Big Fish, Little Pond-Traveling Up the Eastern Seaboard

Current Location: Annapolis, Maryland

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

Unfortunately my attempts to update the blog recently covering our adventures in the San Blas Islands, Portobello and other beautiful destinations in Panama have been futile.  Again this will have to wait for a later date or the publication of the book I intend to write. Like our meandering travels on a sailboat at an average of 5 knots, writing this book may prove to be go slow going, but by God, it will be done!

The previous blog entry left off in Key West, Florida where we began our sail up the Eastern Seaboard of the good, old U-S of A.   I had forgotten how different cruising is here versus foreign countries.  One huge obvious difference is that well...…life is EASY!!  Excuse the baseball metaphor, but in terms of convenience and luxury, it's like going from the minor leagues to "The Bigs", "The Show"...you get the picture.

Our time sailing up the Eastern Seaboard was a mixture of sailing "on the outside", aka in the ocean and meandering up the Inter-Coastal Waterway (this resembles the California Delta with inlets and small rivers).  I am amazed at how different this coastline is from the West Coast.

While sailing offshore we were often in 30 feet or less and soon got in the habit, borderline obsession, of watching the depth sounder.  Having a fin keel means that we draw 6 feet 9 inches which seems to be a lot for this coast line.  The challenge was navigating back onto shore in the many inlets.

Unlike the Pacific side, there are very few wide open bays to sail into and drop the hook.  Of course, Knee Deep captain and crew chose many stops that were labeled "do not attempt to navigate without local knowledge". This problem was resolved by making a quick phone call to Tow Boat USA who would inform us of the depths and areas to avoid or the occasional, "Nope you're not going to make it in here. Keep going to the next inlet. We found that there were plenty of places to stop and the inlets having enough depth for us.

 With that said, when navigating the ICW ("on the inside"), we were in anywhere from  7 to 15 feet and ran aground at least 3 times. There's nothing like puttering along in a sailboat and having that sinking (not literally) feeling that you are now at a complete stand still, perched atop a sandbar or muddy shoal. We managed to get ourselves off time and time again, which usually entailed me jumping up and down on the boom which was swung out over the side of the boat. This is a strategy used to tip the boat over and extract the keel out of the mud (and what you resort to when you don't have a Tow Boat USA membership...the equivalent of AAA for cars).

However, when we were REALLY stuck, Ben would enact the "We Need More Tipping!" strategy.
This involves using a line from the mast, tying an anchor to it and use the dinghy to drop the hook in the water well off the side of the boat.  At this point, Ben recruits a power boater into our shenanigans and requests they pick up the line with the anchor and DRIVE! Sure enough, Knee Deep pops out of the mud and we are on our way again.

In the above scenario, we were traveling with some fellow cruisers who attempted to tow us off to no avail, yet hung around for emotional support.  Thanks Buddy!

Now in the deeper Chesapeake Bay, Knee Deep has hopefully found a new home amongst a population of people who LOVE to sail!  Ben is dying to go out and race her having complete confidence that she would kick some East Coast butt!!

Navigating the ICW can be quite picturesque and at times quite boring!!

 

 

There are many beautiful homes along the way!

 

Another issue with navigating the ICW are the many bridges. Many swing open on a schedule or upon a request when you radio the bridge tender. Our first bridge (not this one) was fixed and in true Floating Frat House form, we weren't quite sure of our mast height. When we inquired with the bridge tender he replied, "Looks like you'll make it. I think you've got at least 3 feet". We held our breath and sure enough we cleared it!! 

 
As we meandered up the ICW, we were joined by my niece, Gaby, who had just graduated from Cal, Berkley. I'm still questioning my sister's decision for funding her visit as a graduation present for her hard work.  In addition, I question Gaby's sanity for accepting it!  The boys were ecstatic to have their cousin aboard! We visited many little, tiny po-dunk towns on our way up to Annapolis and she was a trooper to tolerate the boring ports of call we showed her.  As we docked in the thriving metropolis of Coinjock, North Carolina, she looked down at her colorful Hawaiian shorts and said, "I think my pants are the most exciting thing happening in this town!"

Welcome to Coinjock, NC! The owners of this marina were so nice! They let us watch the NBA finals in one of their unrented cottages (the one restaurant was closed that night).

No traffic jam here in Coinjock!

As we anchored off of Yorktown, VA we were able to visit the "historic triangle" made up of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.  We had a great time learning about America's past, which covered, war battles, the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers, archeological sites and cannibalism. Needless to say the boys found these sites more interesting than their history books.

A historic home in Williamsburg, VA. Inside we found....soda vending machines!

Williamsburg, VA

 

Trying on some tri-cornered hats.

A re-enactment of the reading of the Declaration of Independence (see guys on balcony).



Boys marching off to war. I got a bit weepy thinking about my boys heading off to battle



Jamestown settlement. An active archeological dig is currently going on.

