Week 19: Back in the US, back in the US, back in the US(SR)

A false start.  The new shift cable needed further adjustment. We waved everyone goodbye and backed slowwwwwwly from our slip and straight across to the empty slip behind us. It was slipping so badly that I felt it had to be adjusted – a small delay. The engine idle was also far too high so I took the opportunity to look for a any faulty grounds – and found a whopper right behind the coil. It was 10:00 o’clock already – so we decided to stay another day. Peter and Kathleen on Now or Never departed at noon for an overnighter to Ft Pierce and we all turned out to see them off.

The next morning it was a beautiful departure, and we already had the sails up as the sun rose behind  North Bimini.  

We goosewinged due West in a light Easterly breeze at about 4.5 knots and had every hope that the forecast winds (“building southeasterly”) would actually develop. And just like the Southwesterlies which bore us to Bimini, the daylight hours passed in flukey-fluffy conditions – building to a robust 15 knots only for the last few hours of the crossing. This coincided with our ‘intense’ Gulfstream time so we were clocking up to 9 knots over the bottom in our little boat.

The sun went down as we approached the Lake Worth Inlet. The engine started on command at the outer mark and lasted almost all the way in the inlet, which we entered on the end of a rising tide. We sailed into the Peanut Island Anchorage and dropped the hook, only to face an hour of unfouling the roller-furling feed line and other housekeeping tasks. We hoisted our quarantine flag at 10:00 o’clock, just as another vessel joined us in the anchorage.

Lake Worth is a busy harbour and we were awakened by the sounds of a nearby dredging operation and the departures of a couple of freighters as the day broke sunny and fair. I stumbled into the cockpit with my first cup of coffee and was listening to the radios, while checking the plotter to see if we had dragged. Something invaded my peripheral vision and when I turned - I found that I was looking at a fifty-five footer 10 feet away - but alongside, which seemed to have appeared from nowhere. I first tried hailing the sailboat Lion King, flying a Dutch ensign and a quarantine flag. Then I tried calling on channel 16, again unsuccessfully. She then moved away and no longer seemed to be dragging anchor.

We made breakfast and tried one more time to get any one of our three telephones to work so that we could ‘check-in’ with Customs and Immigration – with no luck.  Susan had let the Track-phone account slide and there were only a few minutes on it, not nearly enough since our call would inevitably be put on hold. She had purchased 300 minutes for the Virgin phone (the one which served as our camera and which provided 3G connection in Bimini) but had failed to note that the minutes would expire after only one month.

We launched our tender but could not find the fitting for the outboard gas hose which I had removed and put in a SAFE place. So we rowed. We rowed across the busy commercial harbour making a beeline for the combination Casino and Customs Office (no kidding!). The wharves were all posted “NO TRESPASSING” with other dire warnings, so we rowed up the Inter-Coastal Waterway – eventually coming to the Community Marina, still under construction.  I recommend to those who follow in our steps that you anchor in front of the public beach. Had we known we would have been spared having to travel across a busy tidal commercial harbour.

After tying the dinghy to a palm tree on the beach beside a few other, equally ‘tatty’ones. We stowed our PFD’s and started walking. It was a short 5 minutes before we found our way to the building, which is NOT MARKED by any relevant signage. We had a wonderfully brief ‘processing’, received our Cruising Permit, and got our passports stamped as did another Canadian couple. The Customs lady advised that we would need a ‘sticker’, but that she could not sell us one. The glossy brochure in Susans hand at that moment said exactly the opposite thing but we did not argue with her – agreeing that we would seek out the ‘sticker’.  The Dutch couple from Lion King were not so fortunate. Since they were arriving from a country with which the US does not have reciprocal agreements (Cuba), they were given clearance to proceed to their next US port of call, where they would again have to ‘check-in’, getting another clearance to proceed.

This was explained to us by a professional broker who makes his living dealing with government agencies on behalf of clients for such matters as customs clearance, registrations and so on. He also told us that he charges $2000 to handle the processing of a Canadian Registration and $5000 to handle one for Panama or Nevis/St Kitts. He was extremely helpful, directing me to the nearest auto parts supply house, a NAPA – which, it so happened, was located a block away from the public marina.

