cruising life

Oops

/ FloatsOurBoat / 1 Comment

Have I mentioned we are still learning? A LOT?

Arriving at Dinner Key yesterday, just south of Miami, I called the marina on the cell phone to reserve a mooring ball and to confirm that the channel to enter the marina was deep enough for our 6-foot draft. I thought calling would be easier than using the VHF radio. Well the woman on the phone had a strong accent (this IS Miami) so I had to listen extra closely, and repeated everything back to Mike including the directions on how to find mooring ball 105:

  • Come all the way into Dinner Key channel
  • You are close to the limit on depth, but stay to the middle and you should be fine
  • Turn left, and follow the (something) along the marina
  • When you get to the (something) channel, look for yellow marker Mike
  • Ball 105 is the third ball from the marker

I hoped that when I reviewed the nautical chart, it would all become clear. But it didn’t. We had flashbacks of the GIIW and the Miserable Mile as Mike squeezed through the narrow channel. We were at high tide, so depth was fine, but when we reached Brennan Channel, we saw a small yellow marker, with the letter facing the opposite way. Eventually decided it was C or Charley. But which direction should we turn for M or Mike? Not the direction we choose, apparently.

As water got shallower and shallower, and the boats got closer and closer together, my thought was “these are not our boats ” “This is not where we belong” and “Turn around Mike!” But sometimes turning around, in a 37 foot sailboat, is easier said than done. Capt Mike was a hero, and somehow found a gap between the too close boats in the too shallow water, and got us out of there. I hailed the marina on 68 and got more detailed directions. Turns out we were supposed to turn INTO Brennan channel and motor back out into Biscayne Bay to find water deep enough for our type of boat. Once you know that, it seems so obvious! Back into deep water, it was still tricky finding the exact ball we had been assigned, but we had plenty of room the maneuver, and I picked up the ball on the first try. Phew!

Lesson learned today: when something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Listen to your instinct and don’t be afraid to back off, try again, and even to ask for help before it’s too late.

We’re all here because we’re not all there…

/ FloatsOurBoat / Leave a comment

We had a fantastic day sailing from Key West to Marathon, FL. We weren’t even sure we were going to leave Sunday morning, but peer pressure got the best of us again. At 7:00 am, we had a call from Pat and Melana saying, “Hey guys! Great day for a sail, are you ready to go?.” Oops. We were still in bed. Peeking out the port light, we saw Drew and Sharon on Z-Raye weighing anchor. Mike checked the weather, saw a southeast wind predicted, and said, “Let’s just go.” So, we did!

Once we escaped the crowded Key West Harbor, we sailed on a close reach all day long in winds from 12 to 16 knots. Sanitas did great! We even had a chance to race a bit against Pat and Melana on Tapati. Our top speed for the day was 6.3 knots, which is good for us slow pokes! Eight hours later, we anchored just outside the Marathon harbor, watched the second half of the Super Bowl aboard Tapaiti, and called it a night.

The Marathon City marina in Boot Key Harbor is a very unique cruiser community. As the web page describes it, they provide “everything you need, and nothing you don’t.” Which is great! There’s a community lounge with WiFi, TVs, a lending library, and mail service. Bikes to borrow. Showers, laundry, and an ice machine. A dinghy dock, water, and pump out service. It’s not fancy, but for $123 a week on a mooring ball, you can’t beat it. About those mooring balls. The mooring field is HUGE, with room for over 220 boats. It’s like a gigantic parking lot for boats of all shapes, sizes, ages, and states of repair. This area was very hard hit by Hurricane Irma in September of 2017. Of the 226 boats in Boot Key Harbor, less than 50 survived intact.

Which brings me back to the amazing community. Since the hurricane, the cruiser community has come together to help each other rebuild and repair. Even in the short time we spent here, we developed a sense of the closeness and willingness to help one another out. Everyone welcomed us, offered a smile or a kind word on the dinghy dock, or gave tips on how to handle the laundry, best place to walk for groceries, etc. We were welcomed as part of the community, although we were only transients.

And we got our first taste of cruiser community via the daily Cruiser Net at 9:00 am on VHF channel 68. What a cool way for the inhabitants of the harbor to catch up on the news! Every day, there is a different net coordinator, who acts as the MC, and anyone within VHF radio range can participate in welcoming new arrivals, sending departing vessels off, making announcements, offering to buy or sell goods, and asking for help. We introduced Sanitas to the group and even found a home for the space heater that we finally don’t need! From the Cruisers Net and from spending time in the Marina, we got a sense of the eclectic community of independent souls who choose to make Boot Key Harbor their full-time home, as evidenced by the tongue-in-cheek motto, “We’re all here, because we’re not all there.”

