2011-12-07 - to Bimini, Bahamas

Well,we are off! It's 4am and we are now making our way out of the channel heading to Bimini. We are not alone this morning. Although it is pitch black out here, we can make out the lights of 5 boats in front and 4+ boats behind. It's great company as you can always hear what other boats are seeing in front. The boys are still asleep, but Connor wants to be up when we start in the Gulf Stream. This is probably it for Internet until we reach Bahamas. Catch you on the 'other side'!
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Well, we made it.  At 1:00pm, we arrived on the docks at Blue Water Marina.  The crossing was basically uneventful.  We had 3-4 foot waves on the

nose the whole time and had to motor...but, it could have been worse.  We had a few sprays over the bow, but nothing to soak us.  We also tried our hand at fishing again, without any luck.  Dharma (the other boat that we are crossing with) did catch a Wahoo! 
The water was so blue on the crossing and half way over the Gulf Stream, we tossed two bottles into it which we wrote a note and put in our boat cards.  Hopefully someone up the way finds it and lets us know.  We figured it would probably take 50 or so days to reach land...perhaps Ireland?  We also had dolphins jumping around our boat for about 5-10 minutes.  They were really putting on a show.  It was great!!

Tossing our 'message in a bottle'

As we approached the entrance to Bimini, the water turned that incredible clear that we have so longed for up in "Murky North America".  We could see fish and star fish right down to the bottom. Connor ran to the front to take it all in.  We landed at the docks and got our pile of paperwork from the marina office to fill in.  Once completed we had to go down the street to the customs office.  Other cruisers were there doing the same.  It's here where we pay for our cruisers permits (in case you are wondering it is $300 + $25 for the extra person).  After that, we proceeded to the immigration office where we needed to fill out more

dolphins came to play

paperwork.  All done!  Time to relax and enjoy!    We ended up going to the beach on the other side of the island where some of the other cruisers were also.  The water was beautiful and refreshing.  Dylan even got in with his floating neck ring and loved it.  We'll do more of this for sure.  In the evening a lady named Shirley came by the boat selling Conch Salad and told us of the bonfire down at the beach.  We ended up doing that and met more cruisers at her little restaurant, called 'Shirley's'.  The other cruisers had said that this little spot is the best around and came to Bimini just for her food.  We had already grabbed a bite, but may give it a go tomorrow.  One of the fellows we met is the captain of a boat that landed today as well.  He told us of his woes at the customs office that day.  They stamped the passport all of the people from his boat


Taking the US courtesy flag down and puttting
up the yellow quarantine flag

 until they got to the owners passport.  They shook their heads in simultaneous disagreement.  Apparently, he had been coming to Bimini every 2 weeks or so bringing items for the Bahamians.  He was not running anything illegal....just diapers, fruit juice, etc.  It is very expensive here for some of those items and he was basically just helping out families.  After a brief discussion, he said, the owner was clear.  No other details were shared.  We did a brief walk around the town before heading back to the boat.  We haven't planned what to do tomorrow but there is a front moving in (this is the window that is now closing for those who still need to cross) and we'll make plans then.  We are just thankful that we made it and are very excited to explore these wonderful islands.

2011-12-06 - Key Biscayne, FL (No Name Harbor)

We listened to Chris Parker on SSB this morning, and it appears like tomorrow will be our day for crossing. Right now we have left the mooring field at north Key Biscayne and heading for No Name Harbor where we will be prepared to head out for Bahamas in the morning!

2011-12-05 -in Key Biscayne, FL

Today, Julie from Cee Jem and I headed over for one very last provisioning run. It seems like we just couldn't fit any more in the boat, but when you see things at the store that you may need...you start to imagine more space magically appearing! A full dinghy load made it back to the boat and was tucked away before you could say, "did we get any...?". This is now all that we can load. If we don't have it, we don't need it. And, if we need it....we could probably buy it there. So, provisioning is now done. The kids played on the beach while all this was doing on and later, Cee Jem came over for supper. We enjoyed Cee Jem's pumpkin pie which see was going to save to make for when we got to Pumpkin Key. This is a Key a little south from us. We were going to leave from there...but, now it seems as if we are planning on leaving from No Name Harbor just 4 miles or so from here. The other boat, Dharma, is also waiting there. It looks as if the window will be opening this week for the crossing. It's just a matter of waiting a day to be sure what this will look like. Very exciting!

