It's Chill Time!

There's a groovy vibe here in the keys.  Of course they didn't, but it feels like all the flower children of the 60's came here to retire and I'm love'n it.

Marathon is not only a place where retired cruisers (and hippies) come to play, its also where old and neglected boats come to retire or die.  I posted pictures below.

Our loose plan is to stay a bit longer to soak up the atmosphere and have fun.   So far we've been working on boat projects and taking multiple trips in to Home Depot....so many that I swear we have worn a permanent groove in the sidewalk .  Now...It's chill time! 

We have to wait for a good weather window anyway, before we leave, and that doesn't look like any time soon.  Then we will stage to go across to the Bahamas....but more about that next time.

The Joys of Cruising

Sadly, it's been a while since I had time to thoroughly clean Folly and it was really starting to bug me.  Since we will be in Marathon for a bit, now's my chance to get'er done.

Anyone who owns a boat knows that boats were not designed with cleaning in mind.  Dirt gets caught in cracks and crevices and hard to reach places making it almost impossible to get it all.  

These were my favorite cleaning tools of the day..... that and the vacuum, but after cleaning the filter, I swear, we should be hairless by now.

Changing the sheets is another job that requires strength and agility.  Again that was something that couldn't have been considered in the design process.  By the time I was finished I felt like I just had a full body workout! (Don't get me started on the fridge.  That will have to wait until I get someone to hold me by the ankles to reach the bottom.)

While I was doing all that Harley was busy looking at all the pieces of the watermaker and scratching his head....not because it confuses him....but because it's so BIG.  That honking big thing is going to take up a lot more room than we expected but it will be worth it. Once installed, we will have our very own water factory.  We may consider selling water to thirsty cruisers to help pay for it.....just kidding!!!!....(maybe). Here in Marathon, if you need water, you have to buy it at .50 cents a gallon.  

These are the joys of cruising.  Tomorrow is the American Thanksgiving and there is going to be a huge potluck at the marina.  There are 226 mooring balls here and they are all full.  It's going to be fun....but more about that....next time.

Spotted this guy near the dinghy dock.

Don't pissed off the captain.

The marina has a herb garden.  We are free to take whatever we want.

I've been missing my painting so I've started to doodle.  I see another addiction starting.

I heard someone say this quote today.  LOL

We Made it to Marathon

We made it to Marathon in the Florida Keys and we are now on the Atlantic side of the U.S.

It was another epic 28-hour sail from Charlotte Harbour to Marathon on a downwind run.  There was no drone of the engine.  It was just us and the wind.....but it got me thinking.  We could have driven here from Ontario in that time! 

August 6th was the day we left.  We sailed up Georgian Bay, across the North Channel,  and down Lake Michigan to Chicago, took the inland waterway to  Mobile Alabama, then followed the Gulf coast of Florida to here.  A total of 117 days! 

For sure, it's a lot of effort to get some place we could have driven to in just over a day, but then we have to think about what we would have missed.  Mackinac, the unique harbours on Lake Michigan, Chicago!, the beautiful scenery and wildlife of the rivers,  and DOLPHINS are just a few of the things.  Most of all we would have missed all the amazing people we've met (and will continue to meet) and the friends we have made.  

For us, this is where the adventure begins.  We will stay in Marathon at least a week to do our major provisioning before we head to the Bahamas.   Harley will also install the watermaker here and do some maintenance jobs.  I wouldn't mind taking a side trip to Key West but after that we are sailing off to the gin-clear waters of the Bahamas.  I can't wait! ....but more about that....next time.

The beach at Cayo Costa

This is Don and Harley .   They had fun playing at the beach!

Caution Skinny Water

Well we had our first grounding. 

Thank goodness we have that out of the way as it was inevitable and we've been waiting for it.  Nothing serious happened...no damage to anything accept our pride.  Luckily, we were able to back off with no issues.  I will admit though, it rattled our confidence a bit. 

The thin water in the GIWW is frustrating and we are now looking for a good outlet to exit.  The charts show many outlets but most are not recommended due to shoaling with sand bars that constantly shift.  Since we don't want another "touch down" we are looking for something a little more bullet proof. 

