Log 112; Day 306; Mar. 23, 2009; Fort Lauderdale

Just across the river from us is Briney's Pub, where they have this HUGE shark.

Here are our friends, Lynn & Jerry...from Sea La Vie...we had lunch with them at Le Tub on Friday

Just another day on New River...this is a constant scene of Mega Yachts going by us

We took a dinghy ride way up the New River where the ship yards are. Just for a perspective...the yacht in the front is 92 feet. I wonder how big the large yacht is?

This yacht has it's own covered slip...it has to be over 200 feet long, and there are many more like this one

Gary Hedge visited yesterday, and he wanted to see the engine room on HQ

Joan Hedge...on Headquarters

Log 112
Day 306
Monday, March 23, 2009

7:30 AM EST
Location: New River City Marina, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Weather: 68, windy, with gusts to 23 mph...it will be about 76, windy, and chance of rain today

It has been raining off and on for 3 days now. It has also been windy, and the forecast is for that to continue for a few days. Lots of marine warnings on the beaches for rip currents. (Side note; a couple years ago, a friend of mine, Ken Batista, a very strong swimmer, lost his life in the rip currents down here...they are certainly something to pay attention to). At about 2 pm last night, the wind kicked up, and it rained hard again for a while. This morning it’s very cloudy, and winds of 15 to 20 mph...not one of those beautiful mornings we have been used to for several weeks.

On Friday we went to a Marine Flea Market with Lynn and Jerry, our friends on Sea La Vie. It was interesting to see...lots of used stuff, and a fair amount of “junk”...but I assume (because I’ve not been to a real flea market before) similar to normal flea markets...except this stuff was all marine. I did buy a couple of LED bulbs for the boat, and we had a great lunch at Le Tub (again) so it was a very good day, none the less. We also stopped off at Boat Owners Warehouse, a great marine store I had not been to before, and I did find a couple of things I had to have. We were back at the boat by 4 pm, and had a quiet evening.

Saturday...it rained all day, and we had a very lazy day on the boat. About 4 pm, I was walking past the helm, and saw a light on the control panel was on. It turned out to be a light telling me the aft bilge pump was running...not a good thing. After checking everything out, and determining that we did not have a water leak, I determined that the bilge pump was running because the float switch that shuts off the pump was too low, and the pump could not pump the water out enough to make the switch shut down the pump. We fixed the pump temporarily, but it needs a permanent fix...which I plan to do on Monday.

Sunday...the rain finally stopped, and the sun was out most of the day. It was still windy, but got to near 80 degrees. I needed a tool to try to fix the aft bilge pump, so I called Jerry on Sea La Vie, and asked him, if he was out running errands (which I know he does almost every day) would he mind swinging by, and taking me to Home Depot...which he did. I picked up a side angle drill and driver tool, to help remount the bilge pump, which I am hoping will fix the issue we are having. At 3 pm Gary and Joan Hedge, long time friends of ours from Geneva, IL stopped by the boat. They drove from Illinois down here, to visit Joan’s parents, and celebrate her Dad’s 85th birthday. Gary is also a certified financial planner, and stopped along the way (coming down here, and going back) to visit several of his clients...us, being one of them (although our visit was mostly social). After a couple hours of catching up, we walked to the Downtowner Saloon, just a couple of blocks away, and they treated us to a great dinner. It’s always great being with Gary and Joan...we have had some wonderful times over the years, and relive those memories each time we get together.

Today...the main thing on the agenda is to fix the aft bilge pump. My belief is I can do that if I lower the pump...or raise the float switch. It is a very difficult place to get in to, and will not be easy to do, but I think I can fix it without hiring a mechanic. At least that’s my plan. Other than that, we have no plans as of yet. At this point, we are planning to stay here in the New River for another week, and then maybe head out to one of the marinas on the ICW, nearer the coast. We don’t plan to leave the Fort Lauderdale area until the first part of April.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 111; Day 302; March 19, 2009; New River City Marina, Fort Lauderdale, FL.

