Monday, January 25, 2010
We have a plan!
We are still in Fort Lauderdale though we have moved around a bit….. from a dock to a mooring and now back to the dock! We were lucky to get a tip that one of the 10 mooring balls south of the bridge (they are like gold dust!) was opening up very early one morning. So we slipped under the bridge at the 7:45 a.m. opening time and tied up for three days of warm, sunny weather, and visits by friends.
On Tuesday we were boarded by RCYC sailors! Bob & Carol and John & Eileen, plus John’s brother and sister-in-law, Peter and Donna had driven over from their condos in Naples. We had travelled over to the Bahamas with them last year, and this was one of several reunions we’ve had since then. Luckily the dinghy’s outboard, which had been refusing to start, was on its’ best behaviour for the visit, because 8 people stranded overnight on a 38 foot sailboat would not have been a pretty sight!
We had lunch on board in the warm sunshine and then, while ‘the boys’ became good Samaritans and helped disentangle a disabled powerboat from the bows and anchors of boats at the marina’s dock, we walked along the beach front and had coffee at our favourite coffee haunt – ‘H2O’. Bob and Carol stayed the night on board, and we went to the ‘Southport Raw Bar’ for a dinner of deliciously fresh raw oysters and roast beef!
The next day the four of us took the water taxi tour along the New River to the downtown area. We passed so many million-dollar homes and an equal number of million-dollar boats – some as big as the houses they were tethered to! We walked along the river walk and waved as ‘Madcap’, a boat from Ottawa, cruised past to the Cooley’s Landing Marina. We had all read Madcap’s blog from a previous year, and picked up a lot of useful tips from it, so it was especially good to see it.
On Thursday our solar panels were installed on the boat. This took all day and well into the evening, so we rented a car and went up the coast to Boca Raton. We also took the dinghy’s engine to be serviced!
On Friday morning we drove to Lighthouse Point to have breakfast with Fraser and Edi. It was great to catch up with all their news – their house felt like home to us as we had spent such a lovely time staying with them while we were sorting ‘Southern Vectis’ out last year. We hope to rendezvous with them in the Bahamas later on.
Since then the weather has deteriorated drastically! We’ve had 30 knot winds and heavy rain on and off since Saturday so no one is stirring from the docks. We had hoped to go back out to a mooring but no one is moving from there either! We get a discount rate at the marina as we are ‘Boat U.S.’ members, but that discount runs out after six days, and we are now in our seventh day!
We have met up with Wendy and Tony on ‘Delta G’ again. They are Port Credit Yacht Club members. Last night we got together and came up with ‘the plan’! Once the weather moderates we will sail down ‘the outside’ to Miami and spend a few days at ‘Dinner Key Marina’, as we did last year. After that we’ll wait for a ‘weather window’ (they are few and far between this year!) and cross to Bimini. From there we’ll cross the Great Bahama Bank to Chubb Cay, then on to Nassau and from there to the Exumas – the southern chain of Bahamian islands which we did not visit last year. This is our plan…..and like all plans it is subject to change!
On Tuesday we were boarded by RCYC sailors! Bob & Carol and John & Eileen, plus John’s brother and sister-in-law, Peter and Donna had driven over from their condos in Naples. We had travelled over to the Bahamas with them last year, and this was one of several reunions we’ve had since then. Luckily the dinghy’s outboard, which had been refusing to start, was on its’ best behaviour for the visit, because 8 people stranded overnight on a 38 foot sailboat would not have been a pretty sight!
We had lunch on board in the warm sunshine and then, while ‘the boys’ became good Samaritans and helped disentangle a disabled powerboat from the bows and anchors of boats at the marina’s dock, we walked along the beach front and had coffee at our favourite coffee haunt – ‘H2O’. Bob and Carol stayed the night on board, and we went to the ‘Southport Raw Bar’ for a dinner of deliciously fresh raw oysters and roast beef!
