We enjoy some ice cream in Riviera Beach
After rejoining Pat and Fred after the holidays, we tried to make the most of our limited time together before they headed off to Georgetown in the Bahamas. We visited Disney World, did a lot of shopping and enjoyed a brunch at the Tiki Grill. But we did eventually have to say goodbye, much to our mutual regret. We have since been joined by Val and Graham on Bonnie Lass, with whom we had traveled the Abacos last year.
Fred and Pat’s plane from Boston arrived on schedule, despite the snowy weather surrounding them in New Hampshire as they left. We brought in the New Year on Orion and agreed on a plan to go to Disney World again this year. Since we had done the Magic Kingdom last year, we decided to take in EPCOT this year. Of course, we had to start the day at Krispy Kreme to fortify ourselves for the long day. We visited every country and most of the rides before ending the day in view of the Illuminations spectacular over the lake in the middle of the park.
Unfortunately, Fred had bought the cold northern weather with him, so during the day the winds began to blow and the temperatures dropped to the point that the shorts that had seemed appropriate attire when we left that morning, seemed a little too skimpy as we stood in the night wind enjoying the fireworks.
It was the beginning of a multi-day cold snap, which, sad to say, forced us back into jeans and sweatshirts until the weekend.
Thanks, Fred!
It was the beginning of a multi-day cold snap, which, sad to say, forced us back into jeans and sweatshirts until the weekend.
Thanks, Fred!
Shop ‘til you Drop
Although we had decided we were headed for the Keys (and therefore didn’t need to provision for several months), Pat and Fred still needed to stock up for their trip to the Bahamas while we still had a car for 2 more days. That meant an early start the next day (despite our post-midnight return), so we could make the most of the shopping.
We started the day heading south to Fort Lauderdale, where we had heard good things about Sailorman, a consignment store with a large inventory, and West Marine’s showcase store. With temperatures slowly climbing out of the 30’s, it was a little disconcerting to see that Sailorman had all of their large doors wide open to the cold breezes. We watched the employees huddle around heaters, while we browsed the shelves full of nautical supplies. Although Pat and Fred found some key components they were looking for, we came away empty-handed. West Marine lived up to its reputation, with aisle after aisle of every boater’s desire. We headed back north and made stops at a number of stores, such as Office Depot, Sam’s, Wal-mart, and even Brandsmart, an appliance/electronics store, where Pat and Fred found a new AM/FM radio/CD player that would replace their ailing unit.
We made it back home late, but were on our way before 9am the next morning, since we still had grocery shopping to do, and needed to find a fast internet connection to download some software and update that pesky website.
We had to return the car the next day, so we rejoined the community of bus-going travelers, leaving our decadent wheels behind.
Open Wide . . .
One thing that cruisers are hoping to avoid while away from their home turf is the need for medical or dental care. Dave wasn’t so lucky, when he discovered he had 2 problems with his teeth that were rapidly needing more attention. After getting a recommendation from another liveaboard on the dock, we checked with our home dentist for additional recommendations as well. Not knowing how many visits would be required to solve the problems, but not wanting to commit to having work done by someone he didn’t know, he made an appointment to simply have the problem looked at, but have no actual work done. Dr. LeConte at the Spa for Cosmetic Dentistry was very accommodating, agreeing to see Dave the same day, and not charging him for the initial diagnostic visit.
The “spa” part of the dentist’s practice was an added bonus. As Dave was running late after making a wrong turn to get the office, he called to get better directions and was immediately encouraged to “take your time” and not to worry about being late. Upon his arrival, Dave was offered tea while Indian sitar music played in the background. When he had the work done on his teeth, he was treated to a hand massage and given noise deadening headphones with a pep-talk speaker to distract him from the procedure.
Overall, Dave was pleased with the work done, which was completed in a single visit and for a reasonable cost.
Watercolors in Lake Worth
Although we had decided we were headed for the Keys (and therefore didn’t need to provision for several months), Pat and Fred still needed to stock up for their trip to the Bahamas while we still had a car for 2 more days. That meant an early start the next day (despite our post-midnight return), so we could make the most of the shopping.
We started the day heading south to Fort Lauderdale, where we had heard good things about Sailorman, a consignment store with a large inventory, and West Marine’s showcase store. With temperatures slowly climbing out of the 30’s, it was a little disconcerting to see that Sailorman had all of their large doors wide open to the cold breezes. We watched the employees huddle around heaters, while we browsed the shelves full of nautical supplies. Although Pat and Fred found some key components they were looking for, we came away empty-handed. West Marine lived up to its reputation, with aisle after aisle of every boater’s desire. We headed back north and made stops at a number of stores, such as Office Depot, Sam’s, Wal-mart, and even Brandsmart, an appliance/electronics store, where Pat and Fred found a new AM/FM radio/CD player that would replace their ailing unit.
We made it back home late, but were on our way before 9am the next morning, since we still had grocery shopping to do, and needed to find a fast internet connection to download some software and update that pesky website.
We had to return the car the next day, so we rejoined the community of bus-going travelers, leaving our decadent wheels behind.
Open Wide . . .
One thing that cruisers are hoping to avoid while away from their home turf is the need for medical or dental care. Dave wasn’t so lucky, when he discovered he had 2 problems with his teeth that were rapidly needing more attention. After getting a recommendation from another liveaboard on the dock, we checked with our home dentist for additional recommendations as well. Not knowing how many visits would be required to solve the problems, but not wanting to commit to having work done by someone he didn’t know, he made an appointment to simply have the problem looked at, but have no actual work done. Dr. LeConte at the Spa for Cosmetic Dentistry was very accommodating, agreeing to see Dave the same day, and not charging him for the initial diagnostic visit.
The “spa” part of the dentist’s practice was an added bonus. As Dave was running late after making a wrong turn to get the office, he called to get better directions and was immediately encouraged to “take your time” and not to worry about being late. Upon his arrival, Dave was offered tea while Indian sitar music played in the background. When he had the work done on his teeth, he was treated to a hand massage and given noise deadening headphones with a pep-talk speaker to distract him from the procedure.
Overall, Dave was pleased with the work done, which was completed in a single visit and for a reasonable cost.
Watercolors in Lake Worth
We were surprised to get an e-mail from Jed and Page on Watercolors, saying they were in the Lake Worth anchorage. We arranged to meet on Saturday for what is becoming (thanks to Dave’s promotion) the “famous” breakfast buffet at the marina’s Tiki Grill. We had an amazing 3 hours of food and conversation, before leaving the restaurant, with plans to meet again the following evening on Watercolors out in the anchorage.
Since Fred’s smaller outboard was no longer working, and our dinghy was too small to accommodate all 4 of us for a dinghy trip to the anchorage, we decided to put our motor on Marianna’s dinghy in order to make the trip possible. We enjoyed a wonderful evening with Jed and Page, and were joined by Jerry from Sea Bird, whom we had met back in Cape Canaveral.
Jed and Page were heading out the next morning for Fort Lauderdale and the Keys, so we said goodbye for now, fully expecting that we’ll see them again down the road.
Since Fred’s smaller outboard was no longer working, and our dinghy was too small to accommodate all 4 of us for a dinghy trip to the anchorage, we decided to put our motor on Marianna’s dinghy in order to make the trip possible. We enjoyed a wonderful evening with Jed and Page, and were joined by Jerry from Sea Bird, whom we had met back in Cape Canaveral.
Jed and Page were heading out the next morning for Fort Lauderdale and the Keys, so we said goodbye for now, fully expecting that we’ll see them again down the road.
Do you have to go?
The time finally came for Pat and Fred to pull out of the marina and head to the anchorage as a final staging ground for their departure to the Bahamas. It was hard to believe that they wouldn’t be next door or on the radio when we wanted to talk. We waved goodbye, but promised to see each other in the spring as we both headed north. We will miss them.
The time finally came for Pat and Fred to pull out of the marina and head to the anchorage as a final staging ground for their departure to the Bahamas. It was hard to believe that they wouldn’t be next door or on the radio when we wanted to talk. We waved goodbye, but promised to see each other in the spring as we both headed north. We will miss them.
Bonnie Lass
Shortly before Pat and Fred left, we heard Bonnie Lass on the radio, navigating one of the many bridges that lead into Lake Worth. We called them to say hello, and found they were planning on crossing the next day to the Bahamas. It was therefore a big surprise when we received a phone call the next day from Graham, asking about recommendations for a local Yanmar engine mechanic. He needed to have his new engine checked out after 50 hours, something he had just discovered the night before their planned departure for the Bahamas. Their disappointment at missing the weather window was mitigated by both of our delight at the prospect of spending some time together at the marina. They pulled into the slip that Marianna had recently vacated in order to await the visit from the Yanmar mechanic.