I even went a little bit fangirl when I met one of my heroes, Carolyn Sherlock of The Boat Galley whose blog and Facebook page have provided invaluable advice on how to get started cruising. I’ve followed her advice on gear to buy, tips and tricks to make living on a boat more comfortable, and just generally have gotten an idea of what to expect from this new lifestyle. Unfortunately, we met on the sidewalk by noisy Route 1, so we didn’t have much time to talk, and I forgot to take a selfie (drat!) we we did exchange boat cards, which felt like the epitome of cruiser cool!

Visitors!

/ FloatsOurBoat / 2 Comments

My parents spend two months in Florida each winter, escaping the upstate New York snow and dreariness. They arrived the 1st of February, and over a phone call, said they were so sorry we were no longer in St Petersburg so that they could visit. I told them, “We’re in Marathon until Saturday, so you should still come see us.” And they were completely spontaneous and decided to drive six hours to see us. They must really love me!

We had a really fun visit, introducing Bill and Bev to Sanitas, giving them a glimpse of cruiser life…. oh! and using them for their vehicle so we could do our shopping and provisioning run in half the time!

Bev was a real trooper, managing the dinghy ride to the mooring ball and climb aboard Sanitas with aplomb. Guess I’ve got good adventure genes!

It’s not exactly a vacation

/ FloatsOurBoat / 3 Comments

Several of my girl friends have told me how jealous they are of my exotic tropical vacation. Well ladies, this post’s for you!

Today we arrived at the Marathon City Marina in the Keys, and it is wonderful! For $123 dollars, we get a week on a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor and access to the marina facilities, including dinghy dock,WiFi in the lounge, a laundry room, and showers. So I took a long, hot shower for the first time since I left Marco Island eight days ago. Yep, you heard me. Ocho. Now I am not a complete savage. During that time, I have washed my hair in the galley sink, taken sponge baths, and sat in the cockpit under a trickle of cold water from a bag. But until today, I have not had a hot shower. So this was the best shower I have experienced since my last long_distance backpacking trip.

Here is the site of this amazing, even spa-like experience…

And, just for fun, here’s a pictures of the “hygiene center” where we dump the liquid from our composting toilet. Still think a cruiser’s life is glamorous? Lol…

It ain’t sailing, but it’s better than sitting on the dock

/ FloatsOurBoat / Leave a comment

There are two options for cruising down the Gulf Coast of Florida: “inside” on the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway (GIIW), or “outside” on the Gulf of Mexico itself. We choose the sailing equivalent of training wheels and decided to stick to the GIIW for our first few days. This croute ensured that we had barrier islands protecting us from wind and weather. And it gave us many more options of where to stop in protected anchorages each night. We didn’t have to commit to long days on the water right off the dock. The down side of this decision was the knowledge that we wouldn’t even be raising the sails for days. Instead, we would just motor along the Intercoastal, being very careful to stay in the center of a narrow channel and making sure that we kept in deep enough water for our boat’s six-foot draft.

The trip is broken up by passage under many bridges: bascule, or draw bridges, and swing bridges. On the day after Sarasota, we passed under 10 bridges that needed to open to provide clearance for our 50 ft mast.

Negotiating the bridges is an interesting process. First, I look up the name of the bridge we are approaching, to ensure I can hail the bridge master by name. Then I speak on VHF channel 9 to get the attention of the next bridge master, let him (or her) know that Sailing Vessel Sanitas is approaching southbound, and to ask for the next scheduled bridge opening time. Invariably, our cruising guidebook is out of date, and lists that the bridge opens every 20 minutes, when it really opens every half hour. Or, it states that the bridge opens on the hour, when we just barely missed the last actual opening at a quarter-till. Once we know the time, we essentially tread water to hold our place until traffic is stopped, the bridge horns sound, the two sides of the bridge fully open, and we can pass safely through the middle. Hopefully, not too many boats are coming from the other direction, or it can get quite crowded! Once we’ve passed through, I let the bridge master know that Sanitas is clear, and thank him for the bridge opening.

This can obviously add quite a bit of time to the trip. Especially when we time it badly, and arrive at a bridge just after an opening, and need to wait for another half hour for our next chance. On the last bridge of the day, we could see a beautiful blue swing bridge guarding the entrance to Charlotte Harbor. I hailed the bridgemaster, who said the bridge was going to open in 5 minutes, and that it stayed open for about four minutes. I must have sounded crestfallen when I responded that we probably wouldn’t make it in time, and would have to eat for the next opportunity. (In reality, we were thinking that if we missed this opening, we might need to stop for the night, as it was getting very close to sunset.) As the swing bridge started to open, I told the bridgemaster this was the most beautiful bridge we’d seen all day. He responded, “Flattery will get you everywhere. Hold your speed Sanitas. I’m holding the bridge open for you to pass.” Mike and I hooted and hollered, increased the rpms on the engine, and shot the the gap. And made it to our anchorage off Gasparilla Island before sunset.