Adventures on White Swan
Pat and Tom Dennis
We spent last night at the North Palm Beach Marina, and since the marina’s dock master told us there was no particular time that we needed to leave the boat slip today, we stayed until after the Dennis’s visit. It’s much easier to entertain guests from a boat slip than from an anchorage (no dinghy rides to and fro). Tom and Pat were also in awe of the mega-yachts in the marina, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. After lunch at Duffy’s Sports Bar and Grill (where we go to watch football games), Tom drove us around the area. We showed them where the dinghies dock at the north end of Lake Worth and driving further, we found the state park we heard about, less than two miles from our anchorage (an easy bike ride). At the park, we can go to the beach on the ocean if we want to.
Driving further down A1A, Tom found the jetties at the Lake Worth Inlet, and Peanut Island just around the bend from the inlet, where Pat said they had anchored before. We saw the anchorage where we stayed at Singer Island in April of this year. It’s always interesting for boaters to view areas from land where they have been by sea. Pat quoted (from an unremembered source), “ When you go somewhere by land, you go through the back door. When you go there by sea, you go through the front door.” I love that quote because experientially, that is really how it feels.
Before going back to White Swan, we stopped by the French Café and Bakery to get dessert to enjoy at the boat before our guests left. While at the café, I had opportunity to practice my French (limited as I am). Gary and I are going to France this September with friends from Indianapolis and it’s always a treat to speak French when opportunities arise. Interestingly, our friends who are going with us to France are as excited about going as we are (our first time to go across the Big Pond), because we are going to travel southern France on a cruising boat (with Gary as the captain); and even though both couples have been to France many times, they have never viewed it by water. From reading our blogs, they realize it will be a totally different perspective and experience for them, thus their exuberance.
Back at the marina, the four of us walked over to the marina office and viewed the ICW and Parker Bridge. Again, interesting to all of us because it’s viewed from a different perspective on land. Earlier, while awaiting Tom and Pat’s arrival, I sat on a bench at the marina office and watched the water traffic go by… very peaceful.
Before Tom and Pat left their marina this morning, they bid bon voyage to another fellow sailor, John, who left port to head south. We are hoping he will stop here at Lake Worth on his journey south, so we can see him. He has spent a lot of time cruising the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami waterways and we would like to learn from him what he knows about the areas. Obtaining firsthand knowledge is invaluable, as there is only so much you can learn from charts and cruising guides.
Our time together with the Dennis’s passed swiftly and we said our goodbyes after enjoying dessert aboard White Swan. We were left with good memories of a delightful visit, as well as two and a half weeks of mail that Pat had gathered for us. She also brought us a fresh supply of lemons picked from our Melbourne neighbor’s tree. Florida’s fresh fruits are so fabulous, and we particularly enjoy our neighbor’s juicy lemons in water as a refreshing drink or used on baked local fresh fish. YUMMY……
Mine started a few days before we left Melbourne, with what looked like a pimple on my inner thigh. It looked like it was a white head and when I tried to squeeze it, nothing came out. I wasn’t concerned about it until the day before we were to leave, I woke up and there was a red circle around the pimple. It looked like a spider bite. The day we were to leave port, it felt hot and had doubled in size. That’s when we went to the doctor. She suspected MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), took a culture to test it, and started me on the antibiotic, Keflex. Not knowing at the time if the infection was staph or not, her instructions were, “If it doesn’t start to improve within 48 hours, switch to Bactrim”, the sulfa drug, because sulfa will kill MRSA, where most antibiotics, such as Keflex, won’t.
The next morning I awakened to find it had grown twice the size again, and the cellulitis around the boil-type infection continued to grow daily until it was bigger than a grapefruit. It was a good thing I switched to the Bactrim. The rest of the story has been written in previous blogs.
