This afternoon while fiddling around with stuff in the cockpit I turned just in time to see a familiar sight.
Lil sailboat with whom I sailed upon the Mississippi and Red Rivers goes by under tow fully loaded with people, none of which was Dave , the guy who was it's master last year.
Lil sailboat is now anchored 2 boats to the east of me.
I decided to call Dave and make contact, (I had forgotten to do so upon arrival).
Low and behold , he was one of the boats anchored at the first place I had dropped anchor when I arrived here!!
I don't wonder why we didn't cross paths because the weather was awful. both of us was inside shelter.
Tomorrow "weather permitting" I'll be going over to visit. I seems he has discovered what I have been looking for . access to town.
maybe by tomorrow I will have some pix to share.
Although the Thanksgiving was great and the people were nice, I knew I was definitely out of place.
If I was well enough off to have a mooring ball things may be different.
I have the feeling that I will be going back to the first place I had anchored to get reset and explore the area a bit.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
My Black Friday
Hangin out here on DAWGFISH hoping for the wind to lay soon, eating what leftovers I got from Yesterdays awesome feast and cleaning some things here and there.
I am really not used to this whole 'full belly' thing and it's got me moving a little slow plus a bit drowsy.
With all the internet traffic involved with today's yearly fiasco , it's impossible to expect any kind of response time from the web. sooooooo I guess I'll just keep eating and may try and get some more drawings done for Mood Swing Designs by Ace. Once I get a few more designs done I will be able to get the 3rd and final volume uploaded and zip up my end of most of the activity for that site.
Rookie sailing south was coming along pretty good but it has so much content now that when the web is slow I don't bother with it.
Anyway here is some advice for when your out bushwhackin sales at stores. When everyone looks mad and are irritating you just grin your biggest grin, most can't stand it when someone appears happy when they are so bound and determined to be unhappy! soooooo
Happy Black Friday! :)
I am really not used to this whole 'full belly' thing and it's got me moving a little slow plus a bit drowsy.
With all the internet traffic involved with today's yearly fiasco , it's impossible to expect any kind of response time from the web. sooooooo I guess I'll just keep eating and may try and get some more drawings done for Mood Swing Designs by Ace. Once I get a few more designs done I will be able to get the 3rd and final volume uploaded and zip up my end of most of the activity for that site.
Rookie sailing south was coming along pretty good but it has so much content now that when the web is slow I don't bother with it.
Anyway here is some advice for when your out bushwhackin sales at stores. When everyone looks mad and are irritating you just grin your biggest grin, most can't stand it when someone appears happy when they are so bound and determined to be unhappy! soooooo
Happy Black Friday! :)
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Thanksgiving at Boot Key Harbor FL
Happy Thanksgiving from Marathon Florida!
What a great day! got to meet a lot of new folks! Getting to try some new style of food was awesome.
The atmosphere seemed to be humble and very realistic.
I am thankful to have been part of it!!
What a great day! got to meet a lot of new folks! Getting to try some new style of food was awesome.
The atmosphere seemed to be humble and very realistic.
I am thankful to have been part of it!!
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
climate
for real, 59 degrees? with a 20 MPH wind? that makes the wind chill about 50?
Geeze......My hopes for swimming on Christmas are dwindling gradually.....
Geeze......My hopes for swimming on Christmas are dwindling gradually.....
Wow....
Well that was the worst storm and wind yet . 50+ mph wind at least . Rain was almost at the pour state and the lightning was as bad as the rain.
I'm fairly sure I was past a 30 degree heel a couple o times.
Very glad I moved and set out all 3 anchors ! I don't think my single main would have held out . It's rope is a bit spongy after all the constant use.
I can hear the others out assessing their own situation all across the harbor.
It's 12:46am.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Stats
Here are my stats from the trip from Marco Island to Marathon FL.
43:39 hours traveling
6 days spent total
113 Miles traveled
2.6 MPH average speed
5.5 mph max speed
9 gallons of gas used(5 of which was the trip from marina to prep spot and the next 10 Mi after that.)
43:39 hours traveling
6 days spent total
113 Miles traveled
2.6 MPH average speed
5.5 mph max speed
9 gallons of gas used(5 of which was the trip from marina to prep spot and the next 10 Mi after that.)
Relocated
After going for a dingy ride with the Captain of Moonlight Sue, and talking to a few of the folks out here, I decided to relocate to here, 24.707680, -81.094584
. This seems to be a lil better than where I was at the entrance(mainly cause there was a huge rock just downwind from me there....
