Nassau, West Bay

Date: Sat, Jan 18, 2020                                               

Location:  Nassau, Bahamas (West Bay)

Weather:  72-79               

Destination Tomorrow:  Norman’s Cay

Stay out of the water - Jaws Beach

Comments:  Awaiting the northern blitz to arrive near 3 pm yesterday, we dragged the dinghy ashore early at Jaw’s Beach, on the southern shore of West Bay, and started our hike to town  Our purpose was to secure some cash, as most islands are cash only, and some groceries.  We were not attempting to reach Nassau proper as it is about 10 miles.  I could have walked that far but I don’t think Ruth would have lasted, LOL.  Mr. Google proclaimed a town about 4 miles away with a bank.  Old Fort Bay did have a bank but it was not your typical public bank.  Instead, it was a private bank and we didn’t ask questions.  However, we did meet a very nice lady who worked there and offered us a ride to the next settlement which included a public bank and the grocery store.  Roseanne even had a Joel Osteen book in her back seat and is a big fan, so we had a wonderful conversation as we drove the couple extra miles.  We ate at Naughty Johnnies for lunch, fried conch burger for me and a cajun curried chicken salad for Ruth.  Both were delicious. Afterward, we did our grocery shopping and taxied back to the bay.

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Exotic Boat of the Week

Today was boat project day in preparation for tomorrow’s passage to Norman’s Cay.  It is true that cruising is “working on your boat in exotic places.”  Ruth bought some pizza stuff at the grocery store so repairing the oven was in order.  I figured while at it, I might as well fix the 2^nd burner.  I found the jet on each to be plugged.  I also put gasket sealant on the fuel tank where the hoses attach as it seems the high pressure pumps at the fuel docks were too much for the original gaskets.  Other than that, we completed the typical boat checks in preparation for shove off tomorrow.

We plan to leave near 0700, purchase fuel and water at Albany Marina, then make our way through White Bank to Normans Cay, which is about 45 miles.  The winds should be light and dropping throughout the day but, as usual, directly on our bow.  We hope to spend our time at Norman’s Cay stretching our legs, doing a little snorkeling and exploring as we wait out another front later in the week. 

Honeymoon Harbor to Nassau

Date: Thursday, Jan 16, 2020                      

Arrival Time: 1500 ET                      

Location:  Nassau, Bahamas (West Bay)

Weather:  72-83               

Sea State:  3-4 ft seas

Destination Tomorrow:  sit tight for weather

Total Engine Hours:  1453                                                             

Crew:  Ruth and Greg    

Mileage Log:  1243

Tongue of the Ocean & Anchorage

Comments:  The last couple days have been pretty uneventful as they have been traveling days.  We left the beautiful Honeymoon Harbor at 0700 on Wednesday, in hopes of nearing the NW channel to anchor for the night then make it to Nassau on Thursday.  I commented to Ruth about not seeing sea life hoping for a positive jinx, like last time.  Well it didn’t work.  Throughout the day, we saw nothing but turquoise blue water so clear you can see the bottom at incredible depths, as we traveled the Bahama Banks, toward the North West Channel.  Poor us!  We watched the setting sun as we neared an anchorage just west of the channel.  The NW Channel, or Tongue of the Ocean, as it is called, is really not a typical channel but more an opening into the ocean between Andros and the Exumas.  So just after dark we anchored about 8.5 N/M west of the tongue.  It was a random anchorage (78 17.0 W, 25 27.0 N) picked by Menno, but it turned out the other 3 boats from Honeymoon Harbor were also there.  Menno must know something!

We pulled up anchor at 0600 this morning after a very rocky and rolly night with 3 to 4 feet swells.  It wasn’t prime anchorage conditions but it’s what you have to do sometimes when you are “staging” and an overnighter is not an option. We did get to pull out the sails today and turn off the motor. That was a nice change. 

West Bay Anchorage

We changed course to SE at 0730 when we reached the NW Channel.  It was a little eventful at this point because there were about 12 boats from 3 different routes converging into the NW channel.  It seems all staged to enter the NW passage last night and all pulled up anchorage at the same time.  To make things really perky a 112 foot private yacht plowed through the intersection.  I’m glad channel 16 was already blowing up by other displeased boaters because I might have embarrassed Ruth.  Anyway, that was the event of the day, other than seeing flying fish regularly.  We tried harder today to take advantage of photo ops, as we were without our phones at Honeymoon Harbor when we saw stingrays and nurse sharks. After seeing a few flying fish, I readied myself with phone/camera in hand and, of course there were none.  This went on all day and it pains me that I was outsmarted by a smattering of flying fish. 

Sat view of W Bay

I did fish 2 lines today.  We had one break off for an unknown reason.  It must have been big, that’s our story and we are sticking to it!

