s/v Gemini Dreams: Cruise Four

Well here we lie tied to two pieces of metal dug into the floor of the bay, ~~three~~ EIGHT days into our cruising season. This will be s/v Gemini Dreams FOURTH cruising season! Over the last three years so much as come to pass. New friends selling the boat and moving to Costa Rica, friends opening Restaurants, friends exchanging boats, crossing paths with now old friends during Super Bowl blackouts, loosing touch with older friends and gaining contacts of ancient friends from long times past and all the other friends we have made along the way. All of this consumed in a cloud of wonder, new places, new adventures and new dreams. The greatest of the great is that Ayrton sails away into the sunset with me for the moment. The saddest of the sad is Amy is left waving at the dock as the horizon vanishes.

So what is keeping here this time? Like always the motor. We sold the troublesome (way abnormally so) Mercury 9.9 last year and made a cruise to the Keys last year on a wimpy little 3.5 dinghy motor with a short shaft. Our steep learning curve with it in choppy bays approaching 3 feet meant no shaft in the water. Creating a stand still followed by the back step two step retreat against a head wind. So this year we purchased a used 5 hp Honda to make the journey. We haven't even hooked the fuel line up yet and are learning so much about Honda's. LOL Grrrrr!

Moeller says that the Mercury, Yamaha fitting will fit the Honda... Leaks like hell
Sierra says the Yamaha connector, that they have different from the Mercury will fit. Leaks like hell.
Atwood ditto
Seachoice's Yamaha leaks like hell too.

At this point it is time to rethink the issues that we and others on the internet have found out about the REALITY of the round locating pin Hondas. Nothing works but the factory female $25 a piece, that takes a week for the dealers to get, will work! Plan B for $15 we purchased a new Honda factory male for the BF5A off eBay in the NEW style with the square pin. To which we can mate to the two connectors we bought when we bought the motor (one for a spare of course). This should be here tomorrow and hopefully all will be good and we can head off against a soft south wind Tuesday followed by two days of north to push us south. Wouldn't it be so simple if there was just a "Marine fuel fitting" instead of 3 or 4 different ones for each manufacturer?

By staying here for a few extra days we met other cruisers as the migration has started. For months no one passed south on the ICW. Now everyday there are Trawlers, Searays (damn Searays!), and Sailboats. Often they use our little anchorage for a nights sleep before continuing on south as we feel the pull to go with them. When we returned from a day at the library for internet and Boatschool we found a very interesting boat in our anchorage. The solar powered Arc'himedes, you can find their blog here http://www.shipofimagination.blogspot.com/. This would be one of the 5 boats you remember from your cruise, perhaps the ONE you remember. From 3/4 a mile away we could see the hull and expected a mast. From 1/2 mile away you realize the black silhouette is not on the shore but atop the boat. Everyone in Boot Key Harbor will not forget them too soon.

Through out the months trying to file photos of past adventures they have made it into three folders,

Cruise One - The Beginning
Cruise Two - The Fisher King Cruise
Cruise Three - The End Of The World (as it started in December 2012)

And now our new folder: Cruise Four - ? awaits it's identifying theme. So perhaps sometime in the next few months spontaneous combustion within the brain cells will create a witty tittle or dreaded circumstances will name it for us.

I am without a doubt the happiest and most peaceful within during the cruises. My wayward, vagabond, gypsy inner spirit is free. At anchor in a fresh gale and poor holding is more peaceful than any day at work.

Possible destinations: