Diane here - Moving forward in this ongoing saga. We followed our plan - nice 4 day trip up the Western Florida coast arriving back to Burnt Store Marina February 23rd. My brother did join us at Marco Island and as Feb 23rd is Dave's birthday we had a wonderful night of good food and good music at the local restaurant near the marina. A good time was had by all.
Before we left from Marathon Florida, Dave had called a neurologist friend of his who had worked with him as an expert witness and I had an appointment for the following Thursday. We flew to Houston, anxious to get some answers. He listened to my story, spent plenty of time with me and basically put my fears of demetia to rest. He did however tell me that my symptoms suggested a mini-stroke in the front part of the brain ( the executive thinking part). I had a MRI that afternoon. We returned to Florida and I got my results last Thursday. I did indeed, have a mini-stroke in the front left part of my brain. As this probably occurred at the end of the year, and I don't have any lingering effects that I know of, he was very positive. Right now this is just a lot to take in. . . .and I would be remiss not to mention how patient and supportive Dave has been. We want another 20++ years like the last 44 years!
We are currently enjoying our stay on the boat. We plan to see the grand-children the first week of April and while we were in Houston we looked at houses in Kingwood. Not making any major decisions just yet.
I have heard from many of you, and I can't thank you enough for the concern, prayers and love that you have shown.
Dave here---The "ol' girl" is doing just fine----her usually ebullient self--enthusiastic and happy and enjoying life. Very glad to have answers, and especially, an explanation.
We've been on the hook at Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa Island (just north of Captiva) for the last 2 nights--plan to dinghy over to Cabbage Key in a little while for a"cheeseburger in paradise" (They say this is the original burger of song). Got Jimmy Buffet on the radio as we write. This is a favorite place for us--a short dinghy ride to the park HQ and then a jitney ride across the island, one mile, to the Gulf side to a beautiful beach (sat there on our beach chairs for a couple hours yesterday) . This side of the Gulf is beautiful--blue water, white sand beaches. They don't have the run-off from all of the major rivers that we have on the Texas side so the water is always a nice blue to blue-green. Came upon a dead sea turtle on the beach during our beach stroll yesterday--sad--reported it to the park rangers and they'll have someone check it out, determine cause etc. It's a pretty good size--probably 3 feet wide and 4 feet long--Intersting to see it up close and personal. I'm posting my first video below--Not sure if I know how, so if it doesn't appear you'll know I've failed. As I'm sure you know, I'm not real tech savvy---but I try...........
Didn't work---maybe too long??
I'll try again soon.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Home again!
Diane here . . . . well, I am sure that you have noticed a lack of postings and those of you who are following us on Spot may have noticed we are going the wrong way. There's a reason-- but first the good news. Right now we are in Marathon Florida, in the Florida Keys. We have been here since Wednesday - the 13th- as a huge cold front has the State pretty much in a deep freeze with some serious North winds. Plan to leave tomorrow but more on that later.
We had a wonderful week in Miami. (Feb 6th-11th) Lunch with good friends Anne Sheldon and Randy and Judi McKean was delightful. Then on Saturday, good friends, Teresa and Ed Dormer from Kingwood, (vacationing up in Del Ray Beach) spent the day with us exploring Coconut Grove. Good times!! Scott and Adam's flight was indeed cancelled on Friday but they made it in Saturday night. So, we spent 4 nights at the marina then took off to Key Biscayne. A very short sail (we motored) across the bay. The wonderful little harbor-called No Name Harbor- that we wanted to anchor in was packed - I mean really packed with powerboats, sailboats, kayaks, and all manner of water toys. (Scenes from Caddyshack). We dropped anchor only to have it drag and come seriously close to some pretty big yachts. Up went the anchor and we got out of there! Anchored in the bay that night (Sunday) and spent most of the night up as we rocked and rolled in the current. Monday morning we moved into No Name - note: stay away during the week-ends but during the week it is great. The guys went to South Beach and we rested. Weather was blustery but we took off Tuesday morning for Rodriquez Key. You may remember that the plan was to sail to Bimini with Scott and Adam. Even before our plans changed, this plan only works if the weather cooperates. This particular week - no one was going to Bimini. North winds prevailed and with the monster storm that hit NY moving out (Yes, I know that was a thousand miles away from Miami) our weather was also affected. As the weather person and navigator on board, I call this "looking over your shoulder". I can guarantee you that when a huge storm (and February has had its share this year!) is threating the Southern states and moving up the East Coast, it affects us here in Florida. Back to our trip, from Rodgriquez Key, we sailed back to Marathon. Adam had to leave to fly back to NY on Wednesday, so we had to get him to terra firma to get to the Miami airport. This is always hard for a sailor - you hate to be on a schedule and you feel very responsible for delivering your guest. We made it, but there were some anxious moments. Scott did not leave until Friday so we rented a car and drove to Key West and took in some of the sights. A cruise ship was in port and the place was packed - I really missed the quiet place we had visited before. We loved having the guys on board and were thankful they could spend as much time as they did. We spent this last week-end re-provisioning, doing laundry and basically getting ready for a 4 day trip up the Western coast of Florida.
US IN COCONUT GROVE
(Overlooking the Dinner Key Marina and Mooring Field)
ED AND TERESA
ADAM AND SCOTT (at the wheel)
A L AT HER BERTH IN MARATHON
Sometimes a number of things happen and you know it is time to re-evaluate your plans. That is what happened and it happened even before we left Punta Gorda.
Without going into too much detail we had a very hectic December and January-Colorado for Christmas, a major move from our condo with all of our furniture going into storage, trip to Florida, move onto the boat and a cruise. Now I know most of this sounds absolutely delightful but it was a logistical and organizational nightmare for me. I started having some serious memory problems, compounded by the fact that we found that I had missed checks, both paying and receiving, for November and December. I knew by the time we left Houston for the boat that something was wrong. We discussed it and assumed that with our cruise (mindless) that we would have a chance to settle down and focus. To some extent that happened and by the time we returned from the cruise we were ready to go. Two days, however, before we left Dave had a conference call from his insurance clients. The docket that we call our "pension plan" was being pulled and sent to an Austin law firm. Not good. We had to make some major decisions and basically we were all over the map. Each day we had a different plan - the plan du jour - as we called it. Since our son was coming half way around the world to sail out of Miami that was an easy decision. Our next goal is to get this boat back to Punta Gorda and for both of us to go to Houston for me to seek some medical attention. (A side note on this - my sister, she's pretty well versed on this, has pointed me in the direction of stress and memory loss. I have finally looked this up and there is tons of literature on this. I choose to hold onto this but do want some definitive answers). So, the next 4 days will be spent going up the western coast of Florida with hopefully, medical visits the week of the 25th or the first week of March. We will be joined in Marco Island by my brother, John, for the trip back to Punta Gorda We will keep you posted.
THE DINGHY DOCK AT MARATHON CITY MARINA
Dave here---Yes--another "Perfect Storm". The insurance client decided to consolidate the cases with a firm that already represents a number of their insureds in this litigation--a good business decision---but a bummer for me. Oh well, maybe I'll fully retire from the practice of law this time--eh-----probably not. But our first concern is to get Diane's head "right". I truly believe that the problem is a general sense of unsettledness (which I, too, share), along with the added stress of everything that we've had to do over the last month or so. We feel currently (but things seem to change so fast) that we need to get back to Houston and get Diane checked out and also concentrate on finding a new "land based" home in the Houston area. Their's another factor as well---While we've had a marvelous trip so far--really good sailing and 95% great weather, the boat doing well (with minor issues) we miss our family and friends. There couldn't be two people more in love and compatible than us but we now know that we would realy like to do the rest of our cruising with some additional company--teaching the grandkids to snorkle, sharing the sunsets with good friends, etc--we just don't have the room to do it on this boat, so we're even thinking of selling her and concentrating on doing more frequent charters on bigger boats in all of the beautiful sailing areas we've visited over the years. Right now, though, we've got to get back to Houston and get settled and get the good diagnosis that I know we'll get once back.
Soooo---please wish us well with fair winds and we'll see you soon.
Life is still good----while it ain't perfect, we still feel so thankful for the opportunities that we've had and the promises of our future.
We had a wonderful week in Miami. (Feb 6th-11th) Lunch with good friends Anne Sheldon and Randy and Judi McKean was delightful. Then on Saturday, good friends, Teresa and Ed Dormer from Kingwood, (vacationing up in Del Ray Beach) spent the day with us exploring Coconut Grove. Good times!! Scott and Adam's flight was indeed cancelled on Friday but they made it in Saturday night. So, we spent 4 nights at the marina then took off to Key Biscayne. A very short sail (we motored) across the bay. The wonderful little harbor-called No Name Harbor- that we wanted to anchor in was packed - I mean really packed with powerboats, sailboats, kayaks, and all manner of water toys. (Scenes from Caddyshack). We dropped anchor only to have it drag and come seriously close to some pretty big yachts. Up went the anchor and we got out of there! Anchored in the bay that night (Sunday) and spent most of the night up as we rocked and rolled in the current. Monday morning we moved into No Name - note: stay away during the week-ends but during the week it is great. The guys went to South Beach and we rested. Weather was blustery but we took off Tuesday morning for Rodriquez Key. You may remember that the plan was to sail to Bimini with Scott and Adam. Even before our plans changed, this plan only works if the weather cooperates. This particular week - no one was going to Bimini. North winds prevailed and with the monster storm that hit NY moving out (Yes, I know that was a thousand miles away from Miami) our weather was also affected. As the weather person and navigator on board, I call this "looking over your shoulder". I can guarantee you that when a huge storm (and February has had its share this year!) is threating the Southern states and moving up the East Coast, it affects us here in Florida. Back to our trip, from Rodgriquez Key, we sailed back to Marathon. Adam had to leave to fly back to NY on Wednesday, so we had to get him to terra firma to get to the Miami airport. This is always hard for a sailor - you hate to be on a schedule and you feel very responsible for delivering your guest. We made it, but there were some anxious moments. Scott did not leave until Friday so we rented a car and drove to Key West and took in some of the sights. A cruise ship was in port and the place was packed - I really missed the quiet place we had visited before. We loved having the guys on board and were thankful they could spend as much time as they did. We spent this last week-end re-provisioning, doing laundry and basically getting ready for a 4 day trip up the Western coast of Florida.
