Day 84 - 28 February

We got serious about land touring today and stopped by the visitors center at Big Pine Key on the way to Key West to learn about what there was to offer us. This was our first excursion into the heart of the Conch Republic and we wanted to be certain we didn't miss anything. So, we picked up a handful of brochures and the first thing we learned was about the $200+ rooms in Key West. We decided Hotel Windreka was the best deal, so we planned to drive the 50 miles back to Marathon from the end of US1 and Mile 0.

The first stop on our trip south was at the Florida Keys National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key. The refuge is a federally protected habitat for a number of endangered creatures and plant life. Trivia question: The term "hammock" is used frequently to describe some locations. What does "hammock" mean? Answer: tropical hardwood forest...or at least that's what we think.

The Key Deer Refuge is over 84,000 acres located in the Lower Keys on 25 islands. The Key Deer is a sub-species of the Virginia white-tailed deer and the current population is estimated at about 750. Read about the National Refuge at: http://nationalkeydeer.fws.com/. We visited the Blue Hole site visitor center which is an abandoned limestone quarry that is filled by rainfall and salt water that flows in through the surrounding limestone. We didn't see any crocodiles, but we did see an iguanna and watched a sea eagle at work fishing in the blue hole.

After our stop at the Key Deer Refuge, we headed directly for Key West and stopped at the Welcome Center just off US1 on the northeast edge of town to enquire about a place to park, a place to eat lunch, and pick up a map. We found a garage at $10/day on the edge of the historic waterfront, parked and walked around the waterfront to find Alonzo's. After lunch we headed for an Old Town Trolley stop for a guided tour of the town to help us decide what we wanted to see when we returned tomorrow. We've had good experience with Trolley tours (http://www.historictours.com/) at other locations and the cost of the Trolley and the more famous Conch Tour Train was the same. Also, the Trolley tour consisted of one car full of people and the Conch Train tour consisted of several "train" cars full. We felt as if we got more personal treatment.

After the Trolley tour, we headed for Mallory Square to scope out what the "Sunset Celebration" is all about. The Square is located on the northern edge of Duvall Street, facing the Gulf of Mexico where tourists can watch the sun setting each night. The tradition includes arts and crafts exhibitors, street performers, food carts, psychics, etc. beginning two hours before sunset. We don't know how long the celebration goes on since we left right after sunset to drive back to Hotel Windreka in Marathon. Maybe tomorrow when we return for some more touring we'll stay longer.

Day 83 - 27 February

Damage in the vicinity of Windreka from the squall that went through yesterday included a flooded dinghy and outboard motor belonging to the trawler in the slip next to us. Joe checked Windreka's dock lines a couple of times and this morning tightened them and added a fenderboard between Windreka and the piling on her starboard side. The deck was cleaner than it had been before the rain and everything was drying nicely in the wind.

Due to the weather...windy and rainy...we're touring the Middle and Lower Keys. We rented a car from Avis and picked it up at the airport. We would have preferred Enterprise since they will deliver the car on pickup and deliver you back to your origin on dropoff. However, the only cars they had available were more expensive than Avis. So, we called for a yellow cab that picked us up at the Marina, As a bonus, the driver gave us some advice on places to get lunch and dinner and places to visit.

We ate lunch at the Wreck in Marathon where our cab driver said they had the best key lime pie in the Keys...it was pretty good! We stopped at a visitors' center in Islamorada and picked up a few brochures and a couple of books. Once again, we were dismayed by the lack of knowledge of many of the things we wanted to see. It wasn't the visitors' center fault since there is no single source of visitors' information we have come to expect when we travel for relaxation in other areas.

After the visitors center, we drove north toward Tavernier to visit the "historic" old town and were a bit disappointed in what we saw. All we found was a few run-down buildings and a few new ones, so we moved along quickly. We turned around and drove south again to the History of Diving Museum at mile marker 83. The Museum is a well-organized private collection of diving apparatus and its history. We spent about an hour going through the museum. Preview it at: http://www.divingmuseum.org/.

