On the road again....

Just a quick note that we will be getting underway again in the morning. That would be March 3rd for those of you that don't see the post tonight. I know some cold northern readers like to follow along while they should be working...(joking)

After a weekend in Key West we will be heading slowly back up the keys with plans to be in the Ft. Lauderdale area about April 1st. We'll make the decision on heading to the Bahamas or continuing up the east coast at that time depending on the weather.

The second half of February was as fun as the first but we'll put out a real post about that with pictures in a few days. OK...I can't leave you with no pictures....

Name the movie.

February Fun

Well, the weather has been improving since the end of January. We've not had much rain at all and the strong winds have let up a bit in duration. One of the things on the to-do list has been to clean the bottom of the boat and change the zincs on the propeller shafts. I had picked a warm sunny day to do this job but the wind had been blowing from the north for a few days causing our area of the marina to get filled with floating sea grass, no big deal really I could work around it.

However, upon further review we saw the north winds had also brought in a few critters to visit. Seeing a few Portuguese man o'war floating around led me to find other projects that day.

The visits also have continued and we have enjoyed them all. Next up was my sister Kathy and our good friend Gretchen. Jill was able to get in some serious girl time with this visit. The nights were cool but the days were sunny and warm as we spent time showing them around the keys. One place we visited was a canal house we had seen on our dinghy pub crawl. This place was a large boat shed on the water side but built to look like a steam ship from the front. I'll try to get a pic of the water side if we get back that way.

We spent Super Bowl Sunday on a road trip to Key West and had a blast as usual. All to soon it was time for them to head back to the frozen north...hurry back,

Hello Ladies...

After a quick turn of the pillows our friends Ann and Grant checked in to the B & B. We wasted no time in also showing them around our winter home (for this year). First stop was for happy hour at the Sunset Grille. It really helps folks get into the "island time" mood.

It never gets old.

We also paid a visit to the Turtle Hospital which is only a short walk from the boat. They put on a very nice tour and explain how they rehab sick or injured sea turtles. If you find and help rescue an injured turtle you get to name him...that's our goal!! You can find out more about what they do by following the link above.

We also put our guests to work while they visit. Some projects are a bit too big for just Jill and I. Besides, you have to pay for that room and board somehow. One particular project that I had been wanting to do was to lay down the radar arch and measure our height with it down. When we set off on this Loop trip we really didn't know if we could make the boat short enough to clear the 19' bridge outside of Chicago. If you can't do that the Great Loop becomes the Great U-Turn...that didn't sound like fun. Good news is the radar arch isn't too heavy and can easily be laid down by 2 people. The boat is 17' 3" with the arch down and that is in salt water. We'll be even shorter in fresh water so there is no sweat getting through the loop.

Top Down Day

 
We also made the pilgrimage to Key West as well as checking out a few new stops like the Big Pine Key flea market. It don't get better than that!! One other note about Big Pine is that it is home to the Key Deer and we found several as we were trying to find the No Name Pub. Nice thing about Key Dear is they are trained to only cross the road near the deer crossing signs....This buck is about the size of a large dog.

Again too soon, our friends were heading back to the (this time) foggy north. If you see Grant ask him about the adventure getting home.

This week was spent getting some more boat projects completed that we've been putting off. I think they call it Keys Disease when you keep thinking you'll get to it tomorrow. We have another round of visitors coming next week and then our time is up here in Marathon. The "plan" for now is to head west to Key West for a few days in early March before making our way up the keys toward Miami in mid March. At that time we'll look at the forecast and see if the patterns are right to head to the Bahamas. If not we'll just move more slowly up the east coast of Florida being careful not to outrun the warm weather. As nice as it's been to be in one place for this long we've both said how ready we are to get moving again....I guess it's a boater thing. One salty old boater told us "when you're walking down the street and someone honks and waves at you, you've been here too long....that happened yesterday.

Until next time, remember.............

Marathon in January

I figure we should get another blog out before things really start to get busy this month at the Chasing 80 B & B (Boat and Breakfast). They keep talking about island time but we haven't seemed to slow down much.

