January 15, 2012 SundayRodriguez Key to Boot Key Harbor Marathon, FL

Fiu left the Rodriguez Key anchorage at 7:45 AM with a strong northerly wind blowing around 15 to 20 knots with an occasional gust to 27 knots.  So this quickly became a repeat of the day before with strong winds from our backs and sides.  This kind of sailing is tiring because the waves are approaching Fiu from our rear starboard quarter.  What seems to happen is when the wave is under the middle of the boat the bow will turn and the wave will enhance this action.  We counteract the turning of the boat with a hard turn of the wheel in the opposite direction of travel.  Do this every three to ten seconds and one needs relief quite often during the voyage.  We are fortunate to have autohelm.  This self-steering mechanism is based on a bearing or compass direction.  It takes a few seconds for the system to discover a change and then send a signal to correct the change.  Basically, autohelm is not reactive quick enough to counteract the wave action that changes the boats direction in this case.  It is however, great in all other instances!

While pulling up the anchor it became entangled in an old anchor lines left by someone else.  It was easy to untangle and we were on our way!  We caught the wind almost immediately and spent the day on another wild ride!  We traveled between 6.5  and 8.9 knots. 

An interesting boating circumstance occurred just before arriving at Vacca Key and the entrance to Boot Key Harbor.  We were overtaking an older sailboat on their starboard side.  Just as we were almost abreast of them the boat turned toward us.  The rule is the overtaken boat maintains course and speed until the pass is made.  While I turned to starboard to avoid collision the shoal was quite close to us and I dared not venture too far or risk grounding.  We were close enough to see the captain and a lady give me a dirty look which I ignored.  It seems there are more rules of the road (other than official) than I realized!

The entrance to Boot Key Harbor was a welcome site since the last two days were spent surfing!  We talked with Pat and Walt and agreed to enter the harbor knowing we were unable to get a mooring ball this day.  The mooring field was full!  We motored in slowly and decided to anchor just off the channel just past the retired bascule bridge by red 16.  The water is shallow here and care needs to be taken to avoid grounding.  We anchored at 2:30PM and readied the dinghy to get to the harbormaster to register for a mooring ball.  We were put on a waiting list at number 11 and 12. 

There will be more to come following our daily adventures in Marathon!

Captain Sid

January 14, 2012 Saturday Miami to Rodriguiz Key

When things seem tough!

The day started out with a 20-25 knot wind from the north with cooler air coming in.  We had anchored near shore along the Rickenbacker Causeway so there was little fetch (fetch is the distance over water the wind has to create waves).  Obviously the longer the distance wind travels over water the more likely waves will be taller and bigger.  Even with little fetch the waves were already 1 to 2 feet high!  We had agreed with Pat and Walt to meet them at the entrance of No Name harbor, a favorite spot to anchor safely for many transient boaters.  With the wind at our backs we literally surfed the four to five miles from the causeway to their anchorage.  We met up with them part way down the channel that meets up with the Hawk Channel.  The northerly winds were exactly what we needed to cruise (surf) our way to Key Largo, specifically Rodriquez Key.  It would be a lengthy day even with the wind at our stern.

Sunrise near South Beach

The Hawk Channel averages about 15 to 25 feet deep.  It is separated from the Keys by a coral reef that is the third largest living reef in the world.  What this does is keep the large ocean swells and waves to a minimum.  It makes for a quick and safe way to get to the lower Keys without hitting bottom in the shallow inland waterway where the depth is only 4-5 feet deep in many spots.  However, we went the inland route two years ago and the scenery is much better and we did touch bottom once or twice.  The interesting part of the ICW here is that the water is only 7-9 feet deep for much of the distance to Key Largo from Miami.  The first time we traveled at 6 knots in 7 feet of water was a lot scary!  After checking the charts a few more times I was convinced it was safe to motor that fast in that shallow water!

Bon at Wheel in 25 knot winds

As we rounded Elliott Key and headed to Key Largo we gradually changed  direction as the Keys turn from a southerly  to a westerly direction.  The wind though was still out of the north and we were able to reach for the entire day.  Rodriguez Key is just off the south or ocean side of Key Largo near the entrance to John Pennekamp Underwater State Park.

