Vic wrote:
I *do* believe that everything breaks, but that was part of my
training, and my nature.
But many people don't have that training and experience, and many
don't have the nature to ever really pay close attention to never
making a mistake and always having a backup plan.

As you may or may not know, Bob was a Navy pilot (off an aircraft
carrier) and as part of that, he graduated from the USN Test Pilot
School. He's way better at the helm than I am. But I do most of the
planning, and whenever I made a plan, I almost always have a backup or
alternate plan in mind.

As for the throttle cable - I've never heard of another one breaking.
It is almost completely concealed inside the binnacle and engine room,
so not very accessible.

Dec 7 - We hear a guy calling a fixed bridge and asking for an
opening. Eventually someone gets on the radio and tells him that there
is no one monitoring the radio on a fixed bridge (duh) and he can't
get under it so he should get his clueless self back to the ICW.

Suddenly we were confronted with a big barge across the channel with
an active dredging operation going on. It was over past the green side
of the channel so we sidled cautiously past on the red side.

As we come in the Fort George River past the big park on the south
side of the river to anchor, people are out on the lawn pointing at
us, and people periodically come out and look at us

Dec 8- Fisherman came back into the creek starting at dawn. Bob has
bought Santa hats for us to wear, but it is too hot, so we put them on
the jib winches.

Warning - as you come into St. Augustine - as you turn toward the town
be SURE that you don't miss the three little floating red markers, esp
R 60 or you will go aground. We anchored in front of the fort Friday
night. (We did not go aground as we had been warned)

Dec 9 - Saturday morning, soldiers march into the fort (followed by
some ladies in hoop skirts (I looked through the binoculars). Then
they come up on the ramparts, raise the flag and fire muskets at us.
The soldiers fired the cannon at us about every half hour. Bob said
to wave the white flag. Although there is to be a parade of boats
this evening, we aren't tempted to stay and we pull the anchor and
head south.

Tow Boat US sped by, and then stopped at Matanzas Inlet. We felt our
way through carefully while they apparently waited hopefully for us to
go aground. After we were through, PILGRIM, who had been following us,
passed.

We are buzzed by power boats. They speed by, and turn around and speed
back. We don't provide much fun for them - we make no wake waves to
jump.

We call Palm Coast Marina, and are told that they are going to have to
put us on the fuel dock because they have no more space. I'm really
miffed because we did make a reservation. Also it initially looks as
if the advertised amenities (phone, cable, electricity) are not going
to be available. They do get us cable and electricity, but not phone.
They say there is a data port in the hotel (which there was).

PILGRIM has gotten there before us, and they've put them on the pool
dock by the entrance. They are bigger than we are and wouldn't fit on
the fuel dock. The marina people say that they are having a parade of
boats the next day and some people have come in for it and some have
unexpectedly stayed over.

The transmission is throwing some fluid, and I ask about it via email.
Someone recommends transmission sealer.

Dec 10 - It was VERY foggy this morning. Bob doesn't really want to
leave in the fog. We get fuel and ice. They throw us out off the fuel
dock. They say we don't need to see very far in the ICW.

It continues to be foggy. Sometimes we can't see as much as a quarter
mile. We see a man in a power boat in the fog pulling his kids on an
inner tube. Stupid.

We get to 7 Seas Marina. Bob decides to walk to see if he can find
transmission sealer and ends up walking all the way to Publix and then
taking the bus back.

Dec 11 - Bob decided to take a taxi to an auto parts store this
morning, and bought some transmission sealer, and put it in the
transmission. It was still really foggy. I wanted to make some calls
at the pay phone. When I went back to the boat to get the numbers I
needed to make the calls, Bob had started the boat. He was very
impatient to leave even though it was foggy. I wasn't ready to leave.
I really wasn't even that sure that we should leave today at all. It
was still pretty foggy. When I got back the next time, he was in a
really bad mood. So we got ready to leave.

Bob had a plan for getting out of the slip. Unfortunately, someone
tried to help us. Usually he explains the plan to me and we execute
it together. When someone else "helps" (in this case by casting off a
line before we wanted it cast off), that and the unexpectedly strong
current that was ripping through the marina parallel to shore--- well,
everything went to hell in a handcart in a very short period of time.

When Bob tried to back out of the slip, the current (at right angles
to the slip) pushed the stern backwards into the marina, and down onto
the boats that had been in slips parallel to us. I was frantically
trying to fend off.

Soon a lot of people had gathered (about 25) to help. More people than
we had seen in the past whole day. Our boat had been carried down into
another sailboat, and so the helpers pulled the boat forward away from
the other boat (which was sticking out of the slip a little farther
than the power boat next to it.

Unfortunately, with the boat forward, the bow and anchors was/were
between the last two pilings in our former slip and overhanging the
fuel dock. One of the marina guys commented that if anyone passed the
marina, the movement of the boats in the resulting wake would cause
damage (cheerful AND helpful).

