The Conch Republic

Why are these people smiling?

"We are the people, our parents warned us about...."

Monday, 12/21 off we go even before the sun has reported for work. Scratch that there is no work out here. We are up and going bright and early, making it out of Longboat Pass by 0730 and pointing our way south for the Keys. The weather forecast is perfect for us, 10-15k winds, ENE with moderate, read 2', seas. The first 18 hours are just perfect, the sun is shining, the wind is off our port beam (that's at a 90* angle to our left) and we are sailing along at a comfortable 6-7kts of boat speed. Breakfast, lunch and dinner under sail life is good. Sunset is great and we are into the night crossing at least this time around there is no fog and the moon is providing a good amount of light and then there are the stars, beautiful.

All this is before we pass Sanibel Island and leave US waters for international waters and the area of the charts which simply states, "Here there be dragons". It's deep and dark and of course the wind picks up along with the seas, so much for weather forecasts. N, NE winds replace our ideal and pick up to 20-25k with following seas of 6'. For those that have heard the saying, fair winds and following seas, it is really not a blessing but a bit of a curse. Following seas mean that big, nasty roiling bodies of ocean come crashing into you from behind, making things very uncomfortable. After reefing (reducing) all of our sails around 0200 on the 22nd, we were still surfing down waves making a good 7-7.5k (for Boto under reduced sail this is fast) finally we bring in the head sail completely using a reefed main only and still make 6-7k of boat speed and still we rock-n-roll. By 0500 things are getting a bit tiring as the rough seas and gusty winds have made sleeping difficult, at best we've each caught a brief puppy nap (no cat naps on Boto). By 0700 we've given in and cranked up the engine hoping to flatten out the ride a bit and give us some more speed as we've dropped below 5k.

Sunrise shows us that the large waves we caught glimpses off during the night were not our imagination, while 6' is not huge, when you are in the trough between two 6'+ waves you feel small, especially when they are occurring every 5 seconds or less. By noon of the 22nd things are looking up, we make sight of land and by 1300 we've made it to the outer sea buoy marking the channel into Key West. We've both been to Key West before as we're sure have many of you out there, but arriving via the water on a small boat is kinda exciting.

The trip down has been great, wind and waves aside and we make it to our anchorage off of Fleming Key without incident. We actually get a great dolphin show on our way in, imagine we get to see all the dolphins we can take in without having to fork over money to the dolphin tours, we also get our fill of sunrises and sunsets without having to sign up for the tour. Grab a boat and go see for yourself.

Mija and Chula have decided Key West is their favorite stop so far, especially as our first landfall on the 22nd was to grab a bite to eat at the Schooner Bar before getting some sleep and they were both welcomed to come in and have a seat. Of course they got to share in the burgers and fries but not the beer, there are limits after all. Christmas in Key West we've decided should be fun. Of course from there we decided that New Years in Key West should be even better, so here we are enjoying some time on the hook in the Southern Most city of the Union. Of course the Conch Republic views itself differently.

We've met a number of great folks, other cruisers as well as some of the locals all have been very eager to help and share a story. It's somehow reassuring to have a beer and a conversation with a 19th century pirate (not a make believe pirate, but a pirate) not to mention the angel (complete with wings) to his right.

It's a little chilly now as the coldfronts continue to roll through and the high winds continue to rock us to sleep, but for now life at the end of the line is comfortable. Sunrise, ah!

Where to Next?

Clearwater Florida to Longboat Key, a very short distance but all the difference in the world. After a beautiful sail down the coast we made our way into the Longboat Pass, navigating between ambiguous markers; there is actually a sign halfway through the channel that states, "Shallow Water", most reassuring. We made it around Jewfish Key without going aground unlike our friends on the Cat "Kitty Wake", they went aground just outside the channel, but Jeff was able to jump over and push her off, ah one of the benefits of a Cat. We made it into the anchorage between Long Beach and Jewfish, oh yeah we went aground twice (see the picture, at low tide, with the birds on it!), but made it off and began our five day stay in a wonderful little anchorage. With shore just a couple of hundred yards away the dink came in handy as did the smaller engine, and the girls just loved going for their daily walks/runs along the beach; which means lots of sand and saltwater (on land and in the boat!)

