New Orleans Tortugal Cruiser Reunion

This photo has the largest number of participants in any photo taken. Ellen (Cordelia) took it at the welcome breakfast at Vintage in the Garden District on Friday. We never did get a total group photo.

The first (and hopefully not the last!) Tortugeezers Reunion was brilliantly hosted by Roy and Dale in New Orleans from August 4 - 9th.  Ten cruiser couples and Roy & Dale's son & partner, John Robert & Laura came for the festivities. The cruiser couples were: Roy & Dale from Wahoo, Marsha & Rick from She Wolf, Jerry & Debarah from Czech & Mate, Ellen & her sister Barbara formerly of Patience, Renate & Jim from Emerald Seas, Peter & Laurie from Dora, Ellen & Dave from Cordelia, Rosie & Don from Chickcharne (honorary Tortugeezers), Jens & Dani from Arwen and ourselves, formerly of Scott Free. 

Dani, Scott, John Robert & Dale, Peter, Laurie, Roy, Jerry, Debarah, Dave and Jens at dinner on Thursday night.

Scott and I flew in early on Thursday and were at Sammye and Grouper's by 11 AM in the Marigny district. We had a nice visit with them and then at their suggestion walked down for lunch at their "local", Nonno's. They had told us the names of the staff so we were welcomed in! We had most of the first floor: the living room/dining room, bedroom & bath, and shared the kitchen with our hosts. That afternoon Sammye arranged for a pedicure for me at a friend's salon and it was great. Grouper drove me over and back. They are so nice! After a much needed nap, Roy & Dale, John Robert, Jens & Dani, Jerry & Debarah, Dave & Ellen, and Peter & Laurie all came over and met us there. We walked into the French Quarter to have dinner. We picked a happening place where the music was hot and the food was delicious. We were all able to sit together, although conversation was occasionally challenging. 

Here's a group of us on the walking tour of the Garden District. I was happy to have an umbrella to shelter from the heat.. 

Scott and I were up much too early as we normally wake around 6:00 and it was an hour earlier here. So we walked down to the Ruby Slipper Cafe nearby. Terrific breakfast and huge, we had the leftovers the next day! It's in an old bank office. We hung around until meeting everyone at 10 AM at Vintage for coffee and beignets. Rosie & Don and Jerry & Debarah were across the street so we shared the first of many Uber 6 passenger vans. It was fun seeing everyone and a lively spot. 

Coffee and Beignets at Vintage in the Garden District: Heather, Ellen, Barbara, Laurie, Renate and Marsha.

Afterwards Dale gave us a tour of the Garden District. It was like herding cats for sure, but we generally stayed together and loved the beautiful homes and gardens. When the heat started to get to us, we adjourned for drinks at Tracy's before a short walk down the side street for PoBoys at Parasol's. Then we all headed back to our respective lodgings to rest up and prepare for the welcome dinner at Roy & Dale's home. Sammye and Grouper are good friends of Roy & Dale and invited for dinner so they drove us over. 

This wide angle gives you the best look at their living room. That's Dave playing in the background after dinner. Lots more photos follow the text!

It was a celebration for sure! Their home is so lovely and the dinner was amazing: Roy & Dale's Seafood Gumbo, potato salad and bread. Tables were set inside and outside on the balcony.  After dinner Dave and John Robert entertained us with a medley of Dave's own songs and other favorites. 

The final room at the Van Gogh exhibit where a montage of his paintings lit up the walls and moved & changed around us. 

The next day we were on our own. Rosie & Don and Jerry & Debarah were staying across the street from us so they joined us. We got tickets to the Van Gogh Immersive Experience and we all enjoyed it. We joined Dave & Ellen at Landry's Seafood Restaurant in the main square up on the second floor for lunch. We had just been caught in a downpour, but everyone managed with umbrellas and running.

Scott, Ellen and Dave listen to the presentation (unfortunately, the presenter is in front of Dave).

Dave suggested the Backstreet Cultural Museum in the nearby Treme neighborhood afterwards so we walked over. This was a fun and very informative tiny museum. It chronicles the story of the black culture in New Orleans as told by the people who lived it. Three young locals talked of the history and their own part in. Their personal stories made it so much for accessible. And the "Indian suits" were gorgeous!

