Fast Travel North

Another two weeks or so have passed since the last entry to this blog. During that time we managed to remain fairly active and got a bit of work done on the boat as well.

I'll begin with the boat issues. Boat work included getting the engine's fresh water pump replaced as was noted earlier. This was accomplished without any issues. The water pump for our use with the fresh water system on the boat seemed to have an air leak. Such a leak could come from so many places; I struggled to find the solution. I ended up talking to clerk at West Marine who suggested where the leak might originate. Upon checking, I found he was correct – fixed.

I knew the dinghy bottom needed its periodic cleaning after dealing with this task a few times during each winter in Marathon. I was surprised to find that in just three short weeks, barnacles covered the bottom – a very different situation from that in Marathon where I'd see few barnacles but lots of soft growth. After seeing the situation with the dinghy, I dove under the boat to check the prop. It too had lots of barnacles.  Barnacles on the prop can rob it of much of its power, so it's important to keep the blades clean.  Then it was on to the teak toe rails and grab rails. Since we've stopped varnishing them, the cleaning process goes quickly – about a day's work to get all of it looking good again.

I'd been having problems with my anchor windlass as noted in an earlier addition. It has been repaired, but I still find the chain getting jammed on occasion. I determined that the rust on the chain was the culprit, so I pulled it all out – all 200 feet of it – to find that some of it was really looking pretty bad. I determined that the first 100 feet was salvageable and cut the remainder off. I then bathed the better half in a solution of muriatic acid and water. Wow! What a great job in just a matter of 15 minutes. It doesn't look like new, but does look so much better, and most all of the rust is gone. I didn't like loosing the 2^nd 100 feet, but I came to the conclusion that I rarely use more than 100 feet when traveling the ICW or in the Keys. I still have 200 feet of nylon anchor line attached to the chain, so I'll be safe on the rare occasions when more anchor rode than 100 feet is needed.

Since we'd be leaving the boat for at least two months, we had to clean out most of the food. Those of you who know Sandra know that she always carries enough on board for emergencies … and perhaps a bit more. But with real effort, she has managed to use up most of what was stored away.

We also decided the safest solution for the boat while we were gone was to put it back on a mooring. Leaving it in a slip was not as desirable. If a hurricane came through, we'd have to have it moved to a mooring or I'd have to fly down to do the moving. Having it on a mooring already just means one less concern.  Mac and Pat Rice (who live in Vero Beach now) offered to watch it for us. That is a big help, since we know that they will recognize a problem with the boat if it arises.

Leaving the boat in south Florida for the summer means lots of moisture and likelihood of mold. Therefore we purchased packages crystals that are supposed to reduce the moisture build up. We know we'll have to deal with mold upon our return, but we're hoping this addition will reduce the extent of the problem. Time will tell. We also had to take down the bimini and secure the sails and anything left on deck for possible strong winds as well. Then, of course, we had to be prepared for a hurricane in another way. We had to be sure to take with us any important papers and insurance info in the event that a big hurricane came and sank the boat. We aren't expecting that outcome, but we still must prepare for it. If we're in NE when it comes, we won't be able to zip down to grab such items.

Finally, we had to deal with the fact that we'd be away from most of our stuff for the two plus months. During that time we'd be doing some camping, and we'd be spending time in Virginia and New England where the weather may vary a good deal. So clothes and camping equipment and anything else we think we might need that was on board had to be packed to take with us. Since we live in a small space, one might think that we shouldn't have much to deal with. Those who think that would probably be amazed by the quantity of personal belongings we have stored aboard.  Sandra worked through  that and got a lengthy list of items we had to bring with us as we went north by car.