We pulled into the West Bay of Providence, the island of Nassau.  Next to us is Tenacious, an Island Packet we were anchored near in Bimini. There are probably 15 boats in the bay.  Menno and Val went on to Norman Cay.  I’m sure we’ll meet up with them again somewhere.  We await another front scheduled to arrive Friday afternoon with winds of 30 mph.  Fortunately, it should blow through by Sunday.

Bimini to Honeymoon Harbor

Date: Tue, Jan 14, 2020                               

Arrival Time: 1300 ET                      

Location:  Gun Cay (Honeymoon Harbor), Bahamas

Weather:  70’s  

Sea State:  3 foot chop

Destination Toward Nassau

Engine Hours:  1434                                                                        

Crew:  Ruth and Greg    

Mileage Log:  1136

Comments:  First and foremost, happy birthday to our moms, Hazel (today) and Granny Rea (tomorrow).  We spoke with both moms this morning for Hazel’s birthday and mom’s weekly Tuesday phone call.  I’ll try to call Granny Rea again tomorrow, for her birthday, but since we’ll be on the move, Happy Birthday mom if I don’t reach you.

Gun Cay Light

Yesterday, we did the normal (Bimini) town run that included conch salad, laundry,  coconut bread, then spent the evening aboard Eyra, Menno and Valerie's boat, where we were served pizza.  I was a little surprised when Menno suggested we shove off at 1000 today (Tuesday) for Honeymoon Harbor, to stage our passage of the bank, toward Nassau, the following day.  My plan had been to depart on Wednesday morning as the winds were forecast to calm some overnight on Tuesday.

Menno and Val's Eyra

At 1000 this morning, we pulled up anchor and headed south down the Bimini Channel, dodging one seaplane, through the South Bimini anchorage, where we spent our first night in the Bahamas, followed the Nixon Harbor route, past the Sapona wreck, to Honeymoon Harbor anchorage.  I heard mixed reviews about the anchorage, some saying it was washed out by Hurricane Dorian and others saying it is the picture perfect anchorage you read about.  It took us almost 3 hours to travel the short 12 miles or so as we slowed for possible shoaling and the pass between Gun Cay and Cat Cay, then back north on the west bank toward Honeymoon Harbor. Though I knew the location of the harbor, I was still a little surprised when Menno turned east between two islands into it.  The harbor is the place you read about, the picture you see of the Bahamas.  The anchorage is tight but with good holding.  The depth is about 8 feet at low tide.  It suddenly made sense why Menno and Val wanted to leave early even though there was an incoming tide as we departed. We were the first boats in Honeymoon and got the best spots - smart move on their part.  It’s a pleasure cruising with them and a learning experience.  Five other sailboats, and one power boat, pulled in after us.  We launched the paddle board and went to shore.  We saw several nurse sharks and sting rays that seemed tame.  In fact, if you stay still, the rays approach and rub their wings on your legs.  One of the sharks we estimated to be about 7 feet.  There is a small dock on the south side of the island  that I was told is an excursion site for a cruise ship.  They apparently feed the sharks and sting rays; thus, the reason they are so tame. 

The Natural

We spent time snorkeling and have now settled in for the evening.

Tomorrow we hope to make 50 or 60 miles then anchor on the Bahamas Banks for the night.  With an early shove off on Thursday we should easily reach Nassau before dark.  

Bimini, Football and Ships in our Anchorage

Date: Sunday, Jan 12, 2020                          

Comments:  We continue to wait on the weather to make our next passage to Chub Cay or Nassau.  It’s looking like Wednesday is the most likely departure date.  Yesterday, we did more walking in Bimini, though we did have a gentleman tow us around on his rented golf cart.  He was looking for a replacement fuel cap and a spark plug for his outboard.  He apparently dropped the cap in the water and really just needed to gap his plug as it was completely closed.  Hopefully, we helped him as we made his rounds.  We also had conch salad at Stuart’s Conch Salad Stand, which was delicious, and bought bread at Charlie’s Bakery.  We returned to the boat and were visited by Menno and Val from Eyra for sundowners.  They are a wonderful couple, owners of the Lagoon 38 that we were invited aboard on Friday. 

Sunday Surprise

Today was a day of rest, or it was supposed to be.  We relaxed and completed a few minor tasks while awaiting the Texans game. We couldn’t find it on any wifi TV channels so we settled for the radio broadcast.  The Texans were leading 24-0 when everything went crazy for us and apparently them.  I heard Ruth shout, “oh my gosh,” then heard the loud blast of a ship.  I looked to starboard and couldn’t believe I was seeing a ship entering our little anchorage at the end of the Bimini Channel.  After several blasts and some maneuvering he approached maybe 75 feet off our bow, not far from where the anchor was dug in below.  We were not able to hoist the anchor as the ship was almost above it.  We immediately pulled the dinghy onto the davits and prepared to move.  After he docked, we contacted him via VHF for assurance that he was secured in place, then made our move.  When we were above our anchor, pulling it aboard, we were maybe 30 feet from the ship’s stern.  We moved within our anchorage but as far from him as possible as he stated he would be leaving at 0800 Monday morning.  The next thing we heard, the Texans were losing 27-24 and went on to lose pretty badly.  They must have collided with a passing ship. 

