Connecting with my daughter - Days 174 to 177 - Stuart, FL

On Thursday, March 24, Diana departed for Chicago, her first visit in almost six months.  Kodi and I stayed behind.  The plan, which came together beautifully, was to spend the weekend with my daughter, Lesley, deal with maintenance issues and then join Diana in Chicago for what I expect to be a whirlwind five days connecting with friends and going to Ann Scott's wedding.

On Friday, I drove to West Palm Beach to meet Lesley and her friend Scott who had flown in from Rhode Island for a weekend visit.  We drove back to the marina and after an enthusiastic greeting from the Furry Kid, had dinner at Wahoo's, the restaurant immediately adjacent to the marina.  Then we sat on the boat, enjoyed the lovely evening (clear and 78 degrees) with a bottle of 2005 Mount Veeder Cabernet Savingnon.

Lesley and Scott enjoying a glass of Mt Veeder 2005 Cabernet Savingnon

Saturday morning, Kodi's dog sitter, Wilma picked Kodi up so we could go to the West Palm Beach boat show and have dinner with Ron and Linda Markovits. 

Before the show, Lesley, Scott and I then ventured across the St Lucie river for breakfast at Duffy's. 

We depart Guided Discovery for the historic downtown

When we arrived at the show, we called Ron and Linda who were on the 55 Fleming and proceeded to join them.  Then Lesley, Scott and I explored the show.

Lesley posing by some VERY large yachts

The visit to the boat show caused me to rethink the 55 Fleming.  Several issues trouble me.  The cockpit is too long and 75% uncovered.  The salon is a little tight, the salon settee is not entirely comfortable, and the master stateroom, which is located in the bow, is a bit tight.  Add to that the fact that it's tough to make the bed in the V-berth.  The show was an opportunity to explore other alternatives.

After checking out several boats it became clear that to achieve real comfort we need to be in the 60 foo range.  Interestingly, that's not a big jump from the Fleming as its overall length is 60 feet.  It's just a matter of how the 60 feet are used.  Two boats that I found most interesting were a 52 Benateau, a new entry from the French sailboat manufacturer that makes amazing use of space, and a 65 Outer Reef that was incredibly comfortable.  The 52 salesman, Tom Healey offered a sea trial if I were interested.  More in the next article.

After the show, we joined Ron and Linda for dinner at Taverna Opa, a Geek restaurant in City Place, a Navy Pier type happening place.

Lesley and I at City Place

Tavena Opa was, to put it mildly, an experience.  The Greek music was loud, there were belly dancers and the mood was festive.  I'll let the photos tell the story.

Linda joins with the Belly Dancer

"Opa"

Sunday, we dingied to Sunset Bay Marina for lunch and then spent the afternnon chatting at the swimming pool.

Lunch at Sailor's Retreat at the Sunset Bay Marina

Late Sunday afternoon, Scott and I tackled a light repair problem.  I had discovered a bolt in the forward bilge (not good) where the bow thruster resides.  Using a light and a mirror we systematically explored the unit (which is hard to access) to discover the bolt's home.  Good news!  we found its home.

All good things must come to an end.  I drove Lesley and Scott back to West Palm Airport for their 8:00 PM departure.

I had a great time with Lesley and Scott.  Lesley has a bachelors in biology, a masters in theology and is working on a Ph.D in education.  She teaches advanced placement biology at Classical High School in Providence Rhode Island.  She is also familiar with my work and my book.  Her friend Scott teaches biology at Classical and runs a jet ski rental business on the Cape during the summer.  These two were fun to chat with.  We had a great visit.

Written by Les.

A moment for pause - Day 178 - Stuart, FL

Readers will recall that we had dinner with Dick and Kathy Hoffman at Prime One Twelve, a lovely restaurant in South Beach during the Miami Boat Show.  A fun filled evening that included taking our photo next to a bad-boy Rolls Royce and a slow cruise (the traffic was terrible) up Collins Ave to look at the beautiful people. 

Kathy, Dick, Les and Diana at Prime One Twelve

Bad-boy Rolls Royce

Diana and I had breakfast two days later with Dick and Kathy at the on Grove Isle.  This adventure included a dingy ride to view Vizcaya from the water.

Chatting at breakfast on Grove Isle

Dick and Kathy are Belmont Harbor boat neighbors who we have become friends with over the years.  They too own a 48 Sundancer (Sea Sharp) and attended our going away party thrown by Pam Rose for our Belmont Harbor friends along with Mike, Brad, Wendy, Mark, Laura and Bob.  They took our "official" departure photos from their boat.