So we addressed all these issues with time to continue enjoying our stay in Vero Beach. As we neared our departure date, Sandra celebrated a birthday, so I had a few plans to make her day a special one. However, our daughter Jennifer had a bigger surprise. She drove our car down to Vero and arrived on her mother's birthday! We were both surprised and pleased. We quickly changed our plans to stay a couple more days and share the local highlights with our daughter and her dog, Kaya. We went to the movies as I had already planned and went to one of the nicer restaurants along the beach for a special birthday dinner. We went swimming a few times and even took the dogs to a beach where they could play a bit. During one of those beach trips, we saw manatees swimming just out beyond the surf – a first for us.

Jenn with Kaya and Maddie in the surf

On Thursday of this week we finally did move the boat out to the mooring and began our drive north to Virginia. Since we had to move the boat and do the last minute securing that morning and then had to make a stop in St. Augustine to pick up mail that we were supposed to gather as we sailed up earlier in the month, we decided not to push the travel but take two days to complete the drive. We stopped the first night just outside of Savannah, and then finished the trek on Friday. It was a bit strange to note the signs along the highway for places we'd visited during our travels up and down the ICW. Of course, we'd travel in an hour what would normally take us a full day to do by boat. This “fast” travel made for a very different experience.

Savannah riverfront - and interesting place

Our evening stop in the Savannah area was memorable for a couple of reasons. The only other time we'd been there was in February. It was cool then with few tourists. This time it was not cool and there were lots of tourists. In fact the temperature hit 100 that afternoon. We did our tour of the river front and enjoyed a meal in the evening with the temp cooling down to 95. Even the pool at the motel was less than refreshing, but we enjoyed our time there in spite of the temperature. We would like to return for another visit – perhaps during the fall or spring if we travel that far north again by boat. (You see, given our experiences over the past few years, we are reluctant to be sure of any plans. Now that we've left the boat in Florida once, we might do it more often. We will address those future travel concerns when we are closer to a decision time.)

So now we are at Jennifer and Greg's home where we will remain for a couple of weeks before pushing further north to New England with our other daughter Samantha,our other son in law and 3 grandchildren in NH. Blog additions will be missing or infrequent till we are headed back to the boat late in the summer. So until that next addition, best wishes to one and all for a wonderful summer.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

Learning about the "velcro" part of Vero Beach

As I sit down to write this entry, I look back on an interesting and unexpected week here in Vero

Live oaks shade the streets

Beach, one that has increased our awareness of all that is available here. We've enjoyed regular walks in the neighborhoods near the marina. They are beautiful with a combination of southern and tropical vegetation. Live oaks are everywhere with their long, low branches providing shade to many yards. We also see lots of different palms as well as banyan, banana trees and many more we can't name. Lots of bushes are blooming now from hibiscus to jasmine. Even the mangroves are blooming. During our winters in Marathon the mangroves were everywhere, but we never saw them bloom. Just the wrong time of year.

loggerhead nest site

Beyond the neighborhoods is the beach. We've been swimming twice so far. The water is warm and the surf is up – great fun. Lots of people are at the beach, but since it goes for miles, there are no big crowds concentrating where we've been. But what was surprising we learned that it's not just people who use the beach here. This is a nesting sight for sea turtles. They come ashore at night from May till late summer. The last time we biked down to the beach, we saw a small area roped off – turtle nest – right near where people were sunning themselves. We've also noted the birds here. They

look big enough to be considered parrots, but they are a large species of parakeet. Apparently they are native to this area, but they've gotten loose or were released over the years and have been able to establish themselves. They help to give validity to the local promotion of the area as the beginning of the tropics.

bird of paradise

As those who know us realize, we are big on fresh fruits and vegetables. So we were pleased to learn of a farmers market every Saturday within walking distance...and it's advertised as being pet friendly. We went to it this past Saturday. It offered lots of good things and Maddie got to meet several dogs. I suspect we'll be weekly visitors to this.

