Check Another One Off The List

Cruising is many things to many people. We are still working on what it means to us. We have a "bucket list" of experiences that might be included in that definition. One of those items is to partake in a dockside gathering where someone plays a guitar and the attendees sing along....kind of like a campfire sing-a-long. We are happy to report that we can check that item off our list.

A couple nights ago, James and Stacey on Glass Slipper, provided the entertainment and ambiance. Stacey has a disco chandelier on board that she brought dockside to provide the perfect lighting. It should be noted that the light was hung from a boat hook attached to a dock piling. Kind of "Cruiser Chic".

James pulled out his guitar and amazed us with his voice and playing abilities. We had to help out with some of the words, but that was part of the fun! Don aboard Island Tyme even added a nice percussion section tapping out the rhythms on a 5 gallon plastic bucket.

This crew has been so much fun to spend time with. We are avoiding any conversations that involve moving on. We sure will miss all these fun folks, but the memories will last forever.

 

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What Do We Do All Day?

Dinghy Cruising (Don, Gail, Stacey, James)

A common question asked is, "What do you guys do all day?" All we can say is the weeks fly by while we are busy having fun. Some days we have plans with other cruisers to walk the beach, go out to eat, go fishing, take the bus system to another town/West Marine/marine salvage yard, enjoy a happy hour, eat aboard one of the boats, have a dock party, go dinghy cruising........... Some days we just get up and decide what to do. Read a book, watch Netflix, undertake a boat project, carve a piece of wood, do the laundry, go to the grocery store or nothing at all.

Canal Cruising

Finding our own little paradise island

Lunch and drinks in the shade

Brenda, Eileen, James, Mary (front to back)

Gumbo night on Enchantress

We had Gumbo Night aboard Lee and Eileen's Choey Lee. Eileen is from the New Orleans area and makes what is possibly the best gumbo in the world. L to R (Mike, Brenda, Lee, Stacey, James, Mary, David)

Jessie and Brenda

We even get a rare treat once in a while when friends come to find us. Wayne and Jessie (Wisconsinites) joined us for a fun day of hiking, lunch and chatting. Later today a sailing friend from Illinois is coming by for a short visit.

See, we're not just out here goofing off. We have a busy schedule.

 

 

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What's the Weather

VHF Weather Broadcasts

As several of our boating neighbors are contemplating making the jump north across the Gulf, we are reminded of how lucky we are to have all the weather information we do. How scary it must have been for sailors of yesteryear. Today we have broadcasts on VHF, radio and TV (sometimes with questionable accuracy). But there is so much more than that available via websites and apps. We tend to look at numerous sources whenever we are deciding on our next move or anchorage.

WEATHER WEBSITES

NOAA Marine Weather.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm

NOAA screenshot

 

Passage Weather

http://www.passageweather.com

Passage Weather screenshot

 

Marv's Weather Service

http://www.marvsweather.com

Marv's Weather Service screenshot

 

AccuWeather.com

http://www.accuweather.com

AccuWeather.com screenshot

 

 

These websites show us wind speed, wind direction, wave height, and wave period (time between waves), pressure systems and so much more.

 

IPAD APPS

Radarscope App

RadarScope App Screenshot

 

Pocket Grib App gives us current and predicted wind direction and speed for anywhere in the world.

PocketGrib screenshot

 

BouyWeather App

BouyWeather App screenshot

 

Windfinder App

Windfinder Screenshot

 

 

There are people who have services that you can subscribe to who will analyze all the data and make suggestions for passage based on your boat size, crew capabilities and comfort level. One fun one is provided by the Great Loopers. He doesn't fill your head with lots of numbers. He just says things like, "If you are sitting in Clearwater and wanting to head north, you might just as well find a nice restaurant. "Eddie's Weather Wags" is available to AGLCA (America's Great Loop Cruiser's Association) members.

Of course, none of these are perfect by themselves. As a result, weather is always a part of any conversation between sailors. And there are always several opinions!

 

 

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