|
End of Trip Log |
- this is
the END of this Trip Log ..
..
I hope
that you enjoy the Log and that you are
able to benefit from the Log .. if you
have any questions or comments about our
Trip please feel free to contact me by
E-mail at
marvboater@aol.com
..
|
Location
Legacy Harbour Marina
Fort Myers Florida
Hurricane Dean
Autumn - 'before and after'
|
Tuesday August 21st -
we are at our Home Port .. Legacy
Harbour Marina at Fort Myers ..
- Hurricane
DEAN
has intensified into the first
Category 5 Storm in the Atlantic
since Hurricane Wilma of 2005 .. the
latest Hurricane Hunter fix at 8:34pm
EDT found 185 mph winds at their flight
level of 10,000 feet, which corresponds
to surface winds of 160 mph. The
pressure had dropped to 914 mb, and I
expect Dean will strengthen right up
until landfall. Landfall is expected
near Chetumal, Mexico, just after
midnight local time. Dean will be a
tremendously destructive storm for
southern Mexico. Dean is powerful enough
to be able to survive the crossing of
the Yucatan as a Category 2 hurricane,
and hurricane advisories have been
posted for cities on the western coast
of the Yucatan Peninsula. The only
hurricanes on record that survived
crossing this portion of the Yucatan and
maintaining hurricane intensity were
Hurricane Roxanne
of 1995
.. which hit just south of Cozumel as a
Category 3, and emerged near Campeche as
a Category 1; and
Hurricane Janet of
1955 ..
which hit near Chetumal as a Category 5
storm, then weakened to a Category 2
storm when it popped out into the Gulf
of Mexico south of Campeche. We can
expect Dean will carve out a path of
great destruction all the way across the
Yucatan Peninsula, then potentially
re-intensify before hitting Mexico again
along the Gulf Coast in the Bay of
Campeche ..
- I took Autumn to the Beauty Parlor for
a long overdue appointment .. check out
her 'before and after' photos ..
|
Travel
Captiva to Fort Myers
DEE LIGHT at Legacy
|
Sunday August 19th - we
will be cruising from Captiva
Island to our Home Port Legacy Harbour
Marina at Fort Myers ..
- before we headed out Betty took one
more walk to the Beach .. she had
spotted a couple of Crab Pot Balls that
were in a Break Wall that she wanted to
retrieve to start a collection of them
for her Home at Fort Myers Beach .. we
hoisted the Dinghy back up to the Bow of
DEE LIGHT and checked out of the Marina
and pulled out of the Marina at 09:45 am
.. we had a good but windy cruise to
Legacy Harbour Marina and with the
help of Lana and Eric we were docked by
12:30 pm .. and it was not long before
both Betty and I was up to my arm pits
with mail etc from the past many weeks
..
|
Location
South Seas Plantation
Barnacle Phil's
The Bubble Room
|
Saturday August 18th - we
will be spending the day with the RPYC
Cruise group ..
- we took Autumn and went on a Dinghy
ride .. due to the direction of the
winds we headed out Red Fish Pass and
went up the North Captiva Shore Line to
the area where Charley cut North Captiva
into two Islands .. there were an
abundance of Birds that have taken over
that area as 'their area' .. we went
well pass the 'Cut' before heading back
to the Marina ..
- at about 11:15 am about 20 of the RPYC
group headed out in our Tenders to
Barnacle Phil's for lunch .. we took
the inside Route on the way there and
went out in the Gulf on the way back ..
Hal and Elaine Slaughter came with us as
they did not have their Dinghy along ..
for whatever reason the gal that waited
on us took our order and walked off the
job .. so it took a bit for us to get
served etc but we eventually had a great
meal and made our way back to the South
Seas Island Resort .. when we got back
Betty and Elaine headed to the Pool but
they did not stay long as it was not
long at all and an afternoon Thunderhead
move thru the area .. it cooled it off
some and the winds picked up also ..
- at 06:30 pm the RPYC Cruise had
Docktails along the Docks and by that
time the weather could not have been
better ,, after Docktails the Marinas
Shuttles brought us to The Bubble Room
for dinner .. there were over 40 of us
and they had the Third Level set up for
us .. it was a deelightful evening and
we all had way too much to eat .. but
before we headed to DEE LIGHT we did
manage to visit the Ice Cream Parlor
one more time ..
|
Location
South Seas Plantation
South Seas Island
South Seas Pool
|
Friday August 17th -
this is the first time that we have been
here since Hurricane Charley so we
will be exploring the South
Seas Plantation ..
