Schooner MISTRESS

Schooner MISTRESS For Sale

2011-07-21T23:17:00.001-04:00

There comes a time in every sailors life when your beloved sailing yacht needs to move on and sail for someone new.
Schooner MISTRESS was originally built in 1930 and has had many proud owners. She is best described now in several categories; Bristol Condition Classic Schooner Yacht, Racing Fast Stay Sail Rigged Schooner, Blue Water Cruiser, and Fit for World Cruising.
Interested parties should follow this link to learn more.www.1930schoonermistress.com

Kathleen & Skip Joest
aboard
Schooner MISTRESS

Holed up for Hurricane Season

2011-06-05T23:08:00.003-04:00

Well the haul out went well and MISTRESS looks much better for it. We returned up the river and this time stopped in Satsuma, FL at a different friends dock. We did all we could for MISTRESS in May and then it was time for Skip to head for Annapolis, MD to do some historical work. I expect he will be gone for 4 to 6 weeks at least. So this is what she looked like when she first arrived. I should take a new pic in a few days and I will load it as well. That shot will show her sun cover. Very important here in sunny Florida.

Soon to splash again

2011-05-15T09:56:00.001-04:00

Sunday here and Skip is off with his MISTRESS. The stands have been moved and he is fairing and adding bottom paint. He will also wash and wax the hull again and we hope to have all ready for an early morning splash either Tuesday or Wednesday. With nothing in the way of a rig, there is no place to hide from the sun on deck so we would like to get underway just as early as possible. We will take her back up the St Johns river to Satsuma this time and MISTRESS will stay at another friend's dock which is just a 7 minute car or DOODLE ride from our house. Skip will not be able to paint the deck as planned. Time got away from us as it often does and that will have to be done while she is at the dock. We pray and hope that the blind mosquitoes and spiders stay away at that time. They really are a royal pain. I will try to remember to take the camera and shoot pics of her going back in.
Side note: Gorilla is now into being a cowboy. Skip has bought him a cowboy hat and Gorilla has taken to riding all around the house, on Ernie the cow. Ernie was made for me by my Dad and has been in storage for all the years we have been off sailing. She is happy to be out of storage and Gorilla and she are getting on just fine. What will I do about them while Skip is away in June? No telling. I will supply pic as soon as I get the chance. This ones for you Ricky.

May 3, 2011 we leave Welaka and head for Green Cove Springs

2011-05-06T22:11:00.000-04:00

6:40AM we get underway.
7:40 we pass the Florida Barge Canal. This is the entrance to get to the other side of the damn on the Ocklawaha River. We are running just over 6kt which is a bit sluggish. We look forward to a bottom cleaning. All systems are working well and the current is minimal. There is a fire near by and everything is smoky.
8AM we signal the Buffalo Bluff Bascuel Bridge Tender with the horn. No radio because the antenna is with are masts in Green Cove. Up ahead we can see a line in the sky where the smoke ends.
8:32 we pass the entrance to Dunns Creek. We are clear of the smoke.
9:15 The bridge in Palatka comes into view.
9:25 pass bridge
11:00AM position is 29.30.47N - 81.40.69W
12:04PM position is 29.53.66N - 81.35.77W Glad we got an early start of it today to beat as much of the sun as possible. With no rig, there is no way to set up sun covers and at high noon it nears 90.
12:20 we make marker 25. There is a SSE breeze from 5 to 10kt leaving us with either no breeze or just enough to put fumes on the deck.
12:25PM spot the Shanes Bridge
12:55 Almost to the bridge and we can see the boat yard beyond. Will tie up at Holland Marine. MISTRESS is scheduled for haul out shortly after we arrive.
1:25 we are tied up to the floater just before the lift.
4PM we are on our way home after having left our car up there yesterday. MISTRESS's haul out went very well. In fact, Skip says the guy who ran the lift was the best he has ever seen. That's saying a lot. She had some barnacles on her bottom which we picked up during our trip to Cumberland Island and because there is some salt water in the river they were able to hang on. Nothing much and they were barely the size of my pinky nail and within a half hour of her being hauled she was pressure washed and looking pretty good. They then moved her and set up block and stands. Mostly she was just a bit slimy for the river. Skip wishes to fair her a bit under the water line and set a new water line. Originally, it was near perfect just a bit low aft. In 2008, he reset it and I guess is just didn't come out perfect so Skip being Skip will redo it again.

It is all about MISTRESS

2011-04-27T14:50:00.002-04:00

Well Skip finished up his work in St Pete at the end of March and returned home. First big job was to put new beams, butt blocks and partial floor in the shop to support the second floor loft. That done all the wood Skip purchased for the crown molding for the house and other wood he just could not resist is now drying properly in the loft. There is so much room up there we can start emptying the storage shed and organize it all well. The plan was to move onto the bathroom, however money does not grow on trees yet and MISTRESS is too important so we have tabled the bathroom and hope it stays where it belongs until time and money allow for changes like new beams to hold up a new floor and then everything else too. But for now we move onto the work needed for MISTRESS. It's all about the varnish work for the past few weeks and everything has been sanded and varnished. She is looking pretty good. Skip is repainting the gold on the pin stripe today and he should be cleaning the hull this weekend. We are scheduled to bring her up to Green Cove Springs to Tom Holland’s yard for a haul out on Tuesday next week. So the plan is to clean her up and see if anything needs our attention and have a survey done. Last time she received a Bristol/Excellent rating however it was done in the water. Looking forward to seeing what is states this time. We will not be putting her sticks back in this time, but instead will bring her back up the river. We cannot go sailing right now and the river is a good hurricane hole for us to have her in. We had considered putting the masts back in and taking her to deeper water and closer to an inlet, but I could not find a boat slip to suite her under an hour's drive away. Don't want that. Like having her seven minute car or DOODLE ride away. In June, Skip is going to Annapolis to work on a home for the owners of S S SOPHIE. This house was built in 1776 and they want the best woodwork they can find. So there you have it. Skip heads north for a month.

Ground Hog Day

2011-02-02T13:05:00.006-05:00

I know it has been a while. Busy doesn’t nearly describe accurately how life has been. Turns out, after several months helping our friend, she beat it. She is leukemia free. Holy Crap! What a feat. Life for us returns to, at least our version of normal and I knew it had been a long time since I updated this Log/Blog. So here we are.

MISTRESS is being completely unloaded. This is the first time since her launch and I am so happy for it. I want to clean her from stem to stern. To have all of her empty at one time after four years of cruising is a treat to me. Once fully emptied, I can really give her a good cleaning and now after living on her for this many years I am apt to make a few changes. Each year she has had a good going over and each year more and more has been removed. If you had not touched that item or thought you needed it, let it go. We expect to do a haul out this May right after the new bathroom is put in the house this April. With MISTRESS just a few blocks away, it will be helpful during the rebuild stage and by that time, I should have her all cleaned up and reorganized for the next adventure.

Skip is in St. Petersburg, FL working on S S SOPHIE. This year the focus is on building new crew quarters. SOPHIE is probably one of the cleanest and best maintained Trumpys’ ever. Her Captains are nothing short of extraordinary and Skip really enjoys working with them. While he is over in St. Pete he has been enjoying dinners at his parents home not far away. Ahhhh, ain’t nothing like Ma Ma’s cooking. He should finish up at the end of March and return here to his wife and MISTRESS. Often, he comes home on the weekends.

Something to look forward to is a book being written entitled “Great American Schooner Yachts”, by Björn Arp. The book will feature American schooner yachts built between the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s with each chapter donated to one of these schooners. MISTRESS will be one of those chapters. Family and Honorary Crew can anticipate a copy.
Other items of significance:

Olive Oyl is taking a long time adjusting to house type living. Ceiling fans and Grandfather clocks are rather disturbing to her. While it is true she most likes being on land and chasing squirrels, when it is time to retire, she prefers her home on MISTRESS liking the cave like atmosphere of the ¼ berth and her other bed in the saloon.

Our Moral Officer, G. Orilla was the last to move from MISTRESS to our 2nd home the little bungalow; now with its white picket fence. He said he needed to guard MISTRESS against pirates. This was the first time we were leaving her. Truely though, I think Skip scared him with all the dust being created at the house given the new floors, walls, and what not. But he is here now and I will leave you with a video of Gorilla at Christmas time. He sure enjoyed himself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWjRF8gk3i8

Getting ready for the Holidays

2010-12-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

Well, the cold air has blown threw Florida and has caused Skip to rethink working at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. We have had more than a few days of freezing weather and this has reminded Skip just how much he hates the cold. Additionally, while they where still trying to make their decision to move forward on ROSIE PARKS, several others have been bidding for Skip's time and could no longer be put off. In the end, he who put down the deposit, won.
The house is coming along though slow because of all the work Skip has had to do for a friend, but, I now have a new floor in the living room and in just a few more days, may actually have walls to go with. Last week we picked out living room furniture and that feels good. I hope to have it delivered in early January. In January Skip will go off to St. Pete and work on S S SOPHIE again while I stay here in Welaka with MISTRESS, Olive Oyl, Gorilla, and the new house. Our friend is doing pretty well, though there have been setbacks. We hope she is released in early January as scheduled and is well enough to be on her own. I am looking forward to time in one location. For the past several months it seems I am nearly everywhere but home. Once Skip has finished with wall paint and other such chemical things, I will be able to return to the house. As for the holidays, well, we will be with our friend and do not plan on making much of it. A simple quiet holiday suites us just fine. Notice to all good friends and family, next year, Skip and I have decided one of two events will take place for the holidays. We will either have a big Christmas party at our place or we will be sailing in the islands. Either works for me. For this holiday though, we wish all of you peaceful days with good family and friends.

What we have been up to

2010-10-05T08:59:00.003-04:00

With the new house/built in 1915, MISTRESS, a sick friend, and work, Skip and I have been slammed busy with little time to spare. Yesterday, the weather here was so unbelievably gorgeous, by mid day I could not resist and asked Skip if he wanted to take the rest of the day off and take DOODLE up the Ocklawaha River. Turns out he had thought the same thing about an hour earlier and was trying to resist the temptation. Now that I brought it up, what the heck. We left the dogs, Olive Oyl and her buddy Connor in dog paradise, packed a picnic lunch with beer and other drinks, and headed out. It is an amazing place and you should google it to see all the twists and turns it makes. I am always amazed when we find our way back home, for once inside it is nearly impossible to tell which direction you are headed in, if it were not for the sun. We saw, turtles, gators, birds of every kind, flowers in white, purple, orange, yellow and more. At one point we came upon a pair of bald eagles and one of them soared above us at the speed of DOODLE as we continued on. That was cool. We took a whole four hours off from responsibility and called it our mini vacation. Once we were back we found three voice messages on the house phone, two on our cell phones, and the phone ringing out our friends home. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Update on the shop and house. New floor in the shop, new fence up on two sides, big tools and benches have been moved to the shop from storage, and other household items as well. New floors to come soon in the bedroom and living room which already have new ceilings, walls, and fans.
Skip is being considered for two projects of importance. The skip jack ROSIE PARKS at St. Michael's Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and St. Augustine's traditionally built replica of a tall ship landed there many many years ago which will be built from scratch. Both will require a several year commitment. So we will head to the cold, or stay here. ROSIE PARKS is very important to Skip. She was the last traditionally built skip jack on the Chesapeake and with Skip having come from that area, he has a soft spot for her and yearns to put his name on her as contributor to her history and future. It would also be cool to be right there each year for the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Our favorite. Heads up to the Schooner Race Crew. For now, we wait and see. Actually, we continue to work and see what life will toss at us next.
Happy sailing,

Alfred Hitchcock movie

2010-09-06T09:56:00.001-04:00

These are pictures of the blind mosquitoes that have covered MISTRESS's deck for the past six weeks. More often than not they are washed off daily, only to return in force. When they are bad, you can hear them swarming. Not so much fun. Glad they don't bite.
These pics only show the blind mosquitoes. They do not show all of the spiders that built webs to catch said bugs. It also doesn't show all the egg casings for all the new spiders yet to come. Oh man, I yearn for blue water.
These shots where taken just a few hours after she was all washed off.

Changes

2010-07-22T12:33:00.002-04:00

I am in the process of writing a new blog and after an hours worth of work on the computer, I have discovered that I unintentionally made changes to this Log/Blog. Therefore, until I figure all this out, please excuse any postings done by Gorilla. He is the author of the new blog called Olive Oyl the Schooner Hound.
This is the Log/Blog for the Schooner MISTRESS and is intended to be our ship's log.

Olive Oyl's Great Adventure

2010-07-19T12:24:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, while Skip and I went into the big city (St. Augustine) we for the first time, left Olive Oyl in her fenced yard on the water with MISTRESS right there at the dock. Wonderful place and she really does love having terra firma right there. Well, yesterday she took to following Rand, our good friend and one of the finest restorers of wooden boats we know, in and out of the gate. Each time she followed him back in until that last time when an irresistible urge overcame her and she bolted through the gate, passed the trees, and out into town. Poor Rand could not have know about playing "hunt and chase the dog". It is loads of fun and Skip and I often play this game with her however we have commands to keep her within certain boundaries. After an hour's worth of chasing it was nearly 2:30PM so Rand called Skip who told him we would come back immediately. This was certainly the hottest part of the day thereby making this game of her's anything but fun for Rand. He supplied himself with water and upgraded to his scooter and resumed his hunt for Olive Oyl. I called the owner of her best buddy, Connor in hopes they might help and are just ten minutes away, we were an hour away. For the next hour, Rand, his lovely wife, Connor and his human companion, and other kind folks were in pursuit of the hound dog on the lamb and reported sightings of her all over town. Rand continued to spot and even get her to come up to him a few times, however each time he went in for the catch, she bolted and disappeared in a flash. Officer George was informed and he joined this search and capture expedition. By the time we made it to the Dunns Creek Bridge we received reports she was on SR 309 heading towards Connor's home, her favorite place. We kept a close lookout as we passed and headed towards Welaka, but no Olive. Once in town, Skip drove and I did her special whistle as loud as I could as we went up and down the streets. Just before 4PM Connor's human companion called and said Olive was back in her yard with Connor. It seems our good Officer of the Welaka Police Department saved the day. He located her on Orange Street heading for home. I figure she heard her special whistle and thought it was a good time to do an about face and head home. She would not get into the car with Officer George so he followed/herded her back home.
When we got here she was very excited to see us. She was hugged, then reminded of the importance of acting like a good dog. This morning, she and I hand delivered Sorry/Thank You /Promise to be a Good Dog cards to Rand and Officer George. They are special cards Skip's Mom painted with a portrait of Olive on the cover. This afternoon, Skip and I close on our "shop with loft that has a house to keep the wife in" and I know we would be hard pressed to find a better small town. Remember years ago when people talked often on civic minded communities with neighborhoods who's people are good, kind, and caring. Where it's more important to find some lost dog then any of the many things that keep people so busy these days. Well, Welaka has that kinda stuff written all over it. If it had blue water for sailing MISTRESS there could be no finer place.

A Note From the Morale Officer

2010-07-10T09:48:00.006-04:00

G. Orilla here. Just wanted to say the Captain and Admiral went to dinner last night at Three Bananas in Crescent City and all I got was this lousy cup. Rum not included. :-(
However, I have been promised it was such a nice and friendly place on the water, the next time they go, I will go too. There is a white cypress tree there that is between 620 and 645 years old. WOW! That is gonna be fun to climb. I suppose I will order a banana dacari.

Wow! Is MISTRESS in good company or what

2010-07-03T09:18:00.008-04:00

We are at our friends dock in Welaka, FL. He does a lot of restoration work, has a maritime museum, and is an all around good guy and a talented Shipwright. MISTRESS is docked next to their 1930 Elco. Between just the two boats there are 160 years of wooden boat here. She is in mint condition.
Olive Oyl loves her private yard and has done a good job of keeping squirrels and buzzards away. Now she must learn not to bother with all those coming to use the public ramp that is right next door. Gorilla is ecstatic. There are several banana trees here. Skip is just about 8 minutes from work whether he takes DOODLE or the Element and we are just a few blocks from the house we are buying. A good fit all around, I'd say. No hidden fees either.

Today Olive has an appointment at the vet in Palm Coast and therefore just after, we will take her to her old dog park and hope to meet up with her old pals. Soon it will be time to empty MISTRESS of all of her belongings so that a good clean can be done and also some redesigning work.

The Bald Eagles are here along with the owls and osprey. The other day Skip, Olive, DOODLE, and I attempted the Ocklawaha, but before we got too far the skies opened up on us and we had to make a dash for home and yet we are settling in to a river attitude nicely. Slow and easy.
Cell service is an issue so leave messages and when we get the message, sometimes a day or so later, we will attempt to call back. As far as email goes and updating the site, well, it's kind of hit and miss and seems to depend on the weather as much as anything.

Is it time to leave already?

2010-06-30T13:36:00.003-04:00

Apparently so. We had planned to stay here at Acosta Creek for the three months but alas, it is not a good place for me. Part of this place is a boat yard. Those who know me, understand being around just a small bit of paint, varnish, fumes, and or fiberglass completely debilitates me. So there you have it.
The good news is we will be moving MISTRESS today or tomorrow to a friends dock just a 7 minute dinghy ride south of here. Additionally, we have put an offer on a house in Welaka and they accepted it. If you ask Skip about it he will tell you he has bought himself a shop with loft and there happens to be a house there too. So plenty happening here. Skip just got home from work so I will cut this short for now and update when we actually move MISTRESS.

Internet

2010-06-07T22:22:00.003-04:00

As of this evening, I now have one bar's worth of Internet service on board. So I can update here when need be and I can check emails. There will be no live streaming or downloading of movies. Phones are still a problem on board, so to family and friends, leave a message. As soon as we get it and are on high enough ground, we will call back. Otherwise we are trying to get the chores done early and late in the day. It is just too hot to work outdoors in the heat of the day. Little by little we are clearing MISTRESS's deck. It will take a good week or two before she looks her normal self, minus her sticks.

Mastless - Holland does a great job

2010-06-04T10:01:00.018-04:00

8AM the crane was ready and waiting. We move to the lift slip.
The foremast came right out, no problem and was stored.
9:00 The main held for a few minutes and Skip had to beat on it from below to help free it. Just before it let go, Skip said the cabin top lifted slightly, but then pop, she was free.
9:30AM all masts are stored and we get underway.
10:00AM we go under the Shands Bridge at Green Cove Springs. Here we come Welaka.
I shot a bunch of pics and will load later. MISTRESS certainly sits higher in the water and walking on deck I sense it. She lifted about and inch and a half when the fore came out. She is cluttered on deck and is in need of a good bath, but otherwise she is in great shape. The owner and crew did a great job. Could not be happier with Tom and his band of merry workmen.
Right after we pass under the bridge I loose our Internet signal. No trucker's cell antenna to plug into, because no mast, oh well. Acosta Creek Marina has wi/fi so we should be good to go no matter what. I can't tell you how many times yesterday I reached for a boom that was not there. Feels so weird and today her motion is so different. Skip fantasizes about taking her in big seas while the sticks are out to see how her motion would be. This would tell him if she could take lighter spars. He never stops thinking about building carbon fiber mast. Ha Mike P. I think you guys are gonna get that rocket ride without her sticks. Tomorrow, Tim takes Skip to St. Pete to pick up his valiant steed. Thanks Tim. I will do laundry and wait on the Fein vac for the cleaning. You can see when looking at the turn buckles where in the last four years I was unable to get Nev'rDull to. A good job for this summer will be to brighten them up and make all of them look new.
10:43 radar check shows rain heading our way. That which is orange and red is dissipating as it gets closer. Chart goes in plastic cover, port holes dogged, holes where masts were, have already been covered. Situation is normal given Florida June weather. I keep putting my foot on the main mast as I sit at the chart table. Of course, it's not there. How long is it going to take to stop doing that.

12:00PM we are about an hour from Palatka - 29.46.70N - 81.33.03W. Had two rains spouts and it drizzles now. The shoreline is beautiful, but once we pass through the Buffalo Bluff Bascule RR Bridge it becomes breathtaking.

12:40PM we should be passing under the Palatka bridge in just a few minutes. Sun shines bright.

2:15PM we slide between marker 12 and the Rat Island Yacht Club. Skip had wanted MISTRESS to be a member until he found out that there would be no rat on the burgee. Disappointed because he had hoped to go to other yacht clubs flying the rat and asked for reciprocating privileges. Plenty of black clouds about. We snake through the river and catch the edges.

