Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Every day on the Cruiser's Net, they have some trivia questions. It's hard to do trivia in today's world when so many people have Google in their palm. My trivia question for readers is too hard for the harbor, but too easy if you use Google. Google 104.45 and you'll have the answer at the top of the page. Try is without Google.
What is the significance of 104.45. Hint, it is highly technical and of special interest to mariners.
On another subject, can a big boat do a "wheelie?" Today I was going to Burdines to buy some gasoline. As I approached the old Boot Key Bridge, I saw a startling sight. A very big catamaran entering the harbor suddenly reared up like a motorcycle doing a wheelie. Then it backed down and the bow came back down to water level. What the heck? They had forgotten that there is an overhead power line near the bridge with 65 feet clearance. The catamaran's rig was at least 75 feet high. Darn, if I had only been taking video pictures.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
What Can You Do with A Sunken Sailboat?
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
I met a boater at the library today who had a story to tell. He lived on his 24 foot sailboat anchored on the Florida Bay side of the island. One night recently, his boat sank underneath him. He said it was a night when the wind was blowing at 30 knots, and he hit a rock and holed the hull.
Now, the FWC officer found him. He gave him an appearance ticket and said that he had 30 days to remove his boat or go to jail. When I met the boater, he was asking for advice on what to do. He doesn't have any money but he doesn't want to go to jail. He did have a job until the boat sank, but now he doesn't have clean clothes or a clean body and lost his job. I suggested that he broadcast his appeal on the VHF cruisers net. Maybe someone could offer help.
He said that the boat is sunk in water only 4 feet deep and only 50 feet from shore. The best approach would seem to be to drag it out of the water and onto a flatbed trailer, and then take it to the dump. That needs either a friend with the right equipment or some money.
You can draw all kinds of lessons from this man's story. He could be a sympathetic person, struggling to maintain self-sufficiency. He could also be an example of a person whose resources are too marginal to be out there on a boat. When a contingency happens, he has too few resources to take care of himself or his boat. It seems certain that his boat would wind up derelict or abandoned some day, and that would cause environmental damage, and substantial cost to the government.
We are about to leave Boot Key Harbor next week, so this is a bad time to start something. Still, I'm moved by the plight of the disadvantaged boaters in the area. We boaters are a community, some rich, some poor, most in the middle, but we have a tradition of friendliness and mutual aid. A major activity here every year is the charitable work that raises money for cancer research, under the banner Relay For Life. People in the harbor, including Libby and I, are energetic in that charitable work. Why couldn't we do similar stuff for a charity that would assist local boaters? Maybe next time we come to Marathon I'll look into that.
p.s. I had interesting comments regarding my mention of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) a few days ago. Actually, I paid little attention to OWS in last year's news. I mentioned OWS in the blog post in the sense of a vicious dog that one could worry on a troublesome neighbor. Whatever else OWS are, they could fill that role.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
I met a boater at the library today who had a story to tell. He lived on his 24 foot sailboat anchored on the Florida Bay side of the island. One night recently, his boat sank underneath him. He said it was a night when the wind was blowing at 30 knots, and he hit a rock and holed the hull.
Now, the FWC officer found him. He gave him an appearance ticket and said that he had 30 days to remove his boat or go to jail. When I met the boater, he was asking for advice on what to do. He doesn't have any money but he doesn't want to go to jail. He did have a job until the boat sank, but now he doesn't have clean clothes or a clean body and lost his job. I suggested that he broadcast his appeal on the VHF cruisers net. Maybe someone could offer help.
He said that the boat is sunk in water only 4 feet deep and only 50 feet from shore. The best approach would seem to be to drag it out of the water and onto a flatbed trailer, and then take it to the dump. That needs either a friend with the right equipment or some money.
You can draw all kinds of lessons from this man's story. He could be a sympathetic person, struggling to maintain self-sufficiency. He could also be an example of a person whose resources are too marginal to be out there on a boat. When a contingency happens, he has too few resources to take care of himself or his boat. It seems certain that his boat would wind up derelict or abandoned some day, and that would cause environmental damage, and substantial cost to the government.
