2008 Cruising

2/1 to 2/15/2008

This is our log for 2008; the 2007 East Coast and other voyages are now in Prior Voyages.

We plan to post and update at least weekly. We move the older portions of the log to secondary pages accessible at the bottom of the page. Join our voyage!

Updated on 02/24/2008

2/1/08 - February, beautifully announced by a golden Key West sunrise.  We learned from Miles and Laureen that they are paying around $350/night for their slip at Galleon.  Don't need that!  It's bouncy out here but when you're in bed it's like being in a cradle --kinda nice. I finished the last piece for Fourth Watch's Bimini.  Time to go onto other projects for AA. Fun things like a macerator on the forward head holding tanks - hey, someone has to do it and all the whipping in the world won't get Ruth down there. Also need to get a wash down pump in the anchor locker. We're bringing too much bottom aboard. Beautiful day in Key West - between the wind and sun we were full charged without running the diesel - kewl! We did the tourist bit tonight. Sundown at Mallory Square where we watched the acts. The Catman was there - though the act isn't what it once was... or maybe we've just seen it too many times. Stopped in a Cowboy bar where Laureen saddled up Miles. Rode him over to "O Opera" for dinner while the rest of us explored Duval. Met with Papa Matt briefly in the very noisy Green Parrot and agreed to meet Monday to catch up with each other... all in all a pleasant evening. Wandered over to Sloppy Joe's just to see Pat Dailey so we could tell Pat Donlevy we'd been thar, done that. Enjoyed the show! On Duval Ruthie adopted a pirate, complete with a real peg leg - only in Key West. Time to head 'em home, less the pirate. Back at the boat we listened to the singers and bands drifting over the water. One observation, the crowds in Key West seemed a little sparse.. an economic indicator or we a bit ahead of the season? 2/2/08 - Another beautiful dawn... the days have been so identical the weather report just says see yesterday. We joined Bob, Paula, Laureen and Miles for brunch at Pepe's. Key West's oldest diner and a favorite of ours. Excellent meal! From there we went next door to Key West Marine Hardware, another favorite of ours for finding boat stuff. Miles pointed out that Ruth had understood their slip fee wrong. It's $3.50/foot or $164/day. A little bit of a difference. For that price they get neighbors, power, water and a swimming pool. While the other couples explored Key West we returned to AA so Ruth could read and I could do some maintenance and systems upgrades. A quick project was a solar screen that can be moved around our bimini to provide protection from the sun's rays during the afternoon. Wow, what a difference - it lowered the perceived temperature by at least 10 degrees and let up sit in the cockpit until sundown without squinting at each other. If I'd had one of those 40 years ago I probably wouldn't have  line by my eyes - yah. Buddy liked it too as he didn't have to worry about direct sun exposure. We ate aboard, scallops sautéed in garlic butter and mashed potatoes... mmmmm! Ruth had dug out a book for me to read and I did... couldn't lay it down, finished about 11:30. 2/3/08 - Another Key West morning, refer to yesterday for the weather. Ruth and I sighted a turtle yesterday. After noting little movement we took the dinghy over and found it had been killed by a propeller. What a loss - we've only seen one other turtle this month, a larger one, about 4' in diameter. We used to see several each week. I rebuilt the dinghy hoist motor after 18 months of service it was starting to act erratic. Took all morning...argh! Had parts all over the cockpit. As I disassembled it I was amazed at how well it was actually constructed... it just needed grease. The good news is it works like a charm now. 2/4/08 - I spent most of the day with a friend, walking Key West and talking about life and its twists. I can't remember the last time I'd done that. It was a deep and pleasant experience for me. Key West seems to be feeling the economic pinch. Talking with my friend he related how property values on homes have fallen leaving folks up-side-down in interest only loans. So to the extent of walking away. My measure is Duval Street - the crowds seem down. Part of it may be the condo movement here. Where possible land is being cleared and condos are being built. In ten years the place will probably look like Marco Island. Ruth and I went out on a date - just the two of us. We had an excellent dinner at Pepe's, then like all mature folks came back to the boat and read for a while before turning in. I got up about 11pm, couldn't sleep as I had too many ideas rumbling around in my head. Drew a couple of them up and decided to catch up on the website. We'll likely be here one more day. Tomorrow the winds will be 15-20 knots on our nose... not dangerous but not pleasant either as we'd have to power all day. 2/5/08 - Weather? See yesterday or the day before or the day. Quiet day today, we didn't even bother to go ashore (Chamber of Commerce will shudder if they read that). I worked on a few boat projects. With Ruth's help we ran a water line from the forward head to the chain locker for an anchor wash-down system. I never could have done it without her help! Now I need to install and wire the pump, but the hose run was the make or break part of the project. I also bonded in mounting pads for the pressure wash pump and a macerator... things are moving ahead well! By the time we have guests in the Bahamas we'll be all set - kewl. Again, we'd love to have friends join us. Bill and Jill are heading the list. Frankie and Chuck are also lining up plane tickets. Sounds like this could be a great season! 2/6/08- Miles has become our unofficial whetherman... he gets up and checks his computer and Sirius systems for the weather forecasts. Then he calls and we decide whether to go to sea. Today is a go. We went... Fourth Watch had to turn back when their diesel started blowing smoke and oil. We felt torn, leaving them in Key West but we had to get to Marathon to pick up packages and get Buddy cleared for the Bahamas. Not being a diesel guy I couldn't help them beyond connecting them with Matt. Once they get the engine issues resolved they'll easily get back to Marathon... still, we felt a mother duck leaving a duckling behind. Ariel had a flooding experience (water to the floorboards) and had to dash to a travel lift in Marathon... just in case. Miles diagnosed his problem and did an emergency fix. At the yard it turned out to be an easy fix. They are no longer sinking. Fourth Watch used my friend Matt to track down a diesel mechanic. They found issues but no magic bullet and will head out tomorrow with their fingers crossed though the weather is more in their favor than it was today. The run to Marathon is an easy one for us in spite of the high