We joined Harry and Anse(sp.?), the couple from Lion King, for a hamburger lunch at the beachfront Tiki-Hut restaurant and listened to stories from their three-years cruise from Holland north to Iceland, then to Greenland and on to Newfoundland before travelling to the Azores and then to the Canary Islands and West to the Caribbean Islands. They had arrived in the US from Cuba, their last port-of-call being Veradero-Darsena, and were able to share a few thoughts about our home-away-from-home of last winter.

After lunch we walked to the NAPA where I listed the three Echlin part numbers for a distributor cap, rotor and a ballasted high energy coil, to the young man behind the counter. Only one minute and sixty dollars later we exited NAPA with the goods and began looking for the Boat Owners Warehouse. The heat here in Florida got to us before we arrived at BOW and we dallied in the air-conditioning picking thru ICW cruising guides and chart books, and also getting a replacement gas line connector for the Honda outboard. Another sixty bucks!  It sure is easy to spend money when everything you want to buy is right there – ready to be bought. Welcome back to the USA!

The tide had turned and it carried us down the ICW effortlessly.  As we neared the Entrance channel the starboard rowlock, which I had secured with stainless wire, pulled clear of its socket. We struggled ashore on Peanut Island and I salvaged the wire and reconnected it. The tender had received no maintenance – despite my best intentions. I had meant to get a new rowlock socket while at BOW but forgot to. Now it is time to worry.

We watched the gambling cruise ship leave the dock and pass us in the channel, and after a couple of smaller pontoon shuttles passed, there was a break in traffic, so I went for it. I struggled against an ebb tide which could spit us out into the Gulfstream with the shortest oars anyone should ever have to use. We were really putting up a spray.  Susan was sitting at my back, looking forward while cheering me on with words of encouragement.  As we cleared the channel I was now rowing AGAINST the flow from the anchorage and I dialed to pace up even further. As we tied on alongside Panacea, our new Dutch friends arrived in the outboard inflatable.  They had decided that they would go back offshore and make as few calls at US ports as possible.  Having been denied a cruising permit – they had made an obvious choice.  As I quaffed a cold Budweiser and recovered from my strenuous experience, they weighed and sailed back out of harbour.

We stayed at anchor and relaxed. There would be time enough to put the engine parts on in the morning.

We awoke early and I immediately installed the new ignition parts, also enriching both carburetor jets slightly.  I was pretty focussed on the engine when I started it. Susan’s shouting did not make it immediately clear that I had started the engine with the transmission in forward gear and was dragging our anchor in a big circle. No panic...neutral...engine sounds good...hmmm...the anchor isn’t holding....oh crap!

Susan hauled all 30 feet of three eights chain and the 35 pound hi-tensile Danforth to the waterline.  She came aft after tying off and took over so that I could deal with the ball of chain that was wrapped around the anchor. We had rotated around the anchor all night long! No wonder it would not hold.

Susan piloted us north in the InterCoastal Waterway, past Peanut Island, the Customs Casino and the public park where we had beached our tender. Meanwhile I was hanging off the bow unwrapping the anchor, eventually chocking it home and stowing some of the rode.  As we motored beneath a traffic bridge the engine was purring.....finally....we finally raised Whisper on channel 68.

An hour later we joined Whisper at the northernmost anchorage of Lake Worth. We had not seen Vic and Marilyn in nearly two months and had a lot to catch up on.  The next day we started our trip north on the ICW. Marilyn acted as flotilla commander for a gaggle of four sailboats. She called the bridges on channel 9 to request an opening. As Tailend Charlie, I soon learned the protocol for announcing that our group had passed and calling in that Panacea was clear of the bridge and thanks for the opening.  At one bridge one of the boats from mid-pack called in to announce that he had cleared and to express his thanks – which fooled the bridge operator - who announced that he was closing the span. I hastily advised him that we were still under the bridge. Who needs to have a bridge lowered on top of them? Apparently this has happened in the past.

As lunchtime approached we noticed a return of ignition breakdown and pulled over to investigate.  Everything was HOT. The engine had used a lot of coolant. I rigged a hose into the header tank and placed a funnel in the hose. Susan had a new job.  She monitored several parts of the engine which seemed to be overheating using the laser thermometer...annd...added what turned out to be 8 ounces of water every 15 minutes to keep the coolant topped-up.

