Northern Phoenix blog

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Back home!!!!!

We are back in Cookstown.


The Boat is at Bert Jabin's Boat Yard in Annapolis Maryland.



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 Whitby 42.  Northern Phoenix .... FOR SALE. 

 Our trip is coming to an end and the boat is now officially for sale.  Click here for all the boat details and price.

          Below:  Anchored behind Allen Cay facing north.  Boat is 3rd from left.

Browsing Archive: December, 2013

Catching up

Posted by Sahara on Monday, December 30, 2013, In : keys 

December 27th  : In and Around Biscayne Bay.

Three days ago- yes, I know, we never actually write the blog on the day that it happened- we got up early and left our anchorage. Oh yea, we left the marina the day before that... So that would have been... Thursday? Let’s just say that. Anyway, we had originally planned on going out by the reef to do snorkeling, but our forecasts of the wind had been way off- I mean like WAY off-, meaning that the forecast had said 6 knots, yet in reality- yes, ...


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Pina-coladas and Christmas

Posted by Devon on Monday, December 30, 2013, In : Food 

December 25 and 26th

A couple days ago at a grocery store we got a lot of pina-colada and margarita mixes which were normal, strawberry, lime, mango, and orange drinks. My favorite was the strawberry margarita because I like the strawberry flavor and I don’t know why. We had pina-coladas nearly 3 times every day because they were so good, I even think that we should have got more for that same reason.

For Christmas we first had our presents opened and we got some pretty nice stuff, includin...


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Merry Christmas Eve!!!

Posted by Sahara on Wednesday, December 25, 2013, In : Water Sports 
Snorkeling Dec 24



Today we did something unheard of in the Haas family. We. Skipped. Breakfast. More on that later.
For a little celebration- more like we just wanted to get out of the boat (boat fever) - we got a reservation on the snorkeling catamaran Quicksilver for 9:00 in the morning. Actually, we were almost late because mom and dad slept in. We had to get them up! And skip breakfast.
 
 Anyway, we quickly got our gear together and ran off to the other side of the marina. It was a 45 minute...

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Cheese Burgers, Pina Coladas, and Ice Storms

Posted by Bryan, Sahara, and Devon on Monday, December 23, 2013, In : Food 
There has been a terrible ice storm in the Toronto area (our home) the last few days.   Aver 2 inches of freezing rain, plus a few inches of ice pellets, snow, and other yucky stuff.  So we felt bad for the people stuck back home.  So to get an idea of the terrible icy conditions and slushy mix of stuff that would be on the road we:
(actual picture from back home from our tenets)

(by Devon)The next day was a lot of shopping and we got a whole bunch of pinot-coladas mixes because at home there w...
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Theater of the Sea

Posted by Sahara on Monday, December 23, 2013, In : Going Ashore 
December 22nd 
By Sahara

We had been at this marina for a while now, and had seen lots of signs for this one aquarium type place- Theater of the Sea-, so we decided to check it out. We got their early in the morning, so not many people were there, and discovered that they have a small cat army hanging out in the place. (sign said do not play with cats.....opps) 
 We saw at least 5 cats, and also many iguanas. Anyway, since this post is supposed to be about the Theater, I shall not go on about th...

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Marina Del Mar

Posted by Devon on Monday, December 23, 2013, In : Going Ashore 
December 20-26th
At the marina.

The brought our cameras to the pools because we thought of taking some (a lot) of underwater pictures, the pictures were really funny because they have a lot of background features that were funny. For example, you can see me swimming through Sahara's head.  The Marina has 4 different pools and 3 hot tubs to hang out in. The Pools are salt water pools, so no chlorine smell.  They have cookies at 3:00 each day.
 
Sahara Silly Hair                                    ...

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Key West

Posted by Devon on Monday, December 23, 2013, In : keys 
December 20th

 Three days ago we arrived at port largos at around 6:00 and didn’t really do anything, which was because we were tired. Though the next day we rented a car and went to Key West(locals call it Key Weird) which was made for salvaging shipwrecks and treasures and is the most west Key. It was a pretty fun place because we visited a 2 treasure museums and found out that they had a lot of cool stuff, for example we were allowed to pick up a big silver bar at a museum and it was supe...
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Timing to Key Largo

