Our Last Few Days at Ft Pierce

Marine Supply Warehouse
Over 30,000 sq ft!
Mike thought he was in heaven!

Hell Cat
Yes, it's a catamaran and a helicopter
Not sure why.....

Very cool car we saw while having lunch

We had planned to leave around the 21^st and head on north but decided that we didn’t want to be traveling on the waterways during Memorial Day Weekend. SO we stayed another week.  We’ve stayed long enough that the monthly rate took us to the end of the month anyway so it’s like staying free.  At least that’s what we tell ourselves.  Anyway, we’ve had a really good time the last few weeks checking out Ft Pierce and just relaxing on the boat. The last time I posted brought us up to date through Mother’s Day.  Here is what has been going on since then…….

May 13 (Tuesday) Had a great time at the American Legion tonight.  They were having a homemade lasagna dinner that we knew we had to check out.  We had been told by the bartender that she makes a mean lasagna and she didn’t lie.  Both the Legion and the Elks Lodge are very active here in Ft Pierce.  It’s fun to check out different lodges and make new friends.

May 16 (Friday) Dinner at the Elks Lodge!  Fantastic prime rib!  They had a pretty good band there too and we actually danced – a little anyway.  This Elks Lodge has over 1300 members.  From the looks of it most of them are active ones!  The ER told us that of course their membership suffers a little when all the snowbirds head back north.  Still there was a really good turn out by anyone’s standards.

May 17 (Saturday) One good thing about hanging around another week or so was that we were able to go to the Farmer’s Market again.  This time we didn’t have breakfast first so we were able to enjoy what all the vendors had to offer.  We stocked up again on fresh produce, breads and anything else we could find.  AND we can go back again next Saturday!

After that Mike and Jeff went to the Nautical Flea Market in Stuart – only about 15 miles away.  I didn’t go but I must not of missed much because neither one of them bought anything!  Wait I take that back -  Mike did buy some fishing lures – to make up for the ones he’s lost on those big fish that got away…. J

May 18 (Sunday) Sunday is a fun day to spend at Archie’s.  I think I mentioned before in a previous post that Archie’s started out as a place back in the 1920s where the military went to have a beer.  It’s been growing ever since.  Now it’s a great beach/biker bar and on Sundays they have music and lots of specials.  They even have church on Sunday mornings but I haven’t made it there yet.  Maybe next Sunday.  This Sunday was pirate day- all the staff were dressed up as pirates and they had “treasure hunts” on the beach.  I did win a T-shirt because I knew the name and artist of a particular song.  Michael Franti – “Say Hey, I Love You”  Pretty cool!  We hung around there pretty much all afternoon then went for a short ride to see the sights.  We went as far as Jensen Beach where we got caught in traffic due to the boat races they were having close by.  Wish we could have seen the races but between the crowds and the cost of the tickets we decided against it.  We would have rather gone by boat to watch them anyway but that wasn't feasible either.  Oh well.  We’ll catch them somewhere else I’m sure.

May 19 (Monday) Mike went fishing and we had dinner on the grill.  No, it wasn’t fish.  We had ribs.  I think he just likes going on a boat ride more than he does catching fish.  His luck will change soon, I’m sure.  Since we decided that we weren’t leaving this week – I decided to clean the boat.   Don’t know what got into me! 

May 20 (Tuesday) We went for Happy Hour at Hurricanes on the beach.  It is my understanding that this is the original one of the Hurricanes you see along the coast.  It is a funky little place with cold beer and great wings!  If we can  - we plan to go back over there before we leave. 

May 21 (Wednesday)  This time it’s the Elks Lodge having a lasagna dinner!  We had to go there and check it out.  If it was my vote – I’d say the Elks was the best.  We hung around and even played Bingo!  What we’ll do for cheap drinks!  It was a fun evening though.

May 22 (Thursday)  Had lunch at the 12A Buoy Seafood Grille.  We've eaten there when we were here before.  Trying to hit all the good places before we leave!  There's only a few more to go - good thing because there's only a few more days to go!

It looks like the weather is going to be beautiful for the next few days.  We plan to spend some time at the beach and in the dinghy! 

