SHIP'S LOG:
(Current Location: Lake Worth N26' 50.356/ W080' 03.265
It was a lovely day today. It was supposed to be cloudy and getting cloudier but the clouds haven't shown up yet. Perhaps they won't. You won't hear me complain. It was a nice and easy 28 mile journey though we did do a number of bridges today. I am out of practice sitting in front of a bridge, waiting it to open, and going no where. It takes a little bit of skill so control ABISHAG so she basically sits still. Harder still with a 15-20knot wind blowing right on the nose and all sorts of wakes from powerboats going by at high speed. Around most of the bridges, there are Manatee Speed Zone and evidently you can really get a stiff fine for exceeding the speed limit but there doesn't seem to be anyone around to do the ticketing. Of course, if I could reach the "appropriate speed" I am sure that I would find out different.
It was most difficult around Jupiter Inlet where there are four bascule bridges in five miles and consequently a mad rush to get through them. One opens "On Request"; another tries to but has to deal with a lot of road traffic and so tends to wait for it to thin; the other two are at regular times, one on the hour and half hour, the other at quarter to - and quarter past the hour. What skill I had lost at hold a spot was quickly remastered today.
Jupiter Island is quite a place. Lots of people with lots of money and no taste. All of the houses are over down, like the architect didn't quite know when it was finished and the decorator definitely didn't. They obviously are for wealthy individuals but a number are up for sale . . . a steal at $750,000. One part of Jupiter looks something like Venice with canals and Italian style villas on the water. I believe the area is called ADMIRAL'S COVE. It's border on the ICW is a series of small islands and the breaks between them are chained off. You can only get in by boat at one of the two entrances. It is rather impressive. Most impressive was the Harbor House Restaurant. I don't know what they were cooking but out on the water it smelled wonderful.
I cruised into Lake Worth and found a spot in the free section. Here they don't charge for anchoring and as a result, we are packed in here like sardines. There will be no problem if the wind stays down tonight, otherwise it will be a nervous night worrying about someone breaking loose and taking others with him, or just a little paint rubbing.
I did see something in Jupiter that caught my eye: in a little cove there was a fleet of catboats. I really couldn't believe it. White hulls, wooden masts and spars, barndoor rudders and what looked like painted canvas decks. It was the last type of boat I expected to see down here! However, considering that from Stuart to here the average depth in the ICW was maybe 10 feet, they make a lot of sense. There was also another craft, a powerboat that had to be 100 feet long and was decked out with every toy you can think of. I am sure the interior was something to see but I didn't get to see it. I just got the name " 4 THE HULL OF IT!"
Friday, February 4, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Happiness Is A Clean Bottom!
SHIP'S LOG:
(Current Location: Hooker Bay N 27' 11.584/ W 080' 12.194)
I got my bottom cleaned today. Well, actually, I got ABISHAG's bottom cleaned today. It has been uncared for since September and after the lay over in Fort Pierce, it was in need. "Danielle the Diver" did the deed. The bottom and prop were not too badly fouled but enough so that it effected hull speed such that I could tell the difference. And once cleaned, the change in speed was also noticeable.
"Danielle the Diver", who by the way looks great in a wetsuit, said that the keel was free of bottom paint. Of course, it is not supposed to be free of bottom paint but it is the sort of thing to be expected when one grounds 5 times and kisses the bottom numerous other times. It is called "polishing the keel" and is a favorite pastime for people on the ICW.
I ran into "HARBOR MIST" which I hadn't seen since Isle of Hope Marina back up in Georgia. They had been at Loggerhead Marina for almost a month. They blew out an injector in their diesel and had to have all of them replaced. Getting the right injectors seems to have been some sort of a problem so they were "forced" to spend their time in Stuart.
The day started out cloudy but they brightened to no clouds and not air and no wind and high, high humidity. Thankfully, I wasn't planning to go far(Danielle the Diver didn't finish until after 10AM) and I was planning only to travel back to where I had anchored in Hooker Bay. Good thing too as the weather when right in the toilet. The sun went away, the wind came out of the northeast bringing with it a pretty heavy fog. I had just gotten the hook down when it dropped in with a vengeance. The rest of the day was cold(relatively speaking), damp and raw. I used the time to plot out my next course which will take me to Lake Worth, across the ICW from North Palm Beach. I will only be able to stay there for one night. It's free! After that, you pay $30 for the right to anchor for 4 days - including the first one. There are a lot of municipalities who have similar ordinances that I will have to deal with between here and Miami. It is amazing how Florida seems to be doing a lot to kill the recreational boating.
Well, I will be off to Lake Worth on the morrow, weather permitting. Right now, the fog is still heavy and it looks a little creepy outside. The two other boats anchored here are visible only from their anchor lights, as are the houses and the bridges ashore. It looks like a wonderful setting from some sort of "horror movie" but hopefully all of us will be spared the horrors of the night and have a good night's sleep.
(Current Location: Hooker Bay N 27' 11.584/ W 080' 12.194)
I got my bottom cleaned today. Well, actually, I got ABISHAG's bottom cleaned today. It has been uncared for since September and after the lay over in Fort Pierce, it was in need. "Danielle the Diver" did the deed. The bottom and prop were not too badly fouled but enough so that it effected hull speed such that I could tell the difference. And once cleaned, the change in speed was also noticeable.
"Danielle the Diver", who by the way looks great in a wetsuit, said that the keel was free of bottom paint. Of course, it is not supposed to be free of bottom paint but it is the sort of thing to be expected when one grounds 5 times and kisses the bottom numerous other times. It is called "polishing the keel" and is a favorite pastime for people on the ICW.
I ran into "HARBOR MIST" which I hadn't seen since Isle of Hope Marina back up in Georgia. They had been at Loggerhead Marina for almost a month. They blew out an injector in their diesel and had to have all of them replaced. Getting the right injectors seems to have been some sort of a problem so they were "forced" to spend their time in Stuart.
The day started out cloudy but they brightened to no clouds and not air and no wind and high, high humidity. Thankfully, I wasn't planning to go far(Danielle the Diver didn't finish until after 10AM) and I was planning only to travel back to where I had anchored in Hooker Bay. Good thing too as the weather when right in the toilet. The sun went away, the wind came out of the northeast bringing with it a pretty heavy fog. I had just gotten the hook down when it dropped in with a vengeance. The rest of the day was cold(relatively speaking), damp and raw. I used the time to plot out my next course which will take me to Lake Worth, across the ICW from North Palm Beach. I will only be able to stay there for one night. It's free! After that, you pay $30 for the right to anchor for 4 days - including the first one. There are a lot of municipalities who have similar ordinances that I will have to deal with between here and Miami. It is amazing how Florida seems to be doing a lot to kill the recreational boating.
Well, I will be off to Lake Worth on the morrow, weather permitting. Right now, the fog is still heavy and it looks a little creepy outside. The two other boats anchored here are visible only from their anchor lights, as are the houses and the bridges ashore. It looks like a wonderful setting from some sort of "horror movie" but hopefully all of us will be spared the horrors of the night and have a good night's sleep.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Short Trip But A Good Trip
SHIP'S LOG:
I don't think I went more than four miles today, from Hooker Bay to Loggerhead Marina,but it was a good day. The weather was wonderful, the marina is very nice and I had dinner with Ron and Roland. And that was perhaps the best part. Unfortunately, I am in no shape to really plan tomorrow's journey so I will have to do that in the morning.
I got a call from an old friend who is help a friend of his convalese in Fort Lauderdale. The guy has a condo on the ICW and a dock. If the watery is deep enough, I'll have another place to stop which is good because the anchoring possibilities are slim between here and Miami as I have mentioned before.
I am going to make this short and hit the rack. Enjoy the SNOW!
I don't think I went more than four miles today, from Hooker Bay to Loggerhead Marina,but it was a good day. The weather was wonderful, the marina is very nice and I had dinner with Ron and Roland. And that was perhaps the best part. Unfortunately, I am in no shape to really plan tomorrow's journey so I will have to do that in the morning.
I got a call from an old friend who is help a friend of his convalese in Fort Lauderdale. The guy has a condo on the ICW and a dock. If the watery is deep enough, I'll have another place to stop which is good because the anchoring possibilities are slim between here and Miami as I have mentioned before.
I am going to make this short and hit the rack. Enjoy the SNOW!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Dropping The Hook In Hooker Bay!
