Last day for several weeks

Sunday, this was our last full day for a few weeks.  We rented a car, will pack it up and head 25 hours north to the frigid cold of New England after this "Welcome to paradise" few warm days we've had here.  Wish the south had been warm from Virginia in October to here.
   Tomorrow promises to be 80.  South Florida really is different from North Florida where it's freezing at night - not here.  All in all we have been pretty surprised at how much work it is to do this "sail" down south.  Besides being much slower than going north, much heavier winds from the north at this time of year, and experiencing the ICW's watch-the-depth every minute, we haven't played much.  We went to one movie.  We rented bikes one day (Christmas present for Drew).  I found an outdoor exercise park with outdoor free machines we used here while Mazu got a little walk.  Our daily routine was getting the boat ready to be fixed, fixing the boat, meeting with or talking with workers, doing daily maintenance, running the engine so the frig will continue to run and supporting the electrical needs, running the water maker, and finding things that should have been replaced or serviced routinely that weren't.  Tonight's find was a hose in the engine that has never been replaced and should have been 5 years ago.  It requires the boat to be hauled out -- $$$.  Now we need to do a ton of things all at once - not fun.  The weather here is nice, however it's the first great weather we've had.  Everyone we speak with tells of stories where they are spending years, yes, years fixing their boat.  Hmmm...
 

 Here's the before where the floor needs to be cut open to replace the holding tank.  I'll take another picture when the workers are done in March.  There will be another cut in the floor a whole lot bigger than these two.

We are packing up.

Today's great find was Amigo Market on 27th Street. I kept asking people where I could find a Cuban coffee.  Try Starbucks they said - fat chance - they didn't even know what it was.  Finally a woman whose father-in-law is Cuban told me the place to go.   With our rental car we could drive the 2 miles from the mooring field.  The market has a little counter and a few tables in and outside with great Cuban food; no one speaks English, and we could have been in Cuba.  The whole store is great. It has a true butcher with huge hunks of meat where you ask for the cut you want, Spanish candy like we get from AJ's parents at Christmas.  All kinds of flan and Spanish cookies.  Fresh, fresh produce.  We bought a package of Cuban coffee that has the sugar already in it.  We loved the market and will go there when we get back.  AJ told us we must go to Versailles, a Cuban restaurant institution that is first on my list when we get back!
   Today I worked on thoroughly cleaning the inside of the dinghy, scrubbing and hosing.  Tomorrow all of the vinyl curtains around the enclosure need to be washed with fresh water and put away so the workers can get in easily with the new tank.  We need to clear out the forward cabin completely and cover the mattress because there will probably be a lot of sawdust.  We must pickle the water maker - put it away until we come back so it doesn't get mildewed, etc.  Pack the car, meet with Craig the man who will oversee the project, watch, and move the boat as needed while we're gone.  Drew hasn't done any packing yet because he's consumed with emails and explaining the details of what he wants done, ordering parts, giving contact information, etc.  So it goes.  But every night there is always this:

Dinner Key maintenance and picnic

No good pictures at the cruisers picnic, but we went and had good conversations especially with Linda from Manna (Spanish for tomorrow).  We went over to a little island with a tent and everyone brought food, traded stories.  It's a beautiful day at 75 degrees.
Scene coming into the party place.

Drew at the Tiki thatched hut.

Good day to do maintenance on little Tweety, our dinghy.  You can see the dirty upside and the cleaned part around the name.

Here she is cleaned up with others.  My grandson, Tate, had not heard of cartoon character Tweety of "Sylvester and Tweety." 

 Sitting on the dock of the bay on a sweet day:

 

 Here's the boat we're next to in the mooring field at Dinner Key.  We are getting ready to leave this idyllic weather and good food.   Oh, I found Cuban coffee and am hooked.  THE best! 

Dinner Key new video sailing

We headed south for Dinner Key Moorings, about an hour south of Miami Beach into Biscayne Bay under Rickenbacker Bridge and had a short lovely sail.  It was difficult to find an opening since the Miami Boat Show and Strictly Sail Show are Feb. 13-17.

