Cruise to the Keys 2014 – Page 7 – Have Wind Will Travel

March 18, 2014 – Some Bitchin News!

March 27, 2014anniedike

It’s not a vulgar heading, I swear. That’s the guy’s name. Bob Bitchin.

He’s the editor for one helluva sailing magazine – Cruising Outpost. So, the “news” is, back in January, I sent a sailing story off to another well-known sailing magazine, Cruising World, hoping they would pick it up for publication.

Yes, we documented it for the blog. We’re just that cool.

Well, as a writer, trust me, you have to get very used to the word ‘no.’ You hear it all the time. In the beginning, everyone and their dog is going to tell you ‘no.’ And, that’s just what Cruising World did, politely, yes, but still the answer was no. But, persistence is key. I wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer. I dusted the story off and sent it on to Cruising Outpost. I just had a feeling this Bitchin character would get me.

And boy, did he! They’re printing my story in June baby! The summer issue. Be on the lookout for it and subscribe to get your very own copy.

And, more good news! After rigorous study of the charts and many sit-downs and sundowners with fellow cruisers who have been to the Keys, including the previous owner of our boat, Jack, who sailed our very own s/v Plaintiff’s Rest to the Keys, we have finally made a rough sail plan for our trip. Shallow waters and treacherous inlets have seemed to be our arch nemesis, so with our 5’2″ draft (which we like to consider 5’6″ to be conservative – plus, it probably will be that after all the wine, water and gas we load on the boat for the trip – in that order), we’ve decided on the following, weather-dependent, sail plan:

We are prepared to leave at any time on or after April 3, 2014, whenever a good weather window arises. Once underway, we would like to make the jump straight across the Gulf to Clearwater.

That’s approximately a two-and-a-half to three-day passage. A long jaunt for us, but one we’re hoping to get under our belts at the outset. We would like to spend less time getting TO the Keys so we can spend more time down there and make a slower trip back up the West Coast. So, Clearwater is the goal, but, if we run into bad weather or a rough sea state on the way, we plan to duck into Panama City, Apalachicola or Carabelle River to wait it out.

These are all places we’ve been before during the last leg of the Gulf Crossing and we would like to spend some time, particularly in Carabelle/Apalachicola, at some point during this trip – going or coming.

We will definitely rest in Clearwater, though, and keep an eye out for another good weather window to make the jump down to Marco Island/Capri Pass.

We plan to call in to the municipal marina at Naples on our way in to get a more accurate depth report, but from our review of the charts, it appears the inlet to Naples is too shallow for us to make it in easily there. Capri Pass at Marco Island seems to be an easier route, and some fellow cruisers recommended we anchor in there and take a day or two to tool around on a local flat boat and check out some of Florida’s famous 10,000 islands.

Once we’re ready to leave Marco Island, in addition to the weather and sea state (which is always a concern), we’ll need to also keep an eye on the Gulf Coast Loop Current, area of warm water that travels up from the Caribbean, past the Yucatan Peninsula, and into the Gulf of Mexico. Heading directly into that thing can be like jumping on a sailboat treadmill. Moving fast but going nowhere.

Once we get a good weather/current window, we plan to make the jump west all the way to the Dry Tortugas.

Making it to the Tortugas is one of the primary goals of this trip. They seem so pristine and untouched. Phillip and I both think the Tortugas will be a highlight of the trip for us. Not to mention the distinct possibility for some killer kiting there! (Yes, we are bringing the kites and boards, folks. True to the name of this blog, a great-many of our hobbies are rooted heavily in the wind!)

Then, from the Tortugas, we plan to make the jaunt over to Marquesa Island as fellow cruisers have recommended it as a great place for paddle-boarding, snorkeling, fishing, etc. But, we know, after making the trip from the Florida West Coast to the Dry Tortugas and anchoring out there for several days, we will be ready to power up, re-provision and wash every loving scrap of material on the boat – including the curtains. So, tucking in at a swanky slip at Key West will definitely be a priority post-Tortugas. We’re looking at the Galleon marina, but we will definitely check out the other options before deciding (A&B Marina, Conch Harbor, etc.). After a night or two (or three!) in Key West (depending on the rum intake) we will gunkhole our way over to Marathon (for those of you not familiar with that term, or think it is something akin to redneck mud fishing — click here). Post-Marathon, we will then make the cut across to the Gulf side of the Keys under the seven mile bridge then back up to Cape Sable or perhaps Little Shark River and on up the west coast of Florida.