Shortly before Pat and Fred left, we heard Bonnie Lass on the radio, navigating one of the many bridges that lead into Lake Worth. We called them to say hello, and found they were planning on crossing the next day to the Bahamas. It was therefore a big surprise when we received a phone call the next day from Graham, asking about recommendations for a local Yanmar engine mechanic. He needed to have his new engine checked out after 50 hours, something he had just discovered the night before their planned departure for the Bahamas. Their disappointment at missing the weather window was mitigated by both of our delight at the prospect of spending some time together at the marina. They pulled into the slip that Marianna had recently vacated in order to await the visit from the Yanmar mechanic.
In the meantime, we started to make the most of the week we would have together. Val cooked a delicious dinner their first night here and then the next day we once again enjoyed the Tiki Grill buffet. (It doesn’t get old.) On Saturday, we took a trip over to Peanut Island. We were surprised by all there was to do there. It is directly across from the marina and sits in front of the Lake Worth inlet. The island has been completely remade in the last 4 years, affording beaches for swimming and snorkeling, walks through restored maritime hammocks and mangrove habitat and tours of the “Kennedy Bunker”, built to protect JFK during the Cold War in the event of a nuclear crisis. We didn’t take the tour, but we did enjoy some snorkeling, We couldn’t believe we hadn’t done this last year while we were here.
We now look forward to several more days of catching up and spending time together.
We now look forward to several more days of catching up and spending time together.
The Purest One faucet mounted easily on the sink
Pure Water and Other Boat Stuff
We had to do some boat work since we had put another 100 hours on the engine since our last oil change. So, we did a fuel filter change, an oil change, and had our neighbor (Capt. Fred, the Marine Proctologist) clean Orion’s bottom and change the zinc. Cathy also refinished the teak on the swim ladder steps.
We had to do some boat work since we had put another 100 hours on the engine since our last oil change. So, we did a fuel filter change, an oil change, and had our neighbor (Capt. Fred, the Marine Proctologist) clean Orion’s bottom and change the zinc. Cathy also refinished the teak on the swim ladder steps.
The filter mounted below the sink
This was routine stuff. What wasn’t quite so routine was the purchase and installation of a new water filtration system. Jed and Page are distributors of a system called The Purest One. The filter is one that can be mounted below the sink, with its own faucet. The filter should only have to be changed once a year and the water flows from the faucet easily, unlike its predecessor, the PUR filter that was mounted on the existing faucet. It’s a great improvement, since it now takes less than a minute to fill a water bottle, as opposed to several minutes under the old system.
New cockpit pocket
Another improvement was Cathy’s fabrication (with assistance from Pat and her sewing machine) of a cockpit pocket to hold books and the radio while underway. After studying a similar bag that Pat had made, Cathy made a newspaper template and then used that to cut the fabric. We had purchased a powerboat cover last year at a consignment store for this purpose, so Cathy used the fabric and its binding as the back of the pocket and textilene for the front. It looks pretty good, especially considering Cathy’s limited skills with a sewing machine. (Thanks Pat!)
Since another new year has arrived, we once again got a Power Squadron Vessel Safety Check done so that we could receive the 2008 sticker and hopefully avoid any Coast Guard boardings for the year.
On to the Keys?
We’ve spoken to Joy on Slow Dancin’, who along with Interlude and Fortunate are on mooring balls in Marathon, where they’ve been for a week or so. Since they will be there for another couple of months at least, we cemented our decision to head south to the Keys and join them. Once we have spent the week with Bonnie Lass, we’ll move out of the marina and make our way south to Miami and on to the Keys.
It will be strange to be moving again. . .
Since another new year has arrived, we once again got a Power Squadron Vessel Safety Check done so that we could receive the 2008 sticker and hopefully avoid any Coast Guard boardings for the year.
On to the Keys?
We’ve spoken to Joy on Slow Dancin’, who along with Interlude and Fortunate are on mooring balls in Marathon, where they’ve been for a week or so. Since they will be there for another couple of months at least, we cemented our decision to head south to the Keys and join them. Once we have spent the week with Bonnie Lass, we’ll move out of the marina and make our way south to Miami and on to the Keys.
It will be strange to be moving again. . .
