Panama to Florida
March 27th
We are now in the Caribbean Sea and our plans have once again changed due to lack of funds. The San Blas Islands will be passed by and we will head north to Boca Del Toro. First we must pull anchor and take our crew to Shelter Bay Marina and drop them off, as they did help to get us safely through the Canal, it’s the least we can do.
March 28th
Our crew is gone and we have a few last minute things to do before our trip north, so we’ll spend 2 more nights in Shelter Bay, doing laundry and getting some internet time. When living on a boat the internet becomes your lifeline to everyday life; pay bills, communicate with friends and family, try to get taxes sorted out, things of this nature.
March 29th
As we leave the confines of Shelter Bay with Caixa close behind, we head through the breakwater and into the Caribbean, The seas are much rougher than the Pacific and the wind is blowing hard on our beam as we head toward Boca Del Toro. With 130 miles to go and swells on our beam that look like huge rolling hills that continually lift us up and set us back down, while the chop from the wind splashes against the side of the boat and sprays us with salt water, it looks like it’s going to be a long uncomfortable 2 days.
March 30th
Always & Forever is making great time and by morning we have already hit some heavy rain, with more ahead of us. Caixa has disappeared into a down pour far off our stern. We arrive in Boca Del Toro ahead of schedule and set anchor in crystal clear water with only 10 feet between the keel and the bottom, for the first time we are anchored without having to worry about a tide. On the Pacific Ocean we had tides that could drop you 15’ overnight, here the tide might go out 1’. Caixa finally came into sight 2 hours later and went into the marina. It turns out they had some motor trouble and will need some repairs. We will wait a couple days to see if they can get running again.
March 31st
I use this down time to install our dingy wheels at the marina in front of Caixa, hoping the marina employees don’t mind my using their space while staying at anchor. It looks like Caixa will need more time for repairs, so we will stay one more day for some snorkeling then head north to Roatan, Honduras.
April 1st
Lisa and I join Jan and his young crew for a day of snorkeling and Pizza for dinner, hoping they will catch up to us in Roatan. We exchange e-mails and Facebook info just in case and say good bye.
April 2nd
We pull anchor and set off for our longest passage yet, we expect to be at sea for 5 or 6 days. As we pull out of sight of Panama the next time we will see land will be a small Island just to the east of Roatan, called Guanaja. We are headed into Northeasterly winds on a close reach for the entire day, only making about 100 miles in the first 24 hours, we have fallen way behind schedule. The seas are very rough and uncomfortable and we only have 5 more days of it.
April 3rd
Still bashing into the wind, our weather websites are off on their predictions, we had planned on bashing for 1 day not 2 and certainly not at this steep angle.
April 4th
Finally we get a break, the winds have changed as forecasted, just a day and a half late. We now have winds at 90 degrees and a beam reach we are now going as fast as we ever have under sail reaching up to 7.5 knot sand averaging 6.5. This will help get us closer to our original schedule.
April 5th
Another good day of sailing, however the seas are still very rough and will take some getting used to.
April 6th
We turn the corner at the Northwest point of Honduras and head west, the wind is now directly astern and we slow down again with lighter winds, so we hoist up the spinnaker that we had repaired in Puerto Vallarta. With 7 to 8 knot winds it should be perfect for a spinnaker run. NOPE, the spinnaker tears right in half. We pull it down and stow it then pull out the genoa and sail at angles jibing back and forth down wind. The winds pick up and we have to reef our sails. The winds get up to 35 knots and the seas are tossing us like the S.S. Minnow. This fearless crew did not get lost. We also did not get sleep.
April 7th
At 8:30 am. We made it to Guanaja and set anchor after negotiating our way through the reefs to a calm anchorage. We went to sleep around 9am and I woke Lisa at 4pm and said we should take a swim and wake up, so we could sleep tonight. We had our swim, watched a movie and had a Glass of wine, then went back to bed and slept for another 9 hours.
April 8th
We got up at 7 am and pulled anchor, we negotiated our way back outside the reefs and headed west again for Roatan. What should have been an easy 8 hour sail, became another long fight against heavy head winds. After arriving in Roatan we once again had to slowly negotiate our way inside the reefs that circumnavigate the Island and protect it from the rough seas. The reef heads are marked with small stakes, unless they have been knocked down. We set anchor around 5pm, then just as we were getting ready to go to bed a storm blew in from nowhere and we had rain with 40 knot winds. For the first time since we bought this anchor up in Oregon, it dragged. We pulled up the anchor and re-set it in the middle of the storm and it stayed put. We plan on staying here in Roatan for about a week to do some diving.
We are now in the Caribbean Sea and our plans have once again changed due to lack of funds. The San Blas Islands will be passed by and we will head north to Boca Del Toro. First we must pull anchor and take our crew to Shelter Bay Marina and drop them off, as they did help to get us safely through the Canal, it’s the least we can do.
