Change of Plans

We had planned to leave St. Augustine yesterday as the sun rose with plans to head up to Cumberland Island, GA. Just before leaving, we listened to the weather forecast one more time and decided that with the stormy weather due here on Thursday, we would be better served by being on a mooring rather than at anchor with the risk of dragging or, worse yet, some other boat dragging into us. So here we sit still in St. Augustine with our plans disrupted by weather and the potential of three days of frustration at not being able to do what we'd planned.

However, I prefer to see this last minute change as an opportunity for new and unplanned experiences, and sure enough, they come to those who seek them.

We had to check into the marina again to extend our stay on the mooring for the extra days. While there, we learned that this might be a safe place to leave the boat next fall as we head back north for a family reunion. We'd struggled with not knowing how to deal with this issue up till now.

Second, while there we learned that The Sailors Exchange still exists, and so we visited it. This is a large store that sells used boat equipment – lots of it. While we don't need anything at the moment, it could be an important resource for us during future trips.

Then yesterday evening, a young couple stopped by the boat in a dinghy to introduce themselves. They live on a boat just like ours, and they had a great interest in comparing notes with us about the boat. It turned out to be an enjoyable meeting, and they invited to their boat tonight. They also told us about their marina which sounds like an attractive spot to stay when we next travel south.

And we'll be here for two more days – what a fortunate change of plans with the possibility for more happy experiences! I find this to have been a great example of why one should look at unexpected, forced changes in plans as great opportunities for surprise experiences.

So if our plans don't change again, we'll move on to Cumberland Island, GA on Friday. We'll look forward to visiting with the wild horses there and enjoying the miles of empty beach. Life is good!

Captain Bob

Carpe Diem

When is a Trip Not a Trip?

During a recent telephone conversation with a friend, I was asked if I was having a good trip. My first reaction was to assure him that I was. But as I thought more about it, my response reflected on a different question: was I actually on a trip at all?

This cruising life that we've adopted has begun to change the way I think about things. For instance, if we're on a trip, at what point does it come to an end – when we arrive in Virginia? In Maine? Back in Virginia in the fall? I could go on from here, but I suspect you get my point. Although we are traveling, the concept of a trip seems not to fit as it once might have. In the past, we'd go on a trip and then return home to pick up our lives where we left off prior to the trip. In our current lifestyle, we travel and then stop for a bit before traveling some more. Some stops may last two to four months, but the stops aren't necessarily in the same place, so it's not like that spot is home.

And this raises yet another question that has become somewhat difficult to answer: where is home? The question appears so simple, and yet when I'm asked the question, I've begun to struggle with the answer. If the question comes from another cruiser, I can explain our situation in a way that is understood. But if the question comes from someone else, I have some difficulty coming up with a meaningful response. I could say that our home is Gloucester, Virginia. However, what's there is a storage unit and a post office box that we don't use much. We are still registered to vote there, but we don't spend much of the time there anymore . But if that's not it, where would we say home is?

Sometimes I tell people our boat is our home wherever I may be. Home is no longer a geographical location for us. For most people, this doesn't really compute. Sometimes it still doesn't even compute for us either. This lifestyle just doesn't fit any norm that ordinary people can relate to. But it does seem to work for us right now. In spite of the strange nature of the cruising life, we really enjoy it and are therefore willing to put up with its non- traditional nature. In some ways I could say it's a product of our motto and boat's name: Carpe Diem.

For those interested in where we are, we're still in south Florida. We left Vero Beach today heading north on the ICW. We're aiming toward St. Augustine, America's oldest city and hope to be there by the end of the week. As always, you can check out our location on Shiptrak.org. Just enter my callsign N1SFR to get our latest anchorage.

Captain Bob

Carpe Diem

Some Days Just Don't Qualify As Paradise

I ended the last installment suggesting that each day would be different. Well that is true. However the next day was not all that different. The water along Hawk Channel was still clear, allowing us to see the bottom as we traveled. The wind was a little lighter, but otherwise it was another beautiful day – our last in the Keys. We dropped the anchor at Key Biscayne at the very top of the Keys. For those with limited geographical knowledge of Florida, this is just south of Miami.

