I'M STUCK!

I've noticed an interesting fact about myself here in Boot Key Harbor. We travel down here to this beautiful, warm place. We secure our boat to a mooring ball and then have a very difficult time leaving the harbor until it's time to head north again in the spring. We come down with plans to got out to the reef snorkeling a lot. (It's just abut 5 miles from the harbor.) We want to go out fishing in Hawk Channel or beyond to catch a mahi mahi or other delicacy. We talk about sailing to Ilamarada or even to the Dry Tortugas. In three years we've made it to Ilamarada once and have yet to visit the Dry Tortugas. We get out to the reef once or twice a season, but no more unless company makes it happen.

I can come up with many reasons for this phenomenon. The wind, which is so common here in the winter, can make conditions a bit rough out there. It can stir up the water so it's not clear or comfortable to go snorkeling at the reef. The cold fronts coming through can produce some cool conditions which make it less desirable to out and about. At times the wind can be quite strong so sailing can be uncomfortable. Going to the Dry Tortugas requires good weather for both the trip out and the return across 70 miles of ocean. We aren't interested in fighting large waves and strong winds to get back once we get there. And then there are all the activity in Marathon. Yoga is offered three times a week; there are weekly lunches for different groups that attract our attention; there's a craft group that meets and softball and tennis at least once a week. Then there are speakers who come and festivals to attend. Shopping is also on the list. Of course a trip lasting a month or two to get down here often produces a number of boat projects to be addressed. I can attest to this last issue, since I've had several projects related to the boat to work on since we arrived. So getting out will happen. If not this week, then perhaps next, or the next. After all, we're here for the entire winter.

So it is not surprising that all of these distractions have an impact on initial plans. That said, however, I believe that there is another impediment to getting out. It's called inertia. It's so easy to come with a reason for not going out today. The most difficult action to accomplish seems to be dropping the mooring line. Once we do that, the rest is easy, and going out becomes a great idea once again.

I must admit that we've done a better job overcoming the inertia this year. As I write this, we are anchored out in Florida Bay enjoying a couple of days of relaxation, swimming off the boat and exploring a nearby mangrove island that is home to many birds. It becomes a great balance to time spent with all the friendly cruisers and locals in Marathon and enjoying the busy atmosphere there. We're a mere 9 – 10 miles from the harbor, but out here we see more stars. We can also clearly see the bottom a few feet below our boat. Out here we have the chance to reconnect with our natural surroundings and recharge our batteries (personal – not boat batteries). We are really glad we made the effort to drop that mooring line and get out. Such small adventures really help us to appreciate out surroundings.

We suspect that we are not alone in our difficulty getting out. And this problem is not unique to cruisers. How many times have you heard people say that they've lived in a particular area for years and have never been to see some of the local attractions. I've talked to New Yorkers who've never been to the Statue of Liberty or the top of the Empire State Building.

Last summer we traveled cross country and camped at several National Parks. A number of people were interested in our trip and wished that they too could do something like that. There are usually some very good reasons for not being able to do a trip like this. I often wonder, however, if the greatest impediment to getting out on some even small adventures that could enrich ones life is overcoming inertia. For us, it's dropping the mooring line. For others it may be some other block that prevents them from beginning an enriching experience. We must always remember that it's not the number of years we live but the life we put into our years. So Carpe Diem!

Captain Bob
aboard Carpe Diem

So You Want to Watch TV?

As I wrapped up the last entry on this blog, I suggested that “Living along the waterway is much more than tropical breezes, beautiful sunsets and friendly boaters.” It is a whole different way of living that requires adjustments of all sorts. I'll use electricity as an example. For most people who live in houses, few give any thought to their electricity. If one needs power for a TV or a toaster, one just plugs in and it's there. There's never any concern about how much power is already being called for in the house and what impact that might have on this particular need.

Now lets shift the scene to a typical cruising sailboat. You are interested in watching TV. The issue that must have been addressed prior to even thinking about turning on the TV is: where is the power coming from. Cruising sailboats use 12 volt DC batteries as their primary source of electricity. One must have hooked up on board an inverter that will convert the 12 volt DC to the normal sort of electricity found in most land dwellings – 110 volt AC. That should get the TV to turn on. Of course out on a mooring we have no cable connection, so we need an antenna (like in the olden days. An added issue here in Marathon is that we're too far from any transmitting antenna, so we get no TV stations.) OK, so we'll assume that we're not in Marathon, but are anchored a little farther north in Miami Beach, so we receive several channels.

Of course our ability to watch TV and run other electrical appliances or lights is dependent on how much electricity we have stored in our batteries. That's right. We must produce all our electricity unless we are at a marina slip and plugged in to power like most houses are. Boaters produce the needed electricity in one or more of several ways. Most boats have an alternator attached to their engine which produces electricity much the same way that a car does, as long as the engine is running. Additionally many boats have a gasoline or diesel generator designed to produce the needed power. We don't have one of those, but we do have solar panels and a wind generator. These limit our need to run our engine to produce power while we're tied to a mooring or at anchor. Of course both are dependent on Mother Nature providing sufficient breezes and sun. Otherwise we must run the engine for our power, using expensive diesel fuel and polluting the atmosphere a bit.

Because it is necessary to produce all that we use, we tend to turn lights off when not needed; we don't leave the TV on as background while we're on the boat, and we seek the most efficient options for meeting our power needs. For instance LED lights, which use much less power than other options, are becoming increasingly popular on boats.