We made a total recon of the area and even managed a 12 mile round trip to the grocery store on our bikes, ouch. A nice break from the day to day travels. Yup even sailing gets to you every day, well not really.

On Saturday, December 19th, Vicky's cousin Joel made the trip up from Venice Beach to have lunch with us and spend the afternoon catching up after 10 years. We were pleasantly surprised by the goodies Joel brought with him. A bag full of fresh Florida oranges, grapefruit and limes, a concoction of granola, oatmeal and almond milk (nummy) plus a small, adorable Christmas tree! We didn't have any decorations so it was fun to light it up at night to put us in the Christmas mood! We also went for a ride in his car to get diesel for the boat. We haven't been in a car (other than one taxi) since we left Texas so that was a BIG treat!

That morning Vicky was up on the deck when she started yelling, "Ed, it is a huge squishy walrus looking thing! Come quick!". The area is a protected area for manatees so this was the first of many we saw. They escaped before the camera could be retrieved but they are spectacular!

For those of you wondering what our boat looks like...here it is behind us nestled nicely in Long Beach key.Well, the rip tides and surge have now diminished to a manageable size so we will make our way on Monday, Dec. 21st to Key West. We were going to stop in Charlotte Harbor for a day. On Cabbage Key you can go to the restaurant to get a cheeseburger that is the inspiration for Jimmy Buffet's song 'Cheeseburger in Paradise'. It looks like the weather may deteriorate again so we have decided to make the 30 hour trip straight to the Keys while the weather looks good!

Finally, It's 80*

Yes, we are in Clearwater, FL and today it is 80, from here it gets cold again, but for now this is paradise. Our trip here reminds us that no amount of planning can insure that the plan will go accordingly. With the weather forecast in hand and the tanks all topped off we planned an early departure Sunday to arrive in Clearwater early Monday. Fog was not mentioned nor was it predicted. Oh well that is what radar is for, just follow the little green and red thingys marking the channel; let's see It's Red Right Return? So heading out we keep the Greenies to Starboard, oops ran aground, back off back off, we're floating again. Well lets reverse that and try it the other way. Ooops, we're aground, very aground. Rev the engine forward, rev the engine reverse Nadda, Zip, time to call for a tow. Oh at this time visibility is NILL. Get out the bell, the whistle, call out on the radio, whats that, nothing just a gull, but that is a rather large fishing boat emerging from the fog, Hi. Rusty from Towboat never made it out so we were left to our own designs, with some help from a few wakes we finally were afloat again, but lost in the fog. Finally the fearless crew got it together and off we go in the right direction, hey look another very large fishing boat that doesn't care it if gets a nick in the hull from a glass boat, hard to port.
Ok, there's the channel to the Gulf of Mexico, we're home free, wait what is that, just some locales in a little row boat anchored in the middle of the channel fishing. WE exchanged pleasantries, something about tools. I'm sure that Darwin will take care of the situation in time.
In to the Gulf to begin the 150nm trek SE, oh yeah more fog; in fact to make this short, FOG the entire trip, at least it'll be dark too. Nothing like disturbing a sleeping pelican in the middle of the gulf as it yells at you and begins flapping its enormous wings and running on the water, you can't see it but you hear it then see the wake it created and wonder what the hell is that.
Finally arrive Monday afternoon with the Clearwater Pass clearly in sight and then, it just disappeared behind a fog bank. Let us repeat that, ikt was there one nano-second and the next it was gone. What to do, circle call on the radio get the whistle.
Finally into the channel and running for the marina, land. Wait what's that, it's a manta ray showing off; it too can fly, just watch it leap into the air roll over and crash back into the sea, cool, get the camera forget about running into the jetty that's too cool. Well, no pic's but we made it into the marina and had a great nights rest. Now for cleaning and more planning for the next leg. Hey did we tell you about the flying manta ray?

Finally, warm weather??????

