Thursday, May 22, 2014

Leaving Shawnee in Sunny VA

Thursday, May 22


Tuesday May 21, 2014
Atlantic Yacht Basin  MM 12 on ICW

Mazu at the helm
 Shawnee dockside where we'll leave her for 6 weeks or so.
 We watched high schoolers practice crew on the River  girls and guys.
 The whole boat looked like this after our mayfly swarm.  I used a number of cleaning products to wash off the speckles.
 The Great Great Bridge site of first Revolutionary War battle, supposedly.  Boats wait until bridge goes up on the hour.  There are many bridges on this section of the ICW.  The captain must call on the VHF radio to request an opening.


  We have spent our time dockside here at an excellent boat yard   (check out the boatyard at this website:  www:http://atlanticyachtbasin.com/
figuring out the next maintenance items and that is after James Taylor, the proprietor, gave us an estimate on redoing all the teak on the outside of the boat.  It takes 4 weeks to do the work and they can’t get to it for 2 weeks.  This is a maintenance item like all the others, keeping the boat looking good, in top condition – like painting a house.  This boatyard is known for quality workmanship.  They have lower per hour labor costs than New England boatyards.  The treatment to the teak lasts about 10 years. 
  Our other question we must answer is should we leave the boat here and spend next winter down south again.  We have mixed feelings about it.  We decided to leave the boat here and maybe fly back without Mazu to sail it north in mid July.  We’ll take it one step at a time.
  Did the laundry, we took Mazu across the canal to a long trail walk in the woods, and continued cleaning off the mayfly speckles.  At the marine store we actually bought “bird & spider stain remover.”  I worked on the stainless and polishing it this afternoon when it was cooler outside.
 
A couple of things we’d do differently: 
 1.  Store wine top side rather than next to hull in a bin when the  water temperature is 84.  We threw out a few bottles of wine that turned to vinegar.  Ocean water in New England keeps wine at exactly the right temp.  That’s why the drinks are stored close to the hull.
  2.  Bring our own car down south by train for $800 rather than rent all the cars for back and forth travel.

We drive north this afternoon in rental car for NYC and return mid July when the work will be completed.  

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

12 hour day white knuckle in the ICW

This is the part where we go on twisty turny waters and some canals.  We are white knuckle push button sailing on auto pilot and occasionally quickly switching to stand-by to avoid shallow water.  The sails come up and down as the puffy winds blow 5 to 35k.
  We are exhausted after these days because when either of us are at the helm we are constantly watching the depth sounder.  There is nothing worse than watching the depth go 10.8, 10.5, 9.9, 7.9 as the depths get shallower showing we are going out of the narrow channel and into the sides where a boat can quickly go aground in sometimes 1' or 2' places.
 We should be enjoying the ospreys in nests on top of every channel marker with little baby bird heads peeking up.  We should have looked for nature going through the Alligator River Reserve.
  We did sail in the areas we could North River, Albmarle Sound.  We tried to anchor at the side of the channel, but nothing was deep enough.  After the 12 hour day we motored dockside into Atlantic Yacht Basin, the place we stayed on the way down south after winning a free night here.  We arrived at 7:50 pm.  Late dinner of sausage, beans and rice. $1 a foot, frugal place to stay.  We are considering leaving our boat here to do the gargantuan job of the bright work (revarnish all the teak on the outside of the boat) a hefty sum and job.
  Colorful boat single handing by Mark from Amsterdam in Oriental Harbor at town dock.

The weather has been spectacular.   Temp 80 during the day 56 at night.  No rain during the days.

Monday, May 19, 2014

May 11 Going Outside at record speed


Over the River and through the Sea

May 11, Monday, we crashed around getting to the fuel dock at Palm Harbor Marina to prepare ourselves for the long haul “outside” (into the Atlantic) for a straight shot from West Palm Beach to Beaufort, NC, 530 miles.  No damage, but it was a pretty messy with dockhands using the dock lines to actually pull us to the dock against roaring currents.  There was a huge mega yacht taking the afternoon to fill their tanks with thousands of gallons of gas, like 10,000 gallons ($$$$$).  Maybe we should just ban those gas/diesel hogs or ration them.  The amount of wealth in this area was staggering.
 It was a rough start out of the channel about 1:15 PM with east winds causing a chop, but a few miles out the wonderful Gulf Stream gave us a huge lift.  Still there were choppy seas 3’ to 4’ to 5’.  Our speed went up to10 k; the fastest we’ve ever gone.  I tried to fish and lost 2 big lures after 2 big tugs on the line. I guess I didn’t set the hook in when it bit. 
We went at record speed.
 
