire works. We stayed awake long enough to say Happy New Year to each other then back to sleep. Tom and Cathie had come over earlier but went home at the cruisers midnight 9 PM. We none receive TV here in the Keys so we couldn't watch the ball drop anyway.

New Years Day we had our traditional sauerkraut for dinner. Being of German decent I like to make sure of good luck in the New Year. We also added black eyed peas courtesy of Tom and Cathie. He being a Southern boy his tradition for luck in the New Year is black eyed peas. The two blended quite nicely for dinner (see the picture).

The weather here has continued to deteriorate like the rest of the country. We woke to temperatures of 47 with wind chill of 39. If you close your eyes and relied on the temperature to tell you where you are you would never guess Florida. We are being saved by the sunshine. I hate to think what it would be without it.

Tomorrow we have a car rented for the weekend. We will travel up the West coast to visit with Larry's Mom and Dad. I talked with Dad yesterday and he said to bring all the warm clothes we can. It's even colder up there. It should be a nice ride if the sun continues to shine. We'll have heat in the car. It's been a while since our last visit. It will be good to see Mom and Dad again.

Larry broke a tooth on the trip down. This morning he went to one of the local dentists to get it fixed. He just called and all is well and is on his way back. It was a cold morning to get out and about but an appointment is and appointment.

Larry still isn't employed but hopes for a short stint at West Marine while they change the layout of the store. He will at least get his foot in the door and hope for more. As for me, last week was a waste and I didn't to start my projects in the workroom. I hope that will generate some side jobs for me doing canvas work. I'll start next week and hope for the best.

Larry's back and I want to see the dentist's handy work!

Christmas Day in Marathon!

2009-12-28T16:39:00.003-05:00

Even though we were unable to spend the Holidays with our family we were not alone. The manager of the marina and his wife put on a turkey dinner and all the trimmings for around 200 cruisers. The picture is only a few of the many that my camera would capture. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day. We each brought a dish to pass and our place setting and beverage the rest was supplied. It was great to have the camaraderie of so many who like ourselves were missing family.

We have been doing some major cleaning from the moisture of our cold trip South. It's amazing how mold can grow without the need of a food source. We'll be glad to be done.

The wind is blowing today and the air is very cool. We hope it will warm up like the weatherman promises for Wednesday. We along with our friends on Interlude, Tom and Cathie are planning a short cruise to New Found Harbor. We will spend News Eve there if the weather permits.

It's getting very rough in the harbor and we need to get to shore in a little while. I'm sure it will be a wet ride.

Marathon For Christmas!

2009-12-19T13:13:00.002-05:00

The weather was beautiful in No Name Harbor and as I have stated before one of our favorite spots. You can see how beautiful it is by the picture of Larry and I overlooking the ocean. We took our trip up to the top of the lighthouse for the spectacular view. Words or pictures cannot due it justice and it is just as beautiful each and every time for me.

This is one of the many iguanas that roam free in the park. We saw several on more than on occasion.

Tuesday we set sail for Boca Chita Key. It was another beautiful day on the water. We only had a few miles to travel and opted to do it under motor to charge the batteries. This is another one of our favorites. The picture is of Tropical Gale Winds and Interlude peaceful at dock on the wall. No anchoring here you must tie to the harbor wall. We very much enjoyed our stay this time but the bugs were a killer. They have had so much rain this season and of course being a state park no spraying happens. Must be natural you know. Ouch!!

This little guy came for a visit on our lifeline and as you can see he isn't camera shy!

We left Boca Chita on Wednesday and had planned to anchor at Rodriquez Key and the next day go to Indian Key and explore. Our plans got changed due to a storm coming in for Friday. We anchored at Rodriquez Key and had a somewhat bumpy ride at anchor during the night. The picture is of the ominous morning sky as the sun was attempting to rise over the ocean. You can see we got a very early start, which gave us an early arrival time in Marathon, around 1:30 PM. Unlike the day before when we had a wonderful sail this time we had a very bumpy motor. The waves tend to come at you from the side and roll the boat in an uncomfortable fashion. The wind was not great enough this time to counter act the motion. Needless to say my stomach didn't like it much. I was very happy to get into Boot Key Harbor.

When we got settled at our mooring ball, we went to shore to check in. It was great meeting up with friends we haven't seen in awhile. The improvements that were made to the marina over the Summer were wonderful. I'm sure we will enjoy our stay here again this season.

The weather that chased us here a day early came with a vengeance yesterday and we are still having high winds today but nice sunshine. The temperature has cooled a bit and may cause us to ware a jacket but there isn't any snow. We were told that Virginia is getting hit with a storm and is expected to get several inches of snow. That's the main reason we are here and not there or in NY for that matter. We have become real wimps, but that's OK.

2009-12-12T16:13:00.003-05:00

As always my days are beginning to run together. I'm not quite sure if that is due to age or the fact of moving around on a regular basis. I'd like to guess the later.

We had a great ride down to Miami on the ocean. The waves were about the same as from Lake Worth to Fort Lauderdale but they were not confused. When they come at you with steady rhythm it is more comfortable. We came into Government cut and followed Interlude to an anchorage we have not been in before. It was very protected and next to spoil islands that now house the rich and famous. I'm always amazed at how we Americans can take dredge material from the bottom of the waterway and make islands out of it.

We spent a day and a half anchored at South Beach Miami. The day we arrived the sun was shining and warm. The second day was cloudy and raining off and on. The day we arrived we went for a dinghy ride but for the most part stayed on our boats and visited with Tom and Cathie. The second day we went to shore. Cathie and I went to the laundry and Tom and Larry hung out til it was time to come and retrieve us. We then went back to shore for a walk and some lunch. The picture is of the four of us at an outside cafe. From left to right Tom, Cathie, me (Gail) and Larry. The sky was threatening and we didn't stay long at shore. In fact it started to rain on us as we were dinghing back to our boats.

This picture taken from the anchorage is of the spoil island Hibiscus in the foreground and the city of Miami in the background. Off to the right is a monument to Flagler. It resembles the Washington Monument in Washington, DC but it has statures around the base.

This is a closeup of the Flagler monument as we were leaving the anchorage this morning.

This is a picture of one of the two boats we saw on our way to Key Biscayne this morning. There is to be a Christmas boat parade tonight. In fact we had planned to anchor in one of our favorite spots today but were told that at 5 PM we would be told to leave because of the parade. We decided not to stay if we would have to leave. We back tracked to Nixon Beach to anchor, tomorrow we will go to our favorite spot, No Name Harbor.

Boats are coming in to anchor where we are so We hope we have a front row seat for the parade. Cathie and Tom have joined us on our boat for wings and a visit.

Warm In Fort Lauderdale!

2009-12-09T08:16:00.003-05:00

Sunday the rain finally stopped and the sun came out. The picture is of the three of us rafted to the mooring ball. From left to right Seaquel, Tropical Gale Winds and Interlude.

We met Gretti and Richard and had a great lunch and visit. It was good to see them, we didn't see much of each other this Summer in Deltaville. They left to go to New England as soon as their boat was ready. I don't know when we will arrive back in Deltaville but they plan on May. Hopefully we will get together before they take off for the Summer.

After lunch we went for a walk to the ocean and met up with Cathie and Tom. It turned out to be a beautiful a day. It was windy by the ocean but you would not have known inland.

This little guy was scurrying along in the sand as we went by, as you can see he kept his eyes on us the whole time I was taking his picture.

A little further down the beach this guy was marooned in the sand. I didn't help, I don't like to get stung.

On the walk back to the marina we came across this guy making his way across the road. He was big, as you can see in comparison to the nuts beside him. We didn't touch him either don't know if he bites.

Monday morning we all vacated our mooring at 7 AM and headed for South Lake Worth to anchor for the night. As we started out the channel our chart plotter failed to power up. Here we go again. The night before Larry broke a tooth, what next. Well it didn't take long before we found that out. Our hot water tank popped a hose and drained most of the water into the bilge. That took care of the water Larry put into the tank the day before. We just need to get into the habit like before of tuning off the breaker for the water pump. Too late for this time.

We let Tom know we didn't have a chart plotter and wanted to follow him though the skinny water, no problem. We have paper charts and we use them also but it is amazing how one can become complacent with modern day convinces. Larry put in a call to our electronics guy after he was unable to trouble shoot it himself. Some of the secrets they just don't let us in on.

Monday night we had a great anchorage and a peaceful nights sleep. When we woke in the morning we all decided to go out the inlet to the ocean and travel to Fort Lauderdale on the out side avoiding 20 bridges. It was not quite what NOAA had predicted. Gee I'm surprised! The wind was on our nose which we knew but it was stronger than predicted and the waves were bigger. It was uncomfortable till things settled down in the midday. We arrived at the channel at 2 PM and had the anchor down in Lake Sylvia by 3 PM. Not bad!

Sally and Andy left us at Hillsboro inlet, about 10 miles before Fort Lauderdale inlet. They are going home for about two weeks to get ready for the Bahamas. They say they may see us in Marathon. It was fun traveling with them and we look forward to seeing them again.

While we were coming into the channel our electronics guy called with the magic code to reset our plotter and it worked. Yeah! It is good to be back on the grid. We are still not sure what caused it but it's fixed and that's what counts.

We relaxed and visited with Cathie and Tom on our boat. Today we are planning on a shopping excursion into the city of Fort Lauderdale. We'll stay tonight and in the morning we will go outside again if the weather permits and travel to Miami.

I forgot to tell you, don't be jealous, the temps are in the 80's. It feels so good after being cold for so long. I hope Winter this year is a warm one!

Rain, Rain, Rain In Vero Beach

2009-12-05T14:32:00.003-05:00

It feels like weeks since we arrived in St. Augustine this past Monday. We have traveled every day since except for today. We along with Cathie and Tom S/V Interlude are on a mooring ball together waiting for the sun to shine here in Vero Beach. It has continually rained on and off since we left New Smyrna Beach on Wednesday. The media made such a fuss about the impending weather while we were at the city marina in New Smyrna that I was unable to get together with my Aunt Dot. It was, according to the weather channel, supposed to blow in tornadoes. The schools closed early as did other businesses but nothing happened other than a little rain. When they down play the weather we get hit, when they blow it out of proportions we get nothing. It's hard to know what to believe. Hopefully we will get together with Dot in the Spring or sometime this Winter.

We got into Vero Beach yesterday around 12:30. After securing both boats to the mooring ball (they raft three boats to a ball here), we met up with our friend Gretti. She loaned us her car to do some provisioning. It rained hard off and on all day. It stopped while we were in Wal*Mart only to open up as we were going to the car. We had a wet dinghy ride out to the boat. I can tell we are true cruisers now, we have been very wet several times in the dinghy. At least the temperature is mild around 70.

It's 3 PM now and we haven't been off the boat yet today. It has rained off and on all day. I was going to go to the Farmers Market this morning with Gretti but that was a wash. We had also planned to go to a Christmas Parade tonight but that isn't happening either. If we go in at all it will be to take a hot shower.

Our friends Andy and Sally S/V Seaquel plan to get to Vero today. We will complete our threesome when they arrive. At least we can visit being rafted up.

We plan to stay tomorrow so we can enjoy some of the charm of Vero in sunshine. We had planned to go to lunch with Gretti and Richard today but changed it to tomorrow. Lets pray for some sunshine.

I felt we needed something bright in the gloom of today hence the flower picture, taken in Beaufort, SC.

St. Augustine

2009-11-30T15:47:00.003-05:00

We left Beaufort, SC at 7 AM yesterday morning and arrived here at the St Augustine inlet at 7:30 AM. Not bad! As much as I dislike overnights, it sure does get you there faster. What took just over 24 hours would have taken us three days travel. We could not have had better conditions last night. Even though it would have been nice to sail as opposed to motoring, the lack of wind ensured calm seas. We had less than 5 knots of wind and sea swells of around one to two feet. The wind did pick up during the night to about 8 knots and we had seas of two feet. We were headed straight into both so we couldn't put out the sails. This only lasted for a few hours then it was calm again.

