SHIP'S LOG:
When you want wind, it never seems to be around. when you don't want it, you get more than you need or want. Today, it is the latter with winds 15 to 20m gusting to 25 to 30. It made going to get the batteries in Jerry's boat a rather "wet" procedure, as his boat doesn't have a lot of freeboard and wave, stirred up by the wind, kept climbing aboard. And this after I had just dried out from a couple of days before.
The batteries are all in place an working just find. It took a bit for me to figure out how to reboot the battery monitor, but Chuck, who knows seemingly everything, put me on the right path and BINGO, all is right with the world . . .except for the wind.
It is in the 70's and that's fine with me, except for the wind, and it will be so for the next few days . . . .and the wind is supposed to died down tonight.
Tomorrow Jerry and I will overdose on football at his place, no wind there, and hit a dive called "ARCHIE's" which supposedly sells more Bub than any other place around. Reported to have the greatest burgers and fries, and no wind to speak of. It is something like "The Seahorse" in Noank and "Hughie's" in New London used to be. Evidently the lady who owns it has an ongoing war with the City of Ft. Pierce over something, probably zoning or some such nonsense, especially since it is right in the beach, but hopefully it will survive intact and unchanged, at least until tomorrow.
It is great to be electrically back together. Before the new batteries were installed, I literally had to run the engine to run anything electrical that was part of the boat, like the propane system for cooking, or had to hook things up to my portable generator, like my laptop and charges for the phone and the handheld radio. It was a royal pain and noisy as well, and that meant I had to select the proper time to run stuff so as not to"dist rub the neighbors." Well, no more of that, the new batteries stay charged up and topped off by the wind generator and no one new has dropped a hook where I am. That will probably change before too long as it is getting to the time when people start looking for a place to spend the night at anchor. Of course, the wind may discourage most as it is right out of the West and that is the most exposed direction in this anchorage. It is fairly well protected on all sides except the West and when the wind dies down tonight, it will be a comfortable spot as it was last night. The wind is supposed to shift to the North/ North West over night and drop to 5-10 and be from the East tomorrow, again 5 to 10.
I'll be sticking for awhile, probably another week and then head off south, at least to Stuart and/or Port St. Lucie. I wonder what the wind will be like there?
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Is It Supposed To Be This Cold In Florida?
SHIP'S LOG:
Actually, it wasn't that cold, I just wanted to be in solidarity with those of you who really are freezing. But after several days of weather in the 70's, having the night time low in the 40's and the high today in the mid 60's, well . . .it does seem rather cold.
ABISHAG held tight last night in the midst of some rather nasty gusts. I did get up a couple of times just to make sure that we hadn't moved and we hadn't. As I am sure that I have mentioned before, the sounds and motions on your boat at night seem different and more ominous than they do in the daytime.
Two boats left this morning and three came in a Valiant 42, a Caliber 44+ and an Admiral 40 Catamaran. It was interesting to watch each of them 1.) find the pocket; 2.) scope out what they thought was the best spot; 3.) maneuver into position; & 4.) set their anchor. In a nice steady 15 with gusts to 25, no one did it on the first go round. The Valiant crew took the longest, actually setting and retrieving 4 times until they got it exactly right. I think the guy(girl?) on the bow handling the anchor was not happy with the person on the helm. In that they were using a chain rode, they also had to attach the snubber to the chain and slack it each time, and then retrieve the whole ball of wax for each reset.
The woman on the bow of the Caliber handled it better and they only reset twice. And the guy at the helm, once the anchor went down, came forward to help out. They really did it nicely but reset a second time because they didn't like the way the Nauticat 44, which has been here before I got here, was swinging.
The Admiral 40 did the circular drive by a half a dozen times, stopping here, stopping there, checking depth and wind and spacing, before dropping their hook. They have an advantage because they have less draft than anyone else so they can go a little bit further into the thin water, but in the wind they really swing and never the same way as monohullls which is which cats tend to anchor next to cats. As there are none here, they anchored a little farther away from the rest of us . . . . . just off my bow.
I was having breakfast at sunrise in the cockpit at 7am when I heard this incredible roar in the distance. It sounded like a whole bunch of motorcycle but then I recalled that the fishing tourney is on and that it was the 30 or so Sportfishers headed out after sailfish. They are staying at the Ft. Pierce Yacht Club on the Ft. Pierce Inlet and have to maintain a slow speed as they depart. Once clear of the Inlet they put the hammer down and boy to they make some noise.
