Celebrity Sightings on the ICW

After a wonderful evening with our friends Curt & Eva, we slept peacefully.  Even the kids slept in, it was so nice.  We woke up and got the boat ready and scooted down the ICW.  It was so nice not to be thrashed about.  It was simply a blissful day.

We saw some beautiful houses along the ICW.  These are near Jupiter, I wouldn't mind living in one of these!

We kept joking about which celebrity lived in which house.  We saw one with an Australian flag that I was sure was Greg Norman's.  Ryan was skeptical, but then he got into the game with me.  We decided the one with a basketball court in the back was Kobe's.

As we were gawking at the houses, a large-ish fishing boat (a Hatteras type, but not sure if that was the maker) came up behind us rapidly.  We all braced for his gigantic wake.  At the last minute he slowed down and passed us without tossing up much of a wake.  I noticed a dark skinned man, my first thought was that he was Mexican, with two kids sitting in his lap on the bow.  They were young kids and were not wearing life jackets.  And this boat did not have stanchions and lifelines on the bow.  I grimaced at the guy as he politely waved to us.  A minute later Ryan said "hey, THAT was Tiger Woods!"  I thought about it and reluctantly agreed as I replayed that image in my head.  The boat was named Solitude.  I know his big boat is (or was) named Privacy and we guess maybe after the divorce Solitude was more his speed now.  We were certain, after discussion, that it was in fact Tiger Woods we saw on that boat with his kids.  I was hugely upset that he had those kids on the bow with no life jackets on.  Ryan was unfazed about that.  I went below to get the camera, although it was too late.  Then, lo & behold, I saw the boat approaching us.

This time Tiger had only his dog on the bow (and some woman talking on a cell phone - we figured her to be some sort of handler, she wasn't hot enough to be, well,  you know).  So we rationalized that he took the kids back to Elin's house (Ryan said he read she had a house South of Jupiter) and was headed back home.  We guess he got the dog in the divorce.  It was a pretty dog, a border collie, I think.  He scowled at us when he saw I had a camera, and I was embarrassed to be taking his photo, that's why it's from such a distance.  I should have just been ballsy and stepped out on the deck to take a photo, but for some reason I didn't want to invade his privacy.  Poor schmuck, I think only his dog likes him now.

We moved on down the ICW and we stopped at an anchorage on Lake Worth in West Palm.  We swam until dinner time, jamming to Bob Marley and some steel pans music.  We ate fresh mahi for dinner, and now we are going to sleep.  We anchored near a spoil area, so as long as we don't wake up aground we're good.

Tomorrow we're heading down the ICW to around Boca Raton, and Thursday we'll be in Miami.  Thursday is Evan's 3rd birthday!  He's really excited to celebrate his birthday in Miami, or so he says.  It cracks me up.

Offshore, again

We made it to Ft. Pierce this morning.  I'm so glad to be out of 4-6 ft. swells.  I cannot tell you how nice it is to not be going side to side right now.  When we turned into the channel to get into Ft. Pierce, the seas were directly on the stern.  I burst into the Hallelujah chorus, and I'm really not a singer.

In St. Augustine on Saturday we explored the area and the Fort there.  Is it Fort McHenry?  I cannot remember.

 We saw the 'soldiers' fire a cannon out to sea.  That was cool.

But before that, we hit the ice cream parlor.

Then we decided to go on a carriage tour of the city.  It was very enjoyable.

Yesterday morning we left to go offshore again.  As we motored out the channel we saw 2 dolphins.  That's always a good sign.  Then we saw a jumping tarpon.  We've never seen that before!  We decided it was a good sign as well.  The pass was a little rough, but not nearly as bad as leaving Hilton Head.  We made the turn and settled into as nice a rhythm as you can with 3-5 seas on the beam.  I stayed up top as much as possible, and that worked out well for me.  At bedtime, Ryan put the kids down and I stayed up to start my watch.  The seas and winds got squirelly as we dodged thunderstorms.  Lots of thunderstorms.  I began to feel like I was riding a mechanical bull that was sitting on top of a giant wobble board while I was fighting off the stomach flu.  It wasn't all that pleasant.  Every once in a while said mechanical bull (and wobble board) would jump on a roller coaster ride - something like Space Mountain in the dark.  Ugh.  But I didn't get sick.  When Ryan came up to take his watch I went down below, but I couldn't sleep.  There was just so much motion I couldn't relax. So I went up top and sent him back down for a couple hours more sleep.  There's no sense in both of us not getting any sleep.  Around 4:00 a.m. I got him back up and went to bed, where I finally succumbed to slumber until the kids got up at 6:30.

