Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Saga Of Aquiring A Forest River Wolf Pup 16FQ

My wife and I have been to Alaska twice from SC. The first time towing a 23' travel trailer with a pickup and the second time towing a cuddy cabin boat with a van.
Van towing 18' Cuddy

We also used the cuddy cabin boat as a camper for several trips across the US before acquiring a trailerable 28 foot houseboat. The point is, we are no strangers to pulling trailers.

The houseboat, called Big Duck,
is a wonderful combination of of travel trailer and boat, complete  w/ double sink, 4 burner stove, full sized oven, fridge, microwave, stand up hot water shower, generator to power the air conditioning and run a freezer on the aft deck. Big Duck sleeps 7 so she is more than happy to accommodate family outings  with our daughter, her husband, two kids and dogs. So why would I be looking at a small travel trailer?

The downside of Big Duck is that at 12,000 lbs, she requires concentration on the road, and even though we have addressed getting my handicapped wife aboard while camping it's getting to be more and more of a chore for me.
There's a hand ratchet that raises her up to deck level on land or in the water.
Sooo, I started to look for a small travel trailer for the road trips.

While some folks like to go big, my goal has always been to find the smallest item possible to get the job done. One result of this small directive was a 27' sailboat that we lived aboard for 3 years -but that's another story.
We spent hurricane seasons working and cruised the rest of the year for 3 years
This time I would be looking for a self contained trailer 20' or less.

I checked out a couple local RV places, canvassing the inventory myself to get a feel for what was available. I found a used trailer at the first place that was the right size but really didn't speak to me. I dug up a salesman and told him what I was looking for and what I'd found. He quickly advised that this was the only unit that was available in my configuration and they couldn't keep them on the lot.

"What are you towing with?"

I told him a one ton van that we used for our second Alaska trip that we were currently using to tow a 12,000 lb houseboat.

"You'll need a brake controller."

I have one.

"You'll probably want an equalizing hitch."

Really, with a one ton van - I didn't need one with my 12,000 lb houseboat? 

 "Also sway control, marine battery, have the propane tank filled and and and."

He hadn't heard a word I'd said, he was just gong through his routine.

At the second place while I was looking at a couple trailers a yard hand asked if I needed help. He said although he was not a salesman he would be glad to show me a couple trailers and even sell me one if I was ready to buy. I told him that it appears all the trailers I was interested in are open and I'd just poke around. He said there was a very nice used one, but it was kept locked.

As we approached the used one, he pulled out a key and I found out why it was kept locked. The lock was jammed - looked like someone tried to get in with a screwdriver. Thanks anyway.

The third place was larger and specialized in motorhomes. A salesman was on me before the door behind me had time to close. "What can I help you with today?"

I said I was looking for a trailer 20' or less and...

He stopped me at that point and as the dollar signs disappeared from his eyes he said, "I've got a phone call in 15 minutes so I'll hand you off to another salesman."

The 'low dollar' salesman was friendly, knowledgeable, honest and sincere. He introduced me to the Wolf Pup which turned out to be exactly the trailer I was looking for. I needed to do a little more research before I was willing to pull the trigger so I went home and priced them online. This guy was right in line with a couple places that posted prices for the same unit.  My wife Suzy had not yet seen the trailer (she's in a wheel chair and we need to orchestrate her outings) so I returned a day later and had the salesman fill out all the paperwork, including the loan papers, so we'd be ready when I could finally get my wife to the dealership to see the trailer. The next day I was advised that everything was in order and all I had to do was come in and sign a few more papers - the payments would be $130/mo.

Before I could get my wife to my local dealership I got an email from a salesman 440 miles away offering me the same trailer for $2,700 less. My first reaction was that it was a bogus offer and the 'extras' would put the price right up to what I'd been quoted locally.

I responded to the 440 mile away offer asking them to write up the trailer showing the 'drive it off the lot' price. The response still showed a savings of $2,700. This made me kind of mad that my local dealer was trying to fleece me. I sent the 440 mile quote to my local guy and told him if he could beat it by $100 I'd pick up his trailer as soon as he could have it ready. The local dealer responded that he couldn't come near that price and I should be wary of remote deals like the one I was considering.

Still a little mad at my local guy, I told the 440 mile salesman I'd like to send a deposit. He told me not to worry about sending money, the trailer already had my name on it. Just show up with a drivers license and an insurance card in about 3 days and I would be able to take the trailer home. The salesman said a guy from the service department would call me to make an appointment for a 'Walk Thru" of the trailer prior to signing the papers. I thought to myself, "This is going to be easy."

The service guy called, suggesting he had appointments available Friday (in 3 days), one at 1pm and one at 3pm. Thinking about the drive up which I anticipated at about 9 hours, I opted for the 3pm appointment but told my wife we needed to be there by 1. This would mean we'd need to be on the road by 4am, so I told my wife we'd be getting up at 3:00. To my amazement, we were on the road by 4:30.

We made one stop for potty for my dog Merlin and one stop for gas on the way up. Suzy was an absolute trooper on the road requiring minimal stops. The trip took only 7 hours, not the 9 I had planned. We arrived at noon because I forgot to figure the time zone hour we'd gain. I knew our arrival would be early but because I hate phones, I decided we'd just take what lay ahead when we arrived early.

Suzy stayed in the van while I went in the dealership to advise of our arrival. This place was huge, I might have guessed a square mile of and GM 's, and RV's of every nature.They had Vets and Jaguars on the showroom floor. As I entered I didn't see a 'Welcome Desk', so I had to interrupt one of the 7 or more salesmen milling about. This salesman didn't recognize my salesman's name but did point me in the direction of the Service Dept where the fellow who had arranged my appointment for the Walk Thru had a desk. I had to ask again for directions when after what seemed to be a quarter mile walk, it appeared I'd run into a dead end. Eventually I did find the Service Dept and was told that my Service Guy was the one on the phone at desk 5 of 6.

I stood in front of my 'service guy' for abut 10 minutes while he negotiated with the person on the other end of the phone in regard to dissatisfaction about the service they'd received. Finally the service guy hung up and asked what I wanted. I told him I was actually 3+ hours early, but was here for a "Walk Thru" of my trailer. He said, "No problem, I'll call the Walk Thru guy, you're his only appointment today."

The Walk Thu guys phone went directly to voicemail - his phone was off, so the Service Guy told me to take a long lunch, fill my truck and leisurely return. The Walk Thru guy would surely be back in an hour or so. In the meantime, I called my sales guy and it went right to voice mail so I left a message that I was here to pick up my trailer.