Still didn't get the batteries, so ABISHAG is still not whole. I am sure that it will be tomorrow. Doing such things as shopping while living on a boat can be an exercise in planning and logistics and luck, not just for you but for everyone involved. Such things are often better done in a marina that offers free courtesy car use. Then again, who can afford to stay at a marina. In the last month, weather and circumstances have made that possibility something of a future choice, way in the future. The only reason I will visit a marina any time soon is to fuel up and unload - garbage, recyclables and pump out the infamous "black water" from the holding tank . . . . or unless something else goes BOOM!
Actually, it wasn't that cold, I just wanted to be in solidarity with those of you who really are freezing. But after several days of weather in the 70's, having the night time low in the 40's and the high today in the mid 60's, well . . .it does seem rather cold.
ABISHAG held tight last night in the midst of some rather nasty gusts. I did get up a couple of times just to make sure that we hadn't moved and we hadn't. As I am sure that I have mentioned before, the sounds and motions on your boat at night seem different and more ominous than they do in the daytime.
Two boats left this morning and three came in a Valiant 42, a Caliber 44+ and an Admiral 40 Catamaran. It was interesting to watch each of them 1.) find the pocket; 2.) scope out what they thought was the best spot; 3.) maneuver into position; & 4.) set their anchor. In a nice steady 15 with gusts to 25, no one did it on the first go round. The Valiant crew took the longest, actually setting and retrieving 4 times until they got it exactly right. I think the guy(girl?) on the bow handling the anchor was not happy with the person on the helm. In that they were using a chain rode, they also had to attach the snubber to the chain and slack it each time, and then retrieve the whole ball of wax for each reset.
The woman on the bow of the Caliber handled it better and they only reset twice. And the guy at the helm, once the anchor went down, came forward to help out. They really did it nicely but reset a second time because they didn't like the way the Nauticat 44, which has been here before I got here, was swinging.
The Admiral 40 did the circular drive by a half a dozen times, stopping here, stopping there, checking depth and wind and spacing, before dropping their hook. They have an advantage because they have less draft than anyone else so they can go a little bit further into the thin water, but in the wind they really swing and never the same way as monohullls which is which cats tend to anchor next to cats. As there are none here, they anchored a little farther away from the rest of us . . . . . just off my bow.
I was having breakfast at sunrise in the cockpit at 7am when I heard this incredible roar in the distance. It sounded like a whole bunch of motorcycle but then I recalled that the fishing tourney is on and that it was the 30 or so Sportfishers headed out after sailfish. They are staying at the Ft. Pierce Yacht Club on the Ft. Pierce Inlet and have to maintain a slow speed as they depart. Once clear of the Inlet they put the hammer down and boy to they make some noise.
Still didn't get the batteries, so ABISHAG is still not whole. I am sure that it will be tomorrow. Doing such things as shopping while living on a boat can be an exercise in planning and logistics and luck, not just for you but for everyone involved. Such things are often better done in a marina that offers free courtesy car use. Then again, who can afford to stay at a marina. In the last month, weather and circumstances have made that possibility something of a future choice, way in the future. The only reason I will visit a marina any time soon is to fuel up and unload - garbage, recyclables and pump out the infamous "black water" from the holding tank . . . . or unless something else goes BOOM!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Let's Sing Along, "What A Drag It Is . . . . ."
SHIP'S LOG:
I got up this morning around 6:30, made morning coffee, and sat up in the cockpit listening to NOAA and watching the dawn. Unfortunately, just after dawn, all hell broke loose. Some cold front that had been forecast, by you know who, came through like I am not quite sure what, but it wasn't weak. The rain fell(almost an inch in an hour) and the winds blew and I mean seriously blowing. Later weather reports pegged the gust between 55 - 60 mph. It was "blowing stink" as they say up in God's country.
I threw one a rain jacket and turned on the engine because it was clear that ABISHAG was dragging. She hadn't broken loose but it was clear that she was moving a little with every gust. I checked the anchor rode and it was taut and the anchor weight rode was taut as well. There was no way I could reset them right then. I let out some more rode but it really didn't correct the situation. I was still moving toward BRIGADOON.
I put the engine in gear and moved to take the strain off the anchor rode. That stopped the backward drag but it really didn't alleviate the situation. I also had no way to know how long this particular "non-forecasted" storm would last, a few minutes or a few hours or all day. By now I was soaking wet on top of all the rest, the blown rain and spray having found every point of access in the rain gear. In between the gusts, I worked the anchor out. I first brought in the anchor weight and then in small steps the anchor itself and motored around the other boats in the anchorage, trying to find a good spot. As I passed by one boat, the owner commented "Looks like you had a bad time of it there, but you did good getting out."
