The East Coast Blues

After we left Marty and Bernie’s dock in Port St Lucie, we realised our port engine was still spewing anti-freeze into the overflow.  We were both very disheartened. We had just spent a tremendous amount of money on parts and poor Gary had worked his fingers to the bone installing them. All for nothing!

Pelicans make me smile!!

I just sat and cried and Gary just went very quiet.

What could we do but dust ourselves off and start over again by doing some  trouble shooting. I asked everyone for help and got help from many sources. Some gave engine advice and some offered a shoulder to cry on.

Long story short-we finally got it fixed. (Ralph, I know you have been asking over and over what we did but…. ) We can’t say for sure what the exact problem was because we did two things, either of which could have solved one or two of both problems. Sounds confusing?? Well imagine how we felt.

……..Then we noticed our batteries we not charging…..Now what???!! After checking every battery Gary figured out our engine start battery was toast and while we would run the generator to charge the batteries, this engine one would draw the house batteries down. Well, we had to get a new one. I nearly died. These batteries cost between $400-500!! But smart Gary asked around, found a place who sold us a second hand one for much less. They even delivered it to the dingy dock for us.

The old battery getting exchanged for a new one  (Weight 100lb)

We sat at our anchorage in Manatee pocket while the weather remained poor and got more and more depressed. Well, I did. Gary doesn't get depressedJ

Then the lovely Elaine and Steve showed up on the SV October and we got to spend some time together and I laughed so much I cried. It was good to be in company of friends again. They had some troubles of their own with their water-maker onboard so it turns out it isn’t just us who get the blues.

In the mean while I was still checking the weather for a crossing to the Bahamas. There was NOTHING!!! for a long time!

So when we heard that our friends Bob and Monique were on a mooring ball in Vero Beach waiting for (guess what??) parts, we decided to take a side trip north and go and visit them.

Vero Beach is a boating mekka. I was so excited to see Jill and Parker SV Tootsie on a mooring ball and it was great to be with friends again.

We spent a carefree weekend while Gary and Bob worked on SV Last Waltz’s water-maker to get it going, I did some Santa shopping.

Merry Christmas

Sunday December 22, 2013 Time& Tide and SV Last Waltz left Vero. The possibility of a weather window lured us south to Lake Worth to stage for a possible crossing.

Unfortunately about 40 mins into the trip Bob called us on the VHF and said that his starboard engine was over-heating. So we decided to anchor in Fort Piece at Faber Cove, a nice protected spot off the ICW. Bob was sure their engine was over heating due to a prop foul. Gary put on his dive gear and dove to find the prop completely tangled with fishing net. What a relief!! As soon as Gary cleaned the netting off, the engine ran again without any problems. SV Last Waltz was ready to go!! Unfortunately the weather window was a bust. So we anchored in Lake Worth for the night.

Boca, and a view of the nasty stuff over the Gulf

Boca, with palm trees let up for Christmas

We decided to make the best of the situation and moved to Boca Rotan where we got to spend Christmas with the lovely crew from the SV Last Waltz

The day after Boxing Day we headed to Fort Lauderdale, still the good weather was nowhere to be found and I got more and more negative about the whole boating thing. 

How would you like your own private yacht with its own helicopter??

Now, this happens from time to time but Gary told me if I am ever seriously not enjoying myself anymore that we could sell the boat and be land cruisers….I am not ready for that YET!  But…

I will admit that I sometimes get fed up with living on a boat: #1. The weather (which no one can help) Yes, no one can change the weather but it has such a huge impact on us and it really controls all we do!!!

 # 2. Boat breakdowns (which is bound to happen – we have heard of so many people who have problems ranging from broken props to water-makers to broken windows, leaky shafts and bad engines…. I mean, you name it, it can and will break)

And people will say, “Look where you are, you are in paradise, on a boat”. Well that might be true but it doesn’t change the fact that sh1t happens and even if I am sitting in balmy Florida it still gets me down!!  Now, I have to say, I can ( most of the time) deal with bad weather and breakdowns but the Damocles sword that is hanging over our heads,(the fact that we have to be out of the country by the end of December) is the worst!! You have no idea how very stressful that is. Next year things will be much different with the boat already being in Florida when we come down here in the Fall.