This is a shot of our lunch stop Le Tub...just along the ICW about 1 hour south of Fort Lauderdale

Just an idea of what the inside of Le Tub looks like

I think you might be able to read the writing on the menu...it tells the whole story

Just up the waterway from Le Tub this is what you see...about 1 mile up from here is one of the busiest ports on the east coast, and the entrance to Fort Lauderdale

This is a shot of one of the mansions on the New River...just off the ICW

This is a picture from the bow of our boat, in our slip on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale

A little idea of how busy the waterway is right next to our boat

Just one of the many large yachts that go in and out of here

This yacht took 2 tugs to get it out of the New River

Log 111
Day 302
Thursday, March 19, 2009

7:30 AM EST
Location: New River City Marina, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Weather: 72 and pouring down rain, with calm winds...going to 78 today with rain and thunderstorms.

It is raining this morning...and has been raining for the last 36 hours. Right now it is pouring. My XM weather radar shows showers all around us in Fort Lauderdale, and not moving. They predict it will rain most of the day.

Getting here...our trip from Miami was great. We had to wait about 15 minutes for one bridge to open (there are only two bridges we can’t get under from Miami to Fort Lauderdale), but other than that, the ride was perfect. It was certainly calm enough to go outside in the Atlantic for the trip up, but we chose the inside ICW so we could see all the sights. The sun was bright (weather channel called it a 10 on the exposure meter) and the winds were light. Also, not a lot of other boat traffic, so the navigating was easy as well. Most of the way, the waterway is straight forward, and deep, with only a few areas where the channel is narrow, and you have really pay attention to what you are doing. About an hour south of Fort Lauderdale, we stopped at Le Tub, one of the most unusual burger joints we have ever been in. It looked rustic from the waterway, and had a dock we could tie up to...so we did. Deb and I agree it was one of our better stops.

We arrived at New River about 2 pm. We originally planned to go and pump out the holding tanks before tying up at the slip, but traffic was so heavy, that we decided that we would tie up first, and get the pump out later. Instead of a usual slip, we are tied to a long wall of pilings that stretches all through the downtown area, and is managed by the city. There is no doubt that this is the busiest stretch of waterway we have ever stayed in. The day we arrived, there was a non stop stream of boats going past us until late in the evening. Every size boat was represented, from dinghies, to boats exceeding 100 feet in length. Way up in the New River there are large shipyards that build, and work on, yachts of all sizes. These yachts must go through this narrow and busy area, and it is amazing to see them go by. Sometimes they must have tow boats move them through the river, because they are too big to make the turns, and navigate on their own power.

Yesterday...it rained steady most of the day. In the morning, I put on rain gear and walked about 1/2 mile along the waterway, to the city marina office to check in, and get our bearings on the area. We are right downtown, so there is every kind of shop and restaurant you can imagine. We are also about 1 block from Los Ollas Boulevard...a famous high end shopping street in Fort Lauderdale. I doubt we’ll be spending much time there...they don’t have a marine store. While doing some boat chores during lunch time, I got a call from Jerry Williams, our friend on Sea La Vie, who we have seen a few times along the trip. He and a couple of his buddies were having lunch at the Downtown Saloon, which is just down the walkway from us, and called to see if I wanted to join them. His offer sounded much better that what I was doing, so I, again, put on the rain gear and walked down there. We ended up going to West Marine, and Bluewater Charts (a huge store dedicated to nautical books and charts, that I have been getting charts from for years) and stopping off at his boat at Hall of Fame Marina. Back at the boat, it was still raining, so we stayed inside, made egg rolls and hot and sour soup for dinner, and watched Trust Me for the dinner movie.

Today...as I have been writing this (I started at 7am...it’s now 9:30) the rain has come off and on...at this very minute it has stopped, and the sun is trying to come out. The radar shows lots of rain still in the area, with thunder showers forecasted for this afternoon. I’m sure today will be about exploring the area further. If it stops raining for a while, maybe we’ll even take a dinghy ride up the river. Speaking of the New River...earlier this morning two tug boats went up the river, and they just came by towing a 100 footer, and a few minutes ago, a 105 foot boat “Outta Touch” went by heading out of the river. This is a very cool spot, but not for the faint of heart, if you are driving the boat.


I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 110; Day 300; Mar. 17, 2009; Miamarina, Miami, FL.

