Merry Christmas

I have had a very nice Christmas day in Marsh Harbor. I miss being with Bev and everyone and I miss the "white" Christmas my family is enjoying in Minnesota but I have met many friendly and interesting people here.

Brock and Brianna came zooming in with a rented 24 ft powerboat just in time to help me turn Summer Snow around so the bow will be facing the big wind predicted for the next two days. I skyped with Mac and family so I did get to talk with most everyone so that was fun.

The marina sponsored a pot luck Christmas dinner so I made a loaf of bread and also some scalloped corn. There was probably 60 or 70 people and the food was fantastic. I ate too much and there was none of my corn and just the heel of my bread left when it was over.

Patrick and Jessica are on the late flight from Ft. Lauderdale and will arrive at 6:50 this evening. I have arranged with my friend Joseph (a taxi guy) to pick me up at 6:30 so we can pick them up.

Boats and Marinas

Most of the boats that are here are sailboats and are here for the winter. I would guess that about half are from Canada with a few from Europe and the rest from the USA. During the peak of the winter season there has been as many as 100 boats in this harbor but the economy has taken its toll here so numbers have been down the last few years. There is very little agriculture or manufacturing in the Bahamas so their major revenue source is tourism and therefore they have really felt the economic downturn.

Of course I am in the Abacos which is less developed than the major tourist ports of Nassau or Free Port. I'm not really into water parks and tourist traps so the Abacos really fits my style. Marinas are about half the cost of similar marinas in Florida and are very nice with swimming pools and restaurants on site. Marsh Harbor has many restaurants and shops along with two large supermarkets.

In the Abacos you can sail to a different island every few days so in a few hours you can experience a whole different flavor of the Bahamas. The second largest coral reef in the world is here so snorkeling and diving are major activities along with all types of ocean fishing. The temperatures here average 70's during the day and 60's during the night. If you are looking for very warm weather you should probably go the the southern Bahamas but I find these temps "just right".

If you come without your own boat there are ferries that provide regular service to most of the populated islands. You can also rent sailboats (Moorings and Sun Sail) or power boats here in Marsh Harbor. I have included a short slide show of powerboats near me in an attempt to make John's day ;>)

Boat Repairs

Everything was in working order when we left Florida but by the time we arrived in Marsh Harbor we had quite a list of necessary repairs.

The "no reverse" problem is fixed. It was just a linkage problem, or I should say, a storage problem. I have this huge spotlight, which really came in handy when we were motoring south on Lake Worth at 3:15 AM, which was stowed in the sail locker. Unfortunately it is so big it was blocking the shift linkage from moving back so I couldn't hit reverse. I have found a new place for it so problem solved.

I put mid-ship cleats on both sides of Summer Snow which will take the place of the sliding cleat that I have been using for the spring line. The sliding cleat is the one that broke when we were docking. I replaced the stock stern line cleats last spring with big 8 inch heavy duty cleats and so I will use the old stern cleats for the new mid-ship cleats. I sure am glad I have my portable drill with!

The toilet became difficult to flush the other day so that became my next project. Brock opted to go to the Internet Cafe while I worked on the toilet. I put on my oldest cutoffs and t-shirt, got out some rubber gloves and my snorkel mask and prepared to do battle with the feared "JOKER VALVE". The joker valve, I don't know who named it that, is the part of a marine toilet that seems to give the most problems because it is the part though which all the "stuff" goes through. Yuck!. My strategy was to dump a few pails of sea water in the toilet and force it through to clean it out as much as possible first. The first bucket was very difficult to get flushed but the second was much easier. I did a third and wa-la, it was back to normal. Yippee!!!

The last project was to replace the broken anchor locker latch. There is a marine supply store in Marsh Harbor so I walked up town to buy a new latch. The store guy was very helpful and pointed out the latch I needed. $65 BUCKS! NO WAY! It's just a little latch, it can't cost that much. I say "thank you very much but I think I'll find a different solution". So back to the boat I go. I have this habit of keeping lots of junk stashed in secret places and that is where I found the old latch that I had bought for the sail locker but never used. It works just fine and actually looks like it belongs there :>)