I know I mentioned in the last post how bad the weather has been so I thought I'd include a few pics just to prove it. Several of the cold fronts that came through brought some serious squall lines and high winds. Once the front would go through the winds would clock around to the North and blow hard for a day or two. After that they would start moving around to the East and finally South where things would start to warm up before the whole pattern would repeat. I know it's been a mild winter so far up North so y'all should be feeling sorry for us! The picture below is the squall line approaching before one storm. This is the same front that caused tornadoes up around Ft. Myers. It's just after sunrise and you can see we are still in the sunshine but not for long. Winds were over 50 as this line went through.

Next pic is how the forecast typically looked during January. We're hoping for an improving trend in February.

OK, you don't really need to feel sorry for us, we are still living the dream! It's been really interesting hanging out here for a month. In the past we would pass through Marathon on our way to Key West with no more than a stop for lunch or a drink. The past month we've become very familiar with the lower half of Vaca Key by riding our bikes everywhere we go. We've found several new places with great happy hour food and drink deals (I am retired after all). If the wind is blowing hard from the North we go to the South side where it's calmer! One spot we like is Porky's with really good food, great staff and a funky vibe (for the hipsters reading).

Buffalo Fish Fingers

Everywhere we've been down here is very pet friendly so we get our fill of tail wags without having to have our own on board.

So this dog walks into a bar....

We've spent time exploring by dinghy on the day's the wind isn't blowing too hard. One nice day we got about 6 boats together and did a dinghy pub crawl (row?) all the way around the key. I'd guess about 15 miles in total.

Don't think its been all play and no work, we've gotten several boat projects done including one day under the boat checking out the bottom and running gear. I'll do it once more before we head off next month. We've also attended a fishing seminar but it's not been great for fishing here either.

We took a quick trip to Key West to have an interview with Customs and get our Small Vessel Reporting Cards. These make it easier to clear back into the country when we go to the Bahamas and Canada. Work, work, work....

This past week our friends Brenda and Ron came down to visit for a few days and brought along the weather we've been looking for this past month. Finally 80 degrees!! We showed them some of our favorite hang outs both here in Marathon as well as a day trip back to Key West. We took them to the Green Parrot which is our favorite spot in Key West. Check out the music schedule in the link for some pretty great acts passing through town.

Green Parrot

The Sunset Grille here in Marathon has been a spot we hit for "Sunday Funday" which is a great party but last night was the first time we made it there for sunset. It's not quite the celebration of Mallory Square in Key West but we enjoyed the scenery and company.

Well, that's it for now. The next set of guests are checking in tomorrow and I need to turn the pillows over so they think they are clean. We're both looking forward to all our visitors and showing them around our little piece of the rock. Unfortunately it looks like Brenda and Ron took the nice weather back to their RV near Orlando....oh well, I'm sure we'll find something to keep our friends occupied! 

Ft Myers to Marathon

OK...We've been in Marathon for a few weeks and it's been cool (60's) windy and rainy so I have no excuse for not posting sooner other than we've been working hard to make the best of it. Truth be told I probably would have put off posting longer if we hadn't run into a fellow boater and blogger today who reminded me how long it's been since my last post. You faithful followers deserve more...both of you.

After an enjoyable Christmas in Ft Myers we left on the 26th and ran out in the gulf down to Marco Island. There is some of the old ICW below Ft Myers but we would have to go out above Naples anyway so the gulf it was. Seas were less than 2 feet so it was a pretty easy run down. Things got pretty busy once we entered the pass into Marco but we got into Rose Marina without any real issues. Any of you that have been to Marco know it's a $$$ kind of town and not really our speed but it is a good jumping off point for the keys. We were there for 3 nights waiting for the wind to calm down (again), It would be a 2 day run to Marathon from Marco with an anchorage in the Everglades on the way.

One highlight while in Marco was a dinghy ride up the Marco River to the town of Goodland. Every Sunday in the winter Stans has a party that is off the charts!! If going by boat you have to get there early, heck the parking lot fills up early too. The party officially starts at 1:00 with the National Anthem but we were there before noon just to get a spot. We were lucky enough to get there a few years ago while Stan was still alive but they have carried on the party pretty well since his passing.

