Had a wonderful nine months at sea and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.   So much so that, although we love coming home and really enjoy catching up with family and friends, we both wanted to just keep on going…..  We don’t like leaving Morphie on the hard – and I get quite emotional about it every time – and now I spend any spare time watching for developing storms. Currently Tropical Storm Erika is flexing her muscles as she approaches the islands and is very large with winds extending 105 miles outwards.   The majority of the models show Erika heading towards the east coast of Florida…..  Obviously it is not an exact science and she may not survive beyond her interaction with her first landfall – but fingers crossed for everyone out there right now!   Stay safe Morphie.

So this year’s trip was different to season two in that the majority of the islands we visited were new, which we really enjoyed. The cruising lifestyle enables us to explore new places and to move around freely when the mood takes us.   Overall we covered almost 3,000 miles from Curacao to Florida via the US Virgins, the British Virgins, the Spanish Virgins, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Turks & Caicos, the Bahamas and across to Florida.   We visited 45 islands with multiple anchorages in each destination.

So what was different this year?   Well, we spent more time in marinas.   This was a necessity in some places – particularly the Dominican Republic where the customs and immigration system doesn’t really allow for exploring the coastline in the way we normally do.   That said the Haitises National Park anchorage has to be one of the highlights of the season. In the Turks and Caicos we couldn’t access land from the anchorage in Providenciales so needed to pull into a marina to explore.   Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas was for a different reason – no working outboard engine because of our prop!     And Fort Pierce was our usual end-season marina visit to prepare Morphie for storage.   Another difference was also the use of mooring balls in the Bahamas – they are pretty well maintained and enable more boats to get into an anchorage than would otherwise be able. Plus the bonus was only $20 a night rather than the $30 a night charged in the BVIs.

What else? Well, we spent more time alone than we have been used to as most of our cruising buddies remained down island, with a couple of them swallowing the anchor for land-based adventure.   That said, the notable exceptions, were meeting up with Lyle and Julia on Orion who we spent Christmas and New Year with – followed by our annual reunion with Ron and Carolyn – in the BVIs. Then shortly afterwards we met up with Eric and Pat on Cutter Loose who we enjoyed time with in the Spanish Virgins and later in Puerto Rico while we were waiting for weather to cross the Mona Passage.   And of course we made up for it when we got to Florida with our delivery crew reunion, our reunion with Sha Sha, and our end-season land trip to Canada.

Anything else?  First thing was HUGE FISH…. Richard kept the freezer pretty well stocked with his Mahi Mahi.   Also the cruising grounds of the Bahamas are beautiful but many of them – particularly the Exumas Land and Sea Park have no infrastructure, no bars, no people – just great water, good snorkelling and deserted anchorages….   This was new for us and we didn’t realise just how difficult it would be to get basic provisions – luckily we had stocked the freezer before we left – but underestimated the need for beer and wine, so ran out a few times.   But that was good for us from a health perspective LOL. Oh yes, and we were disappointed not to get any diving in this year, but at $300 for a morning for both of us, we decided that we had other things to spend our money on.

Oh yes, and of course, the sailing conditions.   Skinny – ie shallow – water was a feature, particularly in the Bahamas and our depth comfort zone had to move accordingly. Couple of feet under the keel – no worries! Then there were the thunderstorms, the strong winds / waves, and the tides / cuts to navigate. So technically a more challenging year all round – which was a good thing.   We have come through without any damage to either us or Morphie and feel quite proud of what we have achieved – and more confident in our abilities for the future.

So – next season. Well, we return to Florida at the end of November.   Not sure of our passage plan yet – we’ll probably explore the Florida Keys, return to the Bahamas, and then meander around until we get to Panama where we plan to store Morphie again in preparation for a trip through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean in early 2017.   Options include Cuba, the Caymens, Cozumel, Guatemala, Roatan, San Blas islands…..   Any destination is up for grabs – but we need to research safety, customs, currents etc etc…. So there is some serious passage planning ahead of us while we are home.

So I leave you with some memories from this season and say a final bye for now. Please come back to visit again in November…..

Jan

Tuesday afternoon we took off from Tampa on time.   Hurrah!   But when we landed in Chicago the gate wasn’t ready to receive us so we sat on the tarmac for 15 minutes.   Damn….timing was very tight….we had less than 40 minutes before our next flight took off now.  So – just like last year – we ran through Chicago airport. We arrived at the gate only to find that the next flight had been delayed, but they didn’t know for sure when it would be going so it was not recommended to leave the gate. So we made do with a sandwich while waiting in the queue. Finally we boarded the next flight and we were off – very smart small plane for American Eagle with all leather seating and very spacious legroom.

We arrived into Toronto to face a huge immigration queue as a large Asian international flight had arrived just in front of us.   Eventually we were in front of the immigration officer and were cleared through very efficiently. The advantage of the queue was that our bags were waiting for us – so quickly through customs and to our reunion.   It was quite emotional as we hadn’t seen the Campbells for three years.

We arrived at their beautiful home, quickly got ourselves settled in, and headed out to the deck for a few drinks and nibbles.   The deck was being constructed by Sam last time I was there – and it is pretty much finished now – and beautifully furnished.   Very impressive!   Well….the time went quickly with much catching up and laughter…and suddenly it was 2am and we called it a night.

Wednesday morning and we awoke to rain….   Oh well – never mind.   We went out shopping for some supplies and then returned to a lazy afternoon and evening.   Oh yes and Jayne cooked an amazing roast dinner for us – including Yorkshire puddings – as Richard had mentioned that this was the one thing that he missed from home.   Yummmm….   We ended up having an early night as doing nothing had made us pretty tired!

Thursday morning and it was a nicer day.   So Sam opened the pool for us and, after a leisurely morning, we had a bobbing session.   The gardens to the house are fantastic and all landscaping and building has been done by Sam on his own – there are still works in progress but OMG what an amazing job he has done….   Absolutely spectacular!  We had another evening on the deck with Sam working the grill – lovely day.

Friday morning and it was a bit cloudy and grey again.   So we went out shopping in Jayne’s new car to the local mall admiring the quiet roads, lovely scenery and old buildings on the way.   We brought a few things – and Richard enjoyed trying on some Canadian hats LOL.

On the way back to the house we stopped in the British shop – a regular haunt for Jayne trying to supplement her Canadian shopping – and we gorged out on Topic bars and Hula Hoops…   Funny how we manage without them when away but can’t resist them when put in front of us!

In the evening a couple of Jayne and Sam’s friends came over for dinner and we had a lovely evening.   They also emigrated to Canada from the UK a few years ago so it was interesting to hear how they had settled in.   Obviously we ended up with another late night.

Saturday and we awoke to another stormy day. So we had a lazy one before going out in the evening to the Mohawk race track.   This is horse racing with small traps – and the set up is very much like that at home at the dogs (greyhound racing track for my international readers) although on a much larger / grander scale.

Was very exciting – we won a few bets and lost a few bets – the all-you-can-eat Italian buffet was pretty good and we appreciated the TV monitor on our table as the windows steamed up when the heavens opened for yet another thunderstorm.   Although was a bit strange to hear shouts and cheering as the Toronto Blue Jays were playing baseball that evening too – some of the tables even had their TVs tuned to that rather than the horses. Why not go to the game instead?!?  Was a great evening – thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sunday morning we went further afield to a very large mall. Wandered the shops and got a new rucksack and some luggage straps – to replace those “lost” in the TSA inspection process – and then had a lovely lunch out at an Irish pub after admiring the cars in the car park!   Great grub….

Back at the house we had another bobbing session in the pool.   Lovely way to cool off….   We then followed that by a lazy evening watching a movie. The season caught up with us and we were pretty snoozy pretty early!

Monday morning we were up early and headed off to Niagara. Richard had not visited before so he was pretty excited and loved the drive down there.   The roads are pretty quiet and deserted until you get to the main freeways and then you see the fancy trucks– and driving across bridges and alongside huge lakes with lock systems – it was pretty scenic.

Arriving into Niagara and we were impressed by the high-rise hotels and the manicured gardens.

We wandered over to see the Horseshoe Falls first and the mist was so high it was tough to see at times – and, of course, sods law means that this was a scorching hot and sunny day.   We thoroughly enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Canadian falls and the US falls on the other side of the river – and the bridge which joins the two countries together.

The sight of the boats steaming into the falls full of red or blue tourists is a sight to behold.   The Maid of the Mist is now operated on the ‘blue’ US side – with the new boat the Hornblower operating from the ‘red’ Canada side. We were chatting on the rail and were given four free tickets for the boat by a Korean family. They had purchased a package and couldn’t use these before they left the area – and they didn’t want any money for them either.   I was sceptical that they would be invalid as we obviously couldn’t provide ID in the correct surname – but we went to the booth and they were valid so we only had to purchase one additional ticket. Fantastic result!   What kind people…..

So we queued with our fellow ‘red’ people for the Hornblower and tried to get close to the front.

