Meet Lenny. He's about 4-1/2" of lizardly leanness, sort of a toasty-brown color with orange highlights. He has a prominent light-tan stripe down the middle of his back, with darker stripes along his sides. He's quick as lightning. He's a Southeastern Five-Lined Skink, Eumeces inexpectatus. There are lots of his type hanging around Florida, and…
The weather forecast for this trip – July 9-11, 2011, looked good: SE breezes generally in the 10-15-knot range, with calm seas making for a nice easy downwind sail. The thunderstorms, which during this time of year are automatically forecast to occur daily (whether they actually do or not), had disappeared. The sky was white…
Departed Stuart, Florida on Friday afternoon, July 8, 2011, intending to quickly fuel up and then wind our way out the St. Lucie River on a rising tide. The goal was to arrive at the shallowest area at the highest tide: The Crossroads, 7-1/2 miles from Stuart, where the shallow and shoaling St. Lucie River's…
Much has been accomplished in the 7+ weeks we've been at Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart. We're getting set to push off for points north tomorrow – Friday, July 8 – but here's what's been done so far, if you separate out the usual frantic buying of boat parts & cruising guides: Topsides: rig's been…
Yeah, not much posting lately and zero pics. What a stupid blogger. We arrived in Stuart, Florida, on Friday, May 13. Did one uncomfortable 51-mile day offshore from Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, pounding thru head-seas with a frisky Gulf Stream current shoving us right into the tall chop. Lots of water on deck.…
5/9: winds very light, <5 kt. E, seas flat-calm w/ 2' E swell. But, we're motorsaillng at 5.8-6+kt. SOG w/ only 2000 rpm on engine – we've found the Gulf Stream & it's helping us thru the Straits of Florida. Today's forecast has us right on the edge of 2 weather systems, so it'll either…
5/6/2011: left Puerto Morelos1015 after waiting for port capt. to deliver internat'l zarpe, & for fuel truck to deliver diesel. Winds<15 kt. but seas were very turbulent w/ 4'-6' waves @ 4 sec.rolling from 2 different directions. Made 1st 100 mi. very barfy but was worse along shore. Yucatan Channel = rough water even when…
[Hi there. Recently, both Skymate and our current marina's WiFi connection have been so weak and intermittent, I haven't been able to post any text to this here blog, let alone photos. I'm workin' on it, but meanwhile here's what I tried posting 4 days ago & have been trying to post ever since. -m]…
1.April, a new weather forecast warns of strong trade winds building along the end of our route in to Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Winds to blow to mid-to-high 20kts. w/ 6'-8' seas on a 6-sec. period on Mon., 4/4, our expected day of arrival. Our 1300Z position today, 2.April = 18deg.02'N/083deg.33'W. E winds 8-12, seas ENE…
1300Z position = 16deg.27'N/081deg.46'W. Winds SE 8-12, E swell ~5' @ ~7 sec. Bar is 1012, skies = 50% PC, 83F in cabin. Course = 300T, speed over ground = 5kt. With these light winds & relatively fllat seas we're sailing wing-&-wing. Wow – at least for today, it's a classic Caribbean Cruise. Finally persuaded…