December 10

Today was the day we have been working (not too hard though)for since September 29, our arrival at our winter home-Slip 10, Marina Del Mar. The trip would be inside the Keys until we crossed over to the ocean side at Angelfish Creek. The winds were over twenty knots again. In the lee of the key we had relatively smooth water. This rainbow we took as a good sign for the day. We were a bit apprehensive about what we would find on the other side. I anticipated that the reef would keep the worst away from us despite the fact that the Gulf Stream was about as close in to the reef as it ever gets. It wasn't bad (about two to three feet) and, with the wind behind our stern quarter, we motorsailed on a beam apparent wind, making hull speed most of the time. Key Largo is very long and it seemed like it would take us forever to make it pass by.

It was a beautiful day and I was glad that only a few drops of rain fell somehow out of one of the puffy clouds overhead. The sail gave a great boost and the engine gave the Admiral that touch of reassurance that all was under control.

The final stretch is the Key Largo Canal. Here we pass the casino boat just past Crash Corner. We were met by our friends at our slip, including Joy, who had dressed in a turkey outfit for the occasion. Hugs and kisses followed with two bottles of Asti Spumante consumed later in the cockpit and we were home for the winter.

December 9

Our voyage today was a short trip just over two hours in length to an offshore anchorage in the lee of Elliott Key. Since both boats couldn't get into Marina Del Mar until Monday, we elected to go part way today and then get into Key Largo nearer high tide tomorrow. The winds were twenty plus knots but because we were inside of the reefs and keys we were protected from high waves. We left at 0900 and were at anchor by 1130. We crept as close as our keel would allow and put the anchor down in clear water about 7.8 feet deep. I couldn't resist jumping in and checking out our bottom in the clear water. I saw a few fish and some sparse vegetation on the white sand below us. Pat and Walt came in and did the same although they later reanchored. Here they are just returning to anchor as the sun colored the evening sky.

December 8

On the way out of the harbor we took pictures of the ships waiting for passengers. These are the way Annette wants to go to the Bahamas, along with 1500 of her closest friends. The wind was predicted to continue to blow from the east but in the 10 to 15 knot range with seas two to three feet. Acceptable. The Admiral doesn't like it but understands that the next many days are worse with higher winds and waves. We motorsailed with just a foresail out and went close to hull speed the entire trip, making the forty miles in just under 5.5 hours.

The sight of the lighthouse at Cape Florida on the south end of Key Biscayne was a welcome sight, even though we felt it prudent to sail south of it for the channel mouth on the south side of the shoal it guards. We rafted in No Name Harbor with Eagle's Wings, each boat putting out an anchor as there would be no current to turn the boats as the tide reversed in the night.

December 7

Today was offshore from Lake Worth to Port Everglades at Fort Lauderdale. We left at sunrise to motor to our rendezvous point with Eagle's Wings at the inlet. They were ahead of us because they had started about a half hour closer to the inlet. We motorsailed with all sails up and the motor set around 2200 rpms for most of the trip. We caught up with them about halfway to Fort Lauderdale and then matched their speed for a while. As the wind increased, Annette wanted to shorten the time we were out there. I went back to our original speed and began to open a gap.

Port Everglades is a major port for cruise ships and there were plenty there. Also there was this cruise ship full of young Americans enjoying a cruise on the taxpayers. There is now a security zone around all such ships and also for the cruise ships when they are in port. This naval vessel had a helicopter overhead and a small boat between it and traffic. We squeezed in along the opposite side of the channel. Because we took our time coming in as we waited for Walt and Pat and because I hadn't checked, we missed the bridge opening and had to wait for a half hour for an opening. Eagle's Wings was happy to go by us with her shorter mast that easily went under the bridge clearance.

The way to Sylvia Lake is lined with more beautiful homes. This is one for sale that we thought daughter Amy would like as it had all these columns.

December 6

Lake Worth is today's destination. We anchored in the north end of the Lake in North Palm Beach. On the way, we took this picture of a golf course along the ICW. I'm looking forward to getting in some rounds this winter. Pat and Walt did not come to this anchorage as it was a backtrack for them. They had a good day out on the ocean, with light winds and relatively smooth seas. We had a good day inside, but at Jupiter, with its close together bridges, we encountered some fun. At the first bridge, we were second in line of four sailboats, the first one having gone ahead of us just prior to the bridge. After this bridge, there is a hard turn to starboard. The lead boat went aground because he cut it too close. I easily avoided him as I was already taking it around wide. Then the third boat went aground because he went too wide. The four boat was apparently traveling with the third boat and stayed behind, but it was clear from the radio transmissions that that boat did not know how to proceed. Meanwhile I'm waiting for the next bridge. The bridge tender asked me if I wanted to wait for my buddies. I told him I wasn't traveling with them. He said he would open up for me. The first boat had managed to get off by then and got in line behind me. He followed me the rest of the transit, apparently not wishing to be the one to go aground. The rest of the way was uneventful, but filled with the beautiful manisions of the Jupiter area.

