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We are planning a “Blast to Biscayne Bay” from Marco Island as we wait out the arrival of this current cold front here in Marco Island. If all goes as planned, we will depart Marco Island getting out to the sea bouy by 4-5 pm. Then we will set a full jib on a starboard whisker pole and sail all night down wind in 15-20 knots past Cape Romano and into Channel Five. It will be 16 hours to Channel Five Bridge where we plan to arrive at daybreak sailing under the bridge and into Hawk Channel. Once in Hawk Channel we will turn northeast and be on a beam reach sailing towards Angelfish creek. If all goes well, we should be able to make Angelfish Creek by 4 pm, it is an 8 hour run up Hawk Channel from Channel five to Angelfish Creek. We will then cross over the bar at Angelfish and into Card Sound by sunset. This we are calling “The Blast to Biscayne Bay.”

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The Log rolls over to 100 nm….

Departing Burnt Store Marina and saying good bye to our good Kansas friends, Alan and Kathy, was not easy, but cruisers eventually move on. We left the docks with the winds blowing 20+ knots out of the north and set a staysail on Charlotte Harbor running south. As we headed south towards Cabbage Key once again, our log turned over to 100 nautical miles since leaving Palmetto, FL.  Imagine going 100 miles at 5 miles per hour!

20+ knot winds off the stern as we sail south

It really feels as if we have not gone anywhere as of yet, but then again, this is exactly what the plan is for this year. The plan is to have no plan and to sail where and when we want to, and to anchor and stop wherever. Yes, we are heading to the Bahamas, and, yes, we are heading to the Abacos, especially THE JIB ROOM, and,yes, we are first heading to Marathon and Biscayne Bay. Our calendar on the menu link above has our best guess plans outlined for the next year.

Miss Cher, one of the shrimp boat at Ft. Myers Fl

We are now in Fort Myers Beach Florida on a city mooring ball in the harbor. Moorings are $15.00/ night and we can take the dinghy into the docks and walk to the beach. This is one of our favorite places on the West Coast of Florida with a beautiful beach, a great harbor, and plenty of restaurants, pubs, and shops to explore.

Last night was “date night” at Bonita Bill’s where we connected with more boat buddies, Judy and William of IP37 Optimystique from Tennessee! We enjoyed the freshest shrimp imaginable right off the shrimp boat and listened to a terrific band, (www.DebandRayeh.com). The drummer, Deb, was the lead singer and her partner, Ray, played the keyboard and also sang. Add in a few underlying tracks and they had the crowd dancing to their great cover songs. What a fun night!

Here are a few more photos.

Raadeen in our CAR heading out for date night

Alan and Kathy’s lanai and pool deck, this was tough to leave

Tom and Linda of MV Q’s end. These Canadians are Great Loopers. www.qsend.blogspot.com

Elsie and Jack long time cruising friends of Judy and William

William and Judy (IP37 Optimystique) and Hayden at shrimp night

The best shrimp ever….until the next ones 🙂

Island Spirit breaking in her rig in 20+ knots

Where to next? Most likely down to Marco Island but not until we fully review this beach front town. It is 75 degrees today and the sun might burn off the clouds. Thanks for traveling along.

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Island Spirit with Flatlander at Burnt Store….

We diverted up Charlotte Harbor to Burnt Store Marina so we could visit our wonderful friends, Kathy and Alan, AKA “Kansas Kids” with the IP420 named FLATLANDER. We sailed the Abacos together in 2011 and connected last year in Marathon, too. Alan and Kathy are great friends and we so enjoy visiting them and learning about the BSM area.

Imagine living where you can drive a golf cart from your home to your boat or tennis courts or restaurants or pubs. Now this is a really cool place and I can see why so many people speak so highly about Burnt Store Marina. The only negative I see is that it is 10 miles up one road to Punta Gorda for all services, shopping and support. Otherwise, this is a great boating, golfing and marina setting.

Here are some photos of the past few days….

