Year: 2012

The gap in the old Flagler Railroad bridge providing access to the Bahia Honda State Park Anchorage and Beaches

While on anchor, we enjoyed live music and sing-alongs by Craig, beautiful sunsets, and one spectacular full moon rise right after sunset. We cooked delicious meals, enjoyed our great friends, and loved sharing the peaceful life aboard Island Spirit.

The best way to present the joy of these past few days is via my photographs…..thank you, Wendy and Craig, for being such wonderful friends….

Wendy and Craig Joined us in Key West, Fl

Homemade Bread, Key Lime Pie and Radeen’s Famous Cocoa Brownies All baked on Island Spirit on a rainy morning

Departing Key West, FL, passing three Cruise Ships

Sailing Hawk Channel North, 35 NM to Bahia Honda State Park

Island Spirit anchored 100 yards off the beach at Bahia Honda

Island Spirit at anchor viewed from atop the Flagler Railroad Bridge

Flagler Railroad Bridge with the old road surface on top of the structure. The original railroad tracks from 1912 are on the bottom..

Close up of the deteriorating road surface looking south towards Key West

Enjoying the sunsets from the Bahia Honda anchorage

Bahia Honda, Flagler Railroad Bridge Sunset

Wendy and Craig, enjoying the sunset and full moon rise at anchor

Live music provided by Craig, who is a very talented guitarist and singer

Wendy and Radeen enjoying the sunset and moon rise, Bahia Honda, FL

Walks on the beach with local wildlife

As close as we could get…. the egret launches into flight

Team Island Spirit walks the beach, while the butterflies work the flowers

Team Island Spirit jumped a local golf cart and toured the island… Drive it like you stole it…..just kidding! (Thank you to the friendly park manager, who kindly offered us the keys to her own private cart!)

Arriving back at Harbour Cay Club, Craig entertains the fleet at the 5 o’clock Tiki Hut gatherings

A most beautiful full moon rise over Bahia Honda with reflections in the water Viewed from Island Spirit, on anchor

What a terrific week with great friends, unexpectedly good sailing, delicious meals, many laughs and fun sharing new destinations. It was wonderful to share this cruising life with Wendy and Craig and to sail into new anchorages and then explore together. Life is so simple on a sailboat. We realize everyday how lucky we are to live this dream and to share it with good friends.

These lower Florida Keys and the protected Hawk Channel turns out to be a fantastic sailing destination. The channel is protected by the offshore reef and on the other side it is protected by the Florida Keys, so it is usually calm. The water color is so beautiful and the wind is usually very steady, so you get these fantastic sailing days like we had yesterday. The leg from Key West Harbor to Bahia Honda State Park is 35 NM, lucky for us, as after brief motor run of an hour, the wind clocked right just enough for Team Island Spirit to sail close hauled North up the Hawk Channel. Here is our blog entry for the day, a spectacular sailing video…..

Wendy and Craig. Our Live entertainer, Craig sings our new theme song… “I love this BOAT!” Craig wrote the beautiful lyrics.

Our great friends, Wendy and Craig, arrived Key West to take us up on the challenges of living on Island Spirit and braving the high seas as we set sail for the treacherous Hawk Channel.  I know Craig, he will want to sail over the reef and out to sea and not come back, but our destination will be northeast to Marathon and the paradise of Harbour Cay Club. Wendy and Craig have sailed with us in New England, Chesapeake Bay, and the Caribbean on many sailing trips. It is great to be on a boat with such good friends and great boaters.

For now, we need to explore Key West, take in the sights and enjoy this entertaining town. There is just so much to see, and too little time. I notice that Key West is far better when arriving by boat as opposed to arriving by car or bus. You see the harbor in a better perspective and it seems more remote than driving down that infamous Route 1 and all the bridges. Henry Flagler had a great vision when he build the overseas railroad reaching Key West and bringing the tourist industry to town.

Our location is the Galleon Marina and Resort where we have a beautiful pool, great docks and it is located right in town.

A walk to the southern most point at the end of Duval Street was our mission #1.

An evening walk down Duval Street presents you with 350 bars, t-shirt shops great music and places like Sloppy Joe’s, Hog’s Breath Saloon, The Bull, and Captain Tony’s.

We are enjoying the neighborhood and extra lighting to our starboard side. Missing Card II is a 65′ Princess Motor Yacht docked next to us. It is a magnificent yacht and beautifully lit at night!

