Monday, March 16, 2015
Lessons in “Life on the Water”
It’s been a year since we began cruising. It’s taken this long for us to make an important discovery. The most pleasant rhythm of living on the waterway exits for us if we stay put for a month, move along for a month, then stay put for a month. The “staying put” part allows relationships to come together... a community to develop. We enjoy the solitude that being on anchor in a remote location affords, but that time away from the busy-ness of life needs to be balanced by being back in the swing of things.
If we dock just long enough to fuel up, pump out and take care of laundry and provisioning issues, we miss out on becoming part of the family of kindred spirits. Once word gets around that we are planning to linger for a while, invitations to join the dockside gatherings begin to be handed out. Inquiries about our tubby trawler begin to emerge from the folks sitting on the aft decks of their trawlers and the cockpits of their sailboats. “What is your boat anyway? She’s so homely she’s adorable!”
Settling into the city-operated marinas seems to appeal to us the most. Located in the heart of their historical downtowns, the The City of Ft. Myers Yacht Basin and the Ft. Pierce City Marina are two of our favorites this year. They are on opposite ends of the Okeechobee Waterway. Ft. Myers, on Florida’s West Coast has both the Caloosahatchee River and the Gulf of Mexico to play around in, while Ft. Pierce fronts on the Indian River with the Atlantic beaches just across the Hutchinson Island’s several bridge connections.
Last year we had an extended stay in St. Petersburg Municipal Marina and loved the experience. Sarasota has Marina Jacks as its centrally located docking and mooring spot. Again, we felt right at home. We get to know the bus/trolley routes, we hike and bike around the area and feel like its “our town” for a while. Being a local is nice!
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Saturday, March 07, 2015
Our first “big crossing” takes us from the coastline of Florida’s Everglades Nat’l Park to Marathon in the Florida Keys.
With beam seas hitting us broadside, life aboard “Summertime” was more than a bit rock-y and roll-y. We tried tacking sailboat-style and that put the wind on our bow quarter and stern quarter giving us a much more stable stance for the ensuing three hours... yeah!
We had heard rave reviews about Marathon. Most cruisers arrive there in November and stay until April. We had been warned that space availability would be limited at this time of year. What we discovered was “No room in the Inn”. Boot Key City Marina‘s 226 mooring balls were filled to capacity with 30 boats already on a waiting list. We returned to the outer harbor overlooking the Seven Mile Bridge connecting the Middle Keys to the Lower Keys and Key West. The hubbub of activity in Marathon was out of sight, to our relief, and we enjoyed two sunsets before moving on toward Islamorada.
En route, the engine speed began to slow down. Wally discovered a damaged throttle cable. Since we were the only boat traversing the ICW, we dropped the hook in the available 7 feet of water. This allowed us to stay safe and gave Wally time to MacGyver a repair. We thank the Good Lord for helping us keep calm, letting Wally use his skills and jewelry-making tools on board. A new cable, 34 feet long, is on its way from Rhode Island!
Not being privy to local knowledge, we experienced shock at the shallow waters of Islamorada Harbor. The charts showed 7 feet of water, but our depth sounder showed only 4. The clarity of the water, new to us, made it look more like 2 feet...we need 3.2! (As we glided toward the anchorage, I pleaded for us to turn back before we ran aground. We didn’t.) With the Lorelei Restaurant and Bar off our bow, we caught our breath as the live music wafted over the bay. All’s well that ends well.
Boatman’s Mangrove Marina in Tavernier had one space left and we took it for two days. Even there we had only 8 inches under our keel. There is not much water in the Keys. Old Florida is alive and laid-back in Tavernier. The live-aboard boaters around us were very welcoming. We appreciated the nearness of Winn-Dixie to the north on Rte. 1-A and Dairy Queen to the south.
Yesterday we moved through the expansive Barnes Sound and into Card Sound...two hours from Miami’s Biscayne Bay. Today we are anchored just off the private island of Pumpkin Key, watching the Saturday morning sailboat races from the local yacht club. A powered committee boat is shepherding the class event, many competitors sporting colorful spinnakers. The calm night turned rather breezy about 4am, setting off our anchor alarm. It’s mid-morning and we’re still bouncing a bit, but the sailors couldn’t be more delighted.
En route, the engine speed began to slow down. Wally discovered a damaged throttle cable. Since we were the only boat traversing the ICW, we dropped the hook in the available 7 feet of water. This allowed us to stay safe and gave Wally time to MacGyver a repair. We thank the Good Lord for helping us keep calm, letting Wally use his skills and jewelry-making tools on board. A new cable, 34 feet long, is on its way from Rhode Island!
Not being privy to local knowledge, we experienced shock at the shallow waters of Islamorada Harbor. The charts showed 7 feet of water, but our depth sounder showed only 4. The clarity of the water, new to us, made it look more like 2 feet...we need 3.2! (As we glided toward the anchorage, I pleaded for us to turn back before we ran aground. We didn’t.) With the Lorelei Restaurant and Bar off our bow, we caught our breath as the live music wafted over the bay. All’s well that ends well.
