January 15-16, 2009
The start of our trek back to Ft. Lauderdale! What a mess. It took us 36 hours get home, but we finally arrived on the 16th. The flight back was an adventure in itself. Six standby flights and we are finally on the boat. Our flight from Providence was delayed by almost 3 hours and when we arrived in Newark our connecting flight was leaving as we arrived at the gate and that began the torture. We slept on the floor of Newark Airport with hopes of an early departure. Enough said, after 6 standby flights we finally are boarded a flight to Ft. Lauderdale on January 16th at 1:10 and arrival at 5:00. I could have kissed the boat when we finally arrived! Our adventure truly begins now and I cannot wait. We will head back to the New River with hopes of the same slip we were in 3 weeks ago…..such a magnificent spot. Tom and Pam will meet us on Saturday and then Terry and Marie on Sunday. Looking forward to company! I love the New River. New batteries are on the horizon…so much needed for our crossing over to the Bahamas. Will check back soon…..so glad to be home! Bob brought us all the packages we sent to his home while we were home and spent a bit of time with us. We will be off to the New River in the morning, minus a fender…evidently it broke away while we were home…mo money, mo money.
January 17, 2009
Low 70’s
Partly sunny
We are up and on our way by 9:00. Constant calls to the dock master were fruitless but we headed over to the New River from Bob’s with the hopes of snagging the same slip we occupied 4 weeks ago. It was a great spot and will accommodate our company and the crew bringing the batteries. As we approach we notice it has been taken by a catamaran, but just behind the Lady Lucille is a slip that is available and we snag it. Great spot! Shortly after tying up the dock master arrives to welcome us back. Sea Fox gets a much needed bath as being docked at Bob’s left a lot of debris from the nearby trees and dropped a residue of unwanted stuff all over the bow. The stuff is nasty and even after 3 washings much of the “brown stuff” still remains. It will come off in time. Pam and Tom arrived at 11:00 with a car load of provisions. Plants, food and even a birthday cake. They were a sight for sorry eyes. Great antipasto for lunch and a long dinghy ride down the river was so much fun until we were pulled over by the “water police.” We only had 2 life jackets aboard and after much ado we were presented with a $90 citation! Bitch bastit!!! I even offered him dinner, but declined that invitation when we were cited!!! It was getting a bit chilly (probably 67*) and headed back to the boat.
We took a walk to the Irish Pub for dinner (great fish and chips) and then back to the boat for coffee and birthday cake….what a great day! Hopefully we can do this again. Pam fared well today with her motion sickness on boats….good job Pam! They departed for their 2 hour drive home around 7:00 and we relaxed for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow is another day! Night, night!
January 18, 2009
Low 70’s
Partly sunny
We awakened to the sun and a nippy 50* or so….better than snow. We got things in order for Marie and Terry’s arrival. They had no issues finding us and that was a good thing. They arrived in long pants and long-sleeved shirts! True Floridians with thinning blood! As the day progressed we actually had to close the windows on the aft deck as it was a bit cool even though the temp was in the 70’s. The traffic on the New River was fun to watch and we even spotted a manatee. A somewhat healthy lunch (antipasto again to assist with our much needed weight loss) and great conversation made for a wonderful day. Barry was able to try out the soda maker and it turns out that this will be a good friend. Quite the machine…being able to make any kind of soda, tonic, seltzer…whatever….and will be most useful when we get to the Bahamas as there will be so such “stuff” there. Terry and Marie departed around 3:30 with hopes of them
returning again to relax more and enjoy what we all love…just being on the boat! We relaxed on the aft until the sun went down…getting later each day…today it was almost 6:00. Another wonderful day in the neighborhood!
