Moving Up the Florida Coast

. . . ON THE WAY TO "VELCRO" BEACH

As long as the weather, our groceries and clean clothes hold out, we continue to move up the coast. We passed more huge, beautiful mansions and more monster yachts near Palm Beach. Our first marina stop in four months was at an Active Captain four-star facility -- Old Port Cove Marina at North Palm Beach. It lived up to every bit of its rating. After two days of provisioning, laundry, and cleaning the boat, we sailed north to the mooring ball field at Stuart, Florida. 

Fiu and Carina sailed through a railroad bridge and the Roosevelt Bridge leading to Stuart.

We decided to stay at Stuart just one night, leaving Bonnie and Sid on Fiu to explore the town the next day. We pushed on north to Vero Beach to meet our friends Bob and Trish who have a condo there. Bob and Trish sailed Pogopelli with us down the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

Forecasters Were Right For Once!

Before any trip, we constantly check the weather forecasts. On Sunday morning, forecasts were for winds from the south, building to 20-25 with gusts to 35 mph later in the day. At first light, we left Stuart and turned north onto the ICW. Wind and waves were both moderate. Because the wind was coming from the south and we were heading north, it was a downwind sail. We rolled out the jib, soon finding we were motor sailing at 7+ knots. That's a high rate of speed for Carina.

Sunrise near Stuart, Florida, on our way to the Intercoastal Waterway.

By 9, forecasters' predictions started coming true. Winds began building, blowing 25+ with strong gusts. We reefed the jib three times in an hour, finally rolling it up entirely. The waves were building with the winds. Even with the sails down, the wind against the bimini over the cockpit and against Carina's hull was sailing the boat, creating weather helm. We were motoring at 7+ knots with no sails up.

Despite the wind and waves, other boats had places to go as well. Tall boats like this cruiser
rocked and rolled more than the sailboats, making the ride uncomfortable.

By 11:30, as we approached the North Ft. Pierce Bridge, winds, waves, and current pushed us through the bridge at 9.9 knots -- with no sails up!

After the North Ft. Pierce Bridge, we were passed by Doug and Charlotte, Abbotsford III,
friends we'd met months ago at the Little Shark River. Their catamaran trawler
gave them a more comfortable ride than others in rough weather.

After the bridge, the ICW channel moved closer to shore, reducing the "fetch" or distance the wind and waves have to build. Although the winds were still strong and gusty, the waves flattened. We rolled out a reefed jib again and sailed to Vero Beach. 

45 Miles in Six Hours

We were so happy to see Bob and Trish on the dock and to get their help since the winds chose to build again as we were entering our slip. Altogether, the 45-mile trip took us six hours. Typically, a 45-mile trip might take eight or nine hours. We don't recommend sailing in 35-knot gale force winds as a way to speed up your trip, but it worked for us this time.

Carina was tucked into a slip at the Vero Beach City Marina for a couple
of days while we visited Bob and Trish. Vero Beach is known as "Velcro Beach" 
because people who plan a short stay get attached to the town and end up staying
for a long time.

South Florida is Called the Gold Coast for a Reason

. . . BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY AND BIG YACHTS

After spending several nights in secluded places, we arrived at Miami and found an achorage directly across from the city. Our plan had been to sail outside in the Atlantic to the nearest northern entry point back into the ICW. Unpredictable winds and rain had us changing plans, staying an extra day and staying on the "inside" -- the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway). 

The Bridges of Dade and Broward Counties

Yesterday we traveled through bridge after bridge after bridge (some 18). Despite the inconvenience, the scenery was very interesting. Double bridges were rare. Here, our traveling companions, Sid and Bonnie on Fiu, motor through the Sunny Isle Bridges on the AICW.

Carina passed through one of the bridges just before reaching Lake Boca Raton, our anchorage for the night.

Sid showed his delight in being able to travel through so many bridges today.

Bonnie soaks up rays while we waited for bridge openings.