Anyway, I got warned twice today about the local authorities causing problems with the livaboards here.
oh well just more visitors in my book!
I did pass S/V Adiago and S/V Rena on the way to this spot, both of which I had met before !
Here are some pix of the harbor,
. This seems to be a lil better than where I was at the entrance(mainly cause there was a huge rock just downwind from me there....
Anyway, I got warned twice today about the local authorities causing problems with the livaboards here.
oh well just more visitors in my book!
I did pass S/V Adiago and S/V Rena on the way to this spot, both of which I had met before !
Here are some pix of the harbor,
And I finally found an alternative to my torch for heating water and cooking. !
It'll do for now.
I got to admit , there are a LOT of dingies running around here , aalllll daaayyy loooonnnnggg....
Quite the atmosphere!
Every Morning the cruisers net starts up on the VHF ch 68 and if that isn't neat !
anyone with a radio can hear it and or be part of the "pirated Radio"
If it's new to arrive or leaving it on there,
if it's for sale or trade , it's on there.
If you need help. it's there!
Temp mailing address
Looks like I will be here at Marathon for a little bit.
For now I can receive mail at:
Robin Wiest
General Delivery
5171 Overseas HWY
Marathon, FL 33050
For now I can receive mail at:
Robin Wiest
General Delivery
5171 Overseas HWY
Marathon, FL 33050
Monday, November 25, 2013
Illinois weather in the Keys
Honestly. I really didn't mean to bring it with me I swear!
.....small craft warning all week with rain to boot!
dropping down to the 60's also somewhere in there.
35-40 mph wind allll daaay looonnng and seems to be continuing into the night as well.
Guess I just chill out and ponder my next usable day whenever it appears...
.....small craft warning all week with rain to boot!
dropping down to the 60's also somewhere in there.
35-40 mph wind allll daaay looonnng and seems to be continuing into the night as well.
Guess I just chill out and ponder my next usable day whenever it appears...
Over nighted at Indian key
on the second day, there was very little wind again. The backup cooking grill sprang a leak late the night before.
Down to using a torch for making coffee and food.
Down to about 7 gallon of gas and have only gone 26 mi.
Seconds after hoisting anchor and setting sail, I move the sitting bench into the driving position.
When I set it down, I noticed a dark spot where I picked it up from, looking directly I realize it's a small
pile of snake about a half inch dia. and about 18 in long.
Dawgfish had been on her own as soon as I saw it and was happily sailing in the general direction she
needed to be going, while I battled the beast that had invaded!
Grabbing the nearest available stick(1.5ft pvc pipe), I try and flip the thing off the back of the boat
and it falls short. Finally fully awake, it zips up around a tight spot at the base of the motor somewhere out of sight...
After careful research I find it and can only reach it with a short pair of needle nose pliers( didn't like the thought of being that close
to its loose head but he HAD to be removed !)
and with a pinch and a pull and a flip , it was airborne and I realize soon that when it landed it was swimming after me!!
Quickly assessing the ship, ( only cruising at 1.5mph) I adjust the course , trim the sails and got her moving at 2 mph....
checking the position of the sea serpent, I find that it's slowly falling behind.
Ok at this point , I had made up my mind to not anchor so close to the glades if possible and to get to the keys asap!
Too many bugs snakes and too little wind the wrong direction!
Stayed that night at Palm Key out as far on a sand bar as was feasible for protection.
Was aground the next morn and had to wait on tide to make way at 11:30.
Coming into and leaving this harbor was yet another pile o pelicans and storks!
I always wondered where the storks went as they flew through Illinois!
So the 3rd day had very little wind again and by dark was becalmed 2 miles off the coast from First Bay.
Upon flipping the anchor out into the water that night, time slowed....
....as soon as the first little piece of rope started to touch the water I saw it, the glow of life, bioiluminesence. The glowing got brighter as the chain seemed
to pour slowly across the surface until the anchor hit with a brightly sparkling flash, less that a foot away from the sudden appearance of the outline
of a 5-6 foot sparkling silhouette of a shark "darting" away brightly , leaving the glowing trail of it's hurried passage....
as i knelt there in stunned awe , the surface of the water returned to smooth reflection of a Glorious star filled evening gulf sky.
Turning my gaze upward my awe remained as the scope of my position settled around my consciousnesses.
....Time returned to normal .....
Going back to the cabin to snack and nap with a new resolve seemed like a dream.
