The sailing regatta continues today just outside the marina. The wind is blowing over 20 this morning, and it's chilly with a chance of rain. So they switch modes from drifting boredom to white knuckle survival. Why would someone drive hunderts of miles and spend hunderts of dollars coming down here just to capsize, dunk his pals into the water, and tear up hunderts of dollars of gear? Hard for me to imagine.
In order to stay away from traffic, we usually ride our bikes on the old highway. Click on this link to see the area where we ride.
It's warmed up a little this afternoon (74) Earlier, when it was 60 all the dogs around us had on their doggie sweaters. I guess I shouldn't make fun of them...........we drove up to K-Mart in Key Largo this afternoon. Pam bought Christmas socks.
January 14, 2012
January 13, 2012
Drift Away
I bought some live shrimp for bait yesterday. (Everything in the ocean eats shrimp.) There were still a few shrimp in the bucket, so I left it in the water next to the boat. A baby barracuda has been hanging around trying to figure how to get a shrimp out of the bucket.
We went just outside the marina to fish a little this afternoon. There were a hundert sailboats out on the water just drifting in place. The glassy water is a good indication of the lack of wind.
Makes you wonder what kind of a person would drive hunderts of miles and spend hunderts of dollars (and probably drag along some of his pals) to just sit there and drift??? Hard for me to imagine.
Buddy's Back
We had a little rain and wind Wednesday night. Thursday was calm, but overcast. I heard some thunder early, but decided to take the dinghy north to some islands where I had fished last year. About 45 minutes with my trusty Suzi 2 at full throttle. Pam stayed home. It was hard to tell the sea from the sky today.
I caught a variety of fish...............snapper, mackerel, bluefish, and some of the largest lady fish ever. I was sure I had a tarpon. The first lady fish jumped several times and pulled line off the drag--entangling my anchor line, the shrimp bucket line, and my second pole. Quite a circus.
Phil and Cathie in "BUDDY" arrived Thursday. We first met them 2 years ago at Boot Key Harbor in Marathon. They had a sailboat then, but were interested in looking at our Rosborough. After returning home to Wisconsin, they sold their sailboat, and bought a Rosborough. They were here last year in Islamorada the same time as us.
They're still flying that Green Bay Packers flag from last year. Our Colts flag seems to have disappeared.
We saw this green guy here in the park. Our son had something like this as a pet when he was at IU.
I've owned some boats that claim to have built-in floatation. I've even installed some floatation air bags in some small sailboats. But this guy must really be worried about sinking.
There's a beach cat regatta here this weekend. They've been having practice races all week.
Phil and Cathie in "BUDDY" arrived Thursday. We first met them 2 years ago at Boot Key Harbor in Marathon. They had a sailboat then, but were interested in looking at our Rosborough. After returning home to Wisconsin, they sold their sailboat, and bought a Rosborough. They were here last year in Islamorada the same time as us.
We saw this green guy here in the park. Our son had something like this as a pet when he was at IU.
I've owned some boats that claim to have built-in floatation. I've even installed some floatation air bags in some small sailboats. But this guy must really be worried about sinking.
There's a beach cat regatta here this weekend. They've been having practice races all week.
January 11, 2012
Trumpy
I enjoy looking at older, classic boats. I've owned several, and it's far more fun looking at other peoples classic boats than owning and maintaining them yourself. I saw this boat in our marina, and knew right away it is special. It's a 1963 Trumpy. Instead of inserting my small photo, click on the link to one of the several websites about "TIRELESS." (Which, if you don't figure it out on your own, is what you need to be to maintain a 68' wooden boat. I spoke with her captain as he was sanding the deck, and he said he's been at it for 15 years. So Dawg, if you'd like to come and visit us, but don't want to sleep on our little back porch enclosed with tarps, there's a stateroom available in TIRELESS. They're prices are just a little higher than ours ($1250.00 per night,) but their menu is more complete --although I didn't see stale bologna sandwiches on it.
