Heading North

The old saying of "my, how the time does fly", is so true....I can't believe we are already heading north again... We left Marathon on March 1st and left lots of good memories, new friends, and fun times. The cruisers in Boot Key Harbor were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, and fun to get together with. January and February went by so fast. I miss listening to the morning Cruiser's net, feeding my "pet" seagull, the early morning peacefulness of the harbor... Dwayne loved listening and participating in the evening net.. where, if one listened, the older and seasoned cruisers shared their knowledge and experiences, good and bad.. We did not care for Marathon at first, but it kind of grows on ya and is a great place for dealing with boat repairs, etc.
Before leaving we got together with our friends on SeaSalt,Rocking B, and The Great Escape... SeaSalt and Rocking B were making plans for their crossing to the Bahamas and Great Escape stayed in Marathon awhile longer. They plan on heading north soon to to the Great Loop.
After leaving Marathon, we made our way to Channel 5, just south of Islamorada and found a good anchorage. Had a little company for awhile... Mr. Barracuda! Huge one, 4-5 ft. long and quite fat! My toes did not go in the water! The next day we set out again on the outside route to Key Largo. Still had beam seas, but not to bad.
We had a fun time finding Dale and Sandy's dock... This was a beautiful community of homes on canals and I think we took SeaVeyor in all of them trying to find Dale and Sandy's 57 Nordhavan. These were not wide canals and we got several "looks" from the local residents when Dwayne had to turn her around! After spotting Snow White, Dale and Sandy's boat ( and of course it was in the second canal down..ha!) we were able to dock the SeaVeyor on a 300' dock ( 180' available for us to use). Our intentions were to only be there a day or so to visit with Dale and Sandy, but Mother Nature rules, and due to the high winds, we were there for a week!! We had gracious hosts and a good time.. We also caught up with cruising buddies on GodSpeed, Pat and Lorrie. They were anchored not far from us in Tarpin Basin ( inside route) These canals were also visited by sharks!! Our first nite there, after having dinner with Dale and Sandy, the boys went shark fish'n! They caught a reef shark and then another one.Of course , it was catch and release.... quickly!!Of note, Patches loved being docked there and went walkabout every chance she had. There were iguana lizards everywhere! Some probably big enough to eat her!!! The winds were crazy for several days, but finally got to head out. We made our way on the outside (beam seas again) up to Angelfish Cut. Once thru this, we were in Biscayne Bay.. and much calmer waters.
We made Miami , Pelican Harbor Marina by 5pm. Called the local pizza place and had pizza delivered to SeaVeyor... YUMMY...
The rest of the evening was spent getting ready for our guests that were flying down the next morning..
By coincidence, we met a couple back in Morehead City just prior to our leaving. We were held up an extra day due to weather. Robin and Debbie had seen the SeaVeyor at the Yacht Basin and wanted to know more about her and our cruising. We ended up having dinner with them and another couple the nite before we left Morehead. They were looking at different Catamarans for future purchase and were interested in what it took to actually "cruise".
We had hoped to meet up again with them at the Miami Boat show, but weather, schedules, just did not permit. Dwayne invited them to make a week long leg of our trip, from Florida to Georgia, to get a feel what it's like. Not a vacation, but a hands on move up the coast of Florida, averaging about 60 + miles per day... The week flew by way too fast. Robin and Debbie are naturals and were great cruisers. They participated in all aspects of cruising life... SeaVeyor had developed a shaft seal leak and Robin and Debbie jumped right on it( and it was the first morning of their arrival) The repair was made with SeaVeyor sitting in the water...What a crew, what a first day!!! We provisioned that afternoon for the upcoming week and left out the next morning. We had gorgeous weather with one little episode of rain the first evening... Our anchorages were Lantana, Ft. Pierce, Dragon Point, New Smyrna Beach, Fort Mantanzas ,and on to Beach Marine in Jacksonville. Due to time restraints, Robin and Debbie had to leave us there and head back to North Carolina by car.... We have definitely made new friends, they are Keepers.. and that's what cruising is all about!!