Anyhow, sorry about that little pity party….allow me to continue with the stories.

Many bridges make for a long day when you are in a sailboat with a big mast

Miami skyline

After Fort Lauderdale we headed to Miami. We figured we might as well try crossing to Bimini from Miami rather than sitting in Fort Lauderdale waiting for the weather to change.

We arrived in Miami on an over cast day. We found an anchorage and dropped the hook just before the heavens opened up and rained on us. It is always nice when it rains, the salt gets washed off the boat and she sparkles anew.

In Miami there are many great anchorages and things to see and do but all we wanted was to get off the boat and sit on land a little. Gary had, for the past few days, had head spins and dizzy spells and on Saturday morning I woke up with the same. All I wanted was to stand on the ground and not have anything move under me. I felt much better after a day on land but poor Gary still is having problems with the dizziness. (which is much worse when you are on a boat that is constantly swinging!!)

So we used our time to do laundry and just chill. We also met up with Al and Brenda from SV Haven another couple from Trenton. In fact the Canadian boats outnumber the American boats 10-2-1 in the anchorages as we all sit and wait for the weather to cross over to the Bahamas.

Cruise boats lined up in Miami

Stilt house in Biscayne Bay

Finally it looks like it could happen. Monday 30^th of December is looking like a good day to make it to Bimini, and if you are reading this we were successful and are now in the Bahamas. I plan to post this as soon as I can so everyone will know we are ok and safe.

Without sounding like an Oscar recipient I would like to thank our good friends Terry and Kathy (MV Green Door) for their constant weather updates and advice, Jim ( MV Wild Goose) for the same, Steven and Elaine ( SV October) for SSB updates and laughs and Jim and Monique ( SV Last Waltz ) who kept us smiling through Christmas when we were missing everyone at home very much.

So this trip in the Bahamas will be much different than last year. We hope to see the  Berrys. Exumas and Eluthuras Islands before heading north the Abacos….If all stays well we will spend about 5 months in the Bahamas.

…………………….to be continued

The good and the bad and the ugly.

After leaving Cape Coral we passed through two locks and stayed the night at River Forest Marina, to visit with our good friends on MV Green Door, Kathy and Terry. As they always do they spoilt me with steaks on the bbq cooked to perfection. It was wonderful to see them again.

As you leave the Fort Myers area and continue on the Caloosahatchee canal , the scenery becomes more farm land

Lovely Spanish moss covered tree

This nice lady opened the train bridge for us in Fort Denauld

Gorgeous Bougainvillea growing besides the canal

Strange locks on the Okeechobee waterway...they just open the gates and let the water in...

Visiting with MV Green Door, Kathy and I were showing off our red and green toenails  

The next morning we headed to Moore head and because of an excellent weather forecast for Lkae Okeechobee , we decided to do the crossing as well. The waters we smooth and calm and the 3 hours crossing went without a hitch.

Don't ask, don't tell.

Smooth calm waters, just as I like it!

Port Mayaca
The water was high enough that they didn't need the lock closed but they kept it closed because the water in Lake Okeechobee is very dirty from the sugar cane being burnt and they are trying to contain the polluted water.

 Late that afternoon we anchored in the St Lucie canal among many alligators, we kept a close eye on they as they kept a close eye on us.

These are big ones, at first rather shy but as it got darker they came nearer and nearer.....

Poor boat

Last lock for a while !!! 

We had noticed quite a bit of water in the bilge and as we were running the pumps to empty it, we noticed a sheen on the water. NOT GOOD>!! Sure enough, we were leaking anti freeze. Gary thought it might be that the pressurized radiator cap needed to be replaced so when we got to Stuart we stopped at a marina, Gary took his bicycle to NAPA and got an new radiator cap.

Bad news, it was not the radiator cap and as we were making our way to Gary's cousin's house on the St Lucie canal , it became abundantly clear we were in deep trouble!

So the bad news is we had to replace the head gasket on our port engine. Finding parts for a 35 year old engine is near impossible and when you do, it is exorbitantly expensive.

