Thursday January 30: Accidents For a Reason

I think sometimes accidents happen for a reason. Steve went to the grocery store yesterday and by accident purchased a can of diced potatoes - normally he buys the sliced kind - someone put a can in the wrong row.

A great breakfast food and it turns out that the diced ones are actually better than the sliced which are better than the whole canned potatoes!

These canned potatoes have a long history in our boating past. Many was the dinner in the 80's that we fried these canned potatoes in oil and butter on the Coleman stove on shore as we traveled through the Trent Canal in Ontario - traveling with my parents on two 26' Sea Rays. What memories!! Now the potatoes are totally non-fat but just (well, almost) as good :-)

Yesterday was a great day to go fishing so Steve headed out to the 7 mile bridge with Werner (from "It's About Time"). The day was perfect! Fishing was ok with one keeper grunt (but I don't clean grunts - even though I did - sorry Dave) and one keeper yellow tail (a first for fishing under the bridge!). (You may not notice that Werner held his fish out at arms length trying to convince me it was worth cleaning :-)  )

I will, however, claim most of the credit for the fish as I received a phone call about 15 minutes after they left in the dinghy. Steve says "How ambitious do you feel?"

Well, this is my alone time. A short 3 hours if I'm lucky...

Seems they left behind the live shrimp (in the bait bucket tied to the dock). Could I borrow a car and meet them at the bridge with the shrimp?

Why not .... so I borrowed a neighbor's car and headed down the 3 miles to the bridge and took the shrimp. Luckily I got the last parking space otherwise I could see a ticket in my future as I was parking there - space or no space.

That was yesterday. Overnight the weather turned again. These darn north winds bringing that nasty stuff from Ohio. Just quit already!

Thunderstorms and rain at night, sprinkles and cloudy skies all day today.

So what a better time to do work, right!


It's time the generator had a paint job so today was the day to start cleaning it up so we could paint it tomorrow or the next day. It's really a smaller place that Steve CAN get into .... but sometimes I am concerned that he won't be able to get out of so I volunteered.

Cleaned up and ready to go on the first decent day to paint and have the boat opened up to allow it to dry.

In the meantime, two great things! First Steve made me a pair of slip on shoes by cutting off the heel of a pair of my shoes.

Orthotics still fit and I can easily slip these on and off my feet. Perfect for trips to the hot tub and pool or for just schlepping around the boat in the morning :-)

I am one happy camper!




The other thing? Steve found these Cocoa Roast Almonds at Publix the other day.

What a find! And a handful of nuts a day is on the list of ok things to eat.

If you like chocolate, you'll LOVE these!!!

Tuesday January 28: Engine Work Today

After a nice night at Horseshoe Key and a lazy, very pleasant morning, it was time to head back to Banana Bay.

The new battery bank worked great and we now have good intel about how long we can run things on the inverter without the need to run the generator.

Of course we still have some issues to iron out but at least we can see progress being made!

The water was very very clear as we made our way back. I saw one turtle swim out from under the boat and then Steve saw another one sitting on the bottom with a remora cleaning the turtle's shell. As good as boating in an aquarium as we'll get!

We made a side trip under the 7-mile bridge to the ocean side as we wanted to check out Molasses Key. It's not very far away from the bridge and as we've driven past it many times it looked like a nice place to spend the day. Quite shallow though but what appears to be an easy passage to some deep water along one side.

Maybe next time .... for now it was definitely time for lunch! Toss out the anchor and dig in: leftover salmon sandwich with a kale salad and rice. Perfect .....

Back in and tied up in time for docktails at 5:00. The sunset (although not over the water until March on this side of the island) was spectacular.

The tree looked like it was on fire. Finally a few nights when sitting on the point was enjoyable. Nice temps and little wind (sorry about the cold in the north :-(  )


Monday was time for defrosting the freezer and getting everything ready for the next project: tightening the head bolts on the engine, adjusting the valve clearances and changing the engine oil/filter.

None of which are difficult of course, just time consuming. (Of course I wasn't the one that had to first loosen the head bolt and then torque them back down to 105 foot/pounds - good thing Steve got weights for Christmas!!)


This 6 cylinder engine has 25 head bolts and 12 valves to adjust. I may see a visit to the hot tub in Steve's future tonight!

Anyway, by end of day: jobs completed!!!

Also completed: resolving the generator and battery charger conflict that has had us stymied for about a month. Steve had been in touch with a fellow MTOA (the trawler group to which we belong) member that is very knowledgeable about DC electric circuits and he has helped us tremendously.