seas. We did it today in 6 hours with no problems even with a 15-20 knot wind on our forward quarter - fantastic sail with no engine assist. This is the kind of sailing Ruth and I love and some absolutely hate. We arrive in Marathon to find no open moorings. Ariel was in a service slip so they were covered. I anchored AA in a spot I'd spent a week in last year so we're happy campers. I took the dinghy into City Marina and got on the waiting list for a mooring. While there I picked up two packages, we are expecting parts in a third... probably Friday or Monday - then we can head for the Bahamas. One of the packages was Christmas! Daughter Nikki and her brother Kyle had sent our gifts to Marathon when Ruth got food poisoning in Pewaukee and missed seeing them. It was really neat, Nikki sure hit our needs list on the head. Ruth and I had a blast opening the gifts. Thank you Nikki, Tim, Walker and Kyle! Sun down, I blew the conch and got 5 responses... all is well on AA! 2/7/08 - Ruth had a busy day, getting arrangements made for Buddy's medical, feather clipping and paperwork to enter the Bahamas. I did a little parts gathering and some small sewing repairs. Fourth Watch motor sailed for 5 hours until their engine started smoking again and a check revealed the oil was over the dipstick mark again. They sailed on to the 7 mile bridge and had TowBoatUS bring them into the Marathon Boat yard. Ariel is in the Marathon Boat yard, on the hard. They found their prop shaft to be 0.050" out of round, either bent in the Dismal Swamp passage; or, based on other machining marks and a misfit prop taper the shaft may have been build bent. Miles was cleaning a stain off the strut and found a number of severe corrosion cavities indicating the strut had been improperly constructed. He'll learn more today when a welder/machinist arrives. All in all, not a good day for our travel mates. 2/8/08 - Paula called today looking for referrals on boat transport services. She thinks they may have to ship the boat home to NY so Bob has the time, tools and space to do the repairs. She's afraid the engine may not be under warranty because they installed it though the installation was checked and all service has been done by Yanmar techs. It's too early to make that decision. 2/9/08 - Spent most of the day in the forward head and at West Marine. I'm putting in a wash down pump system for the chain locker and a macerator in forward head. After a trying day, with Ruth's help, I'm down to the wiring. Hurrah! It is so hot and humid you break into a sweat just breathing. Good news is - you don't have to shovel sweat. 2/10/08- Cold front moving through, high 70's and windy. I did a little wiring and systems designing in the morning, then we joined Miles and Laureen at the Pigeon Key Art Show. Some of the most imaginative art I've seen. We really enjoyed it. Tried to talk Miles into buying a frog picture, failed. Only Bond and Q know why he didn't. We spent most of the afternoon listening to the Doerfel family blue grass band. All in their teens... about 6 of the 10 in the band. Phenomenal group! Laureen & Miles were going to check out of their motel (Ariel is still on the hard) and spend the night with us. They should be on the water tomorrow evening. After seeing the mess I've made out of the fore cabin they took another night at the motel. Awww, we'd have cleaned it up guys! 2/11/08 - Monday - Big day today! Ariel is to get her strut re-welded and hopefully re-launched. We get our head hose and Fourth Watch learns when she'll have the engine parts back. All went as planned. Ariel is a vessel again, sitting alongside the boatyard wall looking pretty. I whipped out a sun shade for Fourth Watch giving them some protection from reflected rays. Our hose came in so my systems installation is finished but for the wiring. Now we're waiting for weather so we can cross. Got errands to run, Buddy's "visa" to receive from the Bahamas (no problem, they are quick), and provisions to load. Looks like at least 4-5 days before the gulf stream will calm down. The north wind has been strong the past couple of days... blew down our radar reflector, but has be great for testing the dinghy "Bro", our A-cup design has been keeping the spray out of the boat while going into the wind and waves. A little tweaking to do for quartering seas and I think we'll have it. 2/12/08 - Cold front continues to bring 15-20 knot winds and has just added t-storms and showers. Ruth worked on the computer while I finished wiring and tested the pressure wash-down pump and the macerator. All systems are a go. Being the masochist I am, I started shelves for the chain locker. Our chain is badly rusted from the salt and is damaging the line we store with it. So, I've designed and am installing a pair of shelves for the line while the chain can pass to the bottom of the locker. 2/13/08 - It's our anniversary! Wow, another year of bliss has quickly passed! 15 of those suckers have snuck by already. The cold front is still playing with us. The rain broke last night long enough for Ruth and I to dinghy over to Sue and Jack's for a great beef stew dinner. It was a fun evening... catching up on our respective adventures since we crossed paths last year. This morning I worked on the anchor locker... a nasty little hole to work in. I have a little tweaking to do to finish the project but heavy rain drove me inside for the afternoon. The weather got pretty nasty for a while around noon. The bridge reported gusts over 50 knots. Tornados in the area damaged the high school goal posts at Sombrero Key. We also heard that a local boat anchored in Port Glades got hit and severely damaged - the crew is okay. Ruth and I decided not to go anywhere special for our anniversary, opting to do a big meal aboard. Then the rain cleared and Ruth ran out of cigarettes so we went to Sombrero for supper. Met a lot of cruisers and snowbirds... turned out to be a fun evening. 2/14/08 - Valentine's Day was a quiet one.  I finished the anchor locker project. Then Ruth and I walked to Publix for some basic food stuffs and on to the post office to get a money order for Buddy's visa. Other than that, just another sunny day in paradise. 2/15/08 - As much as we love Marathon it's time to get moving. Ariel is ready to roll (a few things on their punch list but we can do those while cruising). Miles has arranged to borrow a car for provisioning on Sunday. We received an e-mail from him via satellite so he has is system running now. The weather remains cool, 70's, with the winds out of the north and northeast... no good for crossing the gulf stream. Bob & Paula are still in the Marathon Boatyard waiting for the repaired engine parts to get back and installed. Sounds like Monday will be their day... then they can move out to the mooring field. John called last night, he and Nell are at Rodriquez Key, heading our way. It will be good to see them again.