Richard was very excited as he had never done this before. As typical boaters we did end up debating the size of the boat’s engines and the speed of the current LOL. Thoroughly enjoyed getting soaked and getting up close and personal with the falls – what an amazing experience!

We then walked into town and had lunch at the Hard Rock café.   We were planning to go out to dinner later so we all shared meals…. which was just as well, because the portions were huge!   We enjoyed looking at the memorabilia too…

Heading back to the falls we were going to do the tour ‘behind the falls’ but, unfortunately, they couldn’t offer us any tickets for at least two hours – and we didn’t want to hang around that long.   So we headed off but not before we had had some fun in the gift shop, where I was puzzled and fascinated by some traditionally-dressed Amish people purchasing some tourist tat. Wouldn’t have thought that was their thing!

Heading off we then went to Niagara on the Lake admiring the beautiful lakeside homes along the way – could fancy one of those that’s for sure!   The town is very picturesque and quaint and we enjoyed wandering around – followed by a drink in one of the hostelries…. Very nice too!

We headed back towards the Campbell’s home town and decided to continue straight on to the Chinese restaurant where we had reservations.   This is a huge place split between many small dining rooms so it doesn’t actually look so big once inside.

Richard liked the koi carp and I liked the giant panda climbing the greenery LOL.

Once seated it is an all-you-can=eat buffet so we all went up and back as many times as we liked….and were entertained by a diver feeding the fish inside the massive aquarium along one wall.   Really nice evening and fantastic food….

Back home we didn’t stay up long before heading upstairs to bed.

Tuesday morning and it is our last day. We were hoping for a pool day but, unfortunately, the weather decided not to co-operate. And the cable tv fell over.   So we watched movies, munched chocolate, ate English crisps and generally chatted and chilled. Oh yes and I helped Sam cut the grass – well, actually, I was pretty useless but I loved driving the tractor!

Then all too soon we were off to the airport and it was time for a very emotional teary farewell – can’t believe the week went that quick.   On the plane to London and had our usual ‘chicken or pasta’ dinner before trying to get some sleep.

Wednesday morning we arrived into London, picked up our waiting taxi and caught up with all the gossip on the way home, and then we were indoors and working our way through the mountain of post.

Wow what a trip!   Nine months at sea…..and now back into our non-cruising life….all seems a bit surreal. Wednesday night we went out to visit friends and thank them for looking after things for us – as usual the house was beautifully clean and the garden was very tidy.   So grateful to them for their help and support.

Thursday and Richard went back to work on a short-term contract!   Leaving me with the unpacking, the washing and the sorting…..   He came home eventually to his dinner on the table and the scene is set for my domestic goddess duties!

Friday and another day of getting on with jobs while Richard was at work… In the evening we went to our local community centre to watch a couple of live bands – 60s style.   The first band was the 60s Project who were pretty good – although I did have to try not to laugh at the faces made by the drummer when he was playing!

Then The Rapiers came on – they were a backing band from the 60s and had two original members – think The Shadows and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates.   Fantastic night!

Saturday morning and it’s time for shopping…..and in the afternoon we picked up Mum for the weekend.   We had a lovely Indian curry on Saturday night followed by wine in the garden and enjoyed the balmy heat – yes, really, it is hot and humid here in London right now.

Sunday – today – and Richard has done some DIY jobs in the garden while mum and I have prepared the veg for our traditional roast beef dinner later today.   Now I’m on the sofa blogging……   Not planning to blog while back in the UK but will do a final round-up for this year’s season soon.

Bye for now

Jan

Friday lunchtime we headed off across Florida and chose to go cross-country which was a more direct, albeit slower, route.   The roads were empty and the speed limit went up and down – and we were conscious of the possibility of the local Sheriff hiding in side roads – so Richard had to curb his racing driver tendencies and stick to the limits.   Unfortunately no-one told the locals who were constantly overtaking us – on both sides – and speeding LOL.   Vast swathes of green countryside and lots of cows in the water-filled ditches keeping cool….and occasional swerve to avoid the tortoise crossing the road!

We got about three miles from Brad’s address and, of course, that is when we got lost. We’d done well up to then!   We found a friendly local and got final directions and made it into their beautiful gated community.   Got cleared in by the security guard and drove to their place – we had planned to drive past and then return later – but, of course, they knew we were here now!   So we arrived an hour earlier than we had planned. Thankfully they were very pleased to see us – we finally met Sandy, Brad’s wife, and their daughter Kristen.

We then had a wonderful salmon dinner cooked by Brad – who it turns out is a bit of a chef!   Didn’t know that about him….   Had a lovely time – met Cassie the dog and the three cats.   Two of the cats kept themselves scarce but Cassie was all over Richard as always happens….. Lovely evening and so to bed – had been a long day.

Saturday morning it was nice so – after a fantastic fruit / omelette breakfast provided by Brad – we took Cassie for her walk around the estate.   Their house backs onto a golf course and the estate is immaculately manicured and around lakes – all very pretty.   Sadly I’ve just found out that the camera has thrown a wobbly and the card has corrupted – so I’ve got very few actual photos that I’ve taken over the weekend.   So here are some photos of the estate – sadly not taken by me!

Saturday afternoon the storms came through and the rain persisted for a long time….. So we ended up learning a new card game and I won!   Beginners luck!   Was very pleased…..competitive or what?!?   We also had a monster sandwich / salad lunch….. so ruined ourselves for dinner LOL.   The rain finally cleared and we headed off to Siesta Key to meet Blaine and Maria.   This is a real tourist area and there is a strip of bars and clubs….   First stop was the Oyster Bar where we enjoyed some snacks and a few drinks and met many of Blaine’s friends.   This was the first reunion of the Morpheus delivery team in seven years – amazing how time flies – and evidences how long-lasting friendships can develop at sea!   Again photos lost….  Sad…..

Brad, Sandy, Richard and I left Blaine and Maria to it and bailed out – but on the way back to the car we came across another of their favourite performers so we stopped for another beer and enjoyed Ben Hammond’s music for a little while before returning home quite late.

Sunday morning we had a fantastic fresh fruit breakfast – love the way that the whole family work together at meal times to prepare the food.   And Brad is making his second batch of bread of the weekend!   We were truly spoilt – they had even worked out our favourite tea – and had found a very good version in their local speciality shop!     After Callie’s walk we ended up in the pool and then the Jacuzzi….   Lovely.   And this is one photo that survived…. Yay….

Later on Blaine and Maria came by – and Brad, Blaine, Richard and I did our traditional bottle race in the pool to work out who got the next round in. A tradition we had started in St Thomas all those years ago – LOL – although the current in the pool wasn’t quite the same as being in the sea – but we managed!   And of course Brad won – so remains the champion – until next time…..   He did sink Blaine’s bottle though but I guess all is fair when your champion status remains at risk!!!

We had a fantastic steak dinner cooked by Brad and had a wonderful sour cherry pie cooked by Sandy.   She was worried about this – and the seepage of the juice on the crust meant that it looked like a Halloween face…..   So, now, this pie is known as the Scary Cherry Pie LOL.   Was incredibly tasty and I realised – to my embarrassment – that is probably the first cherry pie I have ever tried!

We crashed and burned pretty early after that….so had an early night.   Wonderful day.

Monday morning and we walked Callie again – and decided to continue with our staycation – so back in the pool / Jacuzzi / pool and that is where we stayed!   Kristen came home from work – she is an intern biologist – and I cooked curry while Brad prepared the wonderful sticky rice. The bowls of food looked huge – but we managed to eat it all – and, of course, it was all topped off by Brad’s wonderful buttercream covered / layered chocolate cake.   Phew – stuffed!   Amazing food all weekend.

And then we realised it was our last night…..so we said a sad farewell to Sandy who would be leaving before we got up in the morning – and went to bed once we’d packed our bags again.

This morning – Tuesday – and we were up early. Did the final packing and said our sad farewells to Brad and Kristen – and even Cassie the dog looked sad that we were leaving….   We have had a wonderful time – thank you to the whole family for their incredibly generous hospitality.

We drove away and found the route to Tampa Airport – across a very impressive bridge to St Petersburg – and admired the views ahead. And yes, of course, the camera managed to capture these non-important photos!   Sigh……

We arrived at Tampa – returned the car in the airport car park – and headed to the AA self-service kiosks. Surprisingly, as we are so early, they allowed us to drop our checked bags off. So we headed to the Marriott Hotel which is in the airport itself and have just had a very good breakfast.   We are now sitting in their lobby making the most of the free wifi before we go through security to the gate.

We are flying to Chicago today – followed by a flight to Toronto (fingers crossed as the connections are tight thanks to American Airlines changing the schedule….) – and we are excited about our reunion with Jayne, Sam and Katie….

It is lovely to finish our sailing season by visiting good friends – we started the trend last year by going to Wisconsin – and we think the trend should continue!  Although it seems forever since we left Morphie in Fort Pierce.