Where to begin, we have been remiss. Although we have planned out a rather Hi-tech (:)) solution to allow us to pick up WiFi everywhere on the planet; ok it's just a big antenna, we are learning just how tough it is to get "connected". New Orleans we had a so-so connection at the Southern Yacht Club (not what ya might think), Pensacola was a good connection, but we were there three days waiting out weather, one day/night of gail force, so we basically ate, slept and watched "LOST", etc.... So here we are in Apalachicola, waiting out weather, again, with an Excellent connection. Oh yes, keep in mind that connections first and foremost should and need to be FREE. So here we are.

Our three days in New Orleans were lots of fun, but it was time to get off land again and we headed back to the ICW and a nice anchorage at Rabbit Island, talk about remote.

From there we made our way, Thanksgiving Day to Gulfport, MS. That is we decided against going to Biloxi, MS because of the 20-25k winds and 6' waves. Things just kept building, so we ducked into Gulfport where we cooked up our feast which was acquired while in New Orleans.

This is a good time to talk about prejudices. We have discovered that the rest of the Automobile Addicted world looks down upon bike riders and heavens forbid, WALKERS. Our first night in New Orleans we went looking for a kitchen still open on a Sunday night at 6pm, the first stop was fruitless, however the gentleman at the bar just wanted to know, "what happened to your car". We explained we lived on a boat and were walking to no avail. Then there was the bartender that gave us a number of recommendations, until we finally got across that we were walking to which she replied, "You're Walking", as if we were diseased. Then there was the waiter in Pensecola, who looked at us with bug eyes when we asked him to suggest a grocery store within walking distance as, well, we were walking, he simply stated, "you're walking?". So yes, let it be known, Vicky and Ed are WALKERS (occasional bike riders, that is collapsible bikes much like in the circus and this too is looked upon in amazement, not just because of the funny bikes either).

Back to the feast, the standard, turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and green beans along with a nice wine, followed by........ PUMPKIN PIE, yes we live large. We must point out that we arrived at the Gulfport Yacht Club about 2pm and were greeted by some folks who had already feasted and had retired to the Yacht Club bar to watch football, one of whom was kind enough to give us a ride to the store for a few things, oh yeah, and buy Ed a beer too.

Off we head on the 27th, our plan is to spend the next several days on the hook, so the girls got a very nice walk before we pushed off. Great weather from the 27th through 12/1 with stops at Dauphin Island, MS then onto Ft. McRae in Pensacola, FL. White sand beaches and sandy bottoms to anchor in, what a pleasure to pull anchor and not have stinky mud. The girls were able to run up and down the beach and chase the ball, Chula even went for an extended swim some 50' off the beach, but she came back!

The neighbors at Ft. McRae are fun but not to talkative, well not in english or any other language known to man, they chirp a lot. Oh yeah, the sunrises and sunsets continue to be GREAT. Then there are the private airshows by the Navy's Blue Angels, nothing like a fighter jet at 300' to wake you up. All things come to and end and for us the anchorage at Ft McRae is about to be over run by a gail force storm so we headed off to the Palafox Pier Marina where we were met by, Captain Ron, no kidding, Captain Ron is the harbor master, :). However, before we could get safely tied up on the dock and enjoy extended hot showers and do laundry and watch some internet TV, we had to deal with a couple of boat issues. As we hauled up the anchor that morning Vicky hollered out, "We've lost steerage"; think what would happen if your steering column in the car suddenly disconnected from the axle and you had to improvise a method of turning the wheels. For us that is the emergency tiller, a device which is attached to the top of the rudder and by which one can steer a boat. The catch is that now all of the force of the wind and water is on the tiller and the helmsmans arms and not the steering cables. Oh well, we needed something to do anyway. Oh, then we ran aground, that's where the boat that floats tries to walk on land. Oh well. Off we went and to the marina we sailed. Tied up, cleaned up and watered down (that's cocktail hour by the by).

After three days of Pensacola, and it is a nice town, we were off to Destin, FL with dolphins guiding us out of the way, a good omen, motorsailing into NW15k and calm seas. Dinner was a wonderful pint and a plate of Irish Bleu Chips (homemade potato chips smothered in bleu cheese, emmmmmmmm).

Next up, Panama City, FL and you guessed it, some work on the generator, that wonderful machine that gives us 120V electricity, when it works. Three days of mechanic work and bad weather, coupled with a not so bad time in an ok city, and the genset works....we have heat at anchor.

