Underway Again 2

2/17/07 – Finally got our rebuilt transmission installed back in the starboard engine as well as new oil cooler. But now we have a small exhaust leak, which Tom feels he can fix once we reach Texas. We’ll just be sure to keep the rear hatch open (while underway) for circulation and pray it does not get worse. (it’s always something!) It got down into the 30’s last night which made for a very chilly departure this morning; we even had frost on the dock. There was a slight fog hovering over the water which reminded me of home. We wrapped the pilot house in a commercial ‘saran wrap’ – looks goofy, but hey it cut the wind chill down, which is very important in 30/40 degree weather! Our first lock today was rather unnerving; Tom discovered neutral, as is posted on the shifter, did not agree with the transmissions. The lock masters at the Ortona Lock were very understanding as we awkwardly attempted to come along starboard side and grab a hold of the lines, while keeping our big stern out of everyone else’s way. Following that graceful lock-through, and well out of waterway traffic, we investigated exactly where our neutral positions are, and once discovered -marked the shifter with a nice big black line! (Something else that goes on Tom’s ‘to do’ list once we’ve reached Texas). We passed by a quiet old river town called LaBelle also known as a honey capital and we did see a few of the local bees. The town is holding their annual Swamp Cabbage Festival next weekend. If we had not already spent so much time docked elsewhere – we would have stuck around for it. Also quite notable is the light sweet scent in the air as you pass by the many orange orchards currently in bloom. We’ve read stories about the Fort DeNaud Swing Bridge Mistress, who always wears a red hat and were told to be sure to wave to her as we passed by. It’s pretty cool that she actually walks out to the center of the bridge and rides along while it swings open. Today she wore a red scarf, I imagine because it was so cold. The final lock on the Okeechobee waterway (Franklin Lock) is being worked on and only schedules openings every few hours. We had over an hour for west bound lock-through so we decided to dock at a small campground to the north of the lock. This was a good test for Tom’s new understanding of the transmissions. It was a welcome escape from the cold winds of the pilot house; I made tea and coffee. Our lock-through was uneventful, thank god. The waterway, into the landing we chose, is relatively narrow but Tom managed a superb turn ‘on-a-dime’ and pulled us up starboard side to tie off for the night. Tom say’s I’m becoming quite the expert myself at handling lines.

On Hold in Moore Haven

2/9-15/07 - This morning it’s through the Port Mayaca Lock and off across Lake Okeechobee (gulp!) It’s a big lake rather choppy this morning with little 2’ swells. With only the one engine we are chugging along in true trawler style and speed (6 knots). As we entered the approach channel we felt we were in a marsh and actually dragged bottom a couple of times – not a good sound or feeling. Perhaps there was a short cut or alternate route we were unaware of, but we stayed true to the magenta line on our chart plotter and made it through. The channel from Clewiston to Moore Haven was like traveling through a different planet, or a ride at Disneyland; very bizarre. I have heard the corps of engineers is killing off invasive non-native trees in hopes of native marsh vegetation returning- It looks like its working. The ride was smooth and quiet and we saw many gators basking in the sun along the banks. We’ve docked at the city docks of Moore Haven just west of Lake Okeechobee for a few days; it’s relatively inexpensive and convenient to most supplies. It’s a very small, old town. Not much going on, so it should be very quiet. We had a mechanic stop by and he’s coming back Monday to check out the transmission further. Hopefully he’ll fix us up sooner than later and we can be on our way, again. We spent Saturday puttering around the boat, hit a couple of yard sales and walked to a local very authentic Mexican restaurant for a great dinner. Sunday; we walked up the Hwy 27 Bridge behind us, walked around town. Tom spent the day tightening screws and tracking down the wiring system. Valentines Day was a beautiful day for us; we experienced a massive rain storm early then it cleared to be a perfect day. We scrubbed all the life jackets left aboard when we bought the boat and hung them out to dry. I shared some donut with an aggressive squirrel and Tom continues to hunt down the wiring systems. I walked across the street and purchased some used paperbacks and we've made half a dozen trips to the little local grocery store (We can only carry so much). The weather has turned very cold and wet. We hope to have the transmission back and installed by late Friday and depart Saturday morning - if it's not snowing.......

