We hope...

you are all enjoying the SPOT updates. Make sure you click the satellite link on Google maps to get the full effect.
Tonight we are in Lantana, near Palm Beach. We are expecting winds at 20 to 25 knots for the next several days, so we might get delayed again. We are waiting to see what conditions are really like on the ICW tomorrow. We're not far from the ocean, and there's not much land to moderate the winds. The last 2 days have been beautiful, with light winds and lots of sun. We had to run a lot of bridges (7 per day!) so progress is slow. The bridges start to thin out a bit from here, so we are hoping to improve our daily mileage.
We don't get to write a regular update very often as internet access is spotty. We will write more when we can.
The dreaded trip across Biscayne Bay turned out to be a fabulous day of sailing. We held one tack the whole length of the bay, with the wind on our starboard quarter. Whew, what a ride! It was neat seeing Miami appear just under our mainsail.
We had some excitement on Tuesday evening. We had anchored at a spot called Baker's Haulover anchorage and settled in for a quiet evening. About 9 pm, we heard a chopper hovering right over our heads. We looked out and saw a CG boat, and a Fire/Rescue boat. We turned on the radio and overheard the chatter between the various vessels. It turned out that a kayaker was missing and they were conducting a search. We never did hear if he was found.
Passing through Ft. Lauderdale and Port Everglades was also a bit exciting. There is a very busy, major shipping port there. We saw a half dozen container ships loading and unloading. We also saw a ship that is used to transport yachts across the ocean. The ship itself sinks so the boats can be floated onto it. Then the water is pumped out, raising the ship so it can navigate with all the boats strapped to its deck.
Now we are in the sheltered waters of the ICW. Not much sailing, but given the 8 foot waves outside, I think we'll just continue put-putting our way up the ditch for a while.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:26.5822
Longitude:-80.0481
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/24/2009 13:11:54 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.5822,-80.0481&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:26.3459
Longitude:-80.0743
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/23/2009 13:25:26 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.3459,-80.0743&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:26.1327
Longitude:-80.1183
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/22/2009 14:12:34 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.1327,-80.1183&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:25.9087
Longitude:-80.1363
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/21/2009 17:15:29 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.9087,-80.1363&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:25.6771
Longitude:-80.1632
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/19/2009 15:05:28 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.6771,-80.1632&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:25.5978
Longitude:-80.2204
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/19/2009 12:50:29 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.5978,-80.2204&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:25.3237
Longitude:-80.2969
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/16/2009 11:36:56 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.3237,-80.2969&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Under way, and an unexpected adventure.

Well, as you can tell from our SPOT posts, we are finally under way, heading north. It has been mostly good, but last night we had an unexpected and unwelcome adventure.
We stopped in a place called Tarpon Basin because it is protected 360 degrees from the wind. The forecast was for northwesterly winds starting today, and we wanted a good spot to wait out the weather. We dropped the hook in Tarpon Basin, near the NW corner to be out of the NW wind when it arrived.
Well, as I've said many times, NOAA stands for "I have NO A Idea what the weather will be." Once again, our great government weather program got it wrong - dead wrong. Instead of a strong NW wind, we got a strong EAST wind at 2:00 AM! The boat twisted around suddenly, ripped the two anchors free of the bottom and before the anchors could reset we were in the mangroves.
Thankfully, we suffered no damage and were able to kedge off this morning once the wind died down. After that adventure, we decided to treat ourselves to a night in a marina to get a good rest before tackling the open waters of Barnes Sound, Card Sound and Biscayne Bay. The weather doesn't look promising (north winds) until maybe Sunday, but we are going to play it by ear. There are few anchorages suitable for a north wind in this part of the Keys, so we have to be very wary about heading out.
That said, the rest of the trip so far has been great. Nice quiet anchorages and relatively calm conditions for travel. We even got some sailing in here and there. After our stop at Lignum Vitae, we actually sailed off our mooring! That's something we don't get to do often.
Tonight, we'll go to the local Tiki Bar for all-you-can-eat shrimp night, and tomorrow, just sit and watch for a weather window on Biscayne Bay.
Here are a few random shots of the last few days.
(You may recognize the "broken bridge" shot. It's the place where Jamie Lee Curtis almost fell into the water in a car in the movie "True Lies.")