The next day we decided to make the long ocean run (75 miles) up to Lake Worth Inlet at Palm Beach. We were convinced that we could take advantage of the Gulf Stream, which runs close to shore in this stretch, to make it prior to sunset. The weather forecast sounded fair, a bit marginal, but we decided to go for it.

We left at daybreak to find conditions pretty reasonable – a bit better than the forecast had called for. I thought, perhaps the forecasters were suggesting that the weather would be worse than reality for once. It always seems that they are too generous with their forecasts, painting a pretty picture that never quite lives up to expectation. Well this didn't last. As we passed the Port of Miami, conditions went downhill a bit. The wind began to build enough to create some nasty chop. Add to this a steady flow of clouds overhead that brought intermittent showers and even more gusty winds. Sandra got seasick, so I needed to deal with the situation on my own.

I kept seeing the sun just ahead of the next shower and hoped we'd be through this into better conditions soon. But we could never quite get there. I eventually figured out that the storm track was following our course, so we got hit with one shower after another with gusty winds coming on a regular basis. The waves continued to be choppy but built to about six feet at times, creating a bit of a mess inside the boat as lots of things weren't secured quite well enough for current conditions. Fortunately nothing fell or got broken, but anything loose moved. These conditions remained with us for about eight hours. Sandra kept coming up to offer to help only to have to return to bed a short time later.

I had the marine VHF radio on as always, listening to random calls made by one boater to another along with the Coast Guard coming on to report some hazard. I also kept listening to the forecast on the radio, hoping it would change and give us something to look forward to. Then I caught a distress message from a boater sailing a boat of our size traveling north as we were just perhaps four or five miles from us. According to his description, he had been seasick for some time, throwing up several times, and was now having some difficulty staying awake. He was unable to control the boat and knew he'd become a hazard to others. The Coast Guard got him some help from the local police and a tow boat to bring his boat in. While they were waiting for the help to arrive, they kept asking questions to be sure he remained OK until the help arrived. He'd drop the mike every now and then to go puke over the side again.

All this reminded me of how things can go down hill and become dangerous out here. What if I had gotten sick too? How well would we do? Questions that will never be answered but at least let me know that we needed to be prudent if we were to remain safe out here. After hours of getting beat up, we finally headed into Lake Worth Inlet right behind the sailboat being towed in.

So when you read about glowing articles about how great cruising can be, just remember that it can be dangerous out there and is likely to be at least uncomfortable at times. We look forward to more of the easy comfortable passages ahead on the ICW. And we'll be more cautious about our offshore plans to do our best to avoid a day like yesterday.

Captain Bob

Carpe Diem

Check out Shiptrak.org for our most recent position. Add callsign: N1SFR.

The Trek North Begins

The Trek Begins

Yesterday evening I was sitting on deck with a drink in my hand while I drank in one last beautiful sunset in Marathon. I thought to myself, “this is what people think of when they hear about cruising on a sailboat.” Oh yes, did I mention that it was 79 degrees? It was our last night in Marathon before beginning the trek north. As you know, the spring migration has captured us.

This morning we awoke just before the sun and prepared a basic breakfast – coffee being the most important ingredient – and prepared to leave. Up with the anchor and off we go. The wind was just a bit stronger than predicted, so the first half of the day was a bit lumpy – lumpy enough to keep us from doing much inside. The task was to guide the boat up to our anchorage near Key Largo while avoiding crab pot buoys and shallow water. Like long car trips, this is an all-day experience.

This is not the first day of a long car trip; it's another day in the lives of a couple of cruisers. What makes it different were the dolphins that checked us out, the stingrays jumping out of the water and the sea turtle poking up for air and view of us. The water along Hawk Channel was especially clear today, providing us with a great view of the bottom twenty to thirty feet below our boat as we cruised along. And of course, there was the late afternoon swim in the 80 degree water after securing the anchor for the night.

We did get a bit of excitement this afternoon when a boat from US Customs pulled up alongside to ask a number of questions. They were pleasant and polite and never even asked to come aboard. No big deal, I guess, but it did shake us up briefly.

We know it won't be like this every day. Each day will be different. It will be up to us to notice the special moments that will surprise us as we travel. We must continue to follow the advice of our boat's name – Carpe Diem!

Captain Bob

View our most recent anchored position on shiptrak.org. Input my Ham callsign: N1SFR to locate us.

