Island Spirit Sailing Adventures

Boca Chita

2012-02-18T21:33:00.001-05:00

Arriving Boca Chita basin with yachts along the seawall

Boca Chita is a National Park located in Biscayne Bay just south of Miami. The site was originally in developed in the 1930's by Mark Honeywell, an industrialist who specialized in heating controls. After his wife died on the property, he lost interest and sold the island. The entrance channel and inner harbor were completed, along with a small pavilion and then the development was stopped. The property became a Park in the1970's and is accessible by ferry for campers or private boats.

Sunrise over Boca Chita beach with driftwood

Sunrise over Boca Chita and the mangroves....beautiful

Our Island Packet Fleet along the Boca Chita Seawall
CAVU, CATSPAW, CUTTER LOOSE and ISLAND SPIRIT

Late afternoon sun on the lighthouse with blue skies

Cocktail hour on CUTTER LOOSE along the seawall under palm trees

The "Team" of IP owners:
Debbie, Craig, Eric, Ron, Patricia, Mary Ann, Radeen, Carey, Hayden, Bobbie

Sunset over Biscayne Bay with lighthouse cove base and palm trees\

Sunset looking back to South Florida from Boca Chita

Sunrise reflection off the glass dome

Sunrise reflection off the Boca Chita Lighthouse with Island Packet Yachts

This is a MUST STOP visit if you boat in the Biscayne Bay area, and thanks to our leader, Carey, we no know the way into the harbor. If you only go by your charts you would never go in here because the charts show only 2-3' water depths.....go in....follow the channel and you will find 6-8 foot water all the way in.

Here is a GOOGLE MAP of this location

HCC to Boca Chita

2012-02-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

HCC is a place we LOVE
Valentine Party was outstanding

After a fantastic week back at Harbour Cay Club, HCC, our new winter home, we departed north for Biscayne Bay where we plan on preparing for our first Bahamas run. Since it was Feb 14, the club planned and organized a dinner where the men do all the cooking, serving and cleaning up for the ladies. The night was a great success with 28 people for dinner, with roses for the ladies and cocktails to fabulous flan for dessert. Yes, HCC is a very special place and it is the people that make is so. Thank you, Captain Jim, for insisting that we get past Vero and visit your paradise. Harbour Cay Club a must visit!

Looking out to the Florida Bay and the exit to sea
Harbour Cay Club, Marathon, FL

Our run north to Biscayne Bay was in two stages: first day up to Channel Five and then out to Hawk Channel up to Rodriguez Key where we anchored for the night; second day up to Angelfish Creek where you pass over the rocky reef in 5-7 foot deep water and cut back into the bay side of the keys from the ocean side.
Once in the bay, it is easy sailing and flat water north up to Boca Chita where you MUST STOP for a night. From here, we will run up to Crandon Park and pick up friends for the weekend and then return back to Boca Chita for some beautiful, peaceful days.

Here are the photos of the day...

Our connection to HCC, our good friend and fellow Island Packet owner
Capt Jim and Michele....thank you...

Great friend and fellow TiKi Hut converationalist
"New York Jack"...thanks for the great times!

BJ and Ed, the club leaders, and all around great people.
Thank you!

Radeen with roses at Harbour Cay Club

Patricia, Debbie and Radeen at Valentine's Dinner
Our Boat Buddies

Fabulous dinner served to 28 people!

Beautiful Sunrise off Rodriguez Key

Sailing North in the calm waters of Hawk Channel

Sunset over Boca Chita Lighthouse, a picture that is so beautiful

The Florida Keys are a very special place for boating and the Lower Keys are as near to a Caribbean feeling as we have had anywhere. The Keys far exceeded our anticipated expectations and we already planning our rapid return for next year. Thank you to Captain Jim and all the owners at Harbour Cay Club who made us feel so at home and so welcome. HCC was the highlight of this section of our voyage.

New Battery Bank

2012-02-14T15:21:00.000-05:00

5 new Lifeline Batteries lifted into the cockpit

65 lbs each 325 lbs total. $299 each!

Time for a new upgrade our 8 year old house battery bank, so while docked at Harbour Cay Club, we installed 5 new Lifeline Group 31 batteries! We usually buy DEKA, East Penn Manufacturing Batteries, but the local S.A.L.T. Sea Air Land Technologies company gave us a fair price matching DCbattery prices and we bought them here in Marathon. The reason we went with Lifeline over Deka is that they have more life cycles than Deka. Life cycles in batteries is the term used to measure the number of discharges down to, usually 50%. Deka Group 31 AGMs have 370 life cycles to 50% discharge. Lifelines have 1,000 life cycles to 50% discharge. So for an extra cost of $350, we moved up to Lifeline batteries over Deka and expect to see 10 years of life out of these.

5 old Deka batteries removed from the battery box
65 lbs each, 325 lbs. total

The problem with replacing our house battery bank is that they are very tight in the battery box. Then they are also bolted down with very nice custom hold downs to prevent the 65 lbs (each) batteries from flying around or moving when in a serious offshore sea state of large waves. They are also bolted down so that if the boat flips over, the batteries will still not fly out of the battery box. Of course if the boat flips over, we have other issues to consider.

So removing and re-installing a 5 battery house bank and a new starter battery is rather a large job. We started at about 10 am and by 5pm we had the job completed and all the systems back up and running! Remember...the freezer, refrigerator, network, computers and all lights run off the batteries, so with them out, all this is off. You need to work fast or your food will thaw and your beer will get warm!

Here are a few photos, I did not take many as this is not terribly exciting, but it is real life on a cruising boat....

Lifeline specs and 5 year warranty
Each battery is registered and each measured 12.85 volts or higher!

The battery bank overview. This is the quarter berth footwell
The original 3 battery box is to the left, closed off footwell to right

3 Lifelines with SS angle bar and welded plate bolted in to hold the batteries down.
All wiring is 2.0 AWG wire,
The small wires are sensors, temperature probes, regulators, etc.

The footwell battery box holds two more, plus the regulator
Small wires are shunt wires, temperature probes, and sensors
Notice the SS welded strap hold down bolted in to prevent batteries from moving.

"They Say".....cruising is fixing your boat in remote locations. Well, that is so true. You leave your home dock and go off sailing / cruising. Then your boat breaks down, or a system needs serviced, so you do your best to repair it. Usually this is all done while out on anchor in some remote location. Here, with this job, we were at a dock, with many friends and cars and bikes so it was easy to do. It needed to be done as this was the 8th year on this battery bank and we have been leaning on it hard. So we figured it would be far better to do this here rather than in the Bahamas $$$$. Let's hope we have no more big jobs for a long time now.....Thanks for following the Island Spirit Adventures.....tomorrow we head for sea, and press on for Biscayne Bay where we will spend two weeks exploring and preparing for our FIRST Bahamas run....

Bahia Honda, FL

2012-02-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

The gap in the old Flagler Railroad bridge providing access
to the Bahia Honda State Park Anchorage and Beaches

We departed Key West with Wendy and Craig, after a great Super Bowl weekend and Duval Street explorations. The previous blog post showed the GREAT SAILING we had all the way north Bahia Honda State Park. We had planned to spend one day here, BUT....we stayed two nights due to the beautiful beaches, park setting and calm anchorage.

While on anchor, we enjoyed live music and sing-alongs by Craig, beautiful sunsets, and one spectacular full moon rise right after sunset. We cooked delicious meals, enjoyed our great friends, and loved sharing the peaceful life aboard Island Spirit.

The best way to present the joy of these past few days is via my photographs.....thank you, Wendy and Craig, for being such wonderful friends....

Wendy and Craig Joined us in Key West, Fl

Homemade Bread, Key Lime Pie and Radeen's Famous Cocoa Brownies
All baked on Island Spirit on a rainy morning

Departing Key West, FL, passing three Cruise Ships

Sailing Hawk Channel North, 35 NM to Bahia Honda State Park

Island Spirit anchored 100 yards off the beach at Bahia Honda

Island Spirit at anchor viewed from atop the Flagler Railroad Bridge

Flagler Railroad Bridge with the old road surface on top of the structure.
The original railroad tracks from 1912 are on the bottom..

Close up of the deteriorating road surface looking south towards Key West

Enjoying the sunsets from the Bahia Honda anchorage

Bahia Honda, Flagler Railroad Bridge Sunset

Wendy and Craig, enjoying the sunset and full moon rise at anchor

Live music provided by Craig, who is a very talented guitarist and singer

Wendy and Radeen enjoying the sunset and moon rise, Bahia Honda, FL

Walks on the beach with local wildlife

As close as we could get.... the egret launches into flight

Team Island Spirit walks the beach, while the butterflies work the flowers

Team Island Spirit jumped a local golf cart and toured the island...
Drive it like you stole it.....just kidding!
(Thank you to the friendly park manager, who kindly offered us the keys to her own private cart!)

Arriving back at Harbour Cay Club,
Craig entertains the fleet at the 5 o'clock Tiki Hut gatherings

A most beautiful full moon rise over Bahia Honda with reflections in the water
Viewed from Island Spirit, on anchor

What a terrific week with great friends, unexpectedly good sailing, delicious meals, many laughs and fun sharing new destinations. It was wonderful to share this cruising life with Wendy and Craig and to sail into new anchorages and then explore together. Life is so simple on a sailboat. We realize everyday how lucky we are to live this dream and to share it with good friends.

Sailing Hawk Channel Key West

2012-02-07T17:35:00.000-05:00

These lower Florida Keys and the protected Hawk Channel turns out to be a fantastic sailing destination. The channel is protected by the offshore reef and on the other side it is protected by the Florida Keys, so it is usually calm. The water color is so beautiful and the wind is usually very steady, so you get these fantastic sailing days like we had yesterday. The leg from Key West Harbor to Bahia Honda State Park is 35 NM, lucky for us, as after brief motor run of an hour, the wind clocked right just enough for Team Island Spirit to sail close hauled North up the Hawk Channel. Here is our blog entry for the day, a spectacular sailing video.....

Wendy and Craig KW-FL

2012-02-05T09:17:00.000-05:00


Wendy and Craig. Our Live entertainer, Craig sings our new theme song... "I love this BOAT!" Craig wrote the beautiful lyrics.

Our great friends, Wendy and Craig, arrived Key West to take us up on the challenges of living on Island Spirit and braving the high seas as we set sail for the treacherous Hawk Channel. I know Craig, he will want to sail over the reef and out to sea and not come back, but our destination will be northeast to Marathon and the paradise of Harbour Cay Club. Wendy and Craig have sailed with us in New England, Chesapeake Bay, and the Caribbean on many sailing trips. It is great to be on a boat with such good friends and great boaters.

For now, we need to explore Key West, take in the sights and enjoy this entertaining town. There is just so much to see, and too little time. I notice that Key West is far better when arriving by boat as opposed to arriving by car or bus. You see the harbor in a better perspective and it seems more remote than driving down that infamous Route 1 and all the bridges. Henry Flagler had a great vision when he build the overseas railroad reaching Key West and bringing the tourist industry to town.

Our location is the Galleon Marina and Resort
where we have a beautiful pool, great docks and it is located right in town.

A walk to the southern most point at the end of Duval Street
was our mission #1.

An evening walk down Duval Street presents you with 350 bars, t-shirt shops
great music and places like Sloppy Joe's, Hog's Breath Saloon, The Bull, and Captain Tony's.