(Overlooking the Dinner Key Marina and Mooring Field)
Sometimes a number of things happen and you know it is time to re-evaluate your plans. That is what happened and it happened even before we left Punta Gorda.
Without going into too much detail we had a very hectic December and January-Colorado for Christmas, a major move from our condo with all of our furniture going into storage, trip to Florida, move onto the boat and a cruise. Now I know most of this sounds absolutely delightful but it was a logistical and organizational nightmare for me. I started having some serious memory problems, compounded by the fact that we found that I had missed checks, both paying and receiving, for November and December. I knew by the time we left Houston for the boat that something was wrong. We discussed it and assumed that with our cruise (mindless) that we would have a chance to settle down and focus. To some extent that happened and by the time we returned from the cruise we were ready to go. Two days, however, before we left Dave had a conference call from his insurance clients. The docket that we call our "pension plan" was being pulled and sent to an Austin law firm. Not good. We had to make some major decisions and basically we were all over the map. Each day we had a different plan - the plan du jour - as we called it. Since our son was coming half way around the world to sail out of Miami that was an easy decision. Our next goal is to get this boat back to Punta Gorda and for both of us to go to Houston for me to seek some medical attention. (A side note on this - my sister, she's pretty well versed on this, has pointed me in the direction of stress and memory loss. I have finally looked this up and there is tons of literature on this. I choose to hold onto this but do want some definitive answers). So, the next 4 days will be spent going up the western coast of Florida with hopefully, medical visits the week of the 25th or the first week of March. We will be joined in Marco Island by my brother, John, for the trip back to Punta Gorda We will keep you posted.
Dave here---Yes--another "Perfect Storm". The insurance client decided to consolidate the cases with a firm that already represents a number of their insureds in this litigation--a good business decision---but a bummer for me. Oh well, maybe I'll fully retire from the practice of law this time--eh-----probably not. But our first concern is to get Diane's head "right". I truly believe that the problem is a general sense of unsettledness (which I, too, share), along with the added stress of everything that we've had to do over the last month or so. We feel currently (but things seem to change so fast) that we need to get back to Houston and get Diane checked out and also concentrate on finding a new "land based" home in the Houston area. Their's another factor as well---While we've had a marvelous trip so far--really good sailing and 95% great weather, the boat doing well (with minor issues) we miss our family and friends. There couldn't be two people more in love and compatible than us but we now know that we would realy like to do the rest of our cruising with some additional company--teaching the grandkids to snorkle, sharing the sunsets with good friends, etc--we just don't have the room to do it on this boat, so we're even thinking of selling her and concentrating on doing more frequent charters on bigger boats in all of the beautiful sailing areas we've visited over the years. Right now, though, we've got to get back to Houston and get settled and get the good diagnosis that I know we'll get once back.
Soooo---please wish us well with fair winds and we'll see you soon.
Life is still good----while it ain't perfect, we still feel so thankful for the opportunities that we've had and the promises of our future.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
UP THE FLORIDA COAST TO MIAMI
We left Marathon after topping off the fuel on Tues., Feb. 5 and motor sailed most of the way east to Rodriguez Key. The wind was just off our nose to starboard and the seas were a bit rolly from the starboard beam. We raised the main to help with the rolling from side to side as the waves hit us on the beam (raising the main sail has the effect of damping the roll. Because it provides resistance against the air as the boat rocks back and forth it lessens the amount of roll and makes for a much more comfortable sail). Shortly later the wind began to clock just enough around to the south that we actually got a little bit of lift from the main sail and increased our speed by a fair amount. Nonetheless, we just made Rodriguez key about a half hour before sunset and dropped the hook in 10 feet of water on the north side, protected from the southerly wind and rolling seas. We had a beautiful sunset and a wonderful and comfortable night on the hook.
Wed. morning--up and at it again. This time we were able to sail without engine assist most of the way to Biscayne bay and the Dinner Key Marina, ariving at around 3 in the afternoon. After securing the boat and hooking up the power at the marina we took a walk into Coconut Grove. (The main reason we like this marina is that it is contiguous to the Coconut Grove area--a very quaint, neat part of Miami with lots of sidewalk cafe's, bars and restaurants--shopping for those who are into that--and fairly close to the Publix where we plan to provision before being joined by our son and his friend on Friday. So, we walked around C.Grove awhile--good to be able to stretch our legs a bit--stopped at Johhny Rockets for a sidewalk rootbeer float and fudge sundae, a stop at the CVS and spotted a nearby nail bar where Diane can get her much needed pedicure---honestly--those nails were 3 inches long and sharp as a knife. She really needed a pedicure after having one in Ft Myers before we left (Sarcasm added)
Today, (after the pedicure) we'll walk to the Publix and carry back some groceries for the next several days--enough to feed us and Scott and friend.
Speaking of Scott and friend--they're supposed to fly out of NYC on Fri night--just as that huge storm is scheduled to strike. So we're concerned they may be delayed a day or two. In the meantime we are to meet our Kingwood friends, Ed and Teresa Dormer here either Friday or Saturday and are having lunch with some local friends Ann Sheldon, Randy and Judy McKean (friends from Vail who live here). But mostly, today, we're just hanging out and relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. Well, the toe girl just got back and we're heading off for a walk and our provisioning run.
See ya later...
Moving on Down the Coast
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Sunrise on the Little Shark riverWell, guess what-----There is less than 23 feet of water in the Marco Island channel area---and guess what-----I found it. "Red Right Returning" ? I wish someone had told me!!
When you get distracted in a narrow channel early in the morning you run aground. At least that's what happened to me----Yep----was right of the "green" and found 4 feet of water---had to call Tow Boat US (a division of Boat US--for about $120/ year they'll come get you anywhere free of charge) He arrived within 20 minutes of my call and we were off and in deep water within 5 minutes of his arrival---Whew.
Now we had to worry about making the 60 mile run down to the Little Shark River anchorage and getting in in daylight. WE did and we did. Going out of Marco was a bit rough as the wind and 5 to 6 foot waves were on our nose just a bit to starboard and we were rolling all over the place until we could turn to port and put the waves and wind (18 knots) on our stern. From there we had a very pleasant sail down the coast, arriving at our destination at the mouth of the Little Shark just before sunset. We had just enough time to scout the area and find a good spot to drop the hook before settling in for the night. (Side-note---Despite the remoteness of the location I was able tp get the Super Bowl--what a yawner--on the TV with our on mast digital TV antenna--whodathunk?)
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Monday we rose early and had a very pleasant sail south toward the Keys, 7 Mile Bridge and Marathon. We needed to run the engine to boost our speed up to an average 6 1/2 knots but it runs quietly at low RPM's and it really was enjoyable (Chuck--not as nice as two years ago when we didn't need the engine on this part of the sail)
The farther south we got the bluer the water--gorgeous.
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They're everywhere--thousands of them---strung together in lines/groups of 8 or 10 or so. They are a real nuisance (but since I love crab I guess we have to put up with it). The only thing marring a lot of our sailing down and then back up the coast of Fla. are these darn things. Whereas we would like to just set the sails and put the boat on auto-pilot, just checking ahead occasionally, we can't--we have to keep a constant vigil lest our ruder, or worse, opur prop gets hung up in the attached llines. From time to time you get a respite and find yourself in a stretch of water where, for some reason, there are no pots. This is true of the areas of Marine Sanctuaries that appear occasionally along the coast.
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Dolphins are better. They have a knack of avoiding your boat and are always welcome company when under sail
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WE arrived at Marathon early Monday afternoon and had enough time to meet some fellow cruisers, share a coldy, take a shower and have an absolutely fabulous dinner, watching the sunset at "Lazy Days" just a 3 minute walk from our slip at the Marathon Marina ( We chose to go to a marina rather than the mooring field this time as we were only staying one night and felt like enjoying the convenience of being tied up where we could step off the boat rather than have to put the dinghy in the water and then replace it on deck). We highly recommend Lazy Days. The sunset view was magnificent and the only thing better than our dinner was our lunch of fish tacos the next day from our leftovers from the night before.
It's been a truly easy and uneventful sail so far and the forecast is for more of the same. Life is good!!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
FINALLY !!!!!!
This time it's for real (or as our daughter used to say, "for really". We departed on schedule on time. After a few last minute preps, like putting our car in storage and filling water tanks, and beer cooler with ice (forgot the beer!) we departed Burnt Store marina at 7:30 AM on Friday, Feb 1. We knew we would have some fairly strong winds heading out Charlotte Harbor as we were on the tail end of a pretty strong cold front that made it through here the day before (This was the one that froze the mid-west last week). We got a bit more than we expected----winds out of the north at between 16 and 20 knots with gusts up to 26. Seas were in the 3 to 5 foot range with an occasional 6 footer. Fortunately they were on our starboard beam aft of center, so while it was a rolly ride it was reasonably comfortable even while surfing down one of the big ones at over 8 knots (hull speed on our boat is just 71/2). The bigger issue was---It was COLD---AGAIN---If you followed our blog of our trip over here in 2010-11 you'll remember us describing the coldest winter known to man---well, here we go again. The non-wind chill was in the low forties as we left Burnt Store. But we knew it would warm up during the day--and it did.