Our shadows with jackets on the beach…brrrrr

The beach after the 35 knot winds all night long

An Osprey enjoying a local catch

Beautiful bird and a great fisherman

Cocktails and fun visits on IP420 FLATLANDER

Hayden, Radeen and Alan

Alan is well known for his delicious homemade dip

Sunrise after the cold front passes at Cayo Costa

Let’s go to the beach today! So we did…..brrrrrr

Shelling at Cayo Costa Beach is a joy

Morning dew on the varnished teak

My Math teacher friend, Jason, noticed the fractals in this photo Math is cool!

Who wants to dry off the teak?

The sunrise beams though the dew drops and magnifies the grain of the teak

A calm sea motoring to Burnt Store Marina

More dew, more interesting patterns

A cormorant dries its wings in the morning fog

AM fog and beautiful birds, well at least one is…

My favorite Cabbage Key Model

Island Spirit and Flatlander share the docks

Jan, the author of “The Boat Galley Cookbook,” available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble http://commutercruiser.com/ http://commutercruiser.com/the-boat-galley-cookbook/

The fun of cruising is cruising and meeting friends and seeing new places and visiting old places. You go where you want to go, when you want to go and when the weather lets you go. Such is the simple life of a cruiser.

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Radeen and Hayden on the Beach…..

We love it here at Cayo Costa where there is plenty of anchorage area, a Florida State Park, zero development, no services but water, just a beautiful beach with friendly volunteers. Who could ask for more? Not us. Life is great on a cruising sailboat.

Sunset over Cayo Costa as seen from our boat at anchor

It is wonderful to be back living on anchor and living on our sailboat. Life slows down. Life gets so easy (when all systems are working) and life is very peaceful. Yes, we have digital TV, but it has not been on for many days. Yes, we have satellite radio and, of course, listen to the Jimmy Buffett channel. Yes, we have connectivity via Verizon cells and our app PDAnet+  for our WiFi hotspot and, yes, we share via Facebook and this blog. Even with all this connectivity, somehow life on a sailboat is just simple and basic. Days run together, and you are lucky if you even know what month it is, let alone what day of the week it is. You just live, relax, read, laugh, enjoy, explore and discover.

Cayo Costa in Pine Island Sound is one of those places NOT to MISS on the west coast of Florida.  It is located just south of Sarasota and north of Fort Myers Beach. It is a great location with a deep ocean inlet to the north, providing an easy exit if you want to go to sea. For now, we may just stay here for days, after all…..why not?

My favorite way to share this adventure is though my photos. Please enjoy these.

Radeen walking the 1.2 mile trail to the beach

Sunlight illuminates a beautiful palm

Natural Florida with interesting sun light

Wild flower blossoms abound

Welcome to the REAL FLORIDA, Cayo Costa

Prickly Pear Cactus on the sand dunes

One of the many types of seagulls on the beach

7 miles of beach, and only sand, shells and birds

Vegetation running across the dunes

The vast, uncrowded beach

Spanish Moss in the trees along the trails

Our home, Island Spirit, at anchor

The original DOLLAR BAR, Cabbage Key, FL

Sunset at anchor, calm harbor

Typical “Selfie” on the breezy beach at Cayo Costa

Look at the crowds! This is crazy!

The best shell found today, there are so many.

This is where Cayo Costa is located on the west coast of Florida

While our family and friends suffer through yet another Northeast Snow Storm, we count our blessings every day and reflect on this dream we are living and sharing. We wrote down and outlined this dream in 1992, hoping we could make it happen. Now, in 2014, we are three years into living it. Yes, Claire, B.E., we really DO know how LUCKY we are…..thank you for the lesson. 🙂

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Under sail, at sea, Island Spirit….

She still LOVES to sail; this Island Spirit Yacht is so happy at sea! She dances on the waves and plays with dolphins and pelicans. She handles the inlets with ease, bashing into the seas, and once the anchor is dropped she is a comfortable floating condo with white leather sofas and cozy sleeping quarters. What a joy to sail and to explore the coast aboard this boat. I am never disappointed in how well she sails. Today, we only hoisted a 135% headsail as we were too lazy to break out the main for this short 25 mile offshore leg from Venice Florida to Boca Grande inlet at Charlotte Harbor. Even with only a jib, Island Spirit sailed at 5.5 to 6 knots of boat speed. That is not bad for a 20,000 lb boat. So with the winds on the port beam at 15-19 knots and only a jib, we were able to test out all systems and get adjusted to life on a moving yacht. We are happy to report that all systems are working very well and the work the Island Packet Factory did to the drive shaft, stern tube, cutlass bearing and exhaust system makes this boat seem like a new yacht. It is much smoother running and quieter under power. What a joy to observe this difference.