Tomorrow, it’s back to town to wash clothes, buy coconut bread, eat conch salad and secure fuel.

Bimini, Waiting on Weather

Comments:  The wind continues to blow without shame.  We’re seeing a steady 28 knots, day and night.  I’ve forgiven the Mantus for Tuesday night, though it wasn’t its fault, as it has held tight since.  So with the strong blow, we visit the island. 

Maintenance day, yesterday, gave me a little scare.  After doing a variety of chores, I noticed a very

Busted exchanger cap gasket

fast dripping stream of coolant.  I searched high and low hoping it would be a loose hose or even one needing replacement.  The leak was not coming from a hose.  It appeared the drip was coming from the gasket between the heat exchanger and the block.  That gasket is not something I carry as a spare.  So, I tightened the six bolts securing the heat exchanger to the block.  After restarting the engine it seemed to stop.  During this process I called John, who I have extreme confidence in, and sought his advice.  The best advice he gave me was to not tighten the bolts anymore.  I’m glad he did because I was pondering that as my next move.  Tightening it too much could cause other serious problems like a cracked heat exchanger.  As it turned out the problem was not the gasket,  it was simply a bad gasket on the radiator cap, which I felt sure I had examined.  I pulled the gasket and made one from a hypalon patch (dinghy material) and there’s been no leak since.  Over the next 24 hours, John texted me with several ideas.  Thank you, John!

Ruth daring the ocean

Lobster salad at Joe's Conch Shack

Today, we took off toward town.  We docked the dinghy at the Mega Yacht Marina nearby, which has almost no business in this off season.  David,  manning the marina was extremely nice. The island is only about 3 miles long so we figured we could see most of it.  And that we did.  We couldn’t help but detour to the Atlantic Ocean side of the island and boy what a treat we were given.  Holed up in the anchorage, we don’t see the extreme beauty of the island that we saw on the west side today.  There were even a few sharks swimming the beach.  I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.  We had our first conch salads, well almost, as we chose lobster salad instead, visited a few sites and then made our way back.  According to Ruth’s gadget watch we walked a total of 6.38 miles.  My feet won’t argue the distance.  On the return dinghy ride, we met up for the 2^nd time with Menno and Val from a nearby anchored Lagoon 38.  They invited us aboard and we discussed possible shove off days and routes.  It is nice here but we’re ready to make our way south, hopefully Tuesday. 

Voila, An American Dream

Key Largo to Bimini, Alice Town - The Crossing

Date: Jan 7 & 8, 2020                      

Arrival Time: 1730 ET                      

Location:  Bimini, Bahamas

Weather:  70’s  

Sea State:  4-5 ft seas

Destination Tomorrow:  sit tight for weather

Engine Hours:  1426 Tue, 1429 Wed                                                                         

Crew:  Ruth and Greg    

Mileage Log:  1116 T/ 1122 W

Comments:  We pulled up anchor at 0630.  We had the motor running by 0600 but waited until we could see well enough to navigate.  The original plan was to shove off around 0430 but the crab traps had been so bad we didn’t want to risk it.  We actually didn’t see as many as we had been seeing and we assumed it was because we were passing through the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.  However, we did change course just before running over a blue float.  I’m not sure why a crabber would paint it blue in blue waters. 

The route we took across the Gulf Stream from Key Largo to Bimini was approximately 75 N/Miles. 

Crossing the Gulf Stream

We were hoping to make it before sundown as it is never wise to enter an unfamiliar harbor at night.  We traveled about 20 miles NE up the Hawk Channel before steering ENE just north of Turtle Reef, before entering the big blue Atlantic Ocean.  Throughout Hawk Channel, our ETA to Bimini was showing to be near 2230.  It was disconcerting but I knew it would change, we just hoped the change would be significant and in our favor.  As we entered the Turtle Reef, the ETA dropped to 1730 and eventually to 1700 in the stream.  The stream was beautiful.  The seas were dark blue and deep.  My depth gauge no longer registered around 500 feet but the chart showed us to be in waters as deep as 2700 feet.  As we were traveling NE, through the stream, our speed was bouncing around 8.5 knots.  It was nice to travel that fast as we often travel around 6 knots.  Ruth definitely has her sea legs now as she handled the 4-5 foot swell as if she was riding Chapo, her childhood horse.  We were under full sails most of the way across but kept the engine going to help Pura Vida land by 1700.  We noticed the deep blue water turn to turquoise and knew we had arrived.  We dropped anchor in the south Bimini anchorage at 1700. And all is well….