AND unless something changes we’ll be leaving Ft Pierce on Tuesday the 26^th and working our way toward Jacksonville.  There we’ll pick up the St Johns River and go back south a ways to Sanford.  The St Johns River is the longest in the state of Florida and one of the few that actually flows north.  It is also fresh water which we haven't been in for a very long time.  We're told that when you're on the St Johns you're in "Old Florida".  We're looking forward to it.  We’ll leave the boat there while we go back home to Joplin for a few days.  When we return we’ll go back up the St Johns and then spend some time in Jacksonville.  After that maybe we’ll head further north to at least Savannah GA.  Who knows!

Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Till next time!

Admiral “C”

 

Still Hanging Out in Ft Pierce

Gathering at the Farmer's Market

Really good band at the Market
Playing at the Tiki Bar on Friday night
may check them out!

Hot Shot and his steel drums
love to listen to them

Really good band at the
Inlet Beach Bar and Grill

Proud of those Navy Seals

The Lifeboat that held Captain Phillips
and the pirates

A very impressive Museum

This statue says it all.

Pepper Beach - Ft Pierce

Yep it’s been almost two weeks now and we’re still at Harbortown Marina in Ft Pierce.  Actually it’s a nice place to be.  For those of you who aren’t really familiar with the location of Ft Pierce – it’s just over a hundred miles south of Orlando.  Believe me, we’ve learned a lot about the geography of Florida the last couple of years.  We’ve found out that Florida is a very long state and very different from coast to coast.  J   

All of our cruising buddies seem to be moving on north but we haven’t found a reason to leave yet.  Actually we plan to head out in about another week or so and make it to Jacksonville. Once we’re there we plan to navigate the St Johns River to Sanford and back.  We were counting on doing that together with Second Noelle (Ray and Linda) but they’re already there.  And here we sit…..  Oh well.  It might still happen.  From there we don’t know what’s next.  Guess we’ll decide when we get there.

In the meantime, here’s a short synopsis of what’s been going on with us……

Thursday (May 8)  I think I left off in the last post that we were invited to have cocktails with Brent and Susan (Once Upon A Time) who are our neighbors and have a Jefferson a lot like ours.  We had a very nice visit and compared notes about how are boats are “different” from one another and how they’re “alike”.  Theirs is a few years newer but not a lot of difference.  They are from Minnesota and just finished the Loop in April.  Their boat is also their home – much like NautiNell is ours.  They are planning to head north up to Georgia somewhere where they can cross the “magical latitude” that helps in the insurance payments.  Not sure when or where they are going yet. 

Friday (May 9)  Mike couldn’t stand it any longer – the anchor that we had traded for earlier and is going to be our “spare” really needed a facelift.  He took it somewhere to have it straightened and then today he gave it a coat of paint.  Now it’s hanging out on the pulpit and looks great.  It’s the little things you know (sometimes anyway). 

Later we went to Friday Fest that is held here in Ft Pierce once a month.  It was a hoot!  Jeff and Cindy (Gabrielle) met us there.  They live near in Jensen Beach and keep their boat here on the hard during the summer.  They are part of the Dock Dynasty group that we befriended down in Marathon.  The weather was perfect, cold beer and good music.  There were also a lot of vendors and of course, they had things we most definitely “needed”.  We bypassed the typical vendor food and had dinner at the 2nd Street Bistro.  Really good!  We most definitely want to go back there again.

Saturday (May 10)  We took the dinghy over to the City Marina for the Farmer’s Market.  I had heard about this market before but had never had the chance to go.  It turned out to be very impressive.  We stocked up on produce, breads and about anything else we could find.  It’s held every Saturday so next week we’re going to go hungry.  There were several vendors there that were fixing all kind of things we wanted to try but we’d already had breakfast.  Oooh!  Everything looked and smelled so good!  So look out this coming Saturday!  We’ll be prepared!

Later that afternoon Mike went fishing so I took the opportunity to go to Wal-Mart and also to check out the town a bit.  We cooked on the grill and enjoyed some of the fresh veggies we had purchased earlier in the day.

Sunday (May 11)  Happy Mother’s Day!  What a busy day it was!  I think Mike was trying to keep me busy so I wouldn’t get too homesick today.  He did an excellent job of it.  Gotta love that guy!

Anyway, first we started out with lunch at the Inlet Beach Bar and Grill.  They had several lunch specials and $2.00 Strawberry Margaritas.  Yea!  They are located right on the beach and had a good band too.  The guy could really sing and had a great playlist.   After that, we went over to the Navy Seals Museum.  This was very impressive and if you ever have the chance to go – do it!!  I have a whole new respect for those guys.

