Sunday, April 18, 2010
Back in Austin
Shelley and I have been home for 5 days and I am already nervous about how Rock Chalk is doing sitting all by itself. My friend Todd predicted this and of course he is laughing. I guess I am going to have to relax a bit and realize that the boat can sit patiently and await our next opportunity to go boating. I hired the dockmaster at the marina where Rock Chalk is moored to check on the boat every other day or so. She has the lock combination and will go on board to check bilges, pumps, etc. She does this for a number of boats as this marina is a very popular place for Loopers and live-aboard's. The dockmaster, Sherrie, is trustworthy to do this, we hope, so that gives me some comfort in leaving Rock Chalk for awhile.
Looking back it was a great 3 weeks. The time we spent with the former owners, Bill and Joy Porter, was extremely helpful. They went well out of their way to "train" us on the boat systems and needs. It was obvious that they loved this boat and took great care of it for the 6 years that they lived on it. They have moved on to a place in Ft. Meyers, Fl and are starting a new chapter in their lives. Thanks to the Porters for helping Shelley and I.
I talked to our good friend Roger Smith this morning, and his last day at Spirit Aerospace is this coming Thursday. So Roger will be the second person in our group to officially reach retirement (Darrell Hufferd being the first) and I think he is ready. Carla will retire at the end of June from her long career in the Wichita School District, so Roger is getting their camper all ready for their adventures to follow. Hard to believe that we are moving into this stage of our lives.
Hope you all are well. Updates to Rock Chalk will be fewer as as I work for the next several months, but I look forward to talking to all of you to find times you can join us next year on the Great Loop. Until then come to Austin. Marc
Looking back it was a great 3 weeks. The time we spent with the former owners, Bill and Joy Porter, was extremely helpful. They went well out of their way to "train" us on the boat systems and needs. It was obvious that they loved this boat and took great care of it for the 6 years that they lived on it. They have moved on to a place in Ft. Meyers, Fl and are starting a new chapter in their lives. Thanks to the Porters for helping Shelley and I.
I talked to our good friend Roger Smith this morning, and his last day at Spirit Aerospace is this coming Thursday. So Roger will be the second person in our group to officially reach retirement (Darrell Hufferd being the first) and I think he is ready. Carla will retire at the end of June from her long career in the Wichita School District, so Roger is getting their camper all ready for their adventures to follow. Hard to believe that we are moving into this stage of our lives.
Hope you all are well. Updates to Rock Chalk will be fewer as as I work for the next several months, but I look forward to talking to all of you to find times you can join us next year on the Great Loop. Until then come to Austin. Marc
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday Morning in Brunswick
Hello from Georgia again. We are here at the Brunswick Landing Marina and getting the boat ready to sit. Sounds funny but there are quite a few things that have to be done to leave the boat for a couple of months. In fact this boat has never been left alone as the former owners lived full time on board since they built the boat in 2004. Shelley has the boat all cleaned up both inside and outside. We have been polishing the chrome rails to protect them from the salt water. This is a very protected marina, so we are leaving all the normal screens up until we come back this summer.
We rented a car yesterday to explore the area broader than the downtown area of Brunswick that we could walk. We drove over to St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island, both started as vacation homes for the wealthy. St. Simons is beautiful with huge homes and golf courses everywhere. We ate at a place called Barbara Jean's are were actually greeted by Barbara Jean and her husband Jim. The place was great as was the food, and we thought it was so unusual to find a big time restaurant with 4 other branches on the east coast, and two franchises where the owners were working up front on a Saturday. They are known for their crab cakes, and it was well worthwhile.
Jekyll Island is not as pretentious but has a pretty beach. You can camp on the island in a very nice full hook up campground on the north end (Smith's). Henry Hyde, the CEO of Equitable Life for many years built the first major home in the 20's on the island, which today is now part of a beautiful hotel with a grass Croquet court in front.
I think it was a good decision to stay in Brunswick and not push on to Beaufort. It would have taken another 3 days of fuel to go further north, and I think Brunswick is a better storm haven than Beaufort. I believe that once Hurricane season is over that we will go back south to Florida or the Bahamas, so we would save the fuel to go north to Beaufort as well as coming back. There are interesting places to explore by boat from here so that will be what we do between now and next April. We have retained a person to watch over Rock Chalk daily, and to come on board each week to check her out. I think the boat will be just fine in our absence.
