Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The good life in Miami
Just a quick note about this blog - We have been having internet problems so have not been able to update it that often. Also, we are unable to download (upload?!) any photos to it. But we hope to get the problem fixed soon!
We sailed the outside route to Miami a week ago and anchored just to the north of Governor's Cut off the Miami Yacht Club. It was Super Bowl day so we dinghied in to the club for a casual supper. (We actually didn't stay for the game!!)
The next day Doug and Marnie, RCYC friends who have brought their trawler south for the winter, came aboard for dinner. It was a lovely warm evening, if a bit blustery. A boat moored near us broke its' anchor rope and drifted happily by, until caught by some energetic locals. That morning we had explored the canals that run behind South Beach in our dinghy, and discovered some peaceful achorages for the future.
The next day we pulled anchor and headed for lovely Biscayne Bay. It was a clear and warm day with good sailing wind, so we spent the day sailing in the bay before heading to a dock at Dinner Key Marina. We have been here ever since!
Dinner Key is in Coconut Grove, which is an area which reminds us a little of the Beaches in Toronto. We met up with Marnie and Doug again on Friday to drink the free 'Ladies Night' champagne at 'Green Street Restaurant', and have dinner at 'Jaguar'.
Tonight we will meet Sue, a school friend from the Isle of Wight, for dinner. Next week will be the Miami Boat Show and then the Coconut Grove Arts Festival at the end of the week. We will probably move from our dock tomorrow (Valentine's Day!) and either take a mooring or find a nearby anchorageso we can take in all the 'action'!
The past two days have been very cool with some rain! So yesterday we resorted to going to the movies. We saw 'The King's Speech'. A wonderful film - highly recommended.
We sailed the outside route to Miami a week ago and anchored just to the north of Governor's Cut off the Miami Yacht Club. It was Super Bowl day so we dinghied in to the club for a casual supper. (We actually didn't stay for the game!!)
The next day Doug and Marnie, RCYC friends who have brought their trawler south for the winter, came aboard for dinner. It was a lovely warm evening, if a bit blustery. A boat moored near us broke its' anchor rope and drifted happily by, until caught by some energetic locals. That morning we had explored the canals that run behind South Beach in our dinghy, and discovered some peaceful achorages for the future.
The next day we pulled anchor and headed for lovely Biscayne Bay. It was a clear and warm day with good sailing wind, so we spent the day sailing in the bay before heading to a dock at Dinner Key Marina. We have been here ever since!
Dinner Key is in Coconut Grove, which is an area which reminds us a little of the Beaches in Toronto. We met up with Marnie and Doug again on Friday to drink the free 'Ladies Night' champagne at 'Green Street Restaurant', and have dinner at 'Jaguar'.
Tonight we will meet Sue, a school friend from the Isle of Wight, for dinner. Next week will be the Miami Boat Show and then the Coconut Grove Arts Festival at the end of the week. We will probably move from our dock tomorrow (Valentine's Day!) and either take a mooring or find a nearby anchorageso we can take in all the 'action'!
The past two days have been very cool with some rain! So yesterday we resorted to going to the movies. We saw 'The King's Speech'. A wonderful film - highly recommended.
Friday, February 4, 2011
SETTING OFF
It's sometimes hard to leave a dock, not for any mechanical reasons, but simply because it feels a little like leaving home. We spent nine days re-commissioning Southern Vectis at Fort Pierce and, during that time, got to know some very friendly fellow boaters. When we finally cast off on a chilly but brilliantly blue day (27 January) we were sorry to say goodbye to all our friendly and helpful neighbours: Doug and Marlene from Nova Scotia, Jay from South Carolina, Al and Maggie from Vero Beach and Keith and Helen who were living on their boat high and dry in the marine yard awaiting repairs.
For our first sail in sunny southern Florida we dressed in layers of warm fleece sweaters, topped off with foul weather coats, not to forget the thick socks. We would have worn gloves, but couldn't find them! But is was a lovely day and we were pleased to be able to test our newly remodelled sail as we made our leisurely passage south to our first night's anchorage at Peck Lake, an inlet off the ICW just south of Stuart. Maybe it was because of the chilly temperatures, but the only other boats we saw were from Canada: Toronto, Penetanguishene, and Kingston. They waved GLOVED hands and we were envious!
