Island Dreamer Sailing School BlogExploring The Couple's Life Aboard a Sailboat |
Margie and I are currently open for a Liveaboard sailing class in the Florida Keys for a couple or family starting the evening of Christmas Day till after New Years. You can take advantage of our current special on an inclusive six day trip for two for $3,972. Time to break out your shorts and T shirt!
Waking up on a warm vacation
Captain Margie and I wrote an article for the American Sailing Association October 2011 Newsletter;
Featured Charter Destination
An Easygoing Exploration of Biscayne Bay
By USCG/ASA Captains Margie and Harold Ochstein
On the southeast edge of Florida at the foot of the modern, vibrant city of Miami lies Biscayne Bay. Sailing down the bay is your entryway into Biscayne National Park and the Florida Keys, a 170-mile chain of islands stretching off to the south and southwest of mainland Florida. The calm, pristine waters of the bay are protected from the ocean by the coral reefs and the island chain beginning with Key Biscayne. These are a few of our favorite spots; but wherever you go, the water is clear, the wildlife is abundant and the pace is relaxed.
Key Biscayne
Your journey into Biscayne Bay begins once you pass under the MacArthur Causeway. The waterfront high-rises of Miami are close by on your right and Key Biscayne with its marinas and anchorages appears on your left. You can anchor off the west side of Key Biscayne for a comfortable night in the prevailing easterlies. At the south end of Key Biscayne you will find No Name Harbor located in Bill Baggs State Park.
This is a very popular spot for cruisers waiting to cross the Gulfstream to the Bahamas. During the day tie to the seawall, or anchor in the harbor overnight. Chat with sailors from around the world, invite them aboard for a sundowner and share your stories. After walking along the park’s nature trails, take a tour of the working lighthouse built in 1825. Spend some time at the beach on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island, then stop for a drink or have dinner at the Boaters Grill. Read the rest of the article
I can’t help but enjoy what two scouts from Minnesota had to say about our last trip of the summer season;
Dear Captain Harold,
Thank you for being my captain on the Morning dance sailboat. I really liked swimming with the mako sharks and snorkeling at the reef.I liked the Led Zepplin music you let us play on our boat. This was my favorite scout trip ever. this was a great way to end my summer. Thanks from Troop 173 from the land of the ice and snow,
Luke
Dear Captain Harold, Captain Margie and Crew Guide Dana,
Thank you for letting our troop stay on your boat, it was extremely nice of you. I really enjoyed the experience of Seabase, but my favorite was the snorkeling at Sombrero Reef. It was amazing that I got to see a whole bunch of fish and coral that I thought I might not see on this trip. It was a great experience and I am going to remember this for a really long time.
Korey
What’s more fun than sailing the islands? Sailing the islands with Travis McGee. Well, more to the point, with the series of John D. MacDonald novels that made men want to be Travis and women want to posses him.
The Travis McGee series is for the “salvage consultant” among us who likes to take “his retirement in installments”. The title of each book references a color such as: The Deep Blue Good-By, The Quick Red Fox, The Long Lavender Look, and, my personal favourite, Cinnamon Skin. You get the idea.
The books are trip through the still-developing 1970s male psyche. There’s much discussion of stereo equipment, sticking it to the ‘man’, and, of course, women. The women in Travis’ life are always, if not conveniently, unattainable.
But what makes these books the perfect sailing companion is found in the author’s detailed descriptions of Florida’s flora and fauna. It’s like having a personal tour guide, a personal storytelling tour guide, right at your fingertips.
As the plot twists and turns, MacDonald takes you through the marshes of the Everglades and the coral reefs of the Keys. These books are a terrific way to get a sense of the beach bum perspective without quitting your day job.
Adding colour to your Island Dreamer sailing adventure, Travis McGee is the ultimate companion, tour guide, and all around “Dude”.
My sister-in-law, Margie, is co-captain of Island Dreamer. She has been married to my brother, Captain Harold, for 32 years.
Margie’s interest in sailing began when she was a student at Balboa High School in the Panama Canal Zone. There, she was a member of a young adult group affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America called Sea Exploring [now called Sea Scouting], where she earned her Coast Guard Auxiliary Basic Seamanship Certificate.
