We hope to be back on board Kinvara shortly after the New Year and get her ready to head south to the Florida Keyes for two or three months. We hope you will check in on us now and then and read about our next adventure.
Dec 18, 2010
Jane and I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous 2011.
We hope to be back on board Kinvara shortly after the New Year and get her ready to head south to the Florida Keyes for two or three months. We hope you will check in on us now and then and read about our next adventure.
We hope to be back on board Kinvara shortly after the New Year and get her ready to head south to the Florida Keyes for two or three months. We hope you will check in on us now and then and read about our next adventure.
Nov 18, 2010
Back on Land
November 15,2010
First thing Monday morning we moved Kinvara to her new slip at the fixed docks in Stuart. We now have a concrete wall to break the wave action so our boat can rest in peace while we are gone. Our friends, Sandy & Al drove 2.5 hours to pick us up. After a wonderful visit on board we ate lunch ashore at the local tiki bar & restaurant....it was goooooood. We started off with sweet potato fries and a pound of peel & eat shrimp!! By 2:30 we were on the road home. Hard to sleep though without the slight motion of being on the water!!
Tuesday morning Peter was off by 7:30, driving to Vero Beach, to pick up our friends from s/v Meredith. Bob & Connie are leaving in Jan. for an extended cruise either east to the Caribbean or west through the Panama Canal. We don't know when we will see them again but we had a wonderful 2 days at our house visiting. They toured the community we live in and yesterday we went into the "free" Disney. We can park free with our annual pass at Magic Kingdom. We rode the monorail to 2 resorts to see the Christmas decorations, then took a boat ride to the Magic Kingdom entrance to catch the monorail through Epcot. Afterwards we visited Downtown Disney to have fish and chips at the Irish restaurant and then ice cream at Giardelli's. What a good time!
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| Jane and Connie at the Grand Floridian |
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| Riding the tram to the monorail |
Today we drove Bob and Connie back to Vero Beach to say good-bye. We loved their company and wish them well. The magic of making friends while cruising is that you don't know when or where you will meet again....but the common cruising bond is magic and lasts a lifetime.
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| The end to a great day |
Nov 14, 2010
Vero Beach to Stuart
November 13-15
An early morning departure on Saturday to catch the current and high tide at St Lucie Inlet was in our plans. We said good by to s/v Meredith and headed out. The trip was uneventful. We cruised past Ft Pierce, remembering last years trip with Liz Murphy aboard. There were lots of boats on the waterway since it was Saturday so the ride was not very calm. Winds were out of the north apx. 15-20 making for choppy water in the ICW. A few boats whizzed past without warning but Kinvara held her own. Once we made it to the St Lucie River we turned to starboard and headed north again up river. This was virgin territory but luckily it was an easy 7 mile run. We docked at Loggerhead Marina near downtown Stuart. It is nice with clean facilities but our slip is at the end of the docks and therefore we get hammered with all the waves from boats going in both directions. There is no breakwater or speed limit going by. We have spent 2 days rocking almost constantly, sometimes 30' of center, which is putting a lot of strain on our dock lines. To make it worse there was an air show both days which created more boat traffic and deafening noise. The first time watching, yesterday, was fun but again today it was loud. We took a dingy ride under 2 bridges across the river to another marina which we wanted to be in but they still had no room. There is a 2 year wait list. We think people come and stay there for the winter season. So tomorrow we are moving to another slip, a fixed dock, behind the floating docks where we are now. Hopefully it will be a calmer slip since we leave Kinvara for 2 months! Our friends, Sandy & Al are picking us up in the morning.
An early morning departure on Saturday to catch the current and high tide at St Lucie Inlet was in our plans. We said good by to s/v Meredith and headed out. The trip was uneventful. We cruised past Ft Pierce, remembering last years trip with Liz Murphy aboard. There were lots of boats on the waterway since it was Saturday so the ride was not very calm. Winds were out of the north apx. 15-20 making for choppy water in the ICW. A few boats whizzed past without warning but Kinvara held her own. Once we made it to the St Lucie River we turned to starboard and headed north again up river. This was virgin territory but luckily it was an easy 7 mile run. We docked at Loggerhead Marina near downtown Stuart. It is nice with clean facilities but our slip is at the end of the docks and therefore we get hammered with all the waves from boats going in both directions. There is no breakwater or speed limit going by. We have spent 2 days rocking almost constantly, sometimes 30' of center, which is putting a lot of strain on our dock lines. To make it worse there was an air show both days which created more boat traffic and deafening noise. The first time watching, yesterday, was fun but again today it was loud. We took a dingy ride under 2 bridges across the river to another marina which we wanted to be in but they still had no room. There is a 2 year wait list. We think people come and stay there for the winter season. So tomorrow we are moving to another slip, a fixed dock, behind the floating docks where we are now. Hopefully it will be a calmer slip since we leave Kinvara for 2 months! Our friends, Sandy & Al are picking us up in the morning.
Nov 13, 2010
Cocoa to Vero Beach
November 11 - 12
We hauled anchor and departed Cocoa at 8am Thursday. We were one of several boats to leave at that time all heading south for the elusive sunshine and warmth. The trip was 54 miles and went without any problems. On arrival in Vero we realized that our old friends Bob and Connie on s/v MEREDITH were staying there for a month. We requested to raft with them. After arriving at the dock we topped up on diesel and pumped out. Jane walked to the communal area and found Bob and Connie who were getting ready to return to their boat. We followed and in a short time we were rafted up with them and sat together for a welcome coldie!! How awesome it was to meet after a little over a year. We first met on the Dismal Swamp and spent a week together in Elizabeth City. We parted ways during the holidays and then proceeded to miss each other by days throughout the Bahamas. Needless to say we had lots to catch up on.
I had the opportunity to repay him shortly afterwards. He had just purchased a new Boom Vang so I helped him install it. After a productive day we sat and enjoyed a happy hour on KINVARA along with Vince and Linda. After they left Bob and Connie joined Jane and I for a wonderful dinner on board. What a stay in Vero. This is what cruising is all about. By the way the cost to stay there on a mooring ball is $14 per night. Awesome.
We hauled anchor and departed Cocoa at 8am Thursday. We were one of several boats to leave at that time all heading south for the elusive sunshine and warmth. The trip was 54 miles and went without any problems. On arrival in Vero we realized that our old friends Bob and Connie on s/v MEREDITH were staying there for a month. We requested to raft with them. After arriving at the dock we topped up on diesel and pumped out. Jane walked to the communal area and found Bob and Connie who were getting ready to return to their boat. We followed and in a short time we were rafted up with them and sat together for a welcome coldie!! How awesome it was to meet after a little over a year. We first met on the Dismal Swamp and spent a week together in Elizabeth City. We parted ways during the holidays and then proceeded to miss each other by days throughout the Bahamas. Needless to say we had lots to catch up on.
On Saturday morning we decided to get ashore early to get our laundry done. On the way in we passed another old acquaintance from the Bahamas, Vince and Linda on FORTNIGHT. while at he laundry room we met another couple from our stay in Georgetown, Bahamas. They were very involved with the cruisers festival while we were there. It was fantastic meeting all these people again. Of course most are getting ready to cross to the Bahamas again in the near future so we will not cross paths again this season.
While in Green Cove Springs the workers there loosened several of the shrouds and back stays on the boat. I attempted to have the rig tuned in St Augustine but had no luck. When I mentioned this to Bob he had the answer. He had the instrument we needed and the information book to guide us. Within an hour we had the rig tuned and checked one more item off my 'to do' list.
I had the opportunity to repay him shortly afterwards. He had just purchased a new Boom Vang so I helped him install it. After a productive day we sat and enjoyed a happy hour on KINVARA along with Vince and Linda. After they left Bob and Connie joined Jane and I for a wonderful dinner on board. What a stay in Vero. This is what cruising is all about. By the way the cost to stay there on a mooring ball is $14 per night. Awesome.Nov 10, 2010
Daytona Beach to Vero Beach
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Just when we thought we had seen it all Peter spotted a motorized parachute flying above us. There were 2 men aboard and they circled around twice waving and letting us take pictures.
Entering Titusville we made another bridge opening before they closed at 3:15 for rush hour, and the next NASA bridge before it closed at 3:30. That allowed us to continue another 11 miles south. We were able to anchor just off the town of Cocoa by 5pm. The sun set a half hour later. We had dinner outside; salad, steaks & potatoes on the grill, and cocktails.
Tomorrow we travel about 55 miles to Vero Beach to rest up for 2 nights. Then on to Stuart where we will dock for 2 months at a marina.
Today we traveled 66 miles. It was a long day but the weather was great and we wanted to take advantage of it. We left Daytona at 8PM to get the current toward Ponce Inlet for a little bit. It was an easy ride there and we arrived at this infamous shoaling spot just an hour before high tide. Perfect timing!! In New Smyrna Beach we followed behind a catamaran to get the 10AM opening of the lift bridge. Once past that we had 40 miles through a straight and narrow mosquito lagoon. It is usually an uneventful and long ride but today we were entertained fully!! First there are so many dolphins all over and we have not only seen them cresting above the water but jumping completely out!! It felt like a show at Sea World. In Mosquito Lagoon there are loads of birds diving into the water like rockets…..pelicans and small sea gulls and sea birds. It was never ending. We saw several Bald Eagles during the day and to cap it off we saw a nesting pair on a small mound just above the water-line on a remote island, awesome. We did not see this much activity last year in Nov. going south or in April going north.
Just when we thought we had seen it all Peter spotted a motorized parachute flying above us. There were 2 men aboard and they circled around twice waving and letting us take pictures.
Not to be outdone, Jane was at the helm waving to a smaller north bound boat. Once it passed us she realized the helmsman was completely naked, without a tan line, taking in the Florida sun! We almost went off course during that episode!! She did not take a picture!
About 22 miles through the lagoon we crossed west through the NASA Haul Over canal and came into the Indian River. This is a westerly, shallow crossing for about 3 miles. It takes some getting used to watching the depth hover around 5-6’ under the helm!! Halfway across we spotted another sight never seen before on the ICW. On small island, just packed with birds of all types, Jane thought she saw pink birds! Flamingos!! They were really pink, meaning they feed on lots of shrimp in the river. We have only seen pink flamingos at Sea World and Animal Kingdom. The wildlife today was just incredible (including the naked man). Maybe it’s the weather or the time of year. Dolphins, birds, naked men......a little bit of Tarzan on the ICW!
Nov 9, 2010
Daytona Beach
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
We left the dock at 7:30PM to get through a badly shoaled area at high tide. There was no problem this time passing through Matanzas Inlet. Our trip to Daytona was very uneventful until 1/2 mile from our stop. The wildlife management police pulled up beside us and said they were boarding. Two of the 3 came aboard with guns and tasers to inspect our potties. Lucky for us they were closed and tied with wire....otherwise we would have had a $250 fine!!
Once in Daytona Beach we took ourselves for a walk to the local "hangout", the Blue Grotto. It is a nightclub on Fri & Sat nights!
We left the dock at 7:30PM to get through a badly shoaled area at high tide. There was no problem this time passing through Matanzas Inlet. Our trip to Daytona was very uneventful until 1/2 mile from our stop. The wildlife management police pulled up beside us and said they were boarding. Two of the 3 came aboard with guns and tasers to inspect our potties. Lucky for us they were closed and tied with wire....otherwise we would have had a $250 fine!!
Once in Daytona Beach we took ourselves for a walk to the local "hangout", the Blue Grotto. It is a nightclub on Fri & Sat nights!
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| Our bartender, Jr, from Trinidad & Tobago |
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| Indoor bar at The Blue Grotto |
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| Pretzel's new friend Bob, the Great Dane |
Nov 8, 2010
Last night in St Augustine
Monday, November 8, 2010
Our last night in St Augustine. The wind died down and the temps warmed up to the low 70's. We were able to get half of the cabin top cleaned and waxed and the UV protector on the dingy. Jane made a last bicycle ride to the grocery store for milk & eggs. We had a lovely dinner aboard sitting in the cockpit after sunset. There are many power boats surrounding us...all the sailboats are on moorings. We got a lot accomplished here but not everything we expected. Tomorrow's another day. The joy of being retired! One of our most exciting moments was watching a large pod of dolphins rounding up fish right behind our boat. They were circling and jumping out of the water after large fish. This went on for about a half hour!!
Tomorrow we leave early, apx. 7:15, to get through an area that tends to shoal, by mid to high tide. We hope to be in Daytona Beach at anchor tomorrow night.
Our last night in St Augustine. The wind died down and the temps warmed up to the low 70's. We were able to get half of the cabin top cleaned and waxed and the UV protector on the dingy. Jane made a last bicycle ride to the grocery store for milk & eggs. We had a lovely dinner aboard sitting in the cockpit after sunset. There are many power boats surrounding us...all the sailboats are on moorings. We got a lot accomplished here but not everything we expected. Tomorrow's another day. The joy of being retired! One of our most exciting moments was watching a large pod of dolphins rounding up fish right behind our boat. They were circling and jumping out of the water after large fish. This went on for about a half hour!!
Tomorrow we leave early, apx. 7:15, to get through an area that tends to shoal, by mid to high tide. We hope to be in Daytona Beach at anchor tomorrow night.
Nov 7, 2010
St. Augustine Nov.7th
Due to a glitch in the computer we are having a major problem writing in the blog. We are still in St.Augustine getting little jobs done and we will leave here on Tuesday morning.
The weather has been miserable here most of the week. More rain than we have seen in the last few months. High winds and low temps. Burrrr. Peter started up the heater this morning and it felt real good. The forecast is for better weather this week so we should have a nice trip to Stewart. As always we enjoy our time here. We recommend St. Augustine for a visit or a weekend stay. There is a wealth of American history here in the old city. Lots of shopping and a fabulous selection of restaurants. For those of you who love golf, as Gary Player says, you have to visit The World Golf Village which is only a short ride from here. Yesterday we watched about 50 people in pirate gear running across the bridge. We have no idea what it was or where they went!
West Marine has benefited from our stay. We have made several trips there already and also had several items delivered to us at the marina. Yesterday Peter got down and dirty and changed the oil and all the filters on the engine. It gets easier each time. He has taken care of a few electrical issues also and of course Jane has been busy making Kinvara look her best on the outside and inside. We will have to get on our bikes again tomorrow and head to the supermarket to stock up on a few items. Jane needs to pick up a book at West Marine which is right next door. Hope we get out of there with just the book !!!
The weather has been miserable here most of the week. More rain than we have seen in the last few months. High winds and low temps. Burrrr. Peter started up the heater this morning and it felt real good. The forecast is for better weather this week so we should have a nice trip to Stewart. As always we enjoy our time here. We recommend St. Augustine for a visit or a weekend stay. There is a wealth of American history here in the old city. Lots of shopping and a fabulous selection of restaurants. For those of you who love golf, as Gary Player says, you have to visit The World Golf Village which is only a short ride from here. Yesterday we watched about 50 people in pirate gear running across the bridge. We have no idea what it was or where they went!
West Marine has benefited from our stay. We have made several trips there already and also had several items delivered to us at the marina. Yesterday Peter got down and dirty and changed the oil and all the filters on the engine. It gets easier each time. He has taken care of a few electrical issues also and of course Jane has been busy making Kinvara look her best on the outside and inside. We will have to get on our bikes again tomorrow and head to the supermarket to stock up on a few items. Jane needs to pick up a book at West Marine which is right next door. Hope we get out of there with just the book !!!
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| One of several weddings this weekend |
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| Beautiful downtown hotel |
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| Arrrrr ye mateys |
St Augustine FL
Friday, November 5, 2010
We are sitting here in the cockpit today trying to stay warm! A series of thunder storms passed through yesterday before a cold front. We spent 30+ days at home without rain then get on the boat and have had
rain every day. Today it is very windy and cold so it's a day to rest. Despite that it has been an interesting stay so far. We met a nice couple from NJ who are on their way to Marathon in their Beneteau. We hosted them last night for cocktails and got some good information about stops along the way.
Yesterday morning there were 2 motor boats in a hurry to leave their slips. One backed out but hit a sailboat next to it, damaging the davits which hold their dingy. They did not stop so the marina called the police, who escorted the boat back to the marina. There were lots of uniforms on the dock that day. Then a large 50+ motor yacht tried backing out against the 4knot incoming current and ended up drifting into the slip next to it and mowed down 2 pilings that separated the spaces. So glad we were not next to them! The pictures show our cockpit enclosed against the rain.
We are sitting here in the cockpit today trying to stay warm! A series of thunder storms passed through yesterday before a cold front. We spent 30+ days at home without rain then get on the boat and have had
rain every day. Today it is very windy and cold so it's a day to rest. Despite that it has been an interesting stay so far. We met a nice couple from NJ who are on their way to Marathon in their Beneteau. We hosted them last night for cocktails and got some good information about stops along the way.
