Check-in/OK message from SPOT Whispering Jesse: 5/27/2014 19:05

Whispering Jesse
Latitude: 23.36977
Longitude: -85.28386
GPS location Date/Time: 05/27/2014 19:05:14 EDT

Message: This is the crew of Whispering Jesse checking in. All is well. Click the Google Maps link to see where we are.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=23.36977,-85.28386&ll=23.36977,-85.28386&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Check-in/OK message from SPOT Whispering Jesse: 5/27/2014 13:10

Whispering Jesse
Latitude: 23.10103
Longitude: -85.72790
GPS location Date/Time: 05/27/2014 13:10:59 EDT

Message: This is the crew of Whispering Jesse checking in. All is well. Click the Google Maps link to see where we are.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=23.10103,-85.72790&ll=23.10103,-85.72790&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Check-in/OK message from SPOT Whispering Jesse: 5/27/2014 6:57

Whispering Jesse
Latitude: 22.44787
Longitude: -86.05822
GPS location Date/Time: 05/27/2014 06:57:31 EDT

Message: This is the crew of Whispering Jesse checking in. All is well. Click the Google Maps link to see where we are.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=22.44787,-86.05822&ll=22.44787,-86.05822&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Check-in/OK message from SPOT Whispering Jesse: 5/26/2014 22:21

Whispering Jesse
Latitude: 21.72757
Longitude: -86.43311
GPS location Date/Time: 05/26/2014 22:21:10 EDT

Message: This is the crew of Whispering Jesse checking in. All is well. Click the Google Maps link to see where we are.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=21.72757,-86.43311&ll=21.72757,-86.43311&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Check-in/OK message from SPOT Whispering Jesse: 5/26/2014 15:57

Whispering Jesse
Latitude: 21.26820
Longitude: -86.75525
GPS location Date/Time: 05/26/2014 15:57:55 EDT

Message: This is the crew of Whispering Jesse checking in. All is well. Click the Google Maps link to see where we are.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=21.26820,-86.75525&ll=21.26820,-86.75525&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Starting out from Marina Paraiso

When Nan and I arrived at El Milagro Marina on Thursday night, we quickly discovered that there were no available slips with adequate draft for Whispering Jesse. So on Friday morning, we moved the boat to next-door Marina Paraiso instead. We spent the rest of the day and most of Saturday and Sunday there working through the list of tasks necessary to get the boat ready to go for the big trip to Miami.

We encountered only two unforeseen problems: Omar from Marina del Sol, where the boat had been slipped since last August, told us that when he was underwater cleaning the hull, he noticed that there no longer any zincs on the propeller shaft; and when we tried to start the dinghy's outboard motor, all it would do is spit gasoline out of a port in the carburetor. We soon discovered that there were no zincs to be had on the island, so that problem would need to wait. We were able to fix the other problem, though, enlisting the services of Marina Paraiso's on-site mechanic, David, to get the outboard's carburetor cleaned out and the motor running well.

We had hoped to check out with Customs and Immigration at around 10:00 on Monday morning, but they didn't show up at the marina until after 1:00, which didn't really matter because David didn't get the outboard fixed until an hour later. We finally departed at around 2:30. With all the last-minute details, I didn't remember to send out the first Spot until we were already off Playa Norte. Here's a link to where we started from: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=21.242817,-86.741031&ll=21.242817,-86.741031&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Upcoming Trip

I have mentioned that Nan and I are looking forward to having our sailboat, Whispering Jesse, here in Miami. Well, that is finally going to happen. We are headed to Isla Mujeres on Thursday evening to meet up with crew members and prepare the boat for a Monday departure. It should take about three days to reach Key West and then another two days to reach Miami, where we have arranged for a mooring at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club.

Nan will not be a member of the crew for the sailing part of the trip, but I have three other crew members lined up: Mike, who has sailed with me on three previous trips, including the one last May that took the boat to Isla Mujeres; Kevin, a friend of Mike's from Colorado who is an experienced sailor; and Paul, a friend I've known since we were in eighth grade together and who will be making his sailing debut. We will meet everybody at El Milagro Marina, our staging location after we move the boat there from Marina del Sol on Friday morning.

There is much to do before we set sail. The boat has been sitting idle in a slip at Marina del Sol since last August, though we checked on her in January and all was fine. The engine fired right up and ran smoothly, and I was able to get the refrigerator working well enough to make ice. I started a list this afternoon of everything that needs to be done and it quickly ran to 25 items, everything from checking the engine oil to charging up the handheld VHF radio. Fortunately, there is nothing critical on the list that would prevent us from departing if it didn't get done; all of those projects were completed before we left Savannah last May.