Other boaters here at Banana Bay have also been so generous with their time as Steve has been picking brains since we have arrived! I threatened to ban him from leaving our boat!

Also amazing is the generosity of loaning a car to us. Usually it's not a big deal to bike where we need to go but when we're in the middle of a project and we need just one small thing ... a car is the way to go. What a wonderful group of people ......

Saturday January 25: Checking Out the Battery Installation

Since the kids have come and gone, it's been mostly working to get boat systems online.

We picked up 4 golf cart batteries at Sam's Club in Miami on our way to drop Becky off at the airport so the project has been to get these installed.

There's been a lot of under the floor work for sure and as always when work is going on the cabin is a wreck. With 20 feet of new 2/0 wire (about the thickness of your finger), it was measure, measure again, then cut and attach a terminal lug on the end of it.

Amazingly enough, no major errors and the resulting new battery bank of four 6 volt golf cart batteries hooked up in series and then paralleled into a 2 battery bank should serve us well.

Wow - isn't that such a nice regal red engine? And nicely organized battery system?

Now if we only knew how it would work at anchor. Best way to find out was to go anchor, right?

So we left today about 10:30 or so as the weather is predicted to be pretty settled. We headed to Horseshoe Key - about 16 miles west of Marathon.

The day was pleasant but cool in the shade so the flybridge canvas was the first thing to go!

Once anchored Steve headed off for a kayak around the key - while I settled in on the flybridge with a book in hand and a nap in mind :-)

The mangroves grow right to the water's edge around most of the island. There were a few fish but plenty of birds - although Steve said they were quite skittish.

The underpass did not have enough water with the tide being too low so there was no attempt to cross under. I think even a kayak can get stuck in this small opening!

More fishing but again no catching ....

Good thing the salmon was on sale at Winn-Dixie last week :-)

 The sun was setting quickly as I looked out the port door.

A close up showed the sliver of cloud the sun was passing behind.

Wonderful night - clear sky so I look for lots of stars to be visible tonight!

Batteries are living up to our expectations so far ....

Wednesday January 22: Don't Blink ...

The time went so fast! Franko Family Christmas came and went in the blink of an eye - of course it was only a day and a half so not really so surprising.

The weather was still a bit windy but with the sun out who cared? After a late arrival Saturday night, first on the agenda Sunday was opening presents!!

Which is not the normal "opening presents". Steve and Matt cut the envelopes down. These contained mere pictures of the real presents - which had already shipped and arrived at their respective homes.

So Becky opened a picture of her Nespresso Pixie espresso maker and coffee pods - knowing the real things were in her condo waiting to be open and used.

There were a few exceptions: Matt with his cool "my feet light up" Star Wars guy. And of course Steve and I scored because our stuff was really actually able to be opened.

Later in the day the view from the bridge at Bahia Honda State Park was as always great. Nice beach, weather, water, sun and company.

I think a perfect day - and time for some flying of the flash copter. Pay no attention to the scared and bleeding knuckles ......

If only we had read the directions :-)

It seemed everyone had just arrived when it was time for them to leave.

This was a first though: Christmas in the Keys - perhaps the best yet :-)

The day after the kids left, the weather turned yet again. Cold north winds with rain -

and a rainbow.

I love rainbows but I think I like the sunny skies and sunshine thank you.

Saturday January 18: Christmas at Banana Bay

In the end, there was no dinghy fishing this week. Steve was tempted but made a good decision not to go as the wind started blowing again from the north on Wednesday late morning bringing cold winds and waves rolling into the marina.Definitely not dinghy weather!

The best thing about north winds though is the sky is usually clear so the end result is a sunny day and a relatively clear night sky

The full moon has been amazing the last couple of nights!

So what to do on these windy, bouncy in the boat days? There is never a lack of projects - it's just a question of who has the energy to tackle them! And it's usually Steve :-)

He decided it was finally time to redo the forward head (that would be a bathroom for the landlubbers).


He started by putting a couple of coats of finish on the teak, followed by a fresh coat of paint on the non-formica surfaces and ended with a reorganization of the storage space.

Of course the work entailed moving everything (including the door) out of the way and into the front v-berth.

The end result was the best looking head in the boat! The after picture really doesn't do justice to how much better it looks though.

And I was spending the windy days getting ready for Christmas! Finally the Franko Family Christmas has arrived - Matt, Wendy and Rebecca will all be arriving about 7 pm tonight.