The museum is located on the birthplace of the original US Navy Frogmen (1943-46) that were trained here in Ft Pierce.  They served through WWII and Vietnam and eventually evolved into what is known today as the Navy Seals. Among some of the highlights there was the model of Osama Bin Laden’s compound where of course in May 2011 the Navy Seals took him down!  Also the MAERSK Alabama Lifeboat that was the one in which Captain Phillips was held hostage is on display with bullet holes and all.  There are 3 bullet holes where the Seals took out three of the Somali Pirates and then there’s a bullet hole on the other side that one would possibly think was from the pirates and meant for Captain Phillips.  This was known as the Easter SEAL Rescue of 2009.  I guess you can tell, I was rather impressed by it all. 

After our tour, we walked over to Pepper Beach.  It’s a small beach but very nice.  The water was absolutely beautiful with great waves splashing on the shore.  I’m going back!

THEN after that  -  it was off to the American Legion for a cold beer or two.  This is a very nice and friendly place to hang.  In fact I think we’re going back over there on Tuesday night for their Auxiliary Lasagna Dinner.  The bartender told us she makes it and it’s worth the trip.  SO……

When we got back to the marina, the restaurant had a guy there playing steel drums.  So naturally we stopped in for an appetizer and cocktails and listened to him for a while.  Later Brent and Susan stopped by so they could get the tour of our boat and make more comparisons.   What a day – a busy Mother’s Day!

Monday (May 12) Mike “fixed” miscellaneous things – always something that needs fixing or changing or adjusting.  Anyway, while he did that – I found a Beall’s Department Store and a Mall!  Had to do a little shopping. After that we had a good dinner here on the boat and relaxed.

Till next time!

Admiral “C”

Not Sure Where We're Going But We're Still Having Fun!

Big City skyline while traveling the ICW

Bimini Express gets you to Bimini from
Miami in about 2 hours!

Lots of help feeding the chain
through the gypsy.  Finally!

We're leading today

Just one of the magnificent homes
along the way
Photo doesn't do justice

Great place for a burger!
Saloons Le Tub
right on the ICW

Another local hangout
on the ICW in Hollywood

The largest Boat US we've seen
Imagine the size of boat it tows in!

Hanging out at the local beach in
Hollywood
Just dinkin' around.....

Very cool sailboat along the way
Looks like a pirate ship

View from the back of NautiNell in Hollywood
Sailing school - it was pretty cool to watch

Just dinkin' around

Another picture of the skyline -
Miami to Ft Laurderdale
then West Palm
It all runs together

Hollywood beach

Huge yacht!  See the 'copter?

Huge cruise ship heading to the Bahamas

Having lunch at the Sandbar
at DelRay Beach

DelRay Beach

Jupiter Lighthouse
Very cool site

Little Jim's Bait and Tackle
Great stop for a sandwich and cold beer
while dinkin'

Archies - a great hangout in Ft Pierce
Biker/Beach bar
Great way to spend a Sunday afternoon

Archies - good band!

Made me kind of miss our bike!
 

Ray and Linda (Second Noelle) heading our before us

Great artwork on the walls of the Mellow Mushroom

Girls getting together on Conched Out Too
while everyone was at Ft Pierce

Boys getting together too - a motley crew

Conched Out Too heading out too
We'll catch up with them in a few days hopefully

 

Tues - Thurs (April 22-24)  The mooring field at Dinner Key wasn’t all that great.  We did spend three nights there but it was so windy it was really hard to get off and on the dinghy and to get on the boat.  The first night (Tuesday) we went to the Sandbar for dinner which was an okay place.  It was nice to get off the boat and see the sights of Coconut Grove (Miami).  Wednesday the boys walked up to Crook & Crook Marine to check on chain – nada’.  Later we took a dinghy ride over to Monty’s for Happy Hour and dinner.  It was a nicer place and we all definitely had a good time.  Most of the day Thursday was spent looking for anchor chain by either the internet or making calls.  Mike ended up taking the bus to check out chain at Miami Cordage.  It was only about 7 miles away but I understand it was quite a bus ride – bus rides always are!  We were having trouble finding the exact size we needed.  They sent him back to the boat with a sample so he could check to see if it would work.  They were sure it would – “but if you cut it you own it”.  Good thing we had the sample because it didn’t work.  We needed exactly 5/16” proof coil and no one seemed to have it.  Mike had had a very frustrating day so we decided to stay in for the night. Ray & Linda and Jeff & Linda decided to find the best Happy Hour around.  Sounded like they had found it when they came back to their boats about 11:00 p.m.  There was a lot of giggling going on – I could hear them having a time getting back on their boats from their dinghies.

