SHIP'S LOG:
Yes, earth shattering as it may seem, they do get bad weather down here in Miami. Well, not bad as in 84 inches of snow and temps in the teens, but they do get bad weather. The last couple of days are perfect examples.
We have had two days of rain. well, maybe that is not exactly right. We have had rain on two days. Yes, that is more accurate. Still in all that is more rain than I have seen since Fort Pierce! Now, it wasn't much rain, maybe a 1/2 inch or so, maybe more, but it all came down in a rush, like 30 minutes. And it was cold, too. I mean for the last two days the temperature never even reached the 80's, never got higher than 79. This is not what I expect in Florida, especially in Miami. Can you believe it, 79 degrees. That's only about 8 degrees warmer than the water I have to swim in. It should be at least in the 80's . . . the air not the water.
And the wind. For the last two days it has been a steady 15-20 with gusts in the 30's. I want calm tropical breezes, not wind that in which you can race a sailboat. Tropical breezes just wafting through the air and cooling me down when I have the energy to get out of the sun.
Truth be told, the last couple of fays and the next couple of days will all be about the same, 20% chance of rain( though it has actually turned out to be 100% as it has rained both days and I expect the same for the next two. ) The wind has been gusty and out of the N/NE. Any gust that can lay ABISHAG over has got to be 25-30 and we've been experiencing such gusts about every5 minutes or so. Tuff to keep one's Rum Sour from spilling. It has also been rather overcast and is expected to continue, so while the temperature hasn't been awful, the wind, humidity and lack of sunshine have made it seem cold, well at least cooler than it has been.
The Miami anchorage is thinning out a bit. There is actually a large hole in the center as boats that have been here awhile are starting to move out. Based on the weather in the Gulf Stream, I doubt that they are heading east! It must then either south or north. I have a feeling that it is probably north. Now that we are in March(It is officially Spring in the Country of Georgia as of March 1st)people are going to begin to make the slow trek north. Most of the yearly snow birds, keep their boats in south and are probably heading north to make arrangements for summer storage and perhaps to do some work on their crafts. we have had two pretty good "summer" months this winter and it is probably time to "take the money and run."
I will probably be off next week sometime. Yes, I know that the Ides of March are not next week, but I have a package to pick up in Fort Lauderdale and when the word comes that it has arrive I will naturally go and pick it up and Fort Lauderdale in North of Miami and so rather than go and come back, I will just go. It's one step on a journey that is , according to the GPS 1483 miles long, just the first step. Strange as it may sound, I am as itchy to get back as I was to get down. That "Travelin' Jones" has got me I guess. And that is why I want the weather to get back to where it was. I need to even out my tan!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
RAIN!!!! Well, Possibly.
SHIP'S LOG:
Today was another one of those day . . . you know what I mean. A good day to sit around and enjoy the sunshine an do lots of nothing. Unfortunately, I also had to go and do some shopping. So, since I am still "sear pin-less," I took ABISHAG on a three mile cruise up to South Beach and dropped the hook and then rowed the mile up the Collins Canal to Publix. Before I went there, I did a little stroll to the local CVS to pick up a few items that are actually cheaper there than at Publix.The CVS is about 5 blocks south of Publix on Alton Avenue in what you might call a very "avaunt garde" section. One of the stores I passed was a second-hand clothing boutique called "Out Of The Closet" which also offered free HVI Testing.
Miami broke some kind of record with the temperature today and the row to and from where I had anchored ABISHAG got me rather overheated. So after I got back to the "Free" Miami Anchorage and had stored all the stuff, I went for a little swim. Just me and the dolphins . . . or so I thought. I was approached as I swam by a manatee. It was the size of a couple of sofas and about as ugly as you can imagine. Of course, all the stories about mermaids are attributed to sailors long at sea who spy a manatee. Take it from me, you would have to be at sea a LLLLONG time to see a manatee and come up with mermaid.
We are going to get socked with a front passing tonight(they always seem to come at night) and there will be a lot of wind and quite possibly 1/4 inch of rain. The wind just did a 180 from South to North so the front is definitely here. It will make for an anxious night and probably not one of a lot of sleep. But the holding is good and things should be just fine.