So ya want to go Cruising.............

It's been about a month since our last blog and I promised that Dwayne would give the technical side of stuff... So... here goes Dwayne!
We often are asked, what is it like and can we do it?? I can't answer that question but I can ask a few questions....
Are you mechanically handy?
Do you enjoy new and unusual experiences?
Does living in confined spaces that could sink concern you?
Would you call yourself adventurous?
How about meeting like minded people form all walks of life?

I know, dumb questions, but should make you think because that's what the cruising life style is all about, to copy a quote from (ESCAPE) "Cruisers are people taking a very expensive trip and not getting anywhere". Think about it as I
give you my take on the technical aspects of our life on board, as Linda has given you hers...
Let me start by saying that we were fortunate to have SeaVeyor dropped in our laps after a 7 year search for the right vessel. ( Thanks Barry!!) I have been running around the country searching on our own dime and as a Marine Surveyor getting paid to inspect vessels for others. This was my plan: To get on as many vessels as possible for two reasons. One: acknowledge the good bad and ugly and Two: to be able to qualify the right vessel if and when it came along. Brief note on intended purpose. Once you establish "your" intended purpose.. such as Great Loop, Bahamas, or the Med etc.. only then can you determine the right vessel for you. Ours came in the form of a custom built Catamaran. It was built and cruised by a very knowledgeable couple ( thanks Don and Janice ) who knew what was needed for long range/time cruising (safely with comfort). So here we are going on 3 years of living aboard and passed the 7,000 mile mark last month, on a now 12 year old vessel that has seen the west side of South America and back ( not by us) As with any vessel, what you have is a network of systems. You have electrical, AC and DC , mechanical mains and generator, sanitation heads and pumps and holding, fuel tankage, water tankage, solar charging systems with battery banks, hydraulic steering system, electric windlass with ground tackle, LP systems for both indoor and outdoor cooking, 12 volt DC system for refrigerator and freezer, TOO many pumps to count ( OK, 9 bilge/sump pumps, 5 fresh and salt water systems with strainers, 3 raw water cooling systems with strainers, 2 hot water heaters, 5 charging alternators, 3 heat and air systems, 1 water maker with 3 filters and pumps, one dinghy with a 15horse outboard, AND the brains behind the whole thing.. THE TRACE INVERTER.....almost forgot 3 VHFs, 1 SSB , 3 chart plotters with radar,depth, temp and auto pilot, and not to mention all the toys needed to fish dive and hunt,etc. . I am sure I left a few things out from the above list, but ya get the drift! All the above systems require maintenance and repairs or replacement somewhere during your travels. So here is my take on all of this. Depending on how all of this equipment was installed and the quality of the equipment and it's installation can make or break your cruising experience. If you get nothing out of what I post today, when you are hunting your next vessel, keep this in mind. You MUST be able to access all systems. The easier the access, the better your life will be. OK, all that said the next is spare parts and tools, more spares and the knowledge of how to put these together. When we took possession of SeaVeyor, Don had left a huge amount of spares and we added more and just replenish as we go. Linda has always commented on " where did that part come from"??? Many cruisers build a spread sheet on the PC to inventory spares and their location on their vessel. I will not list our spares here, but the list is LONG.
So, you have bought your dream vessel.. had a prepurchase survery done by a reputable surveyor, addressed all the findings. You have a fresh bottom job with zincs and tuned your wheels ( and spare wheels) and call Adam Meyer at Charter Lakes Insurance to confirm your coverage area... Add fuel, food and you are off!!.....
And the fun begins!!! We often here cruisers complain about not getting enough exercise.. WRONG... We will be the first to tell you that we are in better shape than when back on land. The running joke on SeaVeyor is "If it was easy, anyone could do it"... That might sound harsh, but cruising is a lot of work. However, the lifestyle and the friends you make are well worth it. This blog site will remind us when we are old and feeble that we did what most only dream of. And, I'm with the crowd that says "Go Now" with whatever you have. Life is too short! Too many folks are tied to the docks (family, money, jobs, etc ) Work it out and DO IT!

