And, whoosh! Another couple of weeks slide by. 

But Florida has finally relented and granted us some T-shirt weather. The Palm Beach area is clogged with impressive Naval Architecture as well as silly stucco & glass extravagances that don't even float. The former is to be preferred, in our opinion.

Famous Dead Guy's Boat

We will head North in the ICW without actually backtracking since we sailed down in the Atlantic from Ft. Pierce to Lake Worth. That was our only real opportunity to get outside with all of the considerations of distance, daylight, and inlet currents in alignment. The big day started with a transit of the Ft. Pierce inlet with an outbound current of 1.5 Knots and a few standing waves. We had seen friskier conditions in New Jersey and made the step out with care. The leftover swell from the north was a bit more than I hoped for, and after some bouncy moments raising the main we turned downwind and rolled out the headsail to fall in with the waves and breeze. The whisker pole did duty, but had an oscillation that seemed unnecessary, so I rigged the lazy sheet to a bow cleat as a foreguy and enjoyed some 20 minutes of deep wing and wing until the pole folded up. Not too surprising considering it was a cheapo, spring pin type, almost fully extended and a bit slender for the size of the boat. We rolled in the headsail and finished out the day as a motorsailer, hitting the Lake Worth inlet just about slack water for a flat ride in at 1630 hrs.

But that was a month ago. This day, 2/22, we motored up the ICW between condos and marinas, drawbridge after drawbridge, sometimes in a parade of 3-4 boats until we reached the St. Lucie River junction. Out of curiosity we turned up river to anchor near Stuart. There wasn't quite enough curiosity to dinghy in for an overpriced dinner and tourism, so in the morning we motored right back down the river and turned north again with the idea of making Vero Beach before our fellow North East travelers, the Jones Family, left their mooring. Vero Beach has no inlet, but a deep water creek off the ICW leads to the Municipal Marina with inexpensive moorings and decent facilities. A free shuttle stops there and a great many snowbirds get that far and park. So many that it is policy to double up on a mooring as folks come in and wait for an opening. We got lucky with a ball to ourselves for three nights. The walk into town features Live Oak and Spanish Moss lined streets, leading to a nice beach with enough public access between the not-too-big resort hotels that it feels less exclusive than it probably is.

We caught up with Reese and Anita, Nina & Lala over lunch in the rain, dinghies along side and the Captain's Lounge. They are having a blast and may stay another week or more, giving credence to the 'Velcro Beach' nickname we've heard since Beaufort, SC.

We walked the town, the beach and the neighborhoods and cast off to move onward before the grasping tendrils of convenience could ensnare us. Besides, we had tourists of our own to ensnare. Mitch and Julie live near Orlando. Mitch has had bouts of boat fever in his youth and always got sidetracked (or saved) by things like family and career, and Julie grew up around boats in the Keys. They tracked us down and visited on the way down, so we offered to take them out on the way back. It happens to us lots of different ways, but sharing an activity is a great way to rediscover one's own enjoyment of the same. We took down the bimini so the sails would be visible and met them at the Melbourne Harbor Marina for a day out in the Indian River. Perfect conditions, mild temperatures, tacking up river to set up a sweet downwind run under Asym spinnaker and dinner at the restaurant a few steps from the slip. It was so nice to sail for the fun of it again. Thanks M&J!

The next day we heard the safety broadcasts by the Coastguard warning of an exclusion zone for a NASA launch. The Falcon 9 was scheduled again for 6:46 in the evening. This was going to be perfect! We reached the Addison Point bridge and dropped anchor within sight of the rocket, 8.4 miles from the launch pad about 5:00 pm and waited with as many cameras as we could contrive. And waited. Nothing. We checked the Kennedy SPace Center website and saw the countdown move later and later and then change to "TBD". In the morning the story came out. Some fool boater had gotten into the safety zone out in the Atlantic. While the Airforce chased his dumb self out, they were holding the liquid oxygen fueling process. The fuel goes in at the last moment, and they did ignite the engines at 7:21 but the system bailed out due to helium bubbles somewhere they shouldn't have been. Boaters... Jeez. Reschedule couldn't be less than 48 hours, so up came the anchor and off we went. Have I mentioned the anchor?