Yesterday morning there were 2 motor boats in a hurry to leave their slips. One backed out but hit a sailboat next to it, damaging the davits which hold their dingy. They did not stop so the marina called the police, who escorted the boat back to the marina. There were lots of uniforms on the dock that day. Then a large 50+ motor yacht tried backing out against the 4knot incoming current and ended up drifting into the slip next to it and mowed down 2 pilings that separated the spaces. So glad we were not next to them! The pictures show our cockpit enclosed against the rain.
They also help us stay warmer when it turns cold.
Nov 2, 2010
Jacksonville, FL to St Augustine, FL
This morning had to be well planned. We had to pass through a lift bridge, which wouldn't open until 8:30AM, and we had to time the current in the St John's River. Well we were off the dock and under the bridge by 9AM, moving through the last of the incoming current (against us), into slack tide 2 miles later, and enjoyed riding the current out on the river. When we reached the Intracoastel Waterway we still had current with us for a little way. Along the way we enjoyed watching a pod of dolphins jumping out of the water, a bald eagle standing on a riverside pole, and about 6 flocks of geese flying south. In the ICW we were at low to low tide almost all the way to St Augustine. The main depths varied from 4' to 10' at low tide for us but it was a nervous 36 mile trip not knowing how low it would go. Last year we only travelled at mid to high tide. We were happy it was not a full moon low tide! We have never seen the water so low in the ICW. We kept our speed up to at least 6K using our small jib on and off when we could. It worked out in the end since we made the last lift bridge (just before our marina) for the 4:30PM opening. Otherwise we would have waited until 5:30 for the next opening. After arriving at our slip and tying up we put up our cockpit enclosures just before a torrential rain storm. Thank goodness for that!! It really helped us stay dry.
Low tide along the ICW
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| Jacksonville Jaguars Stadium.....Superbowl 2010 |
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| LOVE THESE LITTLE TUG BOATS! |
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| Here comes the Xmas gifts from abroad!! |
Jacksonville at Night
They live in Brunswick, GA only an hour away.....so down they came!! We shared cocktails then ate dinner out on the dock. What a fun time. It was so nice to see them again. This is the very best part of cruising...meeting new friends and making contact again.
Nov 1, 2010
Jacksonville, Florida
Monday, November 1, 2010
We were up early--7AM but it is still dark then. Peter fixed coffee, Jane gave the deck 1 last scrub, and we took care of Pretzel. By 8PM we dropped our lines and pushed off the dock. Kinvara floats again!! It was cloudy and chilly so we had to wear jeans. They really feel uncomfortable! We haven't had them on since last Jan. The sail North on the St John's River was easy but the wind was on our nose so no sails went up...yet.
After going under I95 bridge and through a train bridge we pulled onto a free dock at Jacksonville Landing. It's a mall and restaurant area. There is free tie up for 72 hours. No electricity or water but it's a fun place to be. Fairly empty this time of year and especially today. This weekend was a huge Jaguars football game and the boats were rafted 5 deep at this dock. Party central!!
Notice the sign in the upper left corner and you'll see where we sit along the dock!!
Oct 28, 2010
Green Cove Springs...Again!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
We returned to the boat yesterday to finish up waxing & buffing the starboard side hull and bring more boat stuff aboard. Everything is stowed and we wait to be launched. It was suppose to be yesterday but the lift hasn't been fixed yet. Yesterday we had record heat & humidity for October---90'. It was a tough night for sleeping and we will have record heat again today until a front goes through this afternoon. After the front the temps drop to low 80's again.
We are sitting today out.....there is nothing that can't be done in the water and when it cools off. They are still working on the lift. We hope it gets done today since there are 2 boats in front of us and when the wind picks up they won't move any boats. Getting launched today is not looking good right now.
We returned to the boat yesterday to finish up waxing & buffing the starboard side hull and bring more boat stuff aboard. Everything is stowed and we wait to be launched. It was suppose to be yesterday but the lift hasn't been fixed yet. Yesterday we had record heat & humidity for October---90'. It was a tough night for sleeping and we will have record heat again today until a front goes through this afternoon. After the front the temps drop to low 80's again.
We are sitting today out.....there is nothing that can't be done in the water and when it cools off. They are still working on the lift. We hope it gets done today since there are 2 boats in front of us and when the wind picks up they won't move any boats. Getting launched today is not looking good right now.
Oct 25, 2010
Home again..Thankfully!!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. So....we decided to drive 3 hrs home to hop in our shower & scrub off the dirt & grime from the boatyard!! Afterwards we went out for dinner.
We have one hull cleaned & waxed, the starboard side still waiting. The cockpit has been cleaned with Collinite 940 and waxed with Collinite 945. A very dirty job but worth it in the end when you look at the sparkling white fiberglass. (Thanks Bruce for the recommendation). Once in the water we will do the rest of the deck. Kinvara was suppose to be launched Wed. but the travel-lift has broken down and they are waiting for parts. So....we plan to return Wednesday and hope for a launch on Thursday. Green Cove Springs is not what we would call a marina but a storage & do it yourself work-yard with 1 bathroom & shower each for men & women. Thankfully there are not many women to share the space with but Peter doesn't have it so easy. It is inexpensive storage but you really don't want to live aboard for very long!! We made a reservation to be in St Augustine for next week so we look forward to that!!
Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. So....we decided to drive 3 hrs home to hop in our shower & scrub off the dirt & grime from the boatyard!! Afterwards we went out for dinner.
We have one hull cleaned & waxed, the starboard side still waiting. The cockpit has been cleaned with Collinite 940 and waxed with Collinite 945. A very dirty job but worth it in the end when you look at the sparkling white fiberglass. (Thanks Bruce for the recommendation). Once in the water we will do the rest of the deck. Kinvara was suppose to be launched Wed. but the travel-lift has broken down and they are waiting for parts. So....we plan to return Wednesday and hope for a launch on Thursday. Green Cove Springs is not what we would call a marina but a storage & do it yourself work-yard with 1 bathroom & shower each for men & women. Thankfully there are not many women to share the space with but Peter doesn't have it so easy. It is inexpensive storage but you really don't want to live aboard for very long!! We made a reservation to be in St Augustine for next week so we look forward to that!!