At just after 4PM we landed here at Acosta Creek Marina. Time to settle in. No internet signal at MISTRESS. Must go up the hill to use their wifi. Will try to rig our antenna to something and because we are on a fixed dock again there is always the figuring out of how to get on and off. It's a little harder without those rattlins. We plan to be in this area for the summer with Skip working on other peoples boats and MISTRESS. There is talk of her going black. Hmmmm

From Schooner to motor boat

2010-06-03T17:25:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow the mast come out. It should be early. We have removed her sails and her booms. The triatic has been lowered from the foremast, the truckers cell antenna has been taken down, and the furl jib has been disconnected and secured. All this was done early this morning to beat the heat. We slacked off for most of the afternoon hiding below in the A/C, then late this afternoon things began to get stowed away. Skip also loosened the wedges on the fore. We are interested to see how the Spartite works on the main. You see, the last time we made the trip up the river in 2006, we only removed the main because that was all that was necessary to get under the Shanes Bridge in Green Cove Springs. Therefore we referred to MISTRESS as a Schoo back then as we went on with just the fore in place. When the main was put back in, Skip used Spartite. According to the marketing, it should slip right out with the Spartite attached to the mast and will get reseated when the time comes. The fore, having not been removed at that time, did not get it. So tomorrow morning should be a good test. Skip and I both look forward to seeing the results.
The next time the rig goes back together there should be noticeable changes to it and in several other areas on deck. After nearly four years of shaking her down, Skip knows what changes he wishes to make. Before she was launched in 2006, Skip designed the rig, had it built, then put it all together within the last 10 days before the launch. Only sailing her could let us know what if any changes might come. So here we are nearly four years later, we have put her through her paces, and he knows just what he wants to do to make her as good as she can be. We have also been, since her launch, dreaming of new sails. Along the way some have been upgraded from the 40 to 50 year old sails she came with and while we can dream of winning the Lotto and having all new sails made, we are happy that Mr. Holland believes he may have a main that will fit. How wonderful!
Skip just came below and announced the crane will be here at 8AM. Cool! We are ready and if the Spartite works, the fore will get it on the return trip.

Holland Marine Boatyard

2010-06-02T18:31:00.008-04:00

Every time we come here, Tom Holland and Susan in the office take such great care of us. Here's a link to his site. http://www.hollandmarineboatyard.com/
This is a place I would highly recommend anyone to consider when needing boat work done. It's easy to see they know what they are doing. Just watching Tom and his crew move boats around is pretty wild.

Exchange Island to Green Cove Springs - Holland Marine

2010-06-02T08:12:00.018-04:00

8:12AM the engine in started. The jumbo sail and boom have been removed this morning after Olive got her shore leave. Skip says with three garbage bags and an hour, all the mess on the island could be gotten rid of leaving the whole island a much desired area. He says there are many paths and that it looks like it has been enjoyed by folks for years. I am afraid I still have a whopper of a headache from all the fumes and chemicals we went through yesterday and this has caused my mind to work much slower. Yesterday, just before running aground, Skip and I were saying how great this month of cruising has been. We will be quieter about such things today. Temp is expected to be 90 today. Hot, hot, and more hot but no worries, shortly we will be plugged in with A/C running. Good friends Kathy and Rick will come to Holland today and lend a hand. Kathy will take me on a store run while Rick helps Skip prepare MISTRESS for the removal of both her masts.
Someone we do not know sent us an email the other day telling Skip what he needs to do to make MISTRESS look better. Anyone who has never met Skip and wishes to send him his monthly salary so he could do the work he wants to do on MISTRESS vs earning a living, please feel free to send cashiers checks to Skip Joest Master Shipwright PO BOX are you kidding me, St. Augustine, FL 32084.
8:30AM we are underway. Bright blue skies, some clouds, we fight the current and make 5.6kt. The nice folks at Acosta Creek Harbor called yesterday wondering how we were progressing. We were scheduled to be there on the 1st of June, however the crane schedule held us up. Skip and I are really looking forward to spending time there. Nice folks, great area, and they have a pool. Oh my! I should look like a prune within the week.
9:00AM we are heading under the Main Street Bridge fighting the current with high RPMs making 4.9kt. I imagine MISTRESS will look like one classy barge by the time we are heading for Welaka. While the masts will remain at Holland, all the rest of her rig will come with us. At least her booms will be down and will not look ghastly to some. Yeah, I'm not well and am holding on to that one. I will try to do better. Take two Advil and drink plenty of water and hope to arrive at Holland in better form.
9:08AM just after we get by the railroad bridge just south of the Main Street Bridge the whistle blows. Cool, we slid by without having to wait. Yesterday, as the sheriff and custom's guys were leaving, Skip asked if they had profiled us because Gorilla had been sitting on the bridge deck, sword in hand. They told us they appreciated our good behavior about the whole thing. Really, what cha gonna do. Being nasty with them folks ain't a good way to go, but at least there is a record now showing we are good folks who comply with all the rules.

9:35AM we are coming up on marker 3 and there are dolphins all about, some riding on MISTRESS's 1/4 wake. Olive loves to watch the dolphins ever since that first time she was sitting on the side deck just outboard of the cockpit putting her very low to the water. When that big old dolphin was less than 3 feet away from her, it was very exciting to say the least.

9:55AM we get a call from Holland Marine. Turns out the crane's dry dock sunk last night so they have the crane busy fixing that situation. We have been pushed back to Friday morning. That's OK I guess. It'll give us more time to get MISTRESS ready without having to hurry and we should still make it to Acosta Creek Harbor by Friday evening. I'll email them now with our updated plan.

If you really want to get away and see what old Florida is like, this would be a good place to start. Plenty of Bald Eagles, owls of every shape and size, osprey, king fishers, and the list of birds goes on and on and should never leave out the song birds who wake you each morning. My only warning would be to make sure you do not go during blind mosquito time, I have felt as if I were stuck in an Alfred Hitchcock movie once during that time. The spiders that came to feed on said mosquitoes did not help the situation. Skip told friends, "If Kat stays with me through this she will follow me anywhere". It lasted about two months and only once in all the years we have gone out to this area.
11:27AM position 30.05.54N - 81.40.57W we should get to Holland Marine just around lunch time.
12:00PM we have a visual. I will leave it here for now. There is plenty to do once we get to the dock. Good short trip today.
Almost 6PM and thanks to Kathy and Rick much has been accomplished. Waiting for the sun to set further in the west so I can go up top and set the hose on her.

Cumberland Island to Exchange Island

2010-06-01T07:58:00.022-04:00

7:50AM engine started. We should get underway just after 8AM Want to tell Skip's parents, happy travels. Send us your itinerary when you can.
8:26AM anchor up we have said our goodbyes to good friends and the horses come out along the shore line as we head towards the inlet. We will not be going outside today, but instead traverse the ICW. It is a gorgeous day, blue skies with a few clouds, and a westerly breeze which was not at all forecast. Oh well! I look back on the log/blog to find other times we have made this trip to look for the shallow water which is sometimes found within the channel. Having relayed this information to the Captain we are ready for the trip. Once we get to the other side of the inlet we will have a rising tide which will give us a nice push. It moves around these parts.
9:06AM we are just inside the inlet. Moon is still out and we pick up 2kt as we make our way towards Fernandina Beach.
9:36AM the west breeze made passing Fernandina Beach a nice ride for me sitting on the forward end of the jumbo boom. We have now entered the marshes and are doing 7.6kt under power. Olive is not sure how long or how wild this trip might be. Skip, after we were waked by a power boat and Olive could have cared less, told her that was the extent of the waves for the day. She will have plenty to look at on this trip. We often see osprey, white pelicans, dolphins, and many shoreline dogs who will bark a hello. Engine slowed way down. We must be in shallow water.
9:41AM between the long stretch from Marker 2 and 3 we come across an 8 and 9 foot spot.
9:51AM before we make marker 3 we bump twice and go hard aground. According to chart and GPS we are in 14 feet of water. Ah Negatory on that 14 feet.
Stick to the port side when heading south between markers 2 and 3, for us about a boat length or two. We continue to wait on the tide. Position: 30.39.02N - 81.29.08W
11:43AM we request from a power boat to give us the best wake he can. He calls back and asks for confirmation of said request. Skip confirms. We await the results. Tow Boat US has also been called, however the Fernandina boat is doing a long tow and we are waiting to hear back from Jax. Hopefully, this powerboat will do it. MISTRESS has made valiant attempts to power through the shoal, but so far not enough to free her keel.
11:51AM we are free and in 19 feet of water. Stay to the eastern shore when running for that mark. The shoal is right down the middle.
12:27PM we pass marker 28 and bump up the RPMs some to maintain 7kt.
12:40PM was we come up on marker 37 we find 7 feet of water. We do not bump, but continue on.
2:19PM we get to Sister's Creek Bridge and bridge tender opens for us. Thanks Sir!
3:03PM position 30.23.08N - 81.33.07W on the St Johns River just before Dames Point Bridge. We have been watching the machines unload the container ships. The water is deep here and the sun is very bright; sunscreen is the word of the day. To the best of my knowledge, the St Johns is the only other river that flows north, like the Nile though not as famous. I am pretty sure many of the folks further south kinda like it that way. More nature, less traffic. Ahhhh my favorite.
4PM we have Exchange Island in our sights. We will pass under the bridge this time and anchor on the south side. There is some white sandy beach there that should make a great dog play area. Chart says there is enough water. That'd be nice.
6PM we are at anchor and Olive has been ashore. Then a sheriff's boat with three on board boarded MISTRESS without notice and it took an hour to go through a complete check. All is well and they apologized and went on their way. Too hot to do all that which we intended and instead Skip makes cold drinks. Tomorrow we head for Holland Marine.

Although it is still hot, the jib has been taken down and stowed, along with the sheets, Olive's netting is all stowed and the fender boards are stowed. Skip took Olive for another shore leave and found that the island is pretty nice. Where I landed it was covered in beer cans and other trash. I guess some jerks decided to leave it that way this past weekend, because Skip says there are ponds here, and paths, with a fire pit, and he and Olive even saw a racoon. The rest of the island seems well kept. Too bad for the locals to have people trash their little island paradise.

Cumberland Island to Exchange Island

2010-05-31T18:03:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow morning we head out for Exchange Island. We will get an early start of it and try to use the tides to work our way through any low spots in Fernandina. Low tide is around 6:30AM at Fernandina tomorrow, so we will fight it a bit getting away from Cumberland but then will have a rising tide to work our way south. We have had the most relaxing time here, with the exception of all the ticks. We never came back to the boat without having a tick check and finding said ticks. Olive of course got the most, but has faired well and has so enjoyed her time here with all the critters and her best buddy who came here on another boat to spend quality time.

Just the pics

2010-05-29T17:09:00.005-04:00

Cumberland Island

2010-05-29T09:14:00.000-04:00

What can I say? It's great!

Day 1 Cumberland Island

2010-05-25T21:33:00.005-04:00

Today we spotted armadillo, lots of wild turkeys, lots of horses, a baby horse, a raccoon, several deer one of which was a young buck, lots of osprey, hawks, and other sea birds, along with a constant showing of rays jumping and splashing, and dolphins passing by. One Momma horse followed Olive Oyl sniffing and wanting to get closer. She followed us a ways until the stallion came over and chased off her, her husband, and the baby horse. We also had a doe seem so interested in Olive Oyl she followed us for quite a ways actually stomping her hooves sometimes and like all the others, sniffing the air intently to pick up her scent. Because of the similar color, I wonder if she thought we had captured one of her own. Olive did well, never chasing. When near the horses, often she would lay down low and watch very carefully. By the end of the day, she was walking right past them without much reaction at all.

I am so happy Skip's parents turned us onto Cumberland Island all those years ago. It is still one of our favorite places. While we have explored nearly all of it by foot and by DOODLE and have other anchorages scoped out, this is where we are happiest. It has everything we need.
Confirm today that the crane will be ready for us next Thursday. So we will stay here until Tuesday, anchor off Exchange Island that night and get to Green Cove Springs on Wednesday. This should give us enough time to take down sails, and ready the rig to be taken out. Both come down this time. It is going to feel so weird not having her rig in.

Arriving at Cumberland Island, GA

2010-05-25T08:27:00.003-04:00

As stated in yesterday's log/blog, I went on deck and was able to see 8 wild horses as we passed the island entering the inlet. We followed the channel on the north side and when we got between markers 32 and 34 we cut in and headed for the shoal mark. To our great pleasure and surprise a huge ray leaped from the water right near the cockpit and did a somersault before it dove back in. Boy did Olive's eyes get wide. We then kept the second shoal mark to port and follow the shore line to stay in deep water. About 25 to 30 feet. We like going up and anchoring near the second dock, but we don't go further because of a low spot just beyond. Drop the hook and prepare BALOO, Olive and I are ready for shore leave while Skip remains behind for anchor watch. She and I walked the river side path and soon came upon an armadillo. She was very excited but remained still as we watched him go by. We continued on and I noticed her ridge stood up. Just then I spotted two wild horses just up ahead on the path. One was scratching its hindquarters on a tree, so I scratched Olive's hind quarters and told her it was a horse. She growled at first, but I told her he was a good horse and to Mom they are like dolphins. When I asked her to move forward towards the horses because they had started to move on, she was more than reluctant, ridge standing tall. As we started to follow, all of a sudden I hear a horse coming up the path from the direction we had come and it was trotting. We stood along side as this beautiful grey horse trotted by not eight feet from us. A few minutes later as we started off again, I heard a nay. Here comes another one, this on a beautiful chestnut with white markings on his nose. Oh man they are so nice to look at. This was enough for one day and after seeing up close the size of them, Olive was ready to return to MISTRESS so we headed back. Another armadillo crossed our path and Olive just watched. When we returned to MISTRESS Skip found 7 ticks on Olive and one on me. Olive will get a good flee and tick bath today which is suppose to ward off these pests for up to 10 days. I hope so. I don't think she slept well last night with new creatures swimming around in her head and dolphins and rays all about making noise. When the rain came and Skip got up to close port holes, she was on deck with a little low growl going on protecting us from all wild life that attempted to get too close. This morning, Skip will take her ashore while I tend to MISTRESS. This afternoon, we will probably all go ashore. Our plan is to stay here for a week. Then it will be off to Green Cove Springs so that both MISTRESS's mast can be pulled out. Modifications will be made this summer that will make MISTRESS a much dryer boat, at least for the person in the cockpit. I look forward to these changes.

St Augustine to Cumberland Island

2010-05-24T07:53:00.018-04:00

7:28AM we leave the dock and get in line for the bridge opening.
7:30AM the bridge opens and we head for it. As we get within a few boat lengths of the bridge, the motor boat MARIE CLARE out of Montreal cuts us off. Skip calls him 3 times on the radio before the Captain answers, however he remains clueless. Once through the bridge, Skip powers up and as we pass the motor boat, we explain to him that he should invest in some good reading material. Chapman's! I believe he was surprised that we had the power to do that. Do not underestimate either MISTRESS's power or Skip's ability to use it.
We head out the inlet and make the sea buoy by 7:57, change course, and head to the St. Mary's inlet sea buoy. Seas are forecast at 2 to 3 but they appear to be no bigger than 2. Sun shines, skies are mostly blue, however, there is little breeze to speak of. The swell gets us rolling some every so often, but otherwise, a nice ride. Gorilla enjoyed spending time with pirates aboard BLACK RAVEN. Good bunch of folks out of St. Augustine that will treat the kids to a great pirate adventure. Zach of Eco Tours now also has a sail cat to offer as a way of getting around and checking out the marine life in the area. I look forward to sailing on her. She looks fast and fun.
8:40AM position 29.59.70N - 81.15.53W SPD 6.5 - RPM 3000 - RNG 43NM - BRG 4 COG same. Seas are calm, swell is causing MISTRESS to heel 12 degrees to port and starboard every five swells. I take the time to tie a few more things into place like extra water jugs in the head but otherwise we are enjoying our time out here. Beautiful day. We have both yoyos out and Skip says we are running a great course line for King Fish. Cool! FREESTYLE plans to meet up with us later in the week. Also Cool! Olive will be so happy to see her best buddy, Connor. I know they will enjoy romping and frolicking around.
10:28 position 30.11.10N - 81.16.06W SPD 6.1kt COG 6 - RNG 31.7NM - ETA 3:35pm. Check tide for the inlet. Low at 12:10PM and High at 6:24PM. No problem of course for this inlet because it is well marked and deep enough for the submarines. Just nice to know we will be riding the tide in.
12:00PM we are off the Jacksonville Inlet. Plenty of big ship traffic around this area. Many hold up probably waiting on a pilot. About an hour before, Skip spots US Navy ship out 2nm to the east and calls em on the radio asking what our radar signature looked like to them. The response was, "Very good. We have been tracking you from 9nm out". That's what I like to hear. Not that the Navy is watching, but that our signature is so good. We often find that small sailboats and small fishing boats do not show up on our radar until they are within a mile and often not even then. So it is nice to hear we carry a big signature. Aluminum masts and the aluminum backed solar panels probably have something to do with that. No hits on the yoyos yet.
12:46PM 17.3nm to wypt - seas 1-2'
2:08PM seas 2 to 3 feet sending a light salty spray upon MISTRESS. The pounding takes over the roll and some waves give her a good soaking. Tall, dark clouds can be seen to the west. I hope we can get some rain showers just after we get inside, so as to give her a good free rinse before we anchor. Hey, a girl can dream. 30.34.00N - 81.17.15W SPD knocked down to 5.2kt RNG 8.76nm. Skip send Olive Oyl below as seas seem to be getting a bit larger. Time for me to go on deck and check it all out.
2:34PM our ETA is now just after 4PM and we make as little as 3.8kt in a turbulent, giant wash tub. Just about the time MISTRESS gets her speed up to 5kt, she is knocked back down again. It is a good idea to hold onto your seat so as not to go airborne in a free fall. She is wet above decks from stem to stern and high up into her rigging. All is secure and the sun does shine.
When she dives her bowsprit in it can be quite jarring. Radar shows storms to the west of us heading south, so they will not be giving us a fresh water rinse today. At least the ones that show on radar now.
3:17PM condition unchgd. Skip is soaked through and through. Best we do is 4.5kt and that's rarely. We are 3.33nm from sea buoy. Skip takes new course of 343 and heads in. We have done this inlet enough to know it is long and meant for big ships and subs. In 50 feet of water with big ships running inside of us, we cut the mark and head for one of the channel markers about 1/2 way. The motion is slightly easier, however when we take water over the rail now, it is very heavy. Seas near 5 feet. Internet signal is sporadic due to extreme motion.
4:11PM update We turned into the channel at markers 6 & 7 and have passed 8 & 9 as we fish tail surf at 7.8kt on the starboard 1/4 waves that run in through the hause pipes, the easterly swell, and the tide. Once inside the jetty, I know the motion will ease considerably and am looking forward to it. I know Olive is too. The poor pup is panting something unbelievable and has her claws dug in deep in the 1/4.
4:35PM we have been doing 10.3kt and are inside markers 18 & 19. The jetty starts at markers 16 and 17. Never cut shorter than 14 & 15 or you will cripple your vessel going over the jetty. I know it has been done before. The motion is getting better as we pass each marker. I tell Olive Oyl to go on deck so she can see land is near. This helps keep her distracted and focused on something other than the waves. We are seeing lots of sea turtles and some of significant size. So cool! Soon, I will go stand at the bow and look to the north and try to spot some of the wild horses that call Cumberland Island, home. No more spray to speak of, Skip is offered a clean dry shirt and I take his foul weather gear back and toss it into the head. Nothing got loose or moved about in all the motion, even when we were coming close to putting the caprail under water. Another "Cool!". I drop a note here when we get to our anchorage.
5:25PM anchor down will update later

St Augustine Inlet - Notice to Mariners

2010-05-23T10:49:00.005-04:00

While coming in the inlet yesterday morning just before low tide, Skip and I were amazed to see 9's 10's & 11' depths. I personal have never seen less then 17 but Skip said he remembers once running along a 14 foot depth. Must have been a moon tide. Anyway, there was also a much larger sandbar on the south side off Anastasia State Park. Looks like this inlet is experiencing shoaling like so many others. As we continued on we came to the 9 foot spot just off Salt Run, it is unchanged. Ft. Pierce dock guys said they had been experiencing lower than normal low tides and we sure knew it when we left their marina and while right smack dab in the middle of the channel we touched bottom.
We were greeted by Zack's dolphins. I call them that but they are really wild. What I have noticed lately is that I missed the abundance of dolphins that this area has. We see them here constantly and up close and personal too. Zach of Eco Tours is the guy to see if interested in any of the marine and bird life here. Good guy and knows his stuff.
Tim took me for provisions yesterday afternoon and all it cost us was some of the Mahi. I guess I could have told the guy he would have gotten it anyway. It's his favorite and we sure had plenty to share. Met the nicest couple here last night while taking Olive for a walk about. There are in abundance splashing about causing everyone to come see, Jack Cravells, Lady Fish, and Blues. Olive has met several great pups to play with and one in particular is a 6 mo old Golden Doodle. We have to keep our eye on them as the horse play considering the current that runs through here at 6kt some times.
MISTRESS got herself a good bath this morning and Skip and I have been enjoying catching up with all our good friends here. We have learned it is official, come July the mooring field on both sides of the bridge are going in and while technically someone is still able to anchor here, there will be little room for it considering the amount of moorings they plan. Salt Run will also get moorings, however no cruisers allowed, just for local folks to store their boats I guess. Skip is off to West you know who to pick up more cup holders and some more of the netting. It is working out really good for Olive and it helps to keep the fish in the boat when you bring them aboard.
We expect to meet up with more good friends this evening and then get underway real early and head for Cumberland. Want to leave our slip near slack tide. That will be much easier. See ya then.

