scott

Fort Pierce, FL (on the hook)

 FLorida to Niagara  No Responses »
Mar 162017
 

We stayed another night here by the Harbortown Marina on the hook. We decided to head back to the Navy Museum with the dingy to our new found mooring spot. The museum opens at 10 AM and we are there shortly after opening. It is worth a look if you like learning about military and historical war scenarios. We did it in about 2 hours only because we read everything there is to read about something. The original “Captain Philips” lifeboat is here complete with bullet holes where the Seals saved him from the Somali pirates. There are also several retired helicopters and various Seal boats. The video was too long at probably about 1.5 hours. The boys like it but I was done in about 30 minutes.

I had made sandwiches for lunch as there is no food anywhere near the museum. The museum has a vending machine with chips and pop. We decided to head to the Manatee Centre located directly next to the Fort Pierce Marina just south of our anchor spot. This museum is small but has an interactive display with some small starfish, coral and crabs to touch. They also have “Big Red” the largest hermit crab I have ever seen. He must be the size of a lobster. No one picks him up. It’s a quick informative tour but we didn’t see manatees today.

We had docked the dingy at the Fort Pierce Marina while we toured the Manatee Centre and visited downtown Fort Pierce. It’s a cute town with lots of construction around the waterfront to attract more visitors. We stopped to have some craft beer at Sailfish Brewery on the main drag. Aiden saw an ice creamery and that also became our stop. At the brewery we played some corn hole and then strolled back to the dingy to make our day complete.

Back at the boat it was now dinner, probably a movie and hoping for some reprieve from these cold temps where we are wearing pants, layers of clothing and the north winds are strong. It is supposed to change but not for a couple days yet. At least we are not shoveling…….

 Posted by at 12:12 AM

Hutchinson Island Marriott Marina and Resort, Jensen Beach, Fl – Fort Pierce, FL (on the hook)

 FLorida to Niagara  No Responses »
Mar 152017
 

We stopped at anchor spot #24 on the Active Captain app which is just after the Fort Pierce Marina at the 2nd causeway to the west of the ICW. It is located just before the Harbortown Marina. There isn’t much wind protection here but there is about 8 feet of water with a good hold on the anchor. It is a no wake zone as well. Not all Captains are adherent to the rules so you will get rocked by the occasional Captain that feels his time is more important than your comfort from his wake. It was the closest anchor to the Navy Seal Museum on the beach side. We took the dingy to the area closest to the Navy Museum and found that the docks were in so much need of repair that sections were taken out so that people didn’t use them. Also they had No Mooring signs on them. We found one area where a large drain pipe was coming out near one of the viewing docks and used that to tie up on, close to shore, and carefully slide on a 2×6 with our butts, or walking on it. It wasn’t a far butt scoot with only about 4 feet from shore. It was on Wildcat Cove. The viewing docks are being replaced one by one so that anyone coming in later in 2017 should have easy access. They are adding a low dock as well.
We made it to the Navy Seal Museum with an hour before closing. The outside exhibit was available so we did take in the Seal boats, the practice course with its high ropes, low ropes, rope swings and any other type of military obstacle course you might see on TV. Of course Scott had to try all of them. Aiden and I did the easy ones at a much slower pace. We decided we would come back tomorrow. The winds are very strong today so we knew the ride back to Conductance would be a long 20 minutes.
The temps are falling and the winds are strong. A NE to N wind causing the temps to fall to the 40”s overnight with a high of only about 62 degrees. It’s a chilly day in Florida but not the 18 inches of snow at home.
We’ll be taking in a movie tonight and preparing for our day tomorrow.

 Posted by at 12:11 AM

Peck Lake, Stuart, Florida – Hutchinson Island Marriott Marina and Resort, Jensen Beach, Florida

 FLorida to Niagara  No Responses »
Mar 142017
 

We have been having difficulty with electronics today. The new navigation electronics has been acting up and now it has lost most data. No explanation as to why. Then the app that we use to navigate and find anchor spots, Active Captain, stopped working claiming a network error. We did find it wasn’t working on anything but the laptop. Then the media player that we watch movies from stopped working. We decided it might be a good idea to head to a marina and find wifi to find out if updates are available and have a safe place to work on these problems. Scott fixed what he could on the navigation system however our Simrad has been flakey. Active Captain still isn’t working on our apps so we decided to use the laptop with the hotspot to our ipad. The media player was bogged down by too many pictures so we blew them away as they were saved elsewhere. So we are back in business. \

This marina is beautiful. There are 3 pools, hottub, laundry, breakfast, restaurant, restrooms, bike rentals, gorgeous manicured grounds and security. Diesel and gas is available as well. If you’re looking for a break from the boat lifestyle this is the place to be. The slips are all stern in with short docks and pillars to tie to. We went in bow first so that we had the dingy available.