After a few circuits of the anchorage, which was a small pocket of deep water surrounded by shallows, I headed back to where I had been, knowing that if I could get the anchor to bite, I would have swing room in the wind. I made the mistake of dropping the anchor where I wanted the boat to be rather than dropping it where, after the rode played out and the boat settled in place, it would be where I wanted it to be. The anchor bit and held but playing out the scope left me too close to BRIGADOON and another boat in too much wind. ABISHAG "sails" a lot at anchor, even with the anchor weight, and in all this wind , she was really dancing.
After about 45 minutes, I knew I would have to haul the anchor move and reset. The rain had stopped at this point and I couldn't get any wetter, so I hauled up and move and dropped the anchor. Got a good bite and played out the scope and ABISHAG settled in place just about where I had wanted her to be. It was then a question of taking bearings and making sure that she was staying in place. I did and she was and once that was confirmed, the wind gust stopped and the the wind settled to a reasonable 20-25 and gust to 30. By evening, it was down to 5-10. Whatever this front was, it produced one of the greatest sunsets I have ever seen. I tried to get pictures and if they come out I will upload them.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be breezy but after this morning, it will have to really be breezy to be of much concern. Jerry was unable to kick free and the batteries will have to wait until tomorrow. I got to meet t5he owner of BRIGADOON, a Fryda(?) 41, who lives in an apartment ashore while he readies his boat to got to Panama. His name is Brad Smith and he has a Pyrenees Dog named "POO" who is as big as a horse and is still a puppy. He lives a shore and comes out to the boat to work.
Despite the "exciting adventure" of this morning, I think I would rather be on the hook in a storm than at a dock. My caprails are scared and stripped of finish from the days spent on docks before and during this trip. Having the boat bang against the dock and fight the docklines holding her in place can't be a good thing. On the hook, sure you may drag but at least the boat gets to react naturally to the weather and so is under less strain. Hey, it's just my opinion.
Tomorrow, I will help Brad install an ARIES Wind Vane he bought and I will pick up my batteries so that ABISHAG will be well again. Supposed to be back in the mid 70's again and no rain.
I got up this morning around 6:30, made morning coffee, and sat up in the cockpit listening to NOAA and watching the dawn. Unfortunately, just after dawn, all hell broke loose. Some cold front that had been forecast, by you know who, came through like I am not quite sure what, but it wasn't weak. The rain fell(almost an inch in an hour) and the winds blew and I mean seriously blowing. Later weather reports pegged the gust between 55 - 60 mph. It was "blowing stink" as they say up in God's country.
I threw one a rain jacket and turned on the engine because it was clear that ABISHAG was dragging. She hadn't broken loose but it was clear that she was moving a little with every gust. I checked the anchor rode and it was taut and the anchor weight rode was taut as well. There was no way I could reset them right then. I let out some more rode but it really didn't correct the situation. I was still moving toward BRIGADOON.
I put the engine in gear and moved to take the strain off the anchor rode. That stopped the backward drag but it really didn't alleviate the situation. I also had no way to know how long this particular "non-forecasted" storm would last, a few minutes or a few hours or all day. By now I was soaking wet on top of all the rest, the blown rain and spray having found every point of access in the rain gear. In between the gusts, I worked the anchor out. I first brought in the anchor weight and then in small steps the anchor itself and motored around the other boats in the anchorage, trying to find a good spot. As I passed by one boat, the owner commented "Looks like you had a bad time of it there, but you did good getting out."
After a few circuits of the anchorage, which was a small pocket of deep water surrounded by shallows, I headed back to where I had been, knowing that if I could get the anchor to bite, I would have swing room in the wind. I made the mistake of dropping the anchor where I wanted the boat to be rather than dropping it where, after the rode played out and the boat settled in place, it would be where I wanted it to be. The anchor bit and held but playing out the scope left me too close to BRIGADOON and another boat in too much wind. ABISHAG "sails" a lot at anchor, even with the anchor weight, and in all this wind , she was really dancing.
After about 45 minutes, I knew I would have to haul the anchor move and reset. The rain had stopped at this point and I couldn't get any wetter, so I hauled up and move and dropped the anchor. Got a good bite and played out the scope and ABISHAG settled in place just about where I had wanted her to be. It was then a question of taking bearings and making sure that she was staying in place. I did and she was and once that was confirmed, the wind gust stopped and the the wind settled to a reasonable 20-25 and gust to 30. By evening, it was down to 5-10. Whatever this front was, it produced one of the greatest sunsets I have ever seen. I tried to get pictures and if they come out I will upload them.
