We're Back to the Blog: July and August in Fort Pierce, FL, and a Short Visit Home

Kent and I haven't posted on our blog for a some time now. After sailing from island to island in the Caribbean and covering over 2,400 miles, Bangarang landed in the U.S. and docked in Fort Pierce, FL at the end of June. We agreed that we would take a month time here to make some repairs and upgrades on Bangarang. I decided that the blogger (me) needed a break. But here we are now, smiling back on July and August as we plan our sail into the next leg of our adventure. Eight weeks have sailed by!

Bangarang has been docked at Harbortown Marina in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Mike, our favorite dock hand

Captain Kent

Our view on shore across from our dock slip: a barge s and tugboats

Bangarang dockside

The marina has an excellent marine services company on the premises, as well as laundry facilities, a small swimming pool, and a good restaurant. We are getting our fill of one of our favorite meals, raw oysters!

Harbor Cove Restaurant

Predicting the weather at the bar 

Paula's pink drink by the water

Raw oysters by the dozen

My favorite: "dirty" oysters; raw oysters with
caviar, minced onion and sour cream

Over the past two months, Kent knocked a couple dozen to-do items off our list. We hired out the things he didn't want to do, or couldn't do, to a cadre of boat techs at the marina. As always, Kent worked his you-know-what off in spite of the heat and humidity. But all the work was worth it. We fixed our radar, moved instruments from the navigation panel to the second helm outside, installed a two-way AIS (Automatic Identification System), installed a satellite weather unit, and replaced our anchor light. These were important safety items on our list. We also had a rigger climb the mast and measure from the waterline to the tip of anchor light at the top of the mast. Bangarang is 65 feet 3 inches. We need to know this so we can navigate under bridges as we travel. 

Off to fill up on propane! Those are the marine propane
 canisters that cost 4 times as much as the regular
 ones because they are for boats--ha!

Another big item we crossed off our list: we bought a new AB dinghy with a 20-hp Yamaha engine. And it is beautiful! The old dinghy was cleaned and patched, and the engine overhauled, so we could make a trade. And thank you to our friend, Mister, who gave us his extra dinghy anchor after someone I know tossed ours in the water, without the chain attached.

Shopping for the right dinghy at the right price

A new engine too. Bye Honda, hello Yamaha!

A dinghy with a bow locker. Nice.

Since I'm the one on the bow when we anchor, I was happiest when Kent was done installing our anchor bow roller. Our old one was slightly damaged and prevented us from setting out our anchor and chain smoothly. Replacing it was a tricky task but Kent did it himself. Success!

Our new anchor bow roller before installation

Whew...WHAT'S THAT SMELL?!? I think it's the money burning through holes in our wallets!

Now that we have a temporary U.S. registration number, we needed to replace the old boat name with our new one. Kent was unable to find someone willing to put our new boat name on our stern while it is in the water. And we don't want to pay a couple thousand dollars to have it hauled out just for that purpose. So Kent ended up doing it himself, and he put our name on our dinghy as well. A fine job he did!

Finally, our boat's name on our stern...

...and on our new dinghy. For you landlubbers,
the "T/T" stands for "Tender to" as in "Tender to Bangarang."

The dinghy is 11 feet (a foot longer than our old one)
and holds six people.

We still have a to-do list. Kent and I both contribute to getting things done on Bangarang: I keep the list updated and hold the whip, and he does the work!
-- Rebuild the impeller pump in the generator (99% done)
-- Augment generator room sound insulation
-- Install a lock system on our galley drawers so that when we have rough weather, they don't all fly open and spill everything out (speaking from experience)
-- Replace the weatherstripping on some hatches, so that our guests do not have to wake up to a slow, steady drip of rain in their faces
-- Install dual controls on our swim transom shower (on the stern) so we can control the temperature of the water when rinsing off after a swim
-- Install extra fans in each guest berth
-- Install a 12 volt port in each guest berth, so we won't have to fight over charging our phones at the navigation table
-- Replace the ceiling vent in the aft port head (bathroom, for you landlubbers). Interestingly, the vent appeared to be leaking, but when Kent removed the vent topside, he found that it had been filled in! Two mysteries: why was it leaking and why was the vent filled in?
-- Fix a light over the galley, fix the light in our shower so we don't have to shower in the dark, and install some "romantic backlighting" in the main salon. Kent wants to do this himself but is dreading it because of the French wiring on our boat. I think we need an electrician!

