Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Conch Republic (Key West)

For those of you persistent souls who  haven't given up on us: We Love You!

When the nice folks at the KW City Marina Mooring field called today to ask if we were still here, we were startled to realize we've been in town for a month.   Before Bill's long overdue haircut last week, he looked like a real Conch (Key West native) only healthier and with more teeth.   (Note:  I started this post last month.  We've now been here 2 months!)

We had  already cast off from the dock when I pushed "send" on our last post from Oriental, NC.  The Intracoastal is not much to write about--long days of motoring interrupted by interesting people and a couple of coast guard inspections (we passed with flying colors), with many lovely, quiet anchorages in the evenings.  We couldn't dally, however, because Mate-extraordinare Ira and Deck-Babe Evelyn had plane tickets to meet us in Fort Lauderdale on March 8, 21 days away, meaning we had to keep moving.  Our logbook from 2010 showed we had made the same trip in 20 days, so we couldn't afford any technical or weather delays.

We were stalled a night when arriving in Charleston, a tug and barge had gone aground cross-ways at low tide just before the last opening bridge into the bay and Act III's draft didn't allow us to go around.  We returned 5 miles upstream to anchor, and arrived at the Megadock Charleston City Marina the next day in high southerly winds (Bill's docking was masterful.)  Fortunately, the weather turned and we made great time with a long run offshore from Charleston to St. Augustine, Fl.   The exciting part of that trip was having the main sheet part (we KNEW it needed replacing) during my night watch as we approached St. Augustine.  Bill wrestled the boom under control, discovered  out our new lifelines work well as he was thrown against them,  and we continued uneventfully in light winds, reaching St. Augustine at dawn before the wind shifted back to southerly.

The Southerly wind continued and forced us to stay in the ICW until we finally got a break for the final day from Lake Worth to Ft. Lauderdale.  We stretched out our bodies and sails and relaxed into sailing outside along the beaches, staying out of the north-bound Gulf Stream which came as close as 1 mile offshore.  Had we continued down the ICW, we would have faced 20 (!) bridges to hail, wait for time and navigate on that short stretch.  We  settled into our slip at Las Olas Marina with 4 days to spare before Ira and Ev arrived, and put the time  to good use as we availed ourselves of the myriad marine supplies and services that Ft. Lauderdale offers in a rental car.  The new main sheet (New England Ropes Regatta Braid) feels divine in our hands.  My Aunt Jacqui and Uncle Bill picked us up in Calliope and hosted us for a fabulous home-cooked meal, and we lunched with Bill's newly-widowed sister Edie.  Frank was sorely missed.

We sailed from F.L. to Miami (No Name Harbor) with Ira and Evelyn, then wandered  south in Biscayne Bay to a sweet anchorage off Pumpkin Key (W of  Key Largo) whre we relaxed and swam for a couple of days before returning north to South Beach Sunset Harbor Yacht Club (very nice) to drop our crew ashore to get their flight home from Fort Lauderdale.  Taking the City Bus to Haulover State Park Beach (c/o) turned into a bit of adventure with excellent people-watching.  South Beach is known for being funky, and lived up to its reputation.   We were sad to wave goodbye to Ira & Ev...they are outstanding company and competent crew, and it was especially sweet to have friends from "home."

3/18/2012:  Bill and I provisioned and were lucky to have a steady 15-20 kt E wind for the next half-week as we made out way down the Florida Keys, stopping to anchor each evening.  It was a beautiful trip down the  Hawk Channel, a deep-ish channel outside of the Keys.  The Gulf Stream and the reef on the outer boundary of the channel keep the seas down even when the wind has blown for days, so we traveled fast and smooth.  But, damn, it's shallow around here; there were only a few good protected spots for Act III to settle into at night, and fortunately spaced perfectly for our three  8 hour days to Key West.

3/21/2012:  Conch Republic of Key West.   Two days after taking a mooring at the Key West City Marina just east of Fleming Key, we participated in the Wrecker's Cup Race, a one-way dash to Sand Key, 7 miles southeast, reenacting the old Key West tradition of salvaging wrecks (and possibly saving some souls).  It was our first race, albeit casual.  Rule 1: No protests.  Rule 2: see Rule 1, Rule 3: See Rules 1&2.   We were proud to come in 5th in our division on a day with scarce wind.   Great time meeting new people and beating our stiffest competition by minutes.

4/20-27/2012:  Paula and Larry arrive from Montana and we laughed for a week straight.  It was Larry's first time on a sailboat, and he took to it right away.  Bill and Larry had a highly successful tarpon fishing trip with a local guide-extraordinaire, Tony Skinner which, of course, required celebration with oyster shooters at Turtle Kraal's.  We toured the Mel Fisher sunken treasure museum (and Pirate museum - Anne Bonny rocks)  and Ernest Hemingway's house (plentiful 6-toed cats), para-sailed, and ate fabulous food.  Did a little day-sailing.

4/20-25/2012:  Cousin Jim and Kylea come for a break from their busy, productive lives in Santa Cruz.   Much divine wine is drunk and great conversation.   We feel inferior.

5/1- present:  Ben and Rachael are aboard, and will crew with us to Panama-ish location, yet to be determined.  We hoped to be gone from Key West by now, but had a couple of critical equipment failures of SSB Radio and Watermaker and we had to send and receive parts.  B&R had flown from Montana to Antigua to have a 3-month trial as captain and mate on a 60' catamaran, but within 24 hours of arriving they discovered the wife part of the owners was impossible to work for.  Too bad for them, but a great delight to have them with us.  Ben has been suffering the delay remarkably well by going out fishing every night or dawn from our deflatable dinghy...he's caught numerous huge tarpon and a prized permit on his lightweight fly rod and is the envy of all the fisherpeople in their fancy boats with guides on the flats.  The passage to the SW Caribbean will be great experience for Rachael, who has confidently and capably taken over the galley.  I haven't cooked a meal in weeks :) and we're eating like kings.

We will leave in a few hours  (5/23) and stop at Dry Torgugas for a few hours of play, then approximately 10 days to Bocas del Toro, Panama.  We don't have the best weather, but nothing bad, either.  Act III is in capable hands and great shape (uh, except for the brightwork, as usual.)  Our new hard dodger, the one Bill built that delayed our departure from NH, is da bomb!  I did make Sunbrella shades for the windows here, so it hasn't been ALL play.

We miss you all!