First Day in Marathon

After all the drama in getting here we were able to get checked in quickly, came back to settle down, have a drink, and breath. We listened to the Sirius radio for a while, Peter did the blog, then we tried to program our TV. There are only 2 channels received on our antenna and they are both Spanish language TV. So....it will be a long month! Thank goodness for our Sirius radio and Kindle. At least we can be entertained and informed via those. Thank goodness we don't have to stress about watching Super Bowl this year! Oh BTW yesterday along the way here we spotted more dolphins and Jane saw a loggerhead turtle floating next to the boat! there is a turtle sanctuary and hospital just 1/2 mile away so we will definitely go visit that!

Today dawned sunny, calm, and warm...finally! Jane is still sore around her knee and large toe joint but it's not serious. Peter got in touch with a live-aboard who dives to check props, and clean bottoms. he came to our boat at 10:30AM and free dived to check us out. He was able to cut a long length of line attached to 2 wooden stakes from around our prop. He also cut more line that wrapped around the shaft. He checked the Gori prop and it opened and closed easily. Our engine worked this morning in neutral so everything seems to be working. Yesterday when we lifted anchor Peter unhooked a length of line with wooden stakes attached. Somehow we must have picked it up, though, and dragged it with us during our 5 hour cruising day to marathon. The diver said it looked like an old pot system. It's maddening because we anchored in an area of no crab pot markers.

Nasty crab pot line!

After the diver left we went ashore with our bikes, got them set up and rode 3/4 miles to West marine to pick up an order we put in. Then we rode another 1/4 mile to Burdines Fuel dock and ate at the Chiki Tiki Bar on the second level. The ride there felt very much like riding in the Bahamas. Marathon has a few resort spots but the ride along Rt1, Ocean Highway, is rundown with many businesses closed. We will ride east tomorrow where there seems to be a mall, Home Depot, and Publix Grocery store.

Chiki Tiki Bar at Burdines Fuel Dock

Do NOT take this with you!

Love the painted rat trap for a check holder

Marathon at last!!


What a day today turned out to be. We hauled the anchor at 8.30. When it broke the water it had a line draped over it with a couple of small wooden stakes attached. I flipped it off with the boat hook and the Admiral drove the boat forward. She heard a strange noise like something hitting the prop but nothing felt like it was attached. We have a special blade attached to the shaft to cut any line like a crab or lobster pot.

We proceeded out the inlet and had an uneventful run down the coast to Marathon. The wind varied between 5 to 10 and the seas were 1 to 2 ft most of the day. Just what cruising is all about! Little did we know how things would change as we entered the harbor. We had called for a mooring ball and had to wait in the channel for notification from the office of what ball to pick up. That was when all hell broke loose. The wind was blowing strong on our bow and I had to turn and go back down the channel one more time. I put the boat into reverse and before I knew what was happening something wrapped around our prop and the engine stopped dead. We were in the middle of a very narrow and busy channel with nowhere to go and no power. We dropped the anchor right away to stop our drift but to no avail, it would not catch. Within minutes three men arrived in their dingys and began to get us under control. We drifted up against one boat but no real contact thanks to Jane jumping aboard to hold us off. She had to be picked up by one of the dingies and brought back aboard Kinvara. While handing lines to the guys she slipped into the anchor locker and got a nasty scratch on her knee. I think after her heroics last week going up the mast and her handling of today’s crisis she deserves a special treat when we find a nice jewelry shop or perhaps a wine shop this week. The guys tied their dingies up to our sides and bow and eventually towed and pushed us to a mooring ball. It was not our assigned one but the dock master had the occupants pick up the one intended for us. We were lucky they were not on their ball just when we needed it. While on the helm I had called Boat Us for a tow but he told me it would take 30 minutes to get to us. He arrived when we were safely tied up to the ball and he agreed that we did the right thing having the guys help us to the mooring. He will have to get paid but that is why we have Boat Us Towing.

Jane's leg injury.