She always looks happiest with money in hand

Well…not exactly! We made several attempts to set the anchor but it was like cement on the bottom.  We found out later that though Hurricane Dorian did not affect the Bimini infrastructure it did affect the sea surface.   The sand was gone from the anchorage. Our Mantus anchor was dragging on flat rocks.  It felt like I was dragging it across a parking lot.  After several attempts to set, we decided we would go into the Bimini Island entrance and look for an inside anchorage.  Of course, by this time it was dark.  During the trek to the entrance we studied the chart and I made a call over channel 16 for local knowledge assistance.  No one responded for a while.  Then, low and behold, Fred from Sea Tryst who we previously talked to at the Channel Five Pass at Long Key, answered.  He explained that the charts were wrong since Dorian and gave us another route.  We (mostly I) really couldn’t understand his suggestions though we questioned again and answered to the affirmative.  After a few minutes, I told Ruth that we were going back to the south Bimini anchorage and we would just stay up through the night, set the anchor alarm, watch the tracking on our phone charts and reset the anchor as we drifted.  We dropped the anchor with approximately 180 feet of 3/8 inch chain in 13 feet of water.  My thoughts were we’d put down as much weight onto that cement as possible.  The combined weight was probably over 350 pounds.  We ate dinner, went to bed and waited for the anchor alarm to sound.  One thing we had in our favor was that the winds were only blowing about 10 knots.  Around 2245 the alarm sounded.  We jumped up with vigilance and went to work.  Fortunately, the boat had shifted because of the tidal change but there was no need to reset.  We went back to bed and waited.  I was awakened around 0600 by the sound of Ruth turning on the generator to make coffee.  No other alarms sounded and there was little drag. 

Cruising is not for sissies. 

South Bimini Airport

At 0645 Wednesday morning, we pulled up the anchor, which took a while and headed toward the Bimini Island entrance.  We studied the few boats that exited through the channel but it was from a distance (a couple miles).  We hailed each but none answered and so we went forward with the information we had from Fred and the information in Active Captain. Unfortunately, there is very little input in Active Captain since Hurricane Dorian last September and it was a bit spooky - but we made it through seeing depths no less than 8 feet. 

Bimini Bay North anchorage

We anchored right in front of Customs and Immigration and I went ashore in the dinghy.   It was pretty easy and once I explained that I couldn’t see the small print very well they were a little nicer and excused me.  I guess that was my first time I used the age card.  That anchorage was small and would not be very well protected with the incoming strong winds so we moved to the Bimini Bay North anchorage.  The rest of the day was spent dinghying and taking a taxi to the S. Bimini airport to get our island time wi-fi card. 

Now we wait for winds, forecast at 25 to 30 mph for the next week, to subside and spend this time touring Alice Town, Bimini, Bahamas and resting.   

And So We Wait

Date: Sunday, Jan 5, 2020                            

Arrival Time: 0900 ET, Jan 4                         

Location:  Key Largo, Fl.

Weather:  80 - 57             

Sea State:  choppy

Destination Tomorrow:  None

Engine Hours:  1413                                                                        

Crew:  Ruth and Greg    

Mileage Log:  1037

Comments:  Since arriving in Key Largo on Thursday, we’ve established a friendship with the

Lee Shore Anchorage off Key Largo

manager (Ken) and his hand (Dave) at the Pilot House Marina.  It seems marinas in the area are not very accommodating to transient cruising boats.  Most of their business is from the local and charter boats docked at the marinas or smaller fishing vessels and there is no shortage of business.  Anyway, since Ruth’s first phone call to Ken, we’ve had our own dinghy dock and freedom to come and go.  We have purchased fuel and given a few tips.  We made the 2 ½ mile dinghy trip once from Rodriquez Island, which provided protection from southern winds, then moved the boat about 1/4 mile from the southern lee shore of Key Largo because of the approaching norther on Saturday evening.

Anchor Alarm

The marina has a very good restaurant called the Pilot House that has been featured on Diners Drive-Ins & Dives, a Food Network TV show. We’ve enjoyed the patio section a couple times.  We reserved a car for Saturday from Enterprise and they were to deliver the car to the restaurant on Saturday, at 1000.  Ruth called them at 0930 that morning to let them know we were at the restaurant hoping they could bring it early.  We were informed they had no one to deliver the car so we hiked the mile to Enterprise.  When we arrived they had no car because the few they were expecting had not yet been returned.   Cadine, who was single-handing the store was wonderful and made several calls to secure a car.  She finally got us a Camaro convertible, the most expensive rental, at the cost of a 1973 Pinto.  We loaded up and went straight to West Marine for a few clothing purchases (Ruth, cough-cough) and other needs.  From there we drove a couple miles and bought out the Publix grocery store, where we realized the Camaro was not quite big enough.  We packed it like Ruth’s girdle (just seeing who’s paying attention) and made it back to the dinghy where we unloaded and brought everything back to the boat.  We were glad the dinghy ride was only about ½ mile outside the channel to the boat.  After stowing everything, we returned to the dock, put gasoline in the car and filled the gas can, then took the car back to Enterprise. After walking the mile back to the marina, we watched the first part of the Texans game at the restaurant and then made the dinghy trip back to the boat.  Upon arriving around 1720, we noticed the boat’s bow had started shifting toward the west.  Around 1800 the first blast of wind arrived from the NW.  It blew all night eventually shifting out of the north.  There was not much sleep to be had as I watched the anchor alarm and my hand held compass throughout the night.  The alarm did sound a couple times as the boat shifted but the anchor held tight.  With 95 feet of anchor rode out and the alarm set at 100 feet, as the winds shifted the boat swung 180 degrees and approximately 190 feet, beyond the alarm’s boundary. 