This is, of course, all but a plan at this point, subject to change at any moment depending on weather, currents, sea state, boat performance, any potential mishap or malfeasance (which is likely), the health and condition of the crew, the remaining provisions, the lining up of the stars, the Ouija board readings. Just about anything – you name it – and the plans can change. But, we at least now have a PLAN and an available departure date. It’s now time to start packing the boat and provisioning.

Sometimes I can’t believe this is all really happening. The Keys … It’s amazing the places life will take you, if you only let it.

March 5, 2014 – Rigs & Ribs

March 19, 2014anniedike

Isn’t that just the way it always happens? You let your guard down. Go out and have some fun. And, it comes back to bite ya! We thought we had made it through the worst of the projects. Crossed everything off the list pretty much. Hence, the Mardi Gras lollapalooza – which was awesome! But, then the rigger came and blew the lid off everything …

Alright, it really wasn’t that bad, but he certainly had us whipping out our pads and starting a NEW list. Errgghhh. But, let me start by saying he was amazing. It was DJ with Zern Rigging, and he laid his hands on every inch of our standing rigging, explaining every turnbuckle, every shackle, every tarnish and all the tackle.

He was incredibly patient and informative. He really took his time educating us on rigging maintenance, repair and replacement. Let’s overlook the slight fact that they charge by the hour (I kid) and commend him on an exceptional inspection and instruction session. DJ was incredibly complimentary of the Niagara, though. Said it was in the best shape he had seen any vessel in quite some time, particularly considering its age (28 years). He said several times what a great job we had done maintaining this, that and the other. While it was heart-warming, we knew it was Jack, the boat’s previous owner, that deserved all the credit. He handed over a quality vessel to us, and DJ could see it. He also had another chap with him whom he referred to only as “Apprentice” (seriously – as if it were his one and only name – like Madonna) and whom he sent straight up the mast to inspect the rigging up top.

While the inspection was worthwhile and highly educational, DJ did find some issues. He told us we needed to replace our main halyard. He believed it had swollen from 7/16 to 1/2 over time and he showed us the dust that came off of it as it was pulled around the winch – a sure sign of age. He recommended we get a new, VPC hybrid performance braid to replace it. Okay. Apprentice also reported the snap shackle on our Jenny halyard was corroded and needed to be replaced, which, if they couldn’t re-splice it, would require a new Jenny halyard as well. Okay … He also spun our winches and let us hear the high-pitched ringing-bell sound that came out of them. I thought it was a glorious sound. Like a cheery little school bell releasing the kids to recess. Yippee! Apparently it was not. DJ said they all needed to be disassembled, cleaned and re-greased. All of them. Sheesh! Give us some good news, would you? Nope. You need to replace the lifeline attachment points, he said. Like it was no big deal, he said. Okay, it’s really not – and I’ll spare you the details for when we actually do it. Trust me, you’ll be there. We like to spread the wealth (and the work) on the ole’ Rest!

Then we talked about the hydraulic back stay.

If you recall from the previous post, it was a high-performance feature our previous owner had installed for racing and it had been out of commission for quite some time and leaked hydraulic fluid upon use. Upon further inspection, DJ discovered the seal inside had failed over time so we could either replace it with a new one (approximately $4,000 depending on the type) or have it rebuilt (for a few hundred bucks). But, in order to have it rebuilt we would apparently have to ship it in some super airtight, military secure tanker because it had secret NASA fluid (aka hydraulic fluid) in it. Apparently the postal people get kind of postal when you try to ship things filled with hydraulic fluid. The problem was, the shipping was going to be expensive. DJ discussed some other options with us, though. Doing away with the hydraulic adjuster sounded like an easy solution, but that still left us with two options. We could either: 1) put in a completely new rod back stay, from stern to the top of the mast (doing away with the hydraulic adjuster option entirely) for about the same price as the rebuild; or 2) replace that section of the stay with a Frankenstein ensemble of turnbuckles (to allow insertion of a new hydraulic adjuster down the road if we wanted) for a few hundred dollars. Winch maintenance? Hydraulic rebuild? Turnbuckles? A whole new back stay? Yeah, that’s the shoulder-drop moment I’m talking about. You finish one list, crumple it up and throw it out, and then the rigger comes … Phoeey!

But, there was a bright side to this day. Ribs!