March 28th
Our crew is gone and we have a few last minute things to do before our trip north, so we’ll spend 2 more nights in Shelter Bay, doing laundry and getting some internet time. When living on a boat the internet becomes your lifeline to everyday life; pay bills, communicate with friends and family, try to get taxes sorted out, things of this nature.
March 29th
As we leave the confines of Shelter Bay with Caixa close behind, we head through the breakwater and into the Caribbean, The seas are much rougher than the Pacific and the wind is blowing hard on our beam as we head toward Boca Del Toro. With 130 miles to go and swells on our beam that look like huge rolling hills that continually lift us up and set us back down, while the chop from the wind splashes against the side of the boat and sprays us with salt water, it looks like it’s going to be a long uncomfortable 2 days.
March 30th
Always & Forever is making great time and by morning we have already hit some heavy rain, with more ahead of us. Caixa has disappeared into a down pour far off our stern. We arrive in Boca Del Toro ahead of schedule and set anchor in crystal clear water with only 10 feet between the keel and the bottom, for the first time we are anchored without having to worry about a tide. On the Pacific Ocean we had tides that could drop you 15’ overnight, here the tide might go out 1’. Caixa finally came into sight 2 hours later and went into the marina. It turns out they had some motor trouble and will need some repairs. We will wait a couple days to see if they can get running again.
March 31st
I use this down time to install our dingy wheels at the marina in front of Caixa, hoping the marina employees don’t mind my using their space while staying at anchor. It looks like Caixa will need more time for repairs, so we will stay one more day for some snorkeling then head north to Roatan, Honduras.
April 1st
Lisa and I join Jan and his young crew for a day of snorkeling and Pizza for dinner, hoping they will catch up to us in Roatan. We exchange e-mails and Facebook info just in case and say good bye.
April 2nd
We pull anchor and set off for our longest passage yet, we expect to be at sea for 5 or 6 days. As we pull out of sight of Panama the next time we will see land will be a small Island just to the east of Roatan, called Guanaja. We are headed into Northeasterly winds on a close reach for the entire day, only making about 100 miles in the first 24 hours, we have fallen way behind schedule. The seas are very rough and uncomfortable and we only have 5 more days of it.
April 3rd
Still bashing into the wind, our weather websites are off on their predictions, we had planned on bashing for 1 day not 2 and certainly not at this steep angle.
April 4th
Finally we get a break, the winds have changed as forecasted, just a day and a half late. We now have winds at 90 degrees and a beam reach we are now going as fast as we ever have under sail reaching up to 7.5 knot sand averaging 6.5. This will help get us closer to our original schedule.
April 5th
Another good day of sailing, however the seas are still very rough and will take some getting used to.
April 6th
We turn the corner at the Northwest point of Honduras and head west, the wind is now directly astern and we slow down again with lighter winds, so we hoist up the spinnaker that we had repaired in Puerto Vallarta. With 7 to 8 knot winds it should be perfect for a spinnaker run. NOPE, the spinnaker tears right in half. We pull it down and stow it then pull out the genoa and sail at angles jibing back and forth down wind. The winds pick up and we have to reef our sails. The winds get up to 35 knots and the seas are tossing us like the S.S. Minnow. This fearless crew did not get lost. We also did not get sleep.
April 7th
At 8:30 am. We made it to Guanaja and set anchor after negotiating our way through the reefs to a calm anchorage. We went to sleep around 9am and I woke Lisa at 4pm and said we should take a swim and wake up, so we could sleep tonight. We had our swim, watched a movie and had a Glass of wine, then went back to bed and slept for another 9 hours.
April 8th
We got up at 7 am and pulled anchor, we negotiated our way back outside the reefs and headed west again for Roatan. What should have been an easy 8 hour sail, became another long fight against heavy head winds. After arriving in Roatan we once again had to slowly negotiate our way inside the reefs that circumnavigate the Island and protect it from the rough seas. The reef heads are marked with small stakes, unless they have been knocked down. We set anchor around 5pm, then just as we were getting ready to go to bed a storm blew in from nowhere and we had rain with 40 knot winds. For the first time since we bought this anchor up in Oregon, it dragged. We pulled up the anchor and re-set it in the middle of the storm and it stayed put. We plan on staying here in Roatan for about a week to do some diving.