Bye for now

Jan

Wednesday morning we were up bright and early and went to the boatyard after a very nice breakfast in the hotel.   Today was the day we were going to start being a little more demanding – we need quotes and we need schedules to be fixed – and we won’t be in the boatyard after Thursday night. We are always surprised by the lack of urgency of boatyard staff – for example, we had someone on board looking at our whisker pole / boom vang requirements almost two weeks ago and we are still waiting for the quotation despite numerous reminders.   Sigh…..

We arrived at the boatyard – and found out that the detailing company Tip Top were going to be along at 10.   Great – things are finally moving….   They turned up, they crawled all over Morphie’s hull, cleaned her up beautifully and applied some wax to protect her from the elements in the yard.

We also organised them to clean the topsides once a month as there is a lot of dust here from the nearby freight railway and the birds are very partial to the rigging LOL!   And the final thing for them was to schedule to remove the wax and machine polish the hull just before we splash at the end of November. All sorted – yay!   And then the guys came along and tied Morphie down with her hurricane straps – so all ready to be left now that she’s fully secure.

Working down below in the heat is like being in a sauna – but it is important – so we have to grin and bear it.   You may wonder what we have to do so here is a shortened version of the ‘on the hard’ list of jobs we have been working to:

• Run fresh water through the engine
• Run fresh water through the heads
• Secure boom
• Canvas over the binnacle
• Check prop / rudder
• Screen through hulls / dorades
• Clean interior teak with old English polish
• Clean interior fibreglass with water and vinegar
• Clean shower bilge
• Clean main bilge
• Fridge / freezer cleaned and lids open
• Vacuum pack clothes / bedding etc
• Open all lockers to air
• Disconnect gas bottles
• Close seacocks and “work” others
• Spray lubricant into seacocks from outside the boat
• Engine intake seacock closed
• Overboard discharge seacock closed
• Macerator discharge seacock closed
• Remove knot meter to stop boat drowning from inside
• Spray the engine with rust inhibitor
• Spray the alternator with WD40
• Remove engine impeller
• Scuppers clear
• Empty bins
• Remove batteries from electronics
• Vacuum pack and stow all electronics
• Secure all lockers and hatches
• Check and top up main engine / house batteries (fully charged)
• Turn off electrics
• Put out damp rid
• Bomb the boat (bug killer)
• Check props / tie downs
• Give key to boatyard
• Organise quotes / work to be done in our absence

By 2pm we had had enough – and had got most of our list ticked off – just final tasks for Thursday so we went back to the hotel, showered, and went out again to the huge Vero Beach outlet centre where we both picked up some new summer clothes and a couple of swimsuits = happy people!

On the way back to Fort Pierce we went out for dinner at the Red Lobster and had a veritable seafood feast…. Ginger and chilli crispy shrimp with lettuce for me; seafood stuffed mushrooms for Richard; and yes, I did start eating the salmon before I remembered the photo – it was that good!   After a nice evening and a couple of glasses of wine we returned to the hotel for an early night.

Thursday morning and we had a bit of a lay in.   Jobs for the day were to go to West Marine to pick up our final spare parts we had on order; to go to the Post Office to return some parts that were not quite right; to go to Customs at the airport to deposit our registration document which they require on file when a foreign-flagged vessel is left in the US without its owners in the country; and the final push at the boat yard and with the office.

Everything done – including taking delivery of our new Spinlock Deck Vest 170N Lifejackets – and we arrived at the boatyard to find that we had some quotes.

Not all that we had requested but we’re getting there….. and even some work has been scheduled in.   I’m confident that we will get there now – and will deal with all the rest via e-mail going forward.   So….what are we having done? Just a few things:

• Install a boom vang
• Install whisker pole
• Install serpentine belt
• Renew the exhaust mixing elbow
• Recondition the heat exchanger
• Replace the zincs
• Clean the prop
• Renew anti-foul on the waterline and leading edge

Frustrating that we can’t do some of these ourselves – but this is a full-service yard so there isn’t a choice.   Never mind….have had enough of boat jobs for a while LOL!

At the office we paid our debts so far and gave them Morphie’s key. We did the final checks – then headed to the showers and the marina laundry to get everything clean and dry – then returned to Morphie.    We then said our final sad farewells and pats….   And of course I blubbed as usual!!!   Gets harder and harder each season to leave her behind and I’m feeling quite emotional even typing this…

To cheer ourselves up we headed to the Harbor Cove to say our goodbyes and got a great send off.   The new owners are about to remodel the place so it will be interesting to see it on our return at the end of November. Then back to the hotel for another early night.

This morning – Friday – and we have had breakfast and packed up our room.   We have reflected on our sailing season. It was certainly exciting – with some challenging conditions – and loads of new places visited.     Nine months on board and almost 3000 miles covered.   Some wonderful reunions with old friends and we made some new ones along the way.   But that isn’t the end of this season – we have some more reunions to come.

Later on today we are heading over Sarasota way to visit Brad and his family.   Brad helped us deliver Morphie down in 2008 from the Chesapeake to St Thomas – and we haven’t seen him since.   So very excited about seeing him again and meeting his wife Sandy, and they are kindly putting us up too. It should be a fun-filled long weekend.

Then next Tuesday we are flying to Canada to visit Jayne, Sam and Katie – our old neighbours and great friends who emigrated many years ago.   First visit to Canada for Richard too…  He’ll need this Canadian holiday to prepare himself for work – he’s had a very good offer for the three months we will be home – couldn’t say no and it helps to offset all the spending we are doing with Morphie’s upgrades!

So all very exciting…..and I’ll keep on blogging…. Bye for now

Jan

Wednesday morning we were up early and busied ourselves with more boat jobs….. By 2pm we were in our new hire car and enjoyed the drive across the state to Orlando.

We arrived at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort and quickly checked in. We had a lovely large bed- some great complimentary toiletries – and an impressive bathroom.   Not too happy though that it costs $15 to use the fridge so we left that locked up – assuming that the minibar was hidden in there too!

We went to the concierge desk and collected our tickets – City Walk passes for free access to the venues that charge entrance fees; two day park-to-park tickets giving us unlimited access to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure; complimentary water taxi to and from the parks; and complimentary express tickets so we could go in the shorter queue. We were surprised that they charged us for the lanyards to hold the tickets though….

After organising ourselves we wandered around the hotel admiring the Balinese-themed décor and the Orchid Lounge before heading off on our first water taxi ride to City Walk.

We visited Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and his plane; checked out the Mexican restaurant and Bubba Gump; before having a quick meal at the fast-food Chinese.   Full up we headed over to O’Briens to listen to the Duelling Pianos – great fun.   Didn’t stay out too late – had been a long day – and we got back and had a pontoonie in the hotel before we retired to bed.   Jacks Bar was a strange place, not least because we had four people who decided to crowd us into a corner, when the bar was empty! And I mean crowd us – one guy even had his arm on the back of my chair LOL.

Thursday morning we were up early and hopped onto the water taxi.   We arrived about 8.30 – fingerprinted up – and entered a very busy Universal Studios.

Anticipating lots of speedy rides I was wearing my contact lenses rather than glasses – but made reading the map a bit of a challenge…   We admired the scenery as we walked around and spotted our first ride – the huge roller coaster called the RockIt. Almost walked straight onto the ride and wow – it was straight up / straight down and then lots of twisting, turning and inside out / upside circles.   Both of us felt a bit motion sick at the end of it – and said never again!

We enjoyed The Revenge of the Mummy, the Terminator, and Shrek 4D.   We thought Twister, Disaster, Men in Black and ET were a little dated but the good surprise was the Minions.   Showing our age – we didn’t know about these little critters before – other than in adverts.   Jaws still exists but only as an exhibit – sadly the ride has gone.  Some interesting street entertainment too….

Moving on we came across London – which is where Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley is located.   Neither of us had read the books or seen the films so wasn’t sure what to expect – and certainly not expecting to be chatting to a cockney clippy, hanging out at Leicester Square, walking past the Mansion House or going on a train from King’s Cross.

Inside Diagon Alley was also familiar – with some of the shops looking a bit like the shambles in York and the inside market must have been modelled on Leadenhall.   All very familiar and a bit surreal – especially eating Cornish pasties with HP sauce in an old school hall. I did have to laugh though when the server tried to explain to me what cottage pie and bangers and mash were as food options.

The main ride is in Gringotts Bank (the one with the dragon on top which does actually spit out fire every now and again) but it was already showing a two hour wait – no express line available here – so we left it for the day.   We explored Simpson World for a while…..

Then rain stopped play so we returned to the hotel for a few hours in the afternoon – and then went out again in the evening, did a few more rides, and stayed in the park for the parade.

Sadly the pyrotechnic spectacular was cancelled due to the weather – so we headed back to City Walk.   We decided to go to the Mexican for dinner – as they advertise a mariachi band each night – to find that they stopped playing at 9pm.   We stayed for dinner – wasn’t anything to write home about – and then tried the Bob Marley tribute club.