Ft Pierce to St. Aug

2010-05-21T08:24:00.018-04:00

It depends on the restrictions for Kennedy Space Center. Trying to get thinks ready now so we can get out of here before low tide. MISTRESS at low tide sits on the bottom.
9:00AM engine started
9:17 we are on the bottom, need to get underway and power off.
9:20 we are out of our slip and heading for the channel. Skip calls Coast Guard to get restrictions at Kennedy. They give us Kennedy's phone number. We call them while running aground and they say no restrictions for today or tomorrow. We power off and keep going fighting tide.
9:25 we are in the inlet channel and working our way out. Captain will advise waypts soon, but to the best of my knowledge, we are shooting for a few miles east of Cape Canaveral's outer waypt and then will turn in towards St. Augustine. This trip should take somewhere near 30 to 36 hours given 5 to 6kt.
9:40 we make sea buoy and head for our 1st waypt. FE0107 - 28.38.11N - 80.21.03W RNG69.4NM - BRG 3 - COG 1 - SPD 7.1KT - ETA 11:00PM tonight. From there our next waypt is the St. Aug sea buoy which is about 95nm. Seas are 2 foot, skies are blue with lots of sunshine and just a few clouds about. There is no wind yet and there are not calling for a lot, however, we should not see (ha ha) any of the northeast winds that will kick up the seas once we get north of Cape Canaveral. At least that's how it is forecast. Signal for most of this trip should be small, but ya never know.
10:00 two cuban yoyos are out. Correction: Seas are calm, swell is two feet from the east. So far, we have spotted one very large ray leap from the water and a big sea turtle. Be careful you guys, BP is coming.
11:35AM position 27.41.34N - 80.16.42W - SPD 6.4KT - COG 3 - RNG 56.7NM - ETA 8:24pm tonight. Nothing on the yoyos yet. Olive has settled in well this morning and seems to understand and accept this is the way it is. We got her to do her business on shore this morning, however, it was on her own piddle mat. I hope this helps her be comfortable. Learning how to hold it is not the way to go.

12:15PM flying fish. So cool!
.JPG from wikimedia

12:53PM hook into a nice king fish. Get him to the boat, he is at least 32". Lift him out of the water, he shakes, and splash he's back in the water. He was an eating fish for sure. Oh well, the pork roast awaits if need be, but there is still plenty of time.
2:15PM we continue to see flying fish but Skip doesn't seem to mind. For more on that check out Log/Blog Beaufort, NC to Cumberland Island, GA from 2008.
2:40PM The coast fades off to the west as find ourselves about 10nm offshore, north of Sebastian and south of Melbourne. Coast Guard puts out warning about a 76 foot fishing vessel taking on water off Cape Canaveral. We intend to keep a watchful eye.
3:30PM land big mahi. Wow! Skip brought her on deck and she thrashed around then leaped over the combings and onto the bridge deck. Skip, Olive Oyl, and I leaped off of the bridge deck and onto the house or side deck. Skip fillets and cooks some up for late lunch. Oh my that was so tasty. Fresh fish.

Before he cooked her up and after she got her shot of rum that you see here, she thrashed about some more and sent blood and fish guts everywhere.
I love the new washdown pump Skip installed on MISTRESS.
4:06PM either one giant ray or more than one giant ray flew out of the water three times just off the port bow. Position 28.07.39N - 80.18.69W RNG 28.77NM - SPD 6.1KT - COG 1 - ETA 8PM
4:30 Spot sea turtle.
4:37 another sea turtle. We are north of Melbourne.
5PM USCG Jax says there are restrictions at Cape Canaveral, today. Oh man, what exactly is the restriction? Skip uses sat phone to call the same number I called this morning, USCG at Cape Canaveral and finds that the restriction is just up to 3nm offshore. No problem, we should not get any closure to that restricted area then 4.5nm.
5:30PM spot cruise ship way inside heading south. Our position is 28.21.79N - 80.19.71W 9nm east of the southern channel entrance of Canaveral peninsula. SPD 6.6KT - COG 4 - RNG 16.3NM - ETA 8:30pm We are still seeing flying fish. They are so fun to watch. They really get some air.
7:30PM we are north of the point that is most east on Cape Canaveral. Looks like we will miss that rocket launch they are having this evening. Another two hours and we may well be out of range. We'll see, or not.
7:57 as we watch Kennedy Space Ctr go by we get another hit. This time we bring in a bonita and set him free. The sun is setting so we take sun covers down and return the yoyos to the lazarette. There is a small breeze NNE.
8:07PM we are 2.53nm from our waypt and have a visual. When we alter course for STA sea buoy we might be able to put the jib up and save on a bit of fuel. If the winds should even go 10kt we might be able to carry the staysail too. Time for rest now though before we do watches in the evening. Good night Mr. Sun. Spectacular day. Send Bear our best! :-)
8:32PM we make our waypt. Nxt wypt is STA - RNG 89.7nm - BRG 335 - ETA 9:37AM Sat.
9:30PM we are just north of due east of the launch pad waiting for the rocket to take off. This would be the best seat in the house, however, it is delayed.
10:00PM still no launch, time for me to catch some z's.
2:26AM I take helm. Position is 27.14.61N - 80.46.53W RNG 47.4NM The moon begins to set.
3:47AM we are due east of Ormond by the Sea. RNG 37.63nm
5:11AM we are due east of Flagler Beach. RNG 27.9nm - SPD 6.7kt
5:32 the stars begin to fade as the eastern horizon begins to lighten. RNG 25.6nm ETA 9:30AM
6:19AM RNG 20.5nm seas are calm, no breeze at all. I can no longer see land now that the lights have gone out. It is a beautiful morning out here. We are off Palm Coast.
6:55AM 16.6nm from our waypt. I can see the condos just south of Matanzas Inlet. Should be near slack low tide when we get to the inlet. We will go to City dock and pick up fuel and water and check on the price for a slip. If not too outrageous, we will spend two nights and then head to Cumberland Island, GA for a few days.
"Hey FREESTYLE, care to spend a few days of R&R with us at Cumberland? Olive would love to see Connor".
7:00AM Skip takes helm after making a fresh pot of coffee. Ahhhh that tastes good.
9:20AM we are 2nm from our waypt. I can see it. After we turn to head in, I expect we will miss the 10AM opening of the Bridge of Lions and instead should be there waiting on the 10:30 opening. Go through and the City Marina is right on the south side. Good trip.
11:00AM Sat. Of course we got to the Bridge of Lions at 2 mins after 10AM so we waited for the 10:30 and waved to friends in the harbor. We are now in our slip. Time for power and water. Can I hear ya say A/C and showers? "Amen"

Key Biscayne to West Palm - Make that Ft. Pierce

2010-05-19T15:07:00.017-04:00

3:15PM we are getting ready to get underway, planning a night run to West Palm. Enjoyed our time here, but wish to send out a warning to all who consider coming this way. Make sure you have good screens. The no-see-ems here are terrible once the sun sets. I refer to them as flying teeth. Otherwise, good times where had by all, but it is now time to move on.
Forecast looks good for a possible sail is the wind is good and it looks promising that seas will be small.
3:28PM anchor up we head out and follow shore line until we get near the end by the lighthouse and then will work our way towards marker 6. Follow channel after that. Rain all around, but not too much of the red stuff. Seas are forecasted to be 2 foot or less. That would be good. Also during the night, we expect an easterly breeze of up to 14kt. We could sail by that. May not update much, we'll see.
4:20 we have raised the jib, staysail, and main, however down hauls are put in place on the main and staysail boom to prevent them from being true to their name. Winds are very light. The jib is also furled, therefore we continue to motorsail (loose term) along at 6.5kt heading 24 degrees for waypt FE116 which is 6.4nm away. We will then shoot for FE 115, go outside of FE113 a few nm and then on to FE 112 our last waypt for Lake Worth Inlet at West Palm. Motoring now, gets us pass the Miami inlet and the large ship traffic there. Once beyond that, we can sail as slow as we wish not wanting to get to Lake Worth before daybreak. Olive has acted very excitedly, passing about the deck, looking eagerly to any passing boats heading in in the hopes of hitching a ride. I do believe she would really like an opposable thumb at this time. I remind her we are heading for the river and her good buddy Connor, but in dog time that is just too far away. The sky is hazy with big, black clouds in a nearly 360 degrees fashion. Looks like May afternoon sailing on the east coast to me. Seas are as advertised and there is an easterly swell.
5:30 we make our waypt the Miami inlet, set jib, idle engine, nothing happens. There is not enough wind to sail, just enough to put the fumes on deck. Crap! We take the main down not wanting to get caught in a storm with it. We leave the staysail up to act as wind detector. I need to talk to Captain about doing 5kt and having fumes on deck. We need to get ahead of them or I will be worthless by the time we get to West Palm.
6:05PM plan B is enacted. We are 101nm from Ft Pierce Inlet. Bring RPM to 2600 and make 6.2kt and stay ahead of fumes. ETA at this rate will put us there at 10AM tomorrow. Additional waypts added are FE111, 110, and 109. Internet signal begins to get small.
6:45PM Ok, we are now going to shoot for plan C. Here ya go. Our position is 25.53.02N - 80.4.95W and set new waypt for 79.47.00N - 26.46.00W which should put us in the gulfstream off West Palm. We will then set new wypt for 16nm off Ft. Pierce. About 15mins ago, Skip saw a fish jump clear out of the water. It was over 10 feet long and he believes it might have been a marlin. This reminds him we had hope to hang out some in the gulfstream this trip back, so there you have it. We head out little by little so that at dawn we can fish the gulfstream. I personally have never seen it, so I am delighted. PS. It has started to rain. Feels pretty good actually. This should mean I will loose internet, but big fish are fun. Skip puts out the cuban yoyo to see what we can catch now.
Rain clouds begin to surround us. Nothing to bad, but a once around MISTRESS to make damn sure everything is exactly where it belongs is done now and we just caught a fish.
7:29PM foul weather gear comes out due to rain.
7:30 position is 25.57.86N - 80.03.31W COG 22 - SOG 5.5KT - RNG 50.1NM
7:31pm Coast Guard comes by and asks us where we coming from and where we headed. Glad we had already figured that one out. Then they wanted to know why were weren;t flying all our sails. We sir, cause first there was no wind, then we was trying to eat, while we are waitinng for those two rain storms to colide on top of us. They sent us on our way and wished us well.
8:51PM we sneek through with no more than some light rain showers and then the winds dies off again. We run 2250RPM and make 7.3kt making us think we are getting closer to the stream. COG 21 - RNG 41nm with an ETA of 2:30AM and we are 6nm offshore of Hollywood/Ft. Launderdale. Position at 8:55 is 26.06.93N - 80.00.22W. Time for me to get some rest. By the way, ever since we caught the fish, Olive has been just fine. She now sees purpose in the trip and has a watchful eye in between sleeping on the aft deck.
1:55AM I take helm. Position is 26.47.10N - 79.47.54W - SPD 8.9KT - COG 347 onto next wypt which is 27.22.00N - 80.02.00W and we are now 33.99nm from that waypt. We are off West Palm
4AM position is 27.04.25N - 79.54.67W 18.8nm from wypt doing 8.9kt COG is 347 ETA is 6:06AM the stars break through the clouds.
5AM position is 27.12.81N - 79.58.21W SPD 9.2KT - RNG 9.7NM - COG 347 - just south of Pt St Lucie and the stars are magnificent.
6:02AM we are very near our waypt and Skip takes helm. I agree to make coffee if he puts out yoyo. Almost time to turn west towards the coast and I would like to do at least a bit of fishing before we leave the gulfstream. Haven't really seen it yet, we are still in predawn mode.
6:30AM check of the weather with weatherunderground.com and Ft. Pierce out 20nm is forecasted to the winds to be 5 to 10 then 10 to 15 out of the NE and seas while small today and tonight, will increase to 3 to 4 over the next day or so. Skip has been given his coffee and informs me we have burned 15 gals of fuel since leaving No Name. Time to check out the gulfstream for myself.
6:45AM while I made coffee, the Captain changed course and is heading in. This means he left the gulfstream while I was below and I do not get to see it. RATS!!! Immediately we slow to 6.2kt. The yoyo is out, but I don't really care now. Think it is time for a nap.
8:30AM we head into Ft. Pierce Inlet
9:50AM we have picked up fuel and gotten a slip for the night at Harbortown up Taylor Creek on the north side. Time to hose down and fill water tanks, oh, and let's not forget to get the A/C going. Ahhhhh. Also, there is a pool which I know I will take advantage of and there is also a small island near by that looks just right for Olive. Skip puts sail covers back on and he and I are looking forward to a good rest. Night all!

Indian Key to Key Biscayne

2010-05-17T08:43:00.015-04:00

8:10AM engine started
8:40AM we are under sail. YEAH!!!! We are making 6.8kt with jib, staysail, and main. Course is 76 degrees. Plan for the day. FK0027,26,25,24, & 23, then FEO 119,118,117,179, and 180. Party cloudy, seas less then 3 feet, nice day. Gonna turn computer off now and enjoy the ride.
9:05AM we pass Alligator Shoal Light at 7.2kt. Oh Yeah!
9:12AM make 1st waypt, change course to 56 degrees and make 6.9 to 7.3kt.
9:46AM we make FK0026 Hens and Chickens sailing 6.8 to 7.3kt and take new course of 52.
11:00 Rodriguez is on our port side, we maintain 6.5 to 7.5kt on a beam to close reach.
12:00PM wind falls off a bit so Skip raises the jumbo and we maintain spd while I give Olive a fresh water bath down below. She was as salt encrusted from yesterday's trip as MISTRESS, Skip, and I were.
12:40PM position is 25.11.07N -80.19.33W doing 6.5 to 6.7kt - COG 41. Skip considers raising topsails, but I convince him we are not racing and the motion is so grand, save his energy and enjoy the easy sail. Captain complies. :-) Seas less then 2 feet, sun appears now and again through hazy skies, and there are rain clouds here and there. Truly a perfect sailing day. Minimal sunscreen required.
1:10PM batteries hit 12.6v so Skip puts up the starboard side solar panel and it gives us 6.4amp. Sweet!
2:10 we are 2.2nm from FK0023 doing 7.7kt - COG is 40 and the sun has been shining
2:16 we pass mark FL0024 maintain 7.5 to 7.7kt. I believe we are just under 22nm to our anchorage in No Name.
3:30 we are on a broad reach and the winds are falling off so I take down the jumbo which is blanketing the jib. Make 6.4kt
3:35PM Captain calls for new chart, region 7 page 28, Key Biscayne.
3:40PM position is 25.28.25N - 80.09.54W COG 24, spd 6.5kt. Skip says there is big rain to the west about 12nm. I will check radar to see what's up.
A check of the radar shows a bright red and green patch of rain heading straight for Key Biscayne Bay. Funny, so are we. We will continue on up until we get to where we turn into the bay and then take down sail, turn motor on. Then just see. If it has passed already we will head in, if not, we will hold up until it has gone through.
4:29PM position 25.32.30N - 80.07.94W making 6.4kt COG is 10. We have just taken the staysail and main down not wishing to play with storm while they fly. I can see Miami through the clouds. Low tide at Key Biscayne Yacht Club is 7:06PM. We will fight it heading in. Seas pick up and we roll. Think I will look at that radar again.
Well the red patch is to the south of where we head and it has a rather circular motion. If it were bigger I would say the H word. Sun peaks out again, but we still roll.
6:25PM we are at anchor in No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne - 25.40.61N - 80.09.76W.
Coast Guard has put out warning of 60mph winds off Ft. Pierce heading towards Miami. There is much to do right now, so I will leave it there and update later. Skip has taken Olive ashore for quick visit, I need to open up port holes and get dinner going. Not to mention make MISTRESS shipshape.
Quick check of radar shows we should be just fine.

When we got to marker 6 inside the channel, Skip worked MISTRESS out of the channel and along side the south end of the island. Well, we tip toed through 7' 4" to 8' 5" deep water and cut a huge portion of the trip off. We left this way in December when we headed for the Gulf Coast, but that was at high tide. The new GPS with the chart plotter was great. Skip zoomed in and was able to feel and see his way through. Once we settled in the lightning and thunderstorms around the area were rather dramatic, hearing ohhhs and ahhhhs from folks having dinner and drinks at the restaurant right here as some wild lightning did a show. Got a bit of rain and hope it was enough to wash some salt off MISTRESS. Had a small power boat near by who was having considerable trouble anchoring, but he's left now and all is quite peaceful and quiet. Tomorrow, provisions and laundry. How exciting. Olive did real well today and Skip and I both notice how strong she is getting and how well she gimbles herself. Really, the dog has great sea legs.

Bahia Honda to either Indian Key or Rodriguez Key

2010-05-16T08:57:00.011-04:00

7:55AM engine started

8:20 anchor up and through the bridge. Heading for FK0031 1.7nm ahead. Seas 2 to 4 with occasional 6's. There is a long line of black rain clouds on starboard 1/4. Radar shows they head our way.

8:50 we make our mark and head for FK0030. Spd between 3.8 and 4.5kt. Range 14nm. COG 74 degrees. Pound is the word for the day.

9:45AM spd 4.4 to 5.6kt. COG 79 - Rng 9.89nm. The staysail went up just after we made our last waypt and this helps a wee bit with the motion. I emphasize, wee. Seas still carry spray all the way back to the cockpit. Olive was in the 1/4 with calming collar on, but she has opted for topside on the aft deck. She is not very happy with the conditions. Gorilla, takes it all in stride. Rain, thunder, and lighting ahead. Pounding continues on a grand scale. As we continue to make course changes heading a bit more north each time, I hope the staysail helps to smooth things out some. 9:50 position is 24.38.79N - 81.11.53W

11:06 Am position 24.40.67 - 81.04.45 Spd 5.7kt - COG 79 - Rng 2.84nm - ETA 11:37AM
By the way, while in Key West we picked up a few SS rings which Skip attached to the sides of the forehatch. This time, the forehatch cover is lashed down. A rather comforting feeling. In my office, which is at the forward section of the house top, I can see the foreward portholes taking a fare amount of water every so often filling them by half then quickly washing away. That patch of rain before us is moving towards shore and we may sneak by as it moves off our port side. Olive Oyl has taken up residence with the Captain in the cockpit. She always feels a bit better next to Dad.

Pics are from yesterday's late afternoon play time.

Fetch is almost enough fun and only for brief interludes. There is so much hunting and chasing to do.

Schools of fish attempt to allude her. Great fun!

Olive's good friend, Connor, knows this stance of hers. She learned this in Connor's spring. It creates hours of entertainment chasing the fish all about. She also had fun with a blue crab. While there, I caught a 20" Barracuda. I wonder if that could be considered karmic payback to those of his larger brethren I have recently encountered.
11:45 Captain says we make our waypt and set new course for FK0029 which is 4.8nm ahead on Course 71 and we are making 5.5kt, the motion is a bit easier. Also, radar check shows that all nasty storms are south of us and heading inland toward Marathon. Cool! Time to think about food. What goes good with a soaking wet cockpit? Hmmm. Pasta salad in a tupperware so you can seal it between bites? I'll see how the Cap feels about this.
2:45PM update - At 12:45 I took the helm so Skip could get something dry to eat. New waypt is FL0028 9.2nm - COG 67. I get the rain showers which stop before Skip takes the helm back. WE make our waypt at 2:35PM and set new waypt for FK0027 which is 11.2nm BRG 066 degrees and we are making 5.8kt. That gives us and ETA of 4:25PM at Indian Key mark. It is another 22nm to the mark for Rodriguez Key and therefore, we will settle for Indian today. Time for me to have lunch.
4:12PM we are at anchor, 2 sun covers are up, and Skip is getting BALOO ready. I will do shore leave and Skip will do anchor watch. Location: 24.52.35N - 80.40.72W
7PM anchorage very nice, seas calmer around 1 to 3, dinner and movie almost ready.

Gorilla does Bahia Honda

2010-05-15T15:58:00.007-04:00

Gorilla is ready for snorkeling.

It was hard to pry his new sword out of his hands.

The butterfly garden is one of Olive Oyl's favorite places.

While snorkeling, Gorilla found this great sponge.

I do not believe he should have been messing around with this Park vehicle, but there you have it.

There are plenty of shady paths here at Bahia Honda.

MISTRESS anchored between the two bridges.

Gorilla, just hanging out.

Gorilla meets the United States Coast Guard. Uh oh!

Everyone is friendly and Gorilla gets a close up look.

