Sail Pandora

It’s Monday morning and we are in Daytona but will soon weigh anchor to head up to St Augustine.  Interestingly, as we have moved north from the Keys we have noticed that the temperatures are cooling a bit each day with last night being the first where we needed a blanket, or sheet for that matter, in the last few months.  I sure hope that it doesn’t get too cold as we make our way to New Bern over the next few weeks.    I sure hope that the Carolinas are warm in mid-April.  Fingers crossed.

We had a nice walk in town yesterday.   The main drag is very pretty but it was sad to see that there are many empty store fronts in spite of everything that has been done to make it look inviting to visitors. Yesterday was the last day of what is known locally as “Bike Week” here in Daytona.  It seems that this event is the largest gathering of motorcycles anywhere in the US with hundreds of thousands attending.  And while we were here on the last day of the week-long event, there were still plenty of bikes around, thousands actually. Everywhere we went there was the constant din of barely muffled exhaust from an endless stream of cycles riding by.  While the biggest part of the event was on the ocean side of Daytona, we saw many bikes on the main land side, where we were.

I guess that Daytona is a great place to have a dealership and this Indian shop was really hopping.Plenty of “lady” riders.  How about this his-and-hers duo.  Guess which was “hers”?  And her clothes were about as subtle as her bike. This little number, probably not a “factory ready” bike, boasted 475 HP.This “bike cab” isn’t likely to get a medallion in NYC.  Perhaps a call to Uber would bring him to you.Loved the paint job and leather work on this bike.  Pretty impressive.  And, this “retro” bike was great.  Our son Rob’s dog Bo would look terrific riding in the side car, with goggles of course. And this one was a bit scary looking. If it was mine it would have to be black to complete the picture. Brenda’s post about our visit to Daytona was particularly good so check it out here.

Speaking of Brenda, she often writes about our exploits from a different perspective than I do and while I hate to admit it, her post about our harrowing experience the other day at Ft Pierce inlet pretty much captures the moment, er moments.  It’s pretty clear to me that this was a classic CLM (Career Limiting Move) for me.  I guess I had better tread lightly for a while.

Fortunately, as stressful as Ft Pierce was, last night’s dinner was anything but that. Looking pretty mellow and ready for a steak dinner with fresh potato salad.After dinner we enjoyed watching the city lights play on the flat calm water. Even our cockpit table sparkled.A great evening all and all.  

So, back to today and motoring up the ICW which I expect will also be pretty low anxiety.  Perhaps the memories of “Friday the 13^th” will wear off as we enjoy the sights of St Augustine for the next few days.  

While we continue our cruise north on the ICW thousands of bikers will be cruising home too but I guess that they will be doing it “Daytona style”.

Well, it’s time to make the coffee so we can get underway on this beautiful day.

Yes, it is indeed a beautiful day aboard Pandora.

It’s Sunday morning and we are anchored here in Daytona after moving Pandora about 50nm each day for the last few days.   Tomorrow we will head off to St Augustine, a favorite spot of ours.

It’s been a while since I have posted but motoring up the ICW day after day is tedious and when we get underway at first light and motor all day, I find that there really isn’t much time to do posts.  You would think that we’d have plenty of time to write as we motor up the protected waters of the ICW but the channels are often so narrow that you have to keep constant watch to be sure that you don’t run aground.   The ICW is often described as “the ditch” and that’s exactly what it is in many areas, a narrow cut dredged out of vast areas of very shallow waters that are only a few feet deep.

When we left West Palm Beach a few days ago we headed out of the Lake Worth inlet to make the 50 mile ocean run up to Ft Pierce.  The wind was pretty nice but it was a bit lumpy to start.  However, we made great time and arrived at Ft Pierce inlet around 2:30 in the afternoon, just about at slack tide when the seas in the inlet would be the calmest.

You may recall that a barge sank in the Ft Pierce inlet a while back and there are ongoing salvage operations being conducted to remove the wreck.  It’s a huge deal given the tremendous currents in the inlet and the massive size of the barge that sank.  I was concerned about navigating through the inlet with the salvage operations underway and called the US Coast Guard for instructions prior to leaving Lake Worth.  I was told that the inlet was closed that morning but that it would open around midday for transit.

Armed with the knowledge that we’d be able to get through the inlet when we arrived, we headed out for the run to Ft Pierce.  Along the way Brenda suggested that we fish with the hope of catching a tuna.  No luck on that score but we did catch a nice King Mackerel which we threw back.  I wish I had taken a picture.  Oops.

So, fast forward to our arrival at Ft Pierce inlet…  I called the Coast Guard again to get entry instructions only to be told that the inlet was closed for any traffic with greater than 5’ of draft.  “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” Pandora draws 6’ and we were just supposed to hang out for hours waiting to transit.  They were vague about how long the closure would be in effect but that we should be able to make it in by dark.  BY DARK!!  It was only mid afternoon.  Anyway, we jogged back and forth a mile outside of the inlet, for HOURS and FINALLY were instructed to head in at 6:00.  What a pain.