After lunch and a trip to the gas station (about 1.5 hrs) , I returned to the Service Guy. Still no word from the Walk Thru guy, but the Service Guy would ring my cell when the Walk Thru guy turned on his phone again...

I waited in the Service area for my phone to ring or my name to be called, listening to several folks complaining about the service they'd received. Finally the Walk Thru guy showed up about 45 minutes later telling me his phone had gone dead but was now about 70% charged.

On the walk to the Walk Thru, I decided that they probably needed a guy who knew the ins and outs of all the different trailers, motor-homes and vehicles that were being offered by this dealer. I was very impressed by this Walk Thru guy as he introduced me to my new trailer. He was knowledgeable, efficient and precise, providing all that I needed to know about my new purchase. His talk ended in the parts/accessories store, but he was not at all pushy when I told him there was nothing I needed. The Walk Thru guy escorted me back to the sales floor - "Now all you need to do is sign the papers."

There was some himming and hawing when we went to my salesman's office. He wasn't there - so the Walk Thru guy found someone else who I assumed was the Sales Manager.

The sales manager sat me in front of the fireplace in the lobby and told me he'd get me into an office right away. About 20 minutes later, another salesman came by and asked for my drivers license and insurance card. Then he too left me at the fireplace.

Ten or fifteen minutes later a different salesman appeared and took me to his office. This guy was unbelievably efficient. He shoved paper after paper in front of me describing what/why I was signing. At one point he had a sheet of options that he might have ordinarily pushed but after a very quick once over was content that I wasn't buying. He then asked for my deposit and I handed him my credit card. "Sorry," he said, "We don't take credit cards. Do you have a check?" I don't carry checks anymore, but he did settle for a Debit Card. Then I was taken back to the fireplace.

About 15 minutes later, yet another salesman came by with my temporary plate. He drove me to the new trailer, then waited while I went back to get the van. He directed me as I backed the van up to the hitch and we got the new trailer all coupled up and ready for the road. Then he put on the temporary plate. I asked him if this was a specialty, putting on the plate like the special Walk Thru guy's job, but he said he was just helping out my absentee salesman.

I did my regular walk around to make sure everything was in order before hitting the road and was just getting into the van when another salesman showed up. Well, I'll be! He introduced himself as the original salesman who had given me the quote. He hadn't been available because his garage door wasn't working right. We shook hands, he wished me well and I was on my way.

We're pros at spending the night in Walmart lots on our adventures and figured that's what we'd do if I got tired on the way back home. In addition to reclining seats in the van, we also have a cot in back (which is preferred by Merlin) so we wouldn't need to use the new trailer if/when I pulled over.
Merlin on the cot. It was 40° when we left, 19° at the dealer and 45° when we got home...thus the pile of coats.
However, I never felt the need for rest - we made it home in 7 hours with only a single gas stop, for a total of 20.9 hours on the road.
We didn't actually drive for the whole 20.9 hrs -- the van idled the whole time I was in the dealership.
 Now, the Pup is tucked neatly next to the Big Duck in the back yard awaiting a Florida adventure early next year to see my dog Merlin's twin brother Niko.
Merlin keeping watch on Wolf Pup and Big Duck.
Niko and Merlin on a previous trip to Florida
Then on to Western adventures in the Spring.

It turns out that my trailer isn't exactly like the local guy was offering - mine is actually a 2016  and minus an option or two but is sold as a 2017. So, would I buy from a dealer 440 miles away again to save $2,700; the difference being $20/mo? No, next time I'll buy locally. Here's why.

After having the trailer in the back yard for over a month, I was ready to hit the road. This meant dewinterizing and familiarizing myself with the systems. During this process I found many little things that need attention - doors that don't close properly, woodwork that is cosmetically cracked, outside fittings improperly caulked, an electric water heater I didn't understand, a water system pump that wouldn't shut off - to name a few... I'm handy, so I'll just deal with these things myself, but I'd prefer to take it 10 miles down the road and have the dealer do it. There's also the registration and plates - I had to do those myself  'cause the paperwork they gave me was all out of state. Also - it would be nice to have a friend in the business - the folks who sold me mine at discount profess to be 'wholesalers' - that means I'm the dealer and responsible for all these little annoyances...but they said, "You can always take it to a dealer near you for service."













Saturday, November 26, 2016

Adjust/test Electric Trailer Brakes

My electric trailer brakes are auto adjust in the forward mode. I installed new hubs and wanted to make sure the brakes were adjusted before I hit the road. Had to come up with a way to get the wheel spinning, then lock it up a few times so the adjusters could do their thing. The brakes can be adjusted manually, but unlike the regular star wheel adjusters, these are extremely hard to back off without getting under the trailer.

The parts are all available at your local hardware store in the plumbing dept.

If you use a standard 3/8" drill...the load will make it heat up during the first go-round. I employed the drill motor that I use for my trailer jack after smoking my 3/8" model. 




 



Monday, November 7, 2016

Electric Brakes for your Boat Trailer

The first argument I hear against electric trailer brakes is, "Electricity and water don't mix!"

Totally electric brakes work by magnetism. Twelve volt power is used to make magnets. Sealed magnets. The strength of the magnets is determined by how much braking is called for. Magnets work in air, water or even a vacuum. There is absolutely no mixing of water and electricity.

The next argument I hear is that electric drum brakes don't hold up well with salt water dunkings.

I had a tandem boat trailer that had electric brakes on one axle and surge discs on the other because I got tired of replacing disc brake parts and decided to try all electric. The physical appearance of the drum vs the disc of course favored the disc - the drum did look rusty, but the function is what's really important. The electric brakes were far more reliable than the discs.

Here's how my boat trailer ended up with one axle being surge disc and the other being electric drum:
One of my boats came on a trailer without brakes. I told the shop I wouldn't take the (#3,600 gross) boat off the lot without trailer brakes, so at my expense, they put surge disc brakes on the trailer. Within 500 miles I had a bearing failure. The hub was replaced under warranty, but continued to run hotter than I liked, so I had a second axle put on the trailer. Actually, they put two new axles, with 4 new tires and a new actuator on while I waited. I was a happy camper.

After about another 500 miles I lost another bearing only 50 miles after I had checked the temps of the hubs with an IR gun. I was ready this time with a spare hub and was on the road again in about an hour. This is the reason disc brake folks carry so many spare parts and tools.