The ground tackle upgrade has been a very good idea. The boat came with a dead windlass, a 35 lb. CQR and a 16 lb Aluminum Fortress. The CQR is just the marginal size for a 37', 19,000 lb boat. Certainly not storm size, and the fortress is just barely 'lunch hook' gauge for Juniata. The design and holding is excellent, we've kedged off with it twice now, and it's nice and light to handle in the dinghy, but it did fail to bite through a layer of twigs and leaves in a very protected cove off of the Magothy River and let us drag uncomfortably close to shore. Sometimes weight is important for that sort of thing. At any rate, we opted for the 44 lb. Vulcan pattern by Rocna and an all chain, 5/16" G4 rode lifted by a Maxwell windlass with a capstan, and BIG wire to run it. We have been very pleased, even in 35+ knots of wind, completely exposed the boat stayed put. It's hard to put a price on that.  Who the heck needs a capstan? After kedging a 19,000 lb boat off a sand bar with the jib winch, one could be surprised at how deep the kedging anchor has been drawn. I have never pulled 1/2" nylon as tight as that before, and had to pull it almost that tight again with the windlass capstan to retrieve the kedge. 

Where were we? Ah, backtracking. After the rocket-non-launch we motored up to Ponce de Leon Inlet above New Smyrna and found our Rockhouse Creek spot just as it was on the way down, except more boats. But we got to watch an eagle eat his fish dinner on shore. And another repeat anchorage just below St. Augustine the next night set us up to pick up a mooring at the Municipal Marina today.

We expect to be here a few days for a visit to Jacksonville and a rendezvous with Ron & Alex whom we met in Beaufort, SC. And an oil change. And some old buildings. And fresh shrimp.

Enjoy

Taking Our Time

And, whoosh! Another couple of weeks slide by. 

But Florida has finally relented and granted us some T-shirt weather. The Palm Beach area is clogged with impressive Naval Architecture as well as silly stucco & glass extravagances that don't even float. The former is to be preferred, in our opinion.

Famous Dead Guy's Boat

We will head North in the ICW without actually backtracking since we sailed down in the Atlantic from Ft. Pierce to Lake Worth. That was our only real opportunity to get outside with all of the considerations of distance, daylight, and inlet currents in alignment. The big day started with a transit of the Ft. Pierce inlet with an outbound current of 1.5 Knots and a few standing waves. We had seen friskier conditions in New Jersey and made the step out with care. The leftover swell from the north was a bit more than I hoped for, and after some bouncy moments raising the main we turned downwind and rolled out the headsail to fall in with the waves and breeze. The whisker pole did duty, but had an oscillation that seemed unnecessary, so I rigged the lazy sheet to a bow cleat as a foreguy and enjoyed some 20 minutes of deep wing and wing until the pole folded up. Not too surprising considering it was a cheapo, spring pin type, almost fully extended and a bit slender for the size of the boat. We rolled in the headsail and finished out the day as a motorsailer, hitting the Lake Worth inlet just about slack water for a flat ride in at 1630 hrs.

But that was a month ago. This day, 2/22, we motored up the ICW between condos and marinas, drawbridge after drawbridge, sometimes in a parade of 3-4 boats until we reached the St. Lucie River junction. Out of curiosity we turned up river to anchor near Stuart. There wasn't quite enough curiosity to dinghy in for an overpriced dinner and tourism, so in the morning we motored right back down the river and turned north again with the idea of making Vero Beach before our fellow North East travelers, the Jones Family, left their mooring. Vero Beach has no inlet, but a deep water creek off the ICW leads to the Municipal Marina with inexpensive moorings and decent facilities. A free shuttle stops there and a great many snowbirds get that far and park. So many that it is policy to double up on a mooring as folks come in and wait for an opening. We got lucky with a ball to ourselves for three nights. The walk into town features Live Oak and Spanish Moss lined streets, leading to a nice beach with enough public access between the not-too-big resort hotels that it feels less exclusive than it probably is.

We caught up with Reese and Anita, Nina & Lala over lunch in the rain, dinghies along side and the Captain's Lounge. They are having a blast and may stay another week or more, giving credence to the 'Velcro Beach' nickname we've heard since Beaufort, SC.