This shot is on Biscayne Bay...heading north...several miles south of Miami

Here is one much closer...as we enter the Miami channel

The closer we got, the more (and bigger) boats we saw

This guy landed a helicopter on this little floating raft, very close to our Marina

HQ in Miamarina...we are in the middle of everything

This is the boardwalk surrounding the marina

This is inside of the boardwalk...basicly a mall. But with no marine store. Did they forget to tell the designer of the mall that it was attached to a marina?????

Log 110
Day 300
Tuesday, March 17, 2009

5:00 AM EST
Location: Miamarina, Miami, FL.
Weather: 74 with calm winds...going to 85 today with light and variable winds out of the North

Day 300. This is almost the perfect morning. Up at 4:30...because I wanted to...not because I’m catching a flight somewhere. By 5, my early morning chores are complete, and I’m on the back deck of the boat. It’s 74 degrees out, so I’ve got the doors open. I’ve got the weather channel on...a hot cup of coffee...the computer...I’m writing about the great day we had yesterday..and looking forward to what’s going to happen today. We’re in a harbor right downtown Miami, the winds are calm, and about 800 feet to the east of us, is the Intracoastal Waterway. Even at this hour, the waterway has boats moving through the channel. I wonder where everyone is going so early? In the background, I can hear the dull roar of the engines of tug boats working in the harbor. I’m sure this is not for everyone...for me...it’s heaven.

Yesterday...we had an awesome cruise getting to Miami. In the morning, it was already very warm, so we took the isinglass off the front, and rolled up the side curtains, to open up the boat. After a little cleaning, to wipe off the dew, we left Key Largo at about 9. The ICW at this point is very straight forward to navigate, and although not deep...it’s at least 6 to 7 feet deep in the shallow spots, and the further north we got, the deeper it got. Most of the time the water was crystal clear, and we could see the bottom. We worked our way through Barnes Sound, on to Little Card Sound, Card Sound, and then to Biscayne Bay. Most of the waterway is open, and the distance between markers is sometimes several miles apart. The winds early were about 10 to 15 out of the ESE, so while we were going east we had a little chop off our starboard bow, by the time we turned north in Biscayne Bay the winds were light, and on our stern. We arrived in Miami about 2 pm, and were tied up in our slip by 2:30. Our marina is called Miamarina (pronounced My-ah-marina). An interesting name...I wonder what was second on the name list? Anyway...after tying up the boat, we walked around the marina to check things out. It’s an interesting place, but not our favorite marina. We originally signed up for 2 days, but will be going to the office this morning, and getting our money back for the second day, and heading out. Many, if not most, folks would probably love this place. It is surrounded by shops, and restaurants, but Deb and I don’t shop much, and rarely eat out, so we will be moving on.

Today...no fire drill, but we will probably leave the slip at about 9, and head north. It’s about 30 miles up the ICW to Fort Lauderdale, and all in protected waters. Most of the waterway channel is deep, and we only need to wait to raise 2 bridges, so it should be a straightforward, and easy, trip. The winds will be light and variable, so that makes it even easier. It is also some of the best waters for boat watching you will ever see. It should be a great cruise, and a great day.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 109; Day 299; Mar. 16th, 2009; Anchorage Marina in Key Largo

This is a typical shot of the ICW on the Gulf side of the Keys...even in the picture you can almost see the bottom

The ICW winds between lots of mangroves

It has narrow channels...followed by wide open spaces

And crab pots are EVERYWHERE

Our destination today was Anchorage Marina...that bridge is Route 1 that goes to Key West

Just across from Anchorage is Gilbert's Marina...where we could hear a great band playing

Just to the north...the Shuttle Launch at 7:43 pm last night

Log 109
Day 299
Monday, March 16, 2009

7:00 AM EST
Location: Anchorage Resort and Marina, Key Largo, FL.
Weather: 73 with light winds...going to 85 today.

It only got down to 73 last night, and for the 5th night in a row, we had to run the A/C in the bedroom. This morning on the back deck, it is very humid, and you can tell it will be a hot and humid day.

