Hello again,
Made my way north today, to Daytona, which equates to about 49 miles. And I have rediscovered the joy of anchoring along the ICW. Happily, the anchorage had plenty of room, and current and wind were in perfect harmony. I dropped the Rocna and paid out chain and line. So far, so good. I cleated the line and returned to the cockpit. I put the engine in reverse and backed down at about half throttle. And the boat started to move aft, towards the bridge abutment, as if there was no anchor down at all. Moving quickly, I returned to the forecheck and started pulling up the anchor, which seemed much heavier than usual. As it broke the surface it was evident what the problem was. The anchor had gotten stuck on a rusty old crab trap and was unable to bite into the bottom. This would require some effort, but in the meantime the bridge abutment was coming up fast. So I secured the chain and left the anchor, the trap, and a large amount of putrid mud hanging off the bow, and hustled back to the engine controls. After getting the boat to a safer spot, I put it in neutral, went forward and cleaned up the whole sorry mess. Then, I reanchored successfully. But, I knew the tide would change. But there was plenty of room to swing, and the weather was stable. Then, 3 other boats came and anchored near me. So, I dragged out another anchor, shackled it to another rode, and ran it out in the dinghy. Now, White Seal, is resting comfortably, while the other boats swing wildly about, as current and wind oppose each other. But now, the dinghy is bumping the side of the hull and driving me nuts, so I will haul it out of the water for the night. Boy, am I having fun, or what?
Best to all, Charlie
Friday, April 12, 2019
Thursday, April 11, 2019
WOW!
Hi again,
Well now, that was certainly a life changing event! I guess I can see why 100k people show up for a launch like that. I was amazed at the absolutely staggering power on display. At 7 or 8 miles away you could feel it, big time. And the pillar of fire with the shiny white rocket on top, amazing. The whole thing didn't take all that long as the rocket climbed out of sight. I would like to suggest that anyone who doubts what the space program has done, come to a launch like this. Pretty tough to fake. And a doff of the hat to Elon Musk. That guy can get stuff done. He probably has to go back to his car factory tomorrow, but shooting off a rocket like that has got to be a great little break from the grind. I bet he had a good seat for the launch!
Your inspired scribe, Charlie
Well now, that was certainly a life changing event! I guess I can see why 100k people show up for a launch like that. I was amazed at the absolutely staggering power on display. At 7 or 8 miles away you could feel it, big time. And the pillar of fire with the shiny white rocket on top, amazing. The whole thing didn't take all that long as the rocket climbed out of sight. I would like to suggest that anyone who doubts what the space program has done, come to a launch like this. Pretty tough to fake. And a doff of the hat to Elon Musk. That guy can get stuff done. He probably has to go back to his car factory tomorrow, but shooting off a rocket like that has got to be a great little break from the grind. I bet he had a good seat for the launch!
Your inspired scribe, Charlie
Waiting.....
Hi everyone,
Hanging out here in Titusville waiting for the Falcon Heavy rocket launch. It was postponed yesterday and I have decided I dont have the patience to be a rocket launch afficianado! I could have made a 100 miles to the north over the last 2 days but here I am, sitting in Titusville. I will let you know a bit later how it went.
Best, Charlie
Hanging out here in Titusville waiting for the Falcon Heavy rocket launch. It was postponed yesterday and I have decided I dont have the patience to be a rocket launch afficianado! I could have made a 100 miles to the north over the last 2 days but here I am, sitting in Titusville. I will let you know a bit later how it went.
Best, Charlie
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Goodbye Mary
Hi everyone,
I'll be honest. This morning was tough. I am not ashamed to say that I cried. Mary has been aboard with me for almost 3 months and I said goodbye to her as she headed back to Georgetown for 3 more weeks. We have had so much fun cruising together on White Seal. How many dads get to do something like this? All I know is that I am very, very grateful. Mary will be spending the additional time in the Bahamas on a friends boat and will attend the Family Islands Regatta at the end of the month before returning to Vermont. I hope she has a wonderful time. And I miss her.
Best to all, Charlie
I'll be honest. This morning was tough. I am not ashamed to say that I cried. Mary has been aboard with me for almost 3 months and I said goodbye to her as she headed back to Georgetown for 3 more weeks. We have had so much fun cruising together on White Seal. How many dads get to do something like this? All I know is that I am very, very grateful. Mary will be spending the additional time in the Bahamas on a friends boat and will attend the Family Islands Regatta at the end of the month before returning to Vermont. I hope she has a wonderful time. And I miss her.
Best to all, Charlie
Friday, April 5, 2019
Vero Beach
Hi everyone,
Mary and I are spending a couple of nights tied up to a mooring in the cruiser friendly town of Vero Beach. I am embarrassed to reveal that I just had my first real shower since January 13, when we were at the Nassau Yacht Haven. Plus, we each got haircuts today! I had developed a rather shaggy appearance that made me look a bit like an aging hippy, down on his luck.
