Road Trip!!

Well, not really. It's something we shouted when starting an epic if not stupid journey.

So this was a pretty epic boat trip for me. Left Wrightsville Beach Sat am, made Fernandina that night. Next day Fernandina to Ft. Pierce. Next day Ft. Pierce to Islamorada. This morning ended up in Cudjoe Key. Needless to say I was not running my usual trawler speed. Mostly 17-21kts at 1800-2100rpm.

Weather was kinda snotty Sat, following seas that worked the AP hard and boat tended to linger on the backsides. Screwed up burn rate calc and ran out of fuel on one tank ten minutes before I planned to swap. Had to reprime engine while dipping rails. Fun.

Other than that and a pooped gennie impeller, no big problems at all.

This am engine was surging. Swapped the 10mic racor 900, it looked clean, but the surging stopped wiith new element. I had put it in new before leaving. Maybe got some damp fuel. No water in bowl.

45.8 engine hours logged. Trip meter on GPS 744.8nm. Have not added up fuel yet. I'm afraid of that... It's quite a bit. Will post later.

Magnawake grilled me a fat steak in Ft. Pierce. That was a nice surprise.

Ski in NC said:

Well, not really. It's something we shouted when starting an epic if not stupid journey.

So this was a pretty epic boat trip for me. Left Wrightsville Beach Sat am, made Fernandina that night. Next day Fernandina to Ft. Pierce. Next day Ft. Pierce to Islamorada. This morning ended up in Cudjoe Key. Needless to say I was not running my usual trawler speed. Mostly 17-21kts at 1800-2100rpm.

Weather was kinda snotty Sat, following seas that worked the AP hard and boat tended to linger on the backsides. Screwed up burn rate calc and ran out of fuel on one tank ten minutes before I planned to swap. Had to reprime engine while dipping rails. Fun.

Other than that and a pooped gennie impeller, no big problems at all.

This am engine was surging. Swapped the 10mic racor 900, it looked clean, but the surging stopped wiith new element. I had put it in new before leaving. Maybe got some damp fuel. No water in bowl.

45.8 engine hours logged. Trip meter on GPS 744.8nm. Have not added up fuel yet. I'm afraid of that... It's quite a bit. Will post later.

Magnawake grilled me a fat steak in Ft. Pierce. That was a nice surprise.

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Ski,

Wished I had known you were in Ft. Pierce Saturday night. Did you stay at the City Marina? We got back to our slip there Saturday afternoon.

I ddn't post an itinerary as I had no clue where I'd end up. First day I was right on the edge of being able to run, if it got any snottier, I'd have to back off or pull in. I knew I'd be in Ft Pierce about the same time I blew past Sebastian inlet!!

Yea, City Marina at Ft Pierce. Nice place. If Magnawake is staying there, that is saying something.

I finally got a smartphone a couple days before the trip. I still have not got that thing figured out. Texting is fun while offshore, I think I annoyed a few of the homeboys by texting constantly!! Have not figured out TF on it yet, but will fiddle soon.

Oh and the FOG. Sun off Canaveral, that was some thick stuff. Could not goof off as I had to watch ahead constantly. At least a couple hours in thick fog. Stressful. Still kept on plane.

Wow, that is an epic trip. Where to next? Keep us posted.

Did you at least wave to me as you went past Miami?

I was running right off the beach at Mia. If you were in a bikini, there's a good chance I waved!!

Ran off Biscayne to the beginning of Hawk channel. It was rough. Not huge waves, but close together like the snot we get in Pamlico and Albemarle sounds. Very unpleasant running. I turned around and went inside, under Card Sound bridge and Jewfish creek. Ran the back country to N of Islamorada where it got dark and I camped on the hook. Still a stiff west breeze and the wave slap was hindering sleep. I turned on the gennie and it purred me right under. Got some AC out of it too.

Got a nice rain this am that did a nice job of rinsing the boat.

Totaled up fuel: 415gal WB to Cudjoe. 1.8nmpg trip avg. Not too bad. Last time I did the trip it was almost all hull speed and total burn was 260gal. But that was mostly in the ditch including all of NC SC and GA with all the switchbacks and wasted miles. I'll look in my logs but the offshore route is definitely shorter.

The weather in the Keys is WAY better than in NC. Contacted my buds up there just to let them know that. Could not help myself..

Ski, if you'd seen me in a bikini, you would be clawing your eyes out to be sure not to see it again!

Ha!! Understood.