We are enjoying the neighborhood and extra lighting to our starboard side.
Missing Card II is a 65' Princess Motor Yacht docked next to us.
It is a magnificent yacht and beautifully lit at night!


Missing Card II, a Princess 65' Motor Yacht

Hayden and Radeen listening to Craig's live entertainment of...
"An Ode to Island Spirit - I Love this Boat" Thank you, Craig and Wendy!.

Arrival Key West, FL

2012-02-03T22:23:00.003-05:00

Docked at Galleon Marina, Key West, FL
Yes that is a 65 footer next to us called MISSED CARD II

After one of our best-ever offshore over night passages, we arrived Key West, FL, where we dropped anchor in the harbor and slept. The next day we did not even drop the dinghy or leave the boat. We worked on our boat all day and used the time to catch up on various boat chores and services. We planned to move into our reserved slip a day early so we could wash the boat, do laundry and shopping, much needed from being out on the anchor for the past 3 weeks. We also are very excited for the arrival of our great friends, Wendy and Craig. They will board Island Spirit Sat AM and we may not let them off until we get to Miami....don't tell em....:-)

We reserved a dock at the Galleon Marina, the #1 spot in Key West, and will be spoiled by the amenities and the convenience to town and Duval Street. Key West is really a fun place and docking here, in town, will make it even better, especially with good friends.

WEB CAM and WEATHER here

Basic Map of our approach, anchorage, and dock, then off to Hawk Channel

The Marina'sSuper Bowl Party with large projector TVs will be here


Duval Street and the famous SLOPPY JOE's

What fun!.....sailing with good friends and spending time with them as we share the Island Spirit Adventures together. We will spend Sat and Sun here, then sail up to Bahia Honda Key where we will spend a day on a beautiful state park beach. Then we will sail up to Marathon and return to Harbour Cay Club and show Wendy and Craig how great that private club/marina is. There we will enjoy Marathon, bike to Sombrero Beach and enjoy the sunsets at the Tiki Hut. Life is gooooood....

Florida West Coast

2012-02-01T14:51:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Carey and Bobbie on Catspaw, we pressed on from Marathon to explore these Florida West Coast locations:

Shark River anchorage in the Everglades
Marco Island, Factory Bay anchorage
Fort Myers Beach mooring field
Cabbage Key anchorage in Pine Island Sound for Cheeseburgers
Pelican Bay anchorage to explore Cayo Costa State Park and beach
Punta Gorda anchorage in Peace River to discover this great town
Charlotte Harbor sailing with Boca Grande Inlet access to sea
Offshore sailing Boca Grande Inlet to Key West Fl, 135 nm direct

The West coast of Florida is SPECTACULAR with great sailing, beautiful harbors and very friendly people. We only explored 1/3 of the west coast and there is plenty more to discover by boat. We can now see why Charlotte Harbor is a boating center because the sailing is wonderful and the anchorages plentiful. We had many dolphin swimming with Island Spirit as we sailed from Punta Gorda back to Pelican Bay. What a pleasure to see these beautiful animals in the wild, so playful, under our bow. West Coast of Florida...we need to come back....we need to discover more....

Our best photos of this section....

Radeen with the crowds at Cayo Costa State Park


A view to the south....no one except us and birds...Radeen reading Randy Wayne White's "The Heat Islands"

A view to the north....no one...this is Cayo Costa State Park, FL, accessible only by boat

Pelican Bay anchorage off Cayo Costa State Park, the opposite side of the beach

Our buddy boat, IP-460 Cutter Loose, off Punta Gorda in Peace River

Sailing Charlotte Harbor on a Monday AM

Sunset off shore, "red at night....."

Sunset offshore melting into the sea

Look at the beautiful colors...

After this, the winds picked up to 15-20 knots all night long.
Perfect sailing in beam winds for 135 nm.

Cabbage Key, cheeseburger in paradise, famous dollar bar

Radeen off Island Spirit in Pelican Bay, Fl

Our best Cayo Costa Beach Photo....

This Park Ranger lives on Cayo Costa and shared an Island History presentation with us

The ICEHOUSE PUB in Punta Gorda, what a great place for a cold beer


Radeen enjoys the dolphin show off the bow of Island Spirit, Charlotte Harbor

We are now in Key West and our first Florida West Coast sail has ended. We will prepare for our good friends Wendy and Craig's arrival on Sat am. Together, we will enjoy Key West for a few days at the popular Galleon Marina and then maybe we can entice them to go for a sail up Hawk's Channel to anchor out on a nice sandy beach....ahhh....the Florida Keys in February....perfect!

GOOGLE MAP of this LOCATION

Retired ONE YEAR

2012-01-29T11:05:00.000-05:00

Today is Reflection Day as it is exactly one year ago today that we retired from our 30+ year teaching careers. Radeen and I have zero regrets for departing our careers early at the age of 55 and getting on with our sailing and cruising dreams. Here is a summary of year Number One...

Jan 28, 2011, We retire and sign our paperwork, exiting our careers and entering into a new life...

Feb: Road Trip to Florida via car, with friends & family, to pre-explore harbors and towns

March: New York City, upper west side condo with Radeen's family

April: Caribbean Sailing aboard Larking About IP40, Spanish Virgin Islands

May: At home, working on house to prepare for our great house sitter, Ned, to move in

June: Sail Bermuda to Maryland on Larking About, IP40

July/Aug: Island Spirit IP35 Sailing Maryland to Maine for Island Packet Rendezvous in Boothbay.

Aug: Out ran Hurricane Irene NY to MD, return to home slip and prep boat for the storm!

Sept: Prepare boat for ICW south and Bahamas trip #1, including engine overhaul

Oct/Nov: Intracoastal Waterway Southbound for Harbour Cay Club, Marathon, FL Keys

Dec-Jan: Marathon, FL, Living at Harbor Cay Club, Capt Jim's great marina/home.

Jan: West Coast of Florida Explorations

Year Number One of our retirement is complete and we feel blessed to be able to live out a lifetime planned dream of traveling and sailing. We are nearly in the mid point of our current adventure as we will head for the Bahamas in March and April, exploring the Abacos. Then in the springtime, we will head north up the ICW returning to the Chesapeake Bay in June 2012. At that point, we most likely will head for BLOCK ISLAND, RI for the summer of 2012. Then we will return to the Chesapeake Bay and plan our next leg south. Thank you, everyone, for following our blog and for sharing our dreams...we are blessed....

Island Packet Friends

2012-01-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

One of the best aspects of cruising is friends.... traveling with friends, meeting new friends and re-connecting with old friends. Today's digital world also provides the opportunity to form and maintain many "pen-pal" friendships via the Island Packet E-mail list. It is wonderful when we actually meet those digital friends in person. Here's a sample of our valued friendships from the month of January!

Margery, (where's Jeff?) Capt Jim and Michele, Hayden and Radeen, Keith and Blanca

Michelle & Capt Jim, IP-29, Fortuna
Keith and Blanca, IP-31 True Love, at Harbour Cay Club, Marathon, FL

Craig and Debbie, former owners of IP-440 Charmed

Bobbi, Debbie, Radeen, Pat and Mary Ann from
Catspaw, Charmed, Island Spirit, Cutter Loose and CAVU

Eric, IP-460 Cutter Loose, and Craig talking about generators

Ron, Hayden and Carey from
CAVU, Island Spirit, and Catspaw

Hayden with Art, IP-32 Lagniappe
Our IP List expert on 12 volt and electrical topics

Alan, Carey, William, Ron, Eric, and Hayden of IPs:
Flatlander, Catspaw, Optimystique, CAVU, Cutter Loose, Island Spirit


Patricia, Radeen, Kathy, Mary Ann, Judy, and Bobbi of IPs: Cutter Loose, Island Spirit, Flatlander, CAVU, Optimystique, Catspaw


Our new dolphin friend accompanied us into Pelican Bay's emerald waters.

We hope to share more anchorages and meet more Island Packet Friends as we continue with year one of our life aboard! Thank you for sharing the joy of cruising and IP ownership....

Ft. Myers Beach to Pelican Bay, FL

2012-01-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

Ft. Myers Beach, FL

Ft. Myers Beach is a very interesting west coast Florida town with the most beautiful white sand beach. The Gulf of Mexico is calm when the wind is not blowing hard, so there are only little waves. This provides the opportunity for para-sailing and jet skiing right off the beach. The local boaters also anchor their boats there and swim or walk to shore to enjoy beach bars and all-day live music. Welcome to Ft. Myers Beach! During spring break, this place loads up with college crowds.

Hayden and Art aboard Island Spirit
enjoying a toast after the 12 volt seminar

While in Ft. Myers Beach we had the special opportunity to connect with our Island Packet list member, Art R., IP 32 Lagniappe,who is always so helpful to IP members with 12 volt wiring, design, and installations. Art drove 2+ hours to spend the day teaching us about 12 volt systems and electrical issues. His presentation was very informative and so impressive with printed bound handouts, PowerPoint slides, and hands on experiments. We really enjoyed our learning and sharing fascinating stories with Art. Thank you, ART R.!

Craig and Debbie join Island Spirit for a great visit

Not able to hide any better, our other IP friends, Debbie and Craig R. found us in the harbor as they arrived via their Harley Ultra Classic motorcycle. Debbie and Craig had an IP440 and traveled with us in 2008 when we were in Florida for our Drexel studies. We drove north up the ICW and shared their signature dessert, flan, in many harbors together! They astonished us this trip with flan, delivered safely on the bike!

Craig helped me with an improvement for my solar wiring addition and gave me a Harley ride to the West Marine and back that was one to remember. Debbie visited with Radeen and they really enjoyed their chats and sharing. What great friends!

The "Pack of Packets" pressing on into Pine Island Sound

After 4 busy days in Ft. Myers Beach we move on north to Pine Island Sound where we stopped 2 hours short of our destination to experience Cabbage Key and the great cheeseburgers in paradise. The local dollar bar there is amazing with over 50,000 one dollar bills nailed to the walls and ceilings. After lunch the 4 IPs pulled up anchors, and move into Pelican Bay off the State Park, CAYO COSTA. We enjoyed a lively cocktail hour aboard IP-420 Flatlander with Allen and Kathy H. with their friends Bill and Sue, IP-40, Florida Buoy. We plan to stay here a few days and take in the beautiful beach and isolated state park, accessible only by boat.

The Beach at Ft. Myers Beach, these FL people know how to have FUN

Dollar Bar at Cabbage Key, Pine Island Sound, FL.

We are really enjoying this West Coast of Florida as it provides so many harbors, great towns like Marco Island, and Ft. Myers, and beautiful sandy beaches. We can now see why Charlotte Harbor is a base for so many cruising sailboats. We need to explore this area more....for today, we will start with the Cayo Costa State Park Beaches!

GOOGLE MAP of this location

Shark River vs. Marco Island FL

2012-01-19T09:34:00.000-05:00

Shoreline of Little Shark River, Everglades, FL

After departing Marathon, FL we headed north to the Everglades and into the Little Shark River. This is 35 nm north and it is the first logical anchorage when heading up the west coast of Florida. SP Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi, our fleet leaders, have explored these waters many times and he is showing us the way North. Little Shark River is in the Florida Everglades and there is obviously no development and no services. You are out here on your own and you must rely on yourself and or your buddy boats. At sunset, the no-see-um bugs attacked us and we were driven below decks. With the boat buttoned up, we enjoyed a nice baked chicken dinner and fresh homemade bread. The next day, Cutter Loose and Island Spirit moved on north to Marco Island, while Catspaw waited for the arrival of our other buddy boat, CAVU, who will catch up today.