Down the road in Islamogorda, we passed an eclectic collection of crafts and artwork. We stopped and spent about a half hour looking over the collection of things for sale before moving on.

Our next stop was to feed the Tarpon at Robbie's http://www.robbies.com/. At first we thought the Tarpon were penned up in tight enclosure to be harassed by Florida tourists trying to get close and personal. However, the Tarpon seem to gather around the dock pilings and hang out there during the day. Toward evening, the Tarpon all head out toward the channel to hunt for their dinner. Apparently, during the day, the Tarpon are fed by the tourists. When the tourists go home for the evening, the fish all head out to dine in the ocean. The next day the fish return to start the cycle again.

After our visit to Robbie's, we stopped at Publix grocery store to top off our food reserves. Afterwards, we drove back to marina to settle in, have dinner, and look at how the weather will impact our plans in the morning. High on our accended is to visit the Turtle Hospital here in Marathon before going anywhere else.

If the weather doesn't break by Friday, we'll probably drive to Key West early on Friday and spend the night so we can drop Phil off to catch his bus north to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. If the weather breaks, we can drive Windreka down to Key West on Friday where we can drop Phil off to catch his bus on Saturday.

As I'm closing the log, we've got 30-35 knots of wind from the north and the skies are clearing. The temperature is 66 degrees.

Day 82 - 26 February

Our "Better Weather" may be ending today...at least for a couple of days as a fast cold front moves through South Florida today. It's the same weather-maker that left so much cold, snowy weather for you folks back home and for that, we are truly sorry and sympathetic. However, we are enjoying our 75 degree days and mild weather here...we just wish it wasn't so bad for all of you back home.

Today we went out to the reef at Sombrero Key, about 4 miles south southeast of Vaca Key and the town of Marathon. The Sombrero Key Light is an iron-pile skeleton with a platform. The light is 142 feet above the water! The lighthouse is located on a mostly submerged reef. Old charts show a small island at the spot, but by the later 19th Century the island had eroded away, with some parts of the reef exposed at low tide. As a result, the reef and the lighthouse have also been called Dry Banks. The lighthouse was put in service in 1858...before Lincoln became President! The light was automated in 1960, and is still in operation. The foundation is iron pilings with disks, and the tower is a skeletal octagonal pyramid of cast iron. It is 142 feet tall and is painted brown. It has two platforms. The lower one, 15 feet above the water, held water and fuel tanks, the generator (after the light was electrified), boat hoists and a workshop. The upper platform, 40 feet above the water, held the quarters for the staff. The original lens, a first order Fresenel lens, is now on display in the Key West Lighthouse Museum. The Sombrero Key Light is the tallest lighthouse in the Florida Keys, and was the last lighthouse constructed under the supervision of Lieutenant George Meade of the Bureau of Topographical Engineers.

Here's what I found on the internet about the reef: Sombrero Reef is one of the largest and surely the most magnificent coral reefs in the Middle Keys, home to some of the best spur and groove reef formations in all the Keys. The amount of coral is breath-taking. As soon as you descend, gorgonians, brain, finger and lettuce corals can be seen. Schools of colorful tropicals, southern stingrays and nurse sharks make their home on this reef. Large barracuda hang out by the lighthouse structure. The coral limestone has an "Arch" which is large enough to swim through. The reef is a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA) and strictly regulated. Fishing as well as lobstering are strictly prohibited. Divers are reminded to look but not touch so that this spectacular reef will be preserved. (http://www.divespots.com/scuba/view.divespot?spotID=36)

The water was choppy and it wasn't a good day for snorkeling, but we enjoyed the experience in short bursts. Phil had the right idea and in between snorkeling runs, he enjoyed the sun on the trampoline of the dive boat.

As the afternoon wore on, the water got more turgid and murky with the chop. We decided to go today since the weather is supposed to deteriorate later today and probably will be more conducive to staying in the harbor.