In about 2 weeks or less, I will begin the long trip back. Me and the spring weather will travel together so it might be awhile before I get back.The ICW has no secrets for me now and there are some places I really want to see. It should be a rather interesting trip back.
Today was another one of those day . . . you know what I mean. A good day to sit around and enjoy the sunshine an do lots of nothing. Unfortunately, I also had to go and do some shopping. So, since I am still "sear pin-less," I took ABISHAG on a three mile cruise up to South Beach and dropped the hook and then rowed the mile up the Collins Canal to Publix. Before I went there, I did a little stroll to the local CVS to pick up a few items that are actually cheaper there than at Publix.The CVS is about 5 blocks south of Publix on Alton Avenue in what you might call a very "avaunt garde" section. One of the stores I passed was a second-hand clothing boutique called "Out Of The Closet" which also offered free HVI Testing.
Miami broke some kind of record with the temperature today and the row to and from where I had anchored ABISHAG got me rather overheated. So after I got back to the "Free" Miami Anchorage and had stored all the stuff, I went for a little swim. Just me and the dolphins . . . or so I thought. I was approached as I swam by a manatee. It was the size of a couple of sofas and about as ugly as you can imagine. Of course, all the stories about mermaids are attributed to sailors long at sea who spy a manatee. Take it from me, you would have to be at sea a LLLLONG time to see a manatee and come up with mermaid.
We are going to get socked with a front passing tonight(they always seem to come at night) and there will be a lot of wind and quite possibly 1/4 inch of rain. The wind just did a 180 from South to North so the front is definitely here. It will make for an anxious night and probably not one of a lot of sleep. But the holding is good and things should be just fine.
In about 2 weeks or less, I will begin the long trip back. Me and the spring weather will travel together so it might be awhile before I get back.The ICW has no secrets for me now and there are some places I really want to see. It should be a rather interesting trip back.
Monday, February 28, 2011
You Can't Fix Stupid!
SHIP'S LOG:
I think it was a comedian by the name of Ron White who came up with the phrase and i would have to day, based on the last two days that I would have to agree completely.
INCIDENT #1 I needed to go to a marina for a "Pump & Dump." one that I should have taken care of sooner. But I waited until Sunday when seemingly everyone with a boat is out using it. I had to pass under the Venetian Causeway Bridge West to get to the only marina in the immediate area that said they had a working pump-out. I was a couple of hundred yards away from the bridge and I called the tender so that he would know that I was coming. I asked him if he could see me and he said "Yes." I did this to give him a heads up because the toll station to get onto the Venetian Causeway is just beyond the bridge and there can be a rather long line of traffic stretching over it. I just wanted him to know I was approaching and was looking for an opening that would be "minimally invasive." I was still some distance away when he hit the lights and opened the bridge. He kept the bridge up for a minute and then closed it back down. I was about 50 yards away. So I called him again and asked for an open "at his convenience." And he went off on a toot, saying that if I made an appointment for the opening I should be there to take advantage of it. And to show me who was in control, he made me sit there until I was joined by several other boats also asking for an opening. I was trying to help him out and he just seemed to take it the wrong way.
INCIDENT #2
The way into the marina for the "Pump & Dump" was down a narrow channel. I actually had to wait, idling in the ICW, until the boats already at the dock began to leave. I got the "ALL CLEAR" from the dock boss and proceeded in. Now in most cases, people in boats tend to pass each other like they do in cars, left-to-left(port to port). A "Gentleman boat operator," coming out of the marina decided that it was the perfect time to talk on his cell phone. With his cell phone in one hand and a beer in the other, an a boat full of friends and family, he started right out of the marina right down the center of the channel so that there was no way I could pass him and stay in the channel. I had to wake him up with blasts from my horn before he realized what he was doing and moved over. And did he give me the dirtiest look. ( I also got the finger from the woman I took to be his wife.)
INCIDENT # 3
Heading back through the same bridge as in Incident #1, I parked 30 feet off the bridge and made my call. Another sailboats was on the other side, about the same size as ABISHAG, and we would pass through together, no problem. The bridge went up and we both started through when a obviously brain dead individual on a Personal Water Craft decided that this would be the perfect time to also got through. AS we two sailboats were between the fenders under the bridge, he came around from behind the other sail boat, cut in front of my bow, passed down the portside and cut in front of the other sailboat's bow, all the while looking back obviously towards some friend also on PWC that hadn't followed him.