While I was on watch I saw a breathtaking sight of a shooting star. I felt some what sad after knowing that it would never light up the sky again. We were also treated to sightings of several dolphin. They always give me the feeling of guardian angels watching over us while we are at sea.

I attempted to give you a picture of the setting moon but my camera failed to capture the beauty that I saw with my eyes. It looked like a large orange ball on a black back drop. Some times nature just doesn't allow us to put in print it splendid beauty. The moon was just short of being full and stayed with us until 4 Am when it slid behind a bank of clouds only to reappear and slip to the horizon at 5 AM. It helped to guide our way through the night. The picture I did give you is of the beautiful sunset last evening.

When we arrived this morning Larry and I anchored North of the bridge and Andy and Sally traveled on to a marina. They need to leave there boat for a few days and visit his cousin. We have now caught up with more friends of ours from Virgina. We are planning on visiting on their boat this evening and then traveling together tomorrow morning. We had planned to leave Virginia together but circumstances as they were with us made that impossible. We are glad to finally meet up.

Tomorrow we will leave here because the weather will change and this anchorage is not good in high winds. We will get to Daytona and anchor for the night then arrive in New Smyrna Wednesday early, where I hope to meet up with my Aunt Dot for a visit.

At Anchor In Beaufort, SC

2009-11-28T20:37:00.004-05:00

After a very cold night at anchor in the South Edisto River, we arrived in Beaufort, SC before noon today. We are still traveling with Andy and Sally S/V Seaquel. They chose to take a slip at the city marina and as you can see of the sunset picture we are resting at anchor. The temps have been dipping near freezing at night and they don't have an alternative source of heat unless they are plugged into shore power. We have been using our small propane heater for short times before bed.

After making sure we were secure at anchor we went with Andy and Sally in the courtesy car to West Marine. When we got back Larry and I walked down Main St. and visited the shops and book stores. We planned to get back to the boat before dark and as you can see from the picture we were pushing it. Before returning we went to Panini's for dinner and then had a most wonderful long hot shower at the marina. The marina charges a dollar each for this privilege and it's a great bargain.

The weather is getting warmer and the winds are very light for the next few days. We will leave here tomorrow morning and head out to the ocean. Depending on what we find with conditions we may stay out for an overnight to St. Augustine, Fl. If the conditions are not to our liking we will do a day sail and come in at St. Catherine's Inlet in Ga. It's nice to have the option.

Thanksgiving In Isle of Palms

2009-11-26T22:19:00.003-05:00

We made it to Isle of Palms yesterday around 11 AM. We were anchored in Awendaw Creek about 20 miles from Isle of Palms Tuesday night. We rode the current yesterday and arrived early. It felt good to have a short day. Our friend Phil found us two docks for two nights. He also was good to us and took the four of us for provisions. We have been traveling with Andy and Sally S/V Seaquel for a few days now. Before we would meet up hit and miss and now we have been traveling together.

The picture shows us before our Thanksgiving feast was devoured. Left to right, Larry, me (Gail), Andy and Sally. We enjoyed a great meal aboard their boat. It was good to spend it together with friends seeing as we are far from our families.

Tomorrow we will leave around 7:45 to get the 9 AM opening of the Ben Sawyer bridge. The bridge is scheduled to close for ten days starting Tuesday December 1. We know there are several boats that will be stuck waiting for the bridge to reopen. Several are stuck waiting for the Sunrise Pontoon Bridge while it is being repaired. It closed the day after we transited though it. It is getting very cold and I hope we don't get stuck anywhere.

Southport, NC

2009-11-22T19:39:00.006-05:00

I feel like the days are running together. I like it better when I can get on line each day or so. It keeps me in tune with what day of the week it is and the date of the month. I'm lost other wise.

The weather has been mostly cloudy with rain about every other day. Sometimes every day.

We had a great ride down the Cape Fear River today, at one point we were doing 10 knots speed over ground. It was a sleigh ride.

We decided to go into a marina tonight. The temperature is going to be in the low 50's. It was quite cold this morning and Larry was at his limit and just couldn't get warm. We now are plugged in and have the heat on. We're not used to being warm and have the temp below 70. Go figure!

Our concern is to get to Charleston before December 1, when the bridge at Isle Of Palms closes for 10 days, for repairs. At our current rate of travel we should be there by Wednesday. That will give us plenty of time to stop at Isle Of Palms for Thanksgiving. We plan to use a dock at our friends house until Friday. We will then move further South. I would like to stay in Georgia a few days and go up to Savanna. It will depend on the weather.

Tomorrow our plan is to go as far as Myrtle Beach. If the tide allows us to get there in a timely manner we will go beyond and anchor, if not we will have to take a dock again.

I took the picture above going down the ICW of someones back yard. I guess if you have enough money you can buy and put just about anything in your yard. It reminded us of our trip out to see our daughter Sarah. We visited the Swartz Toy store and they had a giraffe in front of the store about the same size.

Elizabeth City, NC

2009-11-18T06:56:00.004-05:00

We spent the entire weekend in Norfolk. It rained for four days straight. I felt like I was in Western NY. After the storm it was beautiful with sunshine and no wind. It was hard to believe Virginia suffered such a severe storm. The picture above was the sunset after the storm.

Monday morning Bruce from Full Throttle came to see what he could do to fix our problem. After a test to see if fuel was getting to our engine, and it wasn't, he found we sludge in our tank, not algae. He removed the pick up probe and the screen was covered. He cleaned it and pumped off the bottom of the tank. We were clean and ready to go. Larry fueled up and I finished the laundry and we were out of there. Our pockets were a lot lighter but we felt more confident in our ability to maneuver though bridges and locks. Having an engine that works is important when doing this maneuver.

Monday night we only went as far as the lock in Deep Creek. We tied up at the Elizabeth Dock for the night with four other boats. Tuesday morning after breakfast with Robert the lock master we transited the Dismal Canal and docked in Elizabeth city for the night. We are checking the weather but it looks like we will cross the Albermarle Sound and anchor somewhere in the Alligator River for the night. We are expecting some high winds and you guessed it more rain for the next couple of days.

This photo is of a blimp. We see from the water in the Pasquotank River a blimp hanger. This is the first time we have seen not only one blimp docked outside the hanger but two. That was a cool first.

Marooned In Norfolk!

2009-11-13T15:02:00.008-05:00

Sunrise leaving Deltaville.

Fixed Docks under water during storm.

Ramp on our floating dock raised up in the air but high water.

Larry standing in street in Portsmouth flooded by high tide due to storm.

We left Tuesday morning around 6:30 AM and were running with the tide. It was promised to be a good run all the way to the James River and turn from an outgoing tide to an incoming tide. We have never hit the tide with such luck. The water was like a bathtub not a ripple in site. We were cruising along at about 7 knots and all was well. That is until we got to the York River and our engine died. Larry changed both fuel filters and he kept bleeding the air out of the lines but we just limped along with the engine shutting down frequently. We crossed the James and headed up the Elizabeth River and just couldn't keep the engine going. We put out the sails so I could keep us out of touble in the traffic of big ships. Finally we called TowBoat US to come to our rescue and tow us into Tidewater Marina.

We have been marooned here since Tuesday, a Noreaster has blown in and has caused severe flooding. We were unable to get to shore last night. We are fortunately on a floating dock but to get to shore we have to go across a fixed dock. That was impossible because it was under water several feet. It was quite a ride last night in the 40 plus knot winds. Things were flying off the shelves like we were under way in heavy seas.

This morning we went to shore for a little fresh air and to see what has happened during the night. Oh my! I took several pictures to share with you but the wi-fi signal is weak and I was unable to down load them. I'll keep trying.

We have no clue as to when we will get our engine fixed. The mechanic came to look on Wednesday but hasn't been able to get back to us. It looks like we are stuck here for the weekend.

Ready To Leave Deltaville! Again!

2009-11-09T21:33:00.003-05:00

Our plan is to leave early tomorrow morning and arrive in Norfolk before the high winds hit on Thursday. With the Tropical Storm/ Hurricane coming we will receive Ida's wrath in the form of high winds. We will hide out in the Dismal Swamp and wait for it to pass. This won't be the first time we have hidden out there.

The diesel guy came today and suggested we don't have the fuel polishing done. He has had to change injectors on two boats here at the marina three weeks after they had had the polishing done. Needless to say we didn't have it done. He suggested we buy several fuel filters and get a big bucket with a lid so we can change them underway when needed. He also suggested Larry drain the filter each morning before we head out. Say a prayer for us that it will be like carrying an umbrella so it doesn't rain.

The good thing that has come out of coming back to Deltaville is, I've completed all the unfinished jobs I was going to need to do underway. Yeah! Now I can read all those good books I brought with me.

In case you are wondering about the picture at the top. It is the shelf we had constructed and mounted above our counter. I wanted one since day one on the boat. It gives me more working space when I'm cooking. Working was worth the effort this Summer.

Back In Deltaville Again!

2009-11-08T20:25:00.003-05:00

We were underway just before 7 AM yesterday morning. It was a brisk morning, calm, very calm, the sun was shinning bright. We had some difficultly keeping the windows of the dodger clear due to the low temps as we pulled away from the dock but the sun soon took care of that. It was a great morning on the water and we were cruising along with the assist of the out going tide. We were about 12 miles out when the boat started to slow down. I ask Larry why he was slowing down and he said it wasn't him. Oh Buoy! We had just entered over the flats at Wolf Trap light. This was very tricky because the wind had started to build and the reef gets shallow near shore. No engine could be a problem.

Larry figured we had air in the lines due to his changing of the fuel filters a few days ago, no problem, just bleed the lines and he did. We were on our way again but not for long. After three or four tries we made the command decision to turn around and go back to Deltaville. If we needed help or parts that was the place to be not in some strange anchorage and with no resources. We put out the sails and turned around with the wind and waves at our back. We had a beautiful and fast sail back to the channel.

We brought the sails back in, the wind was on our nose after we made our turn for the channel. Larry attempted to prime the fuel again so we could motor to the dock. After several failed attempts we hailed Tow Boat US to give us an assist back to the dock at Doziers. It was afternoon by the time we got in. When we were settled at the dock we went in search of more fuel filters. By this time anyone who might have them were already closed or we out of them. We still had two new ones but decided to wait til Sunday to change them when we were fresh with a nights sleep.

Larry's first job this morning was to change the filter to see if we have bad fuel and it appears we do. He called a guy who does what they call fuel polishing. The process cleans your fuel and tank of contaminates. We believe we have algae in our tank, not an uncommon thing. After Larry changed our filter he ran the engine without a problem for almost an hour. We are sitting very still at the dock unlike bouncing on the waves like yesterday, so it's not the best test. Nothing to stir up the tank. We have a diesel man coming tomorrow morning to see if he can find anything else or if he agrees we should have the cleaning done. Decisions, Decisions. We'll make them tomorrow.

Our goal is to leave early Tuesday morning. I'll post tomorrow night with and up date on that.

The picture above is us with our new canvas and davits.

On the Road Again!

2009-11-06T21:28:00.002-05:00

Or should I say on the water again. Tomorrow morning is the planned day to let loose the umbilical cord and set sail for warmer weather. Tonight the temperature is to dip and cause a frost upon us. We are overdue to get underway. Summer has passed us by. We have both put in many hours at our Summer jobs, which has afforded us several up grades for the boat. I'll put some pictures on up coming posts so you can see what we have been up to.

This trip South won't have as many posts as past years. We dropped our Internet connection with Sprint and will have to search out connections along the way. I'll do my best to keep you informed as to our progress along the way.

