When Mr. Darwin was much younger, he visited Anne’s Beach on Islamorada in the Florida Keys, but that was before he had learned to swim and so did not enjoy the water. Since then, Mr. D has become an avid swimmer, at least in fresh water (with a particular affinity for fetching ducks disguised as…
The Beagle’s voyage south was largely uneventful, save for one incident that came entirely unexpectedly. On the last day of our voyage to south Florida we stopped at a service centre on Florida’s Turnpike near Fort Pierce/Port St Lucy for the relief of the crew. The service centre was under construction which left little room…
It’s a four day voyage for the HMS Beagle from Mississauga to South Florida. We started on January 12 and were due at our destination in Miami-Dade County on the 15th. The Beagle had been winterized so the water and sewer systems would not be usable until we were much farther south. The furnace could…
It was January 12, 2016 when the HMS Beagle set sail for southern Florida, from its mooring atop the Niagara Escarpment at Flamborough. Captain Fitzroy determined that the tide would be right on the 12th and so we prepared to hoist anchor and begin our journey that morning. As it turns out, hoisting anchor was…
Long before the HMS Beagle set off on its current voyage, we had decided to start and maintain a ship’s blog, Stardate 2016. Really, what could be easier? Little did we know that Kent would spend countless frustrated hours at the computer, completely clueless as to how to proceed, desperately Googling questions and videos that…
It is now December 16, 2015. The Beagle will not weigh anchor and head south until about January 11, 2016. The ship’s crew are busy preparing for the voyage. The Beagle has been serviced, bearings re-packed and a leaky tire repaired. Decisions have been made about what not to take to lighten the vessel for…