The next day the four of us took the water taxi tour along the New River to the downtown area. We passed so many million-dollar homes and an equal number of million-dollar boats – some as big as the houses they were tethered to! We walked along the river walk and waved as ‘Madcap’, a boat from Ottawa, cruised past to the Cooley’s Landing Marina. We had all read Madcap’s blog from a previous year, and picked up a lot of useful tips from it, so it was especially good to see it.
On Thursday our solar panels were installed on the boat. This took all day and well into the evening, so we rented a car and went up the coast to Boca Raton. We also took the dinghy’s engine to be serviced!
On Friday morning we drove to Lighthouse Point to have breakfast with Fraser and Edi. It was great to catch up with all their news – their house felt like home to us as we had spent such a lovely time staying with them while we were sorting ‘Southern Vectis’ out last year. We hope to rendezvous with them in the Bahamas later on.
Since then the weather has deteriorated drastically! We’ve had 30 knot winds and heavy rain on and off since Saturday so no one is stirring from the docks. We had hoped to go back out to a mooring but no one is moving from there either! We get a discount rate at the marina as we are ‘Boat U.S.’ members, but that discount runs out after six days, and we are now in our seventh day!
We have met up with Wendy and Tony on ‘Delta G’ again. They are Port Credit Yacht Club members. Last night we got together and came up with ‘the plan’! Once the weather moderates we will sail down ‘the outside’ to Miami and spend a few days at ‘Dinner Key Marina’, as we did last year. After that we’ll wait for a ‘weather window’ (they are few and far between this year!) and cross to Bimini. From there we’ll cross the Great Bahama Bank to Chubb Cay, then on to Nassau and from there to the Exumas – the southern chain of Bahamian islands which we did not visit last year. This is our plan…..and like all plans it is subject to change!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
THAWING OUT
Thawing out
Last week there was sheet ice on the ICW at Jacksonville, and a few boats travelling in the sunshine state had to use their boats as ice-breakers. One memorable day snow was reported falling in Fort Lauderdale….well, maybe a drop or two! Happily, things have changed since then.
‘Southern Vectis’ is now in Fort Lauderdale, at Las Olas Marina. We stayed here for some time last year and enjoyed the location so much. It’s a two minute walk from the beach and all the good things beach living brings….shops, restaurants ….and Bill said to include bikinis (not mine!!!)
The last time we wrote our blog we were staying at a hotel in Fort Pierce, as it was too cold to stay overnight on the boat. The temperatures plunged to 38F on deck and a tooth chattering, bone chilling 34F down below, and we couldn’t figure out if we had a heating system or not!
As luck would have it, once we sorted out the heating system (we do have one!) the temperatures warmed up a bit! We moved on board last Monday with heat blasting out of every one of ‘Southern Vectis’ orifices!
While we were at Fort Pierce we met up with some friendly boaters and some old friends from last year – Irv and Jane on the Island Packet, ‘Karaya’ and Wendy and Tony from Toronto on ‘Delta G’. We had some enjoyable evenings at the dockside bar, and also at the little Italian restaurant that Carole and Bob had introduced us to last year – ‘Brooklyn Pizza’.
We had rented a car so were able to move around and do lots of provisioning for the boat. We also spent a lovely evening with ‘joint’ grandparents, Fruji and John, and talked a lot about ‘the boys’ – our three joint grandsons, Leo, Orson and Simon. As we had to spend some time in the charming little town of Stuart getting our dinghy mended we took the opportunity to check out the brand new marina and anchorage just past the Roosevelt bridge, ‘Sunset Bay’. It is lovely, and we will plan a stopover there on our return.