Allow us to digress a minute, as we are piling on the narrative. Back in Pensacola before the weather turned foul we tested one of our new toys, the WATER MAKER. That's right we make water. From your basic, nonmuddy, seawater we can produce 1.5gal per hour and is it good. We've had two runs so far and while it is not a necessity right now we will continue to supplement our fresh water from now on.

From Panama City we headed to anchor in St Joe Bay, there is nothing so rousing as the radio announcement stating that the "Crooked Island corridor is closed from 0700-1100 for missile testing" that is if you happen to be sailing through that corridor. Yes, our tax dollars at working, blowing up plankton. While we didn't see any missiles headed out to sea we did some some on shore explosions, better than the movies. Which brings us to Apalachicola, FL where we are currently tied up at the Scipipo Creek Marina, you guessed it waiting on weather. At least we are not alone, tomorrow the 13th there will be a half dozen boats setting out for the Tampa area and warmer weather, the report is 80*, we hope.

We've sailed a little, motored a lot and did a bit in-between, had our ups and downs and have had freezing weather on our tropical adventure, time to head this boat south. We hope to have some updates before Christmas and perhaps we'll make it to the Bahamas for New Years, for now it looks like Christmas in the Keys, bummer, :). Hope you all have a great holiday and we'll be in touch.

365 NM in twelve days, with several as layup days taking a break. In spite of one observation we are not in fact driving to the Bahamas, although the ICW does at times remind us of the I10, albeit at 5mph and with no traffic except for the occasional “big rigs” that are the barge traffic.
Having departed Kemah, TX on 11/11 we spent our first night away anchored off of Bolivar Peninsula, although we tried raising the main for a while heading down the ship channel we have not as of yet actually sailed, that is still a week away. We were off at first light the following day motoring into the ICW heading west at 7kts (that’s 8.05 mph, 1kt=1.15mph; see this is an educational blog), making a little over 52NM our fist day before anchoring off the ICW at Taylor’s Bayou. The rigging is covered completely in spider webs making the boat look like ma ghost ship. The spiders float on the breeze spinning their web hoping to land on something, as it is they found Boto. Taylor Bayou is a great little side channel off the ICW very calm and remote, nothing but a chemical plant off the port side flaring away. This would be a good time to share some words of wisdom; water inside the boat is never good; especially when it is fresh water inside the engine pan. It would appear that one must triple check when tightening nuts and bolts so as not to leave the winterizing drain cock open, however slightly. A little excitement on the second day out.
A couple of short days; where we have decided to sleep in, a total of 50NM in two days.

After a wonderful sunset off Shell Island on the 13th, coupled with a dinghy ride for the girls, we find ourselves anchored, Saturday the 14th off the Calcasieu River between two tank farms and a topping plant. The 5th finds us anchored off the Mermentau River watching another sunset sharing a cocktail. This up and down with the sun is giving us a chance to catch up on our rest. Sunday the 15th was another easy day which also brought our first alligator sighting of the trip; suffice it to say we are not swimming in the ICW.
After five nights on the hook we have made it to the first marina, Intracoastal City, LA. After topping off fuel and water we slide over to the bulkhead, where Mija and Chula have the first chance in a week to run free and chase their ball. Weather to date has been excellent although we did have some light rain at IC.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009, Vicky’s Birthday. After tossing off the lines and backing Boto into the ICW, Vicky retired to the V-berth with the girls for a nap; she got the entire day off, to do as she pleased. After resting up the birthday girl took the helm and began to make friends with the barge captains along the waterway, for some reason the barges respond better to her than to Ed? With a crossing of the Wax Lake spillway combating an 8kt north to south current we make our way into Morgan City, LA and another city dock for cocktail hour and a birthday dinner of Tequila Chicken with Red Beans and Rice.
After exploring the town of Morgan City we are off for Houma, LA where we decided to spend a few days alongside the city docks. An easy passage through our first true set of locks running close behind a loaded barge, was followed by a visit from five Eagles turning loops overhead, simply because they can. Boto received a freshwater wash down shortly after our arrival removing the grey lines acquired after miles along the ICW. With a very weal Wi-Fi signal in Houma we are able to take care of some responsibilities on line, however, the signal is only slightly better than the original dial up connections. Friday the 20th we are off on our way to New Orleans, although we a forecast of bad weather we decided on a side trip to Lafitte, LA where we tied up at the C&M Bayou Fuel dock. While there is little in the way of services for a pleasure boat, this dock caters to the fishing and oil industries, BJ the owner has been very accommodating, meeting us at the bulkhead and helping us tie off. The folks are friendly and curious about our trip, while the Marina Store carries most of the basics, fishing gear, boat needs, ice and beer. As we write this summary of the first ten days we are still tied up at C&M with a lull in the rain, keeping ourselves busy with boat projects, of which there is a never ending list. Tomorrow’s forecast is much nicer and we should be off for a few days visit to New Orleans!
We made it to the Big Easy, after traversing two large commercial locks, and numerous bridges. We were able to spend a wonderful hour turning figure 8's and donuts waiting for one particular bridge just off the Mississippi River and were visited by 30-40 Pelicans which simply floated by on the canal checking us out. So here we are in N.O., visited the French Quarter today and may head down again tomorrow for dinner. For now we are taking care of some puppy vet business and enjoying a few days tied up and resting.