Sailing The Sea of Abaco

On the 17th we filled with diesel fuel (4 gal) and checked out of the marina. The weather looked great with SE winds. We headed back out into the straits and headed north so we could enter Indian Cay Channel safely. I had programmed the waypoints for the channel into the chart plotter so we had no problem finding the entrance. As we entered the channel (there are no markers on this channel) we noticed our depth meter started to read 8’ , then 7’, then 9’, then 7’ and we began thinking we should have taken the longer deep water route. Once beyond our 3rd waypoint the depth went to 10’ and stayed there the rest of the day. After the 3rd waypoint we raised our sails and began a beautiful cruise as we headed for Mangrove Cay (uninhabited) where we made a course change to head for Great Sale Cay (uninhabited). We anchored in 10’ of water on the west side of Great Sale Cay along with 8 or 9 other boats. The low brush like trees of Great Sale Cay gave us some comfort but the reality was that there was nothing on the horizon in any direction except for this tiny island. Brock had bought some lobsters from a local fisherman at West End so we feasted on boiled lobster and boiled potatoes for supper (yum!)
On the 18th we raised our anchor at 7 AM and motored south to avoid Great Sale Reef, then turned east toward Little Abaco Island. A low front that was predicted for Sunday was arriving early and we were looking at strong winds out of the S and since both anchorages near Great Sale Cay are exposed to any south wind we felt better off getting in the lee of Little Abaco Island. The winds picked up and we proceeded under sail. We made our waypoint to turn SE and were able to keep out sails up (close hauled) but decided to stop at Spanish Cay rather than try to make Green Turtle Cay in the dark. Spanish Cay is a very nice marina and we met up with our buddy boats again. Spanish Cay is a private island and there is no town on the island but the marina welcomes transient boats. The harbor master, Dan, helped us into a slip and his wife, Sue, checked us in. It turned out that Dan and Sue run the whole thing, that is, they run the marina, then run the bar, and then run the restaurant. The beer was cold and the food was excellent! All the boaters ended up at the bar telling stories and just having a good time.
The 19th was a whole different deal. All the sailors were checking the weather at 7 AM and it looked “iffy” at best. The front was making the sea rough and some sailors were maybe’s to leave and others were staying put. We fell into the maybe, maybe not group. The problem was that it was blowing 20 nts from the NW and would shift to the NE next. A NE wind would make a Whale Cay passage impossible and you must do that passage, which includes exiting the Sea of Abaco and sailing on the Atlantic Ocean for a few miles, to get to Marsh Harbor. We knew that we would have fairly large breaking waves on the ocean but with a NW wind we would not face a “Rage” in the passage itself. A “Rage” is a phenomena that is the result of opposing wind and currents that cause breaking seas that even large ships must avoid. If the wind switched to NE we would most likely be spending Christmas in Spanish Cay. We decided to go and follow the sailboat “Private Island” which is a 40+ ft cruising ketch. We figured that if they got in trouble we could turn around and they agreed to radio back conditions for us.
We headed SE and the wind pushed us at 6.5 nts with no sails and the motor barely working. We passed our last “safe harbor” which was Green Turtle Cay at about 11:30 AM. We were committed. We watched as SV Private Island (75,000 lbs of boat) bounced in the breaking waves ahead of us. Well, all I can say is that it was a rough passage but Summer Snow got us through again. We were weather beaten and tired when we finally got back into the Sea of Abaco but knew then we were “home free” and going to make Marsh Harbor for the holidays! We arrived in Marsh Harbor and headed for Harbor View Marina. As we approached the fuel dock as directed by the harbor master, I went into docking mode which includes putting Summer Snow in reverse to slow her down. NO REVERSE!!! I abort the docking and circle while trying to figure out what’s the matter. Can’t see anything wrong but still the transmission will not shift into reverse. Well we have to dock so the harbor master points to an empty slip and we go for it. Brock readies the spring line which should stop us. A dock attendant catches the spring line which is suppose to stop us and when he secures it to the dock , POP. What in the hell was that??? It was the spring line cleat breaking off from Summer Snow and we are still moving toward the end of the slip!! Brock has his stuff together as he jumps ship with bow line in hand and secures it stopping the boat. Lesson learned – every docking you walk away from is a good docking!

Gulf Stream Sailing

We crossed the Gulf Stream on the 16th with NW winds (5 - 15 nts) that changed to E and SE. This was our first good sailing window since Brock got here. Summer Snow entered the Straits of Florida at 4:15 AM and began "south-ing" to compensate for the flow of the Gulf Stream. We motored with a big south component (sometimes at 3 nts ) until we were well into the stream. Then we turned toward West End and raised our sails. The wind caught hold, Summer Snow heeled, and we were plowing through 2 to 4's at 6.5 to 7 nts while grinning from ear to ear. What a glorious day! We had "green water" running down both sides of the deck as Summer Snow's sheets groaned and the water sizzled on our hull.

We had two buddy boats in view for the first half of the crossing but passed them both as we sliced the water toward West End. At 2:40 Jerry yelled "land ho" as West End's water tower came into view. At 5 PM we were checked in through customs and looking for the local restaurant.

Crossing

Brock and I will leave the Lake Worth inlet at 3 AM Thursday morning. We will raise our sails and put Summer Snow on a heading of 121 degrees M. We have calculated this heading to compensate for the Gulf Stream which flows north at 2 - 3 nts. We will check in at West End on Thursday afternoon and stay there over night. Most cell phones do not work in Bahama, particularly Verizon phones, so we will be out of communication for a few days. I will purchase a Bahama Cell phone ASAP, acquire Wifi internet ASAP, and check in with Bev as soon as I can.

We will sail to Great Sale Cay on Friday and spend the night anchored out. Then we will sail to Green Turtle Cay or Marsh Harbor depending on conditions. This will be a total of approximately 185 nautical miles or 213 miles. Piece of cake!

Snorkeling With The Manatees

Brock and I went to the American Pro Manatee Snorkel and Diving Center located in Crystal River Florida and snorkeled with the manatees today. This is prime time for seeing manatees because the manatees are attracted to the warm waters of Crystal River. We saw lots of manatees and some were huge, like many hundreds of pounds.

