Outer Reef

Friday, July 17

Dog River Marina, Mobile, AL

A storm came through in the middle of the night with lots of high wind and lightening. It didn’t last long and the rain cooled things off.

Today we got boarded by the Coast Guard for the fourth time (if you count the time Homeland Security came on board). They do a safety check to make sure we’re dotting all the is and crossing the ts. The last time was our scary crossing to the Bahamas when a cutter with 12 crew members saved us. But, they didn’t leave any paperwork, so we had no proof they’d checked us out. We always pass with flying colors because Larry is so organized. I always feel guilty when they come aboard. Like I’m hiding drugs or contraband.

We crossed Bon Secour Bay and Mobile Bay to reach the Dog River Marina, one of the most popular marinas for those making the “Great Loop” cruise. We’re about 10 miles from Mobile.

We had a delicious dinner at the Mobile Yacht Club, which allows those staying at the Dog River Marina to eat at their fine restaurant.

Sunday we’ll rent a car and go to Austin for a month, so this will be the last posting until we strike out up the river headed for the Tennessee/Tombigbee River System, which will be cruising of a different nature. We are really looking forward to another adventure.

Thursday, July 16

Anchored across from Ingram Bayou, Orange Beach, AL

Today we discovered that we have been in Central Standard Time, not Eastern,  for two days! No wonder it was so dark at 6:30 AM!

We left Florida today and entered Alabama. We anchored across from Ingram Bayou. On our trip east, we anchored here and on our first trip, we anchored in Ingram Bayou. We have anchored 20 days in a row. We think this may be a record for us!

Wednesday, July 15

Cinco Bayou anchorage

The Intracoastal Waterway is not just a ditch, as many believe. Today in the waterway, when it was narrow we saw beautiful trees and suddenly there would be a bay so wide we couldn’t see the other side.

Cinco Bayou is one of our favorite anchorages. We’ve been here three times. This time, we arrived just in time to catch the Wednesday Night Sailboat Races. Several boats passed our anchorage spot as they prepared for the race. They all waved hello.

Sunday, July 12 (Happy Birthday to Larry)

Apalachicola anchorage

I hope Larry wasn’t expecting a birthday cake today. Instead of a big celebration, he put in another long (12 hours!) day crossing the Gulf, but we made it to Dog Island in the early afternoon without any problems! Going the long way around added a day or two to the trip, but was safer in case we had mechanical problems. The weather was good again today: no thunderstorms, no lightening, no high winds, and no big waves. We were glad we waited so long for a weather window!

We decided not to stop at Dog Island and continued on another few hours to Apalachicola, where we anchored for the night. After three long cruising days, we plan to take tomorrow off.

Saturday, July 11

Anchored in the Gulf

Another long day, 10 hours underway, but the weather was good and the waves 1-2 feet. When we anchored, the boat went beam sea and we rolled all night. Larry says this is typical of many trawlers. It is very uncomfortable. Terry took her seasick med and survived without discomfort.

Friday, July 10

Cedar Key Anchorage

We were delayed leaving Anclote Key this morning because two fins broke off the impeller, which caused the overheating alarm to sound. Luckily, Larry had a backup, so he was able to solve the problem in a couple of hours.

We decided to go into Cedar Key to anchor for the night, although it was almost 20 miles out of the way. It was tricky getting in because the channel looped and curved and we really had to study the chart and find the markers with our binoculars. We were successful, but by the time we got there, it was too late to get down the dinghy and go into town!

We are not going directly across the Gulf this time because of our recent history of mechanical problems. We’re going around the coast about 15 miles offshore.

Thursday, July 9

Anclote Key anchorage (near Tarpon Springs)

We stopped for fuel this morning at the Clearwater Municipal Marina. We bought 225 gallons of diesel and filled the water tank.

The weather was stormy all day. Very gray. No sun. We stopped at Anclote Key, which is near Tarpon Springs.

Given our recent problems with the engine’s cooling system, we have decided to travel along the coast, known as the Big Bend, instead of cutting across the Gulf to Apalachicola. This will add a day or so to our trip, but will be safer if we break down.

There’s no protected route along the coast and the water’s shallow, but we could get help if we got in trouble.