It may appear that I'm focusing on a negative aspect of boat life. But I'm actually a bit proud of this situation. In a typical day here in Marathon, we have lights on as we need them; we listen to music and watch movies with DVDs quite regularly. Our refrigeration keeps our food cold, and our electric water pump keeps the water pressure up where we like it. For all that we use the electricity needed each day to keep two 120 watt light bulbs burning for 6 hours. And none of that electricity comes off the grid. So when it comes to power usage, we live a pretty “green” existence.

I've found that we cruisers do our best in several ways to limit damage to the natural world around us. That must be, in part, because we live in somewhat closer touch with our environment. We appreciate the beauty of our surroundings and notice the damage more quickly. Provided with this close view of how things are, we should probably do a better job promoting “greener” living for all. After all, we do hope to share this beautiful world with our grandchildren in the years to come.

Captain Bob
Carpe Diem

Introducing the Cruising Lifestyle

Sunset among the moored boats in Boot Key Harbor

Welcome to “Thoughts Along the Waterway.” To introduce this blog, I'll begin by sharing that my wife and I live aboard a sailboat on the East coast of the US. We own no other home on land. We travel a bit on the boat, and sometimes off the boat, in order to see our beautiful country, and when possible, to avoid winter. As I write this, we are located in Boot Key Harbor in Marathon, Florida. Marathon is roughly halfway between Key Largo and Key West in the Florida Keys. We traveled down the coast from Virginia last fall using the Intracoastal Waterway much of the time. Gloucester, Virginia might be considered our home port, but I'll take up the topic of “home port” and discuss that more thoroughly at some point.

The topic of “home port” and many others will provide grist for this blog. It is my intention to share a different perspective on life. I hope that those who follow this blog will gain new perspectives of our culture and the norms we live by. Of course I'll also be sharing a bit of what the cruising lifestyle is like and how it differs from that which most people imagine.
We're not the only ones following this cruising lifestyle, by the way. There is a sizable group. I'll begin with a bit of info about this group. While it makes up a tiny portion of our country's population, there are quite a few involved. For instance, when we left the Chesapeake Bay last October, we crossed paths with hundreds of other boaters heading south as we were. Some were on sailboats while others were on power boats. We met a number of these other boaters and learned that the vast majority were heading to the Bahamas for the winter. Few mentioned going to the Florida Keys. And yet here in Marathon, we are surrounded by other boaters spending the winter months here. The harbor has 225 moorings – each one with a boat attached and somebody living on that boat, the vast majority from somewhere north of here. There are numbers of boaters enjoying the winter months at one of the eight marinas in Marathon, as well. Add to this the many who go to Key West or stopped in Key Largo or Miami, and you begin to grasp how many are in the Florida this winter. Then add to that number the many who have gone to the Bahamas for the winter, and you'll begin to comprehend the numbers of people who are included in this tiny portion of Americans.

Of those we see here, most are retired like us, but many appear to be too young for that scenario and must be doing this temporarily. We met one couple who lost their jobs in 2008 up in New Jersey. They decided to get out of the rat race and head south. They bought a boat and now live here in Marathon, working from time to time, but also enjoying a more casual lifestyle. Still others have young children with them. Again, I don't know how long they plan to follow this path, but they appear to be set to do so for many months at least.

I must add that the majority of those who comprise this group also have a home of some sort to return to up north. They aren't all full-time 'liveaboards” as we are. But for several months each year, they too experience life on the water. For those who have never tried this lifestyle for more than a weekend or perhaps a week's charter, let me say that it is a very different experience from living in the normal manner – in a house, condo or an apartment. If you choose to stay in one place at a marina as we did for most of our first several years living aboard (We were still in need of an income then.), you will find that there is a community of liveaboards who live as we believe people did in the past. Each looks out for his neighbor; there are frequent social gatherings; and if in need of help, one would find several willing hands nearby. In other words, boaters, when in groups, tend to create an old fashioned community.

In Marathon, given the numbers living in this harbor, we have found a somewhat more complex community. Activities and support are organized. For instance, each morning we turn on our marine radio and listen in to the “Cruiser's Net.” This is a two-way conversation with all who tune in. New arrivals are welcomed as departing cruisers say good-by. Those who want to get rid of some useful item can offer it for sale. Events planned for the day are announced as well. You can participate in yoga, softball, tennis, attend a social gathering or listen to a speaker share information on a particular topic of interest to boaters.

Those who need help can ask. For instance, yesterday, one boater needed to work on his refrigeration system, and that required emptying all the food out. He needed a large cooler to hold it until the project was completed. He used the Net to make the request and immediately received a cooler from another boater who just happened to have one unused sitting in her car. The net is run by a group of volunteers, and it seems that most boaters listen in on a regular basis, thus keeping this community strong.

We've met more people since we arrived in December than we would in the first couple of years living in a house in a suburban neighborhood. And the advantage of living on a boat is that we can leave all these nice people and move our “house” out into an empty spot by an island and have only birds for neighbors...until we want the friendly neighbors again.

Living along the waterway is much more than tropical breezes, beautiful sunsets and friendly boaters, however. In the coming additions to this blog, I hope to share with you more about this experience.

Until then,

Capt. Bob
on Carpe Diem