top ten, or so ................. from P

Now that we are back home "for good," our priorities have switched from navigation to yard maintenance. Actually, I am very much enjoying being home. And I will never again take for granted the wonders of modern conveniences. I can make coffee while at the same time remaining cool in the air conditioning. I have popsicles in the freezer. I don't have to pump a handle to flush the toilet. I no longer walk five miles carrying ten or twelve grocery bags. I can take a continuously flowing shower. Amazing. But as I was riding the lawnmower yesterday my mind drifted (again) back to living aboard Senara in the keys, and I mentally reviewed the top ten things I really, really miss. As a nod of support toward Dave Letterman, they are in reverse order:

10. Aqua colored clouds

9. Dogs on dinghies

8. Grouper sandwiches

7. Conch horns at sunset

6. Sailors always waving at each other

5. Mangroves and Gumbo Limbo trees

4. Looking over the side and seeing bottom

3. Easily making new friends at happy hour

2. Key Lime pie

And the number one thing I miss is: Scuba diving on the reefs in crystal clear water.

And the other major number one thing I miss is: Getting up every morning knowing that today I will sail the boat, encounter something new, and drop anchor somewhere else tonight. Two number one things. Sorry Letterman.

who is this Flagler person anyway? .... from P

You cannot go anywhere in coastal Florida without bumping into the ghost of Henry Flagler. Flagler County, Flagler College, numerous Flagler Boulevards, Flagler Hospital, Flagler High School, Flagler Beach, etc. etc. We are again in Florida (Daytona Beach) for K’s annual week-long AP English essay scoring job. As we made our way here, by car this time, I started seeing Flagler’s name again. Thinking back to our sail through the Keys I remembered marveling over the old railroad structure which stretches all the way from the mainland to Key West. In Key West I visited the little museum dedicated to Flagler and his Florida East Coast Railway and realized that the old bones of this railroad tell an incredible story of American ingenuity and determination in the industrial age.

Flagler was a wildly successful oil “robber baron” in the classic mold whose wealth at the turn of the century rivaled, and some say surpassed, that of the Rockefellers. In 1889 he took an interest in the new southern frontier of Florida and purchased several independent railroads from Jacksonville to Daytona. In 1894 his company constructed a new rail service to West Palm Beach, opening it up to the new “gilded age” vacationers. By 1895 his rail reached the wild shores of Biscayne Bay where he dredged a channel and paved streets in town. The local citizens wanted to change the name of the town to “Flagler” but he declined the honor and encouraged them to stick with the ancient Indian name – “Miami.”

When Panama Canal construction began in 1905 he decided Key West was going to be the new terminal point of his railroad, and he began an incredible construction project to put a steam locomotive over 153 miles of open ocean – stringing it along from key to key. Historians now describe it as an “engineering challenge beyond that of the Panama Canal itself.” You can still see most of the structure of the forty-some rail bridges spanning the keys. In the late 1940s the U.S. government just paved over the rail bridges to create the first highway A1A through the keys, and it was heavily travelled by traffic right up until the new, wider highway bridges were built in the late 60s. One of the locals told me the bridge inspectors in the Keys regularly say that the old concrete piers (Flagler used imported German concrete mixed with fresh water) are now more structurally sound than the “new” bridge pilings. Apparently Flagler’s old concrete recipe holds up better against the effects of salt water than the modern stuff!

Flagler’s East Coast Railway project was fraught with disasters, and it became a true money pit. It employed 4,000 men for 15 years, endured 5 major hurricanes during construction, and was so expensive that one of the richest men in the world died in debt. Even after completion, the Great Hurricane of 1935 (also described as the storm of the century) destroyed all but 60 feet of the entire rail system. It also killed 700 people and pretty much wiped the Keys clean. Records indicate sustained wind speeds of 200 MPH, well above Hurricane Andrew. K and I visited a small but well done memorial to those killed in the Great Hurricane at Islamorada. Some people labeled the railroad “Flagler’s Folly” and indeed the railroad never recovered from the combination of severe hurricanes and the great depression. But the fact is, Flagler’s railroad opened up the swamps of southeastern Florida allowing the isolated locals access to civilization while literally paving the way toward progress in a wild territory that wasn’t yet a state. And Henry himself got to ride the first train into Key West when the last rail was laid in 1912. Of course that was the same spring when the Titanic sank. Progress always has its setbacks.

Looking at the end of a section of old rail bridge that was later paved over for the first highway A1A. The current bridge can be seen at the right.