Let me also put in a plug for Coastal Explorer. That thing was running the whole trip in an old HP laptop. No bugs, no crashes, no wierdness at all. Just reliably plotted course and speed on the charts. And the charts switch over seemlessly as you move and scale in/out. Very nice piece of software.

HopCar said:

Ski, if you'd seen me in a bikini, you would be clawing your eyes out to be sure not to see it again!

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Ski, there's a rumor going around that Parks pads his Speedo. I just hope he remembers the padding goes in the front.

Lord knows there's no need to pad the back.

HopCar said:

Lord knows there's no need to pad the back.

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Wifey B: I don't understand why anyone would but sure seems a popular thing and oh soooooo many girls have gotten injections from fakes and non-doctors and just had awful complications. So glad you don't do it....

No one is shooting anything in my butt cheeks and wish I could spread the word to all girls....DON'T DO IT.

Greetings,
Ms. BB. But, but, but...

Wow this went downhill fast!!

The thread, I mean.

When I leave the keys in a week or so, thinking of running up to Cape Sable and then up the west coast, then across the lake to Stuart. Then if a window opens, hop over to Abacos.

I've done the keys/mia/east coast a zillion times and never seen the area from Sable to Ft. Myers.

Is it worth seeing? Or just same-ol mangroves for miles. It will log more miles that way, and Stuart is N of the prime jump off point.

Just thinking of something different.

Ski in NC said:

Wow this went downhill fast!!

The thread, I mean.

When I leave the keys in a week or so, thinking of running up to Cape Sable and then up the west coast, then across the lake to Stuart. Then if a window opens, hop over to Abacos.

I've done the keys/mia/east coast a zillion times and never seen the area from Sable to Ft. Myers.

Is it worth seeing? Or just same-ol mangroves for miles. It will log more miles that way, and Stuart is N of the prime jump off point.

Just thinking of something different.

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Wifey B: Yes, yes, yes, yes. It's very worth seeing. Naples, Venice, Fort Myers. I'd make a quick trip up to Clearwater and St. Pete if I had time. So many great areas along the west coast and that comes from someone who lives in and loves Fort Lauderdale. If you don't have time to venture to Clearwater and St. Pete, then just a few islands like Sanibel and a few of the bays. Then the trip back across Okeechobee can be thrilling.

It's worth the run. Stop at Cape Sable and visit the beach. Yes there will be a lot of mangroves. Marco Island is a nice stop. If you're going as far as Ft. Meyers, you should play around in Charlotte Harbor. Lots to see and do.

Aw shucks we're going to the abaco's the 1st till the 10th looks like we'll probably miss y'all.

Thanks all. Depending on weather and other details, I probably will do SW fla and lake back to Stuart. Got a cold front last night and looks like a blow for at least the next few days. Not ready to leave yet anyway, I'm at my folks house and helping with the things that come with folks being elderly. That, by the way, is not fun for them.

Next topic: Has anyone used a fuel truck in the lower keys? I either need to go to Marathon or KW for a fuel dock, and neither is super convenient.

I was planning, sorta, of going to A and B docks in KW bight for day/night of KW debauchery and people watching. I drove down there the other day and walked the dock for a half hour, talked to dockmaster, etc. Within that time I think I got my fill of KW. Cruise ship was in town and had dumped its contents. These contents had packed the place. Trying not to be rude here, but 95% were no treat to the eyes. They must have picked up the whole load from Buffalo or somewhere similar. These folks have stayed inside all winter and ate heavily and got pasty white. Now sunburned.

Cruise ships sure bring a lot of money to KW, but in catering to them, the town really has lost its charm. So I might just skip that part.

So back to why I posted today:

Anyone know of a fuel truck down here?

I asked some locals, and they said yep, there's a truck. But they could not remember the name. Google has a few, but most seem to come from upper keys, mia etc, which would not be worthwhile for 150gal.

Ski in NC said:

Anyone know of a fuel truck down here?

.

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You might check with LukFuel. You can contact them on their web site or by phone. They claim "throughout Florida" but I don't know if that includes Key West or if it's quantity dependent.

Ski in NC said:

Ha!! Understood.

Let me also put in a plug for Coastal Explorer. That thing was running the whole trip in an old HP laptop. No bugs, no crashes, no wierdness at all. Just reliably plotted course and speed on the charts. And the charts switch over seemlessly as you move and scale in/out. Very nice piece of software.

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You can also get Navionics US and Canada for your smart phone for $17.
i also have Mx Mariner on my smart phone, I use that when i want to look at the raster chart.

they are both nice backups.