So now you are out there somewhere warm and sunny ( mid 80's today here for us!) Most of the time you will be on the hook or on a ball, unless your pockets are deep, as dockage costs are rarely in a cruisers budget. Food and water will need replacing along with the occasional fuel fills, add some parts you may have forgotten . So, here comes your daily exercise with a dinghy trip to shore and a hike or bike to town. This trip we have really enjoyed our bikes and has allowed increased range and speed ...I have to dinghy into to a local marina for generator fuel and dinghy fuel, and the local town docks for our water source. We normally carry in 4 jerry cans to fill with water . ( our daily consumption of water is between 10-15 gallons of water.) The water maker is not an option at this particular location, due to water quality/clarity. So, we just dinghy in for 20-40 gallons of water every few days. We do have a water collection system and during heavy rains we can fill our tanks. ( Linda put 80 gallons in the other night , compliments of Mother Nature)
This method is obviously dependent on rain, but we have found that the trace minerals that are found in rain water are beneficial ( highly recommend a Seagull filtration system for pottable water )
We have been known to take advantage of rain showers by scrubbing the boat during the storms,,letting Mother Nature do the rinse , and heck we killed two birds with one stone by washing the boat and us too! While we are speaking of water, your holding tanks need to give you as much range as you feel comfortable with. (hint...don't head to the Jumentos or the Dry Tortugas with water for only a week.)

Linda does metal and glass weekly, and I do the bottom monthly ( just did this last week, with Shay's help (ESCAPE) it took two hours using two hooka rigs)
Speaking of maintenance, the more systems you have, obviously it's more work and costs. While some would say that SeaVeyor is complex, and I agree, she is full of equipment, but she is easy to service , due to the fact of her builder ( Don P. ) he made all systems easily accessible ( what I was getting at earlier) Still, it is time consuming and you can't get behind.

One of the most talked about subjects for cruisers is heads ( toilets for you land lubbers) This subject has been known to end marriages. All joking aside, the head system on SeaVeyor has cost me more loss of sleep and hair , then any other system. While the system was and still is state of art, she has been a nightmare for me. I will say the folks at Headhunter have supported me after a rocky start. They have bent over backwards to keep us working. As we speak, we have 3 spare Excaliber pumps (at a cost of $1200.00 per unit) with two more waiting for us back at Morehead and two Shur-flow pumps provided by Headhunter while they waited for a shipment from Italy. ( Sorry, but Italians should stick to making Pasta!) It would never fail that we would lose a pump during a visit from our friends. 9 failed pumps in 2 and a half years is unacceptable. As is turns out, Headhunter had a massive amount of failed pumps that has taken them 2 years to resolve. With that said, knock on wood, we are good to go!

Next is the ability to make power and your consumption of it. With today's advancement in solar and wind technology, you can't leave the dock without some form of solar system. Redundancy in all systems is crucial, with your energy system at the top of the list. I was amazed to find many vessels relying on only one or two sources for power. Often, it was there main alternator and a generator set. No longer can one use the excuse that you lack real estate to mount sufficient panels. As today's panels are far more advanced than what was available 3 years ago. We currently have 6 panels putting out 450 watts and a house bank of 1,000 ah. , two 160 amp charging alternators, and two 110 amp mains used while running with a 5.5kw gen set as back up. I plan on replacing the old Siemens 75watt with newer and larger panels, if SeaVeyor has not been sold. With new LED lights available, you need to replace those old halogen power and heat monsters. We have replaced over 30 and it makes a huge difference ( including spreader and cockpit lights )

All of the above systems (and the ones not mentioned) will require servicing at some point and time, that's a known. It's the surprises that can get expensive. Speaking of surprises, there is a creature(s) that are often found on boats who are related to his land based cousin "Murphy". When GREMLINS are discovered on your vessel you MUST destroy them quickly before they have a chance to reproduce. Gremlins favorite hideing areas are often found in your electric panel or inverter once there they will loosen or break connections..............90% of failed systems can be traced to Gremlins.............:)

Ok, I'm done, off to change oil in the mains and gen-set (100hr intervals).