I experimented with ways to keep this from happening again, like a stiff spring to keep the brakes from coming on so soon, and leaving a tiny bit more clearance in the castle nut/bearing (an additional flat) to wobble the rotor so it would push the pads back into the caliper. I had good results with the heat problem, but only 3,000 miles after a complete disc brake overhaul (new pads, turned rotors) on the way to Alaska, there were no pads left on one brake, with the backing plate constantly gouging the rotor. We searched for parts and found electric brake parts available at auto parts and RV stores but no parts were available for my discs, so I had to lock out the brakes for the remaining 11,000 miles.


The van is a one ton, so not having trailer brakes wasn't all that scary. By the way, those are passenger car radials on the boat trailer.

When I returned home, I contacted the disc brake people. They said 3,000 miles was about all I could expect from the pads and I should just get some new ones (at about $35 each wheel). Trouble was the caliper pistons were corroded in the calipers too so I opted to put a set of electric brakes on that axle and continue to run the surge brakes on the other axle. The entire replacement from hydraulic disc to electric drum was $150 for both wheels, and installation was 4 bolts, 2 wires and a castle nut for each wheel.

Not long after the I put on the electric brakes, a hydraulic line ruptured on the disc brake side. I knew to try the bleeder screws on the calipers before I invested in any new parts - they broke off. So the second axle got electric brakes as well. Never had a problem after that - 80% of the time in salt water.The electric brakes were still working fine when I sold the boat.

"Sharkskin" on left, generic on right. The Sharkskin look better - the generic worked better.


What else about electric brakes?
*They work in reverse (you don't need a reverse lockout solonoid) - nice on a slippery ramp
*You can test them and apply them at will so you know they'll be there for you
*The square you see below, with the silver button is attached to the magnet arm and rotates when the magnet is energized, pushing the shoes outward. This is about as simple as it gets - no close tolerance hydraulics.


*No bleeding or bleeder screws to break off.
*No adjusting required with Nev-R Adjust brand
*There are no moving parts in the coupler with electric brakes
*New EVERYTHING is only about $150 per axle,
*Rebuild is 4 bolts and 2 wires at each wheel - includes drum, backing plate w/ shoes, bearings and seal.
*They are off while compression braking on steep down grades

But you will need a controller in your vehicle (the brakes will not work without one) and a breakaway battery on the trailer.

I'd been happy with the electric brakes on my boat trailer for years, then towed a different trailer with a new set of electric brakes on it and decided I'd replace the 40 year old drums. 


Go electric!

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Anchor Chain

How much chain do you use with your boat anchor? Three feet, a boat length, two or three boat lengths, all chain?

Chain is heavy, comes up dirty, has no stretch and often requires more than just a cleat to make it fast, especially if you want to include some elasticity in the rode.

In the pic below, when is the chain doing work?
I'm thinking at A, the boat doesn't even need an anchor - but anyone who expects these conditions for any length of time hasn't spent too much time on the water.

At B, the chain and anchor are sharing the load.

At C, the anchor is doing all the work, whether the rode is chain (w/ snubber), cable or nylon.

I'll be the first to admit that chain aids in setting - drag the anchor horizontal to get a good bite - as in B. But modern anchors set quickly even without a horizontal pull, at least my Rocna does at ~3:1 without any chain. Then, if we're expecting enthusiastic overnight weather we might scope out to 7:1.

When I anchor overnight or expect the boat to be left unattended, I like to think about the C scenario. A gust or surge can take all the catenary out of the rode. In the case of all chain, this would mean I'd need a snubber to prevent overloading deck fixtures. That same snubber is going to complicate things if there is any reason to want to quickly retrieve the anchor - like it's dragging and needs to be reset or another boat dragging down on me in 40 mph winds/rain with green water coming over the fordeck.
 And c'mon, who really needs to be dragging nasty chain over the gunner after spending a few hours on the sand bar or off the beach?

My point is, if chain makes you comfortable, fine, I might even consider it if I was leaving my boat unattended for a long period of time anchored in coral or sharp rocks, but normally I see the rode daily because I don't spend weeks anchored. Also, if you need help in setting your anchor then chain is good, but if you expect any amount of chain to be of benefit in extreme conditions I think you're fooling yourself. And the inconvenience of any chain with the belief that it makes you ultimately safer...well, that's hard for me to swallow.

Caveat - my experiences have been with boats less than 35', so if you've got a bigger boat YMMV.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Land N Sea Door Lock

Unless it's raining, we cruise with the front door open -- love the view and breeze. The grand-kids enjoy hanging out the front door while underway.


My dog Merlin also takes delight in having his head out the front door.


However, it's easy to forget that a gust of wind or an unusual roll of the boat can cause that front door to slam shut. It's heart stopping when it does but thankfully no one has been a victim of the slam - we'd been using a bungie cord outside hooked from the door to the rail to keep it open. But I wanted a way to easily lock the door in the open position from inside the boat. Here's what I cam up with.

There's a stop/post outside the boat to keep the open door away from the window when it's open. I made a guide for the inside of the post so I could drill a hole straight through the post exiting inside the boat. Then I made a cap for the post with a hole in the middle. The plan was to run a long bolt from the inside of the boat, through the stop/post and into the door. I could then tighten the bolt from inside the boat into the door and lock it open.
Threaded bolt (allthread) even with the end of the door stop/post.


The door doesn't lay flat against the stop, so I threaded a round plate onto the bolt and used thickened epoxy between the plate and the door to get the angle right. Then I layed the door on the plate in the open position until the epoxy kicked. Then screwed the plate through the epoxy into the door. I then tapered the hole on the plate so the bolt could easily find the threads in the plate.
Round threaded aluminum plate on the outside of the front door.

 Instead of a bolt I used stainless allthread. After running it through the front of the boat into the plate, I figured the length that was needed 'outside' the boat, and ran a nylock nut down the threads so when I inserted the allthread from the outside through the stop/post it would stop right at the top of the post, as show in the picture above. Now when the door was open against the stop, the allthread would be as close as possible to the threaded plate and by pushing it about 1/4" I could engage the threads.

Inside, I made a large round wood handle for the part of the allthread that I'd need to push, then turn to lock the door. Between the handle and the boat, I used a spring to keep the handle pulled away from the boat so the rod would not stick out of the post/stop on the outside.

Now, with the door in the open position, I push the handle about 1/4" and turn it until it's tight - snugging the door open.
The spring between the handle and boat keeps not only keeps the rod from striking out of the stop/post outside, but also keeps the handle from rattling when not holding the door.

