Day 175, 19 July 2010, Going home!

Tomorrow we fly back to South Africa, to winter!

We have had an amazing holiday full of so many memorable moments and achievements, so much more than we could have ever imagined.

We have made so many new friends and its been so special meeting Roberts family. Everyone has opened their homes and hearts to us and we are so blessed.

I thank God for keeping us safe and giving us flat seas.

To all our followers out there, thank you for your comments, it was great to know you were there.

Vermont, Mount Snow

Lisa and John took us walking in the woods of Mount Snow in Vermont. This is the furthest North we have been, almost in Canada.
We saw a Beaver house/nest in the little dam there, so cool. It was wonderful walking in the cool trees. This area becomes a snow ski resort in winter, unfortunately the ski lift was closed on a Monday, but we got to see the slopes.

ice cream!

So what does one do when its sooo hot, eat ice cream! Yesterday Lisa and Johnathan took us to a small dairy farm that makes delicious ice creams. I had a caramel flavour with tiny marshmallows and biscuits and chocolate! yummy!
The countryside looks so British, we could have been in Cornwall. Hence these NW states are grouped as New England. Its so pretty here, quaint towns with lots of woodlands. The buck/deer are plentiful and we have seen many alive and dead on the roadside.
On the way home we stopped at a good old fashioned dinner in Bethel. Just as you see in the old movies. They had a vintage car show/car hop on. My dream car the 1958/9 corvette was there, in fact two of them. In mint condition.

New York and Connecticut

Well our trusted Garmin navigation device decided we needed a tour of New York and instead of going north to Connecticut, it took us south right through New York! Crossing Brooklyn Bridge was the only spot with no traffic...we sat for 3 hours in traffic. Got a close look at a very old and dirty city. Quite a contrast from everywhere else we have been.
Connecticut is very green and pretty. Roberts cousin Lisa took us to see the Nautilus, the first atomic sub. It had 150 men on board, we got to chat to a sailor on subs, very interesting.

Seared Tuna

We were treated to a really great meal on the river. This is seared Tuna, from Hawai, served with Wasabi and ginger. I had a crab cake, good food.

Pittsburgh

We drove from the Skyline pass north to Pittsburgh. It was great seeing old friends again, here Rob and Chris copy the statue of George Washington talking to the Indian Chief.
The Ohio river starts here when these two rivers meet.

Last trip map

We are now in Pittsburgh with ex SA friends. It was a wonderful drive here, on the back roads ,threw the mountains.

They have a home that backs onto a forest. Last night while braaing outside we watched a buck come to lick a salt rock put there to attract them.

The other night life was the fire flies, hundreds of them. Haven't seen them since I was a child. Its much cooler here.

Tomorrow we leave for Wilton, just north of New York. We will meet more of Roberts extended family.

Blue Ridge Parkway

We spent 2 days travelling the beautiful Blue Ridge mountain passes. This leads into the Skyline pass which is in a National Park. It rained all of the second day so there was nothing to see, other than the pretty winding roads. We saw 6 buck along the way and lots of bikers. This area has brown bear in it and they are seen at this time of year with the cubs.

We had soup for lunch...it was cold up there in the rain.

wine shop

Found this cute sign in a Charleston wine shop.

I am looking forward to a good glass of red wine again. Its been too hot on the boat to drink red wine, White and Rose were the best.

Rob on Skype

Here Rob is sitting on yacht Indigo chatting to his brother in SA via Skype. Its been great to chat to friends and family on Skype, technology is amazing!

Charleston, South Carolina

From Florida we drove through Georgia on to Charleston, S Carolina.
On the amazing freeways that just go on and on, mostly 3 lanes each way. There are so many vehicles on the road, including many RV's (camper vans). The roads are lined by tall trees, makes it a good driving experience.
Charleston is a very pretty city to tour, with many of these old houses with big balconies.

The best was meeting up with Lynne and Mike from Yacht Indigo again. We spent the night on their yacht and then they left for Norfork. They need to move North before the Hurricanes arrive.

Farewell to Florida

So this was our last sunset in Florida. We drove to St Augustine on our way to New York.
Florida is a wonderful state, with lots to do and see.

Big boat haul

This boat was hauled out using the same lift with 9 slings, we had 2 slings! She weighs 240 Tons! Its amazing to see all the different boats here.