The mast of Fiu is 55 feet. Early in the day, they met a 56-foot bridge. We called those very close bridges we encountered on the Tenn-Tom Waterway "clincher." Sid and Bonnie met their own clincher. The were very, very close to hitting the top with their antenna -- with the tide out.

Port Everglades

At the Fort Lauderdale entry to the ICW is Port Everglades with international container ships and cruise ships. It was interesting to see the massive ships being unloaded 
as we passed.

More concerning was to see one of those ships heading toward you with a full load.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

 

We are rich in our ability to travel the way we're traveling. Since leaving Miami, we've learned how the truly rich live. It's having a multi-million dollar home on the water with a multi-million dollar yacht parked in front. Oh yeah, then there's the fishing boat, too.

Your sense of perspective becomes jaded after seeing thousands of yachts in one day. We started thinking of boats with fewer than three radar domes as just average. This one is above average.

Seen from the front, it's hard to realize this yacht is probably over 200 feet long.

This homeowner has a modest boat in front of his not-so-modest home -- just one of many we passed.

Many of the mansions have an Italian influence in the architecture. 

We tended to take photos of the more modern homes though because they were strikingly different. 

Today's travels mean more bridges, although not as many as yesterday, and our first overnight marina stop so far on the trip up the East Coast. 

Really. Goodbye, Marathon

. . . LEAVING GOOD FRIENDS, TRAVELING WITH OTHER FRIENDS

The flags were streaming back as
 Carina approached Seven-Mile Bridge.

At 9 a.m. yesterday, we released Mooring Ball N7 in Boot Key Harbor and left with Bonnie and Sid on Fiu. A panoramic image will stay in our minds of Alan and Sharon sitting out on their 24-foot catamaran, Yasmine and Roy standing on Yasmine Ann's deck, and Steve standing in Endless Summer's cockpit to wish us well as we left. We wouldn't say goodbye, only see you again soon.

Horrible Grinding Noise Cleared Up

The horrible grinding noise that kept us in the harbor past several good weather windows was checked out by another diver, Barnacle Bill. It turned out to be a rapid growth of barnacles on the shaft and prop -- the same shaft and prop that had been cleaned three weeks before. That's how quickly barnacles can grow down here and the effect they can have on equipment.

As we motor sailed to Lignumvitae Key, the "chattering" of the engine returned occasionally that we associate with the zinc on the shaft. We had hoped that clearing up the grinding problem and having a new zinc put on would end the chattering, too. It didn't. We plan to have it checked out when we reach Jacksonville in a few weeks.

Beautiful Fiu is a 43-foot Island Beneath the Wind, a French boat. Her beam is over 15 feet. 

Sailing by the Crab Pots

For most of the day, the wind was on our nose. By 2, it shifted, and both Fiu and Carina motor sailed with jib only. At the same time we rolled out the sail, we entered the largest crab pot field we had ever seen. With her wing keel, Carina can easily snag a crab pot and its line get wrapped around our prop, damaging the engine. We were on intense lookout to dodge the pots as the wind built. In fact, it seemed that we were sailing to avoid the crab pots, not necessarily sailing to the wind. Despite that, we motor sailed at 7 mph a few times.

Bonnie and Sid took this picture of Carina as we dodged the crab pots. 

How they took the picture without showing one crab pot is a mystery to us.

At Anchor At Last

When we reached Lignumvitae Key, we searched for the free mooring balls that the state park service installed, but couldn't find them. Instead we dropped anchor and peacefully swung on the hook for the first time in over three months. 

Bonnie and Sid on Fiu in the quiet Lignumvitae Key anchorage.

Enjoying the Live-Aboard Life

. . . WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE LIVING ON A BOAT IN THE HARBOR

A cruising blogger we read criticized other bloggers for not telling people what living aboard is like. We're guilty of that somewhat. We've tended to tell about the 10 percent of really, really fun times -- like the trips to Key West and Pigeon Key and such -- and not the 90 percent of everyday times -- the constant cleaning and maintenance. So here it goes: A day on Carina.

Monday, March 4

Squirt snuggles up in his blanket.