They found a skeleton of a 14 year old girl in the fort's kitchen.  The markings found on her proved that the Jamestown settlers turned to cannibalism to survive. This prompted questions from the boys like., "So if you were starving to death, would you want to just die or try to survive?"  or "Would you rather drown or starve to death?" Hello Dark Side!!

This the archeologist that discovered the original settlement of Jamestown while digging for artifacts in 1994. He lives on the property to be near his work.

Who said learning can't be fun? Especially when you are loading a cannon to take out......

 

.....your annoying little brother!!

 

We pulled into Annapolis, Maryland about a week ago with the realization that our adventure is now coming to an end (more on that later).  As this sinks in and becomes reality, the boys and I continue to clean up the boat and pack up our belongings, enjoying the lovely marina where we are docked (complete with 2 pools, restaurant, shuttle and workout room...the latter of which we have yet to visit). We have found a broker and hope to sell her and head home to settle in to "normal" life on land. Ben is currently delivering a boat from El Salvador to Panama and will return in a few weeks.  He was so excited as he packed his bag, to be paid to do something he loves so much!!

Our marina is filled with recreational boaters who have massive power boats and sailboat yachts.  We are getting used to the side long glances at our little, salty sailboat amongst these fancy giants!
I came to a funny realization the other day that at one point along this coast, we were no longer little fish in a big pond.  We are now the big fish in a little pond. Or maybe you could call it "cruising weirdos".  Let me explain....

While in Panama City there were sailors from all over the world, all going in different directions.  Many of our friends chose to do the "Puddle Jump" which is the sail across to the South Pacific, sometimes with a stop in the Galapagos Islands. This voyage entails sailing on the open ocean anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks, depending on your sailboat. In addition, we met numerous people who had circumnavigated the world, sometimes on their second go around!! These people had conquered the Red Sea for God's sake!! See what I'm saying...we were very little fish in a BIG pond!

Now, that all has changed.  When people here read the stern of our boat with "San Francisco" printed on it, they inquire, "Is that where you are from?".

When we explain that we left there two years ago and sailed to the East Coast via Panama Canal the reactions are numerous and varied:

1. "The Bright Lights" reaction:  They light up like a Christmas tree and divulge that it is their dream to go cruising on their boat as well. Usually these are kindred spirits and we end up having a beer over some Q and A.

2. "Been There Done That" reaction:  These people comment with some nostalgia that they have been cruising and have their own story to tell.  They are also weird gypsy souls like us with whom we end up having a beer with and  swapping wild sailing stories.

3.  "The Zombie" reaction:  They simply nod their head and move on, leaving me to wonder if they heard the reply to their inquiry. They probably wind up drinking a wine spritzer  alone or with other Zombie like creatures.

4.  "Judge Judy" reaction;  Perhaps my favorite are the judgmental select few who react with, "You sailed on THAT thing from San Francisco?"  I actually have a special place in my heart for these naysayers, not sure why.  Maybe it is because I harbored those same doubts as we planned our trip; would the boat be big enough, sturdy enough?  Maybe I just feel sorry for their inability to think outside the box.  Who knows...but I don't take it personally. I rather sadistically enjoy it! These people are drinking whiskey sours amongst other similar boaters talking about bow thrusters and the new air conditioner unit they installed...correction someone installed for them. I am not sure if these people ever actually leave their slip (ok, cheap shot!).

In the spirit of the illustrating these reactions, here is a story from just this morning.

While in the marina office, getting my complimentary latte...yes, the marina offers tasty coffee concoctions for free...and as any true freeloading sailor would do...I cash in on it EVERY morning.

As I awaited the machine to finish my drink, a man dressed in a loud Tommy Bahama shirt, brand new topsiders and some sort of expensive wicker Panama hat burst through the door.
.....(I will admit to all of you recreational boaters who dress like this, cruisers, fisherman or any other person who has spent time on the sea get a chuckle out your wardrobe and have our own "Judge Judy" moments like:  "Dude, where are you going? Sailing or to play shuffleboard?"  or "Wow, those white pants are going to get REAL dirty when you fend off all the pilings surrounding your slip..cuz we know you don't know how to drive a boat"). But I digress......

He stomps into the vacant office and looks at me sitting on the couch reading the complimentary Sports Illustrated. I smile, he nods and frowns. I wander over to extract my free latte from the machine and he demands in a deep, firm voice, "Where is everybody?"

I reply, "I think Eric (the manager) is down on the dock helping someone."

Tommy Bahama inquires sternly, "Who are you?"

Smiling and comforted to realize I am not an employee and don't have to deal with this guy, "I'm Molly!"

"Well, can I ask you a question?"

I answer, "Sure! But I don't work here, I have a boat on the dock."

