First – Happy New year to you all! To quickly catch up: On December 8, we stayed at Elliot Key for a day or two, followed by a few days at Oleta Bay. At Oleta, we were visited by Mr. Dan White – a wandering poet hailing from Robinhood Road in Georgetown, Maine! Around the 19th we flew to New England to catch up with family while Blue Bonnet was back at her original dock in Fort Lauderdale. After some quick visits and a hearty celebration at the new Mathewson home in Coventry, Connecticut, we were scheduled to fly back to Florida on the 25th. Weather delayed our departure until the 26th. On the 27th we were back on Blue Bonnet to spend the New Year holiday at anchor near Miami, where we saw several fireworks displays set against the backdrop of the city skyline. Welcome, 2018! On Jan 3rd, we pulled Blue Bonnet into the dock at Playboy Marina in Dania Beach where Bob worked on a repair to a soft piece of deck that needed reinforcement. She also got new bottom paint (complete with new red fishes!), new non-skid, and a wax job along with some routine maintenance. On Monday, January 15th, Blue Bonnet was looking good and ready to sail. Before launch, we were favored with our first sailing visitor! Robin Moore, a very good friend from Georgetown, flew down on January 9th to join us for a while. Robin’s knowledge of the sea and general fishing skills will hopefully bolster our own so that we can enjoy some great fishing in the Bahamas. Robin Doak is excited because Robin M. has volunteered to write some guest blogs along the way. Stay tuned, more fun to come!
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What a great November we had! Two weeks with Rod and Gail in Wimauma followed by a quick trip to Orlando where we saw Arthur, Sharon, and Ian (and dropped by Harry Potter land). We also visited with our friends Nick & Thea and, later, Dennis & Peg. With the help of the latter couple, we were able to locate the best Tiki bar in Gulfport.
As fun as it was to see and visit with friends and family, it was great to get back on the water. We spent a quiet Thanksgiving at anchor at Lemon Bay and enjoyed Cornish game hens with stuffing, broccoli, potatoes, and gravy. A good first effort using the propane oven. We also enjoyed Robin’s new favorite thing, Bota chardonnay in a box. The next day we dinghied in to Englewood, where we had a yummy breakfast followed by ice cream (because we can). Saturday the 25th was an exciting one. As we headed south towards Cayo Costa State Park, we saw a boat aground that we recognized from the marina at Gulfport. Bob turned the vessel around to help, but Imagine and her crew (from Noank, CT) were hard aground and there was nothing to be done until Boat US got there. As we resumed our own course, we too ran aground. The Gulf ICW can be a challenge. Venture just a tad to port or starboard and you’ll find a shoal. Teaky II stopped to help, but we warned the captain away. The wake of a speeding motorboat (plenty of those around) dislodged us and we continued south. We hope Imagine fared as well. Later, we ran into Teaky II’s captain Neil at Cayo Costa. He told us that he had seen three boats aground on his way to Cayo Costa. Lots of skinny water on the West Coast of Florida! On Monday the 27th, we returned to Fort Myers Beach and picked up a buoy in the mooring field (fun times) with the help of Captain Dean of the Fine Alee. Robin was much happier to navigate the Matanzas Pass in the daylight, this time. This port was a blast! On Tuesday the 28th, we made the 15-minute dinghy trip into the marina and sat down to a great meal that even included a few vegetables. We met several other sailors and, of course, visited a few funky bars. After a few cocktails, we prepared to head back to Blue Bonnet only to find that the dinghy motor would not work. Luckily, Austin the harbormaster was heading by as we rowed up-current, and he gave us a tow. So many nice people here! On Wednesday, we headed out for Cape Romano. This trip was amazing for Robin. It was the first time she was able to watch pods of dolphins swimming with the bow of the boat. And being under sail with no motor running made the trip even sweeter. A trip back to the Little Shark River rounded out our month, with guest appearances by pelicans, dolphins, a manatee, and tons of no see 'ums. Thank goodness for mosquito nets! We realized that the Active Captain tracking is tricky to use AND it requires our active updating – too much work. So we have purchased the Garmin InReach and you can track us anytime by using this link: https//share.garmin.com/RobertDoak
In addition to tracking the InrReach has some safety features and other tools that will be helpful in our travels. Want to Join Us? Over the next couple of weeks, our “south” destinations include, among others, Key West and the Dry Tortugas National Park. If you have the time and resources, get yourself to Key West. There is a fast cat that goes from Key West to the Tortugas National Park daily. We can arrange to connect so that you can stay with us and snorkel, swim and explore. However, our plans can change from one minute to the next BUT once you commit, so will we. We get very little opportunity while we are cruising to connect to wifi, so the blog posts may be clumped together. Feel free, of course, to read as much or as little as you like!