This company also builds boats, they are presently building a 90 foot speed boat with

2, 4800 hp motors, its top speed will be 60 miles per hour! It will chew up 600 gallons of Diesel per hour! Diesel here is an average of $3.60 a gallon.

They could get to West End in the Bahamas in 1 hour...using all the fuel it took us to cross the ocean!

Final resting

It was sad to leave her there but Sea Wolff is safe and sound with the company of about 200 other boats, all taken out for the summer season. Summer is low season here as its too hot and of course the hurricane's stop the boating.

We will now start the next leg of our holiday, a scenic drive to New York.

Lowering into place

Finally, wooden blocks are put down and she was lowered onto them...SLOWLY

Moving to a new spot

After the wash, Sea Wolff was moved to her new resting spot on land. 18 Tons hanging in the slings.

Out of the water

Once out, they moved her to the wash bay where the high pressure water spray cleaned the hull.

At last we are 'hauling' her out

We arrived in Stuart yesterday and did the final preparations to take Seawolff out of the water. Today we drove her onto the slings in the water and the lift pulled her out. Scary watching her being lifted!

Sreened areas

We travelled past homes that have outdoor areas covered in screens to keep the bugs out. I can understand this as at sunset they come out to bite me!

Manatee

This is a manatee and we see them occationally in the rivers. We've only seen its back and tail.

They eat the greenery in the water.

Inter coastal waterway

This is a photo from our navigation book. It shows the inter coastal waterway from left to right with a small marina branching off it and that's the Atlantic Ocean at the top. It runs all the way to the north of America and then into the great lakes and back south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Lacrosse

Here Robert is trying his hand at Lacrosse. He was practicing against a wall, its normally played on a field like hockey but they throw the ball to each other. The ball bounces and you have to keep moving the stick to keep it in the net. Howards son plays the sport. Lots of hand and arm protection is worn as they get hit while trying to get the ball from each other.

Party Flat

Along the Inter Coastal waterway we passed this block of flats, this guy has a permanent party going on!

Inter Coastal waterway

Driving in the ICW is very peaceful, its nearly all a 'no wake' zone so its slow progress, but we get time to see the beautiful houses along the way.

fireworks preparation

While waiting for a bridge to open we watched these chaps preparing a barge with fireworks holders. Sad we wont be seeing this display its looks like it will be huge. Its 4th of July on Sunday, Independence day, so lots of festivity.

House on barge

Just when we thought we had seen it all this huge barge comes down the river. Pretty design, not sure if its a home or office.

We left New River doc just after this and said our sad farewells to our friends in the other catamarans. We have been here for 6 weeks and loved every minute. New River leads into the Inter Coastal Waterway and we turned North on our way to Stuart. Its not far and we plan to stop on the river along the way. There are 23 bridges to consider, all of which need to open for us.

cleaning

Its time to start cleaning the boat. As the sun goes down Rob is out there scrubbing the decks. On Thursday we will leave Fort Lauderdale and travel to Stuart, 60 miles North of here. We are going up the Intercoastal Waterway, which is basically a waterway running parallel to the coastline. In Stuart 'Sea Wolff' will be hauled out and put on the hard for storage.

I have started packing away unwanted clothing and washing linen and towels to pack away. We pack these things into big bags and then suck the air out. This will stop the mildew, caused by the humidity.

West End nights

Here we and Joe and Mercia watch the 'Carter Brothers' play at the famous bikers pub, Hog's Breath Saloon.

Food in the Keys is lots of fish, you can even bring your own catch and they will cook it.

Of course everyone sells Key Lime pie!

Fishing and diving are big past times.

Its a wonderfully festive place and we were there out of season, during the week. Well worth a visit. The houses are mostly wooden with balconies.

Time to go back to our boats, here Mike and Lynn on the way home.

Key West, Mallory Sq

Mallory square is on the sea front and is a good spot to watch the sun set. At 7pm all the 'entertainers' arrive. From tightrope walkers, jugglers, escape artists and this video is of a french chap who trained his 4 cats to perform on a tight rope. Its a wonderfully festive atmosphere.

Southern most point

We walked to the Southern most point in the Continental USA. Just 3 blocks from our hotel, past Hemingway's house.
Key west is also the start of the US1 road, or end depending on where you start. It is labeled '0' here as its the start. As you travel North the road markers will say what mile marker your at.