At the speed we were sailing (under jib sail only) we made Cayo Costa island in record time, turned south into the ICW (putting the wind directly on our tail for a smoother ride) and continued on down the ICW to FT Myers beach under just 1/3 of our jib (the jib is the head sail--it's on a furling system that allows you to wrap it up around itself. This system also permits you to wrap it up partially, as small as you want). Even with such a small sail and the wind on our stern we still moved along at a brisk 6.5 knots.
The wind began to subside around lunch time and the temp finally rose into the low 70's, but we never got out of our layered garb until arriving at the marina.
WE arrived at the marina (Moss Marine) at around 3 in the afternoon and tucked in for the night--met some nice people--Don and Cindi Petersen, from Lost Wages, Nevada. doing the same thing we are doing except they're headed the other way. They've already been out for several months.
Saturday, we rose a little later than usual to softer weather conditions and a short trip off shore down to Marco Island---It was fabulous---wind at around 13 to 15 off our port beam and sea conditions that would simply rock you to sleep---blue sky and warm enough to take off the wind-breakers. We departed Ft Myers Beach at 8:30, headed off-shore , sailed on down past Estero Beach, Naples, etc. and eventually into Marco Island to a very nice Marina at Factory Bay.
WE had been told by several people that the entrance into Marco Island could be pretty tricky so, as we were headed in the channel we turned back out to sea to wait for another sail boat headed in, hailed him on the radio and determined he was a local and followed him through the unusual twists and turns at the entrance. We never saw less than 23 feet of water but at one spot the GPS shows you actually going over land--an island that was "moved" during the last big storm. (That's what happens down here--the geography changes constantly with tides, currents and storms so it's always a good idea when in a new area to ask for a little local knowledge and not rely completely on GPS charts (maps) that may have been created 5 or more years ago.)
We've both been a bit rusty with our sail handling and other chores on the boat but it's coming back quickly. It's great to be back on the water in this beautiful place. Just checked in with Scott and he has landed safely after his flight from Beijing and we can't wait to see him in Miami on Friday. The weather looks great for a fun week on the East coast if not over to Bimini or beyond (again--depends on whether we get a good weather window to cross the Gulf stream).
Tomorrow we head for an overnight anchorage at the mouth of the Little Shark River, in the Everglades--check out SPOT-and then on to Marathon, in the Keys. I'm sure I won't have internet at Little Shark so it will be a couple of days before the next post
I know--I know--I promised photos and videos. Hey, it's enough that we've accomplished as much as we have--get off my back!!! We'll start posting some photos in our next post. Till then----Keep living and loving.
At the speed we were sailing (under jib sail only) we made Cayo Costa island in record time, turned south into the ICW (putting the wind directly on our tail for a smoother ride) and continued on down the ICW to FT Myers beach under just 1/3 of our jib (the jib is the head sail--it's on a furling system that allows you to wrap it up around itself. This system also permits you to wrap it up partially, as small as you want). Even with such a small sail and the wind on our stern we still moved along at a brisk 6.5 knots.
The wind began to subside around lunch time and the temp finally rose into the low 70's, but we never got out of our layered garb until arriving at the marina.
WE arrived at the marina (Moss Marine) at around 3 in the afternoon and tucked in for the night--met some nice people--Don and Cindi Petersen, from Lost Wages, Nevada. doing the same thing we are doing except they're headed the other way. They've already been out for several months.
Saturday, we rose a little later than usual to softer weather conditions and a short trip off shore down to Marco Island---It was fabulous---wind at around 13 to 15 off our port beam and sea conditions that would simply rock you to sleep---blue sky and warm enough to take off the wind-breakers. We departed Ft Myers Beach at 8:30, headed off-shore , sailed on down past Estero Beach, Naples, etc. and eventually into Marco Island to a very nice Marina at Factory Bay.
WE had been told by several people that the entrance into Marco Island could be pretty tricky so, as we were headed in the channel we turned back out to sea to wait for another sail boat headed in, hailed him on the radio and determined he was a local and followed him through the unusual twists and turns at the entrance. We never saw less than 23 feet of water but at one spot the GPS shows you actually going over land--an island that was "moved" during the last big storm. (That's what happens down here--the geography changes constantly with tides, currents and storms so it's always a good idea when in a new area to ask for a little local knowledge and not rely completely on GPS charts (maps) that may have been created 5 or more years ago.)
We've both been a bit rusty with our sail handling and other chores on the boat but it's coming back quickly. It's great to be back on the water in this beautiful place. Just checked in with Scott and he has landed safely after his flight from Beijing and we can't wait to see him in Miami on Friday. The weather looks great for a fun week on the East coast if not over to Bimini or beyond (again--depends on whether we get a good weather window to cross the Gulf stream).
Tomorrow we head for an overnight anchorage at the mouth of the Little Shark River, in the Everglades--check out SPOT-and then on to Marathon, in the Keys. I'm sure I won't have internet at Little Shark so it will be a couple of days before the next post
I know--I know--I promised photos and videos. Hey, it's enough that we've accomplished as much as we have--get off my back!!! We'll start posting some photos in our next post. Till then----Keep living and loving.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
FINALLY------WE'RE OFF
Well----not quite, but we're close. It's been a long and hectic last couple of months as we've moved toward our departure. In addition to all the chart review and trips to Florida to do the work on the boat, we traveled to Colorado for Christmas with our daughter, Kristin, and her family (joined by son, Scott, in from China) and returned to Houston to make all the neccessary financial and mail and other personal and business arrangements, move out of our rented condo in downtown Houston. (The latter involving putting all our furniture back into storage and moving a bunch of stuff to our other storage area in Humble)--then on to Florida where we moved onto the boat for a few days and began preparations for our departure. On the 18th, though, we drove over to Ft Lauderdale to my cousin Jane's home for a brief visit. Jane then drove us to the port where we boarded a cruise ship for a much needed rest from all the commotion in our lives (our Christmas present to each other). We embarked on the 19th for an 8 day cruise of the eastern Carribean--St. Kitts, St Maarten, San Juan and Labadee, Haiti (Food, fun, food, rest, food, relaxation, food, king size bed, food, wine and pampering---Did I mention food?) It was great---great weather and a real good head start on our tans, Jane picked us up again when we returned and we enjoyed a truly wonderful evening back at her home with her daughter, Julie and son, Todd, his wife and new (7 month old) baby, Will. It was a very nice reunion as we haven't spent any time with Todd and Julie for quite a while and it was great to see them "all growed up".
Tomorrow we head back to Punta Gorda and the boat and a few days of final preparations--topping off water tanks and filling extra water cans that we carry on deck, filling extra fuel cans that we carry on deck, testing the dinghy engine, testing and stowing the generators, changing engine oil, checking and changing out all filters, provisioning and storage of all provisions including several cases of water and probably 4 or 5 cases of wine and assorted booze (can't sail without "boat drinks"). In addition I have a guy coming to replace the condensor unit of our refrigerator (freon leak) and an engine mechanic coming by to help me find and repair a very small fuel leak the site of which I have not been able to determine. Then we have to find somewhere to store our SUV which will be loaded with all the apparel we brought with us for our cruise ship cruise plus other stuff from the boat that we won't be taking with us. Then we settle into taking care of many of the business matters that need attending before we strike out into the world of limited and spotty e-mail and cell phone communication.
Right now the weather forecast is looking very good for our 3 day run down the west coast of Florida to Marathon in the Keys. The plan is to sail to either Ft Myers Beach or Naples the first day, spend the 2nd night at anchor in the Little Shark River in the Everglades and then on to Marathon. We hope to leave on Feb 1 or possibly the day before. We're on a bit of a schedule due to a very delightful change in the plans. Our son is flying in from China, via New York to meet us in Miami with a friend of his from New York. He is scheduled to arrive on the 8th, so we want to get to the Dinner Key Marina in Coral Gables before he gets there. The hope is that we'll get a weather window so that Scott and Adam can join us for the trip across the Gulf Stream to Bimini and, hopefully, on to Nassau before they have to leave us to fly home on the 15th. If the weather turns against us I'm sure we can find something to do in the Miami, Ft Lauderdale area, including attending the Miami Boat Show.
So----still much to do before departure --- but it's all fun.
On a more spiritual? note---We realize how truly blessed we have been--with good health, healthy kids and Grandkids and, overall, a truly loving family, and wonderful, supportive friends (You know who you are). WE also know that we have our own "weather window" to be aware of--we're not getting any younger and this is something we just have to do while we can. It's this loving family and these good friends for whom we write this blog and share the experience because we know they care for and worry about us. Those who may not know us quite as well may just like reading the blog because of a shared interest in what we're doing. When I write on this blog I always have this nagging feeling that what I'm writing is a form of bragging or that maybe I'm really writing it just for me. I don't do Facebook or any other social media stuff so I'm not really into telling the world what I'm doing on a regular basis so there is a bit of discomfort when I post our story---like, who cares?? But a number of people have told me that they enjoy it and don't view it in a negative light and I hope that you will feel the same way. I'll try to keep it more informational and hope that you'll enjoy our experience vicariously. We truly know that we are very fortunate to be able to do what we're doing. Every day is a blessing and we thank God for it.
Now that we're "into it" I'll try to post every couple or several days but there may be lapses because of internet access or the lack thereof. Please write back and let us know how you're doing or ask any questions you may have. Peace and Love to all!!
Oh Yeah---don't forget to follow us on the SPOT link at the top of the page.