We are about to leave Boot Key Harbor next week, so this is a bad time to start something. Still, I'm moved by the plight of the disadvantaged boaters in the area. We boaters are a community, some rich, some poor, most in the middle, but we have a tradition of friendliness and mutual aid. A major activity here every year is the charitable work that raises money for cancer research, under the banner Relay For Life. People in the harbor, including Libby and I, are energetic in that charitable work. Why couldn't we do similar stuff for a charity that would assist local boaters? Maybe next time we come to Marathon I'll look into that.
p.s. I had interesting comments regarding my mention of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) a few days ago. Actually, I paid little attention to OWS in last year's news. I mentioned OWS in the blog post in the sense of a vicious dog that one could worry on a troublesome neighbor. Whatever else OWS are, they could fill that role.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Technology Marches Past
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
It is hard to fathom how fast technology changes nowadays, or how hard it is for people like me to keep up.
In 2006, we got a Sirius satellite radio for Tarwathie. It was our primary source of news and entertainment for more than 5 years. It offered excellent static-free sound quality. It offered consistent programming regardless of our location on the USA coast or Bahamas. When we travel, conventional radio stations are constantly fading in and out.
Two week ago, Sirius juggled their offerings of NPR programs. The programs that I like to listen to were no longer offered at the times of day convenient to me. That NPR station was what I listened to 90% of the time. We are not big music fans, and we never listen to sports. Therefore, the Sirius service became less valuable to me. In addition, we heard in the cruiser's gossip that Sirius had tightened their signal so that it can not be received in the Bahamas.
Another factor, I recently found an excellent app for my Droid called Beyondpod. It makes it easy for me to suscribe to my favorite shows, download their podcasts, and then listen to them at my convenience. I've been listening to podcasts on my Droid all along, but this new app makes it easier and more reliable. Before going offshore, I can download heaps of podcasts in advance to listen to in the coming days and weeks.
I also have a public radio app for the Droid and the NPR app. Those let me listen to the news of the day, easily and on my own schedule. I like to follow the local news in Vermont and Albany, NY even when we are elsewhere.
Anyhow, I realized that I could get everything I want to hear easier, more reliable, and more convenient to me on the Droid as compared to the Sirius. I cancelled the Sirius service, thus saving $7 per month (for the first 4 years we had to pay $12.95/month). I must confess, I owned a smart phone for two years before realizing that it could eliminate the need for satellite radio too.
I'm shifting the $7/month expenditure from Sirius to Netflix. That will allow us to see streaming video entertainment on the phone and on the laptop screen using 3G, while in the USA. If we had a flat screen TV on board, my Droid has a HDMI interface that would drive HD TV directly from the phone.
Oh, by the way, I hardly ever need to take out our WIFI booster antenna any more. That technology too has become obsolete for much of our use. The relentless march of technology is amazing.
p.s. The Droid will also act as a mobile WIFI hotspot. However if I click that icon, Verizon will charge me an extra $20 or $30 per month for using that feature. I choose instead the free tethering app that gives me a wired connection to my laptop.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
It is hard to fathom how fast technology changes nowadays, or how hard it is for people like me to keep up.
In 2006, we got a Sirius satellite radio for Tarwathie. It was our primary source of news and entertainment for more than 5 years. It offered excellent static-free sound quality. It offered consistent programming regardless of our location on the USA coast or Bahamas. When we travel, conventional radio stations are constantly fading in and out.
Two week ago, Sirius juggled their offerings of NPR programs. The programs that I like to listen to were no longer offered at the times of day convenient to me. That NPR station was what I listened to 90% of the time. We are not big music fans, and we never listen to sports. Therefore, the Sirius service became less valuable to me. In addition, we heard in the cruiser's gossip that Sirius had tightened their signal so that it can not be received in the Bahamas.
Another factor, I recently found an excellent app for my Droid called Beyondpod. It makes it easy for me to suscribe to my favorite shows, download their podcasts, and then listen to them at my convenience. I've been listening to podcasts on my Droid all along, but this new app makes it easier and more reliable. Before going offshore, I can download heaps of podcasts in advance to listen to in the coming days and weeks.