January 19, 2009
Low 70’s
Partly sunny
Happy Birthday to me! I don’t feel a day over 30! Two great cards from Barry and a promise of snorkel equipment as a birthday present. It is not like a need a gift…this 2 year vacation and Barry’s company is all I could ask for. We will hunt for that when we get to Miami. We were awakened by a call from Dollar Marine….the batteries will be arriving soon. Jeff showed up around 9:00 with a smile on his face. Very nice and knowledgeable after a few hard knocks growing up…we learned his history as he pretty much spent the day with us. The 4 smaller batteries did not fit due to the posts not being long enough. The large one fit quite nicely. Jeff found 4 other batteries that did make the cut, but of course, at $30 more apiece…and the beat goes on. BOAT…break out another thousand! With not too much ado the job was completed and Sea Fox cleaned up by 3:30. I managed to read for a couple of hours while the guys fought with the batteries. We
took a walk to Las Olas, the main drag of this area, around 5:00. Las Olas is just another tourist trap with many specialty stores that the average bear would not consider shopping in, and many restaurants. We chose the Big City Tavern for dinner with a table outside by the street so we could watch the happenings as we dined. Many high end cars cruise by along with a totally refurbished 442 that was so beautiful. Off to our left a local dines with her poodle sitting in the seat next to her. Evidently this is acceptable here….so crazy. Every one here has a “rug rat” dog and some even travel in baby carriages….OMG! Get a life! Dinner was wonderful as expected. Barry had sea bass, I chose trout and both were outstanding. A short walk gets us back to the boat to relax for the rest of the evening. Michael gave us a call and web cam enabled us to chat with them for a while and take in the sights of adorable Cooper for a while. Put socks on him! Make Normy and me feel better! My pediatrician always told me to dress a baby as you would dress yourself….just a thought! A bit of TV time and bed with a bit of hope to move on tomorrow. The weather is cool with the promise of wind and rough waters. Not good for traveling, but that will be determined tomorrow. Night all.
January 20, 2009
Partly sunny again
70’s
Busy day. We decide to spend another day/night at the marina as it has promised to be another chilly evening for the next couple of days. Lots of cleaning is a good thing. We also hit Publix to freshen up provisions. As I put away our stuff Barry headed out for fuel for the dinghy. Much to our dismay the extra gas can blew off the aft deck yesterday due to the wind…AUGH…glad it was not my fault this time. Next job at hand is repotting the veggies and herbs Pam brought to the boat. They are so much happier now! Yummy dinner of leg of lamb, veggies and rice. As we ponder the rest of the evening we decide to defrost the freezer (so very needed.) It did not take long with hot pots of water
placed in the freezer. We will be good to go for 2-3 more months…hopefully. Off to restock the fridge and freezer…good bye until tomorrow!
January 21, 2009
A balmy 38* when we awaken
No higher than 70* today
1356 engine hours at day’s end
76 gallons of fuel @ $2.40
$140.00
We left the marina around 9:00 with our sights set on Miami Beach. It was a very nice cruise down the Intracoastal. We had the best manatee sighting today. He was so cool cruising along just below the surface upside down! Barely got up to 73* on the bridge…so chilly today…cannot believe this is southern Florida. As I peck away at 7:00 it is now 43* and suppose to drop even lower. We hooked up with Petroleum Fuel today along the Intracoastal as it is suppose to be much less cost wise than most marinas. Not bad at $2.40 per gallon, but as we approach Hollywood we spot a marina offering diesel at $2.25 per gallon….go figure. We approach Sunset Lake and home for the evening. Really nice spot among many beautiful homes and well protected from the chilly north winds. Pull out Upwords and settle in for a couple of games. Another boater approaches in his dinghy and asked if we have been greeted by the neighbors…and, of course we had not. Evidently, Fred Chapman, from one of the homes along the Lake takes offense in boaters anchoring in front of his home (which is exactly where we are.) Fred seems to stand on the second floor of his home yelling at the intruders! He has no justification for this behavior, obviously. The other boater actually had to call the police, and it seems Fred did the same. Would have loved to have been here for that. Fred left his spot light
on pointed at the boat all night long to aggravate him. He said he finally moved this morning….guess he had enough fun. So far we have not heard any yelling and we are not about to pull up anchor and move anyway! Toodles all….catch you tomorrow.
January 22, 2009
Nippy, nippy, nippy
53* in the cabin and
43* outside
Sunny!