We took the dingy to a dock that we found on Google Maps that is adjacent to the beach area. The area is called Jenson Beach where snorkeling is considered the best in the area. The area known as the “bathtub” where a reef keeps the area well sheltered. The waves break over the reef but it is a great spot to snorkel in about 5 feet of water. We spent the day at the beach enjoying the warm weather. There is a cold front coming in that will bring temps much cooler over the next few days.

 Posted by at 12:01 AM

Peck Lake, Stuart , Florida – on the hook

 FLorida to Niagara  No Responses »
Mar 132017
 

Winds were to continue today with SE direction so the surf on the beach would prove to be a great day to body surf and boogie board. We decided to stay put one more night. The anchor is holding well with some shelter from this direction of wind. The spot doesn’t offer full protection however it is a good hold in mud. The proximity to the beach adds to the attraction.

We spent the day on the beach back and forth between the boat and beach. The surf was perfect for boogie boarding in the morning. We had to take a break from the boogie board to fill the tummy of a teenage boy. After lunch it was back at the beach for the afternoon. The surf wasn’t good anymore so body surfing became the passtime. It would have been chilly without the wetsuits. Glad we packed them. We walked on the beach for awhile as well. It’s so nice to be where the beach is not crowded knowing that very few folks ever get to this spot.

We took the dingy to Loblolly to check out their facility. Quite a nice marina with resort type atmosphere. No gas or diesel.

The winds were still quite strong but we were entertained by dolphins swimming by the shore.

 Posted by at 11:51 PM

Indiantown Marina – Peck Lake-Stuart, Florida (on the hook)

 FLorida to Niagara  No Responses »
Mar 122017
 

We heard that the railroad bridge would be opening manually as needed today. We decided to head out despite hearing bad weather is coming in later tonight. Winds would be 9 mph on the anchor.

We headed out and easily passed through St. Lucie Lock with 2 other boats. As we traveled closer to the inlet we noticed that boat traffic was significantly less than when Scott and I came through a couple months ago. The marinas were not as busy either.

We headed toward the Hutchinson Island area just north of the St. Lucie Inlet to check out an anchor spot. At that time our new Simrad electronics decided to take a dive and we lost info. Scott managed to get her working again but not with all his settings. We had to abort the anchorage at this area and traveled south of the inlet to Peck Lake. We scouted this area when we were through the last time and thought it would be a great spot.

Peck Lake has about 10 foot depths at high tide. We anchored in with about 10 other boats. The day was sunny and warm. The area at the Atlantic side is a nature preserve and we were able to take the dingy to shore and tie to a tree. There is a short path of about 3 minute walk to the beach directly by the “danger sign”. This beacon is mainly for weather and readings. We walked about 2 km before heading back to the ICW. The wind was breezy. There is a natural barrier where you can see the reef out on the horizon where it breaks the water before it gets to the beach. Excellent snorkeling in this area according to sites that we have been looking at.

The main reason for coming here is “bathtub reef”. Just north of Peck Lake near Hutchinson Island is the area on the Atlantic side known as the “bathtub” for snorkeling. It is about 3 feet deep at low tide and 5 feet at high tide. It has been created by sea critters where the reef creates a “bathtub” for other critters to live. We really want to do this so we are hunkering down to watch the weather as this cold front passes. The winds will get stronger by tomorrow night so snorkeling is out of the question until at least Wednesday.

Instead of snorkeling we took the dingy to an area just north of Peck Lake. Traveling along the island to the north of Peck Lake there is a small inlet into a “reserve”. We find it and travel in through a tiny passage where we hear the snapping crabs make themselves known. We see wildlife that isn’t afraid of us humans. Birds in trees within a few feet is one of the highlights. It’s about a 10 minutes slow dingy ride into the open area. We didn’t find much in there other than shoals that we had the dingy stuck on. No biggy, it’s a dingy became the motto. It was an interesting “cruise”. As we made our way back out we watched a storm to our north. We knew we wouldn’t make it back before it started. Sure enough the skies opened and we became drenched quickly. About 200 ft from the boat the dingy quit. The gas tank had turned on its side cutting off flow to the engine. In the pouring rain and 200 ft away from our mother ship Scott is getting the “Low Voltage” going again. She takes about 8 pulls before she gets underway.

It’s been a day where our electronics decide to do whatever it is that they aren’t supposed to do. We decide to watch a movie and our media player decides not to work. Scott is more than frustrated after the Simrad quits, the gas flips to the dingy engine and then the media player.