Long story short (because they’re “short” ribs – get it? Man, I’m on fire today!). Braised short ribs have kind of been Phillip’s arch nemesis for quite some time. We’ve had them at restaurants where they were incredibly succulent, moist and fell right off the bone, but we hadn’t been able to replicate that at home … yet. We had tried a couple of different tacks. Braising them according to the recipe for an hour and a half or so, then going rogue and braising them for two hours, almost three. But they still wouldn’t FALL off the bone like we wanted. We had made it our personal mission to achieve this supreme ‘fallness.’ Make those ribs our bi@tch! We started them that day around noon, knowing we would be spending a few hours with the rigger that day, and we were prepared to cook them all afternoon – even through the night if we needed. I’m serious. We bought a back-up dinner just in case it came to that. We were not eating those ribs until they FELL into our mouths.

So, we started with the essentials. I prepared the Creole holy trinity – diced carrots, onions and celery –

while Phillip browned the meat.

Then we threw the trinity in with the good meat fond,

Added some red wine, of course! (Not the good stuff – thank you Bota!).

Gave it all a good stir and added the meat!

Then we let it bake. And bake. And bake. And then bake some more. We kept checking it on it but refused to call it done until it was done. Until it F-E-L-L off the bone. Seven hours, kids. It was a true testament to our patience. We let that goodness cook for SEVEN hours. We knew it was time when I finally reached in to pull out a rib and I pulled out ONLY a bone.

Oh yeah. We knew it was ready then. Take that ribs! Whoo-peessh!

It was quite the hearty meal, and much-needed after the slightly disheartening news we had got from the rigger that day. We had a few more chores to complete and some serious decisions to make regarding the back stay. It was time to get to cracking on the NEW list and get it completed so we could start provisioning the boat and making our sail plan for the Keys. We were officially 30 days out from the Keys!

March 1, 2014 – Toss the List – It’s Time to Roll!

March 15, 2014March 17, 2014anniedike

Work, work and more work. It had been one chore after another for weeks. You’re probably sick of it, too. I know we were. But I’m thrilled to say we finally made our way through that damn list. Just one item left, and it was scheduled. Who needs a list? We chunked it and planned a three-day Mardi Gras Lollapalooza. We were going to catch the parades in downtown Pensacola on Friday night, then sail over on Saturday to Pensacola Beach and anchor out behind Paradise Inn to catch the parade on the beach Sunday. It was time for some beads, people. Time for some beads!!

Yeeeaahhhhh!

So, the list. Let me walk you through it and you can marvel in the vast breadth of our accomplishments. I say that because these last few items weren’t really much work on our part at all. But you can marvel, nonetheless, if you’d like.

The canvas and isinglass. We wanted to have a canvas guy come and take a look at the dodger and bimini to assess how much life we had in them and estimate replacing the canvas. We guessed our canvas was about ten years old and, unfortunately, the glass in the dodger was getting a little foggy and cracked in places. Sometimes we would come to the boat and find two new cracks had popped up overnight. They couldn’t be stopped. We knew something was going to have to be replaced soon.

Based on recommendation from our Broker-turned-Buddy, Kevin, we decided to give Tony with Coastal Canvas a call, and he was top-notch. Came out when he said he would and even saved us a few bucks. Told us we only needed to replace the isinglass in the dodger, but that the canvas was still in good shape. So, we had him swap out the glass, and it was like putting on glasses for the first time and you’re overwhelmed at the sight of all the leaves! Everything was so crisp and clear.

You may notice the missing bimini in this photo. Tony did such a good job on the glass that we followed his recommendation for the bimini. He believed the canvas needed to be redone, and we worked with him on rearranging the bimini frame to give us a bigger window in it for the helmsman to see the wind vane at the top of the mast. Even during our blistery winter, Tony came out several times to take measurements, make adjustments and install our new bimini.

Cross that off.

The gasket on the coolant system, luckily, was an easy chore. Just the removal of one hose on the coolant system, a bucket to catch the coolant that drained out, then scrape off the old gasket and glue, slap on a new gasket and glue and she was good as new.

Done and done. What’s next?

The dorade box. That damn thing.

Yeah, there she is. She had been loose for a while and several months back, she unfortunately took a tumble when the Jenny sheet somehow wedged itself up under the loose corner and ripped her right up off the deck when we tacked.

See? No box. Luckily, when she took the tumble, we saw it and were able to catch her before she made her way overboard. But, until we got her remounted properly, we had been taking her off every time we sailed (so the Jenny sheet wouldn’t knock her overboard again) and putting her back on once we were at anchor. A bit of a chore and a burdensome box to keep up with. So it was time to re-mount her. Now, I’ll say, we tried, the first time, to do it right. Waited for a good weather window. Pulled her up and cleaned off all of the old sealant and re-bedded her with some 4,000. A couple of the screws had a little trouble biting, but we figured the 4,000 would hold her. I’m sure I’m going to get some commentary from the Peanut Gallery here about butyl. Well, just wait. Unfortunately, she wiggled her way loose, again, and Jenny threatened her once again. She gets real territorial up there at the foredeck. So, the second time we didn’t fool around. It was 5,200 or bust. Now, we know what they say: “That stuff is permanent. You’ll never get it off.” Well, we don’t want her to come off. A shot of some 5,200 around the screws and we stuck her down. She’s not going anywhere. Take that Jenny!