I also have a public radio app for the Droid and the NPR app. Those let me listen to the news of the day, easily and on my own schedule. I like to follow the local news in Vermont and Albany, NY even when we are elsewhere.
Anyhow, I realized that I could get everything I want to hear easier, more reliable, and more convenient to me on the Droid as compared to the Sirius. I cancelled the Sirius service, thus saving $7 per month (for the first 4 years we had to pay $12.95/month). I must confess, I owned a smart phone for two years before realizing that it could eliminate the need for satellite radio too.
I'm shifting the $7/month expenditure from Sirius to Netflix. That will allow us to see streaming video entertainment on the phone and on the laptop screen using 3G, while in the USA. If we had a flat screen TV on board, my Droid has a HDMI interface that would drive HD TV directly from the phone.
Oh, by the way, I hardly ever need to take out our WIFI booster antenna any more. That technology too has become obsolete for much of our use. The relentless march of technology is amazing.
p.s. The Droid will also act as a mobile WIFI hotspot. However if I click that icon, Verizon will charge me an extra $20 or $30 per month for using that feature. I choose instead the free tethering app that gives me a wired connection to my laptop.
Friday, March 16, 2012
They Odyssey
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Yesterday, I announced on the Cruiser's Net that I had a Force 10, two burner stove to give away free. No takers. Today, I announced it a second time. The reaction today was very different.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Yesterday, I announced on the Cruiser's Net that I had a Force 10, two burner stove to give away free. No takers. Today, I announced it a second time. The reaction today was very different.
Within minutes, a young man came by. He said that he and his wife were remodelling their boat and had no stove at all. I was glad to give it to him. As he and I were lowering it into his dinghy, a second man came by also looking for the stove. After they left, two more boats showed up looking for the stove. It was popular.
But that's not the end of the story. A while later, one of those men came back a second time. He said that the man who took the stove found that it was too big to fit in his galley. The second man wanted to know what was wrong with it. I said, the oven. "Darn," he said that's the part that interested me. So now, the stove was an orphan again. I had no way to contact the third and fourth boats, but it was no longer my problem, the man who took it away would have to dispose of it.
Still not the end of the story. Another hour passed, and I spotted our stove in a dinghy on the boat anchored next to us. The man on that boat is a year round resident, and we never met him. How he heard about the stove and how it got transferred so quickly, is a mystery to me. Perhaps the stove will continue on its own Odyssey throughout the harbor.
On a slightly related subject, one of the boaters told of a conversation he had with the Marathon city manager about the anchoring, and marina fee issues. He said that the city manager told him that it is not the business of the city to provide affordable housing and that the city does not want people to live year round in the harbor. If that's true, it confirms my most cynical suspicions. The real agenda is to drive away the lower class people. The rich people who own the waterfront properties don't want poor people as neighbors. Many of those poor people live on the fringe of self sufficiency. They have local jobs but they can not afford conventional housing. The practical consequence of those ordinances would be to force a number of those people into homelessness and unemployment. I think that is unconscionable, shameless, and deliberately callous. Where are the Occupy Wall Street people when you need them?
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Big Ticket
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Below, is our big ticket purchase for the year (I hope). We had a Force 10 stove, but the oven stopped working and I couldn't get parts to repair it from Force 10. Twice they sold me repair parts that proved to be incompatible. Then they said, "Sorry, can't help you." That soured me on doing business with them.
So, next task, select a new stove to buy. There are three manufacturers serving the USA market, Force 10, Eno, and Seaward. I researched their offerings. I was surprised that each of them sell a dozen or so models. Some models differ on features, but mostly they differed in size.
I was very eager to get a replacement the exact size of our old stove so that I would not have to do carpentry. With carpentry, a small installation job could become a major project making it impossible to live aboard the boat until complete. That made me lean toward the Force 10 "American Standard" model, which is an exact replacement for our old stove, despite not wanting to buy Force 10.
I also checked the online reviews and comments of other boat owners. I read examples of praise for all three brands, and also extreme dissatisfaction from all three brands. That doesn't give much guidance. I gather that Force 10 used to be the Cadillac brand, but since changing hands, their reputation and the quality of their products plunged.