For those who like details, here you go!
Blue Bonnet is a 1971 Morgan 41 Out Island. Her overall length is 41 ft and her beam is about 13’. She is a ketch rig. The 160 genoa (jib) has a rolling furler. The main and mizzen sails are equipped with lazy jacks. There are 2 reef points on the jib and two reefs rigged on the main. All lines lead to the cockpit so that all sails can be managed by one person if needed. There is a spinnaker pole and spinnaker sail – we have not played with these yet! The boat has a 65hp Diesel engine. Made by Hyundai and marinized by Vetus. It has less than 2,000 hours logged. Nick (the previous owner) added a lot of nice features like an easy connect for the oil change along with an electric pump – no mess, no fuss! Additionally, he put together a fuel polishing system with two active filters which allows one to be shut down if there is a problem while the other continues. There are three diesel tanks with a total capacity of 159 gallons. The boat burns just a little more than one gallon per hour. The 30-amp alternator keeps the system charged while the motor is running. In addition to the 30-amp alternator Blue Bonnet has a wind generator and 3 solar panels. All of which keep the system charged while we are under sail or at anchor. For back-up there is also a portable Honda generator. The access to the engine room is behind the companionway ladder and also from the aft companionway. The engine room has plenty of space and is well lit to actually get in and work on any part of the engine, the battery bank, water or fuel systems. There is a feathering prop on Blue Bonnet so that the prop and shaft do not have to rotate while we are under sail. The primary steering is a chain link and cable system (in very good shape). The Autopilot runs on an independent hydraulic system and, of course, there is an emergency tiller if both of the other systems fail. In addition, this sailboat is equipped with BOWTHRUSTERS! We didn’t think we would need these but they do come in handy to make docking easier and provide that last minute burst that could make a big difference in a pinch. There are 2 VHF radios, 1 stereo, and a single side band radio. The chart plotter is a GarminGPS720map (2011). The system also has radar and an AIS receiver. She’s got an excellent Rocna anchor (plus two others) and of course our beloved Portland Pudgie dinghy. Now for the goodies that Robin loves. There are three water tanks with a total capacity of 150 gallons of fresh water. Additionally (AND THIS IS HUGE) there is a water maker that can take salt water and produce up to 20 gallons of drinking water an hour! Our galley is on the portside at the bottom of the companionway. There is a propane, three-burner stove, and oven. The sink and refrigerator are aft of the stove. Oh yeah, the ice box is original but the compressor and system is just a couple of years old – very efficient 12V system. Additionally, we have a portable freezer (electric ice chest) that can run on 12V DC or 110V AC current. Plenty of room to keep frozen foods (meat) for a couple of weeks. The salon has a dining table that can drop down to convert to a full-size bed. In and around the salon are multiple drawers and spots for storage of food stuffs and other boat related items. On the starboard side of the salon is a full-length bench that can serve as a single bed. There is a head (more on this later) to port and storage closet starboard. There is a V-berth forward that can accommodate up to three people. AIR CONDITIONING!!! Yup, we got that too! There are two units, one for the main salon area and a separate one for the aft suite. This is really only needed when we are at a marina where there is little or no air movement. It helps keep the moisture down and makes life a little more pleasant. Oh, did we mention that