It was a lackadaisical morning. We finally headed out for a dinghy ride to explore the lake….boring! Back to the boat to grab sweatshirts…still chilly, especially cruising on the dinghy. We head west on the lake and over to a marina where there is a boat launch and spots to tie off the dinghy. Low and behold we are at South Beach. We took quite a long walk down Lincoln Mall Road past tons of shops and restaurants galore…a wonder how all of them can possibly survive. Although, even at 3:00 in the afternoon they are still pretty populated. I do feel like I am in another country….doesn’t anyone speak
English? At the end of Lincoln Mall Road is the ocean…nice view, beautiful beach. On our way back to Sea Fox we stopped at a hardware store and scooped up another gas can to replace the one that got away. Back at the boat we enjoyed dinner and a relaxing evening. Fred gave us the spotlight treatment tonight, but what a fool he is. Does he not realize all we have to do is draw the blinds??? Burn up that electricity, Fred! Have a ball as we are comfy cozy and not bothered by your light at all. Good night for now.
January 23, 2009
Chilly
54 inside
53 outside
1360 engine hours at days end
Water temp 60*
Sunny with scattered clouds
We start our trek south at 9:00. It is a beautiful calm day…great for travel. We leave Miami Beach headed for the Keys, thinking Elliot Key will be our destination. It is warm and I get the opportunity to travel along on the bow and snapping pictures as we head out. Dolphin and Manatee sightings along the way are magnificent as usual, and we never grow tired of seeing them. As we travel along the ICW it is almost like we are traveling on the outside. Wide open water almost leads us to believe we are traveling on the outside. We approach Elliot Key but find there really is no good anchorage and as it is only noon we decide to move farther south. Card Sound is just a stone’s throw away and that is the new destination. That brings us to the west side of Key Largo and seems to be a good spot. We decide to end our day on the south side of Pumpkin Key which is a private island. As we settle in and drop anchor there is a magnificent school of dolphins having a wonderful time swimming and jumping….yes, jumping out of the water doing total nose dives. I also spotted a turtle swimming along the boat…hopefully more of this to come. We anchored at 1:30 and dropped the dinghy for a wonderful 2 hour cruise.
The outside temp was 73*, but still needed sweatshirts to bare the wind. Many coral reefs along the way provided a nice cruise, but also decide that we are so far away from the Key Largo mainland. We need to be on the outside to get to where anything is happening if this is where Jon and Kyle are to meet us. Perhaps a marina or very good current and wind conditions if we are to anchor out. We will figure it out as the time approaches. We head back to the boat and were able to catch about a ½ hour of sun on the upper aft deck reading, but the clouds rolled in and the lower aft was more appealing. Dinner and some TV for the rest of the evening….and on to a new destination tomorrow…Good night!
January 24, 2009
1362 engine hours at day’s end
54* at 8:00
Water temp 60*
Sunny with scattered clouds
We are inching our way south. No need to hurry to Key West as Karen arrives on 2/6 and this gives us an opportunity to see other sights along the way. We head out thinking we would head for Card Sound…we shall see. We are not ½ hour into our trek and we are hailed by a small runabout with 3 guys on it…oh my….pirates? We have read so much about this and the distress signals to hail you down. Ultimately we decided they truly are in need of help and tow them to the next bridge where they started. They are having engine trouble and were most grateful for our tow. We had to unleash them on the other side of the bridge as the canal they came from certainly would not accommodate SeaFox….much too shallow. They thanked us for taking them back as far as we did and we moved along. The ICW is quite vast in this area and one would think they are out in the middle of the ocean if were not for the narrow strips of land that are on either side of us. It is warming up quite nicely and is 75* on the bridge as we putter along. We decide to end today’s cruise after passing thru Jewfish Creek as just passed the bridge. Each side of the water way has tiki huts, beaches and restaurants. Gilbert’s is one mentioned in the guide book and just off to our right as we cruise in. With much ado, we finally were able to anchor just west of Gilbert’s. The water on either side of the dredged channel is so shallow we are pulling up mud just about anywhere we go. With the anchor secure we dropped the dinghy and head out to discover. We cruised around either side on the channel and decide Gilbert’s would be a good choice for a late lunch and libation. The docks all around Gilbert’s are in such dire need of repair…they are dangerous at best. With that in mind we choose a spot to tie up and head in for fueling our bellies. We picked a great table in the sun and ordered drinks and a platter of crab claws, shrimp, fish spread, oysters and cheviche (sp? As I think it is misspelled) a fish that is marinated and cooked from the acids of the marinade…all so very good! Good live music also from 2 Charlie Daniels wanna be’s. I still have no idea about what some people are thinking as a family with 4 children move in and park the kids at a table next to us and seat themselves 2 tables away…what were they thinking??? The 3 older were well behaved but the youngest was not…she proceeded with banging her chair on the ground followed by moving furniture to get closer to her mother…and this resulted in her banging our table and spilling Barry’s drink…leave those kids at home if they cannot behave! The temperature rose considerably and we took a bit of a cruise after dinner to Surprise Lake…very rough and choppy. We headed back to the boat and hung on the aft watching a most amazing sunset. At some point we will send more pictures….just not a favorite thing for us to do.