Our daily commuted channel

This morning (Sunday) it’s blowing a steady 20 knots from the north.  The sun is bright and the temperature is the lowest we’ve seen in a while, about 60 degrees, but warming.  Being fully provisioned, we plan to stay on the boat and relax today and only go to shore if we need something extremely important, like a pedicure and manicure (Ruth, cough-cough!)

According to Predict Wind, Windy and the VHF offshore weather radio station, we expect to shove off Tuesday morning for Alice Town, Bahamas.  The Gulf Stream waves are predicted to be 2-3 feet with 4-6 second intervals.  Hopefully, it is accurate.  And so we wait.

Long Key to Key Largo

Date: Thursday,Jan 2, 2020                        

Arrival Time: 1330 ET                      

Location:  Rodriquez Key @ Key Largo, Fl.

Weather:  80, mostly clear          

Sea State:  3 – 4 ft chop

Destination Tomorrow:  Florida Keys

Engine Hours:  1412                                                                        

Crew:  Ruth and Greg    

Mileage Log:  1035

Ruth keeping an eye out for crab pots in Hawk Channel

Comments:  New Year’s Day.  Our intentions for this day were to re-provision for our move to Rodriquez Key tomorrow, Jan 2, in hopes the weather would cooperate on Friday to cross over to the Bahamas.  Things don’t always work out.  We took off in the dinghy after breakfast, toward the town of Layton which is part of Long Key where we were anchored in Long Key Bight. The charts showed possible access to the Quick Stop which could supply us with fuel, water, laundry facilities and a few groceries.  We got really close through beautiful mangrove canals and after a nice discussion with a local, we were told there was no public access.  

The Mantus digs in well

Disappointed, we turned the dinghy around and retraced our 1 ½ mile path back past Pura Vida and headed under the Channel 5 Bridge hoping the Fiesta Key Marina and RV resort would meet our needs.  That didn’t work out either, though we were able to leave our trash, fill 2 of our jugs with water, and scored a couple of Klondike bars.  After returning, I dove the boat for the first time since summer in Port Arthur.  I was pleased to see that the bottom was clean, with no barnacles or slime.  The zinc I installed in May, at Galveston, was still intact and in decent shape. After returning to the boat, I emptied the water and 2 diesel cans into the boat.

 

Around 1830, we were joined by several boats in the bight.  One gentleman, Fred with wife Eleanor of Sea Tryst, hailed over channel 68 asking if anyone was going to the Bahamas.  I answered him and we had a lengthy discussion regarding a possible Friday passage from Rodriquez Key.  I told him we would be shoving off around 0900 in the morning to Rodriquez Key.

A beautiful sunset in Key Largo

At 0800 I contacted Fred who informed me they would not be ready by 0900 and would catch us later.  We set off in 15 knot winds from the East.  We turned south at Channel 5 for 2 ½ miles, then East into Hawk Channel for another 22 n/m.  Hawk Channel is the ocean path of the Keys from West to East.  It isn’t a typical channel in that it is extremely wide with only a few navigational beacons.  Basically, you wouldn’t know you were in a channel if it weren’t labeled on the charts.  The seas were a 3-4 ft. chop but on the starboard bow at 45-50 degrees most of the day.  We did utilize the mainsail gaining about ½ knot.  We anchored at Rodriquez Key around 1330 and immediately scrambled to get things together for a trip to town. We were able to reach the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce by phone and received information on several marinas with public access and the supplies we needed. Ken at Pilot House Restaurant and Marina was very helpful and I think if we aren’t able to make our crossing on Friday to the Bahamas, we will use their facilities over the course of the next few days while we wait on our weather window.   There we picked up 20 gallons of water, 10 gallons of diesel and dropped off trash.  We decided that Friday is not going to work out for a crossing mostly because of weather.  We have small hopes for Saturday, but it’s not looking good.

Well, what can I say?  We’ll just have to tough it out in Key Largo for a while.  It could be worse.  

