Lake Worth Stay

JANUARY 18, 2007 (Lake Worth) Spent today trying figure out a solution for my muffler for my genset. Lot of hours, not a lot accomplished…no real solution….back starting to hurt…..bad day. JANUARY 19, 2007 (Lake Worth) The second “mental” day of the trip. I’m writing this the day after, so I’m not as crazy as yesterday…luckily. Long story short, I hurt my back-some how- (which many of you know wrecked about 10 years of my life) and it was getting worse, putting me in a nasty funk! Besides that, had a lot on my mind with getting prepared for the Bahamas… and business…stressing the crap out of me! Horrible day…glad it came to an end!!! (I can never figure out if my back hurting brings on the stress or the stress brings on the hurting back?- all I know is it escalates to a point where I wouldn’t want to be around me! Know thyself? If I knew myself I would run away! : ) JANUARY 20, 2007 (Lake Worth) Spent the morning driving around for the last parts I need (we rented a car) . All my other parts came in the mail today…YAAAAHOOOOO! I got about 80% of what I needed today. Took a Jacuzzi to help my back. By afternoon my back was improving which improved my mood dramatically. Changed a hose on my generator (with help from John) and since I couldn’t square away my generator muffler, I fixed it up with a wire wheel and some JB weld….amazing stuff! Ivor (Lazy Susan) came by to visit us. We talked for a while and had a good time. Went to an awesome Italian restaurant and had a great time. Found out that 2 of the yachts here (100’+) are owned by a ball player, someone Ken Griffy, Jr. and the other by some guy who owns the NASCAR tracks. At the marina next to us is “Privacy”, Tiger Woods yacht (I think it’s a 140’). Tomorrow we are driving to the Everglades tomorrow, should be fun.

Stuart to Lake Worth / N.Palm Beach

JANUARY 15, 2007 (Stuart to Lake Worth/N.Palm Beach) When we got up we though we would stay. The weather was overcast and a little rainy, but the air was still and the water was calm. After talking it over we decided to move on to Lake Worth (this way, when we get our weather window, for the Bahamas, we will be in position to make a move). The cruise to Lake worth was really nice. Unfortunately, Miss Liberty lost their “Looper flag” somewhere along the way. We felt real bad for them, because although it can be replaced, it will not have the year of weather and travel that they have “earned”. We “dragged” through some really shallow channels. One read 4’1 and our boat draws (boat depth under water) 4’3. Luckily it only lasted about 100 yards. The houses along this stretch were really beautiful…and the boats to match. When we arrive at the marina there are some really amazing yachts there. The two nicest ones are, “Chosen One“ and “Magic” (130’ tri-deck)….unbelievable! We walked over to take a look and the fenders were bigger (a lot bigger) than Jaycie. Looking at these awesome boats reminds me of a movie where, pointing to his own boat, a guy says, “You see that big white yacht over there?” and the girl says, “That’s yours?”. To which the guy replies, “No, mine is the piece of sh*# next to it, covered in seagull crap!” JANUARY 16, 2007 (Lake Worth) Great marina. We picked a perfect place to stay (even if we have to hang out for 10-20 days). Upscale marina, discounted rates (thanks, boat US), heated pool, hot tub and every store you can think of….what’s not to like? Spent the day making lists of what I need for mechanicals for the Bahamas. Ordered lots of spare parts. Glad we will be here awhile, I have quite a few things I want to do before we leave. John and I took our bikes into town for some hoses and West Marine incidentals (but we’ll be back again), while the girls all walked into to town to get some groceries. Had to get my quarantine and Bahamian flag. We also want to rent a car and go to the everglades from here. Ivor (from Lazy Susan- a while back), lives nearby and we all will be getting together for dinner on Friday. We’re all looking forward to it. Had dinner on Miss Liberty and then went up for a Jacuzzi….AHHHHHHH! JANUARY 17, 2007 (Lake Worth) We’ll probably be here awhile, so unless there is something worth writing about, I will keep these brief. A front is coming in with wind and rain. Walking early this morning, the sky was looking very ominous (although not raining yet), and yet there was a huge, bright rainbow across the dark sky…wild! Cleaned all contacts on generator wires, checked inventory of fluids and filters. Measured for hoses needed, cleaned out exhaust elbow and adjusted fan belt tension on genset.

