Need to back track a bit here... Back in December of '06 I finallized the purchase of a dream come true... my own dock. It's on the Okeechobee Waterway just west of the St. Lucie Lock and only 5 minutes from my house.  Brand new, 40 feet and 14 feet wide. It has water and electric at a cost of only $100.00 per QUARTER (such a deal). The only problem is getting to it, the Lake O levels have been at an all time low which means I can't get to the dock until we get some rain... about 2 feet worth. I may have to wait awhile, HA! No problem though, I like my mooring, she's safe and close to sailing grounds. On my 9/11 rememberance sail, I went up to Kitching's Cove for the first time. There is a Club Med up there as well. Very pretty area with good anchorage possibilities.

Pictures taken 9/14/07 - Scroll over the picture for a look at the water  level at the dock. The yardstick was placed on the piling about the time of the lowest recorded Lake O level. It's up 2 inches since then... WHOO - HOO !!

Sailing up to Kitchings Cove               Club Med Dock              Unfortunate boat at the Cove

1/08 - November and December '07 were busy months relating to sailing. First, I nenewed my USCG captains license with a review and exam. I also took a class to prepare for the Masters' license which I passed. Unfortunately, my sea time is limited on larger boats (over 34 tons) so I only qualified for a 50 ton license once again. I am working on some time on larger boats to get the license upgrade. Then it was off to Miami in December for 5 days to challenge the American Sailing Association instructors qualification. I now have my ASA 101, 103, 104 and 105 instructor certifications. These are Basic Keelboat, Basic Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Chartering and Coastal Navigation instructor certifications.   Check out the ASA.   While in Miami, I met a fellow instructor that is Captain for the schooner Heritage of Miami, Harold Ochstein. We discussed the possibility of joining him on a trip to move the schooner south from Miami to Marathon for some charter work for the Boy Scouts of America. I was back in Miami the following weekend. We set out early Saturday morning from Government Cut, spent the first night at anchor off Rodriquiz Key then on to Marathon the next day. The weather sucked... wet and wind on the nose. We still managed to motor sail which was nice. Just off Marathon, the expected cold front came through and in an instant, we had favorable N to NW winds that took us the rest of the way. Thanks Harold!

Here are a couple of pics from the trip. I have a short video clip that can be seen on youtube during one of the more dry periods of the trip. Clip the pic for a larger view.

This all brings me to my current situation... I am starting as an ASA sailing instructor for Chapman School of Seamanship on January 7. This is a part time position but should keep me busy enough for now. The school has an excellent reputation and has been here in Stuart for a very long time. Come join me for  some great sailing in Stuart, Florida! August 2, 2008 - Another update since it has been awhile... Been working occasionally at Chapmans' and enjoying it, The economy has taken a toll on the sailing instruction business so it is slow going. I have had roughly 60 to 70 students in either the ASA courses or other programs that Chapmans' offers. It's been fun so far. It seems I will be doing some volunteer work for Shake-A-Leg Miami which introduces disabled and low income kids to the water. I will also be occasionally used to captain their catamaran and larger monohull for some ASA work. This should be a great time sailing on Biscayne Bay. Now for the big news, in July of this year I was able to move Eleuthera to her own slip after waiting for over a year. It seems that we have had enough rain over the last few months to raise the Lake Okeechobee water levels to more normal depths. On the last day that the St. Lucie Lock was operationl before being closed, I came through on the last opening of the day to bring her home. What a great feeling... in fresh water, huricane safe (as much as possible) and close to home. How sweeet! Below are a couple of pictures of Eleuthera in her slip.

Here she is at her slip all alone amongst 19 other empty  slips. Click the pics to see a larger view.

I'll try not to take so long to update next time. Stay tuned.

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