With that little project done, we only had one more item left on the list.

The hydraulic back stay. Our previous owner had installed a hydraulic adjuster on the back stay to make fine-tune adjustments to the mast when racing. He sailed our Niagara in the single-handed Mackinac race and had really pimped the boat out with some serious racing capabilities, the hydraulic back stay being one.

As you know, we’re not racers; we’re cruisers. More sunsets and cocktails than buried rails and big victories. So, the hydraulic adjuster hadn’t been used in years. She no longer worked and would occasionally leak a little fluid at the base. Wanting the boat to be primed for the Keys, we scheduled the riggers to come check it out the following week to see if she could be repaired or whatever options might be available. So, in our eyes, the list was done. It had been about a solid month of boat chores, and it was time for some boat fun. Our Mardi Gras Palooza began.

On Friday night, we caught up with some marina neighbors-turned-friends — Dick and Cindy on Forever Young — and, after a hearty fill of fine wining and dining at Carmen’s Lunch Bar al fresco, we were seated like royalty for the parade to roll through. We didn’t even have to get out of our chairs if we wanted. But, we of course wanted! Beads is what we wanted!

And, any other grungy, recycled Mardi Gras throws they wanted to toss at us. I think – in addition to all the beads – I caught a kids-size Mardi Gras 2008 shirt, a busted-up Nerf football, a moonpie, and a tomahawk. Yes, a tomahawk. It was a wild night. But, we got up early, stocked the boat, enjoyed a great sail over to Pensacola Beach and dropped the hook right around sunset.

We cooked up another feast on the boat, gorged and called it a night. We had a big day ahead. Lollapalooza Day 3 started with mimosas on the foredeck.

Followed by hurricanes and a little uking in the cockpit.

And then two tickets to crazy town. I can’t even begin to express to you the … quality … of people we encountered at the beach. There were tailgaters, hipsters, Krewe members, kids on leashes, gangsters, bikers, trannies, questionable trannies, Navy boys, you name it. While the parades were fun, the people were the real entertainment!

We caught another neck-full of beads and useless stuffed animals and loved every minute of it. The Mardi Gras mini-vacay was just what we needed. The next time we drop that anchor it will be on the first stop to the Keys. Only a few weeks now kids. Stay tuned!!

February 24, 2014 – That Girl is Stacked!

March 12, 2014anniedike

She certainly is … Stack-packed to be exact!

We finally got the stack pack installed for the new main sail. As with everything on the boat, the decision of whether to ditch the old, removable sail cover and go with a stack pack was a tough one. Finding the right equipment for the boat is somewhat like finding the right woman. There’s always going to be a compromise. Some are flashy and beautiful – sure – but they’re also high maintenance (teak decks, for example). Some are smart, but they “talk” too much (instruments that beep, buzz — or worse — are overly-sensitive: press one too many buttons, and she just shuts down). There will always be pros and cons. Take the old sail cover. I like to akin her to … an old 1950’s housewife.

I mean, you sit her down and she’s got good coverage,

but it takes some work to get her up and out of the house. Also, when we used to drop the sail, we had to tie three tie-downs on her after flaking before putting the cover on.

We did, however, only have two lazy jack points that the battens in the old sail would occasionally catch on when raising. We always had to have one deck-hand at the boom when raising to wrestle and shake the battens loose in order to get the sail up. The stack pack, on the other hand, has six.

And, a much narrower ‘shoot’ for the sail to raise through. I was worried, at first, that this would cause real issues when raising the sail. But I will say, the battens in the new main sail are far less obtrusive than the old and we’ve raised her now several times in and out of the stack pack with even less issue than before.

Unfortunately, though, the new stack pack is a little skimpier than the old sail cover. More Sarah Jessica Parker than prude housewife.

Her ‘dress’ doesn’t come around the mast like the old sail cover used to, so she doesn’t cover the spinnaker halyard, the inner forestay and other lines we keep tied on the mast like the old cover did for UV protection.

The stack pack also stays on the boom at all times so we cannot see the foot of the sail when sailing.