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, I finally got out of Dodge(Fort Pierce). A quick trip across the Indian River for a "pump & Dump" at the Municipal Marina and then back on the ICW for the trip South some 20 miles.
The day was clear but the wind was basically on the nose at 20mph and steady. In the Shallow Indian River, it stirred up 3-4foot waves and I had a number of them crash over the bow. I hits those just right, being in the trough when then hit. But it was in the 70's and I didn't even wear a jacket.
I think that the month in Fort Pierce created a problem with the boat. I think that the prop is somewhat fouled with crustaceans for the speed was down. True, I was bashing into waves and true the wind was on the nose at 20mph but it still seemed as though the drive wasn't there. I am sure that the bottom is fouled too. Sitting for a month just encourages that sort of activity in a marine environment. The water never got seriously warm enough to make taking the plunge a serious consideration, but perhaps I should have done so before I mosey out. As soon as the water gets a little warmer, I will have to do some diving and scraping and cleaning. Nothing I like more!
It didn't take long to get back into the swing of traveling the ICW. I didn't go three miles before I came upon a fisherman afloat in the middle of the channel. Something just never change. I am about three miles as the dolphin swims from Chapman's and if the chance presents itself, I may drop in. Where I go from here is difficult to say but I think "south" will best describe it. The weather in the later part of the week is rather "iffy" and tending toward the cooler but I am less than 100 miles from Miami and you know that it just has to be warm down there.
After dinner with Ron & Roland tomorrow night, the clock is sort of running. I will be heading south with no real destination in mind. Where I get I get. But come the Ides of March, it is turn around time and I will begin the northward trek. That thankfully is over a month away and I have just got to get a real sun burn and a serious tan so that I can evoke jealousy and envy upon my return.
Well, I finally got out of Dodge(Fort Pierce). A quick trip across the Indian River for a "pump & Dump" at the Municipal Marina and then back on the ICW for the trip South some 20 miles.
The day was clear but the wind was basically on the nose at 20mph and steady. In the Shallow Indian River, it stirred up 3-4foot waves and I had a number of them crash over the bow. I hits those just right, being in the trough when then hit. But it was in the 70's and I didn't even wear a jacket.
I think that the month in Fort Pierce created a problem with the boat. I think that the prop is somewhat fouled with crustaceans for the speed was down. True, I was bashing into waves and true the wind was on the nose at 20mph but it still seemed as though the drive wasn't there. I am sure that the bottom is fouled too. Sitting for a month just encourages that sort of activity in a marine environment. The water never got seriously warm enough to make taking the plunge a serious consideration, but perhaps I should have done so before I mosey out. As soon as the water gets a little warmer, I will have to do some diving and scraping and cleaning. Nothing I like more!
It didn't take long to get back into the swing of traveling the ICW. I didn't go three miles before I came upon a fisherman afloat in the middle of the channel. Something just never change. I am about three miles as the dolphin swims from Chapman's and if the chance presents itself, I may drop in. Where I go from here is difficult to say but I think "south" will best describe it. The weather in the later part of the week is rather "iffy" and tending toward the cooler but I am less than 100 miles from Miami and you know that it just has to be warm down there.
After dinner with Ron & Roland tomorrow night, the clock is sort of running. I will be heading south with no real destination in mind. Where I get I get. But come the Ides of March, it is turn around time and I will begin the northward trek. That thankfully is over a month away and I have just got to get a real sun burn and a serious tan so that I can evoke jealousy and envy upon my return.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tomorrow Is Departure Day
SHIP'S LOG:
Well, it has been almost a month but I am finally leaving Fort Pierce. Tomorrow morning, it will be up anchor and over to the Fort Pierce Municipal Marina for a "Pump & Dump" and then down the ICW to Stuart and Hooker Bay. Wednesday night, I will be in one of the marinas down there so that I can dinner with Ron & Roland. Then Thursday, I will be off south, but to just where I don't know. Probably not far as the weather is supposed to be a little "iffy" and I hate traveling in the rain.
Brad finally showed up. It seems he and his brother drove from Fort Pierce to Key West to Tamp and back to Fort Pierce. That's a lot of miles in 3 days but he made it back so that I could get my "spares box" and other assorted items and so be ready to shove off tomorrow.