Buy this time however, the wind had picked up to the high teens and the tide was in full ebb with about 3.5kts of current heading out of the inlet.  There were standing waves at the entrance that were compounded by the restriction caused by the sunken barge.   We were told to proceed between the bouys marking the wreck and the north jetty.  Sure, let’s do that.

We and two other boats entered the inlet and I have to tell you that it was the roughest ride I have ever taken aboard boat.  The waves and current bashed us all around and I wasn’t really able to control the boat.  Things were flying around down below and Brenda was not a happy camper.  Friends of ours aboard Five and Dime, long time cruisers, headed in in front of us.

As Five and Dime headed through the cut they promptly ran hard aground and were slewed wildly sideways in the current as they pounded along the bottom.  Fortunately, after a few terrifying moments, they were swept off by the current.   I couldn’t believe it.  I was so close to them that I had to do a 360 turn to avoid getting in their way as they powered into deeper water and I was afraid that I would run into the sunken barge as I turned around.  Fortunately, I was able to get back on track and continued through the inlet.

Well, we made it but I have to tell you that it was terrifying.   Exhausted, we anchored for the night in a spot near a draw bridge that we’d go through the next morning and settled down for the night.  In the wee hours the next morning, Friday the 13^th, we were awakened by a strong rain squall coming through the anchorage.   I got up to check things out only to see that we were dragging our anchor, toward the bridge.  I started the engine and Brenda took the helm so I could raise and reset the anchor.   It all worked out but we came way too close to the bridge before we got control over the situation.  It was a very close call.

The problem was that I had not used quite enough scope although the anchor was well set.  When the squall hit the wind shifted 180 degrees and rose to about 30kts in a matter of moments.  This meant that the anchor was yanked out abruptly as we headed in the opposite direction and wasn’t able to reset quickly enough.   I am very careful about anchoring and making sure that it’s secure but as we were so tired after the inlet experience that I guess I didn’t do it as well as usual.

It’s been perhaps a decade since we last dragged our anchor in the middle of the night and I am very hopeful that it’s more than a decade until we do it again.

All and all, the Ft Pierce inlet experience… Not good.  I’d say that getting Brenda out of an inlet again, any time soon, is going to be tough.

So, here we are, in Daytona after a few long days motoring up the ICW.  It’s a beautiful day with a light breeze and puffy clouds overhead.

Our run in the ICW has been uneventful and we even were able to sail with our genoa for nearly a whole day and motor-sailing a good deal of the rest of the time.   It was terrific.  With a solid breeze behind us for the last few days we made good time and had a nice easy ride.

I have written about the problems with derelict boats in FL as there are boats everywhere that are just anchored and clearly are not seaworthy.   Perhaps this shot says it best.  “Will be moved in February”.  And they even suggest that you check out their video on YouTube.   Note that it’s now March and the boat is still there.  Yeah, and the check is in the mail.This boat has anchors out in every direction.  Plenty of crap on deck too.  Yup, derelict.  Unfortunately, many folks here in FL don’t distinguish between this and cruisers like us.  All this thinking about anchoring rights and derelict boats is getting me upset. Perhaps a soothing picture of a sunset, or is it a sunrise.  Yes, sunrise, is much more soothing.  There are many tiny islands along the way but not many smaller than this one.  Check out the tent.  Pretty private.So, today we’ll spend some time ashore here in Daytona.  More to come about that.

I’d better get going or I’ll have to write about not going ashore because I took too much time writing this post.

So many choices.  We have about a month to go until we have to leave Pandora with the broker in New Bern NC where we will unpack all of our stuff and get her cleaned up and ready to sell.  We did have an offer on her a few weeks ago but it was a bit low.  However, after we countered the “buyer” bolted and decided to buy another boat.  Alas, better luck next time.  

Anyway, now we are down to the last month aboard our “winter home” Pandora and we are thinking hard about where we will stop.  We have been reminiscing about all of the great spots we have visited in the past along the 800 or so miles left on our trip.  Where to go?   Hmm…

However, with a month to go we are certainly feeling a bit pressed for time. Things sure have changed now when a few months seems like a short time to us. 

The other night I was talking to my friend Craig, who’s still working and he was quite amused by our take on how short a time a month is.  From his perspective a month is a huge amount of time and with “so much” time left we shouldn’t have to think much about where to stop.  “Just stop.  Don’t worry, you have plenty of time.”