Underway Again

2/6/07 – The weather is expected to improve as the day progresses, so we went for it. Pulled out at about 10:30am, it wasn’t very graceful, (hit a pylon or two) but we managed. The ICW narrowed into a nice little cannel just past the north end of Lake Worth. The houses and condo’s along the ICW continue to amaze me; you’ll see a bunch of them in our photo album when I get it downloaded. It’s very cool in the pilot house when the sun retreats behind the clouds, but when it’s out, it’s fantastic to be up there with the breeze in your face. We saw the Atlantic Ocean just as we entered the Jupiter Sound and the water became astonishingly clear. I saw my first manatee swimming just under us. We dropped anchor at 3pm in Peck Lake, only to discover we had run aground. But Tom was able to back us off and re-drop the anchor a little deeper. Another trawler anchored within 50ft AND they rafted with a catamaran. (Far too close for our liking) With all this room I don’t understand why they came so close. This little lake has about 15 other vessels anchored for the night. The weather has definitely improved and hopefully will be even warmer tomorrow. Our sunset was beautiful.
2/7/07 - We were up and down all night making sure the distance stayed between us and we did not swing into the other trawler, fortunately we didn’t. While preparing to leave we backed onto another shoal luckily Tom was able to get us back off and on our way – sort of. We’ve discovered that our starboard transmission doesn’t work very well, if at all. So we found a nice little cove (Manatee Pocket) about 7 miles up, anchored and checked transmissions. After adding a quart of transmission fluid to the starboard transmission we decided to continue and hope for the best. Regrettably the transmission still does not want to cooperate fully so we’ll need to find a marina and/or yard to get it fixed before we head into the gulf. Approaching our first lock we had to wait for another vessel and drifted aground AGAIN. Tom is becoming quite the expert at getting us off while only using one transmission! We made it through the Saint Lucie Lock (12ft water) fine and dandy, and anchored for the night at the mouth of a little inlet across from a campground just west of the lock. This is so cool, there is wild life everywhere; on the shore, in the air and in the water. Gators basking in the sun, herons search for fish and old folks from the campground watching it all; like us. I could not have chosen a better location to recognize being one year older – even though lately it feels more like 20. We phoned Amanda and asked for her assistance in locating a mechanic to help us work on the transmission. It’s been a blessing to have her available to us in our hour(s) of need. Hopefully tonight no other vessels will decide to anchor here and we’ll get a good night sleep. The sunset was again remarkable; the waters are calm and the reflections are stunning.

2/8/07 – After a very restful sleep last night (and no other vessels joined us) I awoke to play with a gator – I’ve learned gators like wheat bread. Saw a raccoon foraging for his breakfast along the shore and hoped the gator didn’t want him instead of the wheat bread. As we sat on the aft deck enjoying our breakfast 13 kayakers took off heading west and I hoped we didn’t run across them later (literally) since we are heading in that direction ourselves. We did pass the kayakers on their return trip. I don’t think I’d like to be on those little water craft with so many gators in the water. Our trip along the St. Lucie Canal was wonderful today; so peaceful and uneventful. The weather could not have been more perfect. I actually piloted Refugio a bit today, but I’ve decided to downgrade my status as co-captain. I am so out of my comfort zone and I don’t feel it’s proper for me to even assume I’m proficient enough to consider myself a co-captain. So from here on out I’m going to be known as First Mate, which is so appropriate on so many levels. We reached the Port Mayaca Lock and moored to a couple of dolphins (aka pylons). This is the last lock before entering Lake Okeechobee, which we will tackle tomorrow on one engine. This is also a great location to spend the night. We’ve watched as a number of vessels have passed by and one sail boat in particular that was forced to return since its mast was too tall (55ft) to pass under the RR Lift Bridge just before the lock at 52ft. The sail boat has since joined us along the same row of dolphins for the night. We are not sure what their plans are. Later tonight we got to watch the RR Lift Bridge lower for a train to pass. The moon came out late so we were treated to a spectacular sky full of stars.

Awaiting Weather Window

2/3/07 – Tom spent today down in the engine room (again) reinstalling the various cables and hoses. I continued to work on the windows in the salon. I now have two of the four operational. We did fire up both engines and the generator and all seems to be good to go. The weather is getting cooler and we expect rain tonight.

2/4-5/07 - Go Colts!!! Super Bowl Sunday; today we take it easy and putter on the boat. Tom fixed a few things that have been bothering him, and believe me there are plenty of more things that need attention. I scrubbed the boat (soap & water) and then hosed it down with fresh water. Monday was also a down day. The weather never got much better today, too windy so we decided to stay put. We are both anxious to get going, but also apprehensive due to what we’ve already been through.

Under Way and Not

1/30/07 – Well this is it, if we’re not ready now, we never will be. Boat is loaded and (hopefully) as ready to go as we are. Amanda and Stella joined us for our rededication ceremony and then saw us off.

The skies are clear and water calm, at least here in the channel. Since this is Tuesday we are hoping there are not too many other boats on the Inner Coastal Waterways (ICW) giving us plenty of room to maneuver. Part of my duties as Navigator and Co-Captain is to run around the boat and continually check things, and keep an eye on the Navsoftware “Tiki”. (Tiki is our back up to the Garmin Chart plotter Tom installed in the pilot house). On one of my checks I noticed some pale red liquid running out of a vent onto the starboard side deck and down a drain hole into the water. (Ugh!) So we hustled and began mopping up the diesel fuel which was running in a nice steady stream out of the vent. Tom switched fuel tanks he was drawing from and that appeared to fix the problem, temporarily. We anchored, shut down both main engines and expected to leave the generator running for a bit when we notice, again, some pale red liquid running out of a vent onto the starboard side deck and down a drain hole into the water (double Ugh!) BUT it was a different vent. So we shut down the generator and mopped up the new stream. Turns out, we think, the tanks were overfilled; so we are hoping with continued use the levels will lower and stop running out of the side vents. Just in case, we’ve cut a couple of small buckets, and taped them to the side of the boat to catch ANY fuel that appears. This is our first anchorage so neither of us expects to get much sleep tonight.

