Day 119

Saturday - Topped off the fuel tank and continued to North West Creek Marina. Had a great current through the entire length of Adams Creek. Reached NWC Marina at 1 pm. Barbara's Joy II is now at a new location on the end of the "T" dock which is great. The next two days have been the hotest of the entire trip.
We had a good experience on this our longest trip.
Thanks for following our blog and your comments.

The End

Day 115, 116, 117 & 118

Tuesday - Arrived in Carolina Beach to find it very windy, gusting to 28 mph. Decided not to anchor. We found a small marina but there was no attendants. Made a cell phone call and got permission to stay on their face dock. These is the Federal Point Yacht Club Marina. A marina that is open to transients but can not take credit cards. "Not for profit" is the reason. It took 2 tries to land the boat since the wind was against us. Barbara did very well in lasoing the cleat. We got secured and relaxed for the evening, the wind backed down to 10 mph.
Wednesday - The forcast indicated more wind for Wednesday, so, we stayed one more night. Phyllis, our friend, can to dinner and we had a great night. The wind did gust to 34 mph during the day. Good to be on a dock. Very nice marina with great facilities. When we left the dock, we noticed fly ash all over the boat. On the way we heard the CG close the ICW south of us. The crusiers had problems with the Little River Swing Bridge, the fire and then the Sunset Bribge was closed for low tide. BAD DAY.
Thursday - Arrived at Mile Hammock Bay, home of the US Marine Corps, to anchor for the night. We met John and Judy of "Gypsea" again and had them over for dinner. Barbara does like to entertain! They are very nice. When we left this anchorage we also had fly ash all over the boat.
Friday - We left for Morehead City to anchor behind "No Name Island" but found no room. The dock at Santary Fish Market was the next choice. Ten dollars a night to tie to their dock is good. No water or electric, but that's a fair price. It's a little bussy but get very quiet later.

Day 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, & 114

Wednesday - Left Wappoo Creek anchorage. Passed the CG launching 4 of their fast boats, guns and all. Passed the CG at Charleston "slowly", then 2 high speed chase boats passed me going out to sea. These are 40 foot ,carry 8 crew and patrol the coast. They can run over 40 mph. and are armed. We arrived at Isle of Palms Marina before noon. Had to get prepared for Eileen's family (less Bill). They arrived at 1:30 pm. We quickly celebrated Jennifer's birthday. By 3 pm we were on our way to Charleston. We took a carrage ride to start our tour. We found Bubba Gump's Resturant and really enjoyed it. Good food and fun.
Thursday - continued our tour of Charleston. We visited The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon, Fort Sumpter and found our way back to Bubba's Gump. Another fun time at dinner.
Friday - Visited Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens. John Boone arrived in the new world in 1670. The Plantation was formed from a grant from King Charles II in 1681. The live oaks, that line the long drivway today, were planted by the son of John Boone in 1743. They form a canape with the branchs almost touching each other. The long drive is shaded the entire length. Before the civil war, this plantation had over 200 slaves and 4000 acres. Very interesting and historical tour. The time line is up to date which includes President Obama and the roots of his wife dating back to slavery.
Saturday - Family departed about 10 am. We left shortly afterward for an anchorage in Minum Creek. Isle of Palms Marina may not be revisited. No laundry facility and limited number of slips are the main short falls. The price suggest a much nicer marina.
Sunday - Left Minum Creek for Cow House Creek off the Waccamaw River. Had to avoid some large tree stumps on our way, but we had a very peaceful night.
Monday - Left our peaceful anchorage for Myrtle Beach Yacht Club Marina. The forcast indicated high winds and storms, so we elected to stay at the marina. Getting to the marina early enabled us to do the laundry and get water.