So…how did I get it? I asked the emergency room doctor that very question and her answer confirmed what Gary’s doctor told us a couple of years ago when he got MRSA. CA-MRSA (Community Associated MRSA) is everywhere…on grocery cart handles, door knobs, everywhere. It used to be people only got it in healthcare facilities; this type is now referred to as HA-MRSA (Healthcare Associated MRSA). Pretty scary. In Gary’s case, it started with an ingrown hair in his nose that he picked at. In my case, when I tried to squeeze the pimple, the doctor said instead of the infection coming out, it probably just spread under the tissue. Bottom line…Don’t pick at anything on your body. And, if something doesn’t heal within a couple of days, see a doctor. MRSA WILL NOT HEAL WITHOUT THE PROPER ANTIBIOTIC AND/OR MEDICAL CARE; AND, IT CAN BE LIFE-THREATENING IF LEFT UNTREATED. I am fortunate that mine is healing properly and when I was at the ER the first time, they checked my blood to make sure it was not in my bloodstream. Prevention: wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. Use soap and water when available and wash for 15 seconds. Antibacterial gels should only be used when soap and water is unavailable.
This is what I have learned about MRSA and it has been stated to the best of my understanding of the disease. *** IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, CONSULT A MEDICAL DOCTOR.
12-27-10
Gary and I layered our clothing and donned our foul weather gear to help block the cold wind as we dinghied to shore. Previously, I had checked out the hospitals using one of my iPhone apps. Wishing that we had an opinion from a local resident regarding which hospital to use, we made our uninformed choice. After a painful walk to the Publix grocery store, I waited outside while Gary went in to ask someone at the Customer Service desk which taxi service we should use. They called a cab for him and he returned to await the cab with me. It seemed like forever for the cab to come, and one still had not arrived, when a gentleman stopped his car where we were and said he overheard Gary’s conversation with the person at the service desk, and he would gladly take us to the hospital. Of course, I eagerly agreed to the kind offer.
We told him we wanted to go to the Columbia Hospital and after driving a short distance toward it, he mentioned he liked to use the Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. We told him if that facility is his preference, we’d prefer to go there if it wasn’t far away. He promptly turned the car around and in a short time had us at a hospital recommended by a “local resident”. “God watches over idiots and children” via nice people like David, our angel for the day. David said he could tell we were boaters (sail boaters especially, all have “that look”) and since he had a passion for the water, and his brother was a professional captain with whom he accompanied on some of his excursions, he was as unafraid to ask us to ride in his car, as we were unafraid in accepting the offer. He would not accept compensation for his generosity. His reward seemed to be twofold: the satisfaction of conversing with people who love the water as much as he, and, doing a good deed in the Christmas spirit. He was a godsend.
Most of the day was spent in the Emergency Room. The doctor lanced, drained and packed my one inch deep wound. Gary stood beside me and took the brunt of the pain as I squeezed his hands during the procedure. After an IV antibiotic finished it’s last drop, I was released with orders to return in two days for the packing to be removed. The best part of the whole day was getting back to White Swan with a prescription of pain pills.
Obviously, we are going to hang out at Lake Worth until my leg heals. Our friends Pat and Tom, and, Ed and Cheryl offered to drive down here to take me back home to recuperate, but I’d really rather stay on the water. You know you’re a sailor when… you have a serious infection of MRSA but would rather ride it out on your boat than at your house offering more comfortable amenities. It’s “healing” to be on the water.