Salt Spray all over the decks and canvas…errrrrr

Celebrating at anchor with champagne

Stickney Point lift bridge opens for us as morning traffic is stopped

A heron works the low tide looking for breakfast

One of my favorite homes on Little Sarasota Bay

A very cool SWING Bridge, Blackburn Bridge The bridge tender must go to the center to operate it, then is trapped there until it closes

Pelicans and AM Kayakers

Siesta Kay Bridge

Heading to sea out the Venice Florida Inlet

Beautiful headsail set in 15 knots of beam winds heading SOUTH

The flag on the stern shows the 15+ knots of wind as it cracks in the breeze

Look at the sea, so beautiful

The afternoon sun lights up the waves on the Gulf of Mexico

One Happy Sailing Girl, Radeen

The wind instrument shows the wind angle and the true wind speed

Bashing into the inlet for one hour, taking salt spray everywhere

A digital navigation helm with: Autopilot, VHF mic, RL70 Color Chartplotter and a 10″ Samsung Tab 2 with Navionics for a back up GPS and nav system

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Cruising Year #3 begins at Palmetto, Florida…..

We have said this many times before, but the hardest part of ANY voyage is actually leaving the dock. This sounds crazy, but it is so true. With a car and the comforts of the dock and the safety of shore, leaving is never easy, and we have done this for over 10 years! It is still hard to do. Then, once you leave and get underway, you are relieved at the peace and comfort of being “away.” No more driving a car, no more frantic shopping and consuming, no more noise, dust and dirt. Just simple living on a sailboat, off 12 volt power and your own supplies. Once out and away from the docks, the cruising life slowly presents the beauty of the dream. Dolphins swam with us at Longboat Key and looked up at our boat as if to say…About Time You Get Out Here….seagulls and pelicans soared by taking notice as we motored on Tampa Bay. What a beautiful world it is out here and these are some of the reasons we worked so hard getting our boat refit, was so we could return to this cruising lifestyle. No, we really did not “need to” do the refit, but as with all boating upgrades, it was fun and exciting to work out. So we did it and we are glad we did. This 20 year old boat is running better than ever and feels like new to us. Great job, Island Packet Yachts!

Valve Adjustment 2 hours before departure….why not?

The days leading up to departure are always crazy. Shopping for items you think you need. Shopping for items you think you will need for the next month or two. Imagine shopping for a month. What would YOU buy? Prep the boat: Remove the water hose, electric cords, sun shade, extra dock lines, fenders and gear. Stow all items bought and brought on board. Change the fuel filters, check the sea strainer, check the bilges, engine fluids, etc. Find the life jackets, safety harness, EPIRB, radios, and safety gear. Update your float plans, and emergency contacts and SPOT transmitter. Check the 12 volt network and all antennas and communications. On and on and on until you finally say, that is enough….WE ARE LEAVING ….on…..Monday at noon. Then when noon Monday rolled around we were still frantically working, and we simply said, let’t go. We parked the car, stowed the keys, fired up the diesel and tossed off the dock lines. 25 NM later and filled up with fuel, we dropped the anchor in Sarasota Bay.

Okeechobee Challenge #2, get under the 49.3′ bridge

Our Okeechobee Challenge #2 begins now. We will return back across the center of Florida and we will lean our 49’8″ mast under the 49′ 4″ Port Mayaca Railroad Bridge, allowing us to make Stuart, Florida in 5-6 days. We plan to has Colin Mack of www.MackSails.com do some final rigging for us to complete our refit.

So, let year #3 of cruising begin. Our goals are to return to the Bahamas and to get back to Block Island, RI, for the summer. That is the big plan for 2013-2014. Thanks for sailing along.

Here are some photos…..

Champagne on anchor, as good as it gets

A beautiful shell on new teak varnish

Good friends Debbie and Craig ‘s FUN dog HOLLY

New rigging and new varnish look beautiful

WILD and BRIGHT yellow dinghy straps. This looks sooooo cool ?