Tommy Bahama's demeanor quickly changes and says in a friendlier tone "Oh, sorry. There was a girl that worked here named Molly a while ago. I thought you were her."

Noting that my worn flip flops, torn shorts, unkept hair and coveting of the free latte could have tipped him off that I was a dockhand, "Nope, I don't."

"Ok. Well, where the heck is everybody? I need some ice!!"

I do not reply and wonder why he couldn't just grab a bag of ice out of the machine on the dock.

A conversation ensues about how he had traveled from Florida last year ALL the way up the coast with his 52 foot power boat, which mainly consists of me nodding.

Finally, Tommy asks, "What kind of boat are you on?"

I have grown quite accustomed to the this posturing and status competition about boats, so I plainly state, "a Catalina 38".

Mr. Bahama says with obvious disdain, "A sailboat? How long have you been here?"

I answer, "About a week."

"Where are coming from? The South Chesapeake?"

Molly grins saying, "San Francisco actually. We've been out for about two years."

"Oh" is all Tommy Bahama can muster. He turns on his squeaky, white heel and stomps out of the office to terrorize some poor marina employee into being a pack mule for his ice.

Grateful for my complimentary latte, I settle back on the couch and try to remember what day it was, hoping it was Saturday.......when the free bagels are served.

***************

The end of a blog entry would not be complete without documenting the Knee Deep crews antics in another installment of the FLOATING FRAT HOUSE FOLLIES....

On a visit to historic Williamsburg, VA, members of the Floating Frat House were dining in an old, authentic tavern. Complete with candles for lighting, we sat in the old, rickety chairs and  were served by waiters in 18th century clothing, using Old English vocabulary.

A fiddler played an old colonial song in the middle of the room and the House Mother smiled at the ambience and secretly praised herself for giving the Frat Brothers the opportunity to experience history in this way, marveling at how much they must be learning!!

In that moment, J.P. proclaims, "I wonder if you covered up the top of that candle holder in the middle of our table, do you think it would blow up!??!"

Well, maybe they are learning more science than history....or how to be the Una Bomber.

PART 2...Earlier in the day, the House Mother had read off the authentic rules of Colonial times regarding children's behavior.  It went something like this:

"Children shall not erupt, sneeze or cough at the table, but if necessary shall do it quietly."

"A common punishment for misbehavior for colonial children was time spent in the town square stockades (the pillory)"

During the meal at the aforementioned tavern, The House Mother observes J.P. is about to sneeze.

He turns to her and says, ""I'll try to do it quietly. I'm trying to live like a colonial kid".

Cheers!!
Molly

The old tavern where the Floating Frat House enjoyed a traditional colonial lunch.

Observe candle instead of electrical lights. Note: Ted Kaczynski on the left.

I wonder what these guys to deserve this? Also, did they really give noogies in the 18th century?

The Floating Frat House On the Move!!!

Current Location:  Marathon, FL (the Florida Keys)

Well, the transition is complete...good-bye Bachelor Pad and helloooo Floating Frat House!! Ben's manly, salty crew of Pierre, Amigo and Andrew have departed and the Doolittle family is reunited back aboard Knee Deep. We are acclimating back to sailboat life and are happy to be reunited again.  It was nice for the boys and I to take a break from the boat and miss out on the relentless pace of delivering the boat to Florida.  Many thanks to wonderful crew that helped Ben complete 1500 miles in 4 weeks, a brutal pace for sailing.  Taking a break from the crowded quarters of family living aboard on a sailboat, was a nice break and has made us all appreciate each other more.

Introducing the delivery crew...1500 miles in 3 weeks. These guys are rock stars! (The only picture I had of Andrew was of his feet so I refrained from posting it...your welcome, Andrew!).

Pierre, the Frenchman, his final moments aboard Knee Deep.  I think that's why he is smiling!!

Amigo, the Mexican wonder dog!! He was a trooper!!

What a cutie!!!! I think he's saying, "Get me the hell off this boat!"

 

Captain Ben. This is what you should look like after 1500 nautical miles in three weeks!

 

 

Thanks again to Deena and Rick who generously opened their house to us. We had a wonderful time enjoying all the comforts of land living along with our friends Dick and Maureen from Blue.  It really could have been a great reality show, watching seven sailors living under one roof and adjusting to all of the creature comforts.  For example, my roomies and I cheered enthusiastically every time the ice maker made a clanking sound producing the clear, cool gold that most of us cruisers cherish. Also the creations produced in that house kitchen still haunt my dreams as I sweat in my little boat galley making a simple pasta dinner (see Rick's beautiful Timpano below....just like the dish made in the classic cooking movie, Big Night). It was also common to find one or more of us sitting in the living room in the middle of the night, leading to the nickname of the "college dorm lounge".  Apparently breaking the habit of night watches and midnight anchor inspections are hard to break!!