Tomorrow we head back to Punta Gorda and the boat and a few days of final preparations--topping off water tanks and filling extra water cans that we carry on deck, filling extra fuel cans that we carry on deck, testing the dinghy engine, testing and stowing the generators, changing engine oil, checking and changing out all filters, provisioning and storage of all provisions including several cases of water and probably 4 or 5 cases of wine and assorted booze (can't sail without "boat drinks"). In addition I have a guy coming to replace the condensor unit of our refrigerator (freon leak) and an engine mechanic coming by to help me find and repair a very small fuel leak the site of which I have not been able to determine. Then we have to find somewhere to store our SUV which will be loaded with all the apparel we brought with us for our cruise ship cruise plus other stuff from the boat that we won't be taking with us. Then we settle into taking care of many of the business matters that need attending before we strike out into the world of limited and spotty e-mail and cell phone communication.
Right now the weather forecast is looking very good for our 3 day run down the west coast of Florida to Marathon in the Keys. The plan is to sail to either Ft Myers Beach or Naples the first day, spend the 2nd night at anchor in the Little Shark River in the Everglades and then on to Marathon. We hope to leave on Feb 1 or possibly the day before. We're on a bit of a schedule due to a very delightful change in the plans. Our son is flying in from China, via New York to meet us in Miami with a friend of his from New York. He is scheduled to arrive on the 8th, so we want to get to the Dinner Key Marina in Coral Gables before he gets there. The hope is that we'll get a weather window so that Scott and Adam can join us for the trip across the Gulf Stream to Bimini and, hopefully, on to Nassau before they have to leave us to fly home on the 15th. If the weather turns against us I'm sure we can find something to do in the Miami, Ft Lauderdale area, including attending the Miami Boat Show.
So----still much to do before departure --- but it's all fun.
On a more spiritual? note---We realize how truly blessed we have been--with good health, healthy kids and Grandkids and, overall, a truly loving family, and wonderful, supportive friends (You know who you are). WE also know that we have our own "weather window" to be aware of--we're not getting any younger and this is something we just have to do while we can. It's this loving family and these good friends for whom we write this blog and share the experience because we know they care for and worry about us. Those who may not know us quite as well may just like reading the blog because of a shared interest in what we're doing. When I write on this blog I always have this nagging feeling that what I'm writing is a form of bragging or that maybe I'm really writing it just for me. I don't do Facebook or any other social media stuff so I'm not really into telling the world what I'm doing on a regular basis so there is a bit of discomfort when I post our story---like, who cares?? But a number of people have told me that they enjoy it and don't view it in a negative light and I hope that you will feel the same way. I'll try to keep it more informational and hope that you'll enjoy our experience vicariously. We truly know that we are very fortunate to be able to do what we're doing. Every day is a blessing and we thank God for it.
Now that we're "into it" I'll try to post every couple or several days but there may be lapses because of internet access or the lack thereof. Please write back and let us know how you're doing or ask any questions you may have. Peace and Love to all!!
Oh Yeah---don't forget to follow us on the SPOT link at the top of the page.
Monday, October 8, 2012
PREPARATIONS--BAHAMAS 2013
Well, we've begun. Studying charts at home on the dining room table; called Rusty Sitton to try to get together to pick his and Linda's brains and learn from their several experiences in the Exumas; contacted all of the couples we met on our last trip to see what their plans are and see if we'll be able to link up with them somewhere along the way; making lists of the "stuff" we'll need and the "stuff" we can do without this time around and deciding what changes and additions we need to make to the boat. It's the latter that we're working on right now.
We left Houston for a couple of weeks on the boat in Punta Gorda. In the meantime, I had made arrangements with a local marine electrician to do a couple of changes to my electrical system: we added a dedicated engine start battery and changed out my old batteries for 4 new golf cart batteries as my "house bank". I had him install a heavy duty on/off switch between the inverter/charger and the batteries so I could turn off the amperage draw to the charger when operating the A/C off of my Honda 2000 Generator. I was having problems getting the A/C to run because the charging system was taking away too much of the power and depriving the Honda of the amperage it needs to start up the A/C compressor. It seems to be working now but an occasional problem when the A/C cycles on and off--Oh well--I guess we'll just set it down to 60 degrees so it won't cycle on and off.. (I'm also checking a possible wiring issue that may be preventing it getting all the amperage it should be getting)
After a few days of getting the boat back together, sails on, canvas up---we were off for a 4 day shake down cruise. We left Thurs AM (10/23) and had a very nice light wind sail down to our favorite anchorage-Pelican Bay- off of Cayo Costa Island at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor. We got in around 3:00 and dropped the hook with only 4 or 5 other boats (including a 36 foot catamaran out of Galveston). We relaxed the rest of that afternoon and evening. The next morning we dinghied over to the island (Cayo Costa is a state park) caught the shuttle over to the other side/beach side/Gulf side of the island for a day of walking the beach, shelling and falling asleep in our new umbrella chairs. After this strenuous exercise we took the shuttle back to park hq and had an Eskimo Pie and dinghied back to the boat for sundowners and a quick motor, about an hour, out of the bay and down the Intra-coastal Waterway to an anchorage just off the waterway between Useppa island and Cabbage Key ( Reputed Home of the Cheeseburger in Paradise). Here we cleaned off the beach sand and sweat, dressed in our fanciest boat clothes and dinghied over to Cabbage Key for a fabulous, but pricey dinner. WE were joined by a group of semi-roudy guys and gals participating in a week-end fishing tournament--The Redneck Anglers. Actually they were a fairly civil group and didn't disturb our evening in the slightest. REALLY---The food here is great and the friendly service even better (BEST PART?--I got to watch about an hour of the Ryder Cup at the bar nursing, was it tru or tee martinis?--can't remember. A short dinghy ride back to the boat and we settled in for another comfortable night on the hook.
The Redneck Anglers Fishing Tournament Shotgun Start Saturday Morning at 7 AM
Cabbage Key in the Background
We awoke the next morning at dawn to watch the fishing tourney begin and then headed down the ditch towards Ft. Myers for our next stop. After anchoring for lunch off of St. James City (on the south end of Pine Island) we continued on through the "Miserable Mile" a narrow cut along the ditch where you encounter all kinds of pleasure craft, mostly power, mostly in a big hurry, mostly kicking up big wakes and eventually arrived at the mooring field at Ft. Myers Beach (a small estuary in between the island of Ft Myers Beach and the mainland, where you can rent an overnight mooring ball for $18.35 a night) around 3 in the afternoon. After securing the boat we dinghied in to the Matanzas Inn to pay our mooring fee. While the attendant was processing our paper work I enquired re the cost of a room at the Inn --just out of curiosity--and learning that it was ridiculously cheap I surprised Diane with the offer to stay in some A/C and a big bed for one night. Although the weather had been fairly comfortable we were sorry we hadn't brought our generator on the trip so we could get a bit of respite from the humidity at night. Needless to say, Diane jumped at the offer and we dinghied back to the boat to get a change of clothes and overnight stuff and then headed for the pool and our air conditioned room. It truly was a relief--glad we did it. We had a very enjoyable dinner at the Inn that night and a good night's sleep in a king sized bed--nice!
At dawn on Sunday we dinghied back out to A/L detached from the mooring ball and headed out the channel for our off-shore return trip to Burnt Store. This was to be a long day as you have to head several miles south and west before you can turn north toward Gasparilla Pass in order to avoid the huge shallows that extend several miles out into the Gulf along most of Captiva and Sanibel Islands. Hoping for some good (finally) sailing winds we were only slightly disappointed. We had some good wind but not enough to get us home before dark, so we motor sailed most of the way. With the engine running quietly at low RPM's it was actually quite a pleasant sail bringing us to Gasparilla Pass at around 3PM. From there we had a beautiful (engineless) sail back up Charlotte Harbor to home, arriving at our slip around 5:30--Jimmy Buffet on the radio; an early "boat drink": 1/4 Myers Dark Rum, 1/4 Coconut Rum; 1/4 orange juice and 1/4 pineapple juice, the sound of the water rushing past our hull and a few dolphins surfacing to check us out.
We had hoped to be able to fit in another excursion later in our stay--possibly heading north up the waterway toward Sarasota and visiting some of the pretty anchorages along the way but the weather turned hot and unbearably humid. While Houston was enjoying weather in the 60's and 70's we had high 80's and low 90's with humidity at around 200%---heat index of over 100--with occasional thunderstorms. All of this brought out the N0-See-Ums in hordes. Linda Sitton of "See Yawl Later" writes at length about these devilish little bugs and her particularly uncomfortable reaction to their stings---Now we know of what she speaks. While I feel the sting, I don't react in any way. Diane gets small mosquito-like welts that itch horribly. By the time we decided to leave a couple days earlier than planned she was covered with hundreds of itchy welts--legs, arms, neck---there doesn't seem to be an effective preventive--we tried them all. The bigger problem is that they get into the cabin of the boat and hang around for days---so they're even active while we sleep. They also seem to get into the material on deck--cushions, sheet bags, bimini canvas---so they're alays with you, no matter the time of day. It just got terribly uncomfortable for Diane so we left. (But not before taking a one day car trip up to Sarasota visiting the the barrier islands along the way--Casey Key, Siesta Key, etc.--very nice--very prettty--big homes and mansions--a very interesting part of the west coast of Florida. This area doesn't get the publicity that Captiva and Sanibel get but it is every bit as nice and far less crowded with tourists. And--Siesta Key does have the most beautiful white sand beach I've ever seen.)