Oct 23, 2010
Living...on the hard
Saturday, October23, 2010
Friday morning we had the car packed to the roof with more boat stuff and headed 3 hours North of our house. Kinvara is stored in Green Cove Springs on the St John's River. It's 25 miles south of Jacksonville and just 20-25 miles inland from St Augustine. It's a lovely area but the marina is a do-it-yourself working boat yard. No amenities and a basic bathroom facility with 1 shower. We are "on the hard" so everything moves on or off the boat via a ladder. The pictures show our view from the second story. There are 2 boats beside us, one registered in Pirates Cove, R
I and the other Newport, 
RI. So far there are not many here yet.
I and the other Newport, 
RI. So far there are not many here yet. A big difference between storing in Florida or New England is the clean factor. Our boat is so incredibly dirty. It looks like it's been sitting in the yard for 5 years even though it was covered with a UV sun cloth!!
We have done one good scrubbing wash but it still needs more before we can wax. Tomorrow we start cleaning & waxing the hull in order to launch on Wednesday. It's hot during the day but cools off in the evening!!
We took a ride to West Marine in St Augustine today for supplies and made our reservation at St Augustine Municipal Marina for a week. Peter has to repair our stern navigation light as well as our starboard running light. The new Bridge of Lions is open and the temporary bridge has now been taken down. It looks fabulous!
Oct 20, 2010
Green Cove Springs
October 18, 2010And so a new season begins....
Today we drove 3 hours to Green Cove Springs to check out Kinvara on the hard. She was moved from the storage yard to the work yard. This is step one in launching Kinvara for another season of travel. The last time we saw her was the end of April.
Surprise!! Kinvara was in great shape. We were concerned about storing her in the Florida heat & humidity. Peter spread the "sun cloth" over the entire deck to protect from the UV rays. It supposedly cuts out 65-75% of UV rays. Below decks Jane had evey door and hatch propped open and all cushions were propped up like a house of cards. We then put bounce dryer sheets in every crevice, bowls of charcoal in every cabin, and spread bay leaves all over the place to repel insects. All this was advice from Canadian friends who store their boats in Florida for hurricane season. Well, it seems to have worked!! There was no mildew smell below, no signs of mold or insects. However we haven't put the below decks in order yet!! The sun cloth came off and other than being very dirty, the topsides was in great condition! We arranged to have the bottom sanded and painted this week and we are going back to stay the weekend on Friday to continue cleaning and organizing the interior. We have never lived on a boat on the hard so this will be a new experience for us (and Pretzel too) Wish us luck!
Pretzel met a new friend, Annie, a 10 week old terrier. She is living aboard s/v Mojo which is registered in Newport, RI. John & Barbara live in Glouster, MA in the off season. They are on the hard next to us also working to get launched.
Oct 9, 2010
October in Florida
We have been at home in Florida now since mid April and survived our first summer here. What we didn't know was that it was an extra hot summer. We just thought it was ordinary weather for Florida. We were able to swim in our pool every day. We also golfed 2-3 times a week....even in the heat. The secret is lots of sunscreen and lots of water! As long as you drink continuously you are fine. We even supplement some of our water bottles with drink mixes containing electrolytes. We had company in June and August. Now that October is here our daytime temps are in the 80's and night temps in the 60's. It's a beautiful time here. We have our season passes for Disney so we go into the parks periodically for the late afternoon, dinner, and fireworks show. This month Epcot has a Food & Wine Festival which features small booths from all different countries with 2 entrees, 1-2 desserts, and wine/beer pairings. Each portion is small so we split them in order to taste more. We stayed for a concert by Kool & the Gang ("Ladies Night" & "Celebrate"). It was fun. We look forward to December and walking around to see all the decorations. Who needs snow?
Once Kinvara was moved on the hard in April, Peter returned to Green CoveSprings to cover the boat with some kind of UV protective cloth. We haven't been back to see Kinvara since then so we are not sure what to expect. Everything was propped up like a spilled jigsaw puzzle for ventilation, anything not tacked down was removed, and it was thoroughly cleaned. Since this is the first time storing Kinvara in tropical weather we don't know what to expect upon return. Some Canadian friends we met who also store their boat in Florida spread charcoal all over to soak up moisture and prevent mildew. We hope this works!! Peter has scheduled Kinvara to be moved to the work yard on October 16th giving us 2 weeks to get some work done. The bottom has to be repainted, topsides has to be cleaned & waxed, and our starboard running light needs to be fixed. We need to check our sails and have our rigging checked & tuned.
And so another season begins next Saturday. We are looking forward to another adventure, this year in the Florida Keys. So if you are going to be in that area Jan through March let us know!!
We will start posting on the blog in 2 weeks to keep you updated on our progress. Hope to see some friends again that we met along our trip last year!!
Once Kinvara was moved on the hard in April, Peter returned to Green CoveSprings to cover the boat with some kind of UV protective cloth. We haven't been back to see Kinvara since then so we are not sure what to expect. Everything was propped up like a spilled jigsaw puzzle for ventilation, anything not tacked down was removed, and it was thoroughly cleaned. Since this is the first time storing Kinvara in tropical weather we don't know what to expect upon return. Some Canadian friends we met who also store their boat in Florida spread charcoal all over to soak up moisture and prevent mildew. We hope this works!! Peter has scheduled Kinvara to be moved to the work yard on October 16th giving us 2 weeks to get some work done. The bottom has to be repainted, topsides has to be cleaned & waxed, and our starboard running light needs to be fixed. We need to check our sails and have our rigging checked & tuned.
