Well, I received a call on Friday to tell me that MarineMax was dispatching Captain John to pick up the boat on Monday....To be honest, I am actually happy that they decided to take the expensive way. Especially since I was having difficulty carving out the time to take the 3 hour trip (2hr boat and 1hr car ride back). Capt John picked the boat up around 10:00 am and had her at Stuart around 11:45. He had to take her up the intercoastal due to the rough ocean conditions. That was actually good for us because you can't run the boat at cruise speed which reduces the fuel consumption dramatically.
Until next time
M
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Weekend Fun
Saturday's weather was perfect so we decided to take Wonderfun to Marker 44 and anchor for the afternoon. After enjoying fun in the sun, we returned to the dock at about 4:00PM. I cleaned the exterior of the boat and Jen typically packs our day bags and cleans the interior. When I completed cleaning the exterior and buttoning up the canvas covers, I was surprised to see that she was watching a movie and not in any hurry to leave...YAY! I love sitting on the boat and watching movies and just hanging out...We stayed aboard for at least a couple of extra hours and considered staying overnight but we both agree that even though the main berth is comfortable, we'd rather sleep in our bed at home.
As I listed in an earlier post, we still have a small water leak in the engine compartment. I am scheduled to take the boat to Stuart on or about Monday of next week for repairs. MarineMax offered to send a captain down to bring the boat back to the shop, but due to the fact that we pay for the fuel for the trip, I'd rather enjoy the two hours of boating myself...And besides, the 20 mile trip up the intercoastal is really enjoyable. I asked if a tech could bring me back to the my marina (that's where my car would be) and to my surprise, the service rep said no. So I told the service rep to just pick up the boat...It is really surprising how quickly he realized that it would be better (and cheaper) to find a way back for me than to supply a boat captain...Duh...
Until next time
M
As I listed in an earlier post, we still have a small water leak in the engine compartment. I am scheduled to take the boat to Stuart on or about Monday of next week for repairs. MarineMax offered to send a captain down to bring the boat back to the shop, but due to the fact that we pay for the fuel for the trip, I'd rather enjoy the two hours of boating myself...And besides, the 20 mile trip up the intercoastal is really enjoyable. I asked if a tech could bring me back to the my marina (that's where my car would be) and to my surprise, the service rep said no. So I told the service rep to just pick up the boat...It is really surprising how quickly he realized that it would be better (and cheaper) to find a way back for me than to supply a boat captain...Duh...
Until next time
M
Monday, January 14, 2008
Repair Update
I forgot to mention in my last entry that MarineMax replaced the horn on Wonderfun resolving that issue, however the drive shaft seal leak appears to be an actual leak through the hull. Not good...Anyway, I have to schedule to have the boat returned to the Stuart shop to enable further investigation and disposition from SeaRay.
Until next time,
M
Until next time,
M
Waterway Cafe and Stuart Boat Show
Well, once again the weather forcast was wrong. Saturday was a beautiful day for boating so we loaded up Wonderfun and had an awesome outing. We started out by visiting our local marina to fill up the tanks with what has now become "liquid gold". WOW, who would have thought that fuel would be $4.39 a gallon? Not me...Anyway, we filled up at Jupiter Island Beach Club (JIB) and received a 10% discount since we have a member sticker on the side of the boat.
After the fill-up, we decided to cruise south to the Waterway Cafe for lunch. Due to the perfect weather, the intercoastal was full of boaters...boy was it crowded. The trip to Waterway Cafe is about 8 miles and took us about 45 minutes after passing through the numerous slow zones(manatee zones, slow boaters, monster wake from larger boats). We finally arrived and had the good, make that GREAT, fortune to have a prime docking spot. Typically there are too many boats to safely maneuver Wonderfun. We docked and proceeded to the hostess station and requested an outside table. The wait wasn't too horribly long and we were seated in less than 15 minutes.
