Merry Christmas from the Keys

It's hard to believe that Christmas is knocking on the door with baby New Year right on it's heels. Time has flown by since we have been here and it doesn't seem as if we have gotten anything accomplished. We have actually only been downtown to do the tourist thing once. Still wanna do that, but something tells me we will be back here one day to stay for a little longer. Well maybe a lot longer, who knows…..

Let’s see, when I last wrote we were waiting on our solar panels to arrive. Well, we are still waiting….we hear they should arrive this next week sometime so we will just wait and see. Dirk finally figured out how he wanted to mount them so he went and bought the stainless steel poles and all the doo dads to attach it over the bimini top. I will keep you posted on that one. Another project we have been meaning to do is to add extra insulation to the interior of the refrigerator. The previous owner put spray foam everywhere on the exterior hollow spots he could get to but we still felt as if it could be improved a bit more as it seems the fridge is a big source of our power usage. Since being down here in the Keys has afforded us the luxury of having a vehicle every once in a while as I have family here, we took the opportunity to go by Home Depot and buy a big sheet of the insulation. It was only ½ inch thick but in some places we doubled it up such as the side that faces the oven and the bottom which is by far too deep anyway. I usually end up doing a hand stand in the fridge to retrieve any item that has managed to find its way down there. So we got that done and I have to say I lost very little fridge space and we figure any improvement we gave it has to be good. Dirk still has not come back with the numbers to tell us how much but if I remember I will let you know when he does. Below is a photo of the fridge before, followed by the photo of the final product.

Dirk has been enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having by dividing his time between fishing and lobstering. He has seen so many lobster but since we are towards the end of the season they have all been too small. He took me with him one day and we see all the lobster sitting on the wall laughing at us as they are the size of a very large shrimp and know that they have time on their side, unless of course the two large new buddies Dirk spotted, Moray & Eel decide to have them for lunch. We went out again the other day and Dirk takes off snorkeling as I am relaxing in the dinghy working on my tan lines when he comes back with a big grin on his face. Yep, he got him a legal lobster, finally!!!! Only got one, but saw several more so he will return to that spot at a later date. We brought the catch back to the boat and in about 15 minutes we had our first taste testing to do.

Ready for the grill

It wasn't huge, but it was a nice tasty morsel. I want to try a few different ways of cooking them. My aunt gave me a few ideas that I will have to give a try.

Well, Christmas is in a few short days and then we find ourselves ushering in the New Year. Dirk and I will celebrate the New Year downtown in Key West. I hear there is much fun to be had, so we have gotten us a room within walking distance to Duval Street. Can't wait, but then on the other hand New Years also signals us that it is time to move on. Before we know it we will begin our journey north to Marathon where we will do some of our final provisioning, then we wait for a good weather window to make the jump to the Bahamas.

Dirk, myself, and Butters want to wish all our family, friends, and readers a wonderful Christmas, and we hope for a safe and happy New Year to all. Till next time.....Cheers!

Still in the Keys

Fear not readers, we haven't fallen off the face of the planet. We have begun getting into the grove of doing everything and nothing. Everything as far as meeting and hanging out with new people , exploring by land and water our new surroundings, and in general just doing only what we want for the day. The nothing is just what it means, nothing......Unfortunately that nothing includes boat work and projects yet to be tackled. But alas, we are in paradise so what are we to do.....


I may have said this before but the only thing we can find fault in this marina is the fact that you are a bit far from anything. This marina does offer a great laundry facility, a nice bar and grill so there is food and drinks to be found but for any provisioning or entertainment one must go off base which is about a 2 mile walk up to the gate to catch a city bus that runs on a not so frequent schedule. On the two occasions we attempted the walk we were picked up by folks that recognized us from the marina. So we decided that in order to get around without having to beg, borrow, or steal a vehicle was to purchase some bikes. So a couple days ago we set out looking for some affordable fold up bicycles. We did go to the local marine store (not mentioning any names) and test drove two different fold ables they had. I guess if you wanted only to go a short hop here or there they would be fine, but for the amount we would need to ride them they were just far too uncomfortable. We also looked online at a few fold ables and any that had what we thought was needed were far too expensive. After tossing the ideas around for a day we decided to go ahead and purchase two bikes we saw at the local K-Mart that were on sale with a great price, and a name brand. At least now we can head into town anytime we want which is what we did yesterday. It takes about 45 minutes to make the ride,we can park the bikes for free and walk all over Key West with no worries. So now we have more reasons not to stay on the boat and do what needs to be done.
Here Dirk is enjoying another day in paradise

