Happy New Year

Along with good friends, we brought in the New Year listening and dancing to a great blues band at a local restaurant/bar known for its wings, which we also enjoyed.

The walk from the marina to the bar and back was lit by that gorgeous 'blue' moon!

We wish you a great day today and every day this year.

Larry and Paula

Merry Christmas
We wish you Peace, Health, and Happiness this Holiday Season.

From Larry in the beautiful Florida Keys.





I am visiting my Mom and family in Ponca City, OK. A blizzard yesterday insured a white Christmas for most of Oklahoma.

Marathon, FL Boot Key Harbor

We left our Lake Worth anchorage late in the afternoon, Thursday, December 10; soon we were viewing this gorgeous sunset over downtown Palm Beach. We had a great overnight sail past the bright lights of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. We sailed past the Key Biscayne channel and into the Hawk Channel around 8:00 a.m., with lots of sunshine -just as we planned. Nice when the plan works.


With 15-20 knots of wind, sailing was still great. By Friday afternoon, we turned off the course to anchor just off Rodriguez Key, well-past Key Largo, but about forty miles from Marathon. We anchored in about eight feet of water. We were off again before 8:00 Saturday morning. The wind dropped to 8-12 knots and the water was smooth. We just relaxed and enjoyed the slow ride and the clear blue water. Hawk's Channel is well-marked and is mostly 13-20 feet deep. It runs between the ocean side of the Keys and a line of natural reefs, so the seas are smaller than outside the reef.

We motored into Boot Key Harbor and picked up a mooring ball. The Christmas Light Boat Parade was later that evening, so we had a nice show. In addition to slips, the Boot Key Harbor City Marina boasts a large mooring field, with about 225 moorings. It's used primarily by sail boaters, both seasonal visitors and live aboards.

We're getting adjusted to living without being plugged in to electricity at a dock. We'll see how well our new solar panels work for us. We're still working on projects, and still adding to the list. Most importantly, we have new places to explore and new cruisers to meet.

An Ambitious Run

From the Deep South of historic Brunswick, Georgia to cosmopolitan Palm Beach, Florida, a 305 nautical (350 statute) mile jump.

Our two-night run down the coast started at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, December 6. Going out with the tide on a chilly, cloudy day, we had a fast trip out the fifteen-mile Saint Simon channel, well under two hours. In the Sound, the fast ride was rough, due to a stiff northeast wind meeting the strong east traveling current. Out of the channel, the seas were more comfortable than in the sound, but not much. With a forecast for wind and temperature changes as well as possible rain and a slight chance for squalls, weather conditions were not great. Knowing this, our plan was to stay within three nautical miles of land when possible; seas just get bigger the further away from land that you sail.

But even close in, the waves were six feet and rolly. The wind was NE, then East @ 20 with sustained gusts of 25. We were on a beam reach and heeled over enough that moving around was accomplished only by holding on to handrails. We had complete cloud cover and rain showers, then the moon and stars joined us for a while as we continued our fast voyage.

By Monday, the wind was mostly north and the ride more comfortable. The wind continued to change often, N, NE, and E. Like the wind direction, the wind speed was just as unpredictable, from light and variable to 20 and gusty. Monday night brought the right wind and weather. With a good point of sail, we had the perfect sailing night. We thought we would go in either the Ft. Pierce Channel or the Lake Worth Channel, depending on how many miles we covered. We passed the Ft. Pierce Channel around 4:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, so of course, we continued to Lake Worth, fifty-some miles further south. South wind was forecast for Tuesday night, but it arrived earlier. As long as it was southeast, we kept our speed up as we motor-sailed, but when it changed to due south, we were making less than five knots. We still made it to the Lake Worth Inlet in time to travel in the short inlet and have the anchor set by 2:30.

We had wanted to leave Wednesday afternoon for a one-night trip to an anchorage just south of Key Largo, a distance of seventy-five miles. The last thirty-three miles are in shallow Hawk’s Channel and should only be done in daylight. But the forecast was still South wind and 20 knots, so we stayed at the anchorage in Palm Beach for one more night, which gave us another night to rest. We'll leave early this afternoon to make that next leg.

Being on the hook again! Lovely!

Projects & Provisioning in Brunswick

We wish each of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. We will enjoy the feast with other boaters and the staff here at Brunswick Landing. The Marina is furnishing turkeys and ham and everyone will bring a dish.

We took this picture looking west from our boat in our slip. We caught just a glimpse of the sun in a little break in these sassy-looking clouds. The forecast for today and all weekend is sunshine! Yeah.