- Hurricane DEAN's projected
Route is great weather news for us but
not so good for the people in the
Peninsula of De Yucatan at all .. Betty
enjoyed an early morning walk on the
Beach and I got some 'stuff' done on DEE
LIGHT .. since this is the first time
that we have been back to South Seas
since Hurricane Charley so we spent much
time exploring the changes that have
taken place .. overall they have really
done a GREAT JOB of recreating
what has always been a 'jewel' of
the Southwest Florida area .. I enjoyed
watching the RPYC Boats enter the Marina
and making their way to their assigned
Dock .. after Betty got our desert put
together for the RPYC Dinner tonight she
headed to the Pool .. I joined her for
part of the afternoon .. the Pools are
edgeless and even have a Beach area for
kids of all ages .. we took a walk
around the South Seas grounds .. every
detail is thought out and is done in a
first class way .. many of the RPYC
group were enjoying both the Pool and
Beach areas ..
- we went to the Docktails and
Pot-Luck Dinner that was set up as
part of the RPYC South Seas Cruise ..
Pat and Jo An set it up on the Main Dock
area in front of Docks A, B, C etc .. it
was a most deelightful evening .. good
food, good people etc .. a great evening
..
|
Travel
Key West to Captiva Island
Hurricane DEAN
In-Route to Captiva
Pat and Joan ( VOYAGEUR )
|
Thursday August 16th - we
will be cruising from Key West to South
Seas Plantation at Captiva Island (
145.0 miles ) ..
- when I first got up I checked out the
weather ..
just before 05:00 am NOAA changed
Tropical Storm DEAN to Hurricane DEAN
..
the Forecast Track Line of DEAN
has remained the same overnight .. it is
still projected to travel below Cuba ..
Tropical Storm ERIN has been
affecting our weather giving us the
unwanted overcast when we were looking
for a good sunset at
Mallory Square and it is pushing
Isolated Thunderstorms our way .. it is still heading
Northwest away from us but right towards
lower Texas ..
- after Autumn had a quick walk we
headed out of the Marina at 06:45 am ..
about 07:30 am as the Sun was rising we
passed the Smith Shoal Market and
we had all but flat Seas and Crab
Pots .. by mid morning our Seas
became 'mixed' .. we had Rollers of 2 to
3 plus feet from a number of directions
.. I am sure that it was due to the
unsettled Storm Weather in the Gulf ..
as we approached the Marco area ( about
25 miles off Shore ) the winds had
picked up and the once clean DEE LIGHT
became 'salt encrusted' .. as we were
approaching Captiva the Port Engine
started to sputter .. we quickly turned
on the Fuel Transfer and after a few
minutes the Port Engine regained its
full power .. we found the new Markers
to Red Fish Pass and made our way to the
Marina .. DEE LIGHT was tied off to
A-Dock by 01:45 am .. Pat and Jo An (
VOYAGEUR ) stopped by to welcome us
back .. they are the Cruise Leaders for
the RPYC South Seas Cruise .. we
chatted on the Back Deck for a few
minutes .. right after we checked in at
the Marina Office we hosed some of the
SALT off DEE LIGHT .. we hardly
got done and Mother Nature moved in and
gave us a power rinse with heavy rains
and winds .. there were even Water
Spouts spotted in the area ..
- after having drinks aboard VOYAGEUR a
number of us had dinner together at the
Harbourside Bar and Grill .. and
then we went to Scoops and Slice for YUP
Ice Cream .. the new Ice Cream Parlor at
South Seas is done up in a 50s style and
very well done .. and the Ice Cream is
very good also ..
|
Location
Key West - Conch Harbor
Breakfast with the Chickens
Key West Lighthouse
Sunset Key Launch
|
Wednesday August 15th - we
will be enjoying our last day at Key
West ..
- the Forecast Track Line of DEAN
has changed overnight .. it is now
projected to travel below Cuba and it is
looking much like Charley's Track ..
today DEAN was joined by
Tropical Storm ERIN that is is the
Gulf .. we took our Golf Cart and Autumn
to Blue Heaven for breakfast with
the chickens .. at first Autumn did not
care for all the Chickens but she soon
learned who was in charge of the
'pecking order' and she did quite well
.. on our way back to DEE LIGHT we went
past the Southern Most Point and
the
Key
West Lighthouse .. we
then
took a drive past the Beaches .. it was
very cloudy with the mixed Storm Weather
out there thus the photo ops were very
limited .. we also did a bunch of
errands on our return trip to DEE LIGHT
and once we were back we gave Autumn a
very overdue bath .. in the afternoon I
did a bunch of things to get DEE LIGHT
ready for our trip tomorrow and Betty
did some more power shopping and ended
up at her favorite Bar the Schooner
Wharf Bar where I joined her for
Onion Rings and a drink .. when we
dropped off our Golf Cart they brought
us to the Westin Resort .. yesterday
when we were at the Westin Resort we
made a reservation for dinner at
Latitudes Beach Cafe on Sunset
Key .. a Launch provides the
transportation service between Sunset
Key and Key West .. ie from both The
Westin Marina to the Sunset Key Guest
Dock .. Sunset Key is located just West
of Mallory Square .. we went out to the
Island aboard the 06:16 pm Launch and
once we were on the Island we were
greeted and directed directly to our
table .. we had a most deelightful
dinner and the only way that it could
have been better was if there was a
sunset .. the Skies are just overtaken
with the Storm activate throughout the
area .. after dinner I was talking to
the Boat Captain for the Launch .. he
said that the owner of the Westin Resort
owns the entire Island but there are
about 100 separate homes on the Island
that pay $4,800. 00 per Month for Condo
Fees that cover the cost of the
transpiration ( Launch ) to the Island
..