The only worry is the weather. A severe storm system with high winds and heavy rain moved through South Florida late last week from the north. The wind is slowly shifting back around to its prevailing easterly direction, and I'm hoping it continues around to the southeast or south to give us good, fast sailing. If it stays directly out of the east, we may run into rough conditions when the wind collides with the eastward-flowing Gulf Stream current as we near Key West.

As with past trips, we will be using a Spot beacon to send out our position twice a day. The messages will be posted to this blog, in case you wish to follow our progress.

Here's hoping for a safe and enjoyable sail!

Sailing in St. Petersburg

Over the weekend, the three of us drove up to St. Petersburg to visit our friends Scott and Diane, who we met while we were all living aboard our sailboats at El Milagro Marina in Isla Mujeres last summer. They sailed away from there about a month after we left and have been living on their boat at the Harborage Marina in St. Petersburg. With them now are Charlie and Karen, mutual friends from last summer in Isla Mujeres, who have sailed on from there to Roatan in Leap, their Pearson 386 sloop, but are taking a break from living aboard for an adventure of a different sort.

The two couples have been preparing Ati, Scott and Diane's Amel Super Maramu 2000 ketch, for an extended trip down to Grenada. They're planning to leave by mid-May and work their way around the Keys, through the Bahamas, past the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and then down through the Leeward and Windward Islands. Charlie and Karen are on a schedule and will depart in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but Scott and Diane will take their time enjoying the remaining trip to their final destination.

The drive took longer than expected, and we arrived too late on Saturday afternoon to go sailing. We hung around the boat instead, catching up over beers and watching Scott and Diane's new labradoodle Yogi work out the pecking order with Scout. From there, we walked several blocks to a bar downtown with outdoor seating (so we could bring the dogs) and live music. I may be getting old but I can't tolerate music that is too loud to talk above, especially country and especially outdoors. We were ready to go after just one drink, off in Charlie and Karen's van full of tools, which they had put in storage in Alabama before they set sail last year and then driven down to use in preparation for the upcoming trip. We headed west to a dog-friendly, waterfront restaurant in nearby Gulfport called O'Maddy's. My crab cakes were pretty average, but everyone else enjoyed their seafood dishes. It was late when we arrived back at the marina, so Nan and I said our good-nights and navigated the difficult one-way streets of downtown St. Petersburg to our hotel on the north side of town.

The next morning, we arrived back at the marina later than planned due to a citizen's bike race that had us detouring all over town. By the time we reached the boat, Scott already had the engine running and we prepared to cast off. Scout was a little nervous about being on a moving boat--it was only his second experience--and stuck close to Nan and me. There was not much wind as we motored south in the lee of St. Petersburg's landmass. It picked up a little when we reached the open water of the bay, but it was right on our nose. Diane took advantage of the smooth conditions and made a lunch of grilled-cheese sandwiches for everybody. Scott planned to motor past the Sunshine Skyway Bridge for a ways and then put out the sails for the return trip. This worked well and we had some good light-wind sailing, perfect for testing out the spinnaker, which they plan to use on the big trip south.

The current was running when we returned to the marina, making for a dicey slip re-entry, even with the bow thruster, but Scott got the boat parked safely with a little shore assist. It was already mid-afternoon, and Nan, Scout and I still had the four-hour drive back to Miami ahead of this, so we said our good-byes, promised to stay in touch, and wondered aloud about when our future paths would cross on the open water. Best wishes for a safe and happy sailing adventure!

Happy birthday, Scout! Our good boy is six years old today.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

Nan and I have been exploring South Florida during weekends, looking for fun sailing destinations to visit after we get our boat up here from Isla Mujeres, Mexico in early June.

Recently, we drove over the Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne to check out Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. It takes up the southernmost third of the island and features one of Florida's nicest beaches on its eastern shores. We paid our eight dollars at the gate and then proceeded to the farthest west parking lot, which was already starting to fill up at ten o'clock on a Sunday morning. Just past the lot is a sea wall that runs all the way around to where the beach starts. We walked south along its length, observing all the families out fishing and picnicking together. According to Google Maps, the Cape Florida Anchorage is right off the southwest shore, but there were no boats anchored there that day, though there were plenty of motor boats and sailboats cruising by. There seemed to be too much traffic and too many wakes to make for a pleasant overnight anchoring spot.

We stopped at an informational sign to learn about Stiltsville, the small cluster of now-abandoned houses built on stilts above the water that one can see about a quarter-mile offshore. The original one was built as a speakeasy back during the Prohibition era, and others followed up until the 1960s. They have managed to survive some terrible weather, but even from a distance, they don't look overly habitable.

Around the eastern corner from the southernmost point in our walk, we reached the Cape Florida Lighthouse. It was built in 1825 and is the oldest surviving structure in South Florida. It is possible to tour the lighthouse and the light keeper's residence with a guide, but we did not arrive at the scheduled time. It occurred to me looking up from the base that we could probably see the lighthouse from the roof of our apartment building across Biscayne Bay, which turned out to be true. We just hadn't realized what we were looking at before then.