Posted by Bryan on Monday, December 23, 2013, In : keys 
December 19th
After our great visit with the Morrisons, we decided to head over to Marina Del Mar.  Only 5 miles by car, but by boat it was over 30 miles away.  It was on the other side of the key from us and there are limited places to cross over.  These crossings were scary, as on the map they only showed 4 feet of water.  But according to reports there was over 7 feet of water!!  Hummm...whom to trust.  So we left at 6:00 in the morning, before the sun came up to hit the cut (Sand Cut, at t...
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The Morrisons Christmas Party

Posted by Sahara on Monday, December 23, 2013,
December 17th and 18th

While we were traveling south, we decided to stop at a marina- no duh- and visit our friends the Morrison’s. I think it was Gilberts Marina? Not sure, I don’t remember. Anyway, we had to visit them soon, as they were going back to Canada and cold places for Christmas. Haha!! 
The first night we were there, we hung out in the pool a bit, throwing the toy shark around and making Devon mad by not passing it to him. After the shark we moved on to the 1$ football, which we...

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Bill Baggs Bugs Beach

Posted by Sahara on Tuesday, December 17, 2013, In : On the beach 

December 15th (Second time posting this)

We woke up to the lovely feeling of being eaten alive by blood sucking zombie bugs. SOMEONE had left the hatches open the night before because they thought there wasn't going to be any bugs. So we quickly ate some pancakes that had some suspicious black spots in them and hurried off to the beach. Which was supposed to be the 7th best beach in all the US. I don’t know who made up the list, but hey obviously hadn't been to many beaches. I mean, the nu...
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Pumpkin Pie

Posted by Devon on Tuesday, December 17, 2013,
December 16
 
Yesterday we arrived at Pumpkin Key (they call them Key's here), the only reason we went there was because we wanted to make a pumpkin pie. Dad and I made the pie and I made the crust, he said it was the best pie shell we ever had. He asked me if I did anything different but I just said that I only mixed it in a bit longer, I also think it’s because the amount of water we put in because that is a very important thing to do. Dad told me to right this blog because it was funny we ...

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Key Biscayne

Posted by Bryan on Sunday, December 15, 2013, In : keys 
We got the boat ready to leave today.  Emptied waste tanks, filled water tanks, oil change, new cooling water engine pump installed and a few other projects.  Gerry stopped by to say good by and we left Miami.  Our weather window closed up and we will not be crossing to the Bahamas for at least a week.  You have to have southerly winds to match the north flowing gulf or it is just too rough.  But there are fun places to go so we are not too upset.  

We crossed the Biscayne Bay to Key Biscayne....
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Miami Mile 1100

Posted by Sahara on Sunday, December 15, 2013, In : Towns and Cities 
Miami Dec. 11-13

By Sahara

  
 Three days ago (Wednesday) we pulled into the wonderful city of Miami, after battling 3-5 foot waves, strange currents, and manatees. Okay, maybe not the manatees... However we did see a manatee at the dock, and it was really fat.

 

 

  

Anyway, we didn’t do much the first day; Gerry came for a short visit (he’s the guy who will be helping us cross over to the Bahamas)(Is another crazy whitby 42 owner.  He is also rebuilding his boat.  Check out his GREAT blog on t...

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Great Big Sea

Posted by Bryan on Wednesday, December 11, 2013, In : ocean Travels 
December 10
West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale

We made our first trip out into the ocean today.  We left with the sun rise at 6:30 from West Palm Beach and headed out into the ocean.  We were trying to avoid going through 15 bridges on the ICW that we would have had to wait for and have open for us, and we were tempted by the great big water.  We traveled 40 nautical miles in the ocean to Fort Lauderdale.  We had to fight the Gulf stream at times as it was very close to shore.  It was pushing u...
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Past 1,000 miles on ICW

Posted by Bryan on Tuesday, December 10, 2013, In : ICW Travels 
We past mile 1,000 today on our trip down to West Palm Beach.  We are now at anchor in the harbor at about mile 1020.

so we had ice cream with cut up milky way bars.

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Wave Poem

Posted by Sahara on Tuesday, December 10, 2013, In : Extras 
Wave Poem
by Sahara

Flowing, ever moving
Crashing, breaking, rolling
Large or small they rule
The surface of the sea
Sparkling in the sun
Relentless in the storm
They pound and crash and smash
They take and don’t return
They shape the land and rock
Erode it all away
To fifty feet they rise
And even higher still
They sweep it all away
Flowing, ever moving
Caused by tides, winds, currents
They will always be there
They are the ocean’s power
They are the ruling waves
Flowing, ever moving.