Sea slugs and other cool creatures

2010-05-15T09:20:00.006-04:00

We've been having a great time here at Bahia Honda State Park. We found a long sandbar/little island that works perfect as a dog park and Olive Oyl has really been enjoying her afternoon runabouts. It is located on the north side of the island east of the cabins and follows the shore line around for quite a distance offering Olive plenty of room to roam. Skip and I saw two really cool looking, green, spotted sea slugs. Very interesting to watch them make way. Plenty of lobsters around, but none for the taking. Wrong time of year, they are presently in mating season. As far as barracuda are concerned, I get why they have a bad rep. Really they are so sinister looking and they do not back down. As long as you are looking at them, they will stare back. I have some wonderful friends who are marine biologist types and I am sure they would tell me that the poor fish is misunderstood, but I cannot help thinking this opinion is misplaced somehow. Cuda's look scary, of course, I back down for the little 2" crab that holds his claws up to me in defence too. Those little guys sure are full of bravado.

The winds have been consistently 20 to 30 around here and at times the white caps on the south east side of the island are plenty in number, but it should calm some today/tonight and therefore, tomorrow we will make a run for either Indian Key or Rodriquez Key and then on to No Name in Key Biscayne the day after. Not sure what is going to happen at the end of this month, but according to the City of Jacksonville's official website, Schooner MISTRESS is expected to do this year's Tall Ship Festival again. We personally have not yet heard from them although we sent them a letter late January. Sent them an email yesterday asking for clarification and hope they get back to us soon. If we are expected to be there and they do accept our bid, we should probably keep on the move to make sure we arrive on schedule. Ohh bad word schedule. Tall Ships start arriving on the 28th and then the festival is the 29th, 30th, and 31st. I will keep you posted in case you would like to join us. It's pretty cool stuff and great fun for the kids. They have several old Tall Ship friends listed as well and I can't help by wonder if they know they are suppose to be there too. Only time will tell.

Hanging out in Bahia Honda

2010-05-12T07:27:00.005-04:00

We had considered taking off today and heading to Indian Key, however the winds and seas are up so we continue to hang out here at Bahia Honda State Park. Yesterday, we splurged and bought a 10lb bag of ice for $2.50. Ohhhh what a treat. That made our frozen rum drinks after our snorkeling late yesterday, oh so good. We found a large lobster and I know I have a pot just the right size, however, I need to check the rules first. Maybe we can try again and this time, have it for dinner.
Our anchor position is 24.39.40N - 81.16.87W.

There will be no fresh lobster eating aboard, at least for this trip. Very short season and it is not now. Oh well. Glad the fridge and freezer are packed with good eats.

More Pics from Dry Tortugas

2010-05-10T13:51:00.007-04:00

This guy hung out all day in the shade offered by MISTRESS's keel. He was soooo big.

The obligitory photo of Captain and final destination sign.

You just can't believe how large it is inside. 17 acres within the fort grounds. Very cool to explore.

The fort walls are 8 feet thick. Amazing

Zulu's parents boat offering plenty of room aboard and a very nice wheel house.

Key West to Bahia Honda State Park

2010-05-09T10:10:00.015-04:00

9:50AM we are ready to get underway after a pleasant stay at Conch Harbor Marina.
10:10AM we have passed the cruise ships and have stowed our dock lines and fenders. Nice day, hot, sun shines with intermittent clouds. Seas would probably be very calm if it were not for all the wakes. But good to be on our way again.
As far as logging the trip from Dry Tortuga to Key West, let's just say it was a peaceful trip at 1700 RPM with calm seas the whole way. I still have some pics I can load, but for now, I will go back on deck to see how the diesel smell is doing. Hard to get out of this harbor without eating diesel.
10:20AM jib is set in nice NE breeze. Heading is 93 degrees and we make 5.5kt at 1800RPM. Seas are one foot or so. Beginning to set the staysail now. Cool!
10:50AM the main is also set and the engine goes off. Yeah!!! we are sailing, we are sailing, ya ya ya ya, ya ya ya. Can you hear me singing. We make between 4.7 and 5.9kt. Good enough for today's trip and it feels oh so good. Olive always appreciates not having to hear the engine. Me too!
10:55AM position 24.32.15N - 81.44.66W making between 6 and 7+kt heading 94 degrees just a nm from FK0034. Once we are there we will have to head up about 10 degrees and this may end our sailing. There is a bit of wiggle room, however we would be sailing close to 6 foot and that doesn't work very well when you draw 7. We shall see, but for now, it feels oh so good. next waypt is FK0018. I need to look at chart to see lat/long. CORRECTION: nxt way pt is FK0033
11:10AM my hat flies off so we have our man overboard drill and come up successful on our first try. Even with the change of course we are still making over 5 to 6kt. This is good.
11:30 update wypt FK0033 is 24.34.16N - 81.33.11W and 8.8nm away. Wind begins to vary enough that sometimes we drop to below 5kt, but then we get more and we do over 6kt. We are happy. Time for lunch. Simply today, just ham, turkey, cheese sandwiches and cold drinks.
11:45 we alter course slightly heading 83 degrees to keep sailing. When we get to our next wypt we will have to head up further and it will be time to drop sail and motor on. Glorious day. Olive sits in cockpit with Skip and with big brown eyes, got herself some sandwich scraps. Ahhh she loves her Daddy.
11:57AM we are 5.9nm from wypt doing 5.2kt. BRG is 82 degrees COG is 85 with an ETA of 1:09PM. Loose signal for internet, plug into truckers cell antenna and we have five bars and good to go for this update.
12:45PM all is just wonderful out here. We easily sail along with no more than one foot seas with a varying NE to ENE light breeze making between 4.9 and 6.2kt. I am going to shut laptop down now to conserve energy an sit back and enjoy the ride. If something spectacular happens, I'll post, if not, I'll log when we get close.
1:45PM position 24.35.09N - 81.28.64 spd 6.7kt. There is rain to the east and south of us and we are enjoying the benefits of a fresh breeze offering us up to 8kt sometimes. Not bad for just 2/3 of the working sails and the jib. Easy sailing.
2:45PM after going through some rain which we welcomed as a free fresh water rinse of some sails, something we were not able to do while in Key West and now, we are about 5nm from our waypt outside Bahia Honda's bridge. We can see it and estimate we should be at anchor within a few hours.
6PM update We are at anchor, Olive Oyl has had her shore leave while Skip got MISTRESS properly stowed. Very hot. Time for some snorkeling in an attempt to cool down. The water here is much warmer than it was in Dry Tortugas.

Updating the Log/Blog

2010-05-08T14:42:00.005-04:00

I have updated the Log for the trip from Tierra Verde to Dry Tortugas explaining how we came to take on enough water to completely soak the V-berth and also have loaded some pics from our time in Dry Tortugas. Will complete the log for D. T. to Key West later today I hope and will probably add a few more pics. We are enjoying our time here in Key West. Had a great breakfast at Harry's this morning, I had lobster omlet with hollidaise sauce. Oh my! Skip takes nap now and I am heading to the head for a long shower. Ahhh the little things in life. Great sized tarpon are all about here. Fun to watch. Olive is still a bit skiddish of Key West. I guess it's just too much noise and activity for her liking. We should head out tomorrow morning for a quick trip to Bahia Honda. Really enjoyed it last time and today we bought new snorkel equipment and I look forward to checking it out. I am hooked, pure and simple. It is soooo cool.

Pic is from Thursday as we were leaving Ft. Jefferson heading for Key West.

Pics - Dry Tortugas

2010-05-07T23:32:00.010-04:00

View from the top of Ft. Jefferson of the island reserved just for birds all months, except Dec., Jan., Feb. A bird lovers paradise and they come from around the world to see and photograph them. Several research vessels came during our time there to document this pristine area by doing soil samples. Many of us visiting hoped we would not be the last to see such beauty, this national treasure, for many years to come.

The snorkeling is amazing here. I pray BP's oil stays far, far away. As soon as we arrived the first words out of Skip's mouth was, "This is the way our waters are suppose to look". You easily see straight to the bottom in 20 feet of water. Put a mask on in just one foot of water and you will be dazzled by all the beautiful offered by the colorful fish and marine life. We saw a 500lb Grouper taking a shady respite under MISTRESS. There he was just four or five feet away from me, looking right at me, I was most pleased he did not open his mouth. I was impressed enough already. Bright yellow fish, Parrot fish you can hear eating the coral as you pass by, blue and yellow fish, fish with every color you can think of, right there on one totally cool fish. Little fish seem to be most curious and come near by to investigate. What a joy it is to watch them. It is quite spectacular floating within a giant school of little fish. It is best not to think about them being bait fish, especially if barracuda are around. Those guys are scared of nothing. Do not shoooo one. He not only will not back down, he will come towards you to show you he ain't scared one bit and he never takes his eye off you.

At this time, work is being done on the brick used for the fort and you are unable to snorkel inside the wall that surrounds the fort, but instead by swimming just outside the wall you get to see an infinite number of marine life, especially along the wall or pilings on either side of the fort area.

Our anchorage. Yeah, what's not to love.

Fort Jefferson as we were leaving Thursday just as the sun was beginning to set. We were seen off by some good folks, parents of Zulu the puppy dog. Zulu's parents found this great island that appears at low tide not far off from the anchorage. They shared this great find and each evening we would meet up and let the dogs off the lease for a bit of good old fashion puppy play and then watch the sun set. We decided a good name for this little island paradise is Z. O. O. Island. Z for Zulu, and O. O. for you know who. The followed us out as we left and threw a special puppy toy into MISTRESS for Olive Oyl, a gift from Zulu. Really nice folks. Skip and I so enjoyed meeting them.
Olive slept on the aft deck all evening as Skip and I swapped time at the helm. As soon as she smelled land as we neared Key West, she ran and got that toy and carried it all around MISTRESS looking forward to testing it out.
Visit www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm to go to the official site to learn more about this national treasure.

We are in Key West

2010-05-07T09:42:00.003-04:00

This is just a brief log to let all know we had a great week in the Dry Tortugas and have landed this morning in Key West. By 9:30AM we were fueled up and in a slip at Conch Harbor. Had a great evening trip.
Cell card is broken and I am presently using marina computer and have call into Sprint to see what they can do to fix it or get me a new one.
Will update the log for the trip to Tortugas, another for while we were there, and our trip here, as soon as I get Sprint card straightened out.

Heading to Dry Tortugas

2010-04-29T07:42:00.005-04:00

7:45AM we plan on getting underway within the next two hours. There will be little log/blogging along the way this time, because I will be at the helm mostly and we have decided to head straight to Dry Tortugas. Figure a day or two to get there, three to four days of hanging out snorkeling, a day trip to Key West, puts us out of touch for about a week. We have the Sat phone ready to go, so no news is good news. Winds are light out of the north - north east today and when they pick up they should be nearly on the nose. This leg of the trip is about 200nm. We are well provisioned with an overflow on produce, such that I cannot get it all in the fridge. There will be some big salads here the next few days. Skip and I enjoy our morning coffee right now, then we will tap off our water tanks and jugs, rinse and fill the sun shower, stow a few extra jugs of drinking water, and put some bowshield on the solar stik arrangement to make sure it's in good shape. Tie the life lines back up, give Olive her last shore leave, and we should be good to go. So there you have it. I will log/blog when possible, but do not expect much of it on the first leg. Love to all our family and friends.
9:45AM we are heading out the Pass A Grille Channel. Lovely day!

Within the hour, S S SOPHIE comes out and does a pass on the starboard side. She looks great! Travel well ye great Captains.

12:30Pm wind shifts to SE, we have maintained 8kt power sailing with jib and staysail.
2PM Position: 27.10.67N - 82.51.31W Brg 182 degrees. 150nm to go. Gorgeous day. Skip naps as does Olive Oyl. Seas 2 feet, one dolphin spotted, big fish jump. The coast begins to slip away. All alone, very peaceful, breeze freshens, depth 82'.
2:48PM overcast skies ahead. SSE 12 to 15. 142nm to go to waypoint 24.41.60N - 82.46.4W.
Our present position is: 27.03.76N - 82.51.09W. Continue at 7.8 - 8.2kt. wave still 2' but run more easterly now and a bit confused as sun fades in and out.
3:59PM maintain 182degree heading 7.3 to 7.6kt. 133nm to go. waves now 1' but rather confused and skies continue to be overcast. Position is: 26.55.04N - 82.50.81W
4:55pm SEAS 2'++ and more organized from the SE. Wind SE 14 to 15kt. 126nm to go. Position is: 26.48.03N - 82.50.58W. Skies remain overcast. Make 7.2 to 7.7kt. A bit of spray begins on port bow. We should be just off Cayo Costa's north end. Depth 103'.
6PM SSE at 12 to 15kt. 118nm to go. 7.2 to 7.8kt position is 26.40.09N - 82.50.31W. Skip makes great crab cakes for dinner. By 6:15 we are now making 6.8 to 7.4kts.
7PM seas become 3 to 4'. 112nm to waypt. position 26.33.02N - 82.50.08W. Spray starts to reach cockpit now.
8PM Skip takes helm with 104nm to way pt. position is 26.26.16N - 82.49.86W. No sunset due to cloudy skies. Guess we will not get to see much of that full moon either. Seas continue to grow.
11PM 84nm to way pt. Spd 6.8kt. Position 26.05.76N - 82.49.19W. Moon tries but it's hard. No stars.
1:54AM Friday Position is 25.45.69N - 82.48.52W. Rough now. 6 to 6.6kt with 63.8nm to way pt. Seas are big and often I leave my seat, hanging in midair for a sec or two.
4:02AM position 25.32.91N - 82.48.10W. Spd 6.5kt with 51.1nm to way pt. Olive wears a stress collar which seems to help keep her calm in these conditions. She sticks to the 1/4 berth though, happy to have her little cave of protection. Skip has been dealing with 5 to 7 foot seas for the last 2 hrs. The 1st thing he says to me as I peer out of the companionway is, "I don't care how it makes MISTRESS look, I am building her a wheel house". Each wave hits the port bow and 1 second later the wind carries it all to the cockpit.
9:12AM I take helm. 16.5nm to way pt. Spd 6.9kt. Position is 24.58.104N - 82.46.955W. Seas are mostly 6 foot with occasional larger waves along with a rather large swell from the east and every so often MISTRESS plunges her starboard rail into the water. Skip heads below to take another look at the paper chart for the entrance. A half hour later, the base of a 7 foot wall of water crashes onto MISTRESS's foredeck. Skip below heard it and looked forward to the V. He saw a deluge of water pouring through the nicro solar fan down onto the V berth. He comes running up on deck in his birthday suit plus hat, (which made me smile thinking there is always time enough to get his hat on, regardless of the circumstances) and raced forward to retrieve the cover that was washed off the fore hatch and replaced it. The nicro solar fan is a great thing and often does not take on any more than a few drips in heavy seas, however, if you drowned one, expect a wet bunk below.
When we came to within a mile of our waypt, Skip took the helm back. We circled the fort to get to our anchorage on the south side of the fort.
1:30PM anchor is set off Ft. Jefferson. The water is calm inside and beautiful. Skip gets BALOO in the water so Olive Oyl can have shore leave. She could not stand up for much of the trip, so squatting was really out of the question. I pulled out pre-made pasta salad, added some chicken and eggs, and we gobbled that down with cold drinks. We then dismantled the V-berth, hing the tufted topper over the fore hatch and arranged all else to dry. That one wave that took MISTRESS's V berth out of commission hit her full on standing 7 feet above her bowsprit. For this trip, one wave = one soaked berth. We are anchored in 17 feet of crystal clear blue water. To the NE is the island where the birds live undisturbed for most of the year. N of us is the Fort and off in a distance west of us is Loggerhead Key's lighthouse. We hang to the SE 12 to 15kt breeze with a small fetch after the waters break over the reef. Time to rest. Tomorrow we will snorkel and explore the fort.

The Last 24 hrs. before we head out

2010-04-28T08:25:00.006-04:00

The list of chores still exists and that is what today will be about. Final stowage of the $500.00 worth of stores we bought yesterday with the need for one more trip today. Skip has MISTRESS chores too to make sure she is ready for the trip. A look at the weather this morning leads us to believe we may shoot for Cayo Casta and hold up there for a few days waiting for the winds to be something other then south. But all is still tentative and we will keep our eyes on the weather before a final determination is made. At this point, we look to leave here at around 9AM tomorrow as the tide creeps in to Pass A Grille Channel. As I recall, the trip to Cayo Casta is about 90nm. This time we will have more daylight on our side and we did leave bread crumbs in the GPS for the entrance into Cayo Casta so we should be good to go. Time to finish up with cards for those celebrating birthdays, communions, and Mother's Day, along with bills and such. Want all that in the mail before we take off. No telling when we will see a mailbox again. Finishing up my cup of morning coffee, I become antsy, the need to be ready is upon me.

Getting ready

2010-04-24T10:43:00.004-04:00

Skip is off today helping John from S S SOPHIE finish things up. The punch out list seems to grow, but that's how it goes with wooden boats. I start preparing to get underway with lists and lists of things to do. I am on weather watch, but will not bother to share, yesterday's forecast for the trip looks nothing like this mornings version, however, I do it anyway to see if I can pick up on any patterns and hope to plot the best course to our next destination although it is nearly do south. It is also time for me to do an inventory of all food stores and sundry items so that I can make up a good shop list for stores, for 30 days. We do not expect to take that long this time, but it is best to be prepared. From our last month long trip I learned that I overstock the freezer and therefore will luxuriate by having more ice on board for drinks this time. I have even promised to pack ice cream for Skip. MISTRESS's bottom was cleaned yesterday so she is nearly ready. Skip will do an oil change and a few other maintenance items and we are good to go. Monday he brings DOODLE to the river. Tuesday we shop and store things away. Wednesday we give MISTRESS her final prep and we hope to leave here on a rising tide at around 9am on Thursday. I do not imagine we will have much cell/internet service for at least the 2nd leg of our trip to Dry Tortugas, but have no fear, we have the Sat phone and will have it fully charged and ready to go. Ahh, that reminds me, need to check minutes left on Sat phone before we split.

Skip nears the end of his work on S S SOPHIE

2010-04-15T10:32:00.008-04:00

Skip was not only able to finish the work SOPHIE required, but has also been able to work on the wish list stuff as well and it looks like all will be completed by the third week of April. That said, it is time to start gearing up for another trip. We will probably leave here on the 29th, Thursday and take two or three days to sail to the Dry Tortugas and spend a few days. We were not able to do this on the trip here as planned due to weather. We keep our sailor fingers crossed for good weather. We will then hit Key West for some provisioning and then look to the Gulf Stream to carry us around and up the east coast to the Jacksonville inlet and the entrance to the St. Johns River. We have arranged a slip on the river at Acosta Creek Marina in Welaka, Florida for the months of June, July, and August so Skip can work on the Chris White Catamaran, FREESTYLE and a few other customers that have called Skip recently looking for his good work.
We will take down both of MISTRESS's masts this time and give them new paint along with some modifications we have decided on to help make MISTRESS more comfortable when in rough weather. Skip will raise her main boom about 8 inches which will give us the room necessary to build a small hard top over the cockpit allowing for Issen Glass and the comfort it offers from rain and salt spray.
We have enjoyed our time here. Tierra Verde, just south of St. Petersburg is a nice town with the greatest dog park ever. You can take the dogs on the beach here and Olive Oyl has gotten real fond of swimming. Go to YouTube and search Rosy and Olive Oyl and you can see her playing on the beach, having a great time of it. She now weighs in at 58lbs, turned 1 at the start of this month, and is 22" tall at the shoulder. She has also become very protective of MISTRESS and no one gets near without her letting them know she is on watch and has informed me or Skip that watchers are near by. Good dog! :-) While here, Olive Oyl and I have been shipped off to our friends on the river for two weeks at a time so Skip could get some varnish work done. Down below, Skip put a few new coats of Brystol Finish on the galley tops, over the Epiphanies, and oh my, it looks soooo good I often attempt drying the tops which are not wet. The cabin sole also got a few coats to help repair any doggy scratches that have happened since Olive came aboard. While at the river, Olive got to play with her best buddy Connor, to fish/hunt for small fish in Pink Spring, and to reek havoc with the local squirrels. It was so much fun that each time she returned to MISTRESS I swear she wished to walk up and down the decks picketing, holding a sign that said, "Send me back to the river". We have set up netting for her on the aft deck and hope this improves her ability to do her business without feeling she may fall overboard.

We did not get to use DOODLE nearly as often as we had hoped. Skip has just been too busy and in the evenings, before the sun goes down, we often opt for the dog park at Fort De Soto Park.

So that's about it for now except to say, once we get underway, chances are pretty good we will not have a cell signal enough to post our trip from here to Dry Tortugas, but I will do my best to update when I can. Skip and I agree that I will be doing most of the cockpit/helm/navigation work this time keeping me contained in the cockpit more. We hope this will stop me from various injuries which come from moving about cooking, cleaning, and assisting the Captain in all things. Always trying to improve our cruising, this is just another step to making our sailing experiences as good as it can be, for us.