Upon returning to the cabin the noise of millions of clicking crabs was almost overwhelming.
Without anyone there to say "WHOA did you SEE that?!?!?!" I almost doubt the reality of the whole thing except that it left a permanent impression to firm to ignore.
I did step out a few more times and disturbed to water just to see the glow of life. If it would have been warmer I would have went swimming in it .
At 10:30 that night the wind picked up and the bay got choppy and I decided quickly to use it.
A quick adjustment to stuff inside and putting on clothes , I hoist anchor and set sail just in time for the wind to die again by 10:45....
par... anchor down and back to bed.
Day 4 , 11-22-13 had decent wind till about 2:pm.
After that it was choppy drifting with the tide or heeled over drastically from a gust from a random direction for a minute at a time.
Ended up anchoring close to the Little Sable River
, just south of Ponce De Leon Bay.
Here the cape effect had DAWGFISH bouncing around all night< spilled my plants off the bench,
couldn't cook, couldn't sleep. Just rocked and rolled all night.
Day 5, 11-23-13 decent wind until rounding the northwest cape into a bow wind that seemed determined to blow me out to sea.
Decided to motor inshore to escape the rising wind a wake.
Ended up anchoring at the south-westernmost tip of the Florida peninsula.
Watched a storm pass where my last spot was
. Got a little rain and some wake but was able to set anchors to counteract the chop.
Day 6 left early with some trepidation due to a forecast of small craft advisory 30+ mph wind and rough seas by afternoon.
I had enough of the glades and fuel was low enough to be risky to go anywhere but Marathon.
the wind stayed at a tolerable range through the day and I was able to reach the 7 mile Bridge just west of marathon
. Turning into the wind as it started squalling in the rigging,
I dropped sails , upped fins and motored for the safety of Boot Key harbor
. On the way to harbor I saw a 12 inch diameter turtle head poke up from the water 30 ft from me,
, making it to port right as the last of the light bled from the sky
, and setting anchor in 3 ft of water,
while the wind sang through the forest of masts and rigging in the anchorage to the upwind side of me.
Finally! The Keys!! I noticed the water had finally cleared up but still cant see down into it due to the ridiculously windy conditions.
The water this while trip, except for a couple places has been either tea colored, muddy or cloudy in some way. Not much fun for snorkeling.
Now that I am where there is clear water, the temps are dropping so low that swimming has become an act of defiance.
One of my main goals on this journey has been to go swimming on Christmas and Birthday, both of which are usually iced up back at home ...
Looks like I will be here a bit to reset the food, fuel and funds.
When next I travel will be towards Key West and beyond!
Down to using a torch for making coffee and food.Down to about 7 gallon of gas and have only gone 26 mi.
Seconds after hoisting anchor and setting sail, I move the sitting bench into the driving position.
When I set it down, I noticed a dark spot where I picked it up from, looking directly I realize it's a small
pile of snake about a half inch dia. and about 18 in long.Dawgfish had been on her own as soon as I saw it and was happily sailing in the general direction she
needed to be going, while I battled the beast that had invaded!
and it falls short. Finally fully awake, it zips up around a tight spot at the base of the motor somewhere out of sight...
After careful research I find it and can only reach it with a short pair of needle nose pliers( didn't like the thought of being that close
to its loose head but he HAD to be removed !)
and with a pinch and a pull and a flip , it was airborne and I realize soon that when it landed it was swimming after me!!
Quickly assessing the ship, ( only cruising at 1.5mph) I adjust the course , trim the sails and got her moving at 2 mph....
checking the position of the sea serpent, I find that it's slowly falling behind.
Ok at this point , I had made up my mind to not anchor so close to the glades if possible and to get to the keys asap!
Too many bugs snakes and too little wind the wrong direction!
Stayed that night at Palm Key out as far on a sand bar as was feasible for protection.
Was aground the next morn and had to wait on tide to make way at 11:30.
Coming into and leaving this harbor was yet another pile o pelicans and storks!
So the 3rd day had very little wind again and by dark was becalmed 2 miles off the coast from First Bay.
Upon flipping the anchor out into the water that night, time slowed....
....as soon as the first little piece of rope started to touch the water I saw it, the glow of life, bioiluminesence. The glowing got brighter as the chain seemed
to pour slowly across the surface until the anchor hit with a brightly sparkling flash, less that a foot away from the sudden appearance of the outline
of a 5-6 foot sparkling silhouette of a shark "darting" away brightly , leaving the glowing trail of it's hurried passage....
as i knelt there in stunned awe , the surface of the water returned to smooth reflection of a Glorious star filled evening gulf sky.
