Bits & Pieces from Dinner Key

First thing Wednesday we were off to the dentist for Brian’s crown.  Not having asked about price when we made the appointment, it was a little intimidating to see the staff cars were Lexus, BMW’s and Land Rovers.  True to their word the whole procedure took 90 minutes.  At home a crown would take about 3 weeks and at least a couple of appointments.  The inside of Brian’s mouth was all mapped out using a wireless USB stick.  The old filling was removed and a platform made for the crown.  Then his mouth was remapped.  A square cube of porcelain was shaped by computer to perfectly fit the space as a new tooth.  It was then glazed and baked using UV to make it ultra hard.  Final fit, glued on, all done.  Brian got to watch all this on big screen TV’s.  The bill although expensive was no more than it would have been at home even after insurance paid their 50%. 
Throughout this I lounged in the waiting room on a leather couch reading my book.  It would have been great if the air conditioning had not been set to flash freeze.  Even with my jacket on I had to keep going outside every 15 minutes to thaw my feet.  Another guy waiting with me kept pulling his arms inside his T-shirt.

We rented a car for a couple of days because it would have cost nearly as much for a day as a taxi just to get to the dentist and back.  We were given a brand new Chevy Sonic with only 8 miles on the odometer.  I liked it.  It was small, great on gas and fit all our supplies in the trunk, propane tanks and cat litter included. 

During our stay here there have been lots of sailboat races.  Every morning they would all file out of the bay.  I like to watch them weave through the mooring field with their sails snapping.  They race all day then file back like hundreds of ants.


We have been experiencing a strong east winds for a few days now which makes for chop on the bay.  It’s surprising how we get used to the motion in the boat.  Mostly I don’t even feel it any more.  The boat rocks front to back and even sleeping in the aft cabin where it’s most noticeable we sleep well.  If you watch a goose fly, it’s head never moves.  Brian says that’s the way I pour coffee.  The pot stays level and my body absorbs the rock.  I rarely spill a drop.  Only when we get a sideways wake from a passing fishing boat does it throw us off.  More often than not this happens at the worst moments.  Like when we’re trying to climb from dinghy to boat.  The boat goes up, the dinghy goes down and an arm or leg get stretched farther than you thought possible.  We all have good sea legs until we reach shore.  In the shower I don’t dare close my eyes without bracing against a wall because I’m likely to fall over.  When standing still on shore I wonder if I am actually bobbing up and down or if it’s just my head.  It must be my head because nobody has been giving me funny looks like I’m doing a bobble head dance.

We have 2 outboards, a 2.5HP which is light and uses very little gas and a 15HP which weighs a ton and uses a lot more gas.  We are using the 2.5 right now just for convenience but it doesn’t move us very fast.  The wind blows directly into shore so the ride is easy that way.   About every 5th wave will catch up to us and we surf at double the speed.  Coming back to the boat is a different story.  Once out of the marina the farther out you get, the choppier the waves.  Brian navigates a zig zag and tries to miss the big ones but by the time you see them coming it’s too late.  I play blocker for him being in the front and usually get the worst of it.  I hear an “Uh oh” from him and a wave breaks over the front of the dinghy and into my lap.  The waves are warm but it makes a shower on shore kind of pointless.



Kitty number 3 was camera shy

Inside the marina one of the piers is full of commercial fishing boats.  Mostly grubby, smelly working boats.  Yesterday while walking the pier we saw a cat on one of these boats.  Me and cats, well I just had to go say hi.  Not one kitty, triplets.  One of the neighboring fishermen told us the owner was in jail and the boat had been found abandoned, loose and had been towed in.  He had been feeding them but was sure the boat was going to be demolished.


Like the stance? 

Poor kitties!  I asked Cricket if she wanted to adopt some orphans but she said Nooooooo!  Some cats that we know don’t know how spoiled they are to have regular meals, snacks and a comfy place to sleep.



 

we thought this was a Barracuda (or is it a Wahoo?)

our Canadian flag now has a permanent mount
on the rail around our solar panels

So now we are just waiting (again) for our weather window to cross to Bimini.  We have several other boats to travel with and it’s looking like Wednesday’s the day.

and that’s the kind of day it’s been

We have been cooling our heels here now for another week. 
Brian spent Saturday removing the old heat exchanger and salvaging the mounting brackets to be used again.  Sunday night, as promised, CJ (thank you, thank you, thank you!) brought us our new heat exchanger and gaskets.  I think Brian would have installed it right then and there, but it was dark and we had company so he had to wait until morning.  Bright and early Monday morning he was at it, and I will admit there was very little swearing going on. 



the new one

Two  hours later we fired the engine and she was purring like a….well, like a Blue Moose.