In fact at about 10PM we were hit with a fast moving squall that dropped torrential rains for about an hour and winds gusting to 50 knots. Joe had to rig a second aft spring line to keep Windreka's bow off the dock. The squall was apparently the harbinger of the front that's expected to pass over after midnight and drop the temperature approximately 15 degrees. That'll make it in the 60s...still warm by northern standards, but a lot cooler than the 80s we have for the past several days!

Even the Pelicans can be grumpy in this weather...

Pelican Food Fight

Day 81 - 25 February

Today we plugged into the local culture. After some minor preventive maintenance and some free coffee from the Marina office...at $2.50.foot, something should be free! We joined the Marathon Cruisers' net and caught up on the cruising gossip as it happens here in Marathon.

We took our dinghy through the huge, tightly packed mooring field in Boot Key Harbor and ended up back at Docksiders for lunch. On the way back to Windreka, we detoured out the entrance channel and headed for Pigeon Key...or Cayo Paloma in Spanish...about 1.5 miles to the west. We spent a pleasant several hours on a guided tour of the island and its significance.

The island is said to be named for large flocks of White-crowned pigeons which once roosted there. During the building of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad Key West Extension, a major construction depot was located there, the jumping off point for construction of the Seven Mile Bridge. A number of buildings from the Flagler era remain on the island. They are now part of the Pigeon Key Historic District. The island was originally only a slab of coral until the construction of the original railroad bridge when some 500 workers were housed and fed on the island until the railroad bridge was finished. You can read the story on the Wikipedia web site at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_Key

Pigeon Key has a fascinating museum operated by Monroe County. The museum tells the story of the construction of the original railroad bridge joining Florida and the Florida Keys to Key West. The story can be read as part of the history of the Seven Mile Bridge...that parallels and replaced the old railroad bridge...at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Mile_Bridge.

The railroad bridge, originally known as the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge, was constructed from 1909-1912 under the direction of Henry Flagler as part of the Florida East Coast Railway's Key West Extension. The bridge was damaged by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, and refurbished by the United States Federal Government as an automobile highway bridge. It had a swing span that opened to allow passage of boat traffic, near where the bridge crosses Pigeon Key, a small island where a work camp for Flagler's railroad was located. Hurricane Donna in 1960 caused further damage. The present road bridge was constructed from 1979 to 1982 but the majority of the original bridge still exists.

It was a smooth trip to Pigeon Key but a choppy return and we got soaked. However, the tour and time on the island was well worth it. We ended the day as we started it...looking out to the west and planning the next leg of our cruise to Key West. Earlier in the day there was a manatee chewing on the sea grass just behind Windreka and coming up for a breath of air before returning to his breakfast. The manatee was gone by sunset, but we didn't need anything more than to watch the sun setting on another pleasant day in the lower Keys.

Day 80 - 24 February

Today was one of the more relaxing days we've spent on the trip. The sky was blue, the sea was green, the wind was on our nose again, but it was light. The captain even got a chance to take a power nap about halfway between Rodriguez Key and the turn into the channel leading to Boot Key Harbor and the town of Marathon.

We elected to tuck into the Marathon Marina which is just before the bridge. The marina is pricey and a bit "down at the heels" compared to other marinas we've stayed at. However, the people are friendly and almost all the showers, laundry and heads are working, so we aren't complaining too loudly. Also, there doesn't appear to be any other marinas that are any better...less costly, but not better...and we are close to the showers, head and laundry, have fresh running water, cable TV, and power to run our air conditioner.

It's tempting to pick up one of the many mooring balls in the inner harbor at $20/night with dinghy docking privileges, showers, heads and laundry all included. By comparison, Marathon Marina charges $2.50/foot which includes showers, heads and laundry, and cable for a daily transient cost of over a hundred dollars/day, tax included.

