It’s Wednesday morning and we are still here in Ft Lauderdale. It’s been a challenging week with terrific wind and a few nasty fronts, complete with some impressive gusts over 40kts and tons of rain. \u00a0We even had the fun of re-anchoring in the wee hours, which is always good for a laugh or two. \u00a0Brenda particularly enjoys those special moments together.<\/p>\n
Actually, yesterday might have been the first day since our arrival that I didn\u2019t have to bail out the dink at least once.\u00a0\u00a0 Happily, we are getting some respite from the wind as it\u2019s supposed to be pretty light until perhaps Friday when it\u2019s expected to get \u201csporty\u201d again and blow at near gale strength.\u00a0\u00a0 I guess that this is par for the course in early winter in Florida when the \u201cfun” returns every few days.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s pretty cool too.\u00a0 No, I won\u2019t say cold as it will just make my brother irate as he lives in northeast PA where cold means something.\u00a0 So far, the \u201csunny\u201d in “sunny Florida” has alluded us as we have been here for more than two weeks and I can only count a couple of days when the sun as shown it’s face for more than a few hours at a time. \u00a0So much for “solar power” ruling the day.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s nice to see that the sun is, sort of, out in force as I write this.<\/p>\n
I spoke with Chris Parker, the weather router, both yesterday and on Monday with the hope of “getting out of Dodge” and crossing to the Berry Islands today but the wind is a bit strong from the east than we’d like and with so many miles to go against adverse winds and seas, we opted to wait until the next “window”. Unfortunately, this means that we will be stuck here through the weekend. \u00a0 However, he feels pretty confident that we will be able to head out perhaps as early as Sunday evening to make the 125 mile run to Great Harbor Key where we will be treating ourselves to a stay for two weeks or so in the marina, something that we have not done in the past. \u00a0We are really looking forward to it as we have heard that it’s a fun spot.<\/p>\n
The “window” that we were going to use this week was a narrow one, lasting less than 24 hours. \u00a0We could have made it over to Bimini but once there, we would have been stuck through the weekend anyway and would have had to check into a marina at about $100 per day. \u00a0The rates for a marina are much higher if you only stay a few days than if you plan a longer stay. \u00a0Once you have stayed ten days or so, the rate for a whole month isn\u2019t much different.<\/p>\n
So, the plan now is to hope for the best and plan on leaving Sunday or Monday.\u00a0 That\u2019s fine I guess, as we have been struggling to get everything done prior to leaving the States. \u00a0I just found out that there are two more forms that I have to deal with in order to complete our plans to visit Cuba. \u00a0It seems that we need to submit a form to the U.S. Coast Guard to let them know of our plans and itinerary.\u00a0 They also need the particulars of the approvals from State and Commerce.\u00a0\u00a0 Oddly, these forms have to be faxed verses e-mailed and must be printed out and signed.\u00a0 I can\u2019t say that the \u201cnautical fax\u201d machine is active on Pandora. However, we do have a printer.\u00a0 There is also some sort waiver form from OFAC, the Office of Foreign Asset Control, that I have to submit to avoid a 180 day waiting period before we can re-import Pandora.\u00a0\u00a0 Not sure about that one.\u00a0 I\u2019ll need to do some work on that today.<\/p>\n
We also will be getting some Canadian currency as it has a better exchange rate in Cuba as the Cuban government imposes a 20% tax on Greenbacks.\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s Fidel sticking it to the Yanks.\u00a0 I guess fair is fair.\u00a0\u00a0 However, he did start it with the whole \u201crevolution thing\u201d, right?<\/p>\n
Anyway, Ft Lauderdale is nice but I am so looking forward to the Bahamas with warm clear water.\u00a0 Besides, our daily runs to the store for \u201cone more thing\u201d, have to end at some point or I\u2019ll have to haul Pandora again and raise the waterline.\u00a0 Just how many y0gurts do we really need?\u00a0 Bottles of wine?\u00a0 Well, that\u2019s another question entirely. \u00a0Besides, a boat does need ballast, right?<\/p>\n
Through all of this I have ordered plenty of last minute items including a hand held depth finder, that arrived yesterday. \u00a0It will come in handy as we pick our way through unfamiliar waters in Cuba.\u00a0 There are times when we want to enter a spot and aren\u2019t sure if it\u2019s deep enough so having a portable depth finder that I can take ahead in the dink will be very useful.\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty neat and even has a thermometer in it.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo Bob, we can\u2019t go in there, the water is not warm enough.\u00a0 Check over there.\u00a0 It looks warmer over there, yes to the right.\u201d<\/p>\n
We have also purchased courtesy flags for the countries that we plan to visit and just for fun, I laid them out in the cockpit the other evening.\u00a0 Of course, the middle one is our own Essex Yacht Club burgee. \u00a0\u00a0In clockwise order, Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas and The Caiman Islands, all spots that we may\/will stop along the way.\u00a0 ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/1-19-16a-012-1.jpg\")
Last night over an \u201cadult beverage\u201d, I remarked to Brenda that, when we were sailing Long Island Sound way back when in our 20\u2019 Cape Cod Catboat, that I never imagined that we\u2019d ever visit these places by boat. \u00a0\u00a0Her reaction wasn\u2019t completely clear.\u00a0\u00a0 Was it a smile or grimace.\u00a0 Hmm\u2026\u00a0 You know, she was the one who came up with Pandora\u2019s name.\u00a0\u00a0 Anyway, cool photo.<\/p>\n
As\u00a0 I reminisce, I should mention that we had a lovely visit with our long-time, notice that I didn\u2019t say \u201cold\u201d, friends Linda and Richard.\u00a0 Linda worked with me for perhaps a decade back in one of my \u201cprevious lives\u201d and we try to visit her when we are passing through West Palm Beach, where they live.\u00a0 Linda is the keeper of the last remaining stand of \u201cBob the banana\u201d, offspring of a plant that Brenda and I grew from a shoot that we purchased back in the 70s while we were dating in high school.\u00a0 We kept it alive for many years, in our home and later in a greenhouse that we kept for over 20 years.\u00a0 When we moved away from NJ, four years ago, we tossed the last of our \u201cBob\u201d.\u00a0 However, he lives on with Linda and Richard as they planted a shoot that I gave to Linda when they moved to Florida almost ten years ago.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a shot of me, Linda and \u201cBob\u201d.\u00a0 He\u2019s doing well, I would say and pays his way by producing hundreds of bananas a year.\u00a0 Don\u2019t we all look so cute together?\u00a0 \u201cBob loves it there!\u201d\u00a0 Me too.![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/1-19-16a-006-1.jpg\")
So, for the next few days Brenda and I will finish up last minute details and I\u2019ll try to figure out exactly what else Uncle Sam wants to be sure all is in order for our visit to Cuba and perhaps more importantly, our return to the U.S. \u00a0I guess I had better sign off or we won\u2019t be ready by the weekend \u201cwindow\u201d, if it arrives after all.<\/p>\n
Signing off from Sunny Florida for now and enjoying a day that actually is as advertised.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It’s Wednesday morning and we are still here in Ft Lauderdale. It’s been a challenging week with terrific wind and a few nasty fronts, complete with some impressive gusts over 40kts and tons of rain. \u00a0We even had the fun of re-anchoring in the wee hours, which is always good for a laugh or two. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_s2mail":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5220"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5228,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220\/revisions\/5228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}