In summary---pick your weather very carefully if visiting this area in late summer or early Fall---best to wait until they get their first cold snap so you can avoid the humidity and the bugs (I had been down to do some work on the boat in August and it wasn't nearly as bad as what we encountered here in late Sept/early Oct.
We got a lot done on the boat--we're ready to take off in February. Assisted Living still pleases and surprises us no end and we are extremely excited about our upcoming adventure.
But for now---back to a couple of months of work at the law office--more chart study--making moving plans and all the necessary arrangements. I'll need to update my Coast Guard registration for the boat, renew our boat insurance, register our VHF radio MMIS number, renew SPOT and a bunch of other technical stuff--but stuff I love to do. But, most importantly, I must begin work on my golf game.
Early November I will travel to New Mexico for the annual "Dormer Cup". Diane and I have been close friends with Ed and Teresa Dormer for decades and have essentially adopted their two boys, Doug and Jonathon, as they have adopted our two kids--we travel together, and have been mostly inseparable for years. Several years ago Jon was married in Las Vegas and, naturally, a golf outing was part of the festivities. Doug and Jon decided to carry on the tradition on an annual basis, and so every fall we all get together (between 16 and 20 guys depending on who can fit it in) for a 3 day tournament. We've been going to an Indian Reservation in Miss. for the last several years but for various reasons we've switched it to a similar venue--golf course, hotel, casino-- in Santa Fe N.M. this year. These guys are good golfers----me -- not so much any more , so I've got some work to do on my game before I take these young "gentlemen" on. Anyway--It's a great, fun time with a truly great group of young (and a couple old) men, and we all look forward to it every year. FOUR !!!!!!
We left Houston for a couple of weeks on the boat in Punta Gorda. In the meantime, I had made arrangements with a local marine electrician to do a couple of changes to my electrical system: we added a dedicated engine start battery and changed out my old batteries for 4 new golf cart batteries as my "house bank". I had him install a heavy duty on/off switch between the inverter/charger and the batteries so I could turn off the amperage draw to the charger when operating the A/C off of my Honda 2000 Generator. I was having problems getting the A/C to run because the charging system was taking away too much of the power and depriving the Honda of the amperage it needs to start up the A/C compressor. It seems to be working now but an occasional problem when the A/C cycles on and off--Oh well--I guess we'll just set it down to 60 degrees so it won't cycle on and off.. (I'm also checking a possible wiring issue that may be preventing it getting all the amperage it should be getting)
Our resident Osprey Couple
The Redneck Anglers Fishing Tournament Shotgun Start Saturday Morning at 7 AM
Cabbage Key in the Background
We awoke the next morning at dawn to watch the fishing tourney begin and then headed down the ditch towards Ft. Myers for our next stop. After anchoring for lunch off of St. James City (on the south end of Pine Island) we continued on through the "Miserable Mile" a narrow cut along the ditch where you encounter all kinds of pleasure craft, mostly power, mostly in a big hurry, mostly kicking up big wakes and eventually arrived at the mooring field at Ft. Myers Beach (a small estuary in between the island of Ft Myers Beach and the mainland, where you can rent an overnight mooring ball for $18.35 a night) around 3 in the afternoon. After securing the boat we dinghied in to the Matanzas Inn to pay our mooring fee. While the attendant was processing our paper work I enquired re the cost of a room at the Inn --just out of curiosity--and learning that it was ridiculously cheap I surprised Diane with the offer to stay in some A/C and a big bed for one night. Although the weather had been fairly comfortable we were sorry we hadn't brought our generator on the trip so we could get a bit of respite from the humidity at night. Needless to say, Diane jumped at the offer and we dinghied back to the boat to get a change of clothes and overnight stuff and then headed for the pool and our air conditioned room. It truly was a relief--glad we did it. We had a very enjoyable dinner at the Inn that night and a good night's sleep in a king sized bed--nice!
At dawn on Sunday we dinghied back out to A/L detached from the mooring ball and headed out the channel for our off-shore return trip to Burnt Store. This was to be a long day as you have to head several miles south and west before you can turn north toward Gasparilla Pass in order to avoid the huge shallows that extend several miles out into the Gulf along most of Captiva and Sanibel Islands. Hoping for some good (finally) sailing winds we were only slightly disappointed. We had some good wind but not enough to get us home before dark, so we motor sailed most of the way. With the engine running quietly at low RPM's it was actually quite a pleasant sail bringing us to Gasparilla Pass at around 3PM. From there we had a beautiful (engineless) sail back up Charlotte Harbor to home, arriving at our slip around 5:30--Jimmy Buffet on the radio; an early "boat drink": 1/4 Myers Dark Rum, 1/4 Coconut Rum; 1/4 orange juice and 1/4 pineapple juice, the sound of the water rushing past our hull and a few dolphins surfacing to check us out.
We had hoped to be able to fit in another excursion later in our stay--possibly heading north up the waterway toward Sarasota and visiting some of the pretty anchorages along the way but the weather turned hot and unbearably humid. While Houston was enjoying weather in the 60's and 70's we had high 80's and low 90's with humidity at around 200%---heat index of over 100--with occasional thunderstorms. All of this brought out the N0-See-Ums in hordes. Linda Sitton of "See Yawl Later" writes at length about these devilish little bugs and her particularly uncomfortable reaction to their stings---Now we know of what she speaks. While I feel the sting, I don't react in any way. Diane gets small mosquito-like welts that itch horribly. By the time we decided to leave a couple days earlier than planned she was covered with hundreds of itchy welts--legs, arms, neck---there doesn't seem to be an effective preventive--we tried them all. The bigger problem is that they get into the cabin of the boat and hang around for days---so they're even active while we sleep. They also seem to get into the material on deck--cushions, sheet bags, bimini canvas---so they're alays with you, no matter the time of day. It just got terribly uncomfortable for Diane so we left. (But not before taking a one day car trip up to Sarasota visiting the the barrier islands along the way--Casey Key, Siesta Key, etc.--very nice--very prettty--big homes and mansions--a very interesting part of the west coast of Florida. This area doesn't get the publicity that Captiva and Sanibel get but it is every bit as nice and far less crowded with tourists. And--Siesta Key does have the most beautiful white sand beach I've ever seen.)
In summary---pick your weather very carefully if visiting this area in late summer or early Fall---best to wait until they get their first cold snap so you can avoid the humidity and the bugs (I had been down to do some work on the boat in August and it wasn't nearly as bad as what we encountered here in late Sept/early Oct.
We got a lot done on the boat--we're ready to take off in February. Assisted Living still pleases and surprises us no end and we are extremely excited about our upcoming adventure.
But for now---back to a couple of months of work at the law office--more chart study--making moving plans and all the necessary arrangements. I'll need to update my Coast Guard registration for the boat, renew our boat insurance, register our VHF radio MMIS number, renew SPOT and a bunch of other technical stuff--but stuff I love to do. But, most importantly, I must begin work on my golf game.
Early November I will travel to New Mexico for the annual "Dormer Cup". Diane and I have been close friends with Ed and Teresa Dormer for decades and have essentially adopted their two boys, Doug and Jonathon, as they have adopted our two kids--we travel together, and have been mostly inseparable for years. Several years ago Jon was married in Las Vegas and, naturally, a golf outing was part of the festivities. Doug and Jon decided to carry on the tradition on an annual basis, and so every fall we all get together (between 16 and 20 guys depending on who can fit it in) for a 3 day tournament. We've been going to an Indian Reservation in Miss. for the last several years but for various reasons we've switched it to a similar venue--golf course, hotel, casino-- in Santa Fe N.M. this year. These guys are good golfers----me -- not so much any more , so I've got some work to do on my game before I take these young "gentlemen" on. Anyway--It's a great, fun time with a truly great group of young (and a couple old) men, and we all look forward to it every year. FOUR !!!!!!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
The New Journey Begins
Here's where we've been living since January 2012. (Top-Entry) (Bottom-view of downtown Houston from our 16th floor deck)
When we returned to Houston in May of 2011 we had every intention of going back to the Bahamas that following winter. But, as so often happens, fate had a little different idea of what we were going to do for the next year and a half. After spending the summer living and working at our home in Colorado we returned to Kingwood toward the end of September and shortly after our arrival received a very serious offer to buy our Kingwood home of over 20 years. Having had the place on the market for over 5 years with never a valid offer, we were ecstatic. The buyers insisted that we close on or before November 15 even though that gave us less than 30 days after the final contract was signed. Despite our recognition of what a physical challenge this was going to be we kept "our eye on the prize". I won't detail the incredibly rough road we trod toward closing but we did it! After spending every waking hour packing, discarding, fixing up and moving "stuff" to our large storage room on the SECOND FLOOR of our office building in Humble ( I estimate around 400 trips up and down 18 steps ---I did lose about 20 pounds but injured my knee (now fully resolved) in the process) we did succeed to close--although the entire issue was in doubt up to the last day (NOT a pleasant experience)---on November 15th.
Oh yeah---I forgot to mention that we had no place to live, so part of our time was spent exploring possibilities. For some time we had toyed with the idea of moving "down town" and had even put a contract on a place near down town Houston several years earlier (when we thought we had a contract on the Kingwood home---turned out the "buyer" was a total nut case) Sooo--we headed for down town and started looking at homes for sale and rent.
We had easily decided that we wanted to do something different than remaining in Kingwood where we had lived for almost 40 years---we love the community, our friends, our church---but we knew we wanted to do something different. Soooo---Down town we went, in search of a new life. We decided to explore the down town scene--the theater, concerts, restaurants, parks, museums--for a year and then see where we were. One of the first places we stopped (we were just driving by and noticed an "Open House" sign in front) was The Royalton, high rise. We were mostly just curious but once inside we were sold. We had thought we would try to find one of the many 3 story town homes that have been built here over the last 10 years but once we saw the high rise way of life we quickly changed our minds. We did continue to investigate other possibilities but eventually decided to rent, for a year, a nice (small) 2 bedroom on the 16th floor. It's in the Northeast corner with a great view of the downtown skyline (or approximately the 1/2 that isn't blocked by the office building next door). It's right on Buffalo Bayou and the park area that surrounds it.
