Author: Dave

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventures!

Eric here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.

Summary of week:

The crew left Ft Lauderdale on Monday and began a northbound voyage of 327 miles to Jacksonville.  They anchored Monday and Tuesday in Boca Raton Lake and Peck Lake respectively.  Wednesday, they stayed at Sebastian Marina.  Thursday and Friday found them at anchor near Kennedy Space Center and just south of Palm Coast.  Saturday they made St Augustine.

 Sunday, March 19, 2017

The crew managed to meet up with some old friends and had a fabulous day. They started with a brunch on the boat with Trish and Bob.

Then they shoved off and went on a four-hour cruise north and south of Ft Lauderdale.

Upon returning to the dock on the New River, the group walked over to a local restaurant and had a great diner.

 Monday, March 20, 2017

The crew left Ft Lauderdale and began the trek north.  They did not get very far however.  They only travelled 17 miles and dropped the anchor in Boca Raton Lake.  They noticed this spot on the way south and wanted to enjoy a day on the lake.  They did watch the Firestone blimp fly overhead for part of the day.

The view from Boca Raton Lake.

The skipper noticed an Iguana swimming in the water.  The skipper got the binoculars to keep a better eye on the swimming Iguana.

After about an hour of swimming, the little guy finally got to a piling and he latched on for dear life.  When the sun went down the Iguana was still holding onto the piling.  Hope he was not surprised like the crew was when a firework show broke out about 2100.  What a nice surprise.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

The crew weighed anchor and continued the trek north.  The crew passed 21 bridges today, four of which had to be opened to continue north.

As the crew continued north they saw big mansions and big mega yachts.  While waiting for the bridge to open in Del Ray, the skipper noticed that the Marina Del Ray was nearby.  You might recall that George Straight sang a song about the Marina Del Ray.

When they arrived in West Palm Beach, they discovered the marina was setting up for the annual boat show.  Crews were busy planting temporary pilings so that they could run temporary docks and get the mega yachts secured.

A few of the yachts to be seen during the boat show:

Navigating through Jupiter Inlet and the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.

Upon anchoring, the Admiral heard an unusual noise.  Upon further investigation, she discovered that the freshwater pump was running.  That means the pump low pressure switch has triggered and is running the pump to build the pressure back up.

This also means that the crew is out of freshwater.  Luckily, they have an emergency cache of water just in case the skipper ever forgets to fill the freshwater tank before leaving the dock.  Turns out this is the fifth night at anchor since the tank was last filled.  This is a good data point to have.  The crew has anchored out four nights in a row before with no issues.   Looks like four nights is also their new limit.

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Had a good run today reminiscing about the first time the crew came thru these waters back in July 2015.  As the Admiral stated, “We were green as a gourd back in those days.”  The crew discussed the lost anchor fiasco as well as laughing at their first solo docking experience.  The crew has come a long way since those initial days back in July 2015.

To go back and review the July 2015 voyage through this area click here.  After reading the “Anchors Aweigh” post, click the ‘Newer Post’ button at the bottom right of the post and you can read about four other posts on the crew’s first run to St Augustine.

Look closely and you will notice the fish in the claws of this Osprey that flew over the boat.

The crew waiting their turn to pass through a bridge.

A little water hazard during the days cruise.

Thursday, March 23 , 2017 

The skipper woke to high winds howling around the boat.   He jumped up and went and looked outside to see what was happening.  There were 4 foot waves on the outside of the breakwater wall and the winds were 25 mph according to the radar.  Inside the marina, the water was calm.  However, the wind had blown the boat about three feet from the dock.  The skipper could see a thunderstorm in the distance, so he got busy and secured the boat better.

About the time the skipper had completed his storm preparations, the cell broke up and it was basically calm.  A check of the radar showed a line of storms working their way south along the coast.  The crew waited for the worst of the storms to pass and then shoved off from the dock and headed north.

The first of several windy stormy days on the water.

One basic rule in boating is to never have a schedule.  However, the crew is breaking the rule this week.  They need to get to Jacksonville, Florida by Sunday, get a rental car Monday, and get to Texas by Tuesday evening.

Because of this schedule the crew headed out into the high winds today.  If no schedule, they would have sat at the marina for a few days and let this wind blow itself out.

A crab man out running his pots in this nasty weather.

As the day progressed, so did the winds.  This next shot is before the winds got too bad,   just a few white caps.