It's just after 9:30 PM and we will soon call it a night. We are both very tired from our preparations along with working. We will leave between 7 and 8 AM tomorrow morning. We are looking for some warmth from the sun before we depart.

Summer Coming to an End!

2009-09-20T13:41:00.005-04:00

Boy Summer sure has gotten away from me! I acquired a job at The Ship's Taylor right after we arrived here in Deltaville. While working at Ship's Taylor I have learned a new craft which will serve me well in Florida. I'm planning to do small canvas repairs for other cruisers while in Marathon. Larry returned to his job as Dock Master here at Doziers Marina and is now also employed at West Marine the local boating supply center. He also fills in as a driver for Sea Tow. We, with the help of the extra cash working has provided us, have been doing many much needed maintenance tasks and up grades to the boat. With all that said, our blog and email have been put on the back burner. I felt some of you probably wondered what happened to us. We are doing well and getting anxious to start moving again.

We were fortunate again this year to have a visit from our Grandsons, Jonathan and Joseph. I've shared below some of the pictures we took of that visit.

We took a short cruise up the Rappahannock River and spent a few days in Urbanna. While we where there it rained and the boys learned the fine art of bailing the dinghy with a bilge pump. We just needed to decide what end goes overboard!

We took many swims off the dinghy while at anchor in Carter Creek. What fun we had and as you can see we are very good swimmers.

On our way back to Deltaville, Papa did some trolling and caught several Blue fish but none we big enough for keepers.

More rain back in Deltaville! This time the water was deep enough for two bilge pumps going in tandem.

The men's group at church planned a fishing trip on the local charter boat the Tortuga and Larry joined in the fun. This time he caught some keepers and we enjoyed them.

One of our maintenance jobs was to haul the boat and paint the bottom and clean and wax the hull. This picture shows us on the hard after the work was done. Doesn't she look pretty! We hauled out on a Friday and were all done by Sunday but oops we had a problem! Sounds familiar! Larry decided to sand the prop and paint it to discourage the barnacles. While he was sanding he felt the shaft had more play in it than it should. He felt our cutlass barring might need changing. After having a conformation from the marina owner a plan was made to have it changed on Monday. They had to call in an outside shop that had the tool to remove it. No problem, well not until they went to tighten the set screw on the strut that hold the shaft. There is something that happens to metal when DC current flows in the water, it's called electrolysis and it destroys the metal. We have zinc mounted on the shaft to help prevent this, unfortunately it still happened to us. Now we needed to wait until a strut after ordered came to the marina. After being out of the water eight days we finally came back home to Doziers. We now have two zinc on the strut, two on the shaft and one connected to a shroud and hanging in the water. No over kill here. After checking many possible reasons we still don't know how or why this happened but hopefully, we are fully covered now.

Back In Deltaville For The Summer!

2009-06-07T11:42:00.004-04:00

Friday May 29

This morning we were not in a hurry, we had to wait for the 8AM opening of the Deep Creek Lock. Robert is the lock master today and we know never to be in a hurry. We love to visit with him and hear about local stories of the area and people. Robert is well known by all the cruisers for his friendship and great personality. If you mention Deep Creek Lock to another cruiser, they immediately ask if you met Robert. Robert has a garden in front of the lock house and in it are conch shells from all over that have been given to him from fellow cruisers. We gave him one our last time though. We told him next year we would be going to the Bahamas and promised to bring him another one.

After leaving the Dismal Swamp we traveled the distance of the ICW though Norfolk, VA. It should have been quick but we, you guessed it, hit the two train bridges closed for a train. Did I mention a slow train. We also had to wait at the only traffic bridge for an opening. See you have to have great patience to travel on the water way. It is certainly a lesson we have learned, to never be in a hurry or on a schedule. We come across cruisers all the time that have yet to learn these important lessons. I'm sure there are some that never learn.

After leaving the Elizabeth River and crossing the James river, we anchored at Old Point Comfort in Hampton, VA. When we arrived we were the first. It was early in the day around 2PM. By days end around four other boats joined us. It was a quiet night, restful night.

The first picture is of a Naval ship dry docked for maintenance. The second picture is of a Navel ship being piloted to a dock in the restricted area for Naval ships. We are always amazed how close we come to these ships. If you get too close though, you can be sure a small gun boat will great you.

Saturday May 30

Today was our last day of travel and we were anxious to get under way before the winds picked up. They were predicted to be out of the North and on our nose and we would also be fighting the current. We picked up our anchor and were under way by 7AM. It took us 8 hours to arrive in Deltaville. When the wind and current are favorable we make it in much less time. It felt good to know we were finished with our travels for now. We plan to work during the Summer to build the cruising kitty and do some needed repairs on the boat. Everyone at Regatta Point seemed happy to see us as we were to see them.

The picture is of the beautiful sunset we were treated to our first night back.

Tuesday June 2

Day one of repairs! The picture is of Larry as he replaces our macerator pump on our holding tank. It was a very tight squeeze to get into the compartment that it was in. It had been originally installed so tight that the bolts that held the two parts together had sheered off. They were no where to be found. Larry took off about 1/4 inch from one of the hose and the fit was much better. A boat flexes with the movement of the water and being crammed in so tight is not a good thing. From the beginning we have always had a smell coming from the tank and now feel it has had a slight leak from the beginning. Not a pleasant odor to have. We had to remove everything stored in the aft lockers and scrub the fiberglass bottoms. Thank goodness we had placed plastic drain mats down before filling up the compartments. We had done this because of moisture that forms on the outside hull. It had also protected our stored stuff from the leakage. Something we had not planned on. All is well and we smell better now.

Larry started to work for the marina but will only work 20 hours. This leaves him leeway to drive the Sea Tow boat and work a few days at West Marine. Working at West Marine gives us good discounts and with the needed repairs it will help. I start to work Tuesday sewing for a local canvas shop two days a week. I will apply for West Marine also but only want two days a week there also.

We have seen a lot of rain the end of our first week here. There is always a shortage of rain fall here even though many thunderstorms move though the area. Today the sun is shinning bright and the breeze is bowing and the temperature is very pleasant. I'm sure we will have the air conditioner running this Summer but it sure is pleasant to have the boat open for now.

Friday of this coming week we will ride the motorcycle to Rochester, NY. We will visit with family and have an inspection taken for the cycle. We would register the cycle in VA. to save having to go to NY by cycle if they had the same rider on insurance for car rental. Lets hope the weather will be kind to us.

Tonight we plan to get together with our friends Greti and Richard on M/V Uschi. They won't be spending the Summer here this year but will travel to New England. They will spend a month here at the end of Summer before retuning to Florida by car. They plan to leave early tomorrow morning. It's good to spend a little time with them before they leave.

Lake Drummond

2009-05-28T16:57:00.002-04:00

Monday May 25, Memorial Day
This morning we were under way by 7 AM. We have a long day ahead of us and depending on the current who knows how far we will get. We would like to get though the Pungo Canal but it is 24 miles long and now where to anchor within it. We arrived at the canal by 6 Pm, too late to go though. There are many tree stumps along the sides of the canal and a boat that went though after dark hit one last year and sank. We anchored off on the Pungo River a place we had not used before. We had good water depth and protection from the wind and waves. We will definitely use this one again.

Tuesday May 26
Again we were under way by 7 AM. We traveled the 24 miles of the canal along with several other sailboats and of course we were passed by many power boats. They were not necessarily traveling North back home for the Summer but were local boats cruising for the Summer. Many of them go to New England or the Chesapeake.

When we left the canal we then traveled up the Alligator River to the Alligator River Bridge. After going though the bridge opening we stopped at the Alligator River Marina and took on fuel. Larry felt that this fuel would last us til we got to Deltaville. After fueling we headed across the Albemarle Sound. The wind had begun to pick up and the fetch was growing on the sound. It was a little uncomfortable and got worse in the middle then eased up some on the other side. When we made our turn to go up the Pasquotank River the wind and waves were coming from behind us, this flattened out the boat and the rolling stopped. We had motor sailed across the sound but the waves were greater than the wind and the sails didn't help much. We arrived in Elizabeth City when the bridge came off restriction and we caught an opening shortly after 6 PM.
We transited though the bridge and continued on up the river to Goat Island, where we dropped our hook along with two other boats. It had been a long day, a little over 11 hours of travel. It felt good to stop for the evening and have dinner and a good nights sleep.

Wednesday May 27
Last night we discussed taking our time this morning and catching the 11AM bridge and lock opening at South Mills. I knew we would be up early and said why not go for the 8 AM opening that would get us at the Visitors Center around 10AM. We had planned to spend the night at the center. Getting there early would give us more time to visit the new State Park Center on the West side of the canal. That is what we did and it was worth it. We spent several hours viewing the center and walking the new board walk. After which we borrowed the courtesy bikes at the Visitors Center and took a ride on the nature trail. Of course we got caught in the rain but it was only a shower. It was a very warm day so it felt good. Along the way the only nature we came across was one dead snake and one very long, very alive one. That was enough nature for me.

The picture is of the new pontoon foot bridge, which gives you access to the center on the West side. They have been working on it the last two trips though for us. One of the rangers told us it has already been struck by lightening twice and cost a small fortune to fix.

Thursday May 28

This morning we were the last ones to leave the dock at the center. We were in no hurry we were only going about five miles to the dock on the East side of the canal by the feeder ditch. When we arrived another boat was already tied up. When we ask how long they were going to be there they said a few hours and that it was OK to raft up to them. We did and then got into the dinghy for a ride up the feeder ditch to Lake Drummond.

The ride in the feeder ditch was quiet and very scenic. We had hoped to see some wild life but it didn't happen. The picture above is of the dam that controlls the water flow that feeds the canal. The boat house is for the lock tender that arrives by boat. We turned to the port ( left ) and followed the water way to the lift. Where we placed our dinghy on the rails and proceeded to move it across the land to the other side where we placed it in the water again.

This picture is of our dinghy as it took a ride on the rail car.

Our breath was taken away by the view that awaited us when we emerged out onto the lake. It was a perfect day not a breath of wind to disturb the water. You can see by the pictures the water acted as a mirror for the landscape and the sky. I took many pictures and it was hard to choose for the blog. They were all magnificent.

We rode along the shore being careful not to get too close as to snag on a stump. As you can see, some of the trees are growing out in the water. We arrived on the other side and came straight back in the middle of the lake. With nothing disturbing the water you could look out over the bow of the boat and almost think you were on a movie set. The landscape was a painted picture for the back drop and the dinghy was nothing but a prop with a recording for the sound of the engine. What an experience we were very glad we made the stop. We have passed by many times and we always say we need to stop. I'm so glad we did today.

We arrived back at the boat around 1PM and both us and the boat we were rafted to set out to make the 3PM bridge opening at Deep Creek. We didn't go though the lock, we will do that at 8AM tomorrow morning. We both went to the Elizabeth Dock and tied up for the night.

Larry and I went for a walk to stretch our legs and see what the grocery store had to offer. We picked up a few things. When we got back to the boat we went over for a cocktail on our neighbors boat. We called it an early evening, tomorrow would be a long day.

Visiting In New Burn, NC

2009-05-23T12:43:00.001-04:00

Wednesday May 20
We left very early around 6:45 AM for a very long day. We traveled up the Cape Fear River going into the wind and current, seeing only around 4 knots of speed. Some waves were breaking over our bow but not bad only around 1 to 2 footers. It was just a slow go of it. After a twelve hour day we dropped the hook in Mile Hammock Bay, in the middle of the navel base for some dinner and hopefully a good nights sleep. It wasn't long after we arrived that we saw the sunset in the picture.

Thursday May 21

We woke to another 6:45 exit out of the anchorage to make the bridge opening at 8 AM. These long days are starting to get to us. It will be good to call it quits in Deltaville.