|
Location
Key West - Conch Harbor
Key West Roster
Pepe's
Merrells and the
McMahons
|
Tuesday August 14th - we
will be enjoying Key West and watching
the weather ..
- we took Autumn for a long walk and had
a deelightful breakfast at Pepe's on
Caroline Street ..
- Pepe's Bartender Hurricane Report
- the new Tropical Depression Four will
be going up the East Coast .. from
Pepe's we went to Key West Marine
Hardware for some miscellaneous
'stuff' .. it is the best Hardware Store
that I have ever been to .. I always
look forward to going there ..
- I spent much of the morning working on
our Center Windshield Wiper .. and still
do not have it working at all .. UGH !!
.. it makes operating DEE LIGHT in rain
or high Seas a challenge .. Betty did
MUCH POWER SHOPPING .. and when she made
it back to DEE LIGHT her arms were full
..
Pon Pon, Pon Pon, Pon Pon .. this
is the US Coast Guard Key West Station
.. all boaters be on the watch out for
migrants swimming towards shore at
approximately Archer Key .. this must go
on daily around the Lower Keys ..
- at of 11:00 am we now have Tropical
Storm DEAN out in the Atlantic
heading towards Puerto Rico and San Juan
area.. NOTE - see
Dee Light Website
Hurricane Center for
additional details ..
- in the afternoon we rented a Golf Cart
with a roof on it .. it makes getting
around much faster and with the heat
much easier .. yesterday the owner of
the Birkenstock Shop suggested that we
have dinner at Michaels so that is just
what we did and was it great .. it is
ranked as the number five restaurant in
Key West and we would highly recommend
it .. we made it to Mallory Square again
and again there was not a sunset at all
but we met the Merrells and the
McMahons from the Royal Palm Yacht
Club that were spending a few days
at Key West also .. from there we ended
up going to a Key West Drag Show
.. UFFDA !! .. a micro-light rain came
thru when we were at the show .. Autumn
sure did not like the lightning at all
..
|
Traveling
Duck Key to Key West
Tropical Depression Four
Dee Light Hurricane Center
First Day at Key West
|
Monday August 13th ( Anniversary of
Hurricane Charley - 2004 ) -
we will be cruising from Duck Key to Key
West ( Conch Harbor Marina ) ..
- the days are getting shorter and we do
not have a long ways to go today so it
was about 07:30 am when we pulled out
into the Marinas Narrow ( skinny )
Channel .. our day started with Crab
Pots and 2 foot Seas that soon built to
way too many Crab Pots and Seas of 4 to
5 foot .. some of the Crab Pots were
real hard to see as they are painted
BLACK or DARK BLUE .. that along with
our Center Windshield not working made
for a long day .. Betty devised a towel
on the end of a 3 foot pole that helped
to keep the Windshield somewhat clear ..
as we approached Key West we saw the
Tails of three Carnival Cruise Ships
that were docked along the Warf .. it
will be a good day to not head into the
Downtown area of Key West .. we had DEE
LIGHT docked at the Conch Harbor Marina
by 11:15 am ..
- when we were here at this time of the
year in 2004 a Tropical Depression
developed just below Cuba that turned
into Hurricane Charley and sure
enough just as we docked today on the
Anniversary of Hurricane Charley - 2004
Tropical
Depression Four was just
announced and it is headed right on
Charley's line .. UFFFDA !! .. click
here or the Button to the left for
Dee Light Website
Hurricane Center ..
UFFFFDA !!!
..
- we cleaned up and headed off to
explore Key West a little .. we found
new Birkenstock's at the Birkenstock
Shop .. T-shirts and a drink at both
Margaritaville and the Schooner Wharf
Bar .. Chico's .. etc .. and many photo
ops ..
- later the three Cruise Ships that were
in Port all left so Key West was able to
get back to 'normal' .. we took a walk
to Mallory Square but with the overcast
there was no sunset .. we took in the
entertainment on Mallory Square and
ended up at an Ice Cream Parlor for
dinner ..