When we both calmed down and relaxed for a half hour we dropped the dingy and went in to the office to check in. Tomorrow is another day. I will have to contact a diver and check out the damage and have it taken care of. We paid for a month, $275.00 plus $20 tax. This includes one pump out a week, free wifi and TV in the cruisers lounge, showers, laundry and lots of activities. How can you beat that? That is just about what we would spend on golf for one week in Solivita. The harbor is packed. They have 280 moorings and they are all full. We were very, very lucky to get assigned to one. It is on a first come first served basis. There were only 5 available today. Once we get through this ordeal I am sure we will have a great time here. I believe it will be in the low 80s all week and in the 60s at night. Just remember the old saying: Cruising is fixing things in exotic places.

Matecombe Bight on Long Key



After another night of NNW winds of 15+ our batteries were fully charged again, allowing us to watch TV, use the computer, and recharge any 110 gadgets we had. By the time we got up at 6 this morning the wind abated and we had beautiful calm water. Our plan was to pass through Angelfish Creek into Hawk Channel. This is the open water between the Florida Keys and the barrier reefs that run 4 miles offshore along the islands.

Sunset at Pumpkin Key

Angelfish Creek is the last passage through for boats with over 4.5 draft. Over that depth the inside ICW route through Florida Bay is too shallow. We had 2 people confirm that we could make this passage with our 5.5' draft. both said to go at mid to high tide and expect some shallower water at the beginning and at the end. Jane had read the same advice online and in a guidebook. So with lots of confidence we hauled anchor and left our little Pumpkin Key sanctuary and motored about .5 miles to the entrance....exactly at high tide on the inside. The beginning was never less than 2-3 feet under our keel. As Peter motored through the middle of the twisting channel, lined with mangrove on both sides, the depths even reached 10 feet under our keel. We made it through the creek to the 3 pairs of markers that lead you into Hawk Channel. The depth went rapidly from 6' under to .7 feet under. That's only about 8 inches under our boat!!! Yikes, it was definitely an anxious moment because there was no where to turn around or back up. What a relief to finally make it through. On the ocean side we noticed that high tide had passed and the water had dropped about a foot on the marker poles. We never thought to check the tide times on the outside! We will not be repeating that route again. Because the wind prediction was suppose to be 15k again about midnight we traveled another 45 miles to pass under the Channel Five Bridge (65') to anchor inside Florida Bay again. Channel Five Bridge is only one of 2 bridges along the keys that a sailboat can pass through. Since today was Saturday there was a parade of fishing boats all heading out to the reefs to fish. It looked like a fishing competition.



Typical bridge connecting the keys

Along the way we did not see any man o'war jellyfish but lots of dolphins!! We haven't seen them since Ft Lauderdale last November. We saw them splashing about, rounding a school of fish together. We even saw them flipping fish in the air. It was not the typical docile dolphin you usually see. They were definitely hunting with aggression. Today was really warm in the sun and we were able to put full sail out...along with motoring since we had to travel some distance. The winds today were mild and the sea was calm. We are hoping tomorrow will be the same!


Once anchored peter made a hot crab dip which we enjoyed with drinks watching the sun set. Then after a light dinner Jane consulted her galley cookbook and made a type of bananas foster with a left over bunch. Life was very good to us today!

Day 2 Pumpkin Key

Wow, what a night we had at anchor here in Pumpkin Key. The winds picked up to 20kts. And the seas to 2 to 3 ft. Neither of us slept well. This morning things were not much better so we decided to stay on the hook here for another night. The waves have not decreased all that much throughout the day but we had warm sunshine and mostly blue skies. The wind generator and the solar panels pumped power into the system all day. We have been able to charge computers and phones etc. power our fridge and freezer and watch a little TV all day and we are still at full power.


Last night there was one power boat anchored here with us but in the last hour three sail boats came in and dropped their hooks. One of the boats, I think about a 36ft, arrived in with a Great Dane on board. Now that is a little crazy in my book. As soon as he set the hook he had to load him onto the dingy and take him ashore to do his business. It looks like just the dog and his master on board. The dog takes up most of the cockpit.

