First Roughwater Post


18 months out of the blogosphere, but I've decided to get back into blogging our cruising adventures. After selling the Mainship 34 in April of 2012, we began our serious search for a Roughwater 41. We knew it was the only boat within our price range that would satisfy our boat wish list ... but they are not that common, only made from mid 1970's to mid 1980's and almost all of them are on the west coast.  In June of 2012, we found our new boat on Craigslist (?!?), flew to Florida, had the boat surveyed, closed the deal, and cruised her to Indiantown Marina on the Ochechobee Waterway to be put on the hard for the remainder of the summer (hurricane season).  We returned home and spent the next three months studying the numerous photos we had taken, ordering boat parts and dreaming of our return.  October 1, we loaded the van  to the roof and drove down.  Within a few days we were safely tucked into a slip at Harbortown Marina in Fort Pierce and then the fun (ie. work) began.  The complete list of projects we completed by the New Year are too numerous to list, we worked 8-10 hours a day, 7 days a week, a labor of love most of the time. I decided to forgo the blog thinking no one would want to read about motor mounts, shaft straightening, marine toilets, curtains, and alot of varnishing.  We spent our spare time commiserating, eating, laughing, and playing cards with Brett and Susan.  These fun folks are from MN, and had recently purchased their first cruising boat, a 42' Jefferson, and were working on her in anticipation of doing the Great Loop, which they are now currently doing.  Here they are at the restaurant at the marina.

We ushered in 2013 by picking up BFF's Sue and Ron from the airport for a one month cruise.  Our new dinghy arrived, we bought davits and motor from a sailor in the marina and rigged it all up.  We set off for our "shake down cruise", west on the the Okeechobee Waterway, south to the Florida Keys for a month's stay and then back up the Atlantic Intracoastal to Harbortown ... sometimes called the "Little Florida Loop".  We had our fair share of issues, electrical, fuel, and others.  There were moments when Steve wished he had his old Mainship back ... this one is like starting over with every system, repair, and improvement.   But the weather was gorgeous and we were enjoying the room, storage, and comfort of the new boat and being able to have friends join us.  Here we are heading into Fort Myers, thanks to Looper friend Tom for taking this from his condo.  Ain't she lovely.

We hooked up to a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor in Marathon for a month.  It's a low cost way to enjoy this fun cruising town.  There are lots of sailboats headed for the Bahamas and Great Looper Trawlers enjoying the Florida winter, along with folks who live full time on their boats. 

We explored the island, rode in the dinghy and just enjoyed.  The last time we stayed in Marathon we were in a Marina, but wanted to see what it was like to spend a month on a ball.  On the Roughwater, no problem.  Sue and Ron went back to Miami airport via the Keys Shuttle and a week later Jack and Nan (readers may remember them as our Gibson 37 cruising buddies during our Great Loop) shuttled on down for a week long cruise back to Harbortown via the Atlantic Intracoastal.  First we all attended a Looper Gathering at Banana Bay in Marathon, an annual event, and had a great time reuniting with more looping friends.

Our cruise up the Keys and through the Miami/Fort Lauderdale megapolis was trouble free.  We discovered a new anchorage right across from downtown Miami called Miami Marine Stadium.  Here we are in the dinghy, going to see the abandoned stadium. 

Built in 1963 on a huge man made harbor on Virginia Key to host powerboat races and concerts on barges, the stadium was abandoned after 30 years following Hurricane Andrew and has really fallen into disrepair.  It is considered a Miami Landmark, however, and there is a movement afloat to restore and reopen it.  Meanwhile, the harbor remains a peaceful and popular place for an overnight anchorage with a great view of the Miami lights at night.

 

 

Back in Fort Pierce, we continued to enjoy this great Marina and town.  Our final adventure of the cruising season was driving to Tampa and boarding the Norwegian Dawn with all 5 of my sisters adult children and their spouses/SO's.  Our first time on a big cruise ship, organized by the "kids" so we could all be together while we are all still healthy.  

 

Here we are in our tiaras and formal wear.  Copied from facebook, this pic gets real blurry when I enlarge, but you get the idea.  We went to the western Carribean and had a blast.  In early April, we had the boat lifted and stored for the summer and returned to our home in MN.  Here she is coming out of the water at Glades Boat Storage on the Okeechobee Waterway.

 So that's a condensed version of our first season on the new boat.  Welcome back, thanks for reading, and please stay tuned.  Our cruising plans this season include going to the Bahamas, so we'll have some new adventures to share.