Well – they wanted ID. Hmmmm….. we are on a night out and don’t tend to carry this around with us…..   So we showed her what we had – photo ID passes from the parks / City Walk passes and the hotel keys. Eventually she let us in without charge – but not very graciously.   We went in – and it was absolutely empty!  I wonder why???   The band was really good but there was no atmosphere at all – and the beer was pretty expensive at $9 a bottle.

So we headed back to O’Briens again – and enjoyed another duelling piano partnership – and even requested songs from our favourite guy….   We got back to the hotel about 1 am – having been the only people on the water taxi.

Friday morning up very early and hot footed it into the park just before it opened to the public – determined to go on the Gringotts Bank ride.  But first we tried out the Rock It ride again just to remind ourselves why we were not going to repeat the experience – and actually really enjoyed it second time round as we knew what to expect!   Well, glad we made the effort to get to the Gringotts Bank ride – it was fantastic. Although again very surreal experience as I worked in a very old bank in the City of London and I’m sure some of the designs of the floors, the counters and even the clerks – albeit without the elf ears – were eerily familiar!

After this ride we headed off to King’s Cross station to get the Hogwarts Express over to the Islands of Adventure.   The station is a pretty good replica and the steam train was great – all aboard – who remembers these carriages on our old London trains eh?!?

As you go along the windows depict scenes so you leave the City and the Gherkin behind, end up somewhere in the country, before arriving at Hogsmeade Station which brings you to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.     Great set…..

We went on the duelling dragons ride – the red side – and felt motion sick again….   Didn’t fancy the blue side after that!   Then we went on the Quiddich flying broomstick ride which incorporates 3D and roller coasters inside and outside the castle…. An incredibly good ride – but not on top of the dragons – so we decided to be a little more sedate after that.

We headed off to see Jurassic Park and went on the River Adventure water slide. Well we got soaked and as we got off the ride the heavens opened. Torrential rain. We ended up having to purchase rain ponchos and carried on. We ended up on another water ride and got even wetter…   Finally we wandered to Doctor Dooms Fear Fall – which was pretty tame – followed by the Incredible Hulk Coaster. Now this was our favourite of all of them…..   You get shot out of a tube at incredible speeds upwards and straight into an upside down twisting bit…. No motion sickness here – just great fun – although I do admit to screaming a little LOL.

Finally – wet, tired and cold – we returned to Hogsmeade for the train journey back to King’s Cross.   Took in some more rides on the way through and finally back to the hotel where we collapsed.   We couldn’t be bothered to go out again – so we decided to eat in the Islands Restaurant in the hotel. This is a wok place where you select vegetables and the chef cooks it for you with your choice of meat / fish / seafood / rice / noodles etc….   We had salad first, ordered wine, and waited in line for the chef. He was clearly in a bad mood because he quite surly to the group in front of us – then berated us for using the wrong bowls for our vegetable selections. How are you supposed to know without signage?? Anyway…. I ordered beef, Richard ordered chicken, that got cooking and the veg went in.   The chef asked what sauce – we both asked for Szechuan – and I asked if I could have my rice in a separate bowl. Well – I don’t know what he thought I said – but he promptly emptied my wok full of food into the bin!!!   What?!?!   Finally – with no apology – he asked me what I wanted and started over.   If we hadn’t already had some food we would have walked out.   The food was actually really good…… and we were entertained too……

Going back for a second try and the Chef was very keen to make my curry a good one – but all a bit insincere and I think he realised that he was out of order previously.   Was a bit of a shame – we were looking forward to a chilled romantic last dinner here and this marred it somewhat.   I do, however, admit that I have shared this with the hotel via their feedback survey!

Saturday morning up early and we checked out – retrieved the car – and drove back to Fort Pierce, keen to see Morphie again.   We arrived around noon and she was there waiting for us. We got on with our final boat jobs that we could do in the water and collected all our goodies from the office – was a bit like an Amazon Christmas!

Oh yes – and, as we cancelled the factory tour, Island Packet sent us our new sliding doors – as a goodwill gesture.   Much appreciated and will post ‘after’ pictures once we’ve filled in the hole left by the dead microwave.

Later that afternoon we headed to Harbor Cove for a few beers before bed and caught up with Chad.   An early night for sure….

Sunday morning up at the crack of dawn – we got all the canvas off and stowed; the main off, flaked and stowed; and I finished waxing the topsides while Richard scrubbed all the cockpit cushions. Oh yes – and Richard managed to drop the handle to our dodger into the water – so he ended up having a snorkel in the horrible black water. When he dived down – in only six feet – I couldn’t actually see him. I also chose not to remind him about the snapping turtles that I had seen previously LOL. Yuck!

Finally – we are ready for hauling on Monday morning – and Morphie looks very naked in her slip.

Monday morning we slipped from the dock at high tide and we reversed safely into the concrete slip inside the lift….. I even managed to chuck a rope a good distance in a straight line….   All that practising with Blaine paid off!!

Then we were being lifted – until finally we had to get off – and Morphie was out of the water. Nervous times these….. Her bottom was filthy – thanks to the water in the marina as we had cleaned her just before we left the Bahamas – but looked a lot better after her jet wash.   Then she was on the move to her summer position – she was chocked up – and the guys then started the krypton factor putting together the connector / rod cradle system.   Finally all done and we are safe and sound.

Off we went to the hotel – not allowed to stay on board on the hard in this marina – and checked in. Basic place but it only a bed after all…..   No restaurant / bar so we ordered in a takeaway and had an early night in front of the TV.

Today – Tuesday – we returned to Morphie and worked hard all day. Chasing the boat yard again for things to be done prior to our departure as always….   Still waiting on some significant quotes too…. Ho hum….   Oh yes, and of course, we don’t have the hurricane tie down straps in place yet…..   Back in the hotel now blogging and we are heading out for dinner soon – and another early night is definitely on the cards. Working down below on the hard is always very tiring in the heat but the list is getting significantly smaller. Who knows maybe I’ll even get a chance to get in the pool one of these days….

Bye for now

Jan

On Friday – after I’d finished blogging and doing the laundry – I returned to Morphie.   The guy from the boatyard had been by and agreed that they would be sending someone to help with the heads on Monday morning.   So the weekend is ours…… Then a fellow marina guest came by and asked if he could use the end of our floating dock to repair his dinghy – we said yes – but only if he promised to shift it by Saturday night as I needed the space for the canvas on Sunday. No problem was the response.

The weather closed in…..torrential rain and thunderstorms so we went by the office to pick up some parcels – and yay, the new starter battery had arrived. When we kitted out Morphie for cruising we replaced and increased the house bank but not the starter so this was the original which had failed – but after seven years, of which four were in charter, I guess that’s not too bad.

The rain kept on coming….so we spent the rest of the afternoon in the boaters lounge ordering more spares, doing more research, before returning to Morphie for an early dinner and going for a couple of cold ones to round off the day while catching up with Rachel and Jan – our friendly barmaids.

Saturday and it was another rainy day – we went out shopping and purchased a few more goodies like pepper spray!   Not readily available in many places so we thought we’d take the opportunity while it was openly for sale – although, funnily enough, the only time we have heard gunshots on our travels have been here in Fort Pierce!   This is a dangerous place if you cross the wrong tracks….

Richard then removed the old starter battery and replaced the old plastic Lifeline cover for a new Sunbrella one….. while I carried on ordering goodies.   The credit cards are definitely quivering every time I get them out of my purse LOL.

Oh yes and I ordered a new hire car too – the baby one we have right now is fine for running around town but we are planning a road trip before flying from Tampa and want a car with a boot for our luggage.

And that was kind of it for the day – we didn’t fancy the bar as the really bad singer was playing – so had a quiet night on board.

Sunday up early – and the sky was blue and the sun was out – hurrah!   So I removed all the canvas from Morphie onto the dock trying not to get too irritated that the guy’s dinghy was still there…. Grrrr….  I started washing the canvas down while Richard took the heads apart again and started to pour muriatic acid down the hoses trying to clear them.

We can’t replace them ourselves – they are too tightly packed and difficult to access – so we are working on cleaning them out instead. Toilet smells permeate the air for the day…. Nice!   By 5pm we had both had enough – I’d washed, re-waterproofed and re-installed all the canvas and Richard had one hose completely clear with some progress on the other.

So we decided to take ourselves off to the pool for a late afternoon bob – both pretty tired – and we’re sitting on the steps chatting when suddenly I look down and there is this great big beetle thing clinging onto my left boob!   I shriek, jump up, and knock it off.   Richard was laughing and, because he couldn’t see the beastie, told me I should stop drinking!   Then I spot it – climbing up inside his shorts.  Suddenly mayhem breaks out – out of the pool – and we get the critter out.   A four inch stag beetle no less.   Yuck!   Funny after it was over LOL.