This is a "dog friendly" marina located in a "dog friendly" city park. Almost every other boat in the marina has a dog. Some have two. We're surrounded by dogs. I'm surprised they let us in here without a dog. Don't get me wrong--I like dogs. I still get choked up when I think of our wonderful old pal Genny. Gone but not forgotten. However, at 7 am, I'm not thinking about Genny when the neighbor dogs start barking.
Of course, the cat lovers are well represented here also. One boat has three cats. They started out with "Mooch." But Mooch was lonely, so the owners went to a shelter to find a companion. In an all too familiar story, they came home with two additional cats, because they didn't want to separate sister cats. So now along with Mooch, they have #1 and #2. The only way to tell #1 and #2 apart is that #2 wears a collar. There's also several feral cats here in the park, and someone has set up a feeding station for them at the shore end of our dock. Close enough that when there's a disagreement among cats at 2 am, we can hear the screeching. I'm not complaining--just explaining my heavy use of sleeping pills.
After three trips to the hardware store, I finally have the water leaks down to a manageable trickle. I have begun shutting off the water at the dock when we leave the boat.
The weather forcasters are warning us that a cold front will be coming through in the next few days. Instead of the usual high of 80 degrees, we should expect a high temp of only 75.
This is a "dog friendly" marina located in a "dog friendly" city park. Almost every other boat in the marina has a dog. Some have two. We're surrounded by dogs. I'm surprised they let us in here without a dog. Don't get me wrong--I like dogs. I still get choked up when I think of our wonderful old pal Genny. Gone but not forgotten. However, at 7 am, I'm not thinking about Genny when the neighbor dogs start barking.
Of course, the cat lovers are well represented here also. One boat has three cats. They started out with "Mooch." But Mooch was lonely, so the owners went to a shelter to find a companion. In an all too familiar story, they came home with two additional cats, because they didn't want to separate sister cats. So now along with Mooch, they have #1 and #2. The only way to tell #1 and #2 apart is that #2 wears a collar. There's also several feral cats here in the park, and someone has set up a feeding station for them at the shore end of our dock. Close enough that when there's a disagreement among cats at 2 am, we can hear the screeching. I'm not complaining--just explaining my heavy use of sleeping pills.
After three trips to the hardware store, I finally have the water leaks down to a manageable trickle. I have begun shutting off the water at the dock when we leave the boat.
The weather forcasters are warning us that a cold front will be coming through in the next few days. Instead of the usual high of 80 degrees, we should expect a high temp of only 75.
January 8, 2012
Conch shells
We took out the dinghy fishing today, and we're having fish for dinner tonight! Lucky for me we brought some frozen salmon from home. I did catch some barracudas today, but I'm not sure who eats who in that food chain.
We watched a dolphin swimming close by the dinghy, and then it put on a show for us by jumping clear of the water about 20 times.
Back when we were in the boat business, we would always enjoy the "whistle gophers" that came to the boat shows. You know the ones.................they walk up, look at your boat, whistle, and say "What's she go fer?" Now I'm encountering a similar animal--not exactly the same species, but most likely from the same genus. They walk up, look at our twin 50 hp outboards, and ask "What'll she do with those twins?" My reply is "We usually cruise at 70 miles per hour." (Like the "p" in pneumonia, the "when it's on the trailer" is silent.)
When we were in Marathon two years ago, we heard a lot of people blowing conch shells at sunset. Heard it again here in Islamorada last year. I finally asked a guy down the dock where he got his conch shell. He said any of the local tourist shops would have them. So, I looked around, and found conch shells that had been modified to blow like a horn. However, they were all $20 or more. Since I'm so cheap, I thought of the old conch shell that had been laying around back home for probably a hundert years. When we got back I got the old conch shell out of the dirt, and using my dremmel tool, cut a hole in the appropriate end of it, and voila-- I am now a menace to my boat neighbors every sunset.
We watched a dolphin swimming close by the dinghy, and then it put on a show for us by jumping clear of the water about 20 times.
Back when we were in the boat business, we would always enjoy the "whistle gophers" that came to the boat shows. You know the ones.................they walk up, look at your boat, whistle, and say "What's she go fer?" Now I'm encountering a similar animal--not exactly the same species, but most likely from the same genus. They walk up, look at our twin 50 hp outboards, and ask "What'll she do with those twins?" My reply is "We usually cruise at 70 miles per hour." (Like the "p" in pneumonia, the "when it's on the trailer" is silent.)
