A Stop in Miami Beach

The view from our boat

As I write this latest addition to the blog, we are anchored off Belle Isle by South Beach, Miami

Beach, a spot we've visited several times previously. Miami Beach is such a different city from others we've visited. As has been noted by many, it is almost like being in a foreign city, since such a large segment of the population doesn't typically use English as their conversational language. Many speak Spanish, of course, but we find a good number of European tourists here speaking French, German or some other language. Then there are others who do speak English.

The lush tropical trees and flowers together with the parakeets and the brightly colored building accents just added to the unusual "foreign" image of the place.

We spent last Sunday (Oct 19) traveling here from West Palm Beach (Lake Worth for you fellow cruisers). It was a long day for a slow boat – about 80 miles along the coast. We managed to get a boost from what many cruisers call the counter current to the Gulf Stream. It runs south just of the beach a bit. We got a boost some of the time and appeared to loose it at other times. On the whole, it helped us get down to the inlet into Miami in a couple of hours less than without the boost.

These blackbirds visited us each day to
say "good morning."

We managed to arrive at Government Cut just as two cruise ships were leaving port. Needless to say, we delayed getting into the channel until they had safely passed us. We still had to keep alert, since this is a busy area with tugs pushing barges, lots of pleasure craft including those jet skis that buzz around everywhere here. But all went well, and we got the anchor down and were settled well before sunset.

As I reflect back on our travels and delays of the past couple of weeks, I am reminded that my evaluation of our situation ought to be made with the perspective of time. As a problem arose, my first thoughts
were pretty negative, but I soon focused on the challenge of solving the problem. One issue – the water pump, that delayed our travels by more than a week – was initially evaluated as a bad thing. However, given the perspective of time, I now see that it was in our best interest. The Keys

Although busy with boat-related projects, Sandra managed to
 complete another basket.

have been getting dumped on with rain and wind for several days, leading to localized flooding. Only getting to Miami Beach in time for the rain, we've found ourselves in a better spot. The rain hasn't been anywhere near as bad as further south, and we've been able to get off the boat for several hours during most of the days of our stay here. The rain is supposed to end in the region tonight, so I had initial thoughts of scooting down to Marathon over the weekend. But the winds have already picked up, and there's talk of small craft advisories during the upcoming days. Once we're along the Keys in Hawk Channel, there are no places for us to hide overnight from a NE wind, so we'd be miserable. We are taking our time once again. We'll spend two to three days in Biscayne Bay and benefit from its protection and lighter winds. Then when the weather calms down a bit, we'll continue our travels to Marathon. Who knows...we might actually get there in the next week!

Captain Bob

Carpe Diem

A Return to Vero - New Opportunities?

A Greek philosopher by the name of Epictetus was said to have stated something along these lines: It is difficulties that show what men are. Such a statement perhaps ought to be hanging up in every cruiser's boat. I found the quote in a book I was reading as we returned to Vero Beach after an absence of only two days. It reminded me of one of my own thoughts. I determined that unforeseen difficulties might motivate real discouragement and frustration. However, we should rather look at such as opportunities to demonstrate our highest and best self. I have found that in most cases these difficulties are not unsolvable. It's just that they are inconvenient. Overcoming such obstacles can bring an added sense of satisfaction...especially if we don't loose our sense of balance when it first shows up.

You may ask why I'm writing about difficulties and obstacles at this point. Well, it seems that the fresh water pump installed last year under warranty - a pump that is supposed to outlive the engine – had an unusually short life. This time I get it replaced not under warranty. I became aware of this difficulty the day we left Vero Beach. We debated for a bit whether we should move along and find some other place to get it replaced – perhaps even going to Marathon before the repair. But I was concerned that the leak might get bad enough to prevent further travel in some place where there is no source for the repair.

Additionally, our exhaust fan was sounding like it was on its last legs and the engine was not running as smoothly as it should. It appeared that perhaps the primary fuel filter needed replacement. After replacing it, however, I found that the problem was something other than a fuel filter. We were already heading back to Vero Beach when I also noticed that the alternator was charging the batteries at close to 16 volts. For those who are unfamiliar with boats' 12 volt systems, many devices run the risk of getting cooked at that high a voltage. It seemed that our problems were just continuing to add up much too quickly.

I soon found a place for us to drop the anchor for the night so I could shut the engine off, called tech support for Balmar (our regulator was of this brand) and got some great help in short order. The answer to the high voltage turned out to be a loose battery cable to one of the batteries. I made a temporary repair, so we could continue our travel the next day. (Those who are interested in the details can email me for them. I won't bother other blog readers.) I learned the next day upon undertaking the rest of the travel back to Vero that the fan and the engine speed issues were both related to this one cable. When I got back to Vero Beach, I'd buy a new cable and solve all three issues.

Now you may be thinking that the troubles are all behind us now that I am working on each and finding solutions. But no, that's not quite the end. Once we were back, the outboard motor's kill switch fell apart. For those unfamiliar with modern outboards, the kill switch is supposedly a safety device that shuts off the engine. Once it fell apart, the engine wouldn't start. After going through a bit of frustration that mounted even more when I learned that the replacement was way over priced and would have to be ordered, perhaps causing us to remain in Vero Beach even longer than the time needed to replace the water pump.

I was determined to see all this as a challenge to be met and overcome, so I did my best to remain calm and think through the solution. In the end I found a relatively inexpensive solution that was locally available. The outboard is working fine now. The only thing we continue to wait for is the water pump. At least this time it appears that the parts didn't have to come from Japan as they did a year ago.

So how did I keep my cool (for the most part, that is) you may ask? I sat down and thought about the above quote and then realized that none of these problems put us in any danger. The delay would not greatly impact our ability to get to Marathon prior to most others headed that way this fall. We would not be prevented from visiting friends or stopping at places we wanted to see along the way. It's not like we had a two week vacation that was now messed up. We would be delayed about 10 – 12 days, the cost of the repair was unplanned, but we could accommodate the cost and the delay. It's likely that the daily temperatures in Marathon will have cooled a bit, making our life down there all the more comfortable when we do arrive. Life was still good to us. And with these thoughts in mind, I was able to focus on what will hopefully be the best, most efficient approach to getting our boat back traveling once again.

By the way, we have managed to get some projects out of the way while we await the parts. Sandra has also finished another basket and completing a painting. (See end of this blog entry.) I managed to complete several small maintenance tasks and also get out for an afternoon's sail in our dinghy. We went swimming at the beach, enjoying the 81 degree water temperature.

So while this return to Vero was unplanned, it has been a reasonable stop. And aside from our eagerness to be moving south again, we continue to enjoy life.

Carpe Diem

Captain Bob

This painting of flamingos from the Butterfly Conservatory in Key West.

Sandra's latest basket