Key West - Take One

First stop in Key West was Jimmy Buffett's bar for a margarita.  

Next we walked down Duvall Street and back up Whitehead.  Key West was bigger than I had expected.  Wonderful architecture and repurposing of buildings.

At the end of Duvall is this marker.  There was a line of folks waiting to take their photos with the buoy.
We don't like to  wait in line, plus this girl and her dog were already posing so attractively.  We took her picture instead.

Our first trip to Key West was rainy.  We went on the 4:00 pm shuttle and had hoped to celebrate Friday's sundown in Mallory Square.  There was no celebration, for there was no sun.  We had a good walk as the rain started.  In the dark we saw some famous spots that we will revisit.  We ate supper at Amigos, a yummy Mexican hole in the wall, serving fresh square tacos and featuring my new tee shirt:

We're headed back downtown today.  The sun is shining, and we will be celebrating the end of another day in paradise.

Our boat is tilting to port.

At 6:30 in the morning as I am reading the paper, I hear roosters' crowing. The other sounds we hear as the day progresses in this marina are navy jets flying overhead and people blowing conch shells at sundown.

This morning we did chores:  I cleaned the bathroom and did the laundry, and George replaced the shower pump.  First, he thought the float switch was not working.  After extensive testing alone and with his new best friend, Mark from Blue Willow, he decided the problem was the pump.  We had another pump thanks to the former owner. He and Mark worked on hands and knees for a half hour and got the pump working and put back together.  I wanted to take their photo, but I thought I would seem shallow.  So just try to picture two guys crowded into a two foot area between the bedrooms and the bathroom.  After Mark left, George vacuumed.  So we are clean on the inside of the boat.

Another issue we need to correct for Aunt Aggie is our fuel tank imbalance.  We've had this problem before and fixed it, but for some reason we are out of whack again.

Here's the technical background:  On our boat we have one engine and two fuel tanks.  Each tank holds 150 gallons of diesel fuel.  Each tank has a feed line and a return line.  Diesel engines pump more fuel than they need, so some is returned to the tank.  Ideally, the tanks would stay balanced, so the boat is balanced.  For some reason our boat returns more fuel to the port side.  There is no line connecting the tanks to automatically equalize the fuel levels.

The first time this happened we were at Midway Marina in August, listing to port.  We asked the dock master about the problem.  He had owned a boat with the same problem.  His boat actually ran out of gas in a lock because it would not pull from the full tank.  I said, "So what did you do?"  He replied, "I sold that boat."  It was a Sunday, and a kind engineer came out at sundown to look at our boat and tell us what to do.  George also called the former owner.  The decision was made to shut off the port side return line.  We monitored the levels for a week, and George tweaked the lines.  Finally, we had balance, which lasted until a few days ago.

As we were driving through Hawk Channel, approaching our marina, our boat was listing to port.  We were being sloshed by waves on the starboard side too, so we had a bumpy ride for a couple of hours.  George was worried secretly that we were going to also run out of fuel before finishing the trip because our port was full and starboard was close to empty.  Why won't the engine pull evenly from the tanks?  He did not share this worry with me until the next day.

We have had two dock workers come over to our boat and ask if we know we are listing.  You cannot miss the feeling when you are on the boat, but the attention was nice.

We have a plan for correcting this before company comes next week:  We will fill up with gas and thus be level again.  We can only really fix the problem when we are running the engine and tweaking the lines.  We have to move the levers, run for a while, check the levels, repeat.

I don't want you readers to think that just because we are sitting here in partly cloudy 79 degrees on a Friday afternoon, headed for naps and then downtown that life is perfect.  We have issues too.

Here are Louie (age 2) and Asa (one week) napping a few days ago in San Francisco.  Aren't they gorgeous?  I don't have any new photos from here, so Harper said I could share this.  Tonight I'll take some Key West pictures to share tomorrow.  Happy Friday!

Welcome to Stock Island Marina

Here is the marina last evening.  

We are so happy to be at Stock Island today.  We were tired last night and went to bed early.  We were asleep at 9:00 pm when our son in San Francisco called to FaceTime with his babies.  He was amazed,"Are you asleep?"  Yes, we were.  The wind picked up in the night and woke us.  There was banging and clanging, and we got up to check around Aunt Aggie.  George added a line around the back of the dinghy. All was well.  We got up late, had grits for breakfast, and read the AJC.  We had hurried so yesterday that no paper was read.