The weather tomorrow is supposed to be breezy but after this morning, it will have to really be breezy to be of much concern. Jerry was unable to kick free and the batteries will have to wait until tomorrow. I got to meet t5he owner of BRIGADOON, a Fryda(?) 41, who lives in an apartment ashore while he readies his boat to got to Panama. His name is Brad Smith and he has a Pyrenees Dog named "POO" who is as big as a horse and is still a puppy. He lives a shore and comes out to the boat to work.
Despite the "exciting adventure" of this morning, I think I would rather be on the hook in a storm than at a dock. My caprails are scared and stripped of finish from the days spent on docks before and during this trip. Having the boat bang against the dock and fight the docklines holding her in place can't be a good thing. On the hook, sure you may drag but at least the boat gets to react naturally to the weather and so is under less strain. Hey, it's just my opinion.
Tomorrow, I will help Brad install an ARIES Wind Vane he bought and I will pick up my batteries so that ABISHAG will be well again. Supposed to be back in the mid 70's again and no rain.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Just Another Day . . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
Got up before dawn this morning, but then I do most days. I had coffee, listened to the weather and watched the sun come up. A great way to start the day.
I spent an hour watching the pelicans and terns(?) feeding around the boat. They slim along the surface, raise up to 10 or 15feet and then dive into the water. I don't know how often then connect with their meal target but on occasion you can see one of the smaller birds(terns?) with a fish in its beak, flying away pursued by several others squawking. The little birds are delicate in their fishing, often making a catch without hitting the water but the pelicans literally crash in head first and make a heck of a racket. Every now and then, one will do so right next to the boat. You sort of catch it out of the corner of your eye and then there is a big splash. When they come up empty, I seem to get a look from them that it is somehow all my fault they missed.
Today I had to re-rig the dinghy davit lines. They were wearing at one end and so I had to reverse them. This meant a little marlinespike seamanship activity, creating a a loop in one end and undoing it at the other. It was a nice exercise, done in sunny mid-70's and high humidity. It was almost like summer back home, August-like. Truth be told, it was almost too much. Yesterday, I got a "summer headache" from not drinking enough water and the humidity and temp today forced me to guzzle water to keep from getting a second. I have to get back into the summer mode of thinking. I also had to lash up the port half of the rear edge of the Bimini. Usually, the back edge is held in place with a zipper closure, but they have split and the zippers won't hold. Bob & Fred lashed the starboard side way back in Cape May and I finally got around to the port side in Ft. Pierce. I may be slow but it gets done . . . . eventually.
All the ports on ABISHAG are open, keeping her will aired out and comfortable down below. There has been little wind to speak of but that is supposed to change tonight. There will be "a cold front passing through" which will bring the possibility of rain and thunderstorms(mostly north of Ft. Pierce) and some more wind(15-20) out of the southwest. Unfortunately, the road-stead where I am is open to the south west which means short,choppy waves and rocking and rolling.
Jerry & I will be picking up the batteries tomorrow afternoon and ABISHAG should be all better soon after that. Having spent over 90 days aboard on this trip, I have worked out a way to do things, when and how. It is uncomfortable to have to change things around and do this differently like this. I am, as they say, out of my comfort zone. But as with the same situation ashore, there ain't much you can do but learn to enjoy it.
Got up before dawn this morning, but then I do most days. I had coffee, listened to the weather and watched the sun come up. A great way to start the day.
I spent an hour watching the pelicans and terns(?) feeding around the boat. They slim along the surface, raise up to 10 or 15feet and then dive into the water. I don't know how often then connect with their meal target but on occasion you can see one of the smaller birds(terns?) with a fish in its beak, flying away pursued by several others squawking. The little birds are delicate in their fishing, often making a catch without hitting the water but the pelicans literally crash in head first and make a heck of a racket. Every now and then, one will do so right next to the boat. You sort of catch it out of the corner of your eye and then there is a big splash. When they come up empty, I seem to get a look from them that it is somehow all my fault they missed.
Today I had to re-rig the dinghy davit lines. They were wearing at one end and so I had to reverse them. This meant a little marlinespike seamanship activity, creating a a loop in one end and undoing it at the other. It was a nice exercise, done in sunny mid-70's and high humidity. It was almost like summer back home, August-like. Truth be told, it was almost too much. Yesterday, I got a "summer headache" from not drinking enough water and the humidity and temp today forced me to guzzle water to keep from getting a second. I have to get back into the summer mode of thinking. I also had to lash up the port half of the rear edge of the Bimini. Usually, the back edge is held in place with a zipper closure, but they have split and the zippers won't hold. Bob & Fred lashed the starboard side way back in Cape May and I finally got around to the port side in Ft. Pierce. I may be slow but it gets done . . . . eventually.