2011-12-04 - in Key Biscayne, FL

We are in the mooring field still, but eagerly waiting for our crossing to the Bahamas.  The weather has not been suitable for crossing for the last 1-2 weeks.  There is still wind with a northern component that does not do well with the Gulf Stream.  At first, it looked as if Wednesday early morning would work...but, when we woke up this morning, the forecast had shifted a day later.  So, now Thursday, seems to be the day.  The kids from the other boats came over for a play on the boat in the morning.  Several were hanging in harnesses off of the lift at the side of the boat and the two at the stern for the dinghy.   We were visited by lots of jellyfish also which added to the excitement of dangling just above them.  Later we joined Cee Jem at the beach for some serious hole digging and further route planning.  On the way over there Cee Jem, with Connor in their dinghy, saw a manatee in the water and a trumpet fish just near the beach!  They all thought that was pretty cool!  We are all ready now to go.  Of course, we keep eating our provisions while we wait, so we will run out to the grocery store tomorrow to top up for one last time...hopefully!  

2011-12-03 - in Key Biscayne, FL



Enjoying the beach with the other 2 boats while several  kite surfers entertained us!



Exploring a marvelous tree along the way home!

 

2011-12-02 - to Key Biscayne, Fl



 We decided to move from Coconut Grove to Key Biscayne as we were not protected from the wind coming in the bay.  The other two boats also headed that way.  After a very lengthy check in procedure (it is a government facility and we had to show proof of insurance, ownership, etc.) we hooked up to our new mooring ball.  It's a much more protected spot, however, the wind still is howling in here.  The water is such as nice colour and we are moored next to a small island which is home to pelicans and other water birds.  It's quite a nice spot.  Just before the sun went down we had decided to head to the small beach near the marina to check it out.  Cee Jem joined us and we enjoyed a few snacks while the kids played in the sand and dancing to Miley Cyrus!  Fun!

2011-12-01 - in Miami, FL (Coconut Grove)



Last night on the radio I heard the advertisement for "Santa's Enchanted Forest".  I did a quick search and thought that it would be fun to go.  I got Kerry on board with the idea and after told Connor - he couldn't contain himself.  In the morning he quickly and attentively completed his school work so that we could get there on time.  It's a large amusement area, but in a Christmas / Santa theme.  We headed into town early afternoon for a quick walkabout and then hopped on one of the city buses that would take us there.  It was quite nice.  They had so many Christmas lights in the trees that lined a long walkway to the amusements.  They also had displays lining the walk and rides for younger kids.  We found the local bus that would take us to the terminal and transfer to the terminal.  To find the bus I jumped on the first bus I saw to ask which bus to take.  Within moments the whole bus was shouting out orders for the bus.  I felt like I was on Price is Right....where I was bidding on a set of washer and dryer. I couldn't even make out really what they were saying.  Very helpful lot, really, but we figured it out.  One crazy

thing that happened occurred when we getting on the second bus.  Kerry heard someone call out his name and guess who it was QCYC folks?  John Ball (J.B.).  for those who don't know J.B. he is from our club back home.  He was thinking of heading down this way, but we had no idea that he had made it.  He had left after the whole closing of the Erie canal thing....so I can't wait to hear his story when we meet again.  The bus driver was closing the door quickly behind Kerry so we didn't get to hear.  Anyway...small world.  I tried a lot of the rides that Connor did.  I figured that this is training for

crossing the Gulf Stream.  If I can handle these rides, I can handle anything that the crossing can throw at us!

Connor is the 'Ring Master' at the Children's Interactive Circus




Wheeee!  So hard to get a good picture of this as they were moving so quickly......They loved it!

 

2011-11-30 - to Miami, FL (mile 1095)

We finally broke free from Cooley's Landing.  At 9am the first opening of the bridge saw 3 sailboats (Hi5, Cee Jem and Dharma) make their way through.  We had to first stop at Las Olas Marina to pick up a package that had been delivered there.  We did a Nascar pit stop on the sea wall at the marina.  A quick tie up, a run into the office and back, untie...and go! We would be going out in the ocean today.  It's been a while since we have been out there.  Cee Jem have never been out and they are looking forward to putting at least one ocean passage before the big crossing.  The sea was very calm and wind was under 10 knots - so quite uneventful.   We saw, for the first time, the bottom of the ocean.  The colour of the water has definitely changed.  It's not 'Bahamas clear' but you can see detail at the bottom which show that we are going in the right direction.  One thing that we did see was a large amount of pink jellyfish floating by.   It was something I have never seen before.  Connor also wanted to try fishing again.  He was, again, successful.  He pulled in, what we think was a small tuna (called a Little Tunny).  We ended putting it back as it wasn't a very large fish but he was thrilled to have caught another.  We pulled into the mooring field at Dinner Key Marina late afternoon.  We will be here or a few days as the weather for crossing does not seem like it is suitable until, at least, next Monday. 