Timpano, delicious goodness!!!

Dick, Maureen and Mickey engrossed in dinnertime conversation.  We often sat together for a nightly meal, my roomies were all amazing cooks!

Our hosts, Deena and Rick.

Deena trying to get a nibble of J.P.'s dessert...ice cream AND cake!! The freezer was constantly stocked with ice cream, another luxury of land living.

The boy's favorites from Trader Joe's...Orange Chicken and Edemami.

The 8th roommate, Snoball.  She did not like all the comings and goings of people, so she sat on our shoes by the door.
 

Once Ben and crew made it to Key West, the boys and I said farewell to our friends and drove our rent a car the 400+ miles to Key West.  I was chuckling as the locals kept telling me that it was, "a VERY long way down the Keys!!" Little did they know I had covered thousands of miles in a sailboat which average 5 knots...they had no concept of a "VERY long way".

After moving back aboard, we had some fun exploring before starting our sail up the Eastern Seaboard.  Ben played travel guide and lead us around Key West aptly naming his tour "The Trail of Tears".  This is the town where he worked for a while back in the 90's and had his heart broken by a beautiful French woman.  His tour consisted mostly of drinking establishments where he cried into his beer and places of employment from which he was fired. A truly inspiring tour guide and a lesson to our boys of what NOT to do!!

Captain Ben's former place of employment.  To quote him, "I hated working in this place!"





Little did he know, after getting his heart broken he would find this beauty and marry her!!!

Maybe I looked a little more like this when he met me??  I can dream, can't I??




I realized we have taken these stupid cut out photos in many foreign countries! I'm so cultured!!

Panama City, Panama!!

Barra Navidad, Mexico

 

 

We departed Key West a week ago, making the day sail up to Marathon, FL, a beautiful spot right in the middle of the Florida Keys. The City Marina offers moorings and has been a wonderful spot to clean up our boat.  The boys will have to say good-bye to their newfound friends aboard Sea Mist IV since we plan to leave tomorrow for the overnight sail to Fort Lauderdale. From there we will scurry up the coast since we are required by our insurance company to be north of Georgia by June 1 due to hurricane season. 

 

We have listed our boat on a couple of websites as we prepare to sell her and head home (the link is below).  She has been one heck of a boat, seeing us through Mexican tropical storms, large Caribbean ocean swells, Cotsa Rican Papagayo winds and an El Salvadorian microburst.  It will be sad to part with her, but we hope her new owners will enjoy her as much as we have! She sure does LOVE to sail!!

 

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/35912

 

 

Hard to believe our time is almost up and we will be returning to "normal" life.  We plan to buy a camper and make our way across the good, old USA this summer and reunite with family and friends in California. Mickey has been planning our "American Baseball Park Tour of the US" for a while now, however, his evil boat school teacher will be incorporating some US history amongst our travels (insert evil laugh here).

 

And now another edition o the Floating Frat House Follies:

 

One important piece of equipment we added to Knee Deep has been Mr. Word (a.k.a. The Swear Jar or the Douche Bag Jar).  The crew were inspired by the sitcom, New Girl, in which the three male roommates and one female roommate reside together (sound familiar).  One of the characters, Schmidt,  is constantly spewing inappropriate comments causing his fellow roomies to set up the "Douche Bag Jar". 

 

Inspired by this idea, the crew of Knee Deep have adopted Mr. Word, a plastic piggy bank purchased in Panama.  The boys with great enthusiasm took him down below and set up a strict penalty system for the use of foul language. They disappeared for several minutes to decorate and document each specific fine.  Ben and I were chuckling to hear our sweet, angelic children down below have the following conversation:

 

Mickey:  So, the F word is a really bad one so let's charge 25 cents for that one.

J.P.:  Yeah, fuck is a bad word! (Grabbing a permanent marker) How do you spell it?

Mickey:  F-U-C-K

J.P.: How about the S word?

Mickey:  That's easy S-H-I-T

 

At this point, Ben turns to me and says, referring to Mickey who has a form of dyslexia, "That kid can't spell the words 'they and 'which' correctly, but apparently swear words are no problem??! Unbelievable!!"

 

I guess inspiration can strike at the most unexpected moments!!

 

We both quickly agreed that the true losers in this scenario was us and any sailor adult stepping on board our boat!! 

 

For the past six months the boys have been collecting some cold, hard cash and Mr. Word is now filled with pesos, colons, balboas and American coins. To quote our friend Heather from s/v Sundancer, "Some of my money is in that pig!! College Funding!"

 

And I can't think of a more appropriate way to send the residents of the Floating Frat House to college other than on a Swear Jar Scholarship.  I think their college application essays will be VERY interesting and at least we know that the swear words will be spelled correctly.