6:30 a.m. -- Jane's up. . . heats leftover coffee and turns on the computer. She reads emails,  checks a few Web sites while it's quiet, and bundles up in fleece. 

It's cold for Marathon. . . 54 degrees, jeans weather. The stove helps heat the cabin.

7:30 a.m. -- Kent is up and makes fresh coffee. . . looks at weather sites, reads emails and views funny videos when Jane leaves the computer. The computer is our main entertainment at Marathon since there is no TV reception. He takes Squirt to his green pad outside at the back of the boat and rinses it off. 

The V-berth where we sleep is as wide at top as 
a king-sized bed. The ledge around three sides 
is where we keep most clothes and books, all 
strapped in when we are underway.

8:15 a.m. -- Jane feeds Squirt. She heats water on the stove for a bath on the boat. There are showers ashore, but going would leave Kent marooned without a dinghy. He takes an evening shower. It's one of those timing things we haven't worked out yet. The water heater on board only works when we're plugged in to shore power at a dock or when we've run the engine.

Jane eats leftovers for breakfast to get containers out of the refrigerator.

9:00 a.m. -- Both listen to the Marathon Cruisers' Net on the VHF radio until nearly 10. It was an exceptionally long cruisers' net today.

While "the Net" was on, Jane replaced all full Damp Rid bags on Carina. Boats have moisture issues. The goal is to collect the moisture before it becomes mildew. Tomorrow when the weather is warmer, she'll open the boat and use concentrated Lysol to clean up the small amount of mildew that's in the V-berth. 

Kent eats peanut butter and jelly on English muffins for breakfast.

10:15 a.m. -- The marina's traveling pumpout boat makes its regular stop. We say, "hello," to Steve. Like many marina employees, he and his family live on a boat in the harbor.

The head is the name for both
the small bathroom at mid-
ship and for the toilet.

We put a cup of vinegar down the head to reduce the calcium buildup. After the vinegar is slowly pumped down, it's followed by a little mineral oil to make the shaft pump easily.

Jane takes down the last of yesterday's laundry hanging in the cockpit to dry. Washing and drying costs $3/load at the marina (compared to $4.50-$8.50 in a public laundromat). To save money, we use a bucket and plunger device for lightweight laundry. When we do use the marina's laundry, we try to air dry as much as possible on the boat. 

11:00 a.m. -- Kent takes Jane and Squirt ashore in the dinghy. We take trash and recycling to bins. Kent fills water jugs to take 10 gallons back to the boat. He does it almost every day, sometimes twice a day. That's a small quantity compared to the larger boats around us. Water costs here in the Keys -- five cents per gallon at the marina. Still, that's only $5 for 100 gallons.

Jane and Squirt walk a mile to the dog groomers to have his nails trimmed. He can't walk properly if they aren't kept short. We stop at West Marine on the way back to get holding tank deodorant. Dogs are allowed in many non-food-serving businesses in the Keys.

On the boat, Kent checks the refrigerator thermometer to find that it's 29 degrees in the refrigerator, not the freezer!. He raises the setting.

Noon -- Jane eats granola bar for lunch from marina vending machines because she has Squirt with her. Kent has leftover blackened salmon with spinach and black beans that he found when exploring the refrigerator.

Jane checks the mail area, then runs into Denise who is starting the Loop soon in Gracie, a 29-foot sailboat, and invites her and Ham to Carina Tuesday for appetizers. 

12:50 p.m. -- Kent takes the dinghy to pick up Bonnie and Yasmine, two of Jane's friends, to meet her on the dock. At the dock, he puts Squirt's life jacket on and takes him back to Carina. Such is the life of a water taxi.

Jane, Bonnie and Yasmine bike about 10 miles round trip to several stores past the airport. 

