Uncategorized

It’s Sunday morning and we are sitting pretty in the heart of Boca Raton.  This place is just a perfect example of overstated elegance.  Can you say “mine is bigger than yours”?   It’s good to be back aboard after a great month at home in CT.

We arrived in Ft Pierce late on Wednesday evening after a long day of traveling and spent the next two days running around with our rental car to pick up last minute items that we need to spend the next four plus months aboard in the Bahamas.  As you can imagine, that’s a lot of stuff.  For example, we have on board nearly 20lbs of coffee. While there are some groceries available in the Bahamas, they cost about double what they cost here.  Given the amount of money we have put into groceries, I can’t even imagine spending double that amount.  How about $40-$50 per case for beer?   Makes you want to drink rum. That’s about the only thing that’s cheap over there.  Me, I’ll take that.

So, after two days of running around we were happy to shove off to begin moving south again on Saturday.  That day we only made about 20 miles and stopped exhausted for the night in Stuart in a really lovely harbor, Manatee Pocket.  We had a really nice dinner at a local eatery on the water.  Sitting outside on a deck in balmy January evening weather was certainly a contrast to Essex.  Well, I we did have to wear sweaters, but they were light weight.  I don’t want you to think that it was total Heaven.  Close, but not total Heaven given the sweater thing and all.

Here’s the sunrise that greeted me on Sunday.  Not a bad view to begin the day.After resting up we headed out early on Sunday to make our run to Boca Raton.  Actually, we weren’t sure where we were headed that day but as the day progressed we found out that our friends Melinda and Harry were aboard Sea Schell (their last name is Schell, get it?) in Boca so we thought that it would be fun to connect with them there.  I wouldn’t have thought it possible to make it all the way, nearly 60 miles in one day but we made it.

Normally, we could have easily made that sort of distance but in this case there was 20, count em, 20 bridges between us and our destination.  And nearly all of them had to open (on their own schedule) for us to pass.  And, I should add that if you are only a minute late they generally won’t hold it for you. Remember,  this is Florida, the home of transported New Yorkers.  Here a minute is a New York Minute and they ain’t foolin’.

To give some context to the number of bridges, in all of Georgia we only went through, actually under as they had 65′ clearance, a total of five.  Florida is certainly different than Georgia, that’s for sure.  And here, most are low so you have to time the openings with most opening only twice an hour.  Believe me, it’s tough to make the openings on schedule and several times I really had to put the peddle to the metal to make it in time.  I expect that my fuel consumption yesterday was higher than normal.

One thing that’s different here than other areas that we have visited on this trip is that folks with money, or at least those with money that want to show the world that they have money, are here in Florida.  There is just no end to the display of wealth.  Home after home line the waterway, each bigger than the last.  And, if a big home on the water isn’t enough, how about putting a 100’+ boat out in front just in case you want to spend a few days on the water.

When you get to Palm Beach you know that you are where the .001% hang out.  This is a yard that is host to the really big guys with one yacht larger than the next.  White is the color of choice it seems, but this grey one is a cut above with it’s own helicopter, color coordinated of course.How about this for classic grace?  What a beauty.  I’d live on this one.  Jeeves, please fetch me another latte, post quick. This “expedition yacht” looks like it can go nearly anywhere.  I wonder if it does or if the owner is too busy making money to spend time aboard.   Really a sharp looking yacht to my eye.It seems that not everything afloat is totally over the top here.  This must have been a tear down that wasn’t torn down.  Perhaps the deal was “it’s yours if you take it off of my property by the end of the month”.  Only his crane operator knows for sure.  Hmm…Speaking of cash and carry, I wonder if these guys were on the prowl or a dead hedge fund manager, perhaps one that had just taken a look at what his tax bill was going to be under Obama.  It was fun to go by the Breakers, an old time classic hotel built by Henry Flagler.   Brenda and I stayed there on business in a different lifetime.  It’s  spectacular place, let me tell you.   Even more opulent than Pandora, if you can believe it.Speaking of opulent, how about those hedges.  I’m thinking that it must take an army of workers to keep them in proper trim. All I can say is “nice patio”.At least there is some sanity here although not much.  I wonder if the owner of this cute little tug is at peace with having the most diminutive vessel in town?I just love lighthouses and this one that marks Jupiter Inlet is particularly nice. All and all, this next chapter of our voyage is getting off to a great start.  While yesterday was long and tiring given the need to constantly time the bridges and dodge boat traffic on a busy Sunday, we really enjoyed the day, 20 bridges and all.   Did I mention that we went through 2o bridges in a single day?  Trust me on this, that’s a LOT of bridges.

