We made it!

Wooohooo! We finally made it across the Gulf Stream. It has been a long wait to get across to the Bahamas and we are savoring our time in the clear sea green waters. We left Dinner Key Marina to anchor out in No Name Harbor, which took about 1.5 hours from the mooring field. Then we went to bed early and woke up at 4am Saturday morning to pick up our anchor and begin our passage across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. Biscayne Bay was as flat as a mirror and we had a full moon to help light the way. Several other boats were anchored out in No Name Harbor, but we were the first to leave. The wind was very slight and we were motoring at 5.5 knots. We started moving around 4:30am and at first light I saw a whale come up to the surface for air! I only saw the blow hole and a bit of its back, but I knew it was a whale because of the way it surfaced and resubmerged into the water. It was nothing like a dolphin and I don't know what else would come to mind that breathes like a whale. Later, we see a large pod of dolphins, jellyfish, and several flying fish. I love to see animals in their natural habitat and in good health. I worry about all the pollution (land, air, and water) and their effects on the environment. I am concerned about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which to the last of my knowledge was still leaking oil into the water. A lot needs to be done to prevent any further damage to the environment and to prevent any future incidents, but I digress. When we got out of Biscayne Bay we could see thunderstorms in the distance along our port and stern, but we kept going because they were far away. Then we noticed sea fog up ahead to our starboard side, but luckily the sun was coming up at that time and the fog dissipated. We saw a few power boats pass us by along with some fishing boats and huge cargo ships, but we only had to move out of the way for one fast moving cargo ship. As for the rest we just had to deal with their wakes. The seas were 2-4 feet, but when it was 4 ft. waves the period was 8 sec. or more and so it wasn't bad at all. The winds were from the East, which was the direction we were traveling so we couldn't put out any sails to help power us or stabilize the boat. But the Gulf Stream did help us get up to 6.5 knots at one point in our passage and on average we were traveling 5 knots. It was a beautiful sunny day with puffy white clouds, but it was hot and the wind was great in keeping us comfortable. I had taken ginger root pills a few times a couples days before we left Miami to help prevent sea sickness. We ate a very early dinner and not too much food so we wouldn't get sick as easily. I kept my eyes on the horizon and stayed on the bow to keep from smelling the exhaust from the engine, which makes me sick as well. I only ate a banana and a handful of pretzels with water during the entire passage. Remember to keep hydrated when you are in the sun because you can get a heat stroke or get sea sick, if on the water. I wore a wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunblock to prevent sun damage on my skin and eyes, but I still got tanned and a little pink even with my precautions. The sun is fierce here and we aren't even that close to the equator. We got to Alice Town, North Bimini at 4pm (EST) and tried to get a slip at Weech's but being a weekend they were all taken. So we just continued ahead and docked at the customs office, which was an old concrete seawall. Luckily there was a man sitting there and we asked him for some help with the dock lines, which he did a fine job. Then we got our passports and papers together and headed to the customs & immigration office. We had some papers to fill out so I went back to the boat to keep an eye on it since we didn't lock it up. JR got everything in order and our passports stamped for a 180 days. It cost us $150 to clear customs and for the fishing license. We didn't get to fish on our arrival to Bimini due to a squall that went through the islands, which made us nervous on top of the fact we weren't sure where the path of entry was to get into Alice Town. There were tons of power boats waiting around for the storm to pass and by the time we got to the islands the storm had moved. Amazingly, I didn't even need to be there to clear customs or immigration!? JR even said it didn't matter if I signed the papers. So it really is all about the money. We hopped back on the boat and just decided to anchor out near the shallows next to another sailboat across the marinas so we would be in a protected area. We couldn't believe how many power boats were coming in to Bimini. There was non-stop boat traffic going in and out of Alice Town, but mostly in due to the sun setting. There were tons of party people with their loud music playing and even some honking horns to get attention. It seemed like South Beach, Miami came over to Bimini for the long weekend. We set our anchor and I immediately chowed down on some barbecue chicken left over from our previous nights dinner. I was able to pacify my hunger while JR changed our quarantine flag to the Bahamas courtesy flag. After he ate the remaining chicken, we both jumped in the water. It felt so good because it was so hot, but I didn't like all the wakes from the big power boats. Then after taking a break I began to cook a tasty eggplant and rice dinner, which was the first time I have ever cooked eggplant. I have to say I couldn't stop getting compliments on how good the eggplant dish tasted. It was delicious and we washed it down with a celebratory bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. We sat in the cockpit to eat dinner because it was so hot in the cabin and there was no air flow due to the boat sitting with the wind at our beam. After we ate we watched the tide rip by and the water change colors to a beautiful sea green. We could now clearly see the bottom and we relished in the cooler temperatures and breeze as night set in. We decided to watch an episode of Tosh.O at the bow while the engine cooled, but after 10 minutes we felt some drops of rain. So we hurried to get everything in the cabin that couldn't get wet and by the time JR got in the cabin he was too exhausted to stay awake any longer. We were very happy to have finally made it to the Bahamas and across the Gulf Stream. Now we can really begin our vacation! :)