Today we traveled though Beaufort, NC and on our way we passed by this big guy. He was hauling phosphates (chemicals) and had signage all over his barge with warnings. I didn't want to get too close and would not want to be crew aboard his ship.

We anchored in Cedar Creek for the night. There were a few other boats that seemed to be traveling for the Memorial holiday weekend. Most were out of New Burn, NC, our next stop.

Friday May 22

This morning we were in no great hurry but were up early as usual. Our days voyage was a short one from our last nights anchorage to New Burn, NC. We traveled up the Neuse River to the this quaint little town. Upon arrival we headed to the Skip Jack Marina for fuel. After fueling we headed to the anchorage between the two bridges. The main bridge is a lift bridge and has been under construction for a year and a half, so it is open permanently til construction is complete. We traveled though it and had to wait for the train bridge to open. This took 45 minutes. This bridge is normally open accept when a train is coming though. We seem to manage to always be at the train bridges when they are coming. As luck would have it there was a delay and we along with five other boats on the other side had to wait. The bridge tender finally opened to let us pass before the train arrived. It was kind of neat to watch the train pass when it did finally arrive.

When we got settled our friend Kathy met us at the boat ramp/dinghy dock to show us the town. She had just moved into a new apartment the weekend before, so we got to see her new home. We also met her friend Annie, they both moved here from Rochester, NY four years ago. Annie has a massage business at her house and stays very busy. Kathy works in a dentists office and also works part time for Food Lion. She worked part of today and has tomorrow off. In the evening the four of us went to dinner at a restaurant that has a fresh fish market next door. I don't need to tell you how fresh and good the fish was.

Saturday May 22

The picture is of the little ducks male and female that came to great us early this morning. I think they went to all the boats for handout. A while later they were joined by to more male ducks and the battle for the female began. Our little friend held his own and the other two left.

This morning Kathy met us at the dinghy dock around 10 AM. We were headed for Super Wal*Mart and Lowes for propane and groceries. When we returned Larry took our supplies out to the boat and Kathy and I set out for an adventure. Larry wasn't interested in shopping and going to lunch, besides he had some chores he wanted to get done.

When were returned late afternoon Larry brought Kathy and I out to the boat by dinghy. We had invited her and Annie for dinner. The picture is of Kathy when we arrived on the boat. We didn't know if Annie would be joining us or not. She did call and Larry went to shore to bring her out. I had cooked a roasting chicken on the grill. It was a beautiful evening and after dinner we visited until dark. We said our good byes and Larry took the girls back to shore. If the weather is still warm when we pass though in the Fall we will make a stop in New Burn, if not we'll do it in the Spring. It was great to see Kathy and meet Annie.

Sunday May 23

This morning we traveled the short distance on the Neuse River to Blackbeard Sailing Club. We are going to visit George and Carol the couple in the picture. We met them in Marathon at Boot Key Harbor City Marina. They were on the mooring ball next to us. They, also like us are former Lake Ontario Sailors. They belonged to Putneyville Yacht Club.

When we arrived at the sailing club we were greeted by several of it's members, George being one of them. When we got our lines secured, George gave us a tour of the grounds and club house. It reminded me a lot of the club we were members of on Lake Ontario, Brockport Yacht Club. The people were friendly and the club house had a great view of the water with a big deck.

George and Carol invited us to their house for the evening for dinner. George came to get us in his car around 4:30. They live in a gated community but it is very rural with lots of trees and space between the houses. In fact you don't really see the neighbor houses when you look out the windows. It was a beautiful setting with all the wooded areas. We had a lovely dinner and great visit. They don't plan to cruise South next year so we hope to stop on the way down or back to see them again.

2009-05-18T13:06:00.007-04:00

Friday May 15

We made it passed Georgetown, the current was carrying us along at a good speed. We dropped the hook in Thoroughfare Creek and the picture is of the bluff on shore. This creek gets it's name from all the small boat traffic that come though from the creek up stream and the river down stream. When we arrived two small boats we at shore having some libations with another man. The two with the boats left and the other man stayed. We don't know where he was living because there were no houses that we could see from the water. It was very quiet and dark that night. Kinda made it eerie wondering where that man went. All in all it was a good anchorage.

A friend of ours said when he anchors there he swims to shore and takes a picture of his boat from on top of the bluff. There was no way we were going in that water, when we were in route today we saw a large gator in the river. Larry thought it was a log until it started to move and upon further inspection with the binoculars, he was big.

Saturday May 16

We woke very early and were underway by 7 AM this morning. The tide was against us all day today on our ride to Barefoot Landing, Myrtle Beach, S Carolina. It made for a slow go compared to yesterday.

You can see from the picture the low hanging clouds on the water. It continued to rain in spurts on us all day. In between the rains the sun would show it's face for a while but then the clouds would move in again. We got to Barefoot Landing Resort and Marina early afternoon, fueled up and took a dock. This area is known as the ditch and has very little to offer in the way of anchoring. We have been to this marina in the past and like it here. We have access to the pool and hot tub which make it worth the stay. While we were at the pool our friend Norman came up, he and Nancy had just arrived. We were just wondering about them and where they were a few days ago and here they are. It seems to work that way. That evening we got together with them on our boat for cocktails. They plan to go to Southport tomorrow and take a dock because of the predicted bad weather to come. We are not sure what we will do. We Plan to make that decision tomorrow underway.

I took this shot underway to Barefoot Landing. It is a bridge that is under construction a few miles south of Barefoot Landing. If you look real close you can see one option to keeping your boat from being waked by the passing boats. Just below the bridge at the end of the crane cable is a small powerboat suspended in mid air. I guess there is a first for every thing, I not seen this technique before.

Sunday May 17

We left the dock this morning just before 7 Am along with our friends Norm and Nancy on S/V True Loev and three other sailing vessels from across at another marina. We had a swing bridge first thing and we all went through together. I was the lucky one to be doing the driving though the area known as the rock pile. It is a strip of the ICW that is not only narrow but has rock under the water on both sides. The first time down through this area it was at high tide and we couldn't see the rocks and what the fuss was all about. The next time thorough was at low tide and we could see what the fuss was all about and it was pretty scary. We now have been though several times and we stay alert and in the center. That way we stay out of harms way.

While we were under way it was evident that the weather prediction was going to come true. We called ahead via cellular phone and made a reservation for the marina in Southport. Normally we go to the South Harbor Marina but it is too far from the town and if we are going to get stuck here for a few days we want to be able to go for a walk and see things. We arrived mid afternoon and tied to the dock just before the winds go too strong.

Our friends were surprised and glad to see us. We also found another couple we met in Marathon at the docks. They had been here for three days already.

When we were finished checking in we went for a walk into town to check it out. It was still warm but down by the river the wind was strong and much cooler. We walked back and just in time for the skies to open up and down pour. It was quite a wet night and continued to rain all night.

Monday May 18

We slept in this morning later than we normally do. I think it was because it was so dark out side and still drizzling. I cooked us breakfast and we just hung out on the boat until late in the afternoon. We had talked about taking a cab to the super Wal*Mart but just couldn't get up the ambition to go. Finally late in the afternoon our friends Norm and Nancy ask us if we wanted to walk into town with them. We took a walk but not much was happening due to the weather. We walked to the health food store and then to a cafe for a cup of java. We returned to the boat and stayed there for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday May 19

This morning we got up and made plans with both sets of friends to share a cab to Wal*Mart around 10:30 AM. This got us moving. We needed a boost, the weather is still not good and the gale force winds warning is still in effect. A good day to stay put. When we returned form Wal*Mart we had lunch and I gave Larry a trim on his beard and mustache. Norm came over to ask if we would like to get together for a pot luck dinner at his boat. We accepted and will see them tonight.

I wish the wind would stop howling, I'm getting tired of listening to it. The prediction is for it to lessen but still 15 to 20 in the morning. We plan to leave early unless something is to change.

2009-05-14T17:22:00.003-04:00

Wednesday May 13
Today was a good day to stay put. The picture is of the ocean and the gray sky. We enjoyed our day visiting with Phil. Dianne was at her daughter's house but we got to visit some when she came home.

They were kind to us and let us use their washer and dryer. I desperately needed to do laundry. It was coming out of the wet locker at me. Phil, Larry and I took a break in between loads and went to lunch and for a drive to see the area. They live in a gated community on a golf course. The Isle of Palms is an island just North of Charleston and on the East side of the ICW. It's very peaceful here at the dock and protected.

Thursday May 14

We made the decision last night to stay another day. We still had some work to do on the boat even with all the cleaning and laundry we did yesterday. The weather was still threatening thunderstorms this morning and though the afternoon. We felt it was a good choice on our part.

When I got up this morning I baked a banana bread and Phil and Dianne came over for coffee. We had a good visit, but a short one, they had things to do as they are getting ready to cruise on their boat next week. They may even catch up with us before we get to the Chesapeake. If not we will see them in Deltaville.

Phil needed to go to Wal*Mart and we tagged along. I got to ride with the cute little gal you see in the picture. Her name is Sailor and she will be going with Phil and Dainne on their cruise.

Tomorrow morning we plan to get a early start before the wind begins to blow. We should make it to Georgetown, SC, where we will anchor for the night.

Still In Charleston!

2009-05-12T14:29:00.011-04:00

Monday, May 11

Today we just hung out and read until late in the afternoon. The sun was shinning but thunderstorms were predicted. After lunch we took the dinghy and went to shore. We took the short walk to the health food store. The sky was cloudy when we left and it looked like we were going to get wet again but by the time we walked back the sun was out again. When we returned to the boat the air temperature took a quick dive and we didn't last long in the cockpit.

Tuesday, May 12

We woke to a chilly 55 degrees this morning, we ate breakfast and began to raise our anchors. We don't as rule put down two anchors so we had to coordinate our efforts in raising them. I had to dive slowly in forward while Larry by hand bought up the first anchor and by winch let out the second anchor. The first anchor was the one we were being held by, the current was still on the incoming tide. When he got the first one up we move back by way of the current to the other anchor. It was gentle enough that he brought up the second one while we were moving back to it. All in all it went quite well but Larry had a back ache from the strain of lifting the anchor by hand. On our thirty foot Hunter the anchor windless was called Larry. I guess he is out of practice.

We arrived at the boat yard to have our mast stepped around 10AM. You can see by the picture it is being rigged by the crew in the parking lot. Larry and I mounted our new mast head light. It went smooth lets hope it works when they are all down.

We're getting there! The crane has the mast on the boat and the crew is attaching the stays.

We were hoping to make the bridge before it goes on restriction but it is now 3 PM and they are still tuning the rig.

It's 4 PM and the main sail is on and we are pushing off the dock. The wind has picked up and the chop is building in the harbor and we have a two hour wait for the bridge. We rode around in the harbor for a period of time then entered the ICW again and waited near the bridge. It was 6 Pm when we went though the bridge opening. We had about another hour of travel to get to Isle of Palms were we had a dock for the night, thanks to our friends Phil and Dianne. We were pretty tired by the time we arrived but glad to get tied up, have a shower, some dinner and go to bed early.

Mother's Day In Charleston, SC

2009-05-10T13:40:00.005-04:00

This morning we got an early start to the city. We docked the dinghy at the city marina and walked one block to meet the DASH Bus. We rode the bus around the city to the visitors center. From there we walked to the Fort Sumter Monument, where we boarded the ferry to Fort Sumter. In the picture of the fort you can see the ferry in the back ground. The entire trip lasted about two and one half hours. The ride out and back and the talk at the fort totaled about two hours. We would have liked more time to walk around the fort. They now allow you to take your personal boat out to the fort. We may anchor out and dinghy in for a longer stay next time.

The day started out sunny and quite warm but as you can see by the picture it got very over cast and threatening of thunderstorms. Before we left it started to sprinkle and just after we departed the boat at the mainland the skies opened up and down poured.

