In this month I hit the big one and flew back to Calgary to celebrate with friends. And finally it was time to sail off the Hudson dock and get the next chapter started. Thanks to Fabio, Igor and Dale for crewing and getting me and Costa 49 to Marathon, Florida.
A few days doing more boat tidy ups, repairs and diagnoses.
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| Tight fit, low bridge deck :( |
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| over a month since bottom paint, need a clean |
Fun leak that will need a major repair...
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| Stock up the cans |
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| $10 for everything |
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| Lettering.com for $100 |
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| Not good |
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| Crappy old gas lines that will cause issues |
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| More Florida |
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One of the things putting
a smile on my face! |
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in a panic to get engines going
better I paid $90 for 10ft of tube |
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With this much water in the gas
will those new tubes really help? |
Igor showing me the self-drive feature of his Tesla. I also got to "not" drive his Tesla.
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| Look at the kayak |
Back to Canada to celebrate half a century...
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| Chau for now TPA |
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| Meat bites |
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| Some times the window seat is paradise |
Mom just loves here Christmas toys
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| It happened |
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| A little book on things that happened in 1975 |
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| Re-use |
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Grey Eagle and probably every
Casino gives you $10 on your
Birthday |
The Keg; could have chosen a million spots, but the Keg Steakhouse was definitely somewhere we always celebrated and a very Canadian place serving delicious prime rib and other plates like bacon wrapped scallops. Can you believe that steak is now the price of lobster!?
Could be the least prepared birthday song ever as I cleared off the dishes of the table to make space for the gluten and dairy free cake...Dairy allergy 30 years, Gluten allergy 3 years. Looking forward to the next half century.
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Good turn out although I was surprised my bro
and a few others left before "happy birthday"
Like leaving a wedding before the "I do" |
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| Thanks Mom! |
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| Very delicious gluten and dairy cupcakes |
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| Good Nate and Chris were there |
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| Thanks Robinsons |
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| Game on Chris |
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| Thanks Mike |
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| Thanks Maria |
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| Thanks Nate |
Back to YYC airport and Tampa and Hudson and my "anchor and chain"
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| Loving the Visa lounge |
Finally got crew and ready to head South to Marathon, Florida to prepare boat to go to Bahamas with the help of some experienced sailors at Boot Key Harbour.
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| Fabio my first crew I met on Cruiserforums. |
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| Quick stop to fill up |
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| And use my gift cards from Chris and Nate! |
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| Side note: Cheap Divorce |
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| Leaving Hudson for good! |
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| This shop could be tidier |
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I think this was the moment I was happy
in the boat purchasing process |
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| Let's do it |
Day 1: Dunedin (25Nm). Passing Tarpon Springs for the last time also...
Sailing on the shallow Gulf of Mexico side
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| First bridge and radio passage |
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| Kinda chilly |
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| First anchorage near Dunedin |
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| Feels tight, but we had 10 ft |
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| Day 2: Anna Maria Key (41Nm) - Looks good |
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| Is it good? too shallow |
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| Anchor check, not clear and cold, but set |
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Beautiful, but too swallow, we hit bottom in the
night and had to move out 100 metres at 2am |
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Everybody has to drink
Turkey 101 if they crew! |
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Tracking boat movement
on anchor |
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| Day 3: Roberts Bay (40 Nm) near Venice |
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| In part of the ICW |
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| Not much cover from winds for the night |
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| And swallow |
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Day 4: Staying the night in
Captiva Passage(40Nm) |
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| Calm, but little windy in the night with swell |
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| ICW |
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It's not comfortable with
motorboats passing |
Day 5: Gordon's Pass, 46Nm.
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| Big boat for these shallows |
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| Surprising second day for Igor |
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Time to go for Igor and work
on his stomach for next time |
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Lovely anchorage in the rich area of Gordon's
Pass near Naples, FL |
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| Loaded up |
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| You made it buddy |
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| Thanks so much Rebecca for Sushi dinner! |
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| Lots of expensive yachts |
Day 6; Goodland (20 Nm) via a foggy morning, a few stuck in the mud moments including trying to anchor. In the end Fabio made it to the bus at 2pm and Dennis and Inga place was not the spot to service the boat...
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| Not too foggy to go |
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| Marco Island |
Low tide which made easier going under the bridge
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| Stuck in the mud, checking it out with the SUP |
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| Goodland |
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| Nice sunset |
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| Signs of a liberal paper |
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| Nice ramp |
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| Look at that homemade boat |
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| Amazing time in the bay |
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Filling up using the dinghy
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| Low tide its quite a drop |
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| Those needles are done rusted |
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| Yummy BBQ |
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| Welcome back Dale |
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| Delicious |
Day 7; Shark River (45 Nm) Opening Christmas presents on Boxing Day in route.
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| Flying the spinnaker |
Shark River for a cool shower
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| back on the Turkey 101 |
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| 7 Mile Bridge |
Day 8; Marathon (45Nm), Boot Key Harbor.
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| So many crab pots! |
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The abandon bridge by the
Boot Key Harbor |
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| Damn, lots of boats, I mean lots! |
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| At the marina office |
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| Dale up the mast |
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| There is Costa 49 |
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| NYE at Dockside bar |