Clewiston to Stuart

JANUARY 14, 2007 (Clewiston to Stuart) GREAT sleep! Beautiful morning. Each day we settle in a little bit more. Miss Liberty narrowed down the water leak to water getting in (from somewhere) when he is doing his wash down at the end of the day-he’ll try to narrow down “where from”. We get word that 30 boats are sitting and waiting to cross to the Bahamas. We heard from Happy Clams and they want to see if we can get to Lake Worth in 2 days to cross with them (that’s the weather window-good time to cross). The weather/water has been so bad for crossing that there are around 30 boats at anchor waiting to cross. Its not that unusual, for this time of year. It’s not unusual to wait from 10-20 days for a weather window. We talk it over and decide not to rush and cross. There is a lot of provisioning and preparation to do before crossing. We will be there from 6-8 weeks and there aren’t grocery, marine, auto parts or Walmarts like there are here. We don’t want to rush and then arrive unprepared. We left Clewiston and headed across the “great” Lake Okeechobee… it is BIG and beautiful. One thing I will say for Florida is that the weather really is beautiful this time of year (spoke with Christy and she told us about a cold front they were getting back home-no thanks!). Weather went from sunny, to cloudy to windy and back again. As we got to the other side of the lake we saw a huge cloud of black smoke. It was from a local sugar cane plant, where this time of year, they burn all the sugar cane plants in order to prepare for the next harvest. All in all though, a really nice cruise, albeit a little long. We didn’t account for all the no wake, manatee zones, which slowed our travel time by a lot. We did one more lock, and for Miss Liberty, it is their last lock of the trip. While traveling, we tried to line up a marina and EVERYONE was full. There was a boat show going on and no one had room. Finally we get lucky and arrive to a “near empty” beautiful marina. We find out it just opened 2 days ago. They still have nothing on any of their shelves in the office. As we look around it hits us… this is the marina across from the Trawler fest (boat show/seminar) we went to 2 and 4 years ago, when we first started to plan this trip. Our first “Great Loop seminar” was here! How wild to come in from the water side to where it all began…AWESOME! We didn’t immediately recognize the area, because when we were last here, this marina which held 1,000 boats was hit so hard by hurricanes that all their docks were gone and they only held about 100 boats. They whole area was a disaster. Now the marina is back and there are condos and unbelievable amounts of construction going on. I guess time really does heal all. We got a drink at a little “wood deck” café we knew of, went to Wahoo restaurant and then called it a night.

Clewiston

JANUARY 13, 2007 (Clewiston) We use the first day to work on finishing up some work and boat stuff. Miss Liberty had a water leak and asked me what I thought. It was fresh water, but didn’t know where it was coming from. I recommended putting food coloring in the tank and see if any of the colored water ended up in the bilge. He did, and it didn’t (which is good because its not coming from his water tank). Joyce, Jaycie and Sue get the “loaner limo” and go to town (it really is a limousine, only from 1970...SWEET! J When they got back we hired a fan boat to take us out on Lake Okeechobee. It was a blast flying (especially compared to a trawler) through the tall grass and shallow water. We went where no trawler has gone before! Alligators, birds and nature everywhere. Very exciting. We saw a lot of bass boats out there. There is a tournament on. We even saw one where he shouldn’t be…and stuck! We went over to see how they were doing, but they were real “macho men” and basically ignored our inquiry. Our fan boat driver, who tows boats out of the shallows regularly, told them one of them would have to get out and push….good luck!…and we were off! Push…with the alligators….have fun! (They should have been a little more cordial and I’m sure the fan boat would have pulled him out). We got back, went to see the some of the results of the fishing contest and then all had dinner on our boat. Great day, but we all still have that feeling inside that we “broke our momentum” and can’t get fully “back in the groove“. But it’s only been a couple of days, so we’ll give it a little more time.