Stans on Sunday

We pulled out of Marco early on the 29th for a 60 mile day to Little Shark River in the southern Everglades. Once past Cape Romano just south of Marco we really started getting into the crabbing area. There were small Styrofoam floats everywhere along the route. Problem is they are connected by a poly line down to the crab trap that can foul your prop and bring things to a shuddering halt if you pick one up. The line of traps run for miles and not always in the direction we're headed. Some are painted dark colors that blend with the water and are hard to spot until you're on it. Luckily we were able to avoid getting one caught but it was a pretty stressful day.  The picture below was a rarity. Brightly colored floats and going in our direction. We have been eating crab since we've been here just to thumb our nose at them!

Once inside the boundaries of Everglades National Park there is no crabbing allowed so that provided a nice break. We puled into a nice cove at Little Shark River and were greeted by a lovely sunset and about a zillion stars once the sun went down.

Early the next morning we had the anchor up and were headed toward Marathon. We stayed in the park as long as we could but were back into the crab pots in about an hour. Luckily there were less once we got into the Keys National Sanctuary and we were into Faro Blanco by 1:30 and will be here for 2 months. 

 

This is a very nice marina and there are several other Loopers here with more on the way. We have been getting some boat projects done as well as exploring the area on our bikes. We've been down this way a bunch by car but it's amazing how many little dive bars we miss when going by at 50 mph. 

Starting end of the month and continuing through February we will be having friends and family visiting from up north, sure hope it warms up for them! We have had one visitor already who is always fun to see. I call him Bobby........

 

Even though it's been cool and rainy don't worry about us. We've been eating OK. Until next time....

Dunedin to Ft. Myers Beach

We finally untied and left Dunedin on December 14th. It was a nice 2 week break and we now had 2 weeks to get down the west coast of Florida and into the keys. I figured it made sense to break the trip into 2 posts...don't want to overwhelm anyone!

The first day was a pretty short run to Tierra Verde which is near St. Pete Beach. We had planned to get across Tampa bay but the winds had been blowing pretty hard all day and we decided not to chance it. Next morning the winds were down and we got across the bay with no issues. Passed the Sunshine Skyway as we were heading out into the bay, pretty impressive site from the water.

Big Bay, Skinny Channel.

Across the bay we re-entered the Intra-Costal at Bradenton Beach. We had a short wait for a draw bridge and were on our way. We were heading for Sarasota and making good time when....

The fog set in!

I can honestly say I've never seen fog develop so quickly and at mid day. Luckily it didn't last too long and we didn't hit anything along the way. We were able to pick our speed back up and got in to the mooring field by mid afternoon. Sarasota has developed a very nice mooring field right in downtown and an easy dinghy ride to Marina Jacks ($$$$). A mooring ball is a nice alternative at $25.00 a night to anchoring or paying over $3.00 a foot for a slip.

Sarasota

  We met up with our friends on Knot Sew Easy while in Sarasota. We had last seen them in Alabama and it was nice to catch up. That seems to be how this loop thing works...you meet people and hang out for a while then go off to see different things. A few days or weeks later you run into everyone and catch up over "docktales"

After 2 nights we set off again. This time the plan was to head up Charlotte Harbor and see Punta Gorda & Port Charlotte. Along the way we passed under several lift bridges and a couple of older swing bridges. On the swing bridge the tender walks out to the middle of the bridge after stopping traffic and turns the bridge from the middle. Then she walked over and had a chat with us as we went by...I think the bridge went to Mayberry.

A short way up Charlotte Harbor we stopped for the night at Burnt Store Marina. I have no idea how it got it's name but I assume there was some type of mercantile disaster involved. I've seen many marinas lately where there is some sort of ceremony at sunset. It may be the blowing of a horn or firing of a cannon but Burnt Store is the only place where we've seen a bagpiper at sunset...no lie!

