Starting back to the North 3/24/2011

My daughter, Amanda, came to see me and spend a week with me in South Miami.  She arrived very late on February 25th.  We got in a sail on George's new boat, a 37 foot Tayana cutter.  And we spent a day utilizing the Metro System to get to South Beach and then back to the boat.  There were several nights out at local restaurants and still time to just sit around on the boat and enjoy each others company.  But heavy winds ruled out additional sailing.  In fact, the winds created a few uncomfortable nights at anchor on the edge of Biscayne Bay near Dinner Key Marina.  Several boats broke free and drifted around freely until finally grounding themselves on the near by island.  Amanda left for home on March 4th. 

George, in his boat, and I, in my boat left the anchorage the following day to start our trip back north.  But, it just wasn't to be.  George's boat stirred up sediment in the fuel tank shutting down his engine about a mile out in the Atlantic.  Several attempts to get it running again failed as the boat continued to drift toward shallow water forcing George to deploy his anchor.  He called Towboat, a truly wonderful service, to tow his boat in for repairs.  I continued to circle around him until Towboat arrived.  But he couldn't retrieve his anchor and he had to fender it off.  Once Towboat got him safely in a port for repairs, he hired them to go back out and retrieve his anchor, 300 feet of anchor chain and 150 feet of nylon anchor line (GPS coordinates are a wonderful thing).  Towboat got everything back for him but the anchor was bent to badly to ever be used again.  Mean time, I returned to my previous anchor location until George called and said to start back without him and he would try to catch up later.

I headed back the following morning leaving at about 3:20 am for the Atlantic.  The winds were stiff but fair and I had a wonderful sail.  I had hoped to make it to Hillsboro Inlet, Florida but my speed was such that I sailed by Hillsboro at about 1:00 pm and continued all the way to Lake Worth Inlet, Florida before re-entering the ICW.  I anchored in Lake Worth for the night.  

Lake Worth is a small body of water but a strong weather front moving through whipped up waves and tossed my boat around all night.  In the morning, I pulled anchor and headed up the ICW as an outside sail was out of the question.  I heard on the VHF radio that water spouts had been seen on Lake Worth the previous evening.  I made it up to Hobe Sound, Florida and went back into Loblolly Marina.  And, I'm glad I did!  Wind gusts topped 60 miles an hour for the next two days with substained winds in the forties.

The time at Loblolly gave George a chance to get his repairs completed and so I waited for him at Peck Lake the following day.  We continued on the inside up the ICW until we arrived at Vero Beach Mooring Field for a night and on to Waterline Marina in Melbourne, Florida on March 13th.  Chuck drove down from New York State to join me for 2 weeks. 

On March 14th, we motor sailed to New Smyrna, Florida with George close behind, and found an anchorage for the night.  It was a good day on the water but news of Deb's father's death came as a shock and I wasn't anywhere that she could pick me up on the way to his house in Palm Bay.  She suggested that I stay with the boat and continue the trip home. 

The following day, Chuck and I motored slowly up the ICW waiting for George to catch up.  He was well behind us as he had run aground while following another boat through a bridge opening and locating a submerged sand bar on the other side.  We dropped the hook in Jacksonville, Florida for the night and George caught up with us there.

The next morning, both boats were pointed toward the Atlantic again and then north.  George turned in to Brunswick that evening.  Chuck and I continued through the night reaching Savannah Harbor entrance just before daybreak.  With the Garmin GPS and lots of Coast Guard placed aids to navigation, we steered into Savannah and back into the ICW.  Chuck and I had alternated watches through the night and had each gotten some rest.  So, we continued until reaching a spot to anchor about 10 miles from Charleston Bay, South Carolina.  George opted to put his boat in a marina in Brunswick and return to New York for a couple of weeks.

After a good nights rest, Chuck and I continued up the ICW.  Two hours later, we entered Charleston harbor against very strong winds and waves that all but stopped our forward progress at times.  We passed by historic Fort Sumter and turned back into the ICW to find that the Ben Sawyer Bridge was closed due to high winds.  We dropped anchor about a 1/2 miles from the bridge and waited until 4:00 pm for the bridge to reopen and allow us through.  Continuing on up the ICW, we dropped the hook about 10 miles from Georgetown Harbor.  We spent the night there.