Diana and Kodi on Sea Sharp as Guided Discovery departs (they joined me 3 days later)

Thursday, as we enjoyed another of our continuing lovely days, we learned that Kathy Hoffman had died in a tragic and bizarre (see link) automobile accident on Rand Road not far from her home.

http://www.arlingtoncardinal.com/2011/03/25/kathy-hoffman-hit-while-entering-her-car-at-car-wash-on-rand-rd-lake-zurich/

We were shocked and deeply saddened by this news.  Kathy was a lovely, intelligent and vibrant person with a warm smile and a good heart.  We are further saddened by the fact that we did not have more time to spend with her and Dick.  Kathy was 55.

Without question, this has been the only bump on what has been a fantastic journey.

Kathy's passing, so sudden in its nature, caused us reflect on life in general and the term "carpe diem" (seize the day) and the name on our friend's Darryl's and Sue's boat "Present Moment."  We were reminded that you only have the present moment and that there are no guarantees going forward.  So, seize the day.

Our hearts go out to the Hoffman family in their time of grief.

Kathy was beautiful person.  We will always remember her. 

Written by Les and Diana.

Settling down - 166 to 172 - Riviera Beach to Stuart, FL

At noon on Wednesday, we concluded our maintenance work with the installation of the Clarion amplifier and proceeded north on the ICW to Jupiter.

The 13.4 mile two hour run up the ICW was, as usual, slow, uneventful and scenic with many very exquisite homes.  One was particularly interesting as it had our boat, a 48 Sundancer parked in front on a lift. 

48 Sundancer on a lift in a high rent district

Another interesting landmark was the beautiful Jupiter Light House along the Jupiter Inlet.

Our destination was the JIB Yacht Club and Marina on the ICW just north of the Jupiter Inlet; at least that was how it was identified in the cruising guide.  Turns out it was not a yacht club.  It was just a small marina associated with a condominium development.  The only amenity was a small swimming pool.  They assigned us to the face dock as shown in the photo below.  Strangely, our satellite TV and air card reception were blocked by the condo building just to the east.

Guided Discovery at the JIB Club and Marina

The connectivity problem and remote location prompted us to move to Stuart, a destination that had been on our short list.  We departed JIB Club and Marina (it's real name) at 1:00 PM and headed north along the ICW.  This 3 hour run, which covered 24 miles was made at low tide.  This turned out to be a plus as most of the sandy shoals are clearly visible.  Again, the real estate was high priced.

Folks walking on a sand bar along the ICW

We think the bow of this 100 foot yacht is sitting on land

And they are still building high priced properties

We arrived at the Harborage Yacht Club and Marina around 4:00 PM.  Our first activity was signing a lease so that we could stay here until April 6 at a monthly rate ($800) that will average out at $40 per day; the lowest cost dockage thus far.

On top of this we are at a first class facility with two restaurants, a pool room with a good table, a workout room and a lovely swimming pool.  This is a real yacht club.

The pool room

Intimate restaurant

Our second activity was finding a home for Kodi while we are in Chicago.  This was solved fortuitously as we were walking down the dock.  A gentlemen overheard our conversation, introduced himself as a local school headmaster and gave us the name of the school's librarian Monica who with her sister, Wilma, host dogs in their home ONE AT a TIME.  PERFECT!!!  We made contact with Wilma and she and Kodi hit it off.

Harborage is located on the St Lucie river, which is the north east entrance to the Okeechobee Waterway (the shortcut to Fort Myers on the Gulf).  The historic downtown area is located to the south across the river.  On the evening of our arrival we walked a mile and a half across the Roosevelt Bridge with Kodi and explored the downtown area.   Stuart's historic downtown is magical with no franchised shops, lots of restaurants, a river walk and an active Lyric Opera.

The downtown is also accessible by water as the city maintains a first class courtesy dock, the best we've seen thus far.  The signs say you can dock for four hours but I suspect this is not enforced.

Stuart's courtesy dock

River walk

Since our arrival four days ago we have ventured downtown three times; twice with the dingy.  Our Sunday excursion included the ArtsFest, which turned out to be over a 1/2 mile long and first class.