We miss seeing everyone, so we are anxious to get back to Austin and return to our former life. This has been an interesting and challenging experience. I have learned so much. Shelley has done a great job of getting very comfortable on the boat and running its systems. She is a good navigator and we teamed very well in finding markers and working our way up the Intercoastal Waterway. It is cool to think that we have covered 700 miles of the Waterway from the Keys, and have another 2000 miles to follow to get into the Great Lakes. So we will get back to Austin for now, with more adventure ahead. Hope that each of you can join us for segments of this future exploration. See you all soon. Marc and Shelley
We rented a car yesterday to explore the area broader than the downtown area of Brunswick that we could walk. We drove over to St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island, both started as vacation homes for the wealthy. St. Simons is beautiful with huge homes and golf courses everywhere. We ate at a place called Barbara Jean's are were actually greeted by Barbara Jean and her husband Jim. The place was great as was the food, and we thought it was so unusual to find a big time restaurant with 4 other branches on the east coast, and two franchises where the owners were working up front on a Saturday. They are known for their crab cakes, and it was well worthwhile.
Jekyll Island is not as pretentious but has a pretty beach. You can camp on the island in a very nice full hook up campground on the north end (Smith's). Henry Hyde, the CEO of Equitable Life for many years built the first major home in the 20's on the island, which today is now part of a beautiful hotel with a grass Croquet court in front.
I think it was a good decision to stay in Brunswick and not push on to Beaufort. It would have taken another 3 days of fuel to go further north, and I think Brunswick is a better storm haven than Beaufort. I believe that once Hurricane season is over that we will go back south to Florida or the Bahamas, so we would save the fuel to go north to Beaufort as well as coming back. There are interesting places to explore by boat from here so that will be what we do between now and next April. We have retained a person to watch over Rock Chalk daily, and to come on board each week to check her out. I think the boat will be just fine in our absence.
We miss seeing everyone, so we are anxious to get back to Austin and return to our former life. This has been an interesting and challenging experience. I have learned so much. Shelley has done a great job of getting very comfortable on the boat and running its systems. She is a good navigator and we teamed very well in finding markers and working our way up the Intercoastal Waterway. It is cool to think that we have covered 700 miles of the Waterway from the Keys, and have another 2000 miles to follow to get into the Great Lakes. So we will get back to Austin for now, with more adventure ahead. Hope that each of you can join us for segments of this future exploration. See you all soon. Marc and Shelley
Friday, April 9, 2010
Friday April 9
Greetings from Brunswick Georgia. Other than Atlanta, I have not spent anytime in Georgia. So with nothing but our legs, we have been exploring this old southern town by walking as much as we can. Its really a pretty city, with huge oaks and hanging moss at every corner. There is a thriving downtown that they have obviously worked to keep vibrant. We only saw one store front empty. We found a very nice wine and beer shop (naturally) and the owner gave us the whole history of the city and the area. Brunswick is where they built the Liberty ships during WW II. There is also a monument in the park to the Confederate solders who gave their life during the Civil War.
We are eating up all the remaining food on the boat, drinking all the wine and beer, in preparation to leave Rock Chalk on Tuesday. We checked into flying home earlier, but American wants more than the original ticket to change it. So we are here and cleaning the boat, and my friend Joe would be so proud of all the little mechanical things I am fixing. Its a whole new side of me. Luckily nothing big has broken or I would be calling the local repair shop.
Not sure about this semi retirement thing. This is hard. I am keeping up with my email, and answering phone calls to clients, which is surprising how much you actually can keep in touch these days with technology. But for some reason I cannot get over the feeling I need to be at the office. All is good there, and Mike is doing a great job, but it is hard to change 33 years of being there. I know why my Dad stayed involved with his business until he couldn't anymore. I cannot just sit here on the boat with no trip to plan, and nothing more to clean or fix. Yikes!!!
Well, that is all from Brunswick. Rock Chalk is great and will be a perfect companion to do the Loop when we start next year. For now she will have to sit and be good while I work this last year, and try to adjust my attitude. Miss you all, Marc
We are eating up all the remaining food on the boat, drinking all the wine and beer, in preparation to leave Rock Chalk on Tuesday. We checked into flying home earlier, but American wants more than the original ticket to change it. So we are here and cleaning the boat, and my friend Joe would be so proud of all the little mechanical things I am fixing. Its a whole new side of me. Luckily nothing big has broken or I would be calling the local repair shop.