Day 106, 107 & 108

Sunday - Arrived at Tom Point Creek and set two anchors to pratice and stay away from the mud on the edge of the creek. Our next anchorage will require two anchors due to many boats that use the popular anchorage and the size of the anchorage. We will need to get some protection from the forcasted wind. While anchored at Tom Point Creek, our friends, The Susanne, can by to anchor. It was a surprise to both of us. we met them in the Keys and enjoyed their company.
Monday - Arrived at Wappoo Creek to spend two days in the lea of the land and to get off the boat to look around James Island. Had lunch at the Crab House and enjoyed a walk to the mall. At the mall, we spoke to a couple of "dam yankees" from Long Island. They own several businesses but still speak funny.
Tuesday - Spent the morning cleaning and preparing for our daughter and family's visit. They will spend Wednesday thru Saturday and we will celebrate Jennifier's 12 birthday. Also, we will tour Charleston. Jennifer has spent time researching what she would like to see.

Day 103, 104 & 105

Thursday - Needed to spend another day at Kilkenny Creek to get back on schedule. Exployed the creek a little , them to the shrimp dock. Came up empty at the dock. But were able to get on land and take a nice walk. There is a marina down the road that sell ICE CREAM. This area is out in the country quiet far. They have some of the largest live oaks we have ever seen. These oaks form a canopy for the homes and cars. One oak in the parking lot is large enough to park many cars underneath. These trees must be great shade in the heat of the summer in Ga.
Friday - Left for Savannah to see our friends. Arrived at Thunderbolt Marina by noon. Nice marina, good showers and big boats. Our friends, Donnalee and Micheal, arrived at the boat to take us to check out Savannah. They have rented a very old home. Twelve foot ceilings, beautiful wood floors and beautiful trees provide nice shade. They are only 2 blocks from the city park which is very large and well kept. We went to the Blue Moon for dinner to celebrate their move.
Saturday - Back at the marina, we got pumped out, filled the water tank and left for Cowen Creek. Recommended by another friend, Robert. Anchored 3 miles up the creek for peace and quite.

Day 100, 101 & 102

Monday - Still at Brunswick. Barbara had a reaction to some medicine and needed to change to another drug. Once she stopped the original one she felt better shortly. Good news, no reaction to the new drug. Everything stops when the crew doesn't feel well.
Tuesday - Our new dock neighbors told us that the farmers market was open Tuesday and Thursday, in addition to Saturday. Off to the market we went. Brought two bags of fresh veggies. Got them back to the boat, then to lunch at Artie's Italian Restruant.
Wednesday - Wind slowed to 20 mph, so we left Brunswick. headed for Walburg Creek,GA. When we got there, the wind was out of the wrong direction. So we continued to the alternate anchorage at Kilkenny Creek. Nice and quite.

Day 99

Sunday - The little town of Brunswick is closed up on Sunday. I worked on the rust spots we recieved fron the Daytona high rise bridge. They were sand blasting as we went under it. I anchored a short distance from the bridge and noticed little "resen" like balls all over the deck. When we got to a marina the next day, we noticed they were rust spots. Seems the maintenance crew uses iron balls to sand blast the paint. When they reach the salt water, they dissapear. The best to remove rust stains with little effort is "Bar Keepers Friend". only $1.65 a can and it works great. Great on stainless too.

Day 97 & 98

Friday - Last night was a poor night for sleeping. Rain, rain and more rain with lots of lighting and thunder. Also, tornado watches and warnings until midnight. We left early and headed for Brunswick Landing Marina where we intended to stay a few days.
Saturday - We made a great choice for a marina. Quite, sheltered and great people. The little town of Brunswick is very nice with great resturants and old hardware stores. After getting desert at 4th of May Cafe, we stepped out side (9pm) and spent 40 minutes speaking to the owner of the marina. He was there to pick up his daughter who worked at the resturant. He wanted our opinion/impression of some things. We thought he was very nice but other people (marina workers)questioned our impression. Depends if your a customer or an employee.
75% of the marina is filled with boats from the north are left for 5 or 6 months. Owners come to maintain and provision the boats then cruse farther south. Saves them time and they don't have to fight the cold. It doesn't freeze here, therefore, no winterization. It is said that this is a very good huricane hole. No huricanes in memory.
We intend to stay a here a few more days since bad weather is forcasted.