Yesterday...after 28 days at Sombrero Resort in Marathon, we untied the lines and headed out about 9 am. Even in the harbor you could tell it was windy, and we had made a good decision to go the ICW on the Bay side of the Keys. When we got to the 7 mile bridge, we certainly confirmed it. The several days of constant winds (even though not that great) had developed a hard chop to the waves, and we were really rolling side to side, as we made our way under the large span of the bridge to enter the Gulf side. Once through the bridge though, it was not bad, with only a moderate chop on our starboard bow. Winds out of the ESE...we were heading E. We joined the ICW at MM1200 (which means it is 1200 miles from there to Norfolk, where the numbers start again as they head North) and were heading for MM1135 at Anchorage Marina, North of Key Largo. The first 30 miles or so of the ICW in that area range between 1/2 mile, to 2 miles off the Keys. You are in very open water, and it is very shallow...ranging from 5 to 8 feet. Most of the time you can see bottom, which makes it very nerve racking for us to travel in. About 2 hours into the day, all of a sudden, we heard a loud bang on the boat, like we had hit something. I was right in the middle of the channel, so I knew I was ok there, but as we looked behind us we could see, what looked like, 2 or 3 crab pot balls broken up. After hearing the noise, I had immediately put it into neutral, and when I put it back in gear, we had a vibration on the starboard side. Not knowing what was wrong...I assumed somehow I had hit a crab pot. That’s bad news, because we were in the middle of nowhere. The good news was, last winter I had installed line cutters, that are designed to cut crab pot lines. If they were working...then I might just have the crab pot line wrapped around my shaft (not caught between the strut and the propeller which would be bad), which was causing the vibration...and by putting the engines in reverse, and backing down on the throttles it might (should) unwrap the line and we’d be ok. That’s exactly what happened. When I put the transmissions back in forward...no vibration. Crisis averted.

The further we went, the better the cruising, and the better the scenery. The ICW would get close to shore in some places, and wind through mangroves in others. It was also a sunny, beautiful Sunday, so there was lots of big center consol boats running up and down the water. A couple of times we’d be in the mangroves, coming around a blind corner, and be met by a very fast (25 to 40 foot) boat loaded with folks flying past us, going the other way. It was very cool. We finally got to Anchorage Marina (MM1135) at 5:15 pm. It was hot and sunny, and the boat was loaded with salt, so the first order of business was to wash it off. This was also when I made a stupid mistake and decided to jump from the dock to the swim platform, and slipped and got my feet tangled in the dock line. To catch myself, my left arm reached out for the dingy. The good news was I caught it...the bad news was it extended my arm WAY beyond where it had been extended before. It hurt bad, and I knew it would hurt worse later...so I immediately applied Ibuprofen and alcohol (the kind you drink) and kept on working. (it was hard sleeping last night, and it hurts like hell this morning...more Ibuprofen today). The cool thing was, that just across the harbor at Gilbert’s Resort, was one of the best sounding bands that I have heard in a long time. Normally I am not a big fan of loud music, disrupting what would otherwise be a nice peaceful afternoon...but this was an exception. They were great. Great songs, great voices, and they played the songs EXACTLY as the originals. Songs from everyone like, Janice Joplin to the Four Tops to Bobby Darin to the Rolling Stones...and lots more in between. Each song better than the last...Deb and I were loving it. More good news...they quit at 7 pm...so we could enjoy our dinner (awesome pasta) and a movie (Ocean’s 13...again). Perfect. Also...during dinner we looked up and saw the trail of bright orange exhaust trail from the launch of the Space Shuttle. Very Cool.

Today we are headed to Miami. Our trip will take us east this morning, and then a turn to the north as we enter Biscayne Bay, which are the waters on the southern side of Miami. We don’t have a reservation anywhere yet, but there are lots of options. The last time we did the Loop in 2000 we spent time in this area, so the waters will be much more familiar now. The weather is supposed to be sunny, with a high of 85 and winds out of the ESE at 5 to 10. Again. Perfect.


I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 108; Day 298; Mar. 15, 2009; Marathon, Fl.

Deb at Sister Creek beach (that's the Atlantic in the backround)...I always wonder who she gets to take these pictures of her when I'm not around?