We were told before leaving Coconut Grove that this was a very exclusive area of the Keys. We were not anchored very long before several Leer Jets, a helicopter or two, and other small planes flew in to the private airport. The actual Pumpkin Key Island on our bow is privately owned. It looks like two houses a dock and several small boats both power and sail along with other toys like a golf cart are visible from our anchorage. What recession!!!!!!!!!!!! Boy, if you really want to see how the rich and famous live all you have to do is join us on a trip down the coast of Florida, indeed down the entire east coast of the USA. I am sure you can multiply this to many other areas of this great country.

Yesterday as we slowly made our way in light winds down Biscayne Bay we gave some thought to taking a swim of the boat. That thought did not last long after we spotted our first of many Man of War jellyfish. They look so innocent on the surface, just a pretty looking bubble ranging from transparent to deep blue. The bubble, which propels them, is only about 6 or 8 inches long above the surface but the tentacles reach far below the water and if they wrap around you they can do serious damage including death if stung by enough of them. One other thought. The day we passed through Miami a rather large skate (fish) launched out of the water just off our bow. It was Peter’s first time seeing one jump but Jane had seen one last year in the Bahamas. We read recently that one jumped into a small fishing boat injuring the owner who had to struggle with the help of his son to get him back overboard. AHHH, the joys of cruising. Every day is another adventure.

Our Kinvara Map

We have a google map of our location each day. If you click on "Where is Kinvara?" a google map feature will come on.  If it doesn't re route after a minute to our Kinvara map then click the back arrow once and it should come up.  It's fun to click in and see the location up close.

Pumpkin Key

World Championships.

We cast off from Coconut Key this morning at 10am. The bay was full of race boats competing in the world champions. We wove our way through the fleet and out into the wide open expanses of Biscayne Bay. The bay is huge but not very deep. We measured depths of 7ft to 1.5ft. under our keel. It is a little daunting at times, you are bracing for a sudden stop which never materializes. The wind varied from 2 or 3 knots to 5 or 6. Not very conducive to a fast passage. We are Cruisers after all!!

Wing on Wing on Biscayne Bay

When the sun went in we turned on the engine and made it to our anchorage by about 4pm. After setting the hook we sat back and enjoyed a nice bottle of Pino Grigio and cheese and crackers. Life is good!!

Anchored off a private Island, Pumpkin Key

Coconut Grove, Jan 25th.

We washed Kinvara down this morning and removed the salt spray from our rock and roll trip here from Ft. Lauderdale yesterday. It is important not to leave the salt sit on the deck and fittings for long or it will cause lots of corrosion down the line.
When we finished the house work we took a walk to down town Coconut Grove. It was ok but not what we really expected. The recession has hit here also. Lots of stores are empty and not very many people about. There was a wide variety of restaurants but none were crowded. Of course the weather was not very nice so that may have kept people away. Jane mentioned to one store keeper that if it was a cloudy day like today in Cape Cod everybody would be shopping and eating out instead of going to the beach.

We stopped at a Fresh Market store on the way back to the boat and picked up some groceries. What a store. If it were near us in Solivita I would be 50lbs heavier by now. It is amazing and the produce etc. etc. is awesome. We picked up some sandwiches and dessert and sat outside and ate our lunch. 

One of many peacock sculptures

Beautiful sculptures in Coconut Grove





The sailing competition continued today.

When we arrived yesterday we could not receive any TV channels. We had just replaced the antenna and we both came to the conclusion that the connection at the top of the mast must have disconnected. Jane volunteered to be hoisted up on the bosun's chair to do the repairs. That is 60 feet above the water. We went over the procedure to do the repair and then the big hoist. Up she went as happy as Larry as the saying goes. She drew a crowd on the dock who were just as amazed as I was at her bravery. Most said that they never saw an Admiral going up the stick before. The bottom line is that she successfully repaired the antenna and returned to the deck with no problems. Bravo Jane.


60' above the water...we have TV!!







