Provisioning

We should have bought more peach preserves in Georgia!

In Coconut Grove, Florida we provisioned for the next phase of our journey: Cuba!  Cubans eat, we know there's food there, but the situation is very different from what we're used to.  I expect shopping for food will take some patience, local knowledge and an openness to  substitution.  The rule of thumb when shopping in Cuba is "buy it when you see it" because if you wait, the chance may not come again soon.  And I highly doubt I'll often come across items like chia seeds, quinoa four, spices or fine mustards.  (Side story: in the NY State Canal System, we were tied to a canal wall when a posh canal cruise ship squeezed by with its passengers on deck looking down at us.  We heard a man in the sailboat tied behind us call out to them: "Pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon?"  Hadn't heard that one in awhile.  Haha!)  With an open mind, I'm sure we'll do just fine but that being said, we don't want to spend too much precious time searching for groceries, so we're going prepared. 

We reviewed our charts and a calendar to plan a general timeframe for cruising Cuba. Then we made our long grocery list with the quantities we think we require.  There was a lot of guestimating going on as I've never kept track of exactly how long a jar of peanut butter lasts us.  If we're in Cuba for three months, and we eat chickpeas once per week, that's 12 cans!  And more if I'm making hummus!  Our grocery list looked crazy with 15 of this and 12 of that.  On and on it went with the items we don't want to go without. 

We rented a car for the grocery shopping event so that we could do it in multiple (less overwhelming) trips.  I'll admit I was momentarily paralysed in the aisle, not knowing where to start, staring at my list that seemed out of whack.  Dave got me back into gear, reminding me that the numbers we tallied make sense.  He had his moments as well, in the marine supply store especially, where he didn't need anything at all yet was in a frenzy over it being his "last chance"!  We had already purchased engine oil, filters, spare engine parts - everything we hope will keep the boat running smoothly.  "We're not going to another planet!" I said, but it almost feels like we are. 

After a few back-and-forth runs with Peli through the mooring field to onload our provisions, Kianda's belly is now full of good stuff.  This boat is amazing for storage space; you would never know we've added months worth of food and boat supplies.  And our waterline is still above water (but barely)!  While putting everything away, I mixed up some cocktails to free valuable fridge space taken by juice - a perfectly respectable reason to start drinking at 2pm - we had to!  There are currently 8 bags of Branbud cereal under Dave's side of the bed plus a slew of other non-perishables.  If a jar of peanut butter lasts us 2 weeks (and I think it's actually much longer), then we're all set for 3 months.  I just have to grab it from under the floorboards!

Comme Jannie dirait: "on est stocké!" 

We had the pleasure of receiving another package via general delivery to Kianda in Coconut Grove - and this one could be a game changer as far as our meals in Cuba go.  Our friends Jen and Maxwell sent us their fishing gear!  "We want you to catch fish!" they said.  Those two are too good to us.  They even sent a Bohemian Sling (which is a spear gun).  We promise to give it our best shot! 

After declaring ourselves ready to leave Coconut Grove, in perfect winds we sailed down the Florida Keys to reach our chosen jump off point for Cuba.  And when we got there, against the odds, the forecast immediately lined up for an opportunity to make the passage to Cuba (waiting for a weather window to cross can often take days or even weeks, so this forecast was great luck).  We left our anchorage near Marathon on December 13th at noon and expected an arrival in Varadero the following morning.

Just as we left USA waters, we received a last text from Maxwell wishing us a safe journey and saying that he checked the wind and it looked "nice and northerly" (sailing friends!).  He  also informed us of a meteor shower that night...  Witness-amazing-astrological-event-while-crossing-Gulf Stream: Check!  Been there, done that!  We can cross it off our list of sights to behold.  It was incredible!  We've never seen the sky so actively lit up like that.  There was at least one shooting star or meteor every thirty seconds all night long. 

At 9:30pm dolphins encircled the boat, flying fish were buzzing around, the water colour turned a brilliant purply blue (all this we could see when we shined the spotlight); we were unmistakably in the Gulf Stream.  At one point our container of fishing equipment rolled off the seat and Dave said "there's so much life out here, even the fishing gear is getting tingly!"

The moon rose over the horizon at 3:45am like a thin orange smile.  It actually startled me; a bright light suddenly appearing where none had been a moment before - for a second I thought it was another boat.  I cooked, we slept a bit, we listened to music, the boat rolled along and I didn't feel seasick!  It was our most lively and beautiful night passage ever.  'Land Ho' was called at 10am when we spotted the lighthouse on an island near Varadero and about an hour later we were awaiting for the Guarda Frontera and other Cuban officials to begin clearing us in.  Here we go...

Buenas Dias de Cuba!

Coconut Grove, down the Keys, and across to Varadero!

 

A night at sea...

Of course the picture doesn´t do the night sky justice, but
here´s a shot of the moon and some stars.

First sight of Cuba.  Cayo Piedras light house.

Up goes the Q flag!

And once cleared in, we fly the Cuban courtesy flag!

More from Florida

I found a Hamburger Bean on the beach- this means great luck!

 When we first started sailing and meeting other cruisers, one piece of advice kept being repeated regarding having visitors on board while voyaging: boat guests can chose the date or the place to visit, but not both.

Now that we have some experience, we understand the logic behind this cruiser's rule - it allows for a little more flexibility. Cruising on a schedule is very difficult because there are so many variables that can affect timing. Pinpointing where we'll be in four days is hard, let alone four weeks. We live by the marine weather forecast more so than the calendar.

Suggesting the place to meet can be tricky as well since we're often cruising in places we've never been before. We don't know if it will live up to a visitor's idea of a good vacation spot. And contrary to popular opinion, the boat isn't like the Lotto 649 commercial portrays it. I'm always worried visitors won't get what they bargained for once onboard. Will they be able to sleep? Will they be scared, sick, bored? This isn't to say we don't like guests, but this type of travel isn't a resort-type vacation where everything is predictable. It's an adventure which requires a lot of flexibility and an open mind from anyone who participates.

My mother is a great guest because she understands all this; she comes with an adventurous spirit and no set expectations. She was ready with her answer when I asked "do you want to chose the date or the place?" She wanted to see the Florida Keys so we invited her to join us in Miami for Christmas and we would sail the keys together.

In November we realized we were a month ahead of 'schedule'. I asked her again: the date or the place? She stuck with the Keys so we changed the date to meet on November 23rd in Miami. A week before her arrival, we knew we wouldn't make it to Miami in time so if she wanted to keep the date, we'd have to change the meeting place to Fort Lauderdale. Did I mention how meeting up requires flexibility?

Even after her arrival, the daily plan was often tweaked as new opportunities arose - and everything turned out to be so fantastic! She absolutely loved her time on board. We sailed offshore from Fort Lauderdale to Miami and spent a little time in Coconut Grove. We had heavenly days anchored in No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne, which was our home base for most of her trip. We ended up seeing the Keys on a road trip with a rental car, focusing our time in Key West. 

A happy birthday for mom in Fort Lauderdale.

An anchorage with an amazing view of the Miami skyline. 
Surreal spot to spend the night.

South Beach, Miami - art deco scene.

 

We are now Key Lime Pie true connoisseurs!

Giving Dave a ride to shore.  No Name Harbor.

 

She was very lucky with the weather. It didn't rain. It was hot and gorgeous and just windy enough to keep the no-see-ums away (most of the time). We celebrated her birthday. We had some seriously delicious meals onboard, if I do say so myself, as well as some amazing meals in restaurants. She got to see a lot of wildlife including dolphins and a manatee up close. 

She endured one rolly night in an exposed anchorage. The wind picked up more than we expected, causing the boat to bounce heavily in the waves. The motion woke Dave and I at 3am. "I wonder if she's awake" I whispered to Dave. "Well if we're awake, she probably is too" he said. I went to the main cabin to check on her and woke her up in the process. Oops! I can't believe she had been sleeping through it!

She was fine with the nighttime dinghy rides as well, which can border on scary when it's pitch black out and wavy. We knew the three of us would fit however, since our dinghy capacity was put to the test with the one-legged veteran and his duffel bag in Georgia.

Highway 1 through the Florida Keys is littered with mountains of debris resulting from hurricane Irma. The pickup period ended in October but people are still in cleanup mode, piling trash on the roadsides. Authorities are arguing that this can't go on forever and are threatening to fine people who dump but the reality is, they're going to have to bring back crews and trucks to deal with the piles.

Ernest Hemingway's house in Key West.

End of the road!  Mile Zero - Key West.

A lot going on in the hotel parking lot!  Key Largo.

We were very pleased with Key West - a fun place that I would go back to visit again any time. An unexpected surprise was the neighbourbood of Wynwood near Miami that we visited since we had extra time with the rental car. Wowza! This area is being revitalized with a strong focus on street art that is really impressive. 

My mom tried to order the mozzarella advertised on the wall.
The waiter told her "That's art.  You can't order the art."