A fun development is getting back in touch with loopers we met this fall.  Right after we got tied up yesterday, Mark Hill from Blue Willow and Michigan came by to welcome us.  They are here all month, staying on C Dock also.  This morning I wrote Kathy Scott from Serenity.  We thought we had heard her husband yesterday on the radio, and we wondered if they were at Marathon.  (No, that was a different boat named Serenity.)  Also Jesse from Bama Dream called us to ask where we are.  He'd heard us on the radio.  (Everyone keeps the radio on and tuned to channel 16.  We often hear boaters hailing a marina or another boat.)  So we had a good chat with him and caught up on their adventures:  They went to the Dry Tortugas for a week and are now anchored out.  Brave souls to stay out last night.  They are looking for a buddy boat to go to the Bahamas.

All caught up on our news, George did some drafting work and I washed dishes and paid a visit to the ship's store to ask questions.  George had been so tired when he signed in that he hadn't asked any questions about some procedures.  He had signed a dockage agreement with 22 articles as well as a list of 28 rules and regulations.  I had a few follow-up questions.    I found out how the parking, laundry and pump out work.  I discussed the reason for signing in our visitors.  Theresa, the manager, was clear and helpful and not picky.  Relief:  I am such a rule follower that I often worry needlessly.

We really like this marina.  It is expensive, but it seems as if they designed a place with the services boaters would like:  Recycling is easy!  Laundry is clean and new.  Bathrooms/showers are plentiful and clean. There's a community garden with a bar and a grill next door.  Everything looks shiny.
There is a free shuttle to Key West four times a day.  We can use it for both touring and going to Publix. This afternoon we took a walk all around the area to get our bearings + our exercise.

The colorful and decorated shrimp boats came into the harbor yesterday because of the high winds.  

We took a picture of the garden design to remember for next year.  The critters will not be able to get my tomatoes in 2016.

Guinea hens live here and were wandering around the outside dining area.

We'll see Mark and Vicki from Blue Willow today for docktails.  Tomorrow there are no tour boats coming to Key West, so we are going down to Mallory Square for the sunset celebration.  Stay tuned.

Shark River and Stock Island - We made it!

GEORGE FORCES (my word) or CONVINCES (his word) MARTHA TO ENJOY LIFE

Tuesday we slept late thinking we were staying at Marco Island for a week.  But no!  George starts looking at weather reports as I drink coffee.  I don't want to go.  I am worried about Wednesday's weather.  I call the Rose Marina office and ask if they know of a shipmate we can hire this morning for a two day trip to Key West.  No, all the captains and mates have been hired.  Somehow George prevails, and we quickly dress, wash up, and cast off lines at 8:45 am.

We had a beautiful, sunny day:  one foot waves in the morning, no wind, almost glassy in the afternoon.  It was a blessing to be out on the water.

One issue is what to do while George drives the boat, especially if I'm anxious.  Today I washed dishes, changed sheets, and hung out towels.  I looked for crab pots. * (Crab Pot is my thug name.)
I made lunch and fetched several rounds of water.

Cell phone coverage ended around 11:00 am.  It is so rare to be alone.  We are alone in our boat on a lovely day.  I hope I can remember this.  We are moving beside the Everglades, and we stay at Shark River Anchorage.  So quiet.  A sailboat and a large fishing vessel are there too.  Here are two photos of sunset.

Here's the sailboat anchored near us.  You can see the woods in the Everglades.

Sunset in the anchorage #1.

Sunset a few minutes later, #2.

Tuesday night we ate rice and chicken and broccoli with chocolate for dessert.  We were very happy with our day.  We laughed, wondering who would get to say, "I told you so" the next day.  Someone would say it for sure.  

We slept well although it was stuffy and hot.  There was a rain shower, and I woke up and wondered if the cold front was coming through early.  Oh, Lord.  What if we had to wait out the storm in the river? We would be safe, but no one would hear from us for days, and they would worry. Maybe I could give a message to a passing fisherman.  Would my sister in Atlanta be comforted by hearing a gruff voice on the phone saying we were fine?  We were so isolated that we could not even get the weather radio station that you always can hear on boats.  

We set our clock for 5:30 am so we would have plenty of time to have breakfast, do our safety checks, and leave by 7:00 am.  We had a 9 - 10 hour trip on Wednesday. The morning was beautiful.  The water was quiet; the sky was clear. 

Sunrise at Shark River

Early morning in the river.  I am pulling up the anchor.

