Bahamas

Saturday April 4, 2009 Today we spent doing a few boat chores in the morning and then strolled around the Bayside Marketplace. Had dinner at a Cuban restaurant and then listened to some guy playing a flamenco guitar (is there such a thing?) in an outside pavillion overlooking the marina. It didn't take long to realize that we were the minority in this crowd. Everyone around us was speaking Spanish. And here we thought we were in Miami. Turns out we were in Miahavana. Nice people none the less. Back to the boat to check weather for crossing the Gulf Stream on Sunday and then bed.

Sunday April 5, 2009 Up early to check weather one last time. All looks good so we cast off the lines and headed out. The plan was to go out through Government Cut past the cruise ships. That got dashed the minute we turned into the cut. A police boaat came flying towards us with the lights flashing. Friendly folks, no guns drawn. They informed us that when the ships are in port NO pleasure craft are allowed to pass through the cut. We had to go back and pass out to the ocean on the other side of Dodge Island past the container ships. Go figure! When we got into the ocean we found seas to be1' to 2' of chop on top of a 2' to 3' swell. Not bad! We also found the deepest blue color of water that we've seen on this trip.

The weather was so good that we decided to bypass Bimini and continue on to Chub Cay arriving there at 2:45 pm. We pulled into the marina and tied off to one of the docks. An employee came over to us and brought us the paper work to fill out to gain entry into the Bahamas. Once filled out I was transported to the airport by bus (15 passenger van) to the customs office. $300.00 later I was given a ride back to the boat. We put up our Bahamian flag and went to the fuel dock. Ouch! $4.10 a gallon. Needless to say we didn't top off the tanks. From Chub Cay we went another 4 miles to Bird Cay and anchored for the night. 155 miles for the day. Not bad.

Not There Yet!

Wednesday 4/1/09 The forecast still predicted bumpy seas so we dropped the dink in the water and cruised around Boot Key Harbor in Marathon, Fl. What a collection of boats!. Boot Key is most noted for it's large mooring field filled mostly with sail boats in all states of repair or disrepair. Supposedly the place has been cleaned up over the years from when it was filled with abandoned boats that had been left to rot & sink. Also even more unpleasant was the fact that most of the boats in the harbor pumped raw sewage directly into the water. No More! They now have a boat dedicated to wandering thru the harbor to pump out the holding tanks on the boats! I now know what I want to do if I need to get a job!

We left Marathon around noon and headed out to start working our way towards Miami. We first tried the Hawk Channel route which is on the Atlantic side of the Keys. The wind was whipping out of the South which made for a wet and uncomfortable ride. Water was spraying up over the entire boat! At one point Pam thought she could reach out and touch the water we were heeled over so much. No one got sick and nothing broke but even still we decided to cut back to the Florida Bay side at Channel Five near Lower Matecumbe Key. What a difference! We continued on and anchored near Islamorada for the night.

Thursday 4/2/09 Last night we planned on taking the dinghy into the Lor-e-lei restaurant for breakfast this morning before leaving. We had a change in plans when we got up and realized that we had drug our anchor for about a half mile away from shore. At first I thought that all the other boats that were around us when we anchored had left since I couldn't see any of them. WRONG! Once my eyes cleared and I looked back towards shore I could see that they were still in place. Turns out that I had not understood Pam when we were letting out the anchor chain and thought that we had passed the mark on the chain that we use for a gauge for that depth when in reality we had not even reached it! Check and double check! Needless to say we were too embarrassed to motor back in to the anchorage so we skipped breakfast plans and headed out to the channel. The only casualties were a bruised ego and one crab pot which got caught in the anchor chain while dragging across the bottom.

We followed the marked channel of the ICW to Card Sound where we anchored for the night. This time we let out more than enough chain and when the wind picked up all we did was swing from side to side but remained right where we started! Forecast seas for crossing to Bimini are still too high for comfort. On to Miami!