Peck lake is a peaceful anchorage, and we celebrated the first night of our 2011 adventure with a steak barbecue and a nice bottle of wine. We even managed to get finished and below decks before the pesky 'no-seeums' - biting sand fleas - came out in force!
The next day we made it to the north anchorage at Lake Worth where we spent a couple of nights. The weather had warmed up, and we re-visited a favourite haunt - The Rum Bar - just beside the ICW at the PGA bridge, and spent a profitable morning shopping in Steinmart - profitable for Steinmart, that is! (Steinmart is Winners slightly more upmarket 'older sister')
We decided that we couldn't face the challenge of getting through the 18 bridges on the ICW between Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale, so motor-sailed down the coast. It was a lovely warm day and we timed it just right, entering the Lauderdale inlet just before a group of six giant cruise ships got up steam and headed out into the Atlantic! We spent that night at a favourite anchorage - Lake Sylvia. The next day we moved a little way north to see if there were any free moorings at Las Olas Marina - usually they are hard to find. But this time we were lucky - there were six free because there had been a mass exodus to catch the 'weather windows' to the Bahamas over the past few days. We grabbed one and have been here ever since. We can use all the facilities of the marina, and the beach and shops are a two minute walk away. The weather has been lovely - no cold fronts for almost two weeks, which means very calm southerly breezes. In previous years we've sat out gales here. Each day we walk on the icing-sugar beach, have a cappucino at 'H2O' or a happy hour drink at 'Casablanca'. Air temperature 27C; water temperature 27C. We hear Toronto has had a lot of snow!
For our first sail in sunny southern Florida we dressed in layers of warm fleece sweaters, topped off with foul weather coats, not to forget the thick socks. We would have worn gloves, but couldn't find them! But is was a lovely day and we were pleased to be able to test our newly remodelled sail as we made our leisurely passage south to our first night's anchorage at Peck Lake, an inlet off the ICW just south of Stuart. Maybe it was because of the chilly temperatures, but the only other boats we saw were from Canada: Toronto, Penetanguishene, and Kingston. They waved GLOVED hands and we were envious!
Peck lake is a peaceful anchorage, and we celebrated the first night of our 2011 adventure with a steak barbecue and a nice bottle of wine. We even managed to get finished and below decks before the pesky 'no-seeums' - biting sand fleas - came out in force!
The next day we made it to the north anchorage at Lake Worth where we spent a couple of nights. The weather had warmed up, and we re-visited a favourite haunt - The Rum Bar - just beside the ICW at the PGA bridge, and spent a profitable morning shopping in Steinmart - profitable for Steinmart, that is! (Steinmart is Winners slightly more upmarket 'older sister')
We decided that we couldn't face the challenge of getting through the 18 bridges on the ICW between Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale, so motor-sailed down the coast. It was a lovely warm day and we timed it just right, entering the Lauderdale inlet just before a group of six giant cruise ships got up steam and headed out into the Atlantic! We spent that night at a favourite anchorage - Lake Sylvia. The next day we moved a little way north to see if there were any free moorings at Las Olas Marina - usually they are hard to find. But this time we were lucky - there were six free because there had been a mass exodus to catch the 'weather windows' to the Bahamas over the past few days. We grabbed one and have been here ever since. We can use all the facilities of the marina, and the beach and shops are a two minute walk away. The weather has been lovely - no cold fronts for almost two weeks, which means very calm southerly breezes. In previous years we've sat out gales here. Each day we walk on the icing-sugar beach, have a cappucino at 'H2O' or a happy hour drink at 'Casablanca'. Air temperature 27C; water temperature 27C. We hear Toronto has had a lot of snow!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
On the road again - January 2011 - and the perils of Dock 13!
