"ICW Trip 2001 Leg 31 Boca Chica (to end of 2001)" Boca Chica Key Travelogue by grandmaR

Final tie up on the wall

After we got opposite the next Key, the waves dropped quite a bit so Bob unrolled the rest of the jib. We came into the Boca Chica channel about 14:00. Bob wanted to tie port side to, so he tried to turn. We got the bow to the wall, but couldn't get the stern to come around, as we discovered that there was both a lot of wind AND a lot of current.

He tried to get back to the wall and was being carried sideways through the marina. We finally just tied up starboard side to, after 41.1 nm at an average of 6.4 knots (motorsailing with just the jib).

Bob standing by another CSY in a regular slip

It's good that we came in early, as we'd have had to put ourselves in a slip if we had come in Sat as we planned.

RosalieAnn from the end of the wall

Bob went in to sign up (they needed to see his military ID) and I went in to find him doing all kinds of paperwork. It's good that he has to do that once in awhile because normally I do that, and he should be cross trained (joke). We are right next to the bathrooms and the internet connection. Probably better than a slip although the cement wall is hard on the docklines.

He lost his glasses case [I found it later in the boat book (where we keep the documentation papers)], and I can't find my purple chamois/towel. My towel must have blown overboard. His glasses case he had when he went to sign in, so we thought it must be somewhere in the marina office. They closed at 1600, and are not open again until Dec 26th, so we can't look again until then.

Navi-Gator bar with 'snowplow'

We had dinner at the new bar (Navi-Gator) - the special was shrimp scampi for $8.50.

Dec 22 - I called to see if we could get the rental car early and Bob got on the good bike and rode down to the east end of Duval street and picked it up (the local car rental place was the cheapest because they don't do the airport). It didn't take him but about a hour, and the trickiest part was crossing Roosevelt Blvd where Rt 1 comes in from Stock Island. A lot of the way there was a bike path. He said it took him 20 minutes to get off the base, as the gate is at the other end. The base requires you to wear a helmet while on a bike. They gave him a red Escort station wagon.

He went to the PO but there were no packages or letters yet. Then he came back to the marina (could not get a pass for the whole time at the gate because the pass office is closed for the holiday). Then we left and went to Sigsbee to the Commissary - thinking that it wouldn't be open today (true) or Monday. However, because of Xmas, it is open Mon and not Tuesday. The little food trailer outside was closed however, so we shopped while hungry (got cranberry sauce for the turkey), and then went to Taco Bell to eat.

We tried to see how many boats are on moorings off Garrison, but weren't too successful. When we came back to the base the sentry pointed out that our pass was good only until Jan 02, 2001 and not 2002. He took the pass and gave us another one which was only good until Dec 26th. He wanted to know the year of the car, and it wasn't on the service contract, but the stuff in the glove compartment said 1995. The sentry thought that was funny.

Our angels

We had a roast beef sub at the bar for dinner. There is going to be a potluck dinner on Xmas here at the marina. While I was doing email last night, Bob heard about a guy tthat went aground and called the CG. The CG said they don't do that anymore.

Later we heard a guy who said his boat was sinking - he was a commercial lobster pot fisherman, and ran himself aground on the coral. Will have some fines.

Christmas tree/mast

I wanted to get the customs decal for the boat for 2002, so I called the customs office here and in Pittsburgh, and they said they would fax the form in to Pittsburgh, but that they would need an address to UPS it back to us (for which we pay an extra $6). We could have it before we leave that way. I asked if I could use the local customs office as an address, and they said yes. So that's what we are doing.

We stayed in Boca Chica until we picked up our customs sticker from the courthouse downtown and then we returned the rental car.

When we leave here we go to Newfound Harbor and anchor - staging to go to the Bahamas