Friday 4/3/09 Very windy today with a 2' chop on the waters of Biscayne Bay. We checked rates at the marinas around Miami and chose Miamarina (http://www.miami-marinas.com/) which is right downtown Miami. when making our reservation I asked if they had fuel. No such luck. But Pam found that Crandon Park Marina did have, and since it was in our path we pulled in and fueled for $2.01 a gallon. Considerably cheaper than the $3.00 at some of the other more well known marinas. Turns our Crandon Marina is owned by the Dade County and we have found that the govt. owned marinas are usually cheaper.

Our marina is right downtown Miami just at the foot of the bridge that goes to Dodge Island where all the cruise ships dock. If you ever went on a cruise out of Miami ours is the Marina on your right as you cross the bridge. It is also the home of the sail boat section of the annual Miami Boat Show. The area reminds me a little of Navy Pier in Chicago with plenty of activity at the shops and restaurants. You can check it out at http://www.baysidemarketplace.com/ . The only draw back is the music and activity until late at night but then that's also part of the charm! the view out our back door is of several 80' to 90' yachts tied up on the other side of our dock. These aren't the mega yachts you see in Ft. Lauderdale but they are still impressive! Looking out our side windows we see the American Airlines Arena where the Miami Heat play (basketball). Also located in the harbor are several excursion and fishing boats one of which is a Skipperliner which is made in LaCrosse.

Moving Again!

After waiting for Mike Nelson (Scot from Dependable Divers) of Sea Hunt fame to show up & check for barnacles on our running gear and intakes and two bad weather days (it actually rained!) we are underway! After many goodbye's to our new friends at Legacy we were able to untie the dock lines and get moving. We followed Broulee down the Caloosahatchie and learned what true "trawler speed" is. Bare minimum idle speed for Tourist or 7.4 mph. Very relaxing! Once into the gulf we popped it up to 10 mph and headed offshore toward Naples. We decided to go back inside at Gordon's Pass and wind down the shallow inside route towards Marco Island to our anchorage for the night by Little Marco Island. This was the first test of our new anchor. It passed with flying colors!

Tuesday 3/31/09 Partly sunny and warm with 2' seas. Back offshore and headed for Marathon 109 miles away in the Keys. Other than dodging the thousands of crab pots it was a relaxing trip. We decided to exercise the twin Cummins a little and cruised down to the Keys at 19 mph arriving at Poncho's Fuel Dock at 3:05 pm. This was our warm up shock for fuel prices in the Bahamas with fuel here being $2.73 a gallon. We last paid $1.91 in Ft. Myers!

Our plan from here is to work our way North today and hopefully cross to Bimini tomorrow. Forecast seas for today are 3' to 5' offshore. A little to bumpy for us rookies!

Almost Ready to Go

The past week has been spent running to Wally World, Publix, West Marine, liquor store, and a few other places to stock up on things we will need while in the Bahamas. Got new charts from Landfall Navigation for the Bahamas. Landfall by the way is owned by Capt. Henry Marx, an old diesel submariner who Moose & I met a couple of years ago at Trawlerfest in Wisconsin. Much of the conversation at the time centered around which sub was better. Diesel or Nuclear since Moose was on a Nuke during his stint in the Navy. I don't remember a clear winner but it was sure entertaining as the night grew on and the empty glasses piled up. Landfall devotes most of it's catalog space to navigation and safety related items for boats like ours.

It's been warm and windy here this week. A boat club from Stuart came into the marina 2 days ago for a one night stay before going on to Naples. When they pulled out to continue their trip it was just a couple of hours before they came back. Sea's were running 3' to 5' in the Gulf which would make for an unpleasant ride to Naples. The forecast is for more of the same until Monday. In typical boater fashion they aren't letting the change in plans spoil their fun!

Each night on the dock the regulars gather for docktails before dinner. It seems that one of the local schools of fish (Mullets) have heard about this ritual and decided to join in. So every evening about the same time as docktails the Mullet go on a feeding frenzy around the marina. They stir the water up and keep on moving in pursuit of dinner. Quite entertaining!

3/15 thru 3/21/09

Sunday 3/15/09 This morning was spent getting Tourist ready for her next guests, Pam's sister Barb and her husband Bill from Galena. This was to be their first trip without kids. After they arrived and decompressed for awhile we went over to, you guessed it, Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. The highlight of the meal was that we could see the fire and smoke trail from the shuttle launch on the other side of the state from our table. Just one of the unexpected extras we throw in when you come to visit!

