Journal N—2014 to Now
Last Updated 18-Apr-2020
In April 2014, I changed the way that I wrote journals on this website. I went from using Word to create an html file to a WordPress Blog. See About Questeria WordPress BLOG. Currently, I have over 125 posts. Many of them are about RVing and other non-cruising activities.I thought it would be a good idea to organize my cruising and boat maintenance posts here with links.
I am using Google Docs to create a webpage that is displayed inside a scrollable frame, just like the old journals were displayed.
My first thought was to list the posts from newest to oldest, like the WordPress blog. But then I realized that it would make more sense to the reader to go from oldest to newest. So, I list the years from newest to oldest, and the posts within a year from oldest to newest.
Table of Contents
Sailing, Anchoring and Apparent Wind
Looking Back at Our First Bahamas Trip
Rain, Snorkeling and Beach Party
Questeria is Alone for Two Months
2021
Nothing in 2021. Maybe next year.
2020
No cruises for 2020. We have been doing maintenance items, such as replacing caulk and tackling our To Do list, while practicing social distancing. Hopefully, we will be able to go cruising after the COVID-19 pandemic winds down.
New Sail Cover
Our Mack Pack sail cover got messed up in Hurricane Irma. It was in bad shape before, but Irma left it unrepairable. We got a new sail cover in 2006, but then we saw the advantages of the Mack Pack and lazy jack … Continue reading New Sail Cover→
Cushions and V-Berth Mattress
We left Questeria for over six months for our Alaska RV trip. When we got back, we thoroughly cleaned inside. We washed the cushion covers and threw away the old foam. We also threw away the mattress … Continue reading Cushions and V-Berth Mattress→
Fixing Deck Leaks
Anyone who reads these blogs has probably read about us fixing deck leaks. For example After Irma and First Post of 2017. We fix them and they come back—it’s an ongoing process. In this post I talk about fixing … Continue reading Fixing Deck Leaks→
2019
In 2019 we took our RV to Alaska. I wrote about our recovery from hurricane Irma in January. We left the FL Keys in March and got back in September. See 2019 RV Trip—Alaska. We did manage a trip to the boatyard after we got back.
After Irma
I started writing this post in November 2018, approximately two months after Irma struck the FL Keys. I dropped it for a number of reasons — we were still busy working on the boat, but also, it was depressing to think about all the damage to the area and ... Continue reading After Irma→
Boatyard
Questeria is overdue for a bottom job. The last time was October 2015. The type of paint we use is not effective if it is out of the water, and she was hauled out for Irma in 2017. Now, in 2019, the paint is chipping off. There are other things we want to do while … Continue reading Boatyard→
2018
We spent a good part of 2018 recovering from hurricane Irma, and using the RV. We did get one cruise to Newfound Harbor for a few days.
Sailing, Anchoring and Apparent Wind
We spend all our time here working on Questeria. It’s time we take her out of the slip and enjoy her. It’s a nice day for a sail. We might go out for a few hours or a few days. Continue reading Sailing, Anchoring and Apparent Wind→
2017
We spend part of 2017 RVing (See Summer 2017), but we also do some cruising and work on the boat. I start off by recapping 2016, when I only wrote one post. I also posted about our paint job and our trip to Dry Tortugas. In September, hurricane Irma puts a damper on everything.
First Post of 2017
It’s been a long time since I’ve written a new post. My last one was Looking Back at Our First Bahamas Trip, on October 8, 2016. The post before that was Ten Years, in November 2015. I will try to do better than one post a year. Continue reading First Post of 2017→
New Paint
We painted Questeria’s topsides in 2011. I was still working at the time, so Fran’s uncle Ben helped. The boat looked great for a while, but it's long overdue for a new paint job. Continue reading New Paint→
Dry Tortugas
We intended to take Questeria to the Bahamas this year, but we ran out of time. So we went to Dry Tortugas instead. Continue reading Dry Tortugas→
Dry Tortugas - Day 1
We set an alarm for 5:30. We want to leave the marina by 7:00 and have some things to do in preparation. We pump out the holding tank, top off the water tank and empty our trash and recycling. George and Nancy have more things to … Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 1→
Dry Tortugas - Day 2
We have a great night at anchor. I get up at 6:00 and catch the tail end of a gorgeous moon set. The moon will be full in two days. Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 2→
Dry Tortugas - Day 3
It was a rocky night, as we thought it would be. Fran couldn’t sleep in the v-berth. She tried sleeping in the aft cabin. That was a little better. Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 3→
Dry Tortugas - Day 4
We get up early to get to Dry Tortugas. I turn on the inverter to make coffee. It goes into overload when I turn the A/B switch to inverter, even with all breakers off. My brain is foggy because I have not had any coffee, but I’m … Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 4→
Dry Tortugas - Day 5
We want to explore Loggerhead Key. It’s about 3 nautical miles west of us. We have an east wind making us roll in this anchorage, but it should be nice on the west side of the island where we want to snorkel. We will take Questeria to the … Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 5→
Dry Tortugas - Day 6
Today is partly cloudy. Winds are about 15 knots from the south-southwest.
