Friday, October 31, 2008

Marathon








Well, we made it.
It was a TRIP, let me tell you.
We waited almost a week in Goodland. Not because we planned it, but just waiting for a favorable weather window. Florida Bay can be nasty unless you get the right wind, so we waited until the forecast wasn't too bad. Or so we thought.
The forecast for Wednesday into Thursday was for northeast winds 5 to 10 and Bay waters a "light to moderate chop." Well, as I've said before NOAA means "I have NOAA idea what the weather will be." It turned out once we got to the Bay the wind was north at about 20. More on that later.
We started out from Goodland about 9:30 Wednesday morning. The wind was light, but we were able to sail or at least motor-sail all the way to Cape Sable. It was a little on the cool side, but otherwise a pleasant day.
The trouble started around midnight. We passed Cape Sable and entered Florida Bay. The winds picked up and the waves started getting bigger. We were sailing on a dead run when we had two back to back "accidental jibes." The boom slammed first to port and then immediately back to starboard. The huge shock loads from the jibe broke the shackle that holds the main sheet block on the traveler horse. With no way to control the mainsail, we had to take it down and motor.
As we motored along in a steep following sea, the dinghy was surfing on the waves and catching up to us, only to fall back and put shock loads on the tow line. So, at 1:00 AM, I'm hanging off the stern rearranging the tow line to keep the dinghy closer and lessen its movement. Well, somehow I managed to leave a loop of line floating in the water which then proceeded to snag one of the zillion crab pots that dot the Bay. Our speed suddenly dropped from 4.5 knots, to 1 knot. We were actually dragging the crab pot along at one knot!
So, here I am again, hanging off the stern untangling the tow line from the crab pot.
Still, we carried on. We motored on through the night and arrived at the Seven Mile Bridge just after dawn. Once we could see again, we noticed that the pin had come loose from the main throat halyard. The block (one of the heavy old wooden blocks on the boat) was swinging free. Once again, I'm up on the fore deck grabbing the flying block and tying it down.
As we approached the Bridge, a wave broke under us causing the motor to lift clear of the water. The engine revved up wildly and I thought for a minute that we had broken the prop as it didn't settle down when the prop got back into the water. As we got near the bridge, our speed kept dropping and I thought we were losing power. It turned out just to be the tide flowing against us.
Yes it was an adventure. But as these things go, it could have been a lot worse. All night long we kept hearing Coast Guard "pan-pan" messages about a 34 foot wooden ketch that left Isla Mujeres, Mexico on October 20 bound for Fort Myers and now over due. It seems like every time we make a long crossing, we hear about a boat that's overdue.
We hope you enjoyed the "SPOT" messages we sent along this trip. These serve not only to entertain and inform you, but serve an important safety feature. These messages mean that somebody will always know where we are when we are at sea. The SPOT system also can alert the Coast Guard and give them our exact location if we send a distress message. We don't want to be the subject of any "pan-pan" messages that other mariners hear and say "Oh, well, glad it's not us."
Hear are a few pictures of our last anchorage at Goodland, the trip here and of course, Morgan taking bath.
Oh! I almost forgot - Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:24.7079
Longitude:-81.0899
Nearest Location: , Marathon, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:10/30/2008 11:38:17 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.7079,-81.0899&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:24.7391
Longitude:-81.1716
Nearest Location: Marathon, United States
Distance: 9 km(s)
Time:10/30/2008 08:22:26 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.7391,-81.1716&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:24.8143
Longitude:-81.1519
Nearest Location: Marathon, United States
Distance: 13 km(s)
Time:10/30/2008 06:55:25 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.8143,-81.1519&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:24.9979
Longitude:-81.1524
Nearest Location: Flamingo, United States
Distance: 28 km(s)
Time:10/30/2008 03:39:05 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.9979,-81.1524&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:25.3252
Longitude:-81.1694
Nearest Location: Leon Hamilton Place, United States
Distance: 22 km(s)
Time:10/29/2008 22:18:03 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.3252,-81.1694&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:25.4642
Longitude:-81.2066
Nearest Location: Leon Hamilton Place, United States
Distance: 6 km(s)
Time:10/29/2008 20:07:54 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.4642,-81.2066&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:25.6167
Longitude:-81.298
Nearest Location: The Watson Place, United States
Distance: 12 km(s)
Time:10/29/2008 17:19:11 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.6167,-81.298&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:25.7316
Longitude:-81.4204
Nearest Location: Chokoloskee, United States
Distance: 11 km(s)
Time:10/29/2008 14:43:35 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.7316,-81.4204&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:25.8239
Longitude:-81.5506
Nearest Location: Dismal Key, United States
Distance: 7 km(s)
Time:10/29/2008 11:56:39 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.8239,-81.5506&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:25.9178
Longitude:-81.6418
Nearest Location: Goodland, United States
Distance: 1 km(s)
Time:10/29/2008 09:40:09 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.9178,-81.6418&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Stuck

While it was a beautiful day here in Goodland, the weather is starting to get nasty down in Florida Bay. A cold front is coming through today and tonight and winds are expected to make Florida Bay rough for the next few days.
So...here we are stuck in Goodland waiting for the wind to clock back to the east and let the bay calm down. The idea of crossing Florida Bay with the waves at 4 to 7 feet when the depth is only 7 feet just doesn't appeal to me. So we wait. It looks like we might have a window to cross the Bay Friday or Saturday.
We'll keep you posted.

