Tuesday, October 23, 2012 Osprey Marina, Myrtle Beach, SC

Well the trip down to Raleigh was quick but enjoyable. We took Route 29 from Staunton, VA to almost I 40 East near the VA and NC state borders.  What we found was several micro breweries in rural VA with full parking lots.  We decided we need to stop there on our next trip!

The Nyland wedding was small and intimate.  We feel both Brian and Anna make a good pair.  The service was at a city owned historical site, The Tucker House, in Raleigh.  What was unique was Len, Brian's dad was best man!  Congratulations to them and their families!

We left the Raleigh Hampton Inn Monday AM arrived after lunch at Osprey Marina, on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and found a more complicated set of circumstances than expected.  We thought we could go food shopping, turn in the rental car and then leave today, Tuesday.  Not to be!

First, we found some mildew in spots, very upsetting, especially if it's your first experience with such stuff.  After cleaning with a solution of bleach and water we were tired and disappointed that would be delayed unless we were able to food shop in the evening.  Second, after cleaning for a couple of hours I tried to start the diesel to make sure the engine was capable to performing it's expected duties!

This also was not to be!  It wouldn't crank over.  So, with my amazing ability with electrical meters I seemed to believe it was a dead engine battery (not one of the three house batteries).  This is because the voltage dropped to 10.25 volts when the key was turned to start.  However, this also was not to be!  A new battery didn't make a difference.  A call to a Yanmar dealer seemed to indicate a vapor lock.  This may be.  The diesel techie is supposed to help out tomorrow AM.  We hope to be on our way after lunch.

Tropical storm Sandy is forecast to become a hurricane overnight.  However, the spagehtti models all show her tripping out to sea with little effect on our sailing plans.  This one, especially, we will keep a watch out for her!

It's getting late and the memory foam sounds like a good idea at this point in time!  Speaking of memory, it's more fun and confidence-building for us when we know the route and our anchorages are all known.  We are looking forward to a slow but fun voyage!

Captain Sid

"Prepare to Come About...' Sunday, October 14, 2012

We are preparing to leave on Saturday to board Fiu in Myrtle Beach, SC.  The usual Fall tasks are being completed one at a time.  It sure seems endless some days!  Those darn leaves just keep falling and I guess living in the woods that's to be expected!  We were disappointed in the lack of colors this year.  This month's rain and the summer drought may have played a part.

Looking back however, we had the best "pool" summer in recent memory (Bonnie was happy) and of course, I was able to play golf a record number of times this summer as well!  I was fortunate to play several courses with my favorite being Conklin Players Club near Binghamton, NY.  By the way, I plan to take my driver and putter on board just in case I get a chance to play down south. The summer and fall have been good to us with visits out west to see our boys and their families.  Grandchildren are amazing!  How fast they grow!  Our  41st wedding anniversary was celebrated by a surprise trip for Bon to North River and a two- day stay at the Garnet Hill Lodge, which is steeped in history and traditions of the north country.  A neighborhood wedding brought many friends and family back home to celebrate and what fun!

Short of a major technical malfunction I will try to maintain my writing on a daily basis while at our destinations and a less frequent basis while sailing. Vero Beach, FL just south of Melbourne on the Atlantic coast is our first major destination.  We'll keep Fiu there during the holidays and return to Fiu after New Years!  Bon will return home before Thanksgiving and I will be back before Christmas.

So, I will try to keep up with current events while sailing.  We have already sent in our absentee ballots for the general election November 6!  Local news we get through the Times Union using their E-edition ( Bon is addicted to the JUMBLE).  I must say she is quite quick with the solution most days! She's quick with solutions for me too, everyday!  Seriously, she is my crew and for that I am grateful.

Sailing to a destination keeps us busy each day.  With the decreasing amount of daylight hours until December we are able to safely be on the water for just hours instead of having all day.  Having traveled this route more than once our favorite anchorages are known and it becomes easier to plan the day to cover a maximum number of  miles and still not feel rushed even taking foul weather into account.  Speaking of "fowl" weather, I've noticed Canada geese heading south and that's exactly what we will do on Saturday!

Captain Sid

April 1, 2012 Sunday

Hello and it's good to be back!  Some of the reasons my writing stopped include old tired computer, remote uninhabited islands in the Bahamas with no service and so many perfect days in paradise!


