Murphy Strikes Again

We have anxiously been awaiting a visit from our friends Ty, Debbie and Sarah and they are due to arrive this afternoon. It just so happens this afternoon is about the nicest weather we are going to have until the day after they leave. The weather has been warm, the water clear and the wind perfect for diving, fishing and sailing, however Murphy rears her ugly head again and the cold front begins to move in tonight and will clock the winds from the warm southerly we have had to a chilly northerly. 

Right now the wind is warm, but it is blowing quite a bit, gusting to around 25. The harbor is chop and the dinghy rides are wet. Welcome to Boot Key Harbor! lol it figures. 

A New Boat! & Colby Solos

Ok so it's not what you think, honestly it's not! We did acquire a new vessel, however it's just a sailing dinghy and tied to the back of our boat. We were fortunate enough to come across a 1989 Trinka 10' sailing dinghy for a price that made it a no brainer to pickup at all costs. 

Trinka Website

The gentleman that owned the dinghy wanted it to go to a good home more than anything and when he saw Peyton and Colby's eyes light up he literally said "just take it and pay whenever you can" He handed me his boat card and extended his hand as I grabbed it, shook it enthusiasticly and said "deal!" We towed her home about 30 minutes from a rough anchorage outside of the harbor and after a quick trip to West Marine I got her rigged and sailing that evening. I took Peyton out for a quick sail and we sailed while the sun set in the harbor, it was an amazing sunset and the sky was painted shades of red I won't even attempt to describe as we ghosted along with almost no wind, proudly sailing by boats at barely a crawl. 

When I punched out from work today there was a stiff breeze in the air and I only had one thing on my mind. I got home, got the kids together from the community center and went to retrieve our dinghy that was bobbing tied to the back of our big boat, almost as if it were as excited as we were . I rowed it over to the dinghy dock (it rows amazingly easy) and rigged the sail, rudder and daggerboard, told the kids to jump in and we were off. 

We sailed all over the harbor, swerving around mooring balls and in between boats. The wind was a little squirrelly and it gusted a bit, but overall it was a great night to sail. Several times we reached hull speed and would rocket out of a tack with uncanny speed and responsiveness. I can honestly see why these little boats are so desired. Peyton had her fill of sailing (after a couple hours) and asked if we could wrap it up and drop her off. We sailed right up to the dock, turned into the wind, popped the main and eased right up to the dock without so much as a bump. 

Colby mentioned something about wishing he could try to sail alone one day, and with that I put my foot on the boat and gave him a big shove and said "Figure it out and for the love of God don't hit anybody". Just like that he was off and sailing. I was both proud and nervous for him as his eyes widened and panic set in. But panic was soon replaced by smiles and he took off on his first tack, alone... After about 30 minutes of sailing he needed to start pointing and coming back to the dock before dark, so I hopped in the chase boat to see if he was having problems making it back. As I motored up he appeared to have it under control and had a grin from ear to ear. I gave him a couple pointers and followed him for a few minutes then headed for the dock to wait. He repeated the landing and slid into the dock like he had done it a million times (I'll take credit for that!)

Just like that, Colby had taken his first solo sail and got one step closer to a sailor ;-)

Sun Rising On Another Day

Today is St Patty's day! At noon we are doing a dinghy poker run through the harbor and it will end at the Tiki hut with prizes, drinks and no doubt fun. Things are going well here but we are itching for a trip, even if it's a short one. 

As the sun rises on another day, we say goodbye to several friends as they head off to destinations afar. Jess and I took the kids to Sombrero Beach to enjoy a sunrise this morning and saw at one point 7 sailboats making their way out of the protected waters of Boot Key Harbor. Not only are we sad to see so many of our friends leave, but we are actually jealous and wish we could be going as well. 

We met a couple named Lynton and Carol back when we first bought the boat in Indiantown. Carol would come to the community center every morning to do a massive amount of dishes and Lynton helped overview my trip planning prior to our departure. It was nice to be reunited with them when they got to Boot Key and the children got to walk their dog Buddy as a side job. Walking other dogs in the harbor satisfies the kids urge of wanting one, at least calms the urge to beg for one. 

