We made it to the end of the Intracoastal

We pulled out of Port Canaveral Sunday morning after making numerous adjustments to get ready for an offshore sail. So we left a bit later than desired but given the distance it didn't seem to make much difference and in the end it really didn't.

We motored out the channel past several cruise ships including Disney Magic and Emperor of the Seas that passed us overnight as they headed off to their destinations with their customers on holiday. Also saw some views of the launch facilities at Cape Canaveral.

Forecasts had us all set for a great sail down to Miami. We were anxous to see how our new/old prop performed under sail. Once we got out of all the traffic in the channel we set sails and took off at about 8 kts. But, then the wind shifted behind us and died. At times we saw 2 kts dead behind us. For the rest of the trip the wind stayed dead behind us in the low single digits. Occasionally it got up to about 10 but not for long so not far from the channel exit we were forced to go to power for the rest of the trip.

But it was a great trip. The Florida Coast runs generally southeast until just about Palm Beach and then goes due south to southwest. We set our first way point which was about 100 miles that was just off Palm Beach. We made it there about 1 AM. Then we set the next point just off of the Government Cut in Miami that was only about 50 miles.

The sun went down around Ft Pierce and came up as we were passing Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale.

The weather was gorgeous and reminded me of why we came this way. Sailing overnight offshore is truly inspiring. I can sleep when needed but find the trip so exciting I don't want to miss any of it. The stars in their glory illuminate the heavens.Since we weren't that far offshore this time we could see the lights on shore and the sheen of south Florida was visible for miles. We also had plenty of company from other ships including the cruise ships, several barges and as we passed Port Everglades and close to Miami several cargo ships and pilot boats.

We made it from our slip in Port Canaveral to Miami in less than 24 hours. We picked our way through Government Cut which is the main channel into Miami Harbor past dredges, working boats, ferries and the ships at docks to Biscayne Bay where we stopped for fuel and decided to anchor for the night. We had hoped to get a slip but the local marinas are full so we decided to enjoy the beauty and anchor out near the Hurricane Hole in Key Biscayne. It has been great! We were welcomed by the locals on jet skis and go fasts making wake to be sure we didn't miss the open sea. We warmed up the boat and took showers after which Linda made a great pasta dinner. We are now sitting in the cockpit finishing off a great bottle of wine and enjoying the Miami skyline and the beauty of Biscayne Bay.

The view from our back porch.

Traveling down here last night made me realize how difficult it really was getting here. As we got closer to Miami we needed to get close to shore because the Gulf Stream is less than 3 miles from shore at points and all the southbound traffic crams into the small amount of open water available. But then the easy way is always mined. Close in to shore the many local authorities have built artificial reefs to attract divers. At those reefs they have installed mooring balls for the dive boats to tie up to. So now, not only do we have to contend with current and other traffic we have to dodge the mooring balls. which we did by going around the reefs that were marked on the charts. Once daylight arrived it all became easier.

We have made arrangements for a slip downtown beginning tomorrow night that is right in the heart of the entertainment district so we plan to go out and enjoy what there is. Also will need to wash the boat and do some maintenance. Always work to do.

Our 380 is also scheduled to leave her old slip tomorrow for Deltaville.We will miss her and wish the new owners fair winds.

We are sitting at mile 1095 at the end of the Atlantic  Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) having crossed mile 1 in Norfolk. Our journey began in Oxford, MD with temps in the 30's and brought us here over 1200 miles later with temps in the 70's.

After our brief sojourn here and visit with some of Linda's family it will be on to Marathon Key for a scheduled hiatus, work on the boat and rendezvous with friends before moving on.

They say that home is where your heart is and mine is wherever our boat and my honey is. It will be nice after the past year's efforts to finally kick back in Marathon and drink rum everyday. Matter of fact, I think it's time for one right now.

We finally broke the gravitational pull

of Daytona Beach and we are now in Port Canaveral waiting to depart for Miami in the morning.

We had a great 80 mile trip down the ICW today. The new/old prop we put on handled well. There was absolutely no vibration in the shaft and the stuffing box was totally cool the entire trip. The engine sat on its mounts as if it wasn't even running. What a contrast to yesterday's beginning with the vibrations and rocking engine. This experience pretty much confirms what we thought that the bulk of the problem was the oversized prop the previous owner installed and an accumulation of damage it inflicted that culminated in the failure on the way to Daytona Beach. So at our convenience we will sell the prop and buy a new smaller folding prop that is better suited to our boat.

The trip started out cold but during the day warmed up nicely and I'm now sitting in the cockpit as I write this.