It's also been a busy week visiting with others. This aspect began as we waited for the bus to take us to the grocery store. As we approached the stop, we noted a woman doing Tai Chi and then realized it was Kathy Duffy from Marathon. She and Steve had recently arrived and were headed off to a movie – the 3D version of the latest Star Trek saga. We decided to join them. A bit later in the week we were invited over to the home of former cruisers we'd first met in Virginia. Mac and Pat Rice have moved off the boat and are now members of CLODs (cruisers living on dirt) here in Vero. We had a great evening with them and look forward to more time together while we are here. Over the weekend, my sister Mary Jo and her husband Scott and son Toby came up for a picnic here – another great visit. They live in West Palm Beach, just 90 minutes south of here.

Of course our time isn't filled just with touring and visiting. Since we aren't taking the boat back to Virginia, those projects we had planned to address up there are now on our list for our time here. Fortunately, the engine's water pump issue should come to a successful conclusion sooner than expected. We learned last Friday that the pump that supposedly was in Japan in fact came from St. Petersburg, FL and arrive already. Unfortunately the gasket that is needed with the pump was in Japan, but is supposed to arrive early next week. Therefore we may have the engine back up to good working order by the time we drive north. The best part of all that is the fact that it appears that the fix will be covered under warranty.

We are finding that, with use and time, our boat parts continue to age and fail. We've got a list of items to replace or repair before we leave this spot sometime in the fall. Once we return late in the summer with our car, we'll have a bit more flexibility to get the last of the list addressed.

Finally, all should know that Sandra continues work on her baskets in spite of spending lots of time cleaning and preparing for our departure in a few days. Her latest result is below. She also continues to help others learn how to make the baskets. She seems to enjoy helping others as much as making them herself.

That's it for now. We'll continue to enjoy our time here as well the opportunity to meet fellow cruisers who stop in.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

Stuck in Velcro Beach

Well, how do I begin this entry? I guess it's about following plan C when plans A & B don't work out any longer. In our case, plan C is the result of a minor problem with our “new” engine. The fresh water pump which circulates coolant through the engine has begun to leak indicating that the bearings are worn. The pump needs to be replaced. We learned this while we were on a mooring at Vero Beach and about to leave to continue our northern travel.

The problem is that these pumps don't generally fail. So one question still to be answered is “why did it fail?” The practical situation related to this pump that never fails is that there are no replacement pumps available in this country. The engine is a Yanmar built in Japan, and the nearest replacement is also in Japan. The wait for a new one would be 2-3 weeks at best, perhaps longer. Our summer plans don't allow for us to stay here several weeks and still get north on time. Soooooo we put the boat in a slip here in Vero Beach where it will stay for the summer we'll go north via rental car early next month and then plan to return here in late August to deal with the issues.

We had talked about leaving the boat south at some point to avoid the long trek north, but we didn't imagine it would be this year and we hadn't considered Vero Beach, although it's a good place to spend time. Hence the nickname among cruisers of “Velcro Beach.”

We had spent a couple of days here already. The city runs a free bus service that stops at the marina and also a several shopping centers. We had used this to get our groceries and also took a morning to visit a local botanical garden. It was jungle-like in appearance but also boasted 50 varieties of water lilies, most of which were in bloom. The ocean beach is less than a mile away, so we walked there yesterday and enjoyed a swim in the waves. The water is near 80 degrees, so not difficult to get in. Now that we know we'll be here for a while, we looking into more of the local hotspots to explore. In spite of all plans, we can never say for sure that we'll have another opportunity here.

                              The botanical garden photos

When built, this was the largest bamboo structure in North America

While I had planned to continue blogging our travel, since we are no longer traveling up the ICW, my entries will be a little less frequent. We are still adjusting to the forced change in plans, but we are looking at it as a new and unexpected adventure that will offer good times that we have yet to learn about.

Till the next blog entry....Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

Leaving the Keys

As a slight change in approach to these blog entries, I thought over the next several days of travel I would share a few of the thoughts and concerns that we address as we travel. It is in this way that we might share a bit more of life on the ICW.

