Departing Dunedin

A Sunny Thursday morning, 64 degrees after a cold front delivered shivering temps to the snow birds, flora and fauna. It's 0900 I'm sitting in the cockpit enjoying a cuppa, the waxing moon in setting over the gulf, silently suspended above the tops of waving palm trees.  Across from me two noisy crows decorate mast tops complaining/conversing about who know what, sailboat halyardsconstantly clank, in the distance a red-bellied wood pecker distinctively calls, and from above the plaintive calls of osprey as they endless glide silent wind ribbons. A gaze upwards rewarded me with the sight of a pair of wood storks gliding across the sky, a very unexpected sight. A pelican lazily swims nearby,  the occasional splash of the jumping fish interrupts my reverie and I glance up at my little visiting heron friend (Green Heron) to amuse me.  Picture below as he is perched on the Hobie which is tied behind the transom.

On the 19th of January we arrived in Dunedin on the west coast of Fl. to visit my aunt Rose and uncle Art, 93 year old brother of my father and his wife of 63 years. Coincidentally, the little "noise" that I have been hearing as we idle and change gears has been steadily increasing in intensity from a slight metallic loose change in your pocket jingle to a metal plates thrown on a metal deck sound (no longer to be ignored.) A mechanic diagnosed water in the transmission, a new event as that is checked every day, so this means major transmission overhaul......ok...so we are "stuck" in Dunedin.

Upon transmission removal and delivery to Mastry Engine Service....we retrieve our car from Ft. Myers, meanwhile stopping at Sarasota to revisit our respective childhood memories, mine at a share condo at the south end of Lido Key that is still there and looks the same;  Kurt found the property that his Dad owned and the house that his sister Rita owned:) Unfortunately there is a red tide that is plaguing the area and thousands of dead fish littered the Gulf beaches.

So if you have to be "stuck" someplace, let me recommend Dunedin, there is a delightful town full of wonderful restaurants and shops within an easy walking distance from the lovely, lazy marina, a paved hiking/bicycling trail of 39 miles runs that runs right through the town; everyday we have walked or biked.  The trail leads to the access of  a number of county and state parks.  While hiking through Hammock Park, a 90 acre nature preserve of coastal forest park featuring 5 miles of trails, we spotted an male Anhinga drying his wings as a majestic blue heron glided in to perch nearby him.  The deep forests are home to the illusive gopher tortoise,  and small animals and birds;  we saw a Hairy woodpecker and Pileated Woodpecker (18")  and during one bike ride a RedTail Hawk swooped down in front of us and picked up a snake flying to a nearby fence where he unfortunately (fortunately for the snake?) dropped it, he sat on the fence, 50 ' from us willing us to leave him alone. We finally had the sense to stop gawking as hunger gave way to bird watching and we biked to the local barbecue stand and had a pile of ribs to cancel the goodness of any exercise for that week. On another ride Kurt had to yield to a flock of oblivious ibis who decided just as Kurt came by that the bugs were more tasty on the other side of the path.

Exploration with the Hobie-sail  (at the entrance to the marina a pair of Oystercatchers  have found a low tide feeding extravaganza) and the inflatable led us to Honeymoon Island and Hurricane Pass where for a brief time a small pod of dolphins accompanied us out in the channel as we went out into the Gulf.  That excursion whetted our  appetite and yesterday we returned to Honeymoon Island, a State park of 2,810 acres where we hiked on the "Osprey" trail and were lucky enough to meet two gentlemen photographers who were observing a nest of Great horned Owls (mom with two chicks) we were offered the opportunity to observe the nesting mom through the SLR 800mm lens magnification, it was magnificent to see the owl majestically perched upon her stolen throne with her two gray downy chicks, Kurt eventually spied Dad Owl high up in a pine tree a distance away; if my life depended on it, I never would have found that well camouflaged .  The gentlemen also offered us a view of a Yellow-rumped warbler which reminded me of the one that which hitch-hiked with us in the Chesapeake a couple of years ago after he flew in through the open wheel-house door; it was very windy and I suspect that the poor thing needed a rest.