We've been busy with projects and provisioning:

At the end of the day (right around cocktail time), we like to see what we can check off of our to-do list. We always have some progress to note, but we've been adding unexpected projects to the seemingly never-ending list. Three days in a row and three more projects. First, the sump pump in the shower quit. Then the head would not flush. Last, the fresh water pump quit. The sump pump works again, after Larry took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly. Fortunately, we had a new fresh water pump on board, so we again have fresh water. But fixing our Lavac, vacuum-flush head became a major project. First, the bilge pump was cleaned and new seals added. Then, we replaced the lid and the seals that go on it. But it was still a no-go-and not just for the head, you know. All the sanitation hoses have now been replaced and our system works like new.

While not ever 'glad' to have new projects, we're glad that all of these break downs happened while we are still in a slip and have a pickup to run errands and buy parts and replacements.

We've also been able to complete some projects that we did have on our list: a partial list includes working navigation lights, working cockpit speakers, another spice rack, a better location for boat ladder, and polished stainless. We will replace one of the regulator's for our solar panels when it arrives.

Our dingy was in the water for about three weeks in July while we were adding solar panels; this time was long enough for the rib to be covered with barnacles. New to this experience, we sought advice about the best removal process and received several different remedies. We poured vinegar on the dried barnacles, waited a couple of hours for the vinegar to go to work, then scraped the hull and tubes. This procedure worked great for us and we will not be leaving our dingy in the water again -not here anyway. Barnacles and other growths happen fast in Georgia's coastal waters, mainly in July and August. We had to hire a diver to clean barnacles from our prop and around our through hulls when we went to Charleston; at haul out, we were not surprised to find lots of barnacles on our keel and hull.

While we still have a few small needs, the biggest project now is to finish the installation of our Spectra water maker.

Taking care of a boat and its many systems is an everyday job and stuff needing fixed or replaced is ongoing. But major provisioning is only needed for those extended cruising times away from the easy shopping that we are all used to. We have just provisioned for our second season of cruising.

The pantries, cupboards, bilges, and all other storage areas are full. Our trip to Jacksonville to pick up parts for the head also included stops at Whole Foods, Total Wine & Liquor, Costco, and Sam's. We had a full pickup by the time we left Jacksonville.

We installed a shelf under the top drawer in the v-berth - seven more bottles of wine. Also, under the bottom drawer, seven more bottles fit snugly on the sole plus a small bilge under the sole holds three more. This bilge in front of the drawers holds eighteen.

We have one small bilge in front of the table that holds six bottles and two large bilges like the one on the left under the table. They are three-bottles deep plus open up the sides for several more bottles.

I have a much better handle on both wine and food inventory than I did last year and I like the way I have my pantry and cupboards arranged and labeled.

Our large pantry and cabinet in the galley help me keep foods organized and handy. We also use two cabinets in the salon for food storage. Our 'holding' storage is a huge area under our v-berth. Our mattress is hinged in the middle, so we can get to this storage fairly easily. We also store boxes of wine in the storage under the mattress in front of the chain locker.


We're loving the beautiful fall weather. It's so different from the hot, humid days and many thunderstorms that we had all summer. Boat projects, chores, and dock visiting are a lot more enjoyable in mild weather. Just on our dock of sixteen boats, four Canadian boat owners have recently arrived and are readying their boats to go the Bahamas, or the Dominican Republic, or Cuba. They drive down from their homes, work on their boat as needed, and then take off. Next spring, they sail back to a slip in Brunswick, ready their boat for sitting in a slip for six months, and drive back to their Canadian home. The couple from British Columbia said their drive here was 5,000 miles. The marina allows boaters to leave their vehicles in the marina's large parking areas. We're glad to be able to leave our pickup here when we sail to Florida and then on to the Bahamas.

When will that be? We thought that we would be in Florida by now, specifically in the Keys. We're looking forward to a new place, but until we leave, we're very OK here in Southern Georgia. We're staying busy, the weather is pleasant, and lovely historic Brunswick is across the street, where several good restaurants are always welcoming to boaters.

SPLISH SPLASH '09

Lapidus went back in the water Wednesday morning. The topsides are beautiful, the bottom job looks great, the prop has been adjusted, motor mounts have been replaced on engine, and a transmission kit installed. We had not planned on replacing the transmission kit, but when it was discovered that we had a leak, we decided now was the best time to do it since the boat was already out of the water. So, instead of three weeks, four weeks were needed.

As soon as she was in the water, we moved Lapidus to one of the Boatyard slips. This time, we knew not to pull in with the strong current; instead we chose a slip that allowed us to go in against the current. No Problem.