January 25, 2009
Sunday
1363 engine hours at day’s end
60*
Mostly cloudy when we awaken
There is a spot not too far ahead that seems to be more populated than where we are at this time. Nothing is accessible from where we are. We picked a spot that we thought would be good for the day. Boaters here have no consideration for anchored boats as they cruise by at astronomical speeds creating wakes that are not appreciated. We thought the herbs were safe on the bridge, but a dive boat passing by created such a wake that the oregano fell off the shelf and made quite the mess. We wanted to clean today…but not this kind of cleaning…oh well. The boat got vacuumed, the eisen glass cleaned and oregano replanted. It has warmed up considerably…hot actually and there are no longer clouds in the sky. We head out on the dinghy thru the Marvin D. Adams canal thinking a short dinghy ride would bring us to civilization, but we are mistaken. We took a very, very long dinghy ride that brought us to the ocean and still no civilization. Power boats are not allowed along the ocean shoreline due to protection of coral and there was no way we were taking the dinghy over the ocean thru the marked channel. There has to be a city of some sort here, but we have yet to find it. The only things we have seen at this time are small marinas and houses galore lining the ICW and the open ocean. We head back and at this time in need of fuel for the dinghy. There is a small inlet not too far from the boat that has gas and that is our destination. We fill the tank and in this same little inlet are about 4 restaurants. We choose the Sundowner and a great table right on the water where we can watch the happenings. Dinner was great, the waiter an idiot! Whatever. Back to the boat…and another day ends. Barry lost a filling last night and he is in need of a dentist. That is the agenda for tomorrow.
January 26, 2009
Monday
60’s
1367 engine hours at day’s end
Sunny with some clouds
It seems we always start the day out cool and cloudy, but by noon it is very much warmer and the clouds have diminished. We head out about 10:00 for another destination. Pretty much we have decided Key Largo is not a happening for Jon and Kyle. There is nothing here they would find fun and interesting. We even took a walk up to Route 1 to check
out destinations, and there weren’t any. Today’s travels took us to Community Harbor, which turned out not to be so great. They guide book advised there should have been 6 feet of water, but it turned out there was, at best, 4 feet of water and the tide was dropping. As we entered the harbor it was treacherous. SeaFox churned up mud all the way and the depth finder lost its mind on several occasions, which certainly led us to believe it was extremely shallow….and it certainly was as we could see the bottom big time. This was not a place we were to spend the evening. Much too dangerous as we did not want to end up grounded at low tide. We turned around and headed back the way we came and decide to move on to Islamorada. It is only 10 more miles and since it was only noon we had plenty of time to move on. Turns out it was a good choice as Islamorada harbor is beautiful and the water depth much more accommodating. The anchor and dinghy go down and we head out to explore. It is very, very shallow near the shore and there are not many places to land the dinghy. We could have gone to Loriliee’s but you are not allowed there unless you are dining and we were not up for that. There is a boat launch area noted in the book, but there is a trailer there taking a boat out of the water. We took a cruise around and head back to the ramp. We are able to land the dinghy and explore the area on foot. Just up the street from the boat ramp is Route 1 and many shops and restaurants along the way. More tourist traps as usual. The 5 mile walk did us good, but it was very hot. We headed back to SeaFox and at this time it is nearing 4:00. We browsed thru some magazines we picked up along the way….tons of houses for sale and mostly in the million dollar range. Even here on the Keys there are foreclosures and short sales. We use the soda maker on a daily basis…it is a wonderful thing. Water from the faucet and a few drops of flavoring is so much better that buying anything at the market. Also, the water maker has been doing a great job of topping off the tank on a daily basis. This ends another glorious day!