Coconut Grove, Jan 24th

We bid farewell to Bob and Connie on Meredith this morning as they set sail to meet friends and cross over to the Bahamas. We dropped our mooring ball at 7.30 and motored to the 17th street bridge for the 8am opening. Once through the bridge we headed to sea on route to Government Cut in Miami and on to our destination Dinner Key or Coconut Grove as it is better known. The morning was windy but clear and we had a SE wind which filled our sails and gave us good speed. 3 hours into the trip the wind picked up to 20knts with gusts to 25. Seas built to 5 to 7 feet and things got a little uncomfortable. We were glad to see the markers in the entrance to Government cut and the calm seas they promised. It was a fast ride only taking about 5 hours. Enough for one day. The weather has not improved since we arrived so we plan to stay here for a few days to enjoy the sites and let the weather clear. Who cares if we have to extend that time!!


Down Town Miami




20ft high statue in front of condo complex

 When we entered Biscayne Bay we were surprised to see hundreds of all sizes of sail boats and wind surfers. It seems like we arrived during a world class sailing event. We will find out later what is going on and explain in the next blog.

Last Day in Ft Lauderdale

Today was a beautiful sunny day, a little cool, but wonderful. We got great charging out of our wind generator and solar panels. During the morning we went ashore to the marina lounge. Peter checked emails and copied some movies from our friend, Bob. Jane took a walk with Pretzel and Connie to Ft Lauderdale Beach. It is a long, sandy beach which is just like you would see in pictures. Because today is Sunday there were loads of people and cars but not too many on the beach. We had north winds all last night and today so the ocean horizon showed lots of wave disturbance. No one is crossing to the Bahamas in the next few days!

Big Boat!

Bigger Boat

Really Big Boat!

Huge Boat!!

In the afternoon we dingied through lake Sylvia, under a 4 foot bridge, through a canal,. across the Intracoastel waterway, and on another canal. We docked at Southport Raw Bar and stopped for lunch. We crossed the street outside the bar and did a little shopping at a Winn Dixie then headed back to the boat. We are getting ready to leave here tomorrow and sail outside to the Miami area. We will probably end up there for the week due to another cold front coming in Wednesday through Friday. Ft Lauderdale is a wonderful place to visit so we will definitely stay again on the way back from the Keys.

canals  (instead of streets)

Delish little eatery at end of the canal

Bob & Connie going under 4' bridge.

Bob's Birthday

Saturday started out raining and all hopes of exploring Ft Lauderdale seemed dashed. We decided to leave Pretzel and go ashore to the marina for showers and laundry. While there we met another couple, Robin & Charles, who have returned from 10 years in Europe on their 49' Trintella. They now live in Destin, FL and are cruising the east coast of the US.

It cleared by noontime so we went exploring in the dingies with Bob & Connie from s/v Meredith. Following directions from the marina we traveled north on the Middle River to a little dingy dock inside a park. It is across the street from the Omni Mall and just down the road from West Marine and a fabulous French bakery. We sat outside for lunch and enjoyed some live jazz music. We discovered this location was where we took our Blue Water Sailing School live-aboard course week 6 years ago after buying our boat.

Connie & Bob



Live jazz at French Bakery







When we discovered Bob from s/v Meredith was celebrating his 60th birthday we all decided to go out to dinner at Coconuts Caribbean Grill. It is actually directly across from our mooring and we could dingy right to their dock. The food was fabulous and we had a great time. There were 8 of us in the group...all in the mooring field. Bob's wife, Connie, ended the meal with buying an Espresso martini for everyone. We all left feeling no pain....or cold. The temp overnight went into the 40's again.

Jane preparing for her lobster

Peter's stone crab legs

Peter, Robin, Charles, Connie, Bob 

Birthday Bob with his espresso martini and ice cream cookie cake!





Ft Lauderdale

   We hauled anchor this morning at 7:30 and traveled the Intracoastal Waterway through 15 lift bridges. Timing, tides, and current become very important when attempting this. A bridge could open every 30, 15 minutes, or 20 minutes.  Some are closed during rush hour so we have to time our distance and speed to get through the next bridge. If the current or wind is against us then we slow down and wait for the next opening. It can be very frustrating. Today's trip was easy, though, and we made it in 6.5 hours. We only missed one bridge opening and had to wait about 40 minutes for the next opening.