Monday 3/16/09 We fired up the engines today and cruised over to Sanibel Island for lunch and then on to Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge where we anchored for the remainder of the day and night. A bright sunny day with some red skin to show as a result. When we woke up on Tuesday we could see Manatee's swimming about 100 yards away from the boat. Unfortunately they weren't close enough to get a picture of since they just break the surface of the water and then go back down to feed. Following a leisurely morning we travelled to Glover's Bight to anchor for the night. Here we were treated to the dolphin show with several dolphins working there way around the bight looking for food. Once they spot something they are off like a rocket!

Wednesday 3/18/09 We headed back to Legacy Harbour this morning to clean up and go to the Edison/Ford complex just down the road. Bill, Barb, & Pam went ahead to the First Watch Cafe while I hosed off the boat and myself. I caught up just in time to gobble down the cheeseburger Pam had ordered for me and then on tho the E/F complex. While strolling the grounds at the Edison home we encountered a swarm of giant bees. Pam is still running! Later that day we drove to Bonita Springs to have dinner with Mom & Dad. Another fine meal at Carrabba's!

Thursday 3/19/09 Bill & Barb left today after a leisurely morning dockside. Mom & Dad came up to take Pam & I to the airport. No we didn't sneak home! Our purpose for the airport trip was to go to the U.S. Customs & Immigration office and get our Local Boaters Option cards. These cards along with a decal for the boat that must be ordered from C&I will allow us to simply call in our arrival when we come back from the Bahamas and not have to report in person to an office somewhere.

Friday 3/20/09 On the road again. This time to Palmetto, Fl. to apply for my TWIC card which I need to maintain my captains license. TWIC stands for Transportation Workers Identification Credential. Everyone who comes in and out of a Port area must have one of theses if they are a dock worker, truck driver, seaman, or hold a merchant mariners certificate (me). So for the umpteeninth time in my life I got fingerprinted again! Now I have to wait 4 to 8 weeks to get the card which by the way has to be picked up in person at the issuing location. Hopefully it will be ready when we return from the Bahamas. Highlight of the day....lunch at a Mexican Restaurant. Our first since we left home!

Saturday 3/21/09 Just another day in Paradise! Changed oil in the generator and started figuring out how to evacuate the holding tank while in the Bahamas since they don't have pump out facilities at the marinas over there. Another trip to Publix and dinner at the Morgan House followed by a cigar at the local cigar bar. Yes you can still smoke inside down here and enjoy a cocktail at the same time!

3/12 thru 3/14/09

Thursday 3/12/09 Haircut day! So far neither Pam or I have been very happy with our hair stylists here in Florida. (Cindy I miss you!!!) Our latest adventure resulted in me with a spike style and Pam with traces of red through her hair. I thought she should just take it all the way to pink but that was another great idea shot down!

We also got to spend some time with Floyd & Linda from Tumbleweed and took part for the first time in the Thursday night pot luck at the marina. Normally we are not big on pot lucks. Probably due to bad memories of cub scout pot lucks when the kids were small. This one was actually good and we all got to know a little more about one another and our cruising plans.

Friday 3/13/09 Helped Tumbleweed get ready for departure. I watched and Floyd worked! My job was interrupted before they left however by the people from the boat massage company. Yep! It was spa day for Tourist. Hull cleaned and waxed as well as the hardtop. Two areas of the boat that I just don't like doing myself. She really shines now!

Said good bye to Floyd & Linda as they continue their loop adventure with hopes to meet up again in the fall. As noon approached we got a surprise visit from my Mom & Dad. They were in the area (within 20 miles) and decided to stop in and take us to lunch. An offer we couldn't refuse! I think my dad has stock in Joe's Crab Shack next door!

Saturday 3/14/09 Another beautiful day here in Ft. Myers. Sunny sky and temps in the 80's. We decided to drop the dink in the water and go for a ride. It started out calm and stayed that way for most of the trip until we turned to head back. Needless to say the sea breeze kicked in and put a nice 2' to 3' chop on the Caloosahatchie. You guessed it. Pam went back under the beach towel for the return trip. She still got wet and even admitted that it was fun! Along the way we saw some interesting boats. The Sir Winston has a pontoon boat hanging on the stern for a life raft.