Happy Birthday Skip

2010-03-16T06:53:00.006-04:00

7 AM Skip has taken the day off and if the weather is warm and breezy enough, we will sail. Presents are ready and waiting. Coffee is brewed and in the thermos. Gorilla and Olive Oyl patiently wait while Skip enjoys sleeping in. No idea when we should get underway. Captain informed me last night it will not be a crack of dawn start. Weather looks pretty good with NNW winds at 10, sunny skies, but a bit cooler for these parts at around mid 60's. We might try to head into Tampa Bay. Given the NNW winds and the wave height reported at 5 to 6 feet out in the Gulf, it might make for an easier sail. We scoped out the wave height yesterday while taking Olive to the beach front dog park at Fort DeSoto, but it didn't look all that high. In preparation for today's sail, MISTRESS got her bottom cleaned this past week just in case we get her heeled over, she should show a fair and shiny bottom.
Will update more later.
10:40 the Captain/Birthday guy has woken. He has had his coffee, opened his presents, and had a hardy breakfast. Presently, he has fallen back asleep in the saloon and there is just a bare bit of a breeze moving MISTRESS about on her docklines. Sailing may not be the best way to celebrate today, therefore we may settle for a DOODLE run after the temp hits at least 60.
9PM well it never felt like it even hit 60 today and the skies were overcast all day with little or no sunshine. Skip rested most of the day and then this evening we went out to dinner. Not the most exciting birthday he has ever had but a good day of rest which he could always use.

Ahhh much better

2010-01-06T14:37:00.004-05:00

2:35PM we float with heat and hot water and if feels oh so good. It is pretty quiet here which I like. Folks seem friendly here at Tierra Verde and there are a few pups around that Olive may get to play with. This morning, I unloaded one of three chain lockers needing cleaning and cleaned it; now it lies on deck and dries. The decks are rinsed well enough for now. After I get all three chain lockers clean and the weather warms a bit, it will be time for soap and scrub brush. Once that's done I need to clean the teak tops on the hatches which are in great need of hot bleachy water. Our water tanks are full, the galley is clean, laundry is nearly all done and put away. I have a list I am working from and am happy for the opportunity to get things done. Gorilla is reading from the world almanac at the chart table, while Olive takes a rest in the saloon with occasional look abouts to make sure all is secure. She is turning into a very good watch dog. She likes her new back yard so to speak, and once we figure out how to get her off MISTRESS at low tide, we are in like Flynn. At present, Skip must lift her off.
Cannot believe the temperature forecast for everyone. I note the river property is seeing temps in the 20's for the next week. Eeeikes. Stay warm my friends. Mom on Long Island says she has not been out for days. I am looking forward to them coming to Florida next month and hope to get over to St. Augustine while they are here. Skip started working on S S SOPHIE this morning. His main project for her is to gut the master cabin and build new. I must get him to take pics along the way. I will not be able to get near her with all the varnish work and other such stuff. Of all of the Trumpys I believe she is know for being in the finest condition. John and Aimee take very good care of her and it shows. Well that's it for now. Time to get back to that list.

We are moving

2010-01-05T14:19:00.005-05:00

2:15PM we have made arrangements to move MISTRESS to Tierra Verde Resort Marina which will give us plenty of water no matter what the tide for both our slip and in the channel. We will be much closer to the Gulf and when weather permits, we will be able to sail without great concern for the tide. The new place has deep water, electric, and a spicket. Ohhhh yeahhhh.
At least now we will be able to move MISTRESS when ever it suits us, instead of only when the water level is up. Will update later.
7:20PM I just wrote a bunch of stuff, but it didn't save. So here is the skinny. We are in our new slip here at Tierra Verde Resort Marina and as long as we are not aground in the morning, we are good to go. Skip will start his work on S S SOPHIE and I will begin the process of getting MISTRESS shipshape and settling us in for the next three months.

Day four - water under keel? Yes. Elect? No

2010-01-03T10:50:00.005-05:00

Day four I wake up at 4AM and find the electric has gone out which means no heat. I dress and go out to the box and find the breakers have not blown, therefore there is nothing I can do to fix what ever the problem is. Brrrrr. John has taken Skip back to St. Aug for our ride and Aimee has let me come over and enjoy the warmth of their home. I have done some research this morning and found a few possible alternatives to our present location. When Skip returns we will scope them out to see what the next plan of action will be. At least this morning I had water under MISTRESS's keel. Being careened three days in a row is just no fun and hard on my back. Stay warm where ever you are.

Hard aground again on day 3

2010-01-02T08:25:00.007-05:00

8:23AM Pass a Grille Channel low tide was at 8:11AM. We are heeled over at about 30 degrees, dock lines are holding but stretched to the max, and we need to find deeper water if we are going to stay here at Maximo. I have called and left a message at the office in the hopes they can locate deeper water for us. When we came over in November to check the place out, we were assured we would have water enough to float. I understand the moon is making low tide more drastic and it would be best if people stop saying that to me. I know. I have lived on the water most my life. This does not change the fact that I am high, dry, and heeled way over and am unable to get off my boat. The wind begins to blow a bit and this adds to the tension. We are fine and so is MISTRESS. Skip says we just need to wait for water. I wait.
2:45PM after a near careening, the tide began to rise and after several hours, Skip was able to get off MISTRESS and good friend John took him around in an inflatable so Skip could use our lead line to scope out deeper water. No assistance was offered by the marina. It appears we might be able to slide MISTRESS aft about a boat length which should give her deeper water, we hope. We wanted to do this around 2 or 3PM so we could take advantage of high tide, however we have to wait on another boat owner until about 5 or 6PM and then we will make the move. I look forward to morning coffee and the ability to continue the process of cleaning MISTRESS up after a month of cruising. Things this afternoon did progress towards that end and I am satisfied for today. Olive rests now after a cold bath. Truly, she was as salty as MISTRESS. I have not taken the time to assess our trip yet. I am still trying to settle in. Skip should fly back on Sunday morning and return on Monday with the Element, leaving DOODLE behind this time to make room for the weight of his tools.
8PM option 1 did not offer enough water after all so we ended up moving MISTRESS to an old floater that has 12 feet of water. Ahhh much better. This even gives us enough water for that low low tide in the morning. We are tied to both the floater and some pilings because much of the floater is not tied to the pilings. This gives us a bit more security.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T08:42:00.006-05:00

Well this is the second morning in a row we woke early because we were hard aground. We slid MISTRESS aft some yesterday after the tide came up hoping to find deeper water. Apparently not enough. Of course, some of this has to do with the moon, and a check of the tide chart shows this to be true. Today, I will bring out the Nantucket sounder and do some exploring.

Had great company visit us yesterday who just happened to be in St. Pete. Good friends and the previous owners of MISTRESS's sister ship, WILD GOOSE. Captain Dave and his lovely wife are the ones who gave us a copy of the original scroll work so Skip could carve it onto MISTRESS. Always good to see them. Last night, had a great New Years Eve dinner with John and Aimee and some of their friends. All dogs were invited and Olive had a blast running and playing with Severn and Alice. Discovered Olive does not think much of fireworks. She also does not think much of being so close to land and not being able to get off the boat. We are bow down today and yesterday we were bow down and leaning 10 to 12 degrees to port. So there is improvement. As the moon wanes, it will get better and we hope MISTRESS assists by making an appropriate size hole for herself. Time for coffee and then we can further assess our situation and figure out just where are we going to go.

10:40AM We are told there is a bit of deeper water just aft, but we also find some deeper water to port away from the dock. MISTRESS floats now and Skip may start the engine and get her moving fore and aft to help wallow out that hole. It is raining today and the temps for this coming week are all in the 50's. It will be a week before we see 60's again. It looks like John will fly Skip back to St. Augustine to pick up our car and also DOODLE. Really looking forward to having her here. She is a great deep water hunter and also plenty of fun for fishing and exploring. Most likely, I will hang here for the week and go out to the river property next weekend. There is much work being done here on other boats in this large marina and this will be a problem for me. If you just count the cleaning solutions used to keep all of these boats so clean, that is enough to knock me down. No reason to even go into the paint, varnish, and other chemicals and fumes. Once DOODLE is here, maybe I will go and check out some of the local anchorages. If I can find both deeper water and cleaner air, it would be a great savings on many fronts.

The Last Leg

2009-12-30T02:25:00.024-05:00

2:23AM we are up, waiting for coffee to finish, and expecting to be underway within the hour. It is a cold, clear, early morning. The moon is nearly full and high in the sky. This should make for good visibility getting out of here. Forecast remains the same, so we get ready. Actually, just waiting for the coffee. Yawn. Expect to maintain 6kt today to make it to the sea buoy at St. Pete by 3 or 3:30PM. North winds this morning 10 to 15 with seas 2 to 4, turning east later at 10kt with seas 2 to 3. It'll be a motor boat ride.
3:50AM we are heading out the Boca Grande Pass. We hit it at max ebb and have a 3kt push out.
4:26PM we make our last mark in the Boca 'Grande Pass 26.39.94N - 82.19.60W Skip takes a new course of 339 degrees and instead of doing 6.5kt like we were going out the pass, we now make 4.6kt. We are fighting it. Skip gives MISTRESS some RPM and we gain a 1/2kt. He adds more, and we are up to 5.7kt and taking some seas on the starboard bow. It is mostly calm out here with great visibility. Every once in a while we hit some large swells and MISTRESS takes on spray as she rises and falls and then rolls some. Will have to get with Captain on his waypoint. I do not have it programed in yet.
4:35AM next waypoint is FW0095 located at 27.32.53N - 82.47.85W 57.3nm away. See ya after the sun comes up.
6:14AM the moon was amazing, large, and orange as it set this morning. Cool to watch. We are 47.7nm from our mark traveling between 5.9 and 6.1kt, COG 337, est time of arrival just after 2PM. Seas are confused and we take spray all the way back to the cockpit. Not terrible, but wet just the same. The stars are still out and now that the moon has set you can see them all more clearly. Olive Oyl, now dry, is in the 1/4 resting. She insisted on being at the bow when I was there playing lookout as we left our anchorage and made our way towards the Boca Grande Pass. She got soaked from spray and finally went below. I found her wet and shivering huddled below. Dried now, and covered up, she does fine. I explained to her that this will be the last trip for a while and she will soon get to see her buddy Severn, a two year old white lab. I also told her that she will get to go to the river soon and hang with her best buddy, Connor. Boy did her eyes get wide. "River mommy, really? Oh how fondly I remember. All the great smells, the freedom to roam, and Connor to chase and run with".
7:08AM we have had a beautiful false dawn with yellow, orange, blue, green, and a hint of pink in the eastern sky. Almost sunrise. 42.3nm from our waypoint.
7:40AM Skip sets the jib. This gives us 7.2kt so Skip lowers RPM and we make 6.8kt. Heeled a bit to port, Skip stops eating spray and the motion is a bit better. Seas still 2 to 4 and confused. I check on weather about an hour ago and they no longer call for east winds but instead are saying SE today. The wind now is mostly east with a hint of north in it.
8:35AM The seas are a bit more defined now, two to three feet on the starboard side with some white caps. There are plenty of crab traps keeping Skip and Otto busy playing chicken. We expecting this considering we took the inside pass north, but felt that sea conditions would be better. 32.7nm to our waypoint. 6.6 to 6.8kt, COG 338. New est time of arrival at waypoint is 1:30PM
8:42AM 27.03.38N - 82.32.19W
9:07AM spot a huge sea turtle. His head was twice the size of both my fists. Wow! Totally cool.
10:43AM just heard from John R who was at the airport getting ready to get into his plane and wanted to know our location. He plans on buzzing us. Cool! I get my camera ready. Present location is 27.15.79N - 82.38.88W we are 18.5nm from our mark, spd is 6.6kt, COG 340 Olive comes on deck now that spray is not so bad and sun is high enough to make it a warmer day. Skip and I are still in our exposure suits though. Time to go play lookout for a red, white, and blue, flying acrobatic plane and photographer too.
11:48AM we missed John in his plane. I do not believe he came far enough south. Once we hit our mark we are to call him and he will come out to meet us and guide us in. Sea conditions are less than one foot, sky is blue, with plenty of sunshine. Skip removes his exposure suit and I think I will do the same. Beautiful day. Gave Olive a hoof stuffed with peanut butter. She likes that and it keeps her well entertained. She enjoys time up top in the sun smelling land just 5nm to starboard. Present location is: 27.22.21N - 82.42.32W spd 6.4kt COG 338 dist to mark 11.3nm
1:57PM update. Lost signal around Anita Marie Island. Made our waypoint at 1:45PM. Have new waypoint set for Pass a Grille Channel FW0096, preset location 27.33.41N - 82.49.54W and 3.46nm from waypoint heading 329 degrees, at 6kt. Last nights forecast for today, and even today's forecast for today, was nothing like it really turned out to be. North, dead on the nose and light.
2:20PM we are 1.22nm from our mark. Time for me to help Skip spotting for marks and our pilot. What a great last day for this month long trip.
4:28PM we are inside waiting on the Structure C bridge. Not too much further now. We are so proud of Olive. She finally did her business on her pee pad. Good girl Olive. John, Aimee, and their dog Severn were aboard for the special occassion. Everyone clapped and there were puppy treats for all interested parties. Yeah! Only took one month and now we are here.
6:45PM we arrived in our slip before dark and all is good. Tomorrow we should have power here at the dock and I can start the cleaning process. Water is my first priority considering MISTRESS is covered in salt and I mean everywhere. But that's tomorrow, tonight we enjoy the company of good friends and go out for sushi. Yum. Can't wait. I will probably log/blog for the next day or so assessing our trip. After that, it will just be when we get to go sailing. Ahhh, to just sail for the fun of it. Pick your weather, take the best tack out, and sail till you are ready to return. I look forward to that. We used to sail on Sundays and enjoyed many great trips with good friends. But for now, we are here. One month to go from St. Augustine to St. Petersburg. A good trip overall. Oh yeah, and Olive is happy to be back on a dock.

But I don't want to leave

2009-12-29T09:24:00.003-05:00

9:22AM after checking out the forecast, it looks like we will leave here at about 3 to 4AM Wednesday morning and make a shot for St. Petersburg. Winds will be east at around 10kt to 15 with seas 2 to 3. Come Wednesday night, the winds will turn to the southeast at 15 with seas 2 feet. After that the wind turns north on us again and seas will go 3 to 5 and remain there for several days. Skip is off with Olive Oyl, while I make eggs and sausage, biscuits, and gravy. Later, we will go ashore again, this time towards the north end of Cayo Costa. Shelling, after yesterdays blow, should be very good. John, our pilot friends from yesterday is also Captain of SS SOPHIE the Trumpy Skip will be working on; he has agreed to meet us at the St Pete buoy and guide us in.

Cayo Costa

2009-12-28T15:10:00.005-05:00

Having a great time. Very low signal. Have written much, but cannot get it to load. So here it is, this is great and we are really enjoying ourselves. Good friend John flew over us today while we were shelling on the Gulf after going through the Tunnel of Love. Had a great dinner on Cabbage Key the first night here.

Heading for Cayo Costa

2009-12-27T07:22:00.022-05:00

6:15am sail cover off staysail just in case and furl jib at the ready. This is usually done even though we expect to motor with NE winds just in case we loose the engine. Skip is giving shore leave to Olive and taking care of the garbage. Low tide at Boca Grande Pass, the entrance to Cayo Costa is at 2:06PM and high tide is at 6:27PM which will give us a rising tide to our entrance. Cool! We will however fight the tide most of the day we believe. Our new walkie talkies came in real handy yesterday while we entered the Capri Pass and we like being able to communicate so easily. I play spotter while Skip at the helm has the chart in front of him and also the chart plotter. Note: Island at Red/Green mark is no longer there and therefore, you cannot anchor behind it. Also, there is a floating green can number WR9 that does not show on our chart, but should be honored.
6:34AM engine is started now that BALOO is cared for and all is ready.
7:25AM we have just completed the Capri Pass, Skip puts exposure suit on because it is rather chilly this morning with NE breeze. Seas are 2 foot or less. Morning sky is orange/pink/ blue with some gray mixed in. We will see what happens to cell service on the way up and also in Cayo Costa.
7:32 Skip sets waypoint for FW0091 off Sanibel - 26.24.50N - 82.10.00W I do the same below and find spd 5.8kt, cog 324 degrees, dist to mark 33.2nm
7:36AM Skip sets jib and staysail spd 6.4kt. Time to trim and lower RPM
7:51AM had not expected this today. Flying main, staysail, and jib we do 6.4kts. Yeah! we sail.
7:57 not wanting to leave the jumbo out of the mix, it is also set. No real improvement in speed though. In fact, we loose .04kt. Take it back down and we go back up to 6.0kt. OK we will leave it down. Wait a minute, slow to 5.5kt. Either the wind is playing games or we might have caught a crab pot. Hmmm. Need to go assist.
8:06 we are good and back to 5.9kt to 6.4kt. The wind does play.
8:24AM we sail from 6.5kt to 7kts and this makes everything right with the world. Olive is a bit cold, will not come below, and Skip says I cannot buy her a coat. I do my best to follow Captain's orders, but I might disregard this order and pick her up one for those nights and early mornings were it is both cold and wet. Present location: 26.02.74N - 81.50.14W
10:10AM 26.11.36N - 81.58.02W spd between 6 and 7kt. COG 330 Dist to mark 16.9nm
11AM signal very low may not be able to update. 11.1nm to next mark. Skies overcast with just a hint of blue here and there. Seas are two feet and we take them on the starboard side. Wind died out some and Skip started engine and we took down the main. With low RPM, jib, and staysail we motor sail along at 6.1kt. We need to maintain 6 to get to our anchorage before dark.
12:36PM the skies are now 40% blue and the sun shines. We are 2.8nm from our mark. We learn that Olive can smell land from 7nm offshore and Gorilla looks silly in a sowester. Wind gone, we motor into what wind there is in calm seas. COG 326 spd 6.2kt I make salmon melts on rye with munster cheese. Life is good out here.
1:04PM we make our mark and set new waypoint for FW0092 - 26.39.85N - 82.19.55W
17.3nm away. New BRG 336 - spd 6kt Est time of arrival at waypoint 4:06PM cool!
2:42PM 26.32.74N - 82.15.13W has shaped up to be a very fine day.
3:22PM about 5nm before our mark the wind picked up, dead on the nose. The water responds in kind and sometimes MISTRESS sends spray 1/2 a boat length out on either side. The skies ahead look a bit ominous. I guess I will check the radar.
I do believe we should be able to make our mark, slide to the east, and not get wet. We shall see.
3:50 we are just 1.33nm from our mark and have a visual on the next red and green going in. Will let you know when we are at anchor, assuming I have a signal.
5:30 we are here 26.39.44 - 82.12.97

Outside the Capri Pass - Marco Island

2009-12-26T05:50:00.006-05:00

5:45AM we are waiting outside the Capri Pass for false dawn before we make an attempt to get inside. It has been a long night with seas as forecasted. High tide is in about 3hrs, so we will have a rising tide on the way in with 2.9 feet of tide. Once anchored, cell phones will remain off while we take hot showers and sleep the day away. No idea what we will do after that. A check of the weather will probably let us know.
8:05AM anchor is set. 25.57.857N - 81.43.395W Good night Forecast looks good for a jump to Cayo Costa tomorrow with an early start. From there, we will stay as long as possible. Are in no hurry to get to St. Petersburg. Have plenty of time.
3:10pm naps dispensed with and shore leave that offered tasty clam chowder, we rest for the afternoon. Will continue to check on weather as I so often do and make sure things will work for us tomorrow for a run to Cayo Costa. Might not have cell signal there and have to admit, Skip and I are looking forward to the peace and quiet offered by this remote place. Ahhhhh, the sound of silence.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T10:57:00.005-05:00

10:55am we are getting MISTRESS ready to get underway around 2 or 3pm. Although the Captain and I agreed to go no further than Marco Island today/tonight/tomorrow/86.5nm from our present location, armchair quarterback sailing was done very early this morning and now the Captain is thinking of going straight for Cayo Costa. 146.5nm Wonderful. The winds are no longer north and blowing stink, however sea conditions are 4 to 6 foot. While it is true MISTRESS can handle it, it is not always fun.
We have received several invitations to join folks here for a potluck Christmas dinner. To bad the wind is going to go north again and that would keep us here much longer than we either wish or need. Expect to loose cell signal for most of this trip, but will update when possible.
Skip, Olive, and I wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas day.

Where will we be on Christmas

2009-12-24T08:30:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we re-anchored and are now closer to shore. This does not make the dinghy ride any drier. Looking at the forecast the captain thinks it would be a good idea to sail out of Key West tomorrow and head for Marco Island. This is a tentative plan and sea conditions will determine how this plays out. Marco is 80nm north of the sea buoy here in Key West and we are 6nm from the buoy. With more northerly winds forecast on Saturday, we should be in relative calm off or even inside Marco, assuming we can get inside. Will have to do it in calm conditions for we notice one low spot of 7 feet. Today we will go ashore and do two loads of laundry. Not all we have, but all we will need to get by comfortably. We will probably stop off at the local grocery store right next to the dinghy dock and pick up some fresh salad stuff and a loaf of bread or two. Skip will make a diesel run with two jugs and that should be all we need for the remainder of our trip. That and a few more jugs of water for the tanks and we are all tapped up and ready to go. When the weather says it's time, we will make an attempt for it. If we find conditions are not welcoming, we will come back here. All tentative, all cruising, all the time.