And, to cap off the day, we were able to enjoy a lovely dinner aboard with our old friends, Linda and Richard, that moved to Florida years ago.  Linda had worked in the same department that I did for many years and we hadn’t connected since the moved away.  They had never been on a boat before so meeting them on a dark dock to run them out in our dink was quite an experience, I am sure.  They must have really wondered what they were getting themselves into when they looked over the side of the dock to this little rubber  boat bobbing below.   “OMG, he’s going to take us out into the dark in that….?”  Good news, a wonderful evening with no loss of life.

Today, to Ft Lauderdale and it looks like we may have our weather window to cross over to the Bahamas as soon as this Thursday. Fingers crossed.

In the mean time, it’s a lovely sunny day with puffy clouds.  Oh, did I mention that the water temperature is just shy of 80?  Perhaps I’ll leave it at that for now.

 

It’s Saturday morning, only a few days untill we head back to Pandora and the second half of our journey.  We’ve been back in Essex for nearly a month and really enjoying time with family and friends.  In spite of our both catching colds as soon as we returned to Essex, we have had a great time.

Here is Essex CT it’s been quite cold and snowy with something like 6″ of snow hitting the ground just after Christmas.   If this early snow is any indication of what the winter will be like here, it’s going to be a long one.  I am sure glad that we are going to be enjoying “winter weather” of a different sort.  For me, it will be my warmest winter EVER and none too soon.

We have been working for some time on a provisioning list for when we return to Florida and it looks like all of our work preparing Pandora with all sorts of food prior to our departure from Essex and along the way has paid off as our provisions are in pretty good shape.  Yes we still need a variety of things such as perishables as well as the all important wine and beer but we are in pretty good shape.  Our last minute shopping list, while impressive by usual weekly shopping standards, is not that overwhelming.   I expect that we will be able to get everything on the list in the two days that we have allocated for shopping prior to shoving off.

I have also ordered a number of spare parts that I have shipped to my friend Keith’s home in Vero Beach but it seems that we are in pretty good shape to leave.

I key milestone coming up shortly after our return to Florida is Brenda’s birthday.  Make a note in your calendar, it’s January 15th as I am told that there is consideration being made to declare this a national holiday.  However, national holiday or not, Brenda would prefer to celebrate with our boys.  However with a planned rendezvous with them in George Town on February 9th, we have to get back to Pandora so as to allow plenty of time to make the crossing.  Wish me luck in making this birthday a memorable one for Brenda, but in a good way.  Who knows where we will be on the 15th so I will have to come up with a fun birthday celebration for her.  Thinking hard….

Speaking of crossing to the Bahamas.   The weather for crossing the Gulf Stream has been very much on my mind.  With the constant parade of cold fronts barreling down from the US, we have to time our departure carefully so as to make the trip as comfortable for the birthday girl as possible.    Another issue to consider is if we will just make a run for it when the weather is good and continue all the way down to Georgetown or to break it up into segments.  Me, I’d personally like to break up the trip if we can so that it is as fun as possible along the way.  I’d love to make a stop in Nassau on the way so that Brenda can enjoy a short visit there on our way further south.

In spite of the fact that we aren’t even in the Bahamas yet, I am beginning to make plans for getting Pandora back to RI in the Spring.  As I have some favorite crew that I enjoy spending time with, I have already made a few calls to put the thought in their heads for late May.

Well, think of us on Wednesday as we wing our way south to Florida.  It’s pretty funny to make the trip that took us three months in just a few hours buy plane.

As I think about the crossing here’s what I should try to avoid with that birthday girl. This would surely be a CLM )(career limiting move) Perhaps a crossing more like this would be preferred.    Hmm…

Fingers crossed…

Sorry to not be more communicative these days.  I have to say that I have had difficulty in coming up with ideas for posts while I am home.  When we are underway I find inspiration nearly every day when I see something that I just have to write about.  When I look out of the window here in Essex at the grey sky it’s harder.

Well, I am back with yet another titillating post .  It’s Friday morning and about ten days until we return to Pandora.  The weather here in Essex has certainly been different than what we should expect to enjoy in the Bahamas with a few inches of snow on Christmas day and overnight temperatures in the 20s.  Just for fun, and too torture myself, I checked the weather for Georgetown today and it’s  currently 75 verses the 25 here in Essex.   Hmm…  All’s not lost as it’s supposed to go up to 38 later today, an increase of OVER TEN DEGREES.  George Town will only go up by a mere five.  ” Stop whining.  Soon, Bob, you’ll be warm soon.”

