Monday, December 30, 2013

The morning started off overcast at 0800, then cleared, then became overcast again in the afternoon with skies threatening rain but again none materialized. Temp was again mid 20s.

We spent the morning doing odd jobs on the boat. Jorge was waiting for a phone call from the weather system guys. They have been having a hard time getting a hold of one fellow (due to Christmas holidays) so the call never did come. Jorge was not impressed!

I took the dinghy to town in the afternoon while Jorge continued to wait on the boat for word on the weather system. He got a few questions answered from the dealer but we are still waiting for the supplier (software dude) to contact us.


Statue of a manatee outside the Raw Bar, spin him and make a wish.

Gilbert has restaurants all over southern Florida!

Another CS36 from Canada (Quebec) just arrived in our anchorage.

I met Dave and Rose (Cloud 9) in town and invited them for happy hour. It turned out they were not mentally ready to leave the anchorage this morning and have decided to stay here a few more days. Can't hardly blame them. We have everything here . . . shopping, restaurants, showers, laundry, weather . . . what more could cruisers want? I know I am going to have a hard time weighing anchor. We're in a very nice rut!

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Well, maybe Jorge shouldn't have installed the solar panels, it was another cloudy day! Good thing though, it remains warm so if the sun was out I am sure we would be baking.

We spent the day almost relaxing. We did some reading, although it was reading the Bahama charts and checking out Active Captain, Navionics and Google Earth trying to educate ourselves and decide exactly where and what we want to do as our next step. Actually, our next step will be making our way to Miami for a couple of days and then to No Name Harbour, in Key Biscayne, to await a weather window. We are planning on staying in Ft. Lauderdale for another few days as Jorge has smaller boat jobs he wants to do.


This was our entertainment for the afternoon. A hose is connected to a jet ski boat, the exhaust is transferred through the hose to the special boots the guy is wearing and it gives him the "lift". Somes guys are actually quite good and try flips, most fail, and it is usually one big belly flop!

We had happy hour with Dave and Rose aboard their boat, Cloud 9. Happy hour turned into an invite for dinner as well! We got back to CS'ta Time around 2130. The day was almost a down day, no urgency to get anything accomplished today!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

I can't believe it, I was up before Jorge this morning! He had two of his major boat jobs accomplished so I guess he was not so stressed and was able to sleep in. Temp was again warm but the skies were overcast. Having said that, the first thing Jorge checked when he got up was the solar panels. Even with the overcast skies we were still getting up to 8 amps with the panels. He was so pleased!

We puttered on the boat in the morning, had lunch and then went to town. Jorge was off to the hardware store (again) and a chart store and me, off to do laundry. How I love the warm weather. We wear very little clothes while on the boat so very little laundry to do.

Stefano and Helen were coming for happy hour. Stefano had kindly downloaded his world charts on a disc for us and he installed them on our computer. A back up system for us. Helen and I drank too much wine, had appetizers and chatted in the cockpit while the guys were going the computer thing. They left around 2000 and leftovers were supper. My favourite!

We pass this sailboat when going to the dinghy dock - waiting for a new carbon fiber mast.

Lauderdale Marina - where CS'ta Time spent a few summers on the hard while her previous owners were back in Ontario.

Pelican just hanging out.

Duck! We have to go under this bridge with our dinghy to get to town. Interesting  at high tide!

Close up of the bridge.

Our anchorage at Lake Sylvia.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Okay so I had been a little lax lately with the blogging but after all it was Christmas!

December 27, 2013.

The skies were blue this morning but the clouds rolled in shortly after lunch and they were threatening although we didn't get any rain. Temp was still mid 20s, seems to be a consistent temp down here.