Shoreline Marco Island, FL...what a contrast 50 miles north!

Marco Island is 56 nm northwest of Little Shark River and in calm winds, we motor sailed the 9 hours to Marco, entering Capri Pass and winding our way down into the Factory Bay anchorage. By 5pm we were anchored with Cutter Loose and enjoyed a night out at THE SNOOK INN which is a very good restaurant and pub. It is interesting to compare Little Shark River/Everglades to Marco Island! These two places are only 50 miles apart, yet they are at total ends of the spectrum. South Florida is beautiful, warm, diverse and has very shallow water. It is an interesting contrast to all the other places we have sailed. It is great to be back on the move again exploring by water. Island Spirit is a great boat, and she is running well....lucky we are....

Perfect sailing day, 35 nm north to Lil Shark River

Full sails and 12 knots on a close reach, Gulf of Mexico, FL

The boat is run 100% by solar power now! The 350 watts ran....
Autopilot, computers, network, instruments, and freezer/refrigeration

Free electricity via 350 watts of solar....nice!

SP Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi, anchored in Little Shark River

Sunrise leaving Little Shark River, Everglades, FL

Computer screen showing the course to Marco Island, around the shoals

Anchored with the Rich and maybe Famous in Factory Bay, Marco Island, FL


Radeen and Hayden ... Life is good...


Eric and Patricia....our boat buddies and good friends on Cutter Loose

We will stay here a day, in Marco Island and wait for CAVU and CATSPAW to arrive and then the fleet of 4 will move up to Ft. Myers for a stay there....

Sadly HCC Departure

2012-01-16T20:34:00.000-05:00

Island Spirit's home Dec/Jan 2011/2012

This is a first time experience for Radeen and me, that being one of sadness to depart a harbor, to press on, to leave the comforts of home. We have been moving about aboard our sailboat for 10+ years and never have we felt more at home than here at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon, Florida. There is really something special about this place, yet I can't properly describe it. We have traveled by boat from Maine to Marathon and many points in between and nothing compares to this unique place.

Sadly, we have nearly completed the preparations for heading out to sea. The power cord is stored, the dinghy motor is serviced and stored, the fuel is topped off as well as the water tank. Provisions have been bought and stored and all systems: fuel, oil and coolant all serviced, changed and checked. We are ready, yet we really do not want to leave. It is a very odd feeling, one that we both have never felt before. Most places you visit, you explore, and discover and then you are ready to move on to the next place. Here, there is a feeling of community, family, friends, and close neighbors. We were like visitors in a friends home, welcomed and invited to stay as long as we liked. We booked a month, the longest we have ever stayed anywhere and now, it is hard to leave.

Thank you HCC owners for sharing your home with us

So, thank you to everyone who is an active owner at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon. You all have built a special place here and we are fortunate to share in this secret paradise. Radeen and I already are planning our next winter trip to stay longer.

Our next planned trip is to explore the West Coast of Florida from the Everglades up to Pine Island Sound and Cayo Costa. After 2 weeks there, we will sail overnight south to Key West where we will share a week with good friends. After Key West, we will move north to Biscayne Bay where we will spend 2 weeks in prep for our Bahamas trip.

Every day, we wake and recognize how lucky we are to be: healthy, happy, and able to live this cruising dream. Thank you for following us....

GOOD BYE PHOTOS...

Good Bye Christmas Breakfast with Moet

Good Bye Sunset Grill vistas

Good Bye TiKi Hut "Cone of Knowledge" happy hours

Good Bye HCC Sunsets

Good Bye Lenny the pet Iguana hidden in the tree

Good Bye Shuffle Board Challenges, we will return

Good Bye Pet Manatees...we wanted to swim with you

Good Bye daily bike rides to the store, home depot, friends in other marinas, post office, dive shops, etc.


Hello BAHAMAS as we prepare for our first trip!

HCC, Harbour Cay Club is home...it is a great community, it is a place we plan to return to next year. Thank you, for making us feel at home.....See you next winter!

Diving Sombrero Reef, FL

2012-01-10T06:12:00.001-05:00

Hayden and J. B., Marathon, FL

Our good friend and fellow teacher, Dr. J. B. Smith, visited Team Island Spirit for a few days on his college semester break from IUP, Indiana University of PA. He is an aquatics director and senior seminar professor in the Health and Human Services department. J.B. or "Doc" as I call him, has been a great friend going back to the early 90s when we shared lunch at PVHS.

J.B. is also our diving instructor who certified me and pushed me through the fears of diving associated with a previous poor diving instructor who treated us like Navy Seals and freaked me out under water....Luckily, D0c got me over that challenge. Thank you, J.B.!

The Doc came to FLA to visit and dive with us and to watch his son swim in a college competition meet up in Orlando. We are so glad J.B. took the time to visit us and looked over us as we re-entered the diving world. It was a great dive spot - we saw a large sea turtle, a 5 foot long shark and a truly amazing number and variety of tropical fish. It was really fun!

Radeen and Hayden heading out on the dive boat

Dive #1 completed...look how excited Radeen is.....she loves this!

We survived....we did it...Thank you J.B.

Got to love the DIVE HAIR thing....heading back in after two dives

Happy rookie divers, Radeen and Hayden

Good boat buddies, Chuck and Stuart, we met them at Thanksgiving in GA

Heading back from Sombrero Reef on the dive boat...beautiful day!

The reef is about 4 miles off Marathon

Sombrero Reef Lighthouse (Google images)

Living in the Florida Keys is very interesting and the weather has been fantastic. Typical day temps are 75 degrees and night temps are about 65 here in January 2012. Every week to 10 days a north cold front passes over and the temps drop to 60-65 during the day but they usually only last a day or two and then it is back to normal. We can see why so many people have migrated to the Florida Keys....a beautiful place with lots to see and do.

We plan on one more week here before heading off to the West Coast of Florida and living on the hook once again.....

Dream Life, HCC

2012-01-02T22:10:00.001-05:00

Typical sunset from out Tiki Hut at 5:30pm

Life is so easy, so peaceful, so simple, and so WONDERFUL at Harbor Cay Club here in Marathon, Florida. We have now spent another week living here and we love it. Here is how the days go...

1. Wake around 5-6am
2. Breakfast onboard around 8am
3. Bike ride to store and around town before lunch
4. Lunch out or on board
5. Boat projects or visits in the afternoon
6. Tiki hut cocktails at 5:00pm
7. Sunset at 5:30pm
8. Dinner out or on board
9. Relax, read, write til bedtime
10. Start over at #1 above....

This is way tooooo easy living here at dock, we need to set sail and get back to work soon! We are getting soft, we are getting lazy, this is way too easy, and we recognize this. That is why we planned one month only here at dock, and we plan to move on Jan 17th to Ft. Myers, FL for a west coast exploration.

For now, we are living a dream and we know it, and everyday we wake up and reflect on this accomplishment of the dream. Lucky we are, and appreciative we are. Thank you!

New 65 Watt solar added outside our other solar panels

This week we installed two 65 watt solar panels on the roof and this takes our solar array up from 220 watts to 350 watts. We were getting about 75 amp hours per day before and we need 100 amp hours per day, so this should do it, we hope. Next task is defrost the freezer and run to the US Customs office in Key West to obtain our "local boaters" customs registration. This will allow us to check back into the USA via phone call when returning from the Bahamas.

Here are some random photos of the past week...

Sunset Grill, pool at sunset with a great band

Hayden, Carey, and Ron at sunset grill

New65 watt solar panels added outside our existing 110 watt panels
Now with a total of 350 watts solar!

Hayden and Radeen on New Years Eve 2011


Radeen at the Tiki Hut for sunset....life is beautiful...

This week we have a good friend Dr. J. B. Smith arriving Thur-Mon for some reefing diving, snorkeling trips and good visits. We look forward to the visit....until then....

Christmas 2011 in FL

2011-12-25T12:15:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from our boat in Marathon, FL, at the Harbour Cay Club. This is our first Christmas aboard living the "cruising life." We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season! Here are some photos...

Radeen with treats from the Family

Santa brought us new phones! Samsung Galaxy Nexus replaces our 3+ year old phones!

HCC decorations, Christmas wreath and anchor

Landscaping around our beach tidal lagoon

Orchids line the property

We have "Inspiration Point" where we watch the sunsets

Beautiful plants in the Spanish moss

Pelicans made out of coconuts decorate the lagoon

Our boat docked under a palm tree at Harbour Cay Club

Our new hats from Judy and Leroy...notice who took the Captain's hat!

Christmas decorations at the helm of Island Spirit

Our "Home" Island Spirit, an Island Packet 35 at dock

The TIKI HUT with a Great Blue Heron on the peak....how cool is that!?

Our Christmas lights pulled up via the topping lift halyard, we need more...

Christmas Breakfast, MOET, cheese omelets and baked oatmeal...um um good


Hayden and Radeen with Tammy and Mark's calendar from our NYC trip....FUN

Weather: 80 degrees, sunny, 10 knot easterly breeze.....Merry Christmas from Marathon, FL! This afternoon we will use the clubhouse kitchen and cook up our Christmas Dinner with Catspaw and Finistere and enjoy the lanai and the palm trees..... a holiday to remember!

Marathon, FL, Week 1

2011-12-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Wife....Happy Life...here in FL

We have here been here a week already and we find it is sure EASY to live at HCC, Harbour Cay Club, a private marina facility. Life at the dock is wonderful, with endless power, water, laundry, and a beautiful club house. We have been riding our bikes all over town and enjoying the traditional Tiki Hut nightly sunset gatherings at 1700 hrs. The weather is fantastic, as it is not hot and it is not cold and there are no bugs. We don't need our air conditioning, but we do need sun screen and shade. It has not rained except for small sprinkles which last about 10 minutes and then we enjoy beautiful rainbows afterwards. Yes, life at HCC in Marathon, Florida, is paradise and very peaceful and relaxing. It will be difficult to press on out of here after our month ends, but that is our plan.

New Samsung Nexus Phones...about time we upgrade
It's been 3 years with a Blackberry Curve!

Christmas arrived here with packages from Radeen's family in Seattle and Phoenix. We finally upgraded our 3+ year old cell phones to the new Samsung Google Nexus with Android 4.0.2 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. We both now have the same phones which makes it easier to learn. It feels like Christmas when the festive packages and delicious treats arrive. Thanks everyone!

Here are some photos for the week....Merry Christmas Everyone!

Radeen riding her lil' red bike on the old Seven Mile Bridge

Team Island Packet Fleet at HCC Christmas Party
We miss Capt. JIM!

Our bread baking skills are progressing, here are two new loaves

We really enjoy our pet iguana.. We named him IGGY cause my brother had one named that.

Iggy is so beautiful and he changes colors on the fly

Iggy trying to match the color of the anchor....yet his belly is green

Iggy resting on the anchor

Iggy on the rocks along the mangroves

Christmas decorations on the boat

Team Steak Dinner night on the HCC Lanai

Pelicans in the sunset from the Tiki Hut where we meet at 1700


The Tiki Hut is BYOB, where slip owners and transients gather nightly

Yes...life at HCC, Harbour Cay Club, is really peaceful, relaxing, quiet and friendly. This 24 slip club is a great place to spend a winter. Forecast for today, 80 degrees and sunny. Rest of the week is like this: 80 during the day, 70 at night, sunny, slight change of showers.... ahhh, a tropical Christmas!