That's me, at the mouth of Sister Creek, (in the Atlantic) trying to catch some fish

On the way back from the beach, we helped some kayakers by towing them against the tidal current

They did not know where to go, so I towed them back to my favorite fishing spot back in the mangroves

At one point the mangroves open to a small interior lake...that is where we dropped them off

This guy on the shore has a tarpon on his line...but he didn't catch it.

One last shot of the mooring field in Boot Key Harbor...a couple hundred sail boaters spend their winters here.

Log 108
Day 298
Sunday, March 15, 2009

7:00 AM EST
Location: Sombrero Resort and Marina, Marathon, FL.
Weather: 72 with gusty winds out of the ESE...the forecast is for 83 today with moderate winds

Saturday...spent most of the morning doing chores to get the boat ready for cruising again. After lunch we decided to head to the beach at Sister Creek, where we would drop off Deb, and I would go fishing in Sister Creek for a couple of hours. Deb really enjoyed the beach, but the fishing was not that great. I caught about 6 fish, but all were fairly small. On the way back to the boat 2 cool things happened. First, I saw a couple of kayakers who were trying to fish from their kayak, but were having trouble paddling up against the current (from the outgoing tide) so I asked them if they wanted me to pull them way up in the mangroves and they could fish as the tide brought them back out. YEA...was the response, so that’s what we did. It was fun to see how excited they were.

After dropping them off, we went back out to the main channel, and were heading back, when I saw a big splash off the point ahead. Normally when you see that, it’s a big pelican, or other large bird diving for fish, and I was waiting to see what it was, when out of the water jumped a large tarpon (which is what I saw the first time, but didn’t know it). Deb was facing the wrong way to see the fish, so I was telling her how big the tarpon was, and I was going to throw a lure in the water as we passed the area where I saw the tarpon jump. Just as we were getting to the spot a guy on shore yelled at us to stay back...because he had a large tarpon on his line (ok...now we know where the tarpon came from). The problem was the guy did not know what he was doing, and did not keep the line tight. At one point he yelled to us that his line was “stuck on the bottom” (as he was yanking his line like he was trying to free a snag). I told Deb...”I think he still has that fish on”. Then all of a sudden the guy yells “no...I still have him” and starts to reel like crazy, and just then the fish jumped straight out of the water...right beside the dinghy. If I would have stretched way out, I could have grabbed the fish. And as quick as it started...it was over. The guy let slack in the line, and the tarpon got away. But for a couple of minutes it was exciting. Sorry...no pictures. Back at the boat, we had a very relaxing afternoon and evening. For dinner, we had pork chops on the grill, rice and sweet corn. The movie was We Are Marshall...great.

Today...we plan to head north. The winds are much greater than forecast, with gusts of 17 out of the South Southeast. That being the case...instead of heading out in the Atlantic and up Hawks Channel where the waves are going to be 2 to 3 feet, we are going under the 7 Mile bridge and on the Gulf side, and work our way to Miami that way. It’s a lot shallower, and harder to navigate...but also much calmer, and we won’t be bounced around. It also means we won’t be going to Key Largo tonight, because you can’t get to the Key Largo marina from the Gulf, so we will need to come up with another plan. I have a couple of options in mind...we’ll just have to see how far we get. You know me...always flexible. Right.


I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 107; Day 297; Mar. 14, 2009; Marathon, FL.

Our friends Don and Carrie at Burdines. Donnie agreed...great cheeseburger.

Here is the beach just at the mouth of Sister Creek, seems like a nice spot. Deb and I plan to go there today to check it out.

Not sure who this guy is...but we just loved the look of the dog in the dinghy. They were having a great time together.

We keep talking about Deb going to Publix...here she is with her basket on her bike.

If you look in the bottom part of this picture you will see a Iguana, that was blocking the way for Deb to get back on the boat. She said she was freaked out, and had to get the neighbor to come out and move it.

Just in case you did not think it was very big...no wonder she waited until it moved on.

Log 107
Day 297
Saturday, March 14, 2009

7:30 AM EST
Location: Sombrero Resort and Marina, Marathon, FL.
Weather: 73 with light winds out of the ESE...the forecast is for 80 today with light winds

I slept in till 7 this morning...for some reason it just felt good to go back to sleep a few times. Woke to a beautiful morning, again. Deb and I have talked often how we can’t remember the last time it rained. We’ve had a little sprinkle here and there, but no real rain. And, nothing is really forecasted for the next 10 days.

