Reflections On Life And On The Water

Day to day living on a boat is an adventure itself. The smallest tasks like using the bathroom, cooking etc are all an adjustment. Things take some getting used to, but overall there are very few concessions that have to be made. I have everything I need in my little tropical capsule, my sanctuary from this crazy world full of rushing, hurry and stress. I'm free from things I find I actually enjoy being without like television, however if I feel the need to watch a little of the boobtube I can just go to the community center. In the entire time I have been gone I have sat down and watched TV exactly 1 time and it was for less than 20 minutes.

We started this whole adventure after a family trip in October of 2011, it seems like so long ago but in actuality it has been quick. We went from a 3br house, 2 cars, no boat and never sailing, to where we are today in 15 months. We started with a 22 Catalina, quickly jumped to our Endeavour 32 and within a couple months we were liveaboards. We had a 5 year plan that shrunk to a 3 year plan, then a 2 year plan. Well here I sit in Marathon Florida a little more than a year later with a beautiful 36 Watkins sailboat, debt free and living a life I couldn't even imagine.

If someone would have told me in 2008 when I was diagnosed with cancer that in 4 years I would be living on a sailboat in the Keys, I would have laughed until I passed out. Just four short years ago our lives were rattled by my cancer diagnoses and we were repeatedly crushed with further bad news. My outlook on life was not very bright, but I was willing to fight. I went through the chemo, stayed in Paramedic school and between the friends, family and caring of total strangers that were there to support me, my body, mind and soul were healed. My faith in humanity and people was restored and my life forever changed. I made the decision from that point to make the most of every day, to seize every breath, every smell, sound and feel I could. Life would never be the same and I knew something was about to happen.

So today January 28th I sit under the Tikki Hut with the warmth of the sun warming my face, listening to the radio cruisers net in the harbor. Jessica and I have both found jobs to replenish our cruising fund and are enjoying a much more relaxed way of life. You see things are different in the Keys, they move at a different pace and many times in different ways then they do on the mainland. This is as close to the life I enjoyed growing up in the lush green state of Hawaii as I have ever felt, and in many ways it's much nicer. I'm still a quick drive to the mainland, the price of things such as groceries isn't out of reach and there are plenty of ways to escape island fever. Family is a cheap flight away, or we are a cheap flight away from them and there is some comfort for us in knowing that.

Jessica has started a new job working at Coconut Cay Resort & Marina. It's a small mom and pop resort. She is the person answering the phone, taking reservations and managing the front of house. The pay isn't,,,,,, well who cares about the pay, it's more than enough for us. The job is low stress and Jess gets to showcase her personality and just be herself.

I put in an application at West Marine for a small part time job and to work as few hours as possible to get the employee discount and got more than I bargained for. I went in to follow up and ended up in an interview where I was offered 4 dollars over the normal starting pay and placed into an assistant management training position. The hours are still only around 30 a week unless I want more but I've got so much leeway in my schedule. I can ride my bike to work, it's 1 mile away, and get to go to work wearing cargo shorts and a T-shirt. The only bummer is I've got to wear shoes ;-)

The upside to this is my job for the family is to replace, repair or upgrade the boat and my salary and deep employee discount will be great for that. Every dime I make will go to improving our boat and in a year that should add up to be quite a bit. Next year hopefully with a fresh boat, fresh crew and a sense of adventure we will head out and head south with no plans other than explore, taste and experience all that we can until it's time to work a little again. I have a tentative 3 year plan to transit the Panama canal and enter the Pacific where I hope to spend a significant amount of time. The Caribbean is beautiful but my heart lies in those blue Pacific waters and the people of Polynesian decent. But plans for us are basic guidelines and we might find ourselves staying in the Caribbean for several years, heck who knows a couple years from now I could be in Texas working to save up for the canal or already on the West coast enjoying the waters of San Diego.

You see my family and I quite enjoy not knowing where we will be, what we will be doing or even how we will be doing it. I trust in God and do what I believe is right, jump without questioning and enjoy the ride. Life isn't meant to be slaved away and I'm not advocating being a bum either. But if you get priorities straight, concentrate on whats important in life and live a little, you would be amazed how amazing life truly is. I've said it before and I'll say it again, thank God I got cancer. Cancer opened my eyes to how much there was around me, how much there was to see and do. It made me realize that I wanted life, not stuff and kicked me with a stiff boot in the ass.