  

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Staying Cool Aboard


My wife has MS and is completely destroyed by the heat. Pretending to be comfortable by funneling 80° air through the cabin doesn’t cut it. I have licked the heat though, at least for us, via air conditioning. I’m backyard and resource challenged so I don’t care how it looks or what you think as long as it works. Here’s what I’ve done.

On our 18 foot cuddy I used a 5,000 BTU window unit and a Honda 1000i generator.
We often boated on a similar boat, which I outfitted the same way.

When we became partners on a 21 foot pilot house, I installed a 9,200 BTU Polar Cub powered by a Honda 2000i.





Our current boat is a 43 year old 28’ houseboat with a 13,500 BTU RV rooftop unit powered by a Honda 3000i with a remote start so we can fire it up with the touch of a button.

Better Brakes for Big Duck

The totally electric brakes on Big Duck's trailer have always done the job, but a few months ago I pulled a different trailer with electric brakes and was impressed by their stopping power - even had to use the controller to dial back the voltage.

I had previously installed new shoes, backing plates and magnets so I thought I'd machine the drums and magnet surfaces to see if there would be any improvement - then discovered that for $60 a wheel I could have brand new drums, bearings and seals and upgrade from 5,200 lbs outer bearings to 6,000 lb bearings (the inner bearing is the same for both specs). So new hubs/drums it is.



I had been working with a 3 ton floor jack, running it up under one axle at a time but not only do I have dirt under the trailer that makes positioning the jack difficult, I almost have to stand on the handle while pumping which wears me out.

So I bought an air/hydraulic 12 ton bottle jack and fitted the screw out top with a hockey puck.


Now I just put the jack under the frame, hook up the compressed air, squeeze the trigger and up she goes. It's a lot easier raising the frame than trying to finagle the floor jack around a wheel and under an axle in dirt and grass. (I wouldn't want to try this frame lifting with an aluminum trailer).
I made a long reach handle to release the pressure and put a "T" handle in it for more control


Then I remembered a spring pad weld that had broke loose and let the axle slide back about 1/2". This destroyed a tire a while back and I thought better braking might tax the other welds if the axles weren't real snug to the springs. So bought new 9/16 tie plate kits for all 4 springs and will torque the U-bolts to the max.

#4203-LZP

And just to be on the safe side, I bought Timken bearings instead of using the "Made in China" ones that came with the drums. I'm still gambling on the China made races that came installed in the drums?


To make the drum swap a real challenge, it's been sweltering here for weeks (mid and upper 90's all day). I've resorted to using my wife's Cool Vest when I work outside. You put the inserts in the freezer and when you wear it the little ice cubes keep you cool for a couple hours.




When I get her all together I'll be ready for a Fall Outing.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Foot Operated Bilge Pump

When I was about 12 years old, a fellow a couple houses from us down passed away. I was asked to come by his garage/shop and pick out anything that I found interesting. This is one of the 3 items I remember selecting even though I had no interest in boating at the time. Interestingly enough, the other two items were also boating related, but that's a story for another time.

It's a foot operated bilge pump which uses a toilet plunger cup.



 But after all these years the plunger part has hardened and split.
I was in the Dollar Store the other day and spotted a plunger for $1.

For a buck I brought it home to see if it would fit - and it does. So I was able to overhaul a 60 year old pump for a measly dollar by only opening up the top of the cup.
The cup comes with a closed neck.


All the parts of the pump



This is the bottom of the base. The holes are covered on the other side by a rubber disc fixed only in the center. This is the "intake" valve.


The top piece is a friction fit over the cup stem using a brass disc as the 'exhaust' valve.

Quite an ingenious set up that allows pumping the bilge without using your hands (like for rowing or hanging on?)

