BITS & PIECES - March 18-27

A very small sampling of the many bandoned boats we saw along the ICW - hurricanes and economy are two enemies.
                                           

MARCH 18 - Eau Gallie:  Visiting ashore - Peter has 'the whole world in his hands'...our vessel in the background at anchor

                                   Peter - Bilge Babe....working on the float switch and shower pump....

MARCH 24 - Palm Coast 
We stayed at the Palm Coast Marina, a very inexpensive $50 including electricity and water.  Clean and convenient showers, inexpensive laundry facilities, excellent client service delivery...and amazing bike trails, shopping close by.  A definite 'go back' and visit location!

Typical ICW northbound view from the upper helm

MARCH 26 - we were held up at Palm Beach Marina for 5 days, waiting for the Bridge of Lions to re-open. The nite before opening, we anchored out south of the bridge in the Mantanzas River. Before arriving there however; the US Coast Guard had been issuing many securitie memos regarding severe shoaling through-out the Mantanzas Inlet. We listened in on VHF channel 16 and heard many captains calling for tow assistance, having grounded out at mile marker 743. 

So how were we going to ensure we got through this area?

1. 
   
   do not follow your magenta line on your chart plotter....
2. 
   
   do not stay in the middle of the channel....and
3. 
   
   do not go anywhere near the green buoys
4. 
   
   you DO want to hug the reds so tight that you can 'scratch the red paint off as you pass'

Yikes!  And this was absolutely true.  As we approached thee critical area, hugging the reds also meant aiming the bow of the boat directly to the shoreline for an uncomfortably long time....and then following the contour of the shore no more than 20 feet from dry land.  Not the usual boating experience...but certainly nerve-wracking! 

                                   south of the old Bridge of Lions - boats waiting for the opening

MARCH 27 - Jacksonville Beach - note the calm waters and sunny skies - indicative of the HIGH winds, STRONG current and STORMS coming in.  We stayed at the renovated Beach Marine - fabulous brand new docks...but little else.  Although we did arrive for the month end freebie-party for boaters.  We brought a potluck item and stuffed ourselves with loads of goodies others provided:  bbq burgers, salads, desserts...and FREE BEER AND WINE!  Not a bad deal for a potluck item.

ST PADDY'S DAY @ VERO BEACH

We took the local bus into town to WEST MARINE (I swear, all boat owners should also own shares!)  Waiting for the bus to take us back to the marina, we start a chat with two fellow boaters who are also waiting to go back to the marina.  They become our first official guests on our boat.  Captain Jesse and Ginny Price of 'WindDust' a 44 Nauticat.

LOST - ONE BOAT HOOK - VICINITY OF STEWART, FLORIDA

Have you seen a boat hook floating in the water at Sunset Bay Marina & Anchorage, Stewart, Florida?  Reward offered for it's safe return.
Yesterday we made our way across Lake Okeechobee with very strong winds hitting us broadside and following seas.  Three very long hours we were happy to see over, as we entered the east side of the OWW and our 4th lock. This was particularly treacherous, as the lock is 'right there' with no breakwall from the choppy water and winds.

 Quite the challenge and Peter admits to his knees feeling like jello after we were safely tucked inside the closed walls.  We enjoyed a beautiful cruise down the remaining 'ditch'...much different to the west side canal.  We did our last lock, Saint Lucie and arrived at our intended destination, Sunset Bay Marina & Anchorage, Stewart, Florida.  89 mooring balls...and we got the 2nd last ball....but not without incident/s!  30MPH+ winds howling as I tried to grab the line with our only hook.  The line was a very thick, heavy rope that went on forever...and by the time I was anywhere close to the 'eye' to pull our line through, the boat was drifting quickly away....with me holding onto the pole for dear life (BIG mistake!)....but the boat and the pole eventually won out.  Kersplash....the pole was gone.  Peter was doing circles trying to get it (easy in the sailboat....a waste of time in the big trawler and these winds and choppy seas)  Eventually I flagged down a passing dinghy and the man was able to grab the mooring line for me and I got it hooked on.  At the very moment I was passing the line through, the bow bounced up and I got slammed in the mouth...didn't lose a single tooth either!  But what a lip.  Angelina Jolie eat your heart out!
The waves slammed against the hull with very loud banging all night long and we bounced all over the place.  I barely slept a wink, from bed to couch to .... let's watch satellite tv!  Peter....slept like a baby. 
So, if you see that boat hook anywhere.......

BAILING IN CLEWISTON

With all the rain falling yesterday, Peter discoverd the portside scupper was blocked. He spent a few hours fighting with 'something' down the hole (I warned him it could be a snake) and he finally pulled out a 2 1/2 foot long piece of plastic/rubber hose. It didn't seem to need to be there, so we aren't sure how it got there...but there it was. We thought the blockage was now cured. Not so fast. This is a boat afterall! Still blocked. Try as he did, from outside the hull, to the cockpit, to inside the aft compartments, it is blocked up solid. No one had a wire or anything to try to force the blockage out and pressurizing with the dock hose was not doing a thing. The rains became torrential and non-stop, and began flooding the aft cockpit. We took shifts all nite long to bail so that the surplus water did not go into the bilge with the electricals and generator etc. (the only flaw we see to the Mainship design). Peter stayed up until 2am, then I took the shift up to 7am. All was fairly quiet for my shift....until 7am and all hell broke loose. We are using a gallon water jug that is very flexible and which Peter cut the bottom off to use as a bailer. The rain poured down so hard and constant, we could barely keep up with bailing/flooding the aft cockpit. Just unbelievable. We both looked like drowned rats.
Peter was finally, today, able to locate some appropriate wire and he got into the dinghy (mindful of any touring aligators) and managed to shove the wire in/out of the outside of the scupper on the hull....SUCCESS!  We finally restored drainage...and just in time as the rains have picked up in intensity and we have almost no dry clothing left onboard.  There is no laundry facility here unfortunately. 
Peter just came in from the cold.....the fuel tank in the dinghy (which, alas, was launched) was FLOATING in the dinghy there is so much rainwater!  Apparently the cold freezing cold weather (pre-yesterday) in Florida is a 50 year record (since we arrived!)  Yesterday was brutally humid..today...back to cold..and rain...and thunderstorms. 