Jorge picked up an electronics guy at a nearby marina who came over to help with the Furuno system. Jorge had unlocked the charts but things just weren't copasectic. The guy assured Jorge what he had done was correct but tweaked and adjusted some other features on the system. Jorge has struggled through with many things and needed the extra reassurance that what he had done was correct and everything was ready for continuing our travels. The guy was with Jorge for only an hour but answered all the questions and gave Jorge hands on instructions on some of the functions. One more job done.

Diana and Gilbert were back in Ft. Lauderdale today running errands and we met with them at the marina for a short while.

Jorge called Skymate and again explained some of the hiccups we have been having with the weather system. The guy is to get back to us on Monday with some answers.

The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing connecting the solar panels. Oops, a slight glitch, of course! The Link 1000, which monitors the batteries, didn't want to work after reconnecting it. By this time it was 1730 on a Friday. Oh boy. Luckily the 1-800 number was in Washington state on the west coast - 3 hours behind us, so we quickly called them and the guy talked Jorge through the troubleshooting process and it worked! Phew. After supper Jorge "unveiled" the panels. It was recommended to keep them covered and to connect them in the dark to avoid them "working" prematurely. Tomorrow will be the big test to see if they work or not. Of course it is supposed to be cloudy with the possibility of showers so we might not get any power out if them tomorrow. Another job done. Pretty good, two major boat jobs completed in one day.

I puttered around in the cockpit yesterday, reinstalling the bimini after removing it to install the panels. Today I cleaned out the lazarettes and took Fanstasik to all the scuff marks in the cockpit. I also played gopher to Jorge both days.

December 26, 2013.

Again it was overcast this morning but still warm.

After breakfast we dignhied to town. Jorge had some hardware to buy for the solar panels and after putting away the last bunch of provisioning, I realized I still had room for some more so  . . . it was back to the grocery and wine stores for me. We now have 15 bags of wine, equivalent to 60 bottles plus some 15 actual bottles, so we're good for maybe 75 days. LOL. It was after 1400 when we got back to the boat and we were famished. I had bought a philly steak with cheese when we left the dinghy dock so that was lunch.

We had a visitor in the afternoon . . . I hope all the pirates we encounter are this friendly!


Stefano (from the 48' cat) had borrowed some tools from Jorge and was returning them. He turned 60 today so we joined him and his wife along with another couple from Australia (with their kids) at Coconuts, a local waterfront restaurant for dinner. It was a good time. Back on Stefano's boat, we had birthday cake and champagne, not getting home until 2330. Blogging was definitely out of the question at that time!

December 25, 2013.

We awoke to overcast skies but it was still warm, mid 20s. So much for a down day, Jorge took advantage of the weather (cooler temp and cloudiness) to finish the outside work on the solar panels. He installed the stainless steel pipe and ran the cable from the solar panels through the pipe and into the boat. You guessed it, the cable had to come through the quarter berth to the batteries. And you guessed it again, that meant pulling apart the quarter berth where all the reprovisioning groceries are kept! Oh well, it gave me another chance to see if I could pack them better.

There was no turkey this Christmas, the oven just wasn't big enough. A small ham was on the menu, complete with one of Jorge's favourite desserts, Christmas cake. (Marisa, your panettone didn't make it to Christmas!)

We phoned the kids after supper who were arriving back in Barrie after visiting their dad for the holidays. It was great talking to them. Hard to believe they were driving in the snow and we were sitting in +24C weather.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

I got up just after 0800, Jorge was already up. The morning started off quite warm, 25C inside the boat and no breeze. Jorge and a neighbour cruiser took our dinghy and their bikes into town to the hardware store and West Marine. They were gone most of the morning.

Jorge had upset one of his containers holding a multitude of screws, washers, cotter pins, etc. so I spent the morning picking them up and separating them into types, sizes, shapes so Jorge could just put them back into the container - organized.

We had lunch on board and then I took the dinghy to town, by myself. I felt like a teenager getting the car for the first time! And Jorge the concerned parent watching the tail lights disappear.