The verdict was clear...a blown head gasket, and pretty seriously blown –too, since we were running the cooling system ‘open’ – as in:unpressurized. We went back on the waterway after things cooled down. The engine continued to purr and I began to plan my next visit to NAPA.  Flathead engines are relatively easy to change a head gasket on – right? Within an hour the accessory drive noise that I had previously dealt with by overfilling the oil was making a roar again. The oil level had dropped.  We added some – but this time the noises just got louder. Like Kurt Russell (as captain Ron) said:         “after you get away from the dock anything that happens” ...(he looks far away)...”is going to happen ... out there.”.  In our case  it is more like everything than anything.

After due consideration I told Victor what was going on and told him we would be stopping at Ft Pierce to effect repairs. Whisper went on to the actual destination of the day, Vero Beach after standing by to make sure that we were not in danger of breaking down before making port.

We had called ahead to Harbourtown Marina and been given a slip number.

I hope no one witnessed our arrival.

My heart was in my mouth.  Susan was still trying to get tie-up lines on and to shorten the painter when we left the Waterway for Harbourtown channel.  We started to haul in the Genoa like a well practiced team.  Unfortunately the furling line was on the windlass in a perfect triple-wrap clove hitch. I have been critical of Susans clove hitch in the past, but this one was PERFECT ! By the time we realized it was knotted she had winched it very, very tight. And we were turning out of the channel and into the docks. We loosed the jib sheets to de-power the flailing genoa sail and Susan went on bow-duty calling out dock addresses. We overshot and had to loop back to the odd numbers of our dock.  As we approached our slip, we noticed that the promised line handler was nowhere to be seen. I lined Panacea up and - in we went. I whacked reverse as if I was driving a Bay of Fundy fishing boat....and presto....we were right where we had to be and motionless. The engine stalled as I leapt into action – securing the windward spring-line.  I assumed a more casual aire as I stepped to the dock and tied the bow lines and then the other spring line. Together we went to work on the ball of rope at the windlass and had the genoa furled nice and tight, in an easy minute. A couple of minutes in the tender with a boat hook placed the stern lines and we were secure.

My pulse was coming back down as the adrenalin subsided. I sat down and breathed a sigh. Susan came to the cockpit and stood before me, head cocked to one side and announced: “I think that went rather well!”

Laughter shed any remaining stress that I was experiencing.

After we checked-in and paid the dockmaster we looked at the hundreds of neat and tidy boats around us and went back into hyper-manic mode one more time, arranging fuel cans, scrubbing the anchor mud off the bow and washing the anchor itself. And then we went visiting. We immediately met our friends Peter and Kathleen on Now or Never, whom we had last seen only a few days ago in North Bimini and made a date for happy hour. 

We also met Marty and Lori who had sailed Caribee East from Bimini only a week ago. They had been bound for the Turks and Caicos and points south. We were so surprised...and they filled us in on a sad tale. Their engine failed departing Nassau and they struck a submerged rock while entering an anchorage to fix it. The grounding broke one of the steering cables and they required a tow to Nassau where repairs were made. An inspection was required of the underbody and they decided to return to the US to get hauled out for an inspection. After arriving in Ft Pierce they decided that they will continue the trip next year and might bring their 34 foot C&C south from Montreal, as it is probably more suited to Bahamas waters.  Their ‘southboat’ is a Bavaria 44 and it draws a whopping seven and a half feet.

As I write this we have all decided to haul out in Ft Pierce for the summer. Now or Never, Whisper, Panacea and Caribe will be together even when the sailing companions are apart.

On Wednesday Vic, Marilyn, Susan and myself drove a rental car to St Augustine to retrieve our vehicles from the marina at Palatka. We took the opportunity to visit the Sailors Exchange, where Sue picked up 2.5 yards of our signature colour (jockey red) of sunbrella material to make solar collector covers.

Riverside Marina will be hauling the boats, but probably won’t get to us until next week. Apparently they tried to call us yesterday – while we were in St Augustine - about an opening. They had the wrong phone number so we corrected that at the office and had a long visit aboard Osprey with Joe and Yvonne. Joe gave me the ‘tour’ and has offered to assist when I bring the ‘new to us’ Westerbeke diesel into service next fall.  He has the identical engine and the tidiest installation I have ever seen. 

 Susan and I are now in a big hurry – as Justin is advising us that a record spring freshet is already affecting the Saint John Power Boat Club. We are getting out the long underwear in readiness.