INCIDENT#4
Heading back up the Venetian Causeway toward the Miami Anchorage, I came upon a 40-45 motorsailer puttering along in the channel . . . . SSSSSLLLLOOOOOOWWWWLLLLLYYY. The entire deck of the motorsailer was covered with people all drinking and having a great time, including those who where sitting "on the pilothouse" with their legs dangling down in front of the helm(steering) station, and all those on the fore deck in front of the pilothouse. The motorsailer was just weaving all over the place and though I looking, I can't say for sure that I saw anyone on the wheel. I had to duck and dodge to get by, and I just missed colliding with the motorsailer. One of the young ladies offered me a drink.
INCIDENT#5
This one happened today. A couple of kids, mid to late teens, were out windsurfing. Now if the wind is right, you can get a windsurfer up to some pretty respectable speeds. It also can be not the most agile and maneuverable craft and they can get out of control quickly if you loose your focus. For these reasons, they are safest in open water with not a lot of obstacles . . . .like moored boats, especially those with dinghies tethered of the back. And with the foolishness and impetuousness of youth, these two windsurfers took off from the beach through the mooring field and almost made it. One T-Boned a hard dinghy, driving his sailboard through the side, impaling the dinghy while the owner watch from the cockpit. The second lad was luckier as he hit a soft dinghy which only catapulted him and his board 20 feet up and 30 feet out. Neither was really hurt, except in the wallet, though for some reason, I don't believe that they learned much from the incident.
There were actually more incidents and these were just around me. I can't imagine what went on elsewhere. Then again, you can't fix stupid.
I think it was a comedian by the name of Ron White who came up with the phrase and i would have to day, based on the last two days that I would have to agree completely.
INCIDENT #1 I needed to go to a marina for a "Pump & Dump." one that I should have taken care of sooner. But I waited until Sunday when seemingly everyone with a boat is out using it. I had to pass under the Venetian Causeway Bridge West to get to the only marina in the immediate area that said they had a working pump-out. I was a couple of hundred yards away from the bridge and I called the tender so that he would know that I was coming. I asked him if he could see me and he said "Yes." I did this to give him a heads up because the toll station to get onto the Venetian Causeway is just beyond the bridge and there can be a rather long line of traffic stretching over it. I just wanted him to know I was approaching and was looking for an opening that would be "minimally invasive." I was still some distance away when he hit the lights and opened the bridge. He kept the bridge up for a minute and then closed it back down. I was about 50 yards away. So I called him again and asked for an open "at his convenience." And he went off on a toot, saying that if I made an appointment for the opening I should be there to take advantage of it. And to show me who was in control, he made me sit there until I was joined by several other boats also asking for an opening. I was trying to help him out and he just seemed to take it the wrong way.
INCIDENT #2
The way into the marina for the "Pump & Dump" was down a narrow channel. I actually had to wait, idling in the ICW, until the boats already at the dock began to leave. I got the "ALL CLEAR" from the dock boss and proceeded in. Now in most cases, people in boats tend to pass each other like they do in cars, left-to-left(port to port). A "Gentleman boat operator," coming out of the marina decided that it was the perfect time to talk on his cell phone. With his cell phone in one hand and a beer in the other, an a boat full of friends and family, he started right out of the marina right down the center of the channel so that there was no way I could pass him and stay in the channel. I had to wake him up with blasts from my horn before he realized what he was doing and moved over. And did he give me the dirtiest look. ( I also got the finger from the woman I took to be his wife.)
INCIDENT # 3
Heading back through the same bridge as in Incident #1, I parked 30 feet off the bridge and made my call. Another sailboats was on the other side, about the same size as ABISHAG, and we would pass through together, no problem. The bridge went up and we both started through when a obviously brain dead individual on a Personal Water Craft decided that this would be the perfect time to also got through. AS we two sailboats were between the fenders under the bridge, he came around from behind the other sail boat, cut in front of my bow, passed down the portside and cut in front of the other sailboat's bow, all the while looking back obviously towards some friend also on PWC that hadn't followed him.