Friday, October 24, 2008

What the heck, the boat's on the beach






so let's have a party!
Today we are taking a little break and waiting out the weather in Goodland (home of "Spammy-Jammy"). Paul, the dockmaster took us to the grocery store today and we've filled the water tanks. We'll do some laundry and relax a bit before the big jump from here to Marathon.
We are not planning any stops once we leave here and it's 102 NM to Marathon. We might anchor once along the way, but other than that it's a straight shot the rest of the way. We will have to sail through the night, so we have to wait for the weather to be just right.
Since our last update we stopped at Lemon Bay, Boca Grande, Pelican Bay and Naples. Our stop in Pelican Bay included a get-together with the West Coast trailer-boat club. We pulled the boat right up onto the beach and joined the party. Bolger said the boat could be beached, but up till now we haven't had the guts to try it. The contour of the sand bar we beached at was just right for us to get the nose of the boat dug into the sand and the rest of the boat still floating free. When the time came to leave the beach, Bev just gave her a little push and off we went.
At the party we also saw another Bolger boat, a Bobcat. See the picture here. It's the one with the blue tarp for a cockpit shade.
Most of the other boats were a type called "Sea Pearl," a very elegant little sharpie. Some had outriggers to make them trimarans, and some even had tents built onto them so they could be "camp-cruisers." We met some new friends, had a few beers and some munchies. It was fun.
In Boca Grande, we saw hundreds of rented golf carts ferrying big shots around. It seems that some friend of Oprah Winfrey was getting married so she was there along with Tom Cruise, John Travolta and others. Security was tight, so we didn't get to crash the party, Darn it! We also ran into the good folks from Suncoast Humane Society. We met a few of their former "clients" including Ruffin, a 200 lb Newfoundland who shared Bev's ice cream. There was also a Portuguese Water dog puppy and a portly Border Collie.
The trip from Big Carlos to Naples was all sail. The wind was out of the east so waves were small. It was a great day to be on the water.
From Naples we motored inside to Goodland to avoid going around Cape Ramano. The cape can be treacherous in weather because the shoals go so far out. The weather has started to turn a bit ugly, so we're just waiting here for the right wind to finish the trip.
We also want to say, again, thank you to Julie and Tim and Pat and Peter for all you've done for us. And Tim and Julie...remember...we EXPECT to see "Love is All" in Marathon this winter. You are running out of excuses. The standing rigging is done, the motor should need only one more "tweak," the deck is painted and the head is just about done. So hang some sail and get out there and do it! (Morgan says that she misses you...or is it he? We still don't know.)
We hope you are enjoying the SPOT updates. Make sure you click the satellite link on Google Maps to get the best image.
Once we leave Goodland, we will send a SPOT update every few hours. This way, you will be able to track our progress during the long crossing to Marathon. We will be out of cell phone range for most of the crossing, so SPOT will be our only link to civilization. Wish us luck.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:25.919
Longitude:-81.6526
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:10/23/2008 15:05:58 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.919,-81.6526&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:26.1019
Longitude:-81.7984
Nearest Location: Sabre Cay, Naples, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:10/22/2008 15:10:14 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.1019,-81.7984&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:26.4113
Longitude:-81.8837
Nearest Location: Coconut, United States
Distance: 5 km(s)
Time:10/21/2008 13:50:28 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.4113,-81.8837&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Monday, October 20, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:26.5016
Longitude:-82.1285
Nearest Location: Saint James City, United States
Distance: 5 km(s)
Time:10/20/2008 14:38:58 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.5016,-82.1285&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Saturday, October 18, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:26.752
Longitude:-82.2568
Nearest Location: not known
Distance: not known
Time:10/18/2008 11:31:55 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.752,-82.2568&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Friday, October 17, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:26.6925
Longitude:-82.244
Nearest Location: not known
Distance: not known
Time:10/17/2008 13:44:23 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.6925,-82.244&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Thursday, October 16, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:26.9214
Longitude:-82.3548
Nearest Location: Whitcomb St, Manasota Key, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:10/16/2008 12:19:28 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.9214,-82.3548&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Monday, October 13, 2008