We had to check the zincs on the boat.  I donned my wet suit and had my first swim in the warm Florida waters.  I dove under the boat a few times with goggles.  I always have a rope in the water for safety, plus the current was about 1 knot or so there.  It appears the propeller zinc has fallen off and needs to be replaced.  We'll have to hire a diver to do the work under the boat.  I also took a brush and washed the water line around the boat.  It gets green growth and slime over time especially in warmer waters.  A little maintenance every day.  : )

Mazu standing in the lines on the bow;  anchor chain, dock lines, light blue jack lines, mooring lines.

  Today a friend stopped in from Marathon Key to say hi and urge us to come down.  We are aiming to do that in March.







Out for a splurge dinner Drew with a giant burger and me with a mudslide and fries - a night off from nutrition.

The usual evening entertainment with the sun setting over Miami.

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   The next day we found out on Cruisers Net, VHF channel 69, there would be an Island Packet party on a boat nearby Friday evening and a potluck picnic for all cruisers on Dinner Key Saturday at 1.  We dinghyed over to the nearby Island Packet yacht.  It was great to run into Hayden and Radeen of Island Spirit at the Island Packet party where people from about 6 or 7 boats showed up.  The host boat was Grand Cru from Michigan, an IP 440.  Great to meet up and share stories, fixes, and fun places to go.  Since it's our first time doing this we are really learning as we go, and it's so important to find out from others information about the ICW and various places to stay.
  Tomorrow Drew will be working on the continuing holding tank replacement.  We talked with Hayden who has replaced 3 holding tanks doing most of the work himself.  On his boat the holding tank is underneath the salon seat.  Unfortunately for us ours is right under the floor and it is about 4'x2'x18".  The old aluminum one will be removed and replaced with a custom made polypropylene tank.  He has to figure out how to hold it in place since most glues don't hold that material very well.  They have to cut a hole in the floor, take out the glued in old and put in the new.  We want to keep the same floor so there is a lot of carpentry involved to cut and lift the floor intact, keeping  the same wood without damaging it.  We don't want the wood to be a different color from the aged floor that's there, right next to the part that's being removed.  It will be quite a job. 
  

Dinner Key - new video

We were able to sail down to Dinner Key in Coconut Grove just south of Miami in Biscayne Bay on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day I took my first dip in the warm Florida waters with my wet suit to check the zincs under the boat.  I found that the propeller zinc on the back is gone.  The other two are fine.  We'll have to hire an underwater diver to go down to put it on.   I also scrubbed the water line around the whole boat.  Green slim seems to grow right at the water line.  Under the boat there is about 4 inches of long grass growing and mud on the rudder.

Dinner Key some sailing video

We left Belle Isle anchorage and headed for Dinner Key where we found a

Dinner Key video

In Miami flyboarding

Since we've discovered we have to replace our holding tank Drew has been researching, contacting Island Packet and fellow boaters, visiting a boatyard, trying to decide who and where we should have the work done.  I have been watching, reading, helping, walking the dog, googling mooring sites, working.
  Look at this new sport called flyboarding. These two were doing this near our boat for the afternoon.  For a mere $6,000 you can do this too.

 
We are anchored near  a canal where we dinghy in for groceries, entertainment, walking Mazu day and night.
 Also a picture of government cut on a nice day overlooking the Miami skyline.

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 Miami Beach, 2 acres of Botanical Gardens open to everyone free.

On to Miami Beach

Waiting and waiting so we did a few last things in St. A.  Waiting through the tornado watch, waiting for the right weather and doing essential repairs.
    I realize all these pictures do not show the lousy windy cold weather because when I took pictures on those days they came out blurry with the movement of the boat or my shivering hands.

 Watched the changing of the guard as they marched down the street to Government house.

 Slept in a couple of mornings. (Mazu and Drew)


  We took down the wind generator off the stern davits. Me (hair pulled back in ponytail) sitting up on the davits to help lift it down to Drew.

 It wasn't working at all.  We sent it off  to Tampa for repair that took a few days.  Now it's working and spinning with all these big winds we're having.

The Bridge of Lions all lit up.  During our last few days this drawbridge stopped working.  No one with a mast higher than 25' (ours is 55') could go north or south.  We had to wait 2 days for them to fix it before we could go outside for a sail and head to Miami.