    Our friends on s/v Meredith took the outside ocean route from Lake Worth and will arrive in Ft Lauderdale in about 45 minutes. Looks like a toast and apps are in order. We both came through a quick moving thunder storm. We were connecting to our mooring ball during the storm and the boat was listing sideways due to strong winds. The experience of the Captain & Admiral, though, made it look like a piece of cake!! We will sit here through the weekend and wait for a good weather window to travel outside to Miami.
     Our Solivita friends will return to Ft Lauderdale from their cruise on Sat. or Sun. but we can't dingy to where the cruise ship docks. So...hope you had a great time!!

The prettiest bridge we went through.
Reminds me of Rapunzel's tower.

View of Ft Lauderdale from our boat!

Siesta after a long hard day.

Hmmm...waterfront property anyone?

Maybe a new house with boat?



Larger sailboat with waterfront....now you're talking!!!!



On The Move...Finally!!

On Wednesday night, just for the fun of it, we dropped the depth line at half hour before low tide. It showed 5 feet under the waterline. So we turned the instruments on and , sure enough, the depth meter read 0.0!! We were sitting in silt. Although Kinvara was moving ever so slightly we were grounded! So that meant we had to leave only during the incoming tide.




Fast Forward: This morning high tide was scheduled for 11AM but we checked the depth again at 8:30AM. We had about 1.2 feet under our keel so we prepared to leave. By 9AM Kinvara was outbound on the St Lucie River. We listened to a CG announcement about the Parker Bridge being down so we had to decide to run outside or stay inside the ICW. A decision was made to stay inside. The trip was a pleasant one until we got to Jupiter Inlet. We had a few bridge tenders not in the most friendly of moods. When we reached the Parker Bridge, ready for the 3:15 opening, it was announced that it would not open until 3:45. After that we literally raced as fast as the engine would take us to make our anchorage in Lantana before dark. Our last bridge, Lantana, was a real gem. He held the bridge open for us a few extra minutes to let us pass. So, we were able to set anchor by 5:45. It's 6:35 now, totally dark, but we are sitting outside with a pleasant breeze, listening to our Sirius radio and imbibing wine or coke, and crackers & cheese. The wind generator is running, our anchor position is holding, and the temperature is in the 70's. Life doesn't get much better.

Departure Delayed Due to FOG!!!!!!!

Unfortunately when waking this morning there was dense fog. If we were in New England it wouldn't matter with our radar and fog horn. In the Intracoastel waterway it is a different story. The channel is narrow and the small power boats are not set up for fog. It's not safe to take a chance. We don't have a schedule so tomorrow will be the day to leave. There is a good forecast for clear skies. Jane decided to take some pictures of our living quarters for those of you new to our blog.

"Master Suite"

"Master Bath"

"Deluxe Kitchen"

"Office, navigation, TV viewing"

Dining/Sitting area

Looking forward

Looking aft

Still in Stuart

Forward v-berth....a little crowded with kayaks.

Our bunk beds which have become the storage area!

Today was a beautiful day to leave but after all the rain yesterday we were wet so we decided to dry out and plan to leave tomorrow. However, Pretzel has not eaten any food since Sunday night so we are worried about her and may take her to a vet.


Update:  After visiting 2 vets offices, which were closing, we returned to the boat with a plan to go to the emergency clinic. Well Pretzel decided it was a good time to start eating again so she finished her whole portion plus a treat stick and is now back to normal. So we axed the vet trip and instead spent our money on dinner out at the land side Tiki Bar, Wahoo's.  So tomorrow we are on the move!!!

Patriot Playoff Day

Since today is Sunday we are taking the lazy approach. The sun is out, it's in the mid 70's and we await the game at 4:30 this afternoon. Of course the cable TV on the dock helped us stay through the weekend.  Here are a few more pictures of our stay in Stuart.

Our electrician going up the mast..taken from the tiki bar by a friend.

Our friend and lifesaver electrician, Steve



Our dock neighbor, friend, and seamstress, Patty

A plane on a boat...at the boat show!

A cafe on a boat at the boat show!