Good news, Marty and Bernie ( Gary's cousins) had a lovely dock we could tie up to while waiting for our parts all the way from Washington State. How lucky are we??!! So Gary got busy removing the head of the engine, he cleaned all the old gasket material off and found the head to  be in excellent condition.

Marty ( Gary's cousin) and his wife Bernadette met us on the St Lucie river in their pontoon boat.

Tied to the dock - In the evening we would have a Manatee hang around the boat .

Cleaning the head and putting on a brave face, it is a hell of a job!

While he was cleaning, scraping old material off the head, he managed to get a metal splinter in his eye. Marty drove him to the eye doctor and they removed it. He has to take some antibiotic drops but is feeling much better.

In the meantime we were entertained by the family. Bernie and I went for pedis and I got some much needed (Not for groceries) shopping therapy. They took us to the beaches around Ft Pierce and to Sailors Exchange, a huge consignment / second hand store for boating stuff. We bought a dingy cover for $40!!!!!!!!!!! We loved that place!!

Bernadette is quite the artist ,This is a recycled bicycle wheel that she hangs in the garden as a suncathcer

Scenes from their back yard.
Bernadette has a gorgeous Night Blooming Jasmine tree, the fragrance is unbelievable!! The also have papaya , banana, orange, lemon and nut trees in their garden. it is like a little paradise!

Marty and Bernie were excellent hosts and we thank our lucky stars we broke down on their dock.

Finally the parts arrived and at 5pm Gary started putting the head together. I helped a little but mainly he did it all finishing around midnight. He started up the engine and everything worked splendid!!

YAHOO!!!!!

Tired, dirty and wounded ( look at his poor head) but very happy at midnight as the work on the engine was done and everything seems ok.

Ok , so the name of this blog is The Good ( good luck that we broke down at Marty and Bernie's dock)
The  Bad ( head gaskets needed to be replaced and we had to wait a week for parts due to snowy weather up north) The Ugly ....the Gators :)

Hopefully as you read this we will be mobile again, and anchored at Hammock Bay just near Stuart. Then we will slowly make our way to Lake Worth in the hopes of getting a good window to cross over to the Bahamas.

...........................to be continued

West Coast to Cape Coral

West Coast -Florida

Finally, after weeks of waiting for a weather window we were on the West Coast. As soon as we got things put back in place after the crossing and just after updating the blog we went to bed and slept for 12 hours straight.

The next day we had planned on travelling further but we wanted to spend time with friends and that was what we did.

We took the Jolly Trolley to Dunedin and enjoyed many laughs and good time with friends.

Dunedin  - This bronze statue of a train conductor calling for the final train boarding and of a mother and child rushing to get on the train, is just outside the Dundedin Historical Museum located on the corner of Main street and Pinellas Trail.. The building used to be the train station.

One of the many bicycle trails in Dunedin

Lovin Ray

Linda, Ray, Gary, Randy, Sherry, Donna and Terry

Gary's turn to love Ray

The whole gang, the picture was taken by a very patient and skilled waitress

At the Chic -a Boom Room 

Sorry for the bad picture , Susan joined us later , we last saw her in the Bahamas

Gary doing what Gary does...

That night the wind stated blowing and it never stopped for a week!! We headed to a nice protected anchorage just behind the famous Don Cesar hotel.  Even though it was protected it was close to the Gulf shore and the wind was howling though it. When the forecast called for 50-60kt winds I had had enough. I called the local Sherriff and asked for permission to tie off to an abandoned dock near the boat launch. Nobody could give me an answer and after a while they gave us the go-ahead, pretty much just to shut me up (I think) Thank goodness we moved to the dock, we were unable to put out more anchor chain because a sailboat had come and anchored right behind us, the dock was a Godsend. We sent two days in howling winds on the dock, nice and safe.

The anchorage just behind the Don Cesar hotel in St Peterborough Florida -The hotel was built in the 1920 in a Mediterranean/ Moorish style.
"The Pink Lady" served as a military hospital in WW2
It was reopened as a hotel in the 1960s. Room 101 is said to be haunted by the the first owner Thomas Rowe

Just above the date on the photo you can see the docks we tied to during the bad storms, a nice safe spot just for us.

