Blog Archives

FISH FOR DINNER

3/23/2015

Posted by Monty

We left Lake Sylvia rather early this morning (for us) because we had to stop and get fuel before the trip to Lake Worth.

After spending Saturday watching "the show" ("sometimes you watch the show and sometimes you are the show"), and even participating in it when another boat's anchor fouled (got caught in) our anchor rode, we decided we'd had enough. So we made our way to the fuel dock. Did I mention this is Ft. Lauderdale? It's where the big boys play.

This is the Lady Sara. She is a private boat, and she was docked behind us at the fuel dock. They have pumps capable of delivering over 200 gallons a minute. We needed about 15 gallons, the extent of the fuel we have burned since Boot Key.

I said to the dock hand, "Wow. I'm a pretty little fish in this pond, right?" He grinned at me and said "It's OK, Captain. At least you are a fish in the pond." And he's right. I hope the guy who owns this boat is as happy as I am.

It was a busy morning in the Port Everglades Inlet. There were several cruise ships, lots of fishing traffic, and this guy. He followed us out. (OK, we ran out of his way.)

He's a pretty little guy as container ships go. I thought I understood the reason when I saw the name, but when he cleared the inlet he turned north and steamed away. Hummm...

So we turned north as well. I got us about three miles offshore so we could pick up a boost from the Gulf Stream. Looking at the knot meter, it was obvious when we started to motor along at over 8 knots speed over ground. Sea Bird usually runs 5-1/2 to 6 knots through the water at the speed I like to run the engine. The difference is all current.

Then I noticed the difference in water color. A brilliant blue.

Then it happened. FISH ON!

Carol has been trolling a lure every chance she gets. All it has done so far is slow Sea Bird down (albeit imperceptibly). This time, line was spooling off her reel in the rod holder.

"STOP THE BOAT!"

Thinking something was wrong, I leapt to the controls. "WHAT?"

"I'VE GOT A FISH!"

And sure enough, she did. Landed him, too.

A small tuna. Plenty big enough for dinner for two. And as soon as he was dispatched and placed in the fridge...

...his big brother happened along. Good day for Carol. Bad day to be a fish.

So dinner was delicious. Freshest fish on the east coast, right here on Sea Bird, anchored in Lake Worth.

Tomorrow(?) we will continue north towards Stuart, FL, there to meet up with an old high school chum and her husband for dinner at her favorite restaurant. I'm sure it will be good, but I don't think it could top my meal today.

1 Comment

FT LAUDERDALE WINCHES

3/20/2015

0 Comments

Posted by Monty

We left Dinner Key mooring field around 8:00. Motored into the Atlantic Ocean under pretty good conditions (but no wind) for our journey up to Ft Lauderdale, where the plan was to hole up for a couple days in Lake Sylvia, just inside the inlet.

Biscayne Bay was as smooth as glass. We made good time to the Ft Lauderdale inlet. The wind filled in from the south, and eventually we were able to crank out the headsail for an added push. We wanted to get to Lake Sylvia early, as last time we were there it was very crowded.

All was well until we were met by a boat with flashing lights just outside of the inlet. Apparently we had stumbled into an area where the Navy was conducting "surface maneuvers". There were no ships to be seen, so I can only assume there were submariners involved. We dutifully changed course and skirted the zone. After a bridge opening, we dropped anchor into a quiet Lake Sylvia, sharing the anchorage with around ten other boats.

Today, it was time to replace the anchor light bulb.

After a successful light replacement, we took the dinghy in for fish and chips at the Raw Bar.

We plan to stay here another day to watch the weekend show. Then, probably Sunday, it will be back out the inlet and then north, to Lake Worth Inlet, on our way to meet up with friends in Stuart. The weather continues to hold.

I did my share of holding today. And Carol did her share of winching. Tomorrow, we may both be recovering.

0 Comments

MIAMI? DONE!

3/18/2015

0 Comments

Posted by Monty

***I actually posted this with the below text, but the text did not post. Then the laptop quit working, probably because I haven't updated Windows since mid December. I have been working on the computer for two days, and hopefully this will load. ***

It started with the anchor light. It's the little all around white light on the top of Sea Bird's mast that you turn on when at anchor, at night, so people can see your boat and don't run into you. It's not supposed to be required in a designated anchoring area, but the great State of Florida has decided that it must be shown in a mooring field. Not a big deal, except when it doesn't work.