The building has all the amenities we could ever want or need and ---the best part---I don't have to maintain them! They even clean the 2 gas grills in our "back yard" that we use frequently--they're always spotless---huge gym, nice pool, party room and a couple of inexpensive but nice hotel rooms for guests. (As there is a coffee and soft drink bar on the 1st floor, we haven't made a pot of coffee since we moved in.)
We have enjoyed every minute of our downtown experience (is it down town or downtown???)and have taken full advantage of all the things we came for.
One of the first things I did once we knew where we were going to live was to call my old partners at Miller, Scamardi and Carrabba (office exactly 6 minutes away) to see if they had an extra office to rent ---I would need a place to escape to---Not only did they have an office for me but I ended up becoming "Of Counsel" to the firm and have been extremely busy helping them work up some of their cases. It just worked out perfectly and I couldn't be more pleased with the situation and especially the camaraderie that I had missed for the last 7 years officing out of my home and at our building in Humble. So, we have enjoyed this new experience beyond words (and have even been able to work on increasing the cruising kitty a bit)--BUT -- it's time to move on---and that takes me to the title of this post---The New Journey:
The new journey begins this coming February when we set sail for the Bahamas, and particularly, the Exumas, once again. Actually, I'll be leaving the law firm (again) just prior to Christmas, then on to Kris and Paul's in Colorado Springs for Christmas, then return and prepare to move (again) out of the condo--put all the furniture (again) in storage and head on over to Florida, to the boat, where we will prepare and provision for a Feb 1 departure for the Fla. Keys, and then over to the Bahamas. We plan to be gone for several months-after which we will move into our town home in Colorado for the summer. After that?? Who knows?! We'll know by the end of this next trip whether we'll keep the boat, in Fla? or bring it back to Houston? Hopefully we will have decided by then where we want to "settle down" and can make more definite plans. We've thought about selling Assisted Living and just chartering more frequently on a larger boat that can more readily accomodate friends and family guests/crew and that doesn't involve the maintenance/insurance/storm worries/berthing that is involved in boat ownership. It would be a tough decision and we've put it off to see how we feel after this next cruise. We have truly come to love our little sloop.
So---that's the plan. And hopefully our health, the weather and the uncertainties in this crazy world will allow us to continue to pursue our dream/s. We hope you'll follow along with us by visiting this site as we prepare and embark. Remember to visit the SPOT link at the top of the page so you can see exactly where we are at any given time, superimposed over a Google Earth map. (There's nothing there right now but it will become active again when we depart). You can also "Join" this site by clicking on the box up in the same area on the page.Life is Good!!
The building has all the amenities we could ever want or need and ---the best part---I don't have to maintain them! They even clean the 2 gas grills in our "back yard" that we use frequently--they're always spotless---huge gym, nice pool, party room and a couple of inexpensive but nice hotel rooms for guests. (As there is a coffee and soft drink bar on the 1st floor, we haven't made a pot of coffee since we moved in.)
We have enjoyed every minute of our downtown experience (is it down town or downtown???)and have taken full advantage of all the things we came for.
One of the first things I did once we knew where we were going to live was to call my old partners at Miller, Scamardi and Carrabba (office exactly 6 minutes away) to see if they had an extra office to rent ---I would need a place to escape to---Not only did they have an office for me but I ended up becoming "Of Counsel" to the firm and have been extremely busy helping them work up some of their cases. It just worked out perfectly and I couldn't be more pleased with the situation and especially the camaraderie that I had missed for the last 7 years officing out of my home and at our building in Humble. So, we have enjoyed this new experience beyond words (and have even been able to work on increasing the cruising kitty a bit)--BUT -- it's time to move on---and that takes me to the title of this post---The New Journey:
The new journey begins this coming February when we set sail for the Bahamas, and particularly, the Exumas, once again. Actually, I'll be leaving the law firm (again) just prior to Christmas, then on to Kris and Paul's in Colorado Springs for Christmas, then return and prepare to move (again) out of the condo--put all the furniture (again) in storage and head on over to Florida, to the boat, where we will prepare and provision for a Feb 1 departure for the Fla. Keys, and then over to the Bahamas. We plan to be gone for several months-after which we will move into our town home in Colorado for the summer. After that?? Who knows?! We'll know by the end of this next trip whether we'll keep the boat, in Fla? or bring it back to Houston? Hopefully we will have decided by then where we want to "settle down" and can make more definite plans. We've thought about selling Assisted Living and just chartering more frequently on a larger boat that can more readily accomodate friends and family guests/crew and that doesn't involve the maintenance/insurance/storm worries/berthing that is involved in boat ownership. It would be a tough decision and we've put it off to see how we feel after this next cruise. We have truly come to love our little sloop.
So---that's the plan. And hopefully our health, the weather and the uncertainties in this crazy world will allow us to continue to pursue our dream/s. We hope you'll follow along with us by visiting this site as we prepare and embark. Remember to visit the SPOT link at the top of the page so you can see exactly where we are at any given time, superimposed over a Google Earth map. (There's nothing there right now but it will become active again when we depart). You can also "Join" this site by clicking on the box up in the same area on the page.Life is Good!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Just Catching Up
Well folks, it's been about 1 year to the day since my last post and a lot has changed in our lives and in our plans for the future of "D & D's Sailing Adventures. But, first a little bit of catching up is warranted:
In my last post we left off at the Little Shark River on our trek back to Burnt Store Marina on Charlotte Harbor. We had planned to repeat in reverse, our trip down by stopping at the inlet to Everglades City for the night, then on to home with a brief stop-over in Naples. Our night on the hook in Little Shark was mostly uneventful. It was a beautiful evening with a gorgeous sunset, but we had our first serious encounter with the dreaded "no-see-ums". Actually, I saw them---they were everywhere. We retreated to the relative protection of our cabin with screens up (which seemed to do the trick, except that a number of the little buggers had already found the boat's interior and were awaiting our arrival.) The worst part, however, was the next morning. Those that had arrived, uninvited I must add, decided to hang around on the boat with us most of the next day--in the cockpit---How they managed to stay with us despite the breeze is unknown, but stay they did. They continued to fly into my eyes and bedevil us with their little pin-prick bites most of the day even while underway. As I said--this was truly our first encounter with these pests and we found all the stories about them to be quite true---they are ANNOYING!!!
We weighed anchor early AM and found that we made such good time motorsailing
in fairly benign conditions that we passed up on Everglades City and sailed straight to Naples, arriving about 2 hours before dark. Unfortunately we arrived at the mouth of Gordon Pass, the waterway into the Naples area, against a very strong out-going current that was seeking low tide. Being aware that the waters in this area are quite shallow, especially at low tide, we were very anxious as we wound our way through this very tricky, curvy channel. Fortunately we were able to follow a slightly larger boat in and took some comfort that he drew probably more water than we did. The current against us was unreal but we were able to power through it and made the first available left turn into a residential area around a dredged canal system into a fairly large lake- like body of water surrounded by multi- million dollar homes. We dropped anchor near another boat and settled in for the night--barbecued chicken in the cockpit--as we sipped our boat drinks, watched another beautiful sunset and relaxed after a very long day at sea. What a contrast--last night on the litle Shark with nothing but water, trees and stars (oh yeah--and no-see-ums). Tonight, surrounded by oppulance with a remarkable absence of bugs---of any kind. We concluded that the City of Naples has successfully figured out how to completely eliminate all flying insects---a tourist thing--We just wish that they'd share their secret with the rest of Florida (Who knows what kinds of toxic chemicals in the air we were breathing). It was a another magical evening. After boat drinks and a bottle of really good red wine even Diane gathered the nerve to shower on deck in full view of all the mansions around us (It was dark and we had determined that most of the homes were empty). We did feeel a bit conspicuous anchored in this location as we had heard many stories about inhospitable land owners claiming ownership of the navigable waters off their shores and shooing away boaters. But we had no problem and spent a cool comfortable, bug free evening on the hook.
The next day was completely unremarkable as, once again, we motorsailed (most of the way) back north in the direction of Carlotte Harbor. We had expected to only get as far as Ft Myers beach but, again, made such good time that we were able to make it all the way back to Burnt Store Marina, arriving around 6 PM to a welcome from our good friends, the Kiefers--Chuck and Nancy --and our next boat neighbor, Pete Kellum. We spent the next few days cleaning the boat, renting a car and getting things in order for our return to the hum drum life "on the hard".
We arrived back in Kingwood around the first of May and resumed normalcy (after repairing a cracked water main that our "professional" plumber forgot to drain when we winterized the house back in December, and cleaned the slimy, nasty, green algae from our neglected pool.) Fortunately, the house, overall was in great shape and we found our transition back to suburban life fairly smoothe.
So, here we are ---a year later and many, many changes have occurred in our lives, which, I'm sure, most of you know about but which will be addressed in my next posting.
I think Diane summed up our 5 month Odyssey fairly well in her last post. This trip was everything and more than I expected it to be---all in a very good and positive way. We had some fabulous sailing, met terrific people, learned a lot about our boat and, especially, ourselves, visited some incredibly beautiful places, thrived in the beauty and solitude and quiet of many anchorages--learned how to "conch", learned that one can successfully navigate unfamiliar waters even without a properly functioning chart plotter and auto-helm, and perhaps most importantly, we learned that the men, ages 45 to 65, of southeast Florida very generously and selflessly enjoy taking their darker skinned, incredibly beautiful, younger nieces out on their great big boats for a day's fun on the water--and that the nieces enjoy hanging off the bow like a figurehead so all the world can also, like their loving uncles, appreciate their qualities.