A MERRY CHRISTMAS ON WHITE SWAN (Note the Optometrist Santa)
Christmas Wreath on White Swan
12-24-10
Merry Christmas Eve! For the sake of making a good title, let’s pretend this is the seventh day of Christmas…
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Seven bridge’s openings… Yep, seven bridges to navigate through in only 22 miles of waterway.We gaged our speed of travel so we arrived in good time for all but one of the bridge’s openings. We had to wait for half an hour for the Donald Ross bridge to open, but actually, the wait was not bad, since we were able to throw out the anchor and sit secured until it was time for the bridge opening. While waiting, I had a delightful conversation with the bridge-tender via the VHF radio. Some bridge-tenders are nice and some are down right grumpy. This one was really in the Christmas spirit and was charming. There was a big power boat on the south side of the bridge, also waiting for the opening, and when he hailed the bridge-tender, the bridge-tender told him there was a sailboat also waiting on the north side. The power boater was also in the Christmas spirit because he verbally offered to let us go through the bridge first since we had the current pushing us. The bridge-tender commended the power boater for his courtesy, and we did as well. In general, it seems more times than not, power boaters have no regard for sailboats and their lesser degree of maneuverability; so this captain’s kindness was held in high regard.
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
On this leg of the waterway, the water changes in color at all the inlets, noticable first at Fort Pierce Inlet, going from a dirty brown color to a beautiful aquamarine. Most of the water on which we traveled today, was a beautiful aquamarine color. The lighthouse at Jupiter Inlet was spectacular to see with the bluer than blue sky as a backdrop and aquamarine water in the forefront
We anchored in Lake Worth around 3:30; and, after Captain Gary made sure our anchor was holding tight, he took the dinghy to shore and went to a nearby grocery…and a French bakery. We are grateful Ed, Cheryl, Sandy and Nancy introduced this area to us when we all anchored here in April. Thanks to Gary’s trip to town, we are now totally ready for Christmas.
Peck Lake is part of the ICW with a narrow spit of land between it and the ocean. Had I been feeling better, we would have taken the dinghy to shore and then walked the short distance to the ocean. What’s big, red, ugly and angry? Answer: The horrible infection on my inner thigh that grew from the size of a silver dollar on Wednesday, when we made a hurried trip to our family physician before we left port, and is now the size of an oversized grapefruit. The doctor is not sure of the cause, and she took a specimen to culture. Bottom line: I’ve been on an antibiotic since the visit to the doctor. I told Gary I would rather be miserable on White Swan than miserable at home; and I’m not really worried because tomorrow we’ll be anchored in Lake Worth at Palm Beach; and if it‘s not better by Sunday, we‘ll go to the hospital there. At this moment, I’m thankful we are in the states and not in the Bahamas.
Before we started our cruising last November, I went to a seminar for boaters, given by a doctor, regarding first aid at sea. He recommended boaters keep two different antibiotics: one to use for issues above the waist and one for below the navel. I keep that info in our Wilderness First Aid manual (written by William Forgey, MD) and the two recommended antibiotics in our inventory. He didn’t mention a sulfa drug for staph. I think from now on, it will be part of our inventory as well.
12-22-10
What a beautifully glorious day to begin our holiday season aboard White Swan. The weather was a comfortable 68 degrees with blue, sunny skies and a nice wind for sailing down the Indian River Lagoon.
After numerous delays, for various reasons, we finally left port. Our fellow sailors, Pat, Tom, Doug, and Ed bid us farewell around 12:45 PM. After a month of hearing from us we were going to leave, I think they wanted to witness the fact we truly left. How many times does one need to say goodbye before the Glenns really leave???
The ICW from Melbourne to Sebastian, Florida is trickled with little islands and is one of the most picturesque sections of the waterway, in my opinion. The water became a little shallow in one area. It was of no concern to us because we can motor in two feet of water with our boat, but we always think of our friends who have boats with five and six feet drafts (the part of a boat that is under the water’s surface). They would have been bumping the bottom of the waterway.
We saw numerous dolphins today. They followed our boat for a short distance as we were coming out of the Banana River, and we saw some more in the Lagoon as we neared Sebastian.
We were anchored by 5:15 PM just past the Sebastian Inlet, on the opposite shore at marker Red 66. (Reminder for non-boaters: The green and red waterway markers are guides for boaters like road signs are for land lubber‘s.) Now it’s time for the galley slave to resume her duties and prepare dinner for the captain…who did an excellent job today on the waterway.