It was very cold this morning and the boat deck was ice covered but we "went for it" and had a great time. It was a little hard jumping in but once we were in it was great (we had wet suits on). Getting out was really tough. Imagine getting out of your wet suit and toweling off on an ice covered deck. If there were any "brass monkeys" out there they would be singing in a higher key this afternoon ;>)

Key Largo

Jessica is the best at finding activities but Brock is king of cheap motels. The Sunset Cove Motel has seen its share of sunsets. I checked the dumpster (which at first I thought was cabin 2) for CSI crime scene tape and found none so we checked in. The place was clean (by guy standards) but the bathroom was so small you couldn't turn around. Summer Snow has a bigger head. But it was cheap and our car was still there in the morning so we went diving.

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Sweet Ride

We often find that the supermarkets are a mile or more from the marina so we use the folding bike to get there. I got the bike for Christmas last year and it folds up to the size of a small suitcase. It takes some "getting used to" but once you start riding it works good with it's 6 speeds. I don't have any head gear and am split on getting a helmet or as has been suggested, a Shriner's hat ;>)

So here's the deal. Please watch the video and then vote with your comments as to whether I should wear a helmet, a Shriner's hat, or black leather chaps with matching leather vest? To make a comment just click on the word "comments" which is near the bottom of this post.

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North Palm Beach Boat Parade

We have a very nice neighbor who invited us over to his boat to watch the lighted boat parade. The parade ran the length of Lake Worth and up the ICW a few miles. Our marina was the parade headquarters so we had the best seat in the house. Our neighbor owns a local nightclub and had a big layout of food and drink. After the fireworks 40 boats paraded by with lights and music and then the marina rocked with live music for the rest of the evening.

Bumper To Bumper

We're in for a week of ugly weather. North wind with high seas. Temps down in the 40s at night, burr !!

We have been in this anchorage before and there was never more than 6 or 7 cruisers here but tonight I counted 31 and more came in later. Hurricane season ended today and apparently cruising season began.

I would guess that most of these boats are planning on crossing to Bahama or the Caribbean as many of them are carrying extra fuel and are setup for serious cruising. Boats that stay are probably Bahama bound as this is the preferred staging anchorage for northern Bahama while boats that leave today are probably taking the ICW south to get a more favorable angle for crossing. A few may be headed for the Keys but they probably would not need to carry extra fuel.

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Hanging Out

This is the dinghy dock that we use. When we are anchored out we often just use the dinghy to come into shore but today we had to come in with Summer Snow. We had to come into the marina because of an electrical problem with one of our battery banks. Bank 1 was totally dead this morning and it should not have been down that far. We alternate banks each day and charge them every other day when anchored out. This has worked fine in the past but Brock and I are anchored out more and are using more electricity with both our computers running every night (Brock doing actual work and me on Netflix). While in the marina we plug into shore power so the duel bank charger takes over and should put them both up to the max. Tomorrow I will check each battery individually to make sure we don't have a bad cell or something.

Sue and Craig Donahue who used to be in Corny are here in West Palm Beach. We got together via email and phone today and they are also looking for a weather window for crossing to the southern Bahamas. They have a professional routing service that is generally very accurate in selecting the best weather window for off shore sailing. They report the same thing that we have been seeing from our weather service. The next good weather window will most probably not happen for at least another week.

Key West

Brock and I spent a few days in Key West and I finally got to tour the Hemingway House. It was very interesting and well worth the time. The picture here is Hemingway's writing room and is just as it was when he wrote some of his most famous novels. We also saw some of the 45 cats in the home that are descendants from Snow Ball, Hemingway's first 5 toe'd cat.

We also went to the Key West Cemetery which is famous for the unusual comments on some of the headstones. After a few beers at one of Hemingway's favorite watering holes we found a great little seafood place where everything was caught that morning (yum).

Brock went scuba diving and had a great time while I hung out at a really cool resort and read my Hemingway book.

Now we're back in Lake Worth and will start looking for the next weather window for crossing. We'll do some sailing out on the ocean while we wait.

Marina Move

We anchored out last night close to the ocean inlet. We still had hopes of crossing on Wednesday but the weather changed just enough to scuttle our plans. Crossing was still possible but not comfortable so we opted to run down to Key West for a few days. We pulled into Riviera Marina so Brock could snorkel and to provide security for Summer Snow.

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Fill-er-up?

This is off topic but I thought it was interesting. Most of the boats in this Marina are sports fishing boats. Most are big diesel inboards but a few are the smaller outboard type. The outboard type usually have two, three, or four gas outboard motors that range from 250 hp each to 350 hp each.

So this guy was filling his boat with fuel at the gas dock and I happen to be washing cloths at the office building. The guy says to the dock attendant, "cut her off at $400 for me will ya?" The dock guy starts counting, " 398 - 399 - 400, OK?" The boat guy says, "*#!, let's go to $500, I think I'll just fill one tank today, we're not going out far." I looked at the boat and he had 3 250 HP outboards, I wonder how much it costs to fill up a big boat?

Love my sailboat!

Njörðr

Njörðr is the name of the god of the wind in Norse paganism. When the old vikings went sailing they prayed to Njörðr for good winds and cast off their lines. Now days we pour over charts with isobars and radar images. We read NOAA's weather reports and predictions and listen to weather news on radio and TV. I'm not so sure these modern methods are any better that the Norse prayers.