Day 96

 
 

Thursday - Because of our exposure to south and west winds, we moved our anchorage north about 15 miles. On the way, we took some pictures of the nuclear submarine degussing facility and a submarine. This sub was "hidden" from view until 2 large Coast Guard ships move out as we passed. The small CG boats in the photo were to excort the sub out to sea. No boats are allowed to be within 100 yards of the channel as the sub leaves. Some vessels had to turn around and head south until it passed them.
We are now anchored on the north side of Cumberland Island in creek, off Brickhill River, to shelter us from waves amd wind. No other boats here, yet. The entrance to this River was silted over. I needed two attempts to get pass the entrance. It looked like only 3 feet of water at max. low tide. I need 3.5 feet so I pushed .5 feet of silt for 100 feet. Barbara is so bored, that besides reading alot, she now has started quilting. Could clean but ......... ! I have to do everything. Only kidding. !

Day 95

Wednesday - Last night we had a very heavy rain and t'storms. Checked the dinghy this morning and found it half full of rain water. It took 1/2 hr to bail it our. Rain all day today. Gave me time to update this blog. Barbara cut my hair because I was looking "scruffie". I thought I looked good !
I finally beat Barbara at Mexican Train Dominoes which is good news.
We will stay here until Thursday morning.

Day 94

 
 
 
 

Tuesday - Anchored at Cumberland Island overnight. We unloaded the dinghy and motor and headed for the Ranger Station (2nd dock). Barbara loves to walk the beach, so, we walked the ocean beach, which is the other side of the island. There are wild horses on this island. The photos show our view from the boat. Hores on the bay side of the island, nuclear sub. facility with degaussing building on the mainland and the dock at the ranger's station.

Day 92 & 93

Sunday - More wind and t'storms so we stayed another day at the marina. Our routeen is to get the courstey car using both Bill's name and mine to get 4 hours use. Works well. However, the van we used on Sunday was having mechanical issues. Actually, it died in the Wal-Mart parking lot. They sent someone to rescue us, so we insisted that he drive us to Dary Queen for ICE CREAM. We brought him one for the rescue.
Monday - Finally left the marina at St. Augustine. Barbara took a long hot shower. I filled up the water tank and readied Barbara's Joy for several days at anchor. I had a great anchorage picked out until we arrived at the anchorage to find someone else had the same idea and beat me to it. The secondary anchorage was close but we were going to pass the best source for diesel fuel, so we had to stop. At that time of the day, we are tired and didn't care to fuel up. But the price was good. ($1.91). We arrived at the secondary anchorage, Cumberland Island.

Day 89, 90, & 91

Thursday- Arrived in St. Augustine at 2 pm. Nice ride. Getting into the slip after several turns was not as difficult as it looked at first. Practice makes better. We docked at Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor Marina possibly for 2 days. Signed up for the courtesy car for the evening. Bill and Margrate landed in the marina later and accompanied us to St. Augustine via car. Good beer in an English Pub and great food in a nearby resturant.
Friday- Signed up for the "2 hour" courtesy car along with Bill & Margrate which gave us from 2 pm to 9 pm. Toured St. Augustine's historical area. Ghosts are a big part of this area. Lots of stories.
Saturday - Bad weather has kept us in the marina. Again we got the courtesy car but this time it died at Wal-Mart. Called the marina to rescue us. It was at the end of out day, not too bad. The weather seems to be getting poorer. May stay tomorrow.

Day 87 & 88

Tuesday - We are on the move. Left Vero "Velcro" Beach late but had to only go 53 miles. Anchored at Cocoa with intentions to tour the city the next day. The wind changed our minds. It was a bouncy night and we saw no let up in the wind on Wednesday morning. So we took up the anchor and headed to Daytona, our next regular destination.
Wednesday - Long day. Anchored in Sea Breeze, Daytona. We did see a Manatee's rear end and another's front end. We believe these are the scarest manuals and yet when you see expensive homes or marinas, there are signs to slow down for MANATEES. Wonder why ? Hope tonight is better for sleeping.