All the ports on ABISHAG are open, keeping her will aired out and comfortable down below. There has been little wind to speak of but that is supposed to change tonight. There will be "a cold front passing through" which will bring the possibility of rain and thunderstorms(mostly north of Ft. Pierce) and some more wind(15-20) out of the southwest. Unfortunately, the road-stead where I am is open to the south west which means short,choppy waves and rocking and rolling.
Jerry & I will be picking up the batteries tomorrow afternoon and ABISHAG should be all better soon after that. Having spent over 90 days aboard on this trip, I have worked out a way to do things, when and how. It is uncomfortable to have to change things around and do this differently like this. I am, as they say, out of my comfort zone. But as with the same situation ashore, there ain't much you can do but learn to enjoy it.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Death Onboard!
SHIP'S LOG:
It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the "death" aboard ABISHAG of House Battery #1 and even more tragically, House Battery #2, unable or unwilling to go it alone, has decided to join its compatriot Deep-Cycle heaven. Truth be told, neither has been all that well recently, though House Battery #1 has had the worse time of it. With all the charging that has been done while the engine was running, it gassed off lots of electrolytes and had to have them replaced with increasing regularity only to finally succumb this morning at about 10am. In that House Batteries were link in parallel as the House Battery Bank, #1 drew down #2 to the point that it just couldn't stand on its own. The funeral will be Thursday when they will be returned to the West Marine Store (Ft. Pierce) and replaced with younger, healthier Batteries.
I was hoping that they would have lasted a little bit longer, say until I got back to Connecticut but it just wasn't in the cards. Such is life I guess and it could have been worse. I could have been at sea. I could have been in Georgia. At least I am in a place where the transfer and replacement can be done with a minimum of fuss and bother. Still, it is a royal pain in the butt and a financial kick in the head. Thank goodness the isolated Started Battery did not join the other two in their betrayal.
Other than that little bit of nonsense, it has been a pleasant day, a little over cast but hot and humid nonetheless. I have a few more projects to take care of and do a little more reading, but on the whole it is still a pleasant day. The prospects for tomorrow appear to be more of the same. Ah, the travails of winter in Florida!
It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the "death" aboard ABISHAG of House Battery #1 and even more tragically, House Battery #2, unable or unwilling to go it alone, has decided to join its compatriot Deep-Cycle heaven. Truth be told, neither has been all that well recently, though House Battery #1 has had the worse time of it. With all the charging that has been done while the engine was running, it gassed off lots of electrolytes and had to have them replaced with increasing regularity only to finally succumb this morning at about 10am. In that House Batteries were link in parallel as the House Battery Bank, #1 drew down #2 to the point that it just couldn't stand on its own. The funeral will be Thursday when they will be returned to the West Marine Store (Ft. Pierce) and replaced with younger, healthier Batteries.
I was hoping that they would have lasted a little bit longer, say until I got back to Connecticut but it just wasn't in the cards. Such is life I guess and it could have been worse. I could have been at sea. I could have been in Georgia. At least I am in a place where the transfer and replacement can be done with a minimum of fuss and bother. Still, it is a royal pain in the butt and a financial kick in the head. Thank goodness the isolated Started Battery did not join the other two in their betrayal.
Other than that little bit of nonsense, it has been a pleasant day, a little over cast but hot and humid nonetheless. I have a few more projects to take care of and do a little more reading, but on the whole it is still a pleasant day. The prospects for tomorrow appear to be more of the same. Ah, the travails of winter in Florida!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Dropping The Hook For Awhile!!!!
SHIP'S LOG:
I finally got out of Vero Beach City Marina on Sunday. It is a really very nice place in a very nice town and I can understand why people go there and really hate to leave. But leave I did and my finances are grateful.
The run to Fort Pierce was but a short 14 miles. I had a conversation with the Ft. Pierce Bridge Tender. Most of the "opening bridges" along the ICW require you to give the name and home port of your vessel, why I am not sure. But when I said "New London, Connecticut" he told me about his daughter who had just finished her medical residency at Yale- New Haven Hospital and was now "going out to work of a living." He said that he didn't envy the debt shoe had to pay off but figured she would and then "she can support her mother and me in our old age."