One big project we are doing while here in the marina is to install two more solar panels. They have been ordered but now we have the task of finding the best place to mount them and how. We found that when we were on the hook or on a mooring ball during our time getting down here that we were running the engine or the portable generator far too often to keep the batteries charged. Not that we are energy hogs but between our refrigeration and our freezer we use a lot of amp hours. With the price of diesel and gas we figure the panels will pay for themselves pretty quick. Not to mention hours on the engine and oil changes. So I guess we will actually have to take the time to do this before we move on.

Tybee Time got her tree put up along with a few lights to give it the festive glow. I know that our northern friends and family and even our friends in north Florida have been griping about the cold but we have been experiencing temps in the 80's so its hard to believe its Christmas time. The calendar however, assures us that it is.

Before we know it, it will be the new year and time to move on to Marathon and then to the Bahamas. Surely you will hear again from me before the new year, there is only so much nothing you can do in a day.

Now in the Keys, but 1st Marco Island

We left Fort Myers on Saturday after Thanksgiving pulling away from the ball about 8am and having I think a seven hour motor sail down to Marco Island. As we pulled out of the pass we were right on time to be right behind Dave from New Horizon to sail together. He was in our marina in Panama city and was due to leave before us but didn't. He too was headed for Marco Island for a day of rest before heading further south. Several people told us about a place to anchor in factory bay so that's where we headed once we got through the channel. Dirk and I were in the lead and we got to the anchoring spot where it showed 11 feet, then it showed 4. We draw 4' 11" we had run aground. Dave's boat draws more so Dirk tries to motion for him to go back but he keeps chugging on as he doesn't hear us yelling for him to go back. We reverse and are out with no problem but we see Dave churning up the sand trying to get free. Finally he breaks away and heads back the way we came. Later we find out that that particular anchorage has a sand bank running the width of it. No duh.....Lucky for us it was soft sand. So we found another spot outside the channel not too far away and set the hook. Dave is single handing it so we decided to invite him over for a home cooked meal and some conversation. Steaks and potatoes on the grill and he brought over some homemade mulberry wine that was awesome. Next morning he was headed south by the time we awoke but we decided to stay and check things out. Michael and his wife Christi live close by so they brought their boat out to ours and took us on a tour. Wow, the waterways are endless as are the small islands dotting the landscape. We stopped at one island called Cape Romano where the famous Dome home is located. Apparently hurricane Wilma decided to claim the home and the builder is trying to rebuild but running into road blocks. Pretty cool house but looks like a little too much work to me.
The guys decided to do a little fishing and I sat back just soaking in the warm temps and relaxed. Before long it was time to head back to our boat as it would soon be dark. The next morning we started preparing the boat for the 20 hour crossing to the Keys. The winds were suppose to be light and the seas calm so we decided just to put the dinghy on the davits as neither one of us felt like hauling it up to the front of the boat. We were trying to time it so that we would be getting to the Key West channel at sunrise so about 3pm would have been a good time to leave, but we were anxious to get a move on. At noon we were about to pull anchor when we were approached by the Sheriffs dept. boat. Oh great we thought, we have heard and read horror stories about this particular place in the past and realize that it isn't a very sail boater friendly area. We were pleasantly surprised as this guy was just making sure our papers were in order, he answered questions we had for him and was in general very pleasant. No problems here.....So once again we set about pulling anchor and heading out. Once outside the pass we set the sails and plotted our course so that we would go out about 20 miles offshore and then turn south hoping to avoid too many crab pots. A few times there were so many white buoys that I'm sure from the air it looked as if someone dumped a giant size bean bag into the water. At first it wasn't too bad as the water was calm enough that the strings of pots could be seen on the radar. Once the waves picked up a bit that didn't work any longer. We were finally able to turn off the motor and actually do a little sailing and lucky for us that we were sailing because while trying to avoid one crab pot I snagged another. I took her into the wind and was hoping once the boat stopped that the float would cause the pot to release then we would just push it away. No such luck.....Dirk tried taking the boat hook and pulling on the line as we could see the line under the boat but it was apparently hooked on something. One thing left to do, so Dirk tied a line to himself and jumped in diving under the boat to release the pot. Simple enough and we continued on. Sunset was coming quickly and we didn't seem to be any closer to getting out of the pots, at one point we were close to 40 miles offshore and we were still having them to contend with. The way we usually do the longer crossings is one person at the helm watching and the other rest or sleeps if they can. This time we didn't have the leisure of rest as one person had to be on the bow with a spot light reporting back to the helmsman. I knew those marriage saver headsets would come in handy one day. I couldn't imagine doing it without them. At one point at about 2am we both were so tired we decided to put the boat on auto pilot, main sail up and set the radar alarm for anything coming within 3 miles of us. I don't think either one slept but we both were able to lay in the cockpit and close our eyes and rest for about 2 hours. The wind was so light that we were only making about 2 knots. It actually worked out well as we reached the channel about 25 minutes before sunrise. Below is the sun rising over Key West.
Finally we made it through the channel and around and up to the Boca Chica naval air station marina. Wow, what a great place. We were going to stay one night in a slip and then move out to a mooring ball for a month but we were able to get a slip for the whole month which is great. I have shore power to do some of my sewing projects and easy access to land so we can get stuff done. But judging by the looks of things we may not get too much done. Like I said this place is beautiful, wonderful marina with many great folks. Great facilities, a little beach right next to the bar and grill with tiki huts and grills.
Our only problem is that it is a ways to get anywhere. I think we will look into getting two fold up bicycles as they will be very handy here and we can take them with us when we go. So here we will reside for a month, get into the slow pace of the cruising life and just take some time for us. A perfect ending to a perfect 1st day here was a beautiful Key West sunset.