For the Love of Sailing

We took Frodo out for a sail on Monday in Biscayne Bay to make sure everything was working properly and to test out our newly installed lazy jacks. It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the mid-80's and winds blowing at 14-20 knots with 1-2 foot waves in the bay. There wasn't many other boats in the bay being a Monday, but we always managed to head for another boat no matter what direction we pointed. It was nice just sailing with no engine running in the background. We put on the autopilot and both enjoyed the sun on our faces and the wind in our hair. Listening to only the splashing of the waves against the hull and the wind in the sails. I find myself at peace and taking in the moment because I know I must treasure the time I have right now. I know when I go back to land that I will miss being on the water and these moments of complete serenity. I now realize how much I really enjoy being on the boat and how much I like sailing. The clean fresh air to breathe and the sun warming our bodies truly feels like the proper prescription to invigorate anyone. :)

Suicidal Shrimp!

It is shrimp season and when it gets windy we find shrimp (one or two a night) that have jumped into our dinghy! They are pretty good sized shrimp, but not big enough to be prawns. Then when it gets hot they turn pink from being cooked from the sun. We have seen shrimp from April to May here in Biscayne Bay. We have even seen shrimp eating at the growth on our hull. James from the Dinner Key Marina staff told us there are even lobsters in the bay, but we don't want to swim in the brownish water of the bay or eat the lobsters that have been filter feeding in these waters. :p We will wait until we get into cleaner waters and of course the lobsters are not in season in Florida right now so we can't catch them.

Miami Marine Flea Market

Miami is a hot spot for both sail and power boats because it is a big city with many places to go. It is much easier to obtain items you may need for your boat from stores like Shell Lumber, West Marine and Crook & Crook or to provision for a trip at Publix, The Fresh Market, or Milam's Market (these places are not too far from Dinner Key Marina). We heard good things about the Dania Nautical/Marine Flea Market from fellow boaters, but we missed it. So when we heard about another marine flea market we looked at their website to get the scoop. They charge a $7 entry fee and the event took place from May 22-23, 2010 on Watson Island. We saw a long list of vendors and we wanted to look for solar panels and Sunbrella fabric. We figured we would give it a shot and check out what they had for sale. We woke up early to bike ride to the MetroRail and then transfer to a bus to get to the flea market, which took over an hour. Then we walk to the site and stand in line to buy our tickets, while watching a long line of people waiting to enter in a different line. We think this is a good sign for the flea market and I decide not to ask people if there are solar panels and sunbrella for sale. We enter the flea market with high hopes and I devise a game plan to make sure we hit all the vendors so we don't miss anything. We start out seeing trinkets, jewelry, apparel, scuba gear, some small boats, and tons of fishing gear. But it wasn't really a flea market because the items weren't really priced cheap. We saw some old bottom paint for sale at $80, which was a good deal but we weren't sure how old it the paint was and we didn't need it right now so we didn't buy it. But we quickly realized how small the event was and that is was a dud. We walked the entire flea market area and didn't find anything we wanted in under 30 minutes. We felt ripped off after paying to get there and for admission. I felt bad for the vendors having to pay a minimum of $250 to have a booth at the flea market. Somebody was making some serious money and it wasn't the vendors. We took the bus and metro to go to Bayside Marketplace for some lunch and beverages. It was a sunny, hot and humid day in Miami and we wanted something cool and refreshing to make us feel better from our disappointing morning.

