A Month of Workshops - March 2 - 22nd, 2014

March 2, 2014

We left Oleta State Park after an enjoyable overnight visit.  We pulled in here and dropped anchor pretty early this day for a couple of reasons.  First  it was Sunday and the boat traffic was seriously congested, compounded by 2nd) we were getting ready to pass Haulover Inlet during peak tidal flow and for this inlet in particular, that is bad timing.  It is best to pass inlets at slack tide and preferably without all the crazy weekend boaters.  So we  pulled off the ICW momentarily while checking the charts and found by going around the island directly to our west, we could slip easily into the Oleta State Park for the night hoping that Monday morning would find the boat traffic to be less congested and we could time the our passage to proper tide.  We were fortunate to find a good spot to drop anchor among all the weekenders, we fired up the grill for dinner and launched the kayak for paddling. It was a nice evening.

Moving north our next stop was John U. Lloyd State Park for a workshop scheduled for the 8th. There was a nice park right on the beach within walking distance and we had a nice day at the beach after the workshop.

Continuing on north, we next cruised into Lettuce Lake in Boynton Beach where our next workshop was scheduled for the 15th at Boynton Beach Harbor Marina.  We proceeded north again on Sunday the 16th stopping in West Palm Beach where the town was preparing for their annual Boat Show.

We were preparing to leave West Palm Beach when an actuator malfunctioned and Carter had to install a replacement before moving on.

We were almost to the St. Lucie Inlet and as I stated before, we have learned to pass inlets at slack tide and use the current to our advantage.  Since we arrived a couple hours early we decided to pull off at St. Lucie Inlet Preserve and State Park as they have a nice dock.  Although our Lowrance chart plotter clearly showed 5' of water all around the dock, it failed us again! About 100' short of the dock we ran aground.  Since the tide was going out rapidly at that point, we were quickly stuck on the hard sandy bottom and forced to stay in this spot until the tide rolled back in that evening at 9:00 pm.  We made use of the time by getting in the Whaler to take soundings of the area to be prepared to move into a spot for the night.  By 9:30 that night we were safely anchored close, but not too close to the ICW for an early morning departure past the inlet into Manatee Pocket where Carter found a prop shop to fix the prop on the whaler which had been damaged on an oyster bed a few days earlier.  We went up a little canal and while I stayed with Radar and the Whaler, Carter took a mile long hike to the prop shop where the guy fixed it on the spot. With 30 minutes to kill and a Super Walmart right next door, he was also able to get some important provisioning done, TP, batteries, and a quart of oil for Honda.





We got back just in time to make the tides at Stuart Inlet to continue up the St. Lucie River and a scheduled press conference with Rethink Energy Florida the next day. We even had a space at the city dock  at Stuart City Hall where we got to tie up to shore overnight for the second time in 5 months.





That was a very nice nice dock but with a northerly exposure, and unfortunately the winds whipping from the northeast had us bucking against the dock all night long. But the next day right after the press conference was actually over and Kim Ross was taking me to the grocery store for a few provisions we needed, CBS Channel 12 News showed up and Carter was on his own for the media relations. But they did a super nice story on the Archimedes that we were very happy with!

http://cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/solar-ship-sails-into-stuart-14269.shtml

That evening we moved over to Sunrise Marina just around the corner for one more workshop scheduled for the 22nd.

Just as a side note, we were tied to docks more in the past month than we have on this entire trip.  We normally drop the hook in anchorages or behind a spoils island just off the ICW.

It's time for this season to come to an end because as Captain Carter likes to say, "the Arc may run on nothing but sunshine but our finances do not".  It's time to go back to work in Tennessee and refill the coffers so we can return this fall for the final leg of the Little Cruise Aid for a Sustainable Florida.

Taking Pictures of People Taking Pictures of Us!

It became evident to us from the very beginning that the Archimedes draws people's attention.  I'd like to dedicate this post to all those folks who stop what they are doing to get a quick picture of the Arc as we cruise past.  I took all of these pictures yesterday in a period of two hours of our passage from Oleta River State Park in North Miami to Dania Beach. It should be noted that this is probably only about 1/3rd of the people we "SAW" taking a picture. It's hard to catch the shot of them taking the picture and I missed way more than I got.