For anyone who has been following us, you will know of our boat related issues.  Don’t for a moment think we bought a hunk of junk.  Our Morgan is solid and capable, and that is why we chose her.  She is comfortable to sail and also comfortable to live on which is really important to us because this is now our home.   We have room to entertain about 10 in the cockpit and can sleep 6, although 4 and a fat cat is better.  We believe that in her past history she was mostly well maintained.   But, it is the nature of a boat, or car or house for that matter to have systems wear out, break down and malfunction.  More so with a boat I think because of the harsh environment.  Salt is not friendly to anything.  Sit in a pair of soggy shorts for a couple of hours and you will know what I’m talking about.  So although we visit other boats and admire some of their features, we are always happy to come home to The Moose.
I have to give Brian a lot of credit.  He is no slouch when it comes to fixing.  He knows every system on this boat inside and out now.  There has not been one thing he has not repaired, replaced, oiled, lubed, wired, tweaked, washed, waxed… and the list goes on.  Before this adventure he had never worked on a diesel engine, a solar panel, a wind generator.  With general know how and a manual he has not been stumped by anything yet.
So for all of this effort he gets a reward.  A crown! Nope, he’s not royalty.  While having an appetizer of smoked fish spread and Tostitos (highly recommend!) the other day he broke a filling.

This was late on Friday and all the dentists had closed.  I did however get a call back from one Monday morning and we were able to get an appointment for today.  After a peek and an x-ray they informed us that they couldn’t fix it and it would need a crown and that would take about 2 weeks.

We can’t wait 2 weeks!  This being Miami there had to be a quickie dentist who could look after us.  After a few minutes in the waiting room on Google searching cosmetic dentists, the assistant came out with a name and phone number for us.  She said Dr. Javier might be able to help.  I called and explained our situation with the assistant listening.  When she discovered who I was talking to she asked for my cell phone.  She then had a good chit chat with the new receptionist in Spanish.  The only part I caught was “Happy New Year”.  So, Brian has an appointment for tomorrow morning.

This is the time when the commercial goes:
Ten days in the mooring field $230, heat exchanger $1296, porcelain crown $1500 (not sure how much exactly) living the dream, priceless!

Things are looking promising. There is another weather window approaching and we met another fun couple to travel with.

So as Lloyd Robertson used to say at the end of every CTV news broadcast “and that’s the kind of day it’s been”

Waiting again

After discovering what could have been a huge disaster, Brian spent the evening and was able to do a temporary repair so we could get back to the mooring ball.

this was the Atlantic the morning we were
going to leave

It’s too bad because the conditions really were great for us to leave.  Looking out to the Atlantic it was smooth as glass.




we feel really small beside these guys

We slowly made our way back to Dinner Key checking the heat exchanger for leaks every few minutes.  Remember this name: JB Weld.  It held just fine.  There was a lot more traffic on our way back to the mooring field.  Big container ships that must have come in during the night.
 






We tracked down a Yanmar dealer in Miami and were assured they could get the part for us.  We were first given a price of $896 which considering we are talking boat parts seeming pretty reasonable.  We waited most of Tuesday for a call back, then Wednesday.  We finally called them back Wednesday afternoon and were told that they would call back in ten minutes.  An hour and a half later when we called the person we had talked to had gone for lunch.  By 4pm the price had changed to $2696 and a week delivery.  When we questioned where it had to ship from, we were told Tampa.  We called the dealer in Tampa (who we have dealt with before) and got a price of $1823.  However they would not ship to us.  I’m pretty sure a rental car would not cost $600, even the distance we would have to drive.  Problem solved, after a call to our friend CJ to wish him a Happy Birthday, he offered to pick up our part and bring it to us on Sunday.  Yay!

his name's "Ray"

So here we sit.  There has been some interesting marine life to see.  Look down from the boat and there are always tons of little fish and a few bigger ones.  Yesterday we saw a couple of turtles (just like in Finding Nemo) but I couldn’t grab my camera fast enough.  We also had a spotted ray swimming around the boat.  It’s like floating in an aquarium.

a manatee at the dinghy dock this morning

At least the weather is good and the sun is warm.  There isn’t much point in getting impatient (although we have…a lot) because it isn’t going to speed anything up.  