This was a shot across the inside of the complex. The original fort had two more stories but were fired upon during the Civil War and turned into rubble in the center and then eventually removed. I can't fathom living on the fort during the Civil War or any other time. The soldiers were isolated and captive for months while being fired upon. If your interested in more on the fort go to www.nps.gov/fosu

After the rain let up we walked to the Market area again and found a place to have lunch. We didn't stay in the city as long as on Friday. Of course the rain began to fall again on our dinghy ride back. We were pretty soaked by the time we arrived at the boat. It was just like taking a trip on the cycle we always get wet on the return trip. In fact we saw a large group of cycles while we were eating lunch. Bet they got pretty wet too.

We Look Funny!

2009-05-09T18:04:00.003-04:00

We didn't get up early this morning and this could become a habit if we stay much longer. Larry went to shore to get some water and dump the garbage, I stayed behind on the boat. I have felt under the weather with my allergies today and just wanted to lay low, so I did. I have developed laryngitis and would like it to go away for tomorrow.

Larry did a few jobs he wanted to get done. He cleaned the anchor well because we have both anchors down and the well was empty. Good time to do it. I get after him for not sitting and relaxing so he would do a job and then sit and read for a while then do another job. He cleaned the water line on the boat and the bottom of the dinghy. Cleaning the dinghy meant getting in the water. Not me, the water isn't very clean it looks muddy but we have seen people swimming in it.

You can see by the picture what I mean we look funny. We have had several inquiries about our missing mast by boats that are passing by .

Well this has me caught up on my blogging til tomorrow. Let see if I can keep up for a while.

Sweltering Day In Charleston!

2009-05-08T17:14:00.002-04:00

This morning we decided to go into the city of Charleston. We left relativity early, the temperatures are to reach 85 to 90 degrees. We took the dinghy to the city marina, paid for a day pass and set out on foot for the visitors center. The day had already reached high temps and as you can see the dog in the fountain new how to get cool. If I though I could get away with it I would have joined him.

After checking out the visitors center we walked across the street to the museum. We always manage to spend many hours no matter what museum we go into. This one was no different, it was late in the afternoon when we emerged to the sidewalk again. While we were in the museum a group of about 75 school kids converged on us. It felt like an invasion, no more quiet museum. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and left just before us.

Charleston has many beautiful gardens like this one tucked away off the street. If you do nothing else the architecture and the landscaping are worth the trip into the city.

After the museum we walked to the market and found Bubba Gump's Restaurant and had a late lunch. By this time my feet were about walked out and we looked for the Dash Bus. We didn't ride it a long way but it cut out some of the walk back to the marina.

We got back to the boat just before 7 PM. We had been gone longer than we had planned but time passes when you are having fun. We relaxed and read until the sun set then retreated below decks for and early evening.

Amazing Sunset!

2009-05-07T16:51:00.003-04:00

Last night the sky and water were a blaze when the sun set. We don't expect such beauty from the sun when it sets over land but sometimes we get surprised.

Today we relaxed from the hectic day we had yesterday. We took our time and in the afternoon we went to shore at the boat ramp and walked to the health food store. It was an amazing store, it would be nice to have one in every port we travel to. They had brands I had not heard of, they even made Larry happy with their selection of beer.

During our walk I was able to see and identify the sweet sent we have been smelling while traveling. It's Jasmine, it has been in full bloom and is working on my allergies. It smells good but every yard seems to have it for a hedge and it is almost over powering.

It was good to take a break today and I think we will have a few more. We didn't hear from Tom today so it looks like we won't be getting our mast back tomorrow. We just have to sit back and enjoy Charleston. I won't complain.

Stepping Our Mast!

2009-05-06T16:24:00.005-04:00

This morning we didn't have to leave at the crack of dawn. We would be catching the 9 AM opening of the bridge and only had a few miles to travel. Before we left though, we had to remove the jib sail. We didn't take it down when we removed the main, it was our safety net in case of engine trouble. You never know and we have had to use it before for that exact reason. We got it down and were under way. The tide was going out which meant we had a good ride to the Charleston Harbor but when we made the turn to go up river to the boat yard it meant a slow go. The tide and wind were opposing, which meant lots of waves. Fortunately for us the waves were with us and we surfed all the way up river, considering we were only doing 4 knots.

We arrived at the boat yard and Tom and the crew were waiting for us. They did the prep while they were waiting for the crane. The crane was stepping a mast on another boat. The picture shows Tom up the mast fastening the strap from the crane to the mast.

This picture shows the mast being lifted off the boat and moved up to the parking lot. Where they removed the rigging and put it on a trailer for transport to the Seldon factory. We don't know for sure when we will see the new one back. Until then we plan to anchor out just South of the bridge we came under this morning. The only difference we don't need to wait for and opening. Not having a mast has certain advantages.

Playing Catch Up!

2009-05-05T09:00:00.025-04:00

Monday April 27

We arrived in New Smyrna Beach around 1 PM took a dock in the city marina. Aunt Dot and her friend Don arrived at 2 PM. They were kind to us and drove us to the grocery store to get some provisions. After which we went to dinner for the Early Bird Special at the Riverview Restaurant and Marina, it over looks the ICW. We have on past visits taken a dock there. The weather was beautiful and we ate at a table outside on the deck. It was great to see Dot and to catch up on news and to meet her friend Don. They are planning a trip up North next month. They will take Don's pickup truck and pull his motorcycle in a trailer. They have been doing a lot of cycling here in Florida and are looking forward to the same up North. We suggested on their return in October that they stop in Deltaville to visit us and the four of us can take a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains by cycle. We'll look forward to our next visit together.

Tuesday April 28

We planned another short day today, we will be going to Daytona. There is no need to leave early so I did the laundry and Larry gave the boat a much needed wash. We finished our tasks and left the dock around 11 AM. We arrived at Daytona were we took on fuel at Halifax Harbor Marina. After we crossed the ICW and dropped the anchor in shallow water in front of this beautiful house. We had a quiet night and relaxed in the cockpit and watched as the sun went down.

Wednesday April 29

We lifted our anchor early this morning to catch the bridge opening before they closed for heavy morning traffic. We traveled a long distance today to get to St Augustine. Our relaxing short days are over we are now on a push to get to Charleston. We plan a day of R&R in Beaufort, SC for provisions and site seeing, other than that we are on the move.

When we arrived in St Augustine our plan was to anchor just South of the bridge. After going a ground while entering the anchorage we changed our minds and back tracked to anchor where we were in the Fall. We prefer to anchor North of the bridge but passage though the bridge is restricted to before 7 AM and after 9 PM. We arrived around 5 PM.

The bridge in St. Augustine has been under construction since before our first trip South. The city is all about architecture and the bridge is being restored. They first built a new bridge beside the old one. This took time, then they started renovations on the old one, which is taking the most time. In the past we have had restrictions but nothing this limited. They have a barge blocking the passage during the day while they install the counter weights. We do not know how long this will take. The progress is now visible to those of us who know nothing about bridge building, let alone renovation.

Thursday April 30

This morning as you can see by the picture we were up real early. We needed to get to the bridge before 7 AM and we were a few miles South of it. We got our hook up and traveled to the bridge in plenty of time. We had another long day as we traveled to Fernandina Beach to take on fuel at the marina. While we were getting fuel I noticed a boat that looked familiar. When I saw the owners I recognized them from a previous visit to No Name Harbor. It never ceases to amaze me how we meet up again on this journey of ours. There is so much water and so many places but we manage to meet up again and again.

After taking on fuel we traveled the 5 miles to Cumberland Island in Georgia to anchor for the night. After we crossed the channel and started up the ICW to Cumberland we were hailed by a Coast Guard Cutter. The Coast Guard was warning us of an escort that was in progress and to stay out of the channel as far as possible. She also said to be aware that some ships require 300 yards of clearance. When we saw that they were escorting a submarine we figured that that was one of the ships that needed 300 yards. There were four very large ship doing the escort and a few small ships. In the photo you can see the two main ships and the sub. We were surprised that they gave no prior warning on the VHF. They generally give one in advance to their departure. I will say it is very impressive and a bit intimidating, we feel so small compared to them.

After our bit of excitement we arrived at Cumberland Island and set our hook for a good nights sleep. There were about six sailboats, including us and no power boats in the anchorage.

Friday May 1

This morning we were the first ones to leave the anchorage. I'm sure your not surprised, me neither. Now that we are in Georgia navigating can get tricky. Georgia has little to no funding for dredging the ICW. The Army Corp of Engineers actually closed the ICW in this state but there was such an uproar that they opened it again. Hence why passing by this cruise ship was tense.

The winds were predicted to increase and come out of the Southwest and by the time we got to where we wanted to anchor it was a choppy mess. We entered Dublin Creek and set the anchor twice but we were not comfortable with being there. We lifted up the anchor and traveled another couple of miles to New Tea Kettle Creek. The wind was still blowing but the creek was narrow and windy which made for no chop. Three other boats were already there with anchors set. Two of the boats, one of which we new from Deltaville, were rafted together. We had been communicating with True Luev on the VHF while traveling but had not met up together. After Larry and I got anchored and settled we dinghied over to visit for cocktails. We didn't stay long we were both tired and needed to eat dinner. Tomorrow would be another long day.

Saturday May 2

We again were the first to leave the anchorage. We were sure our friends would catch up to us and possibly pass us. They caught up but never managed to pass us. They planned to go as far as the Isle of Hope Marina for the night and we were anchoring in the Herb River in Thunderbolt, Ga. We arrived in good time and traveled up the river to a some what wide spot and dropped the hook. On the way in we passed another boat doing the same. After we set our hook the same boat we passed came up where we were he tried multiple times to set his hook, then gave up and left. This didn't help our confidence even though we knew we were set. The frequent tidal changes can left ones anchor and reset it. At least we hope it resets. When you get up into these narrow, some what shallow rivers, the current tends to be less. There is always many things to take into consideration and I don't feel any of us are expert at the task no matter how many anchorings we have under our belt. Mother Nature makes sure we stay on our toes inflicting enough fear just so we don't become cocky.

Being Saturday there was considerable amount of small boat traffic, which calmed down by late evening. The Herb River was a very pleasant anchorage, I'm sure we will come again.

Sunday May 3

We had another long day to Beaufort, SC. We again got an early start. After traveling the distance to Beaufort, we needed fuel again. Instead of going to the City Marina in Beaufort we stopped in route at Port Royal Landing Marina in Port Royal. The wind was blowing and creating quite a chop on the river. This made for a lees than easy landing on the fuel dock. I'm glad Larry was driving. The dock hand was helpful and seemed to know what she was doing. That always helps in these conditions. After we were fueled and took on water, Larry had me drive so he could help push us away from the dock. His arm strength is greater than mine and the wind had us pinned to the dock. We got off without an issue but I was a little bit nervous, even though Larry has me drive and dock about as much as he does. We both feel it is important in the case that I have no choice in the matter.

After fueling, we proceeded to Beaufort. Our plan was to anchor just South of the marina. When we arrived we could see the fetch on the water in the anchorage was building with the winds 15 to 20 knots out of the South. There are several boats owned by the locals on private mooring balls that take up much of the anchoring space, making it difficult to find a spot with enough space to allow for swing room. Added to this many of the transient boats put out two anchors, with the current and tidal change it is almost impossible to guess where their anchors are set. After driving around for a while we chose a spot and set our anchor. Even after shutting off the engine it still was noisy with the wind and waves. We decided it would not be as pleasant a stay as we anticipated and we were staying for two nights. We lifted the hook and waited for the next bridge opening for the Ladies Island Bridge. Just passing though the bridge lent it's self to peace and quiet. Just North of the bridge we took a left and headed up Factory Creek. Past the Ladies Island Marina we set our hook. The tide was on the verge of changing so we sat to watch how the boat would respond. The creek in narrow with deep water in the center but shallows out at about 15 feet in from the marsh.