Monday morning and we have a professional from the boatyard coming to look at our heads. Yay, hoping for a working toilet again….. Peeing in a bucket at night is getting a little tedious.   I take myself off to the boaters lounge to talk to mum and do more research while Richard and Joe get on with it.   Oh yes – and a manatee came by the boat to visit – typical that I wasn’t there to see it….

Well – they push and pull and can’t shift the hoses.   They cut out a bigger access hatch – and still can’t shift the hoses. But they do manage to remove the Y valve so we have access to both ends of the dodgy hose. Neither of them are Island Packet fans at this juncture! They work at it all day….. and manage to completely clear one end to end….. but the second is being really annoying. It appears that the calcium builds up in the bends and unless you can pull the hoses out a bit to take the kink out of the hose then you can’t clear it either. But they worked really really hard. Eventually – hot and sweaty and a bit frustrated – Joe knocks off for the day and Richard carries on with the acid job…..

I have to admit that I was a bit of a wimp as my leg was playing up so spent most of the day resting up…. but did help when needed, and Richard managed to spray me with dirty water at one point. Yuck, time for another shower!!!!  Richard persevered and managed to unblock the second hose before he called it a day and we had another quiet night on board.

This morning – Tuesday – and Joe is back again.   They flush water through and both hoses remain clear. Hurrah!  Then they check the final hose to the overboard discharge and this one is also bad – but, luckily, it can be swapped out easily so they do that.

In the meantime Richard has gone off to switch our rental car….   Final checks – toilet back together – and we have a working head, providing it goes into the holding tank. It turns out the through hole is also restricted so Joe is going to return on Monday – once we’ve hauled – to sort out that final job.   Still very frustrated that we couldn’t change the hoses – even with professional experienced help and tools.  Bottom line is that we are going to have to carry acid with us in future and run this through the hoses on a regular basis to ensure this doesn’t happen to us again!!!    Lesson learnt….  Don’t even want to think about what would happen if the hoses fail….

Tomorrow – Wednesday – we were going to the Island Packet factory to visit – but not feeling like it right now. Their “practical” advice was for us to sail 400 nautical miles to a boatyard that is experienced in doing this work – well, thanks for that useless suggestion!!!   The professionals here at Harbortown say that this is not the first IP model they have had difficulty with – although this is the first model they have actually failed to achieve the swap out.   Hmmmm…..    Would love to see how the boats are put together but not sure we can keep a civil tongue so might be better for another day?!?

We cleaned up – reordered the boat again – and headed off shopping. Got some more essential things like pillows / sheets / restorer wax / coat hangers / ziplock vacuum bags etc etc…. and have just booked to go to Universal Studios for a couple of days from tomorrow night.  Very excited!  We’re looking forward to having some fun after the trials and tribulations of the last few weeks……

Bye for now

Jan

Wednesday afternoon Blaine arrived – we settled him in and quickly hit the bar for a few drinks and dinner and caught up whilst enjoying a lovely sunset.

Thursday morning I started cleaning down the stainless again – it gets a bit sticky from the masking tape and, inevitably, Richard had managed to get some varnish onto the rail too which needed to be removed.   We had also accumulated some rust areas that needed a bit of hard work – so I was armed with wet and dry very fine sandpaper too along with cleaner and polish.    So that was me for the day.   It was very very hot and there were some awkward places to get to as you can see – with the water side being done from inside the dinghy. (For those of you who are particularly observant, yes, I am wearing my ankle brace – nothing to worry about but feeling a little tender from the constant climbing on and off the dock so decided to give it some support.)

Richard and Blaine were off out to the shops to get the materials they needed to create some boards for Morphie’s port and starboard rails. These are for storing jerry cans for both diesel and petrol for our future journeys further afield.  They returned with their goodies and set to work on the dock.   As you can see they did a pretty good job.

They then unfurled the sails, washed them, dried them, and removed the staysail and the genoa and bagged them.   The main stays on until the last minute as the foil inside the mast from the furler rattles and creates a hell of a noise. But it is ready to go having been washed and dried….

Later in the afternoon we had a thunderstorm come through so we called it a day and headed to the bar.   The live music had been cancelled because of the rain but that didn’t stop us having a good time and we enjoyed chatting with Rachel our barmaid.

Friday morning and I carried on with the stainless….. while Richard and Blaine tackled main engine storage jobs, even checking out the manual every now and again….

before coming outside to service the outboard and the generator on the dock.

This is a great dock for doing all this work!   Was a busy, hot and sweaty day and we all worked hard so treated ourselves to a few drinks before we retired for the night.   Again live music was rained off….   There is definitely a pattern to the weather here in Florida – with sunny mornings, cloudy lunchtimes followed by a few storms moving around in the afternoons.   And when I say hot, I mean hot, like 95 degrees with the humidity pushing it up to feel like 110 degrees!

Saturday morning Richard and Blaine hauled dink for me onto the dock – so I could clean him.

They drained and replaced the engine coolant; drained and replaced the transmission oil; before they then removed the chart plotter from the binnacle. This meant they could access the 12v socket which had come loose and install a new 12v switch for the compass. The compass was originally wired to the bow / stern navigation lights but with no switch it meant when we run on tricolour only – which we added to the top of the mast as part of our cruising refit – we have no compass light.   While this was going on I cleaned the black caulk off the edges for later….

Saturday night we had a steak dinner on board before retiring to the bar for a few well-deserved drinks. And there was live music – but he was awful.   We even prayed for rain to stop him from playing / shouting / talking – sadly our wish was not answered – and he carried on.   Absolutely dreadful – can’t imagine why anyone would want to pay him for this assault on the eardrums – but the locals seemed to like him.   Thankfully he did finally pack up – not before we had moved onto rum, vodka and ice cream to numb the senses – and we had a good time before returning to Morphie for a sleep.

Sunday and I turned dink over and finished cleaning and polishing him.   Richard and Blaine were going to tackle the toilet hoses – this is a smelly and cruddy job, but essential as we had a build-up of calcium and it was time to replace them.  Oh yes, and every time they tackle a job, they have to move things around either in the cockpit or down below – you can guarantee that whatever one of us needs is behind or under the place stuff has been moved to…… The boat is an absolute mess!!!! They went out to purchase new hoses and came back and started looking through all the access hatches.   These are very small and in awkward places – at one stage Richard was pulled out from an access hole by Blaine using his legs…. Not sure he could have got out without assistance LOL. Anyway….they got the hoses separated under the sink…..and yes definitely calcium.

So……they took the toilet apart to access the hose…..and then attached the new one and started pulling….. But they couldn’t shift it…..so they removed the shelf under the sink to get more space….and still couldn’t shift it….. These hoses are so tightly packed it is an impossible job.   So they went out again and Richard purchased an augur and he started drilling through the calcium to break it out.

Then when it was looking clear they cleaned the U-bend and the hose the other side of it…..   To break it down further they put muriatic acid to sit in there for a while.   When the toilet was put back together and we started pumping water through it worked but leaked – problem with the actual head itself this time. Luckily we had a spare in our inventory already so it was replaced.  Then they pumped and it worked – yay!  The hose replacement project will have to be put off for another day.

While all this was going on I had finished dink so started washing down the bow back to the mast – this is where dink will be stored so needs to be washed, waxed and polished to protect the gelcoat.

After a while I felt really rough and took myself off to lie down in the cockpit to recover – I think I had a touch of heatstroke.   Anyway…..although downhearted to be beaten by the toilet….we at least had less calcium and a working toilet.   We decamped to the bar and enjoyed fantastic live music – wow this guy was talented.   Thoroughly good evening.

Monday – and I carried on waxing and polishing – while Blaine and Richard did some quick jobs like removing the accessories from the arch and the blades from the wind generator – before tackling the main task for the day – the water maker.

This sprung a small leak earlier in the season so needs to be fixed.   Well – they got it off the wall – and realised that this small leak was actually coming from the cylinder which is a fixed unit. Not good!

So Richard rang around Spectra mechanics in the area to get advice – and sent a video to them. Then we received the bad news that this was a unit failure – but the good news was that Spectra would probably replace for free due to its age (installed 2012). Richard then got onto Spectra and sent them the video – and they confirmed they would send a replacement for no charge.  Unfortunately they couldn’t do it in the time we have left here so we need to organise this for our return in November – so they reinstalled the unit and we pickled it ready for storage.

By now it was quite late in the afternoon so we all went bobbing in the pool with a couple of beers to cool down….before having dinner on board.

Tuesday we were planning a few more jobs and then to spend the afternoon pontoon bashing – Morphie has a long keel and is not easy to manoeuvre in reverse – and we also have no experience of dealing with the types of marinas they have in this area which are largely multiple pilings with very short and narrow pontoon piers (if any at all)….so Blaine was going to give us some hints and tips.   We were particularly looking forward to this……but, of course, then the heads stopped working with huge back pressure and we are no longer able to flush.   What a nightmare – so after going out and getting a propane fill – as the tanks ran out when I was cooking dinner the night before!!! –

…they tackled the toilet again.