 

Cheers,

Molly

 

Our fifth roommate, Mr. Word:

 

 

 

 

Please note, "dick" is free! To quote Mickey and J.P., "Well, it's a part of our anatomy, why would that be wrong?" Not sure why crap is free?

 

Some fellow cruisers we met from Spain taught us a VERY BAD Spanish swear word, hence the steep fine!!

 

 

 

 

 





 

Escaping Panama City, Las Perlas Islands and Life on Land

Current Location: Venice, Florida (Molly, Mickey and J.P.);  Isla Mujeres, Mexico (Ben, Pierrre and Andrew) en route to Key West.

As I write this, two months have passed since we were able to extricate ourselves from Panama City and it’s sticky, intricate web of discontent.  It was a place from first landfall that challenged our philosophy of positive thinking and the ability to see the best in our fellow man.  As corny as it sounds, the Doolittles usually attempt to find the positive in every place and culture we visit, but our experiences and encounters in Panama City seemed to challenge our intent to execute this every day.

As a testament to it’s stronghold and altering affects on us, the usually easy-going, genial, fun-loving Captain Ben transformed into an irate, frustrated complainer.  I spent many afternoons listening to him spew his disdain, all the while wondering if the that bulging vein in his forehead would actually burst this time.  My duty as a devoted wife and first mate was to inform him quite frankly, “You are turning into an angry, bitter man…we need to get you the hell out of here!!!”   

Don’t get me wrong, I morphed into a ranting, lunatic whiner as well, which deeply disturbed me!  Just ask any store employee, cab driver or crew member aboard Knee Deep.

Crooked immigration agents charging bogus agricultural inspection fees, bullying cab drivers and the general rudeness/unhelpfulness of Panama City’s inhabitants indicated it was time to escape before our optimistic philosophy of our fellow man became irreversibly altered.  In short, we needed to bolt, before we permanently crossed over to the Dark Side.

As we waited to transit the Canal, we attempted to spend as little time in Panama City as possible.  Fortunately, only a day sail away were the lovely Las Perlas Islands.  There we swam in the cool, blue waters and discovered, not surprisingly, that island life suited us much better.   After provisioning and running errands in the big city (a.k.a. Gotham city), we would sail out to the Perlas.  The moment we tossed the anchor overboard, I felt my blood pressure drop and my body relax.

Here is where I am inserting an editorial apology.  Unfortunately, our old computer died due to the humidity of the tropics which is extremely hard on electronics…just ask my IPhone that decided to burst open one day. I am currently attempting to figure out how to download all of our files to our new laptop.  This has put a damper on completing my blog entry regarding the San Blas (see a tidbit from Ben in previous blog entry), which will have to wait for a later date.

The first part of this blog was entitled "Fantasy Island", but it has disappeared into cyberspace and I hope to find it soon.  Also, our pictures of the Las Perlas Islands have gone missing, so here are some repeats from Mickey and J.P.'s blog.  Hopefully a little random narrative regarding our Pacific Island stay will suffice for now.

______________________________________________________________________________

(After visiting the main island of Isla Contadora, we ventured the 3 miles to more remote and deserted islands.....) Here is where the story continues:

................Then our island adventure continued over at Isla Mogo Mogo which all agreed we must visit for the mere fact that we loved saying it. The dialogue on the sail over went something like this:

Molly:  “Hey, Mickey! Where are we going?”

Mickey (in a deep guttural, native voice): “MOGO MOGO!!!”

I found it rolling off my tongue often and murmured to myself repeatedly, “Mogo Mogo” until the boys  told me it was getting old, which pleased me to no end. 

“Ah, Young Grasshopper….the Annoyee has become the Annoyer!!!”.  Point scored for the House Mother on the Floating Frat House!!

As always in true sailor form, Ben unattached us from the mooring ball without starting the engine and sailed out of the anchorage.  He just can’t help himself….why turn on the motor when you can use the wind??! I have grown accustomed to this over the years and have adapted to sailing into and out of anchorages…..“just for fun!”

The boys and I were down below and realized after a few minutes that we were underway.  In less than 45 minutes we were approaching our destination.   As a reminder, we had been traveling at an extremely quick pace to reach Panama City for Christmas. Our sails were long days or multiple overnight hops, which usually involved beating to weather, battling currents and hours of motoring.  As a result, we were unaccustomed to such a short, uneventful sail which only increased our enthusiasm for Isla Mogo Mogo.

We were tickled to discover a beautiful anchorage between two Islands with clear, blue water and sandy beaches, one of which contained a tree swing.  So the anchor was set and we cheered our good fortune.  In addition to the name, it was exciting to discover from the guidebook, that Mogo Mogo was the place where a season of Survivor was filmed.  So off we went in search of any remnants of American pop culture laying under the Panamanian sand.  What would we find; Immunity Idols? Hammocks? Torches? Survivor handkerchiefs worn as tube tops by those skinny, starving, emaciated tribal women? 

