Finally, a cruise!

Yesterday we had lift off! It is been a long time since we have actually gone cruising for more than 3 or 4 days. Our plan is to cross the state on the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee to cruise up the east coast of Florida. We don't know how far we will get but we will share our little cruise along the way. We spent a nice evening on the hook anchored off of Tarpon Point Marina in Cape Coral. 

Just before we got to the anchorage we passed this bait shop that was anchored off to the side of the miserable mile. 

The miserable mile is a section of waterway coming out of the river in Fort Myers. On weekends, the boat traffic can be miserable. Our friends are launching from Venice this morning and will hopefully be catching up with us by noon as we head east on the river.

A mounting issue...

I recently had the outboards serviced on our Buddy. When I took the boat to the service yard, the owner's first observation was that the engines were mounted too low. He suggested raising them from the factory setting at least 2 inches higher saying the boat would be faster with better fuel economy. Naturally, I said do it. I am happy to report, after relaunching Buddy, the boat is indeed faster. There is less spray coming from the outboards and there are no cavitation issues. Also the trim tabs control boat trim better. We will wait to see if there are any differences in fuel economy. The following photos show the engines after they were raised on the Armstrong engine mounts.

Buddy gets a lift!

Well, again it's been a while since my last post. We have been busy as dirt dwellers getting our new home in Florida in order. Seems we've been waiting for months for contractors, inspectors, etc. to show up,  Well, the final significant home improvement is completed - that being a boat lift for Buddy.

Buddy is now on the trailer, scheduled for a visit next week to the mechanic to have the engines gone over. They are running fine and I want to keep it that way...We will then be ready to do some cruising. It's been a while, so we are looking forward to getting away from home for a bit. Since becoming Florida residents, we have become a bit pickier about the weather. Cold is no longer acceptable. While Buddy has a furnace, let's go cruising when it's warm! I having thoughts about an A/C unit if the future...

Hunting...

Recently there has been discussion on the Rosborough list server regarding the boat's propensity the swing while on the hook. In sailor's terms, this is because the high cabin top starts so far forward on deck creating a center of effort that is on the front half of the boat. Similar to sailing a boat with headsail only, the boat wants to "fall" away from the wind, as in lee helm.

With more than a few years of cruising experience and anchoring, the last 15 while owning three different Corsair trimarans ( www.trimarankimosabi.blogspot.com ), I first attempted to use an anchor bridle on Buddy. The bridle was attached to the anchor rode and run to the midships cleats. This did not help. I also attempted other attachment points forward of the cleats with no real success. One thing I have done that appears to help a little bit is use to use an anchor snubber that is attached to the bow eye on the boat.  A side benefit is the scope of the anchor rode is increased because the attachment point on the boat is closer to the water. A 10-12" loop of yacht braid is used to quickly attach the snubber to the anchor line. The second photo is an attempt to show how the loop of yacht braid is attached to the anchor line.Buddy has 50 feet of chain plus 150 feet of braided nylon anchor line.

When we have our full cockpit enclosure up, the center of effort moves back, but not really enough to stop the swing.

The big move... Twice in a month!

Well, we didn't get any summer cruising in as the game plan changed a bit. In July we moved what wasn't either sold or given away in Wisconsin to our home in SW Florida. After pondering our circumstance there a bit, we decided we needed more house (actually, we figured this out before we moved). So... we bought another one. We moved in this week, bringing Buddy 8 miles from one home to the "new" one yesterday. Unfortunately, we'll have to have another boat lift built as our new place doesn't have one...

Changes...

It's been a while since an update on Buddy's travels. That's because there haven't been any... Long story short, but we did return to Wisconsin the Wednesday before Memorial weekend. Buddy got launched on Memorial Day. Since then Buddy has been away from the dock a total of six times and traveled a wopping total of 18.4 NM.

The reason for this shameful activity is we have a sale pending on our home in Wisconsin, closing in a week. Since  Memorial weekend we have been in full purge mode at the house. Since our home south is furnished, not much in Wisconsin was needed. The purge is over, the house is empty, and we have moved aboard Buddy for the rest of Wisconsin's very short summer. These are a couple of photos from Buddy's new summer home, Harbor Club Marina in Sturgeon Bay. We'll tow south in September.

Hopefully, there will be time to cruise a bit this summer and there will be a good reason to post. But first we have a road/air trip to make to Florida...

One cold winter

A friend sent me this image of Buddy in our driveway in Wisconsin. At the last minute before we headed south, Buddy lost the indoor storage spot we have had for about eight years, so I had to leave our poor Buddy out in the elements. Needless to say, it has been a cold winter. Even here in SW Florida, temps are averaging 10 degrees below normal...