Wednesday, July 8

Penthouse Anchorage, Clearwater Beach

After a short two-hour trip, we stopped in a well-protected anchorage known as “Penthouse” because it is surrounded by multi-story condominiums. (After observing lights in their windows, we decided many of the condos have low occupancy rates.)

There was no dinghy dock, so we tied up in an abandoned slip in a vacant lot. There was a weather beaten sign advertising a future high rise, a project that appears to have been abandoned. We were a little nervous about leaving the dinghy there, especially when we noticed that the Clearwater Police Station was next door!

We had walked a couple of blocks looking for a place to eat lunch when we discovered Gondolier Italian Restaurant and Pizza. We had a delicious meal. Larry said his subway sandwich was the best he’d ever eaten.

We were relieved to discover the dinghy was still where we left it and no warrants had been issued for our arrest. We returned to the boat in time to miss the afternoon thunderstorms.

These daily storms produce lightening and strong wind, in addition to rain. We don’t like to be away from the boat when they occur, in case the anchor fails. So far, we’ve been lucky. Larry swears by our Fortress anchor.

Tomorrow we’ll top off the fuel tanks at the Clearwater Marina and continue north.

Monday, July 6--Tuesday, July 7

Anchorage north of Welch Causeway Bridge (Madeira Beach)

We’ve been taking advantage of the nearby bus stop. We went to WalMart on Monday and to West Marine on Tuesday. The West Marine guy gave us a lift back to McDonald’s and the dinghy dock, which we appreciated. Another example of hospitality to visiting cruisers.

He told us that the American Legion near where we're anchored is the largest post in the United States and the only one on the water.

We’ve been very lucky with our excursions and have missed the afternoon storms.

Looks like we may have our weather window coming up and we plan to leave Madeira Beach tomorrow.

Friday, July 3-Sunday, July 5

Anchorage north of Welch Causeway Bridge (Madeira Beach)

No weather window yet, so we don’t know when we’ll be crossing the Gulf. We promise not  to become impatient and leave before the seas get calmer. We’ve made that mistake before and lived to regret it!

We are anchored near American Legion Post 273, which is quite a hotspot. They have live music on their deck and piers for boaters. The crowd always seems to be having a good time. It is open to the public, but to buy alcohol you have to be a member ($35).

We took the bus to Sears, a short, easy trip, so Larry could get some metric tools for our English-made Ford Lehman engine. Could the weight of all Larry’s tools sink Outer Reef?

On the 4^th, Madeira Beach put on the best fireworks display we’d ever seen. It was amazing. We had the perfect viewpoint and many boats anchored around us. A great evening.

Sunday morning the AP had a story about a man killed by a lightening strike not too far from where we are.  Lightening causes more deaths in Florida than all other weather hazards combined. The weather service says there are about 1.5 MILLION lightening strikes every year in Florida.  And here we are with a 48 foot mast!

Thursday, July 2

Anchorage north of Welch Causeway Bridge (Madeira Beach)

Storms were still in the area, but between spells of bad weather, we took the dinghy off the pilot house roof and went to McDonald’s very nice dock to meet Sue and John from Alchemy, who live near here. We went to Gators for beer and chicken wings and then to Candy Kitchen, for the most delicious ice cream. It was great catching up with them. We met them first in Bimini and we traveled together in the Exumas.

Wednesday, July 1

Anchorage north of Welch Causeway Bridge (Madeira Beach)

Rain, rain go away! We left St Petersburg in a storm this morning and it’s been stormy all day. We had to go through three bridges, but the bridge tenders were nice and there were no problems.

We have had bad weather ever since we left Texas. It was too windy for months and now it's rained and stormed for several weeks without a break. Not just rain, but lots of lightening and strong winds

.After one false stop, we found our correct anchorage for the night. We hope to meet up with John and Sue from Alchemy here tomorrow. They live nearby. It’s too rainy to get down the dinghy and leave the boat now.

McDonald’s has a dinghy dock near where we’re anchored. There’s a grocery store within walking distance. We hope it clears up tomorrow!

