SINTERRA 9

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Mar 3, 2008 to Mar 29, 2008
Florida Passage 4
Key West
MM1216 to 1242

So, here we are in what we would consider a Florida "paradise"... it has the "look" and the waters are varied aqua-marine hues, as in the Caribbean. We "limped" in today with bare stores and a couple of days of rough seas from Marathon to here, and a week of very windy northerlies. In Islamorada we were anchored in a gale one night, but shallow waters prevented big wave buildups.

We have now been at anchor nearly two months, without needing water! The water collection scheme gave us some 350g from thunderstorms and rains. Without it we would have run out in about three weeks time. The water itself is amazingly soft and fresh smelling... no minerals or chemicals as in terra-based city water, which has to be "softened" artificially. As usual, we run our drinking water through that expensive purifier.

And the broken generator needs attention... looks like it's the fresh water pump... will take apart tomorrow... meanwhile, we're charging batteries with the boat's alternator, running in neutral... not great for carbon buildup. Cynthia's toilet is still broken... we're waiting for a part in the mail (hopefully). And Richard needs a new replacement for his mobile phone. And the starboard fuel tank has a small leak. Cynthia calls these trials the "dark side of paradise."

But it IS Key West after all... our southern terminus... Got off this tub right away and ate fish sandwiches at B.O.s, walked around lush neighborhoods with very attractive two-story KW-style homes and cute Conch homes. The waterfront at Key West Bight (Historic Town Harbor) looks even better from our visit by car two years ago, very lively. And shopped some groceries.

As we write this part we're looking out at the very nearby lighted city, anchored right in front of the town harbor (with marinas, restaurants, bars, fishing and excursion charters) and Mallory Square (THE place for sunset viewing and street performers), with a lit-up cruise ship to our right. Great location for the anchorage, but very rough from the passing wakes of excursion boats, fishing boats, sunset sails, dive boats... and it's still blowing 20+ knots, going on a week now. The next day we moved to a mooring at Garrison Bight, for eight days, while we waited for our reserved slip back at the town's harbor.

The folks living and working here are very laid back and friendly... unlike Miami and Miami Beach. And the city has its share of eccentrics. A live-aboard near our first-day anchorage gave us good info on where to land the dinghy; later that day, while eating lunch, he ambled by on a pair of ice skates, with rubber guards on the blades. Yes, ice skates!

And let's not forget the chickens; they're everywhere, and controversial. We love to watch them, especially the chicks. Nevi couldn't wait to see them each time we walked her. See http://keywestchickens.com

We defined a new term here, "DerelictDoom." This is the state of real FL liveaboards on derelict boats, "house" boats, and boats on the way there... Some have the look of Johny-Depp pirates; curiously, their girlfriends look normal. Are we morphing ourselves into DerelictDoom? Systems breaking down, fleas, needed laundry, Cynthia's hair, Richard's beard & pirate pants & no shirt, a chop stick for a broken doorknob, low water (we need rain or a marina), and dirty boat after many weeks at anchor.

We passed by Aqua Village on the way to the mooring field... 8 houseboats rafted together, rescuing Legacy, a 158ft sailing ship that ran aground during Hurricane Wilma. The owner envisions a non-polluting lifestyle with little-to-no carbon footprint, sustainable by hydro, wind and solar power sources. See http://www.the-triton.com/megayachtnews/print_version.php?id=2339
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After 9 days on the hook and ball about a mile and a half from the town center, with several days of high winds, we're now in our comfortable slip at http://galleonresort.com/home.htm

Cynthia has already hit the pool and hot tub (while doing laundry)... We're here for a couple of weeks, at the historic harbor (Key West Bight), surrounded by restaurants, bars, live music (until 4am!). Cynthia was READY for a dock after 7 weeks on the hook! Richard too... the last dock was in Ft Lauderdale.

The water in the harbor is like an aquarium: huge tarpon, jacks, sea horses, needle fish, manatee, sergeant majors, and two goliath groupers, one 400lb and the other 600lb. It's a feeding frenzy when the commercial fishing boats filet their catch and throw in the remains.