The foursome pose in front of the Louis Armstrong statue

Meanwhile Renate & Jim and Jens & Dani went to the Aquarium and the Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes and Culture. They walked all around the French Quarter until it was time to rest up and prepare for the next meal.  The rest of our group pursued various museums or just walked around. Then everyone rested up before our next group activity.

The view, in one direction, from the Hot Tin Bar

The evening began at the Hot Tin Bar on the top of the Ponchartrain Hotel for the incredible New Orleans views.  We all gathered out on the large balcony to exchange stories of our day and enjoy a drink. Then it was on to Galatoire's. There had been some concern over the dress code as Jens hadn't got that message and was wearing shorts, but the maitre d' put our minds at rest. We were escorted right through the crowded main restaurant and then through back passageways to an elevator. This took us up to our private penthouse dining room, with our own staff. It was a lovely paneled dining room and had a big balcony overlooking Bourbon St. What a spot! And for a change it was quiet, allowing easy conversation. 

The view from our private dining room at Galatoire's.

No one was in a rush to eat as all the drinks were included ($150 each for the evening), we had so much to talk about, and the view over Bourbon St was such fun. The dinner was great and it was a long lovely meal. Our menu:

As you can see, we ate well. And having personalized menus was very special!

The next day most of us suffered from hangovers! We even stayed in bed late (by our standards, close to 8 AM). Today we were all attending the Satchmo Summerfest. Rosie & Don, Jerry & Debarah and ourselves waked over around 11 AM. There were two major stages in front of and behind the Jazz Museum. Vendors were scattered around with food and souvenirs. It was hot! We were able to stand in the back of the first tent and watch the The Secret Six, a Dixieland band that was the first act. Several small parades of Social Club members came dancing into the festival, livening things up. 

One of the Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs that came in dancing.

Next we headed out back and found a place to sit near the second stage with a group of friends. Unfortunately it was a wall in the sun and after a while we couldn't handle it. Happily, John Robert had brought two folding chairs for myself and Ellen. Since we hadn't seen Ellen yet, we hung on to both and managed to find a spot in the shade at the back of the stage. Later we managed to move under the tent and stayed there for the rest of the concert. We felt bad but we never saw Ellen! We heard two groups perform there, both excellent, John Boutte and the Lawrence Cotton Legendary Experience. Our food court choices were good as well, but with the heat, we didn't eat much. 

The G.E. Stage with the Secret Six Jazz Band was the first act and not as crowded as it became later. 

We walked back to our temporary home and found Sammye, Dale & Roy, Marsha & Rick and Ellen & Barbara in our patio cooling down and resting. We visited for a while and then Scott took a good nap, but after a few minutes, I couldn't resist more time with friends, so rejoined them. Soon more people arrived and everyone finally checked in. Around 6 PM some of us decided to go out for dinner. Sammye suggested Sukho Thai, a nearby Thai restaurant they loved. Great suggestion - the food was very good and we had a nice quiet table to ourselves. 

Some of the group gathered in Sammye & Grouper's patio where Scott and I stayed. You can see Rosie's back, Ellen, Laurie, Heather, Dave, Scott, Renate, Debarah and Dani. More cruisers were behind the photographer in another table area. The patio was mostly covered and really an outdoor living room, even with a big screen tv on the wall!

The next morning almost everyone took off for home (Renate & Jim stayed with Roy & Dale one more night). Scott and I had a nice flight back, leaving at 11:30 AM so an easy relaxing morning. Don came over to say good-bye the next morning. Rosie wasn't feeling well so didn't come. It turned out to be COVID 19 and she tested positive on Tuesday. I started symptoms Tuesday night and tested positive Thursday morning. Scott had two more days before his positive test on Saturday. We were the only three to get the virus - happily. And we all got the paxlovid treatment and had relatively mild cases (so far).  It was a WONDERFUL time! Thank you Roy & Dale for the terrific planning and work that went into it. (photos above and below are from ourselves, Renate & Jim, Ellen (Cordelia), Jens & Dani.).

The band at Thursday night's restaurant on 
Bourbon St. 

A view down Bourbon Street Thursday
night.

Welcome sign at Vintage Friday morning!

A busty Heather walks around the Garden
District with Dani.