So far, however, we have enjoyed the ease of dropping the sail into the stack pack (although we still try to flake it down into the pack) and zipping her up and calling it a day. Much less work than dragging the sail cover up from the galley and fastening her in place. And, I mean – c’mon … it’s SJP. Who did you think we were going to choose?

So – new stack pack. Installed and operating. Done and done. On to the next!

February 15, 2014 – Evolution of a Party

March 5, 2014March 5, 2014anniedike

A night of Sexual Chocolate behind us, we woke refreshed and ready on Saturday for our friend’s primo birthday party at the Hampton Inn. Being the cool kids that we are, we dinghied in (yes, in our party clothes – my dresses tend to go where I go), Dom Perignon in hand, and got ready to rock that shit.

And, then the party ensued. Without further adieu, I give you:

Evolution of a Party

For a party, you usually try to arrive “fashionably late” or at a time when there are least a few more people there than you.

Well, unless you count the wait staff, we botched that plan. But, we were already there, so …

Then you get a lay of the land. Scope out the venue, find the bathrooms and – more importantly, check out the wet bar and the food spread.

This is important because typically even the dullest of parties can be made worthwhile with free booze and finger foods. Next, people start filtering in. Some you haven’t seen in a while. You make nice, make small talk, make eyes at the wait staff to see if it’s socially acceptable to get a drink, yet, and fill your little plastic plate.

Things are a little formal at first. People start munching celery sticks and strategically leaving purses and jackets on chairs for seating. You make your rounds and chat politely with the fellow party-goers.

Ha ha ha. You’re so funny Bob!

Then the birthday girl comes out …

Man, fifty does NOT look good on Cindy. I’m totally kidding – she’s the blonde babe behind him, looking appropriately frightened by the deejay-in-drag who rocked that Tina Turner number. I can tell you there were many parts of him that kept on “Rollin’! Rollin’!”

Here’s Cindy. Anything but a drag! Happy B’day babe!

But the booze hasn’t quite kicked in. You still can’t decide whether you want to politely finish the glass-in-hand while making your way out the door and home to the couch to binge on Game of Thrones or — stay. You never know, things could heat up … Then, some music starts playing, some gals you thought were incapable of any dance move beyond the jitterbug start fist-pumping their way to the floor, and the waiter comes by with another round of drinks. Eyeing the ladies, you pick up a glass and tell yourself – Well, the booze IS free. You decide to stick around and that’s when … the lights dim and things start to get blurry.

You fill your drink – again – and find your way to the dance floor. Then you find your way ON TO the dance floor. Then you find your arms in the air, your hips moving about and your body doing things it normally only does when you’re home alone in front of the mirror.

Then things start to get real crazy. People you don’t know that well start dancing up on you, dancing up on everyone, and then someone gets the brilliant idea to start a ‘dance train.’

It feels a little awkward at first, but you think – What the heck? Let’s all get a little friendly! Grab a friend!

“You! Yeah you! Get in here!”

Things continue to escalate …

Is that chick twerking?!? I don’t know, but I’m going to find out!

You make an executive decision to stay fully committed to this party. Like it’s 1999. All night long, baby. All night long. Someone then has the bright idea to take this party to the ‘next level.’ You down your drink and wholeheartedly agree. Let’s all walk to the Shaker!! And, that’s where the party really ensues.

Birthday girl takes the stage.

“Move aside groupies! Fifty’s the new twenty baby!”

You snap plenty of blurry, drunken pictures to be sure you fully document the debauchery.

Then you start to make bad decisions …

Yes, the shot-ski. A long, ski plank with four holsters for shot glasses, the downing of which must be highly coordinated and communicated or total chaos will result. You can tell these four rocket scientists were up for the task.

I love to see the concentration on each of our faces – eyeing our individual shots, each with a tentative hand reaching for it, deciding whether we’re going to be a team player, or just make sure our own goes down smoothly – to hell with the rest of ’em. We’re clearly thinking way too hard, particularly in our inebriated state. But here we go:

Phillip gets a jump on us.

We all dive in. Except Grabby Gabbie on the end there who decides to grab hers and knock it back the old-fashioned way. Looking back on it – probably a wise decision, but not near as fun as going whole-hog.

But, you see, the problem with making a so-called bad decision that involves alcohol intake is that it only leads to even bad-ER decisions …

Like, stealing the Hampton Inn golf cart!

Go, go Speed Racer!