4pm weather check. If the forecast remains the same or gets better even, we just might head out tomorrow around 3pm. It looks like the best shot we are going to get for heading in a northerly direction. My guess at this point is a shot for Marco Island. We are obtaining local knowledge for the Capri Pass and hope to anchor just inside in about 10 feet of water. If successful, we will only have a 60nm trip to Cayo Costa, only needing to wait for seas to calm around Sanibel Island. Laundry is back on board and Skip has just taken Olive for a walk. This will allow Skip and I to have a walk about just the two of us when they get back. Cool! Some very nice folks we met here on a Spray dropped by and gave us a Christmas present of freshly baked bread. Ahhh a sailors dream and a personal favorite of mine. While at Schooner Wharf this morning, I got a really nice Christmas card from the waitress, Janette. It was a big color photo of the whole staff in Christmas attire. While here, most everyone seems to be wearing antlers and I have seen some amazing outfits. This being a G or so rated blog for family and friends, I will not bother to describe. Wild! Key West has been fun, though rather windy. I look forward to hearing how those new AirX wind blades are for our friends on FREESTYLE. Most of the time it does not bother me, but in the morning I insist it be off for the time it takes to have my coffee in the morning. Ahhhhh Everyone here has been very friendly, kinda reminds me of St Augustine. You walk down the street and everyone smiles and says hi.
I seriously doubt I will have Internet signal while traveling from Key West north. If you don't hear from us, do not worry. We will make sat phone calls to family and a few friends on Christmas day. One of them can always leave a note on the log/blog.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Sail fast and Live slow.
I stole that from FREESTYLE.

Looks like Christmas in Key West

2009-12-22T20:40:00.007-05:00

The forecast for the E Gulf Between 81W and 85W will keep us here for Christmas. Tomorrow we will pull up our two anchors and reset nearer to town and away from the 2 wrecked sailboats. Winds are mostly out of the north and seas will be 3 to 5 and 5 to 7 for the next several days.

I have hung the Christmas ornaments Skip's Mom gave us, but am unsure if Skip will set up the lights. It's kinda windy for a full dress ship in lights. This may be the first year we do not have a Christmas tree at the top of the main all lit up.

Reading, watching movies, hanging out.

By order of a good friend we had eggnog last night. Ummmm good :-)

Gorilla is feeling better. I believe Skip has been feeding him rum.
Olive Oyl found a large, nice white fender today on the way home from a walk about. Good find girl.

Gorilla is starting to act like Skip

2009-12-21T12:12:00.006-05:00

I return late this morning after taking Olive Oyl for a walk and this is what I find. Gorilla/Morale Officer bundled up in one of Skip's sweat shirts and his fishing hat. Skip tells me he stole the shirt and hat, wont leave the Nav station, is cold, and had been promised warm Key West weather. I remind both of them that the temps in St. Augustine were 30's, 40's, and 50's, while we have 50's, 60's, and soon, 70's. They both turn me a deaf ear.

Going with old friends to an oyster race this evening. I have no idea what that means or what I may witness. I believe alcohol will be involved. This is Key West after all. Ya know, I have never been to New Orleans either. I wonder if this is like the French Quarter. Some day I must go there and see.

Weather forecast shows little opportunity for northerly sailing, so we take it easy this afternoon, read, and or be linked.

Oh yeah! Gorilla wants me to send best wishes to his good buddy, Bear and to say keep taking good care of your humans. They require lots of giggles.

A synopsis of our trip south/west from St. Augustine to Key West

2009-12-20T17:39:00.007-05:00

Holding in all of our anchorages went very well, until we got to Key West. Our primary is a 75lb Delta type on 100 foot of 3/8th" high test chain attached to an additional 100 foot of 3/4" nylon. Our second is similar; a little less chain a bit more line. We have others, but rarely used. MISTRESS does well at anchor and we have rarely had any concerns since launching her. It was nice to anchor in so many cool places and often see our chain and anchor in 10 to 12 feet of water. Let out 10 to 1 having the whole place to ourselves and all is well. Even Bahia Honda's anchorage between the old and new bridges, MISTRESS held so well, there was little concern. Weather of course was also on our side while we were there.
Arriving in Key West, moored, turned away, and then anchored in Man of War harbor in 22 feet at slack tide, made the next few days rather weird. At first anchored next to Schooner WHEN AND IF, MISTRESS kept sliding over stretching every bit of her rode to get as close to WHEN AND IF as possible. Rather embarrassing really. We never anchor close. We put out a second hook, went into the swing with her captains aboard MISTRESS and WHEN AND IF headed straight for us. So we had a re-anchoring party with cold sunset drinks in hand. We fired up the engine, picked up two, and dropped one further away. The next morning we again needed to set the second to hold MISTRESS away from WHEN AND IF. Really this is getting ridiculous. We never anchor close. We re-anchored once again, set the second hook and all seemed well. The wind then picked up and later that afternoon a local fellow told us we were anchored on top of two sunken sailboats. The masts had been removed. Good thing we ran into an old friend who happens to be a diver. He may come in handy when it comes time to pick up these anchors. The storm came the next day and we rocked. It howled for so long, the waves sent spray all over, and a halyard got loose on the main causing insanity to arrive a bit early this year. Olive only received two shore leaves. A quick jump to Fleming Island and she had to leap a shore while Skip held BALOO off. In the morning we found a few boats had sunk during the night. The next day we took a 5 mile walk about and included several hours at the dog park. Olive was appreciative. When we returned to downtown and boarded BALOO we were met by 3 to 4 foot walls of water drenching each of us through and through. Olive's shaking didn't help matters and it is a long dinghy ride to MISTRESS. Skip tried to make light of it as I hid my head and held onto him tightly. "How many people over the years have said, "You are living a dream life on a sail boat and getting to see so many new places. It's so romantic.", well they don't see us now, do they"? This helped me and I laughed. I put my head down again to keep the salt out of my eyes and just then a 6 foot tarpon leaped out of the water 2 feet off the starboard bow and reentered just 2 feet to port. Olive leaped from the bow and turn to Skip wide eyed. "What was that Daddy". Once we had our fresh water bathes and got below we checked the weather and learned where our storm went to. New England was covered in snow.
Food and water provisioning has gone very well. Other than picking up drinking water in Key Biscayne and a bottle of rum here we want for nothing. Today we will go into deep storage and refill the normal food lockers.
I liked Peanut Island off Palm Beach and wish it had been better weather while we were there so we could have enjoyed it even more. Key Biscayne was very nice though a bit buggy come evening hours. It would have been nice to be able to anchor closer to Indian Key because all three of us really enjoyed it there. Rodriguez Key does not have a landing as stated in Cruising Guide and Bahia Honda is a must do again. It is also the first place I snorkeled. Key West is Key West and often referred to as Key Weird. I may have to write a log/blog about it all on its own. If you have been here you understand, if not, come and see for yourself; and if you do come, check out Michael McCloud playing music at Schooner Wharf.
We take Dry Tortugas off our list of things to do. The weather is not on our side. Instead we consider Cayo Costa which is 140nm north. We will have to wait on wind and sea conditions to be anything but northerly winds and tall seas. So for now, we take long walks in the morning and afternoon, take a wet ride back to MISTRESS, and then chill out.

Holding on waiting for the wind to stop

2009-12-18T23:37:00.004-05:00

Wow! What a day today. Rain, thunder, lightning, and more wind than I care to talk about. The storm has passed, the wind has now shifted, and we continue to make a steady 15amps with the wind generator. That's a lot of wind. Don't think we will make it to Dry Tortugas from the look of the forecast but instead, once things settle down, we will probably sail to Cayo Costa 130nm north. For now, we read while holding on here in Key West.

Hanging out in Key West

2009-12-17T08:04:00.006-05:00

We were not able to go sailing last night on Schooner WHEN AND IF, however, there is still plenty of time. Forecast calls for a cold front to move through. This will probably keep us here for a while. Because of this we will call the post office and have them send our mail here. A touch of reality creeps into our lives. Had a great lunch and dinner yesterday at Schooner Wharf. Great time, great music, and the food was good too. Olive liked meeting all the other dogs that were hanging with their human companions.

Question to Mike P. Which bar did you work in while you were hanging out here and isn't this where you met Peri? Skip and I are thinking about you both. Time to get ready for another shore leave.

8pm twice now I have tried to update. I've written long detailed info on what we have been doing. Twice it has gone kaput without saving my words. Here is the short version. We are hold up in Key West and all is good.

Key West - Our anchorage

2009-12-16T16:11:00.002-05:00

This deserves a log of its own

2009-12-15T15:46:00.003-05:00

So we get all set up and call the city marina to get directions to the office and are told we are too big for the mooring. Excuse me. Yes, even though we gave them accurate information this morning when we called, now we are too big. They didn't even have the decency to call out on the radio to let us know before we got all ship shape. We now head back out and around Fleming Island to anchor. %^&*()_%^&(^&)* *&)* T%*^)&_*+
4:48PM we are anchored next to Schooner WHEN AND IF. Location: 24.34.66N - 81.48.21W. Time to go for a visit. See ya later.

To Key West and Schooner WHEN AND IF

2009-12-15T08:17:00.012-05:00

8:05AM engine started
8:14AM anchor up, we motor through the bridge and out to the Hawk Channel.
8:16AM we begin setting sails.
8:30AM motor is off, we fly the jib, staysail, and main. spd 5.4kt COG 246 degrees, next waypoint is FK0032 which is 3.5nm away. If we want to maintain 6kt or better, we are going to have to fly topsails. As I write this, Skip starts engine. Hmmm let me see what's up with that.
8:50AM with just 1700RPM and the above sails we make 6.4kt. We will do this until the wind picks up. There are so many lobster traps, Skip must constantly take Otto off Nav and hand steer to avoid buoys. He tells me when we make this trip back to St. Augustine come April, the season will be over and these distractions will not be here. Olive is showing signs of wanting to be a shore dog. Each time she comes back from shore leave, she cries a bit. Otherwise, she is quite fine and does well.
9AM position is 24.37.03N - 81.20.23W spd 6.5kt - COG 247 - Dist to mark 1.61nm
9:25AM well that was a lot of work for nothing. Winds dies out completely. Sails come down and we motor along. Oh well! Even topsails would not have helped us with no wind. Seas 2 to 3 on the port 1/4. Great, my favorite.
9:42AM next waypt is FK0140 located at 24.34.30N - 81.33.04W. Present position is 24.35.74N - 81.24.81W spd is 6.6kt COG is 267 Dist to mark is 7.6nm. I see a large balloon off the starboard bow. White. Looks like a hot air balloon, but I guess it could be a weather balloon. Not sure what they look like. Skies are partly cloudy. There is a black hull ketch to port, also under power. Don't see any sailboats under sail at the moment. Where is the E to SE 10 to 15 they called for. Still early. I guess it could happen. We motor. Skip has talked to the city marina at Key West and made arrangements for a mooring for a few nights. We did hear back from Schooner Wharf and for the price of $160.00 we can spend a night there. Think we will check it out first before we commit. I kinda hate spending that kind of money while bringing my own pillows and mint for said pillow. But Schooner Wharf is a great place and it might be nice to stay there one night if all is as great as we would like. Schooner WHEN AND IF is anchored in Man of War harbor, on 2 hooks which is highly suggested for this area. We cannot go to city dock because of low hanging wire, about 50 foot. Really need min of 57 foot for MISTRESS. Too bad, the price was much better. Low signal
10:12AM I check tide chart for Key West. On the Hawk Channel side they say low tide is 1:24pm. In Key West they say low tide at 1:54PM. Difference from low to high is 2.1 feet.
11:15AM I make up sun cover for Skip. It is very hot out here. We continue on at 6.7kt. Oh, by the way, that balloon, it was not a hot air balloon or a weather balloon. It was a blimp. Figured that out when it was on our starboard beam. Present location is: 24.33.81N - 81.35.55W.
11:32 we are 5.5nm from our next waypoint which is FK0034 located at 24.32.18N - 81.43.75W. Just watched several fighter jets take off to starboard. Boy are those guys fast.
12:48PM I see Key West. Position is 24.32.17N - 81.46.60W About 1nm until we make dog leg turn to north and head into Key West. Will be busy with nav work until we take up our mooring. Later!
3:15pm we have our mooring. Sun cover is up. BALOO almost ready to take us ashore. Need to pay for mooring and give Olive a walk.

Just for Jan

2009-12-14T20:07:00.007-05:00

We did not get our pizza dinner tonight because we went ashore too late to place our order. When on shore earlier we saw people eating pizza and they said it was great. Had not eaten pizza in some time, so we got a hankering for it. Oh well. Will try again in Key West. While ashore, we did another walk about this time with the camera. Sorry to say, it was the morning light that was best for picture taking. Here are a few shots taken this evening.

A great night at Bahia Honda State Park

2009-12-14T09:35:00.010-05:00

We had a great night last night and enjoyed all the shooting stars, meteors, and quiet. Will do a walk about today, and also some snorkeling. Just got an email from Schooner WHEN AND IF who was driving back from Key Largo and saw us anchored here. They are in Key West right now and we should hook up with them tomorrow. Skip is talking to the Captain now. Cool! It will be good to see them again.
Follow this link to learn more about this amazing Schooner.
http://www.schoonersailingcharter.com/

This picture is of Schooner WHEN AND IF during the 2008 Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Skip and I really enjoyed meeting her Captains and look forward to seeing them again. We understand the two have gotten married since we last saw them. Congrats! Happy Sailing!

We did better on water this last time. About 9 gal. in a 96hr span of tank water and 6 gals of drinking water. That wash down pump will pay itself off real soon, that, and it is wonderful to be in clean water. Partly cloudy skies here with a few rain drops near by. Should be a very comfortable day.
3:30PM we had a great time ashore. The water is beautiful. Skip bought me lunch and an ice cream. Wow was that good. Had shore showers. Yum! Resting now back at MISTRESS but will go back ashore for dinner. Ahhhh The little snack bar here is very nice. The grounds are well done and there is a Sea and Sand Nature building with people inside that are very helpful. Plenty to do and see here. Just check out the dive shop, shop, snack bar area and wander about everywhere else. A very nice place for sure. We walked up on to the old bridge. What a sight of the water and land down below. Cannot believe I did not have my camera on me. So very sorry Jan W. Did my first snorkel swim. Did fine, and enjoyed it enough to stop sucking air so hard. Skip will have to shave the mustache if he is going to be able to use his mask. This will be the first time I see him without it.

Heading for Bahia Honda State Park

2009-12-13T07:49:00.014-05:00

7:50AM one cup of coffee down, Skip takes Olive ashore while I get MISTRESS ready to sail. Winds are maybe 10 to 12 from the east. Last night, is was easy to tell which one of us slept on GROUPER GRABBER for months and which one did not. Skip slept soundly while I felt we had never stopped sailing as MISTRESS rose and fell to each wave through out the night. The advantage to me was shooting stars amidst many big and bright stars all about the sky. It was something poets write about.
Bahia Honda is 35nm south of our present position. Today, we will carry the main. Should be a great sailing day.
Just before 9AM Skip started the engine. At 9:25 we fly the jib, jumbo, staysail, and main on a broad reach doing between 6.9 and 7.2kt. Olive wants to come below. Will update more later.
9:50AM 24.49.73N - 80.43.79W COG 240 - spd 6.5 to 7kt Seas are 2 to 3 Skies are clear with a few clouds. Channel 5 with it's high bridge is off the starboard bow.
10:45AM our next waypoint is FK0029 East Turtle Shoal at 24.43.50N - 80.55.98W about 7nm west. Spd 6.2kt. We could pull out the fisherman, but this is a nice easy sail and we are happy. COG 249. Lobster traps are everywhere and Skip often must turn Otto on standby to avoid them. One thing that happened when we were hit by lightning was that the GPS Skip had hoped to replace, was not hit. This did not change his need or desire and so a new one was purchased with a chart plotter. He is happy. The original one is now down at the chart table and we love it. It is nice in the evening while watching some movie and enjoying dinner to be able to see our lat and long. Also, because it has an anchor alarm which never worked for us before considering its location in the cockpit and our sleeping in the V, now when we set it, should we drag, we should hear it. I emailed Schooner Wharf in Key West last night asking about available dockage, but have still not heard back from them yet. This would be a cool place for us to hold up for a day or two while we resupply for our trip to Dry Tortugas.
1:28 position is 24.40.43N - 81.05.10W spd 6.3kt - COG 260 - Dist to next mark is 10.6nm. Next mark is FK0031
2:24PM update we are 5nm from our waypoint. This should be the last one until we turn in to find somewhere to anchor. Just before 2PM as we were passing Boot Key Skip throttled way back and said he smelled fire. He raced for the engine room, went below, but said, no fire here. I went below and check on everything there, but all was good. As I came back up he was inspecting the lazarette and claimed it to be in good shape. Just before this a trawler passed our bow heading out moving quickly. As Skip was smelling smoke, the trawler was now outside of us and up wind. He had slowed considerably and was turning back toward shore. We were fine, but we figure he was having some kind of problem and that is what we smelled. Glad we are down to less than an hour now. The rolling is getting on my nerves. 2 to 4 foot seas coming at us on the port 1/4.
3:15pm we make our turn towards the wrecked bridge at Bahia Honda. Just before this, Skip called ahead asking for local knowledge. A sailor called back and said, yes there was plenty of water and room for a big boat and that by the time we got there he should be going ashore to take his dog for a walk. Skip tells him we have a dog named Olive Oyl that would really enjoy meeting his dog. The man said, no wonder, his dog's name is Popeye the sailor man. And there you have it. Still rocking out here. Should be much calmer inside. We will be anchoring between the two bridges after all.
3:50PM anchor down, engine off, time to get BALOO ready for shore leave.

Easterly breeze 10 to 15kt

2009-12-12T08:12:00.014-05:00

8:05AM engine started. Don't know where we will end up tonight. Have two options, but are more interested in the sailing portion of our day. Time for me to be on deck. Anchor will come up soon.
Saw the largest turtle ever last night. His head was bigger than both my fists together. Cool!
8:26 up, up, and away. We work our way out to the Hawk Channel. Sail covers are off.
8:41 flying just the jumbo and the staysail we sail along at 5.7kt. Ohhhh yeahhhhh!
8:44AM jib goes up - 6.2kt. approx. 25nm to Indian Key.
9:22AM 24.59.55N - 80.28.99W doing 7.2kt after trimming sails. COG 229 Olive prefers to sail vs motor. I know how you feel girl. Beautiful day. Sun shines and the water is a magnificent color.
10:07 we put Hens and Chickens spider to starboard. This marks 3 feet of water, wreck, and coral. Signal low.
10:38 forgot to mention we are on broad reach, seas 2 to 3, sun shines with a few clouds here and there. Wind slows a bit and we make 5.6kt COG is now 242.
10:45 wind shifts and lightens. We take down the jumbo, trim jib and staysail, and make 6kt.
11:00 we pass Alligator Shoal Light well to port heading for green marker for Indian Key channel. We will follow channel inside and anchor for the evening and check out the state park here which is an archaeological dig from a town that was there in the late 1800's. Should be interesting.
11:45AM anchor down. All good, will tell more later.
5:23PM earlier, when we were coming in we followed the path shown on the chart for deeper water. When we hit bottom, then twice more as we retreated, we were happy the part on the chart marked S for soft bottom was accurate. We moved south and tried again, but was not able to get in close. We face the Alligator Shoal Light and are 1/4nm off Indian Key Historical State Park. 24.52.38N - 80.40.62W We had a nice walk about and find this spot just perfect for Olive to run about.
In the early 1800's this land was settled by a man who kept a sharp eye on Alligator Shoal. As ships wrecked there, his men would go out and salvage goods. We saw on shore foundations for homes, warehouses, and cisterns. The dock here is free, but it is fixed and very high. We followed around to the northwest side and found a small lagoon to anchor BALOO in so we could wade ashore. Skip spotted a large ray leaping out of the water. When I looked, I was able to see it when it did it for the second time. Impressive.
Skip calls me, "Time to say goodnight to Mr. Sun". Ahhh, beautiful.
Note to MISTRESS's G C B S R crew. Both the new winches and the cup holders are great. You'll love em. Tomorrow we shoot for Bahia Honda State Park.