1/31/07 – We must have done something right, we held our anchor all night. What started out as a great day, turned ugly very soon. We thought the starboard transmission was dead, played with it a little and it began to function properly. Next time we worked the transmission, while waiting on the Flagler Bridge opening tens miles up the ICW, all pilot house power went dead. I smelled smoke and noticed it coming from the engine room vent. (Holy Sh**t) Tom steered clear of the channel, dropped the anchor and killed the engines, we lifted the hatch and yup there’s flames. So we extinguished the fire and I made tea and coffee. Well I had to do something while the engine room cooled before Tom could assess the damage. With no electrical power aboard, I phoned Amanda for assistance. So here we are, our second day out and we’re being towed into the Newport Cove Marina in Riviera Beach, FL.

2/1/07 – Could we have picked a more expensive place to break down? The marina is full of Mega-yachts. They have quite the valet service for smaller fishing boats as well. Tom spent all day in the engine room evaluating the damage and cleaning up. He says “the starboard engine starter cable shorted to the transmission case”. OK, so we have a few cables and hoses to replace, but all in all it could have been much worse. The weather as picked up and the marina is full of other cruisers not wanting to anchor out. We met our first fellow cruisers, Jerry & Rosalyn (MV Sunrise). They are heading south doing the “little loop” around Florida. The couple next to us is from Connecticut and they have 2 cats aboard. Even though it’s been very windy, and water choppy it’s still pretty warm and sitting on the back deck watching sunsets has been wonderful.

2/2/07 – Amanda came up and drove us around to pick up our hoses, cables, and get our starter repaired. We had not expected to see her and Stella again so soon, but it was a wonderful day with them. Earlier this morning, and far north of our location, a tornado swept across Florida, causing much damage. It made me appreciate the fabulous weather we were experiencing today as well as the marvelous company. We met Pierre & Valerie (MS Echappe) docked next to us. They live aboard with the two cats mention earlier (Charlie & Francis) and are heading to the Bahamas, and then across the Atlantic with 3 other motor-sails also docked here - they are waiting for their weather window sometime next week. Tomorrow we start putting everything back together. I've run out of computer time, and there's a line of folks waiting to get on, so I'll sign off for now and upload more pictures later.

Boat Prep

1/21-24/07 – Ah warm weather and sunshine; we must be back in Florida. The boat is in great shape, and I would swear appears to smile and bob with eagerness of new ownership. Unfortunately the previous owner never bothered to remove any of his “rubbish” and I’ve had my work cut out for me. Every day we make trips to the dumpster and/or Goodwill with his treasures. Meanwhile, Tom has been busy in the pilot house installing all the new electronics we’ve recently purchased. It was great to discover the boats transducer appears to work, so there’s one less thing to install.



1/25/07 – (Happy Birthday Wendy) Today we took on our first load of fuel, 645 gallons. As it turns out, we’ve got four tanks, each holds 250 gallons. As the tanks are just about full, jokingly we said “better check the engine room, see if those tanks are holding”. Oops, not so funny to find diesel fluid on the engine room floor and a drip-drip-drip coming from a small hose. Since Tom has not had the opportunity to familiarize himself with everything in the engine room, this was a great first test. As it turned out, not such a big dilemma with a few hose clamps and lots of rags to clean up the gallon or so of spilled diesel.

1/28/07 -We've done as much as we need to get under way and plan to depart Tuesday morning. I never arranged for 24/7 internet access so I will only update this website when we've found a marina with Wi-Fi.

Road Trip

1/15-17/07 – We decided to start our journey today. We’ve waited a few extra days hoping the weather would improve for our drive to Texas, but it doesn’t appear that it’s going to get any better – so we’re off. I’m driving the motor home loaded with everything we’ve purchased for the boat, and then some. Tom is driving behind in his truck. We’ve got these great walkie-talkies son Brian bought for us so we can communicate while we drive. (They are wonderful!) Since the motor home is so heavy it’s eating up gas, and the drive is slow with the bad weather we’ve been experiencing. Coming down through Texas we actually hit the fringes of an ice storm, made for a very scary drive that day since it iced the extremities of both vehicles.

1/18-20/07 – We arrive in Texas during the coldest, wettest winter in years at our final destination, Palacios, Texas. After driving around this amiable little town we found the Serendipity Bay Resort. (www.campingfriend.com/serendipitybayresort) This is the place we’ve chosen to dock our boat, for now. It’s a nice marina with plenty of room for motor homes (currently full of snow birds) and appears to have quite an agenda of activities for everyone. We drove to Port Lavaca and checked out the Nautical Landings Marina, also a great location. We headed to Florida with improved weather, and very excited to see Amanda and number one grand-daughter, Stella.