Richard installed the new water pump yesterday (picked it up 5m away on Stock Island in our rented toy-like electric vehicle), giving us a working generator again. The part for Cynthia's toilet did not work, so we threw it overboard (in our fantasy) and ordered a new one. The old one never did work right anyway. Richard got his replacement phone by mail (we get mail at marinas or by general delivery at local post offices, just in case you've been wondering). And Richard is fixing the fuel tank, using the still-successful procedure he tried on the other tank in Wilmington. We're ascending from DerelictDoom.

Scott and Yara (and dachshund Gunther) cruised into town in their rented convertible from Miami, where they flew in from Boston. It was great fun sharing the city with them over the next eight days; they had not been here. And daughter treated all on Dad's 66th birthday at Ambrosia, a chic Japanese restaurant. And we have been eating some good seafood, especially shrimp po'boys on toasted Cuban bread. The Key West pink shrimp are delicious and fresh. Love this town...

Scott brought his fishing gear and caught some 30 red snappers off the resort's dock. Ate two for lunch. And Scott, who remodeled a rental building that he bought, installed Cynthia's new toilet. What a guy! What a guest!!

This is a party town, especially Duval Street! Bars, bars, and more bars, with names like Sloppy Joe's, Hog's Breath, Captain Tony's, Schooner Wharf, and Green Parrot. Yes, we did grace these, although Cynthia doesn't drink and Richard is a light weight. These saloons are the best known for various reasons. Sloppy Joe's and Captain Tony's for the Ernest Hemingway connections, the latter being the more authentic. Hog's Breath for its hard-coreness, and Schooner Wharf and Green Parrot as local hangouts with excellent live music, the former also for food. See www.capttonyssaloon.com for an interesting read.

The bands are very good here and the famous occasionally show up: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffet, and Kenney Chesney, to name a few. Key West was Chesneyfied for a week. He was in town, with his tour bus, and staying on his boat within close view of our boat. He did a free concert at Sloppy Joe's, in preparation for his upcoming tour, which was the buzz around town for days, and mobbed at the concert itself. He's a big Country Western draw, with Grammy's to his credit, but you might have heard of him as the guy who was married to Renee Zellweger. The marriage was annulled after four months on the basis of "fraud." In Chesney-concert-mode he looks the role: tight jeans, T-shirt, cowboy boots and hat; in marina-mode, he's just another casual guy that you wouldn't take a second look at.

Then there's the sane side to Key West: the restaurants, neighborhoods, and attractions. The Truman Annex compound is beautiful, upscale. Many attractive & lush (Banyans, palm varieties, flowering trees/shrubs) boutique hotels, B&Bs, and private homes. The above-ground historic cemetery is a must, with markers that say "I told you I was sick” and "At least I know where he is sleeping tonight." See http://www.keywesttravelguide.com/key-west-cemetery-map.htmlcemetery-map.html The Mel Fisher Maritime Museum was fascinating. The attached store included the Atocha “Empress” gold/emerald ring for sale, at $280k. See http://www.melfisher.org/

We wouldn't mind making this the southern winter base, except that the nice and convenient marinas are very expensive and the affordable ones are in shaky neighborhoods about 5m from here on Stock Island. When we had the electric car we ate lunch at Hog Fish Bar & Grill on Stock Island, part of a charming small marina with artist's shacks at the docks and colorful houseboats... we could spend time here on the boat, we thought... but, the surrounding neighborhoods were scary even for us... lots of crack trailers we were told... And slips are scarce as they continue the dockominium metamorphosis while still recovering in many places from hurricane Wilma three years ago. Still, we must consider returning. Cynthia adores Key West. Or maybe, just maybe, we'll get to winter at Hemingway Marina in Havana one of these years!

Places that we spend about a month start feeling like "home:" Key West, Miami Beach Lincoln Road Mall area, St Augustine. We ease into a life-style mode rather than vacation-tourist-style mode. We locate and frequent services, say hi to recognizable faces, slide into the rhythm of the place. We go to bed and wake up not feeling rushed, feeling comfortable with familiar surroundings. And it doesn't hurt that these places are very attractive. They also form a map in our minds, a system by which we judge where we will end up on land in the next year or two.
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Next Blog...
U-turn back north
Florida Passage.