Dolphins Swim with Island Spirit

2011-12-18T06:00:00.003-05:00

On our way to Marathon, Florida, we had dolphins swim with Team Island Spirit. They swam right next to the cockpit and jumped and rolled over on their sides as they looked up at us. It was a very special moment and one of our first dolphin encounters. They are so beautiful to watch as they swim. I am guessing these dolphins were about 6 to 7 feet long. Please watch this 2 minute video and smile along with us....

Watch this video on YouTUBE here

Marathon FL

2011-12-17T07:34:00.002-05:00

Docked at Harbour Cay Club, Marathon, FL

We have arrived at our destination! Our good friend Captain Jim's Harbor Cay Club is a private 24 slip community that is beautifully landscaped and immaculately maintained. We were assisted by our fellow Island Packet Fleet members, Ron & Mary Ann on IP380 CAVU and Ed & Patricia on IP37 FINESTERE, along with the local dockmaster Gary and Jack, who are owners here. Once we were securely docked, we helped dock our buddy boat, SP Cruiser CATSPAW, who immediately prepared some V8 Fusion "healthy" drinks with some rum to toast our arrival. Mary Ann gave us the royal tour of Harbour Cay Club, showing us the clubhouse, lanai, laundry room, bathhouse, ice machines, recycle center, tiki hut and shuffle board court. The property is beautiful and it is obvious the owners are very proud of it. I will post a full photo essay of Harbour Cay Club next.

Looking from the lanai out over the marina

We are so happy to reach our destination and to have a break from moving the boat day after day. It will be great to launch our bikes and ride to the Seven Mile Bridge and around town. We will enjoy going for walks and watching sunsets from the tiki hut with good friends and the local members.

Our happiness upon arriving was diminished by the absence of our gracious host and good friend, Captain Jim. He suffered a heart attack two days before our arrival and is doing well following surgery in Miami yesterday. We plan to visit him and help in anyway we can. We are so sad that Captain Jim is not here for all the fun. Everyone here is hoping for a complete recovery. It is very special how the Island Packet Yacht fleet is "like family" and we share in everyone's adventures and life's challenges.

A beautiful tidal pool with sand beach on the grounds

One of the resident iguanas welcomed us to the club

Did you know they can swim??

Check the length of that tail. Do you think it will walk on a leash?
My brother, Brian, loved walking his iguana on a leash. That lizard's name was Iggy!

GOOGLE MAP of this LOCATION

Welcome to Marathon and Harbour Cay Club, our first destination, where we will be docked for one month. Our next post will be photos and sights of the grounds and the marina...for now....we need to settle into our new home....Thank you, CAPTAIN JIM!.....hope to see you soon.....

Hawk Channel to Channel 5

2011-12-15T21:52:00.005-05:00

Sailing Hawk Channel in 20 knots beam!

Departing Boca Chita at 0700 hrs we crossed over the sand bar exit at low tide and found 7 feet of water most of the way. This is a deep water for the Florida Keys, and we were happy to be pressing on towards our destination south. We exited Biscayne Bay for sea via the Angelfish Creek, which is very beautiful but has a known 5 foot reef at the exit to sea. We have been instructed by our local Captain Jim that there is 5 feet at low tide, trust that and DO NOT LOOK at your depth sounder or at the water. Lucky for us it was a mid rising tide and we crossed the rocky reef with 7 feet of water, so no worries.

Once at sea in Hawk Channel, we were able to set full sails, with reefed main, full 135% jib and staysail in a wonderful 18-20 knot beam wind! In the world of sailing, this is PARADISE - a dream day. Blue skies, puffy clouds, aquamarine colored water, and sailing at hull speed, it was as good as it gets. We sailed all day, racing to reach the entrance to Channel Five to get back into the Florida Bay side by sunset. Our navigation computer and route told us that we were right on schedule and that we would reach the anchorage by 1730 hrs, and that is exactly what happened. We motorsailed the last 40 minutes into Channel 5 and under the bridge, then turned south where we dropped anchor in Jewfish Hole. The sun was setting as we approached our two buddy boats, Long Gone and Catspaw so we were happy to get the the sails down and the anchor set. I rate today as a 9.5 on the sailing scale, it was a great day....Check out these photos and the color of the water!

The water is aquamarine color, 12 feet deep

Look at the teak contrasting with the blue water...amazing

A view from the bow under full sail with the beautiful water and skies

We are racing, trying to reach the inlet by sunset


Arriving at the anchorage, our buddy boats are already anchored Google MAP of this location NAVIONICS MAP of THIS LEG VIDEO OF TODAY'S SAILING

Boca Chita Key, Fl

2011-12-14T12:09:00.002-05:00

The Boca Chita Key Lighthouse

What a BEAUTIFUL tiny island, now owned by the National Parks Service. The island was originally developed by Mark Honeywell, owner of the heating control company in the late 1930s. After his wife's death from a fall on the island, Mr. Honeywell abandoned the project and eventually it was purchased by our National Parks. We can see the highrises in Miami 15 miles to the north, yet we feel we like we are in the tropics!

The island has the most beautiful lighthouse that stands guard over the entrance to the man made harbor. The harbor can side tie 20+ boats to the wall. There are several tent camping sites and public restrooms that flush with saltwater. There are no services on Boca Chita, no water and no electricity and no trash disposal, but there are beaches, trails and plenty of palm trees. This park is a must visit, and with the winds blowing 20+ knots today, we decided to stay one more day and enjoy the beauty. Tomorrow the winds will be 10-15, so we will continue our trek south to Marathon.

Island Spirit on the sea wall with the Boca Chita Lighthouse

SP Cruiser Catspaw in the Boca Chita Key harbor

Good friends Laurie and Jim on IP350 Kismet arrive Boca Chita

Our view of palm trees out a port window....ahhhh

Local flock of ibis birds working the shoreline

Looking across the harbor from the point

Island Spirit with palm trees, what a beautiful sight

Mark Honeywell, 1937 Boca Chita

Mark Honeywell's yacht, Olivette, at Boca Chita


Sunrise lights the Boca Chita Lighthouse with IP350 Kismet GOOGLE MAP of this Boca Chita Location Zoom in and out with Satellite views to explore

I see why people stay here and simply take a break. It is well protected, it is beautiful, and the lighthouse changes in the various lighting angles from sunrise to sunset. Welcome to paradise, we are so happy to share the trip with everyone....the next stop will be on our way Marathon....

Miami, FL

2011-12-13T08:22:00.000-05:00

SP Cruiser Catspaw offshore South Beach, Miami

We utilized a brief weather window to go offshore from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, with a forecast of small craft advisories and worsening as the week progressed. We felt we could take nearly anything for the short 26 mile ocean leg to get into Biscayne Bay and be in more protected waters for the move on south. So, out the inlet we went with 15 knots blowing in and the tide still flowing in near high tide. Inlets can be very rough if you have the wind (in this case E at 15) blowing against an OUT flowing tide. Wind against current can be a dangerous situation, as the waves come up very steep and very close.

Harness on to go forward onto the deck

Our exit to sea was manageable and once offshore, we added the full jib and staysail to the reefed main for a BEAUTIFUL beam reach to the Miami inlet. With departing Ft. Lauderdale at 1 hr before high tide, we arrived at the Miami inlet with the tide flowing OUT into the wind. Lucky for us, the winds were only 10-15 knots, plus Government Cut runs a bit south of east so the waves were manageable going into this inlet.

South Beach Miami arriving from sea

It is so exciting to arrive Miami from sea, passing Hollywood, North Miami, and Miami Beach and then through the inlet leaving South Beach to starboard. Fisherman's Passage goes south of Dodge Island, past the massive shipping cranes for the Port of Miami. This channel runs right up to the city, joining the ICW once again and going north or south depending on the destination. We are heading south for Marathon, so we entered Biscayne Bay with dolphins and sandy beaches and palm trees where we dropped anchor just south of the causeway bridge at Virginia Island. Our lead boat and buddy boat SP Cruiser Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi, had us over for a cocktail party. We enjoyed the company of another buddy boat, Long Gone, with Stuart and Chuck. Life is fantastic off a sandy beach in 75 degree Dec. 12th weather. Next Stop....Boca Chita, once a private island, now a park....

Fisherman's Channel passes the shipping terminal

Massive cranes for offloading container ships.
Notice the dinghy running in the channel

Team Island Spirit motoring past the Port of Miami....very exciting

Notice the ICW waterway channel marker to turn north or south along the city

Miami and the colorful city framed by our USA flag

SP Cruiser Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi anchored in Biscayne Bay
South of Virgina Key

Island Spirit at sunset, our first of many in the Florida Keys

Miami city lights reflect off the rain soaked decks

Ft. Lauderdale Homes

2011-12-11T20:16:00.000-05:00

20 opening bridges today...also called "lift" or "bascule" bridges

The Intra-Coastal Waterway from Lake Worth to Fort Lauderdale passes through 20 opening bridges in only 47 miles! We found it difficult to concentrate on navigating today, because we were distracted by the beautiful homes of North Palm Beach, Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

The waterway here has multitudes of man-made canals that lead into the mainland, perpendicular to the waterway. This design creates peninsulas that then create one end lot or several end lots where the most impressive homes are built. Another benefit of this design is that it creates perfect boat slips on the inside of the canal for docking 100' yachts. The view of many of these homes was partially blocked by the yachts, which in some cases are larger than the homes. It was interesting to see the mix of older houses and the lots where old homes have been torn down in favor of newer models. Most of these mansions must be second homes, as we rarely saw anyone outside on this pleasant Sunday afternoon. We found it very interesting and entertaining looking at all these beautiful homes and it made this section of the ICW very enjoyable, even with all the bridges. Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale are addresses of the rich and famous and it was fun to pass through the area.

Here are some house photos of the area...

Palm Beach high rises

A modest ICW home near Palm Beach, Fl with the 45' powerboat

The end lot with a canal on the right side with a yacht out of the photo

Perfect example of fully using the view of these end lots

Multiple lots taking the entire end with canals on BOTH sides!
That is ONE HOME!

Sunday afternoon boat traffic at the bridges, Catspaw in the lead

Coming home from a Sunday afternoon cruise on the boat...an 85 footer at least!

The small 45 footer docked at the front yard, end lot with canal sides

It was a great day touring the ICW past these beautiful homes. Take a look at this location on my Google Map and zoom into the area. Look at all the waterway cuts back into the mainland. This could NEVER be done today....

Google Map of this Area Here

Lake Worth, FL

2011-12-10T18:57:00.003-05:00

North Palm Beach condos and yachts line Lake Worth, FL.

Departing Vero Beach, FL, is a challenging aspect of cruising because Vero has everything a boater needs....BUT...we did press on and move down to the Lake Worth anchorage. Anyone who has driven a car to Florida recalls passing the PGA Boulevard exit. Well, that same PGA exit turns into the PGA Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway at the Lake Worth anchorage.

This lake could hold at least 100 boats at anchor and provides a dinghy dock a few short blocks from a Publix grocery store. This lends itself to boaters who are waiting for a weather window to cross over to the Bahamas, only about 75 miles east of the inlet. Our plan this first trip south is to fully explore the Keys and the West Coast of Florida before heading over to the Bahamas in March and April. So, we dropped anchor in Lake Worth with a different perspective, we just needed a place to sleep and relax after the 64 mile run with SP Cruiser, Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi. This is the furthest south we have been on Island Spirit, so it was great to have experienced cruisers in the lead.