I have to mention how well the kids are doing.  They aren't crazy about being offshore, but they are handling it better physically than I am.  They were both able to eat some dinner, and Zachary could even go below and play Wii.  Ryan went down there for a bit and came back up saying no way could he handle that with all this motion.  It didn't seem to phase Zachary, who was thrilled at his unlimited Wii time.  Evan would play up top with me, or have really cute conversations with Ryan and me, then go down and hang with "Bubba".  They both slept fairly well considering how much the boat was rocking back and forth.

This morning we saw a rainbow.  Certainly a sign of better seas, right?

Evan was hanging with the Captain and munching on oatmeal squares happily this morning.

Did I mention how happy I am to be OUT of the Atlantic Ocean right now?  Ryan is thrilled to have skipped 7 or 8 days of constantly being at the helm on the ICW, so it's a win-win.  We are taking the ICW now down to Miami.  This family just needs a break from the rollers.  They had built to 5-7 this morning before we turned into the channel and I burst into song.

Tonight we have friends driving down from Sebastian to see us.  Curt and Eva were actually the couple that taught us how to sail on a learn to sail vacation in the Virgin Islands.  We spent a week on their boat, also an Island Packet, learning how to sail.  They were working for the Maryland School of Seamanship.  We met Lew on that trip as well, he was the captain on another boat.  After spending a week together we got to be good friends, so they invited us with them as they took their boat from St. Thomas to Jamaica that spring.  That was our first offshore experience and turned out to be a wonderful learning vacation.  This was all before we bought the first Southern Cross, so I guess that was 12 or so years ago?  My how time flies!  We are looking forward to catching up with them and sharing our sailing adventures with them.

Before & After

The kids room before we went offshore . . . . 

and after . . .

You can't see it here, but all of those artfully arranged books (we're all reading a lot of books) were strewn all over the floor.

My books were too . . .

It was quite a mess to clean.  I had to deal with laundry bullies yesterday.  But I had to clean the boys sheets and covers.

The next morning Evan was all smiles again.  A little sleep and calm seas does everyone good.

We had a good time yesterday afternoon in St. Augustine.  I have more pictures to post, but they'll have to wait.  We are headed offshore again this morning.  Sigh.  I hope I'm ready for this again.  We have a truly good weather window and we shouldn't have to fight through high wind and seas to get to the Atlantic this time.  Should being the operative word.  Our plan is to go to Ft. Pierce.  If everything is awful (again) we'll go to Cape Canaveral.  If everything is fabulous (yeah, right) we'll keep going to Miami.  I don't mean to be so cynical, it's just that my body is still sore from tensing every muscle.  Ok, I know nobody likes a whiner, so I'll stop now.  We'll be in Ft. Pierce tomorrow afternoon, or Miami the next day.  Maybe it will be wonderful?

Southern Cross II Weight Loss Plan

We finally made it to St. Augustine.  I have been on the Southern Cross II Weight Loss Plan.  I'm still a little queasy.

We left Hilton Head with good, but strong, winds.  Ryan put a reef in the main immediately.  Leaving the river to get into the Atlantic was extremely rough, with violent 5-7 foot seas.  We had wind and waves on the beam, and it tossed us around something fierce.  I clutched to the kids, who were terrified at first, until we turned south.  Then I took them down below.  That was my first mistake.