Day 84, 85 & 86

Saturday - A rainy day. 20% cahance turned into 5 hrs of rain. Over by noon, bail out the dinghy, and headed for the showers. Took a walk along the quite streets of Vero Beach.
Sunday - Lazy day. We went to the beach with our mooring buddies, Bill & Margrate, s/v Margratea. Cravings is a small store that has ICE CREAM, among other things. Got a fix.
Monday - Went to town on the BUS. TOO JAYS is a very good resturant near Publix. Prepared to leave Vero Beach Marina, mentally and physically. Margratea planned to leave Tuesday for Cocoa Beach.

Day 83

Friday - We are still at Vero Beach. Meeting many cruisers. Another day on the bus to shop at Publix, West Marine, ABC Store and Dunkin Donuts for coffee beans. Tonight we went to dinner with 6 other boaters. Good night with good company.

Day 79, 80, 81, 82

The days are blending together. We have been spending much of our time with Bill & Margaret of s/v Margarete. We have walked on the beach, shopped at many stores and had found some very good resturants.
Caught a Weakfish and eat it within 2 hours. That's fresh fish.

Day 78

Sunday - Another very nice day. We are enjoying rafting with Margareta, may stay a few more days. The event of the day was the launch of the space shuttle. We had a countdown and very good view.

Day 75, 76, & 77

Thursday - Moved over to raft with Margareta, Bill & Margrat, friends from NWC Marina. They have a 46' Island Packet sail boat. We were surprised had well the boats rafted. Freeboard is the same. Just 30 years difference in age.
Friday - Bill & Margrat rented a car for the weekend. We are in the mangroves in a very quite place. The weather is great.
Saturday - Went grocery shopping for thoes heavy items that are difficult to handle on the bus. Found a very nice resturant for Lunch. Our dinner was a combined effort and was very good. Bill cooks a great pork loin.
We are trying to lower our food stuff so I don't have to truck it home. If we can return to the dock with 1 meal remaining, we would meet our goal. Lots of Luck !

Day 74

Arrived at Vero Beach, FL where we will stay for at least a week. Met some friends from our dock in NC and we will raft with them. Took a walk to the beach and found a good ICE CREAM shop.

Day 72 & 73

Monday - Easy trip through the country. Can upon St. Lucie Lock and were lowered 13 feet. This was the largest change in hight for the entire way. This one lock would equal the total of all others.
A short distance and we were in Stuart, FL at Sunset Bay Marina. We got a mooring ball and went into town to explore. Another good bus system but not the best. Good enought to find a great lunch taco and later some ICE CREAM.
Tuesday - Went shopping and Barbara found MORE shoes. When I asked if she "needed" or did she just "want" them, I got the look.
We had lunch at the Olive Garden followed later by ICE CREAM. Tomorrow we will proceed to Vero Beach, FL for several days.

Day 71

Sunday - Crossed Lake Okeechobee early morning. First boat on the Lake and had NO wind. Flat as can be. We went through the Port Mayaca Lock without them locking us through. When the lake is the same level as the river on the east side, Port Mayaca Lock remains open.
We found IndianTown Marina and secured a slip for a night. Since we arrived early, we (I) caught up on some laundry. Monday, we left for Stuart, FL.

 
 
 
 

Day 69

At Port LaBelle Marina, we found a good dock but the worst bathroom facilities. No services. They open 9 to 1 PM Monday to Friday. Closed all weekend. Owner comes in to feed the cat but can't be convinced to do ANY work. Is Thia A Business ?????
Left late Saturday, unhappy.

Day 67 & 68

Stayed at Fort Myers Beach for two days. Wednesday, Thursday and left Friday. Thursday we took the Trolee to town. As we walked to the mall after lunch, we passed a water filled colvert. A good size gator was sunning himself. Must have been over 6 foot but fat. Good feeding on the neighborhood pets.
Before leaving on Fridat, we went to the farmer's market. Barbara just loves farmer's markets. Back to the boat, hoist the motor and dinghy and away we went to LaBelle, FL.