The Captain hanging our sun screen on the aft deck

Kent likes to fish at the end of the day

Sunset in the harbor

Gorgeous skies in the evening

We still have a couple of important items to resolve when we sail our way back down the Florida coast later in the fall. A motor for the electric winch has been ordered from Andersen in Denmark. This is the winch that hoists up our over-1,000 square foot mainsail. The motor has not worked since we bought the boat and Kent's been hoisting the sail by hand, which is no easy task. The other item on order is a new Frigoboat freezer, coming from Italy in November. We have a tiny freezer compartment that works but until then, we have to buy ice every few days.

In between all the work, Kent flew back to Chicago briefly to compete in the Chicago to Mackinac Race (see my earlier post) as part of the crew on RedHot. RedHot came in 6th in her division and all were pleased with the race results. I was very sorry I couldn't be there to see RedHot cross the finish line this year and I really missed the porch party celebration!

At the starting line for the the Chicago-to-Mackinac Race.
Picture courtesy of my cousin--thanks, John!

While Kent was racing, I enjoyed the 4th of July festivities with friends in Stuart, about 18 miles south of Fort Pierce. Gary is a lifelong friend of Kent's and his brothers, and they roomed together at various times during college. My brother-in-law, Ted, was also visiting Gary and his wife, Caron, and I got to see him too. A lovely weekend.

Ted, Gary and Kent

Gary and his  lovely wife Caron

 My friend Karen flew down from Chicago and joined me on Bangarang while Kent was in Chicago. The temperatures in Florida are a little toasty in July and we don't have air conditioning, but we ignored the heat and had fun. Luckily, we're parked at the end of the dock and get lots of breeze and air through the hatches. We had a rental car and during the hottest part of the day, we explored the surrounding area, shopped around for potential outdoor fabrics for boat cushions, and tried several restaurants. I've known Karen for over 30 years. We always have a lot of laughs together!

An afternoon shower on its way

Night at the dock

I love this cool building!
My favorite: a fresh banana milkshake.  

Looking at fabrics for the boat

Our son Brice, and his wife Sara, flew in from Chicago for a vacation on Bangarang. After several months, it was so good to see them! This was the first time they had seen our boat. We spent time swimming, walking, and collecting shells at the local beaches. Trooper loves a good run on the beach in the morning! We sailed, shopped a little bit, caught up on news, visited the local microbrewery, and ate some great seafood.

Kent and Brice

Trooper's first introduction to a land crab

Land crab!

"I just love to run on the beach!"

"I can swim but you know I don't like to go in the water!"

Walking the beach

Gelato

Land crab hole

The Cuban sandwich, one of Kent's favorite lunches

Markings in the sand along the water

A glorious day at the ocean!

Sailfish, the local microbrewery

Sara and Brice 

Seared scallops at 12A Buoy

Love the neon

Margaritas for Sara and Paula

One day we were at the beach, when the lifeguards blew their horns, raised the red flags, and called everyone out of the water because of a shark sighting. Sure enough, a big shark slowly swam his way down the coast, in very shallow water, and right in front of us where we'd been swimming. The shark was only about three feet from the water's edge. You could see him very clearly, especially his fin. Damn--I wished I'd had my camera! The crowd followed the shark along the water's edge until he had passed the length of the beach and was gone. I can't believe we went back in swimming, but we kept our eyes open and kept our eyes on the water around us!

While Brice and Sara were with us, we visited the aquarium here. It's very small and geared to children and families. We enjoyed the tour and identifying the sea life in the tanks.

There is also a fabulous museum here, honoring the Navy Seals. We arrived at the museum mid-afternoon, unknowingly with only enough time to see the fascinating two-hour movie shown before entering the main part of the museum. It was so interesting to learn the history of the Seals. We came back the next day so we could explore the rest of the museum, including the inside exhibits and the grounds outdoors. I recommend this museum to anyone who has an interest in military history, the Navy, or the Seals. The film alone was worth the small entry fee.

  
Our friend Mister, who lives part-time in Florida, surprised us when he came to the boat to say hi. He graciously drove us around to see nearby marinas we might be interested in. He also introduced us to his favorite resources for boat parts. Kent is hooked on the Marine Connection! We got to see the sights, learn our way around the area, eat at a couple of local hangouts (my favorite is Archie's) and, best of all, get to know Mister better. He invited us to his home for supper and a swim in his pool--a real treat! Thank you, Mister, for your help and hospitality! We had a great time and will keep in touch.