Friday, June 24, 2016

Florida Keys - February 3-9 2001

It was cold even for early February in Spartanburg. I moved the temperature control to full heat before I started the car engine. As the day wore on, I adjusted the temperature away from hot; by the time I hit Daytona I was running the A/C. At that point, I was about ½ way into the +/- 900 miles from my home in Spartanburg to Key West. I kept on truckin’, reaching Manitee Pocket near Stuart, at about 11:00pm. I didn’t launch the boat at the Pocket, I just climbed into the cuddy in a parking spot at the ramp for the night.
I was up and on the road before dawn, but it was light by the time I finished breakfast at the Cracker Barrel just before getting on I95. I wasn’t sure where I’d end up that night - somewhere in the Keys…I’d know when it was right to splash NICKY, a 2000 Seaswirl 1850 W/A, pushed by a 115 Evinrude Ficht Ram.
When I saw the exit sign that said, “Jupiter”, I remembered the last time I had been down this way, I swore I would stay off I95 between Lauderdale and Coral Gables, so I picked up the Florida Turnpike. A few bucks in tolls would surely be worth the aggravation of the ‘not long on manners’ Florida drivers. OK, I admit I probably antagonize those Florida folks who are in a hurry to be somewhere else, because I only go 55 mph. Fifty-five is only made possible by a recent purchase of a used 1998 Ford F150; previously in my 1972 F100, the max speed was 49 mph.
At the end of the Florida Turnpike there was a big as you please Wal Mart - right at the traffic light. I love Wal Mart so I parked and sauntered around the store…big store. Big, but none of the shoppers were speaking English. No matter, a trip through the boating section -- not because I needed anything, just out of habit, grabbed a couple bags of ice and I was on my way. Hey, it looked like what appeared to be cheap gas on the way out – fill up! Head down to the Florida City “Keys Welcome Center” a few blocks down US 1 to check out possible Keys boat ramps and pick up a Florida Keys booklet to supplement my 1993 vintage Florida State map. I would have picked up a new Florida map at the I95 Florida Welcome Center when I left Georgia, but they were closed when I got there.
I’d done a little research on where to launch in the Keys. I’d even swapped eMail with a marina north of Marathon, but I normally just ‘get close’ before making any decisions on the exact location. Turns out, I didn’t see/find the marina and was getting itchy feet to get the boat in the water, so I turned right off of US 1 into Bahia Honda State Park. The brown sign announcing the park entrance had a picture of a boat ramp.
The Florida parks close at night -- no one in or out sundown to sunrise, and there is a charge to get in. It makes me feel a little better about leaving the truck/trailer in the lot when I’m out on the water over night. The Bahia Honda State Park Marina is on a little pocket facing the bay side, but still east of US 1. It’s a very protected area, the 3 ½’ controlling channel depth obviously no problem for my outboard. I launched, ran the channel, cut through an open section of the old highway bridge and headed north toward Marathon.
I used up every bit of sunlight exploring the harbor at Marathon. What a pleasant plethora of moored/anchored boats of all persuasions. Resolute, Daisy, Sabo, Quality Time, Joyden, Honga and Papillion, all Krogens were within ¼ mile of each other amidst the sport fishermen, cruisers and sailboats.
There were several sunken boats and many others that were floating only out of habit. I saw live-aboard folks on deck of at least ½ of the boats. Deep inside the harbor, there are extravagant homes but also casual and very popular shore side night spots. One of the bars even had two dinghy areas…one for inflatables, and one for hard dinks. There was a constant barrage of dinghies coming and going throughout the harbor, their focus being mostly on the area from whence wafted Jimmy Buffet via a live band.
A gorgeous sunset presented itself as I was departing the Marathon harbor. I probably could have eyeballed my way back to the anchorage in front of the Bahia Honda marina if the sunset hadn’t mesmerized me into not sliding the throttle forward as I left the no wake zone. Oh well, I’d just follow the GPS track back. The trouble was, I thought I had the GPS track resolution set to max zoom, and in fact it was two steps out. It appeared I was only off the original (safe) track a smidgeon when the full moon warned me of an island in the middle of my intended course. It didn’t take long to realize the GPS needed to be zoomed in, and when it was, it showed me off course by several hundred feet - enough to make a surprise landfall before getting to the bridge. I like to think the depth sounder probably would have warned me in plenty of time at my 12 mph rate of speed, but none the less, it was a good lesson.
Despite the fact that several sailboats seemed to be well anchored in the windy chop of the anchorage, my hook wouldn’t get a bite into the hard bottom even after many attempts at various locations in the area. I finally decided to run the little channel back into the Marina in the moonlight and tie up to an empty spot on the harbor wall..
Up before the sun the next morning, hot coffee in hand, I made my way back to Hawk Channel for the run to Key West. The boat did very well in the short chop, but after making about ½ the distance to Key West I decided to do a 180 and trailer the rig down. If the sun had been out and the sea a little flatter, it would have been a different story…this was to be a pleasure cruise, not an endurance contest. As I approached the spot where I had almost run aground the night before, the sun made an appearance and the wind died a little. I swung into the lee of the tiny island and dropped the hook for a respite and a cup of breakfast granola. Getting the boat back on the trailer was uneventful as usual; about 15 minutes after running the channel into the harbor, we were trailering our way to Key West.
The closer I got to Key West, the more congested things became. The traffic got thicker, the streets got narrower and everyone seemed to be in a hurry to get to the end of US 1. I drove from the top to the bottom of Key West, from one side to the other, ultimately deciding that the pace and the crowds were more than I cared to deal with. I headed back north without putting the boat in the water. I knew I’d be return one day - to make the run to the Dry Tortugas, so I wasn’t at all disappointed.
Once out of Key West, I used every opportunity I could to stay below the speed limit. I wanted to take in as much countryside as possible. It’s a pleasant drive up and down US 1 if you’re not in a hurry. When Marathon was ‘abeam’, I began seriously looking for a ramp. I hadn’t been concerned about splashing before then, because from Marathon south, the primary cruising area is outside in Hawk Channel. I at least wanted the option to cruise the more protected waters bayside. Then I remembered that the fellow at the Welcome Center in Florida City had given me a brochure for John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo; there was a ramp there. OK, so if I didn’t find something sooner, I’d put in at Pennekamp.
As I headed north, I pondered how many miles of single lane traffic there must be - this was the only way out of the Keys. Normally I don’t go the speed limit, I’m in no hurry, but I kept right at the speed limit on this stretch so I didn’t have a million cars backed up behind me. I was going a little slower than the masses, but every now and then they would slow for one reason or another and I would catch up to the same fellow in front of me. All of a sudden, Swoosh – some jerk dashes around me in a no passing zone. I wondered how much time he could actually gain, passing 200 or so cars, one at a time; was there really any sense in it? I then tried to keep close to the fellow in front of me so as not to entice any more passing by offering open road ahead of my front bumper. Whoosh, another idiot pulls along side of me in a no passing zone. I slowed to let him in, suggesting to myself it would be so satisfying to see one of these maniacs get pulled over. YES! A short punctuated  werrrrrrp, brought my attention to a blue light on the police car right behind the idiot. Gratification! And did I mention that I found gas cheaper, just south of the Pennekamp entrance than at the Wal Mart in Florida City?