- when we returned to DEE LIGHT I took a
quick look at the weather and it is
looking like the winds are going to
start to really pick in the next few
days ..
|
Location
Hawk's Cay at Duck Key
Hawk's Cay at Duck Key
Dolphin at Hawk's Cay
|
Sunday August 12th - we
will be spending the day at Hawk's Cay
on Duck Key ..
- we spent much of the morning getting a
few things done around DEE LIGHT .. Dave
and Betty called us on the Marine Radio
.. they said that the waters have not
settled down at all and that they are
going to pull their Anchor and head back
to the Marina where they have Temporary
Dockage set up for the next couple of
Months .. Dave has some 'business stuff'
to take care of later this week so they
will have to be in Port for that ..
Radar Update .. Betty is SO HAPPY ..
for the first time ever Radar pooped on
the Front Deck of their Boat .. indeed
an event to celebrate !! ..
- in the afternoon we took the Dinghy
out one last time before hoisting it
back on the Bow of DEE LIGHT .. we
explored the Cannels and Waterways
around the Hawk's Cay Resort area .. the
Tide Current really moves thru the
Cannels but there was no breeze in many
of the areas and we cleaned out our
sweat pours .. when we returned to
DEE LIGHT it looked like it was going to
rain so we put LIL DELIGHT on the Bow
and got her ready for us to head out in
the morning .. there are a number of
restaurants at Hawk's Cay but since the
Waters Edge Waterfront is right behind
DEE LIGHT we ended up there for dinner
again .. the MarineMax boaters had their
last event and they will be heading out
in the morning also ..
|
Location
Hawk's Cay at Duck Key
Lobstering
Lobstering
Lobstering
Lobstering
Dave and Betty
|
Saturday August 11th - weather
permitting Dave and Betty are going to
show us how to do
Lobstering
..
- I called David on the Marine Radio and
the weather does not look the best .. we
are going to plan for about noon at this
time .. we fueled up our Dinghy at the
Fuel Dock .. about 11:00 am Dave called
and said that it was rough out on the
Hook so we will hold tight for now and
watch the weather ..
- about 01:30 pm Dave called and we
headed out to their Boat .. the waters
were choppy but LIL DEE LIGHT could
handle it .. when we made it to SONG OF
THE SOUTH they all but ready to head out
to try a little
Lobstering
in the choppy waters .. Dave and Betty
have been
Lobstering for over 25 years and
they know every trick in the book .. or
maybe they wrote the book .. below is a
note from Dave about their Boat ..
I know we kind of look like a Conestoga
wagon of the Old West, the front bow
canvas idea came from the design of
Indian teepee's that allow heat
dissipation through the top. Bringing
my western heritage to a boat sure makes
it comfortable.
I do not know it you noticed the Hoses
coming off each rear toe rail on the
upper deck that go to 5 Gallon Cans
clamped to our swim platform.
They are to catch rain water for rinsing
the salt off our dive equipment and
Florida Dive Suits ( Long Sleeve White
Shirts and Long White Pants, When you
climb back into the boat after diving it
is like wearing an air conditioner).
The mooring whips on our swim platform
help with easy docking, loading and
unloading of our dive gear especially in
rough weather.
.. when
we first got started Dave pulled the two
Betty's behind their Dinghy with a 75
foot Water Skiing Lines .. once they
found a suspect area they dropped a
bright colored Marker that they had made
up using a Childs Arm Float .. Dave then
set their Anchor and got out their
Lobster diving tools .. ie a Net, a
Tickler ( pole ) and a Live Net to keep
any keepers in etc .. Dave the 'diver'
joined the gals and sure enough they
came up with a number of Lobsters .. I
watched the process from both above the
waterline as well as below the waterline
.. it was a real education / clinic on
Lobstering .. today only one was
a keeper ( long enough ) but it made the
outing most worthwhile .. it is a LOT OF
WORK but so well worth it .. once we
were back to SONG OF THE SOUTH Dave
showed me how they clean the Lobster ..
we enjoyed a drink on the Bow of their
Boat before returning to DEE LIGHT ..
it was a GREAT DAY !!!! ..
- after
dinner at
the Waters Edge Waterfront we walked the
section of the Resort that will be
getting a face lift starting Monday ..
ie as of February Hawk's Cay at Duck Key
has been under new ownership and the
renovations are to start on Monday ..
|
Travel
Miami to Duck Key
Hawk's Nest at Duck Key
SONG OF THE SOUTH
Radar, Dave and Betty
Betty's Lobster Dinner
|
Friday August 10th - we
will be traveling from Miami to Duck Key
..
- it is about 95 miles from Miami to
Duck Kay and we have to make it thru the
Marinas Entrance Channel before Low Tide
at about 03:00 pm today .. at Low Tide
the Entrance Channel has one area that
will be at a depth of under 5 foot and
our Draft is 05 foot .. UGH !! .. so we
will be getting an early start today ..