We left early the next morning attempting to put as much water under the keel as we could.  But shortly into our travels, the headstay on the boat failed and the headsail and roller furling collapsed along the port side of the boat.  Chuck was quick to secure the sail and furler, lashing it to the port side rail.  Calling ahead, we found that we could put the boat in at Georgetown Landing Marina and get assistance from a local rigger named Kurt Russel.  All we had to do was to get across Georgetown Bay.  It was very choppy and slow going but we made it across.

Well, We're sitting here in Georgetown, South Carolina as I write this.  We're waiting for parts, very expensive parts, to be shipped in and rigged in place.  We're told that it may be about a week for everything.  Chuck and I had some very nice, fast but nice, sailing on the Atlantic and also on the ICW.  But he came down here to sail for 2 weeks.  After just 1 week, the rigging failed and he is content to help me get things done while we wait. 

So many things worked out better than they might have.  The rigging failed while on inland waters and not out on the Atlantic Ocean.  The rigging failed while I had Chuck on board with me and not while I single handed the boat.  It happened when Chuck was along to quickly secure everything before sails and hardware could get caught in the prop.  And it happened in a location where a repair rigger was available and not someplace where we were put on a waiting list before getting help.

And so the adventure continues!  Hopefully, I be getting back on my way home early to mid next week!  I can't wait to see everyone at home once again.  I miss my wife!  I miss my kids and my grandchildren!  I miss my dogs and horses!  And, I miss my friends!

January updates from Tom

January 11, 2011

I met George and Lucy at 4:00 am.  It has been so, so good to be home with the family for the holidays; and, its hard to believe that I’m leaving again.  But the adventure continues and we’re going back to the boat.

January 12, 2011

We drove to Lumberton, NC where we stopped for the night at an OK, Super 8 motel.  Winter ice and snow has slowed the return south and there are signs of a wreck a mile along I-95.

January 13, 2011

We finished the drive south the Hobe Sound and Loblolly Marina to fine the boat doing just fine under the watchful eyes of the marina Dockmasters.  We’ll stay here until we can get a break in the weather and a window for the Gulf Stream crossing.  George and I figure the we can do it in around 12 hours.  It will be just the two of us on board for the crossing.

January 16, 2011

The weather forecast looks good for the next three days so George and I are leaving Loblolly Marina, going north for three miles to St. Lucy Inlet and then sailing south to Lake Worth Inlet near Palm Beach, Florida where we can rest for the night.  It is about 34 miles from our slip in Loblolly to the anchorage in Lake Worth Inlet but it will give us a better angle and shorter distance for the crossing.  We were surprised by the number of boats anchored in Lake Worth Inlet.  There had to be 60 - 70 south of the bridge and about 25 north of the bridge where we anchored.  The plan is to leave at 4:00 am thinking that will get us across in the day light.

January 17, 2011

Mother nature surprised us with a sudden storm coming up off the west tip of Florida.  Hard rain, winds in the 20’s with much higher gusts and frequent lightning are predicted.  NO CROSSING today.  May be tomorrow!

January 18, 2011

Up at 4:00am.  We didn’t sleep well but the weather has turned around.  We had coffee and tea before weighing anchor and motoring out Lake Worth Inlet.  We struggle a little setting the sails in the dark but were finally under sail.  The beauty of the city lights behind us were staggering and the quiet wind in our sails was a true delight.

At about the time we made our first course correction, we heard a hale on the radio, thinking that the call was for us.  It was a sea going tug and a large barge heading north in the gulf stream.  They had picked up a sailboat on their radar.  He told us that they would be on top of us in about 8 minutes unless we made a course correction.  But, we couldn’t see any ships at all so the tug shined a large, bright light at the vessel on his scope.  It wasn’t us and we continued on the same heading.

We entered the Gulf Stream about nine (9) miles from the coast of Florida.  It was no where near as bad as we had heard.  The waves started at 1 - 3 feet and built to 2 - 4 feet for the most part.  Winds started at about 12 miles an hour and built to about 20 before falling of to 6 - 8 by mid afternoon.  In the late afternoon, we started the motor to recharge the batteries and we continued running it the rest of the way across.  We did hit one area where the seas were confused and rollers in the 6 - 8, even 10 foot range were occurring but only for a little while.