About an hour after we arrived and were in the final stages of organizing our lines, etc., our friend Phil arrived. Phil is a former coworker of Sarah's and a sailor..that/s Phil and Sarah on the right. We've been trying to get our cruising non-schedule and Phil's work and travel schedule aligned and we think we may have done so. Phil will be accompanying us aboard our cruising home for the next week and we hope to get the sails raised again soon. After our guest's arrival, we hailed the Marathon water taxi, Smorgasboat One (http://www.smorgasboat.com/), to pick us up at our slip and take us downtown to Docksides, a popular local water hole for some camraderie and dinner. Unfortunately, Docksides also has live entertainment each evening and we were gathered right behind the bandstand. So, we probably missed some interesting conversation. We had cruisers from six different Whitby Boat Works boats and more combined cruising experience we could measure.

After dinner, we caught a local taxi to take us back to our boat which is west of the harbor area by approximately 4 miles.

Day 79 - 23 February

A nice day on the Atlantic. 75 degree temperatures, a south wind, sunny weather, and 1 foot waves.

We departed Elliott Key at 9:30AM on a rising tide to be able to negotiate Angelfish Creek at high tide (approximately 11:00AM). We motored south on Biscayne Bay and into Card Bay and the entrance to Angelfish Creek on the north end of Key Largo. The Creek exits into the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and we hugged the east coastline of Key Largo until we arrived at Rodriguez Key at 3:30PM.

It was an east run of just six hours, but just enough time for Joe to demonstrate...again...his skill at underway Racor changing. We are averaging about 1-1/2 days per 2 micron Racor and Joe is already planning to install the fuel polishing and management system he has had on the back burner for several years now. Let's see, how many Racors equal a new fuel polishing and management system? Gotta be at least two boat units and $2000/$20 per Racor filter = 100. Changing filters underway over a hot engine with belts spinning, etc. is priceless, so it almost balances out. Let's do it!

We anchored in 5 feet of water again this evening and we can even watch the anchor settling into the sand. Boating is certainly different in Florida. Tomorrow we plan an early departure to let us get into Vaca Key and Marathon by late afternoon.

Did we mention the 75 degree temperatures, the south wind, and sunny weather?

Day 76 - 20 February

Flowers from Judy and Lucie! While walking along the waterfront in Lake Worth, Judy and Lucie brought back some flowers they found growing wild along the way. the bud was tightly closed when we received them, but opened up into the glorious display on the photograph at right. Sadly, they didn't survive the ocean off Key Biscayne and had to be discarded when we arrived at the Miami Marine Stadium anchorage. Fortunately for us there were two other natural spectacles for us to enjoy after we arrived at anchor.

The first was watching the sun set at Lake Worth South. Each anchorage has at least this one even in common. The sun sets and rises at each one and the natural spectacle is always a wondrous demonstration of a simple event that is always impressive and humbling to witness. The second event was a total lunar eclipse that was observable from the anchorage. The event began promptly at 8:45PM and continued on until after midnight when the moon's disk was finally full and shining again.

Day 78 - 22 February

What a contrast between yesterday and today. The weather was almost the same, but we kept to the inland ICW route from Miami to Elliott Key. We only had about a 3-1/2 hour leg to complete today so we allowed ourselves the luxury of sleeping late and enjoying the "pleasures of the harbor"...not the same meaning that phrase had a couple of centuries ago! The anchorage was picturesque and the weather was a balmy 75 with the same southerly wind that beat us up yesterday.


We eventually departed in the early afternoon and headed south across Biscayne Bay in a relatively flat expanse of sea-green water that was about 10 feet deep for most of the trip. We followed the proverbial "magenta line" for the afternoon and turned left after passing through a narrow cut identified by two sets of red-green marks.


We arrived at Elliott Key which is the largest of the 25 keys that make up Biscayne National Park. The anchorage...which hosts hundreds of boats in the summer...was almost empty and ours for the enjoyment. The water shoals quickly and we anchored about a half mile from shore in about 5 feet of water...we could even see the bottom and that was exciting!