When I turned it on in Rodriguez Key, I checked (as I always do) the ammeter to make sure it started pulling power as I clicked the switch. Nothing. Carol wanted to look at the light, but I knew it was useless. And there are no spares on board, as I was going to replace it with an LED unit (that costs six times the price but use one tenth the power and lasts forever). Replacement bulbs was one of the factors driving us to pick up a mooring ball in Dinner Key. But there was no way I was going up the mast under the sea state we had yesterday, as any motion of the boat is magnified 60 feet off the water. So I rigged some temporary lights and we resolved to get replacement bulbs at West Marine.

Today we took the water taxi into the marina, paid for two nights, and walked to West Marine. This was about a mile and took us through the wonderful business district of Coconut Grove. Really nice place. Our route then led us through a residential area. It felt to me like an area "in transition". On the way back, we chose a slightly different route. Not really much transitioning going on here, just a little sketchy.

Back in the glitz and glimmer of the business district six blocks away, we treated ourselves to lunch at Duffy's. Good food, air conditioned, and a waiter from New Jersey who moved to the area for the beautiful weather. Then we stopped by the Fresh Market for a peach pie for Carol and went back to the boat.

And decided we are done. No interest in seeing any more. It was fine, it was pretty and it was manicured, but we are moving on.

The plan is for Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow, a place we liked on the way down. Then we will make a decision as to how long to stay before we jump up to Lake Worth.

The anchor light will have to wait for calmer seas.

0 Comments

I MISS BOOT KEY

3/18/2015

3 Comments

Posted by Monty

We left Boot Key Monday morning, after a 13 week stay. What a place. The weather was exceptional (barring a two day "Winter" which saw lows in the high 40s). The people at the marina, and of course, the cruisers were exceptional. Even the homeless people were pleasant. If for some reason I become homeless, Marathon will be at the top of my list.

We have spent the last two days on a run to Miami and are moored tonight in Dinner Key Mooring Field. It's rocky (as in too frequent/high waves, not as in "Sea Bird has a hole in the hull!" rocky), as it is not as protected as Boot Key and the wind is out of the wrong direction (any direction but west is the wrong direction.) The forecast said the wind would be from the west, and under 10 knots. When we got here it was from the southeast, and a heck of a lot more than ten. I'm still learning about weather forecasts.

The run up (or down) the Hawk Channel is turning out to be both my most and least favorite part of the journey so far. On the one hand the navigation is easy, it's relatively easy to not run aground, the traffic is minimal with no big ships, and there is lots of room to maneuver. If the wind is halfway right you can sail, something you generally can't do on the waterway. On the other hand, it is either an overnight trip from Biscayne Bay or (for us) a two day trip with a stop at Rodriguez Key for an overnight anchor in a relatively exposed anchorage. Coming down it was the last push for water weary travelers. Going north it was a sudden wake up call for out of practice souls softened by the ease of life in an ideal anchorage and not used to the rigors of travel. Either way, it detracts from the pleasantness of the scenery. And it was pleasant.

Rather than doing a lot of typing, I think I'll let our resident photographer tell the tale in pictures. Seeing as how I'm in Miami, with LTE cell service. And a little leftover data to use up, since ATT has started rollover data. (Good idea that. Carol had it ten years ago.)

3 Comments

WEATHER TO GO OR WEATHER TO STAY

3/8/2015

0 Comments

Posted by Monty

I keep thinking our time here in Boot Key is limited. Here's one reason why.

This is the dry erase board we use on Sea Bird to keep up with "things". Back when I was in sales and traveling, I was always in search of the perfect organizational/record keeping product. I went through several. (This could be another complete post.) Since we have moved aboard, our schedules have been simplified. And become harder to keep.

The day of the week is very important. I'm not sure why, but it seems that it should be. So Carol diligently writes the day of the week and the date down before she has coffee in the morning. I would do it, but my job in the morning is to make the coffee. When we are on the move, the local tides are important, as it tells us when we will have a favorable current, or when the water depths are not as skinny so we don't run aground. For the record, the currents do not seem to follow any logical relationship with the tides, but I'm sure that's just me. Since we are not on the move right now, this section is devoted to birthdays of children and grandchildren. Maybe that's why the date is important.

The grocery list is a removable item. Because the Post It Note's glue degrades quickly in the salt air, we use the nifty magnet that came with our steel dry erase board to hold it on. (I suspect the steel dry erase board will degrade quickly as well.) As you can see, we don't really need much from the store, but what is up there is important. And remember, it's a walk, not a drive, to the store. And back. Twelve 12oz beverages are heavy. As a consequence, some must be consumed upon arrival. It's a law. In Florida.

The gibberish up in the left hand corner has to do with active and reserve fresh water tanks. That is important and usually handled my me, except when I forget. Then Carol reminds me.

The "B4 Leave" means "Things We Have To Do Before We Leave Boot Key Harbor". I didn't think the board was big enough, so I improvised.