I know I keep repeating myself, but I honestly hope just one person that reads this blog gets out there and does it, whatever that may be. Just ask yourself "whats the worst that can happen?" Failure? Well in my opinion failure is laying there getting ready to die and wondering what if. Don't be afraid to let go, don't be afraid to fly, but do be VERY afraid of regret and the what ifs that will plague you later in life.

Roller Coaster Living Aboard

Do you remember the story of the little boy and the leaky dike? He kept putting his fingers in the holes to plug them and then another hole would pop up, well that's how I feel lately. But before I get into the downsides of living here, let me first start with the positives since they far out weigh the negatives.  

Boot Key Harbor is an amazing place full of amazing people. The kids have quite a few children to play with and I do have to say, boat kids are great kids. They are resourceful, considerate, bright and respectful, I've yet to meet one that wasn't all of the above. 

Colby and Peyton have made friends, watched friends leave and sail off to far away places, then made new ones before sunset. The homeschoolers group that meets every Tuesday for physical education is full of kids, and lucky for me they wear mine out and they sleep great at night. Jess and I have made several friends that have kids the same age as ours, and who better to speak with about parenting and living on a boat than people in the same situation. We have exchanged ideas on everything from parenting, homeschooling to just making life easier living on the hook. 

The schedule of events around here is staggering, I've given up trying to keep up and have centered around a few activities. On Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday there is a pickup co-ed softball game at the city park (a rocks throw away) Tuesday the kids attend PE. The Boot Key Harbor net is everyday at 9am, and music at the Tikki hut on Saturdays. However there are seminars on everything from power management to watermakers, yoga to square dancing, always something to do and almost always it's FREE!

Over the past 10 days since my last update we have had several ups and downs, fixed things, watched others break, had moments of doubt and moments of elation. Our battery bank is currently the project at the top of my priority list. Something is wired wrong and it is causing them to discharge at an extreme rate, which is causing me to use a lot of French words on the boat. The good news is I got sick of running our diesel engine everyday at idle without a load (bad for a diesel) and dug out the generator. A friend of ours Steve came over and we tore it down, cleaned it up and got it running before dark! Chalk one up for the home team! However that led to the discovery that something deeper was wrong with the house bank because even after a substantial charge they discharged much quicker than normal. 

I had finally gotten the outboard running great and starting on the first pull, only to have the entire throttle assembly break last night as we were heading to the boat for the night. This was actually a break even break, since it was a fix one and the other breaks deal, unlike many other times (See below) 

;-) 

I found someone to go up the mast since you won't see this big guy climbing 50ft up on a rope with Jessica or Colby as my anchor, plus I'm not so sure Jess wouldn't just say "oopps" with as cranky as I've been lately. 

So the tasks I was looking to accomplish at the top of the mast were lubricating the shivs (rollers the halyards roll across) fixing the mast light and some general maintenance. Well just like everything else one fix causes several more problems and I discovered several more things to add to the ever growing list of S*** to fix on the boat. The shivs are corroded and will need replacing, but with the design will involve de-masting the boat to fix. The light at the top wasn't a burned out bulb it was a 3 mile island melt down of the entire fixture! the bulb was laying sideways melted into place like the sword in the stone. A substantial tear was also found at the top of my headsail, good times. So what should have been a couple shots of lithium grease and a light bulb turned into a few projects I'll add to the ever growing list. 

Now while it may sound like I'm complaining, I'm really not. And while it's stressful it's not the same kind of stress. I'm getting to know my boat inside out, learning about things I knew nothing about before we got here and figuring it out along the way. Jess had a working interview today where she actually went to work getting paid to test her out. She interviewed with them yesterday and later that night they called and asked her to come in. I spoke with her today just as they were about to take her out to lunch, so I'm assuming it's going well. The income would really help right now because fixing all the little things isn't cheap and it's easy to spend money on a boat. 

On a lighter note, I replaced our flag line which meant it was time to put up a flag! Well the only flag I had beside a quarantine flag was a large pirate flag ;-) Arrrrgggghh! It felt good to get that line replaced without ending up with 2 more projects out of it. 