GETTING TO KNOW YOU - GETTING TO KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU.....

We've have little luck in accessing the internet and my 'new' laptop doesn't seem to like blogger and won't let me update our blog...so...I'm on Capt Peter's computer and will make this entry short and sweet, as most of you already know our daily events since first arriving in Punta Gorda.  Suffice to say, it's been an adventure getting to know trawlers in general.  Nothing like monohulls! We love her and both Roland and Julie Daniels (previous owners) have been absolutely amazing, wonderful, delightful people who have helped us make this major adjustment into their Sea Dog.

                                                               THE FOUR AMIGOS!

                                                                                           Roland, Peter, Thai  -  Burnt Store Marina

Thai  Julie  Peter @ Burnt Store Marina

Brief synopsis:

Feb 23 - departed Toronto

Feb 24 - boarded Sea Dog at Gasparilla Marina

Feb 26 - boat is delivered back to the Daniels docks, with Roland, Julie, Thai and Peter onboard, 'Cocktail Hour' drinks around the pool...until 1:30AM

Feb 28 - Capt Wendy delivers trawler lessons, docking, 3-point turns...and how to depart the Daniels docks slipping sideways through the pilings.  ahem.  Watched Canada and US hockey, with Julie cheering on Canada to a win...out for dinner/drinks/laughter

Feb 29 - Trawler lessons from Captain Roland and 1st Mate Julie - fabulous, relaxed day filled with brilliant little snippets of tips and tricks from the Daniels. 

Mar 1 - out for dinner with the Daniels and their friends from the FedEx days (Roland was one of the original 30 pilots for FE)

Mar 2 - Thai/shopping all day  Peter/out galavanting all day with Roland: Muscle Car Museum (a Wal-Mart sized place jam-packed with corvets and the like....both men enjoyed drooling over the vast collections) then off to the airport to visit Rolands plane, a mint twin engine Beechcraft B55, 1974. Stunningly beautiful!  And of course, well-maintained, just like his boat!   Cocktail 'hour' again.....until the wee hours of the nite!  Roland keeps threatening he's not going to come to these one hour cocktails anymore.

Mar 3 - diesel fuel delivered straight to the house for filling the BIG tanks on the trawler.  115.5 gallons/$2.80=$371.04  Great price!

Mar 4 - lots of bits and pieces done on the boat to prepare for departure (wifi installation was a big one!) Steak dinner (YUM!) up at the house and the notorious 'cocktail hour' turns into midnite...again.  :-)

Mar 6 - departure/arrival at Burnt Store Marina. Dinner with R&J at Porto Bella.  As Churchill said 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times'....this is our last day with R&J, and it is their last day with Sea Dog.  They feel just like family to us, and separation anxiety is in the air for a multitude of reasons as we say our fond farewells. 

Mar 7 - depart Burnt Store Marina and head down ICW to Bimini Basin. Big powerboater passes with full wake, just as Thai is in the galley making lunch.....now Thai is wearing lunch, as is the galley floor.  Anchored out for the nite with lots of bedding....it's about 45F....and it's been a 50 year record of really cold weather for Florida.  Lucky us!  :-(

Mar 9 - our first lock going through Okeechobee lock system - Franklin Lock.  We are both nervous, but all goes exceptionally well and the linesmen are excellent. Let's hope that holds true with the location in Stuart...heard some not so pleasant stories about an old buzzard linesman there. Anchored at Tranquility Cove La Belle in 3.5 feet of water.  Think we'll stick ok without the anchor lifting.  A lot of very grubby live-aboards/boats...at least a few are loaded with junk everywhere.  Not the nicest place we've seen. I ensure the cabin door is locked fast before crawling into bed. 

March 10 - One lock today had a family of Manatees, including a baby...right alongside our boat. Very cool!  Arrived in Clewiston at Roland Landing Marina.  700 foot dock at $70US a nite. Little restaurant/bar, diesel and showers...nothing else, and I mean, NOTHING else. No stores, nothing to walk to.  Dinner on the lower aft deck, with an aligator swimming alongside. Peter did NOT have rum tonite...just to be sure he doesn't accidentally fall in and become dinner!

March 11/12...stuck in Clewiston. Very bad weather..high winds, rain and thunderstorms.  The heading to Stewart shows tornadoes on the radar, so best we sit tight. This afternoon, another rain storm so hard that we cannot see past the aft deck. But since nothing lives in the aft scupper any more, the aft deck "she be dry mates".

DEPARTING ST LUCIE LOCK