I’m guessing at the wind speed because our ... Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 6→
Dry Tortugas - Day 7
It starts to rain at 1:30am We wake up to rain pouring in our hatch. The bed is soaked by the time we get the wind scoop off and the hatch closed. The wind is howling – maybe 25 to 30 knots. We dry ourselves, the bed and the floor. I go … Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 7→
Dry Tortugas - Day 8
The wind dies during the night and the boat fills up with no-see-ums. Fran gets up and closes the hatches and windows, but it is too late. Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 8→
Dry Tortugas - Day 9
We wake up at 5:20 to rain. We quickly shut the windows and hatches. The rain stops by the time we get everything closed. It’s almost time to get up anyway. Continue reading Dry Tortugas - Day 9→
2016
We bought our RV in January 2016. See RV Adventures. We did not do a lot of boating, that's why there is only one post, but it is a long one.
Looking Back at Our First Bahamas Trip
I don’t remember when we started thinking about taking a sailboat to the Bahamas. It was probably about the time that we bought Questeria in 2005. The previous owners had already taken her to the Bahamas so we knew she was capable. Continue reading Looking Back at Our First Bahamas Trip→
2015
We took Questeria to the Bahamas in 2015. I posted updates frequently, using my SSB radio. I wasn't able to include pictures at the time, but I updated the posts with pictures after we got back. I also posted a photo album here. I finished out the year with a 0post about owning Questeria for ten years.
Bahamas Bound
We have wanted to go to the Bahamas for a long time, but other things kept coming up. We think we are almost ready. We are planning to leave around the last week of March or the first week of April, weather permitting and plan to stay 4-8 weeks. Continue reading Bahamas Bound→
Bahamas Here We Come
We have planned to go to the Bahamas for a while. Last year we dropped our plans because we wanted to be in North Carolina when our fifth grandchild was born. But this year seems like the year we will go. Continue reading Bahamas Here We Come→
Molasses Reef
We left the marina today at 8:00 and made it to Molasses Reef by 4:00. We put the sails up and motor sailed for a while, but when we got too far off course we took the sails down and motored the rest of the way. Continue reading Molasses Reef→
Made it to Bahamas
After a very rough night, with no sleep, at Molasses Reef, in Islamorada, we left at 3:00am, crossed the Gulf Stream, and anchored at Cat Cay Bahamas at 3:00pm. It was a little rough at first, but nothing compared to … Continue reading Made it to Bahamas→
Made it to Exumas
We had a great night anchored in Cat Cay. We pulled anchor and motored into the wind towards Northwest Channel. We had a current against us and did not make very good speed. The seas got rougher as the day ... Continue reading Made it to Exumas→
Highborne Cay
Today was our second day in Highborne Cay. Yesterday we took our dinghy to the marina, went to the store and bought a couple of Sand lights. Then we went to the beach and drank our beer while sitting in our noodle chairs. Continue reading Highborne Cay→
Normans Cay
Today was awesome! We left Highborne Cay at 10:00. We put the sails up and turned off the engine. The wind was a beam reach at 14 knots. It couldn’t have been more perfect. The biggest problem was that we didn’t have far to go. We took down the sails and motored into the anchorage in ... Continue reading Normans Cay→
Shroud Cay
Today we went from Normans Cay to Shroud Cay. It was a short trip so we didn’t bother with the sails. Shroud Cay is our first stop in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. From the mooring field it looks about like Normans Cay or Highborne Cay. But you can take your dinghy up the creeks and see some ... Continue reading Shroud Cay→
Shroud Cay Day 2
Today was our second day in Shroud Cay. We planned to explore the southern creek in the morning, but the tide was low and it was a little rough, so we just looked around south of the mooring field. Continue reading Shroud Cay Day 2→
Cairn
The word of the day is cairn. I kept seeing references to a cairn in charts and guide books for Hawksbill Cay. I had to look it up after we grabbed a mooring ball in the south mooring field. A cairn is a mound of rough stones built as a memorial or landmark, typically on a hilltop or skyline. I can see the cairn ... Continue reading Cairn→
Warderick Wells
After a rolly night on a mooring ball in Hawksbill Cay, we changed our plans to stay another night and headed to Warderick Wells, the Exuma Park headquarters. This was a good decision because this place is way more protected than Hawksbill and the winds we expect to gust again tonight. Continue reading Warderick Wells→
Boo Boo Hill
We had a great day in Warderick Wells. First we took the trail to Boo-Boo Hill. It is named that because people believe they hear “boo boo” from either ghosts of dead sailors or the wind blowing through holes in the rocks. I think it must be ghosts. Cruisers leave their boat name on a piece of ... Continue reading Boo Boo Hill→