Not sure about this semi retirement thing. This is hard. I am keeping up with my email, and answering phone calls to clients, which is surprising how much you actually can keep in touch these days with technology. But for some reason I cannot get over the feeling I need to be at the office. All is good there, and Mike is doing a great job, but it is hard to change 33 years of being there. I know why my Dad stayed involved with his business until he couldn't anymore. I cannot just sit here on the boat with no trip to plan, and nothing more to clean or fix. Yikes!!!
Well, that is all from Brunswick. Rock Chalk is great and will be a perfect companion to do the Loop when we start next year. For now she will have to sit and be good while I work this last year, and try to adjust my attitude. Miss you all, Marc
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tuesday, April 6th
Happy Birthday to Shelley's Dad, Bob Speckman aka, Boppa. He is 82 today and driving their RV across Florida to meet old friends from Pine Island. Bob and Jean are doing great and glad to be back in Florida. I know that they miss it.
Rock Chalk lies in Amelia Island, Fl. tonight. We are just a few miles from the GA border and a long long way from Marathon. We are just 200 miles from our destination in Beaufort SC, and we think we will be there either Friday or Sat. depending on the weather. That also relies on Rock Chalk continuing to perform so well. She has been just outstanding.
Shelley and I are getting used to boat life, although this is more Boat delivery, not what we expect next year when we do this for fun and not to "have to". Today we stayed inside the ICW from St. Augustine north through Jacksonville. It was an interesting contrast between the waterway lined with huge luxury homes all with boat docks behind them, versus the winding flats through marshland off the St. John river. Lots of fishermen all over these rivelets but very few crusing boats like us. We had the ICW by ourselves for most of the way.
The weather continues to cooperate with sunny skies, 80 degrees, and light winds. The forecast is to continue more of the same until Friday where winds clock to the NW and increase to 15. That will be the first time we have had a change in 10 days.
Its really weird being here and feeling like I am on vacation, when I feel like I need to be home and working. This is a hard transition and its very hard to just let up and relax. I have not mastered that at all. We really enjoyed many cities along the way, especially St. Augustine, last night, but we have not truly explored these places. We had a great meal at the French Bistro last night, and Shelley made a great steak tonight with a potato/mushroom/spinach fried in the skillet. For me it was as good as the French meal.
So all is good, and lets knock on wood that it continues. Hope all is well with all of you Marc and Shelley
Happy Birthday to Shelley's Dad, Bob Speckman aka, Boppa. He is 82 today and driving their RV across Florida to meet old friends from Pine Island. Bob and Jean are doing great and glad to be back in Florida. I know that they miss it.
Rock Chalk lies in Amelia Island, Fl. tonight. We are just a few miles from the GA border and a long long way from Marathon. We are just 200 miles from our destination in Beaufort SC, and we think we will be there either Friday or Sat. depending on the weather. That also relies on Rock Chalk continuing to perform so well. She has been just outstanding.
Shelley and I are getting used to boat life, although this is more Boat delivery, not what we expect next year when we do this for fun and not to "have to". Today we stayed inside the ICW from St. Augustine north through Jacksonville. It was an interesting contrast between the waterway lined with huge luxury homes all with boat docks behind them, versus the winding flats through marshland off the St. John river. Lots of fishermen all over these rivelets but very few crusing boats like us. We had the ICW by ourselves for most of the way.
The weather continues to cooperate with sunny skies, 80 degrees, and light winds. The forecast is to continue more of the same until Friday where winds clock to the NW and increase to 15. That will be the first time we have had a change in 10 days.
Its really weird being here and feeling like I am on vacation, when I feel like I need to be home and working. This is a hard transition and its very hard to just let up and relax. I have not mastered that at all. We really enjoyed many cities along the way, especially St. Augustine, last night, but we have not truly explored these places. We had a great meal at the French Bistro last night, and Shelley made a great steak tonight with a potato/mushroom/spinach fried in the skillet. For me it was as good as the French meal.
So all is good, and lets knock on wood that it continues. Hope all is well with all of you Marc and Shelley
Monday, April 5, 2010
Monday, April 5th, 2010
What a beautiful day. We got up at 5:00 am this am to walk 15 minutes to the top of a nearby bridge which got us up obove the city of New Smyrna Beach to watch the take off of the shuttle Discovery. It went off right on schedule and it is an unbeliveable site even from 25 miles away. It was still dark, but it was like the sun coming up. Then it punches into the stratosphere and leaves this bright vapor trail that lasted for an hour with the rising sun reflecting off of it. It was cool.