Friday (April 25)  Still searching for anchor chain we all decided to head on up to Hollywood Municipal Marina.  It was only a few miles away.  It took us a little while to figure out just how we were going to tie up.  The finger piers are maybe 8 feet long!  Either way  - bow or stern – we would still have trouble getting off the boat.  Oh well at least we wouldn’t be bouncing around in the wind like we’ve been doing for several days.  Like I mentioned before – it was a City Marina.  These are often cheaper ($1.25 ft) than privately owned ones – there are usually reasons.  However other than the short fingers, not able to “easily” get off the boat and a pump station of some kind that would dump gushing water into the lake every 30 seconds or so all day and night, it wasn’t that bad.  At night, I’d just try to imagine it was a beautiful waterfall right outside my window.   J  The people were nice there and it was right on the ICW where there were several restaurants/bars that were accessible by dinghy.  We found 4 or 5 stores there that were close by that should have the chain we needed.  We rented a car for the next morning to make things so much easier.  In the mean time we went to dinner at Le Tub Saloon.  This place was a bit “quirky” but very cool.  They are best known for their 13 ounce hamburger - as seen on Oprah some time ago.  We, of course, had to try it.  It was very good and the beer was super cold!  I highly recommend this place if you’re ever in the area.  It’s definitely one of a kind. 

Saturday (April 26)  The next morning the guys picked up the car and were off on an anchor chain hunt.  A few hours later they came back with chain!  This time it was the right one too!  200 feet of chain – I would have never expected to be so excited over chain!  The guys went right to work installing it.  It was a major job because first, of course, they had to get the old chain off.  At least we were nosed in at a dock and it was pretty accessible.  They got the old off, the new on and we’re ready to drop a hook somewhere!  However, not tonight.  We decided that we’d take the car over to the beach.  Ray and Linda wanted to ride their bikes – it really isn’t very far to the beach from the marina.  They took off earlier and later reported that it was extremely crowded and that we would have to pay for parking if we could even find a place.  They were already back to the ICW where they found Capone’s Flicker Lite – another great spot!  So we dinked over to Capone’s.  Jeff and Linda didn’t want to fight the hassle of trying to get off and on the dinghy so they drove.  At least we were all there!  We had really good pizza and more cold beer.  This place had pool tables and various video games.  The weirdest thing that they had though was one of those claw games where you use the “claw” to pick up your prize – being some type of prize like a stuffed animal.  WELL, this one had live Maine lobsters in it!  For real!  If you “caught” one – they would cook it……  Wouldn’t you think that PETA would be all over this!  I thought it was hilarious! Too bad we didn’t try it.

Sunday (April 27)  The girls used the car to get more groceries.  It was nice to be able to stock up a little more even though we already had about all we needed since we had planned to go to the Bahamas.  We went on a dinghy ride to the beach.  It is much easier getting there by dinghy than it would have been by car and more fun too.  We spent the day checking out the area.  Pretty cool.  We then decided to spend the evening on the boat.

Monday (April 28)  Mike and Jeff took the old chain to a consignment shop – Sailorman.  Hopefully we’ll sell it for something.  There’s over 120 feet of good chain.  Surely someone will want it.  It also was an easy way of disposing of it.  After that they returned the car and we were on our way to DelRay Beach about noon.  Luckily it was another short trip, or so we thought.  It was only about 30 miles but it took us seven hours because of all the bridges.  We had to wait for several to open. We enjoyed the view though - it’s amazing how many opulent homes and yachts are along the way.  Ray and Linda (Second Noelle) had left earlier and dropped a hook just before the City Marina.  We opted for the marina along with Jeremiah.   This is a marina that is normally full.  In fact there is a five year waiting list for permanent moorings.  We managed to get the two transient slips they had available.  They were only $60!  That’s not bad either! We hung out on the boat but Ray and Linda decided they wanted to go to Mellow Mushroom so they took the dinghy to the bridge and walked a short distance.  That wasn’t the problem – but when they got back to the dinghy they found it had gotten hung up under the bridge when the tide came up and it was swamped.  It about got itself sunk!  They needed to bail it out – but of course they couldn’t find anything to use – no trash in this town.  They did find a guy who was fishing off the bridge and sitting on a bucket.  He was hesitant at first but eventually loaned them his “seat” so they could bail out their dinghy.  Luckily nothing was damaged and they made it back to their boat safe and sound. 