On our way








Well, we've made it as far as Venice and now we're staying a day or so at Pat and Peter's place.
I hope everyone is getting the SPOT updates. Make sure when you click on the Google Map link that you hit the "satellite" button. This will change the image from a map to a satellite photo of the exact spot we have set our anchor. For example, if you click the link for Oct 7, you will see the spot where we anchored off the little sand bar of "Three Rooker Bar."
So far on this trip we've done quite a bit of sailing, as opposed to motoring. For example, yesterday we had a glorious day of sailing across Sarasota Bay. The day before, we crossed Tampa Bay under sail. The wind was light crossing Tampa Bay, so we got the chance to play with the "reaching spinnaker" a bit.
The on hassle we've had came just at the end of our sail across Tampa Bay. We dropped the sails as we entered the ICW and called the Anna Maria Bridge. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon and we were told that we had to wait until 5:00 due to construction. Well...after anchoring for 2 1/2 hours, it turned out that they didn't open the bridge until 5:30. Then, to top it all off, the Cortez bridge wouldn't open until 6:30. This meant that we didn't get to set anchor until nearly sundown. Just as we were getting into the anchorage, the sailboat ahead of us ran hard aground. We tried to help tow them off, but it didn't work. As it turned out, they had hit the most shallow spot in the anchorage exactly at low tide. After about a half hour, the tide floated them off.
We saw this same boat again as we sailed across Sarasota Bay the next day. They ended up anchoring near us in Sarasota so we all dinghied in to the tiki bar and they bought us a round of drinks. "Thanks, guys!"
We plan on spending a day or so in Venice to re provision for the next leg. Then, as weather permits, it's off to Lemon Bay, then Boca Grande and Fort Myers.
Here are a few pics of the trip so far.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:27.1088
Longitude:-82.4592
Nearest Location: White Cap Cir, Venice, FL, US
Distance: 0 km(s)
Time:10/13/2008 12:28:57 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=27.1088,-82.4592&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Sunday, October 12, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:27.3292
Longitude:-82.546
Nearest Location: Sarasota, United States
Distance: 2 km(s)
Time:10/12/2008 14:58:58 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=27.3292,-82.546&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Saturday, October 11, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:27.4631
Longitude:-82.6927
Nearest Location: Bradenton Beach, United States
Distance: 1 km(s)
Time:10/11/2008 19:07:02 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=27.4631,-82.6927&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Friday, October 10, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:27.7338
Longitude:-82.7023
Nearest Location: Gulfport, United States
Distance: 2 km(s)
Time:10/10/2008 12:52:13 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=27.7338,-82.7023&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:27.9761
Longitude:-82.8243
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:10/08/2008 14:37:03 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=27.9761,-82.8243&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:28.1268
Longitude:-82.8342
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:10/07/2008 14:49:40 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=28.1268,-82.8342&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Sunday, October 05, 2008

The new rudder


The new rudder is in and the bearings adjusted. It seems to be working fine, but we will be taking a short daysail tomorrow to check it our under way.
Look for a SPOT message tomorrow, just to say we're OK.
We hope to start out for Marathon on Tuesday - weather permitting.
Wish us luck.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Getting ready to head south







We're in the process of getting the boat, and ourselves, ready to head back to Marathon for the winter. Part of the process of getting the boat ready was to install a new rudder.
Last year, when we met with Phil Bolger I discovered that I had made an error in building the rudder. I left of the "bottom plate," a sort of shoe or wing that helps the rudder focus the flow of water and improve efficiency. Instead of rebuilding the old rudder, I decided to have a whole new one fabricated out of steel. Now we have a welded steel rudder that weighs about twice what the old one.
Today, while the divers were here to clean the bottom, we had them help us put the new rudder in. One of the neat things about Bolger's design is that the rudder sits completely outside the watertight envelope of the boat so there was no need to haul out to change the rudder. We simply pulled out the set screws in the old bearings, dropped the old rudder to the bottom. Then we floated the new rudder into place with the help of a life jacket. It was a bit of work to hold it in place while the bearings were set, but we did it. Somehow, during the process, the rudder blade got reversed, so we had to spin it around. When we finally got it straight, it turned out that it rubs against the boat's bottom. So...tomorrow, we get to pull the bearings out and shave them down by 1/8 inch to make for proper clearance. I think the welder didn't get the rudder blade perfectly straight because the clearance is correct at the post, but the rudder rubs at the tip.
So...we are now delayed one more day in our departure for the Keys, but better safe than sorry.
This will likely be be our last post before Marathon. As it looks now we will be leaving here on Tuesday. Once we leave, we will be sending updates by "SPOT." When you read the SPOT update, be sure to click the link for the Google Maps showing our exact location.
Before we head out, we want to give a great big THANKS to Julie and Tim for letting us park the boat (and ourselves) at their place. True friends are hard to find. Julie and Tim and Angel - you will always have a place to stay if you make it down to the Keys. Thank you for everything!

South Carolina











Recently, Bev and Julie took a road trip to South Carolina to visit Julie's family there. While in Central, SC, they went to Collins Old Town. It's a sort of "museum village" run by Julie's mother's brother-in-law, Roy Collins. It features a Depression Era country store, a barber shop and a school house.
If you're ever in Central, stop in to see Roy and Pat at 228 Lawton Road.
Bev and Julie stayed with Julie's folks, Lilian and Ray, Julie's brother Arnie, her brother Tim and his family. Bev also got to meet Julie's handsome son, Kyle and "Ranger" formerly known as "Shadow."