INCIDENT#4
Heading back up the Venetian Causeway toward the Miami Anchorage, I came upon a 40-45 motorsailer puttering along in the channel . . . . SSSSSLLLLOOOOOOWWWWLLLLLYYY. The entire deck of the motorsailer was covered with people all drinking and having a great time, including those who where sitting "on the pilothouse" with their legs dangling down in front of the helm(steering) station, and all those on the fore deck in front of the pilothouse. The motorsailer was just weaving all over the place and though I looking, I can't say for sure that I saw anyone on the wheel. I had to duck and dodge to get by, and I just missed colliding with the motorsailer. One of the young ladies offered me a drink.
INCIDENT#5
This one happened today. A couple of kids, mid to late teens, were out windsurfing. Now if the wind is right, you can get a windsurfer up to some pretty respectable speeds. It also can be not the most agile and maneuverable craft and they can get out of control quickly if you loose your focus. For these reasons, they are safest in open water with not a lot of obstacles . . . .like moored boats, especially those with dinghies tethered of the back. And with the foolishness and impetuousness of youth, these two windsurfers took off from the beach through the mooring field and almost made it. One T-Boned a hard dinghy, driving his sailboard through the side, impaling the dinghy while the owner watch from the cockpit. The second lad was luckier as he hit a soft dinghy which only catapulted him and his board 20 feet up and 30 feet out. Neither was really hurt, except in the wallet, though for some reason, I don't believe that they learned much from the incident.
There were actually more incidents and these were just around me. I can't imagine what went on elsewhere. Then again, you can't fix stupid.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
81/Humid/Clear Skies/ Light Wind! Bummer!
SHIP'S LOG:
Another terrible day - weather wise - just more of the same old weather. I actually thought maybe there might be a change and I was right, it did get a little hotter.
A couple of nights ago, the wind shifted late at night and I became uneasy about the anchorage and the holding and it all led me to get up and check things out. I Didn't turn on the GPS but simple went into the cockpit, check the anchor and its setting and basically waited for the wind to died down. IT was only a couple of hours until dawn and everything seems better in the light. I supposed that I could have gone back to bed but some sense got me up and I decided to go with it. I had a couple of cups of coffee and some cookies and just enjoyed the morning . . . .that was until I took a good look at my watch. When I first looked at it, it had read 4:47 so it didn't seem to be that big a deal to get up a couple of hours early. However, when my watch is in the "Stop Watch Mode", it runs through the weekdays to count of seconds so that you know it is running. I noticed after two hours that it was doing that and so I hit the "STOP" button, reset the mode to time and it read 2:25AM. I had been using the stopwatch mode to time an engine run for a battery charge and simply forgot to turn it off and reset it to time.And with two cups of coffee, I wasn't going back to sleep any time soon.
Today(Saturday) the cruisers gathered at the Miami Yacht Club Bar and had lunch and a few drinks and told stories of trip and cruises. Jim all the came all the way down from Maine in A Bristol 35. It is more amazing that he had a stroke several years ago and still has significant impairment on his left side, but like me, he is all by himself. Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice,of the Catamaran "ZYDATROPE" are friends who have been cruising for years. They bought the catamaran together and couple has their own hull.They say that the only time it gets a bit difficult is when they argue over where to go next. They can't split up, obviously, but they say the disagreements rarely last long or get really heated. Bob and Edith, a British couple in from the the Bahamas, were quite elderly, both in their mid to late 70's but regularly "beat the dragon" - cross the Gulf Stream - between the Bahamas and Florida and they have been doing it for over 30 years. Edith says it keeps them out of their kids' hair and out of nursing homes.
There were about 30 cruisers in all and most had been into the lifestyle for several years at least and couldn't think of ever leaving it. Once you get into the mindset, once you simplify your life to live on a boat, once you let go of all of the stuff that ties you to the land, they say that your really never want to go back. It is something like a long restful vacation, where you wind down and slow down and change all your perspectives. When you have a vacation like that, you get back home and everyone else seems to be running around furiously and worrying about so many thing s that they haven't got time to smell the roses. If you have had a vacation like that, you can begin to understand. Living aboard and the cruising lifestyle is NOT a vacation, it is just a different style of living. It has as many problems as any other lifestyle, just different and you work out the solutions in different ways. You certainly have a much more control of things, at least somethings, and things you worry about and have to deal with are not always the same as others have to deal with - when was the last time you wondered what the make up and consistency of the ground under your house way, or whether the winds would shift at night and blow stronger or be concerned that pipes in the septic system might be leaking so it would be a good thing to check them all out. I know that a lot of people think that this trip is one long vacation. It certainly has aspects of that in it all right, but it is much more a journey of self-discovery and even if everything goes completely wrong, that journey will always be a good one if the one making it takes the time to come to know themselves.
