Tuesday, May 9
This is a second try after an initial false start. I wasn't ready and xiffy was nowhere near ready. I have been fighting the desire to just lay down in the AC, a first for bettey, not because of laziness but rather heat, humidity and old man pains in my neck, back and shoulder. It's a constant battle but I just have to MOVE! Once I get into a rythm then its not so bad because the excitement of what lies ahead carries me forward.
I prepared the best I could, checked the forcasts for wind and rain, tides and currents. My intitial goal was to anchor near Haulover Park on the ICW, about 12 nautical miles away with an easy motor south, once I contented with the challenges of the New River!
I couldn't have picked a better day to initiate the voyage IF everything worked out as planned, it didn't. First, I could not get the plotter to calculate the route that I was after but I had my phone as a back up. Navionics needs to really integrate the functionality of the different plantforms! The phone app is $50 bucks and the plotter was $1500. Guess which works better?! This little set back ate up an hour.
Then it was time to do a radio check since it is critical for the trip. No luck. I figured I would get out of the cove and maybe I would have better luck so off I went with the intention of turning back if I could not get a response. Nothing on Seatow so I went to the first bridge and hailed the bridge tender with a "how do you read?" Waited and got a response "loud and clear." Awesome, the trip is on! From that point on, I handled the bridges like a pro, even at the busiest and most dangerous area and even had an encounter with Jungle Queen on the radio, then in person and we passed "one whistle" as agreed on the VHF.
Then I hit the dreaded triangle and got a good chuckle as I made the turn that I was meant to take the first time around when I ran aground. West coast sailors will never understand the complications of that intersection where the markers suddenly flip coming out of the New River and onto the ICW.
The next few miles was uneventful with a gentel 2 knott current on the bow. I hit the Port everglades turning basin and took a little breather. The next bridge would be the first than I had never encountered on previous trips but, theyre all the same, so I thought. This bridge opend every thirty minutes and the only requirement is to check in with the bridge tender, I was a bout 15 minutes early so I hung well back in an area that was wide and deep as I "hipped" the dinghy and did not want to have to back down with it but time it so I would be full speed ahead right on the :30. HOWEVER, the flowing current picked up to 6 Kn and I could barely make way, even at full throttle. About 100 yards out, the bridge tender and I started to communicate. Him telling me I have two minutes and me saying I'm going as fast as Im able and then him telling me all about the "new moon currents." I offered to abort the approach and he agreed that that would be best so around I went, heading north, to the deep and wide safety again. I tried to time it again but was still too slow but he held it for me. That was the roughest patch.
The next bridge was also I timed bridge, Sheridin Ave. Easy enough but forced to hold again for 20 minutes. By now, the heat is blazing hot and still. I took the time to put up the new umbrella. Helpful, but not ideal for the boat because it clamps on to far aft with no other stantions forward to get better shade.
As I sat in the sun, my phone that was providing the route, over heated so I decided to shut it off to let it cool. As long as I stayed between the markers and watched my depth, I should have been ok as long as I kept going south on the ICW. Then, I heard a BIG BOOM! My mind raced of what it could possible be in the vacinity that it came from. One of the several possibilies i.e. propane tanks, gas tank, phone battery. There were little blues plastic shrouds everywhere and it took a minuted for figure out it was my butain lighter. May be a good time to quit smoking!
By this time I'm very tired with the heat and felt bad for the dogs seeing as how we had another 10 miles to go. I thought I may be asking too much of them for their first day. As I approached the next bridge, I see a dozen sailboats anchored off to my starboard side. I look at the chart ont he plotter and it was shallow but it was also mean tide. I look at the size of the others with deeper drafts and straight up masts and decided to take a shot. I entered with the motore in forward neutral which just barely makes way. I watched the depths and sure enough, I hit bottom once but didn't get grounded. I dropped the anchor quickly like I knew exactly what I was doing! I did know becuase of the practice with Captain Lee where we did it twice in very tight quarters. If not for that short bit of experience, my book study of the subject would have freaked me out! Just because you turn into the wind, as a single hander, you cannot expect the boat to stay there for long! But, you still go and drop quicklet and let the wind right the boat into the wind once the anchor bites.