Elaine and Steve came for a visit and we went for ice-cream and drove around in their car doing some sight seeing 

Windy!

When a break in the weather was forecasted we headed across Tampa Bay to one of our favourite anchorages at Otter Cay. We were treated to a wonderful sunset and a calm night on the hook.

Our next stop was Cape Haze and we hoped to do the last leg to Cape Coral the following day but as we crossed Charlotte Harbour we got knocked around pretty hard so we scooted into Pelican Bay and dropped the anchor.

The day, all though windy, turned lovely and sunny and we went for a 5 mile walk on the beach, picking up many sand dollars and shells much to our delight.

One of these days I will get a good picture of a dolphin, promise!!

Sand dollars

White Pelicans

The following morning we woke up to a foggy day, it was also a Sunday ….a Sunday on a long weekend….which meant that every idiot on a boat was out and about. Seriously, what is the deal with Florida boaters??? Yes, we know you live here and (you think!) you own the waters but could you not show a little courtesy every now and again??? I honestly think that a Sunday on a long weekend in Florida on the ICW is the most dangerous time to be on a boat.

Any how we had been looking forward to spending a couple of days in Cape Coral with our friends Ralph and Celeste(Gold Loopers) 

Here is a video of us arriving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9rONx6pgbc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUScwGakYqAEVxOLaKBllc8Q

On arrival Celeste made a brilliant sandwich with corn beef and swiss on rye, oh my!! It was delicious!! 

Eating....

Then I shocked the living daylights out of her when I went shopping to provision for the Bahamas!

Ralph even took a video... here it is if you want to check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e0soLZKS4c&list=UUScwGakYqAEVxOLaKBllc8Q

I can shop like a professional!!

We spent our time in Cape Coral eating way too much and also doing some sightseeing.

Celest and Ralph, their hospitality knows no bounds. At their favourite breakfast eatery in Cape Coral called Annies, Excellent food!!

Eating again!!

MV Time& Tide rafted off to MV Say Goodbye in Cape Coral at the Yost Haus.

In front of a Banyan Tree at the Edison and Ford Winter Estate

The Banyan Tree

 " The Banyan Tree (Ficus bengalhensis) 

These giant trees has the most unusual beginning. The seeds of the trees are carried by birds and usually dropped on top of tall palm trees. The seeds, nourished by the moisture and warmth of the host tree, quickly sprout and grow long aerial roots that reach the ground. Once these grasping roots get a firm grip in the earth, they enlarge to become strong trunks that wrap themselves firmly around the trunk of the host tree and usually strangle the host tree.

As the tree grows and matures, new roots grow from all its branches, pushing into the ground and forming new trunks and “moving along”. It is because of this that they are known as "many footed ones" or "trees that walk", because unlike other trees that stay rooted in one place all their lives, the Banyan tree actually moves forward with every new trunk it puts out.

It is common for a giant banyan tree to resemble a small forest in itself. The Banyan tree has many niches and cozy places to harbour countless species of insects, birds and reptiles. Because of the bustling activity in the Banyan tree, it is also known as the “tree of life”.

Two smart fellas..Edison and Donovan

After the visit to Edison's winter home we toured down town Fort Myers and saw this depiction of the famous camping trips  Edison, Ford, Firestone and Harding used to go on.
They called themselves "The Four Vagabonds"
These captains of industry used their trips to share their knowledge on everything from Fauna and Flora to rubber tires and cars. 

McGregor avenue - A  beautiful palm tree lined avenue in Fort Myers

Edison's winter estate 

Edison's Winter Estate

When we got back from sightseeing Celeste started cooking for my special first ever AMERICAN THANKSGIVING DINNER!!!

Pumpkin pie and the most amazing chocolate pecan pie!!

We were joined by Ida a friend of the Yost's

Ham, turkey, pea, honey carrots,cranberry chutney, gravy, deviled eggs, potatoes, stuffing,yams with marshmallows!!, sweet corn pudding,pickles and all of that followed by pie!!

We cannot thank Celeste and Ralph enough for their 

outstanding hospitality, their kindness and 

thoughtfulness is incredible. We feel humbled and 

blessed for all they did for us, Thank you so much 

guys!!

...................to be continued