Turning my gaze upward my awe remained as the scope of my position settled around my consciousnesses.
....Time returned to normal .....
Going back to the cabin to snack and nap with a new resolve seemed like a dream.
Upon returning to the cabin the noise of millions of clicking crabs was almost overwhelming.
Without anyone there to say "WHOA did you SEE that?!?!?!" I almost doubt the reality of the whole thing except that it left a permanent impression to firm to ignore.
I did step out a few more times and disturbed to water just to see the glow of life. If it would have been warmer I would have went swimming in it .
At 10:30 that night the wind picked up and the bay got choppy and I decided quickly to use it.
A quick adjustment to stuff inside and putting on clothes , I hoist anchor and set sail just in time for the wind to die again by 10:45....
par... anchor down and back to bed.
Day 4 , 11-22-13 had decent wind till about 2:pm.
After that it was choppy drifting with the tide or heeled over drastically from a gust from a random direction for a minute at a time.
Ended up anchoring close to the Little Sable River
Here the cape effect had DAWGFISH bouncing around all night< spilled my plants off the bench,
couldn't cook, couldn't sleep. Just rocked and rolled all night.
Day 5, 11-23-13 decent wind until rounding the northwest cape into a bow wind that seemed determined to blow me out to sea.
Decided to motor inshore to escape the rising wind a wake.
Ended up anchoring at the south-westernmost tip of the Florida peninsula.
Day 6 left early with some trepidation due to a forecast of small craft advisory 30+ mph wind and rough seas by afternoon.
I had enough of the glades and fuel was low enough to be risky to go anywhere but Marathon.
the wind stayed at a tolerable range through the day and I was able to reach the 7 mile Bridge just west of marathon
I dropped sails , upped fins and motored for the safety of Boot Key harbor
, making it to port right as the last of the light bled from the sky
while the wind sang through the forest of masts and rigging in the anchorage to the upwind side of me.
Finally! The Keys!! I noticed the water had finally cleared up but still cant see down into it due to the ridiculously windy conditions.
The water this while trip, except for a couple places has been either tea colored, muddy or cloudy in some way. Not much fun for snorkeling.
Now that I am where there is clear water, the temps are dropping so low that swimming has become an act of defiance.
One of my main goals on this journey has been to go swimming on Christmas and Birthday, both of which are usually iced up back at home ...
Looks like I will be here a bit to reset the food, fuel and funds.
When next I travel will be towards Key West and beyond!
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Indian key
Hangin out near Indian Key FL
No wind all day till right b4 dark.
Had to move once due to lee shore and no anchor holding . Signal here !surprise!
Forecast has same kind of wind for tomorrow. If so this could take a while....
To be continued.......
Not a drop
Zero wind . 7:13 am . Figures. 
Supposed to see 4mph by 10: am.
This could take longer than I thought :(
Sunday, November 17, 2013
After an hour or more of trying to hoist 3 embeded anchors, I get under way. Upon getting to the really tight area getting out of the hole I was in I find the 6 ft wide channel to be full of kayakers ... I think they got the idea to move after I rang my bell a buch of times....
anyway I get past the channel by 100ft or so and realize the current has me drifting quickly towards where I didn't want to be. Upon this realization I notice a HUGE log 30 ft downstream from me and I bout peed right there. OK throttle UP!
Come on bessy! You can do it! AAAAAAAAaaaaaaannnnnnnndd..........
whew! missed it by less than a foot!!!!!
Ok so I get over by the marina and the wind is blowing pretty good now. 10-15 mph.
got my $25 in gas dumped garbage and potty , got water and away we go!
almost to the bridge and here come these boats towing sailboats for whatever reason , moving along at a decent clip!
anyway I get past the channel by 100ft or so and realize the current has me drifting quickly towards where I didn't want to be. Upon this realization I notice a HUGE log 30 ft downstream from me and I bout peed right there. OK throttle UP!
Come on bessy! You can do it! AAAAAAAAaaaaaaannnnnnnndd..........
whew! missed it by less than a foot!!!!!
Ok so I get over by the marina and the wind is blowing pretty good now. 10-15 mph.
got my $25 in gas dumped garbage and potty , got water and away we go!
almost to the bridge and here come these boats towing sailboats for whatever reason , moving along at a decent clip!
...looked a bit risky to me but hey! I'm just a rookie....