The trip into town was uneventful. I did more reprovisioning and loaded the dinghy making two trips. It was a good thing the store was just across the road from the dinghy dock. Okay so now it was time to start the engine. No go. I pulled and pulled. I pulled out the choke, I pushed it in. I tried everything. I think I flooded the engine. So two young 30 something guys came to my rescue and after a few pulls one of the guys was able to get it started. The trip back to the boat was uneventful. Now I'm going to be asking to borrow the dinghy everyday!

You know how you always joke about trading the old guy in for two 30 year olds, well that was almost the case today. LOL.

By this time, the weather had turned. It was overcast and the north easterly winds had arrived. The temperature dropped to a respectable 23C and the wind made the afternoon very tolerable.

Jorge put away his tools from working on the panels and I put away the reprovisioning groceries then we headed back to the Raw Bar for appetizers and beer. After all it was Christmas Eve. Unfortunately we got there too late for appetizers, the kitchen was closed, but we enjoyed a drink and chatted with the staff and locals for a bit before heading back to the boat.

We had dinner and then Jorge called his family back in Argentina. Their big Christmas celebration is tonight. Tomorrow we will call the kids in Ontario and maybe have a down day and walk the beach!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our family, friends, and followers of our blog a very Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel or happy holidays!

Monday, December 23, 2013

After a late night last night, we were rudely awaken by the phone at 0800! Jorge had been calling around yesterday trying to source a stainless steel pipe for the solar panel cable and we got a return call first thing this morning. More calls were made to Furuno dealers to get the code to unlock the charts on the chartplotter, a call to the cable guy with the measurements after taking them of course, and a call to the guys at our weather system company regarding a hiccup in the system. Finally we were ready to leave the boat after lunch to pick up the pipe and cable.

We decided to take the dinghy to the two stores instead of walking or taking a taxi. Just about everything in Ft. Lauderdale is accessible by boat. There are many, many fingers of water between land masses all lined with boats and mansions. We left Lake Sylvia and went up the New River. Our first stop was for the pipe and we docked beside a park which even had bikes to rent! Instead of walking the 7 blocks there and back, Jorge rented a bike for half an hour and off he went. I stayed behind and enjoyed the park!

Old Ft. Lauderdale home converted to a museum.

Big, old anchor.

Some guys are so big they need to be pulled down the narrow river by one boat and

the second boat behind is the brakes!

Next we were off to the cable store further up the New River. This time we docked beside a mobile trailer park. Off Jorge went and I again stayed behind due to the "no parking" sign on the dock.

The boardwalk behind the trailer park next to the dock where I was with the dinghy.

The fuel boat on a delivery.

Jorge and I thought we might put an offer in on this house.
 
Having accomplished both things Jorge needed to do, it was my turn - the wine and grocery stores! Jorge was in charge of buying the wine boxes while I headed to the grocery store. It is not a good sign when the alcohol receipt is more than the grocery receipt, LOL. However there are more of both to be bought yet.

We got back to the boat shortly after 1900, tired, hungry and thirsty. It was empanadas and beer for dinner.

We were happy with what we had accomplished and feel we are making headway in getting ready for the Bahamas.

Oh did I mention, it was another gorgeous day today!

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Ya gotta love the weather in Florida! It was sunny and bright and warm again today. +25C inside the boat when we got up this morning.

Jorge just about got the solar panels installation completed. He has to measure for the cable, buy it, install it, connect it and hopefully it will work.

We spent the whole day again working on the boat, Jorge installing the panels and me, well, cleaning the inside of the boat.

We dinghied to the marina shortly after 1700 for showers, came back to CS'ta Time, had supper and then went visiting at 1930. An Italian man married to a Scottish woman but living in Australia have a 48' catamaran. They invited us for the drinks after dinner. There was also a French-Canadian couple, a fellow from South Africa married to a British lady, the lady from Argentina and her husband from the states, Jorge and myself. What a mixture of cultures and languages! English, of course, was spoken by everyone, albeit broken by some, and we all tried to communicate using different words/phases in the other languages. What a hoot! I have to say we got a tour of the cat. Holy! And that doesn't even begin to describe it. What a gorgeous boat.