Low tide at St. Augustine waterfront. muddy, full of muscles.

 Drew coming up the companionway to see a beautiful sail for a few hours before the wind changed and came straight at us from the south.
    Our nightly entertainment is the sunset.  They've been spectacular.
   We took 64 hours to sail and motor to Miami from St. Augustine, about 276 miles.   [Mazu went once the whole time.]  I made sandwiches and had food ready that we could grab: yogurt, cheese sticks, chicken stew warmed up, crackers, zone bars.  With 20+ k of wind there is little cooking in the galley for us.  I always put on the transdermal patch behind my ear for the trip and have no problems the whole way rocking and rolling.  Still, I'd always rather go outside and get to sail once in a while.  We miss a lot of historic sights not following the ICW but we are eager to get to warmer weather. Still haven't taken a swim.

We arrive in Miami.  Water is 75 degrees.  The first night we spent at a marina right at the entrance to Government Cut (no picture).  I love Miami - very friendly, beautiful unique architecture, fun, colorful.  Below is our anchorage, love the blues.

 I love the colors with Miami (not Miami Beach) in the background.  You can see other boats also anchored here.  We finally anchored off of Belle Island just north of Government Cut where we came into this fairly well protected area.  The tall buildings at night were so impressive, so many colors.  The winds continue to blow.  I can only take pictures when it's calm otherwise they are all blurry.  I have also used more pixels for these pictures so they are clear.  May take a while to download.  This is the Miami Beach side.

  

 The Disney Cruising ship docked in Government Cut.
 Note the Micky Mouse on the smoke stacks.  It was very impressive as we headed down Government Cut to our anchorage.

 Miami Beach has a wonderful canal with bridges over it.  We could get everywhere because there are little docking areas for dinghys along the route.  When we shop we lock up the boat with a heavy chain.  It's a  very boat and animal friendly town.  Here is our first trip. It's easy to go at night because everything is lit up.








Earlier in the day while Drew did marketing I walked the dog up to the Holocaust Memorial in the center of town.  The hand sculpture is in a pond with water lilies.  Climbing up the arm are people.  It's very sobering.

Tomorrow I'll go to the Miami Botanical Garden on the other side of the Memorial.

 I've never seen this kind of tree with white blobs of "flowers" hanging out of a pod.  Looks like palm but not.  The trunk was not typical palm either.

Tonight I played a solo game of Bananagrams on the table in the salon.  Used all the letters.































Sadly we found out today that our holding tank needs to be replaced.  We used our new endoscope (a $37  50' cable with a tiny camera at the end with a light that can reach places that are not in direct view.  It plugs into the computer with photo booth to see.)  We looked under and at the side of the tank and found it has a leak  : (   a huge expense.  It involves cutting out the floor in the fore cabin to remove it in pieces then installing a new one made out of a better, longer lasting material.  Fortunately, there has been no odor because of Odorloss, a liquid that is put into the holding tank.  This cruise is becoming the shake out cruise where we fix all the kinks.  Somehow it seems never ending.
  Hopefully the work will be done while we are away in February and overseen by this terrific guy, Craig Olsen, we met at the Miami Beach Marina who does Boat Systems Maintenance and Repair.  We met him while we were doing our laundry.  Lucky.  He knows the previous owner of our boat.  It's a small Island Packet world.
  Tomorrow, if it's sunny, I will do a little video of the area.
   Of course there are terrific Cuban restaurants and we'll visit one tomorrow recommended by AJ.  Today we ate at a terrific French cafe with THE best croissants and crepes, A La Folie Cafe.  They let Mazu sit at our feet.  I had poached pear, brie and walnut crepe  ooh la la good.  The city is beautiful, clean, warm, international, fashionable. We hear many languages as we walk down the streets.  We are having a great time now that we're warm.  Again it is a place where they are experiencing one of the coldest winters.