I got to see my first “flying fish” at about 20 miles off the Florida coast.  And, we saw one, very black fin slicing through the water at about ½ way.  We spotted a bunch of little silver flying fish, 3 - 4 inches long a little while later.

We dropped the sails about a mile from Old Bahamas Bay West Bank and motored into the marina at 4:32pm.  We called the marina on the VHF radio and they directed  us to slip C23.  An attendant helped us tie up and provided “all the paperwork required to clear Customs”.  Everyone is very courteous and helpful but the forms are a lot to handle when you are ½ brain dead from the crossing.  Customs people are very put

I got the slip for two nights and then George and I went out for dinner.  Four people can eat large meals in the states for what it cost two people to eat small meals in the Bahamas. . . But everything is imported.

IT TOOK THREE (3) MONTHS AND EIGHT (8) DAYS SINCE LEAVING ITHACA, NEW YORK; BUT WE FINALLY DID IT AND WE ARE FINALLY HERE IN PARADISE.

January 20, 2011

We left Old Bahamas Bay at 10:00am and headed east arriving at Mangrove Cay at 3:30pm.  We set the anchor for the night and sat back to relax.  There isn’t another sole around!

We a lue in the water today for the first time on this whole trip.  We caught 2 fish, barracuda 10-12 inches long on a lure almost as big.  Its not super but catching anything at 5 knots felt very good.  The weather was beautiful and the water flat.  We had the sails up for a short time of very nice sailing before the wind abated.

January 21, 11

We left Mangrove Cay at first light.  A small Canadian sailboat had entered the anchorage just before dark.  anchor south - west of us; apparently having drug anchor in the stiff winds over night.  We remained where we were all through the night with our good anchor set.

We made our way 1.5 km north to our #83 waypoint and turned east toward Great Sail Cay.  Running the motor for the first half hour or so to recharge the batteries; we set the jib in 25 knot winds.  An hour later, the winds dropped to the teens and we set the mainsail for a 6+ knot ride.  We arrived at Great Sail Cay at 10:30 am.  We were greeted by a pod of 6 - 8 dolphins playing all around the boat for about a half mile.  Great Sail Cay is uninhabited as it is barely out of the sea.  Thick brush and a few trees carpet the surface.  The water is as beautiful as we had heard!

January 22, 11 

We sailed from Great Sail Cay this morning after experiencing rain, thunder and lightning during the night like we had never seen before.  We’re headed for Foxtown; some 26+ miles away.  We set sail under very stiff winds and continued a fast sail until we reached the Foxtown waypoint.  The winds were getting almost too much for us to handle as we took down the sails.  Motoring in to the harbor, a cold front moving in from Florida churned the waters into 6 - 8 foot waves that pounded the boat beam.  But, the Garmin Chart Plotter provided a route line to the anchorage point and we followed the rout as closely as possible.  There was a partially submerged reef about 200 feet off our starboard side and very large rocks about 300 feet off our port side.  George left out about 100 feet of anchor chain and we got a good set.

Another boat, Aces Wild, anchored about a ¼ mile away at yet another anchor spot.  We spoke with them on the radio for a little while and got a weather up-date.  It wasn’t good!  George or I sat up on anchor watch all night.  If we got a total of 4 hours of sleep between us, we got a lot.  The temperature dropped another 16 degrees during the night forcing us to wear winter coats and hats.  Winds substained the 40 knot range with gusts in the 50’s.  The boat shuttered and groaned against the winds.  It began to calm just before daybreak and the waters smoothed out a lot.   

January 23, 11

We left the anchorage at daylight and headed east against a north wind.  Every other day, since leaving Florida, we’ve been on a starboard tack.  Today, however, we’re on a port tack.  After making our way to the Foxtown waypoint and turning east, we first set the staysail against a strong wind.  Then we set the mainsail and the jib.  We traveled the 35+ miles from Foxtown to Manjack Cay, leaving at 6:30 am and arriving at 1:00 pm.  It is definitely one of the best days of sailing that I have ever experienced on this boat.  The other boat from last nights anchorage, Aces Wild, a forty-six footer, was traveling along several miles behind; unable to close the gap between us.