We walked the town, the beach and the neighborhoods and cast off to move onward before the grasping tendrils of convenience could ensnare us. Besides, we had tourists of our own to ensnare. Mitch and Julie live near Orlando. Mitch has had bouts of boat fever in his youth and always got sidetracked (or saved) by things like family and career, and Julie grew up around boats in the Keys. They tracked us down and visited on the way down, so we offered to take them out on the way back. It happens to us lots of different ways, but sharing an activity is a great way to rediscover one's own enjoyment of the same. We took down the bimini so the sails would be visible and met them at the Melbourne Harbor Marina for a day out in the Indian River. Perfect conditions, mild temperatures, tacking up river to set up a sweet downwind run under Asym spinnaker and dinner at the restaurant a few steps from the slip. It was so nice to sail for the fun of it again. Thanks M&J!

The next day we heard the safety broadcasts by the Coastguard warning of an exclusion zone for a NASA launch. The Falcon 9 was scheduled again for 6:46 in the evening. This was going to be perfect! We reached the Addison Point bridge and dropped anchor within sight of the rocket, 8.4 miles from the launch pad about 5:00 pm and waited with as many cameras as we could contrive. And waited. Nothing. We checked the Kennedy SPace Center website and saw the countdown move later and later and then change to "TBD". In the morning the story came out. Some fool boater had gotten into the safety zone out in the Atlantic. While the Airforce chased his dumb self out, they were holding the liquid oxygen fueling process. The fuel goes in at the last moment, and they did ignite the engines at 7:21 but the system bailed out due to helium bubbles somewhere they shouldn't have been. Boaters... Jeez. Reschedule couldn't be less than 48 hours, so up came the anchor and off we went. Have I mentioned the anchor?

The ground tackle upgrade has been a very good idea. The boat came with a dead windlass, a 35 lb. CQR and a 16 lb Aluminum Fortress. The CQR is just the marginal size for a 37', 19,000 lb boat. Certainly not storm size, and the fortress is just barely 'lunch hook' gauge for Juniata. The design and holding is excellent, we've kedged off with it twice now, and it's nice and light to handle in the dinghy, but it did fail to bite through a layer of twigs and leaves in a very protected cove off of the Magothy River and let us drag uncomfortably close to shore. Sometimes weight is important for that sort of thing. At any rate, we opted for the 44 lb. Vulcan pattern by Rocna and an all chain, 5/16" G4 rode lifted by a Maxwell windlass with a capstan, and BIG wire to run it. We have been very pleased, even in 35+ knots of wind, completely exposed the boat stayed put. It's hard to put a price on that. The only time it didn't set was in another tiny basin, surrounded by condos and full of fluffy mud. I had lowered it without the boat moving, and backed away. I believe it settled upside down and the mud was so soft that it slid on it's shank like a keel. We only had room to pull a few yards and when it wouldn't set, we tried again. This time with some way on to lay out the hardware, and it hooked up immediately. I had a float and retrieval line rigged for the depth and some slack and the anchor dove down through that muck until it found hard ground and the float spent the night two or three feet under water. So even with a good design, some technique will always be required. Who the heck needs a capstan? After kedging a 19,000 lb boat off a sand bar with the jib winch, one could be surprised at how deep the kedging anchor has been drawn. I have never pulled 1/2" nylon as tight as that before, and had to pull it almost that tight again with the windlass capstan to retrieve the kedge. 

Where were we? Ah, backtracking. After the rocket-non-launch we motored up to Ponce de Leon Inlet above New Smyrna and found our Rockhouse Creek spot just as it was on the way down, except more boats. But we got to watch an eagle eat his fish dinner on shore. And another repeat anchorage just below St. Augustine the next night set us up to pick up a mooring at the Municipal Marina today.

We expect to be here a few days for a visit to Jacksonville and a rendezvous with Ron & Alex whom we met in Beaufort, SC. And an oil change. And some old buildings. And fresh shrimp.

Enjoy

The turnaround.

We spent a few days anchored out in Lake Worth, down near the first of many, many drawbridges between there and Miami. We watched the weather, nursed our coughs and came to the conclusion that it really wasn't going to get any warmer no matter where we could have gone. Two days of ICW to Biscayne Bay and the Keys with 20+ bridges and then nowhere to tie up without a waiting list. The cold fronts were so close together there was no chance for the Gulf Stream to lie down and let us cross. So with news of our friends Chris & Eric turning up at Lake Park we poked back in to the marina and caught up with them. Our slip was next to the day trip fishing charter and we received the bounty of a party that didn't want their fish. 