Heather, Renate and Rosie pose at Dale & Roy's

Ellen, Sammye, Dale, Ellen & Barbara

John Robert accompanies Dave for an after dinner
concert at Roy and Dale's

Roy offers another of his excellent Martinis!

And he has a couple of taker here - Dave & Jens

Marsha and Rick cozy up on the balcony. You
can see the beautiful seafood gumbo in front of them.

Heather poses in Van Gogh's painting of his room
at Arles.

Jerry, Scott and Dave outside the 
Backstreet Museum. Dave & Jerry had 
different directions in mind for the trip.
Dave was right (Jerry's phone had the old
address). 

Photos, Social Club "suits" and memorabilia
at Backstreet Museum

One of our 3 presenters.

Jim hams it up at his Mardi Gras Museum on
Saturday

Ellen, Renate and Dani look lovely at the Hot
Tin Bar

Peter and Laurie in front of the view

Laura, Scott and John Robert laugh it up

And so do Roy, Ellen and Barbara

Jerry & Debarah cuddle up

Heather on her own for a change.

Laurie, Peter, RiDale, Roy, Ellen (Patience) and Ellen (Cordelia) at one table

Rick, Marsha, Dave, Laura, John Robert, Debarah, Jerry, Jens and Dani at a second

Rosie, Renate, Jim, Don, Heather (and Scott taking the picture)

Rosie & Don pose on Sunday.

Roy & Dale strike a loving pose outside
the concert tent at the Satchmo Summerfest

The Second Best Day

Kathy & Joel, new owners of Scott Free (no new name yet)

The saying goes, "The two best days in a boat owners life is the day they buy the boat and the day they sell it!" The second day has come for us. Scott Free has been turned over to terrific new owners that will enjoy her and take care of her like we did. 

We got the word on July 21st that the out of the water survey was completed and luckily M Yachts were able to get a coat of paint on her and schedule a splash on Friday. Bob managed to get all parties to agree to a sea trial on Sunday July 25 at 8 AM. The surveyor Steve, prospective buyers Kathy and Joel, Bob and ourselves all joined up on board - it was already in the mid 80s and would climb to 98 by mid day. Luckily there was a bit of a breeze and some cloud cover in the morning. 

The in the water survey was very complicated and time consuming. We weren't able to head out to the Bay until Noon. There we took out the sails and performed engine trials. For one period of time we had the throttle all the way up with the bow up and the swim ladder down and in the water! It does 9.5 miles an hour and uses a lot of diesel doing it. 

But everything went smoothly. People were so busy that hardly anyone stopped to eat the pastries and coffee/soft drinks I provided. I offered to make sandwiches as well, but again no takers. We really enjoyed getting to know Kathy and Joel. It turns out that they are neighbors of my cousins the Richardsons in Mattapoisett, MA. Kathy, like myself, prefers to be at the wheel when docking and I got praise for my expertise in putting Scott Free back into her slip (for the last time). The sea trial was over at 3 PM and everyone headed home. We did too after enjoying a sandwich (finally) and cleaning up for the last time. We felt a little emotional leaving our much loved home for the last time, but there were no tears. The time had come!

The results of the survey came in the following week and Kathy and Joel accepted the boat on Friday July 29th. We have agreed to put $20,000 in escrow to pay for the work on the bottom due to the blisters found in the survey (the remainder will be returned to us). That will be done in the new owners boatyard at the end of the season. We expect a check for the rest at the end of the week, minus Bob's 10 percent. So this is the end of our cruising saga, but not of this blog. I've always included our other trips and family news, so that will continue!

Love at First Sight

A captain's chair is extremely rare on a sailboat. It's more common on motor boats. Sailors seem to prefer hard wooden seats, some curved to accommodate the tilt of the boat during sailing. Our boat is turned way over on it's side while exiting the Rio Dulce and this chair works fine!

 "Love at first sight" has only happened to me a couple of times. One of them was seeing our Nauticat 43 at the used boat section of the Newport Boat Show 20 years ago. We had been looking at new boats for several years at the Newport and Annapolis Boat Shows. The past year we'd started to look at used boats being sold by their owners at various locations. But when we stepped aboard the Nauticat, it was magic. I sat in the captain's chair first and couldn't believe it. "You can be comfortable while steering the boat?" I exclaimed. And then we walked into the deck salon and I sat down and looked out of the big windows all around and said (Scott's been quoting this for years to people), "I could live on this boat." 