Wynwood Walls. 

Is it Christmas yet? For us, the only reminder that Tis' the Season is the music we hear in the shops around town. Once in awhile a friend from home will text that it snowed and I think 'Oh that's right...it's winter there now". During our time in No Name Harbor, however, we were invited to a Full Moon Party at the Cape Florida Lighthouse which had a Christmas theme. We walked into a world of contrasts: there was a blizzard of soap suds (along with a warm breeze), Christmas trees (among the palm trees) and Christmas lights (and tiki torches). 

Full Moon Party - Cape Florida Lighthouse.

 

I'm okay with it snowing soapy suds!

When our holiday time with my mother came to an end, she reluctantly returned to Canada, and Dave and I tackled our next big task: provisioning for Cuba! We're getting ready for the next chapter and it's pretty exciting...

Touring Stiltsville off Cape Florida.

A happy sailor!

Northern Florida

After the brutal hurricane season that just ended, I'd wager that dock building and boat salvaging businesses in Florida are finding themselves very busy. We've seen so many twisted docks with portions missing and wrecked boats left for dead - it's a sad sight to behold but clean-up efforts are underway to rid the waters of these bad relics. 

The bow of a boat protrudes out of the water.

 

Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove has a whole parking lot repurposed as a temporary boat graveyard. We stayed for a few days in the mooring field. We wanted to refill our water tank and were told to wait while they found us an appropriate dock to tie up to. I commented that plenty of them looked available for this quick task, but we were informed that many of the docks that seem free, are in fact occupied by a sunken vessel that lies just below the waterline. Yikes - good to know!

Dinner Key Marina boat graveyard.

Dinner Key Marina had 137 boats sink courtesy of Irma; 50 of them were in the marina and the rest in the mooring fields. Damage seems inflicted so randomly - one boat can be battered to its demise while another next to it can get through without a scratch. Bella is a beautiful example of a boat that survived unscathed. She's a brand new 2018, 43 foot Tartan that we were anchored close to in No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne. The couple who live aboard bought her only two months before Irma hit. They tucked her in an anchorage and hoped for the best. She came out as perfect as she went in while the boat anchored just behind her sank. I have just a little bit of boat envy for Bella. She's a beauty! 

A tug with barge full of wrecked boats.

 

At least the boat's okay...but how to you get to it?

My only shot of Bella, leaving No Name Harbor.

Another common sight for us now that we're in Florida - which is much more pleasant to see - are the manatees! Posted signs say manatee season is May 1st to September 7th but no one told them that. It's the end of November and the big galoots are everywhere; we kept our eyes open for the telltale bubbles and the hump of a back - always ready to slow down or turn to avoid them. Unfortunately, the scars on their backs and tails reveal that collisions aren't always prevented. In No Name Harbor, there was a huge one munching weeds off the harbour wall and we got a great look at the massive sea-cow.

Cruising Florida has been great, especially since a current has been flowing with us for the last three days, speeding us up for short day passages and leaving afternoons free for visiting ashore. There's so much wildlife to observe, including an alligator sighting which we've never had from the boat before. We thought it was a manatee until it looked too bumpy to be that.

Since the American Thanksgiving holiday weekend was approaching, the perfectly sheltered mooring field at Vero Beach was quite full. To make the best use of space, we were directed to a mooring ball that already had two other boats on it. They say 'three's a crowd' but we had great neighbours and it was fun to chat with them in the evening and pet their boat cat named Blue (who can be seen on deck at night thanks to the blue light attached to his collar). Vero Beach is a good full service marina so we got laundry done, topped up on fuel, did our chores. We also made time to go to the beach. It's really like summer here with lush vegetation and warm water to swim in. Wonderful!

S/V Kianda, First Love and Jule III in Vero Beach.

These three are on the ball!

Walking to the beach in Vero!

We did a day sail on the ocean to get to Fort Lauderdale - in part to avoid the slew of bridges on the ICW and also because we were starting to miss it! It was a great day for a sail and we stopped the boat 3 miles offshore for a quick dip, which is a favourite thing to do when possible on passage. We're now in place in Lake Sylvia, ready for the arrival of a very special guest - my mom is coming to visit. 

If you can't decide between a sailboat and a motor boat, just do
what this guy did: get both, plus your own ship to carry them on!

I can't see this one making it through another storm.

Manatee tail with a notch cut out of it, likely from a boat prop.

Alligator!

So slow he's got moss growing on him.

No moss on this guy!

Perfect sail to Fort Lauderdale!

Dave setting the spinnaker.