And so another season begins next Saturday. We are looking forward to another adventure, this year in the Florida Keys. So if you are going to be in that area Jan through March let us know!!
We will start posting on the blog in 2 weeks to keep you updated on our progress. Hope to see some friends again that we met along our trip last year!!
Apr 18, 2010
Final Destination April 12-14 Green cove Springs, FL
After a wonderful night in Jacksonville we decided to take our time before leaving to catch the river current running in our favor. Peter found a great place, Village Bread, to have coffee and bagels for breakfast. The mall was essentially closed so we had the place to ourselves. By 8:30AM we left the dock, passed through a train bridge, under the I95 bridge, and turned south. It was a beautiful sunny day with lots of favorable wind so we took our time and sailed again. While there are shallow edges the river is so wide we didn't have to worry about navigating. Under sail we traveled about 24 miles comfortably, averaging 6-7 miles per hour.
Our final destination was Green Cove Springs. This is 25 miles south of Jacksonville on the St John's river and considered fresh water. It was a hurricane hole for the US Navy after the war. There are about 10 long 1/4 mile long concrete piers belonging to different companies. Basically it is a working area for some commercial boats and a storage area for sailing yachts. There are a lot of Canadian registered boats in the yard and also live aboards around.
Our friends helped us get some things together, pack up our car and part of their van. They left Tuesday morning in our car (packed to the roof). We spent the remainder of Tuesday packing the rest of our things into their van. When we finished it wasfull to the roof behind the front seats!! Wednesday morning we finished preparing the boat to haul out for the summer (similar to winter preparations). It's bittersweet knowing our friends up North are launching their boats for the summer. We decided to haul Kinvara out of the water. We have been on board since May and are ready to spend some time in our house. It was easier to haul the boat out since it is a 3 hour drive to Green Cove Springs from our house. We removed anything that was not wired or bolted to the boat. This is the first time we are storing it in the hot humid atmosphere. We spread lots of charcoal, dryer sheets, and bay leaves to avoid mold and bugs. This is on advice of others who have been here before. We'll see. We plan to move Kinvara to their working yard in September to get the bottom repainted and a few minor repairs. Launch time may be October.
We were suppose to be hauled by 12:30 Wed. but it got too windy so we sadly left Kinvara sitting at the pier, first in line for the travalift to do it's magic on Thursday. We will make a return trip next week to check on her. Wewill leave the thru hulls open, stuff them with screening, and cover the deck with shade cloth to 
cut down on UV 
rays.
cut down on UV 
rays. Company Aboard April 9-111
Friday we awoke to a beautiful day. We cleaned the boat in preparation for on board company..our friends from our Florida neighborhood and previously in Franklin, MA. They arrived about mid afternoon with their van and our car (so we could get home after storing the boat). We settled in and chatted, wandered the dock area, then went to dinner that evening. Fred and Verena look after our house and pool while we are away so we were happy to welcome them on board.
Saturday we drove the two cars to Green Cove Springs to check out the 2 places we could store our boat. Fred & Verena happily toured St Augustine. We looked at Green Cove Springs Marina and Reynolds Marina. The first one is not really a marina but a do it yourself boat yard with some floating slips and a long dock. the second one is a marina with dry storage next door. After making our decision we headed back to St Augustine.
Sunday we were up at 6AM and preparing to leave by 7. There was a trawler gam planned so we had to vacate the dock. After fueling and pumping out Kinvara was underway by 7:30AM with our friends on board. We motored North along the ICW through some pretty areas. Our friends were amazed at the houses along the water..especially going through the Palm Coast Area. We only saw 1 group of dolphins but lots of small boats out for the day. It was an easy trip on the ICW until we got to the junction of the St
John's River. Th
ere is some shoaling so we had to pick our way carefully. Once into the river we could put our sails up and turn off the engine. Jane took the helm and we had a wonderful sail for about an hour and a half. It was so nice not having to worry about depth for a change.
John's River. Th
ere is some shoaling so we had to pick our way carefully. Once into the river we could put our sails up and turn off the engine. Jane took the helm and we had a wonderful sail for about an hour and a half. It was so nice not having to worry about depth for a change. We arrived in 
Jacksonville by mid afternoon after travelling about 60 miles. It was an exciting place to be. Jacksonville Landing is a mall area with shops and restaurants. They provide a long waterfront dock which you can tie up to free for 72 hours. There are no services provided....not a problem for our boat. the only drawback is, if crowded, you raft up to five boats deep. Luckily we were only 1 of 2 overnight boats on Sunday night! It seems like lots of boats tie up to do dinner and on weekends it is probably a big party spot!! Fred & Verena took us out to dinner. The city was pretty at night with lights on the buildings and along the bridges. It 
was surprisingly quiet overnight! When we start on the boat again we will plan to stay there for a few days and have a look around the city.
Jacksonville by mid afternoon after travelling about 60 miles. It was an exciting place to be. Jacksonville Landing is a mall area with shops and restaurants. They provide a long waterfront dock which you can tie up to free for 72 hours. There are no services provided....not a problem for our boat. the only drawback is, if crowded, you raft up to five boats deep. Luckily we were only 1 of 2 overnight boats on Sunday night! It seems like lots of boats tie up to do dinner and on weekends it is probably a big party spot!! Fred & Verena took us out to dinner. The city was pretty at night with lights on the buildings and along the bridges. It 
was surprisingly quiet overnight! When we start on the boat again we will plan to stay there for a few days and have a look around the city.Apr 8, 2010
St Augustine April 8th.