Evan wanted to lie down in his bed, so I went with him since I wasn't feeling too hot.  Zachary lied down for a bit but then bounced back nicely.  He was fine the entire time, he must have Ryan's constitution.  Evan must be more delicate, like me!  While all three of us were in the kids' room, getting tossed about, my body seized up so badly.  I just wanted to be in the fetal position, but the waves were so big that I had to extend my legs and hands to keep from sliding back and forth.  I had a small grocery bag with me, and promptly emptied my lunch into it.  Of course it was one of those bags with a hole in the bottom so it leaked all over the boys' bedspread and sheets.  Ryan took it all away, thank God, while I prayed earnestly for the wind and waves to die down.

Evan napped and began to feel better.   I knew I could sleep it off, if only I could get to sleep.  Every muscle in my body was tensed and I could not seem to "let go."  It was an awful feeling.  I did manage to get myself into the cockpit to keep my watch.  Ryan put the kids to bed and being up top with my iPod helped relax me a little.  When Ryan got up to relieve me I managed to sleep until dawn.  We got here around 9:30 a.m.  I'm still feeling queasy, despite my answered prayers of lighter winds and smaller waves.  I'm not sure if I want to eat today.  It's the Southern Cross II weight loss plan!

I have some before and after pictures of the interior of the boat, but Blogger is giving me error messages again.  I'll post those tonight.

What Is and What Is Not

It's been a whirlwind couple of days.  We left Charleston for the Atlantic on Tuesday.  We got out there and had 20 knots of wind right on the nose.  I looked at Ryan and asked him about this supposed weather window, 15-20 out of the South??  We slogged along for about an hour, with both kids clutching their tummies with nausea.  We looked for a river to tuck into, but depths were sketchy, so we turned around and went back to Charleston.  We were defeated and depressed.

Wednesday morning we got up at 5:00 to make a bridge opening down the ICW by 6:00, otherwise it would be closed until 9:00 a.m.  So we chugged down the ICW all freaking day and made it to Beaufort, SC (Bew - rhymes with pew - as opposed to Beaufort, NC which is bow-fort).  That's an important distinction, for some reason.  The ICW was very pretty along the way, but the heat was oppressive.  The kids were better, just a bit frustrated like we were.  We had a nice walk around Beaufort and even found a long-awaited barbecue joint.  It's a pretty little town with a beautiful waterfront walking park.  Yesterday we got up not as early and chugged down the ICW to Hilton Head Island.

Hilton Head is a playground for the rich.  I'm so pleased because my children do much better around spoiled, overly indulged children than they do "regular" children.  It's weird, I know.  And it's not like my kids aren't a bit spoiled and over indulged.  We are at the Harbor Town Marina right smack in the middle of a resort complex.  We got here around lunch and went out to celebrate.  Our spirits were back up!

The kids got to be crazy at the the Crazy Crab!

Afterwards we walked around, shopped, and let the kids get ice cream.  I took them to the playground while Ryan got to play a round of golf here (a famous golf course is here, not sure of the name).  Then we climbed 144 steps up the lighthouse to get a view of the harbor.  It was beautiful.  As the sun set, we played on the bow.  The lighthouse is in the background here.

It was a much needed, delightful day.  We did get some more good news yesterday, a real cold front is coming through, actually came through last night, and the winds are forecast to turn EAST!!  Woo hoo!  Today we are leaving around 11:00 a.m. and going offshore in an attempt to make St. Augustine.  It's only 100 miles, so that will be a quick overnight.  We should be there in the morning, IF all goes according to plan.  From there I don't know.  Our back up plan is to come back and slowly go down the ICW.  The ICW is becoming undesirable for many reasons, one is the huge (9ft) tides in Georgia and strong currents that always seem to be against us.

I'm starting to believe there's some sort of conspiracy to drive me mad.  Sleep deprivation slowly drives me insane.  I know this to be fact, I've had 2 kids.  Something usually wakes me an hour or two before dawn, then subsequent events keep me from going back to sleep.  It varies day to day what the something is.  I know it's not Ryan, it's not in his best interest for me to be psycho.  I don't think I'm all that interesting to the government, so it's not them either.  My only conclusion is aliens.  Time to call Mulder and Scully.  Last night it was a thunderstorm of epic proportions.  The lightning flashed in my eyes like a flashlight, reminding me of horror movies.  Then there was a dog barking incessantly, then finally Evan got up.  All this was before dawn.  Sheesh.  I gotta get myself together.  I cannot let these aliens get to me.