April 9th - 12th
Lisa's sister Tina came for a short visit, while she was here we went and snorkeled a nearby reef; this reef is protected and guarded by Mr. Sherman Arch. Sherman was born and raised here in the French Harbor area of Roatan. Sherman is a boat builder by trade, but has dedicated his life to protecting the Islands reefs and animals, he runs an Iguana Farm on his property, where over 3000 iguana roam freely, he and his wife protect them from poachers and feed them when necessary. Sherman also stands guard over the reef that is in front of his property, he has been deputized and doesn't take this lightly, thanks to his diligence the reef is thriving and there is nowhere on earth that has the amount of lobster that you can find right here on this half square mile of reef. Lisa, Tina and I spent a few hours with Sherman the first day we met him and Lisa and I have spent time with him since and consider him a friend. This man is one of the least selfish people I have ever met, and will go out of his way to help anyone. His daughter gave Tina a ride to the airport and Sherman has told us we can use his truck whenever we need it.
The diving here is terrific although it has been very windy and choppy on the surface and we haven't been able to get on the outside of the reef yet. We will.
Sherman gave Lisa and I a little tour of the east end of the Island, including the towns of Oak Ridge and Punta Gorda, this area is dominantly populated by the Garifuna People. The Garifuna have inhabited the island since they were brought here from St. Vincent in 1797 by the English, after a slave uprising. Sherman tells us these people are very hard workers and don't quit until the job is done. His brother is a fisherman, and always hires Garifuna as crew.
Lisa's sister Tina came for a short visit, while she was here we went and snorkeled a nearby reef; this reef is protected and guarded by Mr. Sherman Arch. Sherman was born and raised here in the French Harbor area of Roatan. Sherman is a boat builder by trade, but has dedicated his life to protecting the Islands reefs and animals, he runs an Iguana Farm on his property, where over 3000 iguana roam freely, he and his wife protect them from poachers and feed them when necessary. Sherman also stands guard over the reef that is in front of his property, he has been deputized and doesn't take this lightly, thanks to his diligence the reef is thriving and there is nowhere on earth that has the amount of lobster that you can find right here on this half square mile of reef. Lisa, Tina and I spent a few hours with Sherman the first day we met him and Lisa and I have spent time with him since and consider him a friend. This man is one of the least selfish people I have ever met, and will go out of his way to help anyone. His daughter gave Tina a ride to the airport and Sherman has told us we can use his truck whenever we need it.
The diving here is terrific although it has been very windy and choppy on the surface and we haven't been able to get on the outside of the reef yet. We will.
Sherman gave Lisa and I a little tour of the east end of the Island, including the towns of Oak Ridge and Punta Gorda, this area is dominantly populated by the Garifuna People. The Garifuna have inhabited the island since they were brought here from St. Vincent in 1797 by the English, after a slave uprising. Sherman tells us these people are very hard workers and don't quit until the job is done. His brother is a fisherman, and always hires Garifuna as crew.
April 13th-19th
After Tina left us, Lisa and I spent a few more days diving on the South side of Roatan and planning for our next stop. The diving in Roatan has been exceptional, besides thriving coral we have seen spotted eagle rays, Green moray eels, and tons of fish. We spent some time with our new friend Sherman, then on the 19th we sailed to the West End.
April 19th-21st
West End, Roatan is the tourist area of the island, it is about 5 blocks long and has nothing but bars, restaurants, and dive shops, 30 dive shops in 5 blocks. Lisa and I stayed on a mooring for a couple days, dove the west end one day, spent the next day walking around town, then planned our passage to the Blue Hole.
April 21st and 22nd
The trip from Roatan to the Blue Hole, on Lighthouse Cay we figured would take us about 13 hours. We left Roatan around 2:30pm planning to arrive at Lighthouse Cay in the morning. During our crossing, I think it’s worth mentioning ; I was sitting up at 12:30am on my watch, when the entire sky lit up, like a horror film from the 60’s I sat up and said to myself, out loud W.T.F. and it wasn’t abbreviated. I looked around and saw a meteor burning out right behind us. This was the second time this happened to me, the first time was on the 6 day passage from Panama.
The winds were very favorable and we were making great time, in fact, we had to reduce sails and slow down so we didn’t arrive at night.
We got to the south side of Light house Cay at 6am and found our way through the reef, with Lisa at the wheel and me on the bow watching for coral heads. The winds really started to blow and we had to stop and wait as we couldn’t see the coral lying dangerously close to the surface. The Blue Hole is a perfectly round sink hole in the ocean formed during the last ice age. The water is only a few feet deep around the edge and 450’ in the middle. We would need to find our way north about 7 miles through the shallow waters of Light house Cay to get to the Blue Hole. As divers, Lisa and I have wanted to visit and dive the Blue Hole. So we waited for a break in the wind and found our way there. We finally arrived around 3pm and were the only ones there. We found a mooring ball on the edge of the hole that is there for the dive boats, as none were around and surely wouldn’t be coming this late, we took it and spent the night floating over the Blue Hole 40 miles off the coast of Belize.