I can see how living on a boat is not for everyone, however I'm glad because things would get awfully crowded out here. It has made us far more conscious of our usage of water, electricity, trash etc. It really brings to reality how wasteful we all are in our everyday life. We have cut our trash consumption by around 50 to 75%, our water usage I can't even imagine but I'd have to say far greater than 50%,  our electric usage is almost nothing. Our entire lighting system on the boat draws .08amps to light up the boat inside at night, the only thing that really draws amps is the fridge. 

However we aren't lacking in anything as far as amenities go. We have a fridge, freezer, working toilet, double sink, water pressure, hot water heater we don't use, 4 burner stove, oven for baking, TV for watching movies and we all have our own personal space and sleeping quarters. There is a shower we could use as well as a cockpit solar shower if we wanted to stay out here without going to shore. Here at the marina there are 15 showers all individual bathrooms with key cards as well as bathrooms in every one and then a men and womens restroom. Everything is maintained by the city of Marathon and cleaned regularly and well taken care of. The community center has an internet area with free wireless, library, TV lounges, free work areas to work on projects such as outboards, lockers for storing tools etc.  Just about everything you'd need is all in this little world, many days we don't even leave the city marina/city park area. 

To be honest, even with all the problems Im living the life of Riley here. The sun is almost always shining, it's warm but the breeze is blowing and it's just about perfect outside. I've got my family, my boat and my soul back. I feel free, alive and the whole thing seems so surreal, almost like I'm on vacation and I'm going to have to go home soon. The reality of what we have accomplished has yet to sink in, on second thought maybe sink isn't a word I should be using at all ;-)

"Quick" Trip To The Grocery Store

So today on the packed agenda (/sarcasm) was a trip to the grocery store and a trip to the community theatre so Colby could talk to them about tryouts. We walked by the other night and found out they were holding tryouts for a new play and they needed people with a British accent, which Colby does eerily well. 

Earlier in the morning while listening to the daily cruisers net on channel 68 we heard them mention there was a public dinghy dock near Publix we could tie off to for a trip to the store. Well the store is 1.3 miles away from the marina but about 1/4 mile from this dock. Walking the 1.3 miles would be fine and we went down there the other night, however walking home with several bags for 1.3 miles would result in a whole lot of cussing and a whole lot of melted and or soggy food. Our cars are still in Indiantown and we need to find a way to pick them up so life gets a little easier. 

We hopped in the dinghy and motored across Boot Key Harbor following my GPS map to where we thought it might be. We managed to locate the dock, tie up and stroll on over to the community theatre. There we found out the play they are doing currently doesn't really have a role for a teenager in it, but they were excited to see Colby and we were allowed to sit in for the auditions. Colby thought it was neat, but you could tell he was a little intimidated. 

After that we walked to Publix and did our limited funds shopping trip which consisted of just about anything on the buy 1 get 1 free list, keeping in mind we had to carry everything we purchased back to the dinghy. We lugged our bounty back to the waiting dinghy, only to find it had slipped under the dock during low tide and was now wedged underneath and was stuck there since the tide came up. We must have been a sight, trying to stand on the back by the motor and put enough weight on it to get it back under. We would jump up and down, cuss a few times, then jump some more. Finally we managed with a coordinated effort to get it low enough to slip from under it's captor, lesson learned!

From there we loaded our groceries in the dinghy and headed back to the boat for lunch. We had left the boat around 10:30am and now it was 2pm. It's amazing how time consuming things can be, but hey we had plenty of it. Back at the boat we tossed a pizza in the oven and enjoyed it hot out of the oven, a luxury we have grown to love on this boat. 

Tonight there is a music jam under the Tikki hut here at the marina and it should be a great time. I've seen several guitars, keyboards and mic stands so I'm thinking there are quite a few people playing. Colby brought his Ukelele and Peyton and I brought both our guitars to play tonight. 

I still can't get over how much of a community feel there is here in Boot Key Harbor. We don't feel like a visitor, it already feels like a home. 

However there are a few things we are needing and are on the must have list asap for living here. 

1. Our Car/cars

2. Bikes- Bikes are an absolute must here. Many things are too close to really need a car and just a little too far to walk, plus it would save a ton of $$. 

3. Solar Panels- Our boat is equip with a wind generator however it's not enough to keep us topped off and we are having to run the engine for 30 minutes a day to stay full. The main use of energy is our refrigerator and it is a constant pull of 5 to 6 amps, which tends to drop the level quick. A couple 135 watt panels will be more than enough, but they come at a cost. 

4. Jobs- Self explanatory lol

We have only been here a couple days but we have some leads on the job front and Jessica was told to drop off a resume by the Drs office about 1/4 mile from the marina which would make for a quick trip to work. My main concern right now is jobs and getting our car/cars. Worst case scenario I'll be packing a bag, taking a bus to Miami and then hitch hiking it to Indiantown to get our car, driving all the way back to get Jessica and then driving back to pick up our other car. Efficient,,, no, but it will get the job done. 

Gotta tune the guitar and pour some rum, it's music time!

Home Sweet Home & Fire Up The Dinghy!

Well we arrived in Marathon yesterday afternoon putting an end to a very long trip that we are glad is behind us. Overall it was a great experience and was full of valuable lessons learned, memories and even a few laughs in there someplace. We went from our previous anchorage in Key Biscayne Wednesday down to Tarpon Basin in Key Largo without a hitch, we managed to make over 45 miles of ICW and enjoyed the lack of bridges on this leg of the trip. Tarpon Basin was a very secluded anchorage nestled back in the mangroves, full of beautiful visuals and LOADED with mosquitos. We called it a night fairly early, which is becoming a common thing for us lately. It's really amazing how doing almost nothing is actually tiring. (Truth is we are working our butts off around the boat lol) 

Thursday I woke up at 5am and planned on leaving by 6am for Marathon, that was the plan at least. We managed to pull anchor and leave around 6:30, planning on heading out of the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) and into the Atlantic via the Channel 5 bridge. The day was spent in very shallow water averaging around 5'5 ft, our draft is 4'6! Quite unnerving to be cruising along knowing there is less than 12 inches of water underneath your keel. 

We headed for the Channel 5 bridge around 11am and planned crossed over into the Atlantic side. You would be amazed at how turbulent the water is where the two salinities of the Gulf and the Atlantic meet. We were making 3.5 kts into the current heading under the bridge as the water swirled around us. We punched through and were back in the Atlantic and back on the horse so to speak. The last time we were in the Atlantic sailing, well it wasn't exactly smooth so I was hoping for a slightly better experience this time. We got out and the weather was perfect for a run down the coast to Boot Key with waves around 2 to 3ft. The wind was off our port side beam around 10kts and we decided to do a little sailing, even if it was only with the jib since our mainsail is still out of order. I'm going to have to wait until funds improve before I'll be able to replace the metal batten slug and the other parts that broke during the storm. 

The afternoon went well and after seeing our ETA was well after dark, we knew we needed to kick it up a notch and we fired up the motor. She started right back up without faltering with that healthy clackity clack I've grown to love the sound of. The seas were rolling a little and at one point the tank got a gulp of air causing it to choke and then die. I went down the steps with confidence and grabbed the bundle of tools I'd set aside just for the task, with a couple torques of a wrench I had bled the air out and yelled up to Jess "Fire it up!" She started without hesitation and ran like a top the rest of the trip. 

We arrived in Boot Key Harbor around 3:30 and called the city marina on VHF 16, they then had us drop to channel 14 and we were informed they had open mooring balls available and to call back when we reached the entrance to the inside harbor. We were given our mooring ball and I bumped towards it taking the boat in and out of gear, Jessica waited at the bow with boat pole in hand to catch our new home address. She reached down and grabbed it like a pro, secured it and we both took a deep breath "we are here" was all she said, but the way she said it told the story. 

We woke up this morning and put some coffee in the French press and turned on the radio for the local cruisers net at 9am on channel 68. This is a daily broadcast where people talk about local news, information and ask for assistance or offer to help. We checked in and said hello excited to be part of the community. This place is really a tight nit community of like minded people who are always willing to help out a fellow boater. We have been towed in our dinghy while rowing and offered help, tips and advice on how to get around or do things. Jess and the kids went to the local city park and took part in their free Yoga class, then the kids played. Tomorrow Colby will be trying out for the local community theater, they need kids with Brittish accents and this kid has a freakishly good one.

Today I managed to walk down and find a local store that repairs outboards. I asked them if they happened to have an external tank sitting around they wouldn't mind selling, after a little digging he came back with an almost new 6 gallon tank for 25 dollars! Next door at West Marine these go for nearly 100.00 so I jumped all over the offer. However I did need to run to West Marine and grab the fittings to hook it to the outboard motor but it was a small price to pay for the convenience of a running motor. There are several things about life that become much easier when you have a dinghy with a motor, like getting loads of water and now being able to dinghy down the river to Publix instead of walking over a mile. When you live on a boat, on the hook and completely unattached from land, a dinghy is like your pickup and a vital part of life. This afternoon I hooked everything up and fired up the motor, took a buzz down to Burdines restaurant and fuel dock to fill up the tank. Colby and I had a good 15 minute ride there and back and he got to drive the dinghy. 