Day 70

 
 
 
 

These photos show passing thru the locks, gators, birds, etc. on our way to Clewiston, FL. The Clewiston Marina is at the edge of Lake Okeechobee. Since it is a large open water crossing, 27 miles across, we like to cross early with less wind. As I write this we are tied up to the dock in front of a bar & grill. Sounds like we will have a very late night. SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE COUNTRY. Are we getting old ??? Usual bed time is 9 or 9:30. Not To night !!!

Recent photos

Day 66

Wednesday - Left Naples for For Myers Beach with better sea conditions. Short ride to a secure mooring ball. Will stay an extra day. Need to do more laundry and maybe put away the cool weather cloths for the last time.

Day 65

Tuesday - Left Calusa Island Yacht Club on Marco Island early, 7 am, to catch the tide to avoid grounding. We went out the inlet at Capri Pass to find the Gulf a little lumpy. We headed north for only 9 miles to Gordon Pass Inlet. This lead us to a very nice peacefull anchorage. Homes all around us worth millions with large boats, see photos.

Day 64

Monday - Enjoying the marina on Marco Island with it's hot water showers and good laundry facility. We needed to stay until Tuesday to let the waves calm down. It is a protected marina and when we leave we will go inland for 8 miles around Marco Island, then out to the Gulf. Early morning on Tuesday to get the tide and avoid the skinny water.

Day 63

Sunday - Checked the weather and the storm will hold off until 1 or 2 pm. We left with two anchorages in mind. One in Russel Pass which is about 12 miles before Coon Key. If we could get to Coon Key we can go inland around Marco Island the next day with good protection from the storm/wind.
We passed the first anchorage and headed for Coon Key about 8 miles before Coon Key some very heavy clouds passed overhead. No wind or rain. We were about 4 miles from the Key and the wind started. It reached a little over 30knots quickly. But we were inside a bay area and shortly inside more protection. Luckly the wind was directly on our noise. Barbara's Joy handles it well. We had decided to go to a marina to wait out the storm. It will take a few days.

Day 62

Saturday- Got going early about 7:15 am. Had to fuel up so we were somewhat delayed. Reached Little Snake River about 3 pm. It is in the Everglades National Park. We went up the river about 4 miles to get out of the wind. Lots of bugs. All kinds. Thank God for screens. A large storm is forming across the Gulf and may force us to hold up for a day or two.

Day 61

Friday - A busy day. Retrived the bikes and stowed them on Barbara's Joy. Took all the fresh water we could hold. Secured the dinghy and motor on the fore deck. The dinghy and motor took some time to clean the slime from them.
Since we will be getting into the Everglades, we will not have cell or internet coverage. It may take about 3 or 4 days to get into cell range. Once we get to Fort Myers we will be back in range.

Day 60

Thursday- Made a decision to leave Marathon on Saturday. Heading to Little Snake River in the Everglades National Park. From there we will make our way to Naples, then to Fort Myers to cross over to the Caloosahatchee River. This will take us to Lake Okeechobee and out to the East Coast at Stuart, FL.

Day 59

Wednesday - I did not turn my phone on until 11:30am. Had three messages, all from Andree and Matt (Tict). They are a middel age couple from UK. We had met them in three or four places and became friends. They are headed for Cuba. They were at our marina by bus and were looking for us. We did get up with them and Tom Reagan (is he son of Ronald ?) for lunch. We may never see them again since after Cuba they are headed to South America.
Wednesday is also "met and greet" new boats to the harbor. We bring a dish and share food and stories.

Day 58

Tuesday - returned the car. Hurricane's (bar & grill) taco special is Tuesday nite. Low price beer and little tacos. Not bad !













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Day 56

Sunday - Got roped into going to a Quilting Fair. Had a "GREAT" time, HA HA . Since we had the car Barbara found another couple that was interested. Slow day.