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NOTE:
See links, top right for...
* Our routes and stops, on Google Earth
* More photos, on Snapfish
* Write mojena@uri.edu to be notified by email when new blogs are posted.

SINTERRA 8

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Feb 23, 2008 to Mar 3, 2008
Florida Passage 3
Florida Keys
MM1096 to 1216

It was decision time: Take the ocean-side Hawk Channel down the chain of islands or opt for the inside route along Florida Bay on the Gulf side. The former is straighter, faster, deeper, less interesting, and more subject to uncomfortable waves; the latter is circuitous, slower, shallower, more varied, and less nasty in weather. We decided on the slow road down and the fast road up. For both options Hawk Channel is necessary between Marathon and Key West, as the inside route in these parts is too shallow for our boat.

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Card Sound, Key Largo
We anchored at the west end of Card Sound Bridge, north side in 6 feet, ours the solo boat. A short dink ride into a canal brings us to Alabama Jacks. We tied up to their docks and dropped a sack of rubbish in the dumpster at the head of the pier. It's our third time here and it still feels fresh and energetic... a ramshackle, roadside bar and backwater, mangrove-swamp setting that reflects the "real" pre-condo Florida. Get it while you can. A live country band and dancing entertained us when there on a Sunday afternoon. It was very crowded with families, weekend boaters, bikers. It's best to sit at the small bar: better service and entertaining, hyperactive barkeeps. The Coronas are cold and the conch chowder and fritters are good. It's nice to see friendly staff too, especially amidst the chaos.

This we followed with an interesting dink run up the canal from AJs: we saw three crocs (not gators), a few derelict and working boats and shacks, some REAL liveaboards, and one sponger with sacks of sponges hanging from the boat. Lots of friendly waves.


There was a huge white pelican rookery on shore, visible from the anchorage. It was beautiful to watch their water-skimming, gliding/flapping formations as they come and go, black-tipped wings against their white bodies. As always, their fish-seeking dives are comical.


The contrast of these two settings is definitive: the natural-world surrounding the anchorage, still wild and primitive; a roadhouse with character on land. In our view, this is a MUST stop along the inside route. For a peek into AJs see www.alabamajacks.com


Domestic bliss 1950s style at first sunset here: Richard & Edi fishing on deck; Cynthia & Nevi making cookies in the galley. Cynthia and Nevi were far more successful.

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Islamorada
We promised ourselves to come back here by boat when we stayed at the boutique, trendy Casa Morada inn (www.casamorada.com) two years ago during a car trip to the Keys. And here we are, anchored about a half mile from shore, in plain view of the property.

We saw a 4’ spotted eagle ray swimming alongside the boat just before entering the anchorage. The following week a six-foot spotted eagle ray jumped into the path of a speeding boat, right into the face of a woman occupant, just 20 miles from here, in a spot we later navigated on the way to Key West. She died from the concussion. Talk about a freak accident... random or fate?

It was good to be back. The Fish Company Restaurant and market (www.fishcompany.com) are totally rebuilt following the destruction wreaked by hurricane Wilma in 2005. The complex looks real good, with a tarpon pond surrounded by a tiki restaurant and bar, a small beach, and newly planted palms. We ate fish sandwiches for lunch and bought Key West pink shrimp & grouper for dinner. We also bought stuff at World Wide Sportsman (Bass Pro Shops) next door. This huge store includes a sister boat to Hemingway's Pilar, reworked to look inside as did its famous counterpart. Pilar itself is on display in Cuba, at Hemingway's former estate Finca Vigia. For an interesting history and fate of the famous boat see www.yachtingmagazine.com/article.jsp?ID=21015089


Our visit here was cut short based on a forecast of gale-force winds on the coming day. But not before Richard had to dive under the boat to replace a totally-gone zinc on the propeller shaft using his hookah scuba gear (a 30ft hose with a regulator on one end and hooked to a battery-run air compressor on the other end). Without sacrificial zincs the boat's underwater metal gear (propeller, shaft, thruhulls) would perform disappearing acts from galvanic activity in salt water. Both of us are certified divers, but Richard goes it alone for these jobs, while Cynthia hangs to the dive ladder looking on with a mask and snorkel, fretting (actually, very worried) that he could get in trouble under there and that she might have to rescue him.