Tuesday, June 30

St Petersburg anchorage

This morning a Sarasota marine policeman told us we were illegally anchored and that we’d have to move or get a citation. So, we left. We had planned to stay the day in Sarasota, but as long as we had to move anyway, we decided to leave.

Storms came through in the morning and while we were underway, but they didn’t last long.

We went through two bridges that had to be opened and crossed Tampa Bay to get to an anchorage just the other side of the Sunshine Bridge. We were surprised to see no other boaters anchored here. The bottom is gooey and soft and the holding isn’t good, so if the anchor doesn’t set and we move in the night, at least we won’t hit anyone!

Monday, June 29

Sarasota anchorage

Today was not our best day. As we were pulling up the anchor, the engine died and a storm arrived. We were worried that, with most of its chain up, the anchor would not hold in the high winds and we would crash into the nearby docks. That didn’t happen, thank goodness, and the storm was short lived.

Larry worked on the engine for a while and finally got it started again. Just as we were pulling up the anchor for the second time, ANOTHER storm hit. It was difficult to see where we were going in the rain.

We had to request several bridge openings today, but our timing was mostly right, so we didn’t have to wait very long.

When we got to Sarasota, we anchored near the marina in a nice cove, a much better spot than our previous anchorage here.

Sunday, June 28

Cape Haze anchorage

Our departure from the marina was stressful because of the strong current and a well meaning, but inexperienced, boater who let go of our line too soon and sent us crashing into the boat in the next slip. No obvious damage was done to either boat, thank goodness.

The dolphins were busy today! We saw several groups playing along the way.

The power boaters were busy, too, speeding by at dangerous speeds too close to us in the channel. Every time we have this kind of experience, we remember why we promised never to travel on the weekend. Yet we continue to do so!

Today we entered the Intracoastal Waterway again and began the series of many lift/bascule/swing bridges in Florida for which we have to request an opening.

We were glad to see that no boats were already anchored when we arrived at one of our favorite cozy spots, Cape Haze. However, soon two boats joined us, one from Ohio and the other from Louisiana. We’ve stopped here four times and this is the first time we’ve had company in this pretty place.

Thunderstorms appear to be heading our way. That’s the bad news. The good news is they could cool things down a bit.

Thursday, June 25-Saturday, June 27

Moss Marina, Ft Myers Beach, FL

Larry has been busy in the engine room and we hope that the cooling system and generator problems have been solved.

Terry spent one afternoon shopping and found the few items she was searching for all in the same shop. (Not one of the gazillion t-shirt/souvenir/bathing suit places here. How do they all stay in business?)

Larry had the best hamburger he's eaten since we left Texas in February at the Smoked Oyster Brewery, which is a short walk from the marina.

We can’t get over how crowded the beach is! There’s hardly room to walk. The umbrellas are very colorful and the people watching is fun, except for all the sunburned folks. We wish we had the aloe concession.

We plan to leave Ft Myers Beach on Sunday.

Tuesday, June 23-Wednesday, June 24

Moss Marina, Ft Myers Beach, FL

Tuesday we took the trolley to the UPS store to pick up our forwarded mail. Senior fare was 25 cents. We are becoming masters at using public transportation!

Wednesday morning we went out on the Big M Casino boat, which is based at this marina. Wednesday is Senior Citizen Day. Admission and the buffet are free for Goldie Oldies. The food was good! The Big M is smaller than the Texas Treasure, but much nicer. Sadly, our luck stayed the same.

The water was rough when we left and got worse. People were sick. The machine selling sea sick remedies was sold out. The bartender gave the sufferers ginger ale.

Larry estimated the waves to be 8-10 feet. At the ticket window before we boarded, there was a sign that said the seas would be “moderate, 2-4 feet”. That must have been an old posting.

Saturday, June 20-Monday, June 22

Moss Marina, Ft Myers, FL

With the rental car, we were able to reprovision for two weeks easily at Publix on Saturday. A car sure beats a dinghy for dealing with groceries!

Sunday we met Mike and Harriett from Dual Dreams and Todd and Brenda from Life’s 2 Short for a Fathers Day pancake breakfast at Bonita Bill’s dockside bar/restaurant. It is completely open-air, but it does have a roof. We arrived at 9:30 AM and left at 4:30 PM! We didn’t eat pancakes the entire time, of course! We switched to beer at some point. Bonita Bill’s puts plastic bags full of ice in the buckets to keep the beer cold. We really enjoyed visiting.