Ha. I’m kidding. I only made it about ten feet, grandma-speed before Jack-be-Nimble Hampton dude jumped in and stopped me. Doh! Albeit golf cart-less, I’m happy to report Phillip and I made it safely back to the dinghy and, even more importantly, back to the boat and called it a night. I’m not aware of any rowing-while-intoxicated ordinances, so I think we’re safe.

Thankfully, we woke up the next morning with most of our wits and faculties about us and were able to row back to shore to walk off our hangover at the beach, take in some picturesque sights and scrumptious fish tacos at Red Fish Blue Fish and enjoy a beautiful sunny sail home.

http://redfishbluefishpensacolabeach.com

In all, it was a great weekend at the beach, and a much-needed break from all the work and projects we had been doing on the boat. But, with a beach getaway under our belts and finally a hope that spring was coming, we were ready to get back to it and tackle the rest of the items on the Keys list.

February 14, 2014 – Sexual Chocolate

February 28, 2014anniedike

I’ll bet you opened that one right up, huh? Screw work, Have Wind Will Travel’s talking dirty to me! Okay, it wasn’t just a line – it really was Valentine’s Day and there really was some chocolate involved, but we’ll get there. First things first. A few boat chores, then some pours.

Rather than exchanging some flowers and cards on that fated fake commercial holiday-day, we each got each other some fun gifts for the boat. Phillip got a new flexible funnel for filling the engine coolant bin. Totally respectable gift. And I got a new main sail! Not near as cool as the funnel but I didn’t make Phillip feel bad about it. In all seriousness, our old main sail was in decent condition, but it did have a few tears, the stitching was starting to rub and breakdown in some areas and, sadly, she was discolored from age and wear, so we had decided a while back to get a new one before our trip to the Keys. We decided to shop local and went with Schurr Sails in Pensacola. She was installed the second week in February, and we couldn’t wait to hoist her up. Literally, we didn’t even take her to do it, just raised it right there in the marina so we could have a look at her.

Ain’t she a beaut?

We were definitely pleased. And, we love to see the bold, blue Niagara (checkerboard) logo at the top, which, on the old main, had just about worn off. She sure is stiff, though, which makes for a nice flake but a tough fit in the old sail cover. After some debate, we decided to get the stack pack, too, and it was scheduled for installation the following week.

With the new main sail installed and still a few sunny hours to work with, we decided to knock out one more pre-Key chore on the boat – the wind anemometer – the instrument that tells us wind speed and direction. Much like a receiver, the anemometer is an instrument that spins manually at the top of the mast to retrieve wind data, and then sends it down to the display panel in the cockpit. Ours had stopped working months ago. We were sure it was the doing of a big, staunchy hawk (lovingly referred to around our marina as the ‘Terd Bird’) who likes to plop his big, honking carcass on the tops of everyone’s masts, usually breaking wind vanes and other instruments in the process (not to mention the lovely parting gifts he leaves on the deck). I hate that guy. We were sure he had sat on our wind anemometer and wrecked it, so we lined up a guy down in Punta Gorda that we were going to send it to take it apart and fix it. But, we had to get it down first. Our broker-turned-boatbuddy Kevin was nice enough to let us borrow his one-man mast-climber for the job. I drew the short straw, and the boys strapped me in.

Houston, we are ready for takeoff. Up I went:

That thing was pretty awesome. There are two self-tightening rope cinches, one used to hoist the bosun’s chair, and one used to hoist your foot straps. So, you plant your feet in the straps, stand up, release the top cinch to move the bosun’s chair up, then sit in the chair and release the bottom cinch to pull your foot straps up, then lather, rinse, repeat all the way up the mast. It’s a bit of a workout but much less work on your main halyard, and a one-man operation. Pretty nifty. There are a couple of tricks you need to know about tying the bowline knots at the top to be sure you have enough height to stand in the foot straps and access the top of the mast, but Kevin steered us right, and I was able to get up there and get the anemometer off.

Got it!

When I brought it down, the boys did what any boy would do and started to take it apart and tinker with it.

And, the best part was, we discovered it was an easy fix. Kevin always says – the solution is usually easy – finding it usually the hard part. Well, we’d already done the hard part of getting that thing down the mast, and turns out the problem was just some fishing line. Still bent on blaming the Terd, we decided he must have brought a little strung-up fishy feast to the top of our mast to devour it and got some line caught around our anemometer in the process. More line was pulled in as the instrument continued to spin, ultimately jamming it up entirely. But, the boys were able to ‘fish’ it all out (man, I’m on fire today!),

we saved the costly fee of sending the instrument off for repairs, and I was sent back up the mast to put the anemometer back on.