our cabin is separate from the forward compartments? The aft cabin, in addition to having separate air-conditioning has its own head and plenty of room for us to store clothes and personal items. We love Blue Bonnet, and we think that she loves us back. So far, she’s taken very good care of us, and we hope that will continue. We plan to take excellent care of her too. If not, we know a certain Captain on the east coast of Florida who will be looking for us! On the last weekend in October, we anchored in the Little Shark River (!) to enjoy the peace and quiet of the Everglades. We were expecting a stormy weekend courtesy of Tropical Storm Phillipe, so this quiet little anchorage seemed perfect. We are going to tell you all about the swirling waters and 40-60 knot winds, which were quite exciting ;( but we heard that Phillipe joined with another system and wreaked some havoc in New England. So no whining here – hope everyone has recovered from whatever damage was done! After Little Shark River we went to Indian Key. That was pretty but there was traffic nearby and our exposure to the wind was less than comfortable. From there we went to Panther key – a really beautiful spot. We took the dinghy out for a ride around Hog Key and enjoyed the quiet of the area. Bob tried to put the sail up on the dinghy with some success -more practice is needed. He did, however, get some good rowing practice in that day! From Panther Key we made a long day into night run to Fort Myers. Fort Myers offers really nice moorings but they are first come, first serve. In the dark, Robin deftly (with barely suppressed terror) guided us into the harbor, under a bridge, and through a crowded mooring field only to find that none of the moorings were available! So, back under the bridge to an area near the Coast Guard Station where anchoring is allowed. After three tries we got a good hold and Robin, rattled and exhausted from the experience of navigating in the dark, soon found sleep while Bob did a couple hours of anchor watch. After a that we decided to spend the day at anchor to recover nerves and give Blue Bonnet a rest. Cayo Costa State park was our next destination. We had good protection from the West but the winds seemed to be more northerly than predicted. We thought we had a solid hold on the anchor but at 3am, with rolling waves and a thud under the keel, we found that we were dragging -just a little but enough to make us uneasy. SO – at 3:15am we set sail in the dark! Though none of these experiences have been really dangerous and we got through them without incident, we decided to make our way toward Tampa Bay. The scenery offered by the intercoastal route may have been interesting but this hurricane season moved some shoals to places where our charts show deep water. Shoals, bridges and traffic inside led us to decide that an outside passage would work better. (Even on the outside in the Gulf of Mexico, Robin managed to find a new, uncharted shoal to run aground on!) November 6, 2017: Monday morning is here now. We are nicely anchored with two other boats at Egmont Key. Last evening’s sunset gave us a nice view of the Skyway Bridge across the bay, but a heavy fog this morning has really hindered the photo ops. Once the fog burns off, we will make our way to the Gulfport Municipal Marina to spend that day cleaning. We plan to be in the slip for two weeks while we visit friends and have a small Thanksgiving celebration with Robin’s parents. On Wednesday, October 25, we motored to Islamorada and found a cozy spot to anchor (far enough away from the two sunken motor boats whose top halves were peeking above the harbor water). Although the wreckage was a little disconcerting, the skies were clearing, there was a beautiful sunset, and we settled in for what we thought would be a mellow evening.