Northeast winds today

2009-12-11T07:18:00.007-05:00

7:15AM Skip is off with Olive giving her some shore leave while I am getting MISTRESS ready to sail. Yes, that's right, sail with a capital S. Yeah! 2 minutes after Skip left, the skies opened up and it is raining. A check of the radar shows a storm which is kind of hanging in the same place for the last hour with a hint of southerly movement. Hmmm. Not sure what the Captain will say to that. Better keep getting MISTRESS ready just in case he will sail in it.
Last night, we took BALOO in so Olive could have time a shore in Key Largo. The Cruising Guide said there was a restaurant there, however, when we get there it appears that the restaurant has gone out of business. So we head back to MISTRESS, I attempted to fish with no luck, but mostly just had a relaxing evening and hit the sheets early. The new wash down pump came in handy for a foredeck salt shower which felt great. Once completed, we used the sun shower down below for a fresh water rinse. This should save us on water consumption. Today, if we go as planned, we expect to anchor in Bahia Honda State Park.
8AM after Skip returned to MISTRESS, I showed him the radar. We check charts and decide to hold up here for now. If the storm passes before noon, we may make a run for Indian Key just 20 to 25nm south with a NE breeze forecast of 10 to 20. If not, we will shoot for Bahia Honda tomorrow which is about 65nm south. Tomorrow they are calling for east winds 10 to 20. Time for some reading.
12:40PM rain continues causing it to be a lazy day. We opt to stay here and try again tomorrow. Time to pull out the fishing pole again. Maybe squid might work. We shall see.
9:20PM looking at forecast. Should be great sailing weather tomorrow.

Heading for Rodriguez Key

2009-12-10T05:50:00.016-05:00

5:50AM up and having coffee. Weather forecast calls for light SW breeze and which direction are we headed,... SW of course. Should be a short ride today to get to Rodriguez Key, just 45 miles, as the car drives. No Name Harbor is part of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. A nice place if you get the chance to come here. It does cost $20.00 a night to anchor here, but it is a well protected anchorage with free pump out, outdoor showers, and plenty of walking trails, plus the lighthouse. You cannot fish or swim here in the harbor, but instead can fish along the sea wall on the bay side and walk to the ocean and swim there if you choose. Captain tells me we should be getting underway at 7AM.
6:40 engin started
6:50 anchor up we are underway heading for R "6" 4sec.
7:05 we make our mark. The least water was 9.3 foot just before the mark. We are heading for somewhere called Fowey Rocks just southeast of the spider marking the Biscayne Channel. Olive is unhappy about being underway again. Sure hope she gets the hang of this soon. Signal getting low, may not be able to update much this trip. We shall see.
7:30AM signal very small now. Heading for FE0118 which is 25.35.77N - 80.07.55W
10:45AM signal returns update log 25.18.35N - 80.14.15W. Seas less than 1 foot. Small breeze dead on the nose. Olive doing a bit better and has eaten.
11:33AM 25.14.32N - 80.17.10W spd 6kt cog 223 degrees Starting to get hot glad sun cover is up.
12:15PM we are almost to FK0024. One more mark after that before we turn into Rodriguez Key and then follow several marks to a place we hope to anchor. Present lat/long is 25.10.85N - 80.19.57W doing 5.8kt cog is 214 degrees.
1:30 25.04.75N - 80.23.57W. Skip says he thinks he sees Rodriguez Key. The water is beautiful here. Looking forward to getting my fishing pole out and seeing what's up. May need to put some higher test on though. Lost a fish the other day because he cut the line with his tail. Using 15lb, have 50lbs also on board. Was able to swim out and retrieve my lure. That was good.
1:40PM Looks like Rodriguez Key to me.
2pm 25.02.70N - 80.25.72W we turn toward Rodriguez Key heading 288 degrees. Skip will look for an anchorage on the southwest side I believe. Just learned that shore leave can only happen at low tide when a beach appears. Hmmm Also, Skip says there is a sunken boat in the area and may make for a good fishing hole. Will update once we are at anchor.
2:57PM anchor down, engin off, BALOO inflated, time for her engin. Ended up on the northeast side, at least I think that's where we are. 25.03.59N - 80.27.20W. Once BALOO is ready, time for shower then shore leave. It will have to be on mainland. Rodriguez Key is not habitable and no motors can be used near it. Too long to row, head inland instead.

Pics from yesterday's walk about

2009-12-09T08:44:00.007-05:00

Banyan Tree

Kat and Olive Oyl on the path to the lighthouse.

Lighthouse keeper's home.

A shipwright and his hound.

Key Biscayne Lighthouse.

It's fun to chase the birds. Daddy won't let me catch one though. A very large iguana ran out in front of me last night. Wow! What was that?

A few houses still remain in stiltsville. I guess if you want water front and all the land is used up, this is an option. Though not my idea of a good home. Skip said there used to be many more of these. We only saw about 8 to 10 or so.

7pm All showered up and ready for a new trip tomorrow, this time to Rodriguez Key only 45nm south. This morning, Skip went to the store for drinking water and grouper fillet. He then made it this evening and it was great. After his morning shop trip, I took laundry ashore while Skip hunted for an impeller located somewhere aboard MISTRESS. You see, while coming in the Biscayne channel the other day, Skip rev'd the engine up to blow out the carbons. Shortly after, the temp gauge went up. He slowed her back down and she cooled right off. We continued on to our anchorage, set the hook, and went ashore for our walk about. We had hoped it was a clogged intake. We ended up with a broken impeller. Good thing there is a spare. So while I did laundry, Skip repaired MISTRESS, Gorilla enjoyed time in the cockpit wearing Tim's shades, and Olive Oyl enjoyed a walk and an afternoon chomp on a great stick. The next chore was water. We used more than we thought we did, 13 gallons in 48hrs for dishes, showers, and stuff. It would help if I stop putting things under the overboard water spigot, while pumping the fresh water foot pump.

We will get an early start tomorrow, right after an Olive walk, loading the pram, and....., oh yeah coffee.

A new log for a new day

2009-12-08T08:07:00.005-05:00

Yeah, yeah, I know the new day started at 12AM, but it's my log/blog so I start the new day now as I see Key Biscayne for the first time in my life. Here is a pic of the lighthouse. Skip altered course about 1/2 way to our mark and instead is shooting for FE0117 which is just outside and in deeper water. Funny how traveling in 500+ depths will make 20 feet feel cheap. Anyway, lovely day, the sun is up, winds SSE about 5 to 8. They are forecasting 12 to 17, but we all know how good that forecast is. We hope to anchor on the southwest side in No Name. Just about 1nm to our mark then we should be turning into the channel.

9:53AM we are anchored in No Name. Time to make ship shape, launch the pram, and allow Olive shore leave. Be well. Enjoy the day.

Looks like we head to Key Biscayne tonight

2009-12-07T13:19:00.010-05:00

1:15pm last check of the weather shows SW winds now 5-9 with 2 to 4 foot waves and NE swell. Tonight they are calling for E @ 5-9 with the same sea and swell.

Tomorrow it goes SE and is expected to remain there until Thursday.

Biscayne is forecasting west now, NE 5-8 tonight, and SE tomorrow 6-11kt.

We spend the day relaxing having made all repairs previously. I look forward to one more walk on Peanut Island with a long onshore/open to the outdoors shower. Until then, we are enjoying the first bit of sunshine we have had since we arrived. Gorilla, begs to go topside.

4:50pm engine is started

5:00 we are off the bottom and I take us out to the sea buoy. Skip tells Otto find next waypoint and we alter course. Wind is on the nose but we are leaving anyway. Had a good day swimming today once the rain finally cleared out. We all enjoyed time on shore and in the water. We are in no hurry and expect the trip to be around 80nm. Key Biscayne, here we come.

6pm update nice ride 26.42.426N - 80.00.678W spd 5.2kt - cog 184 dist to mark 12.2nm about a mile and a quarter off shore. Feels weird to be this close.

8pm update: 26.32.26N - 80.00.12W spd 5.1kt cog 186 dist to mark just over 2nm

The stars are out, however, the ambient light from shore, just one and 3/4nm away make visibility to the west difficult. Visibility otherwise is quite good. We can see the lights from ships 9nm to our east. There are some clouds, but not many. The swell is following about 2 to 3 feet. There is little wave action and we travel in 460 feet of water wearing shorts and teeshirts in bare feet. It is quite nice.

8:26pm we make our mark and set new waypoint for FE0116 Miami which is 43.2nm south. New heading of 192 degrees. We slow her down a bit. Est time of arrival was 5am and we would prefer to get there around sunrise. Storm can be seen to the north. Check of radar shows storm around Ft. Pierce area with no clear direction but does not look like it should pose any problem for us. New waypoint is 25.46.14N - 80.04.97W

9:50pm update 26.23.19N - 80.00.74W spd 4.9kt running 2250rpm - cog 192 dist to mark 37.2nm I will rest for a while now so I can take over during the night. If no update for several hours, no worries.

11pm 26.17.59N - 80.01.94W 533 feet deep 4.7kts seas calm wind 5 to 7 SSW Big 1/2 moon smiley face. RPM 1500 3 miles off beach

12AM It's a new day! 26.12.62N - 80.01.94W, 565 feet deep, 4.7kts, seas calm Wind same

1AM 26.07.80N - 80.02.49W Passing Ft Lauderdale 4.7kts 1400RPM Kat takes helm, sea conditions unchanged.

2AM 25.46.14N - 80.04.97W 4.5kts 1500 RPM, COG 190 Dist to mark 17.52nm

4AM 25.55.109N - 80.03.95W spd 4kts COG 188 Dist to mark 8.94. Wind 10 to 12 SSE Seas 1 to 2 foot. Skip takes helm

7:45AM we make our mark and set new waypoint for FE0179 R"2". Signal low but usuable here. Next up, a fresh pot of coffee. See ya later.

Our anchorage for the evening

2009-12-06T17:51:00.004-05:00

This is H. M. S. Bounty whose homeport is Greenport, Long Island, New York. That is the Palm Beach Maritime museum behind her and the old Coast Guard Light House at her bow. We have watched her crew scraping, painting, and being all about the rig for the last several days.

Heading for Key Biscayne

2009-12-06T10:50:00.006-05:00

10:45am Skip is putting one more layer of goop on the foremast to hold it in place. We intend to pull up anchor, pick up fuel and water, then re anchor a bit closure to Peanut Island so this afternoon, Olive Oyl will get one more shore leave before we head out. Here's the intended plan. Leave Palm Beach around 5pm and follow this course.
FE0112 Lake Worth Inlet course 185 degrees to FE0113 26.30.00N - 80.00.00W
Go 191 degrees to FE0116, the Miami sea buoy
Next up is FE0117 located at 25.38.34N - 80.07.88W the Biscayne Channel Light
FE0179 at 25.38.84N - 80.08.07W
FE0180 at 25.39.23N - 80.08.98W
FE0181 at 25.39.15N - 80.10.47W
FE0182 at 25.39.34N - 80.11.18W
FE0099 at 25.40.27N - 80.12.05W
At 5kt it should take about 16 hours allowing us to arrive in daylight and follow some of the marks above to No Name where we hope we can anchor. Small spot, so we may have to anchor outside or to the north. Everything is programed in and ready to go. Next up, a check of the weather to confirm this is a good plan.
Northeast today. East tonight. South tomorrow and for several days after that. We continue in prep mode.
4:15pm the winds have shifted on us to southeast 12 to 16 with 3 to 5 foot seas. This does not work for us, so we hold up here one more night. Skip is out doing soundings. We would like to move MISTRESS a bit. Have a good night, will try again tomorrow.

Rain, rain, go a way. Come back another,... after we're gone.

2009-12-05T04:16:00.008-05:00

Saturday early morning. It rains again. A check of the weather claims possible tornadoes this morning. Yeah! We have had great fun exploring Peanut Island Park and certainly Olive Oyl has loved it. I have not done much with the camera due to rain. Someday soon, I hope to have all things dry once again. It seems as soon as I think, sure, one more hour or so and all that stuff will be dry, it rains. The first evening, Skip pointed out some sticks to me asking, "Is that a schooner over there"? "Naw, couldn't be. See those red lights at the top? It must be towers and the red lights are to help planes not run into it". Yesterday, I saw them put up the jumbo. Wow! That really is a schooner rig we are looking at and that jumbo is large enough to dwarf my main. Rumor has it the schooner is 165 feet. It is estimated they spent 77 million dollars on her. Yes that is right, two 7's and a big M for million and those red lights on top are for stopping planes from running into it. How tall could they actually be? I would like to check this boat out today. The water here is clear, as in we are anchored in 20 feet of water and I can clearly see the bottom. Boy, that feels good. I go back to washing dishes with overboard water and rinsing in fresh. Very helpful for conserving water. When are we leaving here? Who knows. We check the weather and when it looks good and isn't south, we'll go.

6:45pm we have had rain most of the day today. This morning while I took Olive ashore, Skip drove some wedges further down where the foremast goes through the house and added a double layer of goooo. While heading in the other day, the wedges began to creek and a small amount of water seeped through. He also re-secured the 150lb fisherman that sits on the foredeck. The tie downs were showing some chafe. This evening we watched many boats line up for the Christmas Light Parade with a heck of a north wind which kicked up just before they started lining up. Would not want to be in this parade tonight. We keep a watchful eye on the forecast and are considering making a shot for Key Biscayne tomorrow evening, hoping to arrive at the Key Biscayne Channel before high tide and follow around to the western side anchoring in No Name. Skip and I went over all our waypoints for the trip and have everything plugged into the chart plotter/GPS. Olive did not get much time ashore today. Weather just wasn't all that great. Also have not gone over to the big schooner yet, just not BALOO weather. Should pick up fuel and water tomorrow morning and then watch the forecast and see how it goes. Expect when we do leave to stay in about 60 feet of water and follow the coast down. "Reeds" suggestion.

Remember earlier I said that schooner was $77,million. Skip just corrected me. It was $770,000,000. OH MY! I just could not imagin. Hope I get to see her before we leave.

Lake Worth / West Palm Beach, FL

2009-12-02T16:19:00.008-05:00

Sometime before noon we arrived at our anchorage south of Peanut Island. The first 170nm was sweet for the most part. We played with the dolphins and Tim got some great shots. We fished with the yoyos and Tim brought in a king fish. Olive did well, even though we had not yet convinced her it was Ok to do business on deck. The sun, big, bright, an orange was swallowed up just after the full moon rose on Tuesday evening. Spectacular! We ended up off Ft. Pierce at around 9pm with no intention of attempting the inlet at night and decided to shoot for Lake Worth, just 60nm south. Half way there, sails had to come down due to big wind turned on the nose. Lake Atlantic turned into big confused seas and MISTRESS rose then fell and heeled heavily from side to side. Everyone's main purpose in life was to hold on. Olive did well and stuck with me like a second skin, Tim got sea sick and was miserable/ At one point late into the evening, Skip got himself locked in the engine room and was mighty glad I had an attentive ear on the situation. I knew something was wrong before he started pounding on the top. The forward port hole over my laptop leaked. I dared not attempt to update the log or even check weather until I knew it was dry. There was very little rain which was nice in some ways, however it might have been helpful in washing off all the spray which eventually soaked the exposure suites after about 4 or 5 hours. Glad we have backup for such wicked occasions. Around 5am while watching Skip from the companionway, his expression turned rather wide eyed to port. A moment later he was hit once again with a wall of water. I have all the lat and longs written down with appropriate info like course, speed, and dist to our next mark, but I am just too tired now to detail such information. When we were about 9nm from the sea buoy, Skip had MISTRESS up to 3500rpm in an attempt to make way. She did her best with a brief 4.3kt, a slamming 2.9kt, and then the roll. This caused the discovery that some lockers do not maintain lock position quite as well as they used to. As I looked forward, my office looked like poltergeist were having a field day. Tim informs me he is ready to jump ship and wishes to be dropped off at the nearest dock. He had to wait though, first we anchored, then launched BALOO, and after dropping him off ashore, Skip took Olive for a much needed walk. She did finally relieve herself as we dropped the hook. "Good girl". The desire for food and sleep were both compelling, however, there was much to do to get MISTRESS back into shipshape, including remaking that bunk I long for. We hang to the strong southerly wind here and many of our things are tied down on deck after being rinsed in fresh water. Skip repaired the leaking porthole, fixed a settee hatch which broke, and several other items that needed his attention before he showered and tucked himself in for some good sleep. Once again, MISTRESS handled herself very well. There is so much about her I love, especially the way she handles when things get snarkly and it could be just the tired speaking, but the thought has occured to me I may not wait until I'm 60+ to go multi hull. A back is only so strong. We will be here a few days. Nothing but strong southerly forecasted so we will spend time enjoying Peanut Island Park and resting. First though, I need to take care of some halyards.

Heading south

2009-11-30T16:33:00.009-05:00

4:30pm we make the bridge opening at the Bridge of Lions after picking up fuel and water, and a last walk a shore for Olive Oyl. Weather looks good with a nice westerly breeze. We hope to be far enough south before the wind shifts south. Nice day, warm, and it is great to have Tim on board for this trip. Seas last report claims 1.97 feet. Ohhhh yeah!~
To Peri and Mike, love you guys. Have a great holiday and be well. We will see you soon.
To Rick and Kathy, thanks for helping out with Skip's honey do list. I love all of it.
To Paul and Terri, be well, enjoy the holidays, and know I love you both.
Time to do last minute things on deck before we head out the inlet.
5:00pm we make the STA sea buoy and take a course of 158. Our first waypoint is marker "8" of Cape Canaveral 90.3nm. By 5:12 Skip sets the jib while Tim and Otto have the helm. We continue to motor, burning off a bit of excess fuel while maintaining 6kts. I am presently updating without cell antenna which is nice. We should not be that far off the coast to prohibit me from updating, HOWEVER, this is sailing. If you do not hear from me, have no worries, we are fine. Time to make up some galley stuff I want at the ready should making food become difficult, though I do not expect it for some time. Olive sleeps on the bridge deck. The moon is nearly full. Skies are clear with small seas. It is wonderful out here. As soon as the engine goes off, it will be perfect.

6pm position is 29.50.149N - 81.11.907W. We are approximately 2 and a 1/2 miles offshore and should not get more than 12nm offshore as we travel down the coast. Flying are the jib, staysail, and main catching a light breeze. We continue to motor along as well making 6kt. The sunset was very nice. I whisper to the sun, "Periwinkle, Periwinkle, Periwinkle" and smile as I bid the sun a good night. Portobello mushroom pork roast is in the oven with yellow rice on top. A salad will also be prepared to round out the meal. Olive ate 1/2 a bowl of kibble. Cool!

6:20pm after confiring with the Captain I need to make the following corrections. Course is 153 and the speed is fluxing between 5.4 and 5.8kt. RPM about 22oo under the above mentioned sails. Dinner nearly done, just need to make up salad. Moon is nearly full and amazing to see from here.

Lost signal for internet as we get further from shore.

DOODLE just left for dry land

2009-11-30T12:35:00.003-05:00

12:30pm Tim has taken DOODLE over to the Vilano ramp where he will meet up with Skip. Once that is done, they will bring her over to Rick's for safe keeping. Good friend Sandy, will give them a ride back to MISTRESS and then we can complete our get ready list. We should head out sometime this afternoon. Wind has picked up though the forecast says 5kts. We hope to reach either Ft. Pierce or Lake Worth before a storm from the Gulf Coast hits the Atlantic. Sometime Wednesday they say. We shall see.

What a difference a month makes

2009-11-29T13:46:00.012-05:00

1:45pm getting ready to get underway heading for St. Augustine and taking one month to sail around Florida to the west coast with a long stop in Dry Tortuga. Will tell more as the day wears on. At the moment I must tend to DOODLE.
2:35pm MISTRESS is off the dock and all things are stowed as DOODLE follows along.
Back at the end of October, Skip signed GROUPER GRABBER over to partner, Jay. I am happy to have my shipwright back and we are once again free to roam. Shortly after this, an angel appeared at our companionway and gave us the gift of many possibilities. Skip and I began to dream with an eye towards our future and thank our angel with deep gratitude. Then John called from S S SOPHIE wanting Skip to come over to St. Petersburg, FL to give SOPHIE a new master stateroom and other work starting in January 2010. Skip and I spent most of November getting MISTRESS ready for a month long trip around Florida. All of her electronics are once again working and Skip got himself the upgrade to the GPS he wanted opting for the plot charter. New equipment also included a new 4 person offshore life raft and epirb. When I say MISTRESS is ready for long term offshore cruising, now I really mean it. I will not tell you what it was like living here while Skip rewired everything. Those who cruise would know. "Anyone know where that can of peas is"?
Palm Coast has been a wonderful place. The three best parts, excluding my brother Paul who is always wonderful, I would have to say, clean air, Scott Beat, and the dog park. I had a lot of great southeasterly breezes right off the ocean to enjoy that helped me tremendously. Scott Beat is an acupuncturist/physician who gave me both health and hope. A wonderful man and someone I shall surely miss. (Hi Sandy!) The dog park, along with Ginger, Buddy, Feebee, Maggie, Harmony, Redic, and so many more wonderful dogs with their human companions filled many of my days with great pleasure and camaraderie. Thanks to all of you. Be well and enjoy your holidays.
So we head to St. Augustine for a night on the hook, long showers, and laundry. Tomorrow, Tim joins us for the first few legs of our journey. The mother is soooo happy. We then need to pull DOODLE and store her and the Element and we should be good to go. Forecast, at the moment, looks good for a Monday afternoon departure. Of course this is sailing, so we shall see.
3:32pm we have just sneaked passed R "80A" utilizing the deeper water just outside the channel. Heading north, local knowledge suggests deep draft at low tide finds deeper water if you put starboard side to the R, sliding between the marker and the shore. Powered back up, we continue on. A dolphin came up right next to Olive sitting on the bridge deck. Very exciting. Not sure what she must think of the size of it. She is still not totally comfortable with her human's means of travel, but I suspect a month of traveling should cure that.
3:55pm we pass through the Cresceant Beach Bridge at 206. Olive is getting the hang of moving about freely both above and below deck. Once we pass the 312 bridge, we will complete the final stage needed to get the auto pilot working and comunicating with the GPS.
4:40pm between markers 28 and 30 we calibrate the auto pilot. Preliminary tests reap good results. Skip continues to tests her while we work our way towards the 312 bridge. Automatic tuning causes us to do crazy ivans and I wonder what the people on shore must be thinking. "Call Marine Protrol, that old salt must be drunk".
5:11pm we have passed through the 312 bridge. A check of the tides tells us 5:56pm is high tide. We hope to anchor on the south side if it is not too busy. This way, we can pick up fuel tomorrow, have to only wait on one bridge opening and we can be on our way.
5:36pm we are on the hook. The moment that happened, Olive Oyl jumped in DOODLE, guess she needs a ride a shore. Time to take Skip a shore too, so Paul can pick him up and take him back to the Element. Olive and I will do a quick shore visit and then return here for the swing. We camp on one hook this evening which is rather unusually for St. Aug, but the wind is minimal and we are watchful.