2011-11-29 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Cooley's Landing....last day here)

It was just a day for trying to complete all of the last-minute tasks on our list.  Busy, busy day!  In the middle of it all the three kid boats got together to put on a bake sale.  Connor also brought out his magic tricks to entertain the bake sale goers.  Tomorrow we plan to leave for Miami.  I think that we all feel done with Ft. Lauderdale.  After several days at one spot we start feeling like it is time to start moving.  The first bridge opening is at 9am....we plan to be under it!

2011-11-28 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Cooley's Landing....still)

We are still here at Cooley's - hoping to head out soon but we have a few big jobs to do on the boat.  One of them was unjamming the spare halyard at the top of the mast. It had slipped off of the wheel and jammed in the mechanism.  This required me to go up there and sort it out.  It was quite jammed and took over an hour to clear.  Greg from Cee Jem and Kerry stood by and manned the lines.  It was good to finally tick off one of the big jobs on our list.  Several more are on....but one day at a time!

One of the very exciting things that happened today was that

Connor caught his first fish!  We have been throwing out a line just really for fun.  We throw it out...reel it in.  Nothing ever jumps on the hook.  But, this time he yelled out, "I caught one, I caught one".  I was not prepared for that.  I shouted to Kerry who came running to assist, we had to run back to grab the net, the pliers and, of course, the camera.  He was thrilled.  We ended up freeing this little guy to live for another day.

My view from above!

2011-11-27 - in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Cooley's Landing)

The day started out rather mundane.  The girls went shopping to Walmart while the men stayed behind and watched the kids.  We all had to finish up on the last few things for the trip.  Courtney from Dharma...was clearly the winner on this haul - lots of duplicates, triplicates of items....we had all been there.  I had already gone several times the day before and Julie from Cee Jem did a lot in Vero Beach.  But 10 boxes of instant potatoes bought from Walmart isn't really interesting so I need to figure out what else we did today....hummmm...oh, ya...we snagged thieves in a robbery.  No really.... here's what happened.  Kerry and I were outside when I saw three early teen boys running through the parking lot with 2 very shiny folding bikes.  What caused me to be suspicious is that I had noticed these bikes the other day on our walk.  They were locked to the mid deck of another catamaran.  I took me a very brief moment to put it all together.  The confirmation was the third fellow holding a large pair of bolt cutters.  I jumped off of the boat yelling something to do with 'put the bikes down' - 'they are not yours..'.  I think the psychology of it all was that someone had stolen our silver bike just before we left....so, this was a bit personal.  Kerry jumped off as well and started to run towards them.  I ran around the building hoping to cut them off.  By the time I reached the front they had pulled ahead.  Luckily, they had already dropped one of the bikes.  I quickly put it together (as it was a foldable bike) and was in pursuit.  I went through a few of the streets in the neighbourhood chasing them on my newly acquired wheels.  At each intersection I asked a pedestrian if they had seen boys on a bike.  On both occasions they steered me in the right direction.  The last person pointed in the direction of a grassy area between townhouses that lead to another street.  Off I went.  Bingo! There they were.  At this point Greg and Courtney (from the other boats) were driving in their car also in pursuit.  The second bike was now dropped and the last boy was running.  Luckily a police officer had appeared down the street so I called out to him.  Lights went on and now the boy was running in my direction.  As he approached I began to do an 'S' maneuver on the bike.....just to throw him off a bit.  :)  Greg and Courtney arrived just as the boy approached me and wobbled past me.  They grabbed his shirt and he was now down.  Courtney, however, had some rocks thrown at her as he was being tackled....left a poor little welt on her forehead.  Team Cruisers win this one. The portly police officer had just caught up to the scene.  Panting, he was asking what street we were on - as he was calling for back up.  Within moments a couple of other police cars joined in on the scene and the one young man was apprehended.  After a few details written in the police notebook....we were free to go.  Unfortunately, for the young man...his day would not be that clear.  I went back to the boat that I thought that the bikes came from.  No one seemed to be on board...so I asked a passer by to borrow a pen first to write down the numbers....but, when he didn't have that, I asked for his phone.  I called the emergency numbers on the side of the boat and, wouldn't you know it, they were actually on the boat - unaware that boys had climbed on their boat, gone to the other side and snipped their bikes free.  They were grateful and went to find the police officers to identify themselves.  When we all found another police officer he reached into his trunk and pulled out a shiny gold sticker with 'Ft Lauderdale Junior Police Officer' on it.  He said, thanks for your help....here's a sticker.  I asked for a few more for the rest of the gang.  By now all of the kids were running around trying to find clues and solve the crime - we all deserve stickers for this one!  Sure beats shopping at Walmart!  Let's hope the rest of the days are not 'that exciting'. 