Stuart ArtFest

At the entrance to the marina we discovered the unique 52 foot multihulled express cruiser below.  There was no manufacturer's name on the hull.  On Tuesday, I noticed a person on the boat and stopped to ask a few questions.  It turn out he was a design engineer with a Naval Architect firm (Ocean5) who was onboard to assess the logisics of adding 10 more feet to the boat.  He explained that the boat is a custom design built by Meilhan, a company with headquarter in Elmhurst, IL.  The yacht is named Gemini II.  Its a powercat (two hulls) with a top speed of 50 MPH and a HOT TUB in its cockpit.  Check it out with this link to a virtual tour.  This is a unique boat.

Meilhan Gemini II powercat custom yacht

Diana will by departing on the 24th for Chicago.  Kodi and I will host my daughter Lesley and her boyfriend, Scott, over the weekend.  I will depart for Chicago on the 31st for a whirlwind set of visits with friends and the wedding of Tom Scott's daughter Ann on Saturday.  Kodi will stay with Wilma and Monica until our return on April 5.

Life is good in Stuart.

Written by Les.

History, family and nautical - Day 163 to 165 - Delray Beach to Riviera Beach, FL

On Sunday, we visited with my first cousins Harriet and Harry at their home in Boynton Beach.  We were joined by Harriet's sister, Myrna (also my first cousin) and her husband, Kenny, her daughter, Nancy and her husband Fred and David, her son and his wife Lori (who's father runs a restaurant in Islamorada).  My first cousin (once removed) Merrill Thurman also joined us.  I had not seen her in 50 plus years, although I had talked and corresponded with her brother Michael (who lives in Boston).  Harry and Harriet's friend, Estelle Ringold, who we had met several times in West Lafayette (and her dog Jet).  It was a great reunion.  We stayed with Harry and Harriet until 10:00 PM.

Harry, Harriet, Myrna, Kenny and Nancy with Diana and Les

On Monday, after a leisurely morning, we returned the Enterprise Car and departed Delray Harbor Club (12:30) cruising slowly up the Intracoastal.  On the way, I succeeded in making arrangements for some needed although not urgent maintenance (i.e., leaking head seals, intermittent dingy mast light and static in the starboard cockpit stereo speakers).  The Rybovich Marine Center, where they used to build the famous Rybovich sport fishing boats, agreed to work on our boat ASAP and gave us directions to their yard, which is just north of the Port of Palm Beach.  The yard today is owned by Wayne Huizenga (see March 12 article "Touching a bit of history").

The pleasant 25 mile run along this section of the ICW took three and a half hours, which again was due to low bridges and no/minimum wake areas.  The scenery, however, changed as we progressed north from expensive homes along both sides of the waterway to condominiums to the west and luxury homes to the east (beach side).  Nothing quite as spectacular as Fort Lauderdale or Miami.  Oh yes, and more large yachts.

Luxury Hotel? in Palm Beach

We arrived at the Rybovich at 4:30 PM and docked next to a Trumpy wooden motor yacht, which we learned later was built in 1947.  Al, the service manager, helped us dock and showed us the transient facilities.  Very nice considering that this is a working yard (e.g., complete media room).

1947 Trumpy Motor Yacht

As we walked to the facilities, I noticed a large yacht on the hard.  Al explained that this was the Presidential Yacht Honey Fitz, which was at the yard for a complete restoration.  The yacht was used by Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.  She is being restored by a private owner for charter service.

Presidential Yacht Honey Fitz

Presidential Seal

On Tuesday morning, we met Jim Moores, the owner of the Trumpy, who it turns out, was the general contractor responsible for the total rebuild of the Honey Fitz's hull (literally, piece by piece from the outside in).  From him I learned that she was built in 1931 by Defoe and that she is 93 feet.  The hull rebuild will cost around $2,000,000 and the total retrofit will be in the neighborhood of $5,000,000.  The link above to the Kennedy Presidential Library is fascinating. 

Later that evening, Diana, Kodi and I took the dingy for an evening (8:30 PM) cruise on Lake Worth in search of a light dinner.  With a little help from a fellow boater, who stopped to admire the Furry Kid, we were directed to the Sailfish Resort and Restaurant on the east side of Lake Worth.  We had a lovely dinner and a magical evening, which turned more so when we arrived back at our boat and noticed that a 75 foot wooden yacht had docked next to us.

On Tuesday, during my discussion with Jim, I learned that Justice, the 75, was built by Consolidated in 1930 and is the oldest surviving example of a Commuter Boat.  Justice was actually used by her owner to commute from Connecticut to New York City in the 30s.  Click on the link for more history.