January 27, 2009
Tuesday
70* and sunny at 7:15
1370 engine hours at day’s end
148 gallons of diesel at $2.67 per gallon plus tax
$428.00
Today was a great day. We head out around 10:00 with the in intention of only cruising a short distance to Lignumvitae Key that was suppose to have a sanctuary that Barry thought would be nice to visit. And I am sure it would have been, but it is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. We made the attempt anyway because we still have some time to kill prior to going to Key West and it would be nice to explore some other areas on the way. We could spend a couple of days on one of the free mooring balls and check out the sanctuary in a couple of days. As we make our approach the area is beautiful but out in the middle of God only knows where. There is a large island directly ahead of us with a no trespassing sign on it…nice, very nice. The 3 mooring balls, 2 of which are already
taken, are extremely far apart with no sign of life anywhere in sight. Sorry Charlie….we are not staying here for a few days out in the middle of nowhere. We turn around and decide to head for Marathon…civilization. We cut over to the open ocean by Channel 5 (don’t ask….this is a new one on us…Channel 5). Travel time is about 1 ½ hours south. Barry decides we can make better time on the outside so that is where we headed. The water here is as blue as can be…it is amazing. The hour’s travel on the outside was a bit choppy with 2-4 foot seas, but it felt good to be out there. SeaFox, on the other hand, will need a good bath after this trashing. As we approached Marathon we called the City Marina with the hopes of getting a mooring for the next 5 days or so…this is a place that will be cool to hang for a while. Much ado here. There are 64 mooring balls and everyone is taken. This is a spot where a lot of boaters hang while waiting to cross over to the Bahamas. The Marina provides a spot to dock the dinghy, showers, laundry, pump out, bike racks, and it goes on and on. Prior to anchoring we stopped for fuel at Poncho’s Fuel Dock and tanked up. Jethro and Jed (hehe) were very friendly…everyone is so “hickey” down here. We also were introduced to a fisherman who had just come back from 3 days out fishing. He brought back 100,000 lbs of King Fish. We bought one! About 5 lbs at $1.25 a lb….fabulous! The fish cost $7.25…simply amazing. It was whole and Barry had to clean it but it proved to be a very easy task on the swim platform and from that fish we got 2 large pieces that I stuffed and 4 steaks that were about 2 inches thick each. After we anchored and headed over to the Marina office to get on a waiting list we break out the grill and cook up that baby! Dinner was delicious. We have never had this fish before but it was similar to tuna…delicious. We are about # 4 on the waiting list for a mooring and hopeful about moving tomorrow to get closer to the Marina and access to the dinghy dock. Okay, enough chatter for the day…night all!
January 28, 2009
Wednesday
Sunny 80*
We awaken to the sunshine. The weather has been perfect since we have been here. We had lunch and took a cruise to the Marina to pay the bill for the week. $100 is a bargain for a mooring, pump outs, dinghy dockage and bike dockage. We also have the ability to use the showers, but that is not necessary. Friday is not supposed to be so great, so it has been designated as laundry day. Barry hunted for a dentist, but there are no oral surgeons here and he was given a name of someone in Key West. We will try again at that time…something has to happen with this tooth. I can imagine how uncomfortable he must be. After paying our tab we took a ride to Sombrero Beach and Park on the ocean side of the Key. Very nice homes here and beautiful beach and park. Quiet day today and not much else to report on. See you!
January 29, 2009
Thursday
Sunny and 90* today
We got up at 8:00 and it was already 80* and the sun was streaming in. We hung around in the morning, had lunch and they off to The Turtle Hospital. The as about ½ mile from the Marina and seemed much longer in the heat. As it turned out you need to be there at certain times and also go thru somewhat of an orientation in order to actually see the turtles. We were not there at the right time so perhaps we can do that another day.