We arrived in St. Augustine yesterday after a 53 mile trip up the ICW. We waited to leave Daytona until 10am so we would arrive at the Matanzas Inlet where we heard there was shoaling on the ICW. We paced ourselves getting there and we heard of at least two boats going aground as we approached. We arrived close to high tide and had no trouble getting through. After passing that area we had little trouble on the remaining 15 miles. We are now tied up at one of our favorite marinas on the east coast in old St augustine. We will be here until Sunday and then will set off on the last leg of our jou
rney to Green Cove Springs where we will keep the boat for the summer.
St. Augustine is the home of Ponce De Leon's fountain of youth which he discovered in 1513. Tomorrow when our friends, Fred and Verena, arrive we may go over there to partake in some of the youth restoring waters from the fountain!!!!!!!!
For all our golfing friends we are just a short distance from the World Golf Village and also from the TPC Sawgrass. Both are well worth a visit. Proud to say that Peter has played both courses at Sawgrass and also the 18 hole putting course at the Golf Village.
rney to Green Cove Springs where we will keep the boat for the summer.St. Augustine is the home of Ponce De Leon's fountain of youth which he discovered in 1513. Tomorrow when our friends, Fred and Verena, arrive we may go over there to partake in some of the youth restoring waters from the fountain!!!!!!!!
For all our golfing friends we are just a short distance from the World Golf Village and also from the TPC Sawgrass. Both are well worth a visit. Proud to say that Peter has played both courses at Sawgrass and also the 18 hole putting course at the Golf Village.
As you can see Pretzel gets the royal treatment when we go ashore. The fall she took on leaving the Bahamas has not fully healed yet and she limps so we carry her most of the time. She draws a lot of attention in her back pack.
Apr 5, 2010
ICW...slow and easy
Saturday morning we left West palm beach and started to motor North along the Intracoastel Waterway. We remember coming down how stressful it was following the day marks, worrying about running aground, and the shallow depths. After being in the Bahamas sailing around coral heads, reefs, and shallow water the ICW is a piece of cake. At the very least there is Tow Boat US everywhere and services along the way. We were delighted to find about 10K of wind out of the east so full sails went up along with the motor. We had lots of daylight and great speed so we sailed 60 statue miles to Vero Beach. We left West Palm at 10AM (had to wait for higher tide) and arrived in Vero beach at 6:30PM.
Sunday morning (Easter day) we left Vero Beach fuel dock at 7:30 and again had full sails up with motoring. We were able to go 8-9miles per hour most of the time. At one point in our trip three large dolphins surfaced beside the boat and rode along with us for about 5 minutes. Peter put us in auto and we both watched them over the side. They would swim, surface, angle towards us, sometimes go deeper, only to return again. It was such a thrill to see these beautiful creatures play in our waves. We heard on the VHF an announcement from the Coast Guard about enacting the security zone for the shuttle Discovery launch. It was planned for Monday morning at 6:20AM. So we decided to push ourselves again for another 60 mile day and arrived in Titisville by 4:30PM. We had a lovely Easter dinner of shrimp & wine for appetizers, steak on the grill, mashed potato, fresh steamed broccoli, and cheesecake topped with raspberries for dessert. All out of our freezer!!! One of the best improvements we made on the boat last summer.
We called our friend
s, Fred & Verena, to see if they wanted to meet us at the boat for the launch. They drove 1.5 hours to arrive here at 6AM so Peter collected them in the dingy and we had a front row seat from our anchorage to watch the shuttle launch. We could see the ground ignition and entire lift off clearly in the dark since we were only 4 miles away from the launch pad. What a rush. You could hear people shouting and cheering in the distance. We were surrounded in our anchorage by Canadian boats so I'm sure they were awakened by the noise. The sound of the shuttle was like a jet engine next to you for about 15 seconds! We finished the morning off with coffee and breakfast and our friends actually stayed the day relaxing with us. We moved to the Titisville marina for tonight so we could do laundry & refresh water, etc. Tomorrow we start a 100 mile trip further north to St Augustine. It should take 2 days.
Sunday morning (Easter day) we left Vero Beach fuel dock at 7:30 and again had full sails up with motoring. We were able to go 8-9miles per hour most of the time. At one point in our trip three large dolphins surfaced beside the boat and rode along with us for about 5 minutes. Peter put us in auto and we both watched them over the side. They would swim, surface, angle towards us, sometimes go deeper, only to return again. It was such a thrill to see these beautiful creatures play in our waves. We heard on the VHF an announcement from the Coast Guard about enacting the security zone for the shuttle Discovery launch. It was planned for Monday morning at 6:20AM. So we decided to push ourselves again for another 60 mile day and arrived in Titisville by 4:30PM. We had a lovely Easter dinner of shrimp & wine for appetizers, steak on the grill, mashed potato, fresh steamed broccoli, and cheesecake topped with raspberries for dessert. All out of our freezer!!! One of the best improvements we made on the boat last summer.
We called our friend
s, Fred & Verena, to see if they wanted to meet us at the boat for the launch. They drove 1.5 hours to arrive here at 6AM so Peter collected them in the dingy and we had a front row seat from our anchorage to watch the shuttle launch. We could see the ground ignition and entire lift off clearly in the dark since we were only 4 miles away from the launch pad. What a rush. You could hear people shouting and cheering in the distance. We were surrounded in our anchorage by Canadian boats so I'm sure they were awakened by the noise. The sound of the shuttle was like a jet engine next to you for about 15 seconds! We finished the morning off with coffee and breakfast and our friends actually stayed the day relaxing with us. We moved to the Titisville marina for tonight so we could do laundry & refresh water, etc. Tomorrow we start a 100 mile trip further north to St Augustine. It should take 2 days.Apr 4, 2010
Back in the USA !!!!!!
It's been a long week since our last blog entry. jane returned to Nassau on Monday afternoon. It was only a 55 minute flight from Orlando but it took just as long to go through immigration. Something about spring break and Easter week!!