The "Holly Bottom" thing probably needs some explanation. It's happening on Wednesday.

Wait a minute. If today is March 2nd, then Wednesday is March 4th. And that is Carol's birthday. I KNEW it was important to keep up with the date!

And so, a plan was born.

There is a person who lives on a boat in the harbor who makes her living diving on boats, cleaning the growth off of boat bottoms, doing maintenance, changing zincs (the sacrificial metal that boaters clamp to their boats so the ocean eats it instead of the propeller), etc. Neat gig. Her name is Holly, and we had an appointment on Wednesday for her to clean the bottom of the boat and replace the zinc on the propeller shaft. The plan then was to take Carol to Bahia Honda State Park for her birthday, there to do some fishing, beachcombing, and swimming.

Unfortunately, when the big day came, Holly was a no show. We waited around all day, trying to raise her on the radio (she had my number to call if "weather or other factors" prevented her from keeping the appointment, but I did not get hers), but no joy. So we took the dinghy down Sister Creek and walked on Sombrero Beach, then we went to Fl Keys Steak and Lobster House for cocktails. We then came back to the boat for dinner.

The next day, after rescheduling with Holly, we left for the north side of Bahia Honda, through the Seven Mile Bridge. It was a nice place with a small natural beach (at least on the Gulf side). We could not get over to the ocean side as the bridge in that area is too low. We took the dinghy to the beach, where Carol found a live conch. Then we went to the park proper and checked it out. Then we left.

The plan was to spend the night there. But there was this...smell. It was coming from the rotting sea grass that was washed up on the beach. And the beach was (by my careful planning) upwind from where we were anchored, so we could be in the lee (downwind, where the island is blocking the full force of the wind). Every time I looked at Carol, her nose was crinkled. So I took the hint.

We made a run for familiar territory. Cocoanut Key. We anchored just before sunset in our old spot. And watched the sun go down. And the moon come up. It was magical.

The next day, I took Carol fishing. Not just fishing, but CATCHING!

The Barracuda must have known it was her birthday. They were eager to play. She caught four, and they are a fighting fish. Good sports all, they were released so they can get bigger, as will the stories of their catch. That's Sea Bird at anchor in the background. We're in about five feet of water and you can clearly see the bottom.

Afterwards, it was time to raise anchor and go back "home" to Boot Key. Carol was at the wheel, while I did the grunt work at the anchor.

It was low tide. Sea Bird was floating in about 5-1/2 feet of water. Her draft is 5'1" as designed. She is now loaded for cruising, so it's a few inches more. This means there is only inches under the keel. It's a sand bottom, so I wasn't really worried. Until...

I was pulling the anchor. We had discussed our exit strategy, and Carol was going to motor directly toward deeper water. As I was washing the sand off the anchor I heard "I need some assistance here!" When Carol speaks formally to me, I know she is either really stressed or I am really in trouble.

"What's wrong?", I said.

"I'm running out of water!"

Now Carol has this tendency to be frugal with the throttle, so as not to get the considerable mass of Sea Bird going too fast in the wrong direction. Slow and steady, and all that. Unfortunately, she also loses control at times because there is not enough water flowing over the rudder to push the boat around. After accessing the situation, I realized she was, indeed, heading towards the shoal to the port side. Realizing she had the wheel already locked to starboard, I yelled "FLOOR IT!". I heard the engine rev up, under no load. "It's not doing anything!" she yelled.

I calmly walked back to the helm. Standing beside my now panicked wife, I asked: "Is it in gear?". I watched as realization washed across her face.

"No."

"Put it in forward, and give it some throttle."

The boat responded perfectly, and soon we were dodging lobster pots on the way home.

Home. That's the problem.

We have been here three months. We are coming to think of this as "home". But it's not. Sea Bird is our home, and she (and we) are getting just a little restless. We have decided to start our journey north. As much as we like it here, there are other places to see.

We are paid until the 13th. But I'm not sure the weather is going to cooperate. And we are, after all, not in control of the weather. I'm not talking huge weather here but, after all, the safety and comfort of the ship and crew is my responsibility. And, I don't want to pull an anchor watch.

And so, we play our game. A game in which we have no control, as the rules are written by mother nature. When the weather lets us move, we'll move. Probably to the confines of Biscayne Bay, just south of Miami, there to do some further explorations, and have some more adventures.

The weather here is nice, whether we go or whether we stay. But go we will, even if we decide to go to weather.

0 Comments

FISH FOR DINNER

FT LAUDERDALE WINCHES

MIAMI? DONE!

I MISS BOOT KEY

WEATHER TO GO OR WEATHER TO STAY

Archives

Categories