"It's Always Something". . . Roseanne Roseannadanna

While the ladies are gone, Kent and Roy, our neighbor on Yasmine Ann, planned to release Carina from the mooring ball and test her engine to be sure the grinding noise we've worried about was gone. Everyone thinks the noise was caused by a "bad zinc" that was replaced on the propeller shaft. Kent started the engine. Roy released the mooring ball. Kent put the engine in gear. The " chattering" is now a grinding noise and is much, much louder in both forward and reverse. They quickly re-catch the mooring ball and turn the engine off. Kent puts in a call to the diver who placed the new zinc on the prop shaft to come look at it. We won't be leaving Marathon until that is fixed.

4 p.m. -- He picks up Jane in the dinghy and breaks the news to her about the engine. We go back to Carina to talk it over.

5 p.m. -- She takes Squirt to his green pad and then feeds him.

The salon is like the boat's living room where we spend
a lot of time when it gets dark. The hammock in the upper
right holds fruits and vegetables when we're underway.
There's additional storage behind each cushion.

She does her daily vacuum to pick up Squirt's hairs. He sheds his weight in hair every day, it seems. The battery on the vacuum needs recharging, so we'll have to run the generator tomorrow.

5:30 p.m. -- Kent heats water and does the few dishes from this morning (highly unusual!) while Jane checks the computer. She can't get Kent's phone -- with its unlimited minutes -- to connect to the Internet. She uses hers which has very limited minutes. 

6 p.m. -- Kent gets on the computer to check weather and such. Then he gets on the phone with friends. Jane folds her clean clothes to put away.

6:23 p.m. -- He stops talking on the phone long enough to blow his conch horn at sunset. It was a particularly long steady sound tonight. He usually practices blowing with his lips only right before he uses the conch. Squirt seems to think it is the call of the Chihuahuas and comes running up to Kent while he practices which makes us laugh.

The galley is a boat's kitchen.
When we're sailing, everything
that's on counters is stowed
to keep it from rolling around
Carina. Through the door on
the right is a second cabin
with a queen-sized bed that
we use for storage. We call
it "the garage."

6:30 p.m. -- Jane heats leftover Shrimp Scampi and brown rice for dinner. We're out of lettuce or spinach for a salad. After dinner, dishes are rinsed and stacked and will wait until the morning to be washed. 

7:30 p.m. -- Kent checks the weather Web sites again. It's dark. He takes Squirt for a last visit to his green pad. He goes to bed to read his book about Captain Morgan's life. The rum was named after a real Captain Morgan. 

Jane gets on the computer to find an appetizer recipe to make for the next day.

9:30 p.m. -- After two hours of searching, she decides to serve the same appetizer she's made for several get-togethers, Shrimp Salsa. Oh, well! At least one of us stayed up until boater's midnight.

She gets ready for bed, then brushes Squirt's teeth. Dr. Federico will be happy. No, on second thought, Dr. Federico won't be happy. He wants us to brush Squirt's teeth twice a day!

Jane reads Pigs in Heaven from the marina's lending library for awhile. Squirt joins us in the V-berth. 

10 p.m. -- It's lights out on board Carina.

Goodbye, Marathon

. . . GOODBYE, BOOT KEY HARBOR

Our stay at the Marathon City Marina, Boot Key Harbor, is nearing the end. We are ready to leave for Jacksonville, put Carina in a marina for a couple of weeks, and drive home to Chattanooga to do taxes. First, we need a good weather window to head east up the Florida coast. It may be as early as Saturday or it may be as late as the following Saturday. 

We could go on and on about how great Marathon and the people we've met here are. Our blogs have pretty much covered all that.

The Conga Line Ladies from Church

One favorite memory we'll have to describe because we -- sadly -- didn't take a picture.  

Two families from our church, Carol and Sam and Mary and Bill, came to Marathon on their annual vacation, stopping in for sun downers on Carina one night, and to listen to the Saturday night music jam session at the Marathon marina tiki hut at a later time. As Gary, Saturday's Child, sang "Copa Cabana," an impromptu conga line was started by some cruisers. Who should jump into it but our church ladies! 

Here the conga line dancers are sedately sitting at the tiki hut table. From left, Mary, Judy (our sailing friend on Pioneer), Jane and Carol.