Anyway, so last night we got out the cruising guide and made a tentative list of places we want to visit on our way north.  Our first stop, where we are now, is West Palm Beach, the home of the best public docks we have seen yet.  The downtown area is beautiful and there are loads of places to eat out.  We ran into friends of ours Jim and Joan aboard Jade, who we have seen off and on over our years of cruising.  We had a great time out for dinner at a neat Mexican place, Roco’s Tacos.   Don’t we look happy?  A bit too much perhaps. Yup.We’ll have spent two days here and now will head north along the waterway.  Stops we are thinking about are Vero Beach and Fernandina in FL and then we’ll do our best to jump past Georgia with it’s super shallow waters.  After that we hope to spend time in Beaufort SC, that’s “BEEWFORT”, unlike the Beaufort “BOFORT” NC.  Then on to Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach and a few others as time permits. 

With about 50 miles making for a long day on the ICW, we should have time for a few days in many of our favorite spots along the way.  We expect that we will have to be moving for a total of about 15 days to make it the entire way.  We are really looking forward to revisiting some of the places that we enjoyed on our first run south several years ago.

We had a few long days from Marathon to here and I can’t say that we will be too quick to visit the Keys again.  There are precious few good harbors along the chain and the experience of waiting nearly two weeks to get a mooring in Marathon left us pretty cool on the area.  However, we did get a bit of excellent sailing in along the way and plenty of experience in running aground  to round things out.   The good news is that as stuck as we were several times, we always seemed to find a way to extricate ourselves without the humiliation of a tow.  I guess that’s because we opted for the “unlimited” towing package from Boat US.  It’s sort of like carrying an umbrella when it’s threatening rain.  Works so far.

For a few days we waited in a lovely spot Angel Fish Creek, near Key Largo for favorable winds to make the run up to Ft Lauderdale.  The view was terrific although there was no place to go ashore anywhere nearby.

The late afternoon light on the mangroves was beautiful. Even though we had perfect protection from the ocean swells, that didn’t get in the way of our view.   Quite dramatic as squalls rolled though the area. And, after one of the more “exciting” squalls, we were rewarded by a beautiful rainbow.  The photo doesn’t do it justice.So, tomorrow we head north again.  I will have to find out if the Ft Pierce inlet is open or if it’s closed again before we decide to make the run on the outside instead of on the ICW.  A month ago a 100′ barge sunk in the inlet making passage quite challenging.  Last we heard it was open for limited traffic. However, I heard today that perhaps it’s closed now for salvage so I will have to call the coastguard before we head out to make an ocean run in the morning.

We hate to leave West Palm Beach but there’s lots of fun places to come.  It’s so great to have so many choices.

It’s Saturday morning and today we sit.  After two days of moving north through the Keys, we are now anchored in a cut, colorfully called Angelfish Creek, at the northern tip of Key Largo.  It’s a beautiful spot with mangroves all around and excellent protection from the wind.

Yesterday we decided to come in here in spite of our fear that we might run aground as we entered from the ocean side.  To say that the entrance is tricky, doesn’t do it justice as the currents run very hard though this spot and as the current leaves the narrow confines of the swamp, where the depths are in the 15-20’ range, any sand carried by the swift current is deposited at the mouth as a sand bar so the water gets pretty skinny as things widen out.

The cruising guide suggested that there would be just about enough water to get into the channel if we entered the creek about one hour into the flood but not before.  If we were to do that, we were told to expect about 7 feet of water, a foot to spare given Pandora’s nearly 6’ drat.  However, as we were afraid of it getting dark before we got settled, we were forced to enter at slack low water.

To make matters worse, the channel was lined with markers driven into the sand that were barely further apart than about 50’.  This meant that were we to get stuck on a sandbar, that we would have precious little space to maneuver back into deeper water, if we could figure out where that was.  In the late afternoon light seeing the depth of the water is nearly impossible.

We also discussed bypassing this spot entirely and continuing north to a spot just south of Miami, where we would arrive between 9 and 10 PM.   That didn’t sound very appealing as it had been a long day and we hate making landfall in the dark.  So, we opted to head into Angelfish Creek, sand bar and all.

So, we entered the creek at dead slow and crept our way inside.  Unfortunately, the tide chart I was using didn’t appear to be correct as it was actually dead low instead of two hours into the flood that was predicted.  I suppose that we shouldn’t have been surprised as tides can vary a lot depending on wind direction.  Alas, all went well and while we ran aground while anchoring (again) we were all settled by the time the sun went down.It was very nice to have a view of the mangroves and yet being far enough away so that the no-see-ums weren’t able to find us.  

Speaking of no-see-ums, we left Marathon two days ago, and decided to head up on the inside to avoid the unfavorable winds on the ocean side.  We also wanted to see some of the sights on the Gulf side of the keys, which we had heard were very pretty.  It’s really shallow on the Gulf side and for the first day we only ran aground a few times.  Pretty shallow all the way.   At one point, we actually were leaving a mud trail behind us that stretched to the horizon as the bottom was soft mud and the keel disturbed it as we passed through water that was only about a foot or two beneath our keel. 

Aside from one bad grounding and a few bumps, we did fine and anchored for the night in a lovely spot on the western side of Islamarada.  After a long day we decided to head out for dinner and jumped into our dink for the mile run down to the Islamarada Fish Company, which we had heard was pretty good.