Photo format change We've had requests for some of the photos to be larger. Starting below, if you pass your cursor over a photo and see it change to a hand (the cursor), clicking your mouse will open a larger view of the photo. Fourth Watch with canvas complete Yes, Sundown at Mallory still has cats Ruthie sez Argh! Properly broken? Pat Dailey on stage, Sloppy Joe's Rebuilt dinghy hoist, KW harbor, note Barry's rebuild yellow... you'll see it in other places... hey, the paint works and the color is reminiscent of Flutterby. Green Parrot, Key West (phone photo) Doerfel Family Blue Grass (phone) Sorry about the pictures, experimenting with the phones... didn't have a camera (a real camera) along. (Okay Chuck, so I don't own a REAL camera). Crossing the Gulf Stream You'll hear us refer to waiting for a weather window to the Bahamas. What we are referring to is safe conditions for crossing the gulf stream that flows northward along the East coast. When the wind blows from the N, NE, E and SE it is blowing against the stream. This creates high closely spaced waves. How high? 8-10' very easily... sometimes we hear forecasts of 20' and above. All in all not a great day of sailing. Currently we have a series of cold fronts passing through (N winds). While the winds clock as the fronts pass they do not stay out of the south long enough to do us any good before the next front over-rides the. Looks like we'll be here in Marathon for a few more days. Revised chains locker - finally done Our power company We haven't talked about electricity for a while. We are essentially our own power company. We generate 12 volt DC current, using an inverter to convert some of it to 110 volt AC for the coffee pot, phone charges, computer and printer. I noticed our battery bank wasn't charging as fast as it use to. After some research I decided to change out our voltage regulator that controls the engine alternator so I could control voltage and amperage from the alternator. At the Annapolis show I'd had conversations with many experts including Ham Ferris and Nigel Calder relative to the impact of wind and solar source on engine driven alternators. The consensus we arrived at was that high voltage wins. The source with the highest voltage input will charge, regulating the others even if it has the lowest amperage. I put in the new regulator and upped it's voltage slightly. What a difference! We are now back to normal operation. We run the engine while we are making coffee as it really drains the batteries. If the wind is above 10 knots and it is sunny we will recharge daily with about a half hour to hour of engine time (this also provides our hot water). We use about 50-70 amp hours at night, leaving the batteries about 25% discharged. During a sunny, windy day we will recover to perhaps -20 to 30. The short engine run covers that. Where is We-energy when you need them?

Visit earlier portions of our 2008 east coast travels...

Boca Raton to Miami, FL - Jan 1 to 15, 2008	Miami to Key West, FL - Jan 16 to 31, 2008