Key West to Lake Worth - Intra Coastal to Titusville, FL Dec. 4-8, 2010

Key West was definately the United States.  There were exciting things on the shelves of markets like the right size screws, aselection of tools, cleaning supplies for the boat that had been unavailable, and of course a real marina with electricity and clean water.  Best of all I hadn't seen a laundromat since....?

The crews of Braveheart, Mystic Moon and Sea Star had a wonderful dinner in town and stopped to play pool at a local watering hole before returning to our boats for the evening.  In the morning we met at famous Pepe's for breakfast--so in between the nine hour days of work on Sea Star we had fun.

Key West was not very busy in December but I could see the attraction when the weather was better in the outlying islands and reefs.  Everybody has a boat, or charters a boat for sailing, fishing, diving and zooming around.

After our boat was ready and tested, Dan and I moved out of the expensive marina and picked up a town mooring.  Bad idea! It was windy and the moorings were on short lines.  They did not provide a bridle for your boat and there did not seem to be a way to slip a line from the boat through the tiny loop at the top of the mooring ball.  Each time I tried something dreadful happened; first I bent the brand new boatpole and dropped it into the water(luckily it floats a bit and we got it back), then I lost the old boatpole as it was pulled out of my hands as I tried to capture the mooring ball-- finally a nice man, a cruiser, arrived through the surf in hid tiny dinghy and put the line through the loop for us.

Key West web

The next day we left the mooring field, without paying as noboby came out to us and we weren't going to put the dinghy down, thinking we would meet uo with Jimmy and Donna on Blue Water Cat in Marathon, Florida- one of the anchorages in the Keys.

Conditions were right to keep on going rather than stop, to beat an approaching cold front.  We were quite anxious by now to arrive at Titusville, some 350 miles away.  We sailed the Hawk Channel, avoiding the many crab pots during the day and just hoping to miss them at night as we moved along for all day and night.  By 2:00AM we were crossing Governer's Cut where the big guys play.

We were surrounded by cruise ships, tankers, and all manner of boats wating to go into Miami.  Sometime in the afternoon we were approaching our goal; the Lake Worth Inlet where we had crossed to the Bahamas from on Thanksgiving of 2008, our first year cruising.   Our arrival at the inlet was just in time.  The front had arrived, roiling the sea and the winds were increasing as we passed through that narrow cut and into the much calmer water within.

The anchorage in Fort Worth was fine for us, but others had run aground getting in there.  Tow Boat US basically was sitting in the anchorage entrance and just waiting like a vulture.  We were able to get some sleep before starting off again at 6:00AM.  Dan had decided that the rest of the trip would be "on the inside" meaning in the Intracoastal Waterway.  The weather was just too cold and windy for another day in the Atlantic.

In the Intracoastal there is always a lot to watch out for so it isn't relaxing at all.  We knew we would have to go under many bridges per day and that movement had to be timed to the bridge's schedule. Our mast is 63 1/2 feet and the most clearance you get is 64 feet on the fixed bridges.  Some areas of the ICW are shallow, or the waters are contained in a channel and a passing motorboat might "wake" you with a tidal wave sized plume of water, and it was Saturday and many boaters were out.  Oh, and did I say it was cold? The temps went into the 40's at night.

One full, long day mostly hand steering from 6:00AM to 6:30PM brought us to Vero Beach Mooring Field, where we rafted up as required with another boat.  Jim was a new cruiser but he had the idea.  As we tied up to his mooring he asked if we wanted some Jerk Chicken!  Totally yummy.  We had a few beers with him and collapsed, waking to start out again at daylight.

The ICW can be lovely.  There is wilderness, some of the lovliest homes in Florida, animals, birds, Manatee if you are lucky and many many red and green markers to go between in the dredged channel.  The trip would have been more enjoyable had the temperature been warmer.  Dan who was driving couldn't get or stay warm.  Check out his pictures wearing everything we had on board.

cold

By dark we were still pushing on toward Titusville.  We went through the last two bridges in the pitch dark and anchored outside the marina for the night.  There were as many as twenty cruising boats in the anchorage and it was soo cold!

That night as we were anchoring there was a huge noise and we were thrilled to watch a rocket take off from the Space Center and shoot brilliantly into the darkness.  We slept well knowing we we basically there and could begin to plan to drive home after we picked up our new car waiting in Tampa. We worried a bit about Patti and Gary who left the Rio a week after we did.  Their weather was really rotton and they were heading to Titusville, too.  We had left Braveheart in Key West at the marina for the military and Mystic was preparing to leave their boat for Christmas, too.