Both of these couples have traveled the Tennessee/Tombigbee river systems, our next destination. We got some helpful tips about negotiating the systems’ many locks and some advice on marinas and anchorages. Todd and Brenda will be doing the river trip at the same time we are, so we hope to see them along the way. Mike and Harriett are in the Ft Myers city marina for the next 12-18 months.

Friday, June 19

Matanzas Mooring Field, Ft Meyers Beach, FL

We got great deal on a rental car, so we'll be buying groceries and picking up marine supplies over the weekend. A long time ago, we promised ourselves we would never travel or shop on the weekends, but once again, we're ignoring that rule.

The driver who picked us up used many shortcuts to drive us back to the Enterprise office. We think rental car drivers should be required to use the easiest route for customers to remember!

We checked out the Moss Marina and decided to move there tomorrow morning. Is it a coincidence that a gambling boat leaves from this marina?

Thursday, June 18

Matanzas Mooring Field, Ft Myers Beach, FL

We picked up a mooring ball in the Matanzas Mooring Field in Ft Meyers Beach in the early afternoon. The field has a lot of unclaimed spots, probably because this is not "the season."

We dinghied in to check in and then rode across to Parrot Cay, the restaurant at Salty Sam's marina. We had happy hour drinks and a delicious early supper. We checked out the marina. We may move from the mooring ball to this marina in a couple of days.

We got back to the boat just in time to miss a bad thunderstorm. It was the worst one yet this trip. We were really glad we were on a mooring ball and didn't have to worry about an anchor failing. Lots of lightening. Some of it went sideways, from cloud to cloud.

Wednesday, June 17

Anchored in Factory Bay, Marco Island

We decided to take today off, so we moved from our unprotected anchorage to Factory Bay, which is close by and well protected. We were exhausted after our 20-hour run Tuesday.

Tuesday, June 16

Anchorage near the beach at Marco Island

We got off to a very early start Tuesday morning. The water was smooth and clear. We could see the bottom in 10-foot depth and watched dolphins underwater racing along with us.

About noon, the problem with the cooling system kicked up again and we anchored for four hours so Larry could work on the problem. It was still and hot!

Finally, we got started again, but had to go very slowly (5 mph!). The seas were very pleasant until evening, when thunderstorms kicked up the waves. Lightening and storms were all around us, but we never got rain and the lightening didn't get close until very early in the morning.

We finally arrived at Marco Island at 3:15 AM! We just pulled in close to the beach and anchored. A very long day. We traveled 90 miles, most of it 20 miles offshore.

Sunday, June 14--Monday, June 15

Mooring Ball, Boot Key Harbor  

Larry spent two days in the engine room and finally solved, we hope, our cooling problem.

So.....we plan (again) to leave tomorrow.

Saturday, June 13

Mooring Ball, Boot Key Harbor  

Larry did some more work testing the cooling system. He can't find the problem.

We decided to leave for the west coast of Florida tomorrow, Sunday, and stay within easy calling distance of Tow Boat US, in case we get in trouble and need to be towed in.

We had a nice lunch at The Stuffed Pig. The people there are so friendly and the food is good.

Friday, June 12

Mooring Ball V6, Boot Key Harbor City Marina, Marathon, FL

When we started to leave this morning at 6:30, the strange engine sound recurred. We had hoped that Larry's hours in the engine room yesterday had fixed the problem.

He talked for a long time with several experts from Ford Lehman and we finally decided to return to the marina. We couldn't proceed across the Gulf with a less-than-fully-functional engine.

The problem could be serious. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Thursday, June 11

Anchorage near 7-mile bridge outside Boot Key Harbor

We left the mooring ball at Boot Key Harbor at 8:15 for the short trip to Burdine's for fuel.

It was our best fueling experience ever. There were three tanned and tattooed young ladies who couldn't have been more helpful. Burdine's has its own lines for boats to use, so we didn't need any help tying up. We bought 200 gallons of fuel at $3.01 per gallon. That includes tax and a 10 percent discount for buying 200 gallons.