So, on Thursday the weather was warming up, our dinghy was repaired and we set off down the ICW to Lake Worth (West Palm Beach). It was a peaceful trip and we anchored at the north end of Lake Worth beside the Old Port Cove Marina as the sun was setting. The next day we pressed on to Fort Lauderdale as the weather was supposed to turn nasty (but warm!!!) on Saturday. There are 18 opening bridges on the ICW to negotiate between Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale, and each bridge has its’ own opening schedule. This means that you must race the boat between bridges to keep up with the equivalent of a ‘green wave’ or you lose a lot of time. We had 50 miles to cover, and darkness comes at around 6:15 p.m. so we gunned the motor and went for it! We arrived at the marina just after the sun had sunk below the highrises, and were helped into a dock by a friendly neighbouring boater. We talked to a lot of boaters yesterday. Most are waiting for ‘weather windows’ to go over to the Bahamas or south to Miami. We haven’t decide what we’ll do yet. It’s a wild and windy (but still very warm!!) day today and we’ll walk the beach and maybe take the bus to do some more provisioning.
Tomorrow we are having our solar panels fitted to the boat – a days’ work.
Then, on Tuesday we are looking forward to meeting up with our RCYC travelling buddies from last year, Carole and Bob, Eileen and John and Peter and Donna. They are driving over from their condos in Naples for a reunion. Carole and Bob will stay over on the boat for a night, as a ‘remembrance of things past’ and maybe a foretaste of things to come!! We are also looking forward to seeing Fraser and Edi, who took such good care of ‘Southern Vectis’ during our first summer as proud boat owners.
More anon.
Last week there was sheet ice on the ICW at Jacksonville, and a few boats travelling in the sunshine state had to use their boats as ice-breakers. One memorable day snow was reported falling in Fort Lauderdale….well, maybe a drop or two! Happily, things have changed since then.
‘Southern Vectis’ is now in Fort Lauderdale, at Las Olas Marina. We stayed here for some time last year and enjoyed the location so much. It’s a two minute walk from the beach and all the good things beach living brings….shops, restaurants ….and Bill said to include bikinis (not mine!!!)
The last time we wrote our blog we were staying at a hotel in Fort Pierce, as it was too cold to stay overnight on the boat. The temperatures plunged to 38F on deck and a tooth chattering, bone chilling 34F down below, and we couldn’t figure out if we had a heating system or not!
As luck would have it, once we sorted out the heating system (we do have one!) the temperatures warmed up a bit! We moved on board last Monday with heat blasting out of every one of ‘Southern Vectis’ orifices!
While we were at Fort Pierce we met up with some friendly boaters and some old friends from last year – Irv and Jane on the Island Packet, ‘Karaya’ and Wendy and Tony from Toronto on ‘Delta G’. We had some enjoyable evenings at the dockside bar, and also at the little Italian restaurant that Carole and Bob had introduced us to last year – ‘Brooklyn Pizza’.
We had rented a car so were able to move around and do lots of provisioning for the boat. We also spent a lovely evening with ‘joint’ grandparents, Fruji and John, and talked a lot about ‘the boys’ – our three joint grandsons, Leo, Orson and Simon. As we had to spend some time in the charming little town of Stuart getting our dinghy mended we took the opportunity to check out the brand new marina and anchorage just past the Roosevelt bridge, ‘Sunset Bay’. It is lovely, and we will plan a stopover there on our return.
So, on Thursday the weather was warming up, our dinghy was repaired and we set off down the ICW to Lake Worth (West Palm Beach). It was a peaceful trip and we anchored at the north end of Lake Worth beside the Old Port Cove Marina as the sun was setting. The next day we pressed on to Fort Lauderdale as the weather was supposed to turn nasty (but warm!!!) on Saturday. There are 18 opening bridges on the ICW to negotiate between Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale, and each bridge has its’ own opening schedule. This means that you must race the boat between bridges to keep up with the equivalent of a ‘green wave’ or you lose a lot of time. We had 50 miles to cover, and darkness comes at around 6:15 p.m. so we gunned the motor and went for it! We arrived at the marina just after the sun had sunk below the highrises, and were helped into a dock by a friendly neighbouring boater. We talked to a lot of boaters yesterday. Most are waiting for ‘weather windows’ to go over to the Bahamas or south to Miami. We haven’t decide what we’ll do yet. It’s a wild and windy (but still very warm!!) day today and we’ll walk the beach and maybe take the bus to do some more provisioning.