Well, the trip didn't start out quite as planned. We'd checked the weather reports from several sources. They all seemed in agreement that the winds would be out of the SE and blowing from 10 – 15 kts. This would give us wind to sail but not so much as to create uncomfortable waves. That way, the Hawk Channel up the ocean side wouldn't be too rolly. We woke up to winds blowing more like 15-20 with lots of it near the 20 level. That created steep, choppy waves from 2-4ft with several five footers in there. The result was that, even though we could sail and did, Sandra didn't feel good all day and Maddie was sick five times in the cockpit. She wasn't a happy camper at all. At this point I was concerned about our anchorage at Rodriguez Key. You see, there aren't any good anchorages along Hawk Channel for sailboats with a five foot keel or more. Rodriguez Key offers a bit of protection if the winds are out of the south or north. Winds coming due east aren't good. And that is what it appeared we might have. Then the forecast changed a bit with predictions of winds out of the SW at 5-10 kts. That looked good for anchoring on the north side.

By the time we got there, the winds were light and the water flat, so we had a pleasant evening which naturally included a swim in the clear water. The only negative moment came at about 3 in the morning when a fellow in a small fishing boat had music blaring and buzzed us and other anchored boats yelling crazy comments. We soon were back to sleep, though.

The forecast for the next day as we would move up to Key Biscayne was to include light winds becoming 10-15 out of the northeast by afternoon. That would mean we'd have winds right on the nose, so we decided to leave early, so we could make the 50 mile trip mostly during the morning when the winds were supposed to be light.

We were on our way by a little after 6:30AM, just before the sun rose for the day. It was beautiful. The

Sunrise on Hawk Channel

winds were light, so the water was flat. Nobody was getting seasick today. The water in the northern Keys along Hawk Channel was really clear. We watched the bottom 20 feet below us as we slid by. We also saw two manatees along our route and noted an interesting ring around the sun. I guess the humidity caused that – not really sure.

Again, so much for accurate weather forecasts. The winds never picked up much and none of it came from the NE. We anchored off of No Name Harbor for another quiet evening. We did get ashore and provided Maddie with a little exercise. And did I mention that we went for another swim?

Guess we're out of the Keys!

The forecast for Tuesday was more accurate. We were to get drier air and wind blowing 15 – 18 out of the NE. But by now we were on the ICW, so there was little wave action. Tidal current was more a factor as we planned to arrive at each of 10 bridges at the scheduled opening time. We were successful most of the time, but twice had to do circles in a tight area waiting for the next opening, usually a half hour later. In spite of those minor issues, we arrived at our anchorage in Lake Sylvia in Ft. Lauderdale by 2 PM. For those not familiar with Lake Sylvia, it's not really a lake. It's really just a wide area in the extensive canal system there. It provides a safe anchorage with views of multi-million dollar homes along the shore.

How's this for a humble winter cottage?

Because we got there so early, we decided to try a dinghy ride to someplace where we could get out and walk around a bit. We followed a route described in our guide that took us under a low bridge and along a couple of canals to a small restaurant at the end of a canal where, if we bought some food, we could tie the dinghy for free. The trip over to this spot included views of so many million dollar yachts and homes. I'm sure we saw at least 25 boats over 75 feet long – some over 150 feet. And this was on the short dinghy ride. As we traveled through Ft. Lauderdale the next day, we must have seen 100 or more such yachts.

We just had to duck a bit.

So much for our astonishment. We had a bite to eat outside on the restaurant's deck (Maddie was with us) and then went for a walk that took us to the largest West Marine store in the country. It's described as their flagship store. On the walk back as we waited to cross a street, a young woman stopped in her car to offer us a ride. We had met her first in Marathon three years ago, then again in Bimini and last in Miami a year and a half ago. She said she noticed a couple who looked like cruisers (we do seem to have a look) and then recognized Maddie. What a surprise and a welcome gesture!

Just a few of the many large yachts we saw, a couple of older ones, but most new.