Our “vacation” here in Essex has been great fun, setting aside the “cool” weather,  (yes, a big thing to set aside I realize) with a whirlwind of visits with family and friends.    Of particular note, yesterday we had our friends Chris and Pat over for lunch and had a great time.  Chris has been a great friend since high school and was the one that introduced me to sailing.  He also was the one that gave me the idea of going south as he did the same trip over ten years ago when he Pat and their then small children headed south for a year aboard.

It was fun to catch up and exchange experiences.  I have to say that I am still amazed that we are doing this and am very excited about heading back down to Pandora to begin the second half of “Bob and Brenda’s most excellent adventure”.

“Santa”, with a little help from my parents, brought me a really great waterproof case to hold my i-phone so that I can take videos and pictures underwater.  I, no make that Santa, spied a press release about it in one of the sailing magazines last month.  The case is made by a company “Watershot” and is the newest addition to their line of camera cases.  The case, which fits over my phone, is waterproof to 130′ (a depth that I don’t plan to test personally) which is certainly going to be plenty deep for my snorkeling exploits.  After years of sailing in Maine, being in water that is actually warm will be just so great.  I can’t wait.  There’s a certain symmetry to getting this from my parents as this blog is perhaps more about them “coming along” with us on this trip than anything else.

I also now have a copy of Chris Parker’s book on basic weather for the southeast US, Bahamas and Caribbean.   Chris is our weather router and a great resource for helping to keep us happy and safe.  We listen to Chris on the SSB radio when we are aboard and via a webcast here in Essex.   He has a very helpful website with many resources for clients.  His broadcasts begin at 06:oo every day except Sunday and run for about 3.5 hours with segments devoted to weather for different regions including the Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf Stream and Atlantic.   Chris’s routine is to cover area weather for a particular region and then take calls from customers or what he calls “sponsoring vessels” so that he can give them a personalized forecast for their area and travel plans.   The book is an excellent companion piece designed to help his clients better understand what he is talking about it.    It’s written in a very conversational style so you can nearly hear Chris speaking while you read it.   As this is the first book I have ever read about weather, it’s a great primer.

Before I break I should include a video of a wreck of a landing craft that I dove on when I was in Nassau last May to help bring back The Abby.   

I tried to take a video myself when I was there but wasn’t able as the battery in my recorder wasn’t properly charged. Next time I will be sure to have my battery fully charged, for sure.

We will be in the Bahamas in about a month.  I am just sooo excited.  Checking again.  The temperature here in Essex?  It’s still 25 degrees.  Bahamas?  Warmer…

 

 

For several years prior to our departing on Pandora to make the run to Florida and winter in the Bahamas, Brenda and I spoke to everyone that we could find that had done the run down the ICW to get their thoughts on the trip.  How long should we allow for the trip?  Should we make the run inside all the way?  What about shopping for food?  Laundry?  What does it cost?  What were their must stop places?   As y0u would expect, there were just about as many different answers as there were those with an opinion.

With all of our questions and often conflicting answers, what’s a cruiser to do?

For now, I’ll tackle the issue of leaving the dock.

The only really universal answer that we heard was something like, JUST DO IT!!!  Yes, the advice from everyone was to cast those lines off and go.   As I used to say to my boys when their rooms needed to be picked up “now’s a good time”.   As we have often heard, “you are never any younger or any healthier” which gets you back to the “now” part.

As I look around at all of the non-cruiser folks we have met, many with much bigger boats than Pandora, often mortgaged to the hilt, it’s easy to see how they will never be able to make the plunge.  One basic truth is that the more “stuff” you have the harder it is to leave.  When we moved from NJ to CT we tossed a ton of stuff that we had accumulated over the years.  Unfortunately, we still have tons left.   Oh Well.   Someone once said that you spend the first 50 years accumulating stuff and the next 50 trying to get rid of it.  In our case, the accumulating part seems to be a lot easier than the disposing part.  Why is that?  However, I am still cautiously optimistic as we are only early in the second half (I hope).

So, I’ll set aside the issue of stuff for now.  Many of the folks that we met along the way, perhaps most of those that cruise, have chucked the shore-side attachments and moved aboard full time. We met plenty who have been living aboard for a decade or longer.   Some were taking a year off to see the sights with the plan of heading back to shore after they spent their cruising kitty or had used up all of the good will from a patient employer that granted them a leave of absence.   However, the vast majority have retired, many at a fairly early age.  Perhaps the choice of boat and home verses boat alone is often a matter of economics. It’s painful to pay all those bills for the shore home when you are afloat.