With the hook down and a little chow in our tummies, George and I rowed the dinghy to shore to do a little exploring.  We were dumb!  We walked all the way across the island barefooted.  Ouch!  Ouch! Damn it!  Ouch!  But we made it to the far side and an ocean side beach about a mile long.  No one there thought!  It is just beautiful.  We crossed back to the side where our boat is anchored and met the only, year round inhabitants of the island.  Bill and his family welcome visitors to enjoy their property with trails cut through to anywhere you might want to go.  There are six other boats in this same anchorage with several others up the coast a little bit farther.

January 24, 11

We left our hook spot and are going several miles to Green Turtle Cay for a night at a slip to sit out what could be a very bad storm.  Also, George desperately needs internet and cell service.

We’re here at Green Turtle Cay.  Its sad to see, that with the economic downturn, the marina is only a ¼ full.  These people make their living from the tourist trade and without it, they’re not making much!  The accommodations are good. . . But very expensive. . . $20 a night for electrical power; $15 a day to use their showers; $5.84 per gallon of diesel and $0.20 a gallon for fresh water to replenish the tanks on the boat; plus a slip rental by the day.  Its also very shallow coming into the harbor and the deeper draft boats must wait to high tide or chance running aground. 

It was a $225 stay for a day counting out meals but it was very nice to be back in communication with the world.  We even got to watch the Presidential State of the Union Address of the flat screen TV in their lobby.  It is amazing how the Canadians follow USA politics.  Any they mostly love our President!

January 25, 11

Aces Wild advised us of a good weather window for going to Treasure Cay so we’re headed there.  The sail this morning, on a starboard tack, is like something out of a novel.  High 5’s to mid 6’s all the way to Treasure Cay with only an occasional gust.  We had left about a hour behind Aces Wild but they had saved a spot to anchor about 500 feet in front of them.  Ace and Suzie are such nice and interesting people.  Ace is an x fighter pilot (F4 Phantoms from the nom war), turned commercial pilot, turned retired and enjoying 1ife.  They have the 46 footer and they know how to use it!  

We had a drink at the marina bar after rowing….and rowing….and rowing the dinghy to the dock.  Ace and Suzy offered to tow us back to our boat to have dinner, spaghetti, w th them on their boat later.

Dinner was great as was the conversation with our new friends.  George, admittedly, drank a little too much Scotch.  As punishment for his over indulgence, I appointed him “Captain” for the next week.  I am sure that I can find something to complain about in that amount of time.

January 26, 11

We got up this morning; and now a little bit wiser, we put the motor on the dinghy and headed to the dock.  We had a sweet breakfast (cookies and a cinnamon bun) and tea and coffee.  We walked around the small village and then to the beach.  What a beach!  Its 3 ½ miles of the nicest, cleanest, softest sand I have ever seen.  We’ve done alittle grocery shopping and are headed back to the boat for a while.

I worked on the blog for a couple of hours.  George and I returned to the beach.  I walked in the water and laid around on a beach chair while George ran a total of 3 miles up and down the beach.  It was a very good day.  Tomorrow, we head to Hope Town.

Loblolly Marina 12/16/2010

Today was a lazy day all the way around as there was no sailing, no motoring, no cleaning the boat or doing laundry. Just a nice relaxing day. I took a few picture of Loblolly Marina while the crew went to the beach. With the weather having been as cold as it has been, today's warm up to the mid, may be even high, 70's was a very welcome change.

Schools of bait fish swam close to the surface to gather warmth from the sun while some bigger fish floated upside down or on their side unable to cope with the recent cold. This is a small marina that by design is usually quiet, however; the cold weather has kept the regulars inside their condos and near their heat pumps. But today's warmth brought out a few boaters and fishermen. Several nice fish were carried back as today's catch because the fishermen are out again and the fish are biting.

Several manatee swam through today. Two stayed a fair distance away but a third one surfaced next to the board walk, cleared the water from its nostrils and looked straight at me as I stop to see it. They're so ugly, they're cute! And there are birds too. I can't begin to say how many different kinds there are except to say mmmmmany!