The rest of the day we moved back on board. We had quite a few clothes and books, plus we had bought several items (some large) at the boat show. We also had food; we didn't eat every meal at restuarants, plus we bought food for the refrigerator and freezer that could now be turned on again. On our sail up from Charleston, the halyard for the mainsail had split as Larry was lowering the sail, so he put up a new halyard and changed the oil while I put our load away. It was a long day, but we were glad to be back in our home and sleeping on our cozy V-berth on our very comfortable thick mattress.

We had talked about cruising down the ICW to Beaufort, SC. Cruiser friends tell us that this is a scenic area of the ICW and has few shoaling areas. Days are getting shorter, so we would probably have to anchor two nights on the way. Rather than travel the ICW in Georgia, which has lots of shoaling areas, we would then go out the Port Royal Sound from Beaufort to Brunswick, which would still be an overnight trip. So that would be three nights to get to Brunswick. Nope, not for us, at least not this time. We chose to go north from the Boatyard back to Charleston where we would stop for fuel and a pump out, then out the channel and south to the St. Simon inlet to Brunswick. So the next morning (Thursday) we left the Boatyard at 8:30, meeting other boats traveling south on the ICW. At the Wapoo Creek Bascule Bridge we made at 9:30 as planned!), we were the only boat traveling north, but three were going south, also traveling the ICW. It's a popular activity this time of year.

Going out with the current in Charleston, sailing on a beam reach, and coming in with the St. Simon/Brunswick current -all added to our great sail. We were in a slip in Brunswick at 11:00 Friday morning. A much faster trip than the ICW. We don’t always do that well with time, but we did this trip. We’re pooped after we sail all night, but a good night’s sleep and we’re fine.

Sunset while Underway, Wednesday, November 5th

Now, we are working through our list of “To Do’s” and To Buy’s”, so we will be well-stocked and supplied as we head south ---and we are ready to do that. Our insurance company requires that we be north of Cumberland Gap, GA from June 1 to November 15. So, we’ll be looking for a good weather window soon.

We loved Charleston. We had a great little place to stay, but the wifi hookup was iffy, so we had no chance to post while we were there.

Guests caught fish and crabs in this creek on the inn's property. We had no place to cook such yummy catches, but we found these swings to be the perfect place for a cocktail and viewing lovely sunsets.

There is so much to see and do in the Charleston area: from the historic downtown to forts to plantations to beaches to well-designed parks, all places where lots of walking improves the outing. Marshes, rivers, creeks, ocean, and thousands of very old live oak trees all add to the natural beauty.

And the food is fabulous, choices of local fresh food and fish with the very best Southern food. Cheddar cheese grits goes with just about everything.

This park was developed around a marsh and has miles of trails.

The entry to Charles Town Landing, the original site for the city of Charleston.

The Roads Back to Charleston

After the great Annapolis Boat Show ended, we decided to take a side trip before we returned to Charleston to our boat. Thanks to an idea from Kenya, we drove across the Maryland state line to visit wineries in Pennsylvania's Dutch Country Region, in scenic York County. We didn’t make it to all thirteen wineries, but we were pleased with the quality and selection of wines that this established wine region offers. The oldest, Naylor Wine Cellers, was established in 1975 (uncorkyork.com).

We would have liked to visit Philly, but the cold front that arrived with wind and rain reminded us how much we don’t like cold weather. A self-guided viewing/driving trip would work. We drove the Civil War Trail through historic Hanover, admiring the unusual and historic homes and churches. In Gettysburg, we joined the other vehicles in the drive-through Memorial Park, learning more about some of the biggest battles and events in our nation’s history.

From Gettysburg, we did head south. We had gone west to Gettysburg, so we drove the Shenandoah Valley interstate though West Virginia and Virginia. Last year, we very much enjoyed driving this highway from Knoxville, TN north to Charlottesville, so we were glad to drive the north half of one of America’s most scenic highways. Shenandoah Valley is bound by the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east and the Appalachians on the west, as well as the Potomac River on the north and the James River on the south. With better weather, we could easily spend several days exploring the trails and caverns as well as visit the small towns and museums. Still, the drive was beautiful, with the rain gently falling on the spectacular fall foliage.

Charleston greeted us with chilly weather, though not nearly as cold as where we had been. In fact, on the day we were back in Charleston, snow was falling in Pennsylvania!

After the cold front, warm seasonal weather returned with 70+ temperatures. Along with monitoring the progress of our boat, we're enjoying the Charleston area.