I called Jerry as I was approaching the South Bridge and and he was just crossing it. He pulled into a part near the former sewage treatment plant and waved and directed me into a channel that lead to Faber Cove which is where he keeps his boat. After things were all squared away, Jerry and I had a long talk that went pretty much the whole afternoon. I got the "quick and dirty" tour of Ft. Pierce. Evidently, it had suffered some rather serious damage during the 2004 hurricane season but a lot of rebuilding has taken place since. It was sort of "urban renewal by hurricane tidal surge." Still there are a lot of places that need work. For while the tidal surge was "only" six feet, the agreeably low and flat Florida landscape doesn't present much in the way of deterrence to incoming water surges. There is a lot of rebuilding going on but there are also a number of places, condos and the like, that were built but haven't sold. I gather from Jerry that some great deals can be had from people who bought on speculation and are now stuck with a property they don't want.
Jerry and I watch football and talked, had a couple of drinks and talked and had dinner( he made steaks) and talked. It was really great to finally get to see him again. It sort of hit me when I got back on the boat that my major goal has been reached. Since the start of the trip, when anyone asked, I always explained that the one thing I wanted to do was to get down to Ft. Pierce and see Jerry. When his wife died a couple of years ago, I was unable to make it down for the funeral and really was able to get down before this moment. Jerry and I hit it off well and I found Rite, his wife, a joy. And I was deeply touched when she died. And now I have made the "pilgrimage" to Fort Pierce and I have seen Jerry and there is a sense of completeness in it all. I will spend a few days here and will stay in the area at least until the 21st. Jerry has remarried and his wife, Lucille, is a teacher in California and will keep her job there until she retires. So they have a bi-coastal marriage and every few weeks, one or the other makes the cross country trek to visit the the other for a few days or weeks or month. Lucille will be flying in on the 15th and we have made a date to meet so that, as she says, she "can meet the guy who makes Jerry laugh on the telephone."
Today was a rather slow day. It was in the 70's so it is hard, after all the cold weather, to get up the energy to do all that much. I got my log book current along with the Engine Log, did maintenance on the batteries, blew up the dinghy, took a nap, talked with the crew of "SACAJAWEA" a Bennetau 38 from South Africa and read. I looked at the charts for the rest of Florida and couldn't work up much enthusiasm. Roland and Ron will be coming down to Port St. Lucie at the end of the month and that's about 20 miles as the dolphin swims and I am sure that we will get together if for no other reason than they will by me dinner . . . . even if they don't realize it yet.
It is a strange feeling that now that I have seen and talked with Jerry, and we will get together several times over the next couple of weeks, I am not sure about wanting to cruise all the way down to the Keys and/or Key West. I have been at this since October 3rd, some 93 days and Key West is still a couple hundred miles away. Perhaps it is just fatigue speaking, after all except for recently, it has been travel every day. Perhaps after several days of quiet and rest, the nice weather will draw me on. Perhaps the condo association and the local civic ordinances will get me gone( Strangely, Florida seems to be doing everything it can to hamper the recreational boating industry). Perhaps the "itchy foot" & "traveling jones" will crop up again and I will see if I can find another place to go aground. Who knows? Maybe I should have another goal . . . .like meeting Jimmy Buffett?
I finally got out of Vero Beach City Marina on Sunday. It is a really very nice place in a very nice town and I can understand why people go there and really hate to leave. But leave I did and my finances are grateful.
The run to Fort Pierce was but a short 14 miles. I had a conversation with the Ft. Pierce Bridge Tender. Most of the "opening bridges" along the ICW require you to give the name and home port of your vessel, why I am not sure. But when I said "New London, Connecticut" he told me about his daughter who had just finished her medical residency at Yale- New Haven Hospital and was now "going out to work of a living." He said that he didn't envy the debt shoe had to pay off but figured she would and then "she can support her mother and me in our old age."
I called Jerry as I was approaching the South Bridge and and he was just crossing it. He pulled into a part near the former sewage treatment plant and waved and directed me into a channel that lead to Faber Cove which is where he keeps his boat. After things were all squared away, Jerry and I had a long talk that went pretty much the whole afternoon. I got the "quick and dirty" tour of Ft. Pierce. Evidently, it had suffered some rather serious damage during the 2004 hurricane season but a lot of rebuilding has taken place since. It was sort of "urban renewal by hurricane tidal surge." Still there are a lot of places that need work. For while the tidal surge was "only" six feet, the agreeably low and flat Florida landscape doesn't present much in the way of deterrence to incoming water surges. There is a lot of rebuilding going on but there are also a number of places, condos and the like, that were built but haven't sold. I gather from Jerry that some great deals can be had from people who bought on speculation and are now stuck with a property they don't want.