After our fill-up, we headed out and had been underway less than an hour when we heard a strange, loud noise. We stopped immediately and put out an anchor.

Larry went into the engine room to investigate. He found evidence of sea life in our sea chest. We think it may have been scraped loose during yesterday's bottom job. But, of course, it could have been just a coincidence.

Larry spent five hours working in the engine room. Yesterday was a record breaking scorcher and today was no better. So, it was very hot in the engine room.

We decided just to stay here for the night and leave early in the morning. We're not sure we've got the problem solved, but we haven't heard the strange noise again.

A thunderstorm struck about 8 o'clock. There was a lot of lightening, which was scary because we'reon the water and our mast is the tallest thing around!

Wednesday, June 10

Mooring Field, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL 

We had a delicious breakfast at The Stuffed Pig, which is within walking distance of the marina. Afterward, Terry walked to Crane Point Museum and Nature Center and Larry returned to the boat.

Crane Point has a museum of natural history, nature trails, a butterfly meadow, the oldest house outside of Key West (made of "tabby," burnt sea shells), a wild bird rescue center.

Barnacle Bill came to the boat at noon and replaced the zinc and scraped all the barnacles off the bottom of the boat and scrubbed it.

We put the dinghy on top of the boat in preparation for tomorrow's departure.

Sunday, June 7--Tuesday, June 9

Mooring Field, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL

While Larry worked in the engine room, Terry took advantage of being within walking distance of town, did some shopping and got a mani/pedi. Such luxury!

The luxury bubble burst the next day when she spent all morning in the marina's laundry. Larry needed something from an auto shop, which was not within walking distance. We got a cab with a great driver. He stopped twice for us, waited while Larry shopped and then dropped us off at a restaurant we hadn't tried because it was so far from the marina. All this for $7.

After dinner, we called the same cab company to pick us up. This driver delivered us non-stop to the marina for $9. The cabs here don't have meters, so I guess the drivers just pick a price!

Larry dove under the boat to see if the zinc was still there. (Zinc helps prevent electrolysis and protects the prop and the prop shaft.) Was he surprised to find that a line was wrapped around the prop shaft! This happened during our troubles crossing going to the Bahamas.

Barnacle Bill is coming Wednesday to put a new zinc on and take the line off. We've postponed our departure until Thursday.

We haven't taken any pictures here this time because we took a lot when we were here a few months ago.

Thursday, June 4--Saturday, June 6

Mooring Field, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, FL  

This is definitely the slow season here. During our last stay here, when we were waiting for a weather window to leave to the Bahamas, the dinghy dock was always full. Now it's less than half full.

Saturday we took the bus to Key West. We went there on the boat during our last cruise. The marina was exorbitantly expensive and we didn't like the mooring field. The bus trip took about an hour and a half and cost $8 (round trip!)

There was a Gay and Lesbian Festival this weekend. We had lunch at a dockside restaurant/bar and watched the parade of tourists. What a place!

Larry observed that we were the oldest people there! 

Wednesday, June 3

Mooring Field, Boot Key Harbor City Marina, Marathon, FL  

We managed to leave the Islamorada anchorage this morning without going aground. Several times there were mere inches between the boat and the bottom!

An inconsiderate boater deliberately rocked us by speeding by within 20 feet of us. They turned around to see how badly we were rocking!

The water here is clear, but green, not blue like the Bahamas. The problem that caused our crossing to the Bahamas to be a near disaster returned today and we had to stop twice, so that Larry could try to fix it. Thank goodness we were in water shallow enough so that we could anchor and the seas were relatively smooth.

Just as we approached the marina, the problem recurred, but we made it to a mooring ball before the engine died.  

We've stayed here twice before and we like it. The people are friendly and helpful. We especially enjoy the Cruisers Net, which is broadcast every morning at 9 AM over the VHS radio channel 68.

There are marine stores here so that Larry can get the parts he needs.

Tuesday, June 2

Islamorada anchorage

Today's trip to Islamorada was a short one, three and a half hours and there were no storms, for the first time in several days.