As we were finishing up our walk on the Osprey trail, aptly named due to the numerous active/occupied osprey nests, a Great white heron landed on the trail in front of us and decided to saunter with us for a while; because I was focused on her, I stumbled upon a   rotund armadillo who was busily foraging on the side of the path; it's likely that I would have sauntered by him/her without notice if not for the heron.......Mr. Armadillo had the cutest pink nose, I suppose if you live in TX you do not think armadillos cute, keep in mind, NY'ers don't see them in the "wild."

Sanibel, Captiva, FL

"What a Difference a Day Makes, twenty-four little hours" and 30 kts of wind and a drop of 20 degrees of temperature! Spent last night gyrating on the hook in three foot seas between Cabbage Key and Useppa Island as a cold front barreled through again humbling us in the force of nature.  This morning finds us with a chilly 55 degrees and winds NW at 24 as we motor  North (wrong direction for warmth?) towards Sarasota. 

 For the last two days we have been anchored off of Sanibel Island on the side west side of the  J. N. "DIng" Darling NWR (cartoonist/father/founder of National Wildlife Refuge),  a birding paradise.    We launched our beloved Hobie kayak sailboat and sailed for many glorious, sun drenched hours over to Pine Island; a roseate spoonbill flew overhead so close, it felt as though I could reach up and touch it; a very rare treat, also saw wood storks that are fairly rare and  for a short while a dolphin consented to gracefully glide next to us....nesting osprey's decorated every channel marker; feeding osprey gracefully glide on silent ribbons of wind, momentarily hover then fold their wings back to swiftly dive for unsuspecting prey which they carry aerodynamically aligned as they fly to their nest to feed a spouse sitting on eggs (they mate for life) or young.

Last week we departed from the comfortable, well-appointed Bob and Jeanne Resort in Jupiter and headed for the the east coast.  Neail B. accompanied us as did glorious weather conditions as we traversed the somewhat seemingly endless miles (150) of Okeechobee Waterway that connect East with West coast Fl.  A peaceful anchorage under a blanket of stars near Indiantown brought us to the entrance of Lake Okeechobee which means "big water" in the Seminole Indian language.  The lake has a surface area of 730 square miles and is a key component to south Florida's fresh water supply and natural habitat to fish, birds and wildlife (the latter remained hidden.)  Our second night our was spent at a county park dock where overnight docking was "strictly prohibited." We managed to spend the night without  being fined or arrested for theft of services and left at daybreak for the final leg of the journey down the Caloosahatchee River to Ft. Myers.

While spending a couple of days in Ft Myers at the Royal Palms Yacht Club we toured the 20 acre Thomas Edison and Ford winter Estates which are situated immediately next door to the Yacht club.  On the grounds of the Edison Estate is a Immense Banyan tree that was a gift of Harvey Firestone and currently covers an square acre of land (43,560 square feet!) The sap from the banyan tree provided  latex from which tires were made for Henry Ford's cars.  A tour took us through the gardens, museums ,  pool complex, caretaker's house, Botanic Research Laboratory and the Thomas Edison's winter home which was built in 1885; the yellow pine post and beam home was pre-cut in Maine and transported by ship to Ft Myers where local laborers assembled it.  We gazed at the dining room table where Thomas Edison sat and dined with such notables as Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Charles Lindbergh, Marie Curie, and President Herbert Hoover....very humbling.....to think that one man, in his 83 years of life was responsible for inventing the tin foil phonograph, electric lighting system and filament for the light bulb, and other inventions totaling  1093 patents   that have had such a profound impact on mankind. 


Nothing can compare with the pleasure of walking down the dock and spying  a momma bottlenose dolphin teaching her baby to fish, of course I felt a little sorry for the fish who was clearly not having a "good day," but the baby dolphin certainly was, throwing the poor mullet up in the air and catching it and swimming helter skelter, jumping with glee, splashing gracefully only to give the poor fish another toss into the air….imagine the thoughts of the poor fish as he was being clenched between the rows of glistening white razor sharp cutting instruments of death while being propelled sideways through the water; in-between being lofted into the alien environment for an air born glimpse at the heavens where was likely to soon be residing. The lesson continued for 20 minutes and I'm happy to report that the fish lived to tell the tale of horror and likely live with matching rows of small puncture wounds and PTSD.  

Others of his school however were not so lucky as the baby dolphin was a fast study and the fish were smaller and better suited to the baby's little pallet, Momma and baby delighted in dining; swiftly slicing through the school of mullet, chasing, chomping, throwing unsuspecting victims in the air and leaping to catch them mid-flight, landing gracefully with the sun sparkling like diamonds and reflecting in long rays off their steel grey bodies.  