After a quiet night, we headed out first thing the next day to deal with 19 more bridges most opening on a schedule designed for boats just a bit faster than ours. It was a long day, but otherwise uneventful, and we arrived in Lake Worth by Palm Beach by 6 PM. After a meal, we put on the TV to watch programs for the first time all winter. You see, we can't pick up any stations on our antenna from the Keys, so this was our first chance since heading down there in early December.

Today has another long day from Lake Worth to Vero Beach. We started even earlier – 6:15 AM – in order to be on time for the first of several more bridge openings. Once again the weather was great as were the views from the ICW of beautiful homes and lots of nature from dolphins, to osprey, pelicans and even a few frigate birds. By late morning we had dealt with our last scheduled bridge opening. We still had a couple more bridges to get openings from, but they were on request, meaning we didn't have to get there at a specific time. In fact, most of these bridge tenders (the official who runs the bridge opening) have the timing down so well that we never had to slow down. The only exception was by the Jupiter Inlet where the bridge wouldn't open at all till a technician performed some maintenance. We only had to wait a few minutes, though.

We finally arrived at the Vero Beach Marina about 5:30 PM. We'll spend a couple of days here restocking and enjoying the chance to get on land for some sightseeing and walking. This is a popular stop for many cruisers, due in part to the free bus service that takes you practically anywhere in town. It's so popular that it has the nickname of Velcro Beach, because cruisers just have a tough time leaving. In fact some cruisers don't leave. They stay long enough to sell their boats and move to dry land. They formed a group called CLODs (cruisers living on dirt) and still get together regularly.

OK, enough of this blog entry. It's time to get this posted. I'll just leave you with a couple of extra photos to let all know that Sandra is still busy making baskets even as we travel.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

It's time to leave Paradise and head north

Well in spite of my best intentions, it's been now a whole month since my last entry onto this blog. We have been busy, so I'll use that as the excuse.

Shortly after the last entry was posted, Samantha, Jeremy and family arrived for a two week stay. They had rented a house on a canal within view of our mooring. We went to Ft. Lauderdale to meet them and help transport the family back. They'd have needed a van because the boys each are young enough for a car seat, and three just don't fit in one seat. So we took the two oldest boys with us. First stop was Robert Is Here. It's a popular fruit and vegetable market with lots of tropical options to choose from. They also have lots of animals to see and a splash park for the kids. (Go to: http://www.robertishere.com/xcart/home.php to see all that is offered there.

From there we took the short drive to the Everglades National Park and a walk on a trail to lots of alligators. It was rather warm for our northern guests, so we didn't linger and continued south the Keys and their home for this vacation. During the next two weeks we managed to fill each day, and the older boys slept in the boat each night. We went to the beach on four occasions, went to a pool on four days, got down to Key West where we stopped at the Butterfly Conservatory and the aquarium. The kids got to the Turtle Hospital and the Dolphin Research Center twice. They managed to get in a handshake and up close meeting with dolphins while there. They also enjoyed another splash park. All in all, everyone seemed to have a great time. The two weeks ended all too quickly and it was time for another trip to Ft. Lauderdale and a plane flight for them.

Sam, Ryan, Chris and Nathan were busy at the beach.

The boys taking a break at the Butterfly Conservatory.

It's good luck if a butterfly lands on you. Sandra was having a really lucky day!

Chris was about to shake with a dolphin.

Mother and daughter were happy to be together.

We headed back for a few days before we too headed north – in the car to return it to Virginia. During the two day trip north, we managed to stop at a marina in Brunswick, Georgia to check it out. We expect the day will arrive when we won't want to make the trip all the way up to VA again, so we're looking for some place acceptable that is closer to the Keys. Brunswick is about the halfway point. People we've met here use that marina as summer base, hence our interest in checking it out.