By 7:00 am we let our lines go and headed out to sea once again. The seas were calm, and I mean just glass. There were gentle swells from the SE which only helped our progress up the coast of Florida.
This is Right Whale season, and I only saw one come to the surface. We were the only boat out this am, so we had the ocean to ourselves. By 2:00 we were at the entrance to St. Augustine Inlet, and a half hour later we were tied up at St. Augustine City Marina. Mike Priede had insisted that we stop in St. Augustine and he was right. What a great city. Shelley and I were soon walking the streets and learning of it history beginning in the mid 1500's. Not much going on in Kansas at that time but Buffaloes and south wind. We had a martini on the waterfront street at the Tiny Martini Bar and I once again learned that one martini makes me list hard to starboard. Then Shelley had picked out a great french bistro, Bistro de Leon. You know how Shelley evaluates her restaurants, and she called this the best meal she has had in months. It was great.
This is a really neat city and one well worth a future visit. Once again, we have some cool pictures of the shuttle launch, but it will have to wait until next week before we can download them. Tomorrow we are off for the St. Mary River and the border between Florida and Georgia. Our goal was to get Rock Chalk out of Florida within 90 days and we will meet that goal tomorrow. Three more days to Beaufort, SC. Rock Chalk continues to treat us well. Knock on wood for our good fortune. Marc and Shelley
What a beautiful day. We got up at 5:00 am this am to walk 15 minutes to the top of a nearby bridge which got us up obove the city of New Smyrna Beach to watch the take off of the shuttle Discovery. It went off right on schedule and it is an unbeliveable site even from 25 miles away. It was still dark, but it was like the sun coming up. Then it punches into the stratosphere and leaves this bright vapor trail that lasted for an hour with the rising sun reflecting off of it. It was cool.
By 7:00 am we let our lines go and headed out to sea once again. The seas were calm, and I mean just glass. There were gentle swells from the SE which only helped our progress up the coast of Florida.
This is Right Whale season, and I only saw one come to the surface. We were the only boat out this am, so we had the ocean to ourselves. By 2:00 we were at the entrance to St. Augustine Inlet, and a half hour later we were tied up at St. Augustine City Marina. Mike Priede had insisted that we stop in St. Augustine and he was right. What a great city. Shelley and I were soon walking the streets and learning of it history beginning in the mid 1500's. Not much going on in Kansas at that time but Buffaloes and south wind. We had a martini on the waterfront street at the Tiny Martini Bar and I once again learned that one martini makes me list hard to starboard. Then Shelley had picked out a great french bistro, Bistro de Leon. You know how Shelley evaluates her restaurants, and she called this the best meal she has had in months. It was great.
This is a really neat city and one well worth a future visit. Once again, we have some cool pictures of the shuttle launch, but it will have to wait until next week before we can download them. Tomorrow we are off for the St. Mary River and the border between Florida and Georgia. Our goal was to get Rock Chalk out of Florida within 90 days and we will meet that goal tomorrow. Three more days to Beaufort, SC. Rock Chalk continues to treat us well. Knock on wood for our good fortune. Marc and Shelley
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sunday April 4th.
Hello all. Several of you have asked us to post photos of Rock Chalk or our sights alone the way, but there is one big problem. Shelley left the connector which goes from her camera (which has some great shots on it) to her computer in Austin. So no photos until we get home.
We spent Saturday night and today in New Smyrna Beach, Fl. We have been going hard for 10 to 12 hour days since last Sunday, so we thought we would take Easter Sunday as a rest day. Plus Shelley's folks, Bob and Jean, are here in their RV. They are headed from Austin to Ft. Meyers for a reunion of their friends. So they came over to the east coast last night and we had a nice day with them today. Plus they have a car. You forget how we take granted of just running to HEB or WalMart. With no car and not many Walmarts on the Intercoastal, that has been a challenge. So we did some resupplying today.
It also gave me a chance to play "Joe Mechanic" and check all the preflight items on the engines and water intakes. Everything has been working well, and I am hoping that does not change. We are once again going to take advantage of this beautiful calm weather and run outside in the ocean tomorrow up to St. Augustine. That is a big 70 mile day and skips Daytona Beach and some slow areas on the Intercoastal. The winds are forecast to be less than 15 mph and from the SE which will only help push us from the rear. That is the plan, even though everyone says the entry at St. Augustine is tricky. So Mike Priede if you are reading this tonight, and that is right, call by 7:00 am eastern tomorrow morning.