I installed the new blower fan and it seems to work just fine. I am insufferably proud of myself that i got it in without a hitch. Hopefully that is the very last problem/repair that I will have to face on this trip but I doubt that such will be the case. Then again, it might. Of course if they were all that easy and that inexpensive, it would be no big deal, but that blower fan is probably the exception to the rule.
As I thought last night, the powerboat the anchored close to the channel swung out into it during the night. He didn't really cause any problems but if the water police had come by he would have gotten a big ticket. He must have realized that for as soon as the other large powerboat vacated its anchoring spot and took of, he upped anchor and moved right into it and dropped the hook. looks like he plans to be here awhile. I can understand that. It is a nice spot. But there are other nice spots that i intend to find as well.
I am actually getting excited about going though the trip is less that 20 miles. Having been in one place so long taking off is like beginning a new adventure. I just hope it is not "too exciting." A nice, easy, fairly mundane journey is fine with me me . . . at least for the start. Of course, my friends at NOAA are calling for 30mph gusts tomorrow. Why would it be otherwise?
Well, it has been almost a month but I am finally leaving Fort Pierce. Tomorrow morning, it will be up anchor and over to the Fort Pierce Municipal Marina for a "Pump & Dump" and then down the ICW to Stuart and Hooker Bay. Wednesday night, I will be in one of the marinas down there so that I can dinner with Ron & Roland. Then Thursday, I will be off south, but to just where I don't know. Probably not far as the weather is supposed to be a little "iffy" and I hate traveling in the rain.
Brad finally showed up. It seems he and his brother drove from Fort Pierce to Key West to Tamp and back to Fort Pierce. That's a lot of miles in 3 days but he made it back so that I could get my "spares box" and other assorted items and so be ready to shove off tomorrow.
I installed the new blower fan and it seems to work just fine. I am insufferably proud of myself that i got it in without a hitch. Hopefully that is the very last problem/repair that I will have to face on this trip but I doubt that such will be the case. Then again, it might. Of course if they were all that easy and that inexpensive, it would be no big deal, but that blower fan is probably the exception to the rule.
As I thought last night, the powerboat the anchored close to the channel swung out into it during the night. He didn't really cause any problems but if the water police had come by he would have gotten a big ticket. He must have realized that for as soon as the other large powerboat vacated its anchoring spot and took of, he upped anchor and moved right into it and dropped the hook. looks like he plans to be here awhile. I can understand that. It is a nice spot. But there are other nice spots that i intend to find as well.
I am actually getting excited about going though the trip is less that 20 miles. Having been in one place so long taking off is like beginning a new adventure. I just hope it is not "too exciting." A nice, easy, fairly mundane journey is fine with me me . . . at least for the start. Of course, my friends at NOAA are calling for 30mph gusts tomorrow. Why would it be otherwise?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Watch Were Your Drop Your Hook!
SHIP'S LOG:
I had to clear out the "In-Law's Apartment" locker and begin the trace of the hose that ducts the fresh, good air into the engine room and the one that ducts the hot, bad air out. At first glance, it looked like it would be a problem as the hose ran out of a bulkhead and into the flooring and out and into another bulkhead. . . . but no, because there on the aft bulkhead, just before the hose disappeared for the second time was the blower! And it had been there awhile. Written on it in Magic Marker was the date "1995" which I guess was the year it was put in place. I checked the wiring and found that I had 13.5 volts to the blower but it still wouldn't turn. It meant that the motor was shot.To confirm this, I disconnected it and check the resistance and got infinite ohms. It was well and truly shot and had to be replaced. It was also coated on the inside with 16 years worth of oily build up from sucking the air out from around a diesel engine. Yep, it was time for it to go onto the great scrapheap of life.
Dinghied into shore and Jerry and I headed up to West Marine where I purchased a new blower, along with an in-line fuse connection and fuses. The previous blower had been installed without them which leads me to believe that it wasn't original to the boat. I think it was a replacement for the original but that it was set in place by one of the previous owners. If the date is correct, then it was put in by the original owner of the boat in Bermuda. It is a simple fix and a simple location and I will have it up an running on the 'morrow. It was simply to nice a day to spend doing anything like work.