We thoroughly enjoyed being out on the water again, aboard White Swan. We are both equally passionate for this lifestyle (it’s more than a hobby) and the good fortune of that fact does not elude us.
5-6-10
First rule in going offshore: Check the weather the day before. Second rule in going offshore: Check the weather the night before. Third rule in going offshore: Check the weather the morning of going offshore. For the third day in a row the weather was suppose to be good for going offshore, so we sailed our longest offshore trip yet, going from Lake Worth to Ft. Pierce, logging 55 statute miles. That’s about the same distance as going to the Bahamas. In fact, we followed our friends aboard Lady Bug and Lily Pad via SPOT, and they arrived at West End, Grand Bahama Island about the same time we arrived at Ft. Pierce, Florida. Congratulations to all of us for successful offshore passages, especially our friends in the Bahamas. YEAH for them. We emailed them our congrats; and expect to get updates from them frequently so we can live vicariously through them, since we didn‘t get to go.
We left our anchorage at Lake Worth at 7:30 this morning. We wanted to make it to our anchorage for tonight at Ft. Pierce before possible afternoon thunderstorms arose. The local newscaster reported the possibility of thunderstorms arriving around 2:00 PM this afternoon. The prediction regarding the wind was it was to remain light all day, so we weren’t overly concerned. Who am I trying to fool…Gary wasn’t overly concerned. I was concerned. My other concern was regarding making it safely into the Ft. Pierce Inlet, as I had been told it is not a good inlet to navigate. Hindsight: sometimes you need to experience things yourself and make your own opinion regarding what inlet is a comfortable waterway for you, or what marina is good for you, or what anchorage is a good for you, etc. We consider other’s opinions to be of great value, and we listen and take heed from other’s experiences; but we’ve learned we still need to check things out for ourselves. Sometimes, what works for one sailor, may not work for another sailor, and vice versa.
Today, the morning hours greeted us with barely a trace of wind, which made an easy exit out the Lake Worth Inlet; unlike the morning the three Gemini sister ships ventured out the same inlet for their first attempt, a month ago tomorrow, to go to the Bahamas. (“Weather“, “weather“, “weather”.)
As we enjoyed our calm journey up the Atlantic Ocean, we noticed the high-rise buildings that crowd the eastern shoreline starting in Miami, diminished somewhat and became more sparse starting at St. Lucie Inlet. The sandy beaches all along the eastern shore remain constant up to Ft. Pierce. Since this is as far as we are going to go offshore, the knowledge of where the sandy beaches end and the rocky shores begin, (that I’ve read about of the New England states) will have to come from a source other than myself.
Gary took advantage of mother nature’s gentleness, providing calm seas today, and went to the foredeck to exercise. While he was there, I manned the helm. (The term “manned” is so sexist, but saying, “ I personed the helm.” doesn’t sound right.) While looking out over the blue ocean on our starboard (right side), I saw a shark swim by. No kidding. It must have been five or six feet long. A sense of relief washed over me after a quick glance to the foredeck confirmed the captain was still there, exercising, unaware of my panic stricken imagination.
Later on in the afternoon, both of us were sitting in the helm’s seat and all of a sudden Gary yells, “Woe, woe, woe!!!” He scared the bejabbers out of me as I sat there thinking I needed to stop the boat in a hurry. (As if that’s even possible.) He readily explained his excitement was over a huge fish he just saw jumping up out of the water displaying its whole body. He said it was probably 6 feet long and could have been a marlin or a swordfish.
Throughout the day, we enjoyed watching the flying fish, “flying gurnards“. They have fan-like pectoral fins that look like wings. Periodically, we would see them soaring over the water’s surface. I’d like to think our enjoyment we experienced while watching them possibly matched the enjoyment they must experience in having such a unique ability to perform such a feat. The ocean’s nearly flat surface today, allowed them to obtain enough momentum to fly 100 feet or more before reentering their oceanic home.