I sat over on the left on that fateful day we first saw our Nauticat.

Now we had found the boat we wanted, but rather too early. The boat had been for sale for awhile and we couldn't make a commitment until we sold our home in Brookline. That wasn't scheduled to happen until the following spring. We were pretty nervous over the next six months and kept in touch with the owners. When our house was put up for sale, we agreed on a purchase and sale on the Nauticat with a contingency that our house sold. The owners were pretty comfortable as our home in Brookline, MA was a sure bet to sell quickly. And it did! And we were the proud owners of Scott Free. 

Our must have list for our boat included a queen size mid ship bed, accessible from both sides.

Naming a boat can cause some contention between a couple. I told Scott I had the name for the boat and he huffed and puffed in indignation. Until he asked, what I had in mind. "Scott Free" "Oh, that's the name all right!". Our first year we kept the boat in East Boston and did short trips to Gloucester, Cape Cod and Portsmouth, NH. But the following spring we headed up to Maine for the summer and then in the fall to the Annapolis Boat Show and south to St. Augustine. After we returned for the ski season, we sailed down to the Bahamas, and then in the spring, back up to Maine. 

I love to cook and entertain so this fantastic galley got a lot of use. People would ask me, "Can you cook on the boat?" and I would respond. My kitchen has everything in it I have at home, except a standing mixer. Yes, we had a blender, food processor, bread machine, toaster etc. 

Over the following years we made another Maine to Bahamas trip and then on down the Eastern Caribbean to Trinidad. Another trip up the Eastern Caribbean and then across the Venezuelan out islands to the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) followed by a cruise along Columbia and Panama. After a few years there we returned to the Chesapeake (slowly) and then down to the Western Caribbean where we spent the last 10 years cruising Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.

But during those 20 years, Scott and I have gone from our mid 50's to our mid 70's and this year we realized that it was time to move on. During COVID we bought an RV and drove from Vermont to the Keys and then over to San Diego and back. And we loved it. So land cruising is our new adventure. Scott Free is ready to move on to new owners. She is at the Bert Jabin Boat Yard in Annapolis, MD and  Bob Beaumont (Able Yacht Brokerage. he sold us Scott Free 20 years ago!) is our broker.

Our guest room, the "V Berth". We kept this 
ready for our many guests over the years! But
the tons of storage space in the cupboards 
served as my pantry!

This is our third stateroom, the "Bunk Room",
which for most of our cruising years functioned
as a garage for spare parts!

Scott Free under sail. She's a cutter rig,
which means two jibs, one mast. There
is in mast furling on the main.

Looking up to the bow. We had all new non stick
fiberglass installed on the decks. 

Looking back from the bow.

The view from the galley up to the salon

Our "dinette" opposite the galley.

The inside steering station. There is duplicate 
inside and out. But we basically almost always 
used the outside location. Many Nauticat 
owners like the inside though.

Almost Finished!

Scott at the wheel off North Carolina

When last you heard of our two heros, they were anchored in Belhaven, NC on Tuesday, May 24th. The next day they averaged 8 knots an hour, despite 20 knots of wind dead on the nose in the Albemarle Sound, and pulled up at Coinjock Marina at 6 PM. Luckily, they had made the reservations not only for the marina, but for the Prime Rib dinner that Coinjock is justifiably famous for. From Coinjock to Norfolk there are lots of opening bridges that unfortunately only open on the hour, except for the last one which closes over rush hour - very frustrating to manage the time between bridges. But when they finished that, they took off for an overnight up the Chesapeake Bay to Herrington Harbour South in the pea soup fog!

Coinjock Marina's famous prime rib dinner. Pete got the 32 oz and Scott the 16 oz - neither finished their meal and we'll have the leftovers for dinner ourselves.