Another cool experience is the Shuttle launch tomorrow morning (Monday) at 6:20 am. That is an hour before sunrise, and the launch pad is only 25 miles south of us. If it goes it ought to be an experience of a lifetime for us. We are going to walk two blocks up onto the bridge over the intercoastal, which puts us about 90 ft in the air. Anyone bet that it scrubs out for some mechanical problem?
Today's free time also gave me a chance to study the charts ahead for the tricky Georgia/South Carolina part of the trip. So far the Intercoastal is like a river that runs parrallel a half mile from the ocean. After St. Ausgstine it weaves its way through rivers, creeks, across major inlets like the St. John river in Jacksonville, and not a whole lot of road signs telling us where we are. But we have our paper charts that are clearly marked and with some teamwork, we can do this. It also helps my chartplotter gives us our location but yesterday it lost its fix. When you rely on that technology and it goes away, there is a real pit in one's stomach that quickly moves to your bowels. Luckily it did not last long and it rebooted, but I had to go change clothes.
Stay in touch. From Rock Chalk Marc and Shelley
Hello all. Several of you have asked us to post photos of Rock Chalk or our sights alone the way, but there is one big problem. Shelley left the connector which goes from her camera (which has some great shots on it) to her computer in Austin. So no photos until we get home.
We spent Saturday night and today in New Smyrna Beach, Fl. We have been going hard for 10 to 12 hour days since last Sunday, so we thought we would take Easter Sunday as a rest day. Plus Shelley's folks, Bob and Jean, are here in their RV. They are headed from Austin to Ft. Meyers for a reunion of their friends. So they came over to the east coast last night and we had a nice day with them today. Plus they have a car. You forget how we take granted of just running to HEB or WalMart. With no car and not many Walmarts on the Intercoastal, that has been a challenge. So we did some resupplying today.
It also gave me a chance to play "Joe Mechanic" and check all the preflight items on the engines and water intakes. Everything has been working well, and I am hoping that does not change. We are once again going to take advantage of this beautiful calm weather and run outside in the ocean tomorrow up to St. Augustine. That is a big 70 mile day and skips Daytona Beach and some slow areas on the Intercoastal. The winds are forecast to be less than 15 mph and from the SE which will only help push us from the rear. That is the plan, even though everyone says the entry at St. Augustine is tricky. So Mike Priede if you are reading this tonight, and that is right, call by 7:00 am eastern tomorrow morning.
Another cool experience is the Shuttle launch tomorrow morning (Monday) at 6:20 am. That is an hour before sunrise, and the launch pad is only 25 miles south of us. If it goes it ought to be an experience of a lifetime for us. We are going to walk two blocks up onto the bridge over the intercoastal, which puts us about 90 ft in the air. Anyone bet that it scrubs out for some mechanical problem?
Today's free time also gave me a chance to study the charts ahead for the tricky Georgia/South Carolina part of the trip. So far the Intercoastal is like a river that runs parrallel a half mile from the ocean. After St. Ausgstine it weaves its way through rivers, creeks, across major inlets like the St. John river in Jacksonville, and not a whole lot of road signs telling us where we are. But we have our paper charts that are clearly marked and with some teamwork, we can do this. It also helps my chartplotter gives us our location but yesterday it lost its fix. When you rely on that technology and it goes away, there is a real pit in one's stomach that quickly moves to your bowels. Luckily it did not last long and it rebooted, but I had to go change clothes.
Stay in touch. From Rock Chalk Marc and Shelley
Thursday, April 1, 2010
OK, this is my first blog so we'll see how this goes. We now lie in Vero Beach, Fl. We have had two incredible days of beautiful weather that let us go outside in the ocean from Miami on Wed. am to West Palm last night, then again today up to Vero Beach. The ocean was flat and we made great time. I couldn't believe the huge fish jumping, the sea turtles, and all the wildlife. You really get a feeling of serenity on the ocean.
The boat is running great. Is anyone surprised that Shelley and I got impatient at 8 mph and pushed the boat up to its cruise of 17? Well we did, and it performs well. Still burns fuel, but we are on a mission. We wanted to see the shuttle launch next Tuesday am at 6:00 am but alas we cannot just sit for three days. We'll be in Cocoa Beach tomorrow (Friday) and keep moving from there. We'll probably be in St. Augustine or further north by Tuesday.