The more I thought about Pennekamp, the better I liked it. The park is billed as a Coral Reef State Park “America’s First Undersea Park”. It was Tuesday evening, the lady ranger said it was really too late to check in to go boating. I told her I wanted to stay out/aboard overnight. She said OK, then began to fill out a ‘Float Plan’ for me. Boat make, model year, engine make etc. were all easy enough questions. Then she asked? “Where will you anchor for the night?”
 I told her I wasn’t familiar with the park, I’d just motor beyond the marina and drop the hook. She said I would need to get out of the park proper before anchoring.
 I said, “How about No Name Harbor at Key Biscayne? I stayed there back in the 70’s when we were waiting for weather to go to Bimini.”
She shook her head, “Too far.”
“OK, how about say, Angelfish Creek - another departure point for the Bahamas? How far is that?” I inquired.
The lady ranger wrote Anglefish Creek on the float plan, took $7.22 and said, “It’s about 15 miles. I envy you. You’ll have a great time.”
By the time I was in the water it was getting dark. The channel is a shallow snaking maze through mangroves. I made a wrong turn on the way out, ending up in what I later learned was Largo Sound. There were mooring balls in the sound – the sign said to call the ranger on VHF 16. There were other signs saying, “Area Closed to Watercraft with Combustable Engines.” I didn’t want to be on a mooring, but was afraid I’d end up in trouble with the authorities if I dropped the hook. I backtracked to take the other option at the “T”. This time, after at least 15 minutes at idle speed, I did find my way out into Hawk Channel, most of the way delineated by many more “Area Closed…” signs at the edges of the channel.
When I got to the channel ‘sea bouy’, beyond the “Area Closed…” signs, I did drop the hook in some pretty sloppy chop. By now it was well after sundown and even though there was a full moon I hesitated to take potluck in finding calmer waters for the night. I went below to study the chart.
Angelfish Creek was too far in the dark. There appeared to be a protected cove called Whitmore Bight less than 5 miles north. There was a daymark off the bight. Not having the forsight to bring my dividers, I tore off a strip of paper that was the length of the distance between 80 25 and 80 30 and folded it into 5ths so I could get an accurate read on the coordinates for a GPS waypoint. Even this was somewhat of a longshot, the chart was from 1975; the marker could have been long gone. I never did see the marker, but when I ‘arrived’ at the waypoint I swung due west until I ran into 4’ of water, then north toward the beach enough to get out of the fetch. I stayed up for an hour or so after dropping the hook, serenading the full moon. What a pleasant, peaceful evening!
I kept the speed way down the next morning so as not to jostle the coffee water off the single burner camp stove as I made my way north. By the time the sun was up, I had hot coffee, and by the by, I did spot the elusive daymarker off Whitmore Bight on my way out.
Angelfish Creek is another maze of watery ribbons through the mangroves. After exploring several of the creeks, I hooked out for about an hour to watch the fish and birds while enjoying a breakfast of Pop Tarts. Once into Card Sound, I circumnavigated Pumpkin Key, then got on the magenta line of the ICW south.
I love the waterway. The trip from MM1125 to MM1150 was no exception, including a nap just south of the US 1 bridge. I cut back across the keys and US 1 to Hawk Channel at Tavernier. I thought maybe I’d have lunch in the ‘anchorage’ between Pt Lowe and  (little)  Tanvrnier Key, but it was too rough to enjoy myself, so I just continued on up to the channel back into Pennekamp. At the junction in the Pennekamp channel that splits to the marina or the Largo sound, I opted for the sound. I’d thought I’d like to get to know the sound a little better in the daylight.
Well, the sound itself wasn’t much, but there were those water ribbons through mangroves at the north end… I couldn’t resist. At a couple junctions, I was glad I had the GPS, because it could have been challenging to find my way back. I kept on meandering at a no wake pace for over an hour, (not including the ½ hour I was tied to a mangrove toasting hotdogs on my stove) eventually emerging into a bay with day markers defining a route out into Hawk Channel. I cautiously ran the shallow channel out to the ‘sea bouy’. At the ‘sea bouy’ (which was in 5 feet of water) I turned around to read a sign warning those approaching from offshore “Shallow Channel - Local Knowledge Required” or some such verbage. The sign was warranted, there were some places squarely between the markers that were sounding at less than 3 feet. When I checked to see where I was on the chart, I discovered that Whitmore Bight, where I’d spent last night, was only a little bit south down Hawk channel. I could have run back ‘outside’, but I enjoy poking through the mangroves, so I returned the way I’d come.
The lady ranger had told me that if I wanted to spend a second night aboard, that I should report personally back to the guard shack at the entrance to the park. I might have stayed another night -- I suppose I could have left the boat at the seawall and taken the truck/trailer up to the entrance to report in, but I decided that I might just as well trailer up the boat and re-launch somewhere else.
I didn’t really decide which direction to drive until I was out of the park at US 1. I knew I wanted to spend some time in Miami waters, but it was the traffic that really made up my mind, it was easier to make a right turn, than to go left. OK, so what boat ramp should I target. I had John Lloyd in Lauderdale as a fallback, and I think they had a ramp at the park on Key Biscayne…we’ll just see where we are when we get the urge.
I think I’d just paid the 3rd toll on the Florida Turnpike when I noticed a brown sign. I’ve grown to like those brown signs designating parks, sometimes they herald a boat ramp, and this one did. Miami-Dade Black Point Marina. What a great place.
It seemed to be a habit, getting out on the water at dusk. The 1 1/2 mile No Wake Manitee channel didn’t help things either. By the time I reached the end of the channel the only light I had was the full moon. I knew the drill…drop the hook, go below, check the chart for a marker with a clear deep track near a good spot to anchor, put the coordinates in the GPS, make the run to the marker, then slowly make my way into the anchorage. The run of about 4 miles to the lighted marker was easy. From the marker into the anchorage was a different story. I bumped the bottom several times well before I got out of the chop. Backtrack into deeper water following the GPS breadcrumbs, drop the hook, go below and put in a new waypoint. This time, knowing the way the wind built the chop, I was able to pick a better spot - on the bayside of Elliot Key at about Coon Point. I went in slow until I was in 3 ½ feet of water, dropped the hook, then sat in the cockpit for an hour or so in the moonlight.
The next morning I was up before dawn, sipping hot coffee as the horizon began to glow with daybreak. I was going to stay awhile, maybe go ashore…when I noticed a line of markers between me and the bay, about ¼ mile off the beach. Worried that in the dark, I’d stumbled into one of those “Area Closed to Watercraft with Combustible Engines” areas I’d seen so many of at Pennekamp, I got her on a plane and high tailed it into deeper water. As I cruised past the row of markers, I saw the writing on them that said, “Slow - No Wake”.
Throttling her down to about 5 mph, I headed back inside the “No Wake” markers and went north in 3’ off Elliot. I swung wide on the approach to Sands Cut. The sun was now high enough to show me where the deep water of the cut was. Deep meaning 20 to 24” in places. The tide was ripping in, so I knew if I did run her up out of the water on a sand bar, it wouldn’t be long before I’d float off, so I kept going. When I exited into Hawk Channel, I thought about heading north to Key Biscayne, but it was a little sloppy out there and with all the fascinations offered by the calmer bay, there was no need to endure the chop. I ran back in the now deeper Sands Cut then decided I would take in Key Biscayne, but approach it from the Bay side.