Linda is going to fuss at me for sounding too negative, but I'm not really. All of the above is part of cruising. The more that you can do with parts and tools on board , the better and often longer your cruising experience will be. The great part is that your next door neighbor might be a retired electrical engineer or a helicopter mechanic or a heart surgeon and willing to jump on board and assist you with your projects. In all anchorages, there is a wealth of information just waiting for you to ask.

This has been our experience and has led to what we know will be lifelong friendships. The quality of people that you meet along the journey, the quality of lifelong memories you experience, is why we are cruising. "It's all good".

See what happens when you get the Captain started??? OK, now for just an update on what and where we are... We've been back in Marathon for the past month and are really enjoying it... All of our cruising neighbors are nice. We listen to the Cruisers Net every 9am for all the local announcements and such. They have a weekly get together for meets and greets, weekly get togethers under the Tiki hut on Saturdays and usually show a movie up at the marina on Thursdays...Having our bikes has made a great difference. You can get local fresh seafood within walking distance, frest veggies etc... and bike to several stores. Having the "gotta be doing something" personality that I have, well, I've found some new hobbies... I've made 6 crochet scarves, more jewelry, and just completed my first pine needle basket! It won't win any prizes, but I made the bugger from start to finish.
I guess this blog is long enough ..so, catch ya later... Dwayne, Linda and the Cats.