The last ten miles the crew was in 3-4 foot seas and 20 + mph winds.  This does not make for a fun day on the water.  The skipper did manage to find a place that would be somewhat protected from the wind and dropped anchor.  They are on the south side of a bridge embankment and using the road to help block the northeast winds.

The “calm” anchor location.

This could be a long sleepless night for the skipper if these winds do not lay down.

Friday, March 24, 2017

Well the anchor held thru the night so the crew got an early start to try to get 15 miles north in some big water before the wind gets back up in the high teens.  The early start was rewarded with 1-2 foot waves off the starboard beam.  The crew was glad they got past this area before it got too bad.

The Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building in the background of yet another windy dreary day on the water.

After two hours, the crew made their way into Haulover Cut.

While transiting this narrow cut, the crew saw no less than 30 manatees.  You could see the manatees thru the water and see them swimming along the bank.  There was a boat ramp about half way thru the Cut with a small basin for boats.  Over a dozen manatees were frolicking in the basin.

That thing that looks like a log is actually a manatee swimming under water.

This manatee actually swam towards the boat and broached right next to the boat.

As the crew continued thru the cut they even saw a raccoon out looking for an early meal.

The manatee watching was so good that it took the crew almost 45 minutes to travel the one mile cut.

After exiting the Cut, the crew headed north up the Mosquito Lagoon.  The further north the crew went the narrower the Lagoon got until the crew made it to a narrow channel out of the wind.

As the crew began to encounter homes along the channel they also began to see much damage from Hurricane Matthew that ravaged the Atlantic Coast back in September 2016.  Many docks and homes were still in need of repair.

There were also many boats beached on land.

After arriving in Daytona Beach, the crew decided to push further north before calling it a day.  Can you spot the dolphins photo bombing the pic of the mosaic in Daytona?

They made an additional 20 miles and anchored in a narrow cut off the ICW.  They were the third boat on the cut.  Good news was the boat was well protected from the wind which made for a much calmer night sleeping.

Saturday, March 25, 2017

The crew made another early start so they could get to St Augustine before noon.  As they made the 32 miles north, the crew got overtaken by three other looper boats also headed to St Augustine.

Upon arrival at the marina, they found an additional three looper boats.  Looks like the crew has found the north bound migration of fellow loopers.

After securing the boat and talking with several loopers on the dock, the crew set out on foot to find Osteen’s Seafood Restaurant.  Several looper friends have recommended the restaurant so the crew decided to see for themselves.  The restaurant specialty is fried shrimp and coconut cream pie.  The crew decided the place was worth the one mile walk and 30-minute wait.

After eating, the crew walked back to the harbor to watch the Junior Sailboat races.  It is Sail Week and a local Yacht Club is sponsoring all the races this week.

At least somebody is happy that there is a strong blow going on.

After the sailboat race, the crew went to the Governor’s House to watch the changing of the guard.  The re-enactment is only done once a month and the crew wanted to watch.

 

Boat Name of the Week

The skipper did not get a pic of the boat this week, but they did see a fishing boat named:

Beats Work’n

Reminded the skipper of another favorite saying: A bad day fish’n is better than a good day at work.

Next Week –

The crew will make their way to Ortega Landing in Jacksonville on Sunday.  They will keep the boat here until April 10^th.  They will then move the boat up river to Hutckins to have her hauled out and some work performed.  After she splashes back in the water the crew will decide if the Bahamas are still plausible or if they need to just keep heading north.

In the meantime, the crew will take a road trip back to Texas to visit the grandkids.

 

Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventures!

Eric here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.

Summary of week:

The crew spent the week making their way back to New River in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.  They made anchor stops along the way at Snake River near Islamorada, Long Arsenicker Key in Card Sound, and Marine Stadium in Miami.

I have also added three new videos this week to the Still Waters II vimeo site.

• Florida Bay
• Biscayne Bay
• New River

Monday, March 13, 2017

The crew made an enjoyable run up to Islamorada.  They did have to wait for high tide at 1000 to leave Bahia Honda State Park though.  Even at high tide there was only 4 feet of water in the narrow channel to get to the Bay of Florida.

The crew decided to run the inside route today because the wind was blowing from the east.  The run was mostly in 5-7 foot of emerald green water.  When the crew looked over the side they could see the bottom.

These two divers were at a ship wreck in seven foot of water.

The crew also spotted a loggerhead turtle in the water today.  Three dolphins entertained the crew swimming around the boat. Because of the clear water the crew could watch the dolphins under the water.