The first day was still discombobulated with the boat just crammed but not organized. The dogs had to go potty and there was a perfect little beach to run the dinghy up so I tried my hardest to get the lock off that Lee had put on before I left. No luck for a while but finally managed it. Now, it was the DOGS FIRST TIME in the dinghy. I had no idea how they would react. I put in their dog bet, put there life jackets on and threw them in with the motor running. You would think they were seasoned veterans. No problem at all and once we got to the little park, they had a ball with all of the new smells.
Going back to Xiffy, the reality started to set in that this is what I had been working hard for the last year! This was just a taste of what's to come but the whole process of dropping an anchor, putting the dogs on the dinghy and going to shore was what I had been dreaming about for months. And, cruising into a waterfront resteraunt with Xiffy in full view sitting beautifully all by herself out in the pretty anchorage! I had to eat and it was happy hour so the place right across the way was perfect, dog friendly, and it was happy hour! Met a lovely couple there from WI too!
Time to head back for the first sunset at anchor and prepare for the first night. On the way back, I met a nice young guy from central california flying the CA flag. We hit it off and talked boats, cruising and the lifestyle. He came later to pick me up on his "dingly" and showed me where to get free water, and of course we stopped for ice and diet coke!
Sunset came and it was purdy.
Now for the evening. I set the drift alarm on the plotter and downloaded an app for my phone. I was worried about the batteries running lights, plotter, and accessorries all night so I turned it off completely since I was comforatable with the phone app that I had beeen using. Also, the alarm would be right next to me IF it went off. 2 AM, and of course it went off! My first experience of being blurry eyed and heading topside. I already knew what to do, let out more road, take new bearings in the distance and feel the anchor rope for vibration. All seemed fine so reset the alarm and slept the reast of the night.
Day 2, May 10
Another, just the way I had imagined it moments, with the exception of forgetting the tea kettle. Heated up the water on my little coleman stove, poured it into the french press, loaded up a travel mug and threw the dogs on the dinghy for morning potty on the beach. No accidents all night!!!!
I woke up in a lot of pain though. My shoulder was acting up and it felt like the bones in my neck were in a vice and being crunched. Popped some advil and layed down for a bit. I got hungry and what I had on board did not seem satisfying so I went to a bakery/bistro across the way because the pictures online look amazing. What I disappointment! My big pet peeve, places with a great waterfront location and a captured audiance so they ignore the food. Frozen potatoes that were still cold so I asked them to heat it up. What happens when you put eggs in the microwave and over cook them? They turn to rubber and my western omlet did, but at least the potatoes were heated through.
When I got back, I had a bit of anxiety about not wire tieing the anchor shackle so I pulled it up, did it, and reset it. Again, if I just move, I'll keep going and resist the temptaion to rest. Once I had the momentum, I saw my new young friend working away on his girl so I went to work on mine. It only took a couple of hours but now everything is in its proper place, for the ICW anyway
I took a quick look at the next leg of my route south. My original intention was to take on 10 miles per day. Good for me and good for the kids. I look over the anchoranges listed on cruisernet and there are only a few between Ft. Lauterdale and Key Largo. Anchoring is a big issue hear and unwanted by most homeownders. However, as I understand it now, it IS leagal to drop anchor anywhere outside a marked channel and the worst than can happen is a knock on the hull asking you to move on. That kind of changes everything. Hurrican season is really a non issue because there are plaenty of places to duck for cover, especially in marsh lands. That being said, I am in NO hurry. When I see a place that looks nice for me and the kids, and if my body hurts, I will drop the hook even if the whole day only amounted to a short distance.
More importaintly, many have forgotten what I am all about and what this trip is all about. By Road and Sea, my dogs and me! It is NOT a sailing adventure! The ICW is one of the reasons that I came out. The Keys were not even in the cards until I learned more about them and realized the dangers of single handing to the bahamas. If I get there with another crew member, great. If not, no loss! I have seen it all through videos so I put it into the class of going to Mexico on a cruise ship. You have to do it at least once, and I did, but I swore I would never do it again and dealing with tourist imigration has no appeal for me.