Tossing the dock lines at last

There's no turning back now (very dramatic) we are on our way in the morning. The truck has been sold and our mode of transportation is now collapsible bike (think circus clowns). Groceries have been stowed, dogs have been groomed, diesel and water loaded what else to do? For those unfamiliar with sailing/cruising that particular question has an infinite number of answers, for example: Install the second bilge pump, install the wash down pump, test the water maker, but not here in Galveston Bay, put together and test the WiFi antenna, wire and install the AIS system, somewhere in there the heads (toilets) will need to be fixed (that's Ed's job), and so on and so on. Oh yeah somewhere in between all of the To Do's there will be time for some reading and resting as well as a sundowner or two.
We'll keep in touch, drop us a line.

T-Plus Four

Well, in spite of our best efforts, here we sit in Kemah. With a boat comes many moving pieces of equipment and it is inevitable that one of those pieces will stop working, so we have found. Our generator does many wonderful things, charges batteries, runs the microwave, makes the blender work oh and provides heat and A/C. While this is not an absolute requirement we decided we liked having our Jenny along for the ride so we opted to delay our departure to order in a few parts to get here up and running again. Perhaps it is fate or dumb luck or just another example of how God loves the Irish; regardless, with the wait came the development of IDA, for which we now wait to subside before we depart, along with a working Jenny.
Had we left on schedule we would have had several beautiful days of weather and sailing, and right about now we would be somewheres along the coast of LA, MS, AL or FL hanging on for dear life while IDA peters out at 45mph+++.
The Jenny is working, our SSB is up and running, the sails are working just fine; we actually left the dock last weekend to spend a night on the water, and numerous smaller projects have been and are in the midst of being completed. Our latest ETD is Thurs the 12th, we'll see what comes next, stay tuned.

T-Minus Nine

The roadtrip behind us we are deep into finishing boat projects. Let me revise that, we're deep into finishing off our To Do List, projects like death and taxes are one of those things you can always count on being there with a boat. After a slight hiatus to visit Arizona where we took care of a lot of adult responsibilities, we are back aboard Boto and finalizing things. The new water tank is in, we now have 75 gallons of fresh water supply. The freezer went in yesterday, we now are able to produce ICECREAM, a staple and requirement onboard. We can also produce our own ice now, can you say Cold Beer!

Tomorrow we pick up the new outboard for the dinghy (aka, our car), then we dive into the water maker installation. Yes, we will be able to manufacture our own fresh water from the sea. Keep your fingers crossed. Anchors and ground tackle, second bilge pump, provisioning, stowing the stuff and good weather and we are off. That's it for now, hopefully we can stay current from here forward. I have to go the first batch of cookies is coming out of the oven and I am official taster,

Roadtrip Part DEUX

Where to start, we're back in Texas two weeks and we haven't slept a wink; ok that's a stretch, we were back on BOTO on 9/23 at roughly 0900 hrs at which time we proceeded to sleep on and off for four days. This quasi retirement thing is very tiring, anyway it is great to be home and while we have every intention of keeping our travels up to date it is amazing just how busy we can be, the days simply fade away, we hope to be better in the future and hope to hear from folks out there in the either as well.