The run did have some narrow shallow water as can be seen by this shot.

Motoring through Steamboat Cut.

The crew dropped anchor in Snake Creek for the night.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

The crew weighed anchor and continued the inside run north to Long Arsenicker Key.

While traveling through a small Mangrove pass they began to overtake a large boat.  Before they overtook the boat though the skipper noticed a large manatee in the water.  As they slowed and passed the manatee, the Admiral got a good look at him as he surfaced and stuck his head up out of the water to watch the crew pass by.

As the crew passed under the Over Seas Highway (US 1) at Key Largo, they were reminded that this was spring break for many.  The steady stream of vehicles passing south over the bridge drove the point home.  By the time the crew got close to the bridge, the highway was more of a southbound parking lot.

After passing under the bridge the crew entered Little Card Sound and then Card Sound as they made their way to tonight’s anchor spot.  The wind was blowing in the high teens out of the north, so the skipper had found a place to tuck in out of the wind.

The winds were expected to blow in the mid-twenties during the night so the crew got as close to the land as safely possible.  They anchored in 5 feet of water and enjoyed a calm night on the water out of the wind.  The sunset at anchor.

 Wednesday, March 15 , 2017

After weighing anchor and getting out of the protection of the land mass, the crew discovered the winds were still blowing about 20 miles per hour out of the North.  This made for 2-3 foot seas as the crew ventured forth through Biscayne Bay towards Miami.

The good news was as the crew approached Miami the waves began to diminish.  The closer the crew got to Miami the more they encountered other boaters in the Bay.

There were a couple of people out parasailing.

 

After passing underneath the Rickenbacker Causeway Bridge, the crew turned right into the Miami Marine Stadium to anchor for the night.  The area was once used to race boats but has since been abandoned.  By the looks of construction at the stadium though it looks as if they may be trying to kick start the racing program again.

Wonderful view of downtown Miami from the anchorage.

Thursday, March 16, 2017 

The Admiral wanted to stop at South Beach which was just around the corner from where the crew anchored.  She found a writeup that said that South Beach was for the rich, famous, and youthful.  I pointed out to the crew that they are not rich, famous, or youthful.  The skipper found a marina that they could have pulled into though, but at $7 per foot and a negative Active Captain rating, they cruised on by and viewed South Beach from the water.

The crew continued north up the ICW to return to the New River in Ft Lauderdale.  Many people choose to run on the outside in the Atlantic to avoid all the No Wake Zones and bridges.  However, the wind was still out of the north at 15-20 mph.  The Coast Guard also had a small craft advisory warning not to go outside because of 6-8 foot waves.

The crew believes that No Wake Zones and bridges are better than 6-8 foot seas. And heck, all the condos lining the waterway are impressive to look at also.

The skipper did well managing all the bridges and timing the openings until they got to the Diana Beach Bridge just south of Ft Lauderdale.  The bridge opens on the hour and half hour.  The crew arrived at the bridge at 1240 and prepared for the 20-minute wait.

At 1245, a Coast Guard Cutter hailed the bridge and requested an opening.  I guess being in the Coast Guard does have some privileges.  The bridge tender opened the bridge for the Coast Guard boat. The skipper asked permission to pass thru the bridge after the Coast Guard and the bridge tender granted permission.  More Favor of God (FOG) on America’s Great Loop.

After passing through the bridge the crew entered the commercial area of the Port in Ft Lauderdale.  There were three cruise ships docked in the area.  Should be plenty of people enjoying the Riverwalk and St Patrick’s Day tomorrow.

The crew also passed a large boat with an interesting dinghy storage solution.

Friday – Sunday, March 17-19, 2017

The crew got the same spot on the New River that they had a few weeks back.  They will hang out in downtown Ft. Lauderdale and meet up with some friends who have recently moved to Del Ray on Sunday.

In the meantime, the crew will sit and relax on Still Waters II and enjoy watching boats cruise up and down the New River.  The water taxis that cruise by all day like to point out this condo to their quests.

If you check in before 1700 you get a free dinner.  If you do not check out the next day, you also get a free breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  This condo is the Broward County Jail.

Boat Name of the Week

 

This just happens to be one of the skipper’s favorite sayings: “Life is short, start with dessert first.”

 Next Week –

Looks like the Bahamas will be put on hold for a while.  The crew now plans to cruise up to Jacksonville, get a rental car, and head back to Texas for a grand kid fix.