- just as we were getting ready to head
out two large Cruise Ships
entered the Government Cut .. one was a
Carnival Cruise Ship and the other was a
Royal Caribbean Ship .. we left the
Marina at 06:30 am and headed towards
Hawk's Channel that runs along the
Florida Keys .. at first our Seas were 3
to four footers .. when we got to Hawk's
Channel they leveled off to about 2 foot
in the Key Largo area .. since
Lobster Season just started on
August 01st we had hundreds of Crab
Pots to dodge .. just before we were
going to contact Hawk's Nest Marina the
first time we heard a series of
emergency calls on the Marine Radio
about a Diver that had drowned in the
Key West area so we held off until we
were inside the Channel to Hawk's Cay
before we contacted them .. I had
forgotten what a beautiful place this is
until we were on our way thru the
Channel .. we made it thru the SHALLOW
area and were docked by 11:30 am .. when
we were docking the Guys that were
giving us a hand with the Lines said
that Marine Max has 28 Boats that are
coming to the Marina today .. UFFFDA !!
now we know why we had a hard time
getting a Slip ..
- I contacted Dave and Betty ( SONG
OF THE SOUTH ) to let them know that
we had made it .. he told us where we
could get Fuel for our Dinghy and that
it was too windy to do any
Lobstering
..
- right after a quick lunch we launched
our Dinghy and headed out to see if we
could find Dave and Betty .. they are on
the Hook about 6 miles due North of Duck
Kay .. after going under the
A1A Bridge we headed almost due
North into choppy waters .. when we were
about 3 miles from them we spotted what
appeared to be their Boat but we were
unsure until we were about 2 miles away
.. from their Boat you can hardly see
any land for 360 degrees .. we spent
most of the afternoon on the covered Bow
of their Boat and when the winds picked
up we headed back into even MORE choppy
Seas ..
- the Waters Edge Waterfront Dining Room
was right at the Aft of DEE LIGHT and
there was live music on the Deck area
outside the Dining Room .. we had dinner
right there and Betty had her long
awated Lobster dinner ..
|
Location
Miami
Beach Marina
South Beach
Shopping South Beach
|
Thursday August 09th - we
will be exploring South Beach ..
- shortly after dawn we watched a
Brazilian Naval Ship make its way
into the Miami Government Cut .. all the
Guys in their whites were at attention
on each of the Ships Decks .. sorry no
photos I was not quick enough .. it is
most interesting to watch the activities
going on in and out of the Miami Inlet
..
- I talked with my son Jon .. he and
PASSION are back at Chub right now they
will be here on Friday and Saturday ..
we will miss them by one day .. UGH !!
..
- in the afternoon we headed into South
Beach .. we did much Window Shopping and
I even checked out a couple of Camera
Shops .. it was almost too warm ( HOT )
to shop .. we ended up having a 'health
treat' ( Onion Rings ) at Johnny
Rockets a 50s styled restaurant ..
when we made it back to the Marina we
saw a Carnival Cruise Ship (
IMAGINATION ) leaving the Miami
Government Cut .. I walked to the
Marina Office and checked out with them
so we are all set to head out in the
morning ..
- at about 07:00 pm Betty's son Randy
and his wife Catalina made it to DEE
LIGHT .. they were working in the Miami
area and live about an hour from the
Marina .. we ended up having dinner with
them along the Pool at Monty's
Restaurant .. Monty's is right at the
Marina but they are independent ..
|
Travel
Fort Lauderdale to Miami
Miami Beach Marina
South Beach
Dinner at South Beach
|
Wednesday
August 08th
- we will be cruising the ICW or
going outside to Miami ..
- when we checked out the weather this
morning we saw a large Storm Cell
offshore between Fort Lauderdale and
Miami .. UGH !! .. we elected to hold
off for a bit and track the Storm before
heading out .. at 09:30 am with the
Storm Cell moving inland just South of
us we headed down the ICW .. I had
thought of going outside but Betty
wanted to do the ICW as this will be out
last opportunity for some time to do the
ICW .. with our Antennas down we were
able to slither under all of the Bridges
except two that we had to have opened
for us .. when we got to the Miami Inlet
there was not a Cruise Ship in sight so
we were able to take the Inlet Waterway
to the Marina .. if there was a Cruise
Ship in the Waterway we would have had
to take an alternate Route around the
Waterway .. this is a Regulation since
911 .. when we were in the process of
docking we noted a STRONG current and
wind that tried to pull DEE LIGHT right
under D-Dock but with the help of the
Dock Attendant we had DEE LIGHT docked
once again by 01:15 pm ..
- once checked in we headed to the Ships
Store where I found some Sump Pump
parts .. I ended up in the Bilge and
Betty ended up in the Marinas Laundry
Room .. we have been on a waiting list
for a Slip at Hawk's Nest at Duck Kay ..