I'm late blogging - almost midnight, way past my bedtime. Tomorrow we go into town for the cable for the panels. Hopefully we can cross that major job off the list.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

This morning we had clear blue skies when we woke up - another gorgeous day. I had my breakfast in the cockpit in my nightie, enjoying the quietness. And for being in an anchorage with at least 15 boats and having houses (ok mansions) all around, it certainly was quiet. There was one big absence - Serenada was nowhere to be seen. Diana and Gilbert left this morning for Key Largo. :( There were a few other boats that also left today. I imagine they were heading for Miami to take advantage of Monday's short weather window to make the jump to the Bahamas. We are nowhere ready so I guess we will be waiting for the next window which appears to be after December 28. Looks like we are stuck in southern Florida for the holidays. I don't expect much sympathy from our family and friends back in Ontario though!

Jorge continued his work on the solar panels today. A fellow cruiser, from Quebec, stopped by in his dinghy and said he was going to town, did we need anything. To save us a trip to the hardware store, Jorge showed him some hardware he needed and asked the guy to pick it up. That was before lunch. Jorge fully expected him to be back within a hour or so (as that seemed to be the indication). However it was almost 1700 before he returned with the hardware! It was a good thing Jorge had other boat jobs to do besides installing the solar panels because he was ready for the hardware by early afternoon. The other boat jobs were addressing the stuffing box (too much water coming through) and changing the annode on the engine, both were jobs Jorge was avoiding like the plague.

I cleaned out the wet closet, reorganized winter clothes yet again, rearranged "stuff" looking for more storage space and cleaned the portholes. It was a busy afternoon for both of us. We worked inside the boat where the temp was 28+C so we were working in our next to nothings!

One of the boats that came to the anchorage today was Rejoice, the lady from Argentina and her husband from the states. They phoned and invited us for happy hour at 1700. We were ready after a full day of working on the boat but we are always ready for a happy hour! We had a nice visit and left around 1930. They were anchored immediately in front of us, so it was only a 2 minute ride back to CS'ta Time.

We had some of the boxed wine with dinner tonight. It passed the test and I am happy to report Jorge and I are still married!

The evening breeze was wonderful, warm and steady. It will be a perfect night for sleeping!

Friday, December 20, 2013

We woke up to overcast skies today and fully expected to get some rain. Fortunately that didn't happen but the overcast skies in the early morning were certainly welcomed by Jorge as he was continuing the installation of the solar panels. Gilbert was kind enough to come over and lend a hand. By the end of the day they were mounted although not totally secured down. The Honda generator was a God send in allowing Jorge to use all the electric tools!

The deck workshop.

The cockpit workshop.

Jorge and Gilbert installing the first solar panel.

By late morning the skies were clearing and it was warm although not unbearable. The installation had gone well except slower than what Jorge had hoped for but isn't that always the case.

There was no trip to town today but definitely a trip for real showers by the end of the day. After that we had happy hour aboard Serenada with Gilbert and Diana along with another couple, Dave and Rose, from Cloud 9 who we have been leap frogging with since New York state. Gilbert and Diana are leaving Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow and heading for Key Largo. Their kids are coming to spend the Christmas holidays with them there. We're not sure if we will do the Gulf Stream crossing together. It will depend on whether there is a weather window that we can take advantage of before their kids leave for Ontario.

Many times Jorge has made comments about the internet and how it has opened up the world. One of the comments on our blog was from previous owners of CS'ta Time! We knew Rick had bought the boat in Florida and it had been to the Bahamas but that was about all we knew. We now know that CS'ta Time is right back in her element having spent five winters in the Bahamas and on the hard in Florida during the summers. Super, we'll just put her on auto and she will be able to cross the Gulf Stream on her own! Thanks Donna and John for contacting us.