 

Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red

Dave and Martha reporting on another amazing trip with the crew of Still Waters II.  Being over a year since the last visit, Dave was more than ready to get back on the boat.  Martha, on the other hand, was just ready to see Claudia and Dave again.  This time they brought their “world traveler” son with them, Mark.

As always, Claudia treated them all like royalty.   She prepared every meal, made anything they wanted (cream puffs, brownies, brownie batter, cookies, etc.),  and never let them help her.  It was wonderful.

So now for the trip report.

First night was in Miami where they walked through a row of food trucks along the water. They had already eaten so didn’t try any of them, but they sure looked and smelled good.

Day 2 was spent traveling to Key Largo.  It was a great day to spend on the water.  Martha didn’t even think about wearing a life jacket like she had the first time she was on the boat.  It was such a different, beautiful view of the Miami skyline from the water.

That night was spent at the Anchorage Resort and Yacht Club in Key Largo.  It was nice because the pool and hot tub were just steps away from the boat.  A spectacular sunset could be seen from the boat as well.

 

The next day started early because they were trying to beat the winds to their next destination, Marathon, Florida.  It too was a great day to be on the water because the wind was at their backs and the waves didn’t affect the boat.  Even spent part of the trip laying on the bow of the boat.

 

After docking at the Marathon Marina, everyone got off to explore the area.  A very nice pool was discovered so the guys had to try it out while the girls checked out the other amenities.

Turns out that the crew and guests took up residence here for the next few days because of the unfavorable wind predictions.

Saturday started with a walk/run to Sombrero Beach, about five miles from the marina.  (Martha ran, the boys walked.)  Dave W. was the only one brave enough to get in the water.

They walked back to the marina where they all jumped into the warm pool.  Nothing like sitting in the pool while looking out over the blue ocean.

Every night was spent watching amazing sunsets just behind the 7 mile bridge.

Sunday consisted of walking to the Marathon Community United Methodist Church to attend their service.  It was a treat to hear James McDuffy provide and lead the music.

After lunch, they called “Bob Narley Taxis” to take them to the Bahia Honda State Park. First site to catch their attention was a huge sand sculpture,

followed by the Old Bahia Honda Bridge, then a trek to the beach.

 

The bonus for the day was finding a  crab pot float for Dave to use on his anchor.  Back to the boat in time to see another awesome sunset.

Since they still couldn’t make it to Key West by boat because of the winds, they decided to ride the bus there for the day.  The bus ride was an experience in itself.  They met other “Loopers” on the bus and heard all about their travels.

A walk down Duval Street,

with a stop to test ride a Strata bike that Dave F. almost bought,

led to the landmark for the Southernmost Point in the Continental USA.  

Lunch was at a very cool place called the Viva Saloon with live music.

Other sites seen were:  The Oldest House, Hemmingway’s Home, the Rollin Reef’r,

the start of Hwy 1, and lots and lots of roosters.

Wednesday was the day to head to Key West by boat.  That was an experience that one will remember.  It was still windy, just not as bad as it had been, so the trip was a little rocky.  Martha kept her life jacket close by as she kept her eyes closed to keep from getting sick. Luckily, the ride did get smoother after a few hours. Coming into Key West, they saw a couple of cruise ships docked and numerous house boats of all types.

Very interesting to think people’s houses are on the water.

After docking and picking up a rent car they all ventured to dinner at a place called Hogfish Bar and Grill.  It was not a place you’d go if you just saw it, but it came highly recommended and turned out to be a great choice.  Finished dinner with a slice of key lime pie.

Dave, Martha, and Mark were up at 5:00 a.m. the next day to head to Miami to catch a flight back to Texas.  They can’t thank Dave and Claudia enough for the wonderful hospitality and great time and can’t wait for the next adventure!!

 

 

 

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventures!

Eric here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II as she makes her second voyage around America’s Great Loop. Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.

Summary of week:

The crew spent most of the week doing shore excursions from Marathon because the winds kept the boat parked safely in a slip.  Wednesday the weather forecast allowed the crew to make the move to Key West.  On Friday, the crew started back to the main land, with their first stop at Stock Island.  Saturday, they made the run to Bahia Honda State Park.

To watch videos of Still Waters II latest travels, go to the Still Waters II Vimeo site.

