Northbound 2024

       We departed Marathon early on St. Patrick's Day. The forecast had wandered around from moderate to light and back again. It ended up closer to moderate than light but it wasn't too terrible a passage. Just 2ft seas forward of the beam. It was hot but with high overcast so we didn't cook our brains. Breeze kept it okay, too. We anchored at Tarpon Basin, Key Largo. I went in for a swim in the 80° water to check the depth sounders and the knotmeter. No issues but it was a good thing I checked. We had a light warp from a crab or lobster trap wrapped around our starboard propeller. Not tightly wrapped so the engine didn't jam but it would have eventually. Nice. 

     Of course the next day while getting underway I discovered the starboard exhaust mixing elbow separated from the exhaust manifold. Perhaps from vibration caused by the line on the prop. Just a guess. Maybe unrelated. The repair took 2 hours of sweat and pain. It lasted 30 minutes and failed again. After letting the engine cool for an hour it only took another 30 minutes to retighten again. It's temporary as the gasket is burnt and leaking some exhaust. A little. Probably won't die of CO poisoning. Maybe. The 2 hour repair involved looking, guessing and trying. The 30 minute repair was the result of the earlier experience. Just as soon pass on the experience of fixing things. 

     We ended up at Marine Stadium at Virginia Key, Miami. They were setting up a huge stage on land for a concert of groups we never heard of. Lucky to be missing it. Because of the weather we stayed 2 nights. At 0200 the first night a boat came in and blasted 'music' for about an hour before departing. While here we shopped for cheaper insurance and reviewed summer haul-out options. Changed our minds about summer storage (again) to go to Thunderbolt, GA instead of the Charleston, SC area. It's slightly cheaper, closer to where we are, but we will have a longer drive home. Still very expensive but we are limited in our choices due to our beam. South Carolina presented property tax issues for us. No thanks. The 2nd night in Miami was slightly quieter (not bad) but the concert venue was testing part of the light show. Flashing lights. Lasers. All night. Weird. Quiet anyway. 

     Winds were fairly light when we went out of Government Cut Inlet into the ocean the next day. Nearly on the nose, however, so we had about 1ft seas on top of 2-3ft swells. Not great but not all that uncomfortable. We went into Port Everglades Inlet (Fort Lauderdale) back onto the ICW then had to deal with all the bascule bridges. Not fun but more comfortable than north winds on the ocean. The VHF radio noise can drive you nuts, also. Too many bridges too close together and poor radio procedures. Floridiots. 

     We anchored in Lake Boca, Boca Raton. It was more crowded than any week day that we'd been here previously. Spring break crowds? Someone blasted part of a song at 1130 at night but otherwise it was quiet. Wasn't even a complete song before it went off. Weird. 

     The passage towards and beyond Palm Beach went well. Not too hot. Breeze on the stern and we made all the bridge schedules. We anchored at Peck's Lake near the north end of Jupiter Island for the first time. This made the next day's passage in the forecast rain a little shorter. It was still breezy when we got underway from Peck's Lake but as soon as we turned north it was fine as the wind was at our stern. This meant the rain was at our backs, too. It never rained too hard as the serious storms went south of us. Marathon and the Keys got seriously affected. The rain paused just as we got to the Vero Beach City Marina for fuel and to register for a mooring for the weekend. The wind picked up as the rain ended which made our raft-up to another catamaran a bit of a challenge. The wind was forecast to be more than it actually was but also forecast to crank way up later at night. It did. Overnight gusted to 50. Steady 30-35. Dock line stretching noises but otherwise all was fine. Slept through most of it. Our neighbors are new to boating and worried about the line stretching and other noises. Also our wind generator has taken to making noises above 35kts of wind. When we talked they were surprised to learn we slept through it all. Used to it. Worry about other things. Not sure if they were reassured by my lack of concern. There really wasn't an issue but you don't know until you have experienced it a time or two. Or a dozen. Or two dozen. Our time at Velcro Beach had wind and rain and cool weather but wasn't the washout that was predicted. Wasn't terrible but not quite the nicest. 

     Our passage from Vero was very fast due to a strong breeze being behind us. We put the genoa out and reduced engine RPMs and flew up the Indian River. Reduced fuel use, too. It was a little choppy, briefly up to 1 1/2ft seas, before easing to under 1 ft. We anchored just north of the Sally Ride Memorial bridge south of Titusville, FL. A little lumpy to start but it quieted overnight. There were 6 transient boats anchored in the spot. I had never seen more than one. The next day was slightly less windy but it picked up as we anchored at Daytona Beach after a brief fuel stop. Started gray but ended up a nice day and an easy passage. Once again the wind eased after sunset. Leaving Daytona was almost, but not quite, foggy. Wind was light but it was an all day gray day. Slightly cool because it just seemed damp. Not a bad day but it just seemed dull. 

