Dinner Key

Well... The Coral Gables moorings field is sailboat only. Didn't matter that we are sailboaters in disguise. So... Two nights at the marina are only $180..... Go Packers!!!!!

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Cruise to Cape Florida

Morning in Plantation Key...

Yesterday to cruised north to Cape Florida on Key Biscayne to meet up with the Grey Hound. It was a 54 KM run north of Plantation Key. We cruised up the "inside", passing through Jewfish Creek. 

Anchored off of Elliott's was (I'm sure) the only Grand Banks 48 ketch in the world. Dick and Anne told us they talked to the owner, who did the modification himself.

We left at 09:30 and arrived in No Name Harbor at 14:15. It was a nice run up.Today we head to Dinner Key. Grey Hound was the first boat we saw at No Name...

One of the houses of Biscayne Bay...

Miami!!

and sunrise at No Name Harbor...

On the hook for the night...

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A run to Alligator Reef

No alligators. That's a good thing. We headed out behind Tonic (who went to an different reef )

and when we came back we ran into Kay Ann and Mike!!

Took about ten pictures of Portugese Man-O-Wars. This bad picture to the left was the best. We'll have to work on that!!

Boats, Bikes and Beaches

I had a super birthday a few days ago. A ride out to the reef, lunch off the beach and dinner with dockmates. We are keeping "busy". I can tell because I have only read 1/2 of a book since we got down here. On our one week trip to Kentucky Lake last fall I read three.

Been having issues with bike tires, three flats in a week!! Although the last one "healed itself" after the "Green Slime" worked its way to the leaking valve...

We hauled Buddy for a couple hours yesterday while I serviced the power tilt systems. The starboard engine was not responding to the tilt switches all the time... I figured it was a fluid issue, so I filled both engines with new fluid, purged the air, and they now seem to work as designed...

Brenda and Woody hauled out yesterday to move to Key West for the month. Something was growing on their bottom...

Oh yeh, I did get buzzed on my birthday. By this RC plane that is...

The Fisherman Returns....

and the crew of Tonic will have Red Snapper for supper!!!

Had to throw it back...

...because it was bigger than our Buddy!!!

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Sunrise...

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Life's a beach...

Today a short cruise to Cotton Key for lunch, a bike ride, beer on the beach and concert in the park with dockmates Brenda and Woody. Life is good!

Cathie be divin'

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Overnight Run

We got back from our overnight rendezvous with Grey Hound about noon today. Yesterday we went up in the fog, but it lifted just as we got to where Anne and Dick were hiding. The Spoonbills were fantastic!! This Manatee was our welcoming committee when we came "home"....

The mighty Grey Hound

We had Great time meeting up with the good crew Anne and Dick. The day was full with a circumnavigation, Spoonbill watching, camaraderie, and dinner. Tried to get a photo of the full moon rising over Grey Hound but I haven't yet figured out how to use the camera... We woke up feeling surprisingly good this morning...

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Sea Trial

This afternoon we took Buddy out for a quick ride and systems check. On the way out who do we see? Pam and Tom returning from a fishing expedition. We went through Snake Creek to the Gulf side and then returned back to Plantation Key.

We saw this guy "hanging out" on one of the houses. Actually I think the owner's intend him to be some sort of art work...

The Neighborhood

Today we scrubbed the road grime off of the boat and got completely settled in. In all of our cruising in Florida we have always been on the hook so to be down here in a marina at a dock is a new experience for us. There are couples from Virginia (Woody and Brenda), Michigan (Kay Ann and Mike) and Indiana (Pam and Tom) in our "neighborhood".

We plan on basing out of here and cruising to different destinations in the Keys. Tomorrow we may head over to Key Largo for the day to catch up with Dick and Anne on Grey Hound.

To the right is a photo of Buddy's sistership. Except for the rear hardtop, Tonic is setup as Buddy is with a pair of 50 HP Yamahas. Tom and Pam are the ones who introduced us to the Rosborough a year ago while we were in Marathon cruising on our trimaran. Tom also put us on to Plantation Yacht Harbor for this winter... We thank them for tboth!! Last year they flew a Colts flag the week of the Super Bowl. You will note we are displaying our Packer flag in anticipation of the NFC Championship game this coming weekend. I hope we have better luck than they did...