Tomorrow, both boats will pick up anchor and move on to Fort Lauderdale where we will explore that beautiful city from the anchorage at Lake Sylvia. I must say, this section of the ICW was very interesting and colorful with beautiful homes and large yachts. I am glad we did not miss this by going outside as we had planned.

Here are some photos of this section....with entertaining captions of what locals might say.

Look, we keep our small 80 footer docked behind our winter home...very nice!

We have our own sandy beach, powerboat and Caribbean home resort with palms...ahhhh

Come on, where is YOUR Hinckley Picnic jet boat? Ours is here, behind the home....$500K....check!

Yes, but we have our 58 footer lifted and dry sailed behind our home....Check that!

Wait... we have the corner lot with our 26' DONZI and a 60 foot mega yacht....SCORE...

Our Good Friends Carey and Bobby show us the way south
SP Cruiser Catspaw with famous watch cat Tiller and stealthy hidden Heidi cats aboard

Finally, the ninth bridge of the day - the PGA Boulevard Bridge and we are safe in Lake Worth....ahhh

GOOGLE MAP of this Location

WOW...that was really an interesting section of the waterway, and I am glad to see our economy doing so well that people do not have to sell these homes. There were very few FOR SALE signs like in other areas up north. Looks like we are reaching the real 1% soon. Just wait until we see what's next....Fort Lauderdale....

Vero Action

2011-12-10T10:21:00.000-05:00

Quality gear a must...shuffleboard action :-)

We completed our tasks at Vero Beach and this allowed us to slip the grasp of this wonderful town and marina. We completed...

Laundry
Groceries
Riverside Cafe Happy Hour via dinghy
Sonny's BBQ via the Bus
Shuffleboard with Almon and Carey, our Vero Coaches, and 6 other cruisers
Cruisers' Cocktail Party with 40+ cruisers
Bike rides around town
Walks to the beach and walks down Date Palm Drive
Water, Fuel, Pumpout - the big three!
Mail call - our first batch of forwarded mail since departure, thanks to our terrific house sitter.

Oh, the excitement of being in port! Life takes on a new feel and the options for adventure are vast. Vero Beach Florida is one of those towns we both agree we could move to. This and Wrightsville Beach, NC are the two towns so far that make us feel that way. We don't ever plan on moving out of our beautiful solar home, but it is fun to look and imagine. Here are a few photos of Vero 2.

Our raft of 3 IPs, Island Spirit 35, Catspaw SP Cruiser & Cutter Loose IP 460

Vero Beach AM sunrise

Carey takes a morning stroll on the crowded beach at Vero

Date Palm Drive, our favorite street right off the marina.

Radeen enjoys a bike ride through the beautiful parks at Vero

The action on the shuffleboard courts, a must visit...

Our Coach, Almon, who is so kind and helpful. He teaches us how to play the game.

The required shuffleboard couple's photo...this is one for the mantle :-)

Yes, life in Vero Beach is wonderful! There are so many services and you don't need a car due to the free bus. The beach is fantastic, the restaurants delicious, the marina is a dream, and the boaters flock to this location. It is easy to stay here for weeks, and it is very difficult to make yourself press on, but that's what we did AND we did it in 15-20 knots NE wind with rain..... WHAT? ARE WE NUTS?....yes we are, but the Florida Keys are calling us and that is our next big destination.

Arriving Vero Beach, FL

2011-12-07T06:29:00.000-05:00

Dancing with DOLPHINS....

Greeted by Great Blue Herons...

Perplexed by Pelicans...

Blanketed by Blue Skies...

Entertained by Elegant Homes

Bounded by the Merrill Barbor Bridge...

We arrive VERO BEACH CITY MARINA and raft up with our boat buddies, Catspaw & Cutter Loose

Our FLEET of Island Packet Yachts in Vero on mooring #40.

We check in, and pay $13.90 per night for a mooring ball....what a DEAL...

Off we go, for our first walk down DATE PALM DRIVE....

Welcome to Vero Beach Florida, a city that knows how to build, manage and run a city marina. The location provides everything so well, that it has been given the name "VELCRO BEACH" because many boaters arrive here and never leave! We too love this location and we look forward to a few days of relaxation before pressing on towards the Florida Keys!

Kennedy Space Center

2011-12-05T08:51:00.001-05:00

We awake to a beautiful sunrise over the Space Coast

Today we rented a car and spent the day at the Kennedy Space Center out on Cape Canaveral. What an inspiring place, demonstrating our countries ambitions and accomplishments in the race to conquer space. Rockets and vehicles are on display, from the first Mercury-Atlas up to CURIOSITY, the Mars rover which we saw launched last week. The exhibit on the moon landing with the full size Saturn rocket, the Apollo Command Module, moon rocks and the Lunar Landing Module was very interesting!

We learned that in the 1960' when President Kennedy put forth the vision to land a man on the moon and return him safely, we as a country allocated 7% of our national budget to NASA. Sadly today, we have cut the funding to NASA and it is severely underfunded and recently they have laid off thousands brilliant employees as the USA is exploring the privatization of our space program. Currently the SHUTTLE program has ended and it will not be until 2016 that we have a vehicle capable of sending men and women up to the service the International Space Station. We currently pay the Russian Space program $68 million dollars per astronaut to launch us into space! Next year the fee goes up to $85 million dollars per astronaut. Everyone needs to tour this Kennedy Space Center to fully appreciate our amazing accomplishments in space.

Arrival at KSC with the rocket garden under the USA flag

Eric, Patricia, Radeen and Hayden with the VAB in the background
Thank you Bob W. IP380 Judith III, for this fun photo

The VAB, Vehicle Assembly Building. 63 stories tall
used to assemble the rockets
This building has not been open to the public since 1976

Looking up into the VAB, the Saturn Rocket moon launch
was assembled in this building as well as all Shuttles. Look at the crane

One of the cranes used in VAB to lift the Shuttle and fuel tanks

Eric, Bob and Hayden in front of Shuttle Endeavor

Pad 39a, this is THE PLACE where the moon launch happened
as well as most of the Shuttle launches.

Radeen and Hayden overlooking Pad 39A and the diagrams

Saturn rocket engines!

Saturn Rocket, stage one. Still the largest, most powerful rocket ever built

Apollo space capsule

Retired Shuttle now being built into a new exhibit building


MARS CURIOSITY rover, just launched. This will take 8 months to reach Mars Powered by plutonium and electric motors! About the size of a Jeep!

What a fantastic tour, what a great day. Thank you Bob W. IP380 owner of Judith III and knowledgeable space scientist, for enhancing our day at KSC. It was wonderful! Next stop....Palm Shores anchorage, then VERO BEACH....

Arriving Daytona, Fl

2011-12-03T17:41:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Daytona, Florida where the bridges
have mosaic tile work like this! Beautiful

Arriving Daytona Beach is always fun because of the bridge bases tiled with mosaics of manatees and dolphins. Welcome to Florida! We have been here 3 times now and have never been to shore, we always drop anchor, sleep, wake up the next day and move on. Sometime soon we will actually have to stop in Daytona and spend some time exploring.

One exciting aspect to today was passing over 999 NM, that is 999 nautical miles from Rock Hall, MD where we departed Oct 22. Moving a boat 1,000 miles takes some effort and most of all, TIME. We travel at 6 knots, which is 6.6 MPH or at a fast jogging / running speed. So, imagine jogging from Maryland to Florida. You need to run 8 hours a day for about 20 days to do that. It takes time and time is what we have. Lucky us, we count our blessings every day!

There it is...999 NM nautical miles from Rock Hall, MD!
This needs to be added to our 1,560 nm summer up to Maine and back.

OK...here we go again, let's run up another 999 NM :-)

Radeen...1,000 miles....actually this makes 12,000+ miles for her
Ocean Sailor Girl, who loves to be on the boat.

Boat house roof at a fishing club / restaurant

Fort Matanzas, built in 1750, Spanish Fort just south of St. Augustine

Beautiful and typical view heading down the ICW

Arriving Daytona, FL, the high rise condos begin to appear

Thank you Daytona for these beautiful bridge base mosaic art pieces

Next stop....Titusville and Kennedy Space Center....

more St. Augustine, Fl

2011-12-02T06:45:00.002-05:00

Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos, a National Park

We spent 3 days in St. Augustine, Fl and really like this town. We could see spending a longer period here next visit and even leaving our boat here as many cruisers do. We enjoyed walking around the fort, strolling across the Bridge of Lions, and exploring the historic streets. Radeen couldn't resist touring the former Ponce de Leon Hotel again, with Tiffany glass window, amazing tile work and detailed murals. The students of Flagler College eat in the grand dining room, which is beautifully maintained. There are many opportunities for dining within blocks of the marina. Columbia is a lovely Cuban restaurant, owned by the same family for 6 generations.

The mooring field is very nice, except at slack tides when the mooring ball bashes into your bow like a big bass drum and wakes you at night. We tried several processes to shorten the scope but the mooring pennants are too large to come over your bow roller and the pennant is long enough, 9 feet to still allow the ball to hit the bow. There was no way to prevent this that we could work out. Next stop....DAYTONA, FL...

IP37 Still Crazy under palms off the fort, St. Augustine, Fl

The newly restored Bridge of Lions, a great bridge to walk across

Great Blue Heron guards the St, Augustine mooring field

New IP arrives from Denmark!

GOOGLE MAP of this location

St. Augustine, Fl

2011-11-30T08:37:00.000-05:00

Our buddy boat, IP460 Cutter Loose and the Bridge of Lions

We departed Pine Island, raising anchor just after sunrise at 7am, motoring south towards St. Augustine. We enjoyed toast from our homemade bread that we baked last night on anchor. This cruising life is a dream. I know I have said that before, but life returns to a very simple daily routine. We live each day, exploring the towns where we are anchored or moving the boat 30-50 miles to the next town along the waterway. When you move the boat, you are busy driving and navigating as you cannot use the autopilot as you would offshore. On these moving days, it is sometimes stressful due to shallow water or unclear charting, but we stand 1 hour watches and that tends to help.

When in really great towns, like St. Augustine, Fl, we tend to stay for a few days and enjoy the sites, pubs, museums, shopping and yacht services. This is our third visit by boat to St. Augustine and now they have 140 mooring balls for rent at $20.00/night. That is not bad as it cost $10.00/day to dock your dinghy if you are anchored out. The marina includes a very nice bathhouse, laundry, ship's store and a pumpout boat. Daily adventures are walking the town which is well lit with white Christmas tree lights in all the trees, touring the winery, exploring the fort, Castillo de San Marcos and the Tiffany glass at Flagler College, the former Ponce de Leon Hotel. This luxury hotel built as a stop on Henry Flagler's railroad, led St. Augustine to become the "Newport of the South." What great history - we really enjoy this town.

Snowy egret greets us on the dinghy docks, St. Augustine, Fl

The Ponce de Leon Hotel, built by Henry Flagler, now Flagler College

Historic streets in the oldest city in America, beautiful

Radeen reads about the oldest original house in St. Augustine

Typical vista down a street with fort Castillo de San Marco in the background

More exploration and discovery today around St. Augustine, Fl. We find it hard to move on after staying in great towns like this. Our plan is 3 days here, then press on towards Vero Beach Fl. with stops in Daytona, Titusville, Melbourne, then Vero!