    Passed by friends at Palm Coast. Former boat owners from Marathon. 

     No issues along the way and we stopped at St. Augustine Municipal Marina and got a mooring. The forecast was not good and had the potential to be horrible but we got ashore for showers before the rain started.

     Nao Trinidad, a replica of Magellan's flagship, at St. Augustine. 

The severe weather missed and we just got rain. The winds picked up after the rain on our second day as we were getting back to the boat after lunch and errands ashore. Jane Fulton took us around as Bob wasn't feeling well and couldn't join us. We were able to pick up a gasket we ordered for the exhaust manifold. We easily installed it after we were hauled out in Georgia. As we got back to the boat the wind pushed us into the folded up boarding ladder just right (just wrong) and we popped one of the inflated tubes. A very big rip. Wonderful. We've hit that point dozens of times without any issues. It wasn't all that hard an impact. @@%&$ happens. 🤬💩 We don't think we'll need the dinghy again before we are hauled out. It's repairable just a major pain in the 🍑. More repairs before layup. Grrrr.  

     It was cold when we left St. Auggie (54°) and a bit breezy. The wind was not an issue on the ICW but made tying up at the free dock at Sisters Creek, Jacksonville a little tricky but not awful. All big powerboats tied up with us this time. Unusual. While here we notified our insurance company of our location and our intention to haul the boat for hurricane season near Savannah, GA. As we will no longer be considered full time liveaboards our rates went down. Still outrageous but lower. We'll actually get a refund. It's something but it just means we overpaid. Still shopping for cheaper. 

     It was colder still when we left Jacksonville the next day. Turtleneck, sweatshirts, long pants. Socks!!! Got off the dock easily and had an easy day. The shallows near Amelia Island were negotiated with relative ease as it was almost to mid-tide. The shallows at the Cumberland Dividings had been dredged but the dredge working just past them made the passage a challenge briefly. The operator was very helpful in getting us by him. Had to hug the vessels very closely, however. We ended up in Umbrella Creek off of Jekyll Sound for the second time. An out of the way spot with no wind protection but deep and wide. 

     It was slightly warmer the next day but still cold. We got underway about an hour later than normal due to the tide and a shallow area in Jeckyll Creek, about 45 minutes away. We crawled slowly through the area and made it fine. Saw about 8ft at lowest. The rest of the day was reasonably easy. Fairly deep through the other shallow areas. There is a 6 to 8ft tide in Georgia so with planning (and luck) you can get through. Usually. We stopped early at Crescent, GA on the Crescent River because the next potential anchorage spot was 20 miles farther on. 2 to 3 hours farther on. No thanks. 

     Our last full cruising travel day was slightly warmer. Still long pants but fewer layers. Again it got to near 80° in the afternoon after a cool start. Our passage timing got us to Hell Gate after mid-tide so it went by with ease. We anchored in Herb River within sight of the marina where we will be hauled out. The Hell Gate in Georgia is completely different than Hells Gate in New York. Georgia's is very narrow and shallow connecting two rivers. It has little current. The New York version is much deeper and very swift due to the hydrologic difference between Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean south and east of the City. It also has an S-curve to make it even more challenging. One you have to time the tide to have the current with you, the other (Georgia) you have to time the tide to have enough water under your keel(s). 

     Our last day underway didn't start until after 1230 and ended at 1315. We picked up the anchor, went out of the Herb River into the Wilmington River. From there it was only about 15 minutes to the marina. We drove right into the travellift without tying up and were hauled out. Four days of cleaning, repairing, oil changes, packing and moaning and groaning followed. I can't believe there is so much stuff! And we're not taking everything! We learned the marina does not allow people on boats on land to sleep on them overnight. We had to get a hotel room about 15 minutes away. By car. Oh, we don't have a car. This meant getting a Lyft each way every day ($$$) until we picked up the truck we rented to ship our stuff home. Or at least to Massapequa. The rental from the Savannah area was less than half the price as it would have been from Marathon. Same company. When we went to pick up the truck at a Home Depot they didn't have the one we reserved (cue the Seinfeld episode) so they gave us a larger truck. Made packing easier but it's a bit harder to maneuver and gets poorer gas milage. Parking is an adventure, too. We finished packing in mid-afternoon and got on the road for a couple of hours.