Once we were seated , I decided to send Bekah and Rae back to the boat to turn off the generator (no need to burn fuel if you don't have too). I love that we taught them how to operate the power systems on the boat. It was so cool to see the two of them walking through the gauntlet of tables making their way to the boat. I watched (from a distance) as they boarded the boat, found the key, unlocked the cabin. They went below to access the power systems and quickly finished their task. They proudly made their way back to our table...As I sat there in my fatherly pride, I noticed water continuing to sputter out of the generator cooling port indicating that the genereator was still running...I laughed and asked if they turned off the generator and Bekah and Rae looked at each other and were POSITIVE they did...I pointed out that water was still sputtering and they needed to return to secure the generator. Bekah, being the typical lazy older sister, tried to send Rae back and I quickly nixed that plan. They returned together and finished the original task assignment.
Sunday we decided to go to the Stuart, FL Boat Show. We love looking at boats and had the best time walking through the yachts on display. We saw Dan, the salesman that sold us Wonderfun and he took us on a tour of the newly introduced Searay 47' Sedan Bridge. All I can say is that this new modern look is not my favorite. The master suite looked like a night club with the lighted panel walls....the only thing missing was a stripper pole...
After the fill-up, we decided to cruise south to the Waterway Cafe for lunch. Due to the perfect weather, the intercoastal was full of boaters...boy was it crowded. The trip to Waterway Cafe is about 8 miles and took us about 45 minutes after passing through the numerous slow zones(manatee zones, slow boaters, monster wake from larger boats). We finally arrived and had the good, make that GREAT, fortune to have a prime docking spot. Typically there are too many boats to safely maneuver Wonderfun. We docked and proceeded to the hostess station and requested an outside table. The wait wasn't too horribly long and we were seated in less than 15 minutes.
Once we were seated , I decided to send Bekah and Rae back to the boat to turn off the generator (no need to burn fuel if you don't have too). I love that we taught them how to operate the power systems on the boat. It was so cool to see the two of them walking through the gauntlet of tables making their way to the boat. I watched (from a distance) as they boarded the boat, found the key, unlocked the cabin. They went below to access the power systems and quickly finished their task. They proudly made their way back to our table...As I sat there in my fatherly pride, I noticed water continuing to sputter out of the generator cooling port indicating that the genereator was still running...I laughed and asked if they turned off the generator and Bekah and Rae looked at each other and were POSITIVE they did...I pointed out that water was still sputtering and they needed to return to secure the generator. Bekah, being the typical lazy older sister, tried to send Rae back and I quickly nixed that plan. They returned together and finished the original task assignment.
Sunday we decided to go to the Stuart, FL Boat Show. We love looking at boats and had the best time walking through the yachts on display. We saw Dan, the salesman that sold us Wonderfun and he took us on a tour of the newly introduced Searay 47' Sedan Bridge. All I can say is that this new modern look is not my favorite. The master suite looked like a night club with the lighted panel walls....the only thing missing was a stripper pole...
We continued walking around visiting boat after boat. We finally found a boat that the whole family loved...A 55'Azimut. It was absolutely awesome and at a price of $1.5 Million, it should be. The girls laid claim to their private state rooms and had a blast dreaming that one day we would own this monster yacht....Not going to happen girls...OK, maybe if we win a very large sum of money from the Florida Lottery...never say never...Until next time,
M
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Cloudy Weekend
The girls (Bekah and Rae) are here this weekend and unfortunately the weather doesn't look too great for boating. They love to go to the intercoastal marker 44 and play on the sandbar. (Marker 44 is approximately 3.5 miles north of the Jupiter Inlet and is within 1/2 mile from Tiger Wood's $48M property.)..But it just doesn't look like we'll go this weekend. We took Bekah to P.F. Chang's last night to celebrate her 12th birthday...We always go to P.F. Chang's for our birthday celebrations... I think we've been there at least 27 times over the last 6 years.I have yet to make it to Wonderfun to verify the repairs that were planned for last Thursday. I plan on making a trip to the slip sometime today. If you will recall, we had the minor leak on the port drive shaft seal and the horn needed replacement. Somebody, I won't say who, may have sprayed the horn environmental seal a little too much causing the membrane to rupture...OK, so it was me...I was just washing the boat down and didn't realize there was a thin plastic membrane protecting the horn area. The horn rapidly deteriorated and would barely utter a sound when activated...It actually started sounding like sheep in the distance...baaaaahhh...Oh well, lesson learned...