This time with a handful of zipties to stick up there to make sure the Terd Bird never returns. Our mast top now looks like a spiky Midievel fortress – not anywhere a curmudgeony old bird would want to rest his tired bones. Or so we hope. I haven’t seen any droppings since, so I think we’ve sufficiently deterred him. After a little creative wiring, we were also able to get the display panel in the cockpit up and running.

Wind speed and direction. Suh-weet! And, just in time, too, as we were planning to take the boat out for the weekend on Valentine’s Day to anchor out at Little Sabine. A friend of ours was having her 50th birthday party there at the Hampton Inn on the beach on February 15th, so we wanted to be the ‘cool kids’ that came to the party by boat. I picked up a little something Phillip had been eyeing the last time we made our way to the free Friday wine tasting at Seville for the Valentine’s trip. I give you:

*NEW* SEXUAL CHOCOLATE

Bursting with intense red fruit on the nose. Massive entry with blackberry, black cherry, dark chocolate and spice with a delicate, smooth finish. Concentrated and complex with flavors that will continued to be teased out . Displays the high quality of the vintage.

Varietal: 50% Syrah, 40% Zinfandel, 8% Petit Sirah, 2% Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 13.9%
AVA: California (Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara County)
Released: December 16, 2013
Winemakers: Bo & Brandon
Enjoy Responsibly, just not conservatively…

That is some damn fine juice, let me tell you. Get your own bottle at SloDown Wines. You’ll definitely get a kick out of the label:

What? Not the kind of “sexual chocolate” you were hoping for? Sorry – it’s a public blog. I can get a little dirty for you, though You’ll be happy to know we were able to make the requisite jaunt out into the Gulf that weekend to test out the new Y valve and the macerator, which spouted out a perfectly lovely brown cloud.

Where once there was none …

Now there is some.

I guess you can say it’s kind of chocolate-colored too. Bonus for you. In any event, all systems are a go!

January 18, 2014 – Apres Skis and Plans for the Keys

February 19, 2014anniedike

Is there anything better? You spend the day out on the slopes, wind-whipped, frigid-fingered and you stomp in, pop your boots loose and feel the blood finally flow back to your feet as you pick out a spot by the fire. You’re exhausted, but in the best kind of way – from pounding down powder-packed bulkheads, sculpted moguls and slick fairways. The sweat on your back starts to cool as you peel off a few layers, and you’re trying to decide between the irish coffee or the hot buttered rum. This is it, baby. Apres skis!

Even better when they’re served on a 12″ slab of ice at the famous Ice Bar at Uley’s Cabin.

We took off the end of January for our annual ski trip. This time to Crested Butte, and this time I was bound and determined – no injuries. Last year (my first year skiing) enlightened – and addicted – me to this stimulating, scintillating sport, but also sent me home with a wicked MCL injury. You may recall the removal of the spawn of Satan from my left knee. I had a healthy respect for the slopes after that, but I was excited to get back out there and build on last year’s progress. We had been training for weeks (“Work those quads!”) and we were ready for some snow.

It was wild, though, because the day before we were set to fly out, the wind was blowing at the beach and we hit it hard, tearing up some serious surf in the Gulf.

Okay, serious for me – it was only my second time to kite in the Gulf, and the waves were doing a number on me. Some fun videos here: a little bit of crash and burn, and a little bit of gas and go. Slowly but surely, I’m going to conquer that Gulf! But, the waves that crash me are like ripples to Phillip! Little speed bumps to hop over.

Video here.

We made a day of it out there in the sand and surf, thinking how crazy it was while we were watching the sun set during the drive home that, before it rose again, we would be hopping on a plane out West to go play in the snow.

Might as well. Life is short, right? Do it while you can. Crested Butte was certainly the place to. It had dumped the week before so there was a sufficient base and we came just in time for a week of beautiful blue skies and mild temps. We couldn’t have hand-picked better ski conditions.

Out of the five days we had to ski, Phillip and I each devoted one day to a group lesson and it was well worth it. As is with most awesome outdoor sports, Phillip is a natural and has been doing it longer. He was definitely in a skill level above me, but I lucked out. No one else signed up that day for an advanced lesson, so I got a private one for the price of a group ($130 for the day). Dirt cheap, particularly for the level of instruction I got. “His name was Joseph Norman Pierre Dumas,” she said dreamily, staring softly out at the setting sun. Seriously, that was his name, he was quite French (with plenty of wine and food knowledge to back it up – as a child, he worked in his parents’ restaurant in Quebec), he had been skiing 64 of the 68 years of his eventful life and had spent the last 38 as an instructor. Everyone on the mountain knew him. He was a total celebrity and was stopped everywhere we went with a “Hey Norman! Looking good man! Thanks again!” It seemed he had taught everyone on the mountain to ski, as well as their kids and their kids’ kids. It was probably one of my favorite days skiing – ever. Norman really polished me up, took me down tons of hidden, tucked-away trails and had me roaring down double blacks by the day’s end. It was an amazing day. For Phillip, too. He and a friend took the expert course and they, too, were the only ones in the class, meaning, essentially a private lesson for the cost of group. Their instructor took them up to the top of the mountain and they navigated their way down some seriously treacherous terrain.