Warderick Wells Day 3
Today we did some boat projects before we played. I changed the fuel filter and messed with other engine stuff. We also ran the water maker for 5 hours. Last night we ran out of water and we had to run the generator. Fortunately we had our 5 gallon solar shower so we could take .. Continue reading Warderick Wells Day 3→
Compass Cay
We left Warderick Wells this morning and headed to Compass Cay. We anchored outside of the marina and took the dinghy to the marina. They charged $10 per person to land there, plus we bought two beers at $5.50 each and paid $10 for a 100MB of WiFi that went by pretty fast. But it was a cool ... Continue reading Compass Cay→
Staniel Cay
The anchorage in Compass Cay would have been great except for the strong currents that spun us around in circles. It made us nervous, but our anchor held fine. We followed our track out and motored to Staniel Cay. Continue reading Staniel Cay→
Thunderball Grotto
Today, our second day in Staniel Cay, we took the dinghy into town. but first, we waited out a squall which turned out to be nothing. Then we went to the blue grocery store and bought some bread, English muffins, zucchini and a mango. Then we went to a “festival”, where they had food and ... Continue reading Thunderball Grotto→
Staniel Cay
We’re still in Staniel Cay. The day started out awesome. We took the dinghy into town and did some stuff with the free WiFi at Taste and Sea Cafe. It isn’t open for lunch on the weekend so we met Jean-Marie and Jane for lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Fran and I split an order of conch fritters ... Continue reading Staniel Cay→
Chore Day
Today was chore day on Questeria. We ran the generator and did laundry and we flushed out the heat exchanger. We are hoping that the engine will run cooler than its been running. (Because of the heat exchanger, not the clean sheets and towels.) That took all morning. Then we gathered all ... Continue reading Chore Day→
Emerald Rock
Today we left Staniel Cay. We were thinking of going to Samson Cay, but you are not allowed to go to the beaches, so we decided to go back to Warderick Wells. This time we decided to take a mooring ball in the Emerald Rock mooring field. Our engine ran a lot cooler today. We had ... Continue reading Emerald Rock→
Free Boat Wash
Today we got a free boat wash. It rained. But we had to run the generator so we didn’t get any free electricity from our solar panels. We had to close everything so we didn’t get free air-conditioning from the wind. So now Questeria has been thoroughly rinsed and we want the sun to come out ... Continue reading Free Boat Wash→
Snorkeling
We are still in Warderick Wells. Today was calm and clear. A great day for snorkeling. We started off at Radar Rock, on a dinghy mooring, but the current was strong so we went to the three dinghy moorings off Emerald Rock. They were great. We went back to Questeria to eat some lunch and ... Continue reading Snorkeling→
Hawksbill Cay
We planned to stay in Warderick Wells one more day, but today started out with rain showers and the water was a little too rough for snorkeling after that. So we went to Hawksbill Cay. We decided to try the North mooring field this time since we stayed in the South mooring field on the way down. Continue reading Hawksbill Cay→
Hawksbill Cay and Shroud Cay
Today we woke to calm winds in Hawksbill Cay. We put the dinghy down and explored some beaches and caves. Then we pulled the dinghy up and went to Shroud Cay. It was less than 5 miles. We put the dinghy back down and went through the creek to Driftwood Beach. Continue reading Hawksbill Cay and Shroud Cay→
Rough Weather
Last night at about 2:00am the winds and seas picked up and we were rockin’ and rollin’. We tried to get in the marina in Highborne Cay, but they didn’t have anything available. So we went back to Warderick Wells, where we know it's protected.We will stay here a day or two until we think the ... Continue reading Rough Weather→
Dinghy Problems
Our dinghy wouldn’t start on Saturday afternoon and we got towed back to Questeria by Kathy and Patrick, from Marathon, FL. On Sunday it was too rough to pull it up on the davits so we had to tow it behind us as we went to Warderick Wells for more protection from the wind. Today we got ... Continue reading Dinghy Problems→
Rain, Snorkeling and Beach Party
There was no wind last night and it was hot. We started out sleeping in the cockpit where it was cooler, and we went down below when it cooled off a little. I got up at 6:00am and was sitting outside and it started to rain. We scrambled to close everything up. It rained on and off ... Continue reading Rain, Snorkeling and Beach Party→
Problems and Work-Arounds
As expected, we have had some problems since we left for the Bahamas. We consider most of them minor. Such as our shower head breaking. We use our solar shower. Our engine was running hot and we seemed to remedy that by cleaning our heat exchanger. Our ... Continue reading Problems and Work-Arounds→
Waiting for Weather