Pine Island, FL

2011-11-28T17:24:00.001-05:00

Departing Fernandina, FL, with sunrise over the paper plant

We departed Fernandina raising anchor at 0730 and ran 4 miles down the ICW to Amelia Island Marina where we completed the "big three" service items. #1 Diesel, #2 Water, and #3 Holding Tank. This marina was well protected from the 20-25 knot winds blowing this AM, which were projected to blow all day. The nice aspect to the ICW is that even when the wind is blowing like this, it is still a calm day on the water. The waterway is never rough and the trees protect you as well. On the other hand, the canals are tight and any engine trouble or fuel filter problems would be a real challenge, as there is not much room to anchor. The photos for today show the contrast of industrial Fernandina with the paper plant at sunrise, then the waterway homes with their docks and powerboats, and finally the isolation of Pine Island. There there are no homes, lights, cars or people in view, other than 3 boats anchored with us. Next stop....St. Augustine, the oldest city in America....

Tug boat working the dredge pipes near the channel

St. John,s River homes and their boat docks on the ICW

The Florida waterway is narrow with a nearly constant show of homes to enjoy


End of the day, the anchor is down off Pine Island, Fl...no one is sight See this location on our Google Map here

Bread is baking...dinner on Cutter Loose at 1830...Life is good.

Our homemade bread, ..... thank you Sandy and Jeff on IP380 Xperience
Bread Recipe HERE

Fernandina Fla Photos

2011-11-27T18:10:00.002-05:00

While in Fernandina, Florida, I always get these fantastic pelican photos at the Atlantic Seafood dock. The fisherman toss out the remains from cleaning fish and the birds have been trained to stand near by and wait for the door to open to be fed.

So you can wait on the dock for the feeding frenzy and the pelicans come right up past you to the easy food. Eventually these birds allow you to stay within a few feet of them and "Photo Boy" has a blast taking tons of photos.

Here is my photo essay....

Returning to the boat on anchor in the harbor

Enjoying the sunset from the boat with a glass of wine


Another sunset from the anchor, Fernandina Beach Florida.....beautiful Tonight....another night in town with boating friends and buddies

Living on a sailboat and exploring coastal towns along the waterway is a lifetime dream. Now that the dream is here, we have to keep reflecting on how great an accomplishment this has been. We love this life, it is easier than expected, it is exciting, and adventurous all at the same time, as well as really peaceful. Life is a dream aboard a cruising sailboat!

The adventure has just begun....we have all of Florida....all of the Keys.....the West coast of Florida,,,,and then the Bahamas to explore....Thank you for following our blog. Please leave comments...
:-)

Cumberland Island, Georgia

2011-11-26T16:03:00.003-05:00

Beautiful...spectacular...remote...undeveloped...breathtaking...scenic...a must visit....
bucket list... CHECK!

Photos are the best way to show Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia.
I shot about 100 photos but here are a few!

http://www.nps.gov/cuis/

Typical path across the island

Sunset on Cumberland Island with Radeen

Wild Horse eating Spanish Moss, Cumberland Island

Isolation on the wind swept beaches

Eric and Patricia stroll the Cumberland Island Beach

You have to love Georgia

Birds along the beach working the shoreline

Space LAUNCH to MARS....We could see the trail. Thank you Bob W. for the call.
It will take eight and a half months for Curiosity to make the 345-million-mile journey to Mars!

One of my favorite sea birds....check that hair :-)

Crowded day at the beach, other than Eric and Patricia, this was it for many miles!

The Carnegie Estate called DUNGENESS in the 1880s

Today, the estate is in ruins and is part of the National Parks Property

St. Marys Thanksgiving, Georgia

2011-11-24T19:30:00.001-05:00

We arrived at St. Marys on Tuesday with plenty of time to take in the town and relax before the famous cruisers' Thanksgiving event. This is one of the largest gatherings of boating cruisers that I know of for a holiday. This year, our first year, it was attended by 65 yachts from all over the world with several from Australia and New Zealand. Each day leading up to the event, there is a VHF cruisers net at 0900 with information and helpful tips about making the event a success. The town is very accommodating to the visiting boaters providing trash cans, recycle cans, bathrooms, shuttle cars, and more. Much of this work is organized by the owners of the yacht Sea Tramp, our gracious hosts Ann and Len. They worked so hard to make everything flow and keep on track. Imagine organizing 140+ people, who don't know each other, to assemble a Thanksgiving feast for all. UNREAL work, fantastic job. Along with Ann and Len, the town has the gracious owners of Seagle's Restaurant and Saloon. This establishment opens their doors to the cruisers and provides the bar, cocktail lounge and full restaurant tables for all to enjoy. Thank you SEAGLE's. Last but not least, would be Cindy Dean, wild bartender at this establishment. Cindy keeps the drinks flowing and also keeps the room in check as she hurls adjectives, expletives and barbs you would normally only hear in a locker room. In all, it is a blast, and Seagle's is a real treasure for the cruising community. No other place on the waterway from Maine to Florida has been so accommodating.

Thanksgiving 2011 Cruisers, Gathering in St. Marys Georgia was outstanding. Thank you to all who made this event one of our key destinations for this year!

Photos to follow....

Beaufort, SC to GA

2011-11-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

We anchor Island Spirit off the town with Spanish moss

We arrived Beaufort, SC....that is BEWwwwww-fert as the locals pronounce it, and we love this town. It is classy and upscale with a spectacular public waterfront park and a well managed main street with active shops, coffee bars, restaraunts and upscale waterfront condos. Yes, Beaufort has done an outstanding job of building and managing their waterfront. Thank You! Our goal was to spend the day here and then wait for the ebb tide (tide that runs towards the ocean) so we could ride this tide the 26 miles out to sea. Once offshore, we ran all night about 10-12 miles off the Georgia coast toward the St. Marys inlet 100 miles south. This planned route bypasses all the twists and turns of the well known Georgia ICW, where you go 3 miles west for every one mile south. The weather was perfect, large high pressure and the winds were calm, 8-10 mph, so we had a beautiful night at sea.

Daybreak, with a crescent moon 12 miles off Georgia coast

One of the spectacular aspects to being at sea at night is the morning daybreak. When you live in a house, you very rarely take time, like an hour, to go out side and watch the sunrise. This process takes well over an hour, and who has an hour for that? We do....and watch we did. We have seen many sunrises at sea over the past 10 years, but this has to be the best one. I love when the sun illuminates the bottoms of the clouds and bends the light into so many refracted colors.

Shortly after daybreak, we arrived at the St. Marys inlet where we continued 7 miles up river to the town center. We will spend Thanksgiving here as the town is well known for the feast they host for the visiting boaters. We are looking forward to a break, as we have been moving the boat 30-40 miles almost everyday for 4 weeks. Time to relax....then, Florida here we come!

Our home, at anchor Beaufort SC with the sun setting in the clouds

Beautiful, historic waterfront homes overlook the river

Large trees with Spanish moss, notice Radeen at base of tree!

Waterfront park with swings and beautiful landscaping overlooks the Beaufort River

Sundown as we exit the river for an overnight run at sea to St. Marys inlet

Daybreak at sea, spectacular morning

30 minutes before sunrise, the sky lights up and illuminates the clouds

10 minutes before sunrise, the show peaks with the clouds lit a fiery red

Sunrise, the day begins. Look at the colors and the water reflections.
Beautiful at sea!


Local Shrimper works the morning light off Georgia coast

Charleston, SC

2011-11-19T11:15:00.000-05:00

Island Spirit and the Ravenal Bridge over the Cooper River
Charleston, SC Maritime Center Docks

We arrived Charleston, SC Tuesday and secured a dock on the favored side of town at the Maritime Center where BoatUS members get a discount at $1.50/foot. We booked in for two days but due to weather and the temptations of a fabulous city, we stayed an extra day. Not bad....a "room" right in the city for $52.50 per night (35'*1.50) - we had a difficult time moving out. We usually do not take docks because of the cost and also we have a 44 lb Bruce anchor and 250 feet of chain anchor rode, so we always prefer to use that and save the fee. Charleston does have an anchorage field on the Ashley River, but that is on the opposite side of town from where the action is location. Lucky for us, one of our Island Packet members alerted us to the Maritime Center and we docked there. Thank you, Lamar and Sherri, IP-420 Winterset.

While at Charleston, we enjoyed Harris Teeter Shopping, one of the finest grocery stores on the planet. We also enjoyed Caviar and Bananas, a New York style deli that is better than any NY deli. Of course this was created by a family who moved here from....you guessed it...NYC. We also enjoyed a do-it-yourself historical walking tour that we bought at the visitors center. We walked the city, taking in the beautiful Georgian Architecture and historic cobblestone lined streets. East Bay Street is wonderful to explore. After the walk, we enjoyed a class of wine at one of the many pubs along East Bay.

Charleston, SC is a city I could live in...it was a joy to visit. We departed there and motored 45 miles south to a beautiful anchorage on Bass Creek, just off Parrot Creek near the Coosaw River. Our next stop will be Beaufort, SC.

4 Island Packets: Island Spirit, Habibi, Winterset, Cutter Loose

SERIOUS Coast Guard Cutter: USCGC STRATTON
Third of eight the USCG will be building, just launched in Oct 2011

Loaded weapons and guns, this ship is ready to protect.

Typical Charleston Home, narrow on the street, portico to the SW
homes were taxed on their street frontage, so this beat the system

Homes along the southern tip at the Battery

The Three Sisters, the finest example of Charleston Single homes

The Battery, when viewed from sea

After departing Charleston, we anchor in a most remote area
Bass Creek off Parrot Creek

Nothing but marsh grasses....beautiful


Sunset over the stern of Island Spirit, Bass Creek

Next stop....Beaufort, SC....that is pronounced....BEWwwww-fert!

Awendaw Creek, SC Video

2011-11-14T21:36:00.003-05:00

Spectacular Place, my 4 minute video shows the beauty and the isolation of this location. Enjoy!

Google Satellite Map of this Location

Citadel, SC a visit to William

2011-11-14T10:05:00.001-05:00

William and Mr. C. at Watts Barracks, The Citadel, SC

With great pride and respect, we visited one of my top high quality students who is now attending The Citadel in Charleston, SC. William, or Will as he is know to most, graduated from the High School where I spent my 31 year teaching career. Over those 31 years, several students rise to the top of the list as outstanding students who are obviously in a league of their own. William is one of those few students and I am proud to have been his computer applications teacher in 2010. As we neared Georgetown, SC, we sent a text off to William to alert him of our impending arrival in Charleston in a few days. Will replied and informed me that it was Homecoming this weekend and that it also was Open Barracks and that it would be a shame we would miss all the fun.

William in Watts Barracks, Citadel, SC

Don't give "Team Island Spirit" a challenge like that, because....WE WILL MAKE IT....and make it we did. We dropped anchor 66 miles short of Charleston, in charming Georgetown, booked a rental car, departed the boat at 7 am on a frosty 40 degree morning, drove down Rt. 17 to The Citadel and breached the fortress of WATTS BARRACKS where we sent a text to William and said...."WE ARE IN THE COURTYARD....where are you?" William alerted us to climb the NOVEMBER tower staircase up to the 5th floor and there he was, looking better than ever. We visited for an hour, toured his barracks and met Frank, his local host family, who is a civil engineer and a 2006 Citadel graduate.