We are in Man of War Cay, Bahamas.  We arrived at West End and cleared customs at the Old Bahama Bay Marina Saturday, March 10.  What a site for a destination wedding!  The course across the Bahama Bank included several days of uninhabited islands with no services.  Verizon has not provided service on my smart phone yet I'm paying for both usage and data.  Sounds like a refund to me!  I am disappointed I was unable to continue the blog.  I'm using a borrowed computer from our Buddy Boat the "Patty Ann."  This marina has free wifi so I want to let you know I will do my best to write if at all possible.

Captain Sid at top of mast-maintenance

Matt flies in to see us this Tuesday and will spend a week cruising with us.  Sailing, fishing, snorkling and rum drinks are on the agenda!  We are in what is called the "Hub of the Abacos."  There are several islands surrounding us.  All are great places to see and spend some time!

Fiu at rest Man of War Marina

The water here is so clear!  You can see the bottom at twenty some feet below.  Many places are surrounded by water less than10 feet deep.  It was difficult to cruise at 6 knots in only 7 feet of water!  The islands are low profile and the wind blows almost all the time!  We have had two strong weather fronts since arriving.  That means sudden and intense winds as high as 40+ knots.  Fiu is a great ship and she weathers the wind quite safely and we feel secure. Most days the temperature is in the 70's the sun is hot and the breeze keeps us cool.

Great Guana Cay from Whale Cut

There is so much I want to say but such a problem getting it sent along.  I can't afford a new computer just yet so I will try to write when possible.  We have had so much fun, adventure and great weather!  I understand the weather at home has been unusually warm with little snow.

We are both healthy and glad we were able to make this cruise.  We will return home the middle of May.

Captain Sid

I seem to have little control over how these pics are displayed!

January 16 Monday to Sunday January 22, 2012

It seems like we left Averill Park a long time ago.  This is what we were looking forward to for so long.  While there are over 240 mooring balls available here in Marathon, we still enjoy being part of this large group of boaters.  I am also looking forward to anchoring near some more remote islands of the Bahamas. 

Sunrise Rainbow

We try to be social and meet new boaters while still spending time with our old friends. We arrived here on Sunday and Monday I called the canvas guy.   He will come to the boat and look things over and try to help us fix our problem.  We received a call from George and Lucy who were traveling by car to Key West on Tuesday morning.  We met them at the dinghy dock and rode with them to Key West for the day.  Lunch at Sloppy Joes (live music), shopping the tee shirt shops and walking part of Duval Street were some of the things we managed in a short time.

Wednesday was another busy day.  At SALT (sea air land technology) I scheduled  an appointment to have them fix our Air X Marine wind generator that suddenly stopped working during our last trip to the Keys.  We moved from the anchorage to temporary mooring W2.  The W row is for the larger trawlers and cruisers.  At 5:30 pm every Wednesday there is a "Meet and Greet" pot luck supper.  We attended and met Rich and Anna.  Both are retired postal workers from Chicago. 

Bonnie's new Parrot Bike Horn

Thursdays we like to attend the Hurricanes Happy Hour and "25cent Wings and Fries"  We can get away with about $11.00 for the two of us!  We rode bikes to restock groceries.  The Publix market is one of our favorites.  It is the better stocked and larger of the markets here.  Others include Winn Dixie some other smaller independent grocers.

I ordered a new anchor lift (windlass) for Fiu.  These are all anticipated expenses for this trip. We stopped at Hurricanes for their $5.00 lunch.  We took time to bike to Sombrero Beach and take in a couple of hours of sun and sand!

Saturday we took the bus to Pine Key (senior discount only $1.50 each way) to visit the Nautical Flea Market.  It was fairly small with not much we were interested in.  We like the Islamorada flea market held a little later with huge areas of everything nautical.  I picked up a new 50' dock line the last time we were here for much less than West Marine would sell it for.

Sunday we moved to our permanent mooring ball L8!  I bought a small Danforth anchor for the dinghy.  I understand this is necessary in the Bahamas due to the strong tidal currents in some areas! 

This isn't like reading a novel but it does give a general idea of our day to day experiences here.  I can't tell you how much better I feel in the warmer climate!  We are together in this small space on board Fiu and one would think we would get on each others nerves.  We manage quite well and try to get off the boat daily and ride our bikes.  We have grown closer together and I wouldn't trade this for anything!

Captain Sid

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