One thing of note: last night after dark, there were 4 of us anchored along the channel of the causeway leading to Faber Cover. A sailboat came in and hunted around for a spot to anchor. He must have been using the charts for he anchored right over a wreak. The charts for this location, and I suppose many other locations, are a bit off. The 2004 Hurricane season devastated the area and filled in a lot of spots that were formally good anchorages. I discovered that when I first anchored here as the depths were no where close to what was on the chart and Jerry confirmed it. Evidently, this had been a place for locals to moor and some boat didn't survive the hurricane and went down near the beginning of the causeway channel. For awhile, the mast noted the location at high tide and when that was later removed, a buoy was attached to the wreak, The buoy eventually disappeared but eh locals knew where the wreak was and avoided it. This poor fellow Last night anchored right over it and was aground on it this morning. Lots of yelling and scream at 5AM low tide. He was not a happy camper but he didn't get towed, though he probably moved, and is still there . . . tempting fate yet again.
No word from Brad. with his brother in town for the weekend, I really didn't expect it and he lived up to expectations. I am still awaiting the return of the "spares box" an d some other items he borrowed and I guess that will have to wait for tomorrow. If he gets out here early enough, I'll be off to Stuart. If not, I will go Tuesday and "suffer" through Monday in 75 degrees of temp and sunny, sunny skies. And I am not sorry or guilty at all!
I had to clear out the "In-Law's Apartment" locker and begin the trace of the hose that ducts the fresh, good air into the engine room and the one that ducts the hot, bad air out. At first glance, it looked like it would be a problem as the hose ran out of a bulkhead and into the flooring and out and into another bulkhead. . . . but no, because there on the aft bulkhead, just before the hose disappeared for the second time was the blower! And it had been there awhile. Written on it in Magic Marker was the date "1995" which I guess was the year it was put in place. I checked the wiring and found that I had 13.5 volts to the blower but it still wouldn't turn. It meant that the motor was shot.To confirm this, I disconnected it and check the resistance and got infinite ohms. It was well and truly shot and had to be replaced. It was also coated on the inside with 16 years worth of oily build up from sucking the air out from around a diesel engine. Yep, it was time for it to go onto the great scrapheap of life.
Dinghied into shore and Jerry and I headed up to West Marine where I purchased a new blower, along with an in-line fuse connection and fuses. The previous blower had been installed without them which leads me to believe that it wasn't original to the boat. I think it was a replacement for the original but that it was set in place by one of the previous owners. If the date is correct, then it was put in by the original owner of the boat in Bermuda. It is a simple fix and a simple location and I will have it up an running on the 'morrow. It was simply to nice a day to spend doing anything like work.
One thing of note: last night after dark, there were 4 of us anchored along the channel of the causeway leading to Faber Cover. A sailboat came in and hunted around for a spot to anchor. He must have been using the charts for he anchored right over a wreak. The charts for this location, and I suppose many other locations, are a bit off. The 2004 Hurricane season devastated the area and filled in a lot of spots that were formally good anchorages. I discovered that when I first anchored here as the depths were no where close to what was on the chart and Jerry confirmed it. Evidently, this had been a place for locals to moor and some boat didn't survive the hurricane and went down near the beginning of the causeway channel. For awhile, the mast noted the location at high tide and when that was later removed, a buoy was attached to the wreak, The buoy eventually disappeared but eh locals knew where the wreak was and avoided it. This poor fellow Last night anchored right over it and was aground on it this morning. Lots of yelling and scream at 5AM low tide. He was not a happy camper but he didn't get towed, though he probably moved, and is still there . . . tempting fate yet again.
No word from Brad. with his brother in town for the weekend, I really didn't expect it and he lived up to expectations. I am still awaiting the return of the "spares box" an d some other items he borrowed and I guess that will have to wait for tomorrow. If he gets out here early enough, I'll be off to Stuart. If not, I will go Tuesday and "suffer" through Monday in 75 degrees of temp and sunny, sunny skies. And I am not sorry or guilty at all!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Thingy Is Connected To The Doohickey, The Doohickey Is Connected To The Whatsits, . . . .
SHIP'S LOG:
Ah Yes, the Doohickey, the Thingamabob, The Whatsits, and all those other little thingies. Yes, when something goes out of whack on a boat, it isn't always as simple as in other places and everything seems to have a strange name.