The beach was indeed nice. We kicked off our shoes and walked in the sand and surf at the water's edge. People were swimming, but the water was a little too chilly even for wading. We took one of the boardwalks back to the easternmost parking lot and followed it along the way we had driven in until we reached the Lighthouse Cafe, where we stopped to eat lunch. My conch fritters were fine, but they came with cocktail sauce instead of a remoulade sauce. Nan had the shrimp basket but didn't like it much, and the table service was irritatingly slow.

We returned to our car and drove back the way we had come in until we reached the turn-off for No Name Harbor. We didn't know what to expect, but the whole establishment was impressive, from the size of the harbor itself to the long concrete quay and the Boater's Grill restaurant. It was definitely the kind of place we could see ourselves sailing to for a day or an overnight stay. Others must agree, because the place was packed with boats along the quay and anchored just offshore, and there was a waiting list at the restaurant.

We hadn't taken Scout with us that day because dogs are not normally permitted in state parks, but they are allowed at this park, except on the beach and in the restaurants. That works just fine for us.

Family in Miami

Nan, Scout and I are just coming off some family time here in Miami. My sisters Jane and Susan arrived last Sunday and split their time between here and Key West. We picked Jane up from her red-eye flight from Seattle early on Sunday morning and spent the day touring around town, driving all over Coconut Grove and Coral Gables to show her the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Matheson Hammock Park, the Biltmore Hotel and golf course, the Miracle Mile, and Little Havana, where we ate a late Cuban lunch at the Versailles Restaurant. After regrouping at our apartment, we drove Jane downtown to the Aloft hotel in Brickell, where she and Susan would be staying. Our little one-bedroom apartment is too small for overnight guests. Susan's flight was delayed, but we still managed to pick her up at the airport and get her to the hotel for the start of the season finale of Downton Abbey.

On Monday, while I was back at work, Nan took the train downtown to meet Jane and Susan for the Big Bus Tour of Miami Beach, a fun thing to do that she and I enjoyed a few months ago. They got off the bus at one of the stops near the beach to walk in the sand and eat lunch at a sidewalk cafe. Instead of continuing the same tour, they switched to the Coconut Grove/Coral Gables loop and ended up at Cocowalk, just a few blocks from our apartment.

The next day, Jane and Susan rented a car and drove down to Key West to spend time with our cousin Hilary, who has lived there for many years. She met them for dinner at Louie's Backyard restaurant, the same place we met her when we were there in 2002. I only saw the photos but it looks like my sisters did all the touristy things people do in Key West, like visiting the Hemingway House and Sloppy Joe's, and walking around Duval Street and Mallory Square.

Mom and Dad drove down from Savannah on Thursday and checked in to the Hampton Inn next door. Jane and Susan returned shortly after, and the four of them came over for Nan's Thai chicken in peanut sauce. We needed to move the furniture around and add in our outdoor cafe table, but we were all able to sit around the table together for dinner.

Our visitors waited for the drizzle to clear the next day before heading over to Vizcaya, the hundred-year-old bayside estate of James Deering, an heir to the International Harvester fortune, who split his time between Chicago and Miami. Nan and I toured the estate ourselves recently and were suitably impressed. Mr. Deering had traveled the world in the early 1900s to find the best of everything, and he brought it all together in his beautifully designed mansion. We had done the very worthwhile audio tour, but our visitors opted for the guided tour and then followed it with lunch at the estate's cafe. For dinner that night, we treated at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, accompanied by soulful tunes from the Jazz Monkeys.

Saturday morning, the whole group repeated much of the tour we had given Jane the previous Sunday and ended it at a Nicaraguan restaurant on Calle Ocho in Little Havana, The Guayacan. Lunch was good and filling, and we returned home to regroup before the arrival of cousin Hilary from Key West, and Uncle Pat and Aunt Marilyn from Bonita Springs, whom we had not seen in a dozen years. We all met up at the Hampton Inn's pool to get reacquainted and then trooped over to our apartment for cocktails and a trip up to the rooftop pool for views of downtown Miami and Biscayne Bay. By then, it was dinnertime and we walked around the corner to Berries, our favorite restaurant and watering hole. The accommodating staff there set up a table for all nine of us and informed us that it was lobster night. There were several takers, including me.

Back at our apartment, Nan unveiled the banana cake she had baked for a late celebration of my mother's eightieth birthday. We lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday to You, and cheered when Mom blew them all out. Wine glasses were refilled, toasts were made, and everyone agreed that we needed to get together like this more often. With more than a few of us having ties to the Southeast now, that should be easy to do.