Lunch with Mister at Archie's Sea Breeze

The Marine Connection, a boat parts store on steroids

Trooper, just along for the ride!

Paula, enjoying a swim and a poolside beer

For me, a highlight in August was flying back to Chicago for an annual reunion with my roommates from college, reconnecting with our two sons, their wives, and my sister, and seeing friends. It was very difficult to fit in seeing everyone I wanted to see as well as doctor and dentist appointments, etc. and I wasn't able to get it all in as planned. Hopefully, I will make another trip back to Chicago this fall. My heartfelt apologies to those of you who I had hoped to see but couldn't. I had even hoped to visit a couple of my favorite not-for- profit organizations, like the Village Treasure House and Family Promise, as well as our church in Wilmette, but wasn't able. Next time.

The long weekend with two of my college roommates, Pam and Carol, was lots of fun and educational too. We booked a room at a hotel, staying up late, catching up on each other's lives. We even visited an old bar on Howard Street that we used to frequent in college days. I'm not sharing any of those old stories! We enjoyed a walking tour downtown by the Chicago Architectural Foundation. Hearing the history behind the designs of many of the commercial and cultural buildings was interesting.

Paula, Carol, and Pam = Tri-Delt sisters and roomies

Paula had a beer while Pam and Carol visited the Tally-Ho,
conjuring up old memories from college days 

Pam at our hotel

A visit to The Bean on Michigan Avenue

Just a few pictures from our architectural tour, before my camera/phone ran out of battery. You might recognize the Chicago Cultural Center below. It's such a beautiful building inside.

Carol had arranged in advance for a private tour of the new buildings at Northwestern University. Our guide walked us around the Evanston campus for almost three hours and we were able to see many of the new buildings inside and out. The campus is impressive! Here are some highlights from our tour...

How many coats of paint do you think students have applied
to "The Rock" since we painted it in the seventies?

I had a lovely time having supper with my daughter-in-law Sara, my friend Linnea, and her daughter Gretchen. We went over to Rosa's Lounge on the west side of Chicago to see and hear Linnea's son, Will, perform with his band. Will is quite a talented musician. And it was fun to see some old friends there too!

Seeing family and friends. Brice, Linnea and Paula at Big Star for tacos

The Will Jacobs Band singing the blues at Rosa's Lounge in Chicago 

Watching Tropical Storm Erika kept us busy the last couple of weeks. We follow the weather every day as a rule, but we were especially careful about staying informed about Erika and the possibility of her reach to Florida's east coast. We prepared ourselves and our boat for rains and high winds, just in case. That meant "fendering up" and "strapping down." At the dockmaster's suggestion, we moved our boat from our more exposed slip at the end of the dock to a more protected slip a little further back on the other side of the dock. We placed more fenders out to protect our freeboard, with wood "dock boards" attached to the fenders to spread the load or pressure against the fenders and protect them from wear. We placed extra dock lines strategically to strap the boat even more securely to the dock. We cleared our deck and outer salon of  all loose items (Trooper's sun tent, chairs, etc.) and stowed everything inside the boat. We were prepared to strap down our mainsail to the boom, ratchet down our dinghy and store the outboard, but luckily, Erika backed off and saved us those tasks. Even though Erika fizzled out, Kent and I agreed it was good practice to prepare.

Erika's potential path presumably would have
 missed us on the east side of Florida

But we got rain!

Kent and I celebrated both of our birthdays in August. I am the older woman for six days, but when you're only 29, who cares. We celebrated with dinners out and a drive up the coast. Happy birthday, honey!

Fisherman's Platter for Kent

Seared tuna for Paula

I love Kent's hat!

Even though we are relatively new to the cruising lifestyle, we have learned very well what most cruisers know: that it's good to have a plan but you have to be flexible. Everything takes longer than you think it will. Parts take longer to arrive, fixes takes longer to complete, weather doesn't cooperate, your travel destination changes. Our current plan is to sail up the east coast, starting the middle of next week. Ultimately, we'd love to make the Chesapeake area before having to turn around and sail back south this fall. We will see!      
   

These trikes sure are popular with the retiree types here in Florida!
Kent says it would be too heavy to store one on our bow. :-)

We found these covers in storage on Bangarang and
had trouble at first figuring out what they were
supposed to cover. Kent says they're covers for
 the instruments at the helms, but I've decided they're
 tropical-style burka beach cover-ups!