Indeed, the spot looked terrific from the water with many tables under a huge thatched hut.  In the early evening light it looked enchanting.Brenda and I ordered margaritas which tasted great after a long day on the water.   We were amused to learn that the restaurant was owned and operated by a retail operation Bass Pro Shop, which had a huge store on the property.  I guess it makes sense to have a seafood joint and a tackle shop together.   Makes sense?   We decided to reserve judgment on that point for the moment.   The margaritas were good, right?

As the sun went down everyone had to make a stop on the dock to snap a photo or two.  The view was perfect.   Bass Pro Shop knows how to make a lovely spot.   We both ordered ahi tuna rare, one of our favorite dishes.  Well, there is rare and there is “raw”.  And, the center wasn’t the only thing that was pink.  Oddly, they drizzled something pink and creamy on the top which looked more like a mostly melted strawberry slurpee.   It seems that Bass Pro Shop is better at making the moment than they are at cooking fish.  Oops.  Well, the evening was wonderful even if it was the most mediocre $100 dinner we had ever had.

They even had live music being performed in the glow of a dozen tiki lights.    So, a great spot if not great food.   Next time, a hamburger and fries.So, the next morning we upped the anchor and headed up toward the part of the trip that would be the most challenging with miles of shallow channels to get over.  We timed it to make the best of the 6” to 1’ of tide and off we went.  Well, we made it less than 100’ into the channel and bumped along the bottom.  Oops, better bag that idea.  Never mind.

So we turned around the headed back the 10 miles in the direction we had come the day before where there was a bridge we could go under to make it back to the Atlantic side of the Keys.   So, ten miles in the wrong direction and then back toward our destination.    Note to self:  When the chart says shallow, they mean it.  Don’t even try.

Anyway, our run here took about 10 hours and was over 60 miles, twenty of backtracking.  Alas, we got here and here we will stay for today while we wait for a favorable wind on Sunday.

So, our plan is to head offshore from here the 45 miles to Ft Lauderdale on Sunday and then to do short offshore runs from there to Ft Worth and on to Ft Pierce.   After that we expect to run inside up to northern FL with some stops in St Augustine and a few other cities that we really enjoy.

Our goal is to have Pandora in New Bern NC by mid April where she will be in the hands of the broker.

So, all is well aboard Pandora as we sit for a day waiting for favorable winds to carry us north.  It’s a beautiful spot and to be writing a post in the cockpit with this view from our stern is pretty nice.

It’s Wednesday morning here in Marathon and, not surprisingly, it’s plenty warm and sunny.  It seems that the unseasonably cool weather that we were facing a few weeks ago has given way to tropical temperatures and I have to say that it’s not hard to take for us snowbirds.

Even though we are now beginning to sweat a bit about our plans to get Pandora north to North Carolina where she will stay while she’s on the market,  we are feeling pretty dug in here in the Keys.  I can’t say that I prefer it to the Bahamas as it just isn’t the crystal clear perfect blue water that we love.  However, it is good to be in easy touch with family.

Our boys are both pretty busy with Christopher headed of to San Francisco for a few months as he works on starting a business and Rob, on top of a grueling work travel schedule, is planning a wedding. And anyone who’s planned one, knows that they tend to take a life of their own.

On top of that, my mother has been in the hospital and we decided to move her into a more permanent nursing home from her assisted living apartment.    One way or the other, there’s plenty going on so it’s good to be within easy, and affordable, cell range, something that’s  we never have in the Bahamas.

So, our thoughts turn north even though we have nearly 6 weeks till our April 15^th deadline when we have to head off to a friend’s son’s wedding.  One way or the other, lots of fun stuff to plan for and around.  And, on top of it all we will have to catch a weather window  soon to get back to the Ft Lauderdale area and north to the Carolinas, about 800 miles north from Marathon.

So, enough about what’s happening next, how about yesterday?

Yesterday we saw turtles, lots of turtles.  It was great.  We visited the Turtle Hospital, a short walk from the City Marina and got a tour from one of the staff.  This “hospital” is a sanctuary for seaturtles that have been injured in some way, by boat strikes, cold water standings or other problems.  They do what they can to rehabilitate injured animals and, if possible, return them to the wild.

It’s a fascinating place and it’s clear that the staff is dedicated to doing what they can to protect marine turtles of all kind.   Interestingly, there are only five species of marine turtles worldwide, something that I had never thought about it but assumed that there were many more.

I won’t go into too much detail except to say that it was a fascinating tour which included a lecture as well as an opportunity to see and even feed live turtles.