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:25.1332
Longitude:-80.4358
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/14/2009 16:18:49 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.1332,-80.4358&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:25.0171
Longitude:-80.5164
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/13/2009 12:48:20 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.0171,-80.5164&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:24.9068
Longitude:-80.7043
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/12/2009 15:38:16 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.9068,-80.7043&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:24.7376
Longitude:-81.0345
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/11/2009 13:40:16 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.7376,-81.0345&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Tomorrow!

It looks like tomorrow is the day. The winds will be light and from the south, so the trip across the "ocean side" to the 7 Mile Bridge should be gentle. Once we pass under the bridge we will be in Florida Bay and the waves should die down even further. The prediction for next week looks promising, with light south breezes all the way.
This will be the last post from Marathon. The next post will be a SPOT message from our first anchorage, somewhere on "the bay side." If you are new to this blog, each SPOT message contains a link. Click on the link and it will take you to Google Maps with a marker indicating our position. On the Map page there is a link to the satellite image of the same spot. It's really cool and it lets you see exactly where we are.
Bev reminded me that I neglected to post a picture of Bev's friend Lori who we caught up with during our last visit to Key West, so here it is.
We heard this morning from our friends on "Verkennen" and they have finally gotten under way. They reached the Little Shark River last evening. They are headed the same way we are, up the east coast, but decided to take the Okeechobee route to avoid the dozens of bridges in the Miami area. We plan to put our masts down and just scoot under most of the bridges. It helps to have a Bolger boat!

Almost ready

Preparations continue for the trek north, but on Saturday we took a break.
One of Bev's coworkers loaned us a car for the weekend so we took the crew of Verkennen on a little expedition to Key West. We had a drink at the famous Blue Heaven (of the Jimmy Buffett song), had wings at Kelly's and saw the "Cat Man" at Mallory Square at sunset. As we were heading back to the car, we spotted a Bolger "Sneakeasy" sitting at the dock near Schooner Wharf.
We also ran into our old friend Mikhail Pobo who told us that his cat had died. It must have been hard for him and Irene because the cat was the inspiration for their book and their paintings.
The test of the SPOT system worked so start watching for regular SPOT updates once we start moving.
There is some weather coming in today, another cold front, so the wind and waves won't be favorable until later in the week, maybe Thursday.
Here are a few pictures of our latest Key West adventure.

OK ESN:0-7359581

This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.
ESN:0-7359581
Latitude:24.708
Longitude:-81.0897
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:04/04/2009 10:44:15 (US/Eastern)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.708,-81.0897&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

SPOT test

Some time today I will be sending a test message to make sure the SPOT system is still working. Watch for it.

For those of you who are new to the list, SPOT is a satellite based messaging system that uses GPS to locate itself, then sends messages back through the GEOS satellite. You will get a message that says "We're OK" and includes a link to google maps. Clink on the link to see a satellite image of our exact location.

Cool!

Getting ready to head north.

It's getting near that time. The crew of Walkure are preparing for another journey. As things stand now, sometime after next Tuesday (weather depending) we will slip our mooring and start the long trek north. We hope to "cross our own wake" in Kingston NY sometime in June. We'll visit my son and my sister in NY, and then head for Cape Cod to see Bev's kids and grandkids.
Bev worked her last day at the hospital Wednesday. I've added a pic of her coworkers. Yesterday we had the bottom cleaned and if took the boat down the creek to run another test on the new engine. We were able to do 5+ knots, even into a head wind. The new engine has a smaller diameter prop than the old and I was concerned it won't give the same thrust. The new prop, although smaller, is a 4 blade instead of the old 3 blade, so it should be adequate. On yesterday's run, it seemed to do fine. We could run at 4.5 to 4.8 knots with the engine at half throttle, so that's not bad.
We took Morgan to the vet for his first ever checkup. Here's a pic of Morgan meeting Dr. Jerri. Next week we are having a chip implanted so he will be legal in those states that require it.
This is the time of year that a lot of boats leave Marathon after wintering here. The mooring field is thinning out. Our friends Sande and Donnie on "Gypsy Cat" left a few days ago. Laurie and Paul on "Verkennen" tried to leave but had engine trouble and had to come back for repairs.
We caught up with Laurie and Paul Wednesday night at the Hurricane Bar for open mike night. I got up on stage for two separate sets. Carol and Pete from "Crazy Cat" gave us a ride to the bar and helped make up a great cheering section for yours truly.
Here are a few pics of the last week or so. The pretty blue and gold macaw is Pete, Sande and Donnie's bird who contributed the great feather on my hat. If you look closely at the picture of the boats you can see "Gypsy Cat" just approaching the red channel marker.
I've also included a picture of Wednesday night's open mike performance.
Our friend Kieth from South Pasadena is staying at a marina on the other side of the island and will be leaving here the same time we do. We will be leapfrogging up the coast and catching up with Kieth along the way.