Lots going on, trying to get settled into life and finding some work to replenish the sailing fund. Next week that will be the main goal, this weekend is family time (ON LAND) 

Here are a few pictures.. 

It's Official, We Are Officially In The Keys!

We left Ft Lauderdale this morning, behind schedule but well rested, showered and excited to be moving on. The winds were howling pretty good when Jess untied us from the mooring ball and we motored into the channel. The diesel engine fired right up and ran like a top with a healthy clack, clack, it's almost as if it was as happy to leave as we were. Ft Lauderdale was not a stop we would make again if we had any choice, it just felt very not inviting.

We began navigating Port Everglades and passed several cruise ships waiting to go out and off to distant lands, ones we will hopefully be going to soon. The only downside to going down via the inside route is the amount of drawbridges we have to wait on. Now the ones that open on request are fine, you see them coming and you ask for an opening, works well. The ones that really put a damper on your trip are the ones that only open up at certain times, which for us normally means an extra half hour wait since we can't hit 6 to 6.5 kts against a current. 

We went through Ft Lauderdale and Hollywood Florida and enjoyed the houses, condos and extravagance. Thinking about how much we have right with us, right on the boat, everything we need is here. I have my home, my family, what few possessions I have, all with me and ready to go anywhere we desire. That moment I realized, I'm just as rich, or more so, than everyone of those people that own the huge house with a Lamborghini parked in the drive. (by the way we saw tons of those) 

  

Just north of Miami while we were trying to stall for 30 minutes as we waited for a drawbridge in 15kt winds, with no real room outside the narrow channel. The water just off the channel was around 3.9ft deep and we need 4.6ft to safely navigate, without much room for error or playing around. 

I was hove to via the motor and sitting at about 40˚ off and helm hard to wind, when the motor chugged a couple times and just died. Jessica sprang into action and got to the bow, unclipped the 35lb Delta anchor and dropped and 50ft of chain. As we drifted back into the shoal waters we felt the boat tug as the anchor bit firmly into the sand. Safely secured I went below and opened the toolbox, pulled off my shirt (sorry for the visual) and got to work. Within about 5 minutes I had bled the entire system, restarted the engine and were ready to go! The only problem was, we missed the bridge opening and had another 30 minutes before we could go again! 

The rest of the afternoon was peaceful, though Government Cut (Port of Miami) does get a little confusing while navigating. We anchored in Key Biscayne in Key Biscayne Bight alongside several other sailboats, motor yachts etc. The weather is beautiful tonight and the anchorage is calm, though there are a few people having a great time in the distance. Dinner tonight consisted of Rice a roni and bratwurst covered in left over chili and mustard. Yeah I know healthy eh? Well it was 2 nights worth of left overs mixed together and it all goes to the same place right?

So another day done, more miles covered and more lessons learned. I am still in amazement when I look out the port windows and I'm staring at Miami. Not on vacation, but because as of this moment, tonight this is where I live. Wow..........

Band-Aids, for me and the engine..

Well this morning I got up at 8am and made myself some coffe and got to work. I grabbed my copy of a book by Peter Compton titled "Troubleshooting Diesel Engines" and stuck my nose in it. 

I began to troubleshoot the engine and for the first 4 to 5 hours I had no luck at all. I'd try one thing thinking I had it figured out only to be skunked again by the sound of the Iron Genny turning over and over again but not starting. At one point I got her to fire up and ran the engine for about 45 minutes before it stalled and I was back to square one. 

I'm pretty sure the people on the other moorings were wondering what the heck was going on over here, with all the French words weaving a tapestry of obscenities in the air.  This evening I spoke to the owner of a beautiful cat boat moored behind us and apologized, only to be stopped mid sentence by his wife and given an apology for his tirade while he worked to fix the toilet that exploded on his boat. Ahh the life of living on a boat, even though sometimes "shitty" it's still better than being teathered to land, a mortgage, property taxes and stuck with neighbors you might not like. 