 God and Mother Nature are grand.  

                                                                       "baby"


Coincidentally we just passed G37A adorned with two majestic Bald Eagles ( in Lemon Bay, Manasota, south of Venice)

Sunrise across Cape Kennedy

The sun is rising over the silent silos of Cape Kennedy or Canaveral for those of us who have been around for awhile....,we spent the night anchored in the reflection of the strobes that announce the grand structures that once supported our space program. I am reminded that two years ago we stopped in Titusville hoping to catch the last flight of Endeavour, unfortunately that liftoff was cancelled. due to mechanical problems.  That was the flight that Mark Kelly was on which reminds me that if you have not read his book, "Gabby" about his wife Gabrielle Giffords, it's a worthwhile read from many prospectives.

During our short overnight stay in Beaufort, SC (pronounced bufort) we (I have to specify that as there is a Beaufort NC(pronounced bowfort, named after the same General)  managed a successful score of "Gullah Luv " whose ingredients are listed as Garlic, Oregano, Peppers, Spices, ' n uddan t'ings.  "Gullah Hot" is similar with Cayenne as second ingredient!  Made by Ultimate Gullah in Conway SC, I find that "Gullah Luv" has become one of my favorite spices, of course the local clerk at the register had never tried the spice.  On the way back from our walk into town we walked down the dock to "look at" a trawler... a 53'Selene..."Kraak." We were invited on board, lovely folks from Holland, Jan and Gert Klazinga who spend 6 months of every year cruising in the US on their boat, many glasses of wine later, we stumbled back to town for dinner  (oysters and Gumbo); my plans to "prepare" for our ocean passage on hold.
 
From Beaufort, the morning brought us through Port Royal Sound ( while I made oatmeal, applesauce, meatloaf, stuffed peppers) into the Atlantic Ocean for a glorious, peaceful 24 hour passage outside to St Augustine Inlet where we reentered to the ICW.
There is nothing like the "feel" of the motion of the ocean, although the wind was calm, there was a two to three foot swell that gave the boat a constant motion/movement that was somehow soothing, womb-like, except you had to hold on:) Seemingly endless pods of bottlenose dolphins entertained us as we journeyed south, we came upon a couple of huge napping turtles, such a wonderful sight. The sun set with a magenta palate over the calm sea and we rolled into an evening passage that brought us  across multiple shipping channels, but thanks to AIS (Automated Identification System) and the billion lights that the behemoth ships sport, finding the ships was not a problem.  While at watch at night those big, big guys are not the ships I worry about, it's the little sail boats that in such calm seas might not show on our radar.  Not all sailors are smart enough to take advantage of those nifty radar reflector thingies....I know.... I sailed with those guys......well... at any rate.... obviously we had an "uneventful" overnight passage....if you can call the brilliant waning moon rising over the horizon with the rays of light shimmering off the black glassy surface of the sea that is already shimmering with dancing star reflections "uneventful!" I was spiritually beautiful, something that only a higher power could create.

Departing Charleston:(

Departing Charleston is always a challenge for us, departing in pea soup fog is an additional challenge.  I think that Kurt would agree that Charleston is our favorite ICW city with its meandering rivers, picturesque salt marshes, miles of pristine beaches; a city of southern charm and the deliciousness of low country cooking, there is nothing not to like about Charleston.  That being said, we have not been in Charleston in August when it is hot and humid!!

During this stay we had access to our beloved Caddy so got to tour the local ocean beaches of Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island and Folly Beach where we collected more shells to decorate our little Christmas tree.  We enjoyed a drive through the James Island County Park Holiday Festival of Lights with three miles and 2 million lights arranged in displays of every conceivable design from the Statue of Liberty to a replica of the Ravenel Bridge.  We enjoyed the drive through so much that we drove through it a second time, the only thing missing was our children and grandchildren to share it with. It reminded me of all those trips with family and friends to similar light shows at Jones Beach.....for Kurt, this was a first....how nice was that!

An evening was spent at the historic Circular Congregational Church listening to "the Sounds of Charleston;" jazz, gospel, Gershwin and Mozart (the later expertly rendered on a baby grand piano by a local 17 year old prodigy.)   The three classical pieces so expertly played by the pianist, reminded Kurt of the musicians of his Father's era who weekly gathered around the Steinway in living room in the Patchogue home that brought music and happy memories to his home when he was a child.