Back to the roadtrip, for anyone looking for a fun, exciting and inexpensive holiday, take to the road. After leaving the family in Montana we headed east with a first stop at the Little Big Horn Battlefield. Contrary to the Hollywood version of things, the US Calvary encountered several tribes in the valley and although Custer's immediate command was killed not all of the Calvary was routed. The battlefield is interesting for its history, however the national cemetery which adjoins the historic landmark is much more solemn. How's that for a fart in church, huh.

After Custer's last stand, and Ed's appropriate facial hair off we go to South Dakota and Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. A tremendous artistic endeavor, however we have to wonder at the defacing of the mountains themselves. We pulled offroad and enjoyed lunch under the gaze of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy and Crazy Horse (some may say Crazy Teddy). Like the song says on the road again, Stergis SD (Harley Heaven), Wall Drug (Americana at its best) The Corn Palace (wait is this better?). If you have ever heard of the badlands of SD and wondered what they were, all we can tell you they are a must see. Although I (Ed) was somewhat hesitant as it was an extra stop, I am very grateful to Vicky for finding an off road route to the edge of the Badlands. A desolate and beautiful landscape. Finally back to MN where we bid farewell to Vicky's Mom and we are once again vagabonds.

As we sit here in Kemah, TX aboard Boto it seems somewhat surreal that we travelled a little more than 9,500 miles in 41 days with a number of stops in between. From MN we went through WI (with a stop at Rick and Cheryl, thanks much) then onto a night in South Bend, IN, yep Notre Dame. For those looking to add to the must do list, put South Bend on the list, given the history it is a must see for oneself. Onto Toledo OH in the morning, Ed had hopes of securing a Toledo Mudhens Jersey but none was found. Our final stop for a few days was North Canton OH with Ed's brothers family. We could drone on about our visits, however, I think the girls enjoyed OH more than any stop on the way.

NIAGRA FALLS. For an opening statement this is a good one, if you have not been, GO! We found a camp site on Lake Erie some 20 miles from the falls and were able to visit during the day and night, truly one of the worlds wonders.

The true joy of travelling and being able to take and unlimited time to do so is the ability to spend time with family and friends; after an impromptu visit to PA for a great BBQ with Chris and David we headed to New Jersey.

New Jersey, where we spend a week resting from the road. Great meals, warm bed and the puppies enjoy a yard in which they can run free (yes Jersey still has homes with some property to them). The tristate area is always fun to visit for the family, the history and the culture. A day spent at Princeton University and its surrounding areas including New Hope, PA just up river from where Washington crossed the Delaware; then a day in NYC complete with Ferry rides and a visit to the cities oldest tavern. A stop on the upper east side to visit family then back to NJ via the wonderful transit system, Rahway, Rahway next stop Rahway.

Should anyone find themselves in the Tristate area looking for something of historical interest there is truly no shortage, however if the beach is what you seek along with history take a drive to the end of the state to Cape May, the Victorian homes are wonderful and plentiful; from there you can take the ferry across to Delaware.

As we learn the intricacies and customs of blogging I'm sure we'll become better bloggers, we truly wish to share our adventure with Family and Friends. However, as we headed south from NJ we made a few more stops to visit family as well as some truly beautiful locales; Charleston, SC; Savannah, GA. Once we made it to Jacksonville, Fl we had decided it was time to head home, so off we went with a 24 hour dash from FL to TX, just as we had started.

As we sit here preparing for our ocean voyage we look back on THE roadtrip and smile, what a fun trip and what great people we met along the way (we haven't mentioned clothing optional nights at the LoLo hotsprings), if only for the duration of a beer.