Going Nowhere Fast

I am sad to report that we have not yet left Coconut Grove, Miami after a few really good weather windows. I was in California for 3 weeks visiting my family and returned to Miami ready to make the trip over to the Bahamas. I was a little worried I had lost my sea legs from being on land for so long, but I was happy to find myself returning without any problems. I began getting the boat ready to make the journey across the Gulf Stream after a day or two of recouping from jet lag. We checked Passage Weather and found a weather window for the first week of May, but when we tried to go get water from the marina we found the inboard engine wasn't putting out any water in the exhaust. So JR spent the day figuring out and fixing the problem, which it turned out to be just the impeller from the water pump. But then he had to fix the fly wheel assembly because it was coming loose and the belt to the alternator would fall out of the track. So JR spent the next day fixing that issue. Then we decided to just get water with our dinghy the following day and found the outboard motor for the dinghy would not stay running. We take it to the Grove Harbor Marina's Mercury dealer on Friday because the motor is only 8 months old and it is still under warranty. They say they won't have time to work on it until next week and they are supposed to give us a call when they know what is wrong with it and if the work would be covered under warranty. We never get a call and we wait patiently until Thursday before we call them to ask about the progress of their work. When we get in touch with Allen, he tells us the engine is ready to be picked up. It turns out they couldn't find anything wrong with the engine and they changed the starter pull chord. They charged us $7 for the chord and an hour of labor ($120) for starting the engine, running it, and shutting it off. It wasn't covered under the warranty because they didn't find anything wrong with the engine. Supposedly they ran the engine for 50 minutes without issue. We are highly skeptical because we couldn't get the engine to start after it died the last time. Also the engine kept dying on us when we were running it, so we aren't sure why they didn't find a problem after 50 minutes. At this point we don't even believe they looked at the engine. So we go to the dealer and talk with Allen about the engine. He tells us it was operator error by us not having the air valve open and the fuel shut off valve closed when we were trying to run the engine. In fact, those two valves were closed for transporting the engine to the shop so no fuel would leak out on the way. Because we have no vehicle, JR had to carry the engine and walk over to the dealer. Luckily, the dealer wasn't very far and the engine wasn't ridiculously heavy. But it was an easy task even though JR may have made it look easy. Allen was surprised to hear that JR would be carrying the engine and walking back to our boat. It really made us mad to have Allen lie to our face about the engine and blaming us for not knowing how to use the engine properly. It doesn't make sense, after using the engine for 8 months without any problems that we just forgot how to work it properly. Riiight. When we get the engine back on the dinghy we find the starter pull chord to be a foot and a half too short. We deduce that Allen or his workers just cut the original chord where it was frayed and reattached the handle. There was no replacement chord installed, we paid them to cut our chord. Wow, talk about cutting corners and ripping people off. I am appalled at this kind of cheating business. It doesn't matter for car or anything else, dealers are thieves! They can't be trusted to do a good job and they will rob you blind! Honesty is not in their vocabulary, but I digress. While we waited for the engine from the dealer we missed another good weather window to cross the Gulf Stream. But at least we had a good time meeting a Danish and German family in the harbor. We had a nice potluck dinner and bonfire with them along with some other friends and other people with boats in the marina. We also had a fun time going to Trivia night on Friday at the Sandbar Grill & Bar. JR cleaned out the carburetor in the outboard engine and it began working without issue so we looked for another weather window. We were going to leave Tuesday night, but that day we couldn't keep our outboard engine running again! We were disheartened from our bad luck at being foiled the day we want to leave yet again. So I do laundry while JR goes back to Frodo to get tools to work on the outboard again. By the end of the day we get the entire carb assembly cleaned out and found a lot of crystals blocking the air vent tubes in the back of the engine due to the salt water exposure. We start the engine and it runs! But then we check Passage Weather and they predict bad weather (20+ knots winds) Abaco Islands, Bahamas. So we decide to wait until the next weather window. The Danish family decides to leave but then their outboard motor doesn't run at high revolutions so JR goes to their boat and help fix their engine. Within an hour or so JR got their engine running smoothly. It turns out it was their carburetor as well. They want us to leave with them, but when we see the weather prediction we decide to not go. They said they would rather be stuck out there than here and I agree, but we stayed to be on the cautious side. The current weather was also looking like thunderstorms looming and we didn't want to be caught in lightning. At this point, I feel like we are never going to leave Florida on our boat. I don't understand why something always goes wrong the day we want to leave. This is really testing my patience. I feel like I have been very patient because we were supposed to be in the Bahamas back in November of last year, but now it is 7 months later and we are still in Florida. I feel like I am wasting my time because I could have traveled to so many places with the time I have been stuck here. I have learned that if you really want to go somewhere, a plane or car would be less problematic methods of transportation. I have to remind myself that I am grateful for not having to work and still having some fun while on the boat. I can't get myself down just because we aren't going anywhere on the boat. We are "Living the dream..."