We do not have radar so this was nerve wracking and neither of them got much sleep. When we sailed on the east coast we had radar and used it but down in the western Caribbean where we've been for 10 years, it's not necessary at all. So when it broke, we didn't replace it. Their method was to call a few boats, as they started out, that appeared on the AIS (Automatic Identification System that shows other boats that have it and displays your own) and ask if they had radar and if so, what they were seeing. Happily, one boat ahead of them had it and was going to the same location, so they followed it. They pulled into the Marina at 6 AM and tied up to the fuel dock. Only 5 nights from St. Augustine, FL to close to Annapolis, MD! Amazing. Later they were moved to a slip. We have reservations there for a week. The boat needs to be emptied and cleaned for showing and then moved over to Herrington Harbour North where it will be hauled up for the season. 

Tied up at Herrington Harbour South in Maryland Friday morning, May 27th.

I on the other hand drove down to my sister Paula's at Belcamp, MD for one night and then on to our son Sean and husband Will's month long rental in Washington, DC. I had dinner with my son James and family nearby. The next morning Sean and I drove down to the Marina, picked up Scott and Pete and drove Pete to National airport to catch a flight home. Scott and I will spend one night here before returning to the boat and days of hard work. We'll move the boat over to Herrington North on June 6th and haul the next day. So our 20 years of cruising is coming to an end and that's all right!

Some shots from Pete's Instagram account

The night's were fairly cold as you can see from 
Pete's clothing.

Pete was able to post on 
Instagram throughout the
trip.

Notes on the charts.

Progress on Two Fronts

 

Marty and I in a selfie taken Wednesday morning before I took off for Maryland

Scott and I moved into two different paths on Sunday morning May 22nd. He and our friend Pete left St. Augustine at 6:45 AM on Scott Free and motored out the inlet for an offshore passage north. Pete's meeting in Boston had been postponed so he was now able to stay with us until Saturday! I drove to Beaufort, SC for a one night stay at the Hilton Garden Hotel, planning to drive north again in the morning to meet up with them. The expected rendezvous was Georgetown, SC that afternoon. 

But the weather proved better than expected and the men continued for a second night, sailing in the Beaufort, NC inlet Tuesday morning May 24th (now don't get your Beauforts mixed up - they are a long way apart!). And since it was 7 AM when they arrived back in the ICW, they continued their journey, anchoring at Bel Haven, NC, mile marker 136 this afternoon. Now to put this in perspective, St. Augustine is at mile marker 778. So they jumped 642 miles in three days! Pretty amazing! If Scott and I had continued up the ICW it would have taken us 10 days, at least. The journey was overall good with a few squalls and no local thunderstorms (lots in the distance). But they will enjoy a good night's sleep tonight for a change.

I on the other hand felt pretty comfortable at 5 PM until I took my blood pressure. It was very high again and got higher as I took 2 more readings. I drove to the Beaufort Memorial Hospital and as soon as I entered they took my readings and we all panicked (well, actually only I did). It was 253/105. I didn't know it went that high! They kept me there for 5 hours and did a number of tests, all fine, and lowered my blood pressure. The doctor gave me a temporary prescription and told me to see my primary physician as soon as possible. Long conversations with our sons James and Sean really helped me.

I made reservations to fly home to Boston Monday evening. That night was our regular "Fourth of July" Zoom and everyone was concerned (I had notified them of the situation). Marty Wolf volunteered to pick me up at the airport and host me. That morning I was able to make an appointment at Harvard Vanguard Associates with my PCP for 9 AM Tuesday morning. 

My visit went very well this morning. My numbers and test results looked good and we set up a program to monitor my blood pressure. She gave me two new prescriptions and now I'm back in Concord with Russ and Marty feeling much better. I had several conversations with Scott and they plan to continue on the ICW up to the Chesapeake this week. I will drive to Washington DC tomorrow to see my sister for one night,  and then James and Sean for two nights, before meeting Scott and Pete on Saturday, wherever they are. Our car is at Sean's house in Dorchester making that all easy. 

So all well that ends well...Thanks for all your good wishes!

Change of Plans

Scott and Pete just before taking off in St. Augustine at 6:45 AM.

Scott and Pete left St. Augustine Sunday morning in overcast weather. And I drove up to Beaufort, SC to stay one night there before meeting them on Monday. After settling into my hotel, I took my blood pressure and it was very high and it got higher when I took it several times again. The Beaufort Memorial Hospital was the only option as it was a Sunday and around 5 PM. I was there for 5 hours until they managed to get my numbers down. They got me right into a room when they measured my blood pressure as soon as I entered the emergency room. Let's just say - very bad. They have given me a temporary prescription and told me to see my physician as soon as possible. 