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Jumping Through Waves

Posted by Devon on Tuesday, December 10, 2013, In : Extras 
Jumping Through Waves

By Devon

When you are jumping through the large waves,. There are three main ways for jumping the big waves, first, if they are medium waves you will be able to jump them, you should try to keep your head above the water too.

Second, you can jump through the waves that are about to crash on you.  Third, you can jump under the even larger waves, that is when it IS crashing on you so you won’t get crushed. Though there is yet another one that is not a main, think about th...

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Vero Beach

Posted by Sahara on Tuesday, December 10, 2013, In : On the beach 

December 8th
By Sahara

Yesterday (I think all my posts begin this way... must think of an alternative beginning soon) we got up, had some breakfast, and tried to attempt to do a pump out at the dock. However, by the time we managed to get to the station- boats kept coming in- it was like 10:00. And like 43 degrees C. And then the guy who was helping us and had worked at the marina for 10 years didn’t know how to work the machine, so we were sitting there for another hour. 
When we finally got...

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Another Day at the beach

Posted by Bryan on Saturday, December 7, 2013, In : On the beach 

Melborne Beach Day 2
December 6th
We went back to the beach for some more fun in the surf.
Forgot the water proof camera, but have lots of videos and pictures
 

 
 

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Melborne Beach Florida

Posted by Sahara on Saturday, December 7, 2013, In : On the beach 
December 5th and 6th

Yesterday we got up, got some breakfast which I do not remember(bacon and egg sandwiches), did some stuff that I also cannot remember, and got packed up to go to the beach. It was very calm, not a breath of wind, and sunny. And I will also mention hot; very very hot. Then again its Florida, home of oranges and surfers and lizards, so it’s to be expected.  Dad rowed us in- yah for dad!!- and we walked the 7 minute walk straight across the island, past the skeleton driver

M...


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Big Travels, Mile 845-915

Posted by Bryan on Thursday, December 5, 2013, In : ICW Travels 
December 4th.
Melborne Beach Florida

We left early today, at sunrise and traveled all day.  We had a current going with us for the first 2 hours, almost 2 knots, so we pushed how far we could get before the sun set.  Our anchor dropped as the sun dropped past the horizon.
70 regular miles in one day!  7:00am to 5:25pm,  3 bridges to open for us (this always slows you down a bit).
Almost 10 miles per hour average! (That is hair flying speeds for us!) 
So we are posting some writing that Devon and S...
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Beach, Dolphins, and Rockets

Posted by Bryan on Thursday, December 5, 2013, In : On the beach 
Ponce De Leon Inlet
December 3

Today we went and exlored a "Spoil Island".  These are created when they dredge.  But this island has been left for many years based on the trees on it.  There was a strange mailbox on the island, but signs of any humans.
 

Then we headed over to the beach...New Smyrna Dune Beach.  The kids kayaked over and we took the dingy....with the motor power!  There was a strong out going current that pushed us most of the way to the beach.  We towed the last bit across the c...
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Down to Ponce de Leon, Mile 845 ish

Posted by Bryan on Tuesday, December 3, 2013, In : ICW Travels 
December 1st and 2nd.

 We spent yesterday on a Kayak tour of the marsh with a guide that told us all about the area.

We learned that
1.  Dolphins have hair when they are born (all mammals do).  Although it is just whiskers.
2.  Cannon ball jellyfish  have muscles and can swim slowly, not just drift.
They can also put out their stinking stuff like a squid.
3.  Black mangrove plants will collect all the salt that gets into their system and concentrate it to one sacrificial leaf to get the salt out o...
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Marineland Florida Nov 30 (mile marker 795)

Posted by Sahara on Sunday, December 1, 2013, In : On the beach 

By Sahara

We arrived at Marineland- which is a marina, not a park- yesterday in the afternoon. We decided to go for a short walk through the palm tree forest, where we discovered that palm branches are practically impossible to break off, yet when you do manage to whack them –or should I say hack- they make very good spears.  And that there is a very yucky plant with spikes that come off and stick to anything that touches it.

Passed this amazing dock

We then walked out to the beach, which w...


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The Haas Family

We are from Cookstown Ontario.  A family of 4 living aboard a Whtiby 42 sailboat, cruising from the Chesapeake bay to the Bahamas....and Back again.  Skipping winter altogether.

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