Ed Robinson's Blog, page 7
November 15, 2016
The Passing of a Legend
RIP Captain Jack
Today the cruising world lost a beloved member. Captain Jack passed away at the age of 93, on his boat in Boot Key Harbor, Marathon.
We met him on our first trip to Marathon over five years ago. He’s greeted cruisers from all over the world upon their arrival in Boot Key.
He had a special affinity for pretty ladies. His favorite thing to do was hand them wild flowers that he picked of the hibiscus tree near the marina.
He also liked to ask for hugs, then try to cop a feel! No lady was safe from his charm.
He also painted sea scapes on shells, and would gift his creations to his special friends. Kim still has hers:
One morning a few years back, he came onto the morning radio net and announced that he had “lost his equilibrium.” It didn’t stop him though. He got hooked up with a Home Depot shopping cart and used it as a walker. He’s been a mainstay of the cruising community in Marathon for longer than most of us have been alive. He had thousands of stories to tell from his long life on the water.
He’ll be greatly missed by many.
Farewell, Captain. We are all wishing you fair winds and calm seas on your journey. Thanks for touching so many lives.
October 11, 2016
Leap of Faith Long-Sleeved T’s
$18 per shirt plus shipping ($5)
Medium, Large, and Xtra Large
Limited edition means limited supply. Order now!
Payments accepted through
Go to
Click send. Our paypal address is: quityourjobandliveonaboat@gmail.com
Send $23 include your shipping address, sizes and quantity of each.
If you have any questions, you can email us at: kimandedrobinson@gmail.com
Or message me on Facebook.
The Boat Galley
In the digital age, there are many resources available for one to learn about the cruising/liveaboard lifestyle. Personal blogs, sailing and cruising websites, and a host of cruising and liveaboard Facebook pages. In my mind, there is one that stands out for it’s constant stream of pure, helpful information.
Outfitting Your Boat
Boat-Friendly Recipes
Provisioning
Food Storage
How to Cook on a Boat
And more, including product reviews, helpful hints, what works, and what doesn’t work.
We’ve had the pleasure of being neighbors with Dave and Carolyn Shearlock the past two winters in Boot Key Harbor, Marathon. We’ve watched them go through the trials of outfitting a new boat. We’ve followed them through their Bahamas trip via Facebook.
The Boat Galley
If you haven’t already discovered their website or Facebook page, Follow the links for more information than you can absorb on the liveaboard life, and how to make it easier. You won’t be disappointed.
September 29, 2016
Florida’s Foul Waters
We love our life in Florida. We’ve traveled south Florida and the Keys extensively aboard our boat, enjoying the beauty of her beaches and waters. We live on the water, every single day. That’s why it’s so sad to report on the horrible water problems we now face. We’ve watched our waterways undergo a constant barrage of pollution, fresh water influx, toxic algae, red tide, and even radiation.
The water in south Florida is not safe.
It starts with Lake Okeechobee and the manmade disaster that directs the lakes waters east and west to the coast, instead of south through the Everglades as nature intended. I wrote about it here:
But that’s not the end of our problems. Recently, heavy rains caused massive amounts of sewage to flow into Tampa Bay and surrounding waters.
The latest total estimate of St. Petersburg’s spilled sewage now stands at 128 million gallons — and that’s not counting the unknown amount of waste that gushed from more than 40 manholes onto city streets.
Most of that waste has been dumped into Tampa Bay. But the latest reported spill took place in west St. Petersburg, and much of it emptied out of stormwater drains into Boca Ciega Bay.
St. Petersburg’s latest spill brings the total estimate of waste local utilities released across the bay area to 230 million gallons — an amount that has continued to climb since Hermine’s drenching rains. And the city’s estimates could continue to rise.
At the same time, the west coast of Florida is seeing the annual arrival of red tide on its beaches. It’s not believed that sewage creates red tide, but it does fuel it, causing a bloom to expand exponentially. The resulting fish kills are an economic and ecological disaster.
All the beaches from Anna Maria Island down to Don Pedro look like this. Venice, Englewood, Siesta Key, Manasota Key . . . who wants to go to the beach?
More heavy rains have increased the discharges from Lake O once again, pouring black water into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Rivers. These massive influxes of fresh water pour out onto each coast, carrying phosphates, fertilizers, and sediment to fragile estuaries.
If that wasn’t enough, Florida has suffered two separate incidents which allowed radiation to enter not just a waterway, but also into an major aquifer that supplies drinking water to a large portion of the state.
A radioactive isotope linked to water from power plant cooling canals has been found in high levels in Biscayne Bay, confirming suspicions that Turkey Point’s aging canals are leaking into the nearby national park.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article64667452.html#storylink=cpy
Elsewhere, a sinkhole opens up and radioactive water pours into it.
About 30 minutes east of Tampa Bay, a 45-foot-wide sinkhole opened in late August, depositing at least 215 million gallons of polluted, slightly radioactive water into a vast underground aquifer. (That’s enough to fill more than 310 Olympic-size swimming pools.)
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/09/sinkhole-florida-radioactive-water-fertilizer
The hits keep coming. We haven’t taken a swim in Gulf waters since returning from the Bahamas in June. Reports of flesh-eating bacteria pop up occassionally. The water at Fort Myers Beach smells foul. The water at Venice Beach stinks of dead fish.
Dont’ go into the water!
The problems are many and the solutions are few. Politicians of all stripes have proven incapable of resolving even the slightest issue when it comes to water quality in Florida. During the recent primary elections, most of the candidates that expressed strong support for clean water – lost. That’s the fault of the electorate, I suppose. In the upcoming general elections, I predict we’ll see more of the same. What can we do?