  

So without further delay, here is the video I promised! 

It comes with high blood pressure, busted knuckles, cuts, scrapes, bumps on the head and a whole lot of sweat. I've put band-aids on me and a temporary band-aid on the boat, but it should get us to Marathon where I can deal with the issue of my main fuel cell. (the source of the whole problem)

Ft Lauderdale has been an experience to say the least! The city marina is right next to the Las Olas drawbridge and the operators are hilarious to listen too. They will scream at people every time it opens and sometimes get extremely nasty with people walking. I actually heard a bridge operator tell a pedestrian "hurry the hell up and quit dragging your ass" Now keep in mind this is over a huge PA system. It's gotten to the point where we hear it's about to open and we go on deck to listen to what transpires. 

As a matter of fact Ft Lauderdale hasn't been very friendly at all, the drivers, people in general, everybody seems to have a lot of pent up anger. Today while Colby and I hailed a taxi one of those guys that thinks he is Lance Armstrong decided to try and squeeze between and then got mad at the driver, screaming obscenities and then tore his side mirror off. The driver said sorry and drove away after him. I've heard more horns honked in this city or at least just as many as any other I've ever been in. 

Ft Lauderdale is also not very yacht friendly, with very few anchorages or moorings. The police are a constant harassment to boaters and they just want you to move on, so thankfully tomorrow, hopefully tomorrow, we will. Next stop Miami,,,,,,,,again.. 

Cory 

Marathon Trip.... & Fall

Well we left Indiantown Marina on Thursday morning around 9am after a not so quick stop at the fuel dock, the pump was malfunctioning and it took almost a half an hour to pump 31 gallons of fuel. We got a shove off from several new friends with the promise of seeing them down in Marathon in the next couple months. 

We began down the waterway towards Stuart and made great time, we were excited about going through our first lock and didn't really know what to expect. I had been through a lock in Port Canaveral but it was only a 1 foot difference, this was 14 feet!

Peyton and Jessica took the bow line and Colby and I manned the stern. After a quick hello against the side of the lock wall we were tied up and ready to lock through. It wasn't a big deal and the kids had a blast. 

We continued along and were just about in Stuart when we passed under the I-95 bridge and found a shallow spot just on the edge of the channel. We were motoring and I felt a slight bump, then a larger BUMP as we felt the boat slide up on the shoal, we had officially run aground. Now rather than call for any assistance I wanted to exhaust all other options. I began to work the prop in reverse, then forward while cutting the rudder, had Jess and the kids help me rock the boat while powering etc. Well once we all got in sync we noticed the boat begin to move! We were off the shoal and on our way again. 

We continued along the ICW passing the crossroads at the St Lucie Inlet which was a little confusing, however we navigated through it without a hitch. We finally dropped anchor in Hobe Sound and enjoyed the evening in our own quiet, private cove. We enjoyed dinner and rested while the sun set and our first day was in the bag. 

About 1am I woke up not feeling well (allergies) and couldn't get back to sleep so I set up the charts, guidebooks and laptop on the table and went to work. I charted our next day and was up until 5am writing down coordinates, waypoints and calculating miles etc. I got about an hour and a half sleep and it was time to hit the trail. We awoke to a view outside that was almost like a canvas painted just for us, had a Tervis tumbler full of coffee made and was punching all my hard work into the Garmin chartplotter. We fired up the engine and were back to work making our way down the "Ditch" (The name people give the intercoastal) 

The problem with this route is the amount of bridges you are required to go through requiring you to request an opening and then wait, but actually those bridges are the easy ones since they will open when you call them on the radio. The ones that really slowed us down were the ones that only open on the hour and half hour. They are timed so that a boat going 6kts won't have to wait, which sounds like a great thing, except when going south and fighting the current our boat was only doing 5.4 so it meant every bridge we just missed and had to wait idle 25 minutes or so for the next opening. It really made for a long day as we made our way to Lake Worth. 

We navigated into Lake Worth and made our way to the Lake Worth Inlet where we were going to get out of the "ditch" and go offshore for a run down the coast. The weather was forecast to be wind out of the SSE at 9mph and when we got out there that's about what it was. We raised the sails, fell off on a port tack and began the long sail down the coast. 