April 23rd
When Lisa and I got up, we put on our dive gear and jumped in, we weren’t in the water 2 minutes and we saw a very large sting ray near the edge of the hole then we watched as he swam into the abyss. The water wasn’t very clear, compared to that on the surface. The entire dive we watched sand and other stuff falling from the shelf into the hole. We were told we would definitely see sharks on our dive, but had no such luck. The dive was erie and dark with not much color or marine life, but it was the Blue Hole and we dove it. I definitely would NOT pay a dive outfit in Belize to go out here. The diving has been much better other places.
When we got to the surface we saw the dive boats arriving and one was waiting for his mooring. I contacted him on the radio and asked if I was in his spot. He very politely said “yes, and asked how are dive was, said to take your time and he would drift over the hole until we moved.” I was shocked at how patient and polite he was this would not be the case back in the states. Unfortunately.
We finished our dive got out of the way and headed for Cozumel, about 250 miles north. The weather was perfect and we sailed again to fast. We reduced sails and then got caught up in the Gulfstream and went even faster. Had we known how easy it was to get into the anchorage at Cozumel we could have kept up the speed and arrived at night, however, we were going into an unknown anchorage and slowed down so we could arrive in the light of day.
April 25th
We finally set our anchor and called the Port Captain around 7am. He told us to come in and start our check in process any time after 9. We had breakfast then headed in. The paper work for checking into foreign ports in Central America is quite comical. There are 4 different gov’t agencies that you need to visit, they seem to always be in opposite corners of the city or Island and they don’t seem to communicate we each other. Because of this the check in process usually takes a couple of days.
We had wanted to stop in Cay Caulker, Belize to visit with some old friends from Vail, however the weather dictated that we forego this stop and head straight to Cozumel as our daughter would be flying in in just a few days and if we didn’t go now we would have a very uncomfortable passage.
April 26th-28th
Lisa and I finished our check in, toured around the Island and did a bit of swimming and snorkeling while waiting for Lauren to arrive on the 29th.
April 29th
Lauren flew in at 1:20pm; Lisa and I were at the airport to meet her. We jumped in a cab and went back to the boat to get her settled in. The motion of the boat at anchor seemed to bother Lauren a bit so we went back into town and looked around, and did some grocery shopping.
April 30th
The winds were blowing pretty good and the seas were a bit on the rough side, however it looked as if this was the best we would get for our sail over to Isla Mujeres. So we woke Lauren and told her to take some Dramamine. We sailed the 50 miles in rough seas going 9-10 knots most of the way, this is the fastest our boat has gone, we did have a 4 knot current behind us. Lauren didn’t feel great, but she did make it without getting sick, which was truly amazing given the weather. We anchored in the bay.
May 1st
We moved to marina Paraiso on Isla Mujeres, where they had a swimming pool, showers and internet, 3 things that would make Lauren’s stay with us much more fun. The internet is also critical for us to watch the weather and try to plan for a safe and comfortable four day passage back to FL. After getting settled into the marina the 3 of us went into town to see what was here; in Isla Mujeres, as none of us had been here before.
As we walked around Lauren kept referring to Ambergris Cay in Belize and saying how similar they were. I have never been to Ambergris, so I wouldn’t know.
May 2nd
We jumped on the Ferry to Cancun, then a collectivo (minivan), to Playa del Carmen, then another collective to Tulum. Tulum are the only Mayan Ruins built on the coast. I had been here 25 years earlier but Lisa and Lauren had never seen them. Like everything else 25 years sure changes things. The ruins are still magnificent, but there are a lot more tourist. After visiting the ruins we stopped at a small local roadside place for lunch and had the only thing on the menu, roast pork. It was great. After lunch we jumped on a collective headed back to Playa del Carmen, where we spent several hours walking around town and on the beach, we stopped into Fat Tuesday’s for a drink and some fun pictures then caught another van back to cancun. We got a ferry back to Isla Mujeres, found another local spot for dinner and arrived back at the boat around 10pm.
May3rd
The morning was still and HOT so we had breakfast and headed for the pool. After a long swim and lazy morning by the pool the clouds rolled in and we had rain off and on for the rest of the day. We spent the day in the cruisers lounge at the marina on the internet and in front of the T.V. I got caught up on our blog.
After Tina left us, Lisa and I spent a few more days diving on the South side of Roatan and planning for our next stop. The diving in Roatan has been exceptional, besides thriving coral we have seen spotted eagle rays, Green moray eels, and tons of fish. We spent some time with our new friend Sherman, then on the 19th we sailed to the West End.
April 19th-21st
West End, Roatan is the tourist area of the island, it is about 5 blocks long and has nothing but bars, restaurants, and dive shops, 30 dive shops in 5 blocks. Lisa and I stayed on a mooring for a couple days, dove the west end one day, spent the next day walking around town, then planned our passage to the Blue Hole.