The first little thing that went "wrong" was a 1" washer that fit of the end of the hose that was attached to the pump that blew up the dinghy. It went away. Where, I have no idea. Indeed, it could still be somewhere in the dinghy but an exhaustive search turned up nothing. This means, that at some time in the future, I will sit in the dinghy and see it just sitting there, mocking me! The front tube of the dinghy, the one with the slow leak, was completely deflated and need to be pumped up. This meant that I had to find some gasket material (Thank you Mr. Beebe), cut out several 1" squares, round them off, cut out the proper diameter hole in the center and fit them on the fixture at the end of the hose which is attached to the pump that blows up the dinghy. I had to cut several of them as I have no idea exactly how thick the missing washer is/was and it had to be thick enough to create a tight seal between the port and the fixture at the end of the hose which is attached to the pump that blows up the dinghy so that no air will escape during the process and the front tube will indeed blow up(that is fill with air). It took an hour or so but mission accomplished - it took 2 of the five washers to make the proper seal.
One of the cabinet doors in the saloon pulled its hinge(bottom) from the frame and needs to be screw back in. The wood is old and dry and so it required a little wood filler to quite naturally fill the holes and cracks so that new screws could be put in place and hold the hinge tight. I am not quite sure where the former screws went. They don't seem to be inside the cabinet nor on the floor nor on or in the settee. It is strange how sometimes, things on a boat just go off into another dimension. You put something down in a particular place and when you look for it, it is gone. At some later date, it turns up in an entirely different place and you have no idea how it got there. The OUTER LIMITS definitely operates on boats.
The engine room blower is also out. It is a fan that sucks in fresh air when the engine is running. It quite today when I started the engine to charge the batteries. Probably just a loose wire. Now if I can only find where the blower is. I will look in the most unlikely and in accessible spot first . . .where I am sure to find it!
I didn't make Stuart today. My box of spares is on BRIGADOON and Brad's brother showed up yesterday and they took off for the weekend. Looks like Monday will be get-a-way day.
Ah Yes, the Doohickey, the Thingamabob, The Whatsits, and all those other little thingies. Yes, when something goes out of whack on a boat, it isn't always as simple as in other places and everything seems to have a strange name.
The first little thing that went "wrong" was a 1" washer that fit of the end of the hose that was attached to the pump that blew up the dinghy. It went away. Where, I have no idea. Indeed, it could still be somewhere in the dinghy but an exhaustive search turned up nothing. This means, that at some time in the future, I will sit in the dinghy and see it just sitting there, mocking me! The front tube of the dinghy, the one with the slow leak, was completely deflated and need to be pumped up. This meant that I had to find some gasket material (Thank you Mr. Beebe), cut out several 1" squares, round them off, cut out the proper diameter hole in the center and fit them on the fixture at the end of the hose which is attached to the pump that blows up the dinghy. I had to cut several of them as I have no idea exactly how thick the missing washer is/was and it had to be thick enough to create a tight seal between the port and the fixture at the end of the hose which is attached to the pump that blows up the dinghy so that no air will escape during the process and the front tube will indeed blow up(that is fill with air). It took an hour or so but mission accomplished - it took 2 of the five washers to make the proper seal.
One of the cabinet doors in the saloon pulled its hinge(bottom) from the frame and needs to be screw back in. The wood is old and dry and so it required a little wood filler to quite naturally fill the holes and cracks so that new screws could be put in place and hold the hinge tight. I am not quite sure where the former screws went. They don't seem to be inside the cabinet nor on the floor nor on or in the settee. It is strange how sometimes, things on a boat just go off into another dimension. You put something down in a particular place and when you look for it, it is gone. At some later date, it turns up in an entirely different place and you have no idea how it got there. The OUTER LIMITS definitely operates on boats.
The engine room blower is also out. It is a fan that sucks in fresh air when the engine is running. It quite today when I started the engine to charge the batteries. Probably just a loose wire. Now if I can only find where the blower is. I will look in the most unlikely and in accessible spot first . . .where I am sure to find it!
I didn't make Stuart today. My box of spares is on BRIGADOON and Brad's brother showed up yesterday and they took off for the weekend. Looks like Monday will be get-a-way day.
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