December 7, 2011

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Finally at 1:30 PM, we cut the lady’s lines, gassed up, picked up some mail waiting for us at the marina and we are on our way. Even though it was windy and beautiful, the tides didn’t permit us to go outside so we had a leisurely ride on the intracoastal waterway from Stuart to Jupiter Florida. Stasia had a bit of a fright when the engine started and chose the v-berth for a few hours with a bit of howling to let us know she wasn’t warned far enough in advance about that strange noise coming from below. Later on, with a little coaxing, she decided to come up to the cockpit and join us. Fred decided to let me take the helm. He said just follow the GPS, stay between the green markers on the port side and the red markers on the starboard side. Looked simple enough to me. Just follow the white area between those signs and all would be okay. Had a bit of trouble adjusting the autopilot but soon learned how not to over correct the point of sail. Fred went below to do a few things while Stasia and I enjoyed the ride and beautiful scenery. Smooth travels until I felt a slight bump. Quickly looking at the depth finder and speed I saw we were okay and wondered if Fred felt it. Just as I looked down below, Casa Mare’ took a hard hit and we went from 5 plus knots to a dead stop as I saw Fred fall flat on the floor below. He said he was okay, kept his cool, as most sailors do but I can tell you my heart jumped out of my body. I knew we were sinking...threw it out of autopilot and said, “I am still in the white road part on the GPS!!!! We hit something “BIG”...ya think it was a whale???” (forgetting there are no whales in the waterway that I know of anyway.) We finally started to jiggle around and move some then we were free from the giant sailboat snatcher. By the end of the day, Fred came to the conclusion that we hit a sunken boat...or something big...twice. (Maybe it was a sunken Boston “Whale”-r) No water coming in anywhere, although I can assure you I have been trying to talk him into putting on his wet suit when we get into clearer water in the keys, to take a peek at the bottom...just to be safe. I think he will. Fred found a cute little cove just past the Indian Town Bridge in Jupiter, dropped anchor and finally got it to hold. Dinner was Ribs, applesauce and a salad. I love this, no internet, no TV, and lots of time to spend with each other! The sun was setting and the moon was so bright. Got our first and probably last Christmas card today from Jim, Linda & Jennifer so now we have a wreath, a card, a jar of party mix from Mom & Dad. No Jim, Linda and Jennifer, I didn’t open the package yet. ‘Saving it for good’.  Fred said we will not be sailing outside tomorrow because there are 6’ seas which would make for a rather rough sail but perhaps Friday. No problem. Doesn’t look like there is going to be a window to cross for another week anyway so we will just mosey on down towards Key Biscayne and see what happens. The evening sunset was beautiful red skies at night, sailors delight. Stasia is up on the deck enjoying the fresh air and guarding the boat. We are having fun!

Helpful shortcuts

From a boating friend...

"I was reading your blog....take lemon ammonia with you. I use a cup in my sink, fill with water.soak my cloths, you just wring out and hang to dry. No need to rinse. It saves your water.then I use the water to wash other things...bath rooms..."  Thanks Mary!

Staples

Popcorn

If you are a snacker like me and love popcorn, make sure there is plenty on board.  I use my pressure cooker without the gasket or the weight and always pop with olive oil.  Not only is it healthier than cookies or candy, the taste is amazing!  When I was a little girl, we never had microwave popcorn and the memories rushed back once I bought the kernels and started popping it myself.  Now I pop it on the stove at home too!  Saves money and that's what I love too!

Preparations

Welcome to our blog spot Ahoy Casa Mare'!

Fred is the Captain and I (Patti) am the Admiral, at least that's the title Fred gave me when he invited me to join him on this amazing cruise.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to be able to just throw off the dock lines and set sail but when you own a home on land...it's not that easy!  I have discovered a whole new dimension to the meaning of "cruising".  I am a beginner for one thing...no doubt about it but in time I hope to be dethroned from that title to perhaps a novice or higher???

I have learned there are two top priorities to address before anything else is done because problems may arise.  Get your Passport ASAP and send for the documentation papers for your pet if they are joining you abroad.

Passports require a birth certificate and mine was falling apart and they would not accept it.  Happens with age I hear.  When applying for another I discovered that since I was born in El Morrow castle in San Juan, Puerto Rico, (yes, my father was in the Navy stationed there) anyone who applies for a passport who was born in Puerto Rico must apply for a new birth certificate first because, to make a long story short, their records were broken into and to be safe, I had to prove who I was...not an easy feat I discovered.  It was worth hiring a company to do that for me because there is great research involved but I am finally a legal citizen of the US with a valid birth certificate.  That called for a celebration!  For a time there I thought I may qualify for legal aid by means of food stamps and free medical, etc., if you know what I mean which may not have been too bad but...with that, I had to stay on land and not cruise.  I now own a passport!  Whoo Hoo!

Pets:  My cat Stasia is a typical "Southern Yard Cat"  She sleeps under the trees and guards her yard of strangers.  Most of her exercise consists of coming in to eat and going back out to resume her duties.  If you think things in the South are S-L-O-W try Nassau.  They are on their own island time all together.  With the advice of our friend Sami, Fred finally made a call to Nassau trying to track down the paperwork for her import documentation.  They found it, buried somewhere between last years and today's requests and faxed it stateside.  Mind you, this is less than a month away from departure.  She still needs the shots and Vet's signature.  Hope she is as good a boat guard as she is a yard guard.  Stay tuned!

Meds...if you are aging, like me, you have earned the award for keeping yourself alive with everything you need in a bottle (pill bottle that is).  That's a lot of pills to stow away while at sea and they may not believe ya so start early convincing them you are really blessed to go on such an excursion.  Eventually they will believe you.

So far, things are looking up and I am about to start packing, after I finish this 4 page list of things to do before we leave.  I am now working on page 3!
Glad you are with us...this may be a good way to keep up with our trip and see pictures.  If you are on Skype, let us know through email.