     Both Drew and Mazu got sick once and I, ta da, with my trusty transderm patch, did not. 

 The sunrises and sunsets were the entertainment once again, 

some good ipod music, and an audio book.  We took our watches, and we were able to sleep.  Mazu, however, hates it all, especially the loud winch and sail flapping sounds each time we set sail or bring them in.  She buries her head in my arm and sometimes shakes. She was able to pee on deck twice this trip.  Live and learn.
  The total outside passage took about 68 hours.  The trip wasn’t as rough as the one from Cape Cod to Norfolk, VA.  We arrived at 7:30 AM and went directly to a marina in Morehead City, NC. We topped off the fuel tank, and Mazu tore off the boat to do her job. 
  We had a short discussion about continuing outside from here and waiting for the wind to turn in the right direction, southwest, to go around Hatteras up to Cape Cod.  It would be great to be able to sail.  Drew said no way with the 40k winds that were there now.  It would only be a 3 and a half day sail, and we’d be there.  I was willing to wait for the wind.  We could skip the ICW that I really don’t like.
  Rather than wait we kept going up to Oriental, NC, another 20 miles, to Oriental Harbor Marina that has a pool, tiki bar, and protected slips. After a pretty good docking using 5 dock lines and fenders on all sides to secure the boat in the narrow slip we had a good late lunch at their restaurant. The tiny town is fun with a farmers market Saturday morning and complimentary bikes for shopping. We tried a tandem bike for the first time.  It’s a pretty southern town, broad porches on houses with a few shops and boatyards. Drew thought we might consider leaving Shawnee here and have them do some boat work.  We motored on.


The ICW from Oriental, NC to Bel Haven, NC

Saturday May 17
  Next leg we left at 10:30 AM and sailed a little through Pamlico Sound.  Each day we go about 50 miles when on the ICW, Intracoastal Waterway. We can travel about 9 hours at about 5.6 k per hour.   It seems to me we could go at night too, but we haven’t tried that, a little too risky. Today, when we arrived at Bel Haven we decided to try our first anchoring (free).  Bel Haven has a patchwork of 3’ and 4’ shallow shoals throughout the harbor and anchoring places in between.  The Navionics app is the only way we can really do this.  We can see exactly where we are in the water with the depths shown on the ipad chart.  We succeeded in the 25 k wind that decided to pick up just as we put down the anchor around 5:30 pm.  The strong wind helped set the anchor.  We released the dinghy down off the davits, hoisted the motor with pulleys and ropes onto the dinghy, screwed it down, and it started right up : ).
  We found out online that the small town was having Pirate Days with a pirate ship, sailboat races, a benefit dance and other celebrations, all of which we missed by coming in late.   We still went into town to walk/run Mazu and had a southern fried meal at “Farm Boys” and an ice cream cone.
  Under a star studded sky we dinghied back to Shawnee to find her totally covered in mayflies!  It was like a horror show.  The only good thing I can say is that they don’t bite and they cannot get through our screens.  We kept our mouths closed and swam through the swarm down into the cabin quickly closing the hatch and screens.  We kept all the windows closed all night and looked out as they massed, covering everything.  We have dorret vents that allow air below at all times.  It was 50 degrees out so we stayed warm and bug free. 
 

Sunday May 18  Bel Haven to Alligator River Marina

  The next morning it was disgusting to look out at the cockpit and see what we had to go through.  Life is an adventure and sometimes not so much fun.  I put on a head net. Drew had a bug bandanna over his mouth.  We swatted our way to the dinghy, motored in, and walked Mazu.  Drew talked with a Sea Tow Captain who was at the dock.  He explained that this is the spring cycle of Mayflies.  They eventually go away when it gets to be 80 degrees, and they die from the heat.  Then there is a bloom of spiders here that live on the mayflies.  To get inside their homes local families stand together, wipe each other off and rush through their door quickly at night.  They are only around in the evening, thank God.  They each leave a little black dot that washes away, but Shawnee now has to be totally washed down after we get out of this.  There are speckles all over on every item bow to stern.  