Got a load of fuel from J and S out of I think Marathon. Good service, came out to about 312/gal which I think is fair for the keys. Come Saturday going to start plugging my way up the SW fla coast, weather dependent. Some screwy front type stuff in the mix, but looks like an easterly so should be ok.

Made it up the west coast, across the lake and into Stuart. Took 2 1/2 days and ran mostly at slow speed. If weather stays nice, off to the Bahamas.

Chine slap sucks. Just a little wind chop and it kept me up most of the night.

Thanks for the update Ski. I sure like your approach to cruising!!!


1983 Present 42 Sundeck
Twin Lehman 135's

Made a night crossing from Palm Beach to West End thurs night/fri am. Seas were not big, but short and sharp and confused. Pretty nasty, especially at night when you can't see the seas to anticipate. But no problems. Ran about 7-8kts, took about 9hrs.

Picked up a bud that was supposed to fly over to the Bahamas, but his flight was canceled. So he drove from NC to PB and hopped on. He stopped at Publix and bought an a$$load of food and supplies.

Caught up with the rest of the NC crowd at this rental house just east of Freeport on GBI. So back to civilized life for a while. INTERNET!!!

Next to Berry Isles, then Abacos. Looks like next front is next weekend so probably try to get stateside by then. Two boats now, Cabo 35 and my 38.

Both boats have been very reliable.

Dove on mine at Palm Beach. Amazing that the prop was absolutely spotless since being cleaned a month ago. Nothing grows on a spinning prop, so it seems.

Ski we saw you guys yesterday morning as we were getting ready to get under way. Didn't see y'all just the boats. It was definetly rough, going against the gulfstream and only making 5knots also sucked.
I snapped these before I left.

Ha!! That's me in the yellow hull. Probably still asleep as we got in at 3am. I went and puttered around in the shallows that afternoon before heading to the dude's rental house.

Still awestruck by the water visibility. That never seems to get old.

Ski in NC said:

Made a night crossing from Palm Beach to West End thurs night/fri am. Seas were not big, but short and sharp and confused. Pretty nasty, especially at night when you can't see the seas to anticipate. But no problems. Ran about 7-8kts, took about 9hrs.

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Wifey B: I always laugh at "confused seas." They probably really know what they're up to but just confuse the heck out of us humans. Still if one can't do it all during day, always better to be at sea during the night and entering the area during day. Reminds me that we have an overnight trip Monday-Tuesday. Had one last Tuesday-Wednesday.

Ski in NC said:

Ha!! That's me in the yellow hull. Probably still asleep as we got in at 3am. I went and puttered around in the shallows that afternoon before heading to the dude's rental house.

Still awestruck by the water visibility. That never seems to get old.

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Living in South Florida we get to the Bahamas often but love them still and hope we never start taking them for granted. We've spent a few days around some islands off Panama and in some ways as we thought playing around among them reminded us of the Bahamas, that to us was a supreme compliment. In both too, we love to just get out in the tender and mess around, see what there is to see, explore islands.

Greetings,
A night passage, when seas are manageable (calm), when the way is relatively clear (other traffic, lobster/crab floats) and when one has sufficient crew to stand watches is a Zen experience IMO. The glow of the instruments, the gentle hum (due to reduced speed) of the power plant(s), some mellow tunes on the airwaves, a warm, comfortable breeze through the pilothouse...Ahhhh.....

Throw out one or all of the "whens" above, then, not so much...

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
A night passage, when seas are manageable (calm), when the way is relatively clear (other traffic, lobster/crab floats) and when one has sufficient crew to stand watches is a Zen experience IMO. The glow of the instruments, the gentle hum (due to reduced speed) of the power plant(s), some mellow tunes on the airwaves, a warm, comfortable breeze through the pilothouse...Ahhhh.....

Throw out one or all of the "whens" above, then, not so much...

Click to expand...

Wifey B: Even better when the conditions allow you to do it from the flybridge. And a full moon.

Originally Posted by Ski in NC
Let me also put in a plug for Coastal Explorer. That thing was running the whole trip in an old HP laptop. No bugs, no crashes, no wierdness at all. Just reliably plotted course and speed on the charts. And the charts switch over seemlessly as you move and scale in/out. Very nice piece of software.

Sounds good, What are you doing for GPS input? Does the HP have it's own antenna built in or are using a remote antenna of some sort, if so which PLS.
Thanks! Bon voyage!