I will keep updating while here as Im sure I will have much to report on and many photos to show. So keep checking back...

Thanksgiving in Fort Myers

Hi all, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family. Dirk and I spent ours sitting on a mooring ball here in Estero Bay in Fort Myers. Well we actually did find a nice restaurant called the Gulfshore Grill that was serving Thanksgiving dinner. We walked in about 11:30 and they told us they were closed for the rest of the day unless we had a reservation for dinner starting at 12:30. Since we didn't have a reservation we were told we could sit at the bar and they could get us a meal there. We agreed to come back and decided to spend some time walking the beach. When we returned we were still a bit early but as the bar was open we went ahead and grabbed two stools ordered a couple cocktails and gabbed with the bartenders. We were approached a few moments later by a hostess who said that they had set up a table for us if we wanted to be seated in the dining area. Now that was a nice surprise and of course we graciously accepted. We had the option of a Shrimp, salmon, prime rib, rosemary lamb or traditional turkey with all the trimmings. Thanksgiving is all about the turkey for me so we elected for the traditional and have to say we were not disappointed. What a great spread this restaurant put on and well it was nice to be treated so nicely.


Above Dirk and I are enjoying our Turkey meal and below our bartender that we called Sara due to her resemblance to Mrs. Palin.

I think last time I wrote we were in Boca Grande and only spent one evening there as we are anxious to get south. It was a beautiful area with many small islands screaming to be explored, but it would have to be some other time. On Tuesday we pulled anchor and cruised down the ICW putting up the sails to very little winds. Once in Sanibel area we went through the area that some cruisers call the miserable mile. We had no problem but I can see where it could be. When you are cruising down the ICW and you look over and see someone shin deep in water very close to your boat you get a little white knuckled especially when you know that you need at least 5 feet under your boat not to hit bottom. When you look at the charts in many areas it shows a depth of 1 to 2 feet so you dont let your boat stray. It took us about five and a half hours to make the trip and like I said we ended up in a mooring field in Estero Bay. The Matanzas Inn runs the field and at 13 bucks a day its not bad for this area. Pretty empty too as they put us in the back forty as I say. But that's fine, was a bit of a dinghy ride to the dingy dock but they had nice laundry facility's there and it makes for an easy walk to the beaches a couple blocks away. Tomorrow we shall head out bright and early to make the 7 hour sail down to Marco Island where we will spend a day then we are looking at another long sail of 20 hours down to Boca Chica in the Keys. We both are looking forward to getting there as we will spend some time and relax a bit taking time to soak up some sun and fun. We have been moving so much that it will be nice to breath for a while.