Weather flows over the North American continent from west to east. What we sailors look at primarily are the high and low fronts that you see on the maps each evening on the local TV news and weather show. As we all know from Ben Franklin's experiments 200 years ago, rain storms and thunder storms suck, that is, they happen as a low pressure front crosses over us. Thus air rushes to fill the low (wind is out of the east because the front is approaching from the west) and we often have rain and/or unsettled weather.

We say that the wind is "clocking" around, that is, changing clockwise. So normally a north wind changes to NE and then east (watch out for rain now), then SE (this is when you start thinking about sailing east to Bahama) , then south, then SW, then west, then NW (you better be in a protected area or at least close because you know what's coming next), then North and it starts over. Of course if there is a big high pressure area close by who knows what will happen, it may just stall everything, cause the wind to back, and sailors beware.

Today the wind is out of the NE to east and I expect the wind to be out of the SE by Tuesday or so. This means that a window of opportunity for crossing will be here on Wednesday or Thursday. So if things go according to plan A, we'll spend Thanksgiving sailing and hopefully by next weekend be 150 miles east of Florida with anchors down. On the other hand, if Njörðr is feeling nasty, we may rent a car and go down to Key West and goof off for a few days.

Summer Snow is ready

Sailboat Summer Snow is ready to sail. You should understand that I did not shine and hide things like getting ready for a boat show. Instead this is how the boat looks as we wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas.

Catalina 30s are fun to sail. I believe it matches my sailing style and abilities. Boats do not grow in linear fashion but rather the cubic volume doubles for every 5 ft of length. Thus a 35 ft sailboat would be a very different sailing experience.

Larger volume means larger sails, more weight, and bigger lines. Bigger sails and bigger anchors requires either a stronger sailor and/or power winches or at least using winches more. I can raise Summer Snow's sails with no winch and raising the anchor is not a big deal. To each their own but I guess I'm liking simple when it comes to sailing.

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Jessica's Here

Mac left Friday afternoon, Jessica arrived Friday evening. It was sure great having Mac here and I am looking forward to all Jessica's plans because she is so good at finding fun things to see and do. Jessica had signed up for a 5 K run up at the Kennedy Space Center so we got up at 4:30 AM and drove to the race. There was a lot of people in the run and she finished 3rd! I had her camera and was suppose to take her picture as she finished but I didn't expect her to be finishing with the pros so I missed the photo op. She was very surprised to get an award and then we spent the day at the center. She is teaching a unit about space next semester so she got some new curriculum materials.

I spent most of today watching football at a sports bar and Jessica went hiking at a state park so it was kind of a rest day today.

The waves are still huge and will be until at least Tuesday so tomorrow we are going down to the keys and check out Hemingway's house. There is lots to do in Key West so it will be another full day.

North On The ICW

We went north on the ICW today. It's like motoring on a river but this river has tides. There were 5 bridges between us and our chosen destination. The first 3 bridges open at specific times. The Parker Bridge opens at quarter after and quarter to the hour, the PGA Bridge (pictured here) opens on the hour and half hour, and the Donald Ross Bridge also opens on the hour and half hour. So you radio the bridge operator when you are approaching the bridge on VHF 9 and give the type and name of your vessel. The bridge operator then tells you when the next opening is. When they open the bridge you pass through and radio back when you are clear of the bridge. The last two bridges open on demand so you call in and ask for a lift so you can pass and the operator decides when to lift for you. All went well while northbound until we passed under the Donald Ross Bridge. After that bridge we hit shoaling and went aground while still in the ICW. The ICW is suppose to be at least 12 ft deep at low tide but we hit bottom and were stuck. We hit reverse and powered back OK and then went over to the other side of the channel to get by. Then we started to run into more shoaling so decided to turn back. What we learned today is that we will need tide help to navigate the ICW in this area. Next time we go north it will have to be half before high tide to half after high tide which will limit our time to maybe 6 hours and therefore limit distance we can travel in a day. Going outside sounds better all the time because then we can sail, we won't have to wait for bridges, and we can stay in deep water.

Atlantic Sailing

We checked out of the marina this morning and motored south on the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway). I pointed out the interesting sights for Mac as we motored along. The picture is of Lou's boat which is also Lou's home. I met Lou at Cracker Boys boat yard and found him a very interesting and informative guy. He was very helpful in describing the ins and outs of surviving on the water while in the Lake Worth area. He has lived on this boat for years and appears very happy.
We then cruised out of the Lake Worth Inlet and experience being in the Atlantic Ocean. It was not scary and was not much different from being on Lake Superior. We saw dolphins and some ray type fish that were leaping out of the water. The breakers and the surf were big because the waves were running 2 - 4 feet at 7 sec. That means the waves were rollers rather than close together waves and thus easy to navigate in. What a fun day!
After experiencing the ocean we motored back in and anchored in 12 ft up at the north end. We dinghy-ed in to shore and went to Starbucks. It's brats on the grill tonight. Life just gets better and better.

Tourist

The weather has been poor for sailing so Mac and I have been doing the "tourist" stuff. On Sunday we went to Key West (5 hour drive) and had a very nice day. I got to check out Boot Key harbor and it looked very inviting although it would be a long sail to get there. Boot Key Harbor is located in Marathon about in the middle of the keys. The harbor has room for hundreds of boats and they rent mooring balls by the day, week, or month. They have a large dinghy dock, rec room, showers, and bike racks. It is right in the middle of town so shopping is easy. Key West also had a mooring ball field and seems to be a more interesting town with more to do. We went to the southern most point in the US, Hemingway's house, a great coffee shop, and a nice walk around the "historic district".