By far the most abundant type in the wild is the Green Turtle and there were plenty of them to see.  They are called “green” as their meat is that color.  They are vegetarians and we each were given an opportunity to feed them lettuce and green pepper.  They were quite beautiful.   We have seen many of these while sailing but it was great to see them up close.It was also interesting to see the color variation, even among the same species.   Some were not as brightly colored.Most were more juvenile, less than two feet long but there was one hatchling there.  Very cute.  It seems that some turtles hatch on the beaches and get confused by lights from shore and end up walking toward land instead of heading out to sea.  Baby turtles spend their youth in the “Sargasso sea” about 6o miles east of Florida and don’t come back into coastal waters until they are larger and can defend themselves.  As you can imagine, the fatality rate of tiny hatchlings making their way from the beach and 60 miles out to sea is very high.

There was a pretty good group on the tour and we were each able to feed the turtles, who loved that, as we surrounded one of the tanks.  Here’s Brenda doing her part with enthusiastic turtles each trying to get their fair share. The markings on their heads and shells is quite beautiful.It was also interesting to see some of the very large iquanas that lived on the property.  This guy was clearly a dominant male and seemed pretty sure of himself.They do great work at the “hospital” and are doing a good job of getting the word out to visitors about saving these wonderful creatures. 

Speaking of “locals”, I have mentioned the number of cruisers that hang out here in Marathon.  How about this shot of the dinghy dock, one of two at the city marina.  This will give you a pretty good idea of just how many cruisers are here.  And, this is only one of the docks and these are only the dinks that are ashore at any given time.  It’s amazing just how many boats there are, and they never leave.

Interestingly, I got a call from a friend last evening, as Brenda and I were watching the sunset, who wanted to tell me that while we were good friends he wasn’t thinking good thoughts about me at that particular moment as he slogged his way through an ice storm on his way home from work.

Nope, no ice here except in my G&T but I guess I’ll leave it at that as I have some errands to run and want to be sure that I am able to get a spot on the dock without pushing aside one of those pesky dinks.   Just like the “turtle hospital” this place is looking a lot like “senior rehab” for all of us “snowbirds”.

It’s Tuesday morning and we are back in Marathon and, believe it or not, we’re finally on a city mooring.  When we arrived here about 10 days ago, we were 32 on the waiting list and spent about a week anchored and tied to trees in the mangroves.  It was plenty buggy but quite scenic.   “Look Brenda (slap) at that pelican (slap).  No wait, see that fish (slap) jumping?”

So, a few days ago we decided that we’d had enough of “mangrove Marathon” and sailed 30 miles north to the southern tip of the Everglades.  The run north took us under the center span of the seven mile bridge, part of route 1 that connects Miami with Key West.

Recall that this highway, railroad actually, was originally built by Henry Flagler as a rail link to Key West from Miami and opened in 1912.  It didn’t last long as sections of it were wiped out by a hurricane not too many years later.  A highway was built along side of the then closed railway and now serves as the only road in and out of the keys.

You can see that the modern road runs right next to the railroad bridge and power lines.   Once we crossed under the bridge, we crossed from the Atlantic Side to the Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX).  Pretty neat.  Now I can say that I have “done GOMEX”.  Have you?It’s impressive to see how good the Flagler sections still look after 100 years.   Some sections have been converted into fishing piers but many parts are just sitting there crumbling after years of neglect.There are plenty of seabirds in residence like this pelican that was perched on a piling of the bridge as we passed through the bridge.  Well, he was perched a moment ago.We had a really nice sail for the nearly 30 miles between the bridge and our anchorage for the night.  The clouds in the distance were beautiful. I tried my hand at a panorama but it was tough holding the camera steady enough from a moving boat.  Note the wavy horizon.  An amazingly dramatic view with no land in sight in any direction.The water was extremely shallow as we crossed through this part of the Gulf of Mexico and I never saw depths that were greater than about 18 feet.  It is pretty unusual to be 12 miles from shore and see water depths in the single digits but that’s what the Keys are all about.  Really, really shallow.    And, oddly, as we got closer to the shore in the Everglades, the water was very murky with less than a foot of visibility.   Not my first choice.  In fact, the water in the keys is not nearly as clear as the Bahamas that is known as having some of the clearest waters in the world.

When we arrived at our destination we had to anchor about a half mile from shore as it was so shallow near the beach.    Actually, as we rounded the point on our final approach, we ran aground under full sail in water that should have been plenty deep.  We were sailing at about 6.5 knots and came to a sudden and complete stop on a sand bank.  It was a very soft landing so no harm done except to my ego.  Fortunately, there was plenty of wind to heel us over , reduce our draft and allow me to back us off with the engine.  Oops.

Anyway, after that little delay, we worked our way a bit further and anchored about a half mile off from the beach, which made us feel like we were pretty exposed.   By the time we got settled it was just in time to watch a beautiful sunset.   Alas, no “green flash” but impressive never the less.The next morning we headed to the beach.  The cruising guide said that this was a very good shelling beach and “they weren’t lying” but also cautioned about keeping pets away from alligators that frequent the area.  As you can imagine, this put Brenda off of her game pretty well.  However, the opportunity to shells overwhelmed her fear of being eaten alive by a huge lizard so off-a-shelling we went.    It was great, the shelling, not the alligators, and after an hour or so of picking our way along the shore the next morning we collected about 100 shells, including some types that we had never seen anywhere else.  What a haul.  It was a very remote area and clearly there are very few visitors as the number of shells would suggest. 