As we searched I chuckled at the thought of the Doolittles participating in the Survivor game.  Ben would certainly starve to death within a few days, leaving me to be voted off first, due to my sheer inability to withstand the heat.  Next to go would be Mickey who would extinguish his torch voluntarily to scurry off to an air-conditioned hotel room to catch up on his sporting events.  Thus, not surprisingly, J.P. would be the million dollar winner by using his cunning and charisma.

Unfortunately, no Survivor paraphernalia was found, but there were some pretty lavender shells spread all over the beach.  We had an enormous bonfire with some other boats and were content knowing that nobody would be voted off this island. 

We spent our days swimming, snorkeling and exploring the area, happy to do homeschooling and work in another amazing place.  Recess and coffee breaks were spent jumping overboard or floating in the inflatable boat behind Knee Deep.  Mickey also blew off some steam terrorizing the anchorage in the dinghy attempting go fast enough to plane out of the water.

 

 

Getting into the swing of winter making a sand snowman on Isla Contadora!

 

 

 

As for present time, they boys and I have been enjoying a month long stay with our friends Deena and Rick (s/v Talaria) in Venice, Florida.  They generously opened their home to us and we have thoroughly enjoyed our stay, while catching up with our friends Maureen and Dick (from s/v Blue). This sounds benign enough, however, putting several sailors together, who have traveled 10K miles, in a home with a pool and beer refrigerator is A LOT of revelry waiting to happen.  We all enjoyed cooking, baking and drinking much to the neighbors confusion and dismay.  Apparently, the recycling bin was quite the spectacle each week!!

The boys and I are grateful for our land time and appreciate having the break! We are now ready to hop back aboard Knee Deep and make our way up the Eastern seaboard where we are planning on selling the boat this summer. It seems impossible that we have been sailing for almost two years and our travels are coming to an end.  I am both excited and saddened about this fact.

And now another edition of the.....FLOATING FRAT HOUSE FOLLIES:

Knee Deep crew and many of our cruising friends often frequented a mini-mart (the “Shopette" in Panama City) near our anchorage to use the WiFi.  On this particular crowded day, Molly sets up the laptop and steps inside the store leaving J.P. and Mickey outside to keep an eye on the computer.  There is a children’s festival taking place in the parking lot adjacent to the store.    Molly notices a man dressed as a clown in the store, complete with face paint and large red shoes. He exits before her.

Molly returns to her table outside the store where J.P. is awaiting her arrival.  A brief conversation takes place:

J.P.  (sounding more like a 30 year old than an 8 year old):  Did you leave anything here except your computer?”

Molly: No.

J.P.:  Ok, good! Cuz the clown sat down right here next to me.  I wanted to make sure he didn’t steal anything.

Molly: Oh?!

J.P. (now giggling): Yeah…he was drinking a beer! A clown, drinking a beer, that’s so funny!!

Molly:  Yep, that’s funny   (not sure that a grown man dressed as a clown, drinking a beer at a children’s festival is at all funny).

J.P. :  Yep, sometimes you just gotta be yourself!!!

And there you have it...from the mouths of babes.....Be Yourself Everybody!!!

Cheers,

Molly

The San Blas Islands...Ben's take......

Molly will do a nice job of summarizing our visit to the remote San Blas Islands.....by the time you read this, that post will probably be above this one. However, their are 2 special things that I wanted to point out about these remote, nearly untouched and remarkably beautiful islands from MY unique perspective.

One, the Kuna Indians that populate the archipalago are very kind...although they are also VERY short. Here is a typical Kuna home:

Here is our buddy Jose who was a huge help in getting us around the island:

Finally, and most "shockingly", due to this height difference, I found it often times simply dangerous in Kuna Land....these are power lines strung across a PUBLIC park!!

These folks eat well though.....I bought to fresh off the bottom lobsters for $4 and a 2 cold beers!!!
I LOVE the San Blas!!

Me, Myself and I........

Never would have guessed it was "De La Soul" that released that song in 1989 (thanks Google) but yep, Molly and the boys, weary from many months on the boat, have headed to a cruising friend's home in Florida. Thanks (I think) to Deena and Rick of Talaria for making this so easy for them.....they were ready for things like ice makers and swimming pools you don't have to share with lots of other cruisers.

I am feeling better now that some time has passed, the canal transit was just another adventure....and I dislike Panamanians less......

So it is Captain Ben setting out on the high seas aboard the brave ship Knee Deep to make the 4-5 week passage up to Key West. I have actually broke it down into four 2-3 day legs, with 2-3 days to rest and drink beer at each new location....shouldn't be too tough, right?? I will head out from here to Providencia, then to Grand Caymen, Belize, a short hop to Isla Mujeres, then Key West. Actually my buddy Andrew Lynch will be joining me for that last...and longest leg.....thank goodness for that. I suggested that he approach the boat with caution when he gets to Mexico.....with all that alone time I may just want to spoon with him!!

