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| Date |
Day |
Miles |
Hrs. |
Speed |
Arrival
Port |
Comments |
Departed |
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Hollywood, FL |
Departure Port |
4/17/04 |
| 4/17/04 |
Fri |
55 |
9 |
6.1 |
Pumpkin Key, FL |
Jim and Beva, from St. John, joined us at Harbor Islands Marina for a cruise to the Keys. As usual, it was a bit rough outside but things smoothed out nicely as we came inside by Stiltsville. Pretty out but windy, with north winds keeping a steady 25 knots. We anchored in the lee of Pumpkin Key and dined aboard. |
4/18/04 |
| 4/18/04 |
Sat |
35 |
5.5 |
6.4 |
Islamorada, FL |
Still windy and chilly, with the wind at our backs. Anchoring close in to Lorelei's, we laid a lot of chain out to stay secure in the choppy conditions. Dropped the dinghy and discovered engine troubles. Poor Jim…he experienced this with his last LM voyage. Maybe it's him? We got a tow from another local and took the carb to a local shop. With cleaning and new fuel we were back in business. Took the ladies ashore but got pretty wet in the process. Dinner at Lorelei's. |
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| 4/19/04 |
Sun |
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A nice stroll day in Islamorada, with lunch at Islamorada Fish Company. Cocktails that evening in the Zane Grey lounge, but uncomfortably chilly. |
4/20/04 |
| 4/20/04 |
Mon |
22 |
4 |
5.5 |
Grassy Key, FL |
Enough of unfavorable sea conditions. We decided to become landlubbers and head for White Sands. Due to the norther, docking was a challenge and one of the keels struck a shifted concrete mooring slab along the way. Finally, we were snug and safe. Showers ashore and pool time! Great dinner at Hideaway (though pretty pricey). |
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| 4/21/04 |
Tue |
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Just a nice lazy beach and pool day. |
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| 4/22/04 |
Wed |
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Jim rented a car and we drove to Key West for the day. Weather was nice ashore, and we had a very pleasant trip with lunch at Margaritaville. |
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| 4/23/04 |
Thu |
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Jim and Beva head for Miami with the crew of LM hanging around a bit longer. |
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| 4/24/04 |
Fri |
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Another nice lazy beach and pool day. |
4/25/04 |
| 4/25/04 |
Sat |
33 |
6 |
5.5 |
Lignumvitae Key, FL |
A pretty tough exit due to the unrelenting north winds, but safely off. Slow battle into the winds and seas but grabbed a mooring in the lee of Lignumvitae Key. Dinghied to their dock and took the tour. Very nice. |
4/26/04 |
| 4/26/04 |
Sun |
44 |
7.3 |
6.0 |
Elliott Key, FL |
Winds were declining somewhat so the cruise north was a bit more pleasant. Elliott Key was booming with local boats so we anchored well away from the parties and stayed aboard. |
4/27/04 |
| 4/27/04 |
Mon |
48 |
8 |
6.0 |
Hollywood, FL |
Pleasant voyage north on the outside but the winds were almost nonexistent. Back inside the marina and ready to head back to Georgia. |
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| 8/13/04 |
Fri |
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Hollywood, FL |
Charlie hits Fort Myers with 140 mph |
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Hollywood, FL |
Departure Port |
8/24/04 |
| 8/24/04 |
Tue |
10.2 |
2 |
5.1 |
Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
Cruised solo to Lauderdale Marine Center for routine repairs and fitting of a new hardtop. - Charley passed a week earlier |
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| 9/2/04 |
Thu |
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Frances is approaching |
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| 9/5/04 |
Sun |
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Frances hits Stuart, Ft. Pierce with 105mph |
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| 9/8/04 |
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Business Trip. Left L. Moon at the boatyard to play it safe. |
9/11/04 |
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Departed for Harbor Islands Marina |
9/12/04 |
| 9/12/04 |
Sun |
10.2 |
2 |
5.1 |
Hollywood, FL |
Splashed LM and returned to her home slip only to learn that Ivan's coming |
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| 9/16/04 |
Thu |
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Hollywood, FL |
Ivan hits Panhandle with 115mph |
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| 9/26/04 |
Sun |
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Hollywood, FL |
Jeanne hits Vero Beach with 120mph |
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Hollywood, FL |
Departure Port |
10/7/04 |
| 10/7/04 |