Having the ability to maintain a home and boat can work although it’s much more complicated than just tossing all your stuff and casting off the lines.  For me and Brenda, we will be splitting our time between Pandora and our home in Essex CT.  Of course, for us, the $64 question is what the balance of time will be between our time afloat and on the hard.   As is so often the case, the guy (me) in this equation wants to spend more time aboard.  However, I have learned that there is truth to the saying, “when the Queen is happy, there is peace in the kingdom”.  So…we will have a more reasonable split of shore verses afloat.   Got it?  Of course, getting a good definition of “reasonable” will likely take some time.   Patience is a good thing.

One common theme that we also observed in the couples that had been cruising together for years is that, as a rule, they seem to get along very well.   It’s possible to spend a two week vacation with someone that you don’t get along with that well but it’s entirely different kettle of fish to spend many months in a small space together if your thoughts turn dark too often.

Thinking of the short time folks, I am sure that you have seen, rather heard, guys screaming above the wind, at their partner up on the bow, when they are anchoring.  Those are probably not going to be long term cruiser types.   It seems to be a badge of honor among the cruisers we have met to use hand gestures,usually subtle, but not always, and never (well mostly never) raise their voices.

Another basic truth in cruising is that your biggest enemy is your calendar.  The ability to wait a day can make a huge difference in how enjoyable a trip is.  Motoring into 20kts on the nose is a lot different than sailing on a broad reach in the same breeze.  Happily, wind direction changes on nearly a daily basis so a flexible calendar makes for happy cruising.  I have some cruising friends who almost never sail with wind ahead of the beam.  They just wait a few days till the wind clocks around.  Yes, that’s the true cruiser or at least the mark of someone who’s not in a hurry.

Before I break, I’ll touch on a few of our favorite spots along the way.  We loved the Dismal Swamp Canal.  Meeting the ever friendly lockmaster Robert was a particularly special treat.  He was clear that he wanted us to bring him back a Conch shell to add to his already prodigious collection.   Here’s a link to my post about our experience with Robert. The canal’s primeval look and remoteness was a special treat.  We highly recommend it.  And, don’t forget to stop at the visitor’s center near the southern end of the canal. We also loved seeing the landscape change as we headed south including the live oaks that graced every place that we went.  Perhaps some of the best examples that we saw early on were in Charleston where we spent a week.  There area  few key things that cruisers look for, beyond other cruisers to hang out with.  These include access to groceries, laundry and great spots to dine.  There are plenty of spots that fit these criteria but perhaps none that fit the bill like Charleston.   Beyond having a great grocery, there is plenty to say about Charleston, that’s for sure.   We were most impressed with the gardens and many of the details of the architecture, especially if you like doorways.

We loved so many places along the way it’s hard to say which cities were the best.   It was also an eye opener to see how much of the ICW is still fairly wild with it’s barren remoteness. Perhaps this was most typified by the abandoned rice fields near Myrtle Beach and the meandering channels heading through Georgia.  I’d also recommend a visit to Brookgreen Gardens, as we did, although you will need to rent a car to get there.

Georgia is much maligned for it’s shoaling but we had not trouble because we were able to time our trip to coincide with rising tides.  With a 9 1/2 foot tide, there is plenty of water at least half of the time.  I do not recommend trying Georgia when the tide is low in the middle of the day.  As annoying as the winding channel can be, the views are worth it with soft grasses in every direction.  While some said that we should avoid GA at all costs, others said it was great, perhaps their favorite part of the trip.  We loved it.

I have to say that a list of favorites could go on and on but perhaps it’s best to leave it at that for now.  If you have considered doing this trip, I’d say that “now’s a good time”.   Just go.

Besides, where else could you be treated to sunsets and sunrises that rival those you can see when aboard?   It’s hard to say what was our favorite part of the trip.  Perhaps it’s less about the individual places that we visited, and more about the journey itself and such a journey it has been.

So, what has been our favorite part so far?  It’s hard to believe but I expect that the best is yet to come.  Bahamas?  I’m thinking that’s gonna be pretty good.

 

 

On December 11th, three months to the day and 1,500 NM south since our departure from Essex CT in September, we left Pandora near Vero Beach Florida to return home for the holidays.  When we tied up Pandora to the dock I was complaining about the near 100% humidity, still hot air and no-seeums buzzing all around.  now, it’s Saturday and feeling plenty cold here in Essex, a far cry from the semi-steamy sub-tropical Florida that we left earlier this week.