Anyway, inorder to strike just the right Pirate Posture as I single hand my way up through the Carribean, I have decided on a new look:

Now keep in mind that JP said without hesitation, "not your best look dad...." but I am not going for handsome here. This look is in honor of my good friend Ron on Sundancer......and it is a look I know Don Krug will appreciate!

AND, it is not like I don't have crew at all.......in this shot you see the tiny tail of my galley chef. I have named him Guy Kho after an old college roomate. * You can just barely make out his little tail headed back behind the onion.

Finally, if you care to know what I've done with the boat now that I am alone, just reference Terry Bradshaw's scene near the end of "Failure to Launch".....when HIS kid  Mathew McCaunaghy) moves out of the house.
Or check this you Tube link.....(Warning...Terry Bradshaw is NAKED) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tafb-jPTH4I


I'll let you all know how the progress up the Carribean goes......I am looking forward to Florida and my family!!







*I actually never had a college roommate named Guy Kho, although I did live with Hung Jiang for a week freshman year in the dorms before he left for a more shall we say "sober" environment.

How NOT to transit the Panama Canal......

My wife Molly and I, along with our 2 boys spent the better part of 2 months in Panama getting ready to transit the canal. We invited my mom Sally Doolittle and Molly’s dad Jerry to join us. Rounding out our crew was Michael Bell of Epiphany.   Molly asked me about my previous experience in the canal more than once. “No worries…easy….just pay attention and we will be fine…” were my standard responses. I had gone through a couple of times, including driving my Ericson 29 through many years ago. Despite being lighter than our current boat and woefully underpowered by an old Atomic 4, I had no problems. I expected this passage would be the same. I will try to explain the events of the next two days with as much neutrality as possible…..I am still a bit angry about our passage…..and I apologize ahead of time for the complete lack of humor!!

We left the Playalita anchorage at 7:30 am and waited an hour or two at channel marker 4 for our advisor. About 10 am Edwin joined us. He was very cordial and professional, and proved to be a great help. He had me head into the Canal Zone and we were off.

Things change rapidly in the canal as many boats are being moved at the same time. Plan 1 was a side tie to a tug, then we were going to side tie to a ferry. At the last minute it was determined that we would side tie to Joyeaux, our friends’ Waquiez 39…..a boat very similar to ours, only a bit heavier. They would side tie to a tourist ferry that would in turn port side tie to the lock walls.

The locks are like a big shoe box. In front of us as we entered was a big tug pushing a heavy barge. They were side tied to the left side of the lock therefore they were port tied. Behind them on the left side also was the ferry, about 100 feet overall, also tied to the left wall. Tied alongside them was Joyeaux, and we were the third boat in the raft up.. .

Once everyone was secured, about 10 to 15 minutes, water began to flood the chamber and we began to rise slowly. Once we were at the highest level we would achieve in this lock the doors slowly opened in front of us and the big tug moved out. At about the exact same time, the big ferry began to turn to the right….someone on the lock wall had released their bow line, and the prop wash from the tug was pushing their bow into the center of the lock. That meant that our boat was getting pushed rapidly towards the far right wall, and if we hit the weight of Joyeuax and the tug would crush us. I found myself screaming to the bowman on Joyeaux to release our bow line ( I was in the back of the boat and we had released our stern line already). We were able to get free of the big out of control raft up and back out of the developing mess just in time. Joyeaux was second in line to approach the right hand wall and they did in fact hit it w/ their bow. (Damage was not too extensive fortunately). They got free of the tug finally and the two of us were sent spinning out of control into the back of the lock from the tugs prop wash. Only in hindsight did I realize that we did 2 full 360’s before finally getting the boat stabilized….facing the wrong direction in the very back of the lock. It took FULL RPM’s and steering from full to port to full starboard to get things under control. See picture of track 1...Not Pretty!!

I backed us up the lock in reverse, trying to create enough room to attempt a 3 point turn. As we came around, Joyeaux was finally under control themselves and motoring up towards us. We were both a little shaken and as I was hard over to starboard I yelled at Rob to slow down or we would hit each other. He slowed and allowed me the room to straighten myself out and we both approached the next lock…..Good times!!

Lock 2 had the same arrangement, accept there was now a large ship behind us as well as the tug in front. As we had peeled off to the right so drastically in the first lock, I explained to my crew and our advisor that I wanted to release the stern line first, then power ahead as the bow line came free. Unfortunately, this time, the prop wash from the tug kicked our STERN out into the center of the lock and we quickly ended up at a 90 degree angle facing directly at Joyeaux and the ferry. I couldn’t power ahead, and to reverse meant risking entangling my anchor w/ Joyeaux’s. The best course of action was to do NOTHING for a moment and watch what the boat wanted to do on its own. Sure enough it floated clear of Joyeaux’s bow and I was able to reverse away from the mess a second time. Another 360 and we were back in the game headed for the next lock. See track 2.