Oh yeah, not an alligator to be had.

Anyway, here we are back in Marathon and on our mooring just in time to enjoy a beautiful sunset.   And now, I can cross GOMEX off of my “bucket list”, even if I don’t have one.  GOMEX, check.Today, if I ever finish this post, we are off to a “turtle hospital”, a spot where injured sea turtles are nursed back to health and returned to the ocean.  That should be fun.  I LOVE TURTLES! 

That’s it.  Post done.

Turtle time…

It’s Friday morning and we have been in Marathon for a week.    Amazingly, even though they have some 250 moorings in the harbor we have still not made it onto one of them.   When we got here we were something like 32 on the waiting list and as of yesterday we were, I think, number nine.  

Most interesting is that there were about a dozen empty moorings when we went ashore yesterday morning and I was told that some folks rent one for the entire season just so that there will be one for them when they return after sailing elsewhere.  I certainly understand that if you are willing to shell out the $$ for the season that you should get a mooring.  Somehow it seems wrong to have moorings sit open for days or weeks at a time when there is such a long waiting list.

I wouldn’t normally mind being at anchor but having to tie up in the mangroves makes for some pretty hot and buggy nights.  The bug coils that we are using in the cockpit are working pretty well but it is quite hot in the evenings when the breeze drops it gets a bit close.

We had a very nice visit with our son Rob who visited for two days after a business trip to Miami.  It was a lot of fun.  We drove down to Key West and had a nice lunch and walked around the town.

There are some lovely old buildings in town.   I expect that Henry Flagler, who built the rail link from Miami to Key West in the “teens” had a hand in this one.  Very well preserved.Nice shot of father, moi, and son.About a month ago we had a “mishap” with the dink and tore a hole on the bow.  While I had put a patch on it “in the field”, I wasn’t confident that the repair was going to hold for the long term.   Luckily, there was an inflatable repair shop locally and they even provided pick-up and drop-off at a boat ramp downtown.   Well, all’s well now and the repair looks great. And what a grand “relaunching” it was.  Almost as good as new.  The dink, that is.

While we were waiting for the dink to be repaired, we had a long lunch at this lovely beach resort.   What a nice spot.Finally, I haven’t talked about this for a while but we have been showing Pandora to a few prospective buyers over the last weeks and we received our first offer a few days ago.  As is so often the case, we weren’t too happy with the offer and countered but the buyer bolted.  Oh well.  Better luck next time. 

So, what next for Pandora and our travels?  Well, the next weather window looks like it will come early in the week so perhaps we’ll make a run for Bimini.

Perhaps we’ll clear the waiting list for a mooring when we leave?   They say that timing is everything and as it takes so long to make it onto a mooring perhaps that explains why so many NEVER LEAVE.   They simply don’t want to lose their spot.

It’s Monday morning here in Marathon and we just enjoyed a lovely sunrise over the Mangroves.    The view is very peaceful and welcomed after what seems like weeks of heavy winds.  The good news is that the view is beautiful but with the calm winds comes no-see-ums.  However, we have found that those bug coils, sort of like incense, seem to work quite well at keeping them at bay.  

The silence here is absolute which is so different from what we have woken up to in the middle of the night with the wind humming in the rigging and the boat working back and forth on her anchor.

“Bob, the title.  What’s this about us going to the Bahamas after writing so much about the Keys”?  Well, the forecast for the next week seems to suggest that perhaps the pattern of cold fronts rolling down from the north might be interrupted which will make a run to the Bahamas quite pleasant.  Besides, the number of spots to anchor in the Keys is so limited that we aren’t inclined to stick around here for the rest of the winter.

Speaking of the “rest of the winter”, we have to be in Ft Pierce FL around April 15^th and while it’s not quite March, we do feel like our trip this winter is about over.  That’s funny because if we were in CT we’d be moaning that winter will never end.  I guess that life aboard in warmer climes in the winter is a bit different than in the frozen north.  Based on some of the comments I have gotten from our “icebound friends”, who are not at all sympathetic about our “wind trials”, I suppose that it’s all about your point of view.

Yesterday was the first really warm, no make that hot, day we have had in weeks and it was pleasant to spend the day out shopping and enjoying a leisurely lunch at a local seafood place, clearly a favorite of the locals.   Perched right on the side of the Post Road (yes, that’s the same “Post Road” that runs all the way from New England), it was a divy sort of seafood spot with a tacky fountain in the back courtyard.   Compared to the sameness of the fast food places that line most highways, it was very refreshing in a shabby sort of way.