Not long after that, she attended Butler University where she met my brother and [inexplicably] married him after graduation. Together, they took scuba lessons and learned to dive. This marked the beginning of their love for all things having to do with the sea.
Margie is the heart and soul of Island Dreamer and the force behind its success.
She is responsible for keeping the day-to-day operations running smoothly and without incident. She is an accomplished sailor in her own right and has recently come full circle in her career by becoming a Dockmaster at the Boy Scouts of America High Adventure Sea Base in the Florida Keys.
Like my brother, she is at home on the boat and enjoys living abroad. Visiting them on Island Dreamer is like stopping by your neighbor’s house for a cup of coffee and then realizing you’ve been having so much fun, you’ve actually been there for most of the day. We have spent many hours sitting at the captain’s table in the galley, talking about everything from politics to the relevancy of F. Scott Fitzgerald … or just kicking back and watching movies.
Margie makes boating an easy going experience where everyone is comfortable and life is drama-free. You will be glad she is Island Dreamer’s co-captain and we are glad she is a part of our family.
Hello, Harold and Margie,
We find hard to believe that two months have elapsed since we spent a challenging week with you aboard Island Dreamer! Our travel and education with you impacted our lives significantly. So enriching was our time in theFlorida Keys that we want to make that area a part of our lives for at least several months – maybe more – each year.
Our initial plan in “signing on” for sailing instruction with you was for Herb to obtain ASA certification and for Betty to become a more knowledgeable first mate. Within several days of hands-on experience and your non-threatening methods, though, we realized that both of us should attempt certification. We both ended our week with basic ASA certifications for Keelboat Sailing 101 and Coastal Cruising 103; and Herb, for Bareboat Chartering 104. Your attention to both the overview and the details of every aspect of our trip more than met our expectations.
Here are some of the surprises we experienced:
· Your warm and friendly demeanor while living aboard a 41’ sailboat as a married couple and as ASA-certified captains-instructors; the duality of your knowledge, skills and demeanor was so helpful to us as a couple in planning our future sailboating direction.
· An itinerary flexible to weather and training opportunities.
· The diversity in sailing, anchoring and on-shore experiences: South Beach, Boca Chita, Key Elliott, No Name Island, Biscayne Bay, Key Largo.
· Discovering the differences and similarities between your 20’ boat Kermit and your 41’ Island Dreamer.
· Enjoying meals that were not only healthy as we had requested but also deliciously interpreted by Margie’s inventiveness and cooking skills.
· Adaptability to cabin compactness for more than a weekend.
· Watching a school of dolphins frolic alongside the bow when we were in the Keys.
· Reading a posted sign on one of the islands that manatees were a protected species – and then sighting a manatee in the water just a few feet from us.
· Herb’s discovery that, even though he thought he was fairly knowledgeable because of his Navy nuke-sub experience, he didn’t “know squat” about personal sailing!
· Betty’s discovery that previous “heeling” experiences were not so exciting as they were indicators of limited experience to avoid them.
Overall, we are still benefiting from our time with you. We have had opportunities to apply new skills to sailing our own 28’ S-2; we now know which nautical and safety devices are important to have on board. Herb has retrofitted a chart plotter, compass and depth finder to make a nav board for our cockpit; and has provided, as you suggested, a movable tether coupled to a D-ring harness to protect Betty and calm her fear of the water.
We are looking forward to renting a boat in the Keys as well as someday bringing our own boat to that area for extended periods!
With warmest wishes for your continued success -
Herb and Betty Crimp
March ‘11
Sailing is an easy-going, laid-back, and totally groovy experience. Be sure to bring items that will make your life aboard even more relaxed and easier – for you and for your fellow travelers.
You don’t need much, but it’s always good to be prepared and not have to worry once you get there.
Now you can relax and enjoy your Island- Dreamer vacation.
Ok, full disclosure, Captain Harold is my brother or, if we’re being technical, he’s my half-brother.
What you need to know about Captain Harold, or “H.” as I call him, is that even though he appears to be carefree and laid-back, he is actually very serious and cautious.