We are rafted up with another boat which is regular policy here in the marina and our mooring mates are a couple from England who have circumnavigated on their boat, over a period of 7 or 8 years. Great folks, Glenys and Neville, and I doff my hat to them and their accomplishments. Hope to run into them on the trip north.
We will head out in the morning, after our leisurely showers. I did replace the second battery, which had been slowly circling the electrical drain. Thankful to do it here rather than in the islands. The other one had been replaced in Solomons on the trip south. Nothing fancy, no lithium, AGM, or gel, just conventional lead acid.
Rocket launch potential in a few days time has us motivated to get up to the Titusville area. Plus, Mary flies out on the 9th. Crew would be great if anyone would like to join me. Cramped quarters, hard usage, and mediocre food plus plenty of terrible weather. Let me know if this sounds appealing!
All the best, Charlie
Mary and I are spending a couple of nights tied up to a mooring in the cruiser friendly town of Vero Beach. I am embarrassed to reveal that I just had my first real shower since January 13, when we were at the Nassau Yacht Haven. Plus, we each got haircuts today! I had developed a rather shaggy appearance that made me look a bit like an aging hippy, down on his luck.
We are rafted up with another boat which is regular policy here in the marina and our mooring mates are a couple from England who have circumnavigated on their boat, over a period of 7 or 8 years. Great folks, Glenys and Neville, and I doff my hat to them and their accomplishments. Hope to run into them on the trip north.
We will head out in the morning, after our leisurely showers. I did replace the second battery, which had been slowly circling the electrical drain. Thankful to do it here rather than in the islands. The other one had been replaced in Solomons on the trip south. Nothing fancy, no lithium, AGM, or gel, just conventional lead acid.
Rocket launch potential in a few days time has us motivated to get up to the Titusville area. Plus, Mary flies out on the 9th. Crew would be great if anyone would like to join me. Cramped quarters, hard usage, and mediocre food plus plenty of terrible weather. Let me know if this sounds appealing!
All the best, Charlie
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Goodbye Bahamas
Hi everyone,
It was a sad day yesterday as we watched the island of Bimini disappear below the horizon. We had left Morgans Bluff the day before and made the long passage across the Great Bahama Banks. That was close to 80 miles and we anchored near the north end of Bimini at about 11PM, after 16 hours underway. It was a rather miserable nights sleep as the boat rolled around restlessly. I had taken advantage of a 2 day weather window which provided stable conditions but light wind so we ended up motorsailing the entire way both days. Day 2 was much better because we had the giant conveyor belt known as the Gulf Stream in our favor. 16 hours for 80 miles on day 1, 11 hours and 75 miles on day 2. At times in the Stream we were making in excess of 9 knots! And it was probably the smoothest crossing I've ever made. There was a storm as we approached Palm Beach and we did see a waterspout so we doused our sails and used the motor solely the last 3 miles.
Coming in the inlet resulted in serious sensory overload. A cruise ship was coming out and a plethora of smaller craft were speeding to and fro in the choppy waters. The VHF radio was crackling with voices, and truth be told a number of them were rather snooty sounding, with one person yelling at another, threatening to report the evil doer to the Coast Guard for some perceived transgression. One thing that we noticed as we came in was the smell of the land. It was a potpourri of scents, a whiff of various pollutants and other toxic substances for sure, but mostly a smell of rich soil. After having spent a bunch of time on what are essentially desert islands and on the water, you really notice the difference. Today, we don't notice it, but yesterday, we did.
After anchoring, the first thing we needed to do was to clear in with customs. This was the beginning of what was to prove a really miserable experience that consumed many hours, and the wasting of money on Uber and taxi rides. We were both pretty disappointed in the whole process. The next time I am not even going to bother. I mean, millions of people don't bother already. The entire thing was a farce, involving failed apps, buildings impossible to find, Customs officials whose English was extremely difficult to understand, endless phone trees, etc. I thought Mary was going to lose it, and I was not far behind. But, we are in.
Enough ranting! We were so delighted to be back in the land of cheap, plentiful food that we went a couple of miles north and anchored near a big Publix supermarket. Talk about sensory overload! But first, a trip to a Starbucks, so Mary could procure some coffee and wifi to catch up on errands. While there I noticed the sky getting dark, and looked up the weather. In an act of downright negligence, I had failed to check the weather forecast this morning. Yesterday things had sounded pretty benign, so I had not given it any attention. But this report really opened my eyes. A special alert was calling for a severe thunderstorm, with a chance for a tornado in our area. As I was reading this, the storm hit, and it was a doozy. Winds were supposed to reach 60, and it appeared they did. Hailstones were part of the mix, along with torrential rain. All we could think of was the boat. Would she be OK? After the storm blew itself out over the course of an hour, we made our way back - and she was fine! I had forgotten about these Florida thunderstorms, but I will remember now! There was a good bit of flooding, debris everywhere, and we saw a large palm tree snapped off at about 10 feet off the ground.
We will make another trip ashore for provisions in the morning, then make our way north for a few miles.