The fish were Porgies, Yellowfins, Puddingwife or something and numerous others I can't remember. They all filleted nicely and fried up firm and flakey. Competition from these fellows at the dock was intense: thanks to Eric for the photos. 

On Sunday Chris took us up to the Jupter Lighthouse Park, where a long standing afternoon music jam takes place. I had a few old time tunes on the museum porch while Laura got to take the 146 foot lighthouse tour. And today as we started back North on the ICW we passed the same park and watched the water change to turquoise as the incoming tide from Jupiter Inlet mixed with the rivers' flow. 

It's just about a 35 mile hop to the anchorage near Stuart where we stopped but it is the start of the journey back. The Bahamas will just have to wait. There's so much to stop and see that we missed on the rush down that there's no regrets. 

Enjoy,

Welcome back.

Mercy, what a circus the past few weeks were. Travel, blizzard, canceled plans, travel, zigzag Florida with the band for three shows, hop on the Cayamo Cruise for a week and 3 more shows, hop off in Miami and rent a car to drive back to West Palm Beach and reboard Juniata with.... ??!!?? Yes folks it's the Flu. Congratulations. You've won a week full of lethargy and mucus! Trips to the pharmacy! Extended marina bills! Eyeball busting coughing jags! But there are palm trees and sunshine. And because we are such relentless optimists, that counts for a lot. 

Our berth at Lake Park in the background.  

Noodle Salad in the davits marks the sick room slip. 

So we are out of here in the next day or so. Higher paying traffic is due in from the  Miami Boat Show and we'll resume anchorage life.  Still flipping between going farther south or waiting nearby for a crossing to the Abacos. 

Enjoy,

Be right back

We are off the boat for a couple of weeks for gigs and stuff. More later. 

Next stop?

Weather or Knot

Yes, leaving the mid-Atlantic in mid-December is going to be a race against winter. We sprinted through Georgia in dreary grey chill. The empty salt marshes were quiet and soggy, stretching on for many miles. The tidal flows that accumulate 7 & 8 foot tides can make for long days at sluggish speeds or the occasional shortlived boost. We had the former on average for the three days it took to bust through. So at last we reach the State of Florida and anchor near Fernandina Beach for the night and awake to 37 degrees F. And a day that wouldn't bust more than a tease of sunshine. Ah well, advertising is so often illusory.
Had a fair current down to the St. John River and crossed it on a strong outgoing tide. As we headed up the next leg of the ICW we found heavy flow against us again. At the Atlantic Beach Bridge, the first to be encountered on that leg we hit the maximum ebb flow. A quick look at the Active Captain database would have noted this challenge but that was one day that it didn't happen. We had used it for the shoal areas of NC, SC, & GA but snoozed on this leg. As we approached the bridge and felt the speed drop I pushed up the throttle more and more. A big motor yacht was close enough behind us that backing out would have been a big problem. We slowed to about one knot and crept through the passage with swirling eddys all around. There was still some rpm to spare but I would advise a schedule adjustment to anyone that can't hold about six and a half knots through the water.

We took a slip in Jacksonville Beach for two days to visit my Dojo headquarters. (SoBudoKai and Chintokan.com  for info) Visiting my second family and working out for the first time since the shoulder surgery was rewarding and challenging at the same time. Still temperatures in the 30's at night though. And a deadline for a short break is approaching so we must press on. 

After two more days of motoring and anchoring out, including a kedge-off session below St. Augustine, we stopped at Titusville Municipal Marina to meet up with friends Mitch & Julie for seafood at Dixie Crossroads and a great evening catching up with them, aside from dropping the iPhone overboard while tying up in the slip. 10 feet of salt water claimed another electronic victim. Perhaps insurance would have been a good idea after all. Another 50 mile run today finally found us in the 75+ and sunny conditions that we promised ourselves each day along the way. This evening's anchorage is about ICW mile 925 and even though rain is forecast for tomorrow it felt like vacation today.

Oops, forgot to leave.

We anchored in the creek near Lady's Island Marina for a couple nights as they were full up. I arranged for some mail to catch us with us here a couple days out  Dinghied in and met some friendly folks who loaned us wheels for a grocery run! Cruisers that have settled in somewhere still enjoy helping