April 21st and 22nd
The trip from Roatan to the Blue Hole, on Lighthouse Cay we figured would take us about 13 hours. We left Roatan around 2:30pm planning to arrive at Lighthouse Cay in the morning. During our crossing, I think it’s worth mentioning ; I was sitting up at 12:30am on my watch, when the entire sky lit up, like a horror film from the 60’s I sat up and said to myself, out loud W.T.F. and it wasn’t abbreviated. I looked around and saw a meteor burning out right behind us. This was the second time this happened to me, the first time was on the 6 day passage from Panama.
The winds were very favorable and we were making great time, in fact, we had to reduce sails and slow down so we didn’t arrive at night.
We got to the south side of Light house Cay at 6am and found our way through the reef, with Lisa at the wheel and me on the bow watching for coral heads. The winds really started to blow and we had to stop and wait as we couldn’t see the coral lying dangerously close to the surface. The Blue Hole is a perfectly round sink hole in the ocean formed during the last ice age. The water is only a few feet deep around the edge and 450’ in the middle. We would need to find our way north about 7 miles through the shallow waters of Light house Cay to get to the Blue Hole. As divers, Lisa and I have wanted to visit and dive the Blue Hole. So we waited for a break in the wind and found our way there. We finally arrived around 3pm and were the only ones there. We found a mooring ball on the edge of the hole that is there for the dive boats, as none were around and surely wouldn’t be coming this late, we took it and spent the night floating over the Blue Hole 40 miles off the coast of Belize.
April 23rd
When Lisa and I got up, we put on our dive gear and jumped in, we weren’t in the water 2 minutes and we saw a very large sting ray near the edge of the hole then we watched as he swam into the abyss. The water wasn’t very clear, compared to that on the surface. The entire dive we watched sand and other stuff falling from the shelf into the hole. We were told we would definitely see sharks on our dive, but had no such luck. The dive was erie and dark with not much color or marine life, but it was the Blue Hole and we dove it. I definitely would NOT pay a dive outfit in Belize to go out here. The diving has been much better other places.
When we got to the surface we saw the dive boats arriving and one was waiting for his mooring. I contacted him on the radio and asked if I was in his spot. He very politely said “yes, and asked how are dive was, said to take your time and he would drift over the hole until we moved.” I was shocked at how patient and polite he was this would not be the case back in the states. Unfortunately.
We finished our dive got out of the way and headed for Cozumel, about 250 miles north. The weather was perfect and we sailed again to fast. We reduced sails and then got caught up in the Gulfstream and went even faster. Had we known how easy it was to get into the anchorage at Cozumel we could have kept up the speed and arrived at night, however, we were going into an unknown anchorage and slowed down so we could arrive in the light of day.
April 25th
We finally set our anchor and called the Port Captain around 7am. He told us to come in and start our check in process any time after 9. We had breakfast then headed in. The paper work for checking into foreign ports in Central America is quite comical. There are 4 different gov’t agencies that you need to visit, they seem to always be in opposite corners of the city or Island and they don’t seem to communicate we each other. Because of this the check in process usually takes a couple of days.
We had wanted to stop in Cay Caulker, Belize to visit with some old friends from Vail, however the weather dictated that we forego this stop and head straight to Cozumel as our daughter would be flying in in just a few days and if we didn’t go now we would have a very uncomfortable passage.
April 26th-28th
Lisa and I finished our check in, toured around the Island and did a bit of swimming and snorkeling while waiting for Lauren to arrive on the 29th.
April 29th
Lauren flew in at 1:20pm; Lisa and I were at the airport to meet her. We jumped in a cab and went back to the boat to get her settled in. The motion of the boat at anchor seemed to bother Lauren a bit so we went back into town and looked around, and did some grocery shopping.
April 30th
The winds were blowing pretty good and the seas were a bit on the rough side, however it looked as if this was the best we would get for our sail over to Isla Mujeres. So we woke Lauren and told her to take some Dramamine. We sailed the 50 miles in rough seas going 9-10 knots most of the way, this is the fastest our boat has gone, we did have a 4 knot current behind us. Lauren didn’t feel great, but she did make it without getting sick, which was truly amazing given the weather. We anchored in the bay.
May 1st
We moved to marina Paraiso on Isla Mujeres, where they had a swimming pool, showers and internet, 3 things that would make Lauren’s stay with us much more fun. The internet is also critical for us to watch the weather and try to plan for a safe and comfortable four day passage back to FL. After getting settled into the marina the 3 of us went into town to see what was here; in Isla Mujeres, as none of us had been here before.
As we walked around Lauren kept referring to Ambergris Cay in Belize and saying how similar they were. I have never been to Ambergris, so I wouldn’t know.