No Name Harbor at Key Biscayne has been a favorite place for me since 1973 when we anchored there on our 27’ sloop, waiting for weather to go to the Bahamas. It was the only place on this Keys trip that I had designated as a mandatory stop. I wasn’t disappointed, spending a half hour or so anchored amongst the cruising boats while I made myself a sandwich. I remembered the camaraderie we experienced at this spot on the sailboat – there were 7 boats ‘waiting for weather’. We partied until the weather was favorable, then we all sailed across the Gulf Stream together. Those were great times, but interestingly enough, these times are better. My little outboard powered cuddy, NICKY, does not have the room below that the sailboat did but it is dry and comfy. I can’t stand up to put my pants on after using the porta-potty in NICKY, but the space I lost below I gained outside – the sailboat needed 4+ feet of water, NICKY’s cruising grounds include just about anywhere that’s damp. How I enjoy poking about in those little creeks that are so inviting, but were off limits in the bigger boat. But the wind is free, you may ponder, and the outboard motor is always thirsty. On a good day, the single cylinder 10 HP diesel on the sailboat got 16 mpg. At sailboat speeds, my outboard often gets 10 mpg – I know because I have a FloScan fuel flow meter that tracks gallons per hour. My GPS feeds the FloScan the boat speed in miles/hour and the FloScan uses that info to give me a readout in mpg. When I go 25 mph, I get 5 mpg, when I go 40 mph, I get less, but my weather worries are almost nil, because I can either get back on the trailer in a very short time, or find shelter up a creek in inches of water. The sailboat was live-aboard capable, in fact we did live aboard for over 2 years, but today 2 weeks is the longest time I spend aboard, and NICKY is quite comfortably suited for that. When I left No Name, nostalgia made me turn to port. I ran out to Fowey Rocks (on a plane) to relive the excitement we felt on our first trip past “Gp Fl (2) 20 sec 110ft 16M” on the way to Bimini. While looking back at Key Biscayne, I noticed something above one of the Miami skyscrapers. It was an irregular shape, but I was far enough away that I couldn’t see much more than a shadowey mass…it never moved. Maybe it was a kite or something.
After lunch at No Name, it was time for Dinner, Dinner Key that is. I love looking at boats and I knew where to find them. A quick trip across the bay and into the world of live-aboards. The anchorage just outside the harbor is literally packed with boats of all shapes and sizes – it’s kind of like a trailer park for boats…most floating, but some not. Then I went on into the harbor. It’s a totally different atmosphere in there. Even the smaller boats are clean and proper. In putting around the area for over 2 hours I noticed something at the Dinner Key marina that I can’t remember being evident in any other boat watching outing…a large number of these boats had people on them doing maintenance; painting, cleaning, installing. I don’t know whether it was the area or the season, but there was obviously a lot of money being spent on keeping these boats up. I was glad my little eighteen footers’ ‘slip’ is next to the house on the trailer, where I can do all of my own maintenance; which seasonally is only a fraction of the cost of what these big guys are spending for a single day’s worth of professional care. Little excursions like this reinforce my feeling that small boat boating is the way to go.
Satisfied with my Dinner Key experience, I headed north. I thought I’d take a peek at the Miami River. I took the south route around Claughton Island and was getting ready to do a ‘hard to port’ into the river when a sport fisherman came blasting through the water intersection in reverse. I slowed, looking to peek around the bend up river to see what scared him out in reverse, when I noticed a huge black cloud of smoke coming from around the bend, then a good sized tug dragging a freighter backwards down the river toward me. I too found reverse when I saw a tug at the other end of this freighter jockying from side to side to keep the bow of the freighter in the middle of the channel. Each time the tug moved across the bow and tightened the lines, he’d goose the throttle to center his end of the ship in the channel and belch sky darkening billows of smoke from his stack. In open waters, I’ve seen tugs bow to the hull, pushing the freighter sideways, this river is so narrow the only option is to yank the trailing end of the ship (in this case, the bow) side to side using a short bridle. It’s beyond me how they get these freighters up and down the river without banging against the boats along the banks and/or fenders under the narrow bridges.
When the smoke from another of the tug’s corrections disipated, I noticed a helicopter hovering at not to high of an altitude. Then I noticed another, and another. The shape reminded me of something, yes, it was the same shape I saw from Fowey Rocks. So that’s what it was, a helicopter on station. I don’t think the helicopter had anything to do with the freighter, but I’m still at a loss to understand what those whirlybirds were doing up there - sometimes 4 of them, just station keeping. I even saw a fresh helicopter come in and ‘relieve’ a one that had been there for some time.
What the New River in Lauderdale is to pleasure boats, the Miami River is to freighters. After a length of marinas, repair facilities, commercial fishing houses and restaurants, there were wall to wall freighters along wharves on both sides of the river all the way to the flood gate. At some places along the river, the clearance between freighters on opposite sides of the channel was less than 75 feet. These huge ships were literally bumper to bumper for miles. Some were empty, some had decks stacked high with plants, bicycles, cars, mattresses, household entry and closet doors, and cartons of various sizes. What an interesting stretch of waterfront. On the way out, I saw the telltale billow of black smoke and knew what was coming. I found a small feeder with pleasure boats tied to both sides. I had to back in because there was not enough width between them to turn around and I wanted to be bow to the spectacle. I tied off to a 40 footer that was either in the process of decay or being restored, and waited. As the first tug approached the opening to the little feeder, the water became turbulent and the level dropped. I got a little claustrophobic when the freighter towered slowly past at such a close distance, but it was short lived when the turbulence returned, hammering me against the hull of the boat I was tied off to. The Miami River is a not-to-miss experience, but I’d hate to think about doing it in anything bigger than an 18 foot boat. The helicopters were in their same station keeping positions on my way out of the river – they’d been there for at least an hour. I headed back to Black Point, a great downwind run.
NICKY was on her trailer in a heartbeat after the long run down the No Wake Manitee channel to the Black Point ramp. There’s a nice marina on the site, but other than a walk through a ships store, I don’t have much use for marinas. I got back on the Florida Turnpike, thinking that I could make John Lloyd before they closed the park.
I pulled up to the John Lloyd gate at about 6pm. Knowing that they closed at sunset, I told the guard that I planned to be out all night. The guard said, “The park closes at 10:30. You and your boat will be out of the park at that time.”
“OK”, I said. “But what happens if I don’t get back in time?”
“You’ll be trespassing and the Coast guard will be notified,” was the retort.
I paid the 4 bucks and entered, not knowing what I’d do when it got to be 10:30. As I was launching, I talked to what appeared to be a local boater, suggesting that on previous trips I had been out all night, and what did he think about not leaving the park for the night. He said he too had recently been out overnight, but things have changed and he wouldn’t recommend it. After I got my boat in the water, I checked in at home using a public phone at the ramp. I learned that my sister from Honolulu was in Miami at a convention, also visiting her college daughter, and I should call her on her cell phone.