The plan was to sail until just before dark, drop all sail and have Jessica motor along into the evening while I got some sleep. As we sailed along I figured out the Auto Pilot and it was working great, this would make the trip much easier meaning watches were really just looking out for shipping traffic. The kids were enjoying the sites, waves and flying fish, it was a great start for their first time out in the open ocean. If only we knew then what was in store for us..

We sailed along and about 4:30pm I decided to pull the sails down and get a little sleep while Jess took over and just kept an eye out for ships, buoys, markers etc. When I untied the main halyard and gave it slack I expected it to drop into the Mack Pack like it's suposed to, only to find it would not budge. "Oh well I'll just pull it down by hand"... Negative... It was getting dark and figured we could do main sail and motoring and Jess would still be fine for a few hours while I caught up on sleep. I laid down briefly but shortly after I was up again, I felt like I slept for hours but it was barely a an hour.  

When I came up I noticed the winds were increased and the waves were a bit choppier and steeper. I got behind the helm and we motored as the sun completely faded. Jess and I sat in the cockpit and took it all in as we sailed along looking at the lights glowing along the shoreline off in the distance. About 10pm there was a dramatic change in weather, with both with wind and waves,  and by change I mean a dramatic increase in both. Before I knew it we were clocking 17kts consistently on the meter and here I was with a stuck fully battened main sail in the up position unable to reef the sail or bring it down. The wind had also shifted more to the south and we were no pounding straight into the seas, which makes for a rough ride. At this point the seas had increased to a steady 4 ft but with no time between sets, but we were pounding along. We sent the kids below and told them to get ready for bed, they were out in a few minutes even with the rough ride. 

Just before midnight things worsened yet again and I was determined to get the sail down and put on my harness to go forward. I tied myself off and worked my way forward in the dark as the bow punched through the waves like a heavyweight boxer, splashing me wave after wave as I tried everything I could to get that sail down. In defeat I returned to the cockpit and untied myself and began to wonder how this was going to turn out. 

While it wasn't ideal we were moving along and were just off the coast of Miami when Jessica went below to check on the kids, just as she was about to come back up the engine began to suddenly power down then died. I made a couple attempts at restarting the engine, even though I knew the effort was going to be futile. After a couple halfhearted tries I put Jess behind the helm and went below to see what I could do. Well after checking the oil, lines, belts etc I couldn't see a problem. The seas were really too rough and working with a headlight wasn't making things any easier. 

I came up as Jessica was trying her best to keep the boat on course but things were getting worse yet again. So here we are with the faint lights of Miami in the distance, offshore with a stuck main sail and now a dead engine. Waves were 4 to 6 feet now and the audible sound/roar as they were breaking was not a sound I wanted to hear. After doing everything I could I decided the best thing would be to call SeaTow. SeaTow is a service like AAA where you pay a membership fee and towing, fuel delivery, ungroundings and help are given without out of pocket expense. 

I placed my first call for assistance at 1:18 am. 

I gave my gps location, nature of emergency, souls on board, all wearing life jackets and any other information she needed. She then put me in touch with SeaTow Miami and that's where the frustration began. SeaTow Miami said I was at a county line and should actually be Ft Lauderdale SeaTow even though we were much closer to Miami. I was then pawned off on SeaTow Ft Lauderdale, who said I should be assisted by the Miami office. "Let me call you back" the women on the phone said as I began to steam. I waited for 15 minutes while I tried my best to keep the boat on course and then made the decision to turn around, run with the wind and make for Ft Lauderdale to solve the jurisdiction problem for them. I spun the boat around and began to backtrack the 20+ miles for Port Everglades. 

Even going with the flow, so to speak, the seas were rough and we were surfing down waves far larger than any forecast or weatherman had predicted. 

SeaTow finally called back and still didn't have any answers, until I informed them I was already halfway back to Port Everglades. I was put on hold again for 5 minutes, then told "can I call you back?" At this point I'm about done with this whole process but replied with a very short "sure" 

We were less than 5 miles from the port when I decided to contact them via VHF radio and hailed SeaTow on channel 16. We were told to continue our way to the port but to stay offshore and not to come in until they had a boat on the way. ETA 45 more minutes. We arrived at Port Everglades around 3am and were fighting the best we could to not get sucked into the Gulf Stream as it tried it's best to swallow us. 