This morning we said goodbye as they headed back to Indiantown, hopefully we will get to see them next year.  The amazing thing about living here is the constant change, the people, the boats, it never feels stagnant. 

Yesterday while working, about 5 minutes before closing I met a man from Spain. As I cut the line he needed for his roller furling we talked about his plans and his boat. He got passage across the Atlantic (his 3rd crossing) on someone else's boat with the intention of buying a boat here, preparing it, and sailing it back home to live cheaply in his homeland on the ocean. 

Every day I walk home about a mile or so and after locking up the store I decided to walk with him and continue talking. He talked about the places he has been and one of his favorites was the San Blas Islands off Panama. He talked about the tribes of Kuna Indians and the people of the over 360 small islands not far from Panama. The Kuna make their own laws, have their own rules and are avid farmers, traders and craftsman. After clearing into Panama you can visit the islands, but first you must pay the Chief a fee of 15 to 20 dollars per month to stay there. That's right I said 15 to 20 dollars per month ;-) 

The Kuna have a few rules you must follow and punishment is decided on as well as delivered by their own set of rules. 

1. You may visit the island during the day, you MUST leave at night. No one without Kuna blood can stay on the island. 

2. If you fish, you must share your catch with the Kuna, they believe the souls of their ancestors are inside. 

3. NO Scuba diving! They believe it is unnatural and do not allow it. 

San Blas Islands are definitely on the list of places to go!

Today while watching the sun come up I talked with Colby and Peyton about how short life is "We only get to see so many of these in our lifetime, enjoy every one" I said as we walked, feeling the cool sand on my bare feet. The warmth of the sun as it first comes up is one of my favorite things, the feeling is both comforting and invigorating. 

The best thing we ever did for our children and for ourselves is break away. I've seen more sunrises and sunsets since we have been here then I had seen in years. Every time it's just like the first time, it never gets old, even though we do. 

New Friends, Same Old Goodbyes

I was working at West Marine in the electronics aisle when I heard a couple speaking in broken English trying to decide on LED lighting to help cut down on power consumption, little did I know helping them would lead to a friendship that crosses language barriers. 

Josef and his family are from the Czech Republic, not exactly a mecca of sailing activity and yet they had a desire, a dream actually crazier than ours! They flew here with their two children and landed in Miami with nothing but bags, some hard earned money and a wild dream to buy a boat and sail away. 

Well after a few weeks they managed to find a Beneteau and began to discover the idiosyncrasies and quirks of sailboats quickly. They had electrical problems, radio problems, no GPS, no charts,  and none of the things people normally have when going out. But what they did have was heart, and heart can get you a long way if you've got enough of it, though it's easily confused with stubbornness. Either way it can get things done. They managed to make it down here to Marathon and into Boot Key Harbor without incident and it was here we as a community we were fortunate enough to get the chance to be part of their journey. 

They now have GPS, charts, EPRIB, working radio and safety equipment as well as tips, pointers and a much better chance of seeing what they came here to see. They have water jugs, fuel containers and a huge list of fans cheering them on as they sail away. Unfortunately the US government has limited their stay in the country and they have to leave the next time the weather is good enough to make a crossing. 

The generosity of the boating community in Boot Key Harbor and the genuine desire to help our fellow voyagers continues to amaze me. We all arrive here from different backgrounds, making our way to this port from multiple paths in life, some bumpier than others, some longer. No matter the time, or the chosen path we are here, we are kindred spirits. I believe and to quote the great Zig Zigler 

"You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want." 

This family, this crew and this boat will continue to live by this. We have been helped beyond measure and paying that forward is something we are glad to do. Helping someone achieve their dream puts you one step closer to yours. If you are reaching for something in life, take time out and see if you can help someone else, you may find yours just around the corner. 

