We made it!

This blog is intended to be the memoir of our trip. Some of you may be bored by what we had for dinner or what time we went to bed. English teachers – please forgive mixed tenses, sentence fragments and misplaced or missing commas. To those who are following us vicariously, I hope you enjoy our trip as much as we are!
6-16
Up at 5:45 for coffee. Shirley called shortly after 6 to say she and Judy and Ralph were down the street. We flew into action to disconnect the shore power and loosen the lines. By 6:20 we were off the dock and on our way. We had the water to ourselves. We had just called for Mathers Bridge to open when we heard another boat hail “Indian Harbor Bridge”. Mathers Bridge hailed him and he didn’t know where he was and what bridge he was hailing (need I say it was a sailboat?). After a few more exchanges they figured out that he was at the Lansing Island bridge and that guard was going to go see whether or not the bridge was even operational It was very hazy and smoky all the way to Stuart. The wind picked up all day long. Once you get past St. Lucie Inlet you are plagued with slow speed zones, but it was too windy to go outside. We had to have two bridges open in west Palm and finally made the dock at Loggerhead South at 4:15. Hal and Kim were there to meet us along with a very helpful dockmaster. It was hotter than Hades! By the time we got lines and electricity on, I had packed my bag and headed to the marina shower. It was wonderful! Harold showered and shaved on board, and after a couple of beers/wines, we headed to Outback for dinner with Holly and her boyfriend Pete. We were impressed with Pete – he is a keeper. Back to the boat for more drinks (badly needed by that point), we called Sue and had a good chat, and bid good night to Hal and Kim. Collapsed!!! 105 nautical miles
6-17
Up about 7 for coffee and the morning news. Puttered about a bit, then Harold got busy washing the outside and I got busy cleaning inside. There are always chores – just the venue changes About 10:45 we cast off from the marina and by 12:30 we had fueled up and were fully under way. We had already planned to go all the way to Miami inside, to see how the other half lives. Let me report they are living very well, thank you! And it was quite rough in the ocean, so we were just happy to putter along through slow speed zones and waiting for bridges to open. The latest slow speed scam in South Florida is that when you get in an area where you are allowed to go fast, you can make no more than a 15” wake. Late day we got a bit anxious when we heard a report from the Coast Guard that the Venetian Causeway in downtown Miami was stuck in the down position. Oops! A 12 foot bridge that we HAVE to get through! Not hearing any further reports we forged ahead and, bona fortuna, she opened for us on schedule. About 7:30 we anchored off south Key Biscayne with about a dozen other boats, mix of power and sail. After cocktails and a couple of phone calls, an evening meal of red beans and rice was it before bed time. 60 nautical miles

6-18
Rocking from fishing boats going out the channel to the ocean woke me up about 6:30. Harold was already up and after a cup of coffee, we were under way at 7:10 out the Key Biscayne Channel into Hawk Channel headed south. By 11 am we were at Tavernier where we had planned to anchor out again. We motored in to where the charts and guides suggested and it did not look friendly, so we pushed on. By the time we were at the end of Islamorada we were both pretty tired of bouncing, as the wind had come up pretty good. We came in Channel Five just north of Long Key and navigated the shallow inside water down to Grassy Key where we came in close to land and anchored. We could have easily made it to Banana Bay today, but it is very peaceful here and we are getting ready to go swimming, grill some burgers, and crash. We had our swim and a meal of salmon burgers and steamed veggies on the sundeck, then lit up the generator and the A/C and watched a little TV before an early bed time. I awoke at 1 am in a puddle of sweat so grabbed my flashlight and went to investigate the A/C situation. The forward unit was running and the saloon unit was not. I turned off the forward and turned on the saloon and it immediately kicked off. By this time Harold was awake and, after investigating in the engine room, thinks it must be the pump. So we are A/C less until that can get remedied. I tried to sleep on the sun deck in the lounge chair, but too much sinus action going on. Harold slept on the couch and I finally gave up and went back to bed, where I was able to get back to sleep. Smart money would have gone to the forward stateroom where there is a breeze. Live and learn!! 88 nautical miles
6-19
Happy Father’s Day! Up about 6:45 with Father’s Day cards and Irish coffee. Sky is completely overcast and it is sprinkling on and off. We are in no hurry to leave, since we are only about 15 miles from our destination. We hauled anchor about 10 am and navigated the very shallow water to Banana Bay Marina for about an hour and a half. We were greeted by Larry, the dockmaster, and his girlfriend, Bonnie, and Ken and Diane from the next slip. Ken and Diane are on a boat about the same size as ours and they have a great Dane named Bob on board with them! Just shoot me! The marina is neat and seems well-kept. The resort has a few years on it, and just from outside observation, I can probably believe some of the reviews I have read of it Once we got tied up, Larry walked us around the property so we could get the lay of the land. It is completely overcast today and even so we are sweating our a*%$# off. Shore power is hooked up and we are enjoying a noon Father’s Day cocktail on the sun deck before heading for the pool. We did take a dip in the pool - very warm, although Randy from Alabama said it was cooler that yesterday. Came back to the boat to shower, Harold checked out the A/C situation. We turned everything on and it seemed to work. Perhaps we just picked up some crap in the water intake which loosened on the way here. We left everything on and walked next door to the Hurricane for our Father's Day meal. John likened it to Bizzarro's, but it seems much more fun. Golf and bowling video games and sports TV's, and Harold's cheeseburger and my cajun fried snapper were excellent. We'll be back! Back at theboat, all A/C seems to be in order, and I can tell you that is a very good thing, both monetarily and comfort-wise!