Things had reached critical mass at this point. I was tired, beat down, cold, wet and more than anything mad. I was mad at myself for putting my family in this position, mad at the weatherman, NOAA weather radio, Windfinder etc, but most of all plain pissed off at SeaTow. The waves were a consistant 6 feet with an occasional larger wave. We were doing our best to shield ourselves behind a huge cargo ship when we heard a loud roar. We looked to port and saw something white roaring at us, it was a breaking wave from another direction and far larger than the other waves. As we sat there in awe of the backhand the Atlantic was about to give us, we looked up in amazement at the height of this thing. It was as if time slowed down and we both knew this wasn't going to be good. The white water on the top of this breaking wave was higher than the bimini top on the boat. 

As it hit we heeled over almost sending the mast into the water before she slid under the boat and it came back to center with a violent tossing motion. I gave another call to SeaTow on the radio and wasn't exactly nice, just as another large, yet not as big wave heeled the boat over. The kids were riding this out below and doing great. At no point did either of them get sick, act scared or seem upset at all. Colby later told us he was listening to the song "Sail" by Awolnation on his Ipod as it lifted off the pillow and floated over his head landing on the other side. 

Just as I was at the breaking point I saw navigation lights heading our direction. A small inflatable Zodiac came speeding over and said "Evening Captain, need some assitance?" "YES SIR!". 

John (the SeaTow Capt) gave me a bridle and told me I would have to go forward and attach a line to each side of my bow. This wasn't an easy task with the bow dipping underwater with every crashing wave, but it had to be done. I put on my harness, tied myself in and made my way to the mast. I slid along the lifelines as I climbed over the dinghy we had lashed to the deck. I took the lines he threw and began to attach them to the cleats on the bow. As I was attaching the second one I felt the boat dip and my legs were in the ocean, a wave had swallowed the bow of the boat and I was knee deep in Atlantic water. The force tore the second line from my hand and my heart sank as it faded into the dark water. The SeaTow Captain somehow got it to me again and after a couple more tries and a few more dips in the drink the line was secured. He hopped on the radio and said "Captain don't worry, I've got you now" 

We talked on the radio as we tried to figure out where to put a boat with stuck main sail. There are very few anchorages or moorings in Ft Lauderdale and we made our way through the channel with our crippled boat in tow. Once inside the weather calmed, protected by the land and buildings. I figured this would be a great time to try again to get my sail down. I went forward and tried again, same result.. "damn" then I had an idea! I had Jess get me a spare line and throw it up on deck. I ran the line through the first reefpoint and back down the other side, grabbed both ends and basically sat and put my weight into it. There was the sound of something popping free, something hitting the deck after falling down and then the best sight ever, the sail coming down. It still didn't exactly fall down, I had to muscle it every inch, but I was able to get it down. I then requested to be towed to the city marina so I could attach to a mooring ball. He pulled us up to it, I hooked it with the boat hook and secured it to the boat. At this point I collapsed on the deck and just sat there for a second. 

John tied up to our boat to do the paperwork and we thanked him several times for coming out to get us. When I signed the paperwork I looked at the total, 1,294 dollars! However since I had spent the 169.00 prior to departure for the yearly membership my cost for the tow was 0.00 

After he left Jess and I sat there for a minute and I passed out in the cockpit. I awoke and went below to find them all passed out as well. At that moment I realized how lucky I am and what a special family I am lucky to be blessed with. I began to fall back to sleep, securely tied to the mooring ball and listening to the sound of the water lap against the hull as I passed out. 

We awoke and I rowed the dinghy across the Intercoastal to the city marina office. I spoke to the dockmaster and signed all the paperwork to stay for a few days. We were talking about the ordeal I just had and he pointed to a large commercial fishing boat that was at the end of the dock "those guys came in too, took a wave up on the fly bridge and knocked out most of their electronics" I made my way over and talked to the Captain, he said from what he could tell the waves were around 6 ft with occasional 8 footers and one that hit them broadside was close to 10. I told him what happend to us and he said "glad we are both here to laugh about it" We shook hands and I headed back to the dinghy to pick up Jess and Peyton. 

So here we sit in Ft Lauderdale at Los Olas Marina, safely attached to a mooring ball as I work on trying to repair both the engine and the sail. My main concern is getting the Yanmar 3gm30f running and getting us out of here, even if it has to be via the ditch ;-)

I'll update again tomorrow with the progress I make, if any! Hopefully it will be with a video of the engine running. For now cooking up some chili in the pressure cooker. Nothing like chili in 8 minutes!

Cory