When I looked up, Bob had a big round deep hole in the center of his
forehead, which was bleeding, and he also got his arm caught between
the dinghy and a piling - I didn't see that, but I heard people
yelling at him to get his arm out, but he told me later that it had
been caught and he couldn't move it.

A nice man named Eric got into his dinghy and took a line and rowed it
across to an opposing pier and people over there tried to pull the
stern out. They couldn't - too much current. At someone's suggestion,
we took the dinghy off the davits. Of course the first thing that
happened was it was pushed into the engine exhaust which made a very
funny rude noise.

Eric took another line to the opposite pier and people pulled the bow
out a little when Bob put forward power on. Eric then took another
line over to another pier closer to the entrance and people pulled on
that line. Then we put the line on the jib winch and winched the boat
out sideways.. As we pulled the stern out into the channel, the guys
on the fuel dock were able to push the bow out around the last piling,
and then we were more or less in the channel. It only required a
little more maneuvering before we were heading out.

Both of us were exhausted and Bob was still bleeding. And it was still
foggy, and actually had started to rain. It was also after 10 o'clock.

I started calling Smyrna marinas. All of them were full except the
yacht club which only took other yacht club members and the town
marina, and that was a co-op. There is no dockmaster, and they don't
monitor the radio. They had 2 transient slips. If we got there and
they were open, we could stay there. If someone else got there first,
we couldn't stay there. Then we would have to anchor behind Chicken
Island, and I was chicken to do that. I found where the marina was on
the chart, and we were able to tie up there.

Dec 12 - Saw a guy next to the channel with a hard dink in the cockpit
of his small trawler repeatedly throwing an anchor over and retrieving
it. We asked if he was OK, and he said he'd lost the cooling in his
diesel. He didn't want any help. I don't know why he didn't pull the
boat with the dinghy.

As we turn into the Haulover Canal (and into the rainstorm that we'd
seen on the radar), a big power boat passes us. I call the Haulover
bridge, and he said he'd open when we get there. It is now pouring
rain. Water is coming in the bottom of the dodger (which we have had
up and which I haven't yet fastened down on the bottom) and cascades
down over the wind and water gauges. Then the curtains fog up. I hope
the bridge tender can see us better than we can see him.

We got tied up at the Titusville marina. I was completely unable to
boot the Compaq as the batteries were all discharged. The marina let
me plug in and download. We were supposed to do it outside, but not
only was it wet, but there was construction which had the area we were
supposed to use roped off.

Dec 13 - stayed anchored in the river next to a friends boat

Dec 14 - Was going to try to get to Vero Beach, but saw a friend
anchored off Eau Gallie and after we finished talking went to the
Melbourne Marina because we do need ice (frig not fixed yet)

I was not to impressed with this place. They require an imprint of a
credit card for $30 for their restroom key. The dockmaster we talked
to was an idiot who had a sort of semi-hostile jokey manner. They put
us in a slip with barely 5 feet of water. We told him that we drew 5
feet. He waited until we were halfway in to ask if we'd rather go to
another slip. The area smelled of sewage, there was a highway right
behind us and a train trestles right behind that. Trains went through
at all hours of the day and night - whistling continuously.

You can get ice cheaper just up the stairs at the gas station next to
the highway. Three bags at the marina is $4.50, and at the gas station
3 bags is $3.45. Be careful crossing the street -the walk sign is
only on for about 3 nanoseconds and it is a wide street with 4 or 5
lanes. You have to get across half of it before the walk goes on, or
there's no hope Every time Bob turned on the depth sounder, we had
less water under us in the slip.

One scuba bottle let loose all its air suddenly last night about 9 pm.
Made a terrible racket.

Dec 15 - We got out of the very shallow slip with me at the wheel and
Bob ready to fend off, but everything went well. I was afraid that
they would have to tow us out through the mud.

We see what appears to be a PWC race course with PWCs racing around it
south of Grant Farm Island. Passed a local sailboat (from Wabasso)
anchored on the edge of the channel with a white haired naturest man
working on his tan lineless tan.

An Island Packet named SEAS THE DAY from Philadelphia passed us at
11:40 after trailing for awhile. An old man with a white beard is at
the helm and a younger non-bearded person (not sure if a man or woman)
is looking for the marks with binoculars. They aren't doing too well.
See them go off the ICW, and then come back on. Then see that they
have gone off again and are aground north of Vero Beach.

When we come to the new Vero beach fixed bridge, we see a boat which
was going by on the ICW as we came out of the marina this morning has
gone aground, and a police boat and another little motor boat are
helping it get off so that it can go into Vero Beach. They are making
large wakes so that the boat can bounce off. I call them on the radio
and tell them that SEAS THE DAY is aground - he's been calling Sea Tow
and hasn't gotten any answer that I've heard.

Eventually Sea Tow from Ft. Pierce speeds north, and then after an
interval, speeds south.