I stayed away from the cussing and the smell and sat down on the dock working on the anchor chain and on the dorades – these were red inside when we picked up Morphie – but had faded to a weak pink over time. There was also rust inside that I needed to deal with….. So that was my job for the day and, after two coats, I was pretty happy with the results!

Oh yes and I cleaned the sink taps with special fine wire wool – and they came up great too….  And the new dodgers we ordered arrived – not fixed on properly at this stage – but will give us more protection from waves that  hit us side on in future….  We really are looking like a cruising boat now!

Meanwhile – back in the heads and under the floor in the forepeak – Blaine and Richard identified where the blockage was and were going to have to replace this hose.   The blockage was beyond the U-bend so they started to try to remove it.   But guess what – it is not possible to remove the Y-valve because of its position – and you cannot get tools into the area.   Why did Island Packet not put an access hatch above this?   Really frustrated and fed up –  they both spent the whole day on this but failed and had to give up – by which time Maria had turned up so we all got cleaned up and, avoiding the torrential rain, we had a nice dinner together.   And of course we had to go to the shore bathrooms during the night as ours was out of action.

Wednesday morning we started off with a nice breakfast – and then Blaine showed me some rope skills in catching pilings. I’m not very good at the rope throwing bit – especially when Richard usually shouts ‘make it count’ every time which makes me worse! – so was pleased that I was able to lasso pilings on the dock quite easily. Will definitely practice and practice now that I know the technique.   Richard enjoyed watching too…..

Then it was time for pontoon bashing – and we got off the slip and went out into the main channel.   Richard turned the boat around – Blaine showed him a few techniques – then he went up and down backwards.   Bit nervy to start but he got it very quickly and we then tied up to the fuel dock – filled up with diesel and then pumped out the holding tank.   Then we went reversing into a number of slips – went really well – well done Richard and thank you Blaine!

When we got back to our dock we lifted dink onto the bow under the hoyt boom. We then said our farewells to Blaine and Maria and chilled for a while before heading out shopping. The most important item was a large electric fan that we could rig up in our cabin as dink had closed off our forward hatch. Back to the marina – admiring the boatyard where Morphie is going to stay from the car park – and went into the on-site marine works company.

They are going to send someone down to look at our heads – perhaps professionals will have specific tools / techniques that will enable them to replace these hoses?   Hope so – we also e-mailed Island Packet to ask for technical assistance.  Wednesday we had a quiet night before turning in early as we were both pretty shattered after a hard week’s work….and the jobs aren’t finished yet!

Thursday morning we were up early – and received a glib reply from Island Packet which made Richard mad! – and went to West Marine to pick up a new light unit which we had ordered. Sadly the part was the wrong one so we’ll need to source that elsewhere.    But we cheered ourselves up by buying some new Columbia clothes; Richard got a new pair of sandals; a new dinghy anchor; and we also ordered two new Spinlock Offshore lifejackets.  Unusually we could have got them slightly cheaper in the UK but the known hassle of getting an agreement to carry them on an airline to the US offset the pain at paying a little more!   When we got back the guy from Whiticar turned up and inspected the heads – he then went away to talk to one of his specialist guys and will get back to us with a quote.

Just after noon Jim and ShaSha turned up to pick us up. We haven’t seen them since Christmas and New Year 2013/14 in Grenada – since then they have swallowed the anchor, sold ShaSha their boat, and purchased a luxury coach and a plot in a RV park near Okeechobee Lake, which isn’t that far from here.   Small world eh?   So we were very excited to see them again – and they looked amazing and very happy!   We had a wonderful day visiting their beautifully landscaped plot – checking out their huge tikki hut and the plans for the new shed – and met Molly their little dog who is such a pretty little thing. And as for the coach – well – it is stunning!   Check out the bedroom to see what I mean.

After the usual afternoon storm passed through we went out and about around to look at the park – including the pool; the library; the gym and much much more.   Pretty nice eh???

Oh yes, and on the way to their place, we popped in to see ShaSha’s mum who has just moved nearby – who loved Richard’s accent – and the OK Corral Gun Club which was a pretty neat place to see….

Lovely countryside around here – flat and green – with a stunning lake which is so vast it looks like the sea – and beef cattle.

After a wonderful afternoon together – catching up and imbibing wine – we went out to Brahma Bull for dinner. This is a diner that served fantastic liver and onions – yum – with Richard going for the prime beef.   We also enjoyed Christmas in July….

Back to the marina – having witnessed a stunning Ockechobee sunset – and we said our farewells. We definitely hope to see them again either before we leave and/or when we return.

Today I’m blogging and doing the laundry at the same time. Richard is sorting out the boat and waiting on the mechanic to turn up to let us know when they can fit us in to fix the heads…. We have lots of jobs to be getting along with but I’m hoping that we can take a couple of days out for fun next week – really fancy going to see Universal Studios and riding all the rides!!!

Bye for now

Jan

Thursday morning we were up bright and early and prepared Morphie for her capping rail to be varnished….   The anchorage is quiet – as in we are the only people in it – but the ICW is busy….   The Inter Coastal Waterway runs all the way down the East Coast from Canada to past Miami and is commonly known as the ‘ditch’.   The water is not brown this morning – and we’re moving 180 degrees with each turn of the tide – but a green colour instead.   And we’ve seen fish behind the boat and a couple of dolphins have gone past….   Pretty serene place when you aren’t rocking and rolling in the constant wake of the fishing boats, the pontoon boats, the wetbikes and the trawlers…   Not that many sail boats around here…

So it’s ropes tied up; stainless cleaned; some stainless removed; some blocks loosened and anchors / snubber secured out of the way…..   Then we taped up above and below the rail…..   Took us pretty much all day – it is blisteringly hot here – and we had had enough by late afternoon.   So we dinked in to Harbortown Marina for happy hour, some good food, and more live entertainment.   This place is growing on us!

Friday morning and it’s our first rub down……   I worked under the rail from dink and Richard started on the bow sprit…. Then I rejoined him on the rail and we met eventually – job done!

Ready for varnish.   So we both got in dink and Richard moved it around the boat while I varnished under the rail. Then we climbed back on board and I relaxed while Richard varnished the top sides.   Phew job done….

So back into Harbortown for dinner.   Tried the dinner menu this time and was actually disappointed – the appetizers and smaller meals are much better.   But had a good time and returned to Morphie for the sun to set and an early night – exhausted and drained by the physical hard work.

Saturday morning and we did it all again…..

Entertained by the large tug boat pushing a barge who ran aground three times and had to be rescued by a smaller tug. Even the professionals run aground in the ICW!

By the time we finished we couldn’t be bothered to go ashore so had a relaxing night on board.   So far so good though….

Sunday morning and we did it all over again…..   This is physical work for both of us and Richard’s knees are complaining!   I even managed to burn my bum on the deck as I shuffled along…

Oh yes and it was madness on the ICW – hundreds of wetbikes were out and although went slowly up to where we are, which is a manatee zone, they then buzzed off at full pelt.   I stopped work for a little while to watch them as rubbing down isn’t easy when you are moving from side to side at the same time!!!

I also enjoyed watching the bastille bridge opening – as this is where we will be going through to Riverside, Morphie’s final destination this year.

Anyway – late afternoon – and we’ve finished! Yay!   We are very happy – although Richard is not keen on his suntan lines LOL – and we went into Harbortown Marina to celebrate.

We were also happy because they had confirmed that they have an alongside floating pontoon slip for us to go into on Monday.   Then we can get on with the other list of jobs….. We had a few beers in celebratory mode and ended up going back to Morphie just before it got dark.

Monday morning – up early with the sun – and we got ready to go into the marina. We knew where the slip was, as we’d already scoped it out, so quickly reinstalled our rub rails and I removed the blue tape from below the rail. The deck tape can wait another day…..   Fenders on, lines ready, and in with go.  We have about 6 inches above low water – and it is supposed to be dredged to 7 feet throughout – but of course we find the shallower parts of the channel but luckily managed not to touch bottom on our way in.   Great manoeuvring by Richard on the helm and we were set.   At low tide we have less than 4 inches below the keel in this slip – but not too worried about this as Morphie is a long keeled boat and she would just sit on the bottom if we did touch.   Doesn’t she look beautiful?!?

I went into the office to pay and was told that it was cheaper to pay for a month than to pay for two weeks – so went for it – we can stay until we want to leave basically. Water is included but electricity is metered rather than the $7 a day fee for a shorter stay. The only downside is that they charged us for 45 feet as that is the size boat that the slip can accommodate – oh well – never mind. Actually overall it worked out pretty reasonable. Oh yes, and we’ve heard from Blaine that he needs some summer work, so we’ve asked him to come join us on Wednesday for five days. Win win on both sides – particularly me as I don’t get to winch Richard up the mast this year LOL!!!