This year we decided to drive to Florida. We'd heard many cautionary tales of the perils lying in wait on the icy mountain passes, and in the snowy conditions we could expect along the way, but decided to risk it. The thought of the delights of exploring the U.S. east coast, and calling off at lovely spots like Savannah and Charleston, on our return trip in the spring, kept our eyes on the snowy highways and our hands steady on the wheel. We set off on Sunday 16 January and made it to Fort Pierce, Florida on Tuesday afternoon - a total of 1,500 miles. We were lucky with the weather, although there was snow on the ground almost to the state border with Florida. As we cruised into the sunshine state the temperature showed 14C, the sky was overcast, and the rain and mist reminded us of England!
But by the time we'd reached our destination the sky had cleared and the temperature had risen to a very respectable 24C. 'Southern Vectis' had been launched the previous day, and gleamed and glittered in the blue waters of Fort Pierce's 'Harbortown Marina'.
And then the real work began! When a boat has been shut up for eight months in extreme heat, and has been used as a storage area for all manner of things from dinghies, to sails to electrical and mechanical fixtures, it takes a bit of sorting out! We did manage to carve out a niche to sleep in the first night, and things have improved daily since then!
The one thing we did not bargain for was being tied up in dock number 13!! The gremlins had been at work during the summer months: our four batteries were 'fried', the fridge was out of action, and there was a mysterious chunk out of our fibreglass 'gel coat' on the stern swim platform. To add to this, we tore our newly configured mainsail as we attempted to pull it up! But things get fixed quickly here, and we've already had all but the small gelcoat repair fixed. We hope to have that done on Monday and then head south towards Lake Worth (West Palm Beach), Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
The important part of the boating life, apart from managing to stay afloat, is meeting fellow boaters. Since we arrived at the marina we have met so many friendly people. Al, on the neighbouring boat, took Bill to get new batteries at 'Sam's Club' in Vero Beach. 'Sam's Club' is the wholesale wing of 'Walmart', and because Al was a member, we bought the batteries at a really good price. Other boaters have come along with good advice, and we've also been invited out to cocktails and expeditions out to the local Italian restaurant, 'A Taste of Brooklyn', a little pizza place with 'real' Italian cooking and wonderful 'garlic knots' of bread!
Yesterday we had a long walk along an almost deserted, golden sand beach in the nearby Fort Pierce State Park. It was warm and a few surfers were attempting to catch the almost non-existent waves. Today is a little cool, 20C, so we can catch up on things that need to get done.....like writing this blog! More anon.
But by the time we'd reached our destination the sky had cleared and the temperature had risen to a very respectable 24C. 'Southern Vectis' had been launched the previous day, and gleamed and glittered in the blue waters of Fort Pierce's 'Harbortown Marina'.
And then the real work began! When a boat has been shut up for eight months in extreme heat, and has been used as a storage area for all manner of things from dinghies, to sails to electrical and mechanical fixtures, it takes a bit of sorting out! We did manage to carve out a niche to sleep in the first night, and things have improved daily since then!
The one thing we did not bargain for was being tied up in dock number 13!! The gremlins had been at work during the summer months: our four batteries were 'fried', the fridge was out of action, and there was a mysterious chunk out of our fibreglass 'gel coat' on the stern swim platform. To add to this, we tore our newly configured mainsail as we attempted to pull it up! But things get fixed quickly here, and we've already had all but the small gelcoat repair fixed. We hope to have that done on Monday and then head south towards Lake Worth (West Palm Beach), Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
The important part of the boating life, apart from managing to stay afloat, is meeting fellow boaters. Since we arrived at the marina we have met so many friendly people. Al, on the neighbouring boat, took Bill to get new batteries at 'Sam's Club' in Vero Beach. 'Sam's Club' is the wholesale wing of 'Walmart', and because Al was a member, we bought the batteries at a really good price. Other boaters have come along with good advice, and we've also been invited out to cocktails and expeditions out to the local Italian restaurant, 'A Taste of Brooklyn', a little pizza place with 'real' Italian cooking and wonderful 'garlic knots' of bread!
Yesterday we had a long walk along an almost deserted, golden sand beach in the nearby Fort Pierce State Park. It was warm and a few surfers were attempting to catch the almost non-existent waves. Today is a little cool, 20C, so we can catch up on things that need to get done.....like writing this blog! More anon.
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