I am going to do a series of blog additions about some of the fun things I have done on Starr. MV Starr My brother-in-law reminded me of a time when I was about 10 years old. I took a 4×8 sheet of plywood, nailed 2 x 6 sides on it with a slightly raked bow, and then put a five horse Johnson outboard on it and that was my hydroplane. We have now had Starr for 16 years and I still am having fun cobbling up gadgets, tools, and devices to make cruising on Starr more fun. I m going to post som…
Messing about in boats – updated. Twin rudders, July 2016
A Different Cruise
The South Florida ICW is completely different than other portions of the long and winding waterway. We’ve swapped naturally green, tree lined rivers teeming with flora and fauna for the concrete, glass, and steel of the canyonlike canal that separates Miami from it’s beaches.
Don’s tilting at high-rises
It’s been interesting in it’s own way though, not necessarily 100% to our liking, but this leg of our trip has lent a one-of-a-kind texture to our customary cruising life.
The rumors of many shallows are just that. We’ve found deep water pretty much this whole trip. If, you stay in the channel.
Today, we’re tied up at Miami Beach Marina, taking care of biz and experiencing all that goes along with South Beach, Miami. Interesting and entertaining.
Tonight — South Beach Saturday Night… — I don’t even need to say it.
Chao,
P.S. It is a small world after all. Our Tennessee River friends will get a kick out of this.
While walking down the dock here at MBM we spotted a familiar face. A fellow named Eddie Trimble, a former marina manager from our Pickwick Lake days, is the Captain on the boat next to us. Fun catching up with Eddie.
Nordhavn Exumas Abacos Bahamas trawler Caribbean Pickwick Boat dogs
Memphis Downtown
Memphis Downtown
Slow-Mo-Shun
That was the name of my neighbors boat when I was growing up! Always got a chuckle out of that. 
Anywho, it describes how this project is progressing. At least we’re headed ‘in a direction’.Placed the bow eye and made up a backing plate for it…
July 8 – Port Washington, NY
Port Washington Mooring Field
The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to purse happiness. You have to catch it yourself. —Benjamin Franklin
The sun comes up early over here…very early. I woke up to the sun steaming in the hatch and thought I’d slept in…only to find out it was 5:45. Oh but what a beautiful morning it was. Since we were up early we got moving so we could catch the tide going through the East River.
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Fenway Park
Fenway Park, built in 1912, is the oldest park in Major League Baseball and catching a game there is on most “Top Ten Things to do in Boston” lists. We spent an exciting evening visiting the park and watching the Red Sox play at this historic venue. Highlights from our Fenway Park trip follow. Click…
July 7 – Sandy Hook, NJ
Coast Guard Station – Anchorage
“Not all who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
This is a catch up blog, mostly to share pictures from the last few days. I wrote the last four blog entries a week or so ago when I had a little free time. Information and details about places I knew we’d be visiting. Blogging can take more time than I have or want to give some days, but today I’ve had plenty of time. We left Cape May at 3:54 AM for a 15 hour run to NYC…that’s a lot of time to fill. The auto pilot (Otto) does most of the work. All we have to do is keep an eye out for obstacles…he’s not a thinker…I guess you could say he has a one track mind. He has to be supervised like a small child, but he does help us have a more relaxing day.
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Movin North from St. Charles
The weather was perfect as we broke away from Port Charles Harbor and headed north. It was obvious since our last trip through this area that the Corps of Engineers had been busy building wing dams and dredging the channel resulting in several nice san…
Movin North from St. Charles
The weather was perfect as we broke away from Port Charles Harbor and headed north. It was obvious since our last trip through this area that the Corps of Engineers had been busy building wing dams and dredging the channel resulting in several nice san…
Marina By Marina
Before leaving home we noticed an addition to the menagerie at Spearfish. This pretty little Dove has setup housekeeping on a light fixture out next to the pool.
We’re sure she’ll appreciate our absence. We startle the hell out of her (or him) every morning when letting the dogs out the back door.
So, restarting our Marina Tour after a short hiatus that produced a shiny new dink atop Istaboa, we left our little abode in Jupiter and made way south.
Starting at North Palm Beach Marina, where we stayed a few days doing a bit of work while preparing for this trip, we left for Bahia Mar in Ft Lauderdale.
4th of July at Bahia Mar is a busy, crowded, and very noisy celebration. Though I didn’t see the fireworks, the reports shook the boat for about 30 minutes. The show was just across the street at the beach.
After a couple of days there, minding to biz and enjoying company, we’ve moved on.
Having never run the ICW south of Ft Lauderdale, I’ve been warned about shallows, but that’s not been a issue yet.
Bridges? Yes… but once you time one, the rest fall into order. Just idle through and you’ll hit them all as they’re opening… so far.
Today, we’re in Hollywood at Loggerhead Marina. A nice marina, friendly staff, and Hollywood is surprisingly cool. Totally different environment.
There’s a huge Jimmy Buffet, Margaritaville complex here, (we’ll pass on that) and we motored by the famously funky Saloon Le Tub . (looks like our kinda place)
Cut from Le Tub’s site:
Established November 2nd 1959 as a Sunoco gas station…. Closed by the energy crunch of the early seventies, your Host purchased the barren property in 1974 and dedicated a concentrated year personally hand building LeTub totally of Flotsam, Jetsam and ocean borne treasures all gathered daily over 4 years of day break jogging on Hollywood Beach. All landscaping, planting and decor by your host.
Today, we’ll stay in Hollywood — doing what we do.
Me thinks our new dink will be splashed and a famous Le Tub burger enjoyed.
Tomorrow? Another marina. Loggerhead Aventura. 2 miles away.
Different than our usual summer cruise, but so far so good.
Next up – – Miami, The Keys… and ?? — We’ll see
I know, I know — all work and no play — Tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.
Right?
Cheers,
Nordhavn Exumas Abacos Bahamas trawler Caribbean Pickwick Boat dogs
Memphis Downtown
Memphis Downtown
July 6 – Cape May, NJ
“Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me: If you choose the simple things and find joy in nature’s simple treasures, life and living need not be so hard.” —Psyche Roxas-Mendoza
Cape May is located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. It has a year-round population of 3,607, but those numbers explode to as many as 40,000 to 50,000 during the summer.
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