Sunday – Tuesday, March 5-7, 2017

The crew made several shore excursions, including: Sombrero Beach, Bahia Honda State Park, and a bus trip to Key West.  A guest blog chronicling the visit of Dave and Martha W. should be posted soon so I will pass on describing these events for now.

But a few pics to whet your appetite while we wait for their adventure report.

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

The weather forecast showed that the winds were supposed to be laying down to 15 mph after blowing for several days over 25 mph.  The waves were also predicted to be less than 2 feet in a direction that would be following seas as the crew moved to Key West.

As often happens, there was a gap between the forecast and reality.  The winds were more in the 17 mph or greater range and the waves were hitting the boat on the beam which made for a very rolly ride for the first seven miles.  Check out the video as we rocked and rolled to Key West.

As the crew continued towards Key West the waves calmed down from 3-4 footers to 1-2 footers.  As the waves calmed down, so did the nerves of the crew.  The skipper thinks he heard rumor of a mutiny, but before any action was taken things smoothed out enough for a somewhat enjoyable ride to Key West.

 

 

After getting settled at the marina, Dave and Martha walked to pick up a rental car so they could get back to Miami and fly back to Texas.  The crew used the car to go have a celebratory dinner at Hogfish Bar and Grill.  A worker at the rental car place recommended the joint.  The crew had never heard of Hogfish, but it sure was tasty.

 

Thursday, March 9, 2017 

The visitors got up early and left for Miami at 0500.  After saying good bye, our crew went back to sleep.

After waking up a second time, the crew decided to take the Hop-on-Hop-off  Trolley Tour.  Stop 6 was only a short walk from the marina so the crew caught the bus for a fun day.

While making their way around to stop 9, Fort East Martello, the crew learned that Key West was held by the North during the Civil War.  The North built three forts about 1.5 miles apart to ensure they kept control of the Key.

The crew also learned that  Key West never seceded from the Union back in the 1860’s.  However, they did secede from the Union back on April 23, 1982.  The mayor of Key West declared the new nation to be the Conch Republic and he quickly became the Prime Minister.

This all occurred in response to the US Border Patrol setting up a roadblock and inspection point on US 1 as it returned to the mainland.  The inspections were causing 2-3 hour delays as tourist were trying to get home.  These delays and missed flights out of Miami airport began to hurt the tourist industry in the Keys.

The publicity stunt worked and the federal government stopped the roadblocks once they started getting negative press because of the Conch Republic.  The Prime Minister even declared war on the US, quickly surrendered after one minute, and then applied for one billion dollars in foreign aid.

There is still time to make it to Key West and join the fun at the 35^th Conch Republic Independence Celebration festival from Friday, April 21^st through Sunday, April 30^th.

Stop 11 was the southernmost trolley stop.  Where visitors can visit the southernmost house, which is not the southernmost house.  The owners of the southernmost house liked to have parties but not overnight guest.  Their house was designed for entertaining, but only has one bedroom.

The neighbor of the southernmost house wanted the title, so they built their house 18 inches south of the southernmost house.  They have this little plaque on the fence to honor their efforts.

The crew also learned that the southernmost marker has an error.  If you notice, the marker says that it is 90 miles to Cuba.  Well, it is actually 98 miles to Cuba.  The error was made by then President Kennedy in a speech following the Bay of Pigs debacle.  The error has continued to be reported and repeated all the way to our present day.

And just for fun, the skipper got this photo of the southernmost fire hydrant.

At stop 1 the crew had to Hop-off the Trolley and re-board another Trolley.  They wandered around Mallory Square for a bit before hopping back on a Trolley to go have a late lunch at the southernmost 5 Guys.

After lunch, the crew walked to Stop 8 and hopped back on the Trolley to  return to stop 1 to enjoy the Sunset Celebration that takes place nightly at Mallory Square.  While roaming around the square, the skipper found this interesting Civil War Memorial.  The memorial is dedicated to the Union soldiers who served during the war.  Not all the folks on Key West were Union supporters though.  Just as the Northern troops in Key West were surrounded by southern confederates, so too is the Union Memorial surrounded by a southern memorial fence.

About 1700, street performers begin arriving and setting up for the evening activities in Mallory Square.  There were people doing acrobatic juggling acts, sword and fire swallowers, live music, coconut man, and about four hundred other folks to watch the acts and sunset.  After the sun went down, the crew walked the 1.5 miles back to the marina to bring the day to an end.