Within 50 minutes of leaving, we had heard two Coast Guard warnings:  (1) a man was in the water 12 miles south of Key West.  They said his name; he was 59 and had a life jacket;  (2) There would be a live fire exercise 20 miles south of Key West today.  Mariners take note.  These were repeated every hour.  At the end of the day, they reported that they had found a life jacket in the water.  Often we hear these and never know what happened.  

This morning five dolphins joined us off the Everglades.  They swam beside our boat, going 9 miles per hour, leaping and happy.  We had less than 10 foot depths all the way to Marathon, which made me feel safe.  We could drop an anchor at any point and call for help.  After we got past Florida, we saw lots more boats: crab pot setters, sailboats, commercial fishing boats.  At 10:45 am cell phone coverage was restored.  I made several calls and enjoyed chatting.  

We crossed beneath the Seven Mile Bridge west of Marathon Key around 12:30 pm.  We were moving slower than we'd hoped, but the weather and waves were terrific.  We were so happy.  The whole trip was great until the last two hours.  We were so tired of the boat, so tired of watching for crab pots *, so tired of the waves.  The wind picked up a lot, and waves, just 1-2 feet banged us.  However, it was too much for me to go downstairs without being afraid of falling.  Two hours moved slowly.  Finally, we arrived at Stock Island Marina, where we will stay for a month.  Yahoo! Woohoo!  Happiness!  We are done with our third longest trek - 87 miles from Shark River to Stock Island.  

*  Crab pots are a pain.  They are set out all over the shallow waters from Tarpon Springs to the keys. It is hard to see them and hard to dodge them.  If a boat runs over a crab pot, it will likely foul the propeller, so the boat has to stop and call for help.  We had to watch most of Wednesday for crab pots.

Key West trek - Day 1

We had a grand scheme for getting to Key West before the bad weather predicted for Wednesday night.  Strong winds are coming this way on Wednesday night and Thursday, and we thought we could move quickly and be at our marina by Wednesday afternoon.  So we left Ft. Myers this morning around 10:15.  We couldn't leave earlier because we had to get a pump out, buy diesel, and wait on low tide to rise.  I was suffering over the coastal waters forecast:  wind from the north at 10 knots and 2 - 3 foot seas.  I would like seas to be below 2 feet.

This Texan helped us get fuel at Ballard's Oil this morning.  When I saw his belt buckle, I asked if I can take his photo.  He said the buckle was of "Tennessee Red."  It has a woman's silhouette.

As we began, the water was quiet with following seas and calm winds.  Perfect.  We noticed that we were rocked by boats a mile away when their wake reached us.  That surprised us.  We motored at about 8.5 miles per hour out about 1.5 miles from the beach by Bonita Bay and Naples.  The shoreline is developed with countless high rises, grey blocks against the sky.  How can there be enough people to fill those?

The water was light green when the sun shone.  Twice we passed schools for tiny fish, making a ruckus and churning the water.  They looked like a wide stripe across the green.  Gulls were overhead, and probably larger fish were following.  We drove over one stripe and couldn't see the fish, just the disturbed water. We stayed on the lookout for crab pots, which stand alone but are laid out in rows.  We don't want to get those tangled in our propeller.

We did not get the sunny day we had expected.  Dark rain clouds hovered over mangroves. The sun always seemed ahead of us, just beyond our boat.  The waves built during our five hours, with 2 - 3 foot waves pushing us up to 9.5 mph .  Luckily, the wind was behind us, so we did not get wind and waves on our beam.  Every hour we heard the Coast Guard announcing weather warnings for Wednesday.

About 3:30 we turned into the channel for Marco Island and headed over to our anchorage spot behind Coconut Island.  I went below to listen to the updated weather forecast.  George followed his chart to the anchorage, but it was shoaled over.  We were looking at a white sand island, a beach with no entrance.  I wish I had a picture, but we got busy then, calling marinas.  Three didn't answer their phones.  Then we found Rose Marina, and that's where we are now.

We looked at the weather forecast, and it does not look as if we can go to Key West until at least the weekend.  We could move tomorrow to an anchorage in Shark River in the Everglades, but we'd be stuck there for days. There are no marinas south of here until we get to the Keys.  We got a good rate here, so we will explore Marco Island this week.

Living so closely with sea birds is a pleasure (except for the poop).  This is from Ballard's Oil too.

These two guys greeted us at Rose Marina, Marco Island.  

The Definition of Cruising

We saw a sign once that said the definition of sailing is working on your boat in exotic locations.  We lived that today in our cruising life.  We worked all day in a beautiful place.  The sun was out; the birds were zipping around us; the music was lilting.  We were working.