Along the way we saw schools of dolphins nearly everywhere. Several played in our wake and at one point we had 2 that followed us for a few miles jumping our wake and swimming under our boat from side to side. I think Linda got some pix and will share them.

                                                     Dolphins playing in our wake

                                                               New Smyrna Beach

We came down the ICW with only a few slowdowns at bridges and then turned into the Canaveral Barge Canal to cross Merritt Island and the Banana River. Coming from the Banana River is a lock designed more for barges than smaller craft. But, we got in and tied up while the water level rose. In fact when they opened the gate to flood the lock several dolphins came in and played.

In the morning we depart for Miami by heading out the channel and travel straight down the coast offshore. Weather so far looks promising for sailing and it will be our first opportunity to experience sailing with the new/old fixed prop. If all goes well we should be able to make Miami by Monday afternoon and then spend a few days there before pushing on to Marathon next weekend.

Hopefully, next post from Miami,

Yes we're still here

I was reminded today that it has been a while since I posted but it's not for lack of action. Last night I was all set to write that we were prepared to leave Daytona Beach with all the repairs completed but I fell asleep at my keyboard before I could write what would have been premature.

This morning just after o dark 30 we left the dock and headed down the ICW was the morning chill was giving way to just overcast and cool as I watched carefully to ensure things were working well. On the second trip down below I noticed that the charge going in the batteries did not reflect the engine input. So after some puttering around we decided to head back to the yard to get it checked out rather than go to another yard down the road to get it done.

To catch up we had to wait for parts due to the holiday and in the interim we got an offer on our old boat and on New Year's Day reached agreement to sell it. So last week we traveled back to the land of ice and snow to prepare the boat for and do the survey. As a result the sale of our 380 closed today.

They say the 2 happiest days in a boat owner's life are the days he sells and buys his boat. But, selling our 380 became personal as we really loved that boat and at least once a day we lament that we wish we had kept that boat instead of buying this one. But I digress.

While we were up north the yard here called and said they discovered that 3 of the motor mounts had sheared off so they had ordered them from the distributor and expected them probably Tuesday.

So Thursday (yesterday) we got the motor mounts replaced, new shaft installed and launched. We did a short sea trial and declared victory. All was repaired. I paid the bill and we were ready to go.

So we got up this morning and shoved off later than I wanted but were making great time as the tide was with us. After about an hour we were concerned that the vibration was still excessive but we continued. On my next trip to check I found the alternator was not charging the battery. Figuring that perhaps in the work a wire got disconnected we thought it best to return to the yard for review. Called them and discussed the alternator issue and our idea to reinstall the OEM prop.

Upon arrival they began looking at the alternator but couldn't find the cause of the issue and pulled it to take it to an electrical shop. They then hauled us to replace the prop. We got all the work done in about 2 hours and relaunched. By this time it was after 1330 and it would have been impossible to make the first reasonable anchorage. After the Daytona area the next anchorages are about 50 miles south.

So we're back here again for the night and plan to leave early early so we can make it to an anchorage near Port Canaveral tomorrow where there is a key lime pie festival. We will probably miss it but my daughter and her family were planning to come so we hope to make it there and have dinner with them. If all goes well we will go offshore Sunday straight to Miami. Should make it late Monday.

So next stop Port Canaveral, then Miami and then Marathon Key around the 25th where we plan to hang out for a month.

Our trip so far has consisted of long quick passages with long sojourns in locations. Now that our old boat has sold we have one less thing to be concerned about or to drag us back to cold country.

Tomorrow the sun will be out, it will be 70 and we will be on the water. We've found some very good restaurants in places we've visited. After we secured the boat we had lunch at a very good place called the Dancing Avocado. I had a vegetable stuffed chili relleno and Linda had a vegetable burrito. Nice to find alternative food choices.

So tomorrow is a moment of truth. Do we make it to Port Canaveral? Film at 11.

Technical Details

As we've mentioned our prop shaft broke just short of our destination last weekend.

We were about 5 miles north of Daytona Beach and heard a loud pop and lost power. We quickly got the anchor down and I went below into the engine compartment to investigate. I found the prop shaft broken right by the coupling.

After we got hauled we were able to really review the issue. Apparently the previous owner had challenges with the shaft coming out of the coupling. I'm guessing that because of the prop he installed that was massively over-pitched the force of the prop would pull the shaft out of the coupling. To remedy that someone drilled through the shaft and installed a 3/8" bolt to hold it in place. I totally missed this issue as did our surveyor and the yard at Oxford. It's pretty obvious the previous owner knew of this and the risk. By drilling through a 1.25" shaft with 3/8"the strength was reduced to 7/16". It's no wonder that under the stress of 3000 rpm the shaft eventually broke.