A long winter for our Buddy

We are now in Florida. Unfortunately, Buddy will spend the winter in our driveway in Wisconsin. This is the first winter that Buddy will have to suffer through a cold northern winter. We will be doing a lot of boating however, as we have taken our trimaran with us. To follow our trimaran adventures this winter visit www.trimarankimosabi.blogspot.com

Our first race is this evening for the Moon Light Regatta sponsored by the Punta Gorda Sailing Club.

Labor Day Cruise

Labor Day weekend we did our annual cruise with our sailing friends from Green Bay and Punta Gorda. Years ago we were all members of Windjammers Sailing Club in Green Bay. We headed to Fish Creek on Thursday, dropping a hook there for a short time. We then decided to head to Horseshoe Island with the forecast for storms in the picture. Horseshoe Island is an island that is a part of Peninsula State Park. It has a protected anchorage when winds blow from the north. When we got there it was still blowing out of the southeast with no other boats in the anchorage. We ended up tying to the small sheet pile wall on the island and stayed for two nights. Our friends Les and Barb showed up the next day.

We then headed to Cedar River Michigan to hold our annual croquet championship tournament. Barb and Gary, also former Windjammers, showed up at Cedar River. The harbor was the busiest we had ever seen as the bridge walk was scheduled for Sunday. This is a very small community on State Highway M-35 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The biggest event of the year for them is to have a walk across the highway bridge during labor day weekend. They even had a beer tent and live band. The most elder female in the community is crowned the bridge walk queen for a day.

From there we headed 22 miles south to Menominee Michigan as winds were forecast to blow hard out of the north on Labor Day.  Barb and Gary also headed that way and we dined together that evening. Labor Day morning we were out of the Harbor by 9 a.m. and home by 11.

Cocktail hour on Horseshoe Island

A walk along the banks of  Cedar River

All gathered to celebrate Cathie's upcoming birthday

Headed to dinner in Menominee, MI

Summer finally arrives...

It has been the coldest spring that I can remember. But it has finally warmed up. In June we took one overnight trip across the bay to Menominee. This past July 4th weekend was very nice however. On the 4th we headed 20 miles north and spent the evening on the hook in Fish Creek. Friends had told us there was a newer Rosborough on a mooring there. Unfortunately the owners were not around. With the winds forecasted to be out of south, the next day we spent the night anchored with friends in North Bay on Chambers Island. The next morning we headed south for an evening on the hook in Egg Harbor. The water temp in Egg Harbor was actually warm enough for me to take a swim. I am a wimp when it comes to cold water...

Entertainment

I find I have never posted a photo of a part of Buddy's Entertainment System. A recent inquiry to the Rosborough owners group inquired about what systems owners used for television. This 15" 12 volt TV/DVD is about 5 years old. It uses very little power. For a signal when on the hook, we use a Shakespeare amplified Digital antenna:http://shakespeare-marine.com/antennas.asp?antenna=2020-G

With Buddy's 200 watt Solar System, there is plenty of power to run the TV/DVD, two refrigerators, led lighting and inverter for the laptop.

Launch Day!

When we hauled Buddy out a month ago, in Punta Gorda it was 90 degrees. Today it's a balmy 55 degrees in Sturgeon Bay...

Last Florida Spring ride

Our last spring ride on Buddy was another overnight to Cayo Costa State Park. Our friends Bob and Bev trailered down from Venice,  launching on Alligator Creek to run the 17 miles south along side of us. They had never been to Cabbage Key, so we went there for breakfast the following morning. The winds really started picking up about noon so we both decided it best to head back north. It was good we had a following sea... Video: Rough ride North

We hauled Buddy out the next day and prepped for the 1,600 mile tow back north. Buddy is now in the barn in Wisconsin while I prep our trimaran for spring launch.

River run

Yesterday we hitched a ride up the Peace river for lunch at Nav-A-Gators with friends Bob and Bev. The forecast wasn't the greatest with wind and rain to come. The weather held off for most of the day allowing us to enjoy an outdoor lunch with a search for alligators afterward. We saw a number of gators further up the river before turning around and heading back to Punta Gorda. Toward the end of the ride a few showers passed through, but for some reason, we didn't melt...

Beach time!

On Thursday we took a couple of days cruise to Cayo Costa State Park. Remnants of the last cold front were still hanging on, but day temps warmed up to 70 degrees. In preparation, our 13 year old dinghy decided to part company with its floor. So... we went without it. As usual, we met up with sailing friends on the island. Friday's cocktail hour was spent on the beach playing bocce ball. The nights were beautiful with calm winds and a near full moon. Sunrises weren't bad either...

The park is 17 nautical miles from our dock, an easy hour and a half run at 12 knots.