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On to Key West
Not much shelter was to be found from the approaching northerlies. We anchored off of Ligumvitae Key, home to a state park and the endangered tree by that name. The winds howled for three days, reaching gale force of 35kts plus and maxing at 54kts. We did manage to jump on land for an hour and remained confident throughout that our expensive tackle (Spade anchor, heavy chain, & bridle) and dug-in anchor would win the days. They did: No dragging at all according to our GPS-based anchor alarm.


Next we continued on to Long Key and anchored in front of a KOA RV park that was very nice. We dinked in and saw large, landscaped grounds on a peninsula, with pool, laundry, store, restaurant, and the ever-present tiki bars. And a young eagle circled directly overhead, no more than 50' away. Bill & Sandy (Cynthia's sister from Fort Lauderdale) where planning on dropping by for dinner onboard. They were in Key Largo to check on their rental property and we were just down the road by car (but not by boat). But fate intervened... a mechanical disaster of sorts: Our generator started spewing coolant and oil. And this we need to run about five hours a day to charge our batteries, which primarily run refrigeration when anchored. So, we cancelled our dinner party, and spent the evening diagnosing the problem as a damaged seal and missing bearings on the fresh water pump. We can get by with charging the batteries through the alternator by running the boat just above idle, but this as a regular practice builds up too much carbon in the exhaust and engine. No choice but to do this for now, until we either fix the thing or we're plugged into shore power at a marina.

We dropped and flopped two more anchorages on the way to Key West, where we decided to fix the problem and to be near our reserved marina slip on March 12. To add insult to injury, Cynthia's toilet stopped pumping, the starboard fuel tank started leaking fuel, and Richard's mobile phone died. We limped into paradise.


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Next Blog...
Key West.

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NOTE:
See links, top right for...
* Our routes and stops, on Google Earth
* More photos, on Snapfish
* Write mojena@uri.edu to be notified by email when new blogs are posted.

SINTERRA 7

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Jan 28, 2008 to Feb 23, 2008
Florida Passage 2
Ft Lauderdale to Miami Beach & Miami
MM1064 to 1096
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Miami Beach

Aaahh... We walk among the BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (BP). Our anchorage is as convenient as it gets, at the east end of Venetian Causeway, a very short dink ride to the end of Lincoln Road, which two blocks in becomes the outdoor Lincoln Road Mall. Elegant shops, cafes, restaurants, salons, art galleries, theatres (not movies) set among palm trees and extensive tropical foliage, flocks of small parrots in the trees. And populated by the BP: young and old, multi-cultural, domestic and international, stylish, ultra-thin models, photo shoots, designer sunglasses, designer everything, expensive "winter" clothing when the temperature drops below 70. Even many of the homeless had style! Really. Do the BP work? They always seem to be lounging in those comfortable mall chairs and couches. Or walking to and from somewhere. We boaters with our clogs, shorts, Ts, hats, and back packs do stand out. And we always seem to be focused on a mission. Not the BP. They have a serious look about them, but that's part of the style. Everyone seems to have small dogs (is Paris Hilton here too?). Well, we do have those. Other creatures too that we've seen: pet chicken, pet rat, pet parrot, pet sugar glider. Plenty of regular people too. And tourists. We love to sit in a cafe or on a wall to watch the passing scene.

We're several blocks north of South Beach... THE famous and resurgent South Beach of years ago. That south Miami Beach still looks great, with its extensive dune beach, foliage, and boutique hotels, but... it seems the BP have migrated north to Lincoln Road Mall, displaced by tourists, maybe since Versace was gunned down at the front door of his stunning mansion Casa Casuarina, now an exclusive hotel club.

And boy is it expensive here. Richard got socked with a $15 mojito at the famed Yuca restaurant. Cocktails on the mall easily run $14-17 at the chichi places. A small glass of very good sangria was $14 at the Ritz-Carlton. In that case we were paying for the beautiful ocean-side setting along the extensive boardwalk (actually, mostly paved) that runs between the hotels and ocean. It was beer after that, domestic. Ditto the food... and they add a 15-18% tip, not just for tables of six or more. For everyone. It's the Europeans and South Americans we're told. They still don't realize (or maybe care) that waiters live off of tips in this country. So, it was water (tap was good), beer for Richard, coffee for Cynthia, and small lunches, at too many places to name. And Richard, of course, was delighted to eat at a couple of inexpensive and passable Cuban places off the mall.