On Monday we went to the Kennedy Space Center (2 hour drive) which was very interesting. The displays and history were great as was the "space burger with rocket fries". Tomorrow we untie from the dock and head up the Intracoastal Waterway. I hope we can find an anchorage up a ways and then sail back on the outside on Wednesday. We'll see what the sea-state is on Wednesday before we commit.

North Palm Beach Marina

This morning I pulled up the anchor and motored over to the North Palm Beach Marina. The anchor rode was pretty grimy so I washed it as I brought it in. The wind was real strong so I had to motor ahead about 30 ft, cleat the rode, wash the 30 ft I just brought in, and then do it over again until I reached the chain. The 25 ft of chain came in clean and so did the anchor so I was able to just feed the chain into the anchor locker until the anchor came up on the roller. Then it was a mad dash back to engage the engine and turn toward the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway).
I had pre-tuned my handheld VHF radio to channel 8 which is the working channel for the marina so that I could call them when I was close. As I approached the marina (remember, the wind is howling at 15 to 20 nts) I called them and asked for help at the dock because I was coming in single handed. They were very nice and helpful and docking went without a hitch. This is a great marina with very nice facilities. I had an ice cold Coke and then finished securing Summer Snow.
Mac arrives tomorrow and since the weather is rough I will rent a car and we'll go see some sights.

Wednesday Post

It rained a little last night as it usually does. Seems like we get a short shower just before daybreak. They are predicting some rainy weather this weekend but looks like Tomas may miss us.
Another big Canadian boat came in yesterday. It must be 60+ ft long and real tall. I bet they had to go outside rather than the ICW due to the height of their mast. Those Canadians must really have the bucks!
Yesterday I finally finished my lifelines and today's project will be to mount my solar panel for charging the batteries. The projects go on and on. I think I better go to Starbucks this morning to think through this solar panel project ;>)

North Lake Worth Anchorage

I went for a walk this morning and took a picture of the anchorage (I am looking east in this photo). Summer Snow is near the center of this photo. Anchoring is free here but there are limited facilities. There is an "unofficial" dinghy landing which is very convenient to the mall which has a Publix supermarket, restaurants, many small shops, and a Starbucks. Restrooms and showers are not available. There is a marina down a ways that has a dinghy dock and for $186/month will let you use showers and restrooms. Unfortunately the anchorages near that marina are bumpy and noisy. So I shower on the boat and use my own restroom, no problem.
I was visiting with my neighbor from Texas (26 ft. O'Day) this morning and he has been crossing to the Bahamas for the last 8 years. He is not impressed with south Florida and can't wait to get over to Bahama. He thinks they are friendlier, politer, and much less a "consumer culture". They have better facilities for boaters and many activities for cruising sailors. He feels as though the Floridians would rather you just mailed them your money and then stayed home. Well, everyone has an opinion. The Floridians I have met seem friendly and helpful (with the possible exception of the power boaters that come screaming through the anchorage but then they are just power boaters and probably don't know any better).

Florida Winds

It has been very windy every day here. Mostly out of the south or southeast but today the wind switched. At any rate, sailing on Lake Worth is out of the question. Lake Worth is very shallow and has lots of traffic in the Inter Coastal Waterway which goes right down the center of the lake. Thus sailing would be difficult because it would be hard to tack in such a narrow strip and going off shore lately means 6 to 8 ft waves.
Every cruising guide says that you should not cross the Gulf Stream if there is a "North" component in the wind direction. The winds here and off shore have been NE and N today and for the next few days. The reason for this recommendation includes the fact that the Gulf Stream flows north and with a north wind the waves build in a kind of square fashion and the ocean becomes very rough.
I will continue to monitor the weather so that when the kids arrive we can maybe do some ocean sailing. Until then I will continue with boat projects, go to shore for coffee breaks and shopping, and work to improve my boat cooking skills. Cooking is working out very well so I'm anxious to try new things. Boat projects for today will include washing and waxing the cockpit, stringing my reef lines, and maybe installing my solar charger panel.

Birds

I love to sit in the cockpit in the morning and watch the birds feed. With cup of coffee in hand, I watch the birds skim over the surface and then suddenly dive after a fish. Sometimes they come up with one, sometimes they don't. When it is calm you can see the schools of fish feeding at the surface. It looks like a dark rough area on the water and they must be feeding on some floating insect because when the school dives they leave bubbles on the surface of the water.
I suppose I should be washing my boat......

The Guy Next Door

The guy next door makes me nervous. He washed his boat this morning, then did a bunch of pushups, and now is readjusting everything on his deck. Maybe he was a Marine DI at one time? I get tired just watching him.

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Boat Food

What do you eat when you are sailing? I guess that depends on the cook. I like simple meals that are easy to make and made of as much local fresh stuff as possible. Tonight I made one of my favorites. A couple of little potatoes, a medium onion, and a can of corn. I sauteed the cut up potatoes and onion in a little olive oil and then added the corn and a little seasoned salt. Yum it was good!
Finish it off with a cool Coke and it's nearly perfect. The only thing to make it better would be to be eating it together with Bev.