A highlight for me on was my ability to share a surprise 80th birthday with my dear friend Rich, who I have been friends with for 45 years, our kids grew up together.  Kurt and I  drove to Mooresville, NC where the  event was hosted at his son Ward's house and although we trickled in at various times, each of us was a surprise.....Happy Birthday Rich!  We love you, may you enjoy many more birthdays.

Staying at City Marina in Charleston is always amusing; if you think that you have a lovely boat, an expensive boat, a large boat, think again......there is always another one that is BIGGER....today the contenders were Timoneer , a 147' ketch with a 31' beam and a mast so tall that it needs to sport a red warning light on top for airplanes!  As lovely as Timoneer is, she is clearly out classed  by diminutive ( 126'loa, 84'lawl) Hanuman, a J Class yacht, a replica of Endeavour II, a sleek racing machine designed in 1937 to regain the America's Cup after it had been won by schooner "American" in 1851; the first time that an American racing yacht was allowed to sail in what was to become the oldest sporting event in the world, the annual race around the Isle of Wight, hosted by Royal Yacht Squadron and called the '100 Guinea Cup'.   In 1937 the Endeavour II was not successful in her bid against the American racing yacht Ranger; the American's Cup, as it was renamed in 1857 by the New York City Yacht Club, was to remain in the hands of an American yacht and crew, until 1983 when for the first time we lost  the  cup after132 years and 26 challenges!

Sunny Sunday

Sunday morning brings sunshine, spidery tendrils of frost glistened on the decks and long shadows on shore as we continue along the southern end of the NC ICW.  It's so chilly even the diving birds are in foregoing breakfast and are hunkered down, shoulders up, in tight groups on shore facing into the wind, waiting for thermal warming to make the prospect of diving for breakfast more appealing.  On the near shore a herd of white tail deer graze on the beach grass across from Mc Mansions standing shoulder to shoulder glazed in beachy pastels of peach, aqua and yellow.

Early afternoon finds us having quietly slipped into South Carolina and me enjoying an endless array of blue herons, Great white Egrets and one stately Bald Eagle perched on a long finger dock stretching out into the ICW, I never tire seeing the magnificence of these intrepid hunters.  Thanks to a waxing moon, a banner low tide provides the feathered critters with fertile feeding ground and me with wonderful "eye candy" watching all antics antics as they jockey for the ideal fishing positions (not unlike their human counterparts).  Unfortunately the low tide also provides a few navigational challenges and today was my turn at that helm for navigating through the dreaded "Rock Piles." Ironically several miles prior to the rock piles I suffered a  momentary disorientation regarding half a dozen red channel markers, a very confusing confluence of tributaries with nasty current and brought us into 6 feet of water  (we draw 5.5 feet) so I was sufficiently shaken up to think the dreaded Rock Piles not worthy of my care...as long as I dedicated my full attention to staying between the red and the green channel markers and didn't have my attention wander to Christmas shopping or bird watching, there was no issue with the narrow channel where all those ugly, nasty, jagged rocks stuck up out of the water close enough on either side of the boat to throw a rock at; and who needed those nasty big signs to warn you of DANGER stay in the channel, that are positioned outside the channel, do you think so????  I really needed to ferret out the DANGER signs amidst the red and green channel markers......thank you....I think not....but we made it safely....

At evening we anchorage in the beautiful Cypress River section off the Waccamaw River, a magnificent 140 mile long river that heads through NC and SC, bordered by Spanish moss draped cypress, live oaks and the remnants of rice fields from plantation days.  Our anchorage was completely surrounded by cypress trees shrouded in moss, a slight current kept us pointing so the nearly full moon graced our dining table.

Monday morning dawned to a cloudless sky with a creek haze lazily drifting, dancing across the long sun's rays peeking over the tree tops.  After just entering the main channel of the Waccamaw we were treated to the tree top splendor of an osprey warming herself  and further along a golden eagle, perched in the highest branch of the tallest tree,  resplendent with the sunlight reflecting off her breast as if lit from within.....a glorious sight......

Exciting Day

Awoke to the gentle movement of the the boat which meant that we were float, this is a good thing, but not necessarily something to be taken for granted......