May 2nd
We jumped on the Ferry to Cancun, then a collectivo (minivan), to Playa del Carmen, then another collective to Tulum. Tulum are the only Mayan Ruins built on the coast. I had been here 25 years earlier but Lisa and Lauren had never seen them. Like everything else 25 years sure changes things. The ruins are still magnificent, but there are a lot more tourist. After visiting the ruins we stopped at a small local roadside place for lunch and had the only thing on the menu, roast pork. It was great. After lunch we jumped on a collective headed back to Playa del Carmen, where we spent several hours walking around town and on the beach, we stopped into Fat Tuesday’s for a drink and some fun pictures then caught another van back to cancun. We got a ferry back to Isla Mujeres, found another local spot for dinner and arrived back at the boat around 10pm.
May3rd
The morning was still and HOT so we had breakfast and headed for the pool. After a long swim and lazy morning by the pool the clouds rolled in and we had rain off and on for the rest of the day. We spent the day in the cruisers lounge at the marina on the internet and in front of the T.V. I got caught up on our blog.
ABOVE: Belize diving "The Blue Hole"
BELOW: Mexico, the Caribbean Side
BELOW: Mexico, the Caribbean Side
May 4th
We have had a couple days of rain with intermittent sunshine Lisa, Lauren and I spent part of the day in town walking and taking in the local culture.
May 5th
Lisa and I accompanied Lauren to the airport and said goodbye. We went back to the marina and visited with other cruisers trying to leave, waiting for good weather.
May 8th
Our week at the marina is up and it’s time to move out to the anchorage and wait for a 3 day weather window. The passage back to Key West is with the Gulf Stream but against the prevailing winds.
May 13th
The tooth comes out, and the Dentist is great. Highly recommend this one.
May 14th
My brother Tim and his friend Candy are on vacation in Playa Del Carmen, they come up to visit and spend the night with us on the boat, fun night.
May 15 -24th
The days are spent comparing weather info with other cruisers and exchanging trip notes and sailing stories. We meet many more people over the next ten days, some waiting to go north and some south, but the weather doesn’t break.
May 24th
The weather breaks, it’s not perfect but it looks doable, so we head out early and catch the gulf Stream North through the Yucatan Passage. This is the area between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba. Once through, we turn east and head for the Dry Tortugas, the eastern most islands of the Florida Keys.
May 26th
We finally arrived at the Dry Tortugas National Park and set anchor for some rest after a rough and exhausting couple of days. After a few hours rest Lisa and I paddled the kayak over to Ft. Jefferson and walked around the moat for a bit of a stretch, then back to the boat for dinner and a good night’s sleep.
May 27th
The Ferry arrived with hundreds of tourists from Key West, Lisa and I had paddled over to the fort and wanted to take the tour, not feeling comfortable leaving our kayak unattended we approached a camper to ask if he would mind keeping an eye on it for us, as he had a kayak of his own. As it turns out this guy had a really nice kayak and he paddled it 60miles from Key West to the Dry Tortugas. 2 full days and nights out on the open ocean in a kayak all alone, WILD!! And SCARY!! Just before he made landfall he had to give way to a small boat with no lights on it. Cuban refugees landed at the Dry Tortugas while we were there. 14 of them set foot on American soil. Their new home.
After the tour of the fort, we sailed over to another small key called loggerhead key, where we snorkeled for an hour or so then headed, overnight to Key West.
May 28th
Back in America! “Always & Forever” had been out of the country since October 2012, of course Lisa and I have made a few trips back for work in that time. We anchored right next to our good friends Gary and Caryn on “Wind Flower” we hadn’t seen them since the west side of the Panama Canal. We got checked into the country then had a nice evening on” Wind Flower”.
May 29th
Spent the day walking around Key West and getting some groceries and a bite to eat, we then had Gary and Caryn over to our boat for some wine and snacks.
We have had a couple days of rain with intermittent sunshine Lisa, Lauren and I spent part of the day in town walking and taking in the local culture.
May 5th
Lisa and I accompanied Lauren to the airport and said goodbye. We went back to the marina and visited with other cruisers trying to leave, waiting for good weather.
May 8th
Our week at the marina is up and it’s time to move out to the anchorage and wait for a 3 day weather window. The passage back to Key West is with the Gulf Stream but against the prevailing winds.
May 13th
The tooth comes out, and the Dentist is great. Highly recommend this one.
May 14th
My brother Tim and his friend Candy are on vacation in Playa Del Carmen, they come up to visit and spend the night with us on the boat, fun night.
May 15 -24th
The days are spent comparing weather info with other cruisers and exchanging trip notes and sailing stories. We meet many more people over the next ten days, some waiting to go north and some south, but the weather doesn’t break.