The whole boat gang is gathered around the tree. Presents are wrapped and waiting!

The stockings have been hung with care ...

now all we need are the kids :-)

Tuesday January 14: Making Headway ...

On a nice day, even the sunrises are wonderful down here. The weather has turned again and the days are warm and humid. Winds have calmed enough that it was finally time for Steve and Dave to try their hand at dinghy fishing. It was the last chance they had as Dave was leaving the next day.

First though we needed to get the dinghy down and the engine up and over the aft railing using the boom on the mast.

Last time we ran the engine was probably almost 9 months ago when we were down here - wonder if it will start?

Amazing - fired on the fourth pull! This has been the best little engine. But it does take care. Every time after we use it in salt water, it gets fresh water run through the engine and the fuel run out. The boom works great for that too as we can just stand the engine up on the aft deck hanging from the boom - attach a pair of water "muffs" to the water intake and let it run without being hooked up to the fuel tank until it stalls out.

Off they went armed with every kind of bait know to man. Live shrimp, shrimp packed in brine, plugs, squid .. well you get the idea.

Sadly no keepers for them though :-( But as they both said, it's still fun. It actually turned out to be pretty wavy so bouncing around in a dinghy for a few hours can actually be quite tiring. I think it must be the body's effort to remain upright as the dinghy works to topple it out!

We said our see you next time to Dave. They have their RV on a lake north of here - I think there will be more fishing for Dave for sure.

Yesterday, Steve got busy and decided to wash the outside of the boat down. It REALLY needed it - I think mostly from sitting in Bradenton for the 3 weeks we were up there.

Once that was done he just couldn't stop. All of the shade screen came off and scrubbed clean again.

And of course he still couldn't stop until the windows were washed ... and the snaps greased. Someone isn't going to be able to move tomorrow.

As he's outside working, I decided I had enough mental energy to tackle cutting the carpet we bought to cover the front deck. Finally, after 8 years of owning this boat, this project was at the top of the list!

What a difference. Can't believe we waited all this time to get it done. And only one "oops" cut so not bad considering the individual shaping and cutting each piece had to have.

Now to figure out what to do with all of the hats that typically are piled on the compass on the front deck.

I mean, really -- how many hats do two people need? Especially given that I wear one particular visor 99% of the time.

Something may need to be recycled to the thrift store .....










Today was the initial coat of the famous Ford Lehman Regal Red by rustoleum. The exhaust elbow and heat exchanger went in a couple of days ago so all was ready.

That engine is really lookin' good! Steve did the hard part of the job though, truthfully. You know - clean it up and apply the primer.

Of course he know me too well - is primer really needed? I would just kind of be tempted to start painting and hope it stuck .....

Tomorrow: looks like a great day for fishing. I see a dinghy ride in my future :-)

Saturday January 11: Workin' the Days Away ...

Well, ok. It hasn't been ALL work but since receiving the engine parts we needed there's been plenty of it. It has rained 3 of the last 4 days so not much going on anyway.

Time for some play as well - which started with cards and dinner with Dave and Joyce (from Joysea - now landlubbers and visiting Marathon for 10 days). I first became concerned when I saw the Bloody Marys being finger stirred .....

and became more concerned when Dave indicated he was going to grill the salmon. Outside. In the cold. With 25 mph winds. But they found a grill that was somewhat protected from the wind and wearing the warmest coats they had, Steve and Dave did a masterful job with the salmon cooked to perfection.

Great dinner!!!


Of course, not to be outdone, Steve decided that it was time for a lobster dinner. When we completed the loop in 2011 in Rome, NY, Dave and Joyce joined us for a celebration dinner aboard Yesterday's Dream. Seemed like a worthwhile tradition to continue with them! The picture left is from 2011 - the picture right was from this past Wednesday. Mmmm .... no one looks a day older, don't you think??

So there was a lot of open floor work going on (I would be reaching stuff from the aft cabin through the small access panel there) in order to remove the exhaust elbow and the heat exchanger.

Both will be replaced with new and the old will be recycled.

You can see where the exhaust elbow was removed. The heat exchanger occupies a place in this area as well. All came off quite easily - relative of course as the space is limited.

After cleaning the dirt, oil, and loose paint off of the engine, the next step is to prime any of the bare or rusty areas.

Matt: please note the use of safety equipment :-)

The Rustoleum Regal Red should arrive mid week so the final finish coat will be done then.

Meanwhile, we hope to be able to put everything back together today. And then I think there are playoff games to be watched!