It is two days and two weeks until Turn-Around-Day on the Ides of March. You want to get that weather mess all sorted out up there please?
Another terrible day - weather wise - just more of the same old weather. I actually thought maybe there might be a change and I was right, it did get a little hotter.
A couple of nights ago, the wind shifted late at night and I became uneasy about the anchorage and the holding and it all led me to get up and check things out. I Didn't turn on the GPS but simple went into the cockpit, check the anchor and its setting and basically waited for the wind to died down. IT was only a couple of hours until dawn and everything seems better in the light. I supposed that I could have gone back to bed but some sense got me up and I decided to go with it. I had a couple of cups of coffee and some cookies and just enjoyed the morning . . . .that was until I took a good look at my watch. When I first looked at it, it had read 4:47 so it didn't seem to be that big a deal to get up a couple of hours early. However, when my watch is in the "Stop Watch Mode", it runs through the weekdays to count of seconds so that you know it is running. I noticed after two hours that it was doing that and so I hit the "STOP" button, reset the mode to time and it read 2:25AM. I had been using the stopwatch mode to time an engine run for a battery charge and simply forgot to turn it off and reset it to time.And with two cups of coffee, I wasn't going back to sleep any time soon.
Today(Saturday) the cruisers gathered at the Miami Yacht Club Bar and had lunch and a few drinks and told stories of trip and cruises. Jim all the came all the way down from Maine in A Bristol 35. It is more amazing that he had a stroke several years ago and still has significant impairment on his left side, but like me, he is all by himself. Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice,of the Catamaran "ZYDATROPE" are friends who have been cruising for years. They bought the catamaran together and couple has their own hull.They say that the only time it gets a bit difficult is when they argue over where to go next. They can't split up, obviously, but they say the disagreements rarely last long or get really heated. Bob and Edith, a British couple in from the the Bahamas, were quite elderly, both in their mid to late 70's but regularly "beat the dragon" - cross the Gulf Stream - between the Bahamas and Florida and they have been doing it for over 30 years. Edith says it keeps them out of their kids' hair and out of nursing homes.
There were about 30 cruisers in all and most had been into the lifestyle for several years at least and couldn't think of ever leaving it. Once you get into the mindset, once you simplify your life to live on a boat, once you let go of all of the stuff that ties you to the land, they say that your really never want to go back. It is something like a long restful vacation, where you wind down and slow down and change all your perspectives. When you have a vacation like that, you get back home and everyone else seems to be running around furiously and worrying about so many thing s that they haven't got time to smell the roses. If you have had a vacation like that, you can begin to understand. Living aboard and the cruising lifestyle is NOT a vacation, it is just a different style of living. It has as many problems as any other lifestyle, just different and you work out the solutions in different ways. You certainly have a much more control of things, at least somethings, and things you worry about and have to deal with are not always the same as others have to deal with - when was the last time you wondered what the make up and consistency of the ground under your house way, or whether the winds would shift at night and blow stronger or be concerned that pipes in the septic system might be leaking so it would be a good thing to check them all out. I know that a lot of people think that this trip is one long vacation. It certainly has aspects of that in it all right, but it is much more a journey of self-discovery and even if everything goes completely wrong, that journey will always be a good one if the one making it takes the time to come to know themselves.
It is two days and two weeks until Turn-Around-Day on the Ides of March. You want to get that weather mess all sorted out up there please?
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Shear Pins! What The Heck Is A Shear Pin?
SHIP'S LOG:
Today was the day of the "shear pin." Shear pins are these little brass(?) rods, perhaps an inch in length which fit through the drive shaft of the outboard motor and fit into a slot in the back of the prop. They transmit the "drive" from the shaft to the prop. They are made to brake or shear when the prop hits something or becomes entangled or whatever so that the prop will spin freely and not damage the shaft and/or the transmission of the engine. It is a very simple and sensible arrangement.