Buddy and crew have landed...

..in Plantation Key. We've taken a slip for a month.

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The horses' house is bigger and better than ours...

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Ranching in Northern Florida. We'll be launched at Plantation Key Monday. It's 32 degrees this morning...

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Buddy's confused. This isn't the Keys...

Actually, it's our friend Greg's heated warehouse in Hales Corners, WI. We stopped to see Greg and his wife Carol on the way south. Greg insisted we put Buddy in the warehouse. Who could argue? (It's real cold out)

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No more foot fights...new v-berth extension.

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DRY Heat and Clothes Storage

While our trusty "Mr. Heater" has served us well for 4 years, our trip to Kentucky convinced me a vented, "dry" heating system was needed. As a result, I ordered a propane fired Cozy Cabin Heater and installed it recently. In addition, Cathie fabricated a pair of nifty clothes storage "lockers" that I installed in the forepeak. So... with those things accomplished, I put Buddy in the barn this week to hide from winter until we leave for warmer waters mid-to-late January.

Cumberland and Tennessee River Cruise

Our first real "road trip" with Buddy was a great success. We ended up spending over seven days on both rivers, traveling about 200 KM. We started with launch at Green Turtle Bay, a real nice spot, having dinner at the GTB Yacht Club with the owners whom we had met in the Keys the last winter. We spent a night there before heading to Duncan Bay the next day for a night on the hook.  We passed a number of barges throughout the trip. While on the hook we went ashore for a hike on "Land Between the Lakes" noting, among other things we are not used to seeing, this Cyprus. Next morning it was  cool and we awoke to a bit of a fog...

From Duncan Bay we were advised to head south to for a stop at "Fat Daddy's", a "real fun place". So here we are for lunch 35 KM later... Summer's over I guess... 

There was one other lonely fisherman there..

Unfortunately, the first big cold front of fall followed us south, with frost warnings the next three nights. We choose to find some Marinas where we could attached our umbilical cord (ie: electric heat). Here we are at Paris Landing State Park.

From there we decided to head back North and cruise the Cumberland River for a while. We ended up at Kuttawa Harbor. We were assigned a slip "in the shade of the shed". Wanting the warmth of the sun, we took our chairs to the sunny side for Cocktail hour. BTW, except for "Fat Daddy's" and the Green Turtle Bay Yacht Club, everywhere we went it was "dry"...

Over half of Kuttawa (including "Downtown") was submerged when Lake Barkley was created but there are a few historic homes on higher ground.

I was impressed with how the large houseboats were tied to the dock. That clothesline works great!!

From there we headed south to Lake Barley State Park for the night. We specifically asked for an "open" slip in the sun. After being told that was a strange request, we ended up in one of four open large houseboat slips for transients at the marina.

As you can see, the preferred slips are covered... There was a not so timid mink messing about on shore...

The next day we first headed south to the Tennessee border where the Cumberland River narrows. We wanted to go the Clarksville but the winter flood delayed the opening of the new marina (we were still in need of our umbilical cord). So we stopped in an off channel pool for lunch and to read for a couple hours. The Pelicans were prevalent...

We then headed back north stopping in Eddy Creek for the night, passing one of Kentucky's Penal Colonies..

Retracing our course, we headed to Sugar Bay on Kentucky Lake for a night on the hook. We had a great spot for sunset...









Finally, for our last night on the Lake, I took Cathie to Kentucky's most romantic spot (according to Cosmopolitann Magazine anyway - per the Grand Rivers, KY brochure).

We took a dock at Lighthouse Landing Marina, a sailboat harbor... Being sailors, we were in familiar and comfortable surroundings. If you look closely at the photo on the left, you'll find Buddy.The total bill for pumpout, dock for the night and haulout in the morning was.... $18.75. Great Place...

More photos can be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/sanderpjwi/KentuckyLake#