Sat |
10.2 |
2.3 |
4.4 |
Ft. Lauderdale, FL |
Another solo trip to Lauderdale Marine Center to install the new hardtop. Remained aboard for the night in the Travelift slip. |
10/8/04 |
| 10/8/04 |
Sun |
10.2 |
7 |
1.5 |
Hollywood, FL |
Early departure and all was well until…the Sheridan Bridge was out of order. Hung out at anchor in the ICW for over 5 hours until repairs could be made. |
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Hollywood, FL |
Departure Port |
12/9/04 |
| 12/9/04 |
Thu |
48 |
8.7 |
5.5 |
Elliott Key, FL |
A very tight single-handed departure, dodging bows in the slipway as I departed Harbor Islands Marina. The bridges cooperated nicely and I had a pleasant motorsail south. A bit choppy but tolerable. Came in through Biscayne Channel by Stiltsville. Anchored off the south end of Elliot Key, no other boats in sight. After a pleasant dinner, I was enjoying a cocktail when a blue light appeared in the dark. The Coast Guard paid me a Homeland Security visit, asked a few questions and, satisfied, went on their merry way. |
12/10/04 |
| 12/10/04 |
Fri |
42 |
6.8 |
6.2 |
Islamorada, FL |
Nice cruise, though a brisk norther kept the bay choppy. Anchored near the entrance channel to World Wide Sportsman. Stayed aboard and had a nice dinner and evening. |
12/11/04 |
| 12/11/04 |
Sat |
22 |
8 |
2.8 |
Grassy Key, FL |
Katreena and the pups are arriving today at White Sands. I planned on meeting them but one engine failed to fire up. Found a broken mixing elbow and a drenched engine. Decided (unwisely) that I would be better off at White Sands due to transportation, so I pushed my way south with one engine. The seas and winds picked up and it became a battle for daylight. My first attempt to anchor off White Sands was a near disaster; the hook failed to set and Laughing Moon swung to starboard. I had to steer toward the rocky shore (with only a port screw) in order to get enough headway to steer away. I tried to set the hook further out but no luck. The seas were really pounding now. I moved over to the little bay off Burnt Point but ended up on the bottom with waves crashing over the gunnels! About 40 minutes of single screw jockeying released me and I headed up and dropped the hook, and lots of chain. As the sun set so did the hook. Exhausted, cold and wet, I curled up in the cockpit for an all night anchor watch. |
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| 12/12/04 |
Sun |
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After hardly any sleep, I dinghied in (getting drenched by the waves) to White Sands. Drove into Marathon and, to make a long story short, lucked out by finding a replacement mixing elbow. I spent one night at White Sands, regularly checking to see that Laughing Moon stayed put, which she did. |
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| 12/13/04 |
Mon |
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Katreena and the pups moved aboard and kept me company while I made repairs. After yanking all electrical, including the starter, and getting things dried out, the engine fired up. Oh lucky day. Despite the heavy seas, we had a nice night aboard, with a great sunset. |
12/14/04 |
| 12/14/04 |
Tue |
16 |
3 |
5.3 |
Marathon, FL |
Decided the rough, exposed anchorage was no fun so we moved to lee dockage at Marathon Marina. Along the way I had another Coast Guard boarding, this time a routine safety check that was passed with flying colors. Safely docked, I treated Katreena to a nice dinner at Cabot's. |
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| 12/15/04 |
Wed |
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Hung out in Marathon, finishing voyage prep. |
12/16/04 |
| 12/16/04 |
Thu |
43 |
7 |
6.1 |
Key West, FL |
Pleasant voyage to Key West, with the exception of the constant dodging of lobster trap floats. Clear skies, the norther still blowing hard. Tucked into a tight corner at the Hilton Marina under the shade of a couple of cruise ships. Once settled, Mike Czysz arrived and stowed his gear. The pups loved their walks ashore. Katreena, Mike and I strolled Key West and took in the shows at Mallory Square. Very brisk out, so we were bundled up. |
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| 12/17/04 |
Fri |
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The north winds refuse to abate, so we're dressed for winter. Doug and Deb arrived and moved aboard for the birthday festivities. Larry and Janie arrived later, staying at a hotel in town. We all had a nice evening out. And the pups got dozens more strolls. |
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| 12/18/04 |
Sat |
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Today's my big 50th birthday bash, or so I thought. We all had a nice breakfast at Two Friends and spent the day exploring Duval Street. We then got all cleaned up to start the festivities. I tried to hide the fact that I had mysteriously grown quite ill, but finally called it quits after a nice Cuban dinner. |