We arrived in Virginia in time to take the car to the marina we plan use this summer for the boat – Salt Ponds. We hadn't been there for 17 years, so we wanted to check it out and leave the car. Jenn met us there and then took us back to her house for the night. After an all-too-short visit, she drove us to the airport in Richmond the next morning for our flight back to Florida where we rented a car for the final leg of the journey back to Marathon.

Since our return, we've prepared the boat and done the provisioning. Of course, since we are about to leave, problems arose. Our fresh water pump died; our outboard was running poorly, our toilet was backing up a bit and Sandra's bike got a flat tire. All this in addition to taking the dinghy to shore to clean the growth off the bottom and taking the big boat out to Coconut Key to clean its bottom. Boot Key Harbor is a fertile spot for algae and barnacle growth. I must hold my breath and dive down to either scrape or use a stiff brush. The result of this is that we'll travel a bit faster and use less fuel.With diesel fuel costing between four and five dollars a gallon, the fuel cost for the trip will be near $450 if we do well. It could end up costing an additional $200 with a dirty boat bottom, so I spend some time working on it. ( I know, you think this is a sailboat, so why all the fuel? Even for sailboats, most of this trip is done with the engine running, contrary to popular thinking.) We've also enjoyed some final social connections with cruisers and permanent residents who have become friends. One couple just arrived (Larry and Terri Howard). Another couple, Nicki and Franz on Skybird III were hoping to travel with us. (They have the identical boat to our Carpe Diem.) But time pressures forced them to leave before us.

All the above issues got resolved, and we are now anchored outside Boot Key Harbor ready to head up the Keys in the morning. We couldn't leave before now, because we had offered to help our local Tai Chi group put on an open house for new recruits. It went quite well today, with a number of new trainees ready to begin next week. We will miss our instructors Jeff and Susie along with Beth, Jack and a number of other participants, but we look forward to seeing them again upon our return.

So here we sit watching the sun get lower in a clear blue sky. The temperature is about 80 degrees, the breeze is light and the water is near the same temperature as the air. There are moments like this when we ask ourselves, why are we leaving this paradise? But we know we have things to do and people to visit north of here, and we also know that we plan to return in the fall. New adventures lie ahead for us, and we'll keep you abreast of most of them.

A Change of Seasons is Evident

We continue to enjoy our time in Marathon this winter. It seems to me that most of our activity is not so much boating related, so I haven't been motivated to share a blog update. Now that we're into April, we find ourselves noting the change of seasons here, so I thought it time for an update.

One of Sandra's most recent additions

Our activities haven't changed much from the earlier reports. Sandra is still involved with the basket classes. She has helped start quite a few in this craft. Now they have gotten so excited about it, they are planning trips to Big Pine Key for needle collection, trips to flea markets for items to add to the baskets and finding places to order supplies online. We both continue with Tai Chi. Since this is our second year going through the beginning classes, we have been able to help some of the first timers. We've also enjoyed the contra dancing.

Much of my boat work has been focused on power generation. Our wind generator and solar panels provide what we need most of the time. In looking for ways to eliminate a bit of our power demands to reduce charging demands, I've replaced our lighting with the more efficient LED lights where they would make a difference. This has gotten our power generation vs use to the point where we need to run the engine only about once a month, given the breeze and sunny days here during the winter.

The windless is working again, so I won't have to pull the anchor and chain up by hand on our trip north. However, it won't run as smoothly as I'd like, since the part of the chain rode that doesn't get used much has rusted and therefore hangs up when running through the windlass. When we get back up north to VA this summer, I'll plan to clean up the chain a bit. That should help. I've also completed a few other minor projects while putting still others on the list for completion once we get back to Virginia.