Watts Barracks, Citadel, SC

After the barracks closed at 1000 hrs, the corps formed up and the entire brigade was presented on the parade field where hundreds of family members and Citadel graduates lined the field. William told us where to stand in order to locate his NOVEMBER Company. We enjoyed watching the precision marching, the presentation and firing of the cannons and recognition of dignitaries and awards to honored graduates. I am so proud of William and his dedication to this Military College of South Carolina. The academics are difficult and the disciplined program even more challenging, but I am positive William will excel, just like he did in all his previous years. Congratulations and thank you again for alerting us to the Open Barracks and Homecoming festivities. You make me proud....very proud!

Citadel BULLDOGS

Brigade Parade marching into the parade field

Smoke covers the main hall as the cannons are fired

November Company, with William in the center

William in formation, November Company, Citadel, SC

William in the center, 4th row back in this photo

You make me proud, William!

Georgetown, SC

2011-11-13T09:50:00.000-05:00

Norah, our newest crewmember, she sails from the Potomac!

We arrived Georgetown, SC from Myrtle Beach and planned to stay a few days as this town is very welcoming to boaters, plus you can anchor 100 yards off the town dock! The approach by water is not scenic due to a steel mill and a paper pulp factory, but the town itself is charming and very walkable. We learned that there are more pre-Revolution houses here than in Williamsburg, VA.

While here, we connected with our Washington, DC cousins and enjoyed a nice lunch at the BIG TUNA on the long boardwalk overlooking Island Spirit. It was great to see family and our NEWEST crewmember, NORAH, who has the most beautiful blue eyes. We were concerned about taking her to the boat as we did not have a proper child life vest, so we enjoyed walking the town and catching up with our fun cousins. Dinner ashore with Cutter Loose at Limpin' Jane's was delicious!

Island Spirit anchored off Georgetown, SC

Norah, dreaming of sailing and the blue sea, check those BLUE EYES!

The girls at lunch in the Big Tuna

Required ICE CREAM stop with the team

Veterans Day Parade, thank you Veterans for our FREEDOMS

Veteran's Day Parade, 4 pm on 11/11/11/ in Georgetown, SC

40 degree AM sea smoke engulfs the fishing & shrimping fleet

Sailboats departing the harbor in the sea smoke

Sunrise begins to burn off the sea smoke and fog

City street at night, Georgetown, SC

Waccamaw River, SC

2011-11-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

Typical shoreline along the Waccamaw River, SC

Spectacular, breathtaking, beautiful, winding, inspiring, ever changing...that is the Waccamaw River south of Myrtle Beach, SC. This is our second time passing through here and it is more beautiful than I recall. I shot 140 pictures today in the river and none are as beautiful as I saw it. Either I need a better camera or I need a better memory, because one of these is off. Refusing to exit this fantastic river valley, we pulled over behind Butler Island and dropped our anchor just 8 miles short Georgetown, SC. Tomorrow we will leisurely meander our way down to Georgetown in the AM and explore that town where we will connect with family vacationing in the area.

Only in Myrtle Beach would you have gondolas carts taking golfers
from one side of the ICW to the other!

Grissom Parkway Bridge, Myrtle Beach and the ICW...beautiful

Typical home on the waterway at Myrtle Beach, SC

OH NO....barge traffic meeting at the bridge, he told us to keep on
and pass him to starboard...OK!

Same barge filling the entire bridge opening that we just passed

Myrtle Beach golfers along the waterway

Yachts lined up and passing through the Socastee Swing Bridge
This bridge is now on the National Historic Register and will be preserved forever

Socastee Bridge swinging closed behind us, very interesting process

Waccamaw River navigation aids

Our good friends Eric and Patricia on Cutter Loosen avigate the turns of the Waccamaw river

Endless beauty...

Spanish Moss hanging in the trees

Fantastic day running down the river valley and also a great stay at Barefoot Landing. Life is so easy, so peaceful, and so much fun when traveling the Intracoastal Waterway, especially with good friends. Island Spirit and Cutter Loose are two happy boats....

Myrtle Beach, SC Milestones

2011-11-10T08:14:00.000-05:00

The ship that pushed us out of the channel
and pushed Cutter Loose aground

Another beautiful day on the ICW - sunny, warm, with clear skies and interesting scenery. There were beautiful homes (many, many for sale) dilapidated docks, winding turns, and ocean inlets, some navigable, some not. Some exciting moments were two floating casinos and a barge passing us northbound. It felt like these huge vessels took up all of the waterway. We docked at Barefoot Landing Marina, adjacent to an enormous shopping center The best part of the day was dinner ashore with friends - see the happy photo below!

Milestones:
     500 miles since leaving Rock Hall, MD
     Mile Marker 353, halfway from Norfolk to St. Mary's,GA, our Thanksgiving destination
     Crossed into South Carolina
   Thursday will be our 20th day on the water

Pelican convention on a dock

Holden Beach Fishing boat

Fun with color and photography, Holden Beach

Island Spirit at the Barefoot Landing Dock, Myrtle Beach

Local resident, Myrtle Beach preparing for winter

Required ice cream stop...can't resist

90 footer docking behind and over Island Spirit

Island Spirit under the bow of a 90 footer


Dinner visit with good friends Debbie and John

Next stop....the beautiful Wacamaw River Valley and then Georgetown.

Southport, NC

2011-11-08T17:19:00.003-05:00

Hayden, Patricia, Eric, Radeen, Jeff and Sandy
Team Island Packet Owners meet at the Causeway Diner

After a quick stop in Wrightsville Beach, NC and a breakfast gathering with Jeff and Sandy, IP380 Xperience owners Bahamas bound, we ran an easy leg today of 27 miles from Wrightsville Beach to Southport, NC where we always turn into Dutchman Creek and drop anchor. This creek is big enough for 3 to 4 yachts and lucky for us, we had it all to ourselves with our buddy boat Cutter Loose. With an Island Packet 35 and an Island Packet 460 anchored, we have called the creek CLOSED to more vessels. It is narrow, and we dropped anchor in 8 feet of water in mid creek. Your bow will point into the current as the tide floods and ebbs. Obviously the current runs in and out of the creek so your boat will face one or the other direction. Tides are 4 feet so at low we may be in the mud but that is OK. We will depart at 6:30 AM and that is also high tide, so we are good to go.

Tonight we will drop the tender and motor over to Cutter Loose where we will share a fantastic meal and some fine wine as Eric and Patricia are fantastic chefs and always make beautiful meals. Tomorrow we plan another easy run of only 43 miles to Myrtle Beach where we will take a dock at Barefoot Landing and enjoy the OUTLET SHOPS and restaurants! Where else can you dock your boat to an outlet mall? Should be fun....

Island Spirit and Cutter Loose at anchor, Wrightsville Beach, NC

Anchored off Wrightsville Beach, NC, what a great town!

IP380 Xperience and IP460 Cutter Loose on the ICW southbound

Notice the piling height for hurricanes! I am guessing 20 feet.

Brown Pelicans work the scraps at a fishing boat

Destination: Dutchman Creek among the grasses....BEAUTIFUL spot


Cutter Loose anchors off our bow, the creek is now closed. Only room for 2 boats....so we say

Tomorrow....we take on the Myrtle Beach Shopping Outlet Stores at Barefoot Landing Marina!

Wrightsville Beach, NC

2011-11-07T21:27:00.001-05:00

The fleet passing through the Surf City, NC swing bridge

Running the ICW south from Mile Hammock Bay is so simple and so easy that a "caveman could do it" as the commercial says! All you have to do is stay in the middle between the shore line 25 yards on either side of the boat and also follow all the other boats. Yes, we have a boat parade going south. Today was really fun with boats from New York, Maine, Maryland, Canada and even New Zealand in a pack of about 15 boats.

Everyone bunched up at the bridges to wait for the scheduled openings and then we all ran through the bridges in a single line. "Bring it on, keep it coming, get up here" are the calls from the bridge tenders as they urge the fleet of southbound yachts to get close and keep the speed up. Boaters really get nervous when close together and they all tend to slow down to a crawl. This compounds the problem of getting through the bridge and then getting OUT OF THE WAY and moving on. Sailboats seem to take FOREVER to get back to full speed after these bridges, whereas powerboats make the bridge and then HIT IT. Sailboats like to putt-putt through the bridges at 2 MPH and then slowly, like 10 minutes worth of slowly, come up to speed and get back to 6 or 7 knots of speed....whoa...hold on, Nellie!

So, it was bridge #22 today as we approached Wrightsville Beach, NC. This is a wonderful beach town, where you can dock the dinghy and walk one block to the ocean beach! Pizza, ice cream, pubs, and many shops make it a joy to explore the town. Yes...Wrightsville Beach is a place I could move to, it is a great town.....

Sand dunes at the Swansboro, NC turn

Two Pelicans fly by the dunes, Swansboro, NC on the ICW

Yes, it is really PINK...a pink house on the ICW, and we are not even in Florida yet!

Yacht YEHBUDI II from Auckland, NZ

An interesting dock to the water from a huge shoreline home

Figure Eight Island Swing Bridge with IP460 Cutter Loose

The Wrightsville Beach Bridge is #22 since Norfolk, VA

A cottage on the Motts Channel, Wrightsville Beach, NC

Finally....access to our first beach from the boat. We love to take our boat to places where we can walk to a beach!

Bogue Sound

2011-11-06T22:20:00.000-05:00

Dinner was delicious Beef Pot Roast and warm biscuits and WINE

Sadly, we departed Beaufort, NC, where we were totally spoiled by Greg and Kate, IP350 owners and gracious hosts. Greg and Kate provided shelter from the strong Nor'easter low pressure that was blowing 35-40 knots for 2+ days. Friday we stayed out of the rain and then went to the Ruddy Duck for dinner in Morehead City. Saturday, we toured Fort Macon, had lunch at the Beaufort Grocery Restaurant and re-visited the waterfront. Then we capped off our visit with the most delicious home cooked pot roast in the history of the world! Yes, we were spoiled indeed, with good wine and many laughs at the Home for Wayward IP Sailors!!

We needed to press on to points south, so we untied our lines and powered along with a strong 25-30 knot wind at our backs. Exiting Beaufort & Morehead City, we entered into Bogue Sound which is protected and secure from the ocean rollers offshore produced by the gale winds that have been blowing. Our buddy boat, Cutter Loose, was boarded and inspected by the Coast Guard off Swansboro. They passed the routine safety inspection with a 100% and kept moving on. These boardings are intimidating, yet I guess needed when looking for yachts breaking the law. Possibly due to the current Coast Guard Auxillary Inspection sticker on our mast, they skipped over us and then selected the next boat after us to board and inspect. The 44+ mile day ended in Mile Hammock Bay, a basin inside the Camp Lejeune Marine training base.

Fort Macon, a beautiful restored fort

Departing Beaufort in 25 knot winds

Peak winds of 33 knots true....Gale winds are 34...close

Sand dunes along Bogue Sound and ICW

IP460 Cutter Loose is boarded by the Coast Guard

Bogue Sound with a parade of boats running south

ICW has these MILE MARKERS, here is #245
The is the number of miles from Norfolk, VA, mile #1

Beaufort, NC

2011-11-04T14:35:00.000-04:00

Eric, Hayden and Greg, what fun we had...