Day 77 - 21 February

We anchored at Lake Worth South yesterday afternoon, the same ground we anchored in almost a week ago when we aborted out trip to the Bahamas. Instead of the Bahamas, we are now headed for the Florida Keys. The initial leg...Lake Worth to Miami...is about 65 miles and with a 7:30AM departure and conservative speed of 6 knots, we will be anchored in Miami by the end of the day...piece of cake!

However, the planning was excellent except for the water conditions which were exceedingly unpleasant. The Atlantic Ocean was choppy with 3-4 foot waves on our nose...where else would they be in a sailboat? We were able to motorsail for about half the trip with a close-hauled jib until the wind moved further south and headed us. At least the ocean was a lovely shade of green typical of South Florida waters.

For the first half of the trip, the sail helped stabilize the boat and gave us about a one-knot lift. We kept within a mile of shore to try to find some southward-bound current to further boost us. But by the time we hauled the headsail down, the combination of wind and sea from the southeast made up for a most unpleasant and bouncy ride to Miami. Even Windreka's fuel tanks weren't happy and all the accumulated sludge and dead bugs from more than 20 years decided to rise from the bottom and appear in the fuel pickup. The Racor filters that Joe changed yesterday in Lake Worth clogged and...once again...Joe had to crawl into the engine room, get personal with a hot engine and...this time...change both Racors to keep the engine working.

What made this memorable is that Joe changed both filters while the boat was bouncing and moving and while the engine was running...makes one want to say without the engine skipping a beat, but the reason the filters had to be changed was that the engine was skipping beats! Once the clogged filters were replaced, the engine purred all the way to Miami.

After what seemed like two days of travel, we entered Government Cut as a cruise ship was heading out in a northerly direction. We made our way past the containerships, the harbor tugs crossing back and forth, a good portion of the Miami cigarette boat fleet...or was it just the noise that made it seem like there were a hundred of them? It was not a pleasant way to end the ordeal of being abused by the ocean, but we made our way past the commercial section of the waterfront and back to the ICW and Rickenbacker Bridge. We turned left just in front of the bridge with several emergency vehicles on it and two water rescue vessels in the water near the bridge. After another few minutes we were at anchor near the Miami Marine Stadium which was the setting for water shows until 2005 when it was severely damaged by a hurricane. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about this Miami-style venue:

"The Stadium was host for many world class powerboat events including Unlimited Hydroplane, Inboard, Outboard, Performance Craft, Stock, Modified, Grand National divisions as well as other special event races...The last major race in the Stadium was the 1987 Inboard Hydroplane national Championship.

"The Stadium utilized a floating stage in front of the grandstand for diverse activities such as classical concerts, Rock and Roll shows and the annual Easter Sunrise Service.
Due to restrictions in use, political pressures from within the City of Miami, and the lack of proper promotion the Stadium saw a gradual decline in events...By the early 1990s powerboat racing in the Stadium was in reality only a memory.

"In 1992 Hurricane Andrew struck the Miami/Dade County area. Engineers for the City condemned the structure...Since that time the Stadium has been allowed to sit with no attempt at maintenance..."

Read the full story at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Marine_Stadium

Whatever it's history, the anchorage was a tranquil end to a decidely "untranquil" day with the skyline of Miami in the background. Now if only the airplanes taking off from Miami Internationaly had a different flight path...

Days 71-75 - 15 thru 19 February

We are still at Lake Worth, having arrived here almost a week ago. Initially, we were waiting for a weather window to open up which it did and we were poised and ready to head out for the Gulf Stream on Friday, the 15th, but as we all know...Murphy Lives! My Destiny developed a leak in her high pressure fuel injector pump that we all decided should be addressed before getting caught in the Gulf Stream with no engine. So we moved from the Lake Worth South anchorage back to the Lake Worth North anchorage while My Destiny pulled in to the Old Port Cove Marina nearby. After a nice day laying quietly at anchor, we also moved to the Marina and have been here for the past several days while the repairs were completed in a Palm Beach injector diesel repair shop nearby.