Jerry and I watch football and talked, had a couple of drinks and talked and had dinner( he made steaks) and talked. It was really great to finally get to see him again. It sort of hit me when I got back on the boat that my major goal has been reached. Since the start of the trip, when anyone asked, I always explained that the one thing I wanted to do was to get down to Ft. Pierce and see Jerry. When his wife died a couple of years ago, I was unable to make it down for the funeral and really was able to get down before this moment. Jerry and I hit it off well and I found Rite, his wife, a joy. And I was deeply touched when she died. And now I have made the "pilgrimage" to Fort Pierce and I have seen Jerry and there is a sense of completeness in it all. I will spend a few days here and will stay in the area at least until the 21st. Jerry has remarried and his wife, Lucille, is a teacher in California and will keep her job there until she retires. So they have a bi-coastal marriage and every few weeks, one or the other makes the cross country trek to visit the the other for a few days or weeks or month. Lucille will be flying in on the 15th and we have made a date to meet so that, as she says, she "can meet the guy who makes Jerry laugh on the telephone."
Today was a rather slow day. It was in the 70's so it is hard, after all the cold weather, to get up the energy to do all that much. I got my log book current along with the Engine Log, did maintenance on the batteries, blew up the dinghy, took a nap, talked with the crew of "SACAJAWEA" a Bennetau 38 from South Africa and read. I looked at the charts for the rest of Florida and couldn't work up much enthusiasm. Roland and Ron will be coming down to Port St. Lucie at the end of the month and that's about 20 miles as the dolphin swims and I am sure that we will get together if for no other reason than they will by me dinner . . . . even if they don't realize it yet.
It is a strange feeling that now that I have seen and talked with Jerry, and we will get together several times over the next couple of weeks, I am not sure about wanting to cruise all the way down to the Keys and/or Key West. I have been at this since October 3rd, some 93 days and Key West is still a couple hundred miles away. Perhaps it is just fatigue speaking, after all except for recently, it has been travel every day. Perhaps after several days of quiet and rest, the nice weather will draw me on. Perhaps the condo association and the local civic ordinances will get me gone( Strangely, Florida seems to be doing everything it can to hamper the recreational boating industry). Perhaps the "itchy foot" & "traveling jones" will crop up again and I will see if I can find another place to go aground. Who knows? Maybe I should have another goal . . . .like meeting Jimmy Buffett?
Friday, December 31, 2010
When Is A Mosquito Bite A Good Thing ?
SHIP'S LOG:
When is a mosquito bite a good thing? When it happens on December 30th 'cause it means you are some place warm!
I left Melbourne sort of early, about 8:30 for I had a little over 30 miles to go to get to the Vero Beach Marina. The day before up at Cocoa Village Marina, the Wrightmans - those of Canadian extraction and the gift of Christmas Cookies, had mentioned that friends of their had tried to get into the Vero Beach City Marina for a mooring ball and found that they were filled up. This is rather surprising because it is one of the only places I have heard of of the ICW that rafts-up boats on mooring. For those not in the know, rafting up means putting multiple boats together on one anchor or in this case on one mooring. So not wanting to be left out i n the cold, as Vero is also one of those places with a dearth of anchoring spots, I called ahead and secured a mooring. I wanted to get there as early as possible as I wanted to be the first on the mooring if there was going to be a raft up. I had a help of problem with the mooring in St. Augustine. It took me three shots to get the pennant and I figured if I had to do something like that again, it would be better not to have another boat as a fixed target to run into. ( I am definitely going to have to look into getting another boat hook for such eventualities.)
The weather was supposed to be partly cloudy and it certainly was that. It was also relatively warm. However, the wind (what there was of it) was out of the east and off the ocean and at times it go cold on the Indian River. For the most part, it was just partly cloudy, eventually becoming completely cloudy and you know what followed then. Due to the fact that Florida is so agreeably flat, I could see it raining miles ahead on either side. I was just hoping that it "would miss me" and I would get in safe and dry.
As I turn into Bethel Creek were in lies the Marina, it began to rain and it continued through the whole mooring process. Luckily it was not a hard rain. Luckily also there was no other boat on the mooring. Luckily, there was also on wind and I picked up the pennant on the first try and was tied down, safe and sound in moments. It was the easiest landing I ever made.
One interesting and rather weird note: a few miles before Bethel Creek, at marker "128" there is supposed to be a big rock right in the middle of the Channel of the ICW. It is only 5 1/2 feet below the surface at MLW and the locals, according to the guides, call it"the rock pile." It is recommended that you keep to the "Green Side " of the channel until you are well passed 128. Knowing how much I like to kiss the bottom, I did exactly that and as I did two locals came by. They passed very close to the "Red Side" certainly because I was going at steerage, but it was clear that they knew about the rock and were avoiding it. The thing I can't understand is that since it is there, why don't they remove it or at least put a marker right on it. Not all my guides mention it so I am sure that someone has come by at speed and done some serious damage to his or her boat for no good reason.