Everyone in the cruising community always talks about the real treasure of cruising is not the journey, but rather the people you meet and connect with along the way. That is what makes this life so special. Our trip into Beaufort, NC was one of the finest examples of this as we were invited to visit with a fellow Island Packet Yacht owner and enjoy the town and a home cooked meal. No cruiser, living on a boat, can refuse such a generous offer and we took Greg and Kate up on the plan. Arriving at their private marina and docking next to Greg's IP350, ei'Lean, we backed Island Spirit into a slip and tied off to the pier. Greg welcomed us and made us feel right at home with a full tour of the grounds, clubhouse, and bathhouse. Kate is a dream! They are like your long lost college roommates! We feel like we have known them for many years, yet this is our first meeting. We have never visited anyone's home for the first time where they made us feel so welcome and so comfortable. Truly amazing....


Too much Champagne is a GOOD thing...Kate, Radeen and Patricia

After touring of the facilities and their beautiful home, we were swept off to town for a walk down the waterfront, the main street and around town. After seeing the area, we returned home where we were treated to a spectacular Italian meal with homemade bread, salad and plenty of wine and Champagne. With lots of lively stories and conversions and plenty of laughing we party into the night nearly up to midnight! Most boaters pass out around 9pm, but with the endless hospitality of Greg and Kate, we had no clue we had stayed so late. We walked back to our boats at midnight and slept in with no worries of the building Nor'easter off the coast.

Today, we will stay in dock, enjoy the company and friendship with Kate and Greg, sincerely appreciating their hospitality!

Island Spirit meets ei'Lean

Custom homes surround the private marina

The Marina is home to the Morehead City/Beaufort Yacht Club, this is the pool area

Look....just like on our boat....china from France and linen table cloths with candles
What a treat....Thank you so much!

Pamlico Sound

2011-11-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

Tug Pamilco pushing a loaded barge

Departing Belhaven, we sailed down the Pamilco Sound heading to Oriental, NC....BUT....we could not withstand the draw of the newest planned community called River Dunes! This community has the most beautiful marina, clubhouse, bathhouse, workout rooms, pool, hot tubs and manicured grounds in the area. Se we diverted and used our Buy one Get one Free card given to us at the Annapolis MD Boatshow for two nights of dockage and relaxation. Unfortunately the restaurant and bar are closed during the week and only open on Fri, Sat, Sun and we arrived on a Tuesday...oops! No worries, as we had the entire place to ourselves and they also provide a free car for your use if you dock here. So, we used the free car to run into Oriental, NC to see Penny and go out for a nice lunch at M&Ms where we also bumped into another friend and IP owner named John. John lives aboard in town and was at M&Ms when we stopped in. We enjoyed a nice visit and a wonderful lunch. Oriental is a popular sailing town and many cruisers retire to this town where they still can be connected to the cruising community. It is amazing how closely connected the cruising community is as we are always bumping into boats we recognize or people we know all along the way. What a great life....sail on...

Photos of the River Dunes, Pamlico leg...

We sailed in 20-25 knots downwind with a jib only, beautiful day

Tug Pamlico pushing a loaded barge

The floating docks of River Dunes, 45 feet long!

Our new club house at River Dunes, very comfortable

The new homes overlook the marina where we were docked.

Typical home that overlooks the marina. This single home is listed for $785,000


The canal entrance to River Dunes where all the canal front lots have been sold This is the house on the point, 1.8 million dollars!

So after enjoying River Dunes for two days, we sadly departed and made ourselves move on. There are so many beautiful places along this ICW, and we are only 200 miles down the road with 800 more miles to the Florida Keys. We know how diverse and how beautiful it is, and we are enjoying the ride once again....

Pungo River Canal

2011-11-04T12:38:00.000-04:00

Sunrise entering the Pungo Canal

After a beautiful sunset at anchor just before the Pungo Canal, the day presented us with the most beautiful sunrise! One aspect to the cruising life is the way you live fully in the weather and you take in all aspects the weather presents for the day. When living in a home, you rarely take time to watch a sunrise or a full sunset because you are usually inside the home and not taking in the beauty of the weather. Where as on a boat, you are always outside or at least it seems like you are, and you live by the weather. This day we were so lucky to be transiting the canal in beautiful high pressure where you get these beautiful days. The Pungo Canal is 22 miles long and the southern end brings you to the town of Belhaven, NC. In Belhaven we dropped anchor and spent a spooky Halloween off the town where Popeye arrived with trick or treats via the dinghy! WHAT?

Photos of the Pungo Canal....

Sunrise as we enter the canal with the swamp trees

AM fog rising off the canal along the shore lined trees

Cutter Loose, our boat buddies in their IP460 enter the canal

Happy Halloween from the Pungo Canal

American Bald Eagle keeps watch over the canal

The beautiful, but hostile shoreline of the canal

Popeye visits the harbor with treats

Pirate Radeen off Island Spirit heads to town

Alligator River, NC

2011-10-30T21:20:00.000-04:00

We departed Elizabeth City, NC this am at 0900 hrs for the Alligator River 51 miles away. The day was spectacular at day break with the most beautiful sea smoke I have every seen. We had a strong Nor'easter off the NC coast that dumped SNOW on the northeast and chilly temps in NC. We awoke in a boat that was 40 degrees inside with a thin film of ice on the decks! WE NEED TO GET south ASAP! So I shot a few photos of the sunrise and the sea smoke as the yachts were leaving the city docks and then we had a wonderful sail south across Albemarle Sound in 18 knots NE winds. We killed the motor and actually sailed the entire way across the sound. We know that this could be the only sailing we could have until we reach the Florida Keys, so we set sail and enjoyed a beautiful day sail.

Tonight, we are anchored just before the Pungo Canal in Alligator River, where Radeen is on Alligator watch all night. We are keeping the alligators off the anchor chain as they are well known to climb up the anchor chain and pay a visit on your deck. Here is a photos to prove the point....


See, here is an Alligator trying to get onto the deck via the anchor chain!

Another GREAT day on the ICW as we press on south toward the Florida Keys! More photos and stories as we move into better internet access. Here, in Alligator River, Verizon has been sparse with the towers....we only have 1X speeds...

Elizabeth City, NC

2011-10-28T19:05:00.002-04:00

Harbor of HOSPITALITY is so true
This town really makes boaters feel welcome

We found the Harbor CAM here

We arrived in Elizabeth City, NC, at the free city docks and we plan to wait out this cold front passage tonight and tomorrow. There is a strong low pressure building off the NC coast and this low will be blowing strong NE winds in the 30-35 MPH range. The same low will be causing SNOW in PA, MD and NY! It is COLD...but we are enjoying the town and taking care of common items.

Today I fixed a flat tire on the bike so I could then ride it 2 miles out to the bike shop where I had spokes repaired which turned into replacing the entire front rim for $40. Then I walked 1.5 miles to the grocery store to meet up with the IPY team, Radeen, Patricia and Eric who hopped a ride courtesy of Farm Fresh. After this adventure, I walked back to the bike shop, picked up my newly tuned up bike and rode it back to the boat where I returned it to the deck bag storage.

It is interesting, when living on a boat, how simple tasks such as going to the grocery store for milk, bread and eggs can take ALL DAY, especially when you have to walk or hitch a ride since you have no car. Life is simple, just imagine not having a car for a year, walk everywhere you need to go or ride a bike, and oh yea, carry or collect all the water you will need....these are the simple tasks you deal with when living on a boat. It is simple and it is fun.

Photos of the PASQUOTANK RIVER as you arrive Elizabeth City and some around town...

Anchored 8 miles before Elizabeth City, NC behind Goat Island
on the lovely Pasquotank River

Pasquotank River scenery is beautiful

You drive your boat around trees, as you exit the swamp

Elizabeth City Bridge, at an angle and double roads, opens on demand

A walk up main street and the restored homes in the historic district

Some more colorful than others

A must stop....the BEST coffee in town is at MUDDY WATERS

The local library is new, modern and very impressive. We always enjoy libraries!

The Elizabeth City Free Public Docks and tree lined brick walkway

Bow into the docks and a step to access the short finger pier
No tide here, so it is easy to set up a simple step

Roses are given to the ladies of transient boats as a tradition of the "Rose Buddies"
These are roses from Fred Fearing, the creator of the Rose Buddies in 1983

Bike services, fixed a flat tire and rode to the bike shop for new spokes

Great logo for the City, the good life is here....welcome to NC
http://DiscoverEC.org

Dismal Swamp to Pasquotank River

2011-10-26T20:29:00.003-04:00

6am Photos of the Portsmouth Ferry Basin, Cutter Loose and Island Spirit

Long day...but fun day....Portsmouth VA to Goat Island NC, 43 miles

0600 Wake to buy coffee from the Portsmouth Coffee shop 2 steps off our dock!
0730 Depart Portsmouth, South Ferry Basin (way too soon for the bridge 8 miles away)
0930 Gilmerton Lift Bridge
1100 Enter Deep Creek Lock to be lifted 7' up to the Dismal Swamp
1130 Enter the swamp, run 22 miles for the other lock
1530 Enter South Mills lock, drop down 7' to Pasquotank River
1800 Drop anchor behind Goat Island at mile marker 43
1900 Make and serve hot pasta with beef, salad and wine
2000 Process 205 digital photos taken today, select the best 12
2030 Write this blog post

This is the 3rd time we have traveled the Dismal Swamp and I am still taken by the beauty of the canal. The overhanging trees, the lily pads, frogs, egrets, and tannic acid stained water, all make for a very unique experience. None of the 205 digital photos I shot today show the true beauty, you really need to transit this canal and take a look for yourself.

These are the best photos, to share the experience....

Our First Bridge, Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge in the UP position

The chaos at the Gilmeton Lift Bridge, 16 sailboats and 6 power yachts
Race for the bridge opening and the race south is on!

After the Gilmerton Bridge, you are presented a choice to divert to the Dismal Swamp
Or keep on straight for the Virginia Cut. Both run south to the ICW

We chose the SWAMP, where you have to enter Deep Creek Lock
and be lifted up 7 feet into the Dismal Swamp

The lock holds 10-15 yachts, we are all rafted up and the lock door is closed
Within 10 minutes we are all lifted up the 7 feet and the door opens to the Dismal Swamp

Radeen tending the bow line as we rise up
Lines need to be pulled in to keep the boat under control as the 1,200,000 gallons enter the lock!

There we are, lifted up to the top of the dismal swamp

The view into the swamp as the lock doors

The reflections in the Dismal Swamp are beautiful
Lucky for us, we were the lead boat or 12

More reflections and beautiful photos in the swamp

Look at that.....a view aft over the stern with the USA flag

The sign in the lock showing the mileage
1,217 miles to Key West......that is where we are going!

South Mills Lock, 22 miles from the Deep Creek lock
Time to lock DOWN out of the swamp and into the river

Lock doors opening and you are at river level
Welcome to the Pasquotank River, another gem!

Overhanging trees, and winding river bends, require total attention


Finally, we reach GOAT ISLAND and we drop anchor at 1800m hrs What a great adventure

Onboard, all systems are running well. The motor is great, the fuel burn seems normal, and the speed is good. It has been very rewarding to tear down the motor systems, rebuild them and then take off for a 1,200 mile drive and have it all working better than ever. Tomorrow, we will move into Elizabeth City and take a break as we enjoy that town and the public library. Life onboard is a dream, it is easy, peaceful and adventurous. Thank you for following along....