  The anchor came up about 8:45 am.  I washed down the muddy anchor as it came up and the bow and now we have puddles of floating dead mayflies covering the side of the deck.  It can’t rain soon enough.
   Today is the day we go through the Alligator River Wildlife Reserve.  There are no marinas, anchorages, communication, or fuel for 21 miles in the canal we motor through.  One boater said on the radio that he’d seen a bear at the water’s edge.  We passed a huge barge shoved by a tug named “Anger Management.”  The canal is about 60 feet wide with a line down the middle (the ICW) where it is 13’ deep  and 2’ deep on either side.  Staying in the channel is of utmost importance.  We can’t set a track and hit autopilot here.  We have to keep watching the depth sounder.  Now the flies are starting.  We understand why Coinjock, a marina on the ICW, gives away flyswatters.  Ours breaks on the third hit.  We are also using the handy electric zapper tennis racket my sister, Chris, gave us to try and reduce the population.
  It’s a beautiful warm sunny day on the water.


Saturday, May 10, 2014

5 days in West Palm Beach - Drew in NH

We did so much: biked, kayaked, got the grand tour of all the mansions and areas like Hobe Sound to Jupiter to Palm Beach, movies, shopping, The Mount garden tour, swimming and body surfing, music festival downtown West Palm Beach, and went to yoga, tai chi, and pilates at the library -- all around fun time.
 My friend Michelle next to a giant banyan tree.  When we biked around her area of Palm Beach we saw a place where Winston Churchill spent 7 vacations after WWII.
 The area we biked through had mansion after mansion.  One side is on the ocean the other side of the road is the Intercoastal Waterway.  Warm, beautiful and fun.  Michelle was a great hostess.  Thank you Michelle.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

West Palm Beach Marina after passage and squall

There was a south wind so we were lucky and it was strong enough to get us sailing for a while north from Marathon as far as we could go to a place with a good airport.  The wind dropped, the wind picked up the wind went to 42 k just before we entered the inlet at West Palm Beach.  We motored in with 10 other boats.  That was exciting, pumped up the adrenalin.   Drew had to fly to an event May 5th so it's stopped us for now.  I am in West Palm Beach with Mazu awaiting his return on Sunday.
My friend, Michelle lives here so she is showing me a great time! 
Great skies as we sailed - mares tails and a forecast of bad weather.

Finally got a so-so video of Mazu climbing the ladder out of the dinghy.  She's working on it.  She sort of crash jumps into the dinghy.  She jumps off - sometimes I catch her and other times she has a crash landing.  Oops video is too big.  Next time.


In Palm Beach we went to the Sunfest, the biggest music event in Florida and saw a variety of bands including Rusted Root.  There is also a juried art show with many booths.  There are booths from Waste Management to Ford cars, to food to clothes - just about everything.  I suggested to Drew that Sunrise Labs have a booth next year. LOL
    Michelle has shown us all of Palm Beach, Jupiter Island, MacArthur nature Park, and Hobe Sound where her mom has a house. Pretty ritzy real estate to say the least not to mention the amazingly beautiful landscape and gardens.
   Last night after dropping Drew at the airport we went to the movies, "The Railway Man" based on a true story - the terror of war and torture, but a remarkable movie with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.  Back to the boat to walk Mazu and fall into bed. 
Check out the Marinas page to see where we've stayed along the way.

Mega Yachts at West Palm Beach Harbor Marina  about 15 sailboats here.





Friday, May 2, 2014

Days in Marathon ...

Kind of a long blog this time as I rarely get a block of time needed to download the pix and video and write too.  It's been an adventure.  More to come.

At the Marathon Turtle Hospital.  It takes a year of complete healing from losing an arm, to tumors, to eating garbage and getting sick.  Then they are returned to the ocean at the same place they are found.On our stern
Everglades National Park alligator
                                      
Dinner with Cathy and Mike Moorehead our first night in Marathon at Lazy Days.

These lizards are everywhere of varying size.
At the highway you all know.
The real beach is on the other side of the palms.  Mazu loved it here and should have gotten a video of her tearing around in and out of the water.


 Leaving Miami, Key Biscayne light. We anchored for the first time at No Name Harbor for $20 (honor system).
We visited Sherry and Dan in Key West where they stayed a week.  We took the $5 bus ride down and back for the day.  Dinner at Blue Heaven we highly recommend.