We get just as many or more "thumbs up" as we do people taking pictures!  It seems people get excited about a big solar boat. Check this out!

This picture was an accidental 2 for 1 shot!  I had no idea the lady on the balcony was even there!  I was taking a picture of the couple on the side of the waterway.

We see people come out onto their balcony to take a picture all the time. Sometimes they run back inside and come back with a couple more people and their camera.

Many folks passing by the waterway see us and stop  to take a photo.

My camera just missed catching this lady with her camera in position.

This man stopped his car to get out and get a shot!

I am lucky to catch anyone taking pictures from a moving boat.  But I did pretty good with this one.

These two came over specifically to take the picture and stopped us to ask questions.

Do you have an electric motor?

Yep!

This couple was waiting for the draw bridge to open when they spotted us.

We see this a lot too.  

Again, it's hard to catch them in the act of taking pictures!

This lady was on a water taxi. We often see multiple flashes from  ferry boats and I'm going catch that one day soon, I've decided to make hobby out of taking pictures of people taking pictures of us.

Miami - Workshops and Tours

We were very busy from the time we first arrived in Miami.  With our busy schedule we ended up criss-crossing Miami for about a week before finally settling next to Hibiscus Island near the Miami Yacht Club.  We were anchored directly across the causeway from Governor's Cut where all the Cruise Ships dock and at times there were 7 ships at dock.

(You can only see 6 ships in this picture because the 7th was over in Fisherman's Channel by the shipping  docks. You can see the Norwegian Getaway pulling out and headed toward the turning basin where we were at the the time)

With our new partner ReThink Energy Florida, we had set up a press conference at Gibbs Park...

A couple of workshops, one at No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne and the 2nd in Sunset Harbor in downtown Miami...









And presentation/tours of the Archimedes to high school students at the MAST Academy located in the Harbor at Marine Stadium, all in a 5 day timeframe.  With the exception of the press conference, all were a success and we were very encouraged that the workshops were so successful.  There will be more workshops in the future.


















As soon as the last workshop was completed we set out to finish the necessary household duties and that was to empty the holding tank and fill the water tanks.  We had been low on water for longer than we care to go and we actually ran completely OUT of water on the very day we finally found a marina with a functioning pump out.  After calling 6 marinas, Pelican Harbor Marina located 5 miles north, had operating facilities and we were able to fill our water tanks.


I was guarding the whaler while Carter ran into the canal side Publix, when I met a couple named Rudolf and Elisa who were doing the same thing. Rudolf had some extra complimentary tickets to the Miami Boat Show that he generously offered and we gladly accepted! (a $70 value) Since the next day was the last day of the show, we spent the whole day seeing as much as possible.








Houseboats sure have come a LONG way!  Don't you agree?



Finally on the Miami agenda, Carter had registered to attend the Mia Green Energy Expo on the 27-28th. While he was gone all day, I spent my time doing a little sewing, some sunbathing, and just soaking up the last of Miami. Carter attended several energy workshops and was very excited about some of the things he learned from OutBack Power Systems presentations. He learned a lot about how to optimize our energy system on the boat and is very anxious to get to work on making some significant improvements in our system. But that will take some serious effort and have to wait until later as it was time to get back on the trail and continue northward up the east coast continuing on with the Little Cruise Aid for a Sustainable Florida.

 Another awesome Miami Skyline view, and again, the picture simply doesn't do it justice.

Jewfish Creek to Miami - February 10th - 12th

Monday, February 10th

We departed our anchorage at Jewfish Creek early in the morning heading for Biscayne Bay.  The temperature was a very pleasant 74 degrees with light winds of 5-10 mph.  Great for cruising!  Wrong.  We just happened to be heading directly into a very strong current which our limited capacity with the solar electric drive has difficulty overpowering.


