Short, But Sweet Smell Of Diesel

TODAY

Today our friend Bill from a few boats away came by to help us solve our mysterious no start issue. It was after our last sail when we were about to fire up the engine and come back in Boot Key Channel, when we turned the key and pushed the button only to find it dead. Well first thing we did today was try and jump the solenoid to bypass everything, but to our surprise that didn't quite do the trick. We ended up finding a grounding issue that was solved with a little Dremel tooling, corrosion spray and elbow grease. We also had to reassemble the ignition that I Humpty Dumpdy'd and couldn't get back together. 

Every time something breaks on the boat I get familiar with some new part of her, either a new system or a new skill is learned. At the time it breaks or doesn't work it seems like such a hassle but these are things I need to know to be self sufficient out there when we are on our own. Even though the diesel engine isn't our main source of power it's an important auxiliary source that needs to be ready when, well when the SHTF. The great thing about a diesel engine is it's simplicity though. Between the books I have on the boat and the great minds and knowledge here in the marina I've got a plethora of an information pool to draw from. We did find a few other potential problems that need to be addressed and we did break a couple things as well, but she's coming along!  

Afterwards we had a great visit with our friends Lynton and Carol on Incognito II with sundowners and snacks. The kids picked up a little job walking their dog and as always we had a great time. We met Lynton and Carol in Indiantown when we first bought our boat and are glad they made it down, it's nice to have them here, if only for a few more weeks. 

A FEW PHOTOS

Here are a few photos, mostly of Bahia Honda State Park and a few of Boot Key. 

Oh To Be Working, Ugggh Work..

Well it's been far too long since our last update but life got a little chaotic, complicated and is just now settling into place. I have been putting in quite a few hours at West Marine and Jessica has been working her tail off as well trying to get us back in the black after being in the red pretty much since we left Nashville. We still aren't there but we are getting closer everyday. We executed this 5 year plan in only 14 months, however the downside to our haste was funding. If we would have waited our trials would have been easier, our burden lighter and our way a little smoother, however we would also be older and Colby and Peyton would be years closer to the loss of innocence that only a child has. We remain resilient and steadfast in our plan, we have faith that just like the rest of this journey our path will be laid out if we pay attention.

So What's Going On   

Our refrigeration unit is still down for the count and we were lucky enough to find a place that sells block ice right down the road. We are enjoying the reduced energy consumption though and have gone from running the generator daily just to keep the batteries from dying to going over a week and only running it to grind and make coffee this morning, (all week we have been doing this on the inverter without running it) and so the kids could get their fix on MineCraft. The batteries have been staying fully charged even with a fair amount of usage and us trying our best to drain them with nothing but our AmpAir wind generator providing the regeneration. At first I had questioned the usefulness of a wind generator that was rated at 100 watts, however I've been amazed several times to see the output in excess of 8 amps during a windy day.  I have been looking into new refrigeration systems and have decided on Engel as our replacement, however the particular unit is around 1,300 so it's going to have to wait.

We took the boat out for a sail last week and the weather was beautiful. It was sunny, around 80 degrees with an East wind around 15 to 18kts. The waves once we were outside were nice 4 foot swells and rollers spread out just perfect to bob the boat and roll us gently like a mother rocking her child to sleep. As a matter of fact, half the crew did fall asleep and the kids were both out at one point. Peyton asked to move up front to the bow, so her and I sat up there for quite a while just enjoying the swells that dipped our feet into the chilly Atlantic water. Making sure she was secure I returned to the cockpit where Jessica had the helm and Colby was fast asleep. We sailed right to the cusp of the gulf stream and watched the water turn colors that can't accurately be described. It almost broke our hearts to tack and head back to the harbor.

Jessica gave the helm a quick spin and put us on the opposite tack, turning the bow of the boat across the wind that carried us out there. Colby was woken up to help tack the jib over and we locked into a beautiful beam reach back to Boot Key. I decided to take the Boot Key Channel instead of the Sisters Creek entrance we came out of, a decision that turned out to be a Godsend. As we arrived at the mouth of the channel, we turned into the wind and I prepared to start the motor. I turned the key and heard the familiar sound of the warning buzzer, but just as I was about to push the start button the buzzer ceased. I got a sick feeling in my stomach as I reached for the button, knowing the result would be, well nothing. I pressed the start button only to hear the deafening sound of silence as I sighed and kick started the gears in my head. After the smoke cleared (from thinking ;-) I had Jessica put us off on a tack to buy me some time, we dropped the main and continued under just jib downwind while I went below to troubleshoot. After several minutes of scrambling around I had consumed my small amount of knowledge and admitted defeat, somewhat. I hopped on the VHF radio and turned to channel 68 where I called on the think tank in Boot Key Harbor to assist, and while we didn't get it started there were several really good suggestions.  