In the morning we tied Sea Star to her new home and prepared to be landlubbers for awhile.

BACK IN THE USA! ISLA MUJERES to KEY WEST Nov.24-27, 2010

Landfall USA

But first:
Enjoy a few shots of Mexico's Isla Mujeres or Island of the Women.  Holly, Kathleen and I did some sightseeing by golfcart where, from the back facing seat I took most of these shots.

Isla Mujeres web

Sea Star and Braveheart set off sailing from Isla Mujeres, Mexico on 6:00AM Thanksgiving morning to begin our expected 40 to 44 hour passage across the Yucatan Channel and the Gulf Stream. To be determined by weather was whether our first landfall would be the Dry Tortugas National Park at Fort Jefferson, or the funky islands off Florida’s Southern extreme, Key West. If we chose the Dry Tortugas we would be taking a slightly shorter route to land, but landing in a more remote location. Dry Tortugas is well known because, as it a park, no spear fishing is allowed within the park boundaries but the snorkeling is superb. If we chose Key West we would continue to travel for about 80 miles more, would miss the stop at Tortugas but we would truly be back in the USA. We could complete the necessary clear-in procedures and visit restaurants we both remembered from previous visits.  Something I as cook was looking forward to.



By 7:00 AM Sea Star was motor-sailing along at about 7 knots in six foot seas with swell from the East and winds of 20 to 22 knots. We made our way out of the harbor and flats that protect Isla Mujeres and finally over the shallow bar entering the deeper channel and the way out to the Yucatan Channel and the expected current boost we hoped would help us travel in a northeasterly direction.  We had plotted a few waypoints to hopefully take advantage of an expected .5 to 2.5 knot northerly, then northwest current, expected to improve our speed through the water toward the tiny islands either 270 nautical miles to the Dry Tortugas or 350 miles to Key West.



For the first thirty miles we bounced along, popping in and out of deep troughs with water cascading down both side decks, sailing along with staysail and main. The forecast was for the wind to slowly abate and become a comfortable 15-20 knots by mid afternoon. We were able to add the jib and we sailed along with the benefit of 1 knot of current. By the end of sixty miles and 10 hours the seas had subsided a bit. We heard the weather report from our new cruising friends on the Selene trawler, Mystic Moon. They mentioned that Chris Parker, our weather guru, warned of a period of higher winds coming quite soon, so Chris thought it best that Mystic forgo the stop at Dry Tortugas and move right on toward Key West, so by Saturday afternoon they would be in port. From then on our course was set toward Key West. Mystic Moon, a beautiful 45 foot Selene Trawler set out from Isla Mujeres about eight hours behind us.



Dan and I relaxed as the wind slowed a bit, reefed the main and jib for night sailing, checked the current and continued on through the night with about two hour shifts on watch. We saw a few targets on the AIS system but they were not too near. That night was warm, the stars were brightly lit overhead, and the moon was close to full. We could see the tricolor light of our buddy boat, Braveheart, with Holly and Jack and their dog, Charlie, aboard. We had radio contacts with the two other boats on schedule and we all were moving well.



Moving well means we were traveling along on course, the boat was acting correctly because there was enough wind to sail a course, but neither of us had to touch the wheel. “Auto” does it all and we just push a button to correct minimally right or left. At 4:00 AM Dan called to me to come out to the cockpit because we had “lost” our autopilot. “Auto” was not able to keep on course and was not reading the correct heading. We had in fact strayed somewhat off course and Braveheart, who were able to see us, called on the radio and asked if anything was wrong -as we were shining our biggest lights on the sails and were apparently sailing erratically for awhile. We told Jack what seemed to have happened and he and Holly stood by to see what we would need to do.



The problem meant that Dan had to go into the deep, dark lazarette to try to discern the trouble and I had to hand steer the boat, which I find difficult to do with sails up. We furled the jib and I held the course while Dan climbed into the large locker to check the arm on the autopilot. He soon emerged; nothing was obviously wrong, but he thought it was possible we might have to hand steer for the next two days! Not a fun contemplation as it does take energy to steer in rough, confused seas. Dan tried a few different things to see if the autopilot would work. He did something, maybe a reset, maybe a vodo dance, and we found we could hold the course again. The gauges weren’t reading correctly but we could steer a compass course. What a relief!