I just 'sweet talked' the gal there into
a Slip for us .. we want to see Dave and
Betty ( SONG OF THE SOUTH ) and
that is the closest Marina to their
anchorage ..
- about 05:30 pm we cleaned up and
walked to South Beach .. the
route from the Marina to South Beach
that we have taken in the past is now
blocked off .. ie under construction ..
yup more Condos going up .. once
we were at South Beach we walked until
we dropped into some chairs right on the
Sidewalk at the Caffe Milano where we
had dinner .. we sat along the Street
and watched the people as they walked by
.. it was a Smorgasbord for the
Eyes .. my Italian dish was so hot that
I just had to cool it off with some Ice
Cream .. we tool a Taxi back to the
Marina ..
|
Location
Bahia Mar Marina
Fort Lauderdale
GALLANT LADY
at Bahia Mar
|
Tuesday
August 07th
- we will be spending the day
relaxing at the Bahia Mar Yachting
Center ..
- once the early morning Sea Fog lifted
the sun appeared and we had the start of
a beautiful day .. we got out our
Calendars and started to plan the last
leg of our return trip to Fort Myers ..
we had singed up for Royal Palm Yacht
Club's South Seas Cruise but at the
time we did not know our return plans at
it is set for August 17th thru the 19th
.. I tried to contact the Cruise Leader
Pat Maurice but thus far have been
unsuccessful .. Pat sent me an E-mail so
now we are set for the South Seas Cruise
.. that will now be our last Port before
heading to our Home Port of Legacy
Harbour Marina at Fort Myers .. I took a
photo walk and checked out the latest
Gallant Lady .. it is a 168 footer that
is owned by a Toyota Importing
entrepreneur .. Betty spent part of the
day at the Pool and I joined her after
doing some work in the Bilge .. I
replaced a Sump Pump that has been
acting up ..
- we took a good long walk on the Beach
before having dinner aboard the Swings
at the Oasis Cafe ..
|
Travel
West Palm Beach to Fort
Lauderdale
DEE LIGHT and SEA BUFF
A very eerie Sunrise
ICW Bow Riders
Betty and the Crew
Dinner at Hooters
|
Monday August 06th - today
SEA BUFF will head North up the ICW
and DEE LIGHT will head South
down the ICW back to Fort Myers ..
- about 04:00 am a large Thunderstorm
moved into the area .. Autumn did not
like the Thunder or the Lightning at all
.. after the Thunderstorm that headed
South we had a very eerie Sunrise
( that should have been a clue to our
day ahead ) but it looks like we will
have a great day ..
- at about 08:30 am we moved DEE LIGHT
to the Fuel Dock and filled our
very thirsty Fuel Tanks .. SEA BUFF
joined us on the Fuel Dock at about
08:45 am .. once SEA BUFF filled up and
checked they headed North on the ICW
thru the 10:15 am Bridge opening ..
Betty's daughter-in-law Shelly and three
of her family joined us aboard DEE LIGHT
for the cruise to Fort Lauderdale
.. we checked out at the Marina Office (
UGH ) and headed down the ICW at 10:30
pm .. we had 16 Bridges ahead of us ..
all went very smooth for the first seven
Bridges .,.then when we called ahead to
our eighth Bridge they would NOT answer
at all until we were right in front of
them .. the name of the Bridge was
changed from Delray Beach Bridge to
George W Bush Bridge and she would
NOT respond to anything else at all ..
UGH !! .. the next few went OK also but
when we called ahead to our number
twelve Bridge ( Boca Club Camino
Bridge - ICW 1048.2 ) they said that
they were just CLOSED as of 60
minutes ago with no apparent prior
communication to anyone and they were
closed in a down position and
would be closed for the next three
Months for repairs .. he said that
they will eventually be closed in an
upright position but for the next
unknown period of time they would be in
the down position .. just as we were
looking at the option to head out thru
the Boca Raton Inlet a
THUNDERSTORM of all Thunderstorms
came down on us right out of nowhere and
nailed us with high winds that we
had to power into at 1600 rpm and rain
that cut our visibility to ZERO
.. we also had the Boca Raton Bridge to
negotiate between the ICW and the
Atlantic Ocean .. we elected to weather
the bulk of the Storm on the ICW before
we headed out .. once the Bridge Tender
opened the Boca Raton Bridge we
found it to be very narrow and
once we made it to the Boca Raton
Inlet we noted that it was VERY
shallow .. UFFFFDA !! .. now I
know why we have never done that Inlet
before .. once we made it to the Ocean
we slowly followed the Storm Cell all
the way to the Fort Lauderdale Inlet
.. as we approached Fort Lauderdale we
heard the US Coast Guard on the Marine
Radio calling a Cargo Ship to do a
boarding much like we had a few days ago
.. we followed a Cruise Ship in the
Inlet that just was returning from the
Bahamas .. we called ahead to the
Bahia Mar Marina ( the
land of the Mega Yachts ) and were in
our Slip by 04:55 pm and by 05:00 pm all
the kids including Betty were off to the
Pool and the Beach and I cleaned my
shorts out ..