Until next time,
M
Until next time,
M
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Repairs
During our trip to Duck Key, I noticed the bilge pump motor operating more frequently than normal. The pump occasionally will operate if you get heavy rain or if you are washing the cockpit using a hose. Well upon investigation I discovered a leak coming from the port drive shaft seal. The leak was a slow trickle and initially created serious concerns regarding the safety of the trip home. I contacted Marine Max when we returned and notified them about the leak and they assured me that this was not a big deal and the seals are adjustable and would dispatch a technician within the next couple of days to resolve the issue. I know it's no big deal for them, but the thought of our boat relying on a little $70 pump to keep her afloat still had me nervous. Ok, we do have more than one pump on board, three more exactly, but they are at higher water levels which would cause a lot of damage should the first one fail...Ah the life of boaters....
Until next time,
M
Until next time,
M
Friday, January 4, 2008
The Journey Home
We departed Hawks Cay at 6:45 AM on January 1st for the long journey back to Jupiter. The sun was barely peaking over the horizon and the sea was calm. We headed east towards marker FK22 which is the channel at the beginning of the Key Biscayne route to Miami. We decided to take the "inside" route even though the "outside" route was looking calm. The inside route is just beautiful and always calm. Don't get me wrong, Wonderfun is very capable of traveling on the outside route, but we just enjoy boating at a leisurely pace. Rough seas make the trip really stressful and you feel exhausted when you finally arrive. Anyway, as we passed through channel 5, we were greeted with a surreal moment...The water and the sky were the exact same color making the horizon very difficult to see. It was absolutely beautiful and the water was as smooth as glass which truly validated our decision to take the inside route.
We passed through Biscayne Bay and made our way to the Miami Marina whereupon we refueled Wonderfun with 108 gallons of gas. We fueled the boat in record time and quickly go underway. We left the dock and decided to take the outside (ocean) route to Jupiter. Were we ever surprised to see one of the calmest seas we've witnessed. There was a slight roll in the ocean, however it was perfect for the four (4) hour trip to our home port. We made our way north along the Florida coast and everything was perfect except for a little annoying moment when the boatpix.com helicopter started buzzing our boat taking photos. They provide a great service, however I don't think this should be allowed since it truly breaks the serenity you feel when an aircraft is hovering within mere feet above your vessel.
We arrived at Jupiter Inlet @ 2:45 PM and proceeded to our dock. The weather was a little grey and the temperature was beginning to drop due to a massive cold front moving through the area. We packed our bags and unloaded what seemed to be a ton of luggage to haul back home. We thoroughly cleaned Wonderfun and left the dock via our SUV "Sharky" which was stuffed to the gills ....get it..."to the gills"...I crack myself up... We finally got home around 5:00 PM and began the post trip unpack/laundry/dive gear cleanup...etc..
Bottom line: What a "Wonderfun" trip and we can't wait to go again!!!!
Until next time,
M
We passed through Biscayne Bay and made our way to the Miami Marina whereupon we refueled Wonderfun with 108 gallons of gas. We fueled the boat in record time and quickly go underway. We left the dock and decided to take the outside (ocean) route to Jupiter. Were we ever surprised to see one of the calmest seas we've witnessed. There was a slight roll in the ocean, however it was perfect for the four (4) hour trip to our home port. We made our way north along the Florida coast and everything was perfect except for a little annoying moment when the boatpix.com helicopter started buzzing our boat taking photos. They provide a great service, however I don't think this should be allowed since it truly breaks the serenity you feel when an aircraft is hovering within mere feet above your vessel.
We arrived at Jupiter Inlet @ 2:45 PM and proceeded to our dock. The weather was a little grey and the temperature was beginning to drop due to a massive cold front moving through the area. We packed our bags and unloaded what seemed to be a ton of luggage to haul back home. We thoroughly cleaned Wonderfun and left the dock via our SUV "Sharky" which was stuffed to the gills ....get it..."to the gills"...I crack myself up... We finally got home around 5:00 PM and began the post trip unpack/laundry/dive gear cleanup...etc..
Bottom line: What a "Wonderfun" trip and we can't wait to go again!!!!
Until next time,
M
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