Another Beautiful Day

I am getting more comfortable on Summer Snow as I put things away and get organized. Last night was very calm so sleeping was better. A front is coming through within the next few days so I'm going to re-anchor with the big Delta which is better for when the wind switches directions. I found a great little coffee place close by so life is good.

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Summer snow at anchor

Summer Snow

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This is a 360 of where I am anchored in North Lake Worth. Sorry about the wind noise.

A Taste of Salt

Summer Snow splashed into the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean today at 11:30. The wind was hard out of the SE and I had to back out of a long "well" that they use for launching. Therefore I had to tie the dinghy on the bow to back out and then motor with the dinghy dragging off to one side to a sheltered area behind Peanut Island in Lake worth to straighten out the lines and dinghy. I then motored north in the ICW to a bay called North Lake Worth to anchor for the night. Happy days hanging on the hook.

Cracker Boys Boat Yard

Well, the Ways boat yard didn't work. They said they would lift the boat off the semi at 6:30 AM on Thursday but no one came to work until nearly 9 AM. We were so disgusted that we strapped everything down again and went to Cracker Boys boat yard.
The Cracker Boys are on the ball. They had Summer Snow off in no time. We put it on blocks and stands and I began getting it ready to sail. Due to the heat, things that I thought would take an hour takes 3 or 4 hours instead. So two days work turn into four but now I'm ready for a Monday launch.

Wainting for Summer Snow

I talked with Nate this afternoon and he said that he would be to The Ways Boat Yard about 4 or 5 PM. The plan was to unload this morning and because I remember my old truck driving days, I know how hard it is to predict delivery times. We will need high tide to launch the boat so I hope tomorrow morning will be launch day.
I have walked all over the area (blisters on both feet) and am at two showers per day but I have observed all the places I want to be and that will help when I am ready to anchor/moor for the next few weeks. I have also checked out some very nice marinas.

Bon Voyage

You cannot have too many going away parties. The family party was the first party. We all gathered at a Lake City vacation house, had a great time over two days and had a great turkey dinner on Sunday. Bev and I have some great friends who offered to organize a few “small” gatherings before I set sail. Paulette suggested that we meet Dave and her at Wedgewood Cove for supper and when we got there we found that it was surprise Bon Voyage roast. We had some great laughs (thanks Paulette) and great food. I received some very interesting gifts and some very useful ones too (especially a great light weight shirt from Formans, Andersons, and Beeses). Neil came up with two great books on sailing singlehandedly which will be very valuable. A few days later our friends Cindy, Mike, Kristin, and Carey suggested we slip up to Minneapolis to eat. We went to a great Brazilian restaurant (Fofo De Chao) and feasted on traditional Brazilian food. The waitress asked if we were celebrating anything special and then came back with a plate of Key Lime pie. Life just gets better and better. We have one more gathering with my old Riverland department friends and then I’m ready to go.
A common question usually directed at me is “what does Bev think of your trip?” I usually reply with an attempt at humor but I should give Bev the credit she is due. As I have dreamed and we have planned over the last couple years she has been my loyal supporter and advocate. I wavered a few times wondering if the endeavor was the right thing to do and she put me back on track. She has pointed out how important a person’s dreams are and that we all have a limited amount of time to do some things. Sailing is quite physical and if you have big dreams you better do it when you are able. So Thank You Bev, you have made this trip possible.
I fly out Tuesday, Oct 19th for West Palm Beach. Summer Snow should arrive there via Cross Country Boat Transport on the 20th and be in the water by the 21st.

Summer Snow's New Bimini

Summer Snow has a new bimini so we'll have some shade when we sail south.

In Ontonagon Again

This town is a gem! We stopped in Ontonagon again on our way back to the Apostles. Patrick and Jessica found that you can take public transportation to the Porcupine Mountains and go hiking in the park. Bob, the harbor master, was very helpful with many recommendations and he also took me to a truck stop so I could buy diesel fuel.
There are two ways to go "down town" from the marina. The long way (and our preferred way because we like to walk) is to walk around and across the new bridge and the short way is to dingy from the marina to one of the dingy docks across the river which puts you right "down town". I used the dingy method a few times because I just wanted to go to Syl's cafe to send some email and once again when I just needed some ice for the cooler.
We toured the old Ontonagon Light House. The local historical organization has restored it and it is beautiful. You must take a shuttle to visit it and we found it very interesting and well done.

Ontonagon is a very friendly town with many activities and shopping opportunities. It is a "must see" for anyone visiting the UP.

Still in Port

Jessica did it again, first the opera and today an organ music presentation. The great pipe organ in St. Ann's, a cathedral like former Catholic church that has been restored to a regional cultural center, is played just a few times per year. So we take a taxi from Houghton to Calumet at about 3 PM. After we check out the town and visit the local Copper Country museum (the downtown is beautiful with many old brownstone building from the copper mining days), we find a eatery called the Michigan Pub. Jessica and I have the fish and chips (yum) and Patrick has the "best hamburger he has ever had." After a great supper I find a park bench and continue reading my book while Patrick and Jessica continue to explore the town.
At the appointed hour we all go to St Ann's. The cultural center displays are very well done and interesting. They focus on story tellers of the area, from the per-historic Native Americans to current times.

