Still on the go.

January Update:

It's been a few more miles and a few more weeks since our last update. As we come closer to our winter destination our posts will obviously be a little less frequent. That said, here is a quick up date on our progress:

We began this leg, as our previous posting would indicate, from Vero Beach, FL. Our stay in Vero Beach was a little longer than I'd like, but the bus system and general feel of the place made it pleasurable none the less. Getting underway was quick easy and refreshing. We topped off our tanks, settled up with the marina and got underway for a short trip to Ft Peirce.

Finding ourselves in the company of a Catamaran and one other boat in a small anchorage we went in to the small dockside bar for a bite. Talking with the people from the Catamaran, we found they were new to this too and were going "outside" for their next leg. Unable to turn down an opportunity, I decided to challenge this 42 foot Catamaran to a race down the coast to the next inlet; looser buys the first round.

Up bright and early we were off and I thought the Catamaran "KatCanDo" might be off to a slow start, as they didn't seem to be stirring as we were pulling the anchor. The next thing I know, they're hot on our heals motoring out the Ft. Pierce inlet eventually passing us. We regained some confidence when we noticed they were heading due east for a much longer time than we were. It seemed like they were having difficulty getting thier sails up.

Heading south under full sail, we pulled away but this was not to remain. KatCanDo found their trim (or we lost ours) after lunch and pulled into Lake Worth inlet behind Peanut Island a half hour ahead of us. Upon calling to admit defeat and offer them the opportunity to collect on our debt, they sounded as if they were completely worn out. So, we were off the hook.. this time.

The next morning we woke to an anchor drag alarm and found ourselves 200-300 feet from where we went to bed. Lucky we didn't hit any of the boats nearby, however we did manage to wedge our anchor under something very big and heavy. Ultimately we needed to cut it loose to get under way, thankfully we didn't have a ton of chain.

Looking behind us occasionally, we eventually saw KatCanDo in the distance. Confirming it was them, we continued to press on. It seemed the race was still on?

The leg between Lake Worth and the Lauderdale inlet was full of strange surprises and a few angry fisherman. A first for us was the sight of some kites in the air flying off the back of a small fishing boat. Before we knew it, we were dangerously close to these "Fishing Kites" and had to take evasive maneuvers. These guys certainly were angry... In addition to this we ran across a few dive boats, some of them seeming to take up a large stretch with lots of little floating dive flags in the water arranged in a line or box shape.

All that aside, the winds were twice the strength as forecasted, and the waves were 50% higher than expected. We were getting banged around quite a bit, but it seemed the weather was keeping KatCanDo a good distance behind, and unable to catch up. About the time we knew we were cutting our arrival close, Stacie noticed the bilge pump hadn't been running for a few days. We had water on the floor below, and no way to pump it out (not automatically anyway).

Eventually making into the Lauderdale inlet, as a cruise ship was exiting as we were entering. It sure made our boat seem very very small. In fact thanks to the 17'th street bridge, we found we can fit under a 58 foot bridge comfortably. Finally docking at Las Olas Marina, we were 2 blocks from the beach and ready to begin making repairs once again.

On the list:

Repairs made or to be made on the boat before heading to the Keys are many but not extremely terrible. So, we've decided on a trip up the New River to Lauderdale Marine Center and are going to replace all the Standing-Rigging, install a new Tiller Pilot, repair the companionway hatch board, replace the water pump impeller, and provision the boat.

Hopefully we'll be out of here by the second week of February and moored in Boot Key Harbor. Stay tuned...

Happy New Year!

Minor mechanical issues, weather, & Holiday delays
Well here it is the first of the year and we're still not south of Miami (We are in Vero Beach, FL). After spending New Years Eve 2013 in Coco, FL we found ourselves yet again in the leisure Intracoastal Water Way. When ever I find myself complaining about the pace, I hear people say "It's the journey, not the destination". That may be true, except that after two months, I'm looking forward to settling into warm weather and crystal clear water.

The journey in this case was scenic as usual, with lots of small swampy looking islands and a plethora of small runabout boats and Jet-Ski's. Occasionally we'd get a nice chuckle from an odd looking box built on a flat bottom boat (wish we would have taken a picture). We've seen a few of these strange creations along the way, but the seemed to be more prevalent on the stretch of the ICW between Tittusville and Vero Beach.

I'll admit, it is January 8'th and I am walking around on deck in shorts. I think the forecast for today is Partly Cloudy and temperatures near 80 degrees F. That said, I guess I've made the first part of my goal; warm in January, now on to the second part which is sure to happen within the next couple weeks. I've received my parts, I'll be installing them on my trusty Yanmar Diesel Engine, then we'll be on our way most likely Friday or Saturday. Next stop Ft. Pierce or Lake Worth (depending on forecasts & going outside); hopeful to be in Marathon, FL in a couple weeks.