Finally, after carefully studying the detailed drawings of dozens of stoves, we chose the Seaward Products Princess. You see it below during installation. I had to move the gimbal mounts by 3cm, and I had to stretch the LPG supply hose 1/2" to fit, but other than that it slipped in. I have only `1/4 inch to spare on all edges. It is a very tight fit.
The new stove has a broiler, the old one didn't. It also appears to be much easier to clean and that's welcome. Total cost to me, $907 plus tax at the local West Marine store. West Marine's list price was $1149, but I brought in a printout from another source with the $907 price and West Marine gladly matched their price. By doing it that way, I also avoided a $150 shipping charge but I did have to pay $68 sales tax.
It took me about 3 hours to remove the old stove and install the new one. It works great. Even the top burners boil water for tea 4 times faster than our old stove did.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Below, is our big ticket purchase for the year (I hope). We had a Force 10 stove, but the oven stopped working and I couldn't get parts to repair it from Force 10. Twice they sold me repair parts that proved to be incompatible. Then they said, "Sorry, can't help you." That soured me on doing business with them.
So, next task, select a new stove to buy. There are three manufacturers serving the USA market, Force 10, Eno, and Seaward. I researched their offerings. I was surprised that each of them sell a dozen or so models. Some models differ on features, but mostly they differed in size.
I was very eager to get a replacement the exact size of our old stove so that I would not have to do carpentry. With carpentry, a small installation job could become a major project making it impossible to live aboard the boat until complete. That made me lean toward the Force 10 "American Standard" model, which is an exact replacement for our old stove, despite not wanting to buy Force 10.
I also checked the online reviews and comments of other boat owners. I read examples of praise for all three brands, and also extreme dissatisfaction from all three brands. That doesn't give much guidance. I gather that Force 10 used to be the Cadillac brand, but since changing hands, their reputation and the quality of their products plunged.
Finally, after carefully studying the detailed drawings of dozens of stoves, we chose the Seaward Products Princess. You see it below during installation. I had to move the gimbal mounts by 3cm, and I had to stretch the LPG supply hose 1/2" to fit, but other than that it slipped in. I have only `1/4 inch to spare on all edges. It is a very tight fit.
The new stove has a broiler, the old one didn't. It also appears to be much easier to clean and that's welcome. Total cost to me, $907 plus tax at the local West Marine store. West Marine's list price was $1149, but I brought in a printout from another source with the $907 price and West Marine gladly matched their price. By doing it that way, I also avoided a $150 shipping charge but I did have to pay $68 sales tax.
It took me about 3 hours to remove the old stove and install the new one. It works great. Even the top burners boil water for tea 4 times faster than our old stove did.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Apartness
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Togetherness is a common word, so I presume that apartness must also be a word. Right? M dictionary doesn't have it.
Libby and I both volunteer at the library. Today, as Libby was leaving, I was arriving. Bob, another volunteer, remarked that he never sees the two of us together. He said, "Are you really married?"
It's true. When we go ashore, we tend to do it separately. When on the boat, we have the ultimate of togetherness, when on shore we live separate lives. It's not something we planned, it just happens that way.
Actually it makes sense. One of the riddles of the cruising life for many people is the forced confinement in close quarters. On the boat, while at anchor, there is really no place to escape, no place to find solitude. That would drive some people crazy. We like it. However, our apartness in shore life may well be an unconscious compensation. That way we do have opportunities to be apart, or alone for some periods. Libby has time to spend with the gals, and I have time with the guys.
When under way, either at sea or on the ICW, we almost always have one person on the helm and the other below. That's the other extreme, and actually feel lonely after several days at sea. On the ICW, we are together again as soon as we set the anchor.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Togetherness is a common word, so I presume that apartness must also be a word. Right? M dictionary doesn't have it.
Libby and I both volunteer at the library. Today, as Libby was leaving, I was arriving. Bob, another volunteer, remarked that he never sees the two of us together. He said, "Are you really married?"
It's true. When we go ashore, we tend to do it separately. When on the boat, we have the ultimate of togetherness, when on shore we live separate lives. It's not something we planned, it just happens that way.