When we were in Marathon two years ago, we heard a lot of people blowing conch shells at sunset. Heard it again here in Islamorada last year. I finally asked a guy down the dock where he got his conch shell. He said any of the local tourist shops would have them. So, I looked around, and found conch shells that had been modified to blow like a horn. However, they were all $20 or more. Since I'm so cheap, I thought of the old conch shell that had been laying around back home for probably a hundert years. When we got back I got the old conch shell out of the dirt, and using my dremmel tool, cut a hole in the appropriate end of it, and voila-- I am now a menace to my boat neighbors every sunset.
January 7, 2012
SALY
S.A.L.Y. (Same As Last Year)
Hooked up the electric, cable tv, and water hose. We're tethered to the dock, and more like campers than cruisers - again. When we turned on the water, all the hose clamps on the water lines leaked, and the carpet got wet - again. Don't know if traveling makes them come loose or maybe winterizing. The white water hose that we connect the boat to the shore water system blew up in the night and was spraying water all over the docks. Fortunately, someone shut it off for us. I guess there was enough water left in it that it froze in the cold weather at home, and leaving pressure on it made it blow out. A trip to West Marine and about $40 fixed that problem.
Got the dinghy together yesterday. It gets harder to pump up every time I do it. Went out to fish just outside the marina and caught some snapper - again.
Put the folding bicycles together, and rode up through the park. Saw a group of Hobie Cats setting up and getting ready for a regatta - again.
So many things are the same as last year, that we thought maybe we should do something to differentiate this year from last. Something that would really turn things around. So I made a daring move, and took the boat out, turned it around, and parked it in our slip pointy end first.
Hooked up the electric, cable tv, and water hose. We're tethered to the dock, and more like campers than cruisers - again. When we turned on the water, all the hose clamps on the water lines leaked, and the carpet got wet - again. Don't know if traveling makes them come loose or maybe winterizing. The white water hose that we connect the boat to the shore water system blew up in the night and was spraying water all over the docks. Fortunately, someone shut it off for us. I guess there was enough water left in it that it froze in the cold weather at home, and leaving pressure on it made it blow out. A trip to West Marine and about $40 fixed that problem.
Got the dinghy together yesterday. It gets harder to pump up every time I do it. Went out to fish just outside the marina and caught some snapper - again.
Put the folding bicycles together, and rode up through the park. Saw a group of Hobie Cats setting up and getting ready for a regatta - again.
So many things are the same as last year, that we thought maybe we should do something to differentiate this year from last. Something that would really turn things around. So I made a daring move, and took the boat out, turned it around, and parked it in our slip pointy end first.
We spent the entire time last year backed into our slip. It's easier to get on and off the boat, but we don't have much of a view off the back porch when we're backed in.
The view out our back door is much better this year.
January 5, 2012
Islamorada again
We left home early Tuesday morning, and drove to Gainesville, FL. Then Wednesday, we finished the trip and arrived in Islamorada about 3pm. Launched the boat, and didn't do much else. A long trip.
We made the journey with no truck issues. The new turbo I had installed in my truck was grand. (Actually it was more like $2.3 grand.) Anyway, it was good to have no issues.
We saw people walking around this morning with their winter coats, gloves etc. Checked the temp, to find it was a brisk 60 degrees. The locals acted like it might sNOw.
Since we're in the same marina as last year, and will probably be doing the same stuff as last year, I suggest you simply look back at last years blog, and read one a day.
We made the journey with no truck issues. The new turbo I had installed in my truck was grand. (Actually it was more like $2.3 grand.) Anyway, it was good to have no issues.
We saw people walking around this morning with their winter coats, gloves etc. Checked the temp, to find it was a brisk 60 degrees. The locals acted like it might sNOw.
Since we're in the same marina as last year, and will probably be doing the same stuff as last year, I suggest you simply look back at last years blog, and read one a day.
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