Our Wi-fi is working fine as I sit here checking my email and Shelley is surfing the net. This Verizon device is great. Our only disappointment has been the Direct TV. I cannot get it to catch the satellite so we have only been seeing TV when we can tie into cable at the marinas, like tongiht.
The technical part of navigating is absolutely the fun part. Since Marathon we have been using our Raymarine chartplotter which has a track on it of the intercoastal. So with that, and a great paper chart we know exactly where we are at at all times. I can use the chartplotter to determine our speed, direction, our distance to our target, and time of arrival at our current speed. It is a great tool. So much different than reading the crusing guide from the Moorings and just heading out by sight. You still have to use commone sense but modern technology makes this so much easier. Hopefully when you all visit the boat with us, you will have that same confidence that we are not lost.
You would all be so proud of Shelley. We have now come into three docks, and she is handling the lines, and setting up the bumpers. Rock Chalk is very maneurvable so that helps, but she is a good Admiral.
My friend Joe Thompson would be so proud of me this morning. I spent a full hour down in the engine rooms, checking the engines, all the hoses, fuel lines, cooling fluid, etc. We took on 111 gallons of fuel this morning in West Palm and I used our fuel polisher to make sure it is pure and presents no problems when it gets to the engines. That is the single most important item on this boat.
Well, that is all for now. Its a beautiful sunset in Florida with calm winds, clear skies, and a steak on the grill. As Darrell would say.....Arrrrg maties, ......... Our best to all of you.
Marc and Shelley on Rock Chalk
PS By the way, in Florida, they have absolutely no clue what Rock Chalk means. We have had more people ask what the hell that means. Idiots!!!
The boat is running great. Is anyone surprised that Shelley and I got impatient at 8 mph and pushed the boat up to its cruise of 17? Well we did, and it performs well. Still burns fuel, but we are on a mission. We wanted to see the shuttle launch next Tuesday am at 6:00 am but alas we cannot just sit for three days. We'll be in Cocoa Beach tomorrow (Friday) and keep moving from there. We'll probably be in St. Augustine or further north by Tuesday.
Our Wi-fi is working fine as I sit here checking my email and Shelley is surfing the net. This Verizon device is great. Our only disappointment has been the Direct TV. I cannot get it to catch the satellite so we have only been seeing TV when we can tie into cable at the marinas, like tongiht.
The technical part of navigating is absolutely the fun part. Since Marathon we have been using our Raymarine chartplotter which has a track on it of the intercoastal. So with that, and a great paper chart we know exactly where we are at at all times. I can use the chartplotter to determine our speed, direction, our distance to our target, and time of arrival at our current speed. It is a great tool. So much different than reading the crusing guide from the Moorings and just heading out by sight. You still have to use commone sense but modern technology makes this so much easier. Hopefully when you all visit the boat with us, you will have that same confidence that we are not lost.
You would all be so proud of Shelley. We have now come into three docks, and she is handling the lines, and setting up the bumpers. Rock Chalk is very maneurvable so that helps, but she is a good Admiral.
My friend Joe Thompson would be so proud of me this morning. I spent a full hour down in the engine rooms, checking the engines, all the hoses, fuel lines, cooling fluid, etc. We took on 111 gallons of fuel this morning in West Palm and I used our fuel polisher to make sure it is pure and presents no problems when it gets to the engines. That is the single most important item on this boat.
Well, that is all for now. Its a beautiful sunset in Florida with calm winds, clear skies, and a steak on the grill. As Darrell would say.....Arrrrg maties, ......... Our best to all of you.
Marc and Shelley on Rock Chalk
PS By the way, in Florida, they have absolutely no clue what Rock Chalk means. We have had more people ask what the hell that means. Idiots!!!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
We're Off
We dropped the lines from the dock at Coco Beach Yacht Club on Marathon, FL at 8:15 AM on Sunday, March 28th. The former owners of Rock Chalk, Bill and Joy Porter, were there to help us with the lines and take pictures of their beloved boat, formerly known as Chandelle. I think they were more worried about me running the boat into the rocks than any sentiment of seeing the boat gone. They were ready to move ashore.