There are at least two full time captains here and the mega yachts they tend to are spectacular. Each day, the captains wash and shine the boats waiting for the owners to come here for a sail or to direct them elsewhere for a meeting and sail there. So much money out there! I have to wonder where it all comes from. The one yacht, Harvest Moon, is over 70 feet long (see the picture) and the captain has been with the boat for more than three years. The channel coming into the marina is barely wide enough to accommodate the boats here but the water is deep and the condos and trees provide a great deal of protection from storms.

Yeah. . . . today was a lazy day. Maybe I'll do something tomorrow. . . or not!

Packet Inn In Florida 12/13/1010

After spending time in Melborne, we thought that we could get across the gulf stream but the weather has been very unusual for Florida at this time of the year. Temperatures have been unusually cool, the winds coming from the north against the gulf stream creating high waves and very poor sailing conditions to be far out at sea. So, we decided to head further south looking for warmer weather.

We continued down the ICW passing through Malabar, Sebastian, Wabasso, Winter Beach, Vero Beach, Oslo, Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, St. Lucie, Hobe Sound, Jupiter Inlet, Riviera Beach, West Palm Bay, Lake Worth, Boyton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale and on to Miami with numerous anchorages along the way.

While in Miami, we took an afternoon to look at the boat that George wants to buy. The next morning, we headed further south to Pumpkin Key. It wasn't really Florida warm but it was comfortable. And, then we head to Key Largo and Gilberts Marina. George had been to Key Largo before and remembered the resort from his prior trip there. Food at the Tiki bar was as great as George had described and there is a small private beach close by.

The following morning, we left for Duck Key when we discovered an error in the navigation charts for Blackwater Sound. Where there was suppose to be 6 and 7 feet of water, according to the charts, but there was only about a foot and we ran hard aground in 20 knot winds. After trying every trick in the book, we called for Tow Boat to come and get us moving again at high tide the following morning. We were having alternator problems at the same but resolved that issue after finding a broken wire. A new terminal end in place on the wire and a less than gentle tug from the Tow Boat and all was well.

We continued on down to Duck Key and Marathon Key through a concentration of pods for crab or lobster traps like I've never seen before. Even though we had planned to go on Key West, we decided to turn around and head back to Key Largo for fuel, a good nights sleep and relief from the attack of the pods.

Following our adventure in the Keys, we crossed Card Sound again and entered Biscayne Bay to anchor with Miami skyline for our evening view once again. Leaving Miami, we tried to head out into the Atlantic through the Port of Miami but quick found out that the Dade County Police preferred that we not do that. Something about getting too close to all of the cruise ships makes the police a little bit cranky.

Going on north on the ICW to Fort Lauderdale, we left the ICW for the Atlantic where we had a very nice sail up to Hillsboro Inlet in 2 to 4 foot swells and a gentle reaching wind. Winds were building and small craft warnings were being issued toward evening hours and so we headed back north on the ICW. We finally pulled into Sailfish Marina for the night near Riviera Beach. The winds had to increase to 60, maybe even 70 miles an hour that night. We found it necessary to adjust our lines several times because of stress on the lines and changing tide levels.

The forecast was for more of the same the next day and we decided that we didn't want to spend another night where we were so we headed north again. After about 30 miles or so, we found a small, nice, secluded and protected marina in Hobe Sound, Loplolly Marina. That's where we are as I write this.

Passing through Bascule Bridges, bridges that hinge on each side and open in the middle, is a way of life when traveling on the ICW. The bridges have operators, "Bridge Masters", that can be helpful.....or not. Some Bridge Masters open the bridges according to the time schedule for that bridge; 1)on the hour or half hour, or 2)on the 1/4 hour and 3/4 hour, or 3)on demand pending traffic. However; other Bridge Masters seem to like watching boaters fight the wind and strong currents of the ICW. Even though we had more good Bridge Masters than not, it is the other ones that we are sure to remember.

Something else that I'm sure we will all remember is all of the wrecked and sunken boats along the way. We saw masts sticking out the water, mostly submerged, some with sails still in the raised position. Others boats were upside down on shore and still others were in the trees well back from the shoreline. It makes me realize why there are some 20,000 Canadian boats and an undetermined number of US boats that make this journey ever year. They know better than to be here in hurricane season! You can be sure that we'll be out of here before that season rolls around!