Actually it makes sense. One of the riddles of the cruising life for many people is the forced confinement in close quarters. On the boat, while at anchor, there is really no place to escape, no place to find solitude. That would drive some people crazy. We like it. However, our apartness in shore life may well be an unconscious compensation. That way we do have opportunities to be apart, or alone for some periods. Libby has time to spend with the gals, and I have time with the guys.
When under way, either at sea or on the ICW, we almost always have one person on the helm and the other below. That's the other extreme, and actually feel lonely after several days at sea. On the ICW, we are together again as soon as we set the anchor.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Signs of Spring
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Having grown up in northern climates, we are used to looking to nature for the signs that spring has arrived. Down here in the keys, there are little or no clues from nature. Late in April the wind patterns will change, but not much more than that.
However, if you live in the harbor and listen to the cruiser's net on VHF there's a very noticeable sign. This morning alone, there were more than 10 cruising boats departing to start their northward migration. A week or so ago, there was a similar exodus. The departures come in spurts because of favorable/unfavorable weather. When you're ready, and you get a window, you go.
We too are getting ready to leave. Tentatively, one week from today. I would like to go up the west coast to Little Shark River, Everglades City, Naples, Fort Meyers, Labelle, Lake Okechoobe, and Stuart. If we do that, it will take about 10 days to get to Vero. An alternative is to go out in the Gulf Stream and head up the east coast. Then we could be in Vero in 48 hours. A week is far to long to forecast weather, so until next Sunday, Tuesday's departure could be east, or west, or cancelled.
It's going to be fun. Our friend Sten-Orjan just let us know that he's coming from Sweden in April and want's to sail with us for a week. Hooray! He will be most welcome. Also, I just signed up this morning for a month at the New Bern Grand Marina. We'll be able to visit Dave and Cathy, and also be able to go up on the hard to have her bottom painted.
p.s. Maybe you can help with a vexing problem. Just two weeks ago I climbed the mast to fix the anchor light. It was just that the bulb had come loose in the socket. Well, less than a week later it came loose again. How annoying. Before climbing up again, I'd welcome suggestions for how to prevent that from happening ever again. It is a bayonet type base; push in and twist. See the picture. My only ideas are (1) wrap some tinfoil around the base to increase friction, or (2) to paint one side of the base with Loctite. Maybe you have another suggestion. Remember that at the masthead, I can only access the fixture from below.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Having grown up in northern climates, we are used to looking to nature for the signs that spring has arrived. Down here in the keys, there are little or no clues from nature. Late in April the wind patterns will change, but not much more than that.
However, if you live in the harbor and listen to the cruiser's net on VHF there's a very noticeable sign. This morning alone, there were more than 10 cruising boats departing to start their northward migration. A week or so ago, there was a similar exodus. The departures come in spurts because of favorable/unfavorable weather. When you're ready, and you get a window, you go.
We too are getting ready to leave. Tentatively, one week from today. I would like to go up the west coast to Little Shark River, Everglades City, Naples, Fort Meyers, Labelle, Lake Okechoobe, and Stuart. If we do that, it will take about 10 days to get to Vero. An alternative is to go out in the Gulf Stream and head up the east coast. Then we could be in Vero in 48 hours. A week is far to long to forecast weather, so until next Sunday, Tuesday's departure could be east, or west, or cancelled.
It's going to be fun. Our friend Sten-Orjan just let us know that he's coming from Sweden in April and want's to sail with us for a week. Hooray! He will be most welcome. Also, I just signed up this morning for a month at the New Bern Grand Marina. We'll be able to visit Dave and Cathy, and also be able to go up on the hard to have her bottom painted.
p.s. Maybe you can help with a vexing problem. Just two weeks ago I climbed the mast to fix the anchor light. It was just that the bulb had come loose in the socket. Well, less than a week later it came loose again. How annoying. Before climbing up again, I'd welcome suggestions for how to prevent that from happening ever again. It is a bayonet type base; push in and twist. See the picture. My only ideas are (1) wrap some tinfoil around the base to increase friction, or (2) to paint one side of the base with Loctite. Maybe you have another suggestion. Remember that at the masthead, I can only access the fixture from below.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Reminiscing Is Fun
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
What a fun day yesterday. We had a visit from old friends Eduardo and Alejandra from Argentina. They were dear old friends from the 1980s. In fact, Libby did day care for their son David in David's first year. Of course they know all our children and we theirs.