- once
everyone was back from the Beach and
cleaned up we took a walk along the
Strip in search of a place to have
dinner .. we did a little shopping on
our way .. we let the four kids pick out
the spot and they picked Hooters
.. Betty's son Dan and Shelly joined
when they made it from Palm City ..
|
Location
Palm Harbor Marina - West Palm
Beach FL
the Beach at Palm Beach
Water Fountain
|
Sunday August 05th - we will be
putting together our plans for the next
number of days ..
- when I first got up ( 05:00 am ) I
found that during the night a number of
Boats had moved into empty Slips on our
Dock and they were having a party on the
Boats .. they appeared to be local West
Palm people about 20 to 35 years old ..
most likely they had been at Peanut
Island ( a Party Island ) just up
the ICW from the Marina .. as the sun
came up they provided us with our
morning entertainment ..
- in the afternoon we barrowed the
Rental Car from Bob and Gayle and
explored the area by Car .. just across
the ICW from the Marina we could see a
huge building that intrigued us so we
drove to .. it is called The Breakers
Hotel and is it stately .. from
there we drove along the Shoreline from
the Fort Worth Inlet and South .. we
ended up at the local Ice Cream Parlor
that is near DEE LIGHT and then we went
to Publix for supplies for tomorrow ..
Autumn spent ALL afternoon with her
Girlfriends aboard SEA BUFF ..
- on our way to dinner we stopped by the
Water Fountain at the Centennial Park
area .. it was a HOT day and there were
kids of all ages all day long cooling
off in the Fountain .. after dinner at
Spoto's Oyster Bar we just had to make
one more stop at Sloan's Ice Cream
Parlor .. in addition to a fantastic
selection they have the most unique
doors to the Restrooms .. from the
outside you can see right into the
Restrooms thru their Glass Doors .. when
a person goes in and turns a lever up
the Door fogs up so you cannot see thru
the Door at all .. ?? .. and the Ice
Cream was GREAT ..
|
Location
Palm Harbor Marina - West Palm
Beach FL
Chinese Dinner at the Mall
|
Saturday August 04th - we will
be spending the day getting a few more
things done around DEE LIGHT and Betty's
son Randy and his wife will be stopping
by ..
- when I was at West Marine yesterday I
picked up a new Sump Pump for the Rear
Sump Pit .. today I installed the Pump
..
- about mid-afternoon Betty's son Randy
and his wife Catalina joined us aboard
DEE LIGHT .. they live about 30 minutes
South of West Palm Beach .. they
brought us to the The Gardens (
Mall at Palm Beach ) to do some long
overdue shopping .. right after making
it to the Ice Cream Parlor Betty made it
to Chico's, Black and White etc and I
made it to the Wolf Camera shop
.. we had a Chinese dinner at the Mall
where we just had to check out my new
Camera equipment ..
|
Location
Palm Harbor Marina - West Palm
Beach FL
Betty's son Danny and family
|
Friday
August 03rd - we will be spending
the day getting a few things done around
DEE LIGHT Betty's Danny and his family
will be stopping by ..
- a Diver came to check out the bottom
of SEA BUFF and I had him remove the
Bathtub Ring around DEE LIGHT .. Bob and
Gayle got a Car for the weekend ( $20.00
per day ) .. Bob and I took a trip to
West Marine for a few supplies and
Betty did some shopping near the Marina
.. in the afternoon Betty'
daughter-in-law Shelly, and part of her
family met up with Betty at the City
Center .. Bob and I found a local
Boat detailer ( Yacht Detail ) to clean
our salt encrusted Boats ..
Gayle and Bob brought the three Girls (
our three Dogs ) to the Beauty Parlor
and did they need it .. well Autumn had
other thoughts .. she gave the personal
at the Beauty Parlor such a piece of her
mind that she came back to DEE LIGHT
just as she left ..
- we had dinner with Betty's son Danny
and his family at ER Bradley's just a
short walk from the Marina ..
|
Travel
West End to West Palm Beach
Florida
Sunrise at West End
US Coast Guard Cutter
US Coast Guard Boarding
Bridge Collapse Minneapolis
|
Thursday August 02nd - once
again we will be trying to do the
Crossing to Florida ..