Tuesday (April 29)  Second Noelle headed on up to Jupiter.  We decided to hang out one more day to check out the town of DelRay Beach.  Jeremiah decided they would hang out with us.  After all, neither one of us really knows where we’re going at this point.  J  We rode the free trolley out to the beach and had lunch at the Sandbar.  A very cool place on the boardwalk.  Then again that evening – we walked up to the Mellow Mushroom.  Ray and Linda had talked it up so – we had to check it out.  We were not disappointed.  I had heard of them before but had never been to one.  It was very cool!  The place was founded back in the ‘70s by three hippies.  Good for them!  Now they have quite a chain of them up the east coast and several other states.  Can’t wait until I find another one. 

Wednesday (April 30)  We left the marina and headed up farther north.  We left early but still had a bunch of bridges to maneuver.  The wind is still blowing pretty hard.  It has been off and on since we left Marathon!  We had planned to drop an anchor in Lake Worth but with the wind coming from the south that wouldn’t be such a good idea.  One thing though with the wind from the south it was at our backs and traveling was pleasant.  Following seas……  Again we were amazed at the huge magnificent homes that we passed.  There’s an area called Adimiral’s Cove that is gated even for boats!  Rumors are that there are several famous people that have places up in the canals that we couldn’t see.  After all it is the West Palm Beach area.  I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true.

Anyway we anchored at an area called Hell Gate.  Second Noelle had stayed there the night before and highly recommended it so that was fine with us.  They were now on anchor at Jensen Beach.  We had a wonderful night.  The winds died down and it was a quiet anchorage where we were able to sit out on the sundeck and enjoy it.  Jeff was still a little “fretful” but I think he even enjoyed it.  The name Hell Gate didn’t ring true – thank goodness.

Thursday (May 1)  We were up and at it early this morning.  We arrived at Harbortown Marina in Ft Pierce about lunchtime to find that Second Noelle was there already along with Conched Out Too!  Even Gabrielle was here on the hard (they live in Jensen Beach which is very close to here).  It’s funny to be traveling and then end up with several boaters you know from your past boating experiences! We had a mini Dock Dynasty Reunion – a great happy hour on Conched Out Too and then dinner at the Cove – the restaurant here at the marina.  It was so great to visit with everyone again and catch up on everything. Fun times! 

Friday morning (May 2)  We said goodbye again to Second Noelle and Conched Out Too.  A little déjà vu all over again!  Everyone seems to be headed north to different places and at different times.  Since we’ve now passed Lake Worth – really the last good place that has an inlet in which to be able to cross over to the Bahamas – we’ve pretty much decided that we’re not going to go.  It was a hard decision but the time just doesn’t seem right.  We can go next year.  We’re planning to head north – not sure if we’ll finally make it to Norfolk to cross our wake (finish the Loop) or just spend time going north until it’s time to turn around and go back south.  What a dilemma!  We like it here in Ft Pierce – we may stay the weekend or the month – we haven’t decided yet at this point.

Saturday (May 3)  Since it was rather a rainy weather day forecasted – we decided to rent a car and drive to Marathon to pick up our car.  Jeremiah needed to pick up their car too so it was a good time to do so.  It was about a 5 hour drive each way.  It took most of the day but at least it’s done.  Now we have a car here in Ft Pierce which is even better.

Sunday (May 4)  Not sure how long Jeremiah is staying here.  They probably will visit a while in Vero Beach where their son and daughter-in-law live (and of course, their grandbabies!) which is just about 10 miles away and then head across Florida navigating the Okeechobee Waterway to the Gulf Side and then head back up to Venice where they live.  We’ll hate seeing them go.  We had big plans to go to the Bahamas with them this year.  Oh well, things don’t always work the way you plan – especially when boating!  We’ll try it again next year.