Nat, my sister, was excited that I was so close and insisted that I come by. I accepted, and put NICKY back on the trailer without ever having taken her away from the dock. Nat had given me instructions to drive back to Miami, then west to the Sofitel Hotel.
As mentioned, on a previous trip from Spartanburg to the Keys, I had towed my smaller boat, a 16 footer through Miami on I95 with ‘Old Green’ my 1972 Ford F100. I swore I’d never do it again, that’s why I had taken the Florida Turnpike in both directions past Miami. Keeping with my “No I95” philosophy, I headed down 441 to Miami, but after white knuckling through 5 miles of narrow 1 lane construction, I decided that I95 couldn’t be much worse. The traffic on I95 was as bad as ever, but with my new-to-me 1998 F150 (I call her Mary Kay, because she’s a champagne color) and brakes on this trailer, even though the traffic was a mad house, I had a very tolerable trip through Miami. It’ll be a toss up next time, I may use I95.
I found my sister’s hotel easily, it was right across from the airport, outlined in neon against the dark sky. The parking lot had a security guard. I felt comfortable leaving my rig parked conspicuously in the back row. I met Nat and niece Jesse in the lobby. Jesse had brought Nat down from North Miami and waited to say hi before returning to school.
My sister convinced the folks giving the seminar to invite me to dinner. Great food, open bar, unbelievable dessert, mmmmm. What a contrast to the cold cuts and hot dogs I’d been consuming. Nat convinced me to stay the night, so I did. We parted ways early the next morning… I headed north.
Old green didn’t have a radio, but Mary Kay does; even has a cassette player. I had a Mamma Cass tape with me which I slid into the dash when I was just south of Daytona. I played that tape all the way home. However, I didn’t hear the same songs over and over. Each time the tape repeated, I would put myself into a different musical place. It’s a literal execution of the saying, ‘I really get into that music.’ Try it sometime…listen carefully, then move your mind right in front of the vocalist – then don’t hear anything else, just voice. Now go for the drummer – this was the most fascinating place for me…the different sounds of the different drums, the percussion crescendos and embellishments. Now do the bass, the guitar or the piano. What a trip. No I don’t do drugs; boating makes me high.
There were many places along the way north that I might have picked up a short detour to the ICW, but I didn’t have the urge. I did have the urge however, to stop in Jacksonville for a visit with Bill Scheffield of American Marine. Bill manufactures Shoal Cats - an 18' SHOAL CAT,  17'6" with an 83" beam, max HP of  75 w/50 recommended -- weight capacity 1360 lbs., and a new 20' SHOAL CAT  20' 2" X 8' 4", max HP of 180, w/150 recommended --2500 lb. capacity. These are Bill’s own designs. Bill is also a Honda dealer and a great resource for Honda outboard questions. One day I’m going to talk Bill into taking me out on one of his Shoal Cats. I asked about a place nearby to launch and Bill recommended a boat ramp just a short distance from his shop, on the St Johns River. I drove to the ramp, but found it entirely too congested due to the influx of hungry folks converging on Clark’s Fish Camp next door. Next time through J’ville, I’ll allow time for a meal at Clark’s, even if I don’t plan to put the boat in the water.
As I was leaving the ramp, for some reason, I decided to try I95 through Jacksonville. Like I95 in Maimi, I had ruled out I95 through Jacksonville when, on a previous trip, I was doing fine pulling the trailer through J’ville in the middle of the night in a narrow single lane construction area, when a dump truck paralleling me on the shoulder began clipped cones, knocking them into my path. Anyway, as I was approaching the center of the city I switched off Mamma Cass for a spell to see if I could pick up a traffic report on the radio. Sure enough, there had been a wreck on I295, two cars had caught fire and traffic in both directions was at a standstill. This whole trip had been that way - I just seemed to be in the right place at the right time…
When I cleared J’ville I began thinking about getting NICKY back on the water. Maybe when I got back into SC, I’d go east on I26 and spend some time in Charleston waters before heading home. But when I got to I26, I went West. Then the light went on – Murray. If I could make it to Lake Murray, I could splash and spend the night aboard there. Murray is a few miles above Columbia and Columbia was 50 miles… Piece of cake.
It was after midnight when I got to my favorite Murray ramp. The lake was so low the floating docks were all in the mud. I decided not to launch – there are too many stumps in the shallow water, and it was dark. I backed the trailer into the water so I could rinse off the salt, and run the engine for a freshwater flush. After 10 minutes of running the engine, I pulled the trailer out of the water, then backed it in, then pulled it out, then back in, then out, to get as much salt off as possible. Then for some reason I took off the tiedowns and put in the drain plug. [I always leave the drain plug out when rinsing the trailer, a) so the trailer doesn’t float up with the boat & b) so I can check the automatic operation of the bilge pump float]. I was off the trailer, idling from the ramp out into deeper water by the light of the moon is less than 10 minutes.
When I was in 35 feet of water, heading toward the center of the lake, I opened her up. All systems responded predictably, but it seemed I was barely moving. Not thinking to check the speed on the GPS, I shut her down and raised the motor, maybe I’d picked up a plastic bag or something. But everything was OK. I lit her up again, put her in gear and slid the throttle forward. It still didn’t feel right, but when I looked down at the GPS I saw the speed was over 35mph. There you go. A glassy fresh water lake compared to salt water chop – what a difference. More comfortable now, I realized that if I had the reflection of the full moon in a certain orientation, I could see the tiny ripples zipping by in the calm lake, confirming that I was moving at a good clip. I spent about 45 minutes playing, then returned to the ramp, idling into the cove where I would anchor for the night. I threw out the hook and raised the motor but before going below for the night I again had my traditional time in the cockpit contemplating the aspects of boating that kept me coming back for more.
The next morning, I was up before sunrise and got the coffee water going. While the coffee singles were steeping, I lowered the motor in preparation to get underway, but the back end of the boat rose up out of the water. I went back to see what had happened, and there, plain as you please was one of those stumps. It had to be three feet across with the motor skeg planted firmly in the center. I raised the motor using the button on the cowl and the boat settled just inches above the stump. I boat-hooked my way to clear water, then lit her up and made my way back out into the lake, this time in the daylight.
I spent a couple hours frolicking in the calm fresh water before loading her up to cover the last 100 miles to the house.
Looking back, it was a great trip. I’ve gotta get back to the Keys. A guy could spend a lifetime down that way without doing the same place twice. I’d like to have my wife Suzy along next time too. She’s always invited, but invariable there is something that keeps her from making the trip. But she’s good about letting me go alone. Suzy is the main reason I write up these log entries.
I noticed another interesting thing about this Keys trip. Once NICKY was in the water, the only time I disembarked was to put her back on the trailer. I never tied her up to go ashore. It just goes to show you how much I enjoy being aboard.
Car miles – 1971
Car gas – 137.1
Boat miles – 287.1
Boat gas – 56.7
Engine hours – 27.3
Nick in Spartanburg, SC