February 2021 in Fort Pierce ~

     February brought more of the same weather, but I’m not complaining. We’d rather deal with the weather here than in the Northeast. The weather prediction for this winder in the east seems to be quite accurate. Heavier than usual precipitation with cooler temps; higher probability of snow.

A change in the weather!

Full moon

through the clouds

     With all the winds from the fronts, many people hoping to cross over to the Bahamas are waiting for a weather window. They are few and far between. Al and Vicky, SV OHANNA KAI, waited about 3 weeks, but finally headed east from Marathon. Tim, SV EVENING STAR, had to wait 2 weeks to depart from Lake Worth Inlet.

     Speaking of friends, Betty and John have sold SV ANDIAMO, Jeanne and Gerry have sold SV RAGTIME and Marilyn and Jon have a possible buyer for SV ESCAPADE. It is the right move for them, we are just sorry we won’t be rafting with them in the future, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be our guest aboard PEKABU.

     New friends on the dock have been cruising on a 40' Catamaran, but are now selling it to be able to travel a bit faster and do the Loop. We invited Alexi and Rob to join us for dinner at Lorenzo's Italian Restaurant and Pizza here in Fort Pierce on Orange Street. We are celebrating the fact that they have gone under contract for a new to them power boat on the Gulf-side of the state. Next week they empty their boat and put it in presentation mode for photos and sale. We had a thoroughly enjoyable meal, with the lasagna even better then mine! YUM!!! We will definitely go back for dinner again.

Poe and Katia keeping
 Pete company

  This month has seen a lot of medical visits. We have different appointments for our Covid shots. It usually isn’t a problem, but we both managed to snag appointments in Clay County because I thought we needed to take them in the county we are registered in. As it turns out, Clay County has a user-friendly website which helps in grabbing an appointment. The property used for the shots (the county agricultural building) is very well organized and efficiently run. In and out in less than 40 minutes, including the required after shot observation! The only negative, is that the Ag building in Green Cove Springs, is 3 hours north from Fort Pierce, which makes it a day-long commitment and our appointments were on 4 different days. I can’t complain as we are among of the lucky ones. I have also had 3 appointments in Miami with my cardiologist. After numerous tests to try to figure out the increasing Angina when I start to increase my heart rate, a stress test with contrast with PET scan finally revealed that my coronary artery, shortly after it branches off the Aorta and at the site of the bifurcation is stenotic, but not by plaque. It is a physical deformity. We find out Monday, 3/1, if a stint will resolve the issue or by-pass surgery will be necessary. Needless to say, it has been a stressful two weeks not knowing. Ann and Howie have offered their home to us if necessary. (UPDATE 3/1: No problems with arteries, so no stents, no surgery!!! YEA!!! Time to adjust blood pressure meds. The best possible outcome!!!)

Aft cabin had to be
emptied!

  The other biggie is PEKABU. We have been experiencing increasing vibration as the boat idles. Pete bought a new damper plate, knowing that was the problem last time. Why they make damper plates with all that plastic instead of harder metal is a big mystery. Pete had contacted Unlimited Boat Services here in Fort Pierce. Pedro and his crew did work for Pete last winter, solving the alternator disaster. He is very good at communication, coming when he says, diagnosing, thoroughly explaining what he sees as a problem (how's and why's) and repairing the issue. We expected about 3 hours of installation. Instead, he had to pull the transmission and found problems. The shaft has more than 3 inches of movement (which shouldn’t be), The bellows is fully compresses (which is intended for “burping” the excess air). The PSS bearing is totally worn out (which was supposed to be replaced 2 summers ago) and the sleeve holding in the shaft was only holding on by about 1/8 of an inch. Pedro did not feel comfortable having a diver try to see what was happening with the shaft. Should it suddenly give, the hole in the boat was probably sink us. Before he went any further the boat needs to be pulled.

  Wednesday, 2/24, we were up early. Pete took Bailey to boarding close to Ann and Howie. Bailey has become an ornery old lady. Due to the pains in her hind quarters, she is very cautious around other dogs and lets them know to keep their distance. It is a shame we can’t trust her around other dogs anymore. While he was gone, I defrosted the fridge and packed up items to be stored in the extra one at Ann’s. Our freezer can remain packed as long as it has power. Thankfully, it runs on both AC and DC, and is portable. Items were packed for at least a week’s stay in Delray and the storage items in the aft stateroom had to be moved to other areas of the boat. TowBoat was prearranged for a noon tow from Fort Pierce to Cracker Boy Boat Works yard, about a half mile away. They waited until the slip for haul outs was shortly to be available before heading out. PEKABU was very efficiently moved and into the haul-out slip, lifted, bottom power washed, and moved to an area where she was chocked and stabilized on the hard. Pedro and his crew were there to watch then examine the rudder and shaft. He contacted Pete a few hours later to let him know of the damage to the PSS bearing that couldn’t be only 2 years old. It and the shaft are the originals!