Libby hasn't seen them since 1987, and I haven't seen then since 1994. A very long time. Anyhow, they now own a condo near Miami and were visiting Florida for two weeks.
The four of us had a great time catching up on news of family and common friends. Reminiscing is the word, and it is lots of fun.
In the afternoon, we drove down to Key West. It was their first time in Key West, so Libby and I acted as tour guides. That was fun too.
The weather yesterday was perfect for the outing. I can't say it too often, the weather here in the Florida Keys is about as good as it gets.
Poor Eduardo. He had a new phone and he tried using it to take pictures with it. All day long he took pictures, but near the end of the day he discovered that he did it wrong. His phone has cameras on both the front and the back. Instead of taking pictures of scenes, he was taking pictures of his own face while trying to take pictures of scenes.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
What a fun day yesterday. We had a visit from old friends Eduardo and Alejandra from Argentina. They were dear old friends from the 1980s. In fact, Libby did day care for their son David in David's first year. Of course they know all our children and we theirs.
Libby hasn't seen them since 1987, and I haven't seen then since 1994. A very long time. Anyhow, they now own a condo near Miami and were visiting Florida for two weeks.
 |
| From Drop Box |
In the afternoon, we drove down to Key West. It was their first time in Key West, so Libby and I acted as tour guides. That was fun too.
The weather yesterday was perfect for the outing. I can't say it too often, the weather here in the Florida Keys is about as good as it gets.
Poor Eduardo. He had a new phone and he tried using it to take pictures with it. All day long he took pictures, but near the end of the day he discovered that he did it wrong. His phone has cameras on both the front and the back. Instead of taking pictures of scenes, he was taking pictures of his own face while trying to take pictures of scenes.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Political Progress
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
This week has seen several blows to my political cynicism.
There has been much hand wringing in the journalism industry in recent years. They fear that the Internet is making them obsolete. They fear for their business models. I've read dozens of articles, and listened to dozens of radio programs on the topic. Never once did I hear mentioned the role of the press in acting as an ombudsman for the public and lobbying government on our behalf. If we don't like to subscribe to their publications, perhaps we should send them donations in lieu of giving money to political parties.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
This week has seen several blows to my political cynicism.
- The local newspaper contacted the City about Captain Jack. They city promptly agreed to drop the 32 foot minimum length for fee purposes, returning Jack's monthly fee to the previous value. (Previous attempts by me and others to intercede for Jack were met by silence.)
- Another source agreed to cover Jack's shortage on fees for at least a year into the future.
- Libby convinced a local store to carry Jack's paintings as a regular item, featuring the local colorful painter. Also, today at booth at the Marathon Seafood Festival is selling Jack's paintings, as well as Libby's and Sandra's pine needle baskets.
- On Thursday, another local paper carried a nearly full-page length op-ed on the anchoring rights issue written by Dick on Endeavor.
- On Friday city agreed to reconsider the alternate fee schedule proposed by Dave on Orion Jr. They further agreed to hold a meeting on the subject at the city marina. It's not clear if "the subject" means only the fees, excluding the larger issue of anchoring rights. Still, that's progress.
There has been much hand wringing in the journalism industry in recent years. They fear that the Internet is making them obsolete. They fear for their business models. I've read dozens of articles, and listened to dozens of radio programs on the topic. Never once did I hear mentioned the role of the press in acting as an ombudsman for the public and lobbying government on our behalf. If we don't like to subscribe to their publications, perhaps we should send them donations in lieu of giving money to political parties.
Friday, March 09, 2012
Virgin Cruising
Marathon, Florida
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Writing yesterday about our 7th anniversary makes me retrospective. I remember how different, fresh and exciting everything seemed in 2005, our first year.
Of course we didn't know much about cruising our first year. We made some colossal mistakes, all documented in this archives of this blog. Luckily, none of them caused serious injury to us or the boat, nor did they discourage us from learning. Just off the top of my head, here's some of our first year mistakes.