Approaching Rodriguez Key

We arrived early in the afternoon and had plenty of time settle in and have a couple of Pusser's (BVI) Painkillers!

Sunset at Rodriguez Key

Recipe:
      2 to 4 oz rum
      1 oz creme de coconut
      1 oz orange juice
      4 oz pineapple juice
      shake with ice and top with a touch of nutmeg


Captain Sid

January 13, 2012 Friday Lake Worth to Miami

Lunch Time

Sunrise Lake Worth

The pic is sunrise at Lake Worth!  We entered the ocean at sunrise at Lake Worth Inlet and motor-sailed to Miami.  We had a southwesterly wind early and with the jib and engine we made good time.  The wind soon died to just a couple of knots and the sails came down.  The day was extra long with setting anchor at dusk.  Much of the day the engine ran at about 2250 rpms.  I prefer to run closer to 1800 rpms but in order to make Miami before dark we needed to push a little harder.

North Miami

We entered Government Cut from the ocean and turned left behind Dodge Island to downtown Miami.  Just before entering the harbor channel a huge tour ship followed the pilot boat out to sea where the local pilot gets off the tour boat and come back into the harbor.  It's my understanding that local pilots are used to bring large ships in and out of the harbors. The feeling being they don't want foreign pilots unfamiliar with the local knowledge of the harbor getting stuck or in some way damaging the harbor or cruise ship.  What a racket!  I do see the logic, however!
As we entered the cut another huge cruise ship was coming our way down the right channel.  We met at the junction of the channels that are separated by Dodge Island.  This ship was a Norweigian Cruise ship with brillant colors painted on the bow like graffiti!  Check out the pics!  Interestingly enough, passengers on board the cruise ship were taking our picture as Bonnie was taking theirs!

Miami at dusk

Colored Roof Line Lights

We motored past the docks and headed straight toward downtown Miami. We turned left and entered the ICW traveling south to the Rickerbacker Causeway Bridge.  Once under the bridge and clear we turned to port and anchored in 9 feet of water in a wonderful bay surrounded by the causeway road!  There were bright street lights as well as the downtown buildings lit up, many with colored trim lights along the roof lines!  What a sight!  My pics don't give it justice but you can still see its splendor!

ICW Downtown

Downtown near our Anchorage

With an early day tomorrow and another long day it's time for sleep!

Captain Sid

January 12, 2012 Thursday Vero Beach to Lake Worth

The wind pretty much on the nose all day!  When this happens it's not a sailing day, but instead,  a motoring day.  Traveling south on the ICW was slowed somewhat by the timed bridges.  We missed two because they are timed for trawlers that move quicker than we do.  We lost a total of 45 minutes as a result.  This may not seem like much at first glance, however, if you spend 10 hours on the water it's significant and makes for a longer day!  Pat and Walt decided to exit the ICW at Fort Pierce sail on the ocean and pull in at Lake Worth.  We chose to stay on the ICW and anchor at Lake Worth with them later in the day.  We talked on our cell phones and met them at R6 in the anchorage.

Captain Sid

January 10, 2012 Tuesday Vero Beach,FL

Brittany and Courtney Anchorage Marina

Vero Beach is one of our favorite sites with a limited mooring field it is expected boats will "raft up" in order to make room for any boat in need of a safe mooring.  We were lucky we were able to get a free buoy next toWaves of Grace.  Our early afternoon arrival made it easy to get the necessary things done to enjoy a dinner prepared by Pat and Walt.  Registering was interesting since we tied up to buoy #42.  The clerks in the office asked where we were and I told him "next to the mangroves by red post #14."  He said that was impossible and that I was at #37.  I said no that I was sure it read #42.  He me took over to the office map of the mooring field and while it showed #37 I know we were at #42.  To make a long story short their map is old and someone renumbered the buoys without correcting the map!  It's like being assigned a motel room with conflicting numbers.  You really don't want to be disturbed or move to another location.  In any event, we stayed put and there were no problems.

Table set for Pat & Walt

Bon and I took the Go Line #1 bus (free) into town.  It cruises past the beach and its shops while crossing the ICW bridge to other areas of Vero Beach including grocery stores, West Marine, Panera's and the like.  After returning to Fiu we took our dinghy to have dinner with Pat and Walt.  She served up a Chinese stir-fry over rice that would knock your socks off!