H. is the oldest of 4 children sired by our father. There are 3 boys and me (and, no, I didn’t get treated like a princess growing up – quite the opposite). As much as I hate to admit this, Harold has influenced us all. He has set the standard for music, quality of life, and politics for the three of us. Thanks to H., we all can ‘name the band’ when he plays a song and we will never forget the great “Standard of Living v. Quality of Life Debate” he had with our father.
He once told me, “If you don’t like the world you’re living in, create your own.” This is the essence of who Harold is: Henry Miller meets Ayn Rand.
Island Dreamer was born of this philosophy. He has successfully married his love for sailing with his business sense and achieved that elusive American dream of making a living doing what you love.
Now, it must be said, there is no Captain Harold without his wife (and my sister-in-law), Captain Margie. No one in the family can figure out why she married him, but we are eternally grateful to her.
Together, Captains Harold and Margie have created Island Dreamer and a wonderful life aboard sailing around the Keys and embarking on new adventures.
Here’s what I learned while visiting Island Dreamer last week in South Beach. There is so much to do!
Now, I will be the first to admit: I don’t get South Beach. I don’t know what they actually do there. But, they do have a lot going on.
Let’s start with the “vapor fans”. As you wander down “the strip”, you pass through cafes and restaurants that keep its occupants cool by spewing a water vapor all over its guests. I suppose this is supposed to offer a cool comfort from the heat, but it’s a little disruptive, if you ask me. Plus, I have to wonder if the chefs and bartenders have to take “water vapor” into consideration as they prepare their “South Beach Signature Items” Still, it’s just water and something to see, that’s for sure.
So, if you’re like me, you’ll want to sit inside the actual restaurant, where they have a quaint little invention whose name says it all: “Air Conditioning”. There are no two sweeter words together in the English language. They just roll off your tongue, exuding leisure and decadence in every syllable
There are many restaurants to choose from in South Beach. You might want start with The News Café, where Versace had his last meal, or go for the more trendy Joe’s Stone Crab. You can find any type of cuisine there on the strip. Middle Eastern, Sushi, Thai, Cuban, Ethiopian, Greek, French, Italian, Belgian, Caribbean….you get the picture.
After you’ve eaten, you can walk off your meal at the many museums and shopping attractions. On one street, can get your Louis Vuitton on, while on the next block you can poke around the various museums and galleries.
The Art District also has happenings going on from street performers to independent movies – check out O Cinema for some cool flicks at a great price and help support the arts at the same time.
As I discovered, South Beach is not really the place to go if you’re looking for conch fritters and beer, but it’s definitely a sight to see, a glittering gem in the treasure chest of your sailing adventures.
Ever wonder what a typical Sunday aboard the Island Dreamer is like?
4/17/2011 5:50 PM
Batten down the hatches! It’s raining. Pouring actually. Not much you can do, but hunker down and wait for the storm to pass. Captain Harold is up on deck reading a book and Captain Marge is down in the galley checking facebook updates on her iPhone.
4/17/2011 5:53 PM
Now Captain Harold has come below to criticize my choice in music. Will skip this song now.
4/17/2011 5:54 PM
Captain Harold notes that this is our “first summer rain” [as Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze” plays in the background]
4/17/2011 6:05 PM
Captain Harold knocks over his coffee cup, but luckily, it lands in the sink.
4/17/2011 6:07 PM
Time for dinner! Fried chicken, sauted veggies, and diet Pepsi. Fruit salad for dessert.
4/17/2011 6:09 PM
Captain takes control of the music. Not surprisingly, he begins with a song, “The Fish” by Yes.
4/17/2011 6:11 PM
Captain Marge notes that the hatch is leaking. Captain Harold is looking at it.
4/17/2011 6:12 PM
“The Duck”, an amphibious tour boat goes by with dozens of trapped tourist getting rained on. Ironically, the Duck’s speakers are blasting “Singin’ in the Rain”.
4/17/2011 6:15 PM
Captain Harold shares a deep thought: “Either commit to the dinghy or to the boat, but don’t be stretched between.”
4/17/2011 6:18 PM
Captain Harold opens the jar of Honey Mustard thoughtfully while Captain sautés a wide variety of summer vegetables.
4/17/2011 6:21 PM
Upon review of this blog, Captain Harold says, “Some of it is good. Some of it is sadly lacking” I tell him that is the essence of live blogging.