Missing Card II, a Princess 65′ Motor Yacht

Hayden and Radeen listening to Craig’s live entertainment of… “An Ode to Island Spirit – I Love this Boat” Thank you, Craig and Wendy!.

Docked at Galleon Marina, Key West, FL Yes that is a 65 footer next to us called MISSED CARD II

After one of our best-ever offshore over night passages, we arrived Key West, FL, where we dropped anchor in the harbor and slept. The next day we did not even drop the dinghy or leave the boat. We worked on our boat all day and used the time to catch up on various boat chores and services. We planned to move into our reserved slip a day early so we could wash the boat, do laundry and shopping, much needed from being out on the anchor for the past 3 weeks. We also are very excited for the arrival of our great friends, Wendy and Craig. They will board Island Spirit Sat AM and we may not let them off until we get to Miami….don’t tell em….:-)

We reserved a dock at the Galleon Marina, the #1 spot in Key West, and will be spoiled by the amenities and the convenience to town and Duval Street. Key West is really a fun place and docking here, in town, will make it even better, especially with good friends.

Basic Map of our approach, anchorage, and dock, then off to Hawk Channel

The Marina’sSuper Bowl Party with large projector TVs will be here

Duval Street and the famous SLOPPY JOE’s

Thanks to Carey and Bobbie on Catspaw, we pressed on from Marathon to explore these Florida West Coast locations:

• Shark River anchorage in the Everglades
• Marco Island, Factory Bay anchorage
• Fort Myers Beach mooring field
• Cabbage Key anchorage in Pine Island Sound for Cheeseburgers
• Pelican Bay anchorage to explore Cayo Costa State Park and beach
• Punta Gorda anchorage in Peace River to discover this great town
• Charlotte Harbor sailing with Boca Grande Inlet access to sea
• Offshore sailing Boca Grande Inlet to Key West Fl, 135 nm direct

 The West coast of Florida is SPECTACULAR with great sailing, beautiful harbors and very friendly people. We only explored 1/3 of the west coast and there is plenty more to discover by boat. We can now see why Charlotte Harbor is a boating center because the sailing is wonderful and the anchorages plentiful. We had many dolphin swimming with Island Spirit as we sailed from Punta Gorda back to Pelican Bay. What a pleasure to see these beautiful animals in the wild, so playful, under our bow. West Coast of Florida…we need to come back….we need to discover more….

Our best photos of this section….

Radeen with the crowds at Cayo Costa State Park

A view to the south….no one except us and birds…Radeen reading Randy Wayne White’s “The Heat Islands”

A view to the north….no one…this is Cayo Costa State Park, FL, accessible only by boat

Pelican Bay anchorage off Cayo Costa State Park, the opposite side of the beach

Our buddy boat, IP-460 Cutter Loose, off Punta Gorda in Peace River

Sailing Charlotte Harbor on a Monday AM

Sunset off shore, “red at night…..”

Sunset offshore melting into the sea

Look at the beautiful colors…

After this, the winds picked up to 15-20 knots all night long. Perfect sailing in beam winds for 135 nm.

Cabbage Key, cheeseburger in paradise, famous dollar bar

Radeen off Island Spirit in Pelican Bay, Fl

Our best Cayo Costa Beach Photo….

This Park Ranger lives on Cayo Costa and shared an Island History presentation with us

The ICEHOUSE PUB in Punta Gorda, what a great place for a cold beer

Radeen enjoys the dolphin show off the bow of Island Spirit, Charlotte Harbor

We are now in Key West and our first Florida West Coast sail has ended. We will prepare for our good friends Wendy and Craig’s arrival on Sat am. Together, we will enjoy Key West for a few days at the popular Galleon Marina and then maybe we can entice them to go for a sail up Hawk’s Channel to anchor out on a nice sandy beach….ahhh….the Florida Keys in February….perfect!

Today is Reflection Day as it is exactly one year ago today that we retired from our 30+ year teaching careers. Radeen and I have zero regrets for departing our careers early at the age of 55 and getting on with our sailing and cruising dreams. Here is a summary of year Number One…

Jan 28, 2011, We retire and sign our paperwork, exiting our careers and entering into a new life…

Feb: Road Trip to Florida via car, with friends & family, to pre-explore harbors and towns

 
March: New York City, upper west side condo with Radeen’s family

April: Caribbean Sailing aboard Larking About IP40, Spanish Virgin Islands

May: At home, working on house to prepare for our great house sitter, Ned, to move in

June: Sail Bermuda to Maryland on Larking About, IP40

July/Aug: Island Spirit IP35 Sailing Maryland to Maine for Island Packet Rendezvous in Boothbay.