     Some of our stuff on the boat - all of our stuff on the truck. Looks like a lot on the boat, not so much on the truck. 

     So, we drove home. The end of an era. Almost 15 years of the full time liveaboard life has come to an end. We may return in October to cruise back down to Marathon. May not. Boat may sell. May not. It's strange transitioning to a new lifestyle at this stage of our lives. Strange facing all this uncertainty at this stage of our lives. I know, it's all an adventure. If you been reading this blog for all these years you know what I think of adventures. 

     So. Hmmm. I guess this is the end. Maybe. No more need for a blog about the cruising liveaboard life. If the boat doesn't sell and we return in October maybe the blog will return. Maybe not. 

     Bye for now. 

Weird Marathon Winter

      About a week after the Celtic Festival we had a couple of virtual showings of the boat and several requests for more info. With a virtual showing the broker walks on, around and through the boat with his phone in his hand and showing everything to the potential buyer via the video feed to their phone. Semi-high tech. The first virtual visitor flew in from Texas 2 days later for an in-person visit and then made an offer on the boat. It was close to what we wanted and we accepted the bid. This had been all too quick and we were going to have to prepare for leaving our home and lifestyle of 14 or so years. It was a lot of work, especially for Carol, to organize and clean the boat and what came next was even more work. For both of us. 

     Our outboard motor decided it was time for the carburetor to start acting up again. Ethanol in gasoline messes up boat carbs, clogs jets, etc. It takes about 2 years for the gasoline to start messing things up and, guess what, it's been about two years since the last time I swapped out the carburetors. I clean the carb and put it with my spare parts until it's time to make the swap again. It's not that hard but wrestling the outboard off and then back on the dinghy is a pain. A major pain. Back. Knees. Wrists. A reminder why we put the boat up for sale. Things that were very common and easy are no longer easy. Still common, unfortunately. Hoping not much else wears out or fails before we sell. These are not faults or defects, just normal wear and tear from full-time use. Sigh. 

     Our survey was in Key Largo, roughly 50 miles from Marathon. Before we went there with the boat we drove to Miami for a visit with my oncology-hematologist to do some blood tests and a check-up. All good. For now. 

      Alabama Jacks after our Miami visit. 

 

    Our passage to Key Largo was a bit lumpy but calmed as we went east (north). We anchored between Rodrigues Key and Rock Harbor after about 7 1/2 hours underway. It was very hot. Our haul-out location was in Rock Harbor, Key Largo. The breeze picked quite a bit after we anchored and it was a slightly rough night at anchor. Not terrible and we were comfortable knowing our anchor would hold with just a little extra scope. No one was near us. The morning was rough as we got underway to the marina that would haul us. We got to about 15 feet away from their wall and went aground. Apparently the strong winds (about 17kts) blew the water out of their basin. We struggled to get free but after nearly 30 minutes, with the genoa out and a lot of backing and filling, we got turned around and got away and headed out without getting ourselves hauled for the survey. We went to another marina a couple of miles away and up the Port Largo Canal to pick up our broker, the surveyor and 2 of the 3 potential new (we hoped) owners. We then went back out to sea to start the survey and have a demo sail. The sail was great! We hit 8.6kts. and the sail was enjoyed by all. We had not seen the mainsail in a while. This was all in Small Craft Advisory conditions. Sporty. We then went back to Marina Del Mar to continue the survey. The canal is very narrow with a lot of traffic. You have to call out securite warnings several times especially at a spot called 'crash corner'. Ominous but obvious why it's called that. A very tiring, frustrating and long day. The potential owners seemed nice as well as the surveyor. The surveyor seemed to be thorough and meticulous. Seemed. He worked for the new owners, not us. He spent a lot of time showing and instructing one of the two women that came from Texas, the 'official' spouse of the original visitor who made the offer a couple weeks earlier. Slightly unusual living arrangements let's say. Not quite defined for sure to us. No matter. Nice people. 