The harbor is no longer as full as it has been for the past two months. The breezy days are not as consistent, so weather windows are opening up for those wishing to move on to the Bahamas. Others are finding that it's just time to begin the travel back north. As a result of the exodus, the morning net is not quite as full of announcements for events and activity here. In spite of that fact, we continue to meet people and enjoy time with new friends. The harbor staged a dinghy poker game for St. Patrick's Day. Five boats in the harbor had decks of cards. We were instructed to find each boat and pick up a card. At one boat we also got to sample some green beer or wine. At a set time all participants met at the marina. The dinghy participants with the best and worst poker hands were awarded prizes. This was just a different way to meet other cruisers. One of the couples handing our cards was on a boat just like ours. One thing led to another, and we ended up heading out by boat with them to visit Bahia Honda State Park and then spend a night at Coconut Key, one of our favorite spots for just getting away from it all.

Keeping our schedule full, we managed to volunteer our time at the annual seafood festival here during March and also volunteered at the local community theater. This got us in to see their current production of Sound of Music with great performances by the cast, some of whom were boaters here in the harbor.

We've continued to enjoy the company of visitors here in Boot Key Harbor. Our friends on Tarwathie, Dick

A long awaited swim for Dick and Libby

and Libby, arrived for a visit.  They apparently missed Marathon, since they were spending the winter way up north in North Carolina. We had a great four-day visit with them, during which they also got to catch up with a few of their other friends.  Libby even got to a basket making class, one that she had started a couple of years ago.

As we got to the end of March, Jennifer and Kaya arrived for a week's visit. Jennifer appreciates the warm weather more than most, so it was unfortunate that a cold front passed through shortly after she arrived. This meant that some of the clothes she brought for traveling to and from Virginia were needed while she was here. We managed a nice trip to Key West and another to the Dolphin Research Center in addition to getting out for a night a Coconut Key again. We also got over to Boot Key for a walk as well. Kaya loves the water and thoroughly enjoyed her time at Sombrero Beach, even if the water was a bit cool for us. She didn't want to come out of the water. We don't know if her swimming and barking while doing so was what

Jenn & Sandra enjoy great weather at the beginning of her visit.

attracted the dolphins so close to her

As Jenn drove back north, my sister Mary Jo and her husband Scott and son Toby came down for a day visit from West Palm Beach. We managed to get them out for a nice sail with several dolphins coming by very close to the boat.

Although many of our friends on boats have already left or are planning to do so in the next few days, the locals are still here for us to enjoy. We got a front row seat while a local fisherman caught and fought with a six foot tarpon for what seemed like a half hour. The following afternoon he was back with another big tarpon on the line. The fish were either released or got free of the hook after a good fight. On the

same day as the first tarpon fight, I noticed another local cleaning up the algae at the dinghy dock – a manatee. And of course, it's always fun to watch the pelicans diving for dinner in the harbor.

Samantha and family are our next visitors. They are due here in a little more than a week. We really look forward to spending time here with our three grandsons. It's such a different place from their home in NH.

Come the first of May, we'll begin to get ourselves heading north. Because we have the car here, we'll be driving that to VA first and flying back to move the boat.

In spite of all the planning, we try to live each day fully. This is a great community with lots to do, so we do our best to remember that. An example of how helpful the community can be when one is need came this morning. During the overnight we got hit by a line of thunderstorms with winds gusting up in the mid 50s. One sailboat had some worn shrouds which let go, causing the mast to come down. This morning, a call went out for help to get the end of the mast out of the mud and get it back on deck safely before the next round of storms came through today. They had more help than necessary within a short time and quickly got the mast secured on deck. Yesterday I got to help another boater who, in attempting to move their boat past other moored boats, managed to get blown into the shallows where they ran aground. With the assistance from several of us, they got a halyard stretched over to another boat and then got their boat healed enough to free the keel and get the boat into deeper water. They were appreciative, and it felt good to be of help to them.

As we prepare for our last weeks here and then head north, I'll try to be a bit more regular with blog entries. Hope all is well with you readers.

