Our Adventures with Seaquel

Wednesday August 31,2016 Had appointment with mechanic for generator at 8:30am and by 9:30he had completed his diagnostics only to discover there had been a breaker switch in off position that was for the engine cooling water pump- back in business... until tonight, but I'll get to that. we left Stuart in hot and steamy weather at 11:15 am and ran til 5pm and due to a thunderstorm with 40mph winds we tucked behind Hole in the wall island. The picture of Capt Ron is not just to show off his good looks but to celebrate MM000 of the Atlantic ICW, 978 miles from Stuart, FL to Norfolk, VA so only 1000 miles to go at 8.5mph. ICW can seem monotonous so todays entertainment besides Cormarants, Dolphins and seagulls following as a group nearly in the cockpit looking for handouts were a number of cold showers on back deck, gotta keep the crew cool! Worked up a good appetite after TRX workout but unfortunately had technical problems with grill then more generator issues. Cooked...

Tuesday 8/30/16(I think) Got an early start after not having slept very much, 85 degrees and about that much humidity with no AC and no fans. We did discover 4 fans over the course of the day behind an unused airconditioning vent. We made it to Moore Haven Lock at MM 78 at 7:30 am, down 1 foot, and traveled in some beautiful, peaceful areas without encountering another boat. Unfortunately a weather system caught up up with us around 9:30am and gave us rain for entire morning and after noon. Two more locks, Port Mayaca and finally Port Lucie where we got flushed down 14 feet. Capt Ron is a wealth of boating education and, in return, is enjoying my interest in preparing healthy, tasty boat fare. Pulled into Stuart, FL at 4:30 pm to better weather. Capt Ron did superb job of spinning Seaquel around and backing into slip at Sunset Bay Marina. Nice place, good security and helpful staff. I was offered a loaner bike so I could go to grocery store for decongestant. I must have picked up a...

Monday 8/29/15 A Beautiful morning at the Ft Myers Yacht Basin. A little bit of adjusting to new bed an AC unit that sounds like a window unit. Tying up loose ends here, papers and a parting gift of 3 new fire extinguishers from Capt Nick the broker. Fill water, empty holding tank and in a challenging east wind maneuverd out of  marina. Departing from Mile Marker 135 on the Okechobee Waterway we passed under numerous bridges, and had a swing bridge open for us that had been struck by lightening earlier today. Bridge tender told us th ey watched lightening dance accross the metal bridge. Saw a bald eagle just chillin on someone's lawn and lots of tropical birds. We passed through 2 locks, first was WP Franklin lock with a 1' rise at MM 121 and Ortena Lock for an 8' rise at MM 93. We are anchored in a creek around MM80, but generator would not stay running, Capt and I changed fuel filter and started back up but within a couple minutes began overheating so no AC tonight....

Some background on Seaquel. She is a 1987 Sea Ranger Pilothouse trawler manufactured in Taiwan, apparently on a good day, by the C&L King Shipyard. She has been beautifully maintained so when Gail and I stepped about on July 27, 2016 we looked around and realized it met all of our criteria and agreed,  that this was finally the one. Our next chapter might actually be becoming a reality. Some specs: Length- 47'4" Beam- 14'8" Engines- twin Ford Lehman diesel 135hp Fuel tanks-710 gallons Fuel burn at cruising speed- 4-5 gallons/hour depending if running generator Cruising speed-8.5 knots=9.8 mph Cruising range- 1200 miles with 100 gallon safety reserve Cabins-3 all in forward section Water tanks-280gallons AC and Heat Generator Water maker

Will be meeting Captain Ron, not the one from the movie, on Sunday morning 8/28/16 in Ft Myers to provision and prepare to begin the journey across Florida through Lake Okechobee to Stuart to connect to the ICW, Intracoastal Waterway. Trip from Stuart, Fl to Norfolk Va is 987 statute miles then another 178 to our marina in Middle River.