Roadtrip Part One

Two centuries ago people headed west in covered wagons, sometimes referred to as "prairie schooners", there's an old cartoon showing a family heading west in their covered wagon and they raise the canvas cover of the wagon like a sail and skim across the plains (ala Tom Hanks in Castaway). Having put 4,000M under the Durango across the Midwest Prairies, Northern Plains and Rockies, on blacktop and gravel, over dirt and rock we can say for certain that anyone making this trip on horseback was a hearty soul to be sure. Having begun our roadtrip with a 24 hour dash from Kemah, TX to Benson, MN we have since visited eleven states and counting.

It's hurricane season and every sailor in their right mind (that's a bit of an oxymoron) looks for a safe and dry hole. While Ana and Bill were stirring up things in the islands Vicky and Ed were watching the waves on Lake Scandi Minnesota. With three months to go in the official 2009 hurricane season we've traded Boto and the seas for the Dodge and the highway. Looking ahead to a roadtrip, where we will most definitely travel about in an unhurried fashion, we set off on 8/12 from Kemah, TX heading North to MN; 1,300M and seven states later we arrived in Benson, MN, Vicky's home town. For those not familiar with the state of MN, it is the land of 10,000 lakes, and we were off for a weekend on Lake Scandinavian; to Gretchan, Harvey and Jake we thank you for the hospitality by the lake.

Our next leg takes us from MN to MT, a total of 1,130M. Benson, MN to Mile City, MT 600M with stops to see the worlds largest Buffalo, Cow and Sand Piper. Beautiful scenery along the way and lots of fun in the car. As we ended our first day on the road Vicky and her Mom headed off to the casino to recapture some of the road dollars, Jean was successful, Vicky donated $20 to the states economy. A good nights rest and we're off for Hamilton, MT in the morning. With a little more than 500M in front of us we hit the road a bit late, but with a 75MPH speed limit we made up time. After refueling the truck and the body at Neptune's Brewery(if you find yourself in Livingston, MT stop in for some good Thai and a great beer) we cruised into Hamilton in time for dinner. Now the fun part of this leg will really begin.

Thursday the 2oth of August, finds us up and running heading into the Bitter Root Mountains for a day of four wheeling
and sight seeing. As the girls followed behind as we navigated the twists and turns enjoying the sights. Time for a rest before we are off on the road again heading to Helena, MT. Helena for the nuptials which have brought us to this piece of the planet. Standing by a babbling brook in the middle of a ranch we watch as Vicky's cousin makes her vows in the late afternoon sun. Following is a fun and rowdy barn dance well into the wee hours. Whether its the light air or our advancing ages we all sleep in a bit following the festivities. With the truck once again packed and the air mattress ready to go we are off to Glacier Park for some car camping and hiking. Three days on the road has taken us through Glacier National Park, into the Flathead Park and on into LoLo Park where we will spend a few days with the extended family camping and hiking.

Taking a break from the rigours of camping Vicky and Ed are off for a night on the town in Missoula, MT. For those Texans wishing to keep Austin weird, we suggest a visit to Missoula for some lessons. As all good things must end we find ourselves saying goodbye to Hamilton, MT and heading back to MN where we shall drop off Vicky's Mom before heading onto the east coast, but first, we have some stops to make along the way; Little Bighorn, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument,Wall Drug (a mainstay of the SD roadtrip), Corn Palace, and who knows what else.

July 2009 Corpus ChristiSail Part Deux

With a more civilized start to the day (7/20), we tossed off the lines at 1000 and once again ventured onto the Corpus Christi Bay. With 20kt winds gusting to 30 out of the south we were in for a great day of sailing. Making 5 to 6 kts (that's about 6mph) we were able to shut down the engine and sail the 20nm to Port Aransas (PA). Making an early day of it there was plenty of time to clean up, even the girls had showers (albeit somewhat reluctantly).

Given the harshness of the sailing life, what with A/C, cold beer, warm food and beautiful weather; we opted to spend a few days in PA and fix a few things that had broken. With the new windlass (the mechanical thingy that lifts the anchor so Ed doesn't have to) controls installed and the generator running (for the time being) as well as a few more good meals in us we were ready to head out again on the 23rd.

