Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Working our way North


Working our way North - this is long but I don't know when I will have good WiFi to post again. Skip what doesn't interest you. Cheers

We had a nice run on the outside down to the Key Largo area and anchored out behind a bit of mangrove called Rodriguez Key. It was just us so a scenic and quiet evening. Steve did manage to run over to some shallow spots and snag a hog fish (a kind of snapper that tastes wonderful) and some lobsters. I made some stock with the heads to resupply my stash and we had hog fish in Miami.


Less you think running on the outside is free time, think again. We have to be alert, at least one of us, for crab pots. Here are some close up pictures of these nasties from Marathon.

 

I tried for a shot from the boat, but it might be too hard to see them in the water! Please don't think that makes it easier to avoid running over them!


We got kind of relaxed on Thursday when we were running in the protected area of Pennekamp Park where the pots are supposed to be prohibited. We managed to snag a crab pot rope on one of our stabilizer fins when a BIG boat flew by with a BIG wake – we think it washed the rope up onto us since we never saw the float. We had to stop and untangle the puppy before it punched a hole in the hull (joke) or worse damaged the stabilizer (which are essential to prevent sea sickness.) This episode kept us awake although we really did not see hardly a one of those floats the rest of the way into Miami.
We did have a hitch hiker join us and she caused a stir among the feline passengers. It has taken Frank several days to stop looking for her.
 



We just tucked in to the port of Miami –in a quiet spot with a beautiful view of the skyline behind Fisher Island – one of the Vanderbilt playgrounds from the 1920s. Very exclusive, so we just looked at it from the water. (This used to be the zip code with the highest per capita income in the USA. Some very famous folks have or have had homes here due to the tight security and private ferry for getting on and off the island.) On the other side we enjoyed a close look at the Miami docks and distant view of the Miami skyline – very colorful at night.





The next day we were off early outside to the Port Everglades cut. On our way out of Miami we dwarfed by a Carnival Cruise ship and had to dodge a cargo ship.  The big boys were out early.



 

We headed inside at Fort Lauderdale and decided not to stop but began winding our way north which means bridges  and some traffic. (The water taxis are cute, but pesky - darting about like the ever present no-seeums.)

 
We did 8 brdges that afternoon and 10 the next day followed by only 6 more. Just after we stopped in Lake Boca Raton, Steve discovered a leak in the wet exhaust hose (a 3 ½ inches wide baby) which was dumping exhaust into the engine room.


Steve made a taxi trip to the nearest West Marine for parts and a pit stop at Publix for nourishment. (Actually the taxi ride was shorter than the wait for the taxi – he has no patience for Somali taxi drivers that don’t speak English or know their way around.) I provided the dinghy ride to the boat ramp and returned to pick him up which shows my dink skills are coming along. I wish the same could be said for my boat handling skills as the next afternoon just before we were to go under the Royal Park Bridge (our 9th for the day) in West Palm Beach, the hose blew again. We spent an hour holding with me at the helm/anchor watch while Steve shortened the old hose to repair the thing again. This time he filed a part, but I can only hope there is not a third repair before we figure out the problem. (Or Steve figures it out.) I am not confident at keeping us out of skinny water in the high winds and narrow channels … burns calories that does. Fortunately we made it under that bridge with inches, OK several inches, to spare since the bridge was having a bad day too. Just as we re-approached to go through, the bridge tender lost control of the lights to stop traffic so she couldn’t open the bridge. Steve was sure we could make it, so on we went – a few more calories. It was good that we were able to get through because it was over an hour before we heard them finally open the bridge.

Did I mention that bridges open on schedules mostly and only rarely when you ask them to open? This means getting to the bridge at the time they have a scheduled opening which is usually on the hour and half hour or 15 after and 45 after. A fair amount of time is spent waiting in front of bridge for it to do its thing. It is my responsibility to speak to the bridges and ask for the opening, verify the time, and tell them when we are clear. Just thought you would want to know what I do while Steve is getting us safely through in the tricky currents. Now, this is not just my job because I can’t yet handle the boat, but a strategy to woo the sometimes obstreperous bridge tenders. They come in all forms from chatty and helpful, to downright rude. Some of the bridges near each other even work together alerting the one ahead to prepare for vessels coming their way – that is if they open on demand. There are a few, however, who just like power or messing with boaters. Yesterday we heard some interesting curt exchanges from gravelly voiced tender who reluctantly (slowly) opened even for the 110 foot yacht bearing down on the bridge.  As with lock keepers, we have heard the rumor that hearing a female voice asking for the opening is more often soothing and results in speedier service. Whatever the truth, Steve has used that ploy to give me a job I can mostly handle. (We heard recently that one of our favorite websites is planning an app that will let you know how fast you need to go to make the next bridge. That will be worth every penny in my book but sadly it is not ready yet.) OK a few bridge pictures with some views between bridges of this section of the ICW. If you want to skip after the first picture of a bridge, feel free.









 (Not to belittle the bridge tenders who are by an large pleasant to us, most of the seriously “rude comments” are on channel 16 and reserved for the boaters who exceed the no wake rules. As with the varied scenery, the communications on VHF are highly entertaining and at times more than FRANK - blue words deleted.)

We were waiting for a bridge to open when we noticed a crew with TV cameras filming buxom babes in the hot tub at this house. Sadly, I was too slow to get the action shot!
 


 

Our stop in North Palm Beach was a nostalgia trip for Steve who was able to visit a delicious French Bistro, Le CafĂ©, that he had frequented on business trips to West Palm. This delightful place was a half block walk from our rustic dinghy dock. Other amenities included a super Publix, SteinMart and Tuesday Morning plus the reliable West Marine…all this and a peaceful mooring among multimillion dollar estates.

 
We have made it to Stuart where we will seek some technical help and perhaps procure some additional spare parts? Oh, yes, we plan to enjoy the shopping and restaurants of this charming town where we picked up the Erben Renewal last March. Technically we have now completed the “Florida Loop.”  Hopefully, however, we will be on our way before the Greek Festival this weekend or Burt Reynolds appears in the next local little theatre production in a few weeks. We continue north chasing 70 degrees...

 

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