In the meantime – we spent the day at Archies Seabreeze.  It’s a very cool place – a biker/beach bar with great food.  The prices are even good!  We had a late lunch and hung out there most of the afternoon listening to the music and watching the people.  Very cool!  This place was established back in 1947 as a military shack that served beer to the soldiers stationed on South Beach.  We will definitely being going back during our stay here in Ft Pierce.

Also, the Navy Seals were originally trained here years ago and there is a Navy Seal Museum here.  We’ve been told that it is worth visiting so we are going there one day this week.  According to our information the real lifeboat that was used by the real Captain Phillips was here a few weeks ago.  That would have been cool to see.  Too bad we missed it.

Well, as of now we plan to spend about three weeks here at Ft Pierce, then head north to Jacksonville where we will boat the St John’s River.  Then we will either go farther north or hang out in Ortega Landing near Jacksonville for a while.  I’ll keep you all posted when we figure it out.

I intended to post this last week but I didn’t so I’m adding a little more to it……

Monday (May 5) Happy Cinco de Mayo!  In order to celebrate the “big holiday” we were invited to Jeff and Linda’s (Jeremiah) son and daughter-in-law (Scott and Kelly) for fajitas and margaritas.  Like I said earlier they live in Vero Beach which is only about 10 miles away.  They have a beautiful home.  Kelly makes fantastic margaritas and Scott can make mean fajitas!  It was a very nice way to enjoy the evening.

Tuesday (May 6) Scott picked up Jeff and Mike here at the dock in his 24’ fishing rig and off they went fishing for the day.  They didn’t catch any keepers but I think they all enjoyed themselves.  They did witness a guy catch a HUGE Goliath Grouper!  Wish they could have taken some pictures.  Mike said it was absolutely huge and the guy fought it a very long time. Very cool!  But not in the stars for my fishermen….

Later that day Mike and I took a road trip back to DelRay Beach.  It was a good thing we had picked up our car.  We had just realized that we must have left our boarding steps at the last marina we had stayed in.  After a phone call to be sure they were still there – off we went.  It was about an hour’s drive away.  We made it and there they were.  Lucky for us.  Maybe our luck is changing – hmmm.  Better knock on wood somewhere.  Ha!  We managed to find a great little place called Johnny Brown’s to have a cold drink and some great nachos before we headed back.  It looked like a great place to be in the later hours but we had to drive back to Ft Pierce.  So maybe next time when we’re coming through here we’ll be able to stay longer.

Wednesday (May 7) Mike and I spent hours out in the dinghy checking out some really cool spots.  We saw a lot of fish jumping but Mike didn’t even try although he brought along his pole.  We just had a good time checking out the sights.  We stopped in for a sandwich at Little Jim’s Bait and Tackle.  Very funky place – cold beer and a great sandwiches.  We plan to go back there again before we leave.

Thursday (May 8) Today we’re hanging out just relaxing some.  At least I am.  Mike is working on something.  He always is.  We’ve been invited over to our neighbors for cocktails this evening.  They are also in a Jefferson so I’m sure they want to compare notes.  They just finished the Loop so it’ll be fun to hear of their journey.

Till next time

Admiral “C”

 

Back on the Waterway - Heading north from Marathon!

Beautiful sunset at anchor in Tarpon Basin

Nightfall at anchor

Wish every travel day could be like this!

Good shot of NautiNell on the hook

Jeremiah and Second Noelle
spending the night at Shell Key

Cool statue in the canals near Key Largo

Checking out the canals by dinghy

This thing was so cool!
Glass bottom - hovercraft!

Let's just land here for lunch!

Flew right over us!  Very cool!

Another beautiful evening on the hook

Sunset in Tarpon Basin

NautiNell headed out for a new adventure
Leaving Boot Key Harbor

Jeremiah right behind us!
Thanks Candy for the pictures!

Here we go!

This was taken at Karen's earlier but
I thought it was a great pic.
I think Ray took it.

It's only been a week since we left Marathon but it's been a hectic one!