Harry makes it home! .... from P

I am tired of waiting for K to post a blog entry, and there has been a loud hue and cry from our readers demanding to know what ever became of Harry. I am very happy to report that Harry made it all the way home. As you may remember, in December I sailed southbound alone for two weeks - from Cocoa Beach, FL to Homestead, FL. Well, not quite alone. K had escaped my constant yapping to go home and assist her mom in attending to her unwell father. But after about a week, I picked up a passenger to talk to named Harry. Harry is the cousin of a famous movie star volleyball named Wilson. Even so, there he was, abandoned and floating around in the Intracoastal Waterway near Palm Beach. So I rescued Harry from the big, scary powerboats that were blustering around and we became inseparable friends. I have often consulted Harry regarding navigation decisions. After some conversation regarding the pros and cons, we come to a decision; if it was a bad decision, he never complained. One of Harry's biggest jobs was to alert me whenever the seas grew too angry and large to be safe. When that happened, Harry would jump out of the cup holder (his favorite spot) and bang around on the cockpit floor. That's when I knew to seek safe harbor. So, thanks Harry for all the weather warnings, and I am glad you rode along for the 2,000 miles or so all the way home. We will take a ride around the Chesapeake Bay this summer - maybe you can help keep me off the mud.

Harry rests after pulling into the slip at home. Bad weather made him lose his monogrammed shirt.

Under sail last December.

up the creek .......... from P

Between northern NC and southern VA, intracoastal waterway travelers have a choice of two routes: the Virginia Cut route, which takes you through the Great Bridge area of Chesapeake, and the Dismal Swamp route which takes you through, well, the Dismal Swamp. Coming home Sunday, we chose the swamp route. I am glad we did because it was yet another unique experience. George Washington himself surveyed parts of the Great Dismal Swamp, laying the basis for the digging of the Deep Creek canal which runs through the GDS from a point just north of Elizabeth City, NC all the way to the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake, VA (queen Elizabeth was big around here). Of course, the Great Dismal Swamp has a long and storied history including providing a hiding place for Edward Teach a.k.a Blackbeard and his gang of pirates. It has a more immediate meaning to me, as my late dad spent his childhood hunting and playing in the swamp. I was thinking about all of this, and trying to imagine growing up playing along the canal bank among all the turtles, birds, and bears when I was jerked back into reality by a loud bump that sent a vibration through Senara's hull. My eye immediately went to the depth sounder - plenty of water - what did we hit? I killed the engine and ran around the gunwales trying to peer into the black coffee swamp water. A few seconds later a log bobbed up and down behind the boat. No damage to us that I can tell. We hit subsurface logs (known in the sailing community as "deadheads" - with apologies to Jerry Garcia fans) twice more before getting through. One of the deadheads sported a big fresh gash, obviously the result of a nasty encounter with a boat's prop. The natural beauty of the Dismal Swamp makes it a "must see" if you traverse the ICW, but watch out for those deadheads. Good advice most anytime.

HA handles a bow line as the water level within the lock drops 8 feet. These locks raise and lower boats to the higher water level of the canal, or the lower water level of the river behind.

In the Deep Creek Canal. The sign says "Welcome to Virginia"

little town, big heart ............. from P

Elizabeth City was a nice surprise. The breeze was up from the southwest, allowing a great sail across the Albemarle Sound - straight up the river into one of the free downtown boat slips. Every small waterfront town should take a lesson from Elizabeth City: A neat line of boats all full of hungry travelers had wedged into every available free slip along the waterfront. Part of the popularity was because of a regatta being held there next day, but mostly it was because sailors love nothing more than a free dock near restaurants. To top it off, there is an old tradition on the waterfront known as the "Rose Buddies." This is a small organized group of retired folks who host a 4:30 wine and cheese reception under a tent adjacent to the boat slips. They do it for the boaters, and they do it whenever there are more than five boats visiting. The ladies are each presented with a rose cut from the garden belonging to the original founder of the Rose Buddies tradition, hence the name. One of the local elders delivers a ten minute overview of the history of the EC waterfront, and some useful information regarding the waters that lie ahead. Very charming. Both of our daughters, E (along with Nick) and HA drove down to meet us for dinner, and HA stayed aboard to make the last two-day leg of the trip with us. It was great to be greeted home by our girls.

Last September, on a perfect day nearer the beginning of this adventure, we were screaming down the coast of New Jersey under full sail when we caught up with, and passed, another sailboat headed in the same direction. We anchored near each other in a cove in Atlantic City, and of course struck up a conversation, if shouts across the water can be considered a conversation. A couple of days later, there they were again, anchored in Cape May and we shouted our mutual hellos. Months later, we are motoring into Boot Key Harbor and there again is KISMET, a gorgeous Island Packet 35 that was obviously well equipped for living aboard. I kept telling K that I wanted to dinghy over and introduce myself, but there was never a good opportunity. Well, here I am standing on the wharf at Elizabeth City as the Rose Buddies reception is breaking up, and I see a great looking boat coming in, cutting a wake and glinting in the sun. Right away I knew it was either an Island Packet or a fairly new Caliber. As it drew closer I soon recognized the familiar blonde head of the captain and the fold-up dinghy being towed along. After finally meeting Jim and Laurie aboard KISMET, the four of us had dinner together the following night after motoring together up the Dismal Swamp canal. As we said our goodbyes on the VHF radio while parting ways in Hampton Roads harbor I thought to myself - another great couple out on their adventure; after a while, these people all start to feel like extended family. And every now and then you run across a little place like Elizabeth City where everything seems to come together.