Between the strong currents pushing back and the mostly cloudy skies with little to no sun, it was a slow go of it and finally at 1:50 pm our reserve battery was mostly spent and we pulled over and dropped anchor to give the panels time to catch them up.  As is our normal procedure when given lemons...make lemonade!  Carter went lobster diving.  He found a haven of lobsters close by but unfortunately absolutely none of them were of legal size and he came home empty handed but he and Radar had a good time trying. Seems Radar is quite the lobster hound.  After a couple hours we continued on to a nearby cove and dropped anchor in Card Sound within site of Turkey Point Nuclear Plant.


Tuesday, February 11th

While waiting for the batteries to charge up in the morning we decided to go on the hunt for lobster again since we will soon be heading into the ditch where there will not be any more opportunity for lobster diving.  While Carter was diving, I snorkeled and sunbathed.  Life is good. But unfortunately, still nothing but shorts when it came to the lobsters that day.



We got back on the trail at about 11:30 with 80 degrees and light wind of about 10 mph at our stern.  It was a beautiful day.   We dropped anchor at Sand Key pretty early, 4:40 pm, giving us a couple hours to recharge the batteries before sunset.  This location gets us into position to cross Biscayne Bay tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 12th

We've been working on getting the boat all cleaned up in preparation for our upcoming press conference with ReThink Energy Florida in Miami.  This morning, since the weather was so nice, we decided to get an early start and clean the exterior of the boat and do some maintenance we had been putting off.  While Carter was replacing the shaft zinc on the propeller, he noticed the bottom of the Arc was getting pretty fuzzy so he decided to do some scraping while in the water to keep it under control. While he was doing that, I scrubbed the top deck and walkways.  The Arc was lookin good!

At 11:15 am we weighed anchor and began our crossing of Biscayne Bay.  The temperature started out 74 degrees with southerly winds of 10-15 mph and a strong following seas pushing us along nicely.  We kept a nice brisk pace for most of the day when suddenly, at about 2:00 pm we hear an awful sound coming from the engine room.  This could be bad.  Carter immediately shut everything down and went down to investigate.  Good news, sort of,  the master link on the chain had  broken. Carter said he noticed the chain had been getting stretched and was thinking about taking out a link anyway so this was his punishment for procrastinating. Apparently it had actually become loose enough to jump the idler pulley and in so doing the master link must have been strained to the breaking point. Not a big problem,  Carter stocks lots of parts and the chain components are definitely on his critical spares list and was able to replace it, removing a half link at the same time to tightening up the chain, and  getting us moving again in a matter of 30 minutes or so. We didn't even drop the anchor and actually drifted another half mile toward our destination.

We continued with Miami in our sites but now, suddenly,  a thunderstorm was looming and closing fast. So much for our leisurely passage, we were about to get pummeled by a gale with our anchorage literally in sight. Things got pretty hectic for about an hour and as our batteries where depleting fast we were contemplating an emergency switch to diesel power but fortunately the storm blew through and the sun came back out.

We coasted into our anchorage by Marine Stadium with the batteries nearly depleted and our nerves a little frazzled, dropping anchor about 5:00 pm and settled down for the night.

The view from our anchorage.

After a nice sunset we went below to relax before dinner and get things ready to bar-b-que and when we came up back up on deck after dark we were greeted by a breathtaking Miami skyline.  This picture hardly does it justice but it was fabulous!

Key Largo, February 2 - 9, 2014

Sunday, February 2nd

Key Largo has been, by far, the best stop in the Keys, in my humble opinion!  Our first adventure here was John Pennakamp Coral Reef State Park which is the first undersea park in the United States.  We hooked up to a mooring ball upon our arrival and then proceeded to take care of  business before pleasure by making a trip to the nearest Publix (where shopping is a pleasure!). 

Carter found a landing site for the dinghy via digital high resolution imagery (Google Maps) so we set out to find it.  It turned out to be a nice ride through narrow mangrove canals and I was wishing we were in the kayak for this trip but groceries don't fair too well in a sit on top kayak!

We arrived at our spot and both of us set out for the store but quickly realized the neighborhood looked a little unsavory and we did not feel comfortable leaving the whaler unattended so I stayed behind while Carter went to the store.  Other than a raccoon that was just as scared of me as I was of him, no one came to the landing and Carter soon returned with the bacon and lunch!