1930 75' Consolidated Motor Yacht

What makes Justice unique is the fact that she is a piercing hull, a design that enables her to cut through waves rather than ride on top of them as is the case with a planning hull.  She is also capable of speeds exceeding 30 MPH.  Note: She has a beam of only 13 feet as compared to Guided Discovery's beam of 14' 8".  Up to now, I knew hulls as planning, semi displacement and displacement.  Now I have added piercing to my knowledge base.

Note: Followers will recall that I worked on a 65 foot Wheeler Motor Yacht, the Randy Boatshoe, as first mate in the early 60s.  It was owned by the Randolph Manufacturing Company; maker of the Randy Boatshoe, erstwhile competitor of the Sperry Topsider.  Hence, my fascination with old wooden yachts.

Meanwhile, Guided Discovery's problems were being solved.  We replaced the mount for the dingy mast light, changed the working parts in the heads and replaced the amplifyer for the cockpit stereo system.  Total cost $1,310.

View of the eentertainment system gut with flat screen TV removed (amp is on the upper left)

Oh yes, another nice feature of the Rybovich yard; floating dock.  Add low cost dockage at $1.25 per foot and cheap fuel at $3.69 per gallon (as compared to $4.45 across the "lake" at Sailfish).  Only downside is a rather depressed neighborhood.  However, across the lake the neighborhoods are upsale and only a short dingy ride away.

Guided Discovery at Rybovich next to the 75 Consolidated

Written by Les.

Now the bridges - Day 162 - Fort Lauderdale to Delray Beach, FL

Friday morning, we left Fort Lauderdale and the beautiful Lauderdale Yacht Club.  Our goal was Delray Beach where we had an 11:00 AM appointment with Enterprise to be picked up at the marina.  The car is needed for gathering with the Morrison Family in Boynton Beach.  Enterprise closes around 12:00 PM.  Hence, punctuality was needed if we were to get their vehicle (and a very good deal $24/day).

The night before we determined that there were a total of 12 bridges between Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach.  According to the cruising guide, two of the 12 had less than our absolute minimum of 14?? feet of clearance.  Additionally, there were three bridges that showed 15 foot clearance.  Fifteen feet is a bit tight.  Note: Sea Ray is not forthcoming on the exact bridge clearance number.  Further, fuel, water and "stuff on board" all have a bearing on clearance as do tides.  So, we planned to approach the 15 footers slowly with Diana on the bow to check for clearance.  Additionally, the 5 bridges that concerned us all has scheduled opening times, which is not as time efficient as "on demand."

Another consideration for this run on the ICW are a large number of no wake and minimum wake zones.  Factoring the slow zones and the two or possibly five bridges into the equation, I estimated, conservatively, three and a half hours to cover the required 25 miles.  That left a 30 minute "fudge" factor if we were to arrive at 11 o'clock.  Hence, our goal was a 7:00 AM departure.

We awoke to absolutely clear skies, unlimited visibility and winds out of the north east at around 10 MPH.  We departed promptly at 6:55 AM leaving all of our time margins in tact. 

As anticipated, the run up this segment of the ICW is very slow, which is no problem as we had factored that in.  Then came our first surprise.  The 15 foot clearance at the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Commercial Avenue was a fiction.  The gauge at the bridge showed 12 feet.  Deduct 10 minutes from our margin as we waited for this bridge to open.

The reported 15 foot clearance at Pompano's Atlantic Avenue Bridge (MM 1056) was also a fiction.  Again 12 feet and another unplanned 10 minute delay.  It could have been worse as this bridge, like Commercial Boulevard, open only on the hour and 1/2 hour.

The next bridge, Pompano's 14th Street, a 15 footer, turned out to have 16 feet.  This was good news.  After that things went as planned and we had good timing the two bridges that we knew we would not clear on our own.  Only one four minute delay.

Bottom line: We covered the 35 miles in three hours and 40 minutes.  Yes our planning was reasonable good but I do not like boating with deadlines.

We arrived at the Delray Harbor Club at 10:35 AM and again we were faced with a challenge.  The dockmaster (actually mistress) put us in the most difficult slip to access (for us) in the southwest corner of the harbor.  This required a cursive "Y" maneuver in narrow fairways.  Fortunately, the winds were less than 15 miles per hour and we backed the boat into a stern in port tie with no problem. 