At midnight, Robin woke up and found that the anchor had dragged, and we were considerably closer to shore. When we attempted to start the engine to reposition the anchor, Blue Bonnet decided that she was not quite ready to go. Bob was able to troubleshoot the engine issue and get her going, and we moved further out from shore. There, we spent the early morning hours tossing and turning, wondering if the engine trouble was serious. The next morning, Nick and Thea talked us off our anxiety cliff, and the engine started with no problem. Robin decided that she had had enough of this anchorage, and away we went, headed south to Channel 5, where we would make the turn to the west. After an evening at Lower Matecumbe Key, we headed west to Cape Sable. During our short voyage, we’ve seen pelicans, egrets, cormorants, and other waterfowl. Robin had a pair of dolphins escort the boat for a short way during one of our days at sea (Bob was napping and missed the whole thing!). We are also seeing remnants of this past hurricane season and being constantly reminded of how powerful a force is Nature. Beautiful boats, representing the dreams or good times of others – maybe a hobby, maybe their livelihood, maybe their life savings—all torn up, grounded, or nearly sunk. There is not as much of this along our route as you might expect, but a little in almost each area we visit. Of course, we cannot see the devastation Irma caused onshore. I’m sure that as we head south at the end of November, we’ll continue to see more of this. Sunday, October 22, marked the first day of our “shakedown” trip from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa. Our friend Nick helped navigate us through the tricky (for us) river passage to Lake Sylvia, which required calling for numerous bridge openings. At Lake Sylvia, Nick kindly gave us an anchoring lesson, then we were off to the Fort Lauderdale Marina for some non-ethanol gas for our dinghy engine and to drop Nick off. (Thanks Thea!) The two of us took the boat from there to Oleta Bay – a beautiful harbor and nature preserve in north Miami.
We spent Monday in Oleta, getting Blue Bonnet organized and learning more about her. We also enjoyed numerous swims, plenty of sunshine, and a short trip in our dinghy the Portland Pudgy (Brand name not a given name). By Tuesday, we were ready to move, so we headed back out into the intercoastal waterway (ICW) and motored towards Miami. The drawbridges were exciting, but even more nerve-wracking was the Lucy Tuttle Bridge, a fixed bridge that draws 56’ at low tide. As we slowly inched Blue Bonnet (who measures 55’ above the water) under the bridge, we both held our breath. Bob swears that he saw the radio antenna make contact. After that, it was out into the Bay of Biscayne and on to the Keys. We chose an anchorage on the south end of Elliot Key and watched the storms passing over the mainland of Florida. We couldn’t hear the thunder, but the lightning was beautiful from a distance. Around 1am, our night turned lively. Contrary to weather reports, the thunderstorms had moved directly overhead. Lightning directly overhead, wild wind, rolling seas, and strange noises kept us up for most of the night. After about 7am everything calmed down and we were able to sleep until around 10am. After our stormy experience at Elliot Key, we decided to motor as far south as we could without wearing ourselves out. Destination: Islamorada. TRACK US: we found that Active Captain is now offering a tracking service – this will cost us nothing compared to the service (In reach) that we were looking at before. Look up Blue Bonnet on Active Captain and you should be able to see where we are at any given time!
JOIN US: We are planning to make land in the St. Petersburg/Tampa area around November 8th. We will be visiting family and friends until at least the 24th. If you have any interest in joining us for a sail after that, pack some shorts, shirts, and swimsuits – but only buy a one-way ticket because our next landfall is not planned, nor has a destination been decided! (Bob is kind of kidding; we promise to take you back to land!). After weeks of looking at boats in various conditions and of varying design, we have found our new home: She's a 7' Portland Pudgy, and she comes with a motor, sails, and other bells and whistles. She also came with this: This is Blue Bonnet. After looking at various boats in varying conditions, shapes, and sizes, we chose her. She is a 41' Morgan Out Island who has been owned and loved for the past 25 years by our friends Nick and Thea. This amazing couple has given us a place to say (they are also putting us up for two weeks before we set sail). We've sailed on her before and found her comfortable and fun. She has been rebuilt over the years, and has many, many extras. She is air conditioned, has a water maker, two heads, lots of storage, and a very cozy aft cabin (for the captain and first mate). The cockpit is roomy, and we look forward to many lazy days spent sailing her. We haven't decided where our first destination will be yet, but probably a quick trip before we tie her up for a week and head west to see my parents near Tampa. At this time, we have no plans to rename Blue Bonnet. But if you have any suggestions (or a name for the Portland Pudgy), please let us know!
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AuthorRobin and Bob recently quit their jobs, sold all their belongings, and headed south to begin a new life on the sea. Check back here to find out how life adrift is going. Archives
February 2019
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