Yes a wee bit cold everywhere

  We came for warmth and a sail, and instead we are cold (18 degrees this morning with the wind chill - hard frost warning last night) and motoring the ICW.
  As we hunker down for the cold I listen rather than see the cold here as we snuggle in our cabin, layers of fleece blanketing us.  The wind through the rigging is a howl at about low c, up and down to 30 knots.  Every night when the tide, 3 k current, and strong wind change, just so, the mooring ball hits up against the hull; random but constant bumping that lasts a while.  Mazu jumps with the first banging. The water flows by the bow, gurgling as it moves so fast with the current against the wind.  Sometimes there's a little clicking sound -- they say it's shrimp scooting through and kissing the hull.  And happily there's the low hum of the Espar heater as it comes on and off throughout the night.
  Looking out the bathroom portal I see the flags out straight like postage stamps in the sky, Florida state and the red white and blue.  There's no furl, flapping, flutter or fold only the flattened flag lit up against a black night sky, my anemometer.

On Sunday before the predicted cold - we took a beach walk on St. Augustine's wide beach.  However to get to the surf is a drop off, no slow slope like New England, Jersey or Delaware shores. A few surfers were out, but taking few rides because of the chop.  We enjoyed the beach.

 Mazu, kind of camouflaged into the sand.  That's why she wears a red bandanna.

Another ship came in bigger and better than Magellan's, the Spanish Galleon.  Note the flags, but the wind had died down a little.  They'll stay about 6 months for tours.

We still had fun with a Sunday bike ride tour on the last 69 degree day. I got it for half price on groupon and put the coupon in Drew's stocking:   Drew with John, the guide, ahead of me.  Ideal way to see the city at a nice pace.

 On Magnolia Street under the line of live oaks overhanging with Spanish moss dripping down.

In front of the Mission cross where the first mass was said in 1565 or thereabouts.

A beautiful little chapel of the Sisters of Joseph who worked on converting Indians to Christianity.

Always MAINTENANCE:  replacing a leaky faucet to keep our precious water.

not leaking any more  : )

 
 Cleaning the speed and temp transducer that sits below the hull (accessed in the bilge.  The black knob is unscrewed from the hull and is removed for cleaning 3 months of growth, then replaced:

Plants growing out of the top where the wheel spins to show our speed.

I have to mention 2 fun places:  www.pirateshipblackraven.com  The pirate ship is on the dock where we dingy in each day.

St. Augustine bike tours we rode were great, highly recommend them.  John was a great tour leader.

AND we went to COUSTEAU'S.  It's a waffle and milkshake bar on Hippolyta St. that opened recently and served THE BEST waffle desert I have ever had called Jaguar Shark - real maple syrup, candied pecans, candied bacon and Bourbon whipped cream on a freshly made waffle - amazingly delicious!  The owner has a passion for these two items like Cousteau had for the ocean.  There are photos of Cousteau all over the little shop, and the staff wears red winter caps as Jacques Cousteau wore.

 

Still in St. Augustine in the cold and WIND!

BULLETIN:  I got hacked today - if you get an email from me with a link do not open it. 

This ship, nao Victoria, is here for tours from Spain.  On a nicer day . . .  the exact replica of Magellan's ship, Victoria,  that sailed around the world in 1519 from Spain.  Portugal's king would not supply his needs.  He began with 5 ships. 18 men and one ship returned with riches without Magellan who died in the Philippines.  Pretty amazing to see how little they sailed with, and the mostly girls who crew it today with a female captain. : )  Another Spanish ship is coming on Monday.  There is also two pirate ships here that go out on the weekends for all kinds of fun.  Fun harbor.

 Crows nest

   

Pirate from the Black Raven

















The wind has been blowing 20 to 25 for 2 days. We have used the launch rather than the dinghy.  We'll go in and do something tonight.

  This city might be called the city of churches, though that probably wouldn't draw a lot of tourists.  There is an amazing cathedral on the site of the original catholic church from 1565.  This picture is of the Memorial Presbyterian church. (It was closed to tour.) They are all beautiful,  well kept and frequently have schools attached.  Every religion seems to have a beautiful building.

 The city of lights.  Having dinner outside the first night back when it was warm.  Now it's windchill of 32.  They turn off all the Christmas lights at the end of this weekend.

Half tide.  You cane sand another 30 feet at low tide.

  
Very high tide with a north wind storm and moon in the right phase.

We are still doing daily maintenance.  Today - replacing the water filters for the water maker.