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.