Charlie and Caitlyn had flown in the day before and will be with us for the first leg of the trip. They are on spring break from Tulane, and are having a great time on the boat. We are taking them up to Miami, where they will fly to LA to spend the rest of Spring Break with Cait's family.
Then there is Rock Chalk. It is in great shape right now and can only go downhill from here. So far in three days, I accidentally loosened a line on the dinghy davit that released it and broke a shackle that holds it. Then the cable got jammed in the pulley so there was no mechanical advantage to the lift and we could not get the ding back into the brackets. Oh well. Bill found a replacement part and all is well, except my pride. Then there are all the warning bells and whistles that go off, and I ask "Where the hell is Joe to fix that?"
Actually the boat is performing very well. It is very comfortable in big winds and seas, and we have been cruising at about 8 knots for the majority of these first two days. But yesterday we were trying to outrun a thunderstorm, and this is the nice part of a powercat versus the sailboat of old. We pushed the throttles forward and Rock Chalk virtually leaps out of the water and cruises at a very smooth 16 knots. You cover alot of water at that speed. It was really cool, but of course we burned half the fuel of Saudi Arabia in that 45 minute run, but we beat the storm and were safely tied up at the dock when the rain and winds hit.
By the way, in case you are coming this way never stay at the marina we are currently at. It is called Gilbert's on the north end of Key Largo and it is a dump. The dock is old with no padding, which made the high wind docking a challenge yesterday. We are literally 10 feet from a motel with 4 families of Cuban from Miami. They are really nice people, but sure are loud. Dockage is $2.00 a foot so it costs us $88.00 to stay at this piece of crap.
Today we are headed up further up the intercoastal towards Miami. We have reservations tonight at Dinner Key near Coconut Grove for tonight. Charlie and Cait will fly out on Thursday morning, and Shelley and I will continue northward. I just heard last night that there will be a shuttle launch on April, 5th. That is just about the time we will be going by Cape Canaveral. What an incredible opportunity to see one of the final shuttle launches! Shelley and I are very excited.
Well, I must go perform my preflight engine checks before we get going. I am turning over a new leave....not just trying to survive on the ocean. Hopefully they make these damn engines operable even if an idiot is checking the oil.
All the best..Marc
Charlie and Caitlyn had flown in the day before and will be with us for the first leg of the trip. They are on spring break from Tulane, and are having a great time on the boat. We are taking them up to Miami, where they will fly to LA to spend the rest of Spring Break with Cait's family.
Then there is Rock Chalk. It is in great shape right now and can only go downhill from here. So far in three days, I accidentally loosened a line on the dinghy davit that released it and broke a shackle that holds it. Then the cable got jammed in the pulley so there was no mechanical advantage to the lift and we could not get the ding back into the brackets. Oh well. Bill found a replacement part and all is well, except my pride. Then there are all the warning bells and whistles that go off, and I ask "Where the hell is Joe to fix that?"
Actually the boat is performing very well. It is very comfortable in big winds and seas, and we have been cruising at about 8 knots for the majority of these first two days. But yesterday we were trying to outrun a thunderstorm, and this is the nice part of a powercat versus the sailboat of old. We pushed the throttles forward and Rock Chalk virtually leaps out of the water and cruises at a very smooth 16 knots. You cover alot of water at that speed. It was really cool, but of course we burned half the fuel of Saudi Arabia in that 45 minute run, but we beat the storm and were safely tied up at the dock when the rain and winds hit.
By the way, in case you are coming this way never stay at the marina we are currently at. It is called Gilbert's on the north end of Key Largo and it is a dump. The dock is old with no padding, which made the high wind docking a challenge yesterday. We are literally 10 feet from a motel with 4 families of Cuban from Miami. They are really nice people, but sure are loud. Dockage is $2.00 a foot so it costs us $88.00 to stay at this piece of crap.
Today we are headed up further up the intercoastal towards Miami. We have reservations tonight at Dinner Key near Coconut Grove for tonight. Charlie and Cait will fly out on Thursday morning, and Shelley and I will continue northward. I just heard last night that there will be a shuttle launch on April, 5th. That is just about the time we will be going by Cape Canaveral. What an incredible opportunity to see one of the final shuttle launches! Shelley and I are very excited.
Well, I must go perform my preflight engine checks before we get going. I am turning over a new leave....not just trying to survive on the ocean. Hopefully they make these damn engines operable even if an idiot is checking the oil.
All the best..Marc
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