- when I first got up to check on the
weather their was a light rain shower
moving thru .. we headed out of the
Marina at 06:15 am right into 6 foot
plus Rollers and 3 foot Waves .. we
watched SEA BUFF 'bobbing' for a short
time and decided to head back to the
Marina .. we pulled up to the Fuel
Dock and once it opened up ( after
the sunrise ) we both took on
ballast ( Fuel ) .. neither of us needed
additional Fuel for the Crossing but we
put an additional 100 gallons into each
of our two Forward Fuel Tanks to help
hold the Bow down .. when we were at the
Fuel Dock we talked with another Boater
( TOO BAD SO SAD ) that wanted to make
the Crossing today also .. and they had
8 teenagers aboard .. much like us they
were really checking out the Seas .. we
headed out again at about 08:18 am
into the same Seas .. UFFFDA !! .. it
was bumpy for about 10 miles then the
Rollers settled down and we had a very
comfortable ride until two US Coast
Guard Cutter and it Interceptor Boat
cut us off .. they did not contact us
ahead by Marine Radio they just headed
for our Bow .. they said that they
wanted the element of surprise .. well
they got our attention quickly .. we
slowed down and they said that they were
going to do an At Sea Boarding
since it has been many Months since our
last boarding .. they went thru all of
our paper work and once they were done
they headed to SEA BUFF to do a boarding
with them also .. as I did the paperwork
with two of the Guys Betty had an
interesting conversation with the others
as she took them thru DEE LIGHT ... they
did check all the normal stuff ie
Flares, Fire Extinguishers etc but what
they were really looking for Illegals
and Drugs .. daily they encounter
people being smuggled in via the Bahamas
from Cuba, South America etc .. they
really searched every Storage Area and
even went thru the Engine Room .. the
location of our boarding's was at about
half the distance from the West End to
Lake Worth Inlet .. both Gayle and Betty
said that any of the US Coast Guard
Guys could qualify as their
Poster Guys anytime .. it was about
11:15 am before we were on our way again
.. DEE LIGHT has been boarded at Sea a
number of times but never by a unit as
courteous and professional as this unit
.. after our encounter the Seas were a
lot flatter so we were able to cruise a
little faster ..
- we spent much of the day watching the
TV coverage of the I-35 Bridge
Collapse that took place in
Minneapolis yesterday ( August 01st at
06:09 pm - Rush Hour ) .. I have
traveled over that Bridge countless
times and under the Bridge by Boat a
number of times ..
- as we got closer to Florida we did
have a number of Ships to dodge as we
got closer to the Inlet .. when we were
about 5 miles from the Inlet our Cell
Phones were working for the first time
since we left for the Bahamas .. the
first call that I made was to the US
Customs and Border Protection Office ..
I gave them our Local Boaters Option
Numbers that we got before we headed to
the Bahamas and within 2 minutes we had
cleared Customs .. once we made it
to the ICW we called ahead to the
Flagler Memorial Bridge and set up an
opening for 01:15 pm .. once thru the
Bridge we were within sight of the
Marina and we had both Boats docked by
01:30 pm ..
- after checking in at the Marinas
Office we cleaned up and headed into the
City Center .. we ended up having
dinner at The Cheesecake Factory .. it
was great but no Beans and Rice
on the Menu .. ?? ..
|
Travel
Lucaya to West End
Wave Heights - 'click' for
larger
Pool - West End
Mega Yacht - West End
|
Wednesday August 01st - we will
be doing the Crossing back to Florida ..
( we got part way ) ..
- based on the weather forecast we
changed our plans and decided to head
out for Florida today ..
- after checking the weather forecast
for today we headed out of the Marina at
06:15 am .. we headed out to Mixed Seas
of about 3 plus feet .. the light wind
and the 'wraparound' Seas from the
Florida Straights were both coming from
the South-Southwest .. after about only
30 to 40 minutes we sensed a Fuel Filter
problem with our Starboard Engine .. I
called SEA BUFF and told them that we
were going to head to West End to change
out our Fuel Filters etc .. we slowed
down to about 12 knots and made our way
up the Shoreline .. when we were within
sight of the Marinas Outer Markers we
saw a Sport Fishing Boat that had just
left West End and had caught on fire ..
they quickly dropped their anchor and a
Tender was picking them up as we went by
.. I had called ahead to West End when
we first noted our problem and it was a
good thing as when we got there they
were all but full and other Boats were
calling for dockage also .. we were both
docked by 09:00 am ..
- once we got settled in I headed to the
Engine Room .. I replaced the Racor
Fuel Filters and I also cleaned out
the Racor Units .. some time ago I had
given some Filters to one of our other
RPYC Boaters so today I used my last set
of Racor Filters .. I also changed the
Final Fuel Filters .. I got done
about 02:00 pm ..
- after Betty got us checked in at the
Marina Office she tried to take a Bus
into Freeport for the day but the
schedule times for today were changed so
she ended up at the Pool .. I joined her
at the Pool and Bob and Gayle also made
it to the Pool for part of the afternoon
..
- the four of us had dinner at the
Marinas Restaurant and hit the sack
early so we will be ready again in the
morning ..
|
