Tuesday, December 4, 2012

"For the most part, a sailboat navigates through its world of wind and water not leaving a single trace of its passage. Nothing is consumed. Nothing is altered. The winds and the water are left in exactly the same condition for the next user. Sailing is forever." Michael B. McPhee

I love this quote, and I think that speaks volumes about why sailing is so appealing. No CO2, no fuel, no oil, no pollution. We sailed today, and we love it when we do not have to use the engine. The ICW runs through Indian Lake, which is a huge body of water. Because it is so open we were able to sail on a beam reach for a large part of the day. What a great day...wind in the sails and Jimmy singing, I wish I was a pirate on the Caribbean. I even sailed under a few bridges, which still makes Shirl nervous. On a beam reach you are being blown sideways as well as forward, and the passage through the bridge is not narrow but seems to be.  I start through east of center and come out west of center. The sail looses the wind temporarily under the bridge any way.
We are in Melbourne, Florida. We rented a slip at the harbor so we could take long hot showers, do laundry, and charge every thing on the boat. While Shirl did laundry I completed a few boat projects. My engine alarm has been inconsistent since Hurricane Sandy, when everything got soaked with the blowing rain. I took the face plate off and cleaned the connections and it is working for now. This alarm sounds if the engine gets overheated, and until you have adequate oil pressure. I definitely want it working. I also put silicone tape on the connections of the cable that supports the dink motor lift arm. It supports the weight of the motor, which is 85 pounds, when I lift it off the dink. Now that it is being exposed to salt water, I want to limit the chance of corrosion.
I looked at the chart, and we will cruise to Vero...Velcro Beach tomorrow. I am anxious to find out why so many people decide to stop traveling and stay there. We plan to get some sun and some rest. This is a lot more work than it appears to be. It is not all TiKi Bars and rum drinks...at least not yet.
 
 
Sunrise...this morning.
 
 Five minutes later...
 
 Sailing at 5.5 mph with just the Genny in 12 mph winds
 
Going under a bridge...it looks closer that it is.

 Reviewing the chart for the next day...a seat with a view.
 
 I really like this picture.
 
 Little pink and green houses on the ICW.
 
A couple in a large sailboat passed us on the port side and yelled at Shirl..."you need to learn how to relax"...I think they were being sarcastic.

We promise to give you a full report on Velcro Beach. One attraction is that it is only about $15 dollars a night for a mooring. Not bad at all. By the way, Shirl is doing fantastic at picking up the rope on the mooring ball with the boat hook.

Until tomorrow...sail on.

6 comments:

  1. Great quote by Michael B. McPhee.

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  2. Oh hell! it got cold here in KY. Wish we were in Fla.
    I can see me now. Sitting at a tiki bar with a cold brew listening to Jimmy. Maybe a nice Nicaraguan cigar in hand.

    Getting ready for the holidays. Hope we don't get snow. I hate shoveling. I also hate picking up leaves. I don't like getting chilled. Packing now.

    Guess I can stick it out here for a couple months. But th beer and cigar are not an option.

    We are so glad you made it down there safely. Seems like a lot of technical stuff to sailing. The hardest part was setting up the blog. Ever try to publish to it? They make you stare at a word puzzle that no one can read and retype it at least 10 times before you finally get it right.

    The cabin fever is setting in....here we go!

    Brad




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    1. Brad, I am sorry about the word identification thing...if I do not have it I get "robot"comments with advertising. I would love to get rid of it.
      No snow here...come on down.

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  3. Great quote! Catching up on your site and so glad to hear ya'll are enjoying the cruising life! We can not wait to get out there and wear flip-flops everyday too!

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