In the afternoon we did the laundry, found the boaters lounge, ordered a hire car and generally got our bearings. Nice little pool too – although sadly rules suggest no bobbing, but we’ll see…. Later on we had a couple of beers and a snack in the marina bar but quickly called it a day.   Very very tired….

Tuesday morning up early and we were picked up by Enterprise and taken to the office to sort out the hire car. Initially we have booked it just for the week…..     We drove through downtime Fort Pierce and were surprised by how poor this area is – a combination of historic buildings and some pretty depressed looking housing and cheap rental apartments.   Numerous lots for sale and buildings abandoned.   Guess this area hasn’t recovered from the global downturn yet.

We went shopping first – to West Marine – Richard’s favourite shop. He was disappointed by this flagship store as it catered more to fisherman than to boating – but we joined their system anyway so that we get a discount and got a few bits and bobs. Basically I think we will order online and pick up from there…..   Then we went on to Publix the large supermarket.   Provisioned up for Blaine’s visit and returned to Morphie where we stowed it all. Then we had Edouard on board from the local canvas shop – he came to quote us for a pair of dodgers.

Having stowed all our goodies we headed off again – this time our destination was Riverside Marina which is where we have booked Morphie to stay. Well – this place is a nightmare. It is filthy, dusty, rubbish strewn, boats falling apart, little sign of any real security other than CCTV camera signs and haphazard storage areas to say the least.   Wires were everywhere too… We spoke to one guy working on his boat – funnily enough an Island Packet – and he said that it was good and cheap but you have to watch out for your stuff as it gets ‘borrowed’ constantly.   This is starting to feel like a nightmare….. We went into the office – introduced ourselves to Sue – and picked up our parcel which held the connectors for our cradle system from Brownell that had been delivered directly here.   We didn’t tell her what we thought of the place as we are not sure we’ll be able to find somewhere else that will accommodate us now and we may be stuck – but both of us were pretty depressed by the thought of leaving Morphie there.

When we got back Richard removed all the tape from the deck while I went to see the office here in Harbortown Marina to see whether they could accommodate us in their boatyard – it is a full service yard, so no work can be done by us but we can do most of it from the dock – and of course it is not inexpensive.  But it is clean – the boats are well spread – and there is good security.   The first response was yes we have space but probably not OK to use our connector system…..   Will let us know….. Damn…

We chatted over dinner and had an early night. Not hopeful at all and I was quite teary by now.   Neither of us slept much at all – not helped by the constant freight train traffic blaring their horns as they cross over the highway behind us – so we spent the early hours researching other boat yards online. Feels very familiar….and frustrating…..and depressing…..   Anyway, I found another yard in Stuart, Florida – about 20 miles south of us – and fired an online request off to them explaining about the connector system.

Eventually we nodded off – but ended up getting up early feeling very tired and puffy eyed. So this morning – Wednesday – and we checked our e-mails first.   The boatyard in Stuart had responded – happy to accommodate the connector system – but not sure if they have space to match our dates. Someone else will get in touch about that….. Fingers crossed.   Feeling much more hopeful we headed out – this time to Home Depot to buy Richard some more 110v power tools and other bits and bobs…..and then to West Marine for more bits and bobs….and then Publix for more beer…..and then back to Morphie. Oh yes, and we went into a Centrestate Bank to get some drinking vouchers – we have banked with them since 2008 but have never set foot in one of their branches before! Very swish – now we know where our bank charges are going LOL!

Later on Edouard came on board to make his pattern – we paid 50% of the quote – and hope to get the dodgers done by Monday.

We’ve just cleaned the boat down below and cleared room for Blaine – he arrives this evening – and I’ve just checked emails again and wow Harbortown will accommodate us and our cradle!!!  Obviously going to cost us – but who cares – there comes a point when you just have to throw money at a problem!!!   Soooo relieved…..   Will visit the office tomorrow morning to sort out logistics of it all – including finding out the rules and organising some haul out tasks like thru-hulls, prop cleaned, hull waxed, fresh water through the engine etc etc etc…..   Not going to think about the bills – just that Morphie will be safe and sound and in a better place!  Luckily Richard already has a job offer on the table for a few months when we get back again this year to help reduce the pain a bit.

Blogging in the cockpit now – waiting for Blaine to arrive….and the weather is closing in a bit.   Guess we might have rain later.   A social evening beckons before the huge boat jobs lists starts in earnest tomorrow – will be back with part 2 soon!

Bye for now

Jan

Thursday we had a quiet night in Crab Cay enjoying the sheltered anchorage.   We sat on the coach roof and watched the sun go down;   marvelled at the spectacle of the huge orange moon; and enjoyed the sight of Jupiter and Venus so close together in the sky…. Love this life!

Friday morning we decided to move on.   Crab Cay was a great anchorage – flat calm – but not much else to offer apart from scrubland and rocks.   So we motored the seven miles (no wind again) to Allens Pensacola – was a lovely bright start to the day.

We had just tucked into the entrance to this anchorage and were sitting in the cockpit and I realised that the fridge was playing up again……and drawing more power than needed.  So Richard quickly got out his refrigeration manifold set and added a bit more gas – which seems to have solved the problem – fingers crossed!  My hero…..

Later on Chris and Amanda sailed into the anchorage on their boat Empathy.  We went exploring by dink for a while before meeting up with them on the beach.   We all went in the water – and saw a few critters, including a sunfish, which was the first time we’d seen one of these whilst snorkelling.  Richard also got a good shot of Empathy at anchor from the water. Later on we had Chris and Amanda over for sundowners and had a great time catching up with the news.

Saturday morning and we picked them up by dink and we went out through the cut to explore the Atlantic side of the island and go snorkelling. It was very weedy at the beach but some good fish and coral to be found further out.

We headed back through the cut and visited another part of the shoreline.   Well – this was not my favourite place!   I could see things pulsing / throbbing on the bottom but wasn’t sure what they were – and Richard came by to see and, as we were so shallow, he disturbed a few of them.   Oh no – they are jelly fish.    And they were everywhere….. Have never seen them sitting on the bottom like that before…..   Yuck!!!   I have to say I didn’t hang around in the water much after that – although did have a face off with a couple of baby barracuda which was fun.

Watching the clouds coming over we decided to head back – and dropped Chris and Amanda off – just in time for the heavens to open and another thunderstorm to move through……   Sooooo hot and humid….   We had a lazy afternoon and evening on board before having an early night.

Sunday morning and we left the anchorage bound for Great Sail Cay.   Chris and Amanda had left two hours ahead of us – and the plan was to catch them up!  Well … no chance … the wind was too light for Morphie and although we managed to keep the sails full and hit over 6 knots in the occasional gust at other times we were struggling in the 3-4 knot range.   But we were determined to sail all the way as it had been a while since we’d had any wind at all – and managed the 32 miles in just under seven hours…. Slow but fun – although the constant power boat traffic was a bit of a menace at times.

As we rounded the top of Great Sail Cay the colour of the water was stunning……

Anchor down and we headed ashore – this time we were going bobbing and had supplies with us.   All four of us were in the water and then we were suddenly surrounded by tiny bait fish….and then the sharks came by. Well – they were pretty big sharks – and so we had to keep an eye out for them.   They were very actively hunting the fish and even beached themselves a few times – a great spectacle and kept us amused for sure.

Having had a fun few hours we said our farewells to Chris and Amanda and headed back to Morphie for a quiet night on board.   They are heading off to Florida too but are staging at West End so that they can do the crossing in daylight…… Crossing the Gulf Stream both ways on a small trailer sailor is quite an achievement and huge kudos to them.

Later on during the evening we sat out on the coach roof for a while – this time we were watching some critters that glow in the dark passing by in the water…… Isn’t nature wonderful?

Monday morning and the wind had picked up – yay! – so we moved further up the coast of Great Sail Cay to get a bit more protection from the chop. We are the only boat here now…..

We have been ashore and explored by dink…..

Back on board we got on with passage planning to Florida – trying to ensure we hit the tide leaving the Bahama banks and the tide going in at the Fort Pierce inlet to give us the best conditions.  The rest of the day was spent doing pre-passage engine checks and Richard cleaned Morphie’s water line while I blogged off-line.

Tuesday morning and we were up early getting ready to go to sea – Richard was doing more maintenance checks and hit a problem with the holding tank Y-valve and ended up delving into a nasty blocked hose.  He fixed it – but definitely needs replacing – so something else for the list.  The list of things to do – things to buy – is starting to outnumber the days we have left!!!  Finally at 3.30 pm – only 30 minutes after we had planned – we picked up anchor and left our last Bahamian anchorage for this season.   Bye….it was fun!

Of course the wind has died again and the forecast 10 knots turned into 0-2 knots…. so we had to motor.  It was like a millpond out on the banks with gentle ripples on the water broken only by the occasional leap of the flying fish getting out of the way.

We played some tunes – loudly – and sang along…..praying for wind….   This is our last long passage of the season – please Sir we want to sail!!!!!   But the wind gods decided not to play – but at least the thunderstorms which were circling us decided to leave us alone.