Changing fuel filters 2 hours before departure

Erase last years log record: 2,346 NM…. at 5-6 MPH, imagine that

Year #3 begins: 0.0 Nautical Mile log

The Cortez Bridge at Bradenton, FL, and Anna Maria Island

Radeen at the helm, living the dream

So, off we go heading to Lake Okeechobee for the challenge of sqeezing under that darn 49.3′ bridge. Let’s hope we can lean over enough to make it through again. Stuart, Florida, here we come!

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Custom Step Plates at the gate…

On December 24, 2013 after nearly two months of re-building, we connected the last wire and then installed the custom Island Spirit step plates, completing the refit of our 20 year old yacht. What a job. Back in May, we pulled into Snead Island Boat Works, in Palmetto, Fl, and took our boat apart. We hauled it out and truckled it to the Island Packet Yachts factory where she was built in 1993. From May to November, she was inside the factory and the skilled employees at IPY rebuilt systems back to new conditions. Then on November 4, we trucked the boat back to Snead Island Boat Works where we re-launched and then began the re-assembly of all systems we removed for trucking. I must say that the rebuilding of systems took far more effort then the tearing down of  those systems. It actually took us nearly two months to rebuild, but only about 2 weeks to tear it all down.

Radeen is proud of the finished work

While the boat was at the Island Packet Yachts factory, we focused on seaworthiness items and making the yacht better. We looked at any system that could sink the yacht and had that system taken apart and rebuilt. Now we are feeling as if we have a brand new yacht and we know exactly what was rebuilt and who rebuilt it. The work by Island Packet was excellent and I highly recommend them for any and all refit work on their yachts. I am convinced there is no better team.

I am a list person, so please allow me to progress through the order of work to explain the extent of this task. Simple as 1, 2 3 !

#1. Tear Down the Boat, Prep for Trucking May 2013

• Remove 3 sails
• Remove all canvas: Bimini, Dodger and full enclosure
• Remove 4 solar panels
• Remove all stainless steel canvas bows and frames for canvas
• Empty sail locker
• Empty Galley: plates, glasses, silverware, pots and pans
• Empty Tool Locker, Spare Parts Locker, Safety Locker
• Remove all food and drinks
• Empty bow lockers, bilge locker, hanging lockers, etc.
• Empty and pack all clothing lockers
• Empty the boat! Box it all up, move it all to a storage facility via rental car!
• Pull the Mast and Boom
• Prep for trucking, tape all lids, lockers, etc
• Move to haul out slip, haul out directly to the truck (May 2013)
• Truck to Island Packet Yachts Factory, from Palmetto, Fl to Largo Florida

#2. Island Packet Yachts Refit Program inside the Factory, May-Nov

• Remove all saltwater hoses
• Rebuild the sewer system with a new fiberglass holding tank, new lines, valves and new macerator pump
• Pull the stern tube, inspect, replace cutlass bearing, re-install
• Re-align the diesel engine
• Remove the exhaust muffler and hoses, replace with new
• Install new hot water heater
• Repair any and all grounding wires
• Build a new laptop teak and almond desk
• THE BIG job: Remove the entire center interior of the yacht to remove the chain plates and install new larger ones (Chain plates are the stainless steel welded structures that are fiberglassed into the hull, behind all the cabinets. The mast rigging attaches to these 8 points. They are a key structure to the yacht)
• Rebuild the sump pumps and add new hoses and new anti-siphons.
• Strip and sand the exterior teak 
• Install gas struts on the cockpit locker lids
• Re-powder coat the deck mast step
• Add a saltwater foot pump at the galley sink
• Compound and wax the hull
• Prep for trucking
• Truck boat back to Snead Island Boat Works, Palmetto Florida (Nov 4, 2013)

 #3. Back at Snead Island Boat Works, Palmetto FL (Nov 4 – Dec 24, 2013)