The Coconut Guy used a machete to make 3-4 chops on a coconut.  He would then toss the coconut in the air, catch the coconut, and then slice the top off to allow his customers to drink the juice.  After drinking the juice, the customer could give the coconut back to Coconut Man.  He would then chop the coconut into three pieces so the customer could eat the coconut.

 

 

 

The coconut guy was selling them 1 for $5 or 2 for $5, so the crew each tried a coconut.

Then after the sunset there was the strangest talking mime act.

Friday, March 10, 2017

The Admiral spent the morning provisioning while the skipper got the boat ready to start back towards the mainland.  The cheapest fuel in the Keys just happens to be about 14 miles away so the crew set out for Stock Island to fuel up.

The term ‘key’ is thought to derive from the Spanish word ‘cayo’ for island.  The Florida Keys are made up of about 800 islands, 32 of which are inhabited.  Of these 800 keys, Stock Island is one of the few that carries the name Island.  Inquiring minds learned that the Cayos were named back in the days when Spain ruled Florida.  Once the British took over the names were anglicized to be Keys.

 

 

Prior to 1935, Stock Island was part of Key West.  After a hurricane cut Cow Key Channel separating the land masses a new name was needed for the little land mass now east of Key West.  The land was used for the livestock that kept Key West in meat, so the new land was named Stock Island.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Check out the video of the day’s run to Bahia Honda.

The crew cast off and headed towards the 7-mile bridge where they planned to spend the weekend at Bahia Honda State Park.  The park has a marina, but the entrance channel is only 3 feet deep at mean low tide.  The crew hoped to arrive in time to make it through the entrance canal before the low water would block them from entry.

 

 

 

They arrived two hours before low tide, but while trying to enter they quickly found 3 foot 9 inches on the depth gage.  Rather than go aground, the skipper backed the boat out of the channel and went over and dropped the anchor for the rest of the day.

 

 

High tide is expected at 2130 tonight.  The crew does not want to chance a night entry into the State Park basin so they will stay on the hook till morning.  High tide should be around 0800 in the morning.  The crew will raise the anchor and motor into the basin on Sunday morning at hi tide.

Boat Name of the Week

Next Week –

The crew plans to continue north back to Del Ray which is between West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale.  The Admiral has a friend who has recently purchased a house in Del Ray, and the crew will see if they can rendezvous before heading over to the Bahamas.

Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red

 

Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventures!

Eric here catching you up to date on the latest travels of Still Waters II.

Click on this link to see the day- to-day travel log.

Summary of week:

The crew started the week in West Palm Beach and managed to cruise as far as Marathon in the Florida Keys.  They made a stop in Ft Lauderdale to re-provision the boat.  They stopped in Miami to pick up friends.  Made a run to Key Largo and then on to Marathon where the high winds have them pinned down waiting on a weather window to move on to Key West.

Sunday, February 26, 2017

The crew spent the day relaxing in West Palm Beach.  But the highlight of the day was when the owner of the boat in the next slip over (Mrs. Chips), invited our crew over to tour his 54 foot Viking.  The boat is in immaculate condition and the owner was a great host.  Thanks for letting the crew visit your beautiful yacht.

Monday, February 27, 20

Video of the day’s run leaving West Palm Beach to Ft Lauderdale.

The crew spent most of the day passing under bridges that had a clearance of greater than 18 feet, or waiting on one of seven bridges to open.  The skipper was kept busy calculating the speed to travel to make the distance between bridges to make the next opening without too much delay.  All-in-All, he was successful setting the speed and minimizing delays.

The skipper reviews the Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners for the areas that the crew will be cruising.  While reviewing this weeks’ Notice, the skipper noted a mention of the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.  The club is near the Southern BLVD Bridge in the above picture, and if the President is at the Club, the Coast Guard will be patrolling these waters.

While waiting for the Bridge to open, the Admiral googled up the property and schooled the skipper on what she learned.  Per Wikipedia, the property was built out from 1924 to 1927 by the heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post.  She built the property with a dream that it would someday be used by future presidents and foreign dignitaries as a winter retreat.

Following her death in 1973, the property was bequeathed to the nation.  However, Nixon, Ford, and Carter declined to use the mansion.  The property was returned to the estate in 1980.  In 1985, Donald Trump bought the property and turned it into a member’s only club.  As of 2017, the heiress’ dream has been fulfilled as President Trump has used the property to entertain foreign dignitaries.