For starters; you can sign the Now or Neverglades Declaration
http://gladesdeclaration.org/
Learn more at http://www.evergladestrust.org/
Lots of info can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SWFLc...
Other groups working to promote clean water include
https://www.facebook.com/CaptainsForCleanWater/?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/bullsugar.org/?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/flforcleanwater/
Plan your next vacation accordingly.
September 25, 2016
September 16, 2016
The Boat on the Beach
We learned of this boat yesterday. Today is at least the second full day it’s been grounded. The tide was about two hours past high when these photos were taken. With the full moon, he missed a good chance to pull her off the beach this afternoon.
Aventigo? No hailing port. We know that the police came and talked to him yesterday. They didn’t offer assistance. They just want him off the beach. This is a private island and home to Palm Island Resort. This unfortunate captain says that he anchored offshore. His anchor dragged overnight while he slept and he woke up on the beach.
He has no towing insurance. He apparently didn’t take the proper steps to get himself back into deeper water when he had the chance. He also has no anchor out, which means each high tide will driver him harder aground.
I can’t imagine that no one has offered to pull him off over a two day period. I also can’t imagine what he’s thinking at this point. Just sitting there doing nothing won’t get her free.
The boat rests just north of Don Pedro Island, on the west coast of Florida. It’s approximately two miles south of Stump Pass. If anyone is reading that has a strong boat in the area . . . maybe you can run out there before tomorrow’s high tide and try to assist this man.
August 28, 2016
Cool Breeze now Available
My newest book went live on Amazon late last night. This morning it is Amazon’s #1 bestseller in Boating. Click the link below to purchase.
If your not familiar with the series, you can find them all at my Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Ed-Robinson/e/B00F42LGJ8/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1472389809&sr=1-2
August 8, 2016
The Adventures of Meade Breeze
Technically, it’s the Trawler Trash series. If you haven’t started this series, now is a good time. The sixth book will be coming out in September, and prices will go up for all the books in the series.
Start with Trawler Trash; currently the number 1 bestseller in Boating.
https://www.amazon.com/Trawler-Trash-Confessions-Boat-Bum-ebook/dp/B00MWUAROA
Next is Following Breeze
Then move on to Free Breeze;
Redeeming Breeze
https://www.amazon.com/Redeeming-Breeze-Trawler-Trash-Book-ebook/dp/B01BQSF37O
And finally, Bahama Breeze
Or you can find all of them at my Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Ed-Robinson/e/B00F42LGJ8
Don’t forget to look for my next release, Cool Breeze.
July 19, 2016
Misadventures at Hoffman’s Cay
The above screenshot shows the “shallow draft, inside route” through some of the Berry Islands. They aren’t kiddding!
We were ready to leave Great Harbor Cay and do some exploring. We were told to go to the fuel dock at high tide, so that’s how we planned our day. High tide was at 11:00 a.m. We topped off our fuel tanks and headed out for Hoffman’s Cay. It was to be a six hour trip. Tides change in the Bahamas every six hours. Did you figure it out yet? I didn’t until we reach the entrance to the inside route. I said “Oh crap”. Kim asked what was wrong. I explain that we were entering shallow water at dead low tide. If you look closely at the above chart, you’ll see some spots with less than four feet of depth. We draw four feet. We were also loaded down heavily with fuel and water, adding a few inches to our draft.
I slowed to a crawl. We were in six feet of water. Bump! We hit something. I checked the depth finder. We still had six feet. Must have been a rock or some coral. Then we approached the really skinny spot. I slowed some more. The water under us got even more shallow. I guessed we wouldn’t make it. Sure enough, we ground to a slow stop on soft sand.
We had a good west wind that was producing a two-foot chop. With the boat still in gear, I felt a wave lift us up and we moved forward twenty feet or so before settling back down on the bottom. Huh! I left the boat in gear. We moved again, maybe thirty feet forward, before we came down on the sand again. We continued to leap frog like that until we had enough water to float freely. I throttled up and we carried on. Lesson learned. Pay attention to the tide for your destination.
We anchored off a beautiful beach. We were all alone, with no other boats in sight. Kim demanded that we put the dinghy in and go to the beach. It was just a few hundred yards away. I wanted to sit down with a beer and relax, but I relented. Off we went towards the beach. We didn’t make it. The outboard quit running. When I pulled the starter cord, it broke off in my hand. Great. Now we were adrift towards some rocks just south of the beach. I quickly deployed the oars and started rowing back to the boat. It was a tough slog against the waves, but we made it.
Fortunately, I had not one, but two spare pull-cords. I was prepared for this!
I fixed her up the next day and we spent hours on the beach.
We even hike a trail up to a blue hole. Pretty cool.
We spent several days exploring the neighboring islands via dinghy. The water was spectacular.
All in all, we very much enjoyed our stay in the Berry Islands. Much less crowded than most destinations in the Bahamas. The water is awesome, if not a tad skinny. Any time we moved we had to keep the tides in mind. There’s about a four foot tidal swing. Meaning, that at low tide a spot might only be three feet deep, but at high tide it would be seven feet deep. We often sat and waited until close to high before moving to the next spot.
We loved the Berrys. You would too.
April 18, 2016
The Sugar Caves of Great Harbor Cay
It was a brutal bike ride to get there, 
especially for lazy boat bums like us, but it was well worth the effort. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
A very cool spot. I could have just sat and watched the waves all day.