• Launch from truck to water, no yard storage planned
• Sand all exterior teak for varnish work
• Varnish all exterior teak, 5 coats of Epifanes Varnish
• Re-install stainless steel rub rails via dinghy
• Install stainless steel bows: bimini, dodger, and solar frames
• Re-install and rewire 4 solar panels 
• Re-install 5 antennas: AIS, Satellite Radio, GPS, WiFi and Bullet2hp
• Re-install bimini, dodger and full enclosure canvas
• Woody wax the diamond decks
• Install new stereo, replacing the one that died during this process
• Install new stereo speakers and new Blu Ray player
• Install a new Balmar 614 regulator, replacing the one that quit
• Re-wire the solar controller due to the new regulator
• Replace all standing rigging on the mast with OEM Seco South rigging
• Replace digital TV antenna and run new cable with new fittings in the 50 foot mast
• Replace VHF antenna and fittings and run new cable in the mast
• Replace Mast Head light
• Replace the mast sheaves
• Wash the mast and polish the radar dome mounts with Spotless Stainless
• Test all wiring in the mast, prep mast for crane
• Snead Island Boat Works was hired to cut and rebuild the new OEM forestays and install as specified by Harken
• Mast re-installed with crane
• Tune Rigging to factory specs and re-pin the mast
• Install sails: Jib, Staysail, Mainsail, Run sheets
• Install Doyle Stack Pack for main sail
• Re-rig 2 Flag Halyards
• Rewire and improve mast base wiring connections
• Reconnect mast junction for Radar and B&G Wind Anemometer
• Connect the Alternator Stator wire to the battery combiner switch for charging two banks
• Test all systems: Radar, AIS, GPS, NMEA bus, VHF, TV, Running Lights, Mast Lights, Navigation Computer with AIS feed and Satellite Radio feed.
• Re-install the Island Spirit Step Plates

The cockpit combing boards with varnish

…and That’s a wrap!

We are relieved to have the boat put back together at last. With a single list like this, it does not look that bad, but believe me, this was a ton of work, time and expense. Some days we were selling the boat, then other days we were incredibly happy. Sometimes, it was a real challenge to stay motivated.

And this was the sunset Christmas Night, what a beautiful sight

My New Christmas T-Shirt, thank you Lee and Judi CAPTAIN: The Man…The Myth….The Legend

From now on, this will be our car, the AB 10 foot tender

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Radeen the Cookie Baker….

The mast went in but the next day the crane returned and we removed the staysail rig and had it taken apart to re-cut. It was too long and provided zero adjustment when the new rig stretches. So, they cut 1 1/4″ off the inner stay, making it better. This required me to pull the cotter pins and loosen the rig and remove the sail once again. After the inner stay was re-installed, I re-tuned the rig to factory specs and re-installed the sail.

Radeen the Christmas Elf has been busy making cookies and Christmas Fudge. I am busy finishing up the single side band radio re-install and improving the mast base wiring. Overall the rebuilding has been a long process and I am not sure why, but it just has been a very long drawn out process. Everyday there has been something to re-install, re-wire, re-connect, test, fix, or improve. It has been far more work than we expected, but how often do you tear apart a perfectly working cruising yacht and then rebuild it. Not very often, and now we know why!

Here are some random photos of the “scene”…..Merry Christmas…..

The crane returns….removed and re-cuts the inner forestay

The local Heron says….WHAT? That crane was just there?

All new gear on top of the mast with new rigging

Date Night, yes, we love to go out on dates…..get off the boat

Years ago, I designed this idea. A laptop desk. It slides into a bracket

Laptop desk teak side, we had the IPY Factory make a new one.

Laptop desk almond Formica side, flip it over

Room for a book or notebook to the side. Lower the lid and the table drops over top

Debbie and Craig stopped by for a visit and brought their cute dog, HOLLY

The decks look brand new after we used Woody Wax

Ahhhhhh, the MOET is chilling in the frig for celebration

The old rigging wire will go home to PA for a deck canopy roof structure Notice the provisions are loading up also….beer….wine….we are ready to go 🙂

Re-serviced the liferaft. This is a loan/gift from good friends Greg, Kate and the Doodles

My New Car….Merry Christmas to US…its only money!

What the boat looks like when you are rewiring the mast lights

So, HO HO HO and Merry Christmas! Good friends ANITA and RANDY reminded us about the Jimmy Buffet Song lyrics…..A SAILOR SPENDS CHRISTMAS IN A HARBOR ON A HOOK…..and so we are and sailors soon we will be

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