These folks are fun people. We were so glad to see them, catch up on what was going on at home and in church, and see them dancing in the conga line as it snaked around the tiki hut tables. We couldn't get pictures of the conga line because we were in it, too.

One last time at Salty's

Before leaving Marathon, we were able to see our neighbor, Steve, Endless Summer, play again at Salty's, a local restaurant/bar. Steve is the lead guitarist for Eric Stone and the Stoners, as well as the web master for Cruising Outpost, the new sailing magazine that replaced Latitudes & Attitudes.

Steve hits a few licks as Eric, on the left, sings. Steve's boat is named 

after one of Eric's songs.

Two great neighbors that we went to Salty's with are Yasmine and Roy, on Yasmine Ann. They now live and work aboard the 41-foot catamaran. While sailing recently, Roy called everyone on board to see the sea turtle that was chasing them. Upon closer look, it was 
a crab pot. He's has been kidded endlessly since then. 

Hog Races at the Stuffed Pig

We've tried to cover local highlights as we've discovered them. Last weekend's hog races were among the top. A nearby breakfast restaurant, the Stuffed Pig, sponsored National Hog Weekend in this area which featured all sorts of activities, including hog races.

The Rosaires earn a living putting on pig races at barbecue and breakfast restaurants. What a career niche! They travel in their 18-wheeler with about 20 or more pigs of all sizes.

The faster pigs raced first. Then came the big hunks -- the pot-bellied pigs. After being prodded out the starting gate, they warily came around the first turn. They did make it 
around the entire track, eventually. Notice that we didn't describe what they did 
as "run" around the track.

New Boat Cards Arrived

When we left Chattanooga, we had simple boat cards. A boat card is like a business card that boaters exchange. You meet so many people on so many boats from so many places that you forget who's who. Boat cards are a way of remembering and staying in touch. Ours lacked some basic information -- like our blog address!

Jessica from the yacht club designed a beautiful new layout -- one with complete information and photos -- Carina's on the front and ours on the back. (The evolution of the boat cards is on the right.) We picked up the new cards on Monday.

Preparing Carina to Sail, Once Again

Because we stopped in Marathon for two and a half months -- longer than it took us to sail here (!), leaving is just about like starting a new trip. We're checking out the operating gear and especially the systems that make Carina go. 

A concern is the intermittent chatter coming from the propeller shaft outside the boat. It's the same chatter that we first heard in mid-November on the way to Panama City. Then and now, it turned out to be a loose zinc on the shaft. (Zincs are metal pieces made of zinc put on to protect whatever they are attached to from destructive electrolysis.) 

Two weeks ago, we had the bottom cleaned and a new zinc installed. Several days later we went for a sail out to Sombrero Reef. We motored back, and shortly after, the chatter resumed!  We called our diver who inspected the shaft, finding nothing -- no zinc! He did find a small remnant of an old one that we are puzzled by (photo to the left). Surely it wouldn't be the remains of the new zinc put on just two weeks before! We now have another brand spanking new one and are assured it is on very tight. We'll check it again before leaving. 

Fuel and water tanks are topped off. The new dinghy davits are working out great. The challenge is where to put the folding bikes we've acquired since arriving here. We'll find a place for them aboard and will loosen our lines from the mooring ball when the weather tells us the time is right to go.

Are We Still Sailing South on Carina? Is it Still 2012?

When we came up with this blog name, we both wondered how we'd like this long-term cruising life and living in a small space. So we said we'd sail south to Marathon. Because this adventure started then, 2012 was added to the name.

We've found we like the sailing life, and although we'd like more space, we're happy with Carina's size. Now and then we trip over each other and sigh impatiently when we're waiting for the other to move out of the way, but that's fairly rare. We're much more likely to sigh at the other for hogging the computer. 

We've decided to sail on to do the Great Loop around the eastern United States. Yes, many parts of the Loop are north of Chattanooga, but the way we figure we'll still be south of the Arctic. We're still sailing south of somewhere on Carina.