We head back to the Marina and hop on the dinghy for another cruise around the harbor. It is hot, but the sights on the bottom make up for that. Rays, turtles, fish of various kinds are all quite visible as the water is crystal clear and you could see right to the bottom. We head back to the boat, read a while, and finish off the fish for dinner. Tomorrow is suppose to be considerably cooler at 77* and hopefully we can head to the market to replenish the fridge. The market is about 1 mile away and walking in the beating sun, especially with groceries, will be a killer. Later! Love to all!
January 30
Friday
Water temp 70*
Sunny and 80*
So much for rain and clouds. It is hot again at 9:00. Today was laundry day and I packed everything up and Barry brought me to the Marina. There are only 3 washers and 4 dryers that work. I got in line with my laundry after being instructed by another patron as to the etiquette of machine use. She is a veteran as she has been here for a month and was anxious to advise any other new comers as they entered the facility. There is always one chatterbox in the crowd and today it is Jeannie from Lady Lee. Thankfully I brought a book and got away from her after a while by burying my nose and not looking up. Things were going pretty good moving my clothes from the washing line to the drying line…yup, a line for that too. One load coming out of the dryer had brown spots all over the clothes due to my love leaving a truffle in his pocket! Back in the washer they go. I had been there for quite some time now watching others come and go. Never did I realize it would take a month of Sunday’s to get laundry done. I glanced over at the door just as I was about to call my ride for a pick up and the heavens opened. It was pouring sheets of rain, of course delaying my ride. Barry was not able to come back for me until 3:00. I could not believe I had been there since 10:00 and 5 hours later ready to leave. All in all it was fine as I really could not take another day baking in the sun…it has been dreadfully hot and sunny all week. Not that I am complaining, but one can take just so much of the sun before needed a break. The rain really cooled things off to the point of being chilly. Dinner, R & R and bed….
January 31, 2009
Saturday
54* outside..chilly
We headed out to the Marina at 11:00 as there is a flea market going on today. We had hopes of finding fishing and diving equipment. The closest we found was a wet suit for me, but it was too small. We head down Rt. 1 to shop. Our first stop was lunch at the Village Restaurant…wonderful soup and salad for $5.95. Next door was a pet store that we visited after lunch. There were some wonderful birds there that reminded us of what we had left behind. There was one bird in particular that struck our fancy and his ours. A cockatoo, Blanco, who is 7 months old was absolutely gorgeous, pure white with yellow under his wings. He is extremely soft to the touch and loving like one could not imagine. He hung on to each of us at separate times not wanting to go back to his perch at all. OMG, we would have bought him in a heartbeat if we were not going out of the country. We will be sure to visit him again…and also visit the Village Restaurant as it was so good and extremely inexpensive. Our next stops were K-Mart and Winn-Dixie where we purchased items to replenish what we have used. Amazingly enough, the veggies and fruit that Pam and Tom brought a couple of weeks ago lasted us this long but we are now in need of more. K-Mart offers some good pickings for snorkel equipment and we will head back for that tomorrow. We also need alcohol for the stove from Boater’s World, but since we did not bring the meme cart it will have to wait for another day. After shopping at K-Mart and Winn-Dixie we came upon a bus that would bring us back to the Marina and a welcomed relief to walking back instead. Although it is about a mile away, with bags in hand it will seem much further. We hopped on the bus and will venture back to town for other provisions tomorrow. I need to play with Blanco some more and also have another meal at Village Restaurant. We relaxed at bit on the aft…it was hot with the sun streaming in, but still very nice. We bought a couple of lobster tails and 2 great strip steaks at the market. We chose the steaks for dinner and they were fabulous along with some Jasmine rice. The lobster was put in the freezer for another time. I have forgotten to mention the fabulous additive treatment Barry bought for the fuel that would get rid of the soot accumulation on the transom. It is simply amazing. Since Ft. Lauderdale there has been a 99% improvement with the black film that accumulates. We have not had to clean the transom at all….it is a wonderful thing. Night to all…we will digest dinner as we take in some TV. Signing off!