Several small power boats were enjoying the beautiful day, one anchored and everybody took a swim. Larry decided he wanted to take a swim also. About that time the tide changed and we swung to close the shore for our comfort. As the tide was going out we knew if we didn't reanchor we would be a ground and out of the water. Not Good! We started the engine and moved more to the center of the creek. In the fall when we anchored we needed to be closer to the shore. This time not giving thought to the wind direction being different we did the same. This is what I mean about no matter how much you anchor you'll never be an expert. Once we moved all was good and we enjoyed our evening.

Monday May 4

Try as we may we could not sleep in. This is what happens to us when we get in travel mode. Leaving early gets us in at our anchorage with time to enjoy the evening. Today though we are not traveling but need to get some provisions at the grocery store. You probably wonder why we shop so frequently. We have a very small refrigerator and can only hold small amounts of food. I don't mind because this keeps us from having spoilage due to the heat.

It was close to 10 AM when we dinghied to shore at Ladies Island boat launch for a walk to the grocery store. We were back to the boat in time for the tide change, which made Larry happy. After putting things away and lunch we headed back out in the dinghy to go the main land and the city of Beaufort. This was a bit longer of a ride than in the morning but not as long a ride in Marathon to Castaway's. The water was calm and the winds were light but the tide was against us. It was an easy ride to the dinghy dock, we tied up and walked into town. Larry and I have been into all the shops numerous times but we never tire of Beaufort. The people are friendly and the towns shops are great for browsing.

We stopped at Panini's for an early dinner and then the city marina for a shower. The ride back was a little rough the fetch had grown with the increase in wind speed. Once again as soon as we went under the bridge the water was calm and the waves gone. When we returned we enjoyed the early evening sitting in the cockpit but retreated to below decks as the temperature dropped due to the threat of impending thunderstorms.

Tuesday May 5

This morning we again left by 7 AM. We have a long trip to Charleston, SC. We plan to stop and anchor about 5 miles South of Charleston. We won't make it in time to catch the bridge opening before it goes on restriction and closes from 4 to 6 PM. We'll wait and go in the morning when it comes off of restriction at 9 AM.

We got to our anchorage around 4 PM and dropped the hook just in time for the rain to come. The tide was coming in and was strong enough to keep the wind from pushing us so we stayed in line with the current until slack tide. There was plenty of water around us so there was no worry of coming too close to the docks on shore when we swung.

When we shopped in Beaufort, I purchased a whole chicken at the store. For dinner I prepared it and wrapped it in aluminum foil and cooked it on the grill. When I do this we have several meals that are easy. We had a good dinner tonight of roast chicken, fresh green beans, rice and gravy. We watched a little TV and went to bed.

Sunday In Titusville!

2009-04-26T11:09:00.000-04:00

We woke early again and got underway. Out on the ICW the wind was still blowing 15 to 20 knots and over the open expanses of water there was a fetch creating waves around one foot. The sun was shinning and the air was warm.

When we came out of the anchorage there was another boat that looked familiar to us. Curiosity got the better of me and I hailed them on the VHF radio. They were who we thought they were. We met in Marathon at the United Methodist Church. We had a nice chat and found out we were both headed to Titusville. They were taking a slip and we were going to anchor.

Here in Central Florida we seem to be seeing many more cruisers traveling North . We have also observed more power boats anchoring than any other year. We guess they are opting, with the price of fuel, to spend their money at the pump and not at the dock.

We passed by this tug and barge just prior to getting to Titusville. He had a load of concrete pilings. Most of the marinas, when replacing pilings, seem to be going to concrete. It's sturdier than wood, especially during a hurricane.

This helicopter also passed by us on the way to Titusville. His banner on the side said sailboatpic.com. I don't think he took our picture though.

We arrived early in the afternoon at Titusville and after securing our anchor and having lunch we set out to go to shore. The winds were still strong and the chop was about one to two feet. Going to shore we were surfing off the following waves and I was not looking forward to the ride back.

While at shore,we spotted a boat we knew from Marathon last season. It was Ken and Lee on S/V One Eyed Parrots. They are staying a few days to have some work done. We chatted with them for a while then walked into town. Besides the fact that this town has very little in the way of shops and businesses, what was there was closed accept for the West Marine, Save A Lot and CVS. We walked down Main St and visited the open shops then returned to the boat. We managed to stay dry but the ride back was a bit bumpy. It reminded me of many of my rides back from Castaway's after work.

Early tomorrow we will be in New Smyrna Beach, where we will visit with my Aunt Dot.

Sleepless Night At Anchor!

2009-04-25T19:00:00.005-04:00

The wind and tide did stop apposing each other but the wind continued to blow all night making for a noisy night and little in the way of rested sleep. We were awake early and decided to get under way, it wasn't going to get better if we stayed. I was tired and took a nap down below. Larry is afraid I'll get sick again like in NY so he encouraged me. It didn't take much convincing. I don't like to leave him up above alone. It gets monotonous by oneself with no one to talk to.

With the wind blowing like it was 15 to 20 knots, Rock Point lent little to no protection at anchor. Consequently we went on to another anchorage that was new to us. We dropped our hook at Dragon Point on the Banana River. We were among several power and sail boats. This is a very popular anchorage we found. The picture is of the swing bridge on the Banana River. It connects the small island you see on the left to the main spit of land on the right. The land on the right is connected to the mainland by a high rise bridge about a mile North. We will go under that bridge in the morning.

The picture is of a yacht club or marina on the large spit of land. It looks like a well kept club but they along with the marina South of it do not allow dinghy landing. We watched several dinghies land on a small strip of sandy beach between the two of them. I guess they figure if you want to come to shore take a dock.

If you look real close you can see one of they many dolphins that swam around us all evening. We were amazed at how many there were. It's always a pleasant feeling to see them. You just know it's going to be a good day or night when they come to greet you.

Tomorrow we plan a short days travel to Titusville, were we will anchor out by the marina. It's been close to a week since we set our feet on the ground so it's time to dinghy to shore and explore. We have been to Titusville several times but have never gone to shore.

A Short Day!

2009-04-24T19:45:00.003-04:00

We were enjoying our anchorage this morning and didn't leave until 11 AM. I had some work to do on the computer so we took our time had breakfast, then lifted our anchor and set out. Today being Friday the water was a buzz with small fishing type boats and lots of wake. All in all it was a pleasant short trip to Fort Pierce, where we dropped our hook in an anchorage just South of the bridge by the city marina. We are one of about four boats that are here for the night. We enjoyed our late afternoon, sitting in the cockpit and taking a swim before our shower.

After dinner the wind picked up and the tide began to come up which caused a conflict for our boat. With an opposing wind and tide it can get noisy and bouncy and it has done both. Once the tide finishes filling things should calm down. I hope so, a good nights sleep would be good.

The picture is of a small sailing craft as he sailed by our boat at anchor. These small Cat boats seem to be popular here on the East coast of Florida. Looks like fun.

Tomorrow will be another short day. We plan to anchor at Rock Point which is between Titusville and Vero Beach.

OOPS!!!!

2009-04-23T20:25:00.005-04:00

I guess I have you wondering what the last picture on the previous blog was all about. OK, I'll let you in on it. It was taken as we passed though Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. It is a transport ship for yachts of all sizes across the Atlantic Ocean. My way to get across. I've shared with Larry many times when we are ready to cross I want to put us and our boat aboard one of those ships and cross. It would be much faster and easier than us taking about five weeks on our own. We would not lose any sleep either. Wow!

This morning we were both up early as usual, so we left in time for the 7:30 AM bridge opening. We were doing well getting to all the bridges on time until the afternoon, when they were getting further apart. We have transited though about thirty bridges the past two days. The only thing I can say for them is that they are easier than canals.

We were glad to call it a day around 5 PM when we dropped our hook in Hobe Sound for the night. The palatial pallace in the picture is part of our scenery on this portion of the ICW. It is much quieter and prettier than last night with it's high rise condominiums on all sides of the ICW. The water today was also much cleaner than yesterday. After the high winds and thunderstorms in Miami and Fort Lauderdale there was all kinds of debris floating in the water. It seemed trapped with the concrete walls on both sides.

Tomorrow we plan not to leave as early as today and not travel as far, we only have one bridge.

Saying Good Bye To The Keys!

2009-04-22T20:31:00.009-04:00

Saturday April 18
We lifted our hook this morning and headed to Elliott Key. Over the VHF we heard our name. Our friend Mike on S/V Express Mail was hailing us. We were unable to connect up on the radio so I gave him a call on the cellular phone. I don't know what we did all those years without a cell phone. Mike and Carl, a friend of his was headed our way and we were headed his way. The picture is of his boat as we passed each other. We made a plan to meet up in a few days at No Name Harbor.

Larry and I arrived at Elliott Key in the afternoon and set our hook. The anchorage is large and it's a good thing, there were hundreds of boats enjoying the sun, fun and water. When the sun set some of them stayed but many of them took off for the shelter of their home docks and the umbilical cord ( electric hook up). They needed to recharge their batteries so they could keep the beer cold in the fridge and listen to the stereo full bast when they returned on Sunday.

Sunday April 19
We thought that there were a lot of boats on Saturday but that was nothing compared to Sunday . Larry and I enjoyed the day swimming and relaxing. Then we heard a kid crying for someone to retrieve his inflatable float the the wind had carried away. The boat that he was on was part of a three boat raft up and they had no dinghy. Larry and I watched and could not keep from hearing the kid continue to yelp so we put our dinghy motor on and came to the rescue. Any thing to get the kid to stop yelling. The adults we very thankful they didn't have to break up their raft.

Around sunset the boats started to leave, time to get back. I'm sure they had work on Monday. When the sun did set we were alone accept for a handful of boats. Peace and quiet at last. The sunset has one of the few boats left that shared the anchorage with us.

Monday April 20
We past by this very long barge on our way to No Name Harbor. There hasn't been much in the way of traffic on the water. We think we are late going back North.

We arrived at No Name Harbor early afternoon. Mike was already at anchor and Diane had returned from her trip to New Jersey. He and his guest Carl went to Ft. Lauderdale to pick her up at the airport.

Larry and I went to shore to do some laundry. It's so convenient here that we couldn't pass it up. We had a shower at the pavilion. It's a cold outdoor shower but it still felt good. When we finished we joined Mike and Diane and Carl for cocktails aboard Express Mail. It's good to meet up with them again.

Tuesday April 21

Diane and Mike had a rental car so Diane had made an appointment for their dog Skipper at the groomers. The appointment was for 10 AM and I tagged along. He would be there for 3 hours. Great time to go shopping an shopping we did. I think we hit every food store available in Miami. We were looking for bargains, we did find some. Seven hours later we returned to our boats and waiting husbands. We were both tired and hungry. After putting our provisions away, Larry and I went to shore for a shower. Then Diane , Mike and Carl came over for a cocktail before dinner. They wanted us to stay a few more days but we are anxious to get our mast taken care of. Our plan is to get an early start in the morning and go as far as Boca Roton.

Wednesday April 22

As usual when we travel we were up early but I don't think I was quite awake. The winds were high and small craft warnings were up on the ocean. Larry had made the decision that we would go on the inside following the ICW route. This would take away the temptation to set out the sails. Seldon the mast maker was not wanting us in heavy weather conditions and we weren't wanting to take a chance and have our mast unplanned down on our deck.

There are many, many bridges as you travel the ICW in Florida and most of them are on restriction, only opening on a schedule. One has to be very patient and calm because it can get very frustrating when the current is against your vessel and your boat speed is very slow. It is almost impossible to make the next bridge under these conditions. Patience is a virtue and very much needed.