Day 57

Monday - Last full day for the car. Needed to accomplish alot. Got going early. Found a good laundrymat. There as it opened. While Barbara was doing the wash, I was running around to collect parts. We were both done by lunch time and enjoyed a recomended lunch at the Colony Key Inn. One of the best meals we have had. Dolfin and Shrimp Scampi. Later we needed to go to Publix to stock up the boat. We should be leaving Saturday or Sunday for the West Coast of Florida. We will stop in the Everglades National Park, go to Everglades City, then on to Sanibel Island.
These pictures are taken in a small park near where we had lunch.

Day 55

Saturday - Needed to venture farther. Rented a car for three days. Checked out the Nautical Flee Market in Islemorada. Spent most of the day. Met Captain Sam Crutchfield who signs when he 's not fishing. Good CD ! This flee market is the biggest this on the Keys. Blocked traffic for 2 miles each direction and that lasted most of the day. Runs Saturday & Sunday.
Eat dinner on the Gulf Bay at a Marina. It's outside but the food is very good. Good view of the bay.

Day 54

Friday - Barbara got her hair cut by a "resident boater" who actually cuts hair but does not have a license in FL. It's done on the QT. Then lunch at Annette's where you get a bowl of spaghetti for $5.00 with lots of meatballs.We dinghy to Burdines for dinner. It's a Chiki Tiki Bar & Grill. It over looks Boot Key Waterway. Here are some pictures of our group at dinner

Day 52 & 53

Wednesday - spoke with a resident of 50 years. He was having his 87 birthday. The "cruiser's net" announced it so most people wished him well. He has been living on his boat all this time.
Thursday - needed to do a water run and fill up the fresh water tank. Not much happening. Nice weather.

Day 51

Tuesday - Laundry day. Barbara sat and waited for a free washer and I walked to a shop to pick up some parts. Then walked to Home Depot to get more things.
The laundry took most of the afternoon since some machines are "out of order" and other dryers are not very hot.
It was a windy day and needed to get ahead of the wash.
Met a few couples that were very nice and provided good info.

Day 50

Monday - Lazy day. Packed lunch and went for a dinghy ride. Barbara walked the beach on the ocean side and I fished for the first time. Little action in the ocean therefore, picked up Barbara, eat lunch and headed for the mangroves.
Started trolling through the channel in the mangroves. Didn't expect much since the advice was to use live bait, not artificals. Ten minutes later we had our first fish. Not big but eatable. We needed to ID the fish to determine minium size limit. We asked another fisherman who were local. It's a keeper. Proceeded to catch 2 more. Enough for dinner and lunch. And they say you must use live bait!!
Got back to the boat and determined that we had caught pompano. These fish cost just $47.00, until I catch more and amortize my license.
These were good eating fish !!

Day 49

The City Marina we are at built a building that will provide showers, bathrooms and laundry facilities. A very important building since the old one is in need of repair. We were told that the new building would be in service by February 15. Well it seems that they never got the sewer permit. Usually the city is the one to hold up everyone else. Tallahassey seems to be holding up the opening of the new building. No one knows why. But we don't have new showers.
Another lazy day. I did some minor repair/maintenance requiring me to walk to Home Depot. But all is back in order.
Met some nice people and Barbara learned "Bolderdash". Barbara is also reading quite a lot which is good.
Took showers at the marina and had HOT water. A rare treat.

Day 48

 
 
 
 
Left the boat by 7:30 am to get to the northbound bus for Islamorada. It leaves from Publix and will go all the way to Florida City. Cost is only $2.35 each way, no matter where you depart. Our taxes at work.
Here are some pictures of the day.
We checked out some possible stops for the way north. But we may be making a detour. Due to the congestion in Miami and north to Lake Worth, we may be heading up the west side of Florida and cross the middle of the state. More info if we decide to take that route.
Today we made it back to Publix, shopped and using the dinghy, take some heavy items back to the boat by dinghy.