Also, like we need another reason to get out, the guidebooks don't show much in the way of good anchorages.  We've been flipping the pages and can't find anything that shows you can anchor in more than 5 or 6 feet and if there is one it will say you have to go over a 5 foot sandbar to get in to it.  So there's our dilemma.  At this point it would be nice to have a buddy boat to "bounce" (no pun intended) some ideas off of. 

In the meantime, we are still enjoying the ride with dolphins guiding us and swimming along side much of the way.   Today we are sailing across Charlotte Harbour towards Pelican Bay on Cayo Costa.  There is not much wind but the sails are up.  We are moving slow as we want to arrive at high tide for all the reasons mentioned above.  From there we may go outside or we may go to Punta Gorda to visit our friends John and Margot.  ...but more about that....next time.

Just off the channel the water is very thin!

I did not crop or zoom in for this picture.  This is how close the dolphins come.

There are many bridges along this stretch.  Most open on demand.  This one was under construction so only one side lifted.

Check out the fish in it's talons!

There are lots of big mansions but I like these homes much better.

Beach Bumming

We've been slowly inching our way down the gulf coast of Florida and are having a wonderful time.  We are in no rush and it would be a shame if we were.  This part of Florida has much to offer and we would be missing so much if we didn't stop now and again to enjoy and explore.

Since we were anchored in fairly shallow water when we were in Clearwater Beach, we had to wait for high tide before we could leave on Tuesday.   As a result we didn't make it very far that day and ended up stopping in the cool town of Golf Port.  Lucky for us our friend Sharon lives close by and she came by to visit us.  It was so great to see her.  That evening we enjoyed a fantastic meal at the "happening" O'Maddy's Bar and Grill.  Thanks Sharon!!!  We had a great time!

From there we sailed across Tampa Bay and stopped at Longboat Key where we still are.   Here there's a great anchorage that is not only protected but has everything we could ever want very close and easily accessible. We had every intention to leave this morning but at the last minute we decided to stay.  Turns out we made a good decision because we had a phenomenal day!

Just a short dinghy ride away is a dock on Anna Maria Island and right across the road from that we discovered an amazing beach!  I was totally in my element, being the nerd that I am, walking the shore and collecting shells.  I could have done that all day but there were other things we wanted to see so we jumped on the free trolly and took it to Anna Maria Pier at the other end of the island.  On the way back we had a great time getting on and off the trolly and stopping here and there to shop, eat, and sight see.  This truly is a lovely, delightful, beachy, and laid back place and I am so glad we took the time to experience it.

Once again,  we will be moving on tomorrow but don't have a definite plan as to where we'll stop.  We have a few options but I  guess we'll just have to wait see how we feel when the time comes.  We want to go to Cayo Costa but realize it's a bit too far.  We'll leave that for another day...but...more about that next time.

Anna Maria Pier

I take my "shelling" very seriously!

Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  Tampa Bay

There is some very skinny water around here!

I'm guessing this is a ship wreck.

Another abandoned boat.  If you look close you can see another sunken boat just behind.

Reality Check

This cruising life has us doing things that are nerve racking and uncomfortable.  Today I did something that was, by far, the scariest thing I've done since we started out three months ago.  I got my hair cut!!  By a stranger!!  It was traumatic but I got through it.  It's experiences such as this that make you strong. 😉

Seriously now, after four days, I think we can say we've seen as much of Clearwater Beach as we need to and it's time to get going.  We would have moved on sooner but there was the case of the watermaker that we had ordered and was here waiting for us.  When we arrived on Friday we called to make arrangements for pick up and that's when we found out the place was closed until Monday.   Oh well!  I guess it was time to play tourist.

Clearwater Beach is a perfect beach destination for anyone looking for an escape from reality.  The beach is amazing with sand as fine as icing sugar.   Hotels and open air bars with live music line it's shores.  On the dock, where we stayed for two days, were attractions of every sort such as deep sea fishing tours, dolphin tours, Booze Cruises, Dinner Cruises, ..... you name it.  At sunset vendors set up at pier 60 and street performers entertain the crowds.  It was all very cool ...  for the first 2 days..... but honestly, not really what we are looking for. 