On Wednesday, Don and Carrie stopped by on their way to Key West. They are a great young couple and we loved spending time with them. Of course, the thing to do was take them to one of our cheeseburger places, and we chose Burdines. We took the long way getting there (through the mooring fields) and the long way back (through Sister Creek to see all the beautiful homes on the mangrove canals). It was a little windy, but not bad, and with 4 of us in the dinghy, we did get a few splashes of water on us when we were heading back. They left for Key West about 4 pm...where they will spend the next 4 days.

Thursday we did some mini-projects. I washed the boat, and also had a diver go down and check the bottom of the boat to make sure it was clean. It turned out that there was a lot of Ribbon Worms starting to attach themselves to the bottom, so it was a good thing I got it cleaned. Deb did several loads of laundry, and made a couple trips to the store to take advantage of the nearby Publix. Based on how much stuff we already have on the boat, I didn’t think we needed anything, but I guess (based on the several bags we brought on board) I was wrong.

Friday...is the start of our weekend (now that we’re retired we only work 4 “6 hour days”), so I packed the dinghy and headed off to go fishing. After a quick stop at Burdines, for some gas and 2 dozen live shrimp, I was off to check out 7 mile bridge and see how big the fish were going to be. But getting there I had a few issues. First of all, the current was very swift, and I had a hard time getting the anchor to set. Secondly, the waves were kicking up and it was rough trying to fish from the dinghy. And most importantly...the fish were not biting. So, after not too long, I pulled anchor and headed back to Sister Creek, where I have had so much luck, and I knew I would catch some fish. Wrong. Not sure why, I tried several places, but only caught a few small Jacks. Oh well...there’s always tomorrow. Deb ended up spending a lot of time reading a new book she got from Carrie (Eclipse...some kind of Vampire book???) and jumping on the bike to run some errands. Dinner was (I know you won’t believe this) cheeseburgers on the grill, which, by the way, were fantastic. The movie was Tom Hanks, in Terminal. Great movie.

Today (Saturday)...probably our last day in Marathon. I have been looking at the weather for some time now, looking for a 3 day window to get us up to Ft. Lauderdale, and I think tomorrow will be the start of that window. The winds will be ESE at about 13, which is greater than they said they would be a couple of days ago, but should be fine. Those winds mean that Hawk Channel will be a little bumpy, and we’ll probably end up having to go a little faster for a smoother ride, but, while it may not be a lot of fun, it will not be uncomfortable. So today will be about getting the boat back into cruising condition (instead of living condition). Which means things like, packing the bikes, and putting them in the engine room; filling the water tanks; putting down all the thing on the shelves that you leave out when your not cruising, and in general, making sure all things are ship shape. We don’t need to by another new TV, because we forgot to take it down. With all of this, hopefully, there will be some time to fishing one more time.

Well, it’s a little after 9 am now, and time to get going. Deb is buried in her vampire book, so she is very content for a while. After sending this log along, I will start to get organized, and get some chores done. I can also see a bloody mary, and a dingy ride, not too long in our future.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 106; Day 294; Mar. 11, 2009; Marathon, FL.

This is the boat key bridge, that now will be permanently open as of today.

We were not sure how much we would use our bikes on this trip, but they certainly have come in handy here in Marathon. When we travel they fold up and go in the engine room.

This is the boat Full Circle I have talked about

This is Jan and Tim...owners of Full Circle. We picked them up yesterday for a margarita and a dingy ride.

Not sure if you can tell...but this is me...trying to get to the air cleaner...wedged between the engine and the fuel tank. I would never make it as a full time mechanic.

Log 106
Day 294
Wednesday, March 11, 2009

6:30 AM EST
Location: Sombrero Resort and Marina, Marathon, FL.
Weather: 70 with light winds out of the East...the forecast is for 80 today with light winds

Monday...Beautiful day, with light winds and about 82 degrees. Deb and I putzed around the boat early in the morning, developing our to do list we wanted to get done before we head North. I also made reservations at 3 marinas, between here, and Ft. Lauderdale. After lunch, I jumped on the bike, and went to Boaters World to get a few things, including new set of “water ears” which I use to flush out the dinghy engine. It seems the ones I had previously did not float, and are located somewhere on the bottom of the harbor, because I dropped them on Sunday. I also picked up some new fishing line for my pole...the new braided line, that is supposed to be the “next big thing”. Deb also jumped on the bike, and went to Publix, and Kmart for supplies, and presents for the grand kids for their birthdays coming up. In the mid-afternoon, things were a little slow, so I decided to go fishing for a while. Nice day, but very slow fishing...only caught 1 little one. For dinner, Deb made some great fish cakes, and the movie was 2 pre-recorded episodes of Trust Me...not the best show.

Tuesday...woke up at 4 am, and finally got up about 4:30. When I first came up to the back deck, the moon was so bright, I thought it was starting to get light out. Beautiful morning. One of the things I have not really mentioned, is that each day, at 9 am, they have what they call a Cruiser’s Net on the VHF radio, channel 68. They have a moderator, and all cruisers in the Marathon waters are welcome to participate, or just listen (which is what I do). They always cover...1)introducing new cruisers who have just arrived the area; 2)say good bye to those leaving the area; 3)comments, questions, or anyone needing help;4) buy, sell, trade, give-a-way; 5)trivia question of the day; and 6)final business. One cool part of this is when something good is happening, you can give applause, (like for a birthday, or someone that did something great) by clicking your mike on your radio, which (when your listening) sounds like a combination of static, and a “clap track” on TV. A little corny...but cool. The net lasts anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, and is very helpful to anyone visiting. I have also mentioned the bridge tender on the Boot Key Harbor Bridge, who is always so happy. He welcomes new arrivals, and to those leaving he normally says...”We’ve really enjoyed having you in our harbor, Captain, and we look forward to your safe and speedy return...fair winds, and following seas”. It is so different from any other bridge I have ever listened to. Well, yesterday, the bridge was officially “opened” for the final time. They no longer plan to use that bridge for traffic, so it will be locked in the open position. On one hand, this is a good thing, because boats over 25 feet won’t have to have the bridge opened, but on the other it is sad, because the bridge tenders warm and friendly voice will not be heard in the harbor anymore. Many, if not most, folks in the harbor keep their radios on (it’s the way they communicate with one another) and you would always hear the bridge tender talk about where someone was from...or headed. It is a cool part of this harbor...and it will certainly be missed. Anyway...during this Cruiser’s Net yesterday, the bridge tender (Wayne) got on the net to announce this was the final opening, but he was so broken up, he could not get the words out. Deb was listening, and started to cry with him. The applause (clicking on the radio) went on...and on. I’m sure you had to be here to appreciate this...and I’m glad we were.

Yesterday’s chores consisted of Deb really cleaning the inside of the boat. I’m not sure if it has ever been this clean. She was wiping down everything...at one point I even saw her wiping down the stapler (I’m serious). Anyway...the inside of the boat looks great. Me? Well I have been putting off installing new air filters on the engines, because I knew the starboard one would be a bear to get at, and I would probably have to crawl between the engine and the fuel take to get at it. I’m sorry to say I was right. It took a long time to wiggle myself back there...and I was seriously concerned about getting out, without hurting myself. After getting back there, I knew I only had one shot at getting this done, so Deb came in the engine room to help me. I’m not sure you can see by the picture how tight the space is, but I’m certainly glad to have this behind me. Late in the afternoon, we called Tim and Jan on Full Circle to see if they wanted to go down for $3 margarita’s at Dockside, and we picked them up in our dingy. Nothing much better than a margarita, and a dinghy ride, on a beautiful day. Dinner was great steaks on the grill, and the movie was a recorded episode of 24. Another great day.

Today...our friends Donnie and Carrie will stop by on their way from Miami to Key West. Perfect weather, so our plan is to take a long dingy ride to show them the harbor, and find a place for lunch on the water. Speaking of plans...I did a fair amount of looking at the weather this morning, and it looks like either Sunday or Monday would be a better day to leave than Friday. The winds will be very light, and make the trip even better. We’ll see how this unfolds.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob

Log 105; Day 292; Mar. 9, 2009; Marathon, FL.