Tomorrow will be more work on the solar panels and maybe more provisioning.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

It was a wonderful morning to wake up to. Sunny skies, warm temp, gentle breeze. Jorge was up before me (which is usually the case). I think he was anxious to get going on installing the solar panels. He measured, remeasured, put them on the davits and decided what hardware he had to buy. I made a picnic lunch and off we went to town.

About a 10 minute dinghy ride to the dinghy dock (just to the left in the picture). $10.00 per day but you can use that towards food or beverage anytime during that day.

The dinghies. Sometimes it is like bumper boats getting in and out!

We had lunch outside a hardware store in apark in a huge commercial plaza and then proceeded to go inside. Unfortuately they did not have everything Jorge was looking for. What a surprise! Off he trudged to another store while I took on the wine store and grocery store. Again what a surprise! We bought a bottle of Malbec from Argentina a couple of days ago and enjoyed it. Today I bought it in a box (wondering if our marriage was going to survive this purchase.) Storage will be so much easier after getting rid of the box and just storing the soft plastic bag. Beer is back to cans - Jorge will have to do without his Indian Pale Ale as bottles just won't do on this part of the trip.

I was back to the dinghy way before Jorge, it seems he had more than one or two stores to visit in order to get what he wanted.

Diana and Gilbert were also in town doing their "jobs". Everyday it seems we are in town buying for the boat. I will be so glad when we can sit under a palm tree and do absolutely nothing for an afternoon!

Of course we had happy hour with them aboard CS'ta Time. We had to discuss their purchases, our purchases, what more to get, what not to get, etc. You get the picture - anything for a happy hour! Tomorrow back to installing the solar panels and I am sure another trip to town.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

We were expecting company today so we were up before 0800 getting the boat "ship-shape" for Dave and Linda and Russell (the puppy). (Their CS36 is ALWAYS presentable.)

We arrived at the dinghy dock at 1000 as scheduled to meet them. They had just arrived as well. We went back to CS'ta Time, had coffee and sweets and chatted. Then it was back to the dinghy dock and into their car heading to a restaurant for lunch. Jorge thought the restaurant we were at the other day with Diana and Gilbert was a good choice so that is where we ended up. It was so nice to arrive at the restaurant by car in about 5 minutes!

After lunch we took advantage of Dave and Linda's offer to drive us to a solar panel store. After much deliberation, Jorge had decided that solar panels was the way to go and had researched them extensively. This store had a booth at the Annapolis Boat Show so Jorge had plenty of time to arrive at his decision. We purchased them, loaded them into Dave and Linda's car and then into the dinghy. That was the easy part, now Jorge has to install them!

We stopped by Diana and Gilbert's boat on the way back to CS'ta Time and invited them for happy hour. They gladly accepted. The six of us had an enjoyable time in our cockpit. We asked Dave and Linda many questions as they had previously done a trip to the Bahamas by boat. Their knowledge, tips and advice were very much welcomed.

We took Dave and Linda back to their car just before dark. It was going to be a long drive back to Fort Myers for them. We were so happy that they decided to visit, like receiving a bit of home!

The day had been very nice, sunny with a warm temperature, mid 20s C. Apparently it is supposed to get warmer this weekend, maybe even downright hot! Hard to get into the Christmas spirit with warm weather and no snow.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

On awakening this morning the sun was shining and temperature was low 20s C. Breakfast was relaxing but then Jorge thought today should be the day to pump-out (boater's language for emptying the holding tank of sewage) and top up with fuel and water. First we dinghied to Lauderdale Marina to check things out. When we arrived there on Sunday to do these chores, no one answered our telephone call or the VHF radio calls, I guess they were too busy as it was the morning immediately following the parade of lights. We then dinghied back to CS'ta Time, weighed anchor and motored to the marina.