Time for the music to begin, this is what we have been waiting for. What? A piano - not an organ. Hey, this is a hymn sing along. What?? We're sitting near the back, maybe we can escape. Well, we should give it a chance first.

The leader tells of the ethnic slant of each hymn including who wrote it and why. Each hymn represents a different ethnicity. At my church hymns are sung in a low murmur (seems to be a stoic Norwegian characteristic) but not here. Everyone is belting out the hymns without even looking at the words. This is GREAT!! The acoustics in the huge building are fantastic! The spirit of these few people fills this old cathedral and it's overwhelming. The copper played out and the big shots scurried back to Boston like rats back to their nest leaving these people high and dry. The rich sit in their million dollar Boston condos counting their booty while these wonderful strong people sing and laugh in this beautiful old church. I'd rather be here, thanks Jessica, this was another winner!

PS - They played one hymn on the old pipe organ to tempt us to come back for the special organ day. What a great place!

In Port

What do you do on a sailing vacation? Eat, Sleep, walk, run, shop, talk, read, go to the opera, ....... did I say "go to the opera? Yes, we went to the opera (La Traviata) on the Michigan Tech campus and it was great. Tomorrow - mine tours and an organ concert. When you sail with Jessica and Patrick you "do stuff" and have fun!

Sailing to Houghton-Hancock

We left Ontonagon at 5 AM this morning (7-17-10) and raised our sails just outside the harbor breakwater. Summer Snow grabbed the wind as we headed NE and kicked up to 4 nts on a comfortable broad reach. The wind built as the sun rose and we spend most of the morning at 6+ nts without touching a sheet. Then the wind dipped to >5 nts at 11 AM and by noon we had fired up the iron genny to maintain 5 nts. We arrived at the Houghton County Marina at 3 PM and were lucky enough to get a slip right in front of the restroom/shower/laundry building. All in All it was a great day and Jessica made a great supper for us. Life Is Good!

To Outer Island and Ontonagon

Jessica, Patrick, and I sailed from Corny at 11 AM on 7-12-2010. Our destination was Outer Island in the Apostles. Our overall plan is to stage at Outer Island for an early morning crossing to Houghton-Hancock, MI. The auto pilot is a little sketchy so Patrick is working on it. We “shot the moon” at Sand Island and saw 7’ below our waterline 4 times. We anchored on the south west side of Outer and had supper. After supper we took the dingy in to shore to explore. We found the old railroad path that they used in the old days to bring logs to the beach. We also found fresh bear scat and so decided we had explored enough and went back to Summer Snow.
The next day (7-13-2010) we got up early and set sail at 4:53 AM. We headed for Houghton-Hancock but found this line very uncomfortable as the wind picked up and waves built. The predictions were 5 to 10 nt winds and 1 to 2 ft waves with it picking up to 10 to 20 in the late afternoon. Late afternoon came at noon and the waves were building. We decided to change course and head for Ontonagon, MI instead. We reefed the main first and later reefed the jib. Then we rolled in the jib and were making 6 nts with reefed main. Ontonagon was in site, things looked good. We finally took the main down and went under power but and we approached the harbor the engine quit. OUT OF FUEL! Darn! So we added 5 gal of fuel from our j-can stash, bled the fuel lines and restarted the engine. Patrick had unrolled a bit of jib and tacked out a ways so we had control so we turned and tried it again. Big waves meant that we needed power so we gave her the fuel. THE ENGINE QUIT AGAIN! I assumed that the fuel filters had clogged with crud from the bottom of the tank as the wave action and low fuel mixed it all up together. We restarted the engine and ran under low power to get into the breakwater and harbor. I found that the engine would keep running if I left it at low power. We slowly proceeded to the Ontonagon Marina and were very happy to tie to the dock. We celebrated with a movie and popcorn that evening.

Getting Ready for a Two Week Sail

I got to Corny at about 3 PM, Patrick and Jessica were about a half an hour behind me. We loaded all our gear and food (Jessica got all the food together) into the boat and then made a few necessary repairs. I bought new air vents and we put a cover on the steering pedestal where the compass used to be.

We went to Ethel's for pizza and talked with Bev on Skype when we got back. We plan on leaving tomorrow morning for Outer Island which is about 30 Nautical miles away. We'll stage there for an early Tuesday sail to the Keweenaw waterway and Hancock/Houghton, Michigan. Looks to be about a 13 to 17 hour sail if the winds are good.

Bev and I sailed to Sand Island on Tuesday. We “shot the moon” as Patrick would say, that is, we crept across the shallow water south of Sand Island. We draw 5’ 6” so we watched the chart plotter and the depth gage as we passed over 4 sand bars. Each sand bar had 7’ so we were fine. We anchored in East Bay in 9’ of water with 100’ of anchor rode. We tried out the new dingy motor (6 HP Suzuki) as we cruised the shoreline. Because we had prepared hobo dinners while sailing over we just made popcorn for supper.