After spending the night on a mooring ball at John Pennakamp, we were trying to decide the best way to get back to the Gulf side so we would be closer to Dolphin Cove.  Carter found a cut on the chart with a bridge that was marked at 14' high so he asked the dockmaster at John Pennakamp if that was right. He told Carter it was a 14' clearance, no problem,  and although that is still pretty close to our 13' 6" mast height, if we could get thru, it would save us two days travel if we didn't have to double back to Tavernier Creek.   So we set out the next day hoping to time it so we would be going into the current at mid tide because the chart also showed there was only 3' of water when you came out on the other side. Talk about threading the needle.

Unfortunately when we entered the canal we found a 2 knot current running with us instead of against us so we were pretty much being washed thru the channel like a whitewater river without any option to back up if the bridge was actually too low. There was no turning back and that bridge was looking awfully low as we approached. We have learned you can't totally count on the charts as things get changed and the charts may not have the latest update. And given the circumstance, if we where off by just one inch, the results would be catastrophic! Not to mention there were boaters everywhere and the water wasn't exactly smooth so anything more than a six inch wave and we were done for.

Well to make a long story short we made it with about 5 inches to spare but from now on our minimum bridge height is going to be 15'. That passage was just too close for comfort!

This brought us back in the Florida Bay and we anchored comfortably directly in front of Dolphin Cove.  This was a super nice anchorage with a free dinghy dock and a dog park conveniently located at the city municipal offices.  Very nice and the folks here were good, friendly people.

Time to Play!

It was time to cash in my Christmas present and that was to swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Cove!  It was an amazing experience that I will remember for a long time!

The following day we took the whaler back into the Atlantic ocean and the John Pennakamp reefs for some snorkeling.  The water was a little bit kicked up so visibility wasn't all that good but it was a good time anyway and I got to experience some of the coral reefs and the brightly colored tropical fish. And, the bottom was littered with huge conch shells. But in the park you can only look and not take and I suppose this is what the ocean is actually like when everyone is not grabbing everything they can get their hands on. It was really quite spectacular.

So, we have now cruised through the maze of mangroves (in the whaler instead of the kayak but hey...it counts in my book), swam with dolphins, and snorkeled the coral reefs.  What's next?

More lobster diving!  Carter wanted to go back to the honey hole he found last week for more lobsters so we packed a picnic lunch and off we went in the whaler back down to Islamorada.  Carter caught more than a dozen but only 4 were keepers as confirmed by our old friend from the FWC as he reappeared today to check our catch just as we were finishing up for the day.  I enjoyed the afternoon by soaking up some sun!

The next day we completed our provisioning at Publix in anticipation of our upcoming departure.  To sum it up, Key Largo is a great place for sun and fun and we would definitely like to return again some day!

Sunday, February 9th

Sunday morning, we cruised up to the western end of Jewfish Creek, set to make it to Key Biscayne, and then Miami.

Another beautiful and unusual sunset last night.

Pucker Factor.....Times 4 - January 28 - 31, 2014

The batteries were charged by 11:30 this morning and we took off knowing the day had finally arrived to cross back into the Florida Bay and get out of the Atlantic Ocean.  The anchorage last night was just outside the Channel # 5 Bridge at Long Key so we were crossing under it within a very short time.  Now to find the ICW.  Carter has complained many times that our Lowrance chart plotter is sadly lacking.  Thank goodness we have Google earth GPS on our smart phones to back us up when it comes to navigation.  Nothing like high resolution satellite imagery to help you find your way. We have really begun to rely on it and it has totally saved our butts on many occasions.

Pucker Factor #1 - Tuesday, January 28th


Once we came under the bridge we spied some markers across the bay locating the entrance to a channel or cut if you will, through a mangrove island and since there was no indication on chart plotter where the ICW was and this was the only markers we could find, we naturally assumed it must be the ICW.  We both honestly thought it was.  When we got to the entrance and saw a sign saying " Caution, narrow channel, we didn't think much of it, supposing it was just a little narrower than normal.