Greg reinstalled the injector pump and successfully tested the engine. Meanwhile, some problems began showing up with My Destiny's new refrigeration system and house battery bank...did we say, "Murphy Lives?" So here we are at the Marina, watching the weather and getting the mechanical and electrical work accomplished.

Since we've lost almost a week, we've collectively decided not to head for the Bahamas. The $300 cruising permit would be mostly wasted since we only have a limited amount of time to cruise before heading home for a date with the IRS in April...what's wrong with this picture?

However, both Team My Destiny and Team Windreka have complicated income tax returns this year. For our part, we have income and owe taxes to two states...Ohio and Virginia; we retired; we sold a house in Virginia and purchased a retirement home in Ohio; we began drawing social security income; we rolled over our 401K retirement funds to a new financial manager; etc. So, we don't know how to complete our income tax returns without the assistance of a tax accountant.

So, we've decided to defer Bahamas cruising until next winter. Instead we plan to spend the rest of this cruise in the Florida Keys. We haven't been there and all reports say they are the equivalent of the Bahamas without a cruising permit and without the internet access gaps we expected in the Bahamas.

If all goes well...and if Murphy has had his share of fun with us...we'll head south on Thursday morning. The good news is we have almost achieved the conditions described by the title of our weblog...Hauling for Better Weather. The mid-70s temperatures and sunny, warm days make us believe we are nearly there. When we think about the frigid, stormy weather back home, we think we've succeeded...and hopefully, the best is yet to come. Stay with us!

Day 70 - 14 February

More quotes from the log of Windreka: Thursday, 14 February. Temp @ 6:30 AM is 45 degrees. Barometer 2975 rising. Underway @ 7:30 AM. Wind E <7

Lake Worth North is a large anchorage with a depth of 10 to 15 feet. Convenient to dinghy to nearby dock for shopping and sightseeing. There are many interesting boats anchored here and the one we anchored nearest to was a yellow steel boat named Essential Part from Wilmington, Delaware. We didn't see anyone on her until a day or so ago and she was still in the anchorage today.

Tomorrow, we plan to move to an anchorage near the Lake Worth Inlet and head off shore at approximately 10 PM for an overnight crossing of the Gulf Stream and arrival in vicinity of Memory Rock, Bahama Islands at dawn, then on to Great Sales Cay (pronounced "Key") by midafternoon; anchor for night and then on to Walkers Cay to clear through Bahama customs, purchase cruising permit, and become legal visitors to the Bahamas.Our general plan is to move slowly south toward Marsh Harbour in the Abacos, then work our way slowly back to be back in Florida near the end of March. After tomorrow evening, we will be internet deprived and the weblog will be kept offline and uploaded as may be possible

While we may continue to be "hauling for better weather," this week our weather has been considerably better than the freezing rain and bitter cold and wind chill numbers reported to us by family and friends back home. We wish you could all be here with us and we wish we could share some of our "better weather" with you.

Days 68-69 - 12 thru 13 February

Quotes from the log of Windreka:

Tuesday, 12 February @ Fort Pierce City Marina - N 27 degrees 27.044 minutes, W 080 degrees 19.348 minutes. Rainy, windy night with gusts to 35 knots from east, Temp 70s, showery all day, wind moderated to <10 knots by evening. Lunch at Java Charlie's nearby. Added 56.9 gallons of diesel fuel @ $3.48/gallon = $177.59. Dockage for 3 nights @ $76/night. Total = $228. Shopping at Publix and West Marine for misc items.

Wednesday, 13 February @ FPCM. Clear, light wind NW <5 knots @0700. Rain at noon. Coffee at Java Charlie's. Install MOB (man overboard) strobe purchased at West Marine yesterday. Purchased new 6 volt lantern battery at local building supply store. Waiting for overnight USPS delivery due yesterday, but not delivered by local post office. Called local post office and promised package would be delivered today. (NOTE: USPS only promises overnight delivery costing $20 to "many" locations...guess Ft. Pierce is one of the "few" locations USPS can't get to in one day!) Alternately rainy and sunny all day. Wind SW 10 - 15 knots. Barometer 2957 rising. Temp 64 degrees in evening.