Day 47

Lazy day to start. Warm with little wind. More boats left for Bimini, Mexico and Hondorus.
After lunch we took a dinghy ride exploring Sister's Creek and adjacent canels.
Woundered for some time when we came upon a large mangrove loaded with iguana. Some at least 2 feet long. They seemed to be catching the warmth of the sun. So I turned the dinghy around and got a little to close, according to Barbara. she was concerned that they would fall or jump into the boat. This livened up the afternoon.
The canels have beauitful homes and large yachts. The canels have deep water and good width, at least good enough for 70 foot yachts.

Day 46

Thursday - Returned to Key West. Got up early to catch the southbound bus for Key West. We were at the bus stop at 7:45 am. This visit we had a plan for the day.
Barbara brought a swim suite and I got first hand knowledge of where to eat, what to see and where to go from the owner of the swim suite store. Her suggestion was to also check out the sandle shop which makes them on the premises. They are not sold anywhere except Key West. Since they made her size, she took home a pair. See a photo of the sandle shop.
We visited the Custom House Museum (photo of red brick building) The figurines (see photo)were in the back of the Customs House on the way to the cruise ships (see photo).
Ate lunch at Pier House Resort (photo of Barbara & me)
Visited Mel Fisher Maritime Museum (photos of Barbara & me with a cannon).

Day 44 & 45

Tuesday - Invited the Morrows over to repay the retrival of the dinghy. Therefore, we had to shop.

Wednesday - Walked around to collect some parts and oil.

Day 43

Monday - Made the bus to Key West. About 45 miles from Marathon.
It took some time to figure out the system, but we did it. A secondary bus system operates throught Key West proper.
Had lunch and a few drinks at Conch Republic. A recomended resturant viewing the Gulf side of Key West Harbor. Pigeons roam freely throughout the resturant since it is mostly open air. Florida's health department doesn't seem to be very active. Lots of different types in Key West. Daval Street is a main drag where you can eat, drink, watch and be watched. It's crowded, good ice cream and some fine cigars.
Made it bach to the boat by dark.
Good day !

Day 42

Sunday - need to do wash. Found another laundry recomended by friends that may be better. It's a little far by dinghy but we got all day.
It was better. Completed the wash quickly. Had time for a shower too. Tomorrow we will try the city bus to Key West.

Day 40 & 41

The wind is getting down to 20 mph. A forcast of good weather seems to stay ahead of us. Next week is a better forcast.
We are getting over our colds and whatever. Not much happening.
Barbara has her noise in a book, as you can see by the photo.

Days 38 & 39

More wind today and tomorrow and the next day.
Barbara develpoed a cold so I am trying to avoid her. She is the whole crew, the first mate, galley slave and many more important positions. With her ill, the captain must step down to the vacant positions and do everything. The poor captain !
We are having a very cold time. They tell us it will only get warmer.
Not much happening. Making some plans. Reading and doing sudoku takes up the spare time.

Days 36 & 37

Monday - more wind but it does not keep us from going ashore. A walk to Home Depot. Just a lazy day.
Tuesday - most exciting thing today was a pump out. Actually, we are not looking for excitment. If the wind would stop, I could fish. I would like to off set the fishing fees.
Good night !
Here is an earlier photo of Barbara TAKING OVER !

Day 35

Superbowl Sunday ! Slept late to make up for Saturday morning. Lazy day. Dinghy ride to the ocean to check out the beach. Lots of manetee signs but no manetees. Seems they put these signs where high price properties are to make the boats go slow.
Took dinghy to Castaways resturant where we watched the game and ate sushi. Good day !

Day 34

Saturday morning got a lot of wind. 3 am got up to checked on things. Found the dinghy line secondary knot untied and dinghy secured by only the primary knot. Retied to bed. 6 am checked things and found the dinghy GONE, big problem. Line broke. It seems the dinghy wanted to leave. Couldn't do anything in the dark, went back to bed. Barbara got up about 7 am to go pottie. She spotted a dinghy behind us in the mangroves. We hailed the "Two Morrows",a boat next to us, and asked for assistance. Larry and I took his dinghy and rescued my dinghy. Lots of wind , motor shaft well grounded, we had some time getting it back to the Barbara's Joy. Here is a photo of the run away dinghy. By the way, the dinghy went on the boat Saturday night as punishment. I will teach that dinghy! Anyhow, we are more watchful of the dinghy.