I was planning to go marketing today in South Beach(Miami Beach) and take a tour of the place, so I loaded the motor on the dinghy, attached the fuel line and the fuel tank, put in my shopping bags and took off. I went perhaps a quarter of a mile when the shear pin broke. I didn't think I hit anything, at least nothing I could see in the water or feel, but it sheared nonetheless. So it was a 1/4 mile row back to the boat. I hauled the engine up onto the boat, undid the nub, removed the prop and out fell the shear pin in three parts. (Perhaps I hit a manatee!) As luck would have it, there was a spare shear pin in a little rubber grommet inside the engine cover and it took just minutes to change it out. I lowered the engine back onto the dinghy and headed off to Miami(South) Beach.
If Miami is a 10 foot town, Miami Beach (South) is a 5 foot town. I couldn't help but notice that all the "beautiful people" looked wrong. They all were too perfect. Teeth too white, tans to even, make- up abit over done - everyone looked plastic. And the town was pretty much a reflection of the people. A little too perfect, a little too too, if you know what I mean. It was a nice bus ride, a mere 25 cents, and I got to see it all. It isn't a place that I would go back to though, except perhaps to find the proper "dives" that I am sure exist there somewhere. But I haven't the time or the inclination or the energy to seek them out. No loss, the world is full of "dives!"
Hit the Publix and loaded up the dinghy and motored back to ABISHAG. I of loaded the food stuffs with the engine in neutral and the throttle at idle. After the unloading, I shifted into reverse and the shear pin went. I could see if perhaps the engine was reving or I shifted hard from forward into reverse, but no! it was just at idle and the then reverse and pop, another shear pin. I was not happy!
After I had stored everything and secured the dinghy and the engine and was enjoying pre-pranduals, I guy came by who had been a live aboard at Fort Rachel in Mystic. we shot the breeze for awhile and I mentioned the shear pin problem. He said he was going to River Marine the next day and would pick me up a bunch. It would sure save me a lot of walking.
The weather today was the same boring weather. The swimming was the same as was the tanning. Well, such is life.
Today was the day of the "shear pin." Shear pins are these little brass(?) rods, perhaps an inch in length which fit through the drive shaft of the outboard motor and fit into a slot in the back of the prop. They transmit the "drive" from the shaft to the prop. They are made to brake or shear when the prop hits something or becomes entangled or whatever so that the prop will spin freely and not damage the shaft and/or the transmission of the engine. It is a very simple and sensible arrangement.
I was planning to go marketing today in South Beach(Miami Beach) and take a tour of the place, so I loaded the motor on the dinghy, attached the fuel line and the fuel tank, put in my shopping bags and took off. I went perhaps a quarter of a mile when the shear pin broke. I didn't think I hit anything, at least nothing I could see in the water or feel, but it sheared nonetheless. So it was a 1/4 mile row back to the boat. I hauled the engine up onto the boat, undid the nub, removed the prop and out fell the shear pin in three parts. (Perhaps I hit a manatee!) As luck would have it, there was a spare shear pin in a little rubber grommet inside the engine cover and it took just minutes to change it out. I lowered the engine back onto the dinghy and headed off to Miami(South) Beach.
If Miami is a 10 foot town, Miami Beach (South) is a 5 foot town. I couldn't help but notice that all the "beautiful people" looked wrong. They all were too perfect. Teeth too white, tans to even, make- up abit over done - everyone looked plastic. And the town was pretty much a reflection of the people. A little too perfect, a little too too, if you know what I mean. It was a nice bus ride, a mere 25 cents, and I got to see it all. It isn't a place that I would go back to though, except perhaps to find the proper "dives" that I am sure exist there somewhere. But I haven't the time or the inclination or the energy to seek them out. No loss, the world is full of "dives!"
Hit the Publix and loaded up the dinghy and motored back to ABISHAG. I of loaded the food stuffs with the engine in neutral and the throttle at idle. After the unloading, I shifted into reverse and the shear pin went. I could see if perhaps the engine was reving or I shifted hard from forward into reverse, but no! it was just at idle and the then reverse and pop, another shear pin. I was not happy!
After I had stored everything and secured the dinghy and the engine and was enjoying pre-pranduals, I guy came by who had been a live aboard at Fort Rachel in Mystic. we shot the breeze for awhile and I mentioned the shear pin problem. He said he was going to River Marine the next day and would pick me up a bunch. It would sure save me a lot of walking.