The water is now turquoise and we have an unexpected bonus... Our anchorage was in front of a lux condo complex under construction, with a web cam across the waterway that snapped a picture every half hour, to show potential buyers their progress. The family loved it, keeping track of our comings and goings by noting the absence or presence of the dinghy. Click

http://caprisobe.com/html/bay_view_live.html

After three intense days here and a credit card that spontaneously combusted we moved on to...

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Key Biscayne, Miami

We're anchored in a small, lagoon-like setting called No Name Harbor, within Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, surrounded by mangroves, palms, and hiking/walking paths within the park. It includes a historic lighthouse and settler's home that's open to the public. The only commerce here is a waterside, modest Cuban restaurant, with ok food. The park entrance is one mile away and leads to services, restaurants, and shopping along palm-lined Crandon Boulevard, the main drag.

Key Biscayne is a wealthy enclave of private homes, condos, and hotels and much more developed than when Richard fished and frolicked here during high school days. Still, the state park and the huge city Crandon Park along the water preserve much of the beautiful natural setting here.

Wow! This harbor gets crazy on weekends. Miami Cubans (mostly) descend on this place in go-fast and other power boats, rocking to thunderous Latin beats, animated conversations (for all of us), lively music and chatter from the restaurant until the wee hours. One of three boats rafted next to us broke out into a verbal fight among its occupants, at 3am. Richard, as many of you know, has Cuban/Spanish blood coursing through his veins and so is more tolerant than the Euro-Americans among us. Still, he was surprised by the extent of the Hispanic influence in Miami proper (expected), Key Biscayne (unexpected), and Miami Beach (unexpected). At the majority of establishments and on the street the primary language was Spanish. It got to the point where Richard simply opened conversations or made requests in Spanish. We are a diverse, multi-cultural society and indeed that's one of our strengths and points of interest, but... it's easy to understand a counter view when immersed within the widespread Hispanic influence in Miami and surroundings... an influence that in many cases discourages assimilation (we would not want complete), interaction, and communication.

Our three-day stay here was cut short when Cynthia needed an emergency root canal. Natch we located an endodontist in Lincoln Road Mall.

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Miami Beach: We're baaack

We did say it was expensive here, no? The very nice, gentle, and (hopefully) good endodontist charged $1300 for his routine services (which blew the insurance allotment for the year). In RI, our nice, gentle, and good endodontist charged $800.

Everything regarding services and entertainment are here, within walking distance. Dental work, long dink rides with the dogs to a little tropical and uninhabited island nearby and through canals and lakes where we saw some amazingly colorful and huge iguanas, long walks within the town and boardwalk, a two-day car rental, too much drinking and eating, general delivery mail pickup at the post office from our mail forwarder, errands, shopping, and some boat maintenance turned into a seventeen-day stay. This is also were Blogaholicman appeared. Richard created this blog site while here.

Our car rental rides had its moments and purposes as well. First priority was to pay for a so-called sojourner's sticker from the motor vehicle department in downtown Miami. Out-of-state boats cruising Florida have a 90-day limit, after which (should the authorities catch up to you and they try) they can impose a use tax on your boat, at a rate equivalent to the 7% sales tax. This is not unique to Florida, as all eastern seaboard states except RI impose sales and use taxes on boats, especially if you never paid a sales tax to your domicile state. The difference is that FL vigorously pursues this source of revenue by walking the docks and checking bridge and marina manifests. RI exempts boats from its sales tax, so we were basically exposed to a roughly $20,000 FL tax should we violate this law. After considerable red tape and two trips to the motor vehicle office, we were given a registration (for $130) that extended our stay until next year. This should keep the revenue folks at bay.