Carpe Diem,

Captain Bob

Appreciating Paradise

Nearly a month has passed since the last entry to this blog. The time lapse is due mostly to the fact that I don't appear to have experienced anything particularly noteworthy or new, given that this is our fifth season here in Boot Key Harbor. But then again, it may be that we're so accustomed to our time in this part of paradise that we forget how fascinating it is to others.

We were reminded of this by a friend who visited us for a few days earlier this month. Priscilla Temple, who lives in North Carolina and has driven to meet us several times as we pass through that state on the ICW, flew down to spend her first nights on a boat. We picked her up in Ft. Lauderdale and drove back to the Keys with a stop in the Everglades to see the birds and alligators as well as a stop at a fruit and vegetable stand to introduce her to some interesting new fruits. These included tamerin, mango and papaya as well as a few others whose names are now forgotten but the great taste remains. On the way down to Marathon we stopped at a waterside restaurant for a meal. As this is not unusual here, we were outside at a table in the sand not more than 15 feet from the water. Oh yes, there was live music playing during our meal.

Looking down on the anchorage and beach at Bahia Honda

During her stay we managed to get her out overnight to experience the peacefulness of Florida Bay. We were probably several miles from the closest lights, so the clear sky offered a thousand stars not usually visible closer to towns. The winds cooperated to allow us to get her out to Sombrero Reef for her first bit of snorkeling with clear water and lots of fish to see. We also managed to visit the Dolphin Research Center and Bahia Honda state park with its beautiful setting.

She enjoyed it all, including the sunsets, and in the process it helped us to regain some extra appreciation for our time here in a bit of paradise.

So when you receive and invitation from us to come down for a visit, you should realize the purpose is two fold. We certainly want to share the setting with friends and family, but we also find that such visits remind us of what a special opportunity we have to experience this for a whole season each year. It's only fair that we do our best to share it with others when we can.

Sandra's latest creation

OK, so what else have we been up to in the past few weeks? We continue to bump into other cruisers we have met in previous seasons as well as meeting those whom friends have sent our way. Sandra continues to help others with the pine needle baskets. It's a growing group. A bit more than a week ago we joined with others from Tai Chi to celebrate the Chinese new year. If you're interested, this is the year of the snake. Not sure what that means, but just needed to pass it along. In addition to Tai Chi classes and a bit of contra dancing, we still have on our list a trip to Key West by car. The anchoring situation there isn't attractive, so it's much easier just to drive down for the day. That's about all we need of Key West on one outing anyway. It's an interesting place, but a little bizarre.

Then there are the regular chores. Our dinghy bottom is getting covered with algae and barnacles, so a cleaning job is in the cards. The big boat has anti-fouling paint. It's most effective when we travel and water is moving over the surface. When we're sitting on the mooring for a week or two, I still must dive down and do a bit of cleaning. I'm still struggling with the windlass. (For the uninitiated, this is an electrical device that pulls up our chain and anchor, making my life much easier.) The part that was obviously broken has been repaired, but a more subtle issue still must be addressed. Hopefully we'll be back up and running by week's end.

This is not a life of all work and no relaxation. We still continue to meet people and enjoy that part of our adventure. One of the ways we've gotten to meet people is due to two somewhat unusual if not unique attractions we offer to others. One is the dinghy. We have a Portland Pudgy. It's less than 8 feet long; it rows well, is stable and also serves as our life raft. It's appearance alone seems to attract attention. In our first year in Marathon, we were stopped nearly every day over the four months of our stay by people asking about the boat. In the years since, we continue to be asked questions, but perhaps only 4-5 times a week.

Our two special attractions

And the other attraction...it's Maddie, of course. She loves to meet people and people seem compelled to stop to say hello to her. Then they ask us what her breed is. We tell them she's a Coton, and they generally respond with an, “Oh, what's that?” In the meantime they're getting licked and jumped on. They love it. They tell us she's the cutest dog they've seen. Some seem to want to take her home.

So life continues to be good down here. We'll do our best to fully enjoy it. And of course we love company.

Carpe Diem.

Captain Bob