Happy New Year

In the last blog I stated we were headed towards Marquesas and Dry Tortugas(weather dependent) Well, weather rules here...After much discussion, we decided not to venture there. Instead, we pulled anchor on Christmas Eve morning (from Key West..aka washing machine) and headed to Newfound Harbor between Big Pine Key and Little Torch Key..Water was choppy and those pesty little crabpots were all over the place.. We looked like drunken sailors trying to dodge them all!!We also noticed quite a few of the Portuguese Man O War jellyfish in the water. We dropped anchor around 2:30 in much calmer waters. On the way into the harbor we passed Little Palm Resort. Absolutely beautiful little island... Very pricey though.. Only $350.00 a nite to tie up to their dock ( like $7.00 per foot..yikes, the normal is 1.75 to 2.75 per foot) They were very fond of their facility!
We enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve on the SeaVeyor..and woke to a very pretty and CALM anchorage .. Dwayne was going to surprise me with a Christmas Brunch at Little Palm Resort, but found out that it was booked solid. You would have had to make reservations months in advance... Anyway, it's the thought that counts!!! We made our own little brunch with poached eggs, crab meat and sauce... Very yummy and it did not cost $$$$$$$$$$$$ !!We enjoyed a very relaxing Christmas Day.. Spoke to all of family by phone. We took the dinghy in the next morning and looked around Little Torch and Big Pine... Very quiet area compared to Key West!
We stayed a week at anchor in Newfound Harbor and then left out for Marathon on the 30th. Was a short trip , only two hours. City Marina was closed. We had tentative reservations at the Sombrero Dockside Resort.. Everything was full due to holiday weekend..they were going to put us on their restaurant dock...We pulled into the Boot Key Harbor and made our way thru the anchorage (mooring field) and found the Sombrero dock.... NOT NO , but NO WAY!! If we had docked there, the patrons were about a foot away from our boat....We said thanks, but NO THANKS... We were able to get a dockage on the fuel dock at Marathon Marina ( located at the very entrance to Boot Key Harbor) They were kind of pricey, but needed some shore power. We had an issue with the generator. It's a great Marina, great location, and wonderful helpful staff.. Very clean with showers,laundry matt, restaurant,ship's store and delightful cruisers all around.. Met some very nice people there... While there, Dwayne decided to take my bike (PeeWee) to Napa parts store... To see my 6'5" husband on that was a site to behold.....So off he went.. only about 6 miles or so... By the time he got to the store needless to say his backside was numb and he was not a happy camper! Ha. Before leaving the store, he was calling a cab and the store owner felt so sorry for him, he had one of his employees give Dwayne a ride back to the boat, with PeeWee in the back of his truck!! Ha!!
That evening we ordered Pizza.. first time we had any since leaving Morehead.. It was soooooo good!
We stayed one more nite at the Marina, to bring in the NewYear... The next morning we headed back into the Harbor... We found an empty mooring ball for our size vessel and took it.. (Marina was not open) The next day, we found out we were lucky to get it, they were 100% full..
It's nice having friends that are electrical engineers... Shea, on Great Escape was also in the anchorage.. He and Dwayne fixed the problem with the generator. (Napa had sold Dwayne the wrong part) So, our gen is humming again!!
The following week had several days of COLD (yes, I said COLD) weather here.. I know , it's in the teens in North Carolina) but it should be against the law to be so cold here in the Keys!!
Dwayne finally decided he needed a Big Guy bike.. We walked to K-Mart and found him a very nice one.. It makes things so much easier.. We also put baskets on them for groceries, etc... You know you are a Cruiser when..... HA!! We do look the part now..
Met some nice people on Folley, Stan and Judy,George and Rebecca aboard Atlantis and another couple on Aloha Friday... That's the nice thing about Cruising.. you meet so many people and we learn so much from each other....
We will probably stay here the month of January and do little boat projects.. This is the best protected anchorage in the Keys with lots to do... Next Blog update , Dwayne has promised to put in "technical stuff"... More news at 11.. Dwayne, Linda and the Cats!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all from Key West. We have been here since December 7th and have moved our anchorage at least 3 times.. in search of a protected area from wind and all of the boat traffic and one unexpected event with our anchor chain. Somehow at some time our anchor chain wrapped around someone's anchor that had broken free of it's chain and it somehow caused our Rocna to drag. We had a very serious situation Dwayne was trying to free our anchor and I was at the helm trying to keep the SeaVeyor from hitting all the surrounding boats and worrying about Dwayne's hands, fingers, and his back. He was fighting not only the weight of the anchor and chain, but the tide, current and wind. Finally, he managed to free our Rocna off the derelik anchor. This could have gone so wrong. Dwayne had at one point thought of just releasing our chain and come back later and try to retrieve it. (400' of chain and our 73lb anchor) He could have been severely injured. God Blessed us and protected him. We motored around a little looking for a new anchorage and found one just off of Christmas Tree Island. We dropped anchor and both just looked at each other. WOW.......
It's been beautiful and warm, windy, a few days of rain. The only thing to fuss about is the anchorage.. I'm sitting here trying to type and as stable as the SeaVeyor is, we are rolling from side to side.. I think we are getting used to it! Ha! time to leave..The last few weeks here have been nice but you also have to maintain your vessel... Crossing the channel here in your dinghy can be quite interesting..but you have to do the laundry, grocery shop, and refill your water jugs, etc... Speaking of the wind and chop here, have you ever tried to put on mascara ( you know, eye makeup) with the boat rolling from side to side?? Dwayne has had to be mindful in the shower not to hit his head. Ha!!!!! I asked him yesterday, what, do we have a sign on the SeaVeyor that says.. "Go ahead, Cross our Bow doing 35 knots.. " Some people just don't get it...
Today we plan on pulling up anchor and head to the Marquesa's and then possibly to the Dry Tortugas... All is weather dependent..
Merry Christmas to you all and may you have a great New Year....Dwayne, Linda and the Cats.