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| 12/19/04 |
Sun |
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Still feeling under the weather but hanging in there. After breakfast, Doug, Deb, Larry and Janie headed to the mainland. Mike and I strolled to the Southernmost Point and did some shopping along the way, letting Katreena have a dose of privacy. |
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| 12/20/04 |
Mon |
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Another lazy day in Key West. |
12/21/04 |
| 12/21/04 |
Tue |
32 |
6 |
5.3 |
Boca Grande Key, FL |
Mike headed for the airport and we departed. The winds were still howling out of the north but I felt we could cruise inside to some sheltered areas. Unfortunately, we were taking such a beating that I gave up after a couple of hours and turned around. I cruised by Key West and headed west to Boca Grande Key. We anchored in the lee along with a handful of other boats and anchored securely for the evening. |
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| 12/22/04 |
Wed |
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We lowered the dinghy and cruised over to the key for a stroll, but there wasn't much to see. After cruising the anchorage we settled back aboard for a relaxing day. |
12/23/04 |
| 12/23/04 |
Thu |
39 |
6.3 |
6.2 |
Newfound Harbor, FL |
The winds died down considerably and we had a flat water cruise along the outside. The seas were so calm that we observed hundreds of blue Portuguese Men O'War. The day was gray and still. As we entered the channel to Newfound Harbor we were mystified by a strange smoky smell, and a considerable haze. We had one of the calmest evenings of the trip. |
12/24/04 |
| 12/24/04 |
Fri |
53 |
8.3 |
6.4 |
Islamorada, FL |
The morning was unusually foggy but visibility was within safe limits. By midday the winds began to rise and things cleared up nicely. We took the route through Channel Five bridge to the inside. Anchoring in Islamorada was painless and we spent a nice evening aboard. |
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| 12/25/04 |
Sat |
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Christmas morning was pea-soup foggy. By late morning it burned off to reveal a very nice day. We dinghied in, walked the dogs around and had a pleasant stroll. Dinner aboard was the traditional turkey and trimmings. Very nice evening. |
12/26/04 |
| 12/26/04 |
Sun |
23 |
4 |
5.8 |
Key Largo, FL |
The north winds have returned with a vengeance. It's tough push north against wind and seas. No great lee anchorages are available, but we dropped the hook just to the west of the Jewfish Creek Bridge and enjoyed a nice sunset. A bit bumpy but secure. |
12/27/04 |
| 12/27/04 |
Mon |
12 |
2 |
6.0 |
Pumpkin Key, FL |
A short little cruise to the lee shore of Pumpkin Key, which is all dressed up for Christmas with clever and well-lit displays. Dozens of other boats joined us but it was clearly amateur hour. The winds were a steady 25 knots out of the north but the skippers were powering down on their anchors, immediately pulling them free. Some gave up and headed for Miami while others drifted about throughout the evening, resetting regularly. |
12/28/04 |
| 12/28/04 |
Tue |
31 |
6 |
5.2 |
Virginia Key, FL |
As I sipped my morning coffee I noticed my neighboring trawler had just broken free. As they came alongside I gave them a single wake-up call blast. One of the crew came out and looked at me as if I were drifting into them. I gave him a brief heads up (in conversational tones as the boat was less than 8 feet away) and he went below to scramble the troops. After a leisurely morning, we cruised north to find an anchorage near Virginia Key where we were to have dinner with Katreena's friend, Beth Harris, her boyfriend Jim and daughter Evie at the Rusty Pelican. No Name Harbor was full, the next bay too rough, so I hailed Crandon Park Marina who gave me a mooring assignment. Unfortunately, the mooring was in less than 4 feet of water. After several minutes of maneuvering, I broke free of the bottom and headed out for Virginia Key. What a trip! Ended up with a pleasant anchorage in the Marine Stadium and finished the evening with a nice shoreside dinner. |
12/29/04 |
| 12/29/04 |
Wed |
31 |
6.3 |
4.9 |
Hollywood, FL |
Rough seas going back, but otherwise pretty day. Katreena, Coco and Callie hid inside and held on. Captain Patrick kept a grip on the bimini rail as Laughing Moon bounced around in the tough onshore, 6 to 8 foot seas. Another tight entrance but we made it in safe and sound. |
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| 12/30/04 |
Thu |
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Cleaning day. |
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| 12/31/04 |
Fri |
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Happy New Year's |
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