Tomorrow we decide to stay at a marina with 25 mph winds coming in. I’m guessing we’ll be working on, you guessed it, electronics.

 Posted by at 3:14 AM

Indiantown Marina

 FLorida to Niagara  1 Response »
Mar 112017
 

Scott made his way from Nashville to get the boat ready and put back in the water for when Aiden and I would fly in. He had a great flight and landed in West Palm Beach Airport where he rented a car for a couple days. Conductance is scheduled for a splash the day after Scott arrived. She’s dirty and a bit dusty after being on the hard for a couple months. Until then Scott must spend the night with no power, water or amenities and it’s hot. Not a breeze.

During the day Scott heard news that the railroad bridge just east of the marina had a maintenance issue. They closed the swing bridge blocking boat traffic for those higher than a few feet. Boats were backed up and anchored on the waterway until Saturday morning. The marina became full.

Aiden and I would be landing a day later coming in on Friday. Unfortunately there was a large storm over NYC where our plan was coming from which delayed us for over 2 hours. Scott drove from the marina to Orlando, a 2 hour drive, to meet us after dark. Scott was able to catch up on some maintenance, laundry and make some new friends. There are a lot of Canadians in this marina. We eventually arrived back at the boat and settled in for the night around 1:00 AM.

Today, Saturday, we heard that the bridge was opening occasionally and then closing at 6:00 pm for the night. A work crew is out there trying to get her working but opening manually throughout the day on a scheduled basis. We were doing groceries, washing the boat, cleaning up and trying to get everything put away and missed the openings. We decided to stay at the marina 1 more night. That led to coconut hunting, husking and eating fresh coconuts.

Now that the night has fallen the sun has a warm glow on the horizon above the tree line. We are lucky to have resident alligators, flying fish and the boys saw an armadillo. The boys had made their way to the Okeechobee waterway and flew Aiden’s plane. He’s been excited to fly again and the regular boats had stopped coming now that the bridge is closed for the night.
We have 12 hours of sunlight now. It’s daylight savings time with the clocks going forward tonight which gives us an hour less of sun in the morning to leave early. Sunrise is 7:30 AM.

Tomorrow we are anchoring however the forecast is for thunderstorms and rain. A cold front is starting its way through. We’ll see how long it lasts.

 Posted by at 9:34 AM

St Lucie Lock (on the dolphin) – Indiantown FL (Indiantown Marina)

 Nashville to Florida  No Responses »
Jan 182017
 

Leaving the dolphin at St Lucie Lock was bittersweet. Knowing our last few hours on the water would soon over makes the ride to Indiantown a solemn ride. This portion of the trip is familiar. Seeing things a second time and noticing things we missed the first time. Again no alligators, no horses, no manatee but there were cows. Little cows jumping a playing by the water’s edge. We took our time until we reached the marina.

The entrance to Indiantown Marina is small. There is gas and diesel available but they only have a 500 gallon tank so if you need some to get you to the east coast it’s a good stop but don’t expect a fill. We are placed on a long dock with water and shore power which helped us get ready for the haul out to the hard storage. Scott got into the engine compartment to change oil on both engines and take a look at those things that need to be serviced for storage. I did the domestics and packed the items to go home. We thoroughly washed the boat, treated the canvas, treated the water system and pumped out. Airline check in is done. Now we are ready for the haul out.

The lift is an easy one with a massive 100,000 lbs lift. We are only 34,000 lbs. Watching her drive to her place of rest for the next few months we gather up everything as we are settled. We cover the dingy in a tarp, fill all the exhaust holes with screen or bubble wrap to keep the mud bees out of them. It’s a long day of just work.
We met some other Canadians here that are selling their boat. Anyone looking for a nice trawler she is a sweet boat. We popped over for some info on the loop as they have done it twice, Gold Loopers!

So we end our current journey. We will be home this time tomorrow night with family and our trusted companion Newton. Till our wakes meet again…………………………………………..

 Posted by at 2:29 AM

Stuart FL (Sailfish Marina) – St. Lucie Lock (on the dolphin)

 Nashville to Florida  No Responses »
Jan 172017
 

Today we plan. We have the dry storage prepared, the way to get there, the maintenance to be done. We looked at flights to get me home and Scott to work and booked those. We managed to arrange a taxi to take us to the airport from the marina. Scott prepared some last minute work plans . We just have to arrange a hotel and rental car for Scott and I have a pick up at the airport. It may sound like a lot in a couple days but in reality it has to be done. So it will. Scott wants to change the oil in the engines. We need 10 gallons. He figured out that AutoZone would have it in stock and they do. The closest store is about 7 miles away. A taxi gets him there and within about 45 minutes he’s back.