Group

We went to Key West with Joe and Mercia (yacht 'Free to Be') left of me, and Mike ( right of me) and Lynn (yacht Indigo). Here we are visiting Cheeca Lodge, a very upmarket resort on the Island called Islamorada. As you drive down to Key West you cross a number of small islands, all have marinas and hotels on them. Key West Island is the last one and its the largest. Driving south the Atlantic Sea is on the left and the Gulf of Mexico is on the right. The islands are joined by 42 bridges, some long and low, other have a high section in the middle to enable yachts to pass under them. The keys are 126 miles in length.

Key West

We are back from a 3 day trip by car to Key West. Its a really fun place with lots going on day and night. There was everything from the 'clothing optional' bar to the rock n roll bar and country bango music. All had live music so walking down the street was very festive. This video shows the bikers on Duval street, where all the action is. Helmets are optional in Florida, rather crazy to see bikers on the freeway with no helmets!

Boat braai

Yesterday I found an ex South African that makes boerewors! What a find, he delivered some to the boat and we had a braai. There is another SA yacht here now, owned by Joe and Mercia (Free to Be). Here all the men are salivating over the wors (sausage). Mike (yacht Indigo) Rob, Howard (a new experience for him as he is American) and Joe.

The wors was amazing!

Elvis the Alligator, feeding time

This chaps name is Elvis and he is only 7 years old so is going to be a very big Alli! The female with him is 34yrs old. Both were rescued from homes where they were kept as pets till they grew too large.

Me in the park

Rob insisted on a photo of me in my floppy hat. The biggest enemy for me has been the sun, both on land and at sea. As the sun block just runs off with the humidity a hat was the answer.

Pink Flamingos

Aren't they gorgeous. These have a high beta-carotene diet (algae in the swamp) which is why they are so pink.

Flamingo Park, Fort Lauderdale

We visited this Park yesterday, its a mix between a botanical garden and bird and reptile rescue center. This Lizard greeted us with a show of colour. He moved when he blew out his neck so I could not get a clear photo.

Drive-in

We went to the Drive-in last night to watch Iron Man 2!

This place is amazing, during the day its a car park for a huge flea market and at night its a Drive-in theater. There are 14 screens dotted around and parking for about a 50 cars at each screen. You pay $6 per person, drive in and follow the signs to your screen. Each screen has a different movie, most with double features. Sound comes through on the car radio so its clear. The place was very empty. Brought back lots of old memories as I spent many nights at the drive-in as a child. It was fun but as a once off, much more comfortable watching at home.

Shopping via the river

We went for a 40min drive in the rubber duck to a shopping center. Tied the boat to the jetty and went shopping. It was very hot on the water so I had my umbrella up for shade.

There are some huge houses on the water, this is one of them. We are so used to seeing huge boats now they seem the norm here.

Many of the houses and boats are for sale.

Farewell to 'Searenity'

Today we said farewell to our co travellers Santi and Goltz on Yacht Searenity.

Together we have sailed 15 000km!

They will go north to a marina that can take their yacht out and store it on land out of the hurricane zone.

We will be doing that too, but have found a spot much closer on the waterways. Searenity cant get to our spot because her mast is too high and she cant get under the bridges. Not all the bridges open, many are fixed.

We have done lots of research to find a safe, reasonably priced and accessable spot.

Apollo 11

Rob is standing below the stage 1 engines of Apollo 11. It was wonderful watching the footage of the Apollo landing and seeing footage I had not seen before. I remember as a girl making a scrap book of all the news paper cuttings of the landing.

Maybe my desire to travel was initiated back then, not that I have any desire to go to space.

Space Shuttle

The thrust generated by these engines is amazing. The 2 white tanks fall back to earth to be re-used. The huge orange tank burns up while falling back to earth. All 3 tanks just hold fuel.

It was rather sad as the staff told us that there was only one more shuttle trip planned and then it would be shut down. Russia will continue to travel to the space station.

Rob is standing next to one of these giant engines.

NASA

We visited NASA yesterday, a really pleasant experience. They show the launches of the Space Shuttle. This building is where the space shuttle it put together, the tall grey sections are doors that open and its wheeled out on a huge trolley that takes it to the launch station. Remember its upright at launch so that's why the doors are so high.

This plane actually flew a few times, we could see the burn marks in it from re-entry.