I am spending another day at Vero Beach City Marina and will proceed on to Ft. Pierce on New Years Day. I was able to get to the market on the city bus line "which is free" and pick up some of my basic need. The cruisers here have a Thursday Happy Hour which last a lot longer and you can get your hair cut and style by one of the lady cruisers. Vero Beach is a good stop and has everything you need to cruise. But lots of the people have been here for weeks, even months. It is one of those "good harbors" you have to be careful about. It is too easy not to leave.
Someone rowed up to me this morning as I was sitting in the cockpit and it turned out to be "Skip", one of the guys who man the West Marine Store in New London. He is down here, avoiding the winter in New England and is working in the West Marine Store in Ft. Pierce and living on his boat in the Vero Beach City Marina. He said that he had passed me way back at New Port News. He had tried to hail me but we were not able to make contact. Sometimes, no matter how far you go, you are always being surprised by running into people you know. Make you feel less lonely and alone.
When is a mosquito bite a good thing? When it happens on December 30th 'cause it means you are some place warm!
I left Melbourne sort of early, about 8:30 for I had a little over 30 miles to go to get to the Vero Beach Marina. The day before up at Cocoa Village Marina, the Wrightmans - those of Canadian extraction and the gift of Christmas Cookies, had mentioned that friends of their had tried to get into the Vero Beach City Marina for a mooring ball and found that they were filled up. This is rather surprising because it is one of the only places I have heard of of the ICW that rafts-up boats on mooring. For those not in the know, rafting up means putting multiple boats together on one anchor or in this case on one mooring. So not wanting to be left out i n the cold, as Vero is also one of those places with a dearth of anchoring spots, I called ahead and secured a mooring. I wanted to get there as early as possible as I wanted to be the first on the mooring if there was going to be a raft up. I had a help of problem with the mooring in St. Augustine. It took me three shots to get the pennant and I figured if I had to do something like that again, it would be better not to have another boat as a fixed target to run into. ( I am definitely going to have to look into getting another boat hook for such eventualities.)
The weather was supposed to be partly cloudy and it certainly was that. It was also relatively warm. However, the wind (what there was of it) was out of the east and off the ocean and at times it go cold on the Indian River. For the most part, it was just partly cloudy, eventually becoming completely cloudy and you know what followed then. Due to the fact that Florida is so agreeably flat, I could see it raining miles ahead on either side. I was just hoping that it "would miss me" and I would get in safe and dry.
As I turn into Bethel Creek were in lies the Marina, it began to rain and it continued through the whole mooring process. Luckily it was not a hard rain. Luckily also there was no other boat on the mooring. Luckily, there was also on wind and I picked up the pennant on the first try and was tied down, safe and sound in moments. It was the easiest landing I ever made.
One interesting and rather weird note: a few miles before Bethel Creek, at marker "128" there is supposed to be a big rock right in the middle of the Channel of the ICW. It is only 5 1/2 feet below the surface at MLW and the locals, according to the guides, call it"the rock pile." It is recommended that you keep to the "Green Side " of the channel until you are well passed 128. Knowing how much I like to kiss the bottom, I did exactly that and as I did two locals came by. They passed very close to the "Red Side" certainly because I was going at steerage, but it was clear that they knew about the rock and were avoiding it. The thing I can't understand is that since it is there, why don't they remove it or at least put a marker right on it. Not all my guides mention it so I am sure that someone has come by at speed and done some serious damage to his or her boat for no good reason.
I am spending another day at Vero Beach City Marina and will proceed on to Ft. Pierce on New Years Day. I was able to get to the market on the city bus line "which is free" and pick up some of my basic need. The cruisers here have a Thursday Happy Hour which last a lot longer and you can get your hair cut and style by one of the lady cruisers. Vero Beach is a good stop and has everything you need to cruise. But lots of the people have been here for weeks, even months. It is one of those "good harbors" you have to be careful about. It is too easy not to leave.
Someone rowed up to me this morning as I was sitting in the cockpit and it turned out to be "Skip", one of the guys who man the West Marine Store in New London. He is down here, avoiding the winter in New England and is working in the West Marine Store in Ft. Pierce and living on his boat in the Vero Beach City Marina. He said that he had passed me way back at New Port News. He had tried to hail me but we were not able to make contact. Sometimes, no matter how far you go, you are always being surprised by running into people you know. Make you feel less lonely and alone.
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