We decide that today we will take a couple hours just to enjoy being on the Atlantic. We travel out to St. Lucie Inlet area and head south along the Intracoastal Waterway. While on the ICW we see the mega yachts and multimillion dollar homes. They are stunning to look at. We travel south for awhile until we decide there in an anchor spot to check out next time we come. It has mangroves all around and manatee zones areas. It is protected from the wind from all but north winds. Some sailboats are already here. You will rock from the wake of the boats that go by but it is a great spot to enjoy the afternoon…..in the future. For now we have decided to head to our dry storage facility back on St. Lucie Canal in a little town called Indiantown. This facility has been recommended by other Loopers from this area, and it’s in fresh water.

So we head back on our path from yesterday. That okay that we are turning around. Now we can say we made it to the coast, from Nashville. No manatees, horses or alligators today though. We do see the flying fish a lot. We have to find out their name.

We didn’t want to spend our last night on the water at a marina. So we stopped at the dolphin tie ups at the St. Lucie Lock on the west side. There is a campground here with several RV’s and tents. We find a couple dolphins to tie to but they are different from the last ones. These ones have the cleats really low so we can’t use them. No big boat could. So I spend about 10 minutes trying to lasso the top of the one to tie the bow to. A video would have went viral. The campers had a good view of us trying to “catch the dolphin”. We did it and settled in for the night. FYI be sure to have your gen facing away from those campers if you tie here. It will be an annoyance to them.

We enjoyed our last night on the water in style. Finally able to use our screens instead of canvas because it has become warm enough at night. We BBQ our dinner and watch the sun set. Knowing this portion of the journey is coming to an end is bittersweet. I miss home, the kids, the dog, the routine. By this weekend I’ll be wishing I was back on the water.

 Posted by at 12:57 AM

Franklin Lock, OCWW, on the hook – Port Mayaca, OCWW, Lock on the dolphin

 Nashville to Florida  No Responses »
Jan 142017
 

Waiting for the sun rise this morning and wiping the dew of the windows we had breakfast and tea. It was a great night on the hook with no breeze and smooth waters. I do recommend this anchorage but just stay away from the ski course.

As we traveled down the Caloosahatchee River in the morning light was spectacular. The sun played with the colours of the shore and trees. The water was black like northern Ontario waters. The river meanders until the Ortega Lock. We locked through with no problems at all. The locks on the OCWW are quite simple. The lines are provided and drop down for you to get with a boat pole. Then you hang on to them and wrap the end around one end of your cleat so that you still hold the end and can control the up or down of the boat. In this case we are going up to Lake Okeechobee. The river then become the Caloosahatchee Canal where the river is cut out into a canal. This seems to go on forever. The good thing is there is normal operation of the boat with the odd manatee no wake zone. So far the OCWW has proven to be quicker than expected. The last lock before the “big lake” is the Moore Haven Lock. The town has provided some dockage for folks to stay for free along with shore power and water. It proved to be quite popular. On the north side of the canal there was a very large dock. I’m not sure if it is part of the marina or town. Lots of space there. No amenities.

After this lock the canal section is fast. There is a small no wake zone after the lock but normal operation beyond the zone. This canal travels all the way to the “Big O’. If you want, or need fuel, you can take the route to Clewiston and not make the turn to the lake. At this point the channel is more grassy and open. It seems strange to be going quick but it is not protected. You know you have reached Lake Okeechobee by seeing the channel markers that lead to the open span of a fresh water lake. The channel into the lake started at depths of around 5-8 feet and eventually opened up to 10-15 feet under our belly. The channel meanders through the shoals of the lake. Be sure to stay on your line for you boaters. There are markers occasionally so you know you are in the right place but watch your line. There are a couple 90 degree turns.

At the other side of the lake we had one last lock Port Mayaca. The water is low right now so that lock was completely open. We requested passage from the lock master and were granted an idle speed directly through. No locking required. 4 locks down and 1 to go. We decided earlier that we would stay on the east side of the lock. We caught a dolphin here. Not a real dolphin, The massive group of pillings are called dolphins. We had to string a line from the bow and 2 from the stern to keep Conductance happy in the 12 knot winds today. So now we sit on the hook at our 2 dolphins to dock us for the night.

It’s not a quiet setting with a highway on the other side of the trees but it is a place to not anchor, but anchor, if you know what I mean. We did see the farmer set a controlled fire that seemed quite big to be controlled. Glad we were not downwind of that. The highway should quiet down later this evening and so will the winds. Tomorrow we will be back in salt water as we hit the ICW at the Atlantic Ocean.

We planned this trip to take 3 weeks. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since leaving Nashville. That never happens on a boat. The cardinal rule of boating is to never have a schedule that you have to meet.

 Posted by at 10:58 PM