After talking to both James and Sean, I made reservations to fly back to Boston on Monday at 8:30 PM from Charleston. Direct flight and actually the only choice. My friend Marty Wolf is picking me up at the airport and I'll stay with her in Concord. This morning I got an appointment at my medical practice, Atrius Health, for 9 AM Tuesday. I need to get this under control.

I was so happy to hear from Scott this morning. All is well, although it sounds like they had a rough night. They are coming into Georgetown, SC (50 miles north of Charleston) mid day and will stay there the night. Then probably move up on the ICW for awhile. Pete is going to stay until at least Friday so they can make progress together. 

So, change of plans for now. 

Help is arriving!

 Pete Whinn is flying down to Jacksonville, FL on Saturday morning to join us for 3 nights. Pete is an old friend of our youngest son Sean and we've known him for many years. He had hoped to join us on the trip from Mexico but the dates didn't work out. Now he'll be helping us get up to Charleston, SC offfshore from St. Augustine. Right now it looks like he and Scott are going to leave Sunday morning and get in on Monday. There is still a possibility that they might manage to get to Beaufort, NC by Tuesday morning, but that's a slim chance. Pete has to return to Boston by Tuesday night. And I have decided not to go. We rented a one way car, picking it up here tomorrow and returning it to Charleston. We will use it to ferry Pete to and from the airports and I'll drive up to Charleston to meet them.

A full moon seen from our slip at the Ft. Pierce Municipal Marina 

We left Ft. Pierce as planned at 6 AM Monday (pretty much in the dark but with no difficult current to deal with), made it through the Haulover Canal Bascule bridge at Cape Canaveral at 5:30 PM and anchored just off the ICW not long after. That was a long day, almost 12 hours, mostly hand steering. The next day Scott figured out how to convert Captain Bob's ICW track into a route we can follow on our autopilot - what an improvement. The auto pilot can be used on the straight away sections and the bright red line helps in the hand steering curvy bits. In addition we have the latest Army Corps of Engineers surveys of the ICW showing the shallow areas (lots of them) and so far they have helped us avoid going aground.

A view the other direction in towards the city and Crabby's Restaurant. We haven't taken many photos on this section of the trip. I'm particularly sorry we didn't get any with Mitch and Diane Korbey!

The next day we took only 8 hours and we happily pulled into a slip at the Hallifax Harbor Marina in Daytona. But the previous months have taken a toll on me. At the supermarket we took our blood pressure (our cuff has been broken for almost all of the trip) and my reading was 210/92 and then 205/94. I have never had readings like that and was very concerned. My urgent care nurse at Atrius Health (on the phone) told me to go to a local Urgent Care. The doctor there recommended doubling my blood pressure medicine. And I had another idea. I wrote Pete and asked if he was still interested in crewing with us. He wrote back last night and said he'd fly down on Saturday for a few days. Knowing that, we decided to take a break from the non stop movement. We stayed another night in Daytona and traveled up to St. Augustine today. We got reservations at the Marina here. Wednesday morning my blood pressure (I did take the prescribed amount of medicine) was 136/76. Big difference! It was up again a bit Thursday evening but it was a long day.

St. Augustine Municipal Marina where we are staying 3 nights.

We're back to walking as well, in Daytona and now in St. Augustine. All in all, life is good and we are lucky. 

Back on the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW)

Dawn at Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL Friday morning the 13th of May

We were up early on Friday and had one more weather discussion with Stormy - not totally happy with the possible squalls/thunderstorms, "stray" he said. But otherwise it looked good. So we stopped and got diesel and water at Burdines and were on our way at 8:45 AM. The day started out pleasant but after we left the Hawk Channel we found a miserable negative current. I rarely see 4.8 knots on our speed! So we headed out to sea to catch the Gulf Stream and with that current were doing 8 knots - nice. But the seas were lumpy and a night of that made sleep impossible. Plus we hit one or two squalls. There was thunder and lightning off in the distance but happily, not near us. 