Two summers ago, PEKABU was pulled by Haven Harbor Marina in Rock Hall. Their service department are known for doing good work and recommended by a number of boaters we know. Pete was sent photos of the shaft as the PSS bearing was pulled for change out. The shaft was substantially worn and needed replacement according to the photo sent to Pete. He authorized to new one to be installed at that time. It was replaced without dropping the rudder.

 

    

  

     After discussions with Pedro, there is no way that the shaft can be replaced without dropping the rudder, and right now, we not only need the new PSS bearing, bellows, and coupler, we also need a new shaft! AND the only way to replace the shaft is to drop the rudder. Pete verified that from the Catalina 350 website. On top of that news, Pedro found a screw placed in the shaft log to stop a leak. It was the same shaft log that Haven Harbor filled last summer with 4200, a water-resistant adhesive seal, that was applied to the void in the shaft log. That should have been fiber glassed! Now we wait for the repairs, find out how many B.O.A.T. (Break Out Another Thousand) units it will cost and when she’ll be back in the water. Thank heavens for good friends. If we couldn’t stay with Ann and Howie, we were invited to Marilyn and Jon’s in Vero Beach.

      Speaking about Cracker Boy Boat Works, we thought it was a family name. Actually, most folks refer to it as “Cracker Boy’s.” However, last weekend we were able to learn the origin of the name. Facebook announced the Annual Cracker Drive and we are here to see it. An annual Cracker Trail Ride is held the last full week in February of each year. The ride begins at a site just east of Bradenton, Florida, and ends with a parade through downtown Ft. Pierce, Florida, a total of approximately 120 miles. Each day's ride is approximately 15 to 20 miles in length. The purpose of the ride is to draw attention to Florida's horse and cattle heritage. A great photo opportunity!

According to their website:

 

  The second generation to settle in the Florida territory after the Spanish were pioneers who traveled south through the state in the period between the American Revolution and the Civil War. Control of Florida was still disputed by Spain and England, so settlers in the state lived outside the political control of both nations. Cattle rustlers, charged with rounding up the loose cattle in Central Florida, used long, braided leather bullwhips to bring cattle out from the underdeveloped forest brush. The men would flail the whips with so much force that the tips would actually break the sound barrier, creating a cracking sound — actually a small sonic boom. Thus, a name for these Florida cowboys was born. Stories quickly spread about the rustlers’ individual whip-cracking sounds that allowed them to identify each other from far away.

   The cracker cowboys rode short horses called “cracker ponies” across the Florida Cracker Trail from Fort Pierce to Bradenton. This trail across Central Florida was blazed out of necessity more than anything else. Moist land surrounding the Kissimmee River prevented travel to the north, while the sizable Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades swamps meant the crackers could not cross to the south either.

     Every year the crackers would convene on the more populous east coast and stock up for the long 120-mile journey across the trail to the Gulf of Mexico, where the cattle would be shipped to Cuba. To maximize profits, they had to deliver the cattle to shipping ports during peak market season in late July and August, when the weather was at its worst.
     Florida’s unpredictable weather, from never-ending downpours to oppressive heat, was just one challenge the cracker cowboys faced on the trail. They also had to take care to avoid dangerous panthers, bears and wolves and hostile native tribes with nothing but small packs of herd dogs for protection. Upon arriving safely in Fort Pierce, the crackers often stopped at P.P. Cobb’s General Store (100 Ave. A, Fort Pierce). The oldest commercial establishment in St. Lucie County, the store opened in 1882 as a trading post between Seminole tribes, planters, crackers and sailors. You can still see the giant blackboard ledger behind the counter where crackers’ names were written when they bought supplies on credit, debts occasionally repaid with Spanish gold after the long drive.

  

  

     Well, we are looking forward with a hopeful and positive attitude, to see how things resolve next month!

~  ~ ~ /) ~ ~   P & K