It looked ok from the beginning so we proceeded.  Once we turn the first corner the channel suddenly slimmed down to about 15' wide.  The Arc is 13.5' across leaving no way to turn around so we just had to hope that we didn't meet anyone coming our way.  About a 1/4 mile in we did meet up with a small fishing boat and thankfully the channel widened up just enough for us to pass at that point but we were both brushing the mangroves on each side as we passed.



Then around the next turn the mangrove treetops started closing in on us!  What's that crashing noise? We had lowered the panels and we knew the mast was clearing but we forgot about the VHF antenna! Up to the sundeck I scurry just in time to lower the rod in the nick of time as we came up on major branch. Finally, the channel ends and we are back into the bay.  Shew!

Pucker Factor #2 - Wednesday & Thursday, January 29 & 30






We anchored later that day at 5:00 at Islamorada and began dinner preparations which is when we discovered that we were slap out of water.  The well was dry.  Ok, we have enough bottled water to get us through tonight but we were going to have to find water first thing in the morning.  Normally, we fill up our water tanks at the same time we empty the holding tank but that last pump out was such a disaster, we didn't even want to ask about getting water.  That was a mistake but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Carter got up early the next day and got on the phone to the only marina listed in our guidebook in this area.  No, they have no facilities to accommodate tying up our boat and they don't dispense water to boaters anyway but gave us another phone number of another place to try.  Thanks.  Carter calls this number which turns out to be the Lor-e-lei Yacht Club.  He got the bar so the lady transferred him to a gentleman named "Bugsy", and Carter begins to inquire about filling our water tanks.  Bugsy stops Carter and asks, "Are you the solar boat out in the anchorage?"  Our mouths dropped...yes. How in the Hell did he know that! I guess he just knew everyone in the anchorage and we were the only new boat but it was still kind of weird.

Bugsy was great.  He said he'd move some boats around and make a space big enough to accommodate us and said "come on in". What a relief because believe me, everything stops when you run out of water.
Thanks so much to the Lor-e-lei Yacht Club for coming to our rescue.  It was lunch time so we stayed long enough to enjoy a delicious lunch at the restaurant. Check out the local taxi,  Nautilimo?


Pucker #3

We departed Islamorada right after lunch and after being "on the road" for just a little bit, I turned around and noticed a boat high tailing it over to us and then hanging back just a little.  Looking through the binoculars I realized it was the FWC!  Oh Great!  What could this be about?  Even when you're not doing anything wrong, it's still a bit disconcerting when you get pulled over. He came up beside us and began asking questions about the solar boat.  Ok..... He was just another curious boater with a badge.

We dropped anchor that evening in Cowpens Anchorage just off the shore of Plantation.  It rained the next day so we ended staying an extra day but that didn't bother Carter.  He had spotted several lobsters on the bottom of the clear blue water on the way in and he was super excited to get him some bugs!  He went diving that evening and again the next day catching a total of 5 lobsters!


Pucker Factor #4 - Friday, January 31


We weighed anchor on Friday and set out with Tavernier Harbor as our destination which is only about 5 miles away from Key Largo.  After studying the charts and comparing them with our upcoming planned activities, Carter decided that we would take a slight detour back into the Atlantic in order to get us closer to John Pennekamp State Park.  Getting back into the Atlantic required us to cross under the Tavernier Creek Bridge which has a 15' clearance which is the lowest bridge we have ever been under. Carter got out a tape measure to double check our mast height, yep still just under 14'.  Woo hoo, a whole 1' to spare.

Onward to our destination, Rodriguez Key.  Rather than go all the way around the island to approach the anchorage from the the East side, Carter decides to take a short cut around the West side through a shallow section.  Yes, I did say shortcut...again!  And guess what?  We ran aground!  Shock!!!  Turns out it was an ultra low tide, like -1' and we arrived just in time for it.  Since it was  4 pm it wasn't lunch or dinner time so we got the snorkel and masks out and explored the beautiful clear water while we waited for the tide to roll in and clear the way.

It was great! We dropped anchor for about an hour and there was a strong current going in the right direction so once we were floating again Carter ended up guiding the Arc through the shallows and we drifted on through. We are now safe at anchor just a couple miles from John Pennekamp State Park!

Oh yeah....life is Good!