Happy Friday everyone!  We are writing from the YMCA and just had a hot shower, just like in the song ;-)

We have had a busy week and month.  The end of February makes it three weeks that we have been living aboard the boat.  All is well and we still love each other.

We have logged 147 miles on Bamboleo so far.  Today we arrived back to Bayfront park at about noon, since Dan has a gig again at Playa Grill on Fri and Sat night, which is going great. 

Our crew on board is a little bigger since last Saturday, with our new friend, Don Pico. (Trans:  Sir Beak)   See his/her picture below.  We rescued her from the ocean (twice) and are rather bewildered about its past.  We found it clinging by its beak to the seawall near our boat. 

  Here is a photo of the thing:

Since we last blogged we sailed further north.  Sunday night we spent "on the hook" at Ragged Keys, but we didn't sleep well while we are still learning to trust our new anchor.  Monday night we anchored in a very protected area called "No Name Harbor".  Tuesday and Wednesday night we had a slip at Crandon Park, very near Miami, on Key Biscayne.  On Wednesday we walked over the Rickenbacher Causeway to the Miami Sea Aquarium.   Here are a few pix of those places:

Don Pico fell back into the ocean at the slip at Crandon Park Marina.  Dan saved him again with a fish net.  Also at Crandon Park, we took a LONG walk through a palm forest to reach a beautiful beach.

Next week our plan is to sail south! We are hoping to reach "Pumpkin Key" and Card Sound.  We will try to update again whenever we can. 

Stay warm everyone and happy sails!

Nancy and Dan

Hello to our three loyal blog readers!  We are docked here at the Black Point Marina and have internet access again.  We just went rollerblading and we are enjoying lunch on the outdoor patio.

We spent the last two nights at Boca Chita Key.  We had been particularly wanting to relive that experience and get a photo of Bamboleo there because of our visit there in 2008.  So here are the photos!  Sorry, they are out of order. 

And here is a very cute selfie:

By the way, if you are into charts, here is a link to NOAA Chart 11451, the chart we are using to navigate:  http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11451a.shtml

Previous to Boca Chita, we dared to anchor out again, using our new Delta Plow anchor.  It worked perfectly.  We chose a spot near Elliot Key, which is a part of the National Park system, but, unfortunately, it is closed for renovation at this time!  In 2008 we spent a few nights there.  We anchored nearby, among 8 other boats.

That brings us back to last weekend 2/14 - 2/16.  We have already mentioned that Dan had a gig at La Playa Grill at Homestead Park.  However, there was another big event scheduled for the park on Sunday.  350 Classic Cars would be on display and the band cancelled at the last minute.  Then the back up band canceled.  The Harbor Master asked Dan if he would like to play.  Of course, he said yes!  Here are some pictures of the huge stage, the crowd and the cars.  And Nancy, if you can find her in the crowd ;-)  There were over 1,000 people at this event, maybe 2,000.

We are spending the night here at Black Point Marina and heading back to Homestead Park tomorrow because Dan has another Friday night gig at Playa Grill.  Check out their Facebook Page!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Playa-Grill/255637547821958

One other interesting thing about this area.... Homestead Park is next to Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant.  It's not that pretty, but it is a helpful landmark to us!

Well, that's all the news for the moment.  We plan to head to more northern latitudes early next week:  Key Biscayne, Crandon Park and Coconut Grove!

Hasta la próxima --
Dan and Nancy

Here are some pictures of the storm the other night.  It almost looked as though it was going to go right by us!

 

Today is Thursday and there was another storm last night.  But last night we were tied tightly to the cement sea wall and the only damage was to a few palm tree branches that blew down nearby.  We also saw a manatee.

 

This morning James stopped by with our carburator, installed it, and the engine is running smoothly, gracias a Dios.  BUT, it is very windy today!  The wind is at about 25-30 miles an hour and we are not going anywhere today! We are just sitting tight until Dan’s gig on Friday night, and we are planning to head out on Saturday, when the weather is set to improve.

All for now, here are a few more pix:

Sunset during the storm, and Dan trying to set the @%#$ anchor.

 

 

Feb 11 ```  We are in Florida!

On Friday Feb 7, I called my brother Tom to wish him a happy birthday.  The day was great.  We have a home base at Bayfront Park near Homestead, FL, right on Biscayne Bay.  We sailed across the bay to Boca Chita Key, about 10 miles, hoping to dock there, but it was very full!  Instead we decided to anchor, our first anchor at sea, and our first 'free' night. 

In the distance, right at sunset, we could see a storm coming in. Then the heavy rain and wind began.  Our anchor dragged, gave way about 6 pm.  We are adrift!  We got the anchor to set one more time, but the anchor continued to drag all night, and we did not get any more sleep that night.

To make matters worse, the motor wasn't running quite right.  It died when we tried to idle or shift gears into reverse.  Finally, the sun came up and we were surrounded by dense fog.  Using the GPS we were able to navigate back to our harbor! 

On a positive note, we have seen dolphins and sea turtles from the deck of our boat, have gone swimming, bathed with our homemade shower, gone roller blading, walking and met lots of people. 

We have purchased a new anchor (Delta plow) that we are confident will be the correct anchor for our purposes.  We are waiting for the carburetor to be cleaned and we will be back on the water tomorrow.

But, we have to be back to Bayfront Marina on Friday, because after Dan auditioned at the Playa Grill there, he was offered a gig on Valentine's Day!

All is very very good here.  The weather is about 83 degrees and the winds have been fair.

Feb. 4, 2014

Day one... we almost got stranded in Metropolis!  But a very sunny morning encouraged us to leave and start heading south in the snow and ice. 

 

But now we are writing from Lake City, FL.  The temperature has been rising steadily throughout our travels and today we reached 82 degrees.  This morning it was only 41 degrees! 

 

Dan has been driving the entire time, with me as the navigator.  The truck is running great, and mechanically all is well.   But we still have 400 miles to go to get to our first destination of Homestead, Florida.   We'll try to include some pictures of greenery and palm trees in our next posting!  The weather is truly beautiful.

 

 



Bamboleo

Meet Bamboleo.  She is looking large in front of the house getting a snow bath.