Another busy week!

Who knew being retired would keep a person so busy?
This week we finally broke down, broke the bank and bought a new engine for the boat. It's a Tohatsu 9.8hp. It's the same size as the old engine, just newer. If you've never heard of Tohatsu, they are the folks who make virtually every small outboards in the world, even those with a different name on the cowl. The new engine has an alternator, so with a little bit of rewiring, we will have one more source of electricity to keep our batteries charged.
The night before last we got to see a Space Shuttle launch. Man! That thing puts on a heck of a show. We were able to see it from 100 miles away! About a half hour later, the International Space Station flew overhead and we were able to track it horizon to horizon.
Also this week was the 33rd annual Marathon Seafood Festival. Bev and I went for fun on Saturday, and again on Sunday to work the Fishermen's Hospital booth. On Saturday evening we introduced Sande and Donnie to our friend Howard Livingston who put on a great show just before sundown.
Sande and Donnie will be leaving Marathon this week, headed for the Chesapeake. We will miss them, but hope to catch up with them when we pass that way. Sande has been teaching Bev to make jewelry from some of the seashells we've collected. Sande makes jewelry from feathers shed by their macaw Pete. So far, Morgan hasn't shed any feathers, so we're stuck with using shells.
I've been doing a little work for another boater and earning a little extra, much needed cash. Yesterday I installed a wind generator on his boat and today I go back to finish up the wiring.
Our plans for the trip north are firming up. We will be leaving Marathon around the 4th or 5th of April, weather permitting. We will spend a week just cruising around the upper Keys and seeing the sights before entering the ICW for the long haul up the Florida coast.
The little bird pictured is a kestrel named "Sweetie." She was a rescue bird that had been hand raised in Cuba. When her owner came to the States, Sweetie had to be confiscated because it is illegal to keep kestrels as pets. She can't be released into the wild because she hasn't learned to hunt.

Pig races and saying goodbye to friends

Last weekend was Annual Pig Day here in Marathon and to celebrate, one of our favorite eateries, The Stuffed Pig, hosted a series of pig races. It was all in fun and raised a bit of money for a local charity.
Joining us at the races were our friends Laurie and Paul from "Verkennen." We first met them in Venice in 2007. They had been following this blog almost from the beginning. They caught up to us again here in Marathon, but now they are moving on. (There's a link to their blog in the links section on this blog.)
The weather here is finally starting to break a bit. We've had a series of cold fronts that have kept temperatures in the 60s with winds in the 20s & 30s for several weeks. Now it's finally getting into the 70s with lighter winds. We're hoping that April will bring favorable winds for us to start making our way north.
I've included a picture of one of our recent Saturday night jam sessions at the Tiki hut.
Also, it looks like we will need to buy a new engine. The old Yamaha is just about worn out. It's a 1991 and it's got a lot of hours on it. I think the valves and the rings have gone. We'll be doing a lot of motoring on the ICW as we head north and need reliable power. I'll be shopping this afternoon to see what kind of deal I can get. I am hoping to get a new 9.9 Yamaha High Thrust with electric tilt so I don't have to climb down into the engine well to raise and lower the engine. Wish me luck.