May 24th
The weather breaks, it’s not perfect but it looks doable, so we head out early and catch the gulf Stream North through the Yucatan Passage. This is the area between the Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba. Once through, we turn east and head for the Dry Tortugas, the eastern most islands of the Florida Keys.
May 26th
We finally arrived at the Dry Tortugas National Park and set anchor for some rest after a rough and exhausting couple of days. After a few hours rest Lisa and I paddled the kayak over to Ft. Jefferson and walked around the moat for a bit of a stretch, then back to the boat for dinner and a good night’s sleep.
May 27th
The Ferry arrived with hundreds of tourists from Key West, Lisa and I had paddled over to the fort and wanted to take the tour, not feeling comfortable leaving our kayak unattended we approached a camper to ask if he would mind keeping an eye on it for us, as he had a kayak of his own. As it turns out this guy had a really nice kayak and he paddled it 60miles from Key West to the Dry Tortugas. 2 full days and nights out on the open ocean in a kayak all alone, WILD!! And SCARY!! Just before he made landfall he had to give way to a small boat with no lights on it. Cuban refugees landed at the Dry Tortugas while we were there. 14 of them set foot on American soil. Their new home.
After the tour of the fort, we sailed over to another small key called loggerhead key, where we snorkeled for an hour or so then headed, overnight to Key West.
May 28th
Back in America! “Always & Forever” had been out of the country since October 2012, of course Lisa and I have made a few trips back for work in that time. We anchored right next to our good friends Gary and Caryn on “Wind Flower” we hadn’t seen them since the west side of the Panama Canal. We got checked into the country then had a nice evening on” Wind Flower”.
May 29th
Spent the day walking around Key West and getting some groceries and a bite to eat, we then had Gary and Caryn over to our boat for some wine and snacks.
May 30th
Lisa and I can smell the barn,
As we pull the anchor off the west side of Key West, we realize our adventure is nearing its end. Our next stop is a protected anchorage off the west end of Marathon Key. After a day of motor sailing into light winds we arrive at Marathon Key just as it starts to get dark. The anchorage is easy and we get right to sleep as we will have a long trip from here around to Ft Lauderdale.
May 31st
The day starts out beautiful, with Southeast winds and some good sailing, as the day progresses the clouds start to build and we watch the weather all around us. Clouds are building and reaching for the stratosphere. We see squalls and lightning on the horizon, luckily nothing seems to be headed for us. 11:30am I look behind us to see what the weather is doing, a rope tornado forms and drops out of the clouds just ¼ mile behind us, it picks up the ocean and becomes a fantastic waterspout. Lisa says” what do we do”. I told her get the camera, we can’t out run it so let’s get a picture and hope it lifts back up. Before we could even get a picture it did just that, as quickly as it formed it receded into the clouds and dropped the water back into the ocean. It was an exciting couple of minutes, and an awesome example of the power of Mother Nature.
The rest of the day we had good winds and no more storms we sailed or motor sailed all night and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 9:00 am the next morning.
June 1st
We took a mooring on the intracoastal waterway, in the middle of the miracle mile; this is actually a couple of miles of mega mansions on the ICW, homes of the truly rich and famous. Multimillion dollar homes with multimillion dollar yachts out front. We spent the day with a dear friend Danny Graves from our days in the Vail Valley and his wonderful wife Krista. After a fantastic day we were dropped off back at the boat.
June 2nd
The weather was not conducive to safe comfortable sailing up the coast of Florida, so we started the motor and headed up the ICW, past more mega mansions and beautiful yachts, and some not so beautiful yachts. One in particular that stuck out was “Venus”, this was the super mega yacht built for Steve Jobs, and he never saw it completed, but his family took possession of it last year. We spent the night anchored near Stuart FL.
June 3rd
We spent another day moving up the intracoastal and anchored near Ft. Pierce.
June 4th
The day was beautiful and we had easterly winds, perfect sailing day, so we headed out of the intracoastal at Ft. Pierce and back onto the Atlantic. Time to put some miles behind us, next stop Jacksonville, FL. As we sailed along the coast I looked at the date on my phone and realized it was our 16th wedding anniversary. We would sail for 2 days arriving in Mayport around 4pm on June 5th. The first day ended with the sun setting behind The Kennedy Space Center. The morning of the 5th started with me pulling in one of the ugliest fish I’ve ever seen, it looks like some sort of eel.