The weather today was the same boring weather. The swimming was the same as was the tanning. Well, such is life.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Miami Is A 10 Foot Town
SHIP'S LOG:
Well I certainly got my waling in today, and I've got the blisters to prove it! I joined the Miami Yacht Club ($16.55) so that I could land my dinghy and know that it would be there when I got back. And I began mile two mile walk( seemed longer) from 1001 MacArthur Causeway to 260 SW 6th Street all to get the proper connectors for the fuel line for my outboard engine. The weather was hot(80's) but there were lots of clouds(white fluffy ones) and a good breeze was blowing so it wasn't a trek across a desert. It was during this walk that I discovered that Miami is a 10 foot town. Everything looks great so long as you are at least 10 feet away, but closer than that you see a lot of stuff that needs fixing and cleaning and such. Empty lots with abandoned cars and garbage, lots of cracks in the sidewalks and potholes in the streets. It was rather surprising to see it this way but doing 2 miles down Biscayne Blvd and 2nd Ave, you get a much clearer picture of the way things really are. Horatio Cane and the CSI squad are obviously taking too much for the city treasury.
Amazingly though, they have a rail system called "Metro Rail" that I discovered on my return trip. It covered much the same route as I walked. I hopped aboard and saved myself a 20 block walk. The best thing about it is that it is absolutely free! It is made up of automated rail cars with no seats and incredible air conditioning. It was fast and clean and free. I suppose you could get pretty much anywhere in the downtown area and along the waterway by using it and it's free.
The Miami Yacht Club, "The Home Of Sailing Champions," is a nice spot but not particularly friendly. I can't point to anything specific but it is just the attitude around the place. It was disappointing really. They will take your money but they do not make you feel at home for some reason. Several of the people I've met on the way down are going to gather there later in the week for drinks and dinner and the swapping of tales. It will be a real "gam" and I am looking forward to it.
The Miami Boat show left town and I am not sure how it went. There didn't seem to be a noticeable increase in boats during the show so I don't know how big a crowd they attracted. I how it went well for the sake of the marine industry.
When I got back from my little walk, I finally feel overboard. I was in the dinghy, hoisting some stuff I bought aboard when I ran afoul of Newton's First Law -for every action and there is an opposite and equal reaction. Heaving stuff onto the boat from the dinghy caused me to push the dinghy away from the boat and in I went. Nothing lost, except for my dignity. And as far as I can tell, no loss of Harbor Face as no one was around to see it. SO keep it quiet. SHHHHH!
Well I certainly got my waling in today, and I've got the blisters to prove it! I joined the Miami Yacht Club ($16.55) so that I could land my dinghy and know that it would be there when I got back. And I began mile two mile walk( seemed longer) from 1001 MacArthur Causeway to 260 SW 6th Street all to get the proper connectors for the fuel line for my outboard engine. The weather was hot(80's) but there were lots of clouds(white fluffy ones) and a good breeze was blowing so it wasn't a trek across a desert. It was during this walk that I discovered that Miami is a 10 foot town. Everything looks great so long as you are at least 10 feet away, but closer than that you see a lot of stuff that needs fixing and cleaning and such. Empty lots with abandoned cars and garbage, lots of cracks in the sidewalks and potholes in the streets. It was rather surprising to see it this way but doing 2 miles down Biscayne Blvd and 2nd Ave, you get a much clearer picture of the way things really are. Horatio Cane and the CSI squad are obviously taking too much for the city treasury.
Amazingly though, they have a rail system called "Metro Rail" that I discovered on my return trip. It covered much the same route as I walked. I hopped aboard and saved myself a 20 block walk. The best thing about it is that it is absolutely free! It is made up of automated rail cars with no seats and incredible air conditioning. It was fast and clean and free. I suppose you could get pretty much anywhere in the downtown area and along the waterway by using it and it's free.
The Miami Yacht Club, "The Home Of Sailing Champions," is a nice spot but not particularly friendly. I can't point to anything specific but it is just the attitude around the place. It was disappointing really. They will take your money but they do not make you feel at home for some reason. Several of the people I've met on the way down are going to gather there later in the week for drinks and dinner and the swapping of tales. It will be a real "gam" and I am looking forward to it.