Funny how quickly I have become “soft” as we have followed the warmer weather south.  Me, I am happy to stay away from cold weather for ever.  Alas, this snow-bird, will have to settle for some snow, now and then so I’ll just have to make the best of it here in New England. I guess that I can tough it out as I have for the last 56 winters.  It will be great fun as the next few weeks will be a whirlwind of visits and parties with family and friends.  That should keep the blood from clotting completely.

For those who visit this site with some frequency, you may notice that I am repeating some of the information that you might have seen recently.  That’s because the server that supports this site crashed earlier in the week resulting in the loss of some content, my last post, that I  had added since the last backup.

The server is maintained by our son Christopher in his office in the department of physics at Columbia in Manhattan.  Oh well, so much for fail-safe redundant backup servers scattered around the globe.  Having said that, the up-time on Chris’s server “Cheeto” (not sure where that name came from), has served him well.  It seems that the hard drive crapped out in a cloud of acrid smoke and that was that.

Oh well, down but not out as Christopher had what I guess is now “son of Cheeto” up and running on a new, probably filched, computer later the same day.

Well, enough excuses.  Here’s some more information from the last post I made since leaving Pandora earlier this week in Florida.

As we headed south from Vero Beach, it was very clear that we were passing through some decidedly higher income zip-codes.  It seemed that each home was larger than the last, with some looking more like resorts than single family homes.   These mansions (forget micro mansions here) clearly have the best views.  No views of trailer parks and split levels to bother your view.  No way, no how.   Their views?  Beautiful marshes to enjoy from their infinity pools.  “Buffy, can you fetch me another mohito?  No, I can’t get it myself as it would be just dreadful if I missed the green flash?”.A nice side benefit of being facing west is the great sunsets, a real plus of being on the water.  This view is worth paying for.

It would seem that being energy efficient and resource stingy isn’t in high on the list of priorities for these owners.   Imagine how much water it takes to keep these lawns looking “golf course green”.  Well, I would expect that it’s about the same amount as you’d need for a golf course.  How about picking up some carbon offsets?  Better yet, how about a baker’s dozen Prius to make them feel better?  Not happening.  Probably not a lot of sweating the point as they tool around in their hulking SUVs.  Better yet, make that a hybrid SUV.  That’s the ticket.  Much, much better to get 14 mpg.  Yes, that’s perfect.

Funny, after years of feeling like the massive stucco homes in Bergen County, where we lived for some 20 years, looked just so nasty.  The whole stucco thing seems to work in Florida.  Perhaps it’s the warm weather lulling me into a stupor   If so, it’s a trance that I can get used to.   Stucco?  Bring it on.  Christmas lights on palms.  Yes! Yes!  A New England Christmas?  Ok, but after the new year I want to high tail it back to where the water isn’t hard unless you drop into off of a bridge at terminal velocity.

Interestingly, the ICW is so close to the ocean and gulf sream here that you can see the cloud banks that run up center of the stream.  It seems that when strong winds blow over the warm water of the gulf stream that the moisture that is evaporated causes massive thunderheads to grow.  You can clearly see them from along this part of the ICW.  Pretty impressive.  Pandora’s home for the next few weeks isn’t grand at all as I am a cheap Yank at heart.   The yard, clearly a working facility, is fine place to park a boat but not a place that you’d want to visit for fun.  No pool and tennis courts here.Lots of boats, however, of all descriptions.   Loads of sailboats waiting for their owners to relaunch them and head off for adventure.I found myself wondering if these boats were about to be launched for a winter of sailing south or if they had been hauled out at the end of the season.  I expect that it’s more like the prior given the nasty hurricanes that rip through this area off and on through the summer.  I did see plenty of boats held tight to the ground with long woven straps over their decks anchored to huge concrete blocks off of the bow and stern, a sure sign of insurance company influence.

One more thing.  Remember when Brenda and I were in Charleston earlier this fall and spied the Volvo racer Maserati at the docks checking in with customs?  They had just arrived there from a trans Atlantic run in preparation for an attempt to break the record for the fastest run from New York to San Francisco. They are now in NYC waiting for the weather window to begin their potentially record run.  Not a bad neighborhood.Not a lot in common between Pandora and Maserati I guess.  Oh well, I can at least take comfort in knowing that a SAGA 43 is more like a Volvo ocean racer than an Island Packet.  This is an Island Packet.  Well, to me it looks different.  “Sure Bob, if it makes you happy.  Go ahead and cling to that”.   It does have a plumb bow…  Come on, you HAVE to see the similarity.