Best to all, Charlie
It was a sad day yesterday as we watched the island of Bimini disappear below the horizon. We had left Morgans Bluff the day before and made the long passage across the Great Bahama Banks. That was close to 80 miles and we anchored near the north end of Bimini at about 11PM, after 16 hours underway. It was a rather miserable nights sleep as the boat rolled around restlessly. I had taken advantage of a 2 day weather window which provided stable conditions but light wind so we ended up motorsailing the entire way both days. Day 2 was much better because we had the giant conveyor belt known as the Gulf Stream in our favor. 16 hours for 80 miles on day 1, 11 hours and 75 miles on day 2. At times in the Stream we were making in excess of 9 knots! And it was probably the smoothest crossing I've ever made. There was a storm as we approached Palm Beach and we did see a waterspout so we doused our sails and used the motor solely the last 3 miles.
Coming in the inlet resulted in serious sensory overload. A cruise ship was coming out and a plethora of smaller craft were speeding to and fro in the choppy waters. The VHF radio was crackling with voices, and truth be told a number of them were rather snooty sounding, with one person yelling at another, threatening to report the evil doer to the Coast Guard for some perceived transgression. One thing that we noticed as we came in was the smell of the land. It was a potpourri of scents, a whiff of various pollutants and other toxic substances for sure, but mostly a smell of rich soil. After having spent a bunch of time on what are essentially desert islands and on the water, you really notice the difference. Today, we don't notice it, but yesterday, we did.
After anchoring, the first thing we needed to do was to clear in with customs. This was the beginning of what was to prove a really miserable experience that consumed many hours, and the wasting of money on Uber and taxi rides. We were both pretty disappointed in the whole process. The next time I am not even going to bother. I mean, millions of people don't bother already. The entire thing was a farce, involving failed apps, buildings impossible to find, Customs officials whose English was extremely difficult to understand, endless phone trees, etc. I thought Mary was going to lose it, and I was not far behind. But, we are in.
Enough ranting! We were so delighted to be back in the land of cheap, plentiful food that we went a couple of miles north and anchored near a big Publix supermarket. Talk about sensory overload! But first, a trip to a Starbucks, so Mary could procure some coffee and wifi to catch up on errands. While there I noticed the sky getting dark, and looked up the weather. In an act of downright negligence, I had failed to check the weather forecast this morning. Yesterday things had sounded pretty benign, so I had not given it any attention. But this report really opened my eyes. A special alert was calling for a severe thunderstorm, with a chance for a tornado in our area. As I was reading this, the storm hit, and it was a doozy. Winds were supposed to reach 60, and it appeared they did. Hailstones were part of the mix, along with torrential rain. All we could think of was the boat. Would she be OK? After the storm blew itself out over the course of an hour, we made our way back - and she was fine! I had forgotten about these Florida thunderstorms, but I will remember now! There was a good bit of flooding, debris everywhere, and we saw a large palm tree snapped off at about 10 feet off the ground.
We will make another trip ashore for provisions in the morning, then make our way north for a few miles.
Best to all, Charlie
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Farm Festival
Hi everyone,
Farm festival today a short distance from our boat. There is music, vendors, and exhibits, with the harbour as a backdrop. Also good conversation to be had with various folks around the dock. It was a bit scary earlier when the 200' Lady Rosalind came in with a load of festival goers from Nassau. As she turned around in the tiny harbour and backed up to the wharf it looked like she was going to use the White Seal as a Fender, coming within about 5 feet. But it was all good.
Everyone knows I am not much of a barhopper, but we did find the perfect bar the other afternoon when we had the car. Driving thru Nicholls Town we saw a group of very old traditional buildings right by the beach. As we crawled by we got a glimpse of what looked like a bar through the heavy wood door that stood ajar to let the wind thru. We had to stop. Entering the stone building was like stepping into a time warp. Keith, the owner, welcomed us in. He said he was the 5th generation to run the place and he believes it to be about 200 years old. His friend Albert showed up and gave us a tour around the place. Very cool pace. Mary will post some pics.
Best to all, Charlie
Farm festival today a short distance from our boat. There is music, vendors, and exhibits, with the harbour as a backdrop. Also good conversation to be had with various folks around the dock. It was a bit scary earlier when the 200' Lady Rosalind came in with a load of festival goers from Nassau. As she turned around in the tiny harbour and backed up to the wharf it looked like she was going to use the White Seal as a Fender, coming within about 5 feet. But it was all good.
Everyone knows I am not much of a barhopper, but we did find the perfect bar the other afternoon when we had the car. Driving thru Nicholls Town we saw a group of very old traditional buildings right by the beach. As we crawled by we got a glimpse of what looked like a bar through the heavy wood door that stood ajar to let the wind thru. We had to stop. Entering the stone building was like stepping into a time warp. Keith, the owner, welcomed us in. He said he was the 5th generation to run the place and he believes it to be about 200 years old. His friend Albert showed up and gave us a tour around the place. Very cool pace. Mary will post some pics.
Best to all, Charlie
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