Little Shark River, Florida Everglades to Long Key

Date: Tuesday,  Dec 31, 2019                      

Arrival Time: 1615 ET                      

Location:  Long Key, Fl.

Weather:  80, mostly clear          

Sea State:  Calm

Destination Tomorrow: Sit tight!

Engine Hours:  1407                                                                        

Crew:  Ruth and Greg    

Mileage Log:  1008

View from tonight's anchorage

Comments:  During the night, the light winds made a clockwise rotation from S to N.  We were slightly exposed with the winds at 9 knots but it was more of a comforting cradle movement. By 0645, we could see but the fog was still dense enough for us to sit tight.  We cranked up the little Honda, made some coffee and oatmeal and eventually pulled up anchor at 0745.  Our heading was SW until we found deeper water, then eventually south.  By 1025, we cleared Cape Sable and were inside the Bay of Florida.  We hoisted the mainsail but that only added an insignificant .1 knots with the light winds.  We spotted Sandy Key by 1100, then the main island chain around 0130.  We made our way through many shallows and mine fields (crab/lobster traps) and through the Channel 5 bridge near 1600.  We anchored at 1615, SW of the bridge in 7 ft of water, at low tide. The entire 60 feet of chain deployed and anchor was visible below.  Funny, but we were awed by that.

Many Bahamas bound boats tend to gather around Marathon Key then move east.  We really struggled last night with what today's destination would be and chose the Channel 5 Bridge/Pass at Long Key because of the location.  This puts us 23 miles to the east of Marathon, which is a half day by boat closer to our jumping off point to the Bahamas and since we decided to bypass Key West for now, it made sense.  From here we’ll eventually move a little more east to our final launch for the Bahamas. 

Ruth saw a small shark and a small turtle today.  Tomorrow, we plan to sleep in a little, if possible, regroup, re-provision, jump in the dinghy to explore some and start looking at the weather for a possible crossing.

P.S.  It’s been very warm.  No shirt, no shoes….. no (cell) service…. Isn’t bad.  I should write those lyrics into a song.

Naples to Little Shark River, Florida

Date:  Monday, Dec 30, 2019                                      

Arrival Time:  1645 ET                     

Location:   Little Shark River, Everglades, Fl.

Weather:  80, Sunny      

Sea State:  Calm

Destination Tomorrow:  Florida Keys

Engine Hours:  1398                                                                        

Crew:  Ruth and Greg

Mileage log:  964 N/M   

Comments: 

Little Shark River inlet

We upped anchor at 0630 with hopes of anchoring tonight near the Little Shark River.  Butch told us of a boat delivery he had with Jack, years ago, in which they stayed there and perhaps, we were feeling a little nostalgic as we put it on our “radar.”  We cleared the short Naples jetties by 0645.  The Naples anchorage was a beautiful and a perfectly smooth over nighter. 

The sea state today couldn’t have been better unless it included winds to sail; but, we’re not complaining.  During  the 52 n/m journey, the seas went from a one foot chop to a one foot swell to barely a ripple with winds in our face near 5 knots; a fisherman’s dream.  We cleared Cape Romano near 0945 and changed course to a heading of 136, SE.  We stayed on this course most of the day.

During the morning, I mentioned to Ruth that I was surprised at the lack of sea life.  Fortunately, for us that changed.  Throughout the day, we were honored by Poseidon the Sea Goddess showing us a variety including a large sea turtle, miles of man o’ wars, a flying fish, a jumping mackerel and of course, pods and pods of dolphins.  We even had a spanish mackerel jump right on to the blue lure Bryce gave me for Christmas.  Thanks, Buddy!

Sunset watching a boat enter Little Shark River inlet

We dropped anchor at 1645, in 12 feet of water near the mouth of the Little Shark River, in the Florida everglades. The light winds in our favor gave us no reason to chance entry.  While anchoring and throughout the evening, we were greeted by approximately 20 dolphins in as many as 4 groups.  They were probably from the same pod but just hanging out with their buddies.  They seemed to know each other.  We took many pictures of the beautiful sunset in the Gulf. 

Tomorrow, the Florida Keys. 

P. S.  I remembered that I set a track on the GPS when I left Port Arthur.  When checking it today it revealed Pura Vida has traveled 964 N/M (1109 St. M) since beginning the journey on Nov. 29^th.

P.P.S.  No cell service; therefore, hopefully this will be published tomorrow, Dec. 31.

Date: Sunday, Dec 29, 2019                                         

Arrival Time:  1800 ET                     

Location:   Naples, Fl., 26 06.1797 N, 81 47.6758 W

Weather:  Mostly Sunny, near 80             

Sea State:  2-3 ft. chop

Destination Tomorrow:  South

Engine Hours:  1388                                                        

Crew:  Ruth and Greg    

Comments: 

4 AM (0400), I can’t sleep because of the uncertainty of the coming day.

Yesterday evening we watched dolphins playing in drizzling rain as we discussed a possible passage to Naples, which could cut a 4 day trip to 3.  However, we were concerned about reports of shoaling in the Gordon Pass into Naples.  Today’s wind is reported to be the strongest of the next three days and, from the direction we are headed, SE.  So we went to bed last night with a rare uncertainty of our final anchorage. Throughout the night there was no wind, no waves, no movement, not even a mouse. 