 

 

One surprise as the run continued south were the houses.  Ok, mansions along the waterway.  Some of the homes were still 50’s 60’s vintage one story affairs.

Then there were some 70’s 80’s homes that were two story.

There were also the multi-million dollar mansions that have a Mediterranean look to them.

 

Lastly, there were even some very modern contemporary homes that lined the waterway.

What made this so unusual is that from the water you can see all these styles at any given time.  There is no consistency in the vintage of the water front homes.  A true smorgasbord of missed matched mansions.

The big status symbol must be a corner lot with a corner pool, though.  Just about every corner either has a pool or one is being built.  Unbelievable how much construction is going on along the waterway.

At about mile 1065 on the Atlantic ICW, the crew turned right and headed two miles up the New River to dock in downtown Ft Lauderdale for two nights before making the last jump to Miami on Wednesday.

One neat surprise for the day was seeing the PDQ “Magic” cruise by.  The crew is from France.  Our crew last saw them in Venice, Florida.  Since then they have cruised south through the Keys and are now headed north.

A few pics of the River Walk area in downtown Ft Lauderdale.

Wednesday, February 28, 2017

The crew left Ft Lauderdale and headed south to Miami to meet up with some friends from Texas.  The run south was a slow go again as the crew had to negotiate the many bridges and their timed openings.

However, it did get a tad exciting once they arrived at the marina.  The dock master had assigned the crew to slip T-9 but the crew maneuvered thru the docks and could not find the dock.  The skipper hailed the marina on the radio and tried calling by phone to no avail.

They did find docks A, B, and C.  There was a man standing near the boat launch so the Admiral asked if he knew where the T-Dock was located.  He answered that there was no T dock, but that the D-Dock was found by backing out of the marina and going around the point.

The crew backed out, went around the point and found the D-9 slip occupied already.  The skipper noticed that D-15 was empty so he backed Still Waters II into the slip and the crew made her fast.

When the skipper walked up to the marina office to check-in they told him he was in the wrong place and he could not stay there.  The look of disgust on his face as he mentioned that he tried to hail them on the radio and call them on the phone, and the office did not answer.  He then pointed out the window and mentioned that he had pulled the boat all the way up into the marina where he was clearly visible to the staff and they did not come out and assist.  The dock master came out of his office and told the young lady working the desk that the crew could stay in slip D-15 for the night.

A few hours later Dave and Martha, along with their son Mark, arrived at the boat to begin their week-long adventure on Still Waters II.

I will keep it short and invite Dave and Martha to share their perspective of the trip in a guest blog posting.

Thursday, March 1, 2017

The crew made the run from Miami to Key Largo, the gateway to the Florida Keys.  The wind was beginning to kick up and by the time the crew arrived to dock it was blowing in the high teens.  Unfortunately for the skipper it was also a cross wind that made lining up and backing into the slip a bit of a challenge.  As he began to back into the slip the wind would blow the vessel out of alignment with the posts and he would pull forward and try again.

 

After three tries, he finally found the right angle to approach the slip and get Still Waters II safely landed.

 

 

Looking at the weather, the winds were predicted to be in the high teens again tomorrow.  The crew decided to wake early and see if they could make the 60-mile run to Marathon on Friday.

Friday, March 2, 2017

The crew shoved off the dock at 0645, and entered the bay to head towards Marathon.  The winds were out of the northeast and predicted to be over 20 mph before 1500.  The goal was to get tied up before the high winds arrived.

 

With the Northeast winds though, the crew had following seas and a smoother than expected ride.  The bay was shallow and the crew was finding 5-foot water even in the channel which was slowing progress west. At the slow speed the crew would not make Marathon before the high winds.  The skipper decided to cross from the bay into the Atlantic Ocean and run Hawks Channel where he could run 10 mph in 20-foot water.

Snaking thru Snake Creek to the Atlantic Ocean.

 

After crossing over, the crew found the waves less than 1 foot and again following seas.  The crew arrived and got safely tied down just as a big storm passed over.  Following the little 30 minute storm the winds indeed picked up to greater than 20 mph.

The blow is predicted to be 20-30 mph until Monday.  The crew will stay here in Marathon until it is safe to move on to Key West.

Back by popular demand…………………….

Boat Name of the Week

Next Week –

The weather window keeps shifting, but when the window opens the crew will move to Key West.  Looking out at the long range forecast, they may be there a while waiting for the next weather window for the return trip to the Miami area where they will prepare for their crossing to the Bahamas.

Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red