After reanchoring in Lake Sylvia, having completed the above jobs, Jorge noticed that we were passing a 50' Beneteau that was anchored in front of us. Once you anchor the boat it is not supposed to move and we weren't but the Beneteau was! He was dragging anchor and no one was aboard. I think there were four guys, Jorge being one of them, who jumped in their dinghies, boarded the runaway boat and reanchored it before it caused any damage to itself, other boats or the nearby docks. A little excitement for the morning.

We also received a pleasant surprise, a phone call from our friends, Dave and Linda, who also boat on Lake Simcoe with a CS36. They winter in the Fort Meyers area and are coming this way tomorrow. Looking forward to visiting with them.

We had lunch and I opted to go into town with Diana and Gilbert. It was laundry day and I needed to mail some letters. Jorge stayed behind to do some boat chores.

Diana and I finished our chores before Gilbert so we enjoyed a beer on the patio of the restaurant where the dinghy dock was. Gilbert arrived just in time, Diana and I thought we were going to have to order another beer! 

After unloading the laundry, Jorge and I picked up Diana and Gilbert in our dinghy and headed off for showers and then dinner. We walked along the waterfront soaking in the sights and sounds of the full moon, the lights of the boats on the water and the nightlife. We dined at Cafe Del Mar to celebrate my birthday (39 again!).

What the . . .?
 
OMG a waterslide!
 
The colours of the sailboats kept changing . . .




Our silhouette - quite a windy night.

Monday, December 16, 2013

It was nice to wake up without the alarm clock this morning. The night was calm and warm. This morning was quite overcast and on the cool side but at least we were in shorts and T-shirts!

After breakfast we made arrangements with Diana and Gilbert to take the dinghies to town and shop. We hit West Marine, a hardware store twice, a bike shop, another sailing store similar to West Marine (can't remember the name), had lunch at El Tamarindo, a Mexican restaurant, (excellent and inexpensive), the liquor store, the grocery store, a chart store and I am sure I left out one or two other stores! We shopped until we dropped.

The dinghy dock charged $10.00 to land your dingy but gave it back to you in food/beverages. Jorge and I ordered a shrimp dish to go as it was after 1700 when we got there.

I managed to buy a few items on my list for reprovisioning but will have to sit down and get serious about a list of things to buy. (Thanks for the advice about banks in the Bahamas and needing some cash Sue, we'll definitely keep that in mind!)

No pics today as I forgot my camera!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Today we had the alarm set for 0700. To get to our destination there were two bridges to get through and one only opened once per hour. As it was, we were delayed in getting through that opening so had to wait an hour for the next opening . . . bummer!

We anchored in Lake Sylvia, just so happened Diana and Gilbert were still anchored there! (We knew that.) It was sooooo good to see them again, a couple days over a month since we had seen them last. Diana graciously had us over for lunch and we spent the whole afternoon sitting in their cockpit catching up on things.

The four of us then took our convertible (the dinghy) to the marina for real showers. It was heaven! LOL.

Tomorrow the four of us are going into town. Time to start thinking about reprovisioning for the Bahamas. For those of you not in the know, the supply boat goes into the Bahamas from Florida once a week with fresh produce, milk, etc. Some items are quite pricey and not always available so the more you can take with you, the better. Fresh water is also an issue as it too is brought into the islands by boat. Hard to believe, all that water around and none to drink! The essentials like wine and beer are also more expensive so we have to stock up on those as well. The poor boat will probably sink under the weight of everything.

Weather was gorgeous today. Warm breeze, some clouds but temp around +30C, much better than the -30C back home in Barrie!

Hey Bob, here's your next boat and you don't even have to change the name! (Loretta in case you can't read it.)

One of the boats in last night's parade still "dressed up".

Ditto.
 
