On To Clearwater

We ran a few more errands before we had to turn in the car then took leisurely showers before finally shoving off from the Field Club.  I might as well admit that I made a mess of our backing out.  Nothing was ruined but my ego was severely damaged.  I could do a fair job with Sanctuary but Blue Moon is so different.  Lots of learning and practising in my future.  I can bring her alongside a dock but backing is still eluding me.  From there we motored up to the Manatee River.  We wanted an early start the next day so we decided to anchor rather than go up to the Bradenton YC.  We really like the club but this is still a delivery trip and we need to push on.  We were joined in the anchorage by several other boats.  One was a large ketch full of partiers.  They had a great time judging by the laughing.  Since they were quiet (or passed out) by the time we went to bed, no problem.  David showed me how to use the windlass to raise anchor and I was successful so my ego was a bit restored.  It was a dull, dreary morning so the sunshine causeway bridge did not live up to its name.  Things cleared by mid-day but not enough to make seeing water depths easy on our approach to the Clearwater YC.  We bumped once but didn't stick.  There was no room at the club so we have anchored off a ways.  I spent a while talking with a nice, knowledgeable, and most of all patient person at the Island Time office.  He helped me figure out the correct settings to make the now functioning bullet work.  If I can keep from boogering it up, I'll have wifi whenever I can hit a hotspot.  Currently I'm hitting on the club's signal.  With a router on board, I've been able to work on the computer and David has used our new tablet.  This really is easy to get used to!!  The boat also has a whole-boat inverter so when we're generating enough power with the engine or wind or solar, we have powered outlets.  We plan to replace the aging solar panels eventually which will make cruising even simpler.  We plan to leave early tomorrow (high tide to avoid bumps on the way out) and head to the panhandle.  The winds will be too light for much sailing but we will be able to motor.  The mizzen should help keep the boat comfortable.  Here's hoping so anyway.  We're not sure where we'll land so keep checking!

I love this beach house.  Not sure why, just do.  You'll see it in previous posts.

Spring break on an island in the channel.  Looked like fun.

The pair were feeding the babies in the nest.  Very cool to see.  They must be used to boaters since they basically ignored us.

Pink is a favorite color down here.  Must have inspired that Aerosmith song.

Katy and Ric from our club passed us on their way down to the Morgan Invasion at Davis YC.  They have been working on their Morgan 38 for a long time so it was great to see them enjoying the fruits of their labors.

Up to The Field Club

We had a truly spectacular crossing of the lower gulf.  We went directly to the Boca Grande pass then through several bridges up to the Field Club.  It is one of the most elegant clubs in all the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs.  They are always friendly and welcoming.  The ride up was beyond our greatest expectations from the boat.  We sat in our enclosure with about  20 degrees of heel (leaning over) with a steady 20 knot wind and making a steady 7.5-8.5 knots of boat speed.  If we had put in all the side curtains we would have been dryer when we were hit with a rain squall but it did serve to wash out the cockpit.  We have been used to the luxury of a cockpit shower to clean up messes so it is on the short list of improvements.  The bimini also leaks from some lack of flashing and the waterproofing showing its age.  One is easily fixed with 303 waterproofing but the other is a bigger issue.  We are considering redesigning the entire cockpit dodger/bimini/enclosure to suit us.  If anyone wants to buy a full enclosure, let us know!  It isn't so bad that it will be at the top of the list, but it's one of the items.  Other than the minor inconvenience, it was a fast, comfortable ride.  We had planned on coming in at San Carlos bay near Fort Myers but we passed that up in the dark and kept on going.  We crossed into the ICW about dawn and motored on north.  With over 180 miles covered in 29 hours, we were pleased!  Suz and Sam bid us farewell on Saturday.  We truly, truly appreciated all their help.  We took advantage of a cheap car rental rate to have wheels for the two days we were there.  We took good advantage of the opportunity.  During our stay we replaced the AC pump; jury rigged a fiddle for the front of the nav table; made the mainsheet winch work better, chipped a ton of cetol off the jib travelers to make them work; repaired a drawer front that came off; reattached a bit of strip lighting in the v-berth; figured out the pullman berths in the main cabin; rearranged our clothes in the forward cabin; bought food; did laundry; went to Mass on Easter; and tightened the connection for the wifi bullet.  I still couldn't make it work but it had the right sequence of lights.  Most of these items on the boat are merely irritants and all the great features of Blue Moon still have us thrilled with our choice.

David had to climb the mizzen mast to reach the wifi extender.  It is the long, straight antenna on the spreader.  The radar and TV antenna are on the front of the mast.  Yep, we have tv if there is anything broadcasting.  In our home waters, that means nothing since we have no broadcast channels.

Suz spread out things from the cockpit to dry.  She called it our Chinese Laundry!

Boot Key

We had a great motorsail then sail from Rodriguez Key to Boot Key Harbor.  We have been here before and like the amenities and the people you meet.  We introduced Suz and Sam to the cruiser's net on the VHF radio.  For the unitiated, this is a volunteer net of boaters in an area on a preselected frequency. They have a moderator who has control of the flow of information.  They usually start off with arriving boats and departing boats.  Then ask for announcements.  This can be anything from when the Bocci Ball game is to who will organize the next potluck party.  They also cover "buy, sell, giveaway."  In the Bahamas it is strictly giveaway since it is illegal to sell anything without paying a vendors license and taxes.  Of course, if you swap your item for cash...  In Boot Key, they also add trivia.  We have participated in them in several locations and always enjoy them.  We took advantage of the ease of getting to shore to go to our favorite Marathon restaurant, The Stuffed Pig.  Ask any boater who has visited Marathon about the "pig place" and they will know exactly what you mean.  We  also visited the Marathon YC and enjoyed a lovely meal, more trivia and a great view.  On the practical side of things, we made trips to West Marine and the grocery store.  Sadly, we will have more work than anticipated to get the boat in proper sailing shape.  Several of the winches are not at their best and the jib travelers are gunked up with varnish.  All just added to the list of projects.  It wouldn't be a boat if it didn't have a projects list!