The anchorage has lots of room and we cruised around looking for Eagle's Wings on the chance that they might have beaten us here and had chosen to backtrack. They hadn't done either. We did find Wingspread and anchored near them. Later Chris and Charlie showed up with a dinghy full of provisions for their trip to the Bahamas. Charlie later picked us up in his dinghy and we shared stories and wine with them and Bob, a single hander from Halifax who was headed for the BVI (British Virgin Islands). We talked to the Washers by phone and arranged to sail together on the outside tomorrow. This picture shows one the Canadian boats that came in later behind us. It is also a Hunter 356 like Sabbatical. We took the picture to remind us of how they mounted solar panels over their bimini.

December 5

We left Vero Beach with reluctance. We had met new people and "old" friends. Captain Joe was one we met last night as we returned to our boat. He was from Brooklyn and had a million stories and funny things to say. We said goodbye as he left on a Huckins motorboat that he was hired to move. He remembered Annette's name as he motored away because he has a girlfriend by the same name and he always carries "a net" on his boat. We also met another captain moving a boat next to us. He had asked us where we were from. It turns out he could make a connection with Jerry Kember, a former music teacher in Newark, from the time when he was a musician. He was associated with a music group that played at the Winter Olympics and later came to Newark when Jerry was there. This morning, we saw Jim as he was leaving and made another mutual connection. This time it was with Jerry Senecal, our friend from Cedar Lake. He knew him from fishing and boating in Oak Orchard. Annette insisted upon calling Jerry so that Jim could say hello to him. They had a nice conversation just before Jim had to leave.

We made our way to Jensen Beach that day. Pat and Walt had elected to stay at Vero Beach on a mooring ball for another day so they could enjoy the beach scene. They planned to go outside tomorrow so they could catch us at Lake Worth, where the West Palm Beach inlet was the next viable opportunity to get in from the ocean. The picture shows the bridge at night at Jensen Beach. This anchorage was where we spent the Easter holiday last spring with Jack and Sheila.

December 4

The day began (well after the required preliminaries) with a bus ride to a location near an International House of Pancakes. We walked from the dropoff several blocks to the breakfast we were all excited about. (Pat was the most excited about it!) After a wonderful, huge breakfast, we walked to the main transfer station and got a bus to go shopping. Walt found the shopping a Bealls painful. He and I should have spilt for the local Lowes. After our day on the town, Bill came with his car and picked us up. We thought we were going out to a restaurant but he gave us a grand tour of the beautiful complex that his home is in. To say that this place is special is to grossly miss the mark. It is another world. Golf courses, tennis courts, boat facilities, beaches, and beautiful everything were everywhere there. Bill and Mary live in what can be described as the "best" part of town. All the homes there are architect designed and theirs was extraordinary. When one opened the front door, there was an immediate outdoor view through the back wall of the home. A fresh water pond and one of the golf course fairways bordered in back by wild Florida was all there was to be seen. It was amazing! We enjoyed drinks, Chinese and lots of laughter around the table that evening. Bill and Mary are the nicest people and we truly enjoyed their sharing their home with us.

December 3

The move from Melbourne to Vero Beach was uneventful. The startup in the morning wasn't however. Pat yelled across that the boat was giving an oil pressure alarm. We said we would wait at anchor until they resolved the problem. Our engine was on and idling. Walt's problem was that he had an airlock because of changing his fuel filter the night before. The engine had started but then quit giving off the oil alarm that Pat had reported to us. Walt purged the air and got the engine going again. In the meantime, our engine overheated. I wasn't certain why since I had checked the intake and cleaned it the night before and made certain that I had reopened the thru hull. I rechecked and found everything o.k. Instead of taking the chance that the prolonged idling had been the only reason, I decided to take the pump apart and check the impeller. It was fine. By this time, the engine was cooler and it restarted without any heat alarm and off we went. As we approached the Vero Beach Municipal Marina, Loose Stones, a Krogen Express. Jane, Bill, and dog, Daisy, were aboard. We first met them in Michigan last year. They followed us in. After pumping out, we went to our slip and tied up. Charlie and Chris came over by dinghy and we chatted for a while. Pat and Walt came by later to make plans for breakfast in the morning at IHOP. We called Bill and Mary from Mulligan, an American Tug, who live nearby to arrange to see them tomorrow.

December 2

Today we left Titusville for Melbourne. On the way we saw and talked with Total Return, Russ and Molly, who we met last year in Grafton. He learned to ski at Brantling and was wearing a Brantling T-shirt when we first met. Russ retired from his business in financial advising in Rochester and is a friend of Fifi Steinrotter. This picture is along the way to Melbourne and shows a broken guy wire on this pole. We are certain (though it probably isn't) the very one that Mark and Vickie's boat was clotheslined on by their hired captains. Melbourne is where our traveling companions on Gandolf are staying. Melbourne was named after the one in Australia after a lottery winner chose the name because he was from that city.

November 30, December 1

We spent the next three days anchored of Titusville. On Friday, I caught up with the blog thru the 29th. We stayed on the boat all day rocking and rolling as the winds picked up and the waves pushed the boat around. I came up with my first illness since before we began traveling in June of 2006, a lousy head cold. On Saturday, we dinghied in to get groceries. We were invited for drinks on Recess, a Canadian trawler, but we didn't feel like going and the waves were still up so we stayed aboard for the evening.