The “Funnel,” in particular, was quite a knotch on their ski belts.

Their harrowing journey down that death-defying stretch was lived and relived – more bold and brazen with each re-telling – over bottle after bottle of wine that night at dinner. “Lesson Day” definitely went down as one for the books. But, the entire week was incredible. We had a beautiful condo at Crested Butte, where we kicked back each night and cooked up some serious feasts.

Our roommate’s rich, bacon-drenched cassoulet took the trophy for best home-cooked dish.

But, we also enjoyed the local eateries in Crested’s historic downtown villa. Fine French cuisine at Soupcon (recommended by Norman himself with bunched fingers and a purse of his lips: “Izz pricey, but divine”) and the best, melty, cheesy, greasy-finger pizza you ever put in your mouth at Secret Stash. In all, it was an awesome week on the snow, and we both came home with all ligaments, tendons and soft tissues in their rightful places, still connected and fully-intact — no small miracle considering some of the terrain we traversed.

Some more fun home videos for you (with the low-budget quality to prove it – I have GOT to get me a GoPro):

Annie says stupid things and “Phillip says Ouch!”

A fan favorite: “A little ugly, but I made it down.”

And, a little gem I like to call “Nope, not me. Not me either.” It was our first day out there, just warming up and easing back into it, and this was the first black bulkhead we encountered, so Phillip filmed me coming down it (probably because those first few days, he was always way ahead of me, miles down the slope, waiting for me to traverse my way down, nice big loops, even the old snow plow if necessary. Like I said, I was not coming home with an injury this year. When I watched this clip the first time, I was like “Gees, I look good. Look at me zipping down that hill.” And then … zoom, there he went right past Phillip. Nope not me. So, then the next guy comes down, a little slower, and I was like “Oh, there I am. I look pretty good.” And, there he went too, right past Phillip. Finally, I see me. Way up at the top, making the most ridiculous, slow traverses back and forth across the bulkhead. Skiing slower than Betty White. All I can say is … no injuries. And, I came a long way by week’s end:

Video here. (And yet, again, Phillip manages to film skiers right in front of me that zip by and make it all look so GD easy). But, this was a significant headwall from the top of the North Face, for me at least.

I mean, I don’t know if you know this, but …

With our fill of winter sports for the year, we started to talk during the flight home of sunny skies and sailing plans for the spring. We had initially planned to take two or so weeks back in November and travel to the Keys, but that’s the thing about plans. They often change. So, we headed West instead over Thanksgiving– and made a great trip of it. But, now — apres ski –we had our sights set South. We started looking at some real options for the Keys.

We talked initially about making a straight run for it. Go straight across the Gulf and get the long, tiresome passage behind us so we could spend the rest of the time relaxing and recuperating in the Keys before picking and plotting our way back up the West Coast. On the other hand, we also considered taking our time sailing down the West Coast, stopping in at some old and new haunts, like Appalachicola, perhaps, or Port St. Joe. Clearwater was also a lot of fun or we could trying stopping in at Tampa this time, before making the jump to the Keys. We started looking at anchorages and depths around the Keys as well, both on the Gulf side and along the Atlantic. There are ton of options and lot of different areas and spots we needed to research before making any final decisions. We decided to to plan to head out some time in late March or early April and make the trip there and back in approximately four weeks – give or take a bit (as always) for the weather. The only real requirement is that we be down in the Keys for a certain big day that is coming up for Phillip. I’ll give you a hint – it involves a landmark smaller than a mountain and his geographical juxtaposition to it. It’s in April and Phillip wants to be out in blue waters, on his 35′ Niagara, to celebrate it. Definitely a goal worth fulfilling in my opinion.

While the trip planning was fun, as is always the case when you own a sailboat, we knew we had several projects and repairs we wanted to accomplish on the boat to make sure she was ready for the passage. We started making a list:

Then, we started ordering parts, getting quotes, checking prices and – more importantly – checking the kitty.