Aug: Out ran Hurricane Irene NY to MD, return to home slip and prep boat for the storm!

Sept: Prepare boat for ICW south and Bahamas trip #1, including engine overhaul

Oct/Nov: Intracoastal Waterway Southbound for Harbour Cay Club, Marathon, FL Keys

Dec-Jan: Marathon, FL, Living at Harbor Cay Club, Capt Jim’s great marina/home.

Jan: West Coast of Florida Explorations

Year Number One of our retirement is complete and we feel blessed to be able to live out a lifetime planned dream of traveling and sailing. We are nearly in the mid point of our current adventure as we will head for the Bahamas in March and April, exploring the Abacos. Then in the springtime, we will head north up the ICW returning to the Chesapeake Bay in June 2012. At that point, we most likely will head for BLOCK ISLAND, RI for the summer of 2012. Then we will return to the Chesapeake Bay and plan our next leg south. Thank you, everyone, for following our blog and for sharing our dreams…we are blessed….

Ft. Myers Beach, FL

Ft. Myers Beach is a very interesting west coast Florida town with the most beautiful white sand beach. The Gulf of Mexico is calm when the wind is not blowing hard, so there are only little waves. This provides the opportunity for para-sailing and jet skiing right off the beach. The local boaters also anchor their boats there and swim or walk to shore to enjoy beach bars and all-day live music. Welcome to Ft. Myers Beach! During spring break, this place loads up with college crowds.

Hayden and Art aboard Island Spirit enjoying a toast after the 12 volt seminar

While in Ft. Myers Beach we had the special opportunity to connect with our Island Packet list member, Art R., IP 32 Lagniappe,who is always so helpful to IP members with 12 volt wiring, design, and installations. Art drove 2+ hours to spend the day teaching us about 12 volt systems and electrical issues. His presentation was very informative and so impressive with printed bound handouts, PowerPoint slides, and hands on experiments. We really enjoyed our learning and sharing fascinating stories with Art. Thank you, ART R.!

Craig and Debbie join Island Spirit for a great visit

Not able to hide any better, our other IP friends, Debbie and Craig R. found us in the harbor as they arrived via their Harley Ultra Classic motorcycle. Debbie and Craig had an IP440 and traveled with us in 2008 when we were in Florida for our Drexel studies. We drove north up the ICW and shared their signature dessert, flan, in many harbors together! They astonished us this trip with flan, delivered safely on the bike!

Craig helped me with an improvement for my solar wiring addition and gave me a Harley ride to the West Marine and back that was one to remember. Debbie visited with Radeen and they really enjoyed their chats and sharing. What great friends!

The “Pack of Packets” pressing on into Pine Island Sound

After 4 busy days in Ft. Myers Beach we move on north to Pine Island Sound where we stopped 2 hours short of our destination to experience Cabbage Key and the great cheeseburgers in paradise. The local dollar bar there is amazing with over 50,000 one dollar bills nailed to the walls and ceilings. After lunch the 4 IPs pulled up anchors, and move into Pelican Bay off the State Park, CAYO COSTA. We enjoyed a lively cocktail hour aboard IP-420 Flatlander with Allen and Kathy H. with their friends Bill and Sue, IP-40, Florida Buoy. We plan to stay here a few days and take in the beautiful beach and isolated state park, accessible only by boat.

The Beach at Ft. Myers Beach, these FL people know how to have FUN

Dollar Bar at Cabbage Key, Pine Island Sound, FL.

We are really enjoying this West Coast of Florida as it provides so many harbors, great towns like Marco Island, and Ft. Myers, and beautiful sandy beaches. We can now see why Charlotte Harbor is a base for so many cruising sailboats. We need to explore this area more….for today, we will start with the Cayo Costa State Park Beaches!

Shoreline of Little Shark River, Everglades, FL

After departing Marathon, FL we headed north to the Everglades and into the Little Shark River. This is 35 nm north and it is the first logical anchorage when heading up the west coast of Florida. SP Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi, our fleet leaders, have explored these waters many times and he is showing us the way North. Little Shark River is in the Florida Everglades and there is obviously no development and no services. You are out here on your own and you must rely on yourself and or your buddy boats. At sunset, the no-see-um bugs attacked us and we were driven below decks. With the boat buttoned up, we enjoyed a nice baked chicken dinner and fresh homemade bread. The next day, Cutter Loose and Island Spirit moved on north to Marco Island, while Catspaw waited for the arrival of our other buddy boat, CAVU, who will catch up today.

Shoreline Marco Island, FL…what a contrast 50 miles north!

Marco Island is 56 nm northwest of Little Shark River and in calm winds, we motor sailed the 9 hours to Marco, entering Capri Pass and winding our way down into the Factory Bay anchorage. By 5pm we were anchored with Cutter Loose and enjoyed a night out at THE SNOOK INN which is a very good restaurant and pub. It is interesting to compare Little Shark River/Everglades to Marco Island! These two places are only 50 miles apart, yet they are at total ends of the spectrum. South Florida is beautiful, warm, diverse and has very shallow water. It is an interesting contrast to all the other places we have sailed. It is great to be back on the move again exploring by water. Island Spirit is a great boat, and she is running well….lucky we are….

Perfect sailing day, 35 nm north to Lil Shark River

Full sails and 12 knots on a close reach, Gulf of Mexico, FL

The boat is run 100% by solar power now! The 350 watts ran…. Autopilot, computers, network, instruments, and freezer/refrigeration

Free electricity via 350 watts of solar….nice!

SP Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi, anchored in Little Shark River

Sunrise leaving Little Shark River, Everglades, FL

Computer screen showing the course to Marco Island, around the shoals

Anchored with the Rich and maybe Famous in Factory Bay, Marco Island, FL

Radeen and Hayden … Life is good…

Eric and Patricia….our boat buddies and good friends on Cutter Loose

We will stay here a day, in Marco Island and wait for CAVU and CATSPAW to arrive and then the fleet of 4 will move up to Ft. Myers for a stay there….

Island Spirit’s home Dec/Jan 2011/2012

This is a first time experience for Radeen and me, that being one of sadness to depart a harbor, to press on, to leave the comforts of home. We have been moving about aboard our sailboat for 10+ years and never have we felt more at home than here at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon, Florida. There is really something special about this place, yet I can’t properly describe it.  We have traveled by boat from Maine to Marathon and many points in between and nothing compares to this unique place.

Sadly, we have nearly completed the preparations for heading out to sea. The power cord is stored, the dinghy motor is serviced and stored, the fuel is topped off as well as the water tank. Provisions have been bought and stored and all systems: fuel, oil and coolant all serviced, changed and checked. We are ready, yet we really do not want to leave. It is a very odd feeling, one that we both have never felt before. Most places you visit, you explore, and discover and then you are ready to move on to the next place. Here, there is a feeling of community, family, friends, and close neighbors. We were like visitors in a friends home, welcomed and invited to stay as long as we liked. We booked a month, the longest we have ever stayed anywhere and now, it is hard to leave.

Thank you HCC owners for sharing your home with us

So, thank you to everyone who is an active owner at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon. You all have built a special place here and we are fortunate to share in this secret paradise. Radeen and I already are planning our next winter trip to stay longer.

Our next planned trip is to explore the West Coast of Florida from the Everglades up to Pine Island Sound and Cayo Costa. After 2 weeks there, we will sail overnight south to Key West where we will share a week with good friends. After Key West, we will move north to Biscayne Bay where we will spend 2 weeks in prep for our Bahamas trip.

Every day, we wake and recognize how lucky we are to be: healthy, happy, and able to live this cruising dream. Thank you for following us….

GOOD BYE PHOTOS…

Good Bye Christmas Breakfast with Moet

Good Bye Sunset Grill vistas

Good Bye TiKi Hut “Cone of Knowledge” happy hours

Good Bye HCC Sunsets

Good Bye Lenny the pet Iguana hidden in the tree

Good Bye Shuffle Board Challenges, we will return

Good Bye Pet Manatees…we wanted to swim with you

Good Bye daily bike rides to the store, home depot, friends in other marinas, post office, dive shops, etc.

Hello BAHAMAS as we prepare for our first trip!

HCC, Harbour Cay Club is home…it is a great community, it is a place we plan to return to next year. Thank you, for making us feel at home…..See you next winter!