The Miami Boat show left town and I am not sure how it went. There didn't seem to be a noticeable increase in boats during the show so I don't know how big a crowd they attracted. I how it went well for the sake of the marine industry.
When I got back from my little walk, I finally feel overboard. I was in the dinghy, hoisting some stuff I bought aboard when I ran afoul of Newton's First Law -for every action and there is an opposite and equal reaction. Heaving stuff onto the boat from the dinghy caused me to push the dinghy away from the boat and in I went. Nothing lost, except for my dignity. And as far as I can tell, no loss of Harbor Face as no one was around to see it. SO keep it quiet. SHHHHH!
Monday, February 21, 2011
A Day Without Sunshine, 80 Degree Temps, Humidity Means You Are Not In Miami
SHIP'S LOG:
I will be going ashore tomorrow, to make a 2 mile trek to a marine concern to purchase two(2) connectors for the fuel hose for the outboard motor for the dinghy. I have to buy 2 connectors, one that goes on the hose and one that goes on the engine, because the old connectors had two rounded prongs, and they don't make them that way anymore, and the new ones have one rounded and one squared prong, so that they can sell more each time you need one. Hence the two mile walk to the nearest provider of said connectors. And that is after a one mile row and joining the Miami Yacht Club($18) for the day.
The "water Police"(?) have been very active the last couple of days, looking with particular cold and longing eye on the the owners and users of PWC - Personal Water Craft. These are those motorcycle like craft which if you won one are evidently tons of fun - loud, fast, upsetting to others, and if you don't, and you spend any time on or near the water, you grind your teeth and shamefully long for a accident to happen. The Miami Water Police have really been sticking it to anyone who is the slightest bit over the speed limits, especially in the Manatee Zones ( I have still not seen a Manatee) and with great delight have been pulling speeders over and writing out tickets, the fines for which will be hefty as everything else is down here in Florida. I spent an enjoyable afternoon today watching 36 "law breakers" get their comeuppance. I shed not a tear.
You don't want to know what the day was like weather wise, it was just more of the same. Pity.
I find it amazing that the big cruise ships, less then half a mile away in Government Cut can come in and go out without making a sound. They come in the cut, go into the turning basin, spin around and go back into the cut and mooring pointing outbound. If they didn't blow the signal whistles and if they didn't have all those bands playing Caribbean Music, you would never notice their arrivals or departures. They all be gone in the morning and a new group will come in, some in the afternoon, so overnight, and I won't hear a thing. It is amazing that something that big is that quiet.
I will be going ashore tomorrow, to make a 2 mile trek to a marine concern to purchase two(2) connectors for the fuel hose for the outboard motor for the dinghy. I have to buy 2 connectors, one that goes on the hose and one that goes on the engine, because the old connectors had two rounded prongs, and they don't make them that way anymore, and the new ones have one rounded and one squared prong, so that they can sell more each time you need one. Hence the two mile walk to the nearest provider of said connectors. And that is after a one mile row and joining the Miami Yacht Club($18) for the day.
The "water Police"(?) have been very active the last couple of days, looking with particular cold and longing eye on the the owners and users of PWC - Personal Water Craft. These are those motorcycle like craft which if you won one are evidently tons of fun - loud, fast, upsetting to others, and if you don't, and you spend any time on or near the water, you grind your teeth and shamefully long for a accident to happen. The Miami Water Police have really been sticking it to anyone who is the slightest bit over the speed limits, especially in the Manatee Zones ( I have still not seen a Manatee) and with great delight have been pulling speeders over and writing out tickets, the fines for which will be hefty as everything else is down here in Florida. I spent an enjoyable afternoon today watching 36 "law breakers" get their comeuppance. I shed not a tear.
You don't want to know what the day was like weather wise, it was just more of the same. Pity.
I find it amazing that the big cruise ships, less then half a mile away in Government Cut can come in and go out without making a sound. They come in the cut, go into the turning basin, spin around and go back into the cut and mooring pointing outbound. If they didn't blow the signal whistles and if they didn't have all those bands playing Caribbean Music, you would never notice their arrivals or departures. They all be gone in the morning and a new group will come in, some in the afternoon, so overnight, and I won't hear a thing. It is amazing that something that big is that quiet.
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