June 5th
We sailed by some of my old haunts, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Jax Beach, and finally right on schedule we turned into the St. John’s River inlet right beside a shrimping boat. We stopped for the night in Mayport, near my Aunt and Uncle, Barb and Drew Brennan’s house and had a wonderful evening starting with dinner, accompanied by Drew, Barb, and Anne Brennan, Anne’s friend John and of course my beautiful wife Lisa. After dinner Lisa and I were invited to spend the night with Barb and Drew at their beautiful home. Following a late night of catching up Lisa and I were treated to breakfast and a tour of the grounds of Fleet Landing, then shuttled back to the boat to start our trip 23 miles up the St. John’s River. The river trip brought back memories of my days living in Jacksonville and working on the motor vessel, “Presidential Suite”. I pointed out all of the points of interest along the way to Lisa, and then we had to stop down town for a short time and wait for the main street bridge to open. A short time later we found ourselves at the mouth of the Ortega River and could see our new home just a mile up the river. We were met at the dock by the dock master Scott, who helped us tie up and welcomed us to “The Marina at Ortega Landing”
Lisa and I can smell the barn,
As we pull the anchor off the west side of Key West, we realize our adventure is nearing its end. Our next stop is a protected anchorage off the west end of Marathon Key. After a day of motor sailing into light winds we arrive at Marathon Key just as it starts to get dark. The anchorage is easy and we get right to sleep as we will have a long trip from here around to Ft Lauderdale.
May 31st
The day starts out beautiful, with Southeast winds and some good sailing, as the day progresses the clouds start to build and we watch the weather all around us. Clouds are building and reaching for the stratosphere. We see squalls and lightning on the horizon, luckily nothing seems to be headed for us. 11:30am I look behind us to see what the weather is doing, a rope tornado forms and drops out of the clouds just ¼ mile behind us, it picks up the ocean and becomes a fantastic waterspout. Lisa says” what do we do”. I told her get the camera, we can’t out run it so let’s get a picture and hope it lifts back up. Before we could even get a picture it did just that, as quickly as it formed it receded into the clouds and dropped the water back into the ocean. It was an exciting couple of minutes, and an awesome example of the power of Mother Nature.
The rest of the day we had good winds and no more storms we sailed or motor sailed all night and arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 9:00 am the next morning.
June 1st
We took a mooring on the intracoastal waterway, in the middle of the miracle mile; this is actually a couple of miles of mega mansions on the ICW, homes of the truly rich and famous. Multimillion dollar homes with multimillion dollar yachts out front. We spent the day with a dear friend Danny Graves from our days in the Vail Valley and his wonderful wife Krista. After a fantastic day we were dropped off back at the boat.
June 2nd
The weather was not conducive to safe comfortable sailing up the coast of Florida, so we started the motor and headed up the ICW, past more mega mansions and beautiful yachts, and some not so beautiful yachts. One in particular that stuck out was “Venus”, this was the super mega yacht built for Steve Jobs, and he never saw it completed, but his family took possession of it last year. We spent the night anchored near Stuart FL.
June 3rd
We spent another day moving up the intracoastal and anchored near Ft. Pierce.
June 4th
The day was beautiful and we had easterly winds, perfect sailing day, so we headed out of the intracoastal at Ft. Pierce and back onto the Atlantic. Time to put some miles behind us, next stop Jacksonville, FL. As we sailed along the coast I looked at the date on my phone and realized it was our 16th wedding anniversary. We would sail for 2 days arriving in Mayport around 4pm on June 5th. The first day ended with the sun setting behind The Kennedy Space Center. The morning of the 5th started with me pulling in one of the ugliest fish I’ve ever seen, it looks like some sort of eel.
June 5th
We sailed by some of my old haunts, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Jax Beach, and finally right on schedule we turned into the St. John’s River inlet right beside a shrimping boat. We stopped for the night in Mayport, near my Aunt and Uncle, Barb and Drew Brennan’s house and had a wonderful evening starting with dinner, accompanied by Drew, Barb, and Anne Brennan, Anne’s friend John and of course my beautiful wife Lisa. After dinner Lisa and I were invited to spend the night with Barb and Drew at their beautiful home. Following a late night of catching up Lisa and I were treated to breakfast and a tour of the grounds of Fleet Landing, then shuttled back to the boat to start our trip 23 miles up the St. John’s River. The river trip brought back memories of my days living in Jacksonville and working on the motor vessel, “Presidential Suite”. I pointed out all of the points of interest along the way to Lisa, and then we had to stop down town for a short time and wait for the main street bridge to open. A short time later we found ourselves at the mouth of the Ortega River and could see our new home just a mile up the river. We were met at the dock by the dock master Scott, who helped us tie up and welcomed us to “The Marina at Ortega Landing”
Sadly this will be the last entry of our blog, as we will be
living on the boat and working to replenish our cruising kitty. The past three
years has been incredible; we have met lifelong friends and seen places and
things that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. We have done things
that we never thought possible, and endured weather that used to be scary.
Most of all Lisa and I experienced it all, together
Most of all Lisa and I experienced it all, together
"Always & Forever"
Pat & Lisa
Pat & Lisa