2011-11-26 - in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Cooley's Landing)

We decided to head up to Cooley's landing - the marina up New River.  The other boats Cee Jem and Dharma are there as well as other cruisers.....we felt a little lonely on the wall downtown as we were surrounded by large powerboats....most just for sale.   Also, it's great to be able to get off and just walk a few steps to the laundry, be a little irresponsible with natural resources (let the water run when you wash your hands, leave a light on, etc) - as you have full acces to water and power.  Ahhh - it's a great feeling.   We eyed up a few spots yesterday when we were there.  Kerry confirmed that they would, indeed, fit us.  There is a strong current on this river and the opposing traffic can be as small as a row boat to as big as a mega yacht.  There's not a lot of room for error.  We called the first bridge while on the wall still to let them know that we were coming through.  There are 3 quick bridges in a row.  It can be tricky.  We landed the boat and had a full day of activity.  Dylan walked for about an hour in his walker on the grounds meeting some of the other boaters in the marina.  Connor was zipping around on his bike and then we joined him (Dylan in trailer) and headed up to the Science Museum.  There were amateur astronomers in front of the museum with their powerful telescopes that they were allowing people to view the sun.   There are a few kids now here that Connor can play with so he slowly integrated himself into that group and seemed to be having a great time. In the evening the boaters got together for a Sundowner....bringing snacks, drinks, and conversation. It was finally feeling that we had arrived.  It's been a long haul to Ft. Lauderdale.  In some ways we feel like we are just starting now.    Kerry said that making it to Ft. Lauderdale is just like making it to Base Camp on a mountain climb.  There's still so much more to do!

2011-11-25 - in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (up New River)

 It was provisioning day - I headed out right away and walked to the grocery store.  It's not too far from the wall downtown so it is fairly (by boat standards) handy.  I only got to aisle 7 and had to quit - my cart was full.  I checked out and headed home.  We have so much to do in these last few days before we leave.  It's a little overwhelming...but, we push through.  I am also trying to source some more feed cans for Dylan.  I ended up finding some online from another parent who had a surplus.  We are on a great discussion group where we can trade,  sell, offer or ask for equipment.  It is quite handy.  So, I am reminded as I was trying to set up payment to her on Paypal how difficult or sometimes impossible it is to operate on a boat.   For some reason I

had to reset my password, security questions, and phone number on Paypal before I could use my account.  The first two were fine.  The last one, my phone number, proved to me more difficult.  They needed to call the number I had on file to verify that that was my number.  I first thought that to be impossible as our home phone is basically virtual and only used for messages. But, then I remembered that I do have that phone on board (our cell phone), buried with the things that we won't need until we get home.  So, I found it,  juiced it up and turned it on. Then, I clicked, 'yes, call me now" - only to get the message 'we don't call cell phones- pick another line'.  Ok, now what?  I ended up phoning my mom(using Skype on the couture) to ask if she would accept the call from them.  She, thankfully, agreed.  I hung up and put her number in this time.  Then, the screen said, 'enter these four digits when we call.  Ahhhhhh!

"I lost something.....my second tooth!  check it out!!"

 I called her back straight away, but she had already picked up the phone call from Paypal and hung up as she didn't have the code.  I told her that I would do it again and then call her with the code.  This time the site did not even give me the option of using a phone number for verification.  It said that the phone failed and a letter was sent out to my address within 5-7 days with the PIN!  I finally asked my dad to send the money on our behalf through his Paypal and I would send the money to him through our bank.  Great - solved.  After 2 hours of that....Connor and I went to get the second load from the grocery store.  We did great - filled up another cart and proceeded to the check out.  Upon paying, the cashier looked at me shyly and said, 'your card has been denied - maybe you don't have enough money'.  The contents in my cart looked suspiscious - 20 cartons of UHT milk, 4 boxes of diapers, 10 boxes of pasta, 10 boxes of cereal.   It had already been a long day.  I couldn't really think of what to do.  Do I just leave it and go get the other cards....would that help?  Then she said, 'you can call the card company if you want to see what the problem is'.   My response to that was, 'I don't have a phone'.  Well, how strange is that?  Again, no cell phone, credit card denied, a cart full of strange items.  Anyway, she offered the store phone to call.  The problem was cleared up quickly.  The credit card company's fraud protection division had put a hold on my card due to very suspicous behaviour and buying patterns.  Really?  20 cartons of milk is not normal?  All was well, we paid and headed out.  The store allowed us to take the cart both times back to the boat with the promiise to bring it back.  Pushing a cart through the streets, after having my credit card denied and not owning a cell phone was not good for the ego but it did make for a good chuckle as we got back to the boat!