New Place Mates

We decided to stay an extra day and head out on Thursday for Lake Worth, Palm Beach.  We will decide how to spend our day tomorrow.  Time to sleep.

Captain Sid

January 8, 2012 Sunday Melbourne, FL

Dolphin at Haulover Canal Cape Canaveral

Since writing the last blog this past Wednesday some more canvas has been installed.  Whew!!  I felt Ron would walk away from the project.  He promised to have us ready to ship out today.  And again, here we sit.  This is one of the worst business dealings I have been involved with ever!  It will take at least three more work days to finish the job at this rate.  With T-storms arriving here Wednesday the absolute earliest Fiu can be underway is this Friday.

We have been in contact with Pat and Walt on "Waves of Grace" and Ed on "PattyAnn" our buddy boats and both are further south with Ed in Boot Key at the city marina in Marathon in the Keys and Pat and Walt waiting on us in Vero Beach. None of us are in a rush but, it would be a good thing to be able to continue on our way south.

January 2006 The Baths BVI

We had a "beach day" today with temps in the mid-seventies and plenty of sunshine.  The water was a little cool but walkable without that cold shock one sometimes feels on the ankles.  The beach is a two mile bike ride from Fiu and by good fortune a Bagel Hut is across Route A1A  from the beach entrance at a stop light intersection.  This is a good thing since we like a choice of fresh bagels and we can also safely cross A1A at the crosswalk!  I still am amazed at the speed and volume of traffic on Route 518 and especially A1A.

Full Moon New Jersey Coast

The full moon is again the most striking object in the night sky!  Observing and understanding the weather is a necessary component of safe sailing.  The moon comes into play by affecting tides and lighting the ocean for improved and safer visibility.  We enjoy the time spent up on deck with or without liquid refreshment while at anchor, moored or at a dock.  A moonlit night is a bonus!  This is part of the"romance" of the ocean and sailing.  Speaking of romance I am closing now.  I will write again soon.

Captain Sid

January 4,2012 Wednesday Melbourne, FL

We arrived safely in Eau Gallie (Melbourne) late in the afternoon on Tuesday.  We like Southwest Airlines.  However, I cannot see the logic in routing us from Albany to Midway in Chicago, a three hour lay-over and then on to Orlando!  The flights were comfortable with our pilots making solid landings with cross winds teasing them in both airports!  This eight hour day seems a little strange.  Perhaps this is SWA's attempt to "fill" their planes.

Budget Rental cars here in Orlando and Melbourne will quickly make a one-way rental where other places either refuse as a matter of policy or charge an outrageous fee.  Barbara at Melbourne Budget Rental even had a driver take me to our marina without charge.  Lyle was a friendly man well into his eighties and at first he was a little suspect.  He drove safely and even had an impatient driver (many drivers here are impatient) blow his horn in protest to Lyle's safe driving!  More of this when I see you.

Our arrival was one to celebrate.  So we thought, since we looked forward to our new canvas enclosure that would be completed after a month away.  Well, yes, you got it right!  Only one little section was up!  There are six parts to the design.  It looks like we will be staying here much longer than we planned!  For the record, I did everything I agreed to do and Ron, from American Canvas at the Anchorage Yacht Basin near the Eau Gallie Causeway failed to comply with our agreement which stipulated work would be done before Christmas.  I can say the bimini he put up looks great!  It appears he worked on other projects instead of mine.  I've been promised a two-day delay but then I was promised many other things in the past.  More to come on this.

We plan to leave as soon as the canvas work is completed.  I can't wait since it was chillingly cold here last night with frost.  We are forecast to have one more frosty night then on to the warm weather.  The further south perhaps the warmer it will be!

Bon and I shopped early today since I had the rental car until late afternoon.  We needed to restock most things including those small quantities that are expensive, you know, condiments and fresh vegetables.  By the way, Bon made beef stew today in the mini crock pot.  Another tasty meal by Chef Bon!

My beach day looks like it will be delayed due to the weather, but we have other things we can do.  It's time to sign off.

Captain Sid