This is a Caliber 35 on her way home to New Hampshire.  Chuck is the happy new owner of a gorgeous boat.  If we had started off with a 35 LRC, we would probably not have changed boats.  Since we didn't we decided to add more room to the list of "wants"

The wall mural welcoming you to the city facilities.

One of 2 dingy docks.  They have an area for hard dingies and one for soft.

Someone had a sense of humor naming this one, Great Old Broad.

We now can carry 170 gallons of water so it does take a while to fill.

Pigeon Key is a great place to visit.  Lots of history and scenery.  As this is a delivery trip, no time for a visit.

Some of the signboards of resident harbor dwellers.

Our able crew.

The Stuffed Pig mascots

Where the Gulf meets the Atlantic.

Details

I am still trying to figure out how to make some things work.  We have a wifi extender that feeds a router.  I am still trying to learn that bit of wizardry.  That will make keeping up with the blog and answering emails so much easier.  Patience will be required.  I was also loaned a Spot locater that I have yet to get working.  Once I do, it will automatically update where we are.  Again, patience.  All the learning still do.  Tomorrow (Thursday) we'll head out to points North.  We're aiming for Fort Myers but we'll let wind, crew comfort and the boat dictate where we'll end up.  Keep watching for updates!

Lunar Eclipse

We were lucky enough to have a mostly clear night for the full lunar eclipse.  It was well worth staying up to experience.  Enjoy.

Beautiful Full Moon

On to Rodriguez Key the Boot Key Harbor

 From off of Key Biscayne we continued on to our next stop and our first attempt to sail.  We plan to cross over to the Gulf of Mexico at Seven Mile Bridge at the west end of Vaca Key.  We liked Boot Key mooring field so that is the stopping point for resupply and laundry.  We spent a lot of time and money at the Container Store and Walmart and other stops in Hollywood but we knew there would be things we'd need once we actually spent some time onboard.  We know there will be lots of tweaking for a long while to come.  The first stab at everything seemed hard.  Lowering the dingy into the water, bringing the outboard for the dingy up, where to put food and stuff in general.  Raising the mizzen, raising the main all lots to learn.  So far the brain cells are there to figure it all out.  We know we will have our own preferences on how to do things so we'll adjust things from how the boat was managed previously.  However, Sherry and Preston sold us a great platform to work with.  I'm already really loving having a whole-house inverter while under power.

Happy with our new boat.

All this...

fits here!  All those great containers should work well for a long time to come.  The trap door there is to another equally huge space filled with spare parts.  It's not so great to have to take things out from so again, having to prioritize what is needed the most frequently.  Being a different boat means different configuration for putting things away.  We had a lot more drawers in Sanctuary's galley so learning new ways to do things.

Trying to rig the mizzen.  Nice legs!

Working on the main.  Nice knees.

The "bug lighthouse" leading into Biscayne Bay.

This house is on the Atlantic side of Vaca key.  It is completed isolated from the mainland so it has its own power sources.  Those black tiles on the roof are solar panels.

Sunset at Rodriguez Key

Tidal flats are always interesting places.

Waterfront on the Vaca Key (City of Marthon is found here)

Sunset in Boot Key

Lighthouse on Key Biscayne

Heading Out for Home

We had a lot of anxiety about backing away from the dock for the first time.  Blue Moon is so much wider and longer and handles differently so we really appreciated an extra pair of hands to handle lines and move on.  The trip involved getting into the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) and heading south.  Our goal was No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne.  We traveled down the "concrete" waterway and made it to the harbor in good time.  The boat handled all the bridges and we were all able to make it back up and go forward.  Suz was very versed on our type of chartplotter so it was  a bit of school along the way as well.  It was fascinating seeing the urban environment and we are glad we were only visiting.  Being the weekend, the waterfront was hopping and the line of cruise ships was long.  Also being a weekend, the intended harbor was way too crowded for our comfort so we headed out and anchored in the lee of the island.  We could hear the the crowds a long time into the night.

Working our way out of the slip.  Saying so long to our neighbor.

First bridge to negotiate.  We had the times wrong on when it opened so we had a practise time of going in circles.

Blue Moon down time.

Beer and cookies, what a combination.  The beer was a girt from Joanna and Eric Musser.

All shallow spots are turned into party spots.

All lined up waiting for the cruisers.  We'll have to try it that way some day.

Good speed going down the ICW.

Kiteboarders having a great day.  Such a colorful display!

The shallows are far from land.  Notice the person standing on the flats.

You can see why it's called the concrete channel.

The skyscraper canyon of Miami.

Finally, open water of a sort.

We sailed through of fleet of colorful racers.

Slightly out of order but this was as we were leaving our slip.  This stream of water came on several times a day, all day.  It is pumping out the seawater that would flood the streets of Hollywood.  Not a noise we'll miss in the middle of the night.

Some of the remaining houses in the famous/infamous Stilsville in Biscayne Bay.

Somebody's having a party.

Again slightly out of order, the nice marina office.