     The second day of the survey started with a 'free' breakfast from the marina. At what they charge for dockage (not paid by us) it wasn't exactly free. Everyone arrived a little after 0800 and got to work again. At 1030 we got underway again to try to get hauled out at the other marina. The one with very shallow water. There was more water due to less wind blowing it away from shore but we still got stuck. With some maneuvering and help from a man from the marina we finally got in position to be hauled. After an extremely rushed inspection we got away. With a lot of bottom bumping, slow downs and temporary groundings. The survey showed the bottom of the keels were damaged by the groundings of the previous day. Minor, easily repaired damage. But still damaged. By the marina chosen by the new owners for the survey.  We then returned to our docking spot at the other marina and the survey continued. A couple of items will need attention but should not have affected the sale. If all was perfect we could have asked for a whole lot more $$$. The long day ended after 1600 again and all were exhausted. Except Cleo. 

     After three tiring days (including the passage to Key Largo) we got underway to head back to Marathon. The passage started out great! Fast. Comfortable. Then it got a bit sporty. Not terrible at all but choppy. Still fast, however. All in all it was a nice sail. We were home at Marathon but it was another tiring day. 

     We got back into the regular routine, pickleball, happy hours, Crane Point tours, etc. Then nasty weather hit us again (damn El Nino) and we stayed on the boat for three rough days. The day before we were scheduled to get the survey report our buyers decided they no longer wanted the boat. They are going to buy a house instead. A bit angry here. We disagree with our broker on our next steps but what we agree on is that the boat is back on the market. The next day we had our first video visit and we know there are around ten other interested parties but, of course, we don't know how serious any of the others are. We were not at the beginning of the process again but close to it. Video visits are steps three or four with in-person visits, offers, contracts, surveys, etc. to follow. Again. Grrrr. Just before we had our second in-person visit we received a copy of the survey. Carol printed it out at our local library, 164 pages. Crazy. It was signed by a surveyor who was never on the boat. Turns out our surveyor was a student. Not how he represented himself. Some strange things were noted. Some irrelevant. Some things missed. And a few things we will need to correct. All-in-all, it was okay for our boat's age and price. Not perfect. A few items in the report indicated to me some lower level of expertise, on the surveyors part, than he claimed. Oh, well. The survey, as wrong as it was in some parts, should not have affected the buyers decision to buy or not buy. If they were smart. Apparently not. They spent a lot of money (a lot) and cost us some money just to back out in the end. Without a real reason. Sigh. 

     So we got back to our winter routines and our original plans to haul the boat somewhere in the south (for the summer), come home, live with our daughter and her family and look for a dirt based home in Connecticut. Then we would return to the boat in the fall to sail back to Marathon. Not sure if any or all of this will happen. Not sure exactly what the future will bring. Not sure we're ever sure. Another adventure. We got to work on the survey issues that were legitimate, changed the engine oil and continued to prepare for showings or a departure northbound. We had a family with kids visit the boat but they did not make an offer. 

     A few weeks later Paul and Karen Rosa came to Marathon to visit. They sold their house (and boat) and bought a mobile home to cruise the United States. They parked their home in Key Largo and drove their tow vehicle down. We showed them the marina and took a cruise around the harbor. Great to see long time friends! 

     The final couple of weeks had us preparing as we always did. Resupplying food, fuel and water and cleaning the bottom of growth. It only takes a month to get plenty of drag inducing barnacles, grass and fuzzies to collect under water. We also prepared our taxes and took care of other financial issues. What fun. 

     The weather really got nice our last few weeks in Marathon. Hot at times with high humidity. Not our favorite conditions but better than cold and wet. BTW, cold here is under 68°F. Brrr. Everything got stocked and topped off (food, water, fuel) and we did a tour of our favorite restaurants. We went to our last few Friday social hours and the monthly brunch and gave a last few tours at Crane Point. I got a chance to say good-bye to friends there as well as Rocco and Charlie. The latter two are African Spurred Tortoises that I pet and feed sometimes. I also give mini-talks to visitors about them occasionally. They were very friendly to me on my last day. Hugging and rubbing up against me. Of course, the previous week I gave them some sweet treats, hibiscus flowers and apple bits which may have led to the affection. Apparently Charlie forgot he bit me the previous week. On the finger and totally my fault as I gave him too small a piece of flower. Still hurt like hell. A deep puncture wound with no tearing. They have strong beaks and powerful jaws. Totally not aggressive but... Anyway maybe his extra affection was in hope of getting more of my blood. Not sure how sweet it is. 