Day 33

Day started out very nice. Slow to get going. Took both bikes to the bike rack. We then took a ride to Home Depot and Publix. We did good. No body fell or had an accident. We got organized to carry various items. After we completed our bike ride, someone told us that a dinghy ride would be easier and would get us very close to both Publix and Home Depot. And we could carry more in the dinghy.
Got all items back on the boat just to see a cold front with rain and 25 kts of wind come over us. They expect wind for the next several days but little rain. So those boaters going to Bimini must wait till Thursday or so.
Things here may get a little slow so I might not update this blog daily unless there is something happening.
These 2 photos show the boats immediately around us.

Day 32

First full day in Marathon. Got going late. Changed the oil in the generator. barbara did the wash and I took a long walk to find various parts. some used, some new and some we really did not "need". Can back empty handed. That may be a good thing. We understand that Saturday usually brings a flea market og marine goods. Also, there is a buy, sell or trade on the radio (vhf)each morning after the crusiers net.
Today was a beautiful day. Starting to get into the swing of this crusing.

Day 31

The final approach to our destination,Marathon, Boot Key Harbor. We arrived early to find no mooring ball available. Third on the wait list. Not bad. Luckly, by 4 pm we had a ball, R7. A good location with respect to the marina, showers, garbage, and all activities. we have gathered much info and need time to read and get acquinted with the location.
Barbara and I went to take a shower and determined that if we took one together, it would be in the best interest of all our fellow boaters. This is better than high school.
In the keys, water is 5 cents per gallon, unless you know where to find it. we found a place to load up our 5 gallon containers.
We need to do some maintenance on the generator and later on the main engines. We will look for supplies during our shore leave.

Day 30

Left our anchorage at Key Largo about 9 am. Took out time no rush. One more anchorage then we will be in Marathon, Boot Key.
Very skinny water today. Some less than 4.5 ft. Must be the wind blowing it off this shore. Mostly a easterly wind about 20 kts.
We anchored near Lignumvitae Key in the leigh. There are mooring balls put out by the state but we anchored for better wind protection.

Day 29

We left South Beach after a late wake up and a slow to get going morning.
Arrived at Jewfish Creek to Check out an anchorage,suggested by Shipper Bob,that has been used as a hurricane hole. We proceeded to check it out. Good water depth but very narrow. So narrow I could not turn Barbara's Joy II around. So we procedded until we found some fisherman in a little boat. They informed us that the new bridge basiclly blocked the southern opening,therefore, either turn it around or back out. GREAT ! They told us that there is a larger area near the bridge that we could turn around. Mangroves about 15 ft on each side. About 8 feet deep until we got to the bridge which had only 4.5 feet of water. Finally, I turned her around and procedded to leave. Slowly we made it out. Now we need an anchorage. We checked out several spots futher down to no avail. Finally, we spoted a sail boat of good size anchored near shore in the leah. We joined them on the shore of Key Largo. Barbara needed a glass of wine.
We are having easterly winds that I believe take the water from the east shore leaving about 1 to 1.5 feet less.
Today started out as a slow day. It ended with a little excitment.

Day 28

Stayed at anchor in South Beach for Sunday at the bottom of Belle Isle. We were advised not to travel in or around Miami during the weekend. It is VERY busy. Slept late, kicked back and planned our next leg. We took a short dinghy ride to Publix. Later we found an Italian resturant for dinner. Feels like we are in another country. Everyone uses their car horn, its noisy.
Monday we will move on.

Day 27

Got the anchor up a little late but made the inlet, Lake Worth, by 9 am. Headed south, set the GPS to the auto pilot and let it be for 7 1/2 hrs. A cruse ship was coming out of the Miami inlet.
Here are some photos