Speaking of local color, when Brenda and I docked our dink yesterday to do our errands, we happened upon this juvenile pelican.  I guess that he/she hasn’t been hassled much as he didn’t seem to concerned about his “Kodak moment”.   However, it was pretty clear when he telegraphed “that’s close enough bud”.  Pretty amusing.A few days ago the strong winds shifted from the north to east which meant that things floating by in the nearby Gulf Stream were blown ashore and into the creek that we are anchored in.  So, when I went up on deck yesterday morning the area was dotted with Portuguese Man of War jellyfish.  These beautiful but deadly creatures couldn’t have been too happy to be in confined muddy waters.   I was fascinated by them and took time in the dink to photograph a few. 

Their “sail” is a sort of bladder filled with air and as the wind blows, they move across the water.  Unlike most “jellies” these guys can travel many miles with the wind.  The blue tentacles are deadly and pity the unwary that touch their “business end”.   I understand that they still pack quite a punch even when washed up on the beach.So, I looked but didn’t touch, advice that is so often good for life in general.

Just a moment ago I went up on deck to check something and saw this beautiful spotted eagle ray gliding Pandora.  What a beautiful and graceful creature. They get huge, over 8′ across, but this little fella was just 2′ of so.  Just amazing. Today I will be going to a meeting at the city marina where folks planning to cross to the Bahamas will compare notes.  I expect that this will be very well attended as it has been so long since a good “window” has been available for crossing and many cruisers are itching to get underway.    Actually, in our experience, most crossing opportunities tend to be measured in hours and not days as seems to be the case this week so I expect that many boats will clear out and make a dash across “the stream”.

When I downloaded the “gribs” this morning, they show that we should expect light winds and pretty settled conditions for much of the week so perhaps after Rob leaves on Thursday morning we can begin making our run to Bimini.

So, after months of “We’re going to the Bahamas, we’re not going to the Bahamas.  No wait, we are going to the Bahamas, maybe.”, I guess that we are, well at least for now.  We will just have to wait a bit longer and see what the weather brings.

For now, the one thing that’s certain is that it’s time to make some coffee.

It’s Saturday morning and we are anchored in a mangrove creek off of Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, in the Florida Keys.  The weather for the last few weeks has been pretty crazy, like the weather up north, but in a Florida Keys sort of way.

That is to say that it’s been unseasonably cold, try 40s in the morning and 60s during the day.  However, before you start yelling “Bob, you are such a weenie, try Zero degrees and see how you like it.”, remember that while we are blessed with heat aboard Pandora, we are really exposed to the weather and….well, just trust me, it’s pretty cold out on the water and way colder than we were expecting.

Anyway, think what you will, but to be less than 100 miles from Cuba and feeling the 40s is not typical.  Regrettably, it’s just not tropical at all.

Our two day run down here from Miami was quite a snorter.    The wind was on the beam and solidly in the 20s with gusts into the low 30s.   Yes, that’s a lot of wind but Pandora handled it pretty well with just the jib.  For much of the time we were booking along at 7-8 knots, a pretty respectable speed with just a small jib up.   Our route took us down the Hawk Channel , which runs down the ocean side of the keys and is protected by a long barrier reef to keep out the ocean swells.   I can’t say that I enjoyed sailing hard for two days but we got here and to wait for more settled weather would have kept us in Miami for another week, which we didn’t want to do.

Marathon is the best harbor in the Keys (actually, it’s the only protected one) and it’s the spot where many cruisers spend their winters and some wait for a “weather window” to head out to the Bahamas.  The city has put in about 250 moorings so the harbor is completely full with very little anchoring room available.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d be happy to pay the $20 per day fee, less if you book for a week or month, but EVERY mooring is occupied and there’s a waiting list with 30 ahead of us so our only option was to head into the mangroves and anchor there along with others in the same predicament until a mooring spot opens up for us.   And, I have heard from some folks who spent two weeks here and only a dozen boats left during that time. I have to say that’s not encouraging.

As an interesting aside, Marathon is the home to “radio Cuba” that has been operated by the Uncle Sam since the 60s, broadcasting “news” to Cuba.  There are three enormous radio antennas nearby blasting their signal to Cuba only to be “jammed” by our buddy Fidel.  We broadcast, they jam and that’s the way it’s been for some 50 years.  Such is the subtle thinking of government. The signal is so strong that the LED lights in our cabin have been flickering, even if they are turned off, and our inverter has even been turning itself on all by itself because of the strong radio signals.  I have also noticed that my SSB long range radio has terrible reception as the signal from the antennas just overwhelms it.  There is so much power from the station that the signal bleeds over onto the SSB frequencies and I can hear the station itself on Pandora.   Bummer that I don’t speak Spanish.

This is an interesting place, that’s for sure.  They even have a Home Depot.