Just a quick update from Boca Grande

I'm writing this from the cockpit anchored in front of Punta Biance Island which is behind Cayo Costa ( Lacosta Island) here in Boca Grande. We Left Bradenton on Sunday at 9am sharp and traveled five hours down the ICW (Inner Coastal Waterway) till we ended up in Venice. There we stayed at the city dock which is next to the Venice Yacht Club which is another story. Dirk walked over to see if he could purchase some diesel from them for the cans only to be told that they could not sell him any because he was not a member. Guess our money is different then theirs. So we ended up walking the jugs down to the Crows Nest Marina where they thought our money was perfectly acceptable. Anyway the dock allows you to stay 18 hours free in any given 10 days, we just took it all at once.
This morning we woke early to a foggy morning and ended up going out the Venice pass and traveled another five hours to end up here. Can I tell you the crab pots are everywhere, below is a photo of our radar showing how many there were around to avoid.


It was like playing frogger and was pretty nerve racking till we got further out and I could keep them to the left. Every once in a while a straggler would pop up and test you. Once we got here we set the hook and took the dinghy down and motored about to check out the islands. Its so pretty as you can hear all the sounds of nature. The dolphins seem abundant and I spotted my first manatee today. Here Dirk is walking the island checking out the scenery
Tomorrow or the next we should be headed for the Ft. Meyers area. Once we sit for more then a day then I will catch up.

Made it to Bradenton

Well here it is Tuesday and I am finally bringing everyone up to speed on our where abouts. My brain was fried for a couple days after staying awake so much during the 36 hour crossing to get here from Carrabelle. Friday we pulled away from the marina and motor sailed for an hour to get to Dog Island where we planned on staging our getaway from. We set anchor about 1pm and I set about getting things ready below as Dirk was doing the same up on deck. I baked a pan of muffins and made a big pot of gumbo so the cooking would be done and all it would take was a quick heat up to eat. We had two routes planned this time. One was for seas and winds that would cooperate and the other was in case we ran into the same type of mess we got into on our last attempt. The weather reports were calling for anywhere between 5 to 15 knot winds and seas 1 to 3 feet. About 6pm we tried to settle in trying to prep our brains for an early night to bed as we were to be up early. 1:30am the alarm went off and we were up and ready to go in 30 minutes. Of course it felt as if neither of us got any sleep as we were both anxious to get a move on. We pulled anchor in pitch darkness and headed to the pass circling around a couple of the buoys a couple times as we completely lost our bearings. It was quiet unsettling seeing lights all around and yet not quiet knowing where we were. It seemed so straight forward during the daylight hours. Finally we made it out the pass and set our sails and autopilot. I have to say, I really don't know how people make long crossings without one. I cant imagine having to hand steer for any length of time. Well the winds and seas were exactly what they called for, somehow we didn't really trust them but they were. We ended up doing the wing on wing with the sails as the wind was coming from right behind us. We motor sailed at about 5.5 knots the entire morning till a little after sunrise when we decided to give Max our trusty westerbeke a rest. It was a quiet slow moving ride for the next six hours till Dirk did the math and realized if we were gonna get through the Egmont channel during the daylight hours we would need to get a move on. Dirk fired up Max once again and we headed off with seas being a pleasant 1 to 3 feet. Butters was very catered to on this trip as he has finally realized the best place to be is in the cockpit with us. I tried taking him down a couple times to use his litter box but he made a bee line up top once again. So momma or daddy would go down, retrieve the litter box every once in a while, bring it up top, drop the cat into it and wait. With Dirk and I taking turns on the helm the other person would doze or rest with the cat happily plastered between our legs covered with a blanket. This is how he feels the safest and that's how he stayed after dark. During the day we could just cover him with a blanket and he was content. We call him our tunneler as I have never known a cat that loved being buried under blankets like him. Any time you cant find him usually go to the bed and look for the lump. Anyway, the first day came and went and as it was turning into night on the second day I wondered if it would end. I felt like the little train that could, I think I can, I think I can. We had nice breaks when the dolphins would come and play in the wake of the boat. We would go to the bow and hang over the front watching them.