Yesterday started with taking on of 608 gals. of diesel fuel which gives us a slight port list, has always given us a slight port list, not usually a problem.  

The weather Goddess had bestowed upon the collective us a beauty, warm, sunny perfect day for the dozens of fishermen hoping to catch a trout (weakfish), we were enjoying the sun dancing of the marsh grasses glistening golden, as flocks of terns and pelicans dove for lunch.  Our peaceful quietude was rudely shattered by the shrill of the high water alarm.  If you have ever heard the sound of a school fire alarm, you know the decibel range of the high water and the high temp alarm on our boat, it is LOUD.  Now let me point out that until very recently these alarms were located in the engine room where only the engine room fairies could hear them so they were relatively useless.  After our second near disaster with an engine overheating due to a failed impeller, our collective intelligence decided to relocate the alarms to a place where we could hear them and hear the alarm we did.  I have no doubt that the folks in their homes on shore enjoying a post-Thanksgiving Day turkey sandwich also heard our alarm.  The alarm sounded, we looked at each other, not processing which alarm was going off, a quick look at the temp gauges eliminated an overheat situation, so that left the uncomfortable reality of  high water in the bilge!  A first for us. Hmmmm,  now neither of us is prone to panic and each is analytical, experienced boaters, I  got to run the boat while Kurt got to figure out what the problem was, a combination of factors: empty 220 gal water tank in bow, very full fuel tanks (4 ), the inflatable is now suspended off the transom with the outboard to port;  with the result that the discharge fitting for one of the bilge pumps was thus under water on the listing port side and therefore back-filling into the bilge and the other bilge pumps were not able to keep up with the task of pumping the water out!  I am reminded of one of the many books that I have read about Coast Guard rescues of men from fishing boats that are sinking in challenging sea conditions because they have been structurally modified and overloaded.   How easily and quickly a peaceful day can become a challenging one, I am very thankful for our obnoxious alarm and that we didn't have to rely on the engine room fairies to alert us to the danger and grateful to my clever husband for quickly figuring out what the problem was and fixing it:)

On a positive note, we missed a bridge that opens on the hour, so by the time we waited for the next opening,we ended up in Harbor Village Marina,  a lovely deep water place, where a pair of Kingfishers were oblivious to our presence and busy with their aerial acrobatics and incessant chatter as they prepared for nightfall against a magnificent magenta sunset.  All's well that ends well.

Fall 2012

After a blog-less stint of many months it seems time to reboot and record some of the events of the errant time that has slipped by so quickly.....a fabulous wedding for Robyn and Gerry: a son leaves home, a daughter-in-law and her family join our family.

Cruising plans swiftly shift from the Great Loop to more local exploration of the Hudson RIver, Erie Canal system to Utica, Champlain Canal system and Lake Champlain to Burlington.  The cruising was grand, the rivers and lakes beautiful, experiences with going through the 50 or so locks amusing.   We had access to a car much or the time so we toured the majesty of the Adirondack's, stood on the Olympic ski jump at Lake Placid, and visited Old Quebec City, Overall it was a lovely summer and fall spent in the splendor of our our back yard.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's finally almost sunny after seven consecutive days, since leaving Annapolis, MD, of cloudy, cold, very windy (25-40k) weather. It's 0800 and we are lumping (it's still very windy) down the Neuse River in NC (the widest River in the US) after spending a delightful couple of days in New Bern; the second oldest town in NC, formerly an Indian town named Chattoka, that served as the capital of the North Carolina colonial government and briefly as North Carolina's first capital. It is rich in history and southern charm, named for Bern the the capital of Switzerland and founded by Swiss and German settlers in 1710. What is unique about this lovely southern city is that the original homes survived the Civil War; the Battle of New Bern on March 14 1862 resulted in New Bern coming under Federal Control and it remained so for the rest of the War, thus the beautiful homes and churches were spared the ravages of war (Sherman) that we have heard reported in so many other southern cities especially in SC.

This afternoon after threading Moorehead City environs the weather has finally improved gracing us with sunshine, and warmth, punctuated with diving pelicans and pods of graceful bottlenose dolphins and a bald eagle, dancing on wild wind cords,  resplendent in her mature feathers.  Happy Thanksgiving and blessing to family and friends.