Offshore Bound

After much consternation by the captain, and conferring with Lew, we have decided to go offshore and point to St. Simons.  Ryan thinks it won't be bad and we can make there in one overnight.  We are waiting for a fedex package, then we push off around lunch time.

In anticipation of our offshore adventure, we had a wonderful dinner last night.  I ate a huge meal, since I'll probably be on the Southern Cross weight loss plan for the next day or so.  I tend to get seasick offshore, for maybe the first 16 hours or so, then I get over it.  I may not keep lunch down and may not eat again until tomorrow night.  Then again, maybe I won't be sick this time.  Gotta stay positive, right?

Yesterday, after Evan's nap, we took the kids to the waterside park fountains to play.

Zachary had a blast playing in the fountains.

 Evan wasn't so sure, he needed encouragement from Daddy.

Does this kid need a haircut or what?

Yesterday morning the Ryan took the kids to the aquarium while I stayed behind to do laundry.  The washers & dryers are free here, which is nice, but the liveaboards tend to commandeer them constantly.  Most of the boats have cutesy puns for names, so I nicknamed them the laundry knot-seas.  So I had to play the game yesterday.  It was ridiculous that it took all day to do 4 loads of laundry, but sometimes that's how it is.

So we are busily getting the boat truly ship-shape, preparing to go offshore.  It's our first time as a family, and Evan's first time offshore.  It should be an adventure.  Our "plans" - always subject to change - are to go to St. Simons Island.  We should get there late tomorrow afternoon.  We'll stay there a day or two and then go to St. Augustine, then maybe Cape Canaveral.  We'll see . . . .

Cheering for Charleston

We made it to Charleston late Saturday afternoon.  Hooray!  We love it here.  It's so nice to be back in the deep South again.  Maryland and Virginia just think they're in the South.  North Carolina was getting close, but here it's the real deal.  Everyone talks with a little drawl, even the chic people.  There are lots of chic people here.  There are many reminders of SEC football everywhere.  Grits are a regular side item.  Everyone says hello, everyone.  I hear 'ya'll' a lot.  My people.  Ahh.

Yesterday we let the kids get out some energy at a nearby playground, then we explored the Children's Museum here.  We let Evan skip his nap.  He did great.  Both of them did, considering how much we walked and how hot and humid it is.  There's an open air market, much like the straw market in Nassau, close by.  We walked through there checking out the loot.  We got the kids t-shirts and stuff.  We ended up at a street festival and found ourselves at a Mellow Mushroom for dinner.  The kids and I took a pedi-cab (rickshaw) back to the boat.  That was such fun that the kids proclaimed it to be way better than a regular cab.  The guy on the bicycle just laughed.

Zachary at the helm of the pirate ship at the Children's Museum.

This is where I keep Ryan until I need him for something.

 Sometimes the kids have to go to jail.

This little piggy is turning 3 in a week and a half.  Hopefully my Thomas the Train cake will look better than my botched Star Wars & Sailboats cake.  I think I'm strong enough again to face the temptation of the cake.  I think.

Today we are going to the aquarium.  Later this afternoon we'll go to one of those open fountains that kids get to play in.   We originally thought we'd have a weather window to head offshore tomorrow, but that window is closing in on us.   Instead, we'll take the ICW again just to get some miles under us while we wait for a weather window.  Ryan changes the story frequently, and I'm usually barely paying attention, so I'm not sure exactly what's going on.  When I'm not doing my Mommy or First Mate duties (often they overlap) I'm devouring every book I can get my hands on.  I love love love to read, and rarely get time for it at home, so this is just heavenly.  Usually Ryan is figuring out "the plan" of where we're going next at the end of the day while I'm engrossed in my latest book.  After a day of kid/first mate duties I just love the escape, so I utter "un huh, sounds good honey" a lot and really don't know what he's saying.  Just going with the flow, that's me.