Our weather router, Chris Parker, predicted 5 beautiful days to travel so Kinvara left the Nassau dock by 7:15AM Wed. morning and headed along the Northwest channel under full sail and power. We wanted to do half of our trip back to the US so speed was essential. Our route was over deep water. In fact when we left Nassau we registered about 50' under our keel then the depth started flashing. That means we dropped off below 999'. It is an abyss in this channel!!
We saw flying fish and many more birds than our trip south. We also thought we saw a few small whales....very black fins. Perhaps dolphins but they tend to be gray. Once we had travelled 60 nautical miles over the abyss we came onto the banks again with about 15-20' of water. Another 30 nautical miles brought us to Mackey Shoal where we tucked in behind it for the night with 4 other boats. It had been a 13 hour day under sunny skies and calm seas. Perfect!!! There was the most glorious sunset with no cloud or land obstruction so we were able to see the "green flash" of the sun. Once dark the moon appeared as a large orange ball on the eastern horizon. It was a nice way to spend our last night in Bahamian waters.
Thursday morning we were up at 5.30AM for coffee and breakfast in order to get an early start. By 6.15 we were underway again, in the dark, looking forward to the sunrise. Unfortunatly as we were getting under way pretzel somehow hurt her right front leg. We noticed she did not put any weight on it so we had to try to keep her quiet. She was hurting but we could do nothing before getting back to the US. We continued on accross the banks for another 30 miles past Bimini and into deep water again. We were expecting winds from the NE changing to the E at 10-15K moderating in the afternoon with 2-3ft seas in the gulf stream. We finally hit the Gulf Stream about noon time and headed NW to Lake Worth inlet about 70 nautical miles away. In this direction we planned on catching the Gulf Stream to give us a few knots of extra speed. Within a few hours the conditions in the Stream changed drasticly. The winds picked up to 15-20K and the seas built to 6ft. Our speed built from 9K to 10K to 11K and finally to 12K for a period of time. Since we were traveling NW it ment being in the gulf stream longer but it also gave us a better angle to the waves and so we decided to stick with the stream to get us to our destination as quickly as possible. The boat handled the stress better than the crew but at the end of the day we arrived safe and sound in West Palm Beach and dropped anchor at 7:15PM.
Friday morning we moved into the Rivera Beach Municipal Marina to take care of pretzel. We took her to a vet where they took e-rays etc and determined that nothing was broken but her arthritis was acting up and she twisted her leg badly but she would heal with a little help from some pain killers. She needed lots of TLC when we got back to the boat but we were glad things did not end up worse than they did. To sooth our souls we carried Pretzel up the dock to the Tiki Bar and enjoyed a strong rum punch while waiting for our take out dinner.
Mar 29, 2010
Junkanoo in Nassau Sat 27th. March
Jane is taking care of business back in Florida and I am doing my best to stay occupied here while she is away. My old school buddy from Ireland picked me up at 1pm and we had lunch and watched the Manchester United soccer match live from England. I am sure our old pal Achie was glued to his set in England if indeed he was not at the match. Way to go team, great win.
My friends, Ian and Rene, picked me up again at 8pm and we drove over to Paradise Island. Wow, what a place. You could smell
and taste money the minute you crossed the bridge to the island. I have seen many large private yachts in the past several years but the collection moored in the marina there was beyond belief. Of course they were all stern in to the dock so you had a full view of all the luxury on board. They really were an awesome sight. After having a bite to eat we went on a grand tour. The Junkanoo parade was just getting underway and of course we joined in the festivities and went along with the flow. This is just a small example of the real festival that is held on the islands a few times a year. The 
costumes are awesome a
s you will see in my pictures.
I had never been in a real casino before and I was blown away with the size and the action at the tables and machines. One look at the stores surrounding the casino and you know that money flows like water there. You have to be careful walking through the casino because all the eye candy sprinkled around can distract you and you could easily stumble or bump into people!! After passing through the casino we went on an undersea fantasy walk through the ruins of Atlantis. I think they outdid Disney with this entire complex. By the way for my friends up north there was a man making Cuban cigars right in the store in the casino. They seem to be reasonable ranging in price from $15 to $25 for the hand rolled ones on the table. I am sure there were much more expensive ones in the surrounding glass cases and storage room.
What a contrast to what we have experienced throughout the islands for the past few months, in fact what a contrast from one side of the bridge to the other right here in Nassau.
My friends, Ian and Rene, picked me up again at 8pm and we drove over to Paradise Island. Wow, what a place. You could smell
and taste money the minute you crossed the bridge to the island. I have seen many large private yachts in the past several years but the collection moored in the marina there was beyond belief. Of course they were all stern in to the dock so you had a full view of all the luxury on board. They really were an awesome sight. After having a bite to eat we went on a grand tour. The Junkanoo parade was just getting underway and of course we joined in the festivities and went along with the flow. This is just a small example of the real festival that is held on the islands a few times a year. The 
costumes are awesome a
s you will see in my pictures.I had never been in a real casino before and I was blown away with the size and the action at the tables and machines. One look at the stores surrounding the casino and you know that money flows like water there. You have to be careful walking through the casino because all the eye candy sprinkled around can distract you and you could easily stumble or bump into people!! After passing through the casino we went on an undersea fantasy walk through the ruins of Atlantis. I think they outdid Disney with this entire complex. By the way for my friends up north there was a man making Cuban cigars right in the store in the casino. They seem to be reasonable ranging in price from $15 to $25 for the hand rolled ones on the table. I am sure there were much more expensive ones in the surrounding glass cases and storage room.
What a contrast to what we have experienced throughout the islands for the past few months, in fact what a contrast from one side of the bridge to the other right here in Nassau.
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