The other main reason for needing a car was emotional and sad. Richard's father died last year and had requested that his ashes be spread in several places: a park setting in Narragansett, RI (done), Gulfstream racetrack in Hallandale, FL (now done, he was a racehorse trainer), Key Biscayne third bridge (now done, where he and Richard spent many hours fishing), and his mother's grave in Cuba (we have to wait on that one). Richard was born in Miami and lived there sporadically while very young, but only continuosly during four years of junior and high school. Gulfstream park was a frequent adventure during those days and subsequently during college-year visits. And has it changed. Its renovation is partly completed, with a new grandstand and stable area and proposed casino and hotel. Richard spread a handful of his Dad's ashes onto the track, from the railing, between the 3rd and 4th races. Coincidentally (?), Richard bet $10 to win in the third race and got back $100 on a horse whose racing initials were JP, the name of one of his Dad's favorite stable horses.

We also visited Richard's Mom's grave in Woodlawn Park North Cemetery on Calle Ocho in Little Havana. Famous and infamous Cubans are buried here in elaborate sites: Bacardis of rum fame; Prio Socarras, the democratically elected president of Cuba who was overthrown by the dictator Batista, who in turn succumbed to the bearded dictator; Jorge Mas Canosa, popular and controversial leader of the hard-line anti-Castro Cuban American National Foundation.

On about our 10th day here the Miami Beach police boat sidled up to Sinterra. Officer Dwayne, politely and humorously explained the town's anchoring rules: seven-day limit, unless... you have a problem with the boat (always), you have a medical emergency (we did), you have more shopping to do (yes, if we can find that immolated credit card), you have other fun things to do (of course). Hahaha! We get the idea. In reality, boats that anchor within the surrounding chain of expensive island homes, although legal, raise the ire of some of its influential residents. Dwayne gets complaint calls with statements like "Do you know who I am?" and "The police chief will hear about this!" And they're not bluffing. They are high on the local totem pole. Guess I wouldn't be too happy either if a stranger were staring into my scenic picture window attached to my multi-million-dollar home in an otherwise private and beautiful setting. Still, they don't own the waterway, right? Hence the seven-day "official" compromise, although such local laws are under court challenge in the state. Fortunately, we were anchored in front of condos under construction on one side and occupied condos on the other. And, at any rate, condo people like to see boats within their high-rise scenic views, especially at sunset, and we obliged every day. Cynthia took a photo of Richard & the good officer shaking hands, and that was that.

A major highlight of our stay here: Richard's water collection system (WCS) of hoses and fittings was put to the test. Extended anchorages deplete onboard water. One expensive solution is to have a watermaker. These work well in clean water (as in the Keys and Bahamas), but not otherwise. Richard's frugal solution is the WCS. The upper boat (sunning) deck has four scuppers (drains) that channel an amazing amount of rainwater. The WCS connects from all four drains to the two water tanks on board. During one 24hr period of thunderstorms the WCS poured about 200 gallons of water into the nearly empty tanks, out of a total capacity of 250 gallons. This alone gave us another 2 1/2 weeks of sustenance. A rousing success! BTW, rain water is "soft" unlike the "hard" mineral-laced ground water that we commercially get either straight (read, wash spots) or artificially softened. It does feel good on the body. Ok, so it has lead and other chemicals. Maybe germs too. We do run the drinking water through a high-grade purifier. Icing on the cake? It's actually inconvenient to take on water, unless docked at a marina. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to slowly fill the tanks, to avoid rupturing them from too much pressure. Adding insult to injury: We're told that some marinas in the Keys and Bahamas are charging up to 30 cents a gallon for water.

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Key Biscayne, Miami: Encore

It was time to leave the BP, so we stopped once again in No Name Harbor for three relaxing days, along the way to the nearby Keys. Got some laundry done and pondered the fate of Stiltsville, within view of our daily walks: www.stiltsville.org

We also decided to bag the Bahamas this year. Our ancient Single Side Band was not working properly and we didn't want to be in very remote areas without a means of long-distance communication and weather reports (cell phones and Internet would not be available and radio telephones would be out of range). And we might switch to satellite phones, which also do email and weatherfax more easily than SSB, although they have their own dirty laundry. And all options are expensive and require more research. So, maybe next year?

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Next Blog...
Florida Keys (except Key West).

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NOTE:
See links, top right for...
* Our routes and stops, on Google Earth
* More photos, on Snapfish
* Write mojena@uri.edu to be anonymously notified by email when new blogs are posted.