Right now we are hanging on our anchor gently swaying back and forth with the tide and a light breeze.  This is more like it.  The watermaker and all the wires, hoses, and filters are sitting in pieces in one of the aft cabins.  We are relaxed and ready.  

Tomorrow we will motor down the intracoastal until we find a cool place to stop or until we don't want to go any further....whatever comes first....but more about that. ...next time.

So many palm trees!

Catch of the day from one of the fishing charters . 

Sunset cruise

The Clearwater Aquarium where the movie "Dolphin Tales" was filmed

You see many interesting vehicles cruising the beach.

Another funky restaurant.  This one beside the marina.

The beach

The haircut for those inquiring minds.

Expect the Unexpected

King Neptune, the god of the wind and the sea, shone down on us once again.  Our 160-mile overnight sail from Carabell to Clearwater Beach was amazing!

Eighteen boats left yesterday to bypass the "Big Bend" of Florida and go straight from  Carabelle to Tarpon Springs. This was supposed to be the window of opportunity everyone wanted, including us. 

Most of the group were power boats and were going to Tarpon Springs so they left at around three o'clock in the afternoon.  Since we like to rely on the wind and were going a bit further, we left at 0800.

So here's the "expect the unexpected" thing I often talk about.  The weather wasn't what was expected but, for us, it was better.  The wind was  brisk 20+ knots in the morning with about 3-4 ft waves.  Folly loved it and we had a nice comfortable sail until mid afternoon when the wind died and we were forced to turn on the Iron Genny.  On the positive side, it was perfect for the power boats just leaving and great for me to prepare a nice dinner.

It was a beautiful sunset and we ate in the cockpit, without dishes flying around, and totally blissed out on life.  *sigh*  It was wonderful!

After dark I took the first watch from 8 to 12 midnight.  Shortly after Harley went down, the wind picked up and before long  I pulled out the sail and turned off the engine.  It was awsome and I felt very empowered and proud to think I did it all myself.   By the time Harley got up the wind was back up to 20+ knots and we were  moving along at about 6.5 knots.

The wind continued like this through the night but unfortunately it clocked around and started coming straight on the nose.... not what was called for. Needless to say the power boats who had caught up to us by now were not impressed!  So much for their flat calm crossing!  We were not impressed either as our autohelm stopped working around 1am and we were forced to hand steer the rest of the way. 

Neither one of us slept the rest of the way giving each other a break at the helm every two hours.  It was fine but tiring.  We entered Clearwater pass at 1030. 

We have rented a car and will be exploring this cool beach town for the next couple of days.  We will also be looking into what's going on with the autohelm, but more about that. ...next time.

Staging to Cross

The conditions were perfect when we sailed from Panama City to Port St. Joes and we made good time.  So far our timing has been bang on for favorable sea conditions ... when sailing outside the waterway....and again, we had dolphins swimming with us much of the way. 

 

It was too early to stop when we arrived at St Joes so we carried on via the Gulf County Canal and the GIWW.  It was a very pleasant but long 10-hour day and we were glad to finally set the hook in Saul Creek just short of Apalachicola. 

  

*yawn*  I know this is boring but I'm doing this for me too so I have an account of this journey.  Stay with me.....

 

The next day we motored through St George Sound, which is wide open but very shallow.  There was no sailing as we had to stay in a very narrow buoyed channel   The wind had picked up and the sea state was ugly.  After 5 hours of pounding into short nasty waves (and much gnashing of teeth) we made it to this  nice protected harbour and the quaint town of Carabelle.

 

We will stay here in Carabelle for a few days to wait for the next weather window to cross to Tarpon Springs, which will be 170 miles and another overnighter.  I'm praying our luck continues for smooth seas.  They say this stretch of ocean can be ugly in the wrong conditions.  The Gulf is shallow here and is known for, what they call, "square waves".  Some have said it's like sailing over 18-wheelers!  Thursday looks to be our window with NE wind around 15 knots.  We're anxiously  looking forward to it....but more about that. ...next time.

 

The Moorings Marina Carabelle

  

It always looks like our mast won't fit under these bridges.

 

 

But of course it does.

 

 

 

There are many ruins along the waterway.

 

 

 

I love the fishing boats.

 

 

It's also amazing how many sunken and abandoned boats we've seen.