Wednesday morning we pulled up the anchor and headed for Stockton Island. It was a great day for sailing and we made 4 to 6 nts the whole way. We got out our copy of Bonnie Dahl's guide book Superior Way and found that there should be enough water at the main dock to tie up rather than anchoring. It was our lucky day; we found room at the dock and tied up for the night. The ferry boat comes in at the main dock on Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday so we would not have to move, yippee! The National Park Service puts on a ranger program each evening so we went to their campfire and presentation on “Living with Bears”. We had a very interesting chat with Captain Tom Rossini from the powerboat 401K and found out that Tom and his wife Julia live in the same development that my sister Joan lives in. In fact, one of his best friends is Joan and Tom’s next door neighbor.

We woke up on Thursday to another beautiful day with a very nice breeze out of the northwest so we decided to sail to Bayfield. We had a great broad reach all the way to the Apostle Islands Marina in Bayfield. It was off the showers and then to Ethel’s for pizza. Then the order of the day became relaxing and reading (sweet!)

After breakfast at the Egg Toss restaurant on Friday, the wind had switched to the SW at 10 to 20 nts so once again we had a great broad reach as we sailed back toward Corny. At Raspberry Bay we pulled in a reef in the main and eventually rolled in the foresail. We were making 6+ nts with reefed main as the wind gusted to 25+ nts. As we rounded the corner to “shoot the moon” we dropped the main and went under diesel power the rest of the way to Corny. It was a great 4 days of sailing in the Apostles.

Bev and I went up to Cornucopia last Friday (June 18th). I had a few things to do on the boat but our main purpose was to relax and have some fun. It was kind of rainy and yucky on Saturday so I was able to get my boat stuff done. These tasks involved some rigging checks and putting the registration numbers on the tender. I followed Jessica's advice and traced the numbers first, then painted them in with a very small brush. It took a couple of hours but I am very satisfied with the result. I understand that it is very difficult to get the registration sticker to stick to the inflatable tube so I followed the numbering kit recommendation and painted a square to put the sticker on. I hope that works! I have included a picture of the tender with the numbers here but unfortunately someone put their tender on top of mine so you can barely see the numbers but you should be able to get the idea from it.

We cooked all our meals on the boat and Saturday night we went to the Big Top Chautauqua and saw the Fiddlehead Band led by virtuosic violin master Randy Sabien. It was excellent! We ended the day with a beach bonfire over at Neil and Linda's cabin.

On Sunday we got out for a sail in the bay and it was wonderful. A very nice 6 to 7 nt breeze and Summer Snow performed perfectly. Then it was off to Minneapolis to have a pizza party with Mac, Jenny, Cam, Patrick, Jessica, Brock, and Brianna. The pizza was great so we went for ice cream and a walk around Lake Nokomis.

Painting the Non-Skid

Today was a good day. I had to wait all morning for things to dry out and for the sky to clear enough so I didn’t think it was going to rain. At noon I began taping the non-skid off so I could paint. I used Interlux Interdeck polyurethane which is made for non-skid areas. I used white mixed with 25% gray to get a light gray finish. I was working away and was about 2/3 finished when I noticed the wind had shifted and it was noticeable cooler. I looked around and sure enough, it looked like rain. I stepped up a notch and got the job finished before a little sprinkle hit. It wasn’t much and the paint had set up so no damage done. By 4 PM it was dry enough to start installing the brightwork. Tomorrow I will put the dodger on and install the new line stopper I bought on ebay a few years back. The line stopper will facilitate running my lines aft.

Brightwork

I didn't know what sailors were referring to when they said they were working on their bright-work. Well I now know that they were talking about the exterior wood on their boats. I don't know if the interior wood is called bright-work too but I can tell you that refinishing bright-work is hard work because that's what we did this weekend. Apparently the sun's UV rays will destroy any finish you can put on so every few years you must sand off the old finish and put on new. I am using spar varnish with a satin finish. There are probably better products but I really like the way the wood looks when I use this product.

We cleaned (or I should say, Bev cleaned), we bent on the sails, and we organized the interior to get ready to go sailing. Jessica put the tender together and pumped it up. I am very satisfied with our progress.

Plumbing Upgrades

The new through-hulls are installed and the boat is back in the water. Since the galley counter had to be removed for the sea-cocks, I took this opportunity to install a new engine exhaust muffler. I had used the old muffler from the old engine and although it worked, due to the top inlet, sea water would periodically flood the engine. This was not good! I solved the problem last year by just shutting off the raw water sea-cock before shutdown. This cleared the muffler of any water before the engine was shut off.
I ordered a new Water Lift muffler from Dave at the marina. It has a side inlet so now I have water running down hill which is good. The new muffler is larger so I glassed an extension to the mounting pad and the old exhaust hoses worked fine. I ran the engine and have no leaks so life is good again.
Bev, Jessica, and Patrick will arrive this afternoon so the rest of the morning will be spent getting the interior back together and clean.

Pre-Launch

Summer Snow is not in the water yet. I spent 3 days (May 18-20) in Corny installing new "through-hulls" and seacocks. These are the fittings that allow your sinks to drain and for engine cooling water to be drawn in from the lake. They are pretty important if you want to keep your boat floating because a failure of the "through-hull" or valve (which are below the water line) can sink your boat. The new parts have been installed and some minor cracks and scratches on the keel have been repaired with 5200 sealant. The sealant takes 7 days to setup so I expect to "splash" on Friday, May 28th.

I am also installing a new engine muffler to get better exhaust/cooling water flow away from the engine. Just a few "boat units" and we'll have a much improved water control system.