Snowbirds

I think the spring migration began with a weather window opening up for a large group headed to the Bahamas – 15 boats at least. That was three weeks ago. The marina mooring field is no longer full as it was most of the winter, and it seems a bit more empty with each passing day. An increasing number of boaters are reporting on the morning radio net their intentions to leave and head back north or to follow the others who have already headed east to the Bahamas.

We've made a number of good friends during our time here in the Keys. Most of them have left, and others intend to follow within a few days. Although we still enjoy the setting and the great weather here, we too have plans for heading north – first to Virginia and then on to Maine where we'll spend the summer. We are joining the migration.

What a different lifestyle this is for us who, up until a short time ago, were ordinary people staying in one place throughout the year. There were no migratory thoughts coming to our minds then. While we feel very much a part of this seasonal migration at this point, it still seems strange at times. I'm not sure of all the psychology behind this internal push for us, but I think I now have a sense perhaps for the genetic push that gets birds moving each spring. I might describe my feelings this way: it's as though our winter setting, which we have enjoyed so much, has begun to dissolve as we watch, and we've got to leave before it dissolves completely. In fact, it has changed. An important element of this attractive setting has been the people who populated it. As they left, the setting no longer held quite the same attraction. It's still a beautiful spot, and it is our intention to return. But it has changed.

So we'll be taking flight and joining the other snowbirds in this annual northern migration.

An added note:

If all goes according to our current thinking, we'll be leaving Marathon on Tuesday. We'll be stocked up; the boat will be ready, and the weather looks good for several days. Future blogs will take on the slightly different flavor of a traveling boater passing through places for a glimpse of what might be offered.

Captain Bob

Carpe Diem

In Support of Ham Radio

Many people watching the news lately have, no doubt, heard lots about the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. What you may not have heard was that many amateur radio operators (Hams) were at work in Japan and around the world helping with communication as people sought various forms of help. This scenario plays out in times of need all over the world. These unsung helpers are just ordinary people like you and me who have chosen the hobby of amateur radio.

Long before we actually began our cruising life, we read lots of books about cruising. In a number of the “how to” books, there was encouragement to get an amateur radio or “Ham” license. It seems that the Hams run a number of radio nets set up to facilitate communication for cruisers. Additionally when one is in need of help while out at sea or in a remote region, Hams may provide an important and perhaps the only link with the outside world.

While still living in snowy New Hampshire, I decided to follow the advice and get my Ham license. My father, who was a Ham, helped by giving me my first Ham radio for local communication. I met another Ham who had also recently started up in amateur radio. We talked on the radio and both joined a local club. Later Sandra gave me a Ham radio that was used for long distance communication. In support, she also got her license.

Unfortunately, I drifted from Ham radio before really beginning our cruising life. Although I checked into one of the maritime nets now and then, I rarely took advantage of the potential support while cruising.

For some reason this winter I decided to give amateur radio another look. As mentioned in an earlier blog, I first had to get my radio working again. Then I did some reading to refresh my understanding of the possibilities and the procedures used. A group of Hams met here in Marathon for lunch on a weekly basis, so I joined them for a few of those meals and learned more in the process.

I also got in touch with my NH Ham friend and have re-established periodic conversations with him over the radio.

So I've once again been reminded that Ham radio is a valuable resource as we travel and as we attempt to learn about places we visit. Additionally, those who read this blog can see where we are on a map of the world by checking into a website called: shiptrak.org and typing in my radio call sign: N1SFR. Right now you would notice that we are located in Marathon, of course, but you'll be able to follow our progress up the coast once we start moving again. This is possible through one of the Ham nets that offers the service of posting my position as I report it whenever I check in to that net.

So re-establishing my Ham connections is certainly self-serving but also offers another reason for my participation. As I've already mentioned here, these nets perform an important service to others in times of emergency when normal avenues of communication are unavailable. It's through these nets that they establish procedures and provide experience to the many volunteers who can be helpful when called upon in an emergency. Perhaps this is a small way for me to support all the good they do in times of need while also preparing myself to be one more volunteer. And it's a way of helping others without the need for me to stay in one place.

Then, of course, it is pretty cool to talk on the radio to someone on the other side of the country...or perhaps the other side of the world!

Captain Bob

Carpe Diem