1800

We pulled up anchor at 0745.  We waited for the overcast to shed some light.  Ruth wanted to learn the process for upping the anchor as she usually steers while I tend to the anchor, something she might regret.  We continued down the ICW instead of jumping out through the Boca Grande Pass as the winds were directly in our faces, not allowing  for sailing.  We truly hoped to make a direct offshore sail to Naples but it just wasn’t meant to be.  We reached statue mile 0 at 1120 then steered south toward San Carlos Bay and the Gulf.  Somewhere near Matanzas Pass, we briefly anchored to take the outboard off the dinghy and store it on the motor mount.  From there we ventured offshore another 25 n/m to the Gordon Pass into Naples.  We ventured only about 5 miles off the coast and I was amazed to see tall buildings the entire 25 miles.  I called Seatow and the Naples City Dock for information about passage through the Gordon Pass, but neither were able to provide information that I was comfortable with. When we were a couple miles out, I called for local knowledge on channel 16.  Sea Fox 26, answered immediately with really good information.  We anchored in Champney Bay, which is inside the most gorgeous neighborhood. 

We considered making an overnighter but the crab traps are too dense; so, tomorrow we will travel offshore again toward Cape Sable (70 n/m), Florida’s south coast.  We will probably be looking for a safe anchorage somewhere along the way.  By Tuesday, we hope to arrive in the Keys. 

PS:  I felt like I let Chuck down Friday not having ice for his drink.  Ruth has now made ice in a   The bad news is Chuck is not here to enjoy the ice.  The good news is, he left his Ole Smoky Tennessee on the boat. LOL!
baggie.

This is Ruth…Greg mentioned the gorgeous neighborhood where we are anchored.  I would never be so rude as to guess the worth of the people who own these beautiful places but I will say that some of the names on the yachts docked behind these homes are Top Dog, Mr. Money and Mr. Big!

Sarasota to Punta Blanca Island

Reunited and it feels so good, lol

Ruth has finally arrived.  Yay!  We can’t thank Chuck and Marilee enough for delivering Ruth to Pura Vida (and me).  We were hoping they would stay a night or two on Pura Vida with us, but they could see our eagerness to head south after mooring in Sarasota for 10 days.  Knowing the cruising life as they do, they headed on to their next destination for us to get an early start.  We really wanted to spend more time with them.  Before bed, Ruth and I did get a chance to replace the old anchor swivel with the new Mantus swivel.  I feel better about that. 

One of 10 bridges today

We released the mooring ball (S. Mile 75) at exactly 700.  Our plans were to travel 35 to 40 miles and anchor.  Knowing there were 10 bridges which required an opening we didn’t expect to go far.  The first two bascule bridges open at the top of the hour and the 30 minute mark.  The first bridge, Siesta Key, was only about 2 NM from the mooring so we were able to time it easily.  The second bridge, Stickney Point, is about 6 miles past the first.  As we normally travel about 6 knots/hr., it would take one hour.  However, we found ourselves against a strong current allowing us to only average about 5.5 knots at top cruising RPM’s.  Fortunately, the bridge tender was extremely generous and stretched the opening about 7 minutes.  The third, Blackburn Swing Bridge, opened on demand requiring no slow down.  And so this went on most of the day, 7 more bridges of all kinds.  As I’ve mentioned before the bridge tenders of Florida are the best.  They treated us like the professionals they are. 

Tonight's anchor location was chosen from above

We dropped anchor at approximately 1530 much further south than we anticipated near Punta Blanca Island (S. Mile 25).  Our current plan is to continue south and possibly anchor near Cape Sable in three nights (Tuesday) and then travel across Florida Bay to the Florida Keys on Wednesday.  Weather permitting, we may cut the 4 day trip to 3. 

Weather patterns and ground tackle

Date: Dec 24, 2019

Comments: 

PV in Sarasota - Pic by Steve Romeis

I’ve been watching and studying these (northerly) fronts that have blown in, since Apalachicola.  One thing for certain is when they blow in they are blistering.  I was amazed to see 30 knots in Cortez, but it seems that is not uncommon.  Generally the temperature doesn’t drop much as I’ve only seen about 60 as a low.  I’ve learned that when the gettin’ is good, you better get (moving) and when they blow in you better sit tight in a good spot with good holding.  After they blow through they tend to rotate clockwise, over a period of days.  The hope is they stay SE to E for a few days and settle for a little while.  On Monday (12/23) it blew in from the NW around 1415 and ripped all night into Tuesday morning.  There were lulls then it returned with a vengeance.  Don and Steve text me around 1700 (Monday) informing me they were going to dinghy to shore, with an invitation to dinner.  I declined in favor of leftover venison chili I had already started warming, plus my dinghy was tightly secured on the davits.  I never saw them return though I’m sure they did.  I wondered how bad the return trip to their boat was. 