Our first bridge is a fixed one just barely high enough for our mast. It's always tense to go under a low nonopening bridge but we did it. The next few bridges we were in swift current so waiting for your opening can be tricky.

Once we arrived in Fort Lauderdale, we fueled up and decided to go on to Lake Boca in Boca Roton to anchor for the night. Normally we would have stopped at Lake Sylvia and anchored for the night. The area in Fort Lauderdale and North of it is known as the Canyon, named this for a good reason. All the mega homes have built concrete walls to stop the erosion of what is left of a yard. The reason I say what is left is because they tend to take up most of their lot with an enormous house. It's hard to believe we are in a recession when you look at all the decadence here. Enough digressing I'll finish my thought. With these concrete walls any wake a boat makes reverbs off to get you again. I think the reverb is sometimes worse than the wake. In our Skipper Bob cruising guide they suggest not traveling though the Canyon on Holidays, weekends and late afternoons. That is another reason we deiced to leave No Name in the middle of the week.

We arrived at Lake Boca shortly after 5 PM and were glad to get off the ICW. There several boaters out after work attempting to catch the last of the sun, fun and water before sunset. I can't blame them it sure was a beautiful day. Larry and I took a swim then showered and enjoyed the view from our cockpit. We reluctantly went below for dinner just before sunset. When we rise in the morning we will do it all over again.

Slow Cruising!

2009-04-17T20:44:00.004-04:00

This morning we lifted our hook around 11AM and headed to the ICW. We had taken our time when we got up and had a cooked breakfast of pancakes and sausage. We needed to send a fax and yesterday at the book store they wanted $3 per page and we had 5 double sided, no way. Seth, our mail service guy, delivered our mail and picked up our sheets to fax and it was a whole lot less expensive than the book store. After Larry dinghied to shore to meet him and returned we headed out.

The section of the ICW we were about to travel is lacking depth so it can be tricky. Another reason we waited until 11AM, was for a rising tide, it lifts all boats. We were doing fine until the last cut though skinny water and a fast moving power boat gave us a pretty good wake. With each of the troughs we ceremoniously hit bottom with a thud. Then it felt like we were dredging when the depth sounder read 0. It was good to get past the skinny water.

The winds blew 15 to 20 knots today and the air was a bit cool. We encounterd enough chop that we took spray over the bow and felt it back in the cockpit. The sun was bright though and made it feel warm.

We made it to Tarpon Basin at 3:30 and decided to call it quits for the day. We relaxed in the cockpit and enjoyed the peaceful surroundings and a swim in the water. The picture shows the sun just before it set and one of the two other boats sharing the anchorage with us. Tomorrow we should have a short day to Elliot Key.

Hanging Out In Islamorada!

2009-04-16T11:00:00.004-04:00

We stayed put today. We decided since we haven't cruised in a while that we would take our time heading North. We stayed on the boat until afternoon, then went to shore to bump around.

In the morning we did some much needed accounting to check finances after our provisioning. That always tends to be a shock! Time to pull in the reins for a while.

We went to shore around 3:00 and went for a walk and checked out some of the shops. We also went to World Wide Sportsman to buy a new bilge pump switch. How exciting, but with our luck we have to keep a spare.

About 6:00 our friends you see in the picture, Tom and Karen, called to let us know they had arrived in Islamorada. They are spending a few days here with their three kids to do some site seeing. We went to shore and met up with Tom and Karen for dinner at Lorelei's. It was nice to visit with them. Karen we have seen several time since being in NY but it has been quite a while since we have seen Tom. Tom and Karen needed some adult time after an all day travel from NY with the kids, so just the two of them them joined us. We enjoyed a lite dinner and watched the sun set.

Tomorrow we plan to lift our hook and go to another anchorage. Were not sure where yet, that's the beauty of cruising slow!

On The Move Again!

2009-04-15T13:59:00.003-04:00

As you can see from our last sunset in Boot Key Harbor for this season there are plenty of empty mooring balls. Most of our fellow cruisers that travel have already left for the trek North. tomorrow morning we will let loose our mooring lines and head North ourselves. Larry has cleaned the bottom of the mother ship and the two dinghies. I've provisioned for food and supplies and we are itchy to get under way once again. We plan to take our time heading North waiting for it to warm up a bit but we can't take too long we have to be in Charleston for a mast replacement but I'll break here and let Larry tell you all about it.

LCH When readying the boat for the trip north, I decided to check the rig tuning. I found that the mast had a compression at the base of the goose neck (where the boom attaches) at the mast. I first called Hunter to see if this had been reported by others. They gave me a name at Selden, the mast manufacturer. I explained to them what I found, sent pictures and within 48 hours they got back to me with a plan forward. I pay for a slip for a couple of nights, Selden will unstep the mast, move the standing rigging and wiring to a brand new mast and then step the new mast and retune at their cost. You will see the issue on the left. We expect to be in Charleston the first week of May for the work.

It never ends. I now have to watch the bilge. When we got to Islamorada last night, I checked it and we were full of water. The bilge pump switch failed. That is the third one to fail in 3 years. I had replaced it the first time at no cost under warranty. The 2nd time replaced at no cost due to there being a manufacture recall, just 9 months ago. This switch should still be under warranty. Luckily I had a spare switch which I installed last night. Don't like the water on the wrong side of the boat!

This morning we let loose of our mooring around 8:30 and headed to Poncho's Fuel dock for diesel. We then took a left out side of Boot Key Harbor and headed to the ocean. The winds were less than 5 knots and the swell was 2 to 4 feet with a few larger ones. It wasn't an issue until we turned to go West. When we made our turn the waves were on our starboard beam causing us to roll from side to side and with the lack of wind we had nothing to help level us out. The further we went the bigger they seemed to get. I was getting tired of chasing things around the cabin and the last straw was when the coffee pot half full hit the floor. Fortunately the grounds we contained in a filter. I don't know if it was my anger or lack of things to chase but the waves seemed to calm down after that point. If the waves hadn't been in the wrong direction for us it might have been very pleasant out there instead of sloppy and uncomfortable.

The picture is of the Channel Five Bridge where we entered the ICW and traveled to Islamorada to anchor off Lorelei's for the night and next day and night. When we dropped our hook the water was inviting and we went for a dip and a shower before dinner. We had a pleasant night along with several other boats motor and sail for the night.

Easter In North Fort Myers!

2009-04-13T13:38:00.000-04:00

With most of our jobs accomplished and just a few remaining we decided it was time for a road trip to see Mom and Dad before we take off for the Chesapeake. We rented a car and because it was Easter weekend it was less money to rent for a full week than a weekend. We felt we could get our errands done quicker by car than by bike so we took it for the week. We drove to N.Fort Myers on Thursday had a wonderful visit with Mom and Dad and returned on Monday to Marathon.

While we were visiting, Mom and I went out to do a little shopping and Larry and Dad got in 18 holes of golf. The weather was hot and sunny. Larry and I went to the pool in the afternoons to catch some rays. The warm weather that we look for has finally arrived. This has been an exceptionally cold Winter here in Florida. Mom and Dad have even had it colder than we have in Marathon. I know the North has even been colder but we came here to escape the cold and it didn't work this Winter. I look forward to warmth next Winter

It was a good visit catching up on all the news with Mom and Dad. We hope to see them this Summer but if not we will when we return in December.

19 Years of Weded Bliss!

2009-04-06T12:58:00.002-04:00

After returning from NY I became a little under the weather and didn't return to work. Larry had just a few small jobs more with SALT but they hadn't gotten there permits for any new jobs. We used the time to prepare for our return trip by boat to the Chesapeake. One of the major jobs was to resew all the exposed seams of our canvas enclosure and to replace the plastic of the windows in the dodger. With our new sewing machine it made the job much easier. It took two of us because the canvas was large sections and heavy. It took us about three days to complete the task. Some of it We did aboard the boat but the reglass needed more space so we went to the marina and used the table in the work shop. When it was finished and reinstalled it fit snug like when it was new and we can see out of the dodger. Yeah!

The boat in the picture was our neighbor for the Winter, Maggie M. Chris and Divya had left the same day we did for NY. They were headed for the Chesapeake also for the Summer. You can imagine our surprise and concern when we returned to see them at their mooring. They had left in heavy weather but nothing their boat couldn't handle under the right conditions. The chain that goes from the bow spit to the hull had broke and caused the spit to break and that caused the furler to bend and shred the head sail. Thank God they were alright. They limped the 10 miles back to Marathon because it was the best place to get repairs. If you look close at the guy up the mast in the picture you can tell it is Larry. He actually went up the mast on two occasions for Chris. Larry was glad to lend a helping hand to a fellow cruiser. That's the way it works in the sailing world.

Today was our 19th wedding anniversary and to celebrate we went to Castaway's for dinner and yes of course I had King Crab.

Flight to NY! Burrrrr!

2009-03-30T21:00:00.005-04:00

The picture is of our youngest Grandchild Joseph with his Birthday cake celebrating his 6th Birthday. We have not been with him for his last few celebrations so it was time to bare the cold North and join in the celebration.

We rented a car in Marathon and drove to Miami. Our flight was uneventful and on time. We arrived in Rochester at 9:30 PM and Jennifer and Patience picked us up at the airport.

Saturday afternoon the sun was shinning and we went to the miniature golf course to play 18 holes. You can see the gang from left to right Larry, Jennifer, Jonathan, Steve, Joseph and Patience. Later that night we celebrated with other family and friends with pizza and cake.

Sunday we got together again for dinner with Dan and Kira, in the picture, at Jennifer and Steve's house. Patience had to go back to Connecticut and was not happy to leave.

We had a good visit with everyone in spite of the cold temps. I know now why we chose to go south for the winter. It lasts entirely too long and is too cold for us. We left for the airport early Monday morning and we could see snow flurries in the air. It was good to get back to warm weather even though we miss everyone when we are gone. Our next visit will be in the summer and hopefully it will be a warm one.

Learning to Fish in Salt Water!

2009-03-10T20:44:00.001-04:00

Try as we may Larry and I just don't seem to have luck fishing in salt water. Our friends in the picture Carol and Pete on S/V Crazy Cat took us out on their Catamaran for a lesson. It worked we were catching fish left and right all day. We caught around 40 with about 20 being keepers.

This is me with one of my many prizes. After we finished and had a great lunch we set about cleaning our catch. Carol is not only a great fisherman but she is fast at filleting what we caught. Later that night I fried some of the catch up for us for dinner. There is nothing like fresh fish.

Larry and I took the dinghy out into Sisters Creek for a little fishing on our own and pulled in more than we bargained for. This was a Bonnet head shark. He was a lively devil especially when we attempted to remove the fish hook. We tossed him back but later found out any size shark is a keeper. No thanks!

Karen's Visit!

2009-02-19T20:21:00.002-05:00

My friend Karen flew into Miami, rented a car and drove to Marathon to visit Larry and I for a week. Larry and I were both working so we weren't able to cruise for the week like on her last visit but we did manage to go for a short cruise to Bahia Honda State Park. We anchored for two nights and enjoyed some swimming and snorkeling. The picture of the three of us is on Monday at the bridge and as you can see it was very foggy. Even with the fog Karen still managed to hit the warmest week of the Winter. Anyone looking for warm weather vacationing in the Keys needs to find out when she is coming and plan your vacation at the same time. She is weather lucky.

Tuesday of Karen's visit she and I took the bus to Key West to do some site seeing and shopping. Larry was on a job for SALT(Sea,Air,Land Technologies) in Key West installing a solar heating system for a pool at the Southern Most Hotel. While Karen and I were there we stopped in to see him hard at work. I took this picture from the third floor of the opposite building. It's quite a system for heating the pool.

Karen and I packed a lot into her week and I saw her off on Thursday the 19th of February.

Celebrating My Birthday in Marathon!