We started by trying to mount our new 2.5 horsepower Suzuki motor on the boat. (This was our Christmas gift: Romance lives.)  We wanted to mount it so that we can easily lift it and place it on the dinghy. It weighs just 30 pounds. We tried out different locations.  We didn't want to block the wells on the back porch that hold lines, hoses and electrical cords.  Could we put it upstairs? Then it would be out of the way.  Yikes!  Watching George back down the stairs, carrying the motor was terrifying. Could we put it upstairs and lower it with a line over the edge?  No! Finally, we put it on the back rail where it is close to the dinghy.  This was the logical, first place we considered.

George had to measure the boards and cut and drill holes for bolting the boards to the boat.  Measuring took lots of time.  Then the drill was not big enough, or the bolts were too large.  (More lessons:  Buy more hardware.  Buy different sizes. Buy extra washers. Check that your drill bit is the same size as your bolt.)  He asked around and borrowed a drill from the dockhands.  Yes, size matters.

Can you see how big that drill is?  I was terrified when he used it near me.  "Here, Martha, hold this piece of wood."

We got the drill mounted and filled with gasoline, just 1 quart.  (Had to borrow a gasoline can too.)
We added the 1 cup of oil.  All went well.  We pumped up the dinghy and carefully lifted the motor into it.  Yahoo!  It fit over the back board of the dinghy.  We took a trip across the water from our marina on the mainland to the beach.  We have made this 30 minute walk several times.  Today we puttered with our new motor and tied up below the bridge in just fifteen.  It was now 3:00 pm, and we were starving.  We ate fried shrimp baskets at a great spot on the beach.  The singer sounded like Jimmy Buffett and played oldies.

Here is the finished product:  a thing of beauty that works! You can see the dinghy too.

We ate quickly because we needed to buy groceries, and dark hits at 6:00 pm.  We walked out to a trolley stop, waited a while, and then decided to walk to Topp's Grocery instead of riding to Publix. 

We saw that it was only 0.6 miles away.  George stopped at a hardware store on the way, and I walked on to Topp's.  That was a long half mile!  But it is flat here.  I got lots of fresh food, and George joined me in a few minutes.  We loaded up our cloth bags and walked back to the dinghy.  We got our exercise, carrying four bags of groceries and walking 2+ miles.  Very glad to see the dinghy and motor still under the bridge.  (There were lots of dinghies parked there, but the fear of robbery is strong in me.)   Putter, putter back to the boat.  Unload groceries.  Pick up motor and secure it. Clean up.  Sweat.  Watch sundown.  Close up screens to keep no-see-ums out.  We drank large glasses of water before we had our margaritas.  

Tomorrow we are leaving Ft. Myers for the first leg of our trip to Key West.  Living on this boat with George is a great diet.  He keeps me stressed enough about weather and planning to have a regularly upset stomach.  So I'm at my ideal weight and hoping for sleep tonight and calm seas tomorrow.  

I like flying Southwest!

Today we flew out of Atlanta on Southwest Airline.  We left a cold, dark and rainy city that we love.  It was hard to move out of the house and away from the grandchildren.  It would have been so much more comfortable to stay in the bed and sleep longer.

Once we got through security and found our gate, we discovered that the flight was delayed, but just for 20 minutes.  The weather in Atlanta was to blame.  We lined up and found seats on the plane.  Some of the stress of getting seated is taken away because Southwest let us check two bags each for free.  So we just had true carry-on luggage.

The fun part of the flight was the safety announcements.  Have you heard this on Southwest?  First, the flight attendant was talking to the people seated by the middle doors and told them they needed to be ready to do their duty because she would be running off the plane if there was trouble.
Then someone over the speaker system said, "Please pretend to give us your attention."
Other comments:
"If the cabin loses pressure, the air bags will drop... Once you stop screaming, place your mask on before you put the mask on your husband, I mean child."
Also "To enhance the beauty of the flight attendants, we will lower the lights as we taxi."
There were lots of other witty quick notes that made me chuckle.  It ended with this:  "If you look out the window when we're taxiing and see a Delta jet, please stick your face on the window, so they'll know we're full."

The attendants were cheery; we got to Ft. Myers safely; and I really enjoyed the announcements.  Of course, we all were listening much more that we would have otherwise.

We took a taxi to the marina and got out in 82 degrees.  There was glorious sun and a warm soft breeze on my face. Reggae music was playing at the bar.   We had made the right move by coming back to the boat.