As many times as I see them it never gets old. The only scare we had was during the night on Saturday when I am dozing and Dirk says there is a ship out there over 150 feet showing up on the radar coming right at us. We watched it as it kept heading for us in the pitch darkness. Finally we decided to change our course as he wasn't doing anything. Dirk tried hailing the vessel to no avail and we figure they just had the auto pilot set and were all asleep. Whew! I'm awake.....Daylight broke on the second morning and we were in the home stretch. Yes....I was never so happy to see the sun rise. About 11am we hit the Egmont channel and were greeted by a very large pod of dolphins being our welcome committee. I was at the helm and suddenly I felt like a very small boat on big waters as these huge container ships were headed in and out of Tampa Bay. Wow those suckers can move some water and go fast. Once I saw the sunshine skyway bridge I knew it was only a matter of time before we could say we did it.
The longest leg of our journey was over and it was 36 hours after we had begun.Dirk saw all these boats trolling so he threw his line out and it was only a matter of time before we got a hit.We were hoping for a grouper but we ended up with a king mackerel. That would do.....I got the fish whiskey out and Dirk gaffed the fish and raised it up for me to spray the Jim Beam into its gills. I have read that if you spray alcohol down the fishes gills it sedates them and they wont thrash as much. Ha....I think he didn't like Jim too much and he thrashed away sending blood spaying around everywhere. Finally he succumbed to the drunk and went beddy bye. It was either the whiskey or the fact that Dirk gaffed him through a major artery and he bled out. Hummm..... So now I need to see the best way to cook King Mackerel, any ideas?

We are docked right now in a good place on the inter coastal waterway in Bradenton. A place called the seafood shack marina whose rates are the best we found in the area if you go for the weekly rate. They have a marina lounge with washer/dryer and shower/bathroom facilities. To boot we are docked right in front of the restaurant which we have eaten at a couple times and the food it good. Below is where we are docked with Tybee Time on the left.

On the blog position map it shows us several docks down where we were when we first got here. We have since moved on down a ways as we wanted a little more protection. Right across the bridge is Anna Maria Island with many shops and a beautiful beach. These parts are some of my old stomping grounds as I lived here many years ago for a couple years. We will stay here a week, relax and visit with family and friends that are down this way. Our next stop will probably be down in the Naples area somewhere. It feels so good though to be on our way. Dirk and I both have to keep saying that this is real, this is happening, finally.......

Still in Carrabelle waiting for weather

So here we sit still waiting for weather still in Carrabelle at C Quarters marina.The above photo is the view from the cockpit. Nice place like I said before and great people, so if you find yourselves in this neck of the woods check them out. Ida came and went without too much problem here. We set our alarm every two hours and did line checks as these are fixed docks and the water was lapping over the tops of them. Marina crew was out and about every couple hours checking on things but all went well. Now Dirk and I are checking and rechecking weather looking for our next possible weather window which looks like it will be Friday or early Saturday for taking off. We will probably leave here and stage ourselves behind Dog Island as the river here has a fairly strong current and we will wait till slack tide to get outta here. Once we are sure the weather will work out we will take off and head for the Tampa area semi hugging the coastline just in case we have a repeat of our last offshore trip. We also added a new feature to the blog. If you notice at the top left of the blog there is a section for our current position. We have integrated the spot messenger that we got for our anniversary into the blog so that you readers could follow our progress. It shows you a map or you can choose to see the satellite image if you want. It seems to be really accurate as right now it actually shows the slip we are sitting in. So hopefully the next post you will see will be coming at you from parts further south.