 It was here that something interesting happened. As we made our way through Galliard Cut, a short waterway between lock 2 and 3, our advisor was keeping me abreast of the situation w/ the prop wash creating tug ahead of us. The tug was trying to get into the next lock ahead of us before he had clearance. He was told to stand down and wait but he rushed into the lock anyway. Canal control told him to back out (a lengthy process) and wait for oncoming traffic to clear. He threatened a formal complaint, was told to file his complaint, but get the heck out of the lock he didn’t belong in. This tug driver was in a HUGE hurry, which explained the MASSIVE amount of prop wash he was creating every time he left the lock in front of us.

Because of the dangerous situation in the 1^st 2 locks, the ferry and our 2 sailboats were allowed to side tie AHEAD of the tug in the 3^rd lock. Not surprisingly, we left that lock without incidence. See track 3...THAT'S how you transit a lock!!

As we motored towards Lake Gatun, the tug tried 3 times to overtake us, nearly running head on into oncoming traffic each time. Just as his 3^rd attempt failed, he peeled off to the left to his destination at the edge of the canal. (He was the jerk that passes you on a 2 lane road, then slams on his brakes an turns into a driveway the second he gets around you.)

We had an uneventful trip through Lake Gatun and rafted up to the “cheese ball” for the night (a huge mooring buoy).

The next day started out uneventfully with new advisor around 2 pm. We were side tied to a ferry on the right side of the lock this time. Behind us was “the oldest tug in the Canal” with a student driver. Behind them was a huge ship. We left the 1^st lock without incidence, but because the tug’s student driver had a hard time holding station (standing still) the canal control put them in front of us for lock 2. Sure enough, as they left, again throwing MASSIVE prop wash at us, our advisor told me to BACK slowly away from the ferry we were tied to so that they could move ahead and tie up first. We don’t back well, especially in turbulence, and as I backed away, our boat twisted to the right, and our bow was caught in the prop wash of the ferry as it blazed ahead. I was so pissed that I pulled up next to the ferry in the final lock, tied up, calmly climbed up on our coach roof to get as close to their pilot as I possibly could, looked at him in the eye, and belted out, “WHAT THE FUCK!!!”   Understandably, the pilot (part of the elite class of mariner’s that effectively run the canal) took umbrage to my display. He backed me down w/ “There is no need for that language, we have guests on board…yada yada yada…” I came back with, “this is my home and that is the 3^rd lock out of 5 where you guys have put my family in danger!!!”

Needless to say, he wasn’t really listening to me and God knows I wasn’t listening to him. My advisor tried to calm me down, but I was furious. However, seeing that I was only going to get myself arrested, and knowing we were close to the end, I waited until he finished a sentence then I cut in, “ CAN WE GO SLOW NEXT TIME!!!!” I demanded. He agreed w/out hesitation that that would not be a problem and I turned my back and went to the cockpit where I belonged.

Well, sure as hell, when the lock doors opened and the  tug went blasting off in front of us as it had before churning up tons of prop wash, I turned around and the line handler on the ferry had already dropped our stern line in the water. We were again spinning in a churning cauldron w/ no control. Now it was Molly’s turn to be vehemently pissed. Full ahead, full astern, wheel from peg to peg and finally we were under control again.

I have my 50 ton Master’s License w/ sailing endorsement…I have been driving small boats for more than 30 years…..and I have NEVER been out of control of a vessel like that EVER!!

I read a lot of sailing stories and must admit that I am as guilty as the next guy of giving into the temptation to “armchair quarterback” the stories I read. I guess there is poetic justice as I have no doubt that if I read this, I would be saying to myself, “No way, I could have handled that better!!” Karma is a bitch……!

Our advisor on the first day has been taking hand line boats such as ours through the canal for 5 years, averaging 50 plus trips a year. He admitted that he had never had a day like he had with us.

Today, Risk Taker, an identical Catalina 38 showed up having just come through the canal. They had heard about our transit and were very clear with their advisor that, based on our experience, they were nervous about the passage. They were told by their advisor that he had heard about us and our passage, and that he would absolutely make sure they had a smooth transit. And they did.  But I guess they are talking about us in the Canal Advisor’s lunch room!!

It must be said that the crew of Knee Deep handled this entire passage with grace and class.....accept the captain of course! I can't thank my family who joined us enough....and Michael saved our bacon more than once on the bow!! 

Speaking of Michael, he wrote up his version of our passage here:  http://www.thefloatingmonkey.com/index.php/the-monkey-blog.html

Finally, he also decided to "get back on the horse" and transit again a few days later. He took the picture you see below....any guess what ferry that might be and what they are doing wrong?????