Day 67 - 11 February

It was a liesurely start to a long day that took us from the Cocoa Village Marina to the Fort Pierce City Marina. We got a delayed start because we had to fax some financial paperwork to our retirement fund financial manager at Morgan Stanley. We finally departed at 0830 and headed for Fort Pierce. It was another windy, blustery day and we arrived at the Ft. Pierce City Marina with a strong east wind blowing at 25-30 knots.

There was a new, well-marked channel leading from the ICW to the Marina. We passed the Ft. Pierce Manatee Center as we approached the entrance to the City Marina. Once behind the marina breakwater, Joe had to make a U turn to approach the fuel dock on our starboard...or right for all landlubbers who may be reading this. Our friend, Greg and Freddy from the marina were right there to help with our docking lines as we topped off our fuel tanks.

After refueling, we let the wind slide Windreka back as we aimed her across the thoroughfare to tie up behind My Destiny. It turned out to be three rainy and windy days and nights at the Ft. Pierce City Marina to wait for less wind and better weather. The good news is we had "all-you-can-stand" hot showers and great internet access...and if we could have found our misplaced coaxial cable...free cable TV. Of course, there was no place nearby where we could buy a new one. We did take a local cab to the nearest West Marine store to make what Sarah calls, our daily West Marine deposit. We also replenished groceries and perishable food items at the local Publix grocery store.

After our stay at Fort Pierce, we reckon we may be one more day on the ICW before heading off shore!

Day 66 - 10 February

Today began earlier than usual. We had to get through the New Smyrna Beach Highway Bridge before it closed for the day at 7AM. Like many of the ICW bridges, this one is also going through a reconstruction. In this instance the bridge was being repaved and once the paving crew began work, that was it...the bridge was closed all day until the workday ended at 5PM. So we rose early and got the anchor up by 6:15AM and departed before sunrise to make the 6:40AM opening of the bridge. We made it although Windreka "found the bottom" briefly at a temporary unlighted mark at a bend in the Ponce de Leon Inlet. Once again we were grateful for a large diesel engine and a big 3-bladed screw to back us out of the mud. We were also grateful for our bow thruster to help point the boat back into deeper water and keep us from ending up like our friend on the right!

After we cleared the bridge we experienced increasing wind over the course of the day. It was a windy and blustery day with gusts to 40 knots from the south....right behind us. It reminded us of the true value of "following seas" as in the term "fair winds and following seas" that many folks use to wish someone well. Anyone who has sailed or steered a sailboat in following seas knows how helpful it is when the wind and water come from directly behind. It makes the person at the helm and the crew feel a little like Dante in The Divine Comedy as he goes from one level and terrace to the next. By the time we reached the end of the day, Joe was pretty tired from fighting the rudder and trying to keep Windreka on course through the narrow and shallow channel. We didn't touch any more today, despite the following seas. So, by all means, don't hesitate to wish your friends "fair winds" but please...no "following seas"...unless you really wish them bad luck!

We motored past Cape Kennedy where we could see in the distance the launch complexes and the space shuttle vehicle assembly building. It was the first time Joe had been back in this area since the early 60s. At that time the Mercury Atlas was the launch vehicle of choice and the Mercury Astronauts had yet to begin their space flights. Of course, there were so many changes to the area that the old Cocoa and Cocoa Beach were impossible to identify. Nevertheless it was nostalgic...despite the following seas!

We crossed over from the Mosquito Lagoon and into the Indian River and the wind kept blowing! We eventually got to Cocoa where we parted company with Greg and Judy on My Destiny for the rest of the day. They motored on to Melbourne and we turned into the Cocoa Village Marina where Bill, the Dockmaster responded to our request for a slip and guided us in to the privately marked channel leading from the ICW to the marina. Bill also met us at the assigned slip to help with our lines and get us tied properly up for our short stay. After a short while, Joe's son and his wife met us for dinner and a pleasant visit. Joe and Gretchen live in Orlando which is about an hour from the ICW and Cocoa and they drove over to meet us at the Marina and go to dinner with us at the Cocoa Beach Boardwalk.