It’s always best on passage when morning arrives. Usually we are both awake, we have a coffee, (which can be an adventure to make on a rolling boat) and one can see any ships approaching from a distance and what the sails are doing. This day we were still under sail alone and within a favorable current, but the wind was variable now and we needed to start the motor which we ran all day. It’s hard to remember exactly when but after we shut off the motor, the next time we needed it, after a run of about four hours, the engine temperature had risen- not to a dangerous level but Dan was concerned and shut it down. So we sailed on as best we could in even less wind until we just had to start the engine again. This time we were able to use power assist for even less time before the over-heat. Finally after more sailing and again the wind decreasing, we ran the engine for only one hour before needing to cool it down. Uh, oh now what to do?

Now, in the early morning , we had come over 300nm from Isla Mujeres but still had about 60 miles to go to arrive at Key West. There was absolutely no wind and the ocean was smooth; without a ripple and we were going nowhere. In checking the weather forecast- there was no wind coming for days, but the Selene was out there somewhere. Just as we were wondering where the trawler was in relation to us, Kathy and John called us on the VHF radio and they were quite close; within a mile! They pulled up close and transferred a doubled 300’ line they had attached to a bridle from their stern. We attached the line as a bridle to our Island Packet and carefully John took up slack. We were moving and moving along well under tow.



Yes, Sea Star, our beautiful sailboat was embarrassingly under tow toward Key West. The Selene pulled us over twenty miles, where we met the Tow Boat US boat, Ranger. After about six hours, after dark, we were safely nudged onto the dock at Conch Marina, Key West.

Thank you Mystic Moon, Tow Boat US and all the friends who met us at the dock to help get us into a safe berth. It took three working days to fix the Yanmar engine. We needed a new water cooling pump, impeller and lots of patience along with our great mechanic who struggled to work on our very inaccessible engine.



After a week we were able to move on from Key West.

Leaving the Rio Dulce, Graciosa to Lighthouse Reef, Belize November 3-10th, 2011

BEAUTIFUL BELIZE
Sea Star's last visit on the Rio was to Texan Bay Marina for our last Texas chicken fried steak.  We left the Rio for Bahia Graciosa after lunch at Ak' Tenant Restaurant and picking up our exit papers from Raul in Livingston.  Dan and I motored the 11 miles out the sea bouy over the shallow Livingston bar then across the bay to Graciosa where we spent a quiet night tucked in behind an island while the wind blew 25 knots from the west. Sea Star, and Braveheart left the Rio in what we hoped was a short weather window that would allow us to begin our trip through the country of Belize and then on towards Mexico.


 A bit of rain did come but our memory is not of winds, but phosphorescence around our two boats in the evening. By morning we did move on. As we left the protection of the Bay, the wind was still strong and we were able to move along slowly by motor until we managed to change the sailing angle and head more into the shelter of the mainland Belize after a rolicking sail.

Sea Star, and Braveheart left the Rio in what we hoped was a short weather window that would allow us to begin our trip through the country of Belize and then on towards Mexico.

Our first night out was spent in Bahia Grasiosa in a shallow, protected area to avoid forecast strong westerly winds. A bit of rain did come but our memory is not of winds but phosphorescence around our two boats in the evening. By morning we did move on. As we left the protection of the Bay, the wind was still strong and we were able to move along slowly by motor until we managed to change the sailing angle and head more into the shelter of the mainland Belize.

Our first night in Belize was in the harbor at Placencia where a quiet night was had after a rather slow and careful entry into the lagoon. We did not enjoy that friendly town of funky and fun restaurants because we were flying our Q flag. That means we have not checked in for immigration and were not allowed to leave the boats. We had decided to move quickly through the country. Cruisers had reported being charged a daily per person fee and increased and unpredictable fees for having a boat in Belize.

Moving through Belize we anchored at Sappadilla Lagoon, Bluefield Range a beautiful spot between two islands where I saw a lazing manatee. Unfortunately, the hurricane had destroyed the little fishing camp resort that had been on that island.


We visited Rendevous Cay and snorkeled while trying to chart a safe way by GPS out of that reef strewn area. We looked for the deeper water and then the channel out to the atolls; Turneffe, Glovers and especially for Dan and I looking forward to what we had been told was the gem of Belize,- Lighthouse Reef.
 
We decided to split off from Braveheart who wanted to go toward Cay Corker because they needed fuel. We had a great fish dinner on Braveheart when a local came by and asked us if we could use some fish. For a reasonable price of seven dollars we all ate, and Dan and I returned to Sea Star, leaving via the English Channel in the morning with the tiny sailboats the locals use to travel to and fish the reefs.


LIGHTHOUSE REEF
We did make the thirty nautical mile trip to Lighthouse and it was a highlight of the Belize trip.