After we anchored, we got the dinghy down from the roof of the cabin and went in for a late lunch at Lorelei's, the most renowned spot on the island. We took along our rain gear (Mickey Mouse ponchos from Disney World), but we were lucky. Not a drop of rain coming or going.

The lunch was delicious and afterward we took a short walk down US 1, the island's only street.

It was hot when we got back to the boat, so we sat out on the deck and enjoyed the pleasant breeze. Tomorrow we return to Boot Key Harbor, where we spent two weeks waiting for a weather window to go to the Bahamas.

Monday, June 1

Key Largo anchorage

 Storms caught up with us after we left Miami and headed to the Keys, but there wasn't much lightening and the wind wasn't dangerous.

We anchored off Key Largo (which was called Rock Harbor until the Bogart/Bacall movie was made here). We are near the Marriott Hotel/Resort.

We spent several days on Key Largo on our first long cruise, so we didn't go ashore this time.

The evening was beautiful and we enjoyed dinner on deck.

Tomorrow we plan to go to Islamorada.

Sunday, May 31

Miamarina, Miami, Florida

Terry walked about a mile to Macy's today while Larry replaced the hose for the galley sink. An afternoon storm with very high winds and rain hit in the late afternoon. We were glad we were in a marina and not on the open water!

It rained again as we walked back to the boat after dinner out.

We will leave for the Keys tomorrow and hope we get to the anchorage before the daily storm hits. This weather is supposed to continue for a few days.

Thursday, May 28--Saturday, May 30

Miamarina, Miami, Florida

The contrast between Miami and the Bahamas out islands couldn't be starker, but we are glad to be back in the USA. We moved from the anchorage to Miamarina in downtown Miami so that we could check in with customs, do a month's worth of laundry and grocery shop. We rented a car for two days, took a nice road trip to Key Biscayne and got lost in Miami every time we left the marina, but it always felt like we were on an adventure!

Friday night we were amazed at the foot traffic in town. There are a lot of old people here and a lot of barely dressed young people, but we haven't seen many middle-aged people. Where are they hiding?

We stayed at this marina on our last long cruise and like it a lot. It's right in the middle of a downtown hotspot, Bayside. The boats here are large and most are nice, but they don't appear to do much cruising.

 We  We had a great time in Florida. We were leaving , when Terry took this. There was no "Welcome to Alabama" sign.
 
Top of the list of things we don't want to do together: soar over Pensacola suspended from a yellow parachute.This This is Terry's most successful dolphin shot. Most look like the photo below.

Where Where did pelicans poop before the Intracoastal Waterway? Sometimes it's hard to tell the color of the markers.
This  This This windsurfer flitted around the boat all afternoon. He made it look easy!

7/3/09 We've We have seen several of these tourist "pirate ships" along the Florida coast.

7/3/09
 The Madeira Beach bridge opens.

7/3/09
This colorful sky followed a very stormy day in St. Petersburg.

7/1/09This This sculpture suggestive of the famous WWII photo was near our anchorage in Sarasota. Why Sarasota?

6/30/09Someone Please help us identify this bird perching on our dinghy!6/25/09There There were several of these birds at the marina in Ft Myers Beach. We'd never seen this kind before.

6/25/09
Cruisers at Bonita Bill's: Harriet, Todd, Brenda, Mike, Larry and Terry.

6/21/09 An An egret makes itself right at home on our dinghy. There are a lot of egrets around the marina.

6/22/09
 Sunset Sunset on the way to Marco Island. The sun appeared to melt as it entered the sea

.6/16/09
The sea was extremely calm until thunderstorms stirred things up.

6/16/09 
Passing under the Seven-mile Bridge leaving Marathon.

6/16/09  Dawn Sunset at Boot Key Harbor mooring field.

6/16/09There There were a bunch of sticks stuck in the shallow water with a cormorant perched on every one!

6/10/09The The beautiful copper door of the Crane Point Museum and Nature Center in Marathon on Vaca Cay.

6/10/09
 At On Islamorada, we had a great lunch at Lorelei's, where we discovered this subdued artwork.

6/2/09
Sculpture near the Miami marina. We couldn't figure out whether he is blowing the conch shell, which is common in the Florida keys and the Bahamas, or drinking some fruity rum concoction, which is also common.

5/28/09