Rossies in the neighborhood

With winds reported to be 15 to 30 out of the WSW, the Admiral suggested we take a little sightseeing cruise up Alligator Creek this afternoon. Before doing so I poked Buddy's bow out into Charlotte Harbor at the entrance channel. The chop didn't appear to be much from the helm...

We turned around and headed back up the Creek. When we got to the entrance to our channel by Riviera Marina (another land of broken dreams), we stayed to the right and headed up the creek. About 20 minutes later we discovered two HSV 246s moored at Windmill Village marina. One appeared to be a fairly new, well-equipped model that was named "Wind Drift". I couldn't see a name on the other. It was tight getting into the harbor through narrow canals, but I managed to do so without hitting anything... We took a couple photos and headed back out.

Our plan was to meet up with friends for a few days of cruising, but another nasty cold front is passing through. Perhaps we will be able to rendezvous at Cayo Costa on Tuesday...

Buddy leaves the dock!

Only to go to another...

Well, this winter cruise certainly hasn't gone as planned... Our original intent was to use Fisherman's Village as a base, going out for short cruises, then returning. Buying waterfront property in Florida was certainly not on the agenda. Well, this week we closed on our "new" canal property in Punta Gorda. So... Our time has been consumed buying furniture, house goods, dinnerware, etcetera,  etcetera, etcetera, for our unfurnished winter abode. This stuff was stored in a mini 10x10 that we rented for a month... None of the above was in the budget either...

The dock at our place was blown away by Hurricane Charley in 2004. The house that was here also took a hike... A new neighbor has graciously offered us temporary use of his dock across the street from us at the vacant lot he also owns. This week we will be contracting for a new dock that will probably get built after we head back to Wisconsin.

The photos are of the "palace", Buddy's quarters for the next month, and our canal where the new dock will be built. It will be big enough to accommodate friends that come to visit by water...

C c c c cold!

37 degrees in southwest Florida! It's March for cry aye! We had a hard time rolling out of the sack this morning... I immediately started the coffee and all other sources of heat. We are hoping the more typical winter that has occurred back in Wisconsin will help raise the Great Lakes water levels...

Buddy leaves Fisherman's Village

After 2 months at Fisherman's Village, Buddy has moved. Except for a 4 day cruise to Fort Myers Beach and back and a few day cruises, Buddy has remained tied to the dock. We met many nice people at the marina and enjoyed the times we spent at cocktail hours with them. We have now moved to a friend's in Punta Gorda Isles. We will stay with them until we close on our "new" southern headquarters up Alligator Creek on March 12th.

That's not Humphrey...

It was a quick trip by land yacht this week to deliver Cathie's new yacht to its new owner.  A Gentlemen from Key Largo decided he wanted it more... He paid us to deliver it and it was a great opportunity to see our good friends Candi and Larry at Marina del Mar. When we got there the African Queen was headed out for a little ride...

Low tide...

We're having a super low tide this morning with the passage of a big cold front yesterday. Buddy hasn't left the dock lately as we have been working on our dirt deal...

Never say never

We have lived on the water for 17 years. Friends and family have heard me say that our current residence is our last waterfront property. The reason Buddy has been chained to the dock for the last 3 weeks has to do with today's cruise up Alligator Creek in Punta Gorda. We have a deal pending on a new winter home for Buddy and ourselves. The dock is missing thanks to Hurricane Charlie, but that can be remedied. It looks like we will be hanging around Punta Gorda for the rest of the winter... To my friend on Tonic, the gentleman fishing in the photo says it's really good!

Notice to Mariners

If you were touring the Intercoastal in the Cape Haze area, be advised, you may have to give way to this guy... He is known to make erratic turns, with no signals of intent. He may have an aquatic in tow, but again, no proper day shapes will be displayed. Regardless of what may be in tow, all evidence of such actions will have been released by the time of his return to port. It is not known if proper permits are in his possession. Once this individual is back ashore he is known to advertise his supposed nautical prowess on the internet using devious technologies that may or may not have been fabricated. Be advised, stand clear...

Having Cold beer...

...is important. The Admiral is a gourmet cook and I enjoy a cold beer now and then. As a result, the 2.5 cu. ft. Fridge in Buddy's cabin doesn't quite cut it. So we have always used our Waeco portable fridge in the cockpit of Buddy while cruising or living aboard. A big problem developed when we launched Buddy a month ago. The thermostat on the Waeco quit working... Except for one 5 day cruise since launching, Buddy hasn't left the marina. So... my solution? Another trip to Walmart for a light timer. It works on 110v anyway... More later on why Buddy has been chained to the dock...

More of the Golden Conch...

Watch "Golden Conch Regatta Start" on YouTube