[Yeah yeah I know, just can all those sexual interpretations of the following paragraph.] On the other hand, we were awed and amazed at all the good things we saw for the first time. Nothing can compare than exploration and discovery of new places. Repeat performances are never he same.
Our first year, we were constantly awed by experienced cruisers, and we would pepper them with questions. Now, it is we who get peppered more often. That has its own charm but being the virgin is most fun.
Yet, the East Coast and the ICW are vast places. We could spend a lifetime going up and down, still discovering new places that we missed before. That way we still get to spend a few days every year being virgin cruisers once again.
I was thinking a lot about Rio Dulce, Guatamala next year. It sounds like a great place to expand our horizons and spend a summer. But, Libby overheard a story about some cruisers getting robbed and shot near that river. She mentions it every time Rio Dulce comes up. That's her indirect way of saying, she doesn't like the idea at all, so I'm going to forget it. In a very real sense, I'm the Captain but she's the Admiral. I do the tactics, but she does the strategy maybe 3/4 of the time.
24 42.40 081 N 05.68 W
Writing yesterday about our 7th anniversary makes me retrospective. I remember how different, fresh and exciting everything seemed in 2005, our first year.
Of course we didn't know much about cruising our first year. We made some colossal mistakes, all documented in this archives of this blog. Luckily, none of them caused serious injury to us or the boat, nor did they discourage us from learning. Just off the top of my head, here's some of our first year mistakes.
- Our very first time sailing on Tarwathie, we hit a channel marker and dug a gouge in the hull that's still visible.
- We ran aground twice in 2 minutes.
- We got caught in a fierce lightning storm off Jacksonville, anchored offshore in 80 feet of water (big mistake) and broke the anchor roller.
- At the Charleston City Dock I let the boat get away from me while adjusting lines and did $750 damage to their docks that I had to pay for.
- We missed North Carolina entirely and naively sailed around Cape Hatteras instead.
- We departed Norfolk for New York on the outside without understanding the weather.
- We didn't believe the crazy buoys at the entrance to Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA.
- I dropped my laptop overboard.
- We departed Beaufort NC on the way south, again unaware of approaching weather and unaware of Frying Pan Shoals until we were too far out to turn back.
- We were so late in the year heading south that we froze from the cold weather. We didn't find warm until Hollywood FL on New Year's eve.
- We missed Vero Beach, skipping it on the way north, and stopping overnight only on Christmas Day on the way south.
[Yeah yeah I know, just can all those sexual interpretations of the following paragraph.] On the other hand, we were awed and amazed at all the good things we saw for the first time. Nothing can compare than exploration and discovery of new places. Repeat performances are never he same.
- The Indian River in Florida
- The Chesapeake Bay for the first time.
- The Hudson River, the Erie Canal, the Champlain Canal, and Lake Champlain in summer.
- The anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty
- Norfolk and the battleship Wisconsin.
- The Dismal Swamp Canal
- Elizabeth City, NC and the Rose Buddies
- Oriental, NC
- Southport, NC
- Wilmington, NC and the battleship NC
- Fernandina Beach, Saint Augustine, Daytona, Titusville, Cocoa, Melborne
- Mosquito Lagoon, Peck's Lake, Lake Worth, Miami, Key Biscayne, and Marathon.
Our first year, we were constantly awed by experienced cruisers, and we would pepper them with questions. Now, it is we who get peppered more often. That has its own charm but being the virgin is most fun.
Yet, the East Coast and the ICW are vast places. We could spend a lifetime going up and down, still discovering new places that we missed before. That way we still get to spend a few days every year being virgin cruisers once again.
I was thinking a lot about Rio Dulce, Guatamala next year. It sounds like a great place to expand our horizons and spend a summer. But, Libby overheard a story about some cruisers getting robbed and shot near that river. She mentions it every time Rio Dulce comes up. That's her indirect way of saying, she doesn't like the idea at all, so I'm going to forget it. In a very real sense, I'm the Captain but she's the Admiral. I do the tactics, but she does the strategy maybe 3/4 of the time.
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