After doing chores Monday, as Mom can attest, I checked a few things including the anchor, rode and

PV's ground tackle

swivel.  I noticed the swivel to be slightly bent where it connects to the anchor.  I assume this was caused by side loading when the wind clocked around viciously, at Cortez.  In examining the swivel I had an uneasy feeling about my ground tackle for the first time.  The ground tackle is so important.  Giving way during one of the strong fronts could be disastrous to the boat, other boats and even life threatening.  I have an oversize all chain rode (3/8 inch), a larger then recommended Mantus anchor (45 lbs.), and what I thought was a pretty good oversize (1/2 inch) swivel between the two.  When I saw the slight bend it really scared me.  After thinking about it for a while I decided I would purchase a Mantus swivel which is said to be the best available and prevents damage from side loading.  I called Phillip with Mantus, in Kemah, who told me he would be open until noon Christmas Eve.  Ruth made a trip to Kemah Christmas Eve morning. 

I’m starting to make more detailed plans for heading to the keys.  My insurance rider for the Bahamas kicks in on January 1, so we can get on our way pretty soon.  We’re currently anchored near statute mile 75 so it looks like a 2 day trip to Fort Myers (St. mile 0).  From there it’s offshore, hugging the coast for about 100 nautical miles to East Cape, the southernmost tip of the Florida peninsula.  Because we will be anchoring offshore this is where the weather is the most critical; thus, we will be looking for a light easterly wind.  We choose to anchor near shore instead of sailing overnight, as the crab/lobster pots (I’m told) are everywhere.  I was astounded how many Bryce and I saw as far as 40 miles offshore west of the Clearwater Channel.  I wouldn’t want Ruth to have to go overboard to cut one off the prop or shaft.  From there I plan to head SE along Yacht Channel to Long Key, approximately 25 nautical miles.  We will dissect the Keys under the Channel Five Bridge to an anchorage south of the keys, perhaps Rodriquez Key. From that anchorage we will wait for another window to jump across the gulf stream to the Bahamas. 

So if the weather cooperates this could be about a 5 day journey to the Keys.  It could be done faster but I’m trying to ”slow down and smell the roses,” a little and be safe. 

These plans are tentative and subject to change based on weather, conditions of the boat, comfort and whatever Ruth says we will do.  I’m looking forward to her arrival but I guess as admiral she outranks the Captain.  Maybe not…. Maybe so.  

Just for you, Mom

Ok, mom.  This one is for you.  In our telephone conversation this morning you expressed displeasure in me for not blogging everyday.  I explained that I had not moved from the mooring field yet so I really don’t have anything interesting to write about.  You went on to express more displeasure, sounding like an English teacher I once had.  So I write for you.

Your awesome grandson

Saturday (Dec 21):  Bryce left on Friday (Dec. 20) leaving me with a week to complete a long list.  Don, a friend who is moored near and recently brought his boat from Kemah, rented a car for the day and offered to bring us to the airport.  We accepted his nice offer in lieu of an Uber.  It was such a treat to have Bryce for a week.   I’m so proud of the man he has become.  I miss you buddy.

Monday (Dec 23):  The weather has been windy and rainy since Bryce left.  Today I saw steady winds of 30 knots gusting to 45 for about an hour.  Without the sun the solar panels are not able to keep up with the electrical requirements of the refrigerator and freezer so I’ve run the generator and the engine a time or two.  This is needed anyway to make hot water for showering and to warm the engine oil to change it as I did on Saturday. 

Raw water strainer

The last two days I haven’t left the boat; completing Maintenance projects.  So Mom, here is what I’ve done:  changed the oil, changed the raw water impeller, built a new fender board, maintained the batteries checking each cell with a hydrometer, cleaned the raw water intake strainer, tightened the belts, adjusted the fuel gauge sender, replaced a foam bumper on the dinghy davit, glued a section of the v-berth liner, adjusted the mooring lines and a few more meaningless tasks.  I still need to change the primary fuel filter and a few other things.  Of course I’ve cooked and all that too.  Now you know why I haven’t blogged.

The maintenance list

By the way Mom, I know how much you like pictures in the blog so I’ll add some as exciting as my  

actions.

Also, Steve is here to help Don bring his boat south.  They are probably leaving Wednesday.  They dinghied over around noon; Steve with his go-pro strapped to his head.  So, maybe there will be a video somewhere.  It’s good to see a familiar face.  Ruth and I will head south Saturday or Sunday if weather permits. 

I’ll talk to you in the morning (Tuesday), Mom.