After several last last last parties at the Dock we finally were able to leave along with Jeremiah.  We’re heading north to Biscayne Bay (just south of Miami) where we’ll stage for our crossing to the Bahamas.  “Stage” seems to be just another word for “waiting for a weather window – and being ready to go when it opens”.  Here’s what happened so far…

Thursday (April 17) -  We left the dock about 9:00 a.m.  Tough saying goodbye to the ones still there – although the crowd has diminished immensely!  It was pretty windy but it was on our nose so it wasn’t too bad.  We had 40 miles to go to make it to Shell Key where we planned to either grab one of the four mooring balls there or just drop a hook.  When we finally made it Ray and Linda (Second Noelle) were there on a ball.  There was only one ball left and it was so far out from shore we decided to bump up a little closer to shore and drop a hook to get out of the wind.  Jeremiah did the same. 

First sign of trouble was that we had discovered our VHF on the bridge was not working.  After some troubleshooting Mike decided that the old thing had had enough.  Mike took the dinghy to shore to get a new one.  Luckily there was a West Marine close by.  They seem to be strategically placed along the way just so they can be of service to us cruisers and are always happy to take our money.  Anyway that was a pretty quick fix actually and we spent the evening on Jeremiah toasting our big day.  However, it was a pretty early evening.  Another big day was ahead of us.  We had to travel about eighteen more miles to our next stop!

Friday (April 18)  Good Friday -  It was a very nice morning on the hook.  Nice and peaceful.  Again about 9:00 a.m. all three boats headed to Sunset Cove.  Like I said earlier – it was only 18 miles.  We easily made it and dropped a hook about noon.  We had lunch and then went dinkin’ down and around some very cool canals.  There were some really nice secluded homes.  You wouldn’t know they were there if you didn’t explore in the dinghy.  We hung out on the sundeck the rest of the evening.

Saturday (April 19)  Again about 9:00ish we headed to our next stop.  We passed through Tarpon Basin and decided to go on to Blackwater Sound just out from the main part of the town of Key Largo – just out from the Marriott Hotel.  There are a lot of bars, restaurants and hotel beaches on shore.   It was pretty windy and lots of boat traffic.  That’s what we get for traveling on a holiday weekend.  We decided that we’d stop here for a while and play then if it got too much we could head back to Tarpon Basin which seemed really well protected.  We saw at two different times – helicopters fly in and land at the Hilton.  Not even on a true heliport!  Our best guess was that “someone” jet-setted it over to have some lunch.  What a life that must be!  Anyway we had our own fun….! It had been 2 days and 2 nights since we had left Marathon and we were still listening to the same radio station!  Guess we hadn’t traveled very far, huh.  J

Again we had lunch and then went dinkin’.  This time we rode through the cut that takes you to the Atlantic side and to John Pennecamp State Park.  The cut was extremely rough – a very strong current due to the tide coming in and the great amount of traffic.  Like I said before – Easter Weekend = lots of traffic!  We made it with no problem.  It was just a small adventure! The water was nice once we got through the canal.  We grabbed a mooring ball and just hung out there for a while.

When we got back to the boats the wind had really picked up.  We decided to move back to Tarpon Basin to spend the night for better protection.  Off we went like a herd of turtles…..  J

Now that is where the real trouble began…

The following is definitely from the “IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE” Department. 

From the beginning for some reason we kept having trouble holding.  Second Noelle had slipped a little but finally held.  After several attempts we moved to the other side of the basin.  This entire basin has a lot of grass and that makes it hard sometimes to get a good hold.  We left the other two boats and moved to the north side.   The wind had seemed to clock around some and the protection wasn’t as good as we all had anticipated.  Again we had trouble holding.  It was after sunset when we slipped for the second time so it was starting to get dark. Mike decided to put out more chain.  As he was doing so in the wind and dark – SNAP!  Our chain broke in his hand!  There went the chain and the anchor all overboard and completely loose from NautiNell.  We were drifting quickly because of the wind.  I marked the spot the best I could on the GPS but I’m still not sure how accurate that was since we moved so fast.  Here it is night – extremely windy- and we have no anchor to keep us from moving.  Mike was concerned about the anchor and did the best he could to get back to the MOB mark where I dropped a float to mark it in the water.  This is very scary guys.  We weren’t sure what to do next.  We are so thankful that we weren’t alone that night.  Mike called Jeff and Ray.  They brought over Jeff’s spare anchor and line – mind you – in the rough water and at night here they come with a spare anchor….  Our saviors!  Now for the life of me – I don’t know why that anchor stuck so well but we didn’t move the entire rest of the night!  We had two different anchor alarms on but you can believe neither one of us slept much.