And being in the mangroves is fine, while there is wind.  The mangroves are very pretty but when the wind drops, watch out, as the no-see-ums come out for blood.  Fortunately, or not, the wind has been honking so bugs haven’t been a problem.  Oddly, while the moorings are only $20 a day, you actually have to pay $22 a day to dock your dink at the city marina if you don’t take a mooring.  I guess that’s to keep out the derelict boats that hang around in the few anchoring spots and mess up the harbor.

While it’s been pretty cold for the last week, it looks like we are heading into a warm spell which will be great as our son Rob is going to visit us for a few days on Tuesday.   We are also going to visit our friends Port and Cathy at their home nearby.  That will be fun.

With more moderate weather forecast for the coming week, it’s quite possible that many folks will clear out of the harbor and make a run for the Bahamas which will free up some moorings, 31 I hope.

The creek that we are anchored in is used by local fishing boats that take it out to the ocean to fish so we have to be sure and stay out of the channel.   This means that we dropped our anchor and run lines and tie them to the mangrove trunks.  This is actually easier than it sounds and once we are firmly tied to the mangrove trees and anchored, we just winch ourselves into position.  It’s pretty neat and allows for many boats to be tied up along the mangroves in a tidy row.  Here’s what Pandora looks like in her spot.  As you can see, it’s not a long trip for the bugs to visit Pandora for a snack. Wind or not, as I write this  I can’t help feeling like I am being bitten.  As it’s still windy and the boat is all closed up, it must be my imagination.  Itch, itch, scratch…  I won’t think about that for now.

How about a panorama in the early morning light?  Anyway, there is also a very healthy local manatee population.  This fellow had to have been a good ten feet long going nowhere in a hurry. So, for now, here we are snuggled against the mangroves thinking about the no-see-ums while they wait for a lull in the wind to come over to Pandora for dinner.

Let’s hope that lots of boats head over to the Bahamas soon as I know that’s where they wannabee. 

It’s Thursday morning and it’s blowing like stink here in Key Largo.   The GRIB files that we download each day that provide predictions on wind were right on when they said that it would be fairly peaceful overnight but that the wind would abruptly pipe up to the high 20s around 04:00 today.  It did.  Long term forecasts of wind aren’t of much value but when you get within 24-48 hours they are pretty accurate. 

We have decided to stick here for a few more hours and see if things moderate a bit but as we’d like to be in Marathon by Friday evening as the wind will then clock to the east which will make it quite uncomfortable for any areas exposed from that direction, which this entire area is.

Yesterday we had a very nice run down from No Name harbor near Miami as the wind was quite variable going from the high teens to the mid 20s but as it was never forward of the beam, we were able to make good time under jib or genoa alone.

Today we are hoping that things will calm down a bit mid morning so we can head out for the 40 mile run to Marathon.  Having said that, we really don’t particularly want to sail in winds piping up to the low 30s.  That would be annoying.

When we were leaving Miami a few days ago, Brenda snapped some great photos of the skyline as we motored away.  It’s amazing to see this many buildings crammed into such a small space and that there is enough money in the world to pay for them.  Pretty dramatic view.In lower Biscayne Bay there are still a few homes in what is known as “stiltsville”, a collection of rough homes, some from the 1930s, on, no surprise “stilts”.   There used to be many more but only those “grandfathered” are there now.  It seems that if they are badly damaged in a storm, they can’t be rebuilt.  They look so remote out on the horizon.  They have an interesting and very colorful history as described here. As we made our way the 45 miles to Key Largo we were passed by a number of large motoryachts, probably on their way Key West.  One in particular was a standout, this lovely old Trumpy.  Very elegant.I have to say that it was pretty tough to get our anchor to hold yesterday when we arrived here in Key Largo.  Our plan was to anchor just outside of the harbor entrance in the lee of the island.  As the bottom here is all covered with grass, we had a tough time getting our Rockna anchor to penetrate the bottom and hold well. 

After a few tries, we found a sand patch and dropped the hook there.  While we were able to get the anchor to stick the first time, it wasn’t in enough to make me confortable knowing that the wind was going to pipe up today.  The last thing I wanted to have happen would be to drag in the middle of the night.  Well, it did get plenty windy and it held.  It just shows that properly backing down on the anchor to be sure that it’s secure is a good habit to get into.

After anchoring we decided to head ashore for dinner and on the way we spied non-other than the African Queen, the boat from the movie of the same name.  She was out on an evening tour with some paying passengers.  I had heard that she was in Key Largo but wasn’t expecting to see her first hand.  She looks as shabby now as she did in the movie.  Pretty neat, never the less.Well, it’s about time to get going on our way to Marathon.   If it proves to be too annoying with the wind we will stop part way and continue the rest of the way on Saturday.   I have heard that the mooring field in Marathon has been very busy so it’s possible that with this nasty wind that we won’t be able to get a spot and will have to anchor nearby.  I guess we will have to see.

Wind or not, I am pleased to have too much wind and temperatures in the 50s instead of single digit temperatures and snow.  Besides, cold or not, there are palm trees to remind me that this is supposed to be tropical even if it isn’t right now.