  He swaggers into the marina office and all-around gathering place while only the dust bunnies scattered to the corners over the concrete floor.  His hairy chest was poking out of his short sleeve, orange rumpled shirt, misbuttoned and the bottom of his shirt uneven, a pile of white curly hair on his head like Medusa’s snakes.  A smile covered his face as he looked around at anyone and everyone he knew to say, “Hey, how’s it going?”  He’s been living on his Lord Nelson 43’ sailboat since December in the Key’s steady warmth while New England suffered one of the longest and coldest winters on record.  Where was global warming?
   Steve is a regular in Marathon Boot Key Harbor Marina and has moored in the south for the last 7 winters.  He knew and liked all the sailors here, many of them year round living aboard.  Their lives were their own with no call to report to anyone and a place where the door was shut on time. He was the one who convinced us to come to Marathon for the winter.  We only made it for the month of April after mishaps all the way down: a new toilet and hoses and lifelines in Southport, NC, a new polypropylene holding tank and renovation of the floor that was removed to replace the tank in Coral Gables, FL.  We fixed the boat in exotic ports (what some say is the true definition of cruising), without the 80 degree weather we were promised. Here, what day or time makes no difference.  Each minute plods into the next with no concern or care. 
  The talk at the happy hour $5 meals and $2 drinks starts at noon at many of the restaurants and bars, Burdines, Sunset Harbor, Sparkey’s, Hurricane’s, The Brass Monkey, Lazy Days, the Fishery and Dockside.  It is noon to 4 or 2 to 6, doesn’t really matter.  Everyone came at one time or another to talk boats.  Mostly sailboats moored or anchored here and though Florida has a significant share of delinquent boats there don’t seem to be many in Marathon.  Everyone keeps up their boats cleaning the bottoms, fixing the frequent break downs of various systems and sharing every fix in detail describing every nut and bolt by brand and place purchased, every cleat and turnbuckle.  After a while I tuned out the engineering feats I couldn’t possibly comprehend or ever do for that matter.  Women just aren’t really strong enough to do all the maintenance.  I know only one woman who lives on her boat here alone.  I think she pays for a lot of help or trades for meals.
   The places sailors venture to are a big topic of talk.  Some are the Shark River (full of alligators roaming freely) locally near the Everglades (Gulf side) to the Azores or many Bahamian or Caribbean islands.  This always includes how and when the sailor crosses the fast Gulf Stream to get to the Bahamas and then further exploration down into other islands.
  The days start at 9 am with the Cruisers’ Net on VHF radio channel 68 welcoming new boats, fair winds to those that are leaving, activities announcements, questions and help, fair trade/ sales/giveaways, then trivia questions to stump the harbor, final announcements and sign off.  There are some great deals like a $25 water maker or a $500 sailing dinghy and interesting activities like bocci ball in the neighboring town recreation park.  The harbor has a strong foundation of people living on their boats and everyone is generous and helpful with their time and truly help on another every day.  Saturday night brings pot luck meals at the marina’s Tiki hut with free local music.  I tried a women’s book discussion group a couple of times in April that went well.  One morning my announcement about the book group brought a couple of men complaining about the sexist nature of the book group – clearly they’ve never been in one.
  It wasn’t hard to get into the Keys life with Steve, our guide, concierge and good friend from Marblehead.  Up by 9 AM to listen to the Net, out on the dinghy by 11 to walk Mazu (she can now climb up and down the ladder – must get video), pretty laid back and easy on time.  We drink wonderful café Cubano ($.80) at the Chevron Station. No rush anywhere.  Clean up and projects during the day, a swim around the boat as well as keeping it clean from sea life growth at the water line.  Just one afternoon we sailed to the snorkeling reef, Sombrero Key that was off-the-charts beautiful. 
  Walking to the market (a mile each way), or boat suppliers for parts and cleaning materials also Internet ordering (wifi in the marina building) for extra parts to fix things takes up the day.  There is usually an evening drink with friends during early Happy Hour. I make dinner and Drew fixes.  He’s better at it.  I usually run the dinghy engine, navigating too, and he does the rope knots tying and untying at the dock when we come in.  When I tied up the dinghy I came back to the boat adrift in its spot luckily.
    We try to do what we’re best at rather than hear about how it wasn’t done right.  We’ve sort of come naturally into the areas that we’re good at by trial and error.  When items have gone overboard by mistake we have a child's bright pink net to capture the items.   
     Drew is an engineer so was his dad so fixing and designing is second nature.  He’s grown up with that vocabulary surrounding him since birth. I have a pretty good sense of direction and feel for the engines on the dinghy, Tweety (it’s yellow) and Shawnee, the SV Island Packet, but I fix very little.  I'm the go-for during his fixing, and we both clean up.
Maybe we'll head out today.  ; -)  I am missing everyone.  I've read a slew of books.