Oh well.
Now at google coords
25.910362, -81.635266
for the night.
Will be heading out first thing hopefully with a North wind as forecasted!
I barely have enough signal to post this , watched the signal bars drop all afternoon.
I just now found out from the Captain of GYPSY that vhf wx works in the glades.
this is good . not so worried now.
While I sit here my thoughts and well wishes go out to all the folks back home who received one of the worst storms to hit Illinois.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Staging
I Started prepping today for the whole Everglades thing. Will be attempting to relocate to a "I'm ready to go " spot tomorrow. Will visit a marina on the way past the east side of Marco Island.
I checked a coverage map for att down here and it looks like I will be out of signal about the time I lose sight of Marco Island or sooner.
If all goes right I will be about 3 days off the grid. weather pending. For anyone who has a Navionics app on their phones I will be marking my spots with and anchor symbol. (this app works without a signal using GPS.)
In worst case scenario I will post a MSG where I am and whats up.
Honestly , after seeing practically nothing but houses since St, Pete I am looking fwd to this, even though I am a bit nervous about lack of forecasting ability . I am hoping this north wind in the forecast holds true.
If weather magically appears. you can bet I will hunker down in a safe spot till it passes before moving again.
By watching the offshore zone forecast on NOAA website for the Everglades area , you will know what weather I am receiving. and may be able to predict when my arrival time is better than me!
In wind less than 10 I get 30-40 miles in. winds 10-15 I'll get 50+ miles. If you see anything above 15 then I will get zero miles in ( I stay put).
I have provided radar on this blog for everyone use. It will show rain only. but you can bet if its raining , I am not moving.
will try and post a MSG tomorrow before losing signal.
I checked a coverage map for att down here and it looks like I will be out of signal about the time I lose sight of Marco Island or sooner.
If all goes right I will be about 3 days off the grid. weather pending. For anyone who has a Navionics app on their phones I will be marking my spots with and anchor symbol. (this app works without a signal using GPS.)
In worst case scenario I will post a MSG where I am and whats up.
Honestly , after seeing practically nothing but houses since St, Pete I am looking fwd to this, even though I am a bit nervous about lack of forecasting ability . I am hoping this north wind in the forecast holds true.
If weather magically appears. you can bet I will hunker down in a safe spot till it passes before moving again.
By watching the offshore zone forecast on NOAA website for the Everglades area , you will know what weather I am receiving. and may be able to predict when my arrival time is better than me!
In wind less than 10 I get 30-40 miles in. winds 10-15 I'll get 50+ miles. If you see anything above 15 then I will get zero miles in ( I stay put).
I have provided radar on this blog for everyone use. It will show rain only. but you can bet if its raining , I am not moving.
will try and post a MSG tomorrow before losing signal.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Noseeum trap.
I notice a micro web where I usually place my yard lights. Last night I noticed how the noseeums flew to the lit ceiling.
So tonight I place a yard light upside down under the micro web !
It had bugs trapped in seconds!!
Man.....going through my timeline was like having my life flash before my eyes!
I have content for most events up to entering the gulf on this trip filled in on my site Rookie Sailing South.
I may go back and add stuff(i.e. log notes, anchorage detials , wait times , pix unposted on FB) when I finally get it caught up to present day.
A lot of brain dead work transferring info copy and paste style :(
I have content for most events up to entering the gulf on this trip filled in on my site Rookie Sailing South.
I may go back and add stuff(i.e. log notes, anchorage detials , wait times , pix unposted on FB) when I finally get it caught up to present day.
A lot of brain dead work transferring info copy and paste style :(
Friday
Looks like the wind is down for a day or so, supposed to rain for several days .then the north wind is forecasted to return!
Keeping fingers crossed.
May reset at Marco Island for a day to up some fuel.
May need water also if the rain doesn't appear.
Still fiddling with this whole blog thing, just trying to get all my links and sharing settings finalized.
Keeping fingers crossed.
May reset at Marco Island for a day to up some fuel.
May need water also if the rain doesn't appear.
Still fiddling with this whole blog thing, just trying to get all my links and sharing settings finalized.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Lil Marco Island still.
Well when the gusts paused the bees appeared. I may be anchored close to a hive somewhere.
There are still small craft warnings out but the wind seems to be settling down a bit.
1/3 of my water left. not worried about that since I am so close to civilization.
There are still small craft warnings out but the wind seems to be settling down a bit.
1/3 of my water left. not worried about that since I am so close to civilization.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
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