(Thanks for reading the blog Carleen and glad you are enjoying our adventures.)
Some videos from last night's parade of lights (Christmas boat parade) in Fort Lauderdale. The videos don't do the parade justice but at least you'll get an idea of how impressive it was. Okay, so there are more than a few videos! Some are complete with music as some of the boats had great sound systems. Hope you enjoy them. There were 90+ boats in the parade so these are what we thought were the best.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Saturday, December 14, 2013

The alarm went off at 0600 and we were weighing anchor by 0630. The first bridge we encountered was the one we missed yesterday afternoon, opening only once an hour at quarter after the hour. We were determined to catch the 0715 opening! It was just over a mile from our anchorage to the bridge and we made good time, so we had to wait for it. Better than having missed it and having to wait for the 0815 opening. Unfortunately we had a slower sailboat travelling behind us most of the morning so the bridge operators asked us to wait for them before they opened the bridges (those bridges that opened on request). That put us a bit behind but we were able to shake the other sailboat by late morning (they were too slow for one of the restricted openings) so we were able to adjust our speed to catch the rest of the openings for the day. We did 18 bridges and 39.6 sm today in 9.5 hours. The other day we did 68 sm in about the same time, just goes to show you how much the bridges slow you down!

Some people's toys total more than our assets!

Catalinas everywhere!
 
Another Catalina.

Fort Lauderdale home.

Another one.

And another.


This is how the 99% live.

Ditto.

Waterfront bar along the ICW.

Getting in the Christmas mood.
 
At one point we heard on the VHF radio about the ICW being closed. Oh great! Only later on did we realize that it was being closed because this is the biggest boating night in Fort Lauderdale for the year - the light parade, where boats get "all dressed up" with lights and parade up and down the ICW. Leave it to us to arrive in the midst of the busiest day of the year! That meant anchorages and marinas were going to be full. We lucked in though and found the perfect anchorage at the mouth of a bay right beside the ICW, perfect for watching the parade. Diana and Gilbert were planning on dinghying to our boat to watch the parade but they were stopped because of the ICW closure. For about 3 miles north of us there were bleachers set up, people setting up lawn chairs, bus loads of people arriving and a big police presence.

We set anchor at 1615 and enjoyed watching smaller boats arrive in our bay and attempt to set anchor in preparation for the parade. It was quite comical. I'm sure half of the boaters never set an anchor before!

In English.
 
En espanol.
 
Our anchorage late afternoon.
 
Our anchorage early evening.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a good weather window for going to the Bahamas. The anchorage where Diana and Gilbert are is supposedly quite full and some boaters are planning on taking advantage of the weather and leaving so we are going to move there tomorrow - closer to everything for reprovisioning.

The light parade of boats started at 1930 and lasted until 2130. Videos of that to follow.

Friday, December 13, 2013

It was another early morning as we wanted to put more miles under the keel. The night was restful as the wind protection was good.

We weighed anchor shortly after 0700. We had a good day although didn't cover as many miles as yesterday. The winds and waves were not as favourable although by no means against us. We had more bridges to pass under or should I say wait to open although we were very fortunate that our timing of the bridges was good. Shear mistake on our part! We got held up at a bridge at 1530, just missed it by 15 minutes. Unfortunately it only opens once hourly so the next opening was at 1615, making getting to our preferred anchorage later than we would have liked. We opted to back track a mile or so and catch that bridge first thing tomorrow morning.

We set anchor at 1600, once more seeking protection from the winds that are supposed to be 15 to 20 kts tonight. We are anchored in Lake Worth, with Palm Beach and all its mega yachts surrounding us!

I love the name!

So this is how the 1% live.

There is a lot of  1% down here.

Love the colours.

This is what I call a true houseboat! (It is actually on a barge being transported somewhere.)

From one extreme to . . .

another.
 
We called Gilbert and Diana. They are still in Fort Lauderdale. Hopefully we will catch up to them tomorrow as we are  planning on arriving in Fort Lauderdale tomorrow and they are planning on staying put.