     It was a very unusual winter season. El Nino meant up and down weather patterns. Cold (for here) and rainy at times. More storms than usual but also very warm days, too. Up and down. It was up and down emotionally, too. Putting the boat up for sale. Dealing with the preparation. Dealing with Essex Boat Works not wanting to take responsibility for the damage they did to our saildrives. Issues with the survey. The sale falling through. New interest but then no new offers. Finally we just decided to enjoy our last month in Marathon like normal and look for a marina to haul us out for the summer hurricane season. We plan to leave the boat in the Charleston, SC area and drive home, spend time with the kids and then look for a dirt based home in Conn. It'll be a change. We have no idea if or how it will all work out. An adventure. 

     I may have mentioned before just what I think of adventures. 

Marathon early winter 2023

      We started off the season being sick. Common cold but annoying. Not covid. Carol got it from Kaia then passed it to me. I lost my voice but improved after a few weeks. Carol's persisted and turned into a sinus infection. My congestion and cough lasted awhile longer beyond being sick. 

     I started playing pickleball before I should have but kinda took it easy until I was healthier. After a week in Marathon I started giving tours at Crane Point again. Cleo started losing weight again and after another very expensive vet visit, lab work, etc., we found that she is getting old. Duh. Kidney issues. Elevated blood pressure and more. Her meds are very costly. Sigh. 

Turkey vultures circling overhead in Marathon. Same birds as in Old Lyme? 

     Bad weather moved in and lasted nearly 5 full days. By bad weather I mean gales, downpours, windshifts and other nice stuff. Anchored boats dragged. Moored boats fended off anchored boats. Generally not a good time. Improbability fared pretty well, secured to the pilings of our friend's home at the south edge of the harbor. We had to adjust our fenders several times and replace a couple of chafed fender lines but had a lot less stress and tension than our moored and anchored friends. A lot of reading got done. Some cleaning and organizing. Minor other chores, too. We had trivia and bingo played over the VHF radio as we monitored the weather situation, available if a major, life-threatening event occurred. Unusual weather even for the Keys. Normal is a day or two of poor weather then back to paradise. Not 4+ days. Missed pickleball, Crane Point and food shopping but we did not run out of food. That would take a few weeks. After about 25 days secured to the pilings we got a mooring assigned to us. Not a bad one:  K-3. Bad means a distant location. Low numbers are closer to the marina and prefered by us. At about the same time, our broker came out to photograph the interior of our boat for the sales listing websites. Then Christmas came. 

     A Green Turtle (sea turtle) at the  Marathon Turtle Hospital we visited Christmas Eve with the visiting kids. 

     We drove a huge Ford Explorer to Miami airport to pick up the kids and grandkids. Three rows for the car seats and adults. Hard to park but surprisingly comfortable. We went to a famous football coach's restaurant in Key Largo coming back home. Kinda not too bad. Service was friendly, anyway. 

     Our first tourist trip was to the Marathon Turtle Hospital. I hadn't been in about ten years. Cobbe had a great time having seen a Jack Hannah show on TV about the place. Later in the week they released, at Sombrero Beach, three rehabbed green turtles we had seen at the hospital. Cobbe got a close-up look with the other kids. Some of the adults needed better training about manners, however. 

     The weather wasn't great, a little cool, but only one morning was a total washout. Several beach days happened for them as well as a trip to Key West. I participated in none of those, thank you. After eight days we returned everyone to the Miami airport and did some shopping in Homestead on the way home. 

     We continued preparing the boat for possible potential buyers and had our broker out to take mostly interior photos. Still playing pickleball and volunteering at Crane Point. We also volunteered at the Celtic Fest again. It's fun, has great music and has all the free beer (mostly Guinness brands this year) we could drink. For us that is very little. I learned my lesson quite a few years ago in over-serving myself at this event. Ok, I was voluntarily reducing the inventory of a hard cider to save it from being wasted as the remainder of the keg was paid for and would have been dumped at the end of the festival. My story, and I'm sticking to it. It rained very hard for about 90 minutes the 2nd day (Sunday) of the event which cut down the demand for beer. Everything closed down for a while but the deluge eventually stopped and the music resumed a little late. Fun and enjoyable despite the delay. The rain was a symptom of this year's El Nino weather pattern. Cooler. Breezier. And more rain, too. This is our 3rd El Nino winter in 14 years. Not too bad. 

Barn owl at the raptor exhibit at the Celtic Festival. 

     This mid-winter posting is a little later than our normal, as it includes the Celtic Fest. We will continue our usual activities and add preparation for showing our boat to potential buyers to our routine. We'll see how it all progresses. Medical checks for Cleo and me coming up. Separately.