Boatman’s Mangrove Marina in Tavernier had one space left and we took it for two days. Even there we had only 8 inches under our keel. There is not much water in the Keys. Old Florida is alive and laid-back in Tavernier. The live-aboard boaters around us were very welcoming. We appreciated the nearness of Winn-Dixie to the north on Rte. 1-A and Dairy Queen to the south.
Yesterday we moved through the expansive Barnes Sound and into Card Sound...two hours from Miami’s Biscayne Bay. Today we are anchored just off the private island of Pumpkin Key, watching the Saturday morning sailboat races from the local yacht club. A powered committee boat is shepherding the class event, many competitors sporting colorful spinnakers. The calm night turned rather breezy about 4am, setting off our anchor alarm. It’s mid-morning and we’re still bouncing a bit, but the sailors couldn’t be more delighted.
Tuesday, March 03, 2015
From Wild and Crazy Goodland to Wild and Wonderful Russell Pass and the Little Shark River.
You just have to get yourself to Goodland, FL on a Sunday...after church, of course... to behold humanity “passing a good time” with libations, fancy footwork, and just plain fun at Stan’s Idle Hour Cafe and Bar. You can get there by water, you can get there by road; you just can’t believe the scene until you get there and participate.
At Calusa Island Yacht Club and Marina we found Ted and Sarah on “Manatee”, a boat like ours. They are original owners who travel from Detroit, MI to Goodland, FL every year. They have completed The Great Loop 22 times! We hope to complete it once over a two to four year period.
We read a book early on in our cruising life that related the highlights of a Canadian couple traveling Seven Miles and Hour on their Pilgrim 40 “Jazz”. Don and Gillian absolutely fell in love with Russell Pass and the Little Shark River in the Everglades Nat’l Park and we were determined to find out why. We are happy to report that 15 years later, those precious areas are still great for building memories.
The Nat’l Park Tour Boats and the commercial fishing boats still run the Barron River from Everglades City to Russell Pass and out into the Gulf waters, but if you anchor around the bend from the river markers, you’ll hardly notice the rumbling of their engines. After we made the five mile dinghy ride up the river to Everglades City, we were captivated by the venerable and elegant Rod and Gun Club that dates back to the late 1800’s. Our lunch of fresh grouper sandwiches (through the garden) was served to us on the expansive screened porch with breezes providing the perfect 70 degrees.
The Little Shark River is still remote and secluded. It’s part of the Wilderness Water Trail leading from Flamingo on Florida’s Southern Bay to the Gulf. With permits, kayakers can spend a week or more meandering through the mangrove islands, camping out in specified areas. As we rested on anchor at the mouth of the river, a huge mustard-colored sea turtle rose from the depths and snorted a gulp of air before sinking back out of sight. A pair of alligators took advantage of the outward bound tide current to slide past us soundlessly. While on a dinghy picnic ride up river, a raccoon swam hurriedly across the river and disappeared into the mangrove island root system. At sunset, the diving ducks flew in from the Gulf waters in V-formations, filling the air with wing flaps...not a vocal to be heard... for a half an hour or so. To our way of thinking, our experiences can’t get much better than that!
At Calusa Island Yacht Club and Marina we found Ted and Sarah on “Manatee”, a boat like ours. They are original owners who travel from Detroit, MI to Goodland, FL every year. They have completed The Great Loop 22 times! We hope to complete it once over a two to four year period.
We read a book early on in our cruising life that related the highlights of a Canadian couple traveling Seven Miles and Hour on their Pilgrim 40 “Jazz”. Don and Gillian absolutely fell in love with Russell Pass and the Little Shark River in the Everglades Nat’l Park and we were determined to find out why. We are happy to report that 15 years later, those precious areas are still great for building memories.
The Nat’l Park Tour Boats and the commercial fishing boats still run the Barron River from Everglades City to Russell Pass and out into the Gulf waters, but if you anchor around the bend from the river markers, you’ll hardly notice the rumbling of their engines. After we made the five mile dinghy ride up the river to Everglades City, we were captivated by the venerable and elegant Rod and Gun Club that dates back to the late 1800’s. Our lunch of fresh grouper sandwiches (through the garden) was served to us on the expansive screened porch with breezes providing the perfect 70 degrees.
The Little Shark River is still remote and secluded. It’s part of the Wilderness Water Trail leading from Flamingo on Florida’s Southern Bay to the Gulf. With permits, kayakers can spend a week or more meandering through the mangrove islands, camping out in specified areas. As we rested on anchor at the mouth of the river, a huge mustard-colored sea turtle rose from the depths and snorted a gulp of air before sinking back out of sight. A pair of alligators took advantage of the outward bound tide current to slide past us soundlessly. While on a dinghy picnic ride up river, a raccoon swam hurriedly across the river and disappeared into the mangrove island root system. At sunset, the diving ducks flew in from the Gulf waters in V-formations, filling the air with wing flaps...not a vocal to be heard... for a half an hour or so. To our way of thinking, our experiences can’t get much better than that!
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