After an early dinner together we moved into our three hour shift patterns and the storms kept on coming through – and I’m alone in the cockpit when suddenly I saw a huge loggerhead turtle surface for air.   Well my excited ‘radical dude’ greeting to the turtle obviously woke Richard up because he came up into the cockpit all discombobulated wondering why the boat was moving LOL.   The sun went down and we continued motoring…..

No boat traffic either – all a bit weird – feel like we are the only people left in the world right now!   We exited the banks around 1am – with the falling tide – and moved into the deep water.   Still with no wind.   But at least there are ships…. six of them to be precise with only one getting close – and the radio woke me – when Richard and the captain agreed that we would pass behind his stern.

We made some southing to compensate for the anticipated escalator ride north that is the Gulf Stream and carried on….   Richard was on watch to enjoy the spectacular sunrise at sea heralding the start of a new Wednesday.

Even the Gulf Stream wasn’t in the mood running at only 2 knots and didn’t even carry us as far as our rhumb line – so once we were out of the stream we corrected our heading and enjoyed the ride.   Eventually we saw the buildings on the coastline of Florida – we’ve made it. We’ve sailed (er….motored) to Florida. Woo hoo!!!

Arriving at the Fort Pierce inlet, in time for the ingoing tide as planned, we picked our way through the confusing ICW markers (including one red marking shallow water on the wrong side of the channel) and eventually anchored in skinny water off Harbortown Marina. The passage was 118 miles in total.

But, oh dear, the water here is nasty!!!   Muddy and brown…. Not sure what we were expecting but this wasn’t it!  Oh well….. never mind.

We telephoned the US authorities and gave over our information – all good – got a ‘locator reference number’ and told to report to customs at St Lucie County Airport.   Got dink down, went into the marina, ordered a taxi – and waited for a long time in the heat of the day. Finally the cab turned up and the guy didn’t know where the customs office was – eventually he got some information from his controller and we found the right place.   In and out in minutes – very easy process – hurrah!   Back to the marina, we went into the bar to have a late lunch and a few celebratory beers, enjoyed the views and the start of the entertainment.

Oh yes….and the pelicans are back. Certainly didn’t see any in the Bahamas…. Check them out in front of Morphie at anchor. Back on board, safe and sound, and we had a very early night – going to bed even before the sun went down.

The plan is to stay here on anchor for a while to top up our varnish again….   It doesn’t seem that long ago that we did it, but actually, it was January so it is due…. Yes – an endless task – just like painting the Forth Bridge!   After that we’re thinking we may go into the marina if they can accommodate us – so that we can start on the huge list of boat jobs, which are always easier to do on a dock with power for tools and unlimited water. Another option is to move further up the coast to a better anchoring spot and work from there.   Decisions, decisions, decisions…..

We need to use the time in Florida wisely where we have access to marine stores and services.   Although not sure of our routing yet we are planning to cruise to Panama next season; and if we go through the canal the following year into the Pacific, then we need to have on board a huge array of spare parts and tools.  That’s without the periphery things like new lifejackets, scuba tanks, jerry jugs etc….. And other checks like the rigging…..and the sails…..and the navigation / communications gear….and on the list goes…..   Oh yes, some new summer clothes and swimsuits would be good too, as each year I get home to find the shops full of autumn wear LOL.

So a car is necessary – and somewhere to stay when Morphie is hauled while we do the final jobs on the hard – and then we need to make transport arrangements to Tampa to pick up another car from the airport to visit with friends over on the West Coast before flying Tampa to Toronto…   Toronto???  Yes, seriously!  We are going to visit some good friends in Canada on the way home to London. All very exciting – but just writing the list makes me feel tired!!!

Bye for now

Jan

Saturday afternoon, as planned, we went over to the Beer Festival. Well……there were about six cruisers there along with a couple of locals.   We chatted with a couple who have an Island Packet catamaran – nice couple.

We had a few beers and some BBQ food – but then I needed the loo and there was no facilities.   So we wandered the town – everything was closed – so ended up back on Morphie.  We watched from the cockpit to see if it got busier but we gave up and had an early night…. Very disappointing for the organisers – there must have been a ton of food wasted too.

Sunday morning and we picked up our anchor and headed into the White Sound anchorage.   We had spoken with the people at Bluff House Marina and they were happy for us to use their laundry – so once we had got through the narrow channel and safely anchored – we headed in with our washing.   Well it seems like everyone else had the same idea as we ended up in a queue for the driers.   Never mind…. might as well enjoy ourselves…..  So we caught up on the internet, had a fantastic lunch, and eventually headed back to Morphie later in the afternoon.    It was nice to be able to see her from where we were sitting too……   Thunderstorms had been moving around us all day – and the rain came down again later – so that was it for the day.

Monday morning and we headed out to explore. We had wanted to get a golf buggy but, surprisingly, they were fully booked. So we headed off for a hike – through the Green Turtle Yacht Club – and up over the hill towards the Atlantic beaches. Well…we must have made a wrong turn…and never actually found a beach. By this time Richard is calling for ‘water….water….water….’ so I knew he had had enough LOL.

So back to the Green Turtle Yacht Club – watched more weather moving through – and back on board.

Later on that evening we headed into Bluff House Marina for happy hour and had a great time with some other visiting cruisers before heading back for the most spectacular sunset after such a stormy day.

Tuesday morning and we had more rain, more storms moving through, but waited a while until the worst had cleared. The sun didn’t really come out properly but we decided to head over the hill to the Bluff House’s own private beach and beach bar called the Tranquil Turtle. As we were walking up the hill we got a lift by a member of staff – which we were grateful for – and settled into a nice afternoon bobbing and even getting romantic with pledging our love to each other by the palm tree…. Ahhh bless…..

Later on we went into Bluff House’s Ballyhoo Bar and Grill for dinner. We knew they were having surf and turf night with live music.  We were very excited about the food as we had had such an amazing lunch there before. Waiting for our order to be taken we were aware of a commotion on the dock – a woman had fallen off a boat and broken / dislocated her elbow – ouch….   They had to get medics over for her and then the ferry to transport her to Marsh Harbour where the nearest proper medical facility is…   Not a great start to her holiday, that’s for sure!

By now we had enjoyed a bit of wine and the food turned up – and we were very disappointed.

No starters available, no bread, and pretty average food.   The steak was rough and the mahi mahi was average….. Never mind – at least we enjoyed the musical entertainment in between a few power cuts!

We had a great night actually and left quite well hydrated if not a little poorer….

Wednesday morning we awoke to rain – so had a lay in – and then got ourselves moving. We wanted to go shopping in town for some fresh produce as we are planning on leaving on Thursday and this is our last chance before we get to Florida. As we were leaving Morphie the woman on the trawler next to us said that she thought we had dragged as we were closer to her than before…. Well, we have an anchor alarm, so we knew for fact that wasn’t true just a change in the wind meant that we appeared closer. But they were there first and she was obviously concerned about it all – bitch wings were very evident – so we picked up our anchor.

We then decided to go back through the channel and re-anchored out in Settlement Harbour.   We headed ashore – Richard took me out for lunch – and then back to Morphie for a quiet night on board.  We enjoyed the antics in the anchorage as boat after boat arrived – on Friday it is the start of Regatta Time in the Abacos – which starts with a very large party so boats are coming in thick and fast. We would have loved to have stayed for this – but time is ticking – and we want to do a lot of shopping for boat parts in the US when we get there, along with putting Morphie to bed properly, so have decided to leave before it starts.   Will power or what!!!   A beach party with free booze, burgers and hot dogs for 1500 people and we’re leaving…..   Who would have thought it LOL????

This morning – Thursday – we were up early and left as more and more boats arrived.

We were going straight to Crab Cay for some exploration but decided to stop off in Spanish Cay first.   The storms continue to rattle alongside us – wish they would give us a break!

At the marina they have a customs guy so we decided to enquire about checking out – everyone tells us that they don’t have to check out of the Bahamas, but we had been told we had to.  Now whether that is because we are British not American we’re not sure – but thought it was worth clarifying – as to check out will add some time to our trip…..   Well – the bottom line was – they don’t care!   Spanish Cay Marina’s bar was very inviting – but as a private island and not guests in the marina – we knew that we shouldn’t be there….. So we left…..and spotted two huge sharks under dink waiting for us!   Yikes….   Was nice to see lots of birds around too…..

Back on board we picked up anchor and carried on to Crab Cay – and dropped our hook by 5.00 pm. This isn’t what we thought it would be like at all…… Bit disappointed but hope that a sunny morning might make it look a bit more attractive.

Tomorrow we are off to Allens Pensacola – another uninhabited place – and then continue on our passage towards Florida.   We are amazed we can pick up a signal here in Crab Cay from a BTC tower on Little Abaco so making the most of it.   But we might not get another one…..so don’t worry….we’ll be in touch when we can.

Bye for now

Jan