I ignored Jessicas requests to "just call SeaTow" and was determined to be self sufficient and figure something out. Worst case scenario we sail into the anchorage at the mouth of the channel, furl the jib, drop the hook and make the very long dinghy ride back to the marina. However there was a suggestion mentioned using the dinghy tied offset to the stern for propulsion, almost like a kicker motor while using the boats normal steering to actually steer the boat. We got the dinghy tied up next to the boat, fired up the Tohatsu 9.8 motor and began to push. Surprisingly a 10 ft dinghy and a 9.8hp motor can propel an almost 19,000lb boat at 4kts! Oh the looks as we went by Burdines and the local fisherman. Long story short, we were able to get the boat back to the mooring ball and secured ending another exciting adventure to notch in our belts. 

This was the first time we have day sailed our boat since arriving in Marathon and it was way overdue, but it gave us an opportunity to really feel her out and realize the old girl needs some tweaking. She needs adjustments to speed her up a little and to make her more responsive. In 18kts of wind she barely heeled with full sail and was only moving around 3.9kts (haha kt fast enough!) Raking back the mast by tightening the backstay, some work on her travler system and unfortunately the purchase of a new MUCH larger headsail are in her future. These improvements should make a drastic difference in her handling. While the sail had it's downers, overall it was a wonderful day to be on the water. 

Sailing in these waters, feeling the warm wind with the slight taste of salt on your lips is such a tease. It's almost as if it's calling to us "Come on, see all I have to show you" alas we are not ready. For now we must be content with day sailing and small trips until we have at least some savings secured.

Kibbles, Bits and Misc

We were surprised to find out friends we know from Nashville and our marina had sold their boat, gotten rid of their things, paid off debt, packed their car and showed up here in Florida! They showed up with a full car, their daughter and 2 dogs. No plan except to get here and figure it out. Within a few days they had a boat, 2 jobs and are resting in a nice slip at Sombrero Resort right across the harbor. Having faith, jumping and figuring it out along the way is the only way something like that can happen. It takes a lot of risk, but the reward is endless. What's the worst case scenario? Failure? There are far worse things in life than failure, the worst being regret. 

Happy Birthday Jessica!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife, friend and first mate! (yesterday)

Not a bad way to spend your birthday eh?

Just a quick update to let everyone know how things are going. 

Jessica had gotten a job working at a high end resort as a server in addition to the job working the front desk at the small resort. Well after a week or so it was an easy decision on which to keep and she resigned from the smaller resort. She is now a server at Hawks Cay and works in a restaurant on the resort property. The money is excellent and she seems to enjoy the hours and the job. She works a few days a week and then normally from 4:30pm to 10pm. On days where I don't work this means we get all day together and on days when I do I am getting home just as she is leaving, meaning the kids aren't left alone.  (So stop worrying!)

My job is going well at West Marine and I am enjoying the type work and all that I am learning. The company is perfect for what we are planning on doing and is very flexible, allowing me to work anywhere in the country if we decide to move. The hours are great, the pay is ok but the benefits are amazing! The sailing fund (sailing kitty) is being fed again and the boat will benefit from the extreme discounts that come along with working there. 

Friends of ours lent us another dinghy to make life a little easier with our schedules. It's a Mercury inflatable named Freddie Mercury ;-) The kids have pretty much claimed it as theirs for now and we are thankful to have access to it. 

The city marina webcam is back up and running, though blurry you can watch whats going on in the harbor here Boot Key Harbor Webcam

You can actually see our boat too!