Crick doesn't mind napping while we wait
(Oh, sorry she doesn't mind napping any time)

False Start

No, we're not in Bimini. Just after dinner last night Brian discovered a problem with the heat exchanger on our engine. It's bad enough that we delayed our departure until it's repaired. Better to be stuck back at Dinner Key than to be in the Atlantic with no engine and no wind. We're pretty disappointed. Today would have been perfect.

Fisher Island

Miami (where the big boats hang out)



more Miami

Today we left Dinner Key Marina and we are anchored at Fisher Island.  It was short trip, just an hour and a half but we’re now at our jump off point for Bimini.  

sunset view from our anchorage

We are planning on leaving at 3:30 tomorrow morning with Blue Blaze and Cloud Messenger.  It’s 47 miles and this should get us there around noon.  The weather looks good with light winds and calm seas.  If we don’t have wind to sail we can always fish.  Brian’s counting on it.

Happy New Year

It has been a couple of windy days waiting here for the cold front to pass but it looks like Wednesday is going to be the day.  We met some nice people  (Laura and Jason from Blue Blaze) who are going then too so we'll just tag along.
Yesterday we met up with them and went to the King Mango Strut parade in Coconut Grove, and then on to happy hour on their boat.  It was a soggy ride back to our boat because of the wind and waves.  It was also a bouncy night's sleep on Blue Moose.
By this morning the weather hadn't changed much so we waited...and waited.  I called the fuel dock to make sure they were open tomorrow because we needed to top up before we leave and of course they weren't.  We could either take the dinghy in and do it 2 jerry cans at a time or take the boat in.  Five trips in the dinghy wasn't an option so we untied and took the Moose over.  It was a race between us and a big fishing boat to see who would get into the dock first and thankfully we won.  Docking in 19 knots is not a lot of fun and we would rather do it when their isn't someone else to park beside.  We are now back on our ball safe and sound.
Being New Year's Eve everything including the marina is closing early.  We raced in and I got them to let me into the showers just as they were locking the doors.
Who designs these bathrooms anyway?  A 5 x 3 cubicle with one hook to hang your stuff.  The spray from the shower gets your towel and clothes and flip flops wet.  Yes, I know I could have left my backpack outside the stall but I wasn't going to leave my wallet and IPad out in the open.
Brian's back from Fresh Market (we paid $6 for 3 apples yesterday!) so we will head back to the boat, have dinner on the boat then watch the fireworks.
Sorry, no pictures, I only brought the IPad.
Happy New Year everyone!

If you had to pay someone

by Brian
If you had to pay someone for everything you needed to do on a boat you would go broke.  I’m not saying that things break all the time, they don’t.  However when you look at all the things needed to keep a boat in safe good running condition it is staggering what you will need to know or pay some one who does know. 
First we wanted solar power.  Not a big deal right?  To install two panels some wire and a controller.  Wrong!   First you need to find someone who has done this and learn from them. This part was easy as I have Gary Bratton fellow boater and solar savvy.  You then look on the web for solar because it seems no one has a store you can just walk into.  Then you will need to drive half way across Florida to pick up your equipment from the supplier.  Then you will spend many days looking at how other people have installed theirs.  In some cases you will see ways not to install.  The next thing is to go to a salvage yard for boats, in our case Don’s Salvage in Clearwater Florida.  The reason is you can find your stainless framework,  although used it will polish up like new.  I spent around $250.00 instead of $800.00 or so buying new at West Marine. 
The biggest issue with solar is it has changed so much so fast in such a short time.  We chose newer type high voltage panels over the regular 12 volts as well as a new style controller that regulates the power to the batteries.  Better regulated voltage means more power to the batteries.  So far the average cost for someone to come out to the boat is around $80.00 to $100.00 per hour.  Now I am slower and new to this but these guys don’t rush.  As it was I put around five days or a 40 hour work week in this project and the results are amazing.  We installed two panels of 230 watts and have seen almost 20 amps of electric power on a perfect day.  It is a lot like having a free plug on the wall to plug into.  Sun Electronics in Miami was the place for us.  Great service and free advice.
While there I looked at a wind turbine for around $750.00 not including mounting.  Again back to Don’s salvage for some more pipe and bolts etc. All told solar panels around 40 hours and 20 hours for the wind turbine  at a cost of solar $1400.00 and the wind turbine $1100.00. Sounds good so far right?  I had an estimate of a full week to install with two men. A full week is a 40 hour week times two men is = 80 hours x $90.00 per hour. WOW!  $9000.00 Ya right  I think We did a good job.