Mike, Joell and our dog Elwood

Friday, March 17, 2017

Friday

March 17th, 2017

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Another de-masted sailboat hard aground...

Threw over the lobster trap last evening and pulled it up this morning...

Can you eat Star Fish???

We tossed them back, gently...

These crabs are going to make for a lite dinner...

Oh, thank goodness, we don't have to share...

these are the size of a half dollar...

Our bait (old fish we caught) and Mr. Star Fish

Generator was getting hard to start and didn't sound quite right..

Changed both spark plugs and the water impeller which was missing two fins...

After pulling the pump and hoses and fishing in the heat exchanger we found the broken fins and a piece from a past one...

Sounds and Runs just great now!!! 7.3 K Watt Kohler Generator...nice little unit..

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Thursday

3/16/2017

We are currently anchored near Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida, in a nice cove, protected from the nasty north winds. Early this morning, the Loggerhead marina temperature readings were 39 degrees. Wisconsin has had a warmer winter than that. Guess we aren't traveling back home too fast, it is pretty cold here also. We will be staying at this anchorage at least until Sunday. I am hoping my dear friends, Dianne and Dan Chase will be able to spend Saturday with us. They are former Wisconsinites and welcome the cooler temperatures.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Wednesday

3/15/2017

We have been anchoring out! Weather has been very windy. Monday night we anchored on the western shores of Worth Lake. The first spot we tried to anchor at was the very first time we ever dragged (anchor wouldn't set in the bottom). The Rocna anchor just wouldn't grab so we pulled it up to find wads of fishing line and a thick heavy fishing net. Dealing with all this crap and the mud ends up splattering all over the front of the boat as well as on yourself (joell that is)... ahh, anchor life... The boat rocked all night and we were awake much of that time. Half way through the night we listened to the NOAA weather report of a big storm coming. We took up the rugs and watched, while we sat up on the flybridge. Weather report was to get off the water due to potential tornadoes. All we got were lots of lightening and pouring rain (thank goodness for free boat washes here in the salt water). We were anchored with 2 other looper boats. There was a report, the next day, of a tornado touchdown south of us.

Last night we anchored near Fort Pierce, Florida. We were in a small cove surrounded by small homes. We tried out quite a few other anchorages first, but the wind was so strong and they were just to exposed. Except for the noise from our snubber lines creaking on the boats edges (lines that keep the anchor line from wearing out), we slept okay. Awoke a few times to check on the lines, but a lot better sleep then the night before.

Today we're at a marina for one night. Needed to get fuel and a few bottles of vodka 😁 Okay, Mike also got a haircut.

Tomorrow we are back at anchor. Hope to see one of the Cape Canaveral launches in the next few days. Looks like there might be one on Thursday and Friday. Never know, they're often delayed.

We've never seen a sign noting 15 inch maximum wake...

How do you measure that???

That's a nice slice of the pie...

next to a 36' Grand Banks...

They just keep coming down here...

This is the Juniper, Florida light house made of red brick.

Some of the nice homes along Atlantic Intercostal Waterway

Very Nice...

Us, just outside Miami before entering...

(late photo from another looper)

Yachts have to be towed "front and rear" to get through New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Sunday

3/12/2017

We will be leaving Cooley's Landing City Marina, Ft. Lauderdale, tomorrow. Before we go just a little history of the area and a few more pictures.

William Cooley was one of the first American settlers, and a regional leader, in Florida. In New River (right where we are staying) Cooley sustained himself as a salvager and farmer, cultivating and milling arrowroot. Arrowroot is a starch made from the root of the coontie plant. It was used to make bread dough, wafers and biscuits. It had a high resistance to spoilage and was favored for use on ships. Cooley became the first lawman and judge in the settlement, besides being a land appraiser. Local Indians held him responsible for what they saw as a misjudgment involving the murder of one of their chiefs and attacked the settlement in revenge on January 4, 1836. The local Seminoles killed his family and the attack, known as the "New River Massacre" caused immediate abandonment of the area by whites. Cooley was out salvaging a Spanish ship and as a result survived the attach.

Talked with the owner, he said he made this craft himself...

It runs at about 4mph on just the two solar panels, one on each side...

He does have battery back up for it...

The boat starts at 35K

There goes another cruisen Tiki Hut...

Sits pretty good in the water...

He said it doesn't take waves that good...

Cory and Mike at Flippers restaurant for lunch...

Elwood is wearing a St. Patty's day hat during the St Patrick's Day festival, held in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday...

Elwood, open your eyes for the camera... come on...

Our friends, Ms. Bailey and Sanctuary, at Cooley's Marina...

A good size lizard here...

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Saturday

March 11th, 2017

Heading to Fort Lauderdale

via intercostal waterway

Joell at the helm...

We left our anchorage outside of Miami, heading north on the Atlantic Intercostal Waterway to Fort Lauderdale where we have reservations at Cooley's Marina. $1.03 a foot, after the Boat US discount...

We expected all higher costs at Miami and Ft. Lauderdale (one marina we looked at is $7-9 a foot). Guess going where the locals go paid off