Tomorrow we are having our solar panels fitted to the boat – a days’ work.
Then, on Tuesday we are looking forward to meeting up with our RCYC travelling buddies from last year, Carole and Bob, Eileen and John and Peter and Donna. They are driving over from their condos in Naples for a reunion. Carole and Bob will stay over on the boat for a night, as a ‘remembrance of things past’ and maybe a foretaste of things to come!! We are also looking forward to seeing Fraser and Edi, who took such good care of ‘Southern Vectis’ during our first summer as proud boat owners.
More anon.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Fffffreeezing in FFFFlorida
January 7, 2010.
This is the beginning of our new winter season's blog for 2010.
We arrived in Florida late on Sunday night after an 18 hour cross-country trek from Vancouver Island through the wilds of Seattle and Chicago. We survived intrusive 'body checks',and frozen water pipes on the Chicago flight (which meant no coffee or tea). Our luggage even arrived at the same time as we did. We did well.
We had a very good Christmas and New Year visiting Charlotte, Pierre, Lily and Isabelle in Victoria, B.C. We walked on the beach, and were entertained by the two little girls....and the latest editions to Charlotte and Pierre's family - two kittens called Fonzie and Figaro! Great fun.
After our long flight we needed a day to recover, so chose to have 'Southern Vectis' launched on Tuesday. She has spent the summer at Harbour Town Marina in Fort Pierce, and she looks sleek and gleaming due to the ministrations of the great team at the Marina.
The launch went well, and the weather, though only a cool 56F, was bearable. This has changed over the past two days, with temperatures not rising above 46F (7C, and big windchill, and night frosts. But this has given us a chance to get things sorted out on the boat, even though we did cleaning and sorting wearing our thick socks and coats.(We also bought some gloves yesterday!!) In fact, I have to admit we've been wearing the same clothes for the past few days, as we have brought so few warm clothes with us! When I look at our flimsy shorts and T-shirts I shudder and wonder if we'll ever be able to wear them!
We have cheated in one respect though - we've been staying in a hotel. It's such a relief to return to our warm room at the end of a busy day and snuggle into a cozy bed!
This will all change today though - Thursday - as now that our new mattress for the aft berth had been delivered, we have decided to test it tonight! We are not sure when we'll move off - it's all weather dependent, and no one is moving around on the water at the moment!
This is the beginning of our new winter season's blog for 2010.
We arrived in Florida late on Sunday night after an 18 hour cross-country trek from Vancouver Island through the wilds of Seattle and Chicago. We survived intrusive 'body checks',and frozen water pipes on the Chicago flight (which meant no coffee or tea). Our luggage even arrived at the same time as we did. We did well.
We had a very good Christmas and New Year visiting Charlotte, Pierre, Lily and Isabelle in Victoria, B.C. We walked on the beach, and were entertained by the two little girls....and the latest editions to Charlotte and Pierre's family - two kittens called Fonzie and Figaro! Great fun.
After our long flight we needed a day to recover, so chose to have 'Southern Vectis' launched on Tuesday. She has spent the summer at Harbour Town Marina in Fort Pierce, and she looks sleek and gleaming due to the ministrations of the great team at the Marina.
The launch went well, and the weather, though only a cool 56F, was bearable. This has changed over the past two days, with temperatures not rising above 46F (7C, and big windchill, and night frosts. But this has given us a chance to get things sorted out on the boat, even though we did cleaning and sorting wearing our thick socks and coats.(We also bought some gloves yesterday!!) In fact, I have to admit we've been wearing the same clothes for the past few days, as we have brought so few warm clothes with us! When I look at our flimsy shorts and T-shirts I shudder and wonder if we'll ever be able to wear them!
We have cheated in one respect though - we've been staying in a hotel. It's such a relief to return to our warm room at the end of a busy day and snuggle into a cozy bed!
This will all change today though - Thursday - as now that our new mattress for the aft berth had been delivered, we have decided to test it tonight! We are not sure when we'll move off - it's all weather dependent, and no one is moving around on the water at the moment!
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