Seriously, I know when I'm sitting around the halls of the real "Assisted Living" Center many, I hope, years from now, I'll still be reminiscing about this incredible journey. It is quite easy to conclude that it, in every way, exceeded my wildest expectations and I can't wait to do it again!
In my last post we left off at the Little Shark River on our trek back to Burnt Store Marina on Charlotte Harbor. We had planned to repeat in reverse, our trip down by stopping at the inlet to Everglades City for the night, then on to home with a brief stop-over in Naples. Our night on the hook in Little Shark was mostly uneventful. It was a beautiful evening with a gorgeous sunset, but we had our first serious encounter with the dreaded "no-see-ums". Actually, I saw them---they were everywhere. We retreated to the relative protection of our cabin with screens up (which seemed to do the trick, except that a number of the little buggers had already found the boat's interior and were awaiting our arrival.) The worst part, however, was the next morning. Those that had arrived, uninvited I must add, decided to hang around on the boat with us most of the next day--in the cockpit---How they managed to stay with us despite the breeze is unknown, but stay they did. They continued to fly into my eyes and bedevil us with their little pin-prick bites most of the day even while underway. As I said--this was truly our first encounter with these pests and we found all the stories about them to be quite true---they are ANNOYING!!!
We weighed anchor early AM and found that we made such good time motorsailing
in fairly benign conditions that we passed up on Everglades City and sailed straight to Naples, arriving about 2 hours before dark. Unfortunately we arrived at the mouth of Gordon Pass, the waterway into the Naples area, against a very strong out-going current that was seeking low tide. Being aware that the waters in this area are quite shallow, especially at low tide, we were very anxious as we wound our way through this very tricky, curvy channel. Fortunately we were able to follow a slightly larger boat in and took some comfort that he drew probably more water than we did. The current against us was unreal but we were able to power through it and made the first available left turn into a residential area around a dredged canal system into a fairly large lake- like body of water surrounded by multi- million dollar homes. We dropped anchor near another boat and settled in for the night--barbecued chicken in the cockpit--as we sipped our boat drinks, watched another beautiful sunset and relaxed after a very long day at sea. What a contrast--last night on the litle Shark with nothing but water, trees and stars (oh yeah--and no-see-ums). Tonight, surrounded by oppulance with a remarkable absence of bugs---of any kind. We concluded that the City of Naples has successfully figured out how to completely eliminate all flying insects---a tourist thing--We just wish that they'd share their secret with the rest of Florida (Who knows what kinds of toxic chemicals in the air we were breathing). It was a another magical evening. After boat drinks and a bottle of really good red wine even Diane gathered the nerve to shower on deck in full view of all the mansions around us (It was dark and we had determined that most of the homes were empty). We did feeel a bit conspicuous anchored in this location as we had heard many stories about inhospitable land owners claiming ownership of the navigable waters off their shores and shooing away boaters. But we had no problem and spent a cool comfortable, bug free evening on the hook.
The next day was completely unremarkable as, once again, we motorsailed (most of the way) back north in the direction of Carlotte Harbor. We had expected to only get as far as Ft Myers beach but, again, made such good time that we were able to make it all the way back to Burnt Store Marina, arriving around 6 PM to a welcome from our good friends, the Kiefers--Chuck and Nancy --and our next boat neighbor, Pete Kellum. We spent the next few days cleaning the boat, renting a car and getting things in order for our return to the hum drum life "on the hard".
We arrived back in Kingwood around the first of May and resumed normalcy (after repairing a cracked water main that our "professional" plumber forgot to drain when we winterized the house back in December, and cleaned the slimy, nasty, green algae from our neglected pool.) Fortunately, the house, overall was in great shape and we found our transition back to suburban life fairly smoothe.
So, here we are ---a year later and many, many changes have occurred in our lives, which, I'm sure, most of you know about but which will be addressed in my next posting.
I think Diane summed up our 5 month Odyssey fairly well in her last post. This trip was everything and more than I expected it to be---all in a very good and positive way. We had some fabulous sailing, met terrific people, learned a lot about our boat and, especially, ourselves, visited some incredibly beautiful places, thrived in the beauty and solitude and quiet of many anchorages--learned how to "conch", learned that one can successfully navigate unfamiliar waters even without a properly functioning chart plotter and auto-helm, and perhaps most importantly, we learned that the men, ages 45 to 65, of southeast Florida very generously and selflessly enjoy taking their darker skinned, incredibly beautiful, younger nieces out on their great big boats for a day's fun on the water--and that the nieces enjoy hanging off the bow like a figurehead so all the world can also, like their loving uncles, appreciate their qualities.
Seriously, I know when I'm sitting around the halls of the real "Assisted Living" Center many, I hope, years from now, I'll still be reminiscing about this incredible journey. It is quite easy to conclude that it, in every way, exceeded my wildest expectations and I can't wait to do it again!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The Journey Ends
Diane here: I think we have left some of you hanging. Know that we are home, safe and sound. We left the boat at the Burnt Store Marina and rented a car for the return trip. On our return we visited many of the ports that we had stay at . . . amazing how close they are by land!! As I prefer e-mailing to blogging, I sent out an e-mail before we left and it has been suggested that I put it on the blog. (See below). I know Dave will also write again.
My e-mail:
How did this trip go so fast and at times seem so slow??? After 4 1/2 months, we have covered 1700 miles, crossed the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, continued on another 100 miles east of Bimini to the Berry Islands, crossed the Gulf Stream again returning to Miami. We then cruised the Keyes then back up the West coast of Florida. We stayed in 46 ports (marinas and anchorages), made numerous friends and learned more about ourselves than we ever imagined . . . . and those are just the statistics. I have conquered fears that were overwhelming to me - sailing out of sight of land, doing overnighters and crossing the Gulf Stream. I still don't think two 60 somethings should be doing all-nighters . . . .thanks Buffalo Joe and thanks Chuck for being with us on those adventures.
Dave and I have become experts on weather and tides and currents and moon phases . . . amazing what you learn when you live outside most of the time. I will say we only had two scary moments due to weather. Our sailing skills have improved immensely. We have learned patience (let's see how long that lasts??). This life is like camping, you have to be completely self sufficient; yet, there is a simplicity and beauty to it that is hard to describe. Don't get me wrong . . . I can't wait for a "real" refrigerator, a king size bed, unlimited water, my own shower and a washer and dryer that I don' have to drive or dingy to.
I know some of you have followed us on the blog. You know that there have been trials and tribulations. We thank all of you for your prayers, your encouragement and support. We feel very blessed and thankful for a safe trip and a fabulous experience.
That was basically the end of the e-mail. Know that our plans are to go back to Florida for the month of November, return to Kingwood for the holidays, then set off again in February for the Bahamas and the Exumas.
My e-mail:
How did this trip go so fast and at times seem so slow??? After 4 1/2 months, we have covered 1700 miles, crossed the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, continued on another 100 miles east of Bimini to the Berry Islands, crossed the Gulf Stream again returning to Miami. We then cruised the Keyes then back up the West coast of Florida. We stayed in 46 ports (marinas and anchorages), made numerous friends and learned more about ourselves than we ever imagined . . . . and those are just the statistics. I have conquered fears that were overwhelming to me - sailing out of sight of land, doing overnighters and crossing the Gulf Stream. I still don't think two 60 somethings should be doing all-nighters . . . .thanks Buffalo Joe and thanks Chuck for being with us on those adventures.
Dave and I have become experts on weather and tides and currents and moon phases . . . amazing what you learn when you live outside most of the time. I will say we only had two scary moments due to weather. Our sailing skills have improved immensely. We have learned patience (let's see how long that lasts??). This life is like camping, you have to be completely self sufficient; yet, there is a simplicity and beauty to it that is hard to describe. Don't get me wrong . . . I can't wait for a "real" refrigerator, a king size bed, unlimited water, my own shower and a washer and dryer that I don' have to drive or dingy to.
I know some of you have followed us on the blog. You know that there have been trials and tribulations. We thank all of you for your prayers, your encouragement and support. We feel very blessed and thankful for a safe trip and a fabulous experience.