Next day we examined our mental state and possible destinations. Fort Pierce looked good and we set a course for that. It looked like an ETA of 4 PM outside the inlet. As soon as we were near enough to land to get cell service we called possible Marinas in Ft. Pierce - no room at the Inn.  At this point we lost the positive current and best possibility for getting into am anchorage was later than 6 PM. And we weren't sure of the anchorages suitability. So sudden change in our plan for safety, we set a course for the Lake Worth Inlet  

What a exciting entrance. Breaking waves between the jetties and tons of high speed boats passing us on both sides sending waves every which way. But once inside it was calm (no change in the passing boats, it was after all, Saturday!). We've been here before and knew a really good anchorage at the north end of Lake Worth, so made for it. The anchor was down and our beers were popped at 1:30 PM. Lunch followed, a nap, drinks and dinner. We were sound asleep by 8 PM.

Than up at 6 AM as the first of 9 opening bridges awaited us just north of our anchorage. Another boat was waiting at 6:45 as we pulled up, and we followed them through all of the bridges, making excellent time. Our destination was Fort Pierce and an evening with our old friends Diane and Mitch Korbey. They had inspired us by cruising for 20 years before we bought Scott Free. And they spent two weeks with us from the Bahamas to the Dominican Republic back 15 years ago. They invited us to their Yacht Club for drinks and dinner. 

We put in calls to several marinas in Ft. Pierce and much later, got a reluctant acceptance from the City Marina. The current through this area is huge, 3+ knots, and they were really worried about our getting into the slip and even more about departing in the morning. They almost canceled, but agreed if we departed tomorrow at 6 AM. Fine with us. 

Tomorrow we'll continue on the ICW hoping to make the 70 miles to Port Canaveral where we know of a good anchorage. Then we'll see about jumping offshore again for another one night trip. 

Heading North Again

This morning Stormy (one of Chris Parker's weather gurus) said we could leave tomorrow Friday so unless something changes in the morning we'll be off. We'll do at least one night and maybe two if the weather stays good. We should at least get to West Palm Beach with the one night and if two, then not sure, Cape Canaveral, further?  We really do need to go as far as possible. Our insurance wants us in the Chesapeake by June 1 and that seems really hard. 

A view of Boot Key Harbor, Marathon from our cockpit.

On Wednesday we rented a car for 24 hours from Enterprise. We chose the "we'll take a chance and you pick the car" option - the same price as a compact. And the young man gave us a Mustang Convertible! Tooling down Route 1 to Key West for the night was extra fun. We walked all around the old town and had drinks on the waterfront followed by an excellent dinner at Sarabeth's Restaurant. Nice break! Just before retuning the car the next day (after a bunch of errands) we had lunch at Castaway. Last time for eating out for awhile. 

I'll post an update when we reach our next destination. Wish us luck!

The harbor walk in Key West

We enjoyed watching all the boat - we almost
came here instead of Marathon.

But we love walking the inside streets
and admiring the lovely homes and 
gardens.

Scott and I pose in an appropriate spot.

Sarabeth's James Beard award winning apricot
peach bread pudding - Yum!

And Scott's oyster plate at Castaway!

Made It!

 We finally made it back to the U.S. and it's wonderful. But the passage wasn't easy (we always ask our weather forecaster Chris Parker for an "easy" weather window). We left on Tuesday May 3rd and once through the reef at Isla Mujeres the wave height was the promised 3 - 5 feet, but as soon as we approached the Gulf Stream it turned into a total washing machine with higher, closer together and randomly directional waves. The bow hit the downside of some waves so hard it broke one of the inch thick teak planks in the bow sprit in half. But our boat otherwise can take a lot of this, we however have a harder time, especially to be honest, me. 

We had a great evening at the Varadero restaurant in Isla a few days before our departure - live music, wonderful food and fun company. That's Eduardo, Joe, Scott, Lindsey and myself enjoying our mojitos. They are new friends we've gotten to know at El Milagro.  

But eventually we got through the Gulf Stream and it calmed down. Well at least until 10 PM when a series of unpredicted thunderstorm/squalls hit us with winds up to 30 knots. And the wind was almost dead on the nose. Now up until this time we were motor sailing. There might have been enough wind to sail alone, but we were close hauled and we don't point up well. So we were being pushed in a northwest direction when we wanted to go northeast. Keeping the engine on helped us minimize the drift. We know that fuel is clean now as there have been no problems after that shaking up we had in the Gulf Stream!! Happily, we always reef our sails before nighttime, so when the storms hit we were a little better off. When things got too much to handle we just headed off the wind (of course, more off course). We didn't get any sleep that night. Scott managed to eat but my stomach was too queasy. 