1,039 MILES LATER....KEY WEST

After leaving the Lake Worth area, we continued our travel South. SO MANY BRIDGES! We are fortunate that we can lower our antennas, but there were lots that we could not get under and had to wait for the bridge tender to open... and the crazy boaters were still about!! Our next anchorage was in Fort Lauderdale area, very pretty and good holding... saw a beautiful rainbow just after lowering our anchor...Had a great evening after a stressful day.. Our next leg of the journey took us thru Miami and Key Biscayne Bay... not too bad,not as many bridges.. We made it to Sands Key and could see the Miami skyline in the distance... beautiful anchorage, we were the only boat there, probably due to how shallow the water was.. SeaVeyor only draws 3.5 foot, so we can anchor where some can not. Our next destination was Islamorda.. One of the issues both in the ICW and outside (Atlantic) are Crabpots... LOTS of CRABPOTS. It takes both of us to keep watch, especially when there is no rhyme nor reason to how these things are placed... After dodging these little critters all day, we made it to Islamorada and decided to dock at Lorelei's. At first it was a little confusing as to where there entrance was... I've attached a pic of the narrow channel between the mangrove trees.. Captain Dwayne docked the SeaVeyor with no problem.. although it looked impossible at first!!
Lorelei's was a great spot.. well protected and a great restaurant... Patches only jumped ship a few times ( she loved their dock) and loved watching the iguanas (lizards) in the mangrove trees. Nasty looking things!!
The next morning was beautiful, we decided to take the outside, just assuming there would not be as many crabpots and the wind was not as strong( less chop of the waves)
We found out there were almost as many outside as in the ICW.. We made our way to Marathon , Shea and Elizabeth(The Great Escape) met us in the back channel that led to the mooring field in Boot Key Harbor.. and also helped us attach the mooring ball to the SeaVeyor. Made it much easier with them in their dinghy.We had a great stay in Boot Key Harbor, very nice, protected anchorage. Had much fun with our friends on Rocking B, Ken and Margaret and Shea and Elizabeth on Great Escape. Ken and Shea came over one evening and helped Dwayne with some technical issues with the generator and invertor.. Thanks guys!! We had a great dinner on board the Great Escape and all of us on the SeaVeyor one nite.. Lots of fun and good dinner too.. Our friends from Lake Norman, Ric and Rose , were on their way down with their 28' BlackFin. They camped out a few nites at the Banana Bay Resort. Marathon was nice, but Key West was calling us..We left out with Ric and Rose to follow on their boat.. We made Bahia Honda Park and anchored between the two bridges. We used Ric's boat as a tender and made our way over to the park to scout it out.. Very nice. We were going to stay another day, but due to weather reports decided to head out for Key West the next morning... The weather is KEY to all you do and plan when cruising.. It's so important.
The main channel into the harbor at Key West was a washing machine.. so much traffic! We made our way thru it and scouted for the best possible anchorage . We decided on the Fleming Island area, just outside of Garrison Bight. The dinghy ride into town is not too long... That's important since you are using your dinghy as a taxi.... Ric and Rose tied the BlackFin along side the SeaVeyor... It was a beautiful afternoon, not much wind to speak of and very warm.. the guys napped and Rose and I read.. Beautiful sunset, great dinner.. wonderful evening... UNTIL!!!! Things can change in paradise in a heartbeat.. Around 11pm, the wind picked up, had some rain and then the wind really picked up. Had wind gusts up to 45mph and it continued thru the nite.At one point, Dwayne and Ric had to go to the bow to let out a little more chain to take the pressure off of the bridle, while I was motoring into the wind..What a nite.. Dwayne and Ric finally laid down in the cockpit to get a little rest.. NEVER A DULL MOMENT!
Today is Saturday,Dec.10th..Ric and Rose left out early to head back home. We had a great time...
We plan to hang out here for the rest of the month. Key West has changed (for the better) since we were here last.. It's much cleaner and lots of fun..Our anchorage is a little rough, but there are no good ones here.. So , take the good with the bad,and enjoying it all.... More news at 11.........Linda and Dwayne, Patches and MonkeyButt