1st Week in Marathon, Florida

Well, Avi flew back to DC last Friday to finish some work in winter weather.  Here, the days have been long working on boat related repairs and preparations, getting into a routine with boatschool, and getting around town sometimes walking for a while which I enjoy.  Last Sunday, the boys and I went to see a community play here in town, which was really good and funny: "Mama Won't Fly". We also have become acquainted with several cruisers here. There is such a big community of cruisers that we have a cruisers' net on the VHF radio every morning at 9 during which new boats in the area introduce themselves, the ones leaving bid farewell, events and what's around town are listed, help needed and offered expressed, "trade, sell or give away" marine stuff take place, etc... So we now know all the cruising kids around, and Sayan and Kehan get to play with them every afternoon in a marina nearby. They are really cool kids. People are so friendly here: for instance, our neighbors Mary and Howard lend us their car when they can. Another couple from the City Marina where most kids are, give us a ride when we need to get back in the evening. The boys said: "People are just so nice. We have yet to meet one mean person here!".
The weather has been great: 75 to 80 deg F. everyday. Today it's been raining on and off for the first time.

Docked at Marathon Marina

View from the cockpit

Facing west so sunset every night.

Howard and Mary on m/v Nazdar came to dock alongside us.

Yep, the rope made it around the piling.

Boat work to attend to: Leak of coolant in port engine; broken wind display instrument at the helm; broken hot water heater; head valve to be replaced; a head light is coming off the ceiling; get spare navigation light bulbs; port rudder steering issue; etc. and getting the boat ready for the Romano family to join us next week and have some good time!

Fort Lauderdale to Marathon, Florida Keys

Well, Papa is a trooper: he made it through yet one more time, and is now home from the hospital. He now needs to recuperate so he and Mum can join us on Agave in the spring.

In the meantime, after checking on his condition several times a day, we carried along and are now safely docked at Marathon Marina in the Florida Keys. Total of about 150 nautical miles.

An imminent departure tainted by bad news.

We're heading back to Florida to -probably- start the journey tomorrow.  However, it's with my heart in my throat, a tension headache, and a lot of anxiety that I prepare our departure because my father's health is not good back in France; he is in a great deal of suffering.  So hanging by the phone and emails, I am on alert in case I need to jump in an airplane suddenly.  I'll tell you: these life events put things right back into perspective; indeed, the whole stress of embarking on such a huge endeavor seems very trivial now.

Land Ho!

After 8 days on the boat, here we are safely docked in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida.  Total of 1200 nautical miles or so from cold weather to nice and warm.  The passage overall was very good.  Agave maintained a good speed motorsailing for about 70 hours or so, and all the rest sailing.  We had a bit of everything: cold, warm, strong winds, no winds, choppy seas, glass seas... Nothing broke on the boat (yeah !!). Sleep for adults was of poor quality and at times non-existent. How do kids sleep through anything? We were happy when we could get some "shut eye" for 20-30 minutes in a row!  Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is called the "Venice of America" because of its extensive and intricate canals - zoom in on the map on the right to check it out!  Luckily, we found within walking distance everything we needed and wished for: the beach, a groceries store, a hardware store, and a laundromat. Here is the passage in a few pictures [click on them for bigger formats]:

In Norfolk, last minute engine check... changed the fuel filters.

I always thought Agave was a big boat, but maybe not...

Thanks Jesmin for the game!  Kehan beat me to it many times...

Simple meals on board, but everything taste so good when you're in the elements.

A bit rolly and bouncy, but Sayan still found a nice and comfy spot...

Our turn to be on watch.

Only Sayan and Kehan slept full nights.

Caught several fish: skip jack, black fin tuna...

Tuna cerviche for lunch; bbq tuna for dinner!

Almost everyday pods of dolphins came and ...

swam playfully in the bow waves of Agave...

for some reasons dolphins love it!

And the more you squeal in delight, the more tricks they do!

Mini Esteban is on a roll today!

Weather is warming up as we approach Florida

Sunrises are just spectacular... it really feels like the promises of a new day...endless possibilities...

Breaking Dawn

We left Veras'/Solomons Tuesday night around 9:30pm.  After a great night sail dodging big cruise ships and huge tankers (with one close call!), daylight broke....what a sight and experience!

We maintained good speed throughout with winds from 15 to 25 kn maybe more (our windvane does not work so we don't know the actual wind forces) + we had a nice current of 1 to 2 kn helping along... we did over 10 kn speed over ground at various times surfing the waves.

At 12:30 we docked at Cutty Sark Marina in Little Creek, Norfolk, VA waiting for a low pressure storm system to pass before heading out on Thursday.

Current GPS position:

Latitude: 36.924942
Longitude: -76.186639

Capt Arno - It's good to have a 3rd person for night watch. Plus, he is super experienced.

only 2 hours of sleep last night... trying to update GPS coordinates for family & friends.

Wave actions at the stern... following seas...

Our neighbor...Little Creek, Norfolk, VA.

Imminent Departure

We will be off Tuesday Oct 22 or Wednesday - weather permitting to take the boat to Fort Lauderdale, FL.  Right now, we are planning the passage - we'll be on the boat for 10 days, and doing last minute boat work... so not much time to update this blog.
 

Provisioning for 12 days and 5 people

First priority for the kids: fixing the wifi booster antenna!

One of Avi's priorities: a spray dodger so that rain and waves don't come hit us while at the helm.

One of mine is to stop the water from getting into the boat !  in other words: the dreaded leaks...

What's on our mind? The Graveyard of the Atlantic

The Graveyard of the Atlantic will be our first challenge.  It starts at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay goes along the coastline to the Outer Banks of Virginia and North Carolina (Cape Hatteras).

When the cold waters of the Labrador Current collide with the warm water of the Gulf Stream, it results in fast changing weather, strong currents, rough waters and related navigational challenges.  It can be better understood by viewing this animation below.

It uses a multi-resolution method for blending the different sea surface temperatures. One year of daily readings from 2010 were used to produce these animations. Temperatures start to warm up during spring, maximum values occur in late summer or early fall, cooling in the fall, and minimum values are observed at the end of winter.  You will see that the contrast between the winter and summer temperatures is stark.

 Gulf Stream vs. Labrador Current
Ref: Rosenstiel School Of Marine and Atmospheric Science - U of Miami.

Therefore we are trying to organize a passage to bring Agave south to Florida before the end of November.  Lots of logistics involved so the departure date is not set yet - but it will be within 4 to 6 weeks.

Cape Hatteras