Kerry had been at the boat with Dylan.  He had patched our bike trailer wheel as well as storing the first load into the boat.  It's a big job.  I offered to put away the second load if he take both boys to the other boats at the Marina.  He was, I'm sure, glad to get off of the boat....and, I was glad to have a bit of quiet time.  I joined up with them later in the afternoon and chatted with them until dark.  We walked the 3/4 mile home enjoying the Christmas lights along the riverbank and called it a night.

2011-11-24 - in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

2011-11-23 - in Ft. Lauderdale, FL

2011-11-22 - to Ft. Lauderdale, FL (mile 1064)

We finally made it to Ft. Lauderdale today!  The homes along this stretch are fabulous!    There's an incredible amount of money  here.  Again, we had several bridges to contend with We made all of them with great time today.  Some we really had to punch it down to make the opening.  If we miss, it's a 30 minute wait.  With the current and passing boats in the small channel...you want to time the bridges right.  We passed though the final bridge, Las Olas, and grabbed a mooring ball located opposite the marina.  It didn't take us too long to get ourselves together to shore.  We had another opportunity to try out Dylan's Beach Buggy at the beach.  It worked great.  The waves, however, were still a bit strong and we couldn't get him in too far. We finally took him out and Kerry took him in the surf.  He loved it and didn't get too upset when  a giant wave went right over their heads. 

We took a couple of shivering boys back to the boat for a quick change of clothes and then back to the beach for the lighting of the palm trees down the beach front.  Afterwards, there was a free concert and bouncy castles in the park down the street.  Off we went following the crowds and stopping to check out the street vendors along the way.  It was the local concert band playing Christmas songs.  I brought Dylan front and centre so that he could see it all.  He loves this sort of thing.  Soon another family with a boy just a little older than Dylan, also with CP came to sit behind us.  Their child was so affectionate and the two of them really hit it off.   I had a lovely chat with the parents and hope that we can connect with each other again.

Dylan's new buddy!

2011-11-21 - to Lantana, FL (Mile 1031)

In the morning we headed to beach.  It was a beautiful beach that we had all to ourselves.  The waves were still strong but we enjoyed hanging out on the edge and anticipating which one would take us out!  The air is a lot warmer now and the water was actually quite nice.  Connor was having a great time until, we think, he was stung by a jellyfish.  It caused a bit of a welt but was gone within 10 minutes or so.  We headed back to the boat, had some breakfast, and were again on our way.  We were trying to get to Boca Raton, but there are so many bridges on this stretch.  Some are on request but most are on a schedule: either on the hour or half hour / or quarter past, quarter to.  If you miss an opening you need to wait up to 30 minutes.  We managed to get within 15 miles of Boca Raton in Lantana.  We just pulled off after the last bridge and anchored.  After a quick bite and glitter glue craft - we called it a night.

  

2011-11-20 - to Peck Lake, FL (mile 992)

We tried to head out early from Vero Beach...but, we needed to fill up with fuel before leaving and there was only one space on the dock.  Boats kept circling waiting for an opening.  We decided to eventually leave without fuel.  Now, we were fine without fuel but we needed an excuse to get on the dock to get water.   For the last day we had consumed both of our spare jugs and Kerry had already filled and we consumed another more.   We were completely empty.  Even our power had gone to a minimum.  We had run the generator only 2 times while there and only for 30 minutes or so.   Being tied to a buddy boat...we didn't feel like disturbing anyone with the humming of the generator.  All of our trusted electronics were now flat....we needed to start the engines and get charging!  We pulled away and headed for Peck lake.  We have been told by several other people that this is a beautiful and must-see anchorage.  There is a spot to land the dingy on the inland beach and walk 30 seconds to the ocean side.  This beach is only accessible by boat which makes it extra special.  Before hitting this anchorage we pulled up into Manattee Pocket to finally fill up with fuel and water!  We were back in business.  We also popped into the fishing store to see if they had any supplies.  We ended up bringing our rod in to see if they could suggest any alterations or additions.  There was a young kid in there and he just started to spout off terminology that made our eyes glaze over.  He was very knowledgeable..but, for us...keep it simple!  We did end up making a purchase of some lures large enough to catch Tuna!  yikes. I am still not comfortable with the whole fishing thing.  I know that it is essential as fresh food is not as available as here.  Once we cross over, it would be great to be a bit more self sufficient.   By the time we got to the anchorage at Peck Lake it was pouring rain and nearing dark.  We would head over to the beach in the morning to check it out!