Rise and shine, 0600 comes quickly. The weather man got the wind direction right today, however he was a little off when it came to the force. Instead of the 10-15kts SSE we were promised we had 0-5kts. Oh well, motor sailing isn't all that bad. After a choppy start to the day the GOM (Gulf of Mexico) flattened out, the proverbial piece of glass. Ten hours and 60nm later we find ourselves anchored in 15ft of water 100yds from a very pretty stretch of beach in Matagorda Bay (28'25.923N, 96'20.847W). A great meal aboard Indulgence was followed by a beautiful night sky of a million stars. Oh yeah, the genset crapped out so no AC this night. Thankfully we had some breeze.

The 24th finds us once again at the Bridge Harbor Marina in Freeport after another 60nm day on the GOM. With the new windlass controls the anchor came up this morning without the accompaniment of grunts and groans. As with most of the trip we are escorted by dolphins. On this leg we get to watch them play in the waves and at one point watch as they dine on the smaller folks in the sea. As we approach Freeport the temp begins to drop as a thunderstorm rolls through sprinkling us with some rain but not much else. We tied up alongside at 1730, with a cocktail in hand, waiting our turns for the showers, then steaks and bed. Tomorrow we head home.

Saturday the 25th brought us a great sunrise as well as more of the same winds. We finally made the Galveston Channel at 1330 and were greeted by a pod of dolphins therein. After a nice sail up the Bay, managing to avoid a number of the larger ships, we are tied up at our home dock. Lesson learned on this leg is to always be alert, even after the boat is docked and the lines are made fast, because you can still find yourself "going in"... just ask Ed as he treads water next to Boto waiting for a hand out.

July 2009 Corpus Christi Sail

On the afternoon of July 13th SV Boto (Ed, Vicky, Mija and Chula) set sail, with our sailing buddies (Bruce, Susan, Shaina and Jib) on SV Indulgence, for a 2 week adventure to Corpus Christi and back to Kemah Texas.

We anchored off Texas City the first night to get an early start in the Gulf of Mexico the next day. We were invited over to Indulgence for dinner. With dogs in tow we launched the dingy (essentially our car!) for good food and wine with friends.

With fair weather and wind we sailed to the Bridgeport Harbor Marina in Freeport Texas (about a 12 hour day). We decided to spend the next day in Freeport so we could go to Surfside beach with Chula and Mija. We took out the Dahon folding bikes and the Croozer doggy 'chariot' that we attach to one of the bikes (essentially the second family car). It's a dog's life! They get to sit in shade with a breeze while Ed peddled an extra 50 pounds of dog up the Freeport bridge!

On July 16th we left Bridgeport Harbor at the crack of dawn for the longest leg of our trip (80 or so miles) to the Matagorda area. With the wind directly on our nose we decided to take the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway). We made good time and in 13 hours we were anchored at a nice little inlet near an abandoned military base in time to watch one of those incredible, large orange sunsets. Shortly after we enjoyed brilliant stars enhanced by the pitch black of being in the middle of nowhere!

The next day we decided a short-leg was in order so we headed off to Rockport, Texas for an easy 30 mile jaunt. We stayed at Key Allegro Marina that we discovered a few years back. It is one of those diamonds in the rough. It is a darling little marina with a ships store, pool and restaurant/bar. It was Friday so they had Jesse James' band on the outdoor patio. After dinner we went back to the boats and enjoyed the music from the cockpit.

We slept in...another short leg ahead of us! At noon we set off for Corpus Christi. It is now Saturday so there were a lot of other sailors out as we headed into the Port Aransas Pass. As we entered Corpus Christi Bay the winds really stepped it up. The marina told us the average winds are around 22 mph. We had up to 28 mile an hour gust so pulled in some sails and got a workout the last hour as auto-pilot couldn't hold a course in the high winds.

More sleeping in (8am VS 5am!) and then off to see the Corpus Christi sights after pancakes, sausage and bacon was had on SV Boto. We started with two art museums and ended at the aquarium. A nice touristy-kind of day.

Tomorrow off to Port Aransas....more to follow

Welcome to SV Boto's blog. We are preparing to set sail to the Caribbean the fall of 2009. We hope you will check in on us as we report on our latest adventures. This blog and email will become our main means of communication with you so please keep in touch.

Ed and Vicky...and our chaperons...Mija and Chula.