Follow the links for more about our travels

Our friend Kim Hackett very generously offered us use of his dock at Pompano Beach, just north of Fort Lauderdale, for Dreaming On while we returned to UK from 9th August to 19 October.

Kim's first challenge did not arise until September, while we were making a brief visit to Spain and kind of unreachable. Kim noticed the boat listing to port. He and Jamie took a look inside to find the port hull filling with water.

Kim called David for advice. David advised hiring a 60GPH pump from Home Depot and being that it was Sunday evening, there was only around 30 minutes left before Home Depot closed. But Kim made it and he and Jamie saved the day by  pumping out around 2000 gallons!

Tim was also at David's that evening for dinner, so David and Tim continued to give excellent advice over the phone while enjoying a fine bottle of wine or two, some excellent lamb and homemade pastries. They eventually also arrived at the boat to give Kim and Jamie some possibly slightly inebriated moral support After all, it was Sunday evening!

Meanwhile the boat is still filling with water as the source has not been identified. Tim contacted his brother Chris, who is a yacht design engineer and experienced captain, in Montreal at the time. Chris said, "Taste the water." Obvious when you think about it, but not a task to relish. It's basically become bilge water.

Now Jamie is the youngest of the group and unfortunately that status brings certain liabilities, one of which is tasting bilge water. Jamie reluctantly agreed and did the tasting. But, having tasted the bilge water, a comparison had to be made with the dark brown brackish water of the ICW, tainted as it may be by the amount of flotsam and manatee pee floating around. Re-enter Jamie, who valiantly tastes the ICW and confirms the bilge water is, or was fresh.

Jamie's retaliation was to chastise David & Tim for arriving sans beer to take the taste away. We understand that oversight was soon remedied.

Eventually the group notice a hose pipe running from the garden tap through a water pressure connector into the boat. Surely, they collectively thought, no-one would be so stupid as to leave water running into a vacant boat. Unfortunately Geoff had been that stupid, though with good intent. He had set this up as a fresh water flush system for the water maker. Seems that a connection in the system was leaking badly causing the problem, so no doubt this had been leaking for some time. Geoff will never make that arrangement again. Seemed like a good idea at the time though!

It is still not clear whether the inverter failed to charge as a totally separate event, causing the new batteries to lose charge, with the result the bilge pumps failed or whether the water ingestion caused the inverter charger to fail.

Some damage to electrical connections and burned out float switches on bilge pumps, plus a few damaged clothes and shoes, but otherwise we were very, very lucky. Kim called Johan from Just Catamarans to come and check the boat and fix bilge pumps. Geoff's wardrobe was opened in the process and all his clothes were wet. Kim put these through his washer/dryer and when we returned they were hanging in his utility room ready for us. Thanks Kim. Beyond the call of duty.

We returned to the US and Dreaming On on 19 November to clean up after the water problem and to prepare her for return to LMC for final lightning repairs.

Discovered that water had also found its way into Iza's wardrobe and damaged her clothes and shoes. More washing required. Amazingly only one shirt and a couple of pairs of sandals ruined.

Click on picture to enlarge image. Click Back to return to text

Cleaning the ICW gunk

We returned to LMC on 19 November to complete installation and testing of all electrics and electronics to complete our refit ready for travel and our lightning insurance claim.

Made a short trip away from LMC from 12 to 14 December to check systems but mainly to anchor out and watch Fort Lauderdale's major Christmas Boat Parade.

Barnacle Busting Jamie helping to clean the water line ICW gunk

David and Carolann enjoying the sail

We anchored in a prime location just north of Las Olas Bridge and invited many people to join us for the parade. We arrived early and had plenty of space but within an hour or so we were surrounded by weekend anchorers many of whom were rafting up together and getting closer and closer to us as space became a premium. Hairy!

A couple of hours before the parade, it began to pour with torrential rain and we had planned to collect everyone by dinghy! Luckily it stopped just before the parade was due and we ended up with 13 guests on board and had a great time. One more deluge during the parade caught us all unawares and we now know we can squeeze 15 into our salon!

100 boats passed by, many of them the large tour/entertainment boats in the area completely decked out in arrays of Christmas lights. We were amazed at the efforts, (and expense) people go to for this event. Some boats were so well illuminated we could hardly make out what kind of vessel and how anyone could see through all those lights to navigate.

We had a great evening and after delivering everyone safely ashore stayed at our anchorage overnight.

The following day we moved to Lake Sylvia and invited the kayak gang for breakfast. Tim and family, with dogs, plus neighbour Bonnie came in Tim's boat and Carolann and Joe by kayak.

Carolann and Joe

Move back to Kim's dock on 22nd December for final provisioning and preparation for leaving to BVI.

David arranged a superb Christmas party at friend Nuccia's house on the ICW waterfront. A wonderful array of food arrived and all held in a great setting.

Carolann's birthday was on 30th December, so on 29th we moved Dreaming On to Lake Sylvia and they came aboard and spent the night. On 30th, we headed out to sea, just for a sail. Had a great time and think Carolann and David really enjoyed it. David was a bit surprised at the amount of work to do on a sailing boat. He's used to engines!

David has also organised a New Year's Eve party at Lago Mar Resort. Carolann calls David the "Pied Piper" due to his tendency to always have people around him and organising people and events!

We were still in Lake Sylvia so went, (in our smart party clothes, with Iza in a long dress) by dinghy to Lago Mar. Luckily no rain, but we did have a little difficulty getting under the bridges out of Lake Sylvia due to a high tide.

A good time was had by all.