We anchor after going through the Ft. Pierce bridge. The chart says 8
feet, but there are lumps. We finally get the anchor set (Bob resets
it at least once) There are 4 other boats here, and we all swing
completely different from each other. After Bob went to sleep, I saw
a floating object with flashing blue lights hanging about under the
bridge. I'm guessing a police boat.

Dec 16 - We got to the Frenchman's Marina by 4:15. When I called
Friday night, they did tell me that they would have to put us on the
fuel dock before they took my credit card number.

The early weekend dock person (until 4:30 - female) doesn't monitor
the radio. I had to call on the cell phone to get her to give us
directions. She didn't know what the depth at the fuel dock was at low
tide, or the depth in the channel. She seemed a nice person, just
inefficient and clueless.

The late weekend dock person (male) was very uptight about giving us
fuel and ice at 4:15 pm even tho the fuel dock is supposed to be open
until 5 - he didn't want to have anything to do with boats after 5 -
he wanted to be in the office to do his paperwork - even tho the
office is supposed to be open until 6. Very grumpy and abrupt.

They have a restroom key ($1 deposit) which has the gate combination
on it - but it is incomplete. (The combination is *0###* and the key
tag leaves off the first star - if a nice person in the office hadn't
told us, we wouldn't have been able to get back to the boat.) The
floor in the showers is very slippery tile. There were a bad
infestation of no-see-ums by the dock, and under the dock, and screens
don't help to keep them out, because they are smaller than the holes
in the screen, so we turned off all the lights and turned in.

Dec 17 - After going under 20 bridges we got to Lighthouse Beach
Marina just north of the Hillsboro Inlet. The dockmaster put us on an
outside dock, which was good, but didn't give us any help docking,
which was bad as the wind was pushing us away from the dock. We
finally managed.

I tried very hard to use their phones to download e-mail, but they had
a new phone system - must have been digital because the modem would
NOT do it. Also the Compaq will not run on the battery.

The local Xmas boat parade started about the time it got dark, so we
sat on our boat and watched all the boats go past. There was one with
a huge 8 legged creature - found out it was supposed to be a crab - I
thought it was a spider. There was one decorated as "Life Under the
Sea" with black lights on the people. Some boats had Santa's sleigh
pulled by sea horses or dolphins. There was no real Xmas music - one
boat was playing "Walk Like an Egyptian".

Dec 18 - Disaster day - we only have 5 more bridges to do --- except
that I mistake the first bridge and we go out the Hillsboro Inlet
bridge instead of the 14ths St. bridge. Luckily the bridge tender put
the bridge back up and let us back through

Then at the next bridge a big sportsfishing boat passed us as we were
waiting, and his wake nearly pushed us into the wall, and then he
backed up almost into us.

Saw a house with a 3rd finger salute statue in the front yard. The
last bridge opened on the hour and half hour, and we came up to the
bridge slowly at 12:30, and she didn't open. We called, and she said
we weren't close enough, and it was a minute after the hour, and we'd
have to wait to the next opening.

We are staying with friends, rafted on their boat at their dock

Dec 19 - Bob changed the oil and our friends lent us a car to go to
Sailorman, but Bob didn't find anything he needed.

Dec 20 - We have to go outside to Miami because the Julia Tuttle
Bridge is too low for us to get under (56 feet instead of 65 feet)

I call as we come down the coast. Dinner Key has absolutely no place.
The Hammock Bay marina doesn't allow live aboards and doesn't have a
slip larger than 36 feet anyhow. Finally call Miami Beach which is
right inside the breakwater, and they have a space but it is only
until Dec 25th. Ugh. And also it is $2/foot. Double Ugh. But we take
it.

Our daughter comes to get us I have to go to the locked gate to let
her in. We are so far back in the slip that we have to climb through
the shrouds (impossible) to get to the finger pier. Actually, we go
out the gate in the lifelines and squinch along outside the lifelines
hanging on for dear life until we get past the end piling on the
finger pier.

Dec 22 - we find that a mooring at Rickenbacker Marina is about the
best we can do. So we sign a lease and pay. It's about the only place
that we won't have to clear out for the boat show. We decide to move
the boat ASAP - after 2 nights. We get out of the slip OK, and cross
the harbor, dodging tugs and ferries. Bob is incensed that the boat is
covered with soot, and he insists on washing down the deck and leaving
me to go down the channel - as if that wouldn't wait until it was a
little less hectic.

We go to pick up the mooring (which had no pendant on it), and I am to
steer while Bob tries to catch it with a pole with a snap on the end.
I am supposed to steer into the wind. But I can't do that - I do get
him up to the mooring, and he catches it.

We take the RIB into the marina dinghy dock (a gravel beach) and Bob
takes the insurance papers up to the marina.

Then we took the inflatable back, and pulled the motor and ran it out
of gas, and stowed it because Bob doesn't want to risk the inflatable
on that beach. Then we unfold the portabote. Bob brings the stuff off
the boat, and we row in, disassemble the portabote and go to put it in
the truck. It sticks out the end.