After dinner Joe and Gretchen dropped us off at the marina and we got ready to catch up with Greg and Judy at Fort Pierce tomorrow. It looks like we'll be at Fort Pierce for several days while we let the weather pass over us.

Day 65 - 9 February

Our route today took us past Daytona and NASCAR Heaven! We passed through in the middle of speed week culminating in the Daytona 500 later in the week. The DirectTV blimp was all over the area along with airplanes dragging huge banners beind them advertising a number of different things. We were amazed at the sudden increase in the number of power boaters we encountered today, but then we recalled it was the weekend. Obviously, everyone was enjoying the brief spell of nice weather. We got as far as New Smyrna Beach and stopped at a small anchorage at Rockhouse Creek just north of the New Smyrna Bridge...also under reconstruction. This time the nature of the reconstruction was repaving and the bridge would not open after 7AM and earlier than 5PM! Yes, that's not a typo...the bridge was closed all day and only opened early and late in the day. It's a good thing we knew about the extremely restricted hours...and it was the first time we ran into this situation.

We noticed some fancy artwork decorating the supports of one of the bridges today. We also noted the large number of condos.

We found out that NASCAR events aren't the only competition in town. Or maybe NASCAR also sanctions sailboard races and Optimist races which we passed on the ICW

The anchorage at Rockhouse Creek was small, tight and buggy, but we lowered our anchor at the entrance to the anchorage and it was a quiet and uneventful night. The next day we awoke early and got underway in the dark before sunrise.

Day 64 - 8 February

Seacamp Dock at Cumberland Island looked like an interesting place to anchor and go ashore. However, we decided to defer a visit to this Park and National Seashore until a return visit since it was late and we were tired. It was a chilly evening...temperature in the mid-40s...and we got the anchor up and got underway by 8AM. The plan for the day was to motor to St. Augustine, FL and anchor near the Bridge of Lions which was undergoing extensive reconstruction. We entered Cumberland Sound behind one of the tugboats pushing a barge from the Kings Bay Submarine Base. Shortly afterwards we turned into the Amelia River, near Fernandina Beach and were in Florida.

Passing the mooring field and anchorage near Fernandina Beach, we noticed a mast sticking up above the water and presumably a sailboat resting on the bottom of the Amelia River beneath it. There is always a story behind each of these sightings and we were left to wonder about what might have happened. Occasionally, there is a boat hard aground on the shoreline or on a sandbar. Some of these boats will be rescued and sadly, others are abandoned and will just fall apart where they came to rest.

There are some BIG houses in Florida along the ICW. Presumably, there are also some BIG mosquitoes since many of the houses have screen enclosures around the swimming pools. Others have private marinas where some BIG power boats are kept and maintained.

Later things got a little more exciting for us as we encountered some strong tidal currents that pushed us along at up to 11.5 miles per hour...considerably faster than the 8.5 miles per hour we are used to on the ICW. As we approached the McCormick Highway Bridge near Jacksonville we observed a barge occupying about half of the channel under the bridge. As with many of the older bridges, there was reconstruction work going on with this one, but a barge in the channel was a new twist. The photo gives you some idea of the excitement as My Destiny passed through ahead of us with about 10 feet of clearance between the barge and the port side and 10 feet of clearance between the bridge abutment and the starboard side. Fortunately we both made it through without incident.

We arrived in St. Augustine and anchored at the Bridge of Lions across from the Castillo de San Marcos after 9-1/2 hours of cruising. We covered nearly 70 miles. The weather was very pleasant with a temperature in the 70s and a light east wind. The Bridge of Lions takes its name from the statues of the lions guarding the bridge.

The Great Cross at the Mission of Nombre de Dios near the site of the first Mass in North America