We are lucky that it didn't happen when we were 100 mi. offshore or when navigating some of the challenging channels we've been in. Fortunately we were in a mild current with water deep enough to anchor but shallow enough that had we sunk we would have been on the bottom with about a foot or so of water in the keel doing little or no damage.

During the entire trip we have had an issue with the bilge pump cycling on and we were unable to find any source of water incursion but water has been coming in through the shaft log since shortly after we left Oxford.

This past Tuesday we removed the shaft and drive assembly and hopefully will be able to get the replacement parts early this week. The shaft log will need to be epoxied in to seal it and then I can put some paint on the bottom and prop after we return from the cold.

Then we can be launched and the engine realigned.

The actual parts replacement are the shaft, engine coupling and we are replacing the cutlass bearing while it is out.

We have some other work to do while we're waiting for the parts so the time isn't wasted. Eventually when we get all the work done there will be beach days or time to just kick back in the cockpit on anchor with a nice rum drink.

Meanwhile the weather has been warmer than up north and Daytona is a nice town. The yard so far has been great and I feel comfortable with the work being done. The damage done by the previous owner is just another example of how some owners do really stupid stuff that they don't understand and emphasizes the need to do all work competently and check everything thoroughly.

Road Trip!

Totally unexpected on New Years Day we received a sound offer for our 380, on the hard in Deale, MD. The buyers are in a hurry so they have scheduled a survey and sea trial for next week. We are leaving tomorrow by car to head up to the land of the cold again. Just as we're settling in and enjoying the warmth of the south we're now digging out our long undies and cold weather gear which we buried deep in the bowels of the boat. The forecast for the day of the sea trial is a low of 12 and and a high of 31. Hopefully, this will be the shortest sea trial ever. We're not looking forward to freezing.

                              Our lovely 380. She will soon be gone but not soon forgotten.

We are looking forward to seeing a few dearly missed friends. Unfortunately we won't be in the area long enough to see more of our good buddies. We have to get back to finish the work on the 420 so we can head further south. We don't want to miss our rendezvous in the Keys scheduled near the end of the month.

A Day at the Beach!

Being on the hard at Daytona Beach isn't all that bad. Today we had a visit from my step-daughter, her husband and three grandkids. Our destination was a couple of miles east to the Beach! With the sun shining, the temperature soaring into the 80s and a nice breeze the kids built a castle with a moat, tested the waters and some of us went for a walk. Water temp was in the 60s, much to cold for me to dip anything but my feet. It's always so cool to see the cars driving on the beach!

We finished our excursion with a very late lunch just off the beach at Ocean Deck. Then it was off to the boatyard for Maris and I and back to Sanford for the kids. It's great to be in sunny, warm Florida!

After 2 weeks we left St Augustine

Well I have been remiss in updating our blog. But, hope to get caught up over the next couple days.

Happy New Year to all.

We spent 2 great weeks in St Augustine and left on Sunday past for Daytona Beach,.

Above is a picture of the St Augustine Municipal Marina. This is the man fairway with the dinghy docks off to port.

We intended to leave STA early but when we got off the mooring the fog was fairly heavy but visibility was reasonable so we motored to the fuel dock to pump out, take on fuel and water. As we serviced the boat the fog actually got worse so we waited a bit hoping it might lift. About an hour after our arrival at the fuel dock it began to lift so we took off. But a few miles down the river it got intense so we slowed and with Linda on the bow we went mark to mark for about an hour until the fog lifted. Once it did it turned into a beautiful day. Temps got up to the 80's and we cruised past some beautiful homes.

We were passing Ormond Beach with just 5 miles to go Daytona and we were talking to a trawler who had been following us since back in the fog when we heard a loud pop and suddenly lost power.

I cut the engine and got the anchor down before the current could push us into shallow water. I then investigated and found the prop shaft had broken. We called Towboat US and made arrangements with the Daytona Beach Marina and Boatyard for a slip and after a few hours towboat arrived and took us into the marina.

During the tow we were unable to steer because the prop had fallen back into the rudder. After we got into the marina we discovered that the shaft log had cracked and there was water leaking int the bilge which identified a mystery source of water incursion since we left Oxford. We tried to find it and had made numerous fixes but this was one we hadn't seen until now.

I stayed up most of the night dozing off occasionally to ensure that the bilge pump kept running to remove the water. I found the hand pump handle and got it ready in case it failed and we needed to pump by hand. But, morning came and things were under control.

The yard folks came by in the morning and saw the issue and later in the day on Monday we got hauled and are now sitting on the hard.

More to follow...