The 2007 cruise concludes

12/11 Waiting for parts


We’ve made pretty good time, in sailboat terms, working our way down the coast. With only a few multi-day stops it took three weeks to get from Annapolis to Florida. But the watermaker woes finally left us stuck for a over a week. We found reasonable dockage at Riviera Beach so the warranty work on the watermaker could be done. Most marine service companies will not work on a boat that is not at a dock. Something about insurance. For us, it means the added expense of docking at a marina. But at least the Riviera Beach town marina has a cool tiki bar restaurant and great grouper tacos. IATO was at the dock too for most of the time, so it was nice to have some time to hang out with Rick and Linda, and to finally meet my 2nd cousin Keith and his wife Lori, who came up for lunch on Sunday.

Beard Marine responded pretty quickly, but then we had to wait for days for the replacement feed pump to come from California. Sure enough that fixed the problem and we were glad it was covered under warranty. Watermakers are alchemy to me. Sea salinity, Energy Transfer Device pressure, brine discharge, membranes, flow rates, diverter valves, backflush and pickling…. And it’s all about reverse osmosis and the ultimate “product water” that dribbles into our water tank at a few gallons an hour. As a trained engineer, I’m usually pretty good at troubleshooting systems, but so far I’m mystified by the watermaker. Something else to learn.

Finally, we left Rivera Beach and it wasn’t easy. With a stiff breeze blowing us onto the dock, I was worried we would scrape against the pilings or blow into other boats. Rick helped from the dock and we were able to spring around the end of the dock and back out into the channel. By mid afternoon we were at anchor in Lake Boca. The plan was to meet Keith and go to their home for dinner. But now comes my biggest peeve about the cruising life. In so many towns there is no place to go ashore. Lake Boca is stuffed with luxury condos, homes, and hotels. There is a small public boat ramp, but no place to leave the dinghy for a few hours. We fruitlessly ran up and down the ICW looking for a suitable spot. Keith was looking from the shore. We even spotted him one time. But alas, to no avail, we went back to the boat and didn’t get a chance to visit them. What a disappointment!

12/13

Miami Blue

We timed our 0645 departure from Lake Boca with the first bridge opening. By mid-day we had staggered through a myriad of ICW bridges and waited behind two racing sailboats for the last obstacle between us and the Atlantic…. The 55 foot bascule bridge at Port Everglades. Out the huge inlet we were greeted by a 15 knot easterly, 4 foot seas and the bluest of seas. Despite it being a little rough, the sails pushed us along at almost 8 knots and we enjoyed watching Miami draw near over the brilliant blue. We quickly made the short offshore leg and sailed into Miami’s Government Cut… South Beach on our right and Fisher Island on our left. Enormous docks and ships lay ahead, with the Miami skyline as backdrop. As we took the south side of Lummus Island, a confusing commotion approached in the channel. We saw a couple of small tugs and pilot boats and a small ship belching white smoke. It was old and rusty, perhaps 100’ long. The deck was strewn with rusty bicycles and parts, as if salvaged from the bottom. Its hailing port was African, and about 25 very unhappy looking men were on the deck milling about. We wondered. We still wonder.

Out of Miami we made for Key Biscayne and No Name Harbor, a beautiful little harbor that is part of a state park. We didn’t get out and explore, but with a late arrival we settled in and were out early the next morning. The wind was perfect for a sail down Biscayne Bay, and we made good time to Islamorada. We tried to anchor at Tavernier, but ran aground in the Community Harbor channel. It is very shallow all over the keys, and it felt a little weird to be under sail at 7.5 knots with only a couple of feet of water under the keel.

12/15 Tropics

After our sprint to the keys, we figured we had plenty of time to make it Ft Myers Beach, so we decided to linger in Islamorada for a couple of days. The famous Lorelei restaurant provided dockage and breakfast, and we were able to walk to provision nearby. The water was warm and clear and we finally felt we had accomplished something cruiserly by having delivered ourselves to a tropical anchorage in December. To celebrate, we dove in. A quick inspection of the hull revealed a rope around the starboard prop. Probably one of the myriads of crab pots dotting Florida Bay. Our line cutters had done their job, and it was easy to get the remnant clear of the prop.

12/18 Cruiser Central

Marathon’s Boot Key harbor is the end of the line for many snowbirds. A large protected harbor, winter warmth, and a cruiser-friendly attitude bring the crowds. There is even the Smorgasboat, which will act as a taxi and delivery service. Every morning there is a radio net to talk about local news, special offers from local businesses, weather, and want-ads. Marine services abound. We were anxious to get north but we waited a few nights for a front to pass. We sailed close-hauled at 6.3 kts past Bullard Bank and on to Cape Romano. The crab pots were so thick we were constantly dodging them. Everywhere, for miles. It was a long stretch and it was dark before we reached the Cape Romano shoals. The charted shoal light was nowhere to be seen, and for a while we confused radio tower lights near Marco Island for navigation lights. The wind was predicted to stay offshore, so we tucked in at about 9:30 north of Cape Romano Island just off the beach. It seemed a little strange to anchor in the Gulf of Mexico, but the offshore wind kept it calm all night, and we were close enough to the beach to be lulled asleep by the surf and the occasional breathing of a passing dolphin.

12/19 Destination

After a leisurely start, we sailed north until the wind died off Marco Island. We motored toward Ft Myers Beach, but decided to do a drive-by at the Naples pier. It looks so different from the other side. For a while, we had a hard time spotting it, but passed a couple of hundred yards off the pier and waved to the tourists. We tried to spot familiar sights along the way…. The Registry, Vanderbilt Beach, Wiggins State Park. Finally we were there, our winter destination. We slid underneath the bridge by the Matanzas Inn and decided to pick up a mooring in the east field past Salty Sam’s. As we approached, we spotted another Manta. We pulled near to see who it was. It was a new boat, a Mark IV named Serenity. It’s easy to tell by the added footsteps on the hull. A figure appeared, and called out “Sally, we meet at last!” Thanks, John. How nice to end our first cruise with a friendly Manta family welcome.