The band was terrific and reminded us of our two trips to Cuba. Scott and I had lunch here the previous day so early that we got to know 3 of the staff - Jose, Saul and Coney. Coney didn't know that in England her name means a rabbit. In the Caribbean it's a small grouper!

At times like this I yearn for dawn and when it happens, everything immediately improves. The seas calmed down and were able to take a tack to the east. But the wind direction was too fluky so we finally just took down the sails and motored. New problem - loud knocking in the area of the prop and shaft. At first it was intermittent and then by the next day, constant. So any minute I was afraid that the engine would quit. Scott assured me it was the propeller and he had figured out the it was probably the rubber pieces on our Goring folding prop had worn (and of course, we later found out he was right!) And wouldn't you know, that second night, still a hundred miles from the U.S., the wind died down and we would have been unable to sail. So if the engine had quit we'd be drifting in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. But otherwise it was great. The sky was clear with millions of stars, not a cloud in sight and the seas were reasonable comfortable. We were both able to get some sleep and I managed to start eating again (toast, crackers and granola bars). 

Looking back at our Marina as we exit our slip. Joe was very helpful with casting off and brought our dinghy out to us. We left a little later as the day before the check out from Mexico took MUCH longer than it should have. We were lucky to finish before their offices closed. Still we managed to check out of the Marina, fuel up at a nearby fuel dock and leave Isla at 10 AM. 

The next dawn was quite lovely and we had only 5 hours to Key West. I was on watch and I changed our course to our original plan for Marathon, Florida. Back a day before, our ETA (estimated time of arrival) there was after dark and we didn't want that, so we changed our course to Key West. But a favorable current during the night and then entrance into the Gulf Stream (now headed east off the Keys) bumped up our speed over the bottom to 8+ knots so now we were looking at a 4 PM arrival. And reducing our engine speed eliminated the "knocking" proving Scott's theory.

And we picked up a mooring in Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL at 4:30 PM on Thursday, May 5th and popped open our traditional can of beer to celebrate. The Marina allowed us to come in the next morning so we enjoyed a wonderful dinner. I always make a lot of dishes for the trip and even more this time as I was able to freeze several things in the communal kitchen. Scott had managed to eat the chicken salad, coleslaw, potato salad, and chaya soup during the trip. But we still had a whole roasted chicken, lentil stew, and homemade spaghetti sauce.  A good night's sleep capped a good day. 

Friday was a busy one with lots done and new problems. Our dinghy motor quit working for a start. Luckily a neighbor was heading into the Marina and he gave us a tow. We had made appointments for our second booster COVID shot at a nearby Walgreens and I had a pile of laundry A big "Closed for two days" sign greeted us at the Walgreens pharmacy - staffing problems! Scott called another Walgreens and arranged to get our shots there. We're ended up with 4 taxi rides that day and formed a friendship with the two drivers, cousins from Jamaica - Junior and Brian. Shots over, we headed in two directions. I did laundry at the Marina and Scott shopped at West Marine and Home Depot. We hitched another tow ride home at the dinghy dock! Repairing that motor is a high priority for tomorrow.

Another accomplishment was scheduling a hopefully quick haulout at a boatyard here on Tuesday afternoon to look at our propeller and cutless bearing. If the problem is the rubber disks on the prop then we're in luck. Scott has ordered new ones and they'll be here in time. If it's something else, we might have to stay at the boatyard. Time will tell. And so will I - next post!

We ordered one of their specialty plates - all 
seafood and amazing! There were several kinds
of fish, cooked in different ways, shrimp,
octopus, lobster, beans & rice and salad. 
And it was beautiful!

The restaurant was a local hangout more than a 
tourist destination. These women were having a 
fun get together while their nearby children 
played in a toddler pool.

In fact the place was hard to find, on a back street.
It fronted on the canal into the lagoon with a dock
that big boats tied up to rafted together sometimes.