We are still in Warderick Wells, one of our favorite spots, waiting for the weather to improve before we start heading home. We came here a week ago because we knew it was well protected from the west winds we are seeing. Then a cold front came through and we had a few days of ... Continue reading Waiting for Weather→
Rain, Rain go Away
We were planning to start heading north today. We have been here, in Warderick Wells, for over a week now. We expected the weather to start getting better by now, but when we got up this morning it started to rain. We got thunder and lightning and wind gusts to 31 knots. I guess this is ... Continue reading Rain, Rain go Away→
Highborne Cay
We left Warderick Wells and the Exuma Land and Sea Park today. The weather was pretty good for motoring (no wind and flat seas) until we got to the anchorage. Then it started to rain and the wind and seas picked up. We waited until things calmed down a little and then dropped our dinghy ... Continue reading Highborne Cay→
Almost Home
Today (Saturday May 9) we anchored in Cat Cay. We spent most of the last three days traveling from Highborne Cay to Nassau and then to Cat Cay. We tried to put up some sails, but the wind was light so we ran the engine the whole time. Tomorrow morning we will cross the Gulfstream and be ... Continue reading Almost Home→
Home
We made it back. On Sunday we crossed from Cat Cay to Key Biscayne. It went pretty well. We put up our sails. We had a beam reach at first, but then the wind clocked around almost behind us so we pulled in the jib. Continue reading Home→
Ten Years
We have owned Questeria, our 37′ 1976 Irwin, for ten years now. On November 18, 2005 we signed the papers and purchased Questeria from George and Nancy. Continue reading Ten Years→
2014
I changed to using WordPress in June 2014. We were taking Questeria from the FL Keys to NC when Alicia thought she was going into labor. We left the boat in Fernandina Beach and stayed with them for two months, until Oliver was born.
The first entry on this page starts in mid-June, when we take Questeria south, back to the FL Keys. See Journal 6 for the first half of 2014, where I talk about taking Questeria north.
Questeria is Alone for Two Months
Fran and I left Questeria alone in Fernandina Beach, FL while we stayed with Alicia, Jackson and Jeff to help out until Oliver was born. We didn’t think it would be long, but have been gone for almost two months. We have … Continue reading Questeria is Alone for Two Months→
Heading South
We leave Fernandina Beach and start heading back to the FL Keys today. We get up at 5:00am and get underway by 6:15am. We are hoping to get to St. Augustine by 3:15pm and be moored before the predicted thunderstorms hit. Continue reading Heading South→
St.Augustine
Thursday, June 12 – There are strong currents in this anchorage and we wake up at 1:30am because the boat is in front of the anchor and it keeps hitting the rode. The anchor holds fine. Continue reading St. Augustine→
Daytona Beach
We left St. Augustine at 6:00am and made it to Daytona Beach by 3:30pm. We could have gone farther but there were thunderstorms today. We stopped and dropped the anchor once to wait-out a thunderstorm. We ... Continue reading Daytona Beach→
Titusville
Questeria was not happy going north. We gave her some attention and she was okay. Then we left her for two months and she really got upset. She was hot even though we were going south. We gave her some more attention ... Continue reading Titusville→
Melbourne
We sleep in today. We had set the alarm for 5:30 and we leave at 6:45. We can’t get through the Addison Point bridge until 8:00. We get there 10 minutes ahead of time and have to wait. Continue reading Melbourne→
Vero Beach
Vero Beach is one of our standard stopovers. There is a mooring field, run by the Vero Beach Municipal Marina. It is well protected and very reasonably priced. Many cruisers intend to stop here for a night or few and end up … Continue reading Vero Beach→
Lake Worth
Yesterday we anchored in Fort Pierce so today we go could out the inlet and go in at Lake Worth Inlet. This way we avoid seven draw bridges and Saturday boat traffic. When we get up we check the weather. The forecast … Continue reading Lake Worth→
Key Biscayne
Today our goal is to make it outside from Lake Worth to Miami without encountering thunderstorms. This will be a challenge because there are thunderstorms likely in the afternoon and it will take us over 13 hours. We will leave early. When we get to Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale), we will go inside if … Continue reading Key Biscayne→
Ocean Reef
We sleep in until 6:30am. We take our time getting underway. We don’t plan to go very far today. Continue reading Ocean Reef→
Indian Key
There was no wind all night so it was hot, muggy and buggy. We don’t plan to go far today, but we head out early so we can stop and let the boat cool off. We want to go to Indian Key and play with the paddle board. Continue reading Indian Key→
Home
We wake up early to watch the sunrise. We get a surprise and get to see the moon rise as well. It is still a little rough and there are thunderstorms in the forecast so we decide to go home and not play with the paddle board or dinghy. Continue reading Home→