That was basically the end of the e-mail. Know that our plans are to go back to Florida for the month of November, return to Kingwood for the holidays, then set off again in February for the Bahamas and the Exumas.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
On our way home
We left Miami a day late and many dollars short after it took an additional day to obtain, by overnight shipment, the parts needed for the engine repair. We thought we had it completed around noon on Tuesday but discovered that the entire water pump needed to be replaced after we had replaced the impeller and cleaned up all the fittings. It had to be ordered from somewhere in Florida (It's difficult to believe that it wasn't available at a Miami Westerbeke dealer, but such is the nature of marine engines). It did arrive on schedule, Wed. morning and Terry came right over and installed it. After some anxious moments when the thermostat stuck and the engine started to overheat, we figured out the problem, spit on it, kicked it and it finally opened up and the engine cooled perfectly. After letting the engine run for about an hour as we prepared to depart Dinner Key Marina, we finally left around 2ish and motored over to our earlier anchorage off of Key Biscayne, near No Name Harbor. After a beautiful evening and a great nights sleep we set out early Thursday for Rodriguez Key, about half of the way to Marathon---around 45 miles. Once again, the wind was on our nose (what there was of it) and we motored all the way to Rodriguez where we anchored just off the north end of the island in its lea. Another restful night until around 2 AM when the wind shifted and picked up to a steady 13 knots. We were no longer in the lea of the island and the boat commenced the rocking and swaying motion that makes staying below at anchor somewhat uncomfortable. Still, we got a fair nights sleep and the wind changes meant that we would probably be able to get some sailing in the next day. We were right. We had one of our best sails without the noise of the engine, all day, and 45 miles to Marathon. The wind was pretty much on our port beam, out of the south southeast all day, blowing between 13 and 17 knots-----Perfect!! We made excellent time, averaging around 6 knots, and arrived in Marathon at around 4PM. We proceeded to our mooring, put L'il Liv in the water, dinghied over to the office, checked in, paid "da money" and proceeded directly to a cold and super refreshing shower. Life is good!!!! We returned to the boat for a cocktail before setting out in the dinghy for the Dockside Restaurant on the east end of the mooring field. They had a 2 man band playing--pretty darn good---and real good food. I had the mahi mahi with habanera cream sauce and Diane had an excellent cheeseburger--and a couple of beers-----Life IS good!! Today, Saturday the 16th, we cleaned the boat up a bit and walked to the Publix for our last reprovisioning before the long trek back north to Charlotte Harbor. We leave tomorrow morning and will most likely retrace our track coming down--about 150 nautical miles---Little Shark River tomorrow night; Everglades City, Monday night: perhaps Naples Tuesday night and home on Wed. I heard from cousin Jane in Ft Lauderdale and she is going to come over again and join us for Easter weekend--hopefully with her son Todd and his new bride. I almost hate to spell out the planned schedule as it never goes according to plan, as you've seen from our experience recorded in this site--but that's the plan. We hope to pick up our rent car right after we get in and plan to drive back to Houston with the car loaded down with stuff we need to take off the boat. I've got to make a business stop in Destin and we're going to try to return through Apalachacola just so we can enjoy the oysters once more. We should be back in Kingwood, if all goes according to plan, around the week-end of the 1st of May. Wish us luck and fair wind--we soooo enjoy sailing over the sound of a diesel engine throbbing beneath us.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Miami
Or as Uncle Bob says it, " Miama".
WE've been here two days longer than we wanted. I obtained the name of a highly regarded diesel mechanic but he couldn't get here till Tuesday, so we've made the most of our time here in this very pretty place.
We have strolled through the Coconut Grove area---very nice--lots of bars, restauraants, shops, etc in a very picturesque setting. Walked the other way--toward Miama----and checked out the mansions and parks of this part of what I believe is referred to as northeast Boca Raton.
We had a wonderful time with Anne Sheldon and Randy and Judy McKeen. We had dinner together on Sunday evening. Anne seems to be doing quite well despite the circumstances and we had a great time catching up and reminiscing about Marvin. (I used to be a very good speller)
I'm sure Anne benefits from just getting out with people and trying to be " normal". We truly had a wonderful time with her and look fiorward to seeing her and the McKeens again this summer in Vail.
Last night we walked to the Grove and caught a taxi from there to a fabulous Cuban restaurant--Habana Vieja-- where Diane had the classic flank streak, I had a lamb shank osso buco type dish, with plenty of sangria , fried plantains and Cuban coffee. It was incredible --and cheap!!
The mechanic is working as I write and we're hopeful we'll be able to get underway this afternoon and get at least part way down the coast. (If it wasn't so expensive in this marina I could stay a few more days just to enjoy the area) We're thinking about just anchoring off of Key Biscayne tonight and then sailing down to Rodriguez Key tomorrow with arrival into Marathon on Thursday. That would put us underway up the west coast by Friday and into Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor by early next week.
WE have the usual mixed feelings right now. We're sad the trip is essentially over, or at least days away from being over, but we're anxious to get back to our home and friends in Kingwood and, hopefully, to our loved ones in Colorado soon. We have decided to leave the boat in Punta Gorda until we have time to come fetch her and take her home to Kemah. It may be that it will stay temporarily until we return to go exploring again next winter, but I can't see living in Houston without her on any permanent basis. Meantime--Charlotte Harbor is a pretty nice place to have her stuck.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Back in the US, Back in the US, Back in the US of A
We made the crossing from Bimini back to the USA at Biscayne Bay on Friday, the 8th after a very nice several days in Bimini. This time we crossed with a "buddy boat"--Jerel and Tammy Roe of Kokomo, Ind. aboard their center cockpit, Pearson 385, "Osprey". Again, we crossed on advice from the weather guru, Chris Parker, and encountered very benign conditions. Thanks Chris!!!
We had departed Chub Cay on Sat, April 2nd and motored, with a very light following wind, westward, across the Bahama Banks, toward Bimini, again, spending the night on the hook about 25 miles east of Bimini. This time we bounced and rolled all night long--very uncomfortable ---and couldn't wait to get back underway Sun. morning. We pulled up the anchor at 5 AM Sunday and continued on to Bimini, arriving at the Bimini Blue Water Marina at around 11 AM--tied up--turned on the A/C, took a nap and spent the afternoon watching Phil win the Houston Open (We could pick up the three networks out of Miami on our powered TV antenna at the top of our mast----And Diane calls this "roughing it"??) Once again we were waiting in port for a good crossing weather pattern so we ended up staying 5 nights in Bimini. This time we really enjoyed this quiet and quaint island. We met other cruising couples--Gerald and Tammy, from Indiana; Bob and Sally from St Augustine Florida and others including a young couple on a sail cat who have been out for the past 10 years. We enjoyed a $10 seafood platter dinner at a little local dive run by Aaron, a bimini native and enjoyed the company of other locals who kept us entertained with their descriptions of all the celebrities that frequent the island (including Tiger Woods, who the locals do not like at all because of his arrogance.) Of course, the $10 per person dinner turned into a $50 dinner for Diane and me after partaking of several ice cold Kalik's. We dined another night at the Bimini Big Game Club where the photo of the 6 of us was taken. After dinner, we walked over to the beach side to watch yet another sunset (and enjoy some more ice cold Kalik). I guess the difference this time is that we enjoyed what this island has to offer in the company of some very nice and fun people. We're learning to "come out of our shells" more and more on this trip and opening ourselves to new acquaintances even when we know that the relationship will probably be short lived--although it's our plan to keep in touch in the hope that we'll link up some time on a future trip
. Oh yeah!!!! Finally!!! I found the d%^##%% fluxgate compass while in Bimini and was able to recalibrate it so that we had the aid of our auto pilot on the way back across the stream. What a difference!!! But then---we sprung a raw water (cooling system) leak in the engine on the way over. A small leak that didn't effect operation--no overheating at all--but it has to be repaired and I've called in a mechanic to make sure it's done right. Considering that we've motored over 200 engine hours on this trip and about 75% of the miles we don't want to take a chance that the engine might fail at some critical juncture.
We arrived at Biscayne Bay and anchored off of Key Biscayne at around 4 PM on Friday and spent the night at anchor in a beautiful lee with a view of the Key and the Miami skyline beyond---BUT--Saturday we motored across to the Dinner Key Marina where we could plug in and watch the Masters in A/C'd comfort. It is finally starting to get hot here, and a bit humid, so we'll take our pleasures where we can, while we can. This marina is in the Coconut Grove section of Miami and is a huge municipal marina with 500+ slips and a 250 boat mooring field. I called cousin Jane who is home sick with a cold and couldn't make it down to see us again--perhaps back in Punta Gorda---but we also arrived to some terrible news about a very good and dear friend
Our friend and Vail neighbor, who lived here in Coral Gables, died unexpectedly and very quickly after a cancer diagnosis. Marvin and Anne Sheldon were our duplex neighbors in Vail with whom we have maintained a very close friendship. Marvin apparently had experienced some symptoms in his throat and medical attention resulted in a thyroid cancer diagnosis. 7 days later, before any meaningfull treatment had started, he passed away at the age of 76. We hope to see Anne while we are here. Marvin was one of my favorite people. I am not alone as he had a huge circle of good friends because he is just one of those people that you can't help but love. I know his family is devastated as he was truly a good and loving patriarch. Diane and I, needless to say, were completely floored by the news. I really hate to end this post on this note but felt it needed to be mentioned here.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Photos of the Berry Islands
Vista from White Cay looking north 
Lion's Head? 
A very private beach we found on our stroll to the Blue Hole 
We hated to leave this place but leave we did, on Tuesday. We motored on back down to the Berry Island Club mooring field where we stayed an extra day because of some wicked winds. There were some other anchorages we wanted to visit but needed to get into the marina at Chub Cay in advance of the northern front that is heading our way leaving a path of destruction in its wake. We'll stay here another day to allow the weather to settle before heading back to Bimini on the start of our return trip.Chub Cay Marina is quite nice--floating docks--the only ones we've seen since Pensacola, a nice little restaurant, pool, laundry service and a grocery store. The weather has turned quite still and hot in advance of this front so we are enjoying FREE electricity(contrary to prior reports) and our air conditioning. The water is free but I haven'tfilled up yet as I want to see how long we can actually go on our inboard water tanks. So far we've made it since the day before we left Bimini, 9 days ago. I think that's pretty good although we have been quite conservative in our water usage--salt water baths with a fresh water rinse--using liquid Joy dishwashing soap--It works well and is actually quite refreshing---Diane thinks this is roughing it--where was she when I was living in a 2 man tent made from 2 rain covers (buttons or snaps?), eating c-rations and swatting mosquitos and sweeping away scorpions---Ft Hood, Texas--1971? We have both decided that 9 days out away from the amenities of a marina is about 3 days too long---but hey!--This whole thing has been a learning experience, hasn't it?
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