Wednesday 3/4/09 Yesterday was an airport transfer day. We took Julie to the airport to catch her 8:30 am flight. Ran some errands since we had a car and went back to the airport at 11:30 to pick up Moose & Lisa. The rest of the day was spent catching up on news from home interspersed with a cocktail or two! Wednesday we provisioned, took on fuel (the truck comes to the marina so we don't have to move the boat) and water and pumped out the holding tank. An exciting day in any one's life!

Thursday 3/5/09 We pulled out of Legacy Harbour and headed West about 12 miles to a place called Shell Point where we anchored just off the channel for the rest of the day and night. This turned out to be a boat lovers dream spot. The traffic must slow down to idle speed and funnel through a narrow channel to either get to the Gulf or into Ft. Myers so the parade of boats is endless! During the day we shared this spot with a few other boats, (one of which almost drifted into us because he didn't let out enough anchor line to allow the anchor to get set) but by dusk we were all alone.

Friday 3/6/09 We enjoyed the morning watching boats pass by at shell Point then decided to head over to Sanibel Marina to have lunch at Grandma Dots. After negotiating the skinny entrance into the marina ( the entrance is filled with sand about half way across it's 100 yard width) we tied up at the fuel dock just in time to beat the lunch crowd rush. We then headed into the Gulf and travelled down to Big Carlos Pass and anchored for the next two nights just off the beach at Lovers Key State Park. It was a fun spot watching people on the beach as well as people on the water. A little rolly during the day but dead calm at night with the only movement coming from the change in direction of the tide. We saw a couple of beautiful sunsets while there but never the green flash people talk about when the sun goes into the gulf. Apparently we need to add more alcohol before sunset!

Sunday 3/8/09 Sunday we travelled from Lovers Key back in to Glover's Bight where we have anchored before. While passing by the channel that leads into Ft. Myers Beach we heard someone hailing us on the marine radio. Turns out it was Gary Howe, a fellow boater out of Midtown Marina back home. He was on his boat in Ft. Myers Beach and called out of the blue to see if we were in the area. What are the chances of that happening!?!

We anchored, cleaned up and took the dink into Rumrunners for dinner. While sitting there eating we had a show in the canal from a couple of dolphins in front of the restaurant. Pretty Cool! Of course the dolphins are only half the show. People watching is the other. Amazing the number of women trying to look younger than they did when they were fifty. Lifts, tucks, enhancements, hair dye, etc. The guys sporting gold jewelry to rival Mr. T, dyed hair and beer guts! All for the price of dinner!

Monday 3/9/09 We spent most of the day anchored at Glover's Bight enjoying the weather. We did take a little raft ride into the canals to check on our new home and see what the neighbors were doing. Later in the day we pulled anchor and returned to Legacy Harbour. It still amazes me the level of service the staff here gives every boater. Without any notification from me about our arrival back at the marina we find two staffers at our slip waiting to take our lines and help us. They do this for every boat! Our marinas back home could take a few lessons!

Tuesday 3/10/09 Today was boat wash boot camp for Moose! We spent most of the morning cleaning the exterior of the boat. I was hoping the work would ignite the seed I planted in his brain a few years ago about developing a drive through boat wash. Only time will tell.

Also today we got new neighbors in the slip next to us. Tumbleweed from Wichita, Ks. This wasn't a surprise since I went to Chapman's School last year with Floyd and have been in contact on & off since that time. Tumbleweed is a 36' Carver Aft Cabin crewed by Floyd & his significant other Linda who are stopping here for a few days on their Great Loop adventure. We'll be able to catch up and exchange "war stories" over the next couple of days while they are here.

Wednesday 3/11/09 Up early to see Moose & Lisa off to the airport for their return trip to reality. Try as he might, Moose was unable to convince Lisa to let him stay in Florida. "Only as a corpse" were her exact words! He thought about that for a moment but decided there wasn't any future in that course of action. We have a few days now before Bill & Barb arrive to visit.