Guided Discovery in a tight spot

The only good news was floating docks; easy on easy off -- especially for Kodi.  We have not been in a marina with a floating dock since Key West. 

Note: There is no question that the wide range of docking situations encountered during the last 2,400 miles has sharpened my skills.  Still, maneuvering a 35,000 pound boat in close quarters keeps one rather focused.

Enterprise arrived at 11:15 after Diana called and added extra margin.  This was good too as it takes a few minutes to tie up the boat and plug in the power.  I walked out to parking lot at 11:14 and there they were.  I love it when a plan comes together.

After securing the rental car, we decided to catch a 2:45 movie at the Oriental Theatre in the shopping center just across from the marina.  Oops.  they lied too.  The 2:45 showing had been cancelled even though it showed up on the internet.

So, we decided to explore downtown shops at Delray Beach's famous Atlantic avenue shopping center and serendipitously ran in to an estimated 10,000 people celebratingg St. Patricks day and of course, the big parade.  Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera as I THOUGHT we were going to the movies.  So, the photos below are from Diana's IPhone.

That's me watching the parade

Landmark Colony Hotel

Historic 1896 FEC Train Station

After the parade we explore downtown with its historic sites, tony shops and wide variety of restaurants.  Dinner was at Cafe de France on Atlantic Avenue.  It was excellent.

We plan to stay in Delray Beach for three days.  Then on to ---- well that's up to Diana.

Written by Les.

Touching a bit of history - Days 159 to 161 - Fort Lauderdale, FL

On Wednesday, I shared with Diana what I had learned from Pam.  Together with Kodi, we took the inside route and followed the Cordova Street canal to New River and then to downtown. 

The home in the photo below as viewed from the Cordova Street canal is owned by a boat manufacturer and, according to locals, is used as a background for photographing their yachts.

On the way downtown we passed Wayne Huizenga's home where there appeared to be a wedding in progress.  The folks were dressed to the nines.

Note: Huizenga founded Waste Management, Blockbuster and AutoNation.  Hyuizenga's palatial compound can be accessed by land at the end of Ponce De Leon.  An unmanned police cruiser sits in front.

Wedding at Huizenga's palatial compound



Downtown restaurant where you can tie up and eat

When we arrived downtown we docked at the town's floating pier, explored the river walk and discovered a bit of Fort Lauderdale culture. 

View of  New River from the river walk.



Museum of Science and Discovery

Broward Center for the Performing Arts



Historic New River Inn built in 1905

One of the highlights of this adventure was a monstrous kinetic energy clock in the courtyard of the Museum of Science and Discovery.  Sitting 52 feet high it is the largest kinetic energy sculpture in Florida and one of three kinetic energy clocks in the entire world. 

Kinetic energy clock

What was particularly interesting to me is the fact that the clock was donated by JM Family Enterprises, Inc. Those of us who are old enough may remember Jim Moran the courtesy man.  Moran went on to found Southeast Toyota and then became a competitor of the Pat Ryan & Associates (now known as the The Warranty Group), the company where I spent 38 years.  Moran was also a well respected yachtsman and his passing was noted by Yachting Magazine.  Click on the links to learn more.  Moran's story is fascinating.

Thursday, late morning  cold front pushed through bringing with it thunderstorms with high winds followed by light rain.  The whole episode lasted about two hours.  The remainder of the day was beautiful with cooler temperatures and a spectacular sunset.

Sunset viewed from the Lauderdale Yacht Club

Friday, we spent the afternoon with one of my oldest friends (circa 1978), Jim Long, the famous Chevrolet dealer (actually in the late 70s the largest Chevrolet dealer in the US)  Again, those of us with a few years will remember Long's nephew, Timmy the paperboy, ("Extra, extra....).  Jim now lives in Gainesville with his daughter Maureen (Mo).  We had lunch at the yacht club and reminisced about old times.  It was great fun reconnecting.

Jim Long.  One of my oldest friends

Can't resist a photo by the boat

FYI: I spent my 38 year career with The Warranty Group, a company that supplied consulting service and insurance products to dealers (who then marketed the products to their customers).  That company was founded by Pat Ryan who went on to found Aon Corporation, the largest commercial insurance brokerage in the world.  So it is interesting that in a period of 3 days, my path touched four of the biggest names in the automobile business (Huizenga, Moran, Long and Ryan).

Written by Les.