Busy times

2009-11-12T13:37:00.002-05:00

I am using my brother's computer to update because mine is in the shop and is not expected back for a few days. Anyway, so here is what has been happening in our world. At the end of October Skip signed his interest in GROUPER GRABBER over to his partner. We take a fifteen yard penalty and move on. Taking the month of November to upgrade MISTRESS with new electronics and some needed maintenance. In December, we will leave Palm Coast, head north to St. Augustine and then wait for a weather window to sail outside to Ft. Pierce. This will be the first leg of our trip around the State of Florida to the west side and end up in St. Petersburg where Skip will be working on a Truphy yacht. Good friend and good Captain has asked Skip to gut the master cabin and make new. I am so happy to have my master shipwright husband back. We plan on taking the whole month to get over there and hope to enjoy time at the Dry Tortugas. We expect to stay in St. Petersburg for two to three months. Once completed, we hope to head to the Bahamas for some R & R for a few months. Should be great. On our plan for sailing in 2010 we will head north to see my family on Long Island. Between now and then I hope to make a presentation to each of the six cities involved in the 2010 Great Lakes Tall Ship Challenge. How cool would it be to sail MISTRESS back to the Great Lakes? Very cool! I have been doing some research on her and have found some interesting things. For starters, Skip and I could never figure out where she was or what she was doing the first 10 years of her life. Turns out, the New York Times wrote a few articles about sail boat racing and Schooner LARK, (otherwise known as Schooner MISTRESS later in her life) was a force to be reconded with. It is written that she was a winner of several of these races held off Long Island and in the Vineyard area. Then the story gets turned over to the Chicago Tribune and additional stories are written about the Schooner HAPPY HOLIDAY, (her name just before she became MISTRESS in 1960). It is from these articles that I hope to put together a presentation worthy of an invitation to join in the 2010 Great Lakes Tall Ship Challenge. Wish me luck.

Olive Oyl has grown and by all estimations she has about another inch to grow before she grows out of the saloon. We intended to take her sailing on my birthday coming up this Sunday, but weather forecast does not look good. We need to get MISTRESS out so we can calabrate the auto pilot, show Olive what sailing is all about, and well, I'd like to sail for my birthday. We will take her out sometime this month. Olive should have at least one sailing trip under her collar before we do the 180nm it will take to get to Ft. Pierce. Tim should be joining us for that leg of the trip and I am very excited about it. Other than that, Skip is hard at work on MISTRESS, Olive and I do our best to stay out of the way, and we keep a weather eye on the sea conditions in the hopes of sailing soon.

2009 Great Cheapeake Bay Schooner Race Results are in

2009-10-19T23:38:00.006-04:00

Schooner LADY MARYLAND

Skip and I were both feeling rather glum because we were unable to make it to this year's race. We heard from each of our crew through out the day letting us know it was rainy, in the 40's, and windy. This made us feel a bit better.
Here are the race results from this year, with a big surprise win from Schooner LADY MARYLAND. WOW!

2009 GCBSR Results
Class AA, 127 nm
1 Lady Maryland Rich Hilliman Baltimore, MD
2 Pride of Baltimore II Jan Miles Baltimore, MD
3 Virginia Hank Moseley Norfolk, VA

Class A, 127 nm
1 Prom Queen Roger Worthington Cambridge, MD
2 Woodwind Ken & Ellen Kaye Annapolis, MD
3 Juno Scott DiBiaso Vineyard Haven, MA

Class B, 80 nm
1 Adventurer 65 Mark Faulstick Norwalk, CT
2 One World Brian Duff Road Harbor, BVI
3 Sally B Daniel MacLeod Galesville, MD

Class C, 80 nm
1 Green Dragon Allan Bezanson Manchester, MA
2 Quintessence Paul Gray Forked River, NJ
3 Susan B Merryman Peter Hegeman Havre de Grace, MD

Class Catamaran, 127 nm
1 Mouzzer Ron Hall South River, MD

Congradulations to all the winners!

Skip Joest on YouTube

2009-10-11T23:27:00.007-04:00

Here is a movie I made which was loaded on YouTube showing work Skip has done during his years as a Master Shipwright. Let us know what you think.
I included music by Grace Potter because Skip listened to much of her during the restoration of MISTRESS. The two songs with this presentation are "Nothing But The Water I & II". Visit http://www.gracepotter.com/ to learn more about this great band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Skip is looking for his next big project. Check out the video and share with someone you know.

Olive Oyl

2009-09-09T21:02:00.002-04:00

Olive Oyl wins photo contest

2009-08-26T20:39:00.004-04:00

This picture of Olive Oyl was submitted to the photo contest for the Humane Society calendar for next year. I recieved a call today telling me she is a blue ribbon winner and will be Miss July in 2010. We are so proud.

To rebuild or to buy new - That is the ?

2009-08-20T08:42:00.005-04:00

So Skip brings the depth sounder, radar, and auto pilot to Fairwinds, the authorized dealer in St. Augustine for these items, (Furuno and Simrad) and we are told the following. The depth sounder is shot. The radar is also shot and the Simrad auto pilot has two fried boards. They claim they can fix the boards with refurbished goods at the tune of $1,150.00, however, when Skip checks the cost on a new one it is almost $400.00 cheaper. AND WE WOULD WANT TO PAY MORE FOR LESS, BECAUSE....... I don't think so. Because of that information Skip will send the radar back to Furuno and work directly with them in the hopes that the unit can be salvaged. Obviously these folks are in no need of business if they think they can charge more for refurbished goods then what a brand new unit would cost us. Skip ordered a new depth finder yesterday, truly an item we cannot do without. Word to the wise, always find out what the cost of a new unit will be before assuming the authorized dealer is doing you right.
It is kinda strange how that day we had that bad lightning I made sure Ms. Olive Oyl was not laying up against the mast and also made a strong mental note for myself not to touch the rig. Once the storm had passed, I was grateful we had not taken a direct hit. Guess you don't have to take a direct hit to get fried.

Lightning and electronics

2009-08-18T12:02:00.006-04:00

This morning Skip drove to St. Augustine to get his electronic type tools and bag of goodies from GROUPER GRABBER so he could work on MISTRESS's downed electronics. While he was able to get the VHF radio working, both the depth finder and the radar will not come back up and will need servicing. He moves on to the auto pilot, manual in hand, and attempts to restart the system. Without the depth finder I do not expect that we will traverse the ICW. It does however appear that Skip will once again be driving to St. Augustine. Olive and I remain quietly on hand and ready for any orders our Captain/Shipwright may request to make his life a bit easier.
So far, not the time off Skip had hoped for.
1:30pm Skip with auto pilot control and computer, depth finder, and radar in hand, leaves for Polaris Marine in St Augustine in the hopes these items can be fixed. Skip comments that it is strange that the one item he would not have minded replacing is the GPS which continues to work just fine. He has talked several times over the past few years about wishing to upgrade that unit. Oh well, if we have to replace all the stuff he just brought to Polaris, it will be a long time before the GPS can be upgraded. First priority for a 7 foot draft boat docked several hours from the open ocean is a depth finder, but I keep my fingers crossed that the good folks at Polaris will be able to fix everything.
CORRECTION: It was not Polaris Marine that Skip brought the units to. It was the authorized dealer in St. Aug for Furuno and Simrad. See posting on Aug 20th for the follow up.

Taking time off - Apparently not!

2009-08-17T11:02:00.005-04:00

11:00am we had planned on getting underway sometime this morning so we could motor through the Matanzas inlet area while on the ICW at high tide, however, when Skip went to check to oil, the dip stick broke. So instead of taking MISTRESS this morning to St. Augustine for some time off and the chance that there could be sailing weather, Skip drives to St. Augustine to get a new dipstick. I have gotten MISTRESS ready, therefore as soon as he returns we are free to get underway towing DOODLE and showing Olive Oyl what a trip on MISTRESS is like. We have rigged up a jack line for her and also bought her a new harness, seeing as she grew out of her first one within a week or two. We hope this one makes it through the month. Yeah, right! Skip will pass the Matanzas inlet and get a look see at the height of the tide to determine if we will have to wait until later in the day. Mostly we have decided to wonder about. A little St. Aug, a little at the Matanzas Fort, and we hope to have a bit of sailing wind for MISTRESS to sail offshore. No telling of course, but we really do not care too much. Time away from the dock is good, no matter. I believe they refer to this as lazy days of summer.

5:45pm we waited on the tide after spending time at the pool, reading, and napping and once again began to get ready to get underway. Only problem? It seems that really bad lightning storm we had the other day that caused lighting to be all around MISTRESS for over twenty minutes, was close enough. VHF fuse is blow along with connector, radar fuse is also blown, depth sounder fuse is blown, and the auto pilot is producing an error which if lucky is only the need to replace the $400.oo part instead of the $1,000.00 computer. Oh joy! Skip was going to drive back up to St. Aug again today to get his electronic tools and those parts needed, however, we opt to allow the day to continue on in lazy fashion and will make that run in the morning. I had planned on burgers on the grill, but would prefer to cook them while at anchor. We shall see what the galley wench puts together instead. If one insists on looking at the good side of these faulty parts, best they happen now I suppose so we can make sure she is ready to move should we have to move her. Poor Olive. It is all she has been hearing about today. Guess I will have to take her for a long walk tonight to make up for it. I figured by this time she would have swam herself into some semblance of slumber. Will check back in tomorrow but leave you with a pic I took of Olive Oyl the other day.

The need for R & R

2009-08-09T19:37:00.004-04:00

Skip and I have talked it over and have decided to take a run for Cumberland Island, Ga within the next week or two. MISTRESS has been at the dock long enough and although Skip is out in the ocean most days now, commercial fishing is not nearly the same as sailing on MISTRESS. Joining us on this cruise will be our newest crew member. Her name is Olive Oyl and at 4 months old she is a joy. Part Rodesian Ridgeback Hound, part Lab we find her to be very smart, with pretty good sea legs. She loves riding in DOODLE, swimming, and being close at hand when fishing. This will be her first trip with MISTRESS. We will motor to St. Augustine and spend the night at anchor, then sail offshore up to Cumberland. It will be interesting to see how she takes to healing over. I will share more about her and our trip in the coming weeks. For now, I share a few photos of her. The first two are her at 3 months and 17.3lbs. The last was taken last week and she now weighs in at 30lbs.

Going to Cumberland Island, GA

2009-08-09T19:26:00.006-04:00

Skip and I have talked it over and will be heading to Cumberland Island within the next week or two for some R & R. Joining us will be the newest addition to the MISTRESS crew. Her name is Olive Oyl. She is a Rodesian Ridgeback Hound/Lab mix who is a great pup of just 4 months. We have had her now for one month and she has taken to DOODLE and MISTRESS very well. This next trip will be her first on MISTRESS. Will share more about her and our travels in the next few weeks. For now, here is two pics of her. The first at 17.3lbs of joy and again just one month later at 30lbs. Skip fears that one of these days he will come home from offshore and find her with her head out the forehatch and her tail sticking out the companionway hatch. A bit of Clifford the Big Red dog.

Schooner MISTRESS

2009-06-27T12:30:00.003-04:00

Until further notice, I am going to stop log/blogging. The intent of this site is to allow family and friends to follow MISTRESS's travels. Because it does not appear that she will be doing any traveling any time soon, there really is no reason for updates. Those of you with our personal email address can email me to ask for updates from Skip on GROUPER GRABBER.
Until we are ready to travel again, stay well and enjoy your days.

One day of rest

2009-06-24T18:30:00.005-04:00

One day of rest and Skip is back at it. He worked on GROUPER GRABBER today and this evening is working with Paul to upgrade the cover for the fish box. They want to make it a bit longer to help hold in the cold, and repair a few things on top to help fish guts from getting into the cover. This present cover is just a temporary arrangement. After a time, which equates to fish and therefore money, a new one will be made. But for now it works quite well. The latest and greatest that I hear is that they will take her out again on Saturday. While this last trip yielded the same poundage of fish as the first trip, there were not as many high dollar fish in the bucket. They also used more fuel this time than any of the previous trips. I keep my eye on that old moon.
Monday night a storm blew in from the northeast bringing with it some cool rain and a much nicer breeze. The night before, the breeze was hot, like standing in front of a heater. This change has made it not so oppressive, which helps.
My brother Paul adds fuel to my addiction. He has given me a new Penn fishing reel. No fish have been any where near MISTRESS since this new addition. Hmmmm

Skip heads in

2009-06-22T12:08:00.001-04:00

11:45am Skip calls saying he is 8nm from the sea buoy and heading in. Yeah!

New ways to frustrate me

2009-06-21T20:15:00.002-04:00

8:15pm apparently the fish are not through with me just yet. They came back. The good news is I caught three jack cravells in about 15 minutes. Great fight and a lot of fun. Then, I dropped my cell phone overboard. Aaahhhhgggg. This is starting to get personal. Guess I need to get a new cell phone tomorrow morning so Skip can call me and let me know when he is in. If anyone sees him before me, let him know and email me.
And they say golfing can be frustrating.

A missed call

2009-06-21T17:19:00.002-04:00

At 5pm I was sitting in the companionway reading when all of a sudden some fish came into the slip next to me and were in a feeding frenzy. I leaped out and grabbed my pole. I threw the lure for about 10 minutes but they had moved off. 10 minutes was all it took to get the sweat pouring, it was also all it took to miss Skip's call. Rats! The voice mail message I got was, "Everything is good, the fish are not biting, might be in tomorrow or the following morning, however, because bait is running low, probably tomorrow". That's about it.
I consider that the fish have now found new and improve ways of tormenting me.
The A/C is working fine but this afternoon I went on deck and hosed her down in an attempt to cool off the house and deck giving the A/C a fighting chance. First, it took more than 10 minutes of allowing the water to run before it was no longer hot and when I sprayed down the foredeck to water running aft ran hot over my feet for quite a while as it pulled the heat off the deck. I believe I will attempt this little trick again now that the sun has moved to the port side. It can't hurt.
I want to wish a Happy Father's Day to all the good Dad's out there and a special Happy Father's Day to Skip's Dad.

Ahhh much cooler now

2009-06-20T18:39:00.002-04:00

6:30pm both MISTRESS and DOODLE got bottom cleanings today and let me tell you, East Florida Yacht Service (Capt. Andrew Gibson) did as good a job as Dan Cable did just before the race. We're talking quality work here. I am so happy with his services. We hired a guy last month to do it but I felt pretty strongly he had not done a very good job and he was certainly not very polite to me. Well, the barnacles shown to me today were too big to have grown in just one month, so I guess my gut feeling about him was right. Andrew's price was more than fair. If you need a bottom job call him at 386-453-4819 or email him at capt@eastfloridayachtservice.com you will not be sorry. He works out of the Daytona and Palm Coast area. If he goes further, I am not aware. Contact him to find out more. Both MISTRESS and DOODLE are now on his regular monthly schedule.
This morning at about 9:30 it was 88 degrees, however it felt like 99. The days forecast called for a high of 95 so I knew it was going to be a scorcher. Sure enough the A/C shut itself down because it was not taking in enough water. I shut the sea cock off, (good girl) then extracted the filter, but it was clean. This could only mean the line was clogged. Skip showed me how to handle this problem and I gathered up all the proper tools and equipment, removed the clamps from the hose but could not get the hose off. I am just not strong enough. My brother Paul came to my rescue, removed the hose so we could flush out the line and then replaced it for me. OHHHH THANK YOU PAUL. It did not take long at all for the sweat to start pouring off my nose and I certainly would not have had a very comfortable night. Once completed, MISTRESS's A/C pumped plenty of water. While she began to cool down I took DOODLE for a run to check out her situation. All good on that front too. I think I will head to the pool now to cool myself down. By the time I get back my climate controlled home should be just right. Stay cool!

Skip in 180 feet of clear blue water

2009-06-19T20:23:00.004-04:00

They are not catching as fast as they did the last time, however they are catching big fish hanging out on the ledge in 180 feet of water. Skip tells me you can see 80 feet down into the water, the weather is fine, water calm. "Wow"!
He sounded real good and I did not detect any tiredness in his voice. This pleases the wife. I received other bits of information, like location. I told him about catching a real fish yesterday, not just a catfish. He, "Wow'd" back.

This is about all you can fit into a one or two minute sat phone call, but it is still cool.

Other things keep taking priority over the engine room cleaning, however I keep it on the table. It's possible. DOODLE is misbehaving and I hope her bottom cleaning tomorrow will resolve this. She's getting on top, but the engine keeps cutting back as if there is not enough water getting to the prop. A dirty bottom could do that.

MISTRESS has been comfortable but I noticed when I came back from my DOODLE run, the water outtake for the AC was running slower therefore, I cleaned the filter. I had actually extracting the filter before I realized I had not shut the sea cock off. I am no doubt lucky it did not come gushing in and Skip will no doubt be pleased I did not sink MISTRESS. It is a good thing when the spouse does not sink your boat while you are away.

Note to self. All chores begin with,
"Close the sea cock".

Current Moon Phase

2009-06-19T04:12:00.001-04:00

Current Moon Phase: "CURRENT MOON PHASE"
Click on the link above to see the current moon phase.
Tonight's it is just 17%. I notice much less disturbance in the water. Few fish jump about although for the past three weeks, this place has been rocking with fish. I have heard that moon phases affect fishing and I wonder if Skip will not have to stay out longer to make up for such a thing. I look forward to hearing from him this evening to see if this waning crescent moon has affected his catch.
4:00am can't sleep. Will load Hulu.com and do a few chores previously neglected during daylight hours.

Update on my fisherman

2009-06-18T08:01:00.002-04:00

Skip called last night at around 6pm. He sounded really good. He told me it was rather slow going on the first night, but things had picked up and they were bringing in large snapper and big beeliners. Weather was good and it was really nice being offshore.
I have not progressed at all on the engine room. It is a rather daunting task and it is best I not begin unless I can at least accomplish one side of the room or the other. BALOO's engine is stored on the starboard side and is not something I can easily remove to obtain access to everything else, including MISTRESS's hull, which of course is the point. Today, I have doctors appointments so it might be tomorrow before I attempt the port side.
Tim spent the night last night. I love my son. He is the best. Having said that I have noticed something rather deja-vu-ish in some of my comments to him. I believe they are words my father often said to me and or my other siblings. How does it go? Oh yeah, "If you are not using that light, turn it off". My father would of course continue that statement with, "Do you think I own stock in LILCO"? LILCO would be the electric company on Long Island. My statement is a bit different; "Do you think power grows on Solar Stiks"? Sure, power does grow on Solar Stiks for us, but I think you get my point. While some things in life appear to have changed over time, I do believe they are really rather quite the same.
Always good to have you here son, make no bones about it.

Skip goes fishing

2009-06-16T07:16:00.002-04:00

4:00am Skip wakes and makes coffee.
5:00am Skip leaves for St. Augustine.
6:00am Skip leaves on GROUPER GRABBER with plenty of bait, ice, fuel, and food. They expect to start the trip fishing for live bait first, then head out in search of large snapper. I expect I will hear from him in two days and the overall trip will probably last six days again, though I can hope he is able to fill the fish boxes in four. The forecast for offshore is very good, mostly less then two foot seas for the next week. On shore we expect mid 90's with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Sounds like normal June Florida weather to me. A few days ago, we had a big storm come upon us rather quickly. Fast enough that I was unaware of it until it was too late to take the large aft sun cover down. I am happy to report, although there were reports of gusts up to 65kt, MISTRESS fared well and I only lost one tie down for the sun cover.
Tim is in town again and will spend nights here on MISTRESS. Next week he will move into his new place in St. Augustine.
I will arrange for a bottom cleaning on MISTRESS and DOODLE while Skip is away and hope to empty the engine room, clean it, and restore the goods in an orderly fashion. We shall see.