2009-02-06T12:10:00.004-05:00

January 24! A chance meeting! I was at work on Thursday night and in walked a couple for dinner. We looked at each other with vague recognition. It took us a few moments to realize who each other was. It was Tom and Emily Grape from our previous sailing club in Brockport (BYC). What an unexpected treat and a truly chance meeting. I quickly gave Larry a call and he arrived for a visit.

Tom and Emily were one of the few couples along with us that spent the weekends on their boat. That gave us the opportunity to get to know each other well.

They have been coming to the Keys and mostly Marathon for many, many years. They had planned to stay in Marathon until Saturday night. The picture above is of our sail with them on our boat before they left. The weather according to NOAA didn't sound like it was going to be the best but as you can see they were wrong and we had a great day out on the water. We also were able to anchor outside the channel for a little lunch. It was great to see them and we hope to get together next Winter down here with them again.

We were treated to another surprise this past weekend by our friends Tom an Cathie on S/V Interlude. They did not visit by boat they came via Mustang (car). It was great to spend time together and good for them to get out of the cold weather. When I say cold I guess that is relevant, since the temperature has dropped to the low 40's and 50's since they left on Wednesday. We try to make ourselves feel good by saying we have no snow and ice. While they were visiting it was a bit warmer.

This picture was taken of them out on our boat at the mooring. The weather wasn't very cooperative with the front that was working it's way down the coast. They were happy to just be on the water even though we were unable to go for a sail. It was great to see them and I'm sure they won't be left behind next Fall.

Today is my Birthday as the title says. I have the night off from work and Larry and I are hanging out on the boat with plans to go to Castaways for dinner to night. I'm looking forward to the King Crab dinner that awaits me.

The sun is shinning but the wind is still howling and the air is cold, much colder than I like it to be. The temperature is to come back into the 70's over the weekend but the winds won't cease until sometime next week. My girlfriend Karen is coming for a visit on Thursday and spending a week with us. The last time she came we had the best week for weather that we had had all Winter. I hope her luck holds this time, it would be nice to take her sailing and visit the beach.

R & R in Marathon!

2009-01-20T10:55:00.004-05:00

Bahia Honda State Park! Two weeks ago we dropped our mooring ball and set sail for Bahia Honda for a little R&R. The weather didn't look promising for this particular Sunday. It was overcast and threatening to down pour on us. Which it did as we went out the channel and entered into the ocean. We received a good washing and had difficulty seeing the many crab pots for a short time. When the sky cleared we had the winds on our nose, oh well maybe we will sail on the way back, for now the iron jenny works well.

The picture was taken at sunset Sunday night. We were at anchor between the bridges. The weather cleared quite nicely and lent it's self to a beautiful day on Monday.

We took this picture on Monday of our boat/home peacefully at anchor with the other bridge/US 1 on the North side. The rock wall in the foreground is the channel into the marina and we were standing on the beach. The depth in the channel is too shallow for us to bring our boat to shore so we dinghy in. Earlier we took a dinghy ride around the Key stopping now and then to cool off in the water.

Tuesday afternoon we headed back to Marathon and were treated to a wonderful sail. The winds were out of the Southeast and we were on a beam reach with the only sound, the water rushing along the hull. It felt great to be energize in such a relaxing way. Traveling down the coast on the ICW renders us few opportunities to to sail, this was a treat.

A Visit to North Fort Myers! Two weekends ago we rented a car and took a land trip up to visit with Mom and Dad. When we stay in Marathon it lends us a short trip to visit with them. We plan to take advantage of this again while we are here. We had a great visit it's always better than a phone call. They, like us, would like to see warmer temps and less Northerly blows.

The gator in the picture was sunning himself at the visitors center along the Tamiami Trail route 41 on our ride up. He was one of many that we saw along the water as we drove.

This is a picture of me and my girlfriend Karen having lunch during our visit to North Fort Myers. She was also visiting her parents in Bonita Springs a town just South of Fort Myers. It was good to have a visit together. It's been two years since we last saw each other. Karen lives outside of Rochester, NY. She visited us the first year we were in Florida and is planning to visit us again this Winter.

Key West! Yesterday, Monday, Martin Luther King Holiday, we took the bus to Key West. This was our second trip to Key West this season. The US Government has created a new form of identification for Port Authority workers. They have also included Captains into this. Which meant Larry had to apply for a TWIC card (Transportation Workers Identification Card). This process took two trips in person to a port of entry. Larry had two choices to go, one being Miami and the other Key West. He had read that Key West had the shortest wait time once you arrived, with or without an appointment. The first trip he had an appointment for early afternoon. We got there early to allow ourselves plenty of time to find the office. We got there several hours early but only had to wait a short time and they took him. This time we had an early appointment to pick up the card and he was taken upon arrival. The second appointment was quick.

After his appointment we walked in the direction of Mallory Square. Along the way we stopped for lunch at Schooner's on the water. The day was full of changes as far as the weather went. During our walk and before lunch we had to duck under an awning to escape getting soaked from a passing shower. This had cooled the wind considerably. It was pleasant to look out over the water while eating but a little on the chilly side.

After eating we walked to the Mel Fisher Museum and took a tour. Mel Fisher was a treasure diver and has discovered some wrecks dating back to the 1600's. After spending several hours reading and viewing at the museum we walked back to Mallory Square to see the wares of the vendors and see the entertainment. Things were just getting started and the wind was strong coming off the water. We decided not to stay long when the sun set it would get even colder. We walked down Duval St. and stopped at Fogerty's for a rum, after which we caught a bus for the ride back to Marathon. It was dark and around 9 PM when we arrived back at the boat and called it a night after something to eat.

Holidays In Marathon!

2009-01-01T13:40:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe we have been in Marathon for just over two weeks now. We were both very tired when we arrived but have managed to do several maintenance jobs in spite of it.

I started back at Castaway's Restaurant the Friday after Christmas. It has been great to see all my friends there and it didn't take me long to get back into the swing. We had a very busy night last night, New Year's Eve. Larry joined me after things settled down and we ate before ringing in the New Year with the gang. It made for a late night so we haven't left the boat as of yet today. I have to work tonight and will go to shore for a shower before leaving for Castaway's.

It was different staying here in Marathon for Christmas. We joined our friends Pete and Dee (S/V Windlass) at Dockside Bar and Grill for a gathering of cruisers and a pot luck dinner, complete with live music. They had a full place and had to turn away several people. If you brought a dish to pass your dinner was free. If you didn't you paid $10 each. What a deal! Dockside provided turkey, roast pig and ham. If you went away hunger it was your own fault. I believe a good time was had by all.

The picture shows our new dinghy (inflatable roll up) we bought in Virginia off another cruiser. Larry in the picture has our Mercury 3.3 on it but has since bought a used Mariner 8 hp off another cruiser down here. He was test driving it but we have to wait for our registration to arrive before we can use it full time. We are also having the new engine tuned up at a local boat shop tomorrow. I'll be taking this dinghy to work at night and Larry doesn't want to have to rescue me late at night. I appreciate that.

We have made two trips to Sombrero Beach so far and intend to get ourselves there more often this season. The picture was a sand igloo some beach goer had sculpted. I'm not sure if they just had a good sense of humor or longed for some snow for the Holidays. Our second visit to the beach we were amazed a how crowed it was. We decided to wait until after the Holidays to make a return trip.

Marathon At Last!

2008-12-15T21:38:00.007-05:00

Day 34! We woke this morning very early. We had a very long day of travel, about 52 nm and we were anxious to be finished. You can see by the photo that the skies we overcast. The rising sun was attempting to emerge out from behind this cloud bank.

They call the Keys the Caribbean of the US. I wish my camera would capture the color as I see it. The water is aqua marine in color and very inviting. I missed that hue in the water this Summer in the Chesapeake. The picture is of one of the small Keys but I can't remember which one at the moment.

Sailors have a saying, it goes like this. It's not a matter of if you will go a ground but when. We had our when today. The water in the ICW around Islamorada is very shallow and it is important to stay in the channel. You can see by the photo a small Hobie Cat was on the water along with about a dozen or so more. We think they were racing and right in the middle of the narrow channel. Larry being the considerate Captain and obeying the rules of the water, moved aside to let them pass. Our chart showed about six feet of water depth just outside the channel but it lied. We promptly went a ground. After a failed attempt to free us Larry called for Tow Boat US to come to our rescue. In the mean time he kept up the attempt to free us by using our jib sail and the engine. The tide was rising and with the wind full in the sail we were free once again. After a call to cancel our tow we were on our way again.

We experienced a few rain showers but nothing major. You can see by the picture it was an overcast day. This bridge was a welcome site, it is the seven mile bridge here just outside of the Marathon Channel. We were very happy to finally arrive.

Once inside the channel we called for a mooring assignment and got ourselves settled. On the way in we waved at our friends Pete and Dee on S/V Wind Lass. They invited us to come over for cocktails which we did after checking into the marina and having a hot shower. It's good to be back and we are looking forward to meeting up with friends from last season and making new friends this season.

Sunset in the Keys!

2008-12-13T19:34:00.006-05:00

Day 32! This morning we woke early as usual and started our day's journey. With many bridge openings a head of us we wanted to get an early start.

Fort Lauderdale can be a very busy place with boat traffic. The go fast boat traffic, small run a bouts. The ICW is very narrow though here with concrete walls on both sides. This helps the residents with erosion of their property but gives reverb of the wakes. Instead of dealing with one set of wakes from each boat you have many to deal with as it hits the walls and comes back to wake you again. We were thankful that it not only was a weekday but that the weather wasn't inviting for boating, so boat traffic was low.

When we arrived at Port Everglades, the inlet in Fort Lauderdale, one look out the channel and we could see the waves were more than we wanted to deal with. A small craft warning had been posted for the day. It doesn't matter how big you think your boat is, you know it will be uncomfortable when they say small craft warning. The waves are usually one to two feet bigger than they predict on a normal day. We stayed on the inside to get to Miami. Something we have never done in the past. We have gone as far as Haulover Beach but returned to Fort Lauderdale and out the inlet to get to Miami. Miami has a bridge that has only 56 feet of clearance, we need 57 and low tide will give us what we need.

The picture shows some of the large freighter traffic at Port Everglades. This is also a terminal for large cruise ships, which there were not many of at port.

We were waiting for a scheduled opening of this bridge when a Coast Guard Cutter requested an opening. This meant we would get an early opening but buy the time the bridge opened and we waited for the cutter to transit we went thought bridge at our normal time. It was neat to see him up close non the less.

After our transiting this part of the ICW and the bridge in question we got to see this view of downtown Miami and the Miami River. We hadn't seen this view before. Even though I'm not fond of high rises it still was a neat sight.

This is a shot of the Miami skyline as we left the fair city to get to our anchorage for the night.

Day 33! After a less than restful nights sleep, we work early and began our day. The winds were strong last night and the reverb from shore kept slapping the stern of our boat and bouncing us around. Not to mention the noise. We have been spoiled this trip, just about every night the wind would die and the water would settle to glass, giving us a calm night. Last night that changed and I think we are also starting to get tired and need a break from travel.

Fortunately today we were able to sail without the engine most of the day. The quiet of sailing helped to make up for the noise of last night. A sailboat, finally we became. After being virtually a power boat for a month now we were enjoying our day on the water. We had anywhere from 12 to 20 knots of wind and were on a down wind run all day. We were even wing to wing for one of the stretches. Biscayne Bay is one of our favorite places to be on the water. Even when it is rough on the ocean a sailor can enjoy a good sail on the bay.

The winds are still bowing tonight but we have managed some protection in Tarpon Basin. We are the only boat at anchor here tonight. The last time we anchored here to escape a storm there were several of us. The sunset in the picture was what we were treated to tonight here at anchor.

Tomorrow we will be in Marathon after a long day of travel. We are hoping for some sailing again tomorrow and a good nights rest tonight.