Sunday (April 20)  Easter Sunday – We spent Easter Sunday having an Easter Anchor Hunt!  All of us were out in the dinghies searching the area.  The water is very clear and not really deep so it was fairly easy to see the bottom.  Now how would you expect an anchor along with at least 80 feet of chain that would have been laid out in a straight line from tension hide??  Well after searching all day – the only thing we had was a sunburn. We really appreciate all the help from our buddies but sometimes it just isn’t meant to be. 

We spent another night here in Tarpon Basin on Jeff’s extra anchor.  Now would you explain why this anchor is still holding us so well and ours wouldn’t?  The wind is still blowing but we’ve been stuck for two nights now!  Anchor alarms on and a much better sleep last night.  At least I did.  For those of you that know Captain Mike  - you know that he’s not ready to throw in the towel just yet.  At this writing – he and Jeff have headed to shore in the Whaler with their bicycles to see what they can find in the “used anchor” department.  We had found a good Marine Consignment Shop online that has told him that they have lots of anchors and chain.  They aren’t open today but the owner is going to meet them there anyway.  I think the plan is to see what they have and possibly purchase an anchor with chain then come back to NautiNell and do some more snorkeling.  After all, the anchor that escaped is a stainless one – and you know that Mike is not going to replace it with another one like that!  He’ll find a bargain for sure.

The reason I say that this could have been so much worse is that if we had been alone – we would have had to start moving the boat somewhere in the dark.  We would have had no idea since we’re not familiar with the area.  I supposed we would have called Boat US because it would have been an emergency.  They would have probably came to our aid.  Not sure at this point. It could have happened also in a very remote area instead of just out from Key Largo shoreline.  We should be able to find another anchor rather easily.  If it had happened later out in the Bahamas – well I’d rather not think about that.  One thing though the anchor would have cost us way more over there to replace if we’d even had that chance. 

Stay tuned – I’ll let you know what happens when they return……………………

Okay – I’m back and here’s how it went down in Captain Chappy’s words:

Jeff and I went to marine consignment store “Mother Ocean” and traded my “inadequate” backup anchor for a larger model and a grapple hook.  We came back and put in the GPS latitude and longitude of the anchor adventure. With those points marked with floating markers we began "fishing" with our hook.  After 3 long hours with no bites we decided to call it a day.  Just one more pass and then back to the boat for dinner.  Then voila’!  A HIT!  And it’s a whopper!  I can say it’s my biggest catch ever - a 45lb “stainless shiner” with an 80 foot tail!  I thought I’d never get it into the boat!  Must have fought that monster for 45 minutes or more. I am so proud of the catch that I mounted it on my bow pulpit for all to see and admire. Now beat that!  (by Captain Chappy)

So now you know that we got our anchor back!  What a day!  Party on NautiNell!

After all that excitement, we still need to buy new chain.  And in the meantime Jeff’s motor on his dinghy decided to quit working.  So today (Tuesday, April 22) we’re off to Dinner Key (Coconut Grove – Miami).  There we’ll pick up a mooring ball.  It’s a big marina and there are several amenities along with access to several places where we can get what all we need. 

We’ll see what happens next!

We made it to Dinner Key about 5:00 and Second Noelle was already there (They had left Monday).  We grabbed a mooring ball and after a short rest all of us headed over to the dinghy dock where we could walk to a restaurant and perhaps have a cocktail or two.

There is a lot within walking distance in this area.  The area is called “Coconut Grove”.  We hadn’t been here before so we wanted to check it out.  We found a place called the Sandbar.  Had some dinner and drinks and a lot of laughs. 

Ray and Linda are headed over to Hollywood Municipal Marina on Friday.  They are planning to possibly make their way to the Chesapeake.  Mike and I are seriously thinking about giving up on our trip to the Islands this year.  So much is happening ( our so called - misadventures) and the weather windows aren’t cooperating.  Also, there are some time restraints for Jeremiah.  We’ve already spent a month trying to get going!  There’s no sense in going over there for just a few weeks.  We’ll see what happens.  I’m sure if we don’t go in that direction we’ll go north up the east coast and find a great place to hang for a while. 

Who knows tomorrow is another day and we may decide to get the heck out of here and cross to Bimini.  I’ll keep you posted…..

Until next time!

Admiral “C”