We were introduced to the Indian River during our trip south, down the ICW. It begins at Titusville, Florida. Today, we found its end 109 miles south of its beginning, at St. Lucie Inlet. We were aware that the Indian River ran for many miles, but until today we didn’t realize the extent of its length. The Indian River is actually a misnomer in that technically it is a lagoon. Occasionally, we will see a sign reading Indian River Lagoon, but on the navigational charts, and in general, it is referred to as the Indian River.
We easily found the entrance to Ft. Pierce Inlet using our GPS and binoculars. The tide was going in and the current was to our advantage as well. With the 9 knot wind to our stern, we had a smooth ride into the inlet. As it turned out (for us…on this particular day…with today’s weather), we had no problem whatsoever navigating the inlet and finding the anchorage we wanted to use for the night. (“Who of you, by worrying, can add a single day to your life?”)
We arrived at our evening’s anchorage around 3:30 in the afternoon, which was later than we’d hoped, but we made it here just as a light sprinkle of rain started. As Gary finished arranging a bridle for the anchor line, I utilized the gift of rain to wash the salt water off the topside of White Swan. By the time I’d finished sponging her off, the shower stopped and the sunshine returned. Around 6:30 PM it started thundering and another slight sprinkle of rain came. It wasn’t until a short time after 8:00 PM that the predicted thunderstorm moved in. We were thankful for it’s timely delay.
Tomorrow, we will once again travel the ICW. This final leg of our journey will take us from Ft. Pierce to Indian Harbour Beach, In our opinion, this section of the ICW is one of the prettiest, most scenic part of the ICW with all its spoil islands dotting the waterway. Made by the bottom soil from years of dredging the ICW, most of the little islands have evolved beautifully and are now decorated with sandy beaches, flora, and fauna indigenous to the area.
Our final trip before hurricane season 2010, north up the ICW, will take us to White Swan’s new home, Telemar Bay Marina at Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. And, the honorable Captain Gary S. Glenn and his first mate and galley slave, Jean, will find new adventures awaiting them at their new home in West Melbourne, Florida. Our newfound friend who keeps his boat at Telemar Bay Marina, Matt, suggested we give him a call when we get to Melbourne Causeway bridge and he will leave work and greet us at the marina to help us with the lines (ropes) as we come into the boat slip. Every sailor knows this is not a necessary act but the offer is appreciated; because you never know what might happen as you try to maneuver into a boat slip; the wind can pick up, the current can be stronger than what you anticipated, etc., making the maneuver challenging. It is common for sailors to help fellow sailors coming into port with their dock lines. This courtesy is a “welcome back to port” kind of thing to do. That’s just the way sailors are…
Now that our time going offshore is over (for a while anyway), I’m going to honestly tell you how I originally felt about doing it for the first time. Before I experienced it firsthand and learned more about cruising offshore and what all is involved in making offshore passages safe and successful, just the mentioning of doing so was frightening to me. The word “offshore” and “boogie man” were synonymous in my vocabulary. Since we’ve learned the key to a successful offshore passage is “weather”, “weather”, “weather”, the word offshore no longer sends goose bumps down my appendages or shivers down my spine. I can now liken it to learning how to scuba dive. I was scared the first time I actually dove with a tank of oxygen attached to a regulator that kept me alive, but with knowledge and experience, the fears I initially had subsided. Pushing myself past my comfort zone is not easy; but so far, I’ve lived to tell about every experience that once caused me to fear.
Both, Gary and I, experienced levels of anxiety regarding our first trip down the ICW from Annapolis, Maryland to Indian Harbour Beach, Florida and then further to the Florida Keys. We are sure we will have a certain level of anxiety the first time we make the passage across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. But, what we’ve learned is, once we do something that first time, and get past that initial learning curve, the anxiety lessens and we become more comfortable with the experience. That’s why we called this trip an adventure. Our adventures aboard White Swan for the past six months are ones we will cherish forever, because there is nothing like doing anything for the first time!!!