We have seen thousands of other boats and ships. Some are much smaller than our vessel with the other extreme being the large mega yachts. Still larger are all the cruise ships and container vessels. But as far as sailboats, we're probably about average in size. Some, maybe even a lot of the boats, have been all over the world. This one will not be! This has be a challenge and an adventure that we have enjoyed and struggled through. And we are only a third of the time through it. But, it has been everything and more that we've expected it to be.

After some much needed R&R in Melbourne Florida the crew of the Packet Inn moved south. As the weird weather continues they were still confined to the ICW.
Tom, George and Lucy anchored in Biscayne Bay (outside of Miami, FL) last night and will be taking a leisurely sail down to the Keys today since the weather in the ocean will be rough with a nor-easter. Once they have a window they will be heading to the Bahamas.

Made it to Florida

As you all might have guessed we are in sunny Melbourne, Florida at the Waterline marina. I will fill in the blanks as to our wanderings in the next couple of days. There will be a change in the crew of the "Packet Inn" effective this week. I have decided to get off the boat and return to Trumansburg with my wife Karen. I really enjoyed the trip but missed my family, and power to run my sleep apnea machine was becoming more and more of an issue.

For those unfamiliar with life on a sailboat, it is like running a small city; you have to constantly monitor water, sewer and power. Unless you are running the motor constantly, just normal operations such as using the lights can drain the batteries in a couple hours. Water is also an issue when trying to keep sorta clean with "Navy showers"; you can drain the water tank pretty quick. Sewer is another area that requires close monitoring. Three people on the boat all using the head, well, you get the picture.

The trip will continue with Tom and George and possibly a third member. Basically the crew will go farther south (probably Miami) and go across the gulf stream to the Bahamas.

In the days since we made port on Friday, the crew has enjoyed the long shore leave, doing laundry, getting supplies, and testing out the local restaurants.

Tom and George have promised to feed me pictures and text of the rest of the trip, so everyone out there can see how it all ends up.

Lazy Sunday

As you can see by my picture it's still cold, we seem to be under a weather black cloud. Tom thought the picture made me look like and old salt actually I was wet and cold and hoping for a hot shower and food. After leaving Port Charles we crossed to Norfolk for our last look at the Chesapeake. So as to not disappoint us the wind waves and heavy traffic picked up. The port of Norfolk is a mix of naval vessels, tugs, barges, high speed power boats, and a few cruising sailboats. We had no problems it, just requires a sharp lookout and nerves of steel. Because all the guide books recommended it we took the Dismal Swamp route. It is a beautiful spot and waking up at anchor with the owls hooting and the birds singing seemed just right. After that we cruised all day towards Pafquotanke river and  Elisabeth City. In Elisabeth city they love cruisers so they let you tie up almost anywhere. We tied up to the city park next to some benches and no one even questioned us even though the the sign said no tie ups. At this point we lost George to the lure of looking at his new boat. Hopefully he will rejoin us next week. A local recommended that we get across the Albemarle sound as it was supposed to get windy which equates to large confused waves in shallow water, point well taken. The next body of water was the Alligator river. It is a spooky sort of place with all sorts of stumps sticking up along the edge, which if let your mind go there you could imagine all sorts of creatures lurking. We ended up anchoring near a bridge and did not see any alligators or many other animals. We did manage to catch a small stump but Tom and I subdued it and did a catch and release. Later  the next day we did see some eagles and some really small deer. The trip on the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound was pretty easy, we managed to get some good sailing and good speed which means we did not have to dock in the dark.
Oriental, what a welcome sight,  the dock master directed us to a perfect slip, close to the showers, laundry, and the Bean coffee shop. I love this place, I am going to see if I can convince Karen to check it as a potential retirement place. Everyone waves, people will stop and offer you a ride. Very friendly...
Tom found an anchor winch for a good price at the consignment shop so pulling up 100 plus feet of chain could get better. All the clothes are clean I have made two trips to the Bean, Tom tidyed up the boat maybe a nap would be in order or maybe get some pictures. The temp has got all the way up from 48 to 58 still windy and damp but a start in the right direction..