After Burnt Store we headed up to Punta Gorda for the weekend and a stay at their mooring field. On the way there a cool front came through and the winds behind it blew hard from the East for 2 days. Saturday we didn't leave the boat as it would have been a very wet ride getting to the harbor. Sunday was better and we had a good time exploring town during the afternoon. The marina even had free bicycles and we covered some ground!

Mooring Field

Cool Rides!!

Can you believe we found another brewery?? What are the chances???

 Monday we headed back to Burnt Store to tie up to something that didn't rock all night and top off fuel. They were giving a Christmas special of $1.00 a foot and fuel was good too. Bagpiper had the night off though.....

Jill has been trying to get a good dolphin picture since we hit salt water but they seem as elusive as those Monarch Butterfly's back in Tennessee. Well heading down Charlotte Harbor we finally got a great shot, video even. You have to look quick because he was halfway through the second jump but its there!!

Next afternoon we made a short run to Cayo Costa State Park and a nice quiet anchorage. We did a bit of exploring in the dinghy and saw a small alligator. We tried to Dinghy over to Cabbage Key but the waves were still up outside the anchorage. Cabbage Key is where it is said Jimmy Buffett got the inspiration for Cheeseburger in Paradise...I guess we'll have to find out next time.

Jill said all she wanted for Christmas was to be tied to a dock so we headed for Ft. Myers and Salty Sam's Marina. Despite the salty name it is a very nice marina and there is so much to do in the area by dinghy. They even offered 50% off dockage with our Boat US membership.

Salty Sam's

Christmas day we decided to dinghy over to the beach since everyone would be home enjoying time with family. Well, I guess we did that up north because it is so cold, down here everyone goes to the beach!!!

Find Jill....

Well, we had a very nice Christmas even though we were missing family and friends. Ft. Myers was a very nice stop and I can see spending more time there in the future. Boxing Day we headed out into the gulf for the run down to Marco Island. I'll catch you all up on that next time.

BTW, Happy New Year!!!!!

Dunedin FL, December 1-14

As I said in earlier posts Marker 1 Marina is where Jill won a free 2 week stay and we sure made the most of it!! It took us a couple of days to recover from our crossing. I guess we don't do all nighters like we used to. Dunedin is a very nice little town with a great bike trail that goes from Tarpon Springs to the north all the way to Clearwater in the south. We rented a car the first weekend to cover some more ground and get some larger items that we needed. It was time for an oil change and 15 gallons is a bit much on a bike. We also changed out the other engine battery...I guess we should have done both back at Aqua Yacht (thanks Tex).

One of our stops was in Tarpon Springs which was a big Greek sponging town back in the day. Today they still do some sponging but it is really a touristy kind of town with some great Greek food. I remember going there as a kid and it doesn't seemed to have changed much.

  

 While we had the car we went south to Bradenton Beach to meet up with our friends Vickie and Bryan who were down here visiting relatives. You may remember them from our Nashville trip this past summer. This was our first visit with friends from "back home" since we started the trip. I'm sure there will be more when we hit the keys. Of course we were able to find a dive bar during our visit.

While in Dunedin we were also paid a visit by Jill's cousin Larry and his wife Marge who live in Lakeland FL. It was nice to catch up since we hadn't seen them in several years.

The first Saturday we were here they had their lighted boat parade. There were some pretty impressive entry's. Some of the boats had more lights than the houses around here.

We also to advantage of the car to run over to Tampa and spend an afternoon in Ybor City. This is the home to the old cigar industry section of Tampa and has several nice restaurants and cigar shops. One sign really caught my attention....a couple of these and I'm ready for another gulf crossing!

It was very nice to be in one place for awhile and really relax but after 2 weeks it was time to get moving again. We are now in Punta Gorda on a mooring ball for a few days before heading through Pine Island Sound toward Marco Island and eventually Marathon where we will stay for 2 months. A strong cold front came through last night (only 73 today) and the winds are going to be pretty strong till Monday so we'll just have to rough it out here....shucks. We'll update on the trip from Dunedin south when we have better wifi.