Almost ready!

Thursday, June 16, we will set sail (motor, really) for Marathon in the Florida Keys. It will be a different adventure than last year's, since we have secured a slip in the marina at the Banana Bay Resort for a month. We plan to do a lot of dinghy exploring and expect several vistits from family and friends. Thursday evening we will dock in Lantana to have dinner with my brother and his family and meet his grandson, Mason, for the first time! The next two nights we will anchor out, first at Key Biscayne and then at Tavernier, to make the marina in Marathon on Sunday. I probably won't post daily this year, but keep checking in for updates!

Day 30

One month, no major problems! It was worth all the work Harold did on the engines in the past few months. We took it easy this morning, toured the resort, took a swim, then finally fueled up and headed for home. An easy 5 hour cruise, and we docked about 4:30. Ralph was SOOO excited!! Judy has done a wonderful job dog and house sitting!! Jan and Alan, JC and Monique joined us for pizza and now I guess it is back to business as usual. I can't wait until next summer!

Day 29

Up at 6, big black clouds to the west…So we checked the radar and it seemed to be only a couple of local showers. Cast off at 7 and were in the Hutchinson Island Marriott slip at noon. It was a pretty easy crossing once we got offshore. Still the seas were abaft abeam (sailor talk!!) so we probably went 80 miles to do the 66 required in a straight line. Got to the marina and a 116’ boat was coming in ahead of us and that consumed all of the one dock boy’s time, so we just docked ourselves. We are getting better and better!!! Got power and water hooked up, air conditioning turned on, called customs (that was almost painful) and have now cracked open a bottle of champagne! Next stop is the pool, probably a nap and then the dinner I have been looking forward to all month. We’ll be home tomorrow!!

Day 28

I was awakened at 5:30 by boat movement. The winds had picked up and we were rocking! Harold got up, too, and by the time we had a cup of coffee, we were pulling the anchor. Harold was determined we would cross today.

Conversation 10 minutes out:
Harold: If we had stowed the motor on the dinghy and put the davit down we wouldn’t be rolling so much.
Kay: Yeah, we should have done that.
Conversation 20 minutes out:
Kay: Here is the plan – we are going to West End and getting a slip at Old Bahama Bay and we will cross tomorrow.
Harold: Yes, dear.

The seas were 2-3 and choppy and coming on our rear quarter and the autopilot had a hell of a time keeping us on course. We got into Old Bahama Bay about 11 and about the time Jamal had helped us get tied off we heard on the radio “Double D, we would like to clear customs and take on fuel”. Double D is Debbie and Dave from the Moorings, who are known to us through the whole dog walking thing, and they have Kiri and Scott, parents of Angus, on board with them. We spent some time together while they cleared customs and got fuel, then they were headed out for Green Turtle. Although they are a much faster boat than we are, Green Turtle is about 100 miles from here. I hope they make it!

After they left, we got the motor down into the cockpit and lowered the davit. We had Jamal bring 2 bags of ice so the beer and the CC would get chilled. Got our suits on and headed for the pool. This is an exquisite resort. It is totally secluded, and they have every amenity you could want – even a lady with a massage chair poolside. We went to the Tiki Bar and ordered lunch, and soon our dockmates showed up at the bar. We conversed with them while enjoying a drink and lunch, then swam for a while. Back on the boat it is nap time! Now it is time to wash the boat, secure the last few items and get ready to cross early tomorrow. It’s been a great trip!!!!

Day 27

We “trawled” all the way to Great Sale, which means we went about 7 mph rather than 15. It was a pleasant day with only moderate chop and several boats coming and going. We came into Great Sale about 5 pm, had three sailors and two other motor boats as company. The bad news for today is that the ice maker is dead….Glad it happened now and not a month ago!

Day 26

Up early – one cup of coffee before Harold says “Any time you’re ready.” We unmoored at 8 am and headed north. While on our way, cruiser’s net reports that Whale Cay Channel, the hairiest part of the trip is only 1-2 and choppy. Good news! We got through the “Whale” and headed north past Green Turtle and began thinking about how far to go today. We had quite a discussion about 100 mile days and crossing when I realized that we were talking about crossing Monday, when it has always been our intention to cross on Tuesday. So, given that extra day, we opted to anchor at Powell Cay. We got here about 11:30 with 35 miles under our belt. We were here coming in, so knew exactly where to anchor. There are rain clouds all around us! The Whale must be the rain demarcation for the Abacos! We had rain every night when we were here before and never had a drop south of the Whale! It is now 3 pm and we have had either sprinkles or downpours for the last three hours. We have done the moral equivalent of curling up in front of a fireplace and reading a book. Except our fireplace is the radar screen….When I was read out, I defrosted the frig. Yes, even the boat’s refrigerator needs defrosting! Tomorrow we will go to Great Sale Cay, then Monday to West End.