 We were able to snorkel a few times and see for ourselves what had caused other friends to be so enthusiastic about this area under the water and visit nearby Long Cay where there is a Red-footed Booby bird rookery. The water was extremely clear. On beginning our entry into the recommended anchorage to the south of the island we didn't think we could make it! The water was so incredibly clear that 8 or 9 feet  looked like 2 or 3 when moving oh soo slowly over the corals and rocks!  We followed the waypoints and after an hour of crawling over and around coral heads we were able to enter the anchorage.  We had been supplied with a set of waypoints from a dear friend and they worked perfectly!



The water was very inviting and we had missed the ocean while we were in the Rio Dulce so that we went swimming right away, and managed to snorkel two more times when the wind allowed it.  The fish were plentiful and we saw some quite large hog fish and snappers.  We found huge coral heads and healthy soft corals making for exciting snorkeling. We didn't spy a lobster, though.  Sea star was the only boat in the anchorage for those few days. When locals arrived to chat, they did have a few lobsters or conch to trade or sell. In this way I tried to mimic a recipe the same friend who gave us their waypoints had served to us-fried conch. Yummy!


 As we were leaving  Dan approached a local boat to ask to buy cleaned conch and lobster.  Through that man we heard of a local spear fisherman who had been diving out on the outer reef and who had his foot bitten by a shark.  The boat was looking for a motor launch to bring the man to Belize to the hospital.  We never heard how it turned out but that is an example of how alone these hardworking fishermen and divers are.

We stayed a few days, visiting the surrounding islands. 

On a little nearby island there is a bird rookery where we climbed an observation tower and I was able to get a few fun pictures of Red-footed Boobies and the Magnificent Frigatebird on display with its red chested display. The island had seen some damage from the hurricane but we enjoyed a walk with the dog who lived full time on the island and a chat with the Ranger. The caretakers of the preserve and rookery come and go, but the dog stays. He had just been removed from the little island a few weeks earlier as a named storm of hurricane force had moved over the island and toward the Capital of Belize, Belize City, causing damage and destruction.  The Caretaker had been cleaning up the island ever since. Trees had been snapped or pushed over, but it appeared the birds were alright and breeding.

Enjoy a slideshow of our walk.

Lighthouse Reef

From Lighthouse we waited for a decent weather window and headed for Isla Mujeres, Mexico, where we knew we would have to wait for weather appropriate to cross to the US.  We began to wonder if we were going to make it back to MA for Christmas.

Two weeks after we were there, Doris and Tom on Footloose and Gene and Brenda on Queen Mary arrived at Lighthouse and spent a month there.  I'm sure they all had a great time in this very special place!



We, unfortunately, could not stay at Lighthouse Reef until our friends on Footloose could arrive. The weather was not conducive for other boats to leave the Rio. Dan and I made the decision that an overnight trip to Isla Mujeres could be accomplished if we left right away, so we spoke with Braveheart by radio. We found they had been having engine problems and had put in to Puerto Aventuras, Mexico for repair. Jack was able to make a fix but for security for all we thought we could catch up to them in Cozumel before Isla Mujeres and go in together.



That was not to be. Sea Star did sail out onto the Chinchuro Banks where we were surrounded by squalls alternating with wind shifts.  We sailed into Cozumel only to feel surrounded by cruise ships the size of cities next to us. We were not comfortable among them in our small sailboat and didn't like the anchorage as it was too open.  As we moved back out into the channel, the wind was very strong and Sea Star was moving along at what felt to me a breakneck speed. The water was rushing under us and the motion was causing strange and loud noises below in the salon where I was trying to rest. Between the wind and the favorable current throughout the night we zoomed into the Isla Mujeres approach channel in the dark of night and had to wiggle our way into the anchorage after a few hours of waiting for light to improve.


ISLA MUJERES, MEXICO
Isla Mujeres was great fun. We anchored out one night and then moved into the Isla Mujeres Marina with Braveheart, who had already arrived, and some recently met cruisers, John and Kathy on Mystic Moon, a Selene trawler. We also met Kathleen and Roy on Islander, another trawler at the dock and the fun began. We walked, explored the town, shopped and Kathleen and Roy lent us their golf cart to shop for food and see the sights. We found the island interesting and a great place to visit. Entering the country of Mexico at Isla Mujeres was reasonably easy. An agent from the marina would have done the entry process for $100 plus the fees for Port Captain and Immigration. We did not use the agent and the process was easily accomplished. We did choose to use the agent as we left Mexico on Thanksgiving Day, to be sure all was in order.