Turkey Creek to Clewiston

JANUARY 12, 2007 (Turkey Creek to Clewiston) New battery set-up worked great. Tried to run down batteries overnight, but engines started fine (without even using my “back-up” battery). Hopefully we will be all set for the Bahamas. Even though I haven’t slowed down yet, it is very comfortable being back on the boat-although not adjusted to our cruising lifestyle yet. Still a few business things to finish up and with the Bahamas coming up quickly, a lot of work to be done in preparations. It was a long cruise today. We started out with a lock right away, but by now, even though pretty high winds, they are no problem. Everywhere you look is flatland. Surprisingly we have not seen a lot of alligators. Then just before we turn into the last lock (which is open to cruise straight through), on the port side is a HUGE alligator. I mean giant! Unfortunately, we were so in awe, we never ran to get the camera…sorry (and NO, it’s not like the fish that got away!). We went through the lock and the marina was a short distance away. The lock, we found out, is to save the town. Should the river and lake go to flood stage they would close the doors to keep the water out. As we pull up to the dock we can see Miss Liberty on the wall….very exciting to see them again. We tie up and there is a Tiki bar with live music…I feel like I’m on vacation. Great atmosphere. We see John & Sue and have a great reunion. We go to dinner and talk about being home for 3 weeks. They did about the same but have been back about a week now. They said, they still haven‘t fully settled in yet either.

Turkey Creek

JANUARY 9, 2007 (Home back to Turkey Creek) We flew back and got picked up at the airport by Dawn (our friend). She brought us to Price Club for supplies and we went back to her house. She had arranged for her family (Mom, Dad, Brother, Wife and Kids), who we already know, to come to her house for dinner with us. GREAT people! Had a really good time. Dawn and Mark (her brother), drove us back to the boat (about 45 minutes away). We walked up to the boat and it felt VERY STRANGE. We had everything closed up for 3 weeks and they had 80-85 degree weather the whole time. Unfortunately, it was too late to open up and air out and settle in, so we’ll do it tomorrow. Definitely, a weird feeling being back. JANUARY 10, 2007 (Turkey Creek) Slept GREAT! When we all woke up we felt like “we’re home”. We like sleeping on the boat better than at home. Got invited to have a cup of tea with Mark & Joyce (the owner’s of the dock we are at). Talked to him about my electrical system (it’s what he does and he knows EVERYTHING). After lunch he came on board and we went through everything. He made some relatively simple changes that rearranged where and how power was being distributed from my batteries. Now I should be set-up to have reserve power for starting in the mornings. Since we will be “on the hook” (at anchor) a lot in the Bahamas, I wanted to be squared away with that. Also checked the leak from the port rudder and only took on about a pint of water. I showed it to Mark and he agreed, it isn’t going to be necessary to haul the boat to fix it. I can wait until we get back (famous last words). Anyway, that’s great news because it means we won‘t have to lay up. Also, my battery charger, that died a ways back, can be removed completely since my inverter has a “built in” smart charger (and I have a portable backup). Love removing clutter from my engine room and freeing up space. Joyce started home school again with Jaycie and I finished up the “suggested changes” that Mark told me. They invited us for cocktails with “Skinwalker“ (their friends who drove us to the airport). Had a nice time. Got more advice about the Bahamas and told them about the Trent Severn, Georgian Bay and North Channel (which they will be doing this summer). Spoke with TT, they are still stuck in Dog River, AL. waiting for weather (about 2 weeks behind us). Spoke with Miss Liberty, they are about 1 day ahead of us. Couldn’t finish all my work on the boat today, so I’ll do it tomorrow. JANUARY 11, 2007 (Turkey Creek) Beautiful morning. Had breakfast on the sundeck. Looks like we are planning on leaving in the morning so I will finish my work and test start the engines today. Finished everything and all went well. We took a walk around the area one more time, we will leave in the morning. Still in a bit of “high gear” from being home. Haven’t settled in yet.

OUR VISIT HOME

DECEMBER 15 - JANUARY 8, 2006 (HOME) WOW! A lot has gone on the last few weeks. But, since it really isn’t trip related, I will give you the super short version. The first week home was a MAJOR re-adjustment for us. Forgot how “fast” New York really is (although coming back holiday week didn’t help that). It was hard to get use to “normal” life on land. Our kids did an amazing job with our house and business. We couldn’t be prouder! Had a busy time going to parties and visiting family and friends. It was great to see Jaycie playing with her friends. Time went quick, but we are all ready to get back to the boat. A lot of people asked me if Jaycie was excited to go back? I answered, it seemed like it. The night before I heard her singing a song in our back room “I’m so excited to go back to the boat!”. She even wrote down the lyrics…which I kept. It’s good to know that she’s as excited as we are!