If we don't post before we'd like to wish all of our friends, family and followers a Merry Christmas!!

On the midnight watch I realized.....

.....That ocean forecasters get their training as weathermen in the Midwest. To say the forecast was off a bit would be an understatement. They had been calling for waves less than 2 feet and winds light and variable to last for the next 36-48 hours. We faced several periods where waves were 2-4 for a few hours. I'm sure there was a 6 footer in there every once in a while just to keep us on our toes.

We were joined in Port St. Joe by friends on our sister ship "The Mist" who would make the crossing with us. It was nice to have another boat to travel with and check in on the radio every hour or so. It was "fun" to look back at them as they were crashing through the waves and know that's what we looked like.

Chasing 80 & The Mist

Port St. Joe Lighthouse

We left Port St. Joe at 11:00 Monday morning in the best weather we would see for the next 24 hours. Out of St. Joe Bay we ran south along the barrier island toward Cape San Blas. The shoals at the Cape extend out a few miles and once we cleared those we turned southeast and I engaged the autopilot for the waypoint I had set just off Anclote Key just outside Tarpon Springs. We wouldn't touch the controls again for the next 18 hours (other than to hold onto the wheel for dear life!!). As we made the turn the seas started to build, thankfully on our nose the whole way Jill had taken a movie when we were in the gulf from Panama City to Port St. Joe. Conditions were similar to start but continued to build heading toward sunset.

About sunset conditions were at the worst they would be for the whole trip. Jill had done a great job of securing things inside the boat but we were a bit lax when it came to things on the fly-bridge. I made the mistake of believing the forecast. The sea took on a pattern of 4-6 hard slams on the nose with a period of 20-30 seconds of relative calm before repeating. Thankfully I had locked the door on the mini fridge but it did slide around quite a bit. It took a couple of days before I had the nerve to open it again! It was a real challenge to keep holding on to things while trying to move about. At one point my Tervis cup was sitting on the fridge and I happened to look over just as it levitated about a foot up and then moved 3 feet back and down through the open hatchway to the Saloon below. Luckily it landed mostly on the drain grate by the door so it didn't make too big of a mess.

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse the sun went down... it gets really DARK out there when that happens!! I guess it happens every night. About 9:00 I began to notice that the slams were coming in 2-4's with a longer calm period....could it be getting better? I promised Jill that when the moon came up at 10:30 it would calm things down even more. I don't think she believed me but went down to get some "rest" on the futon anyway. Actually things did calm down even more and there was a much appreciated moon rise. The waves are easier to take when you can see them coming.

On our midnight radio check with The Mist I made the mistake of telling Bill "I think we have this licked"...DOH! Jill came up to relieve me about 2:00 and I hit the futon for some shuteye. Well, that lasted all the way till 3:00 when I realized we were doing the hobby-horse again. Things weren't as uncomfortable as earlier but still too much to sleep through. About 3:30 I came back to the bridge and told Jill to try and get some more rest. Things calmed down again by 5:00 and by 5:30 I began to see the first signs of sunrise. Jill took back over and I was able to crash for a couple of hours. She shot a pretty cool video just before sunrise.

All in all we only had probably 6-7 hours of really snotty seas during the whole 26 hour trip but that seems to be what you remember most. It's been a week since we started and it doesn't seem as bad now...

Welcome sight

 It was good to get that part of the trip behind us and now we can look forward to leisurely making our way down the gulf coast of Florida. The trip was never dangerous and the boat performed flawlessly. A quick check of things once we were secure revealed a few loose screws (on the boat!) and a bent stand-off arm on the dinghy. If you zoom in on the picture below the arm in the foreground is supposed to be straight like the one in the background.

We got the boat and ourselves cleaned up and headed out to an early dinner. I was in bed at 7 pm and got a solid 13 hours of sleep!

Celebration Margarita's

We are now at Marker 1 Marina in Dunedin where Jill had won a free 2 week stay. We have been enjoying the area for the past week but I'll save that for another post. We may get moving late week to head south, stay tuned.

First sunset at Marker 1