I spent most of the weekend fishing.

The next 3 pictures are all on Sister creek

Lots of beautiful homes on Sister Creek

One more Sister creek shot...this is NOT where I go fishing

This critter was perched on the piling next to us. The locals say they climb up here, and then walk the ropes to the boat, so they can get to shore. It makes you think about keeping all the hatches closed!

Log 105
Day 292
Monday, March 09, 2009

7:30 AM EST
Location: Sombrero Resort and Marina, Marathon, FL.
Weather: 68 with light winds out of the East...the forecast is for 80 today with light winds

Sunrise today is 7:39 am, and just as it was starting to get light, there were several boats leaving their slips (and moorings) and heading out. This is the first day in some time that the winds are light, so many boats are taking advantage of that. You can tell it’s that time of year when boats that have been here for the winter are heading north. More are leaving each day.

The last couple of days have been all about relaxing. Deb and I are in to a routine that we work Monday through Thursday, and then take a 3 day weekend to do whatever we want. I know that may seem a little crazy (because we are retired and live on a boat), but this seems to work for us. We plan to do boat chores during the week, and then we don’t feel the least bit guilt about playing on the weekends. Anytime we talk about needing to do something on the boat, we say “we’ll do that during the ‘work’ week”. Hey...works for us.

Fishing...I have had a blast for the last 3 days catching fish. Friday I went out to Burdines and got 2 dozen live shrimp and tried to go out to the 7 mile bridge, but it was too rough, so I came back into sister creek and went back into one of the mangrove creeks. I fished for 4 hours and caught 10 fish. Nothing huge...but all nice sized and fun to catch. I caught a couple Pinfish; a couple Red Drum; a Grunt; a Jack Cravelle; a Lookdown (very cool fish...incredibly flat, and bigger than my hand); a couple of Spotted Sea Trout; and the last thing I caught was a Barracuda. Saturday was more of the same, only I caught about 15 fish in the same area. One quick, cool, story from Saturday. I was about out of shrimp on Saturday afternoon, so I looked in my tackle box to see what artificial bait I would use, and saw my biggest lure, which is a J-plug I use for salmon fishing on Lake Michigan. It’s a big green lure, with a silver belly. Anyway...I put the lure on; made my first cast; yanked on the lure to give it a little “life” in the water; and BAM...a huge fish nailed it. It turned out to be a big (I’d say 2’ long and about 5 or 6 lbs) Spotted Sea Trout, and for the next few minutes it was a lot of fun. On Sunday, I had run out of shrimp, so I decided to head out and try just artificial lures. I caught about 6 fish...mostly Ladyfish, and nothing large, but lots of fun, none the less. Fishing in salt water is great. You never know what you’ll catch, and each time you cast it’s a different experience. I love it.

While all this fishing was going, on Deb seemed to be enjoying herself as well. On Friday and Saturday, when I came back from fishing, she was sitting in a chair on the back swim platform, reading her book. Both times, I had called her to say I was coming back, and she said “don’t hurry back on my account...I’m doing just fine”. Everyone has there own way of relaxing. Thank God.

This week...Deb and I both have our to do lists to work on. Nothing huge, but just a list of things we want to get done before we leave Marathon. On Wednesday, we will have some company. When we lived in Delaware (1984-1988) our Daughters best friend (Carrie) was also our neighbor. Through the years, we have all stayed in touch, and she, and her husband (Donnie), will be heading to Key West and stopping by the boat. They are both great folks...and we look forward to seeing them. I can see a dinghy ride down to Burdines for a great cheeseburger in our future.

Our plan to leave...at this point is on Friday. The weather forecast looks good for a few days, and the highest winds predicted are 12 mph...and not until next Sunday. Our plan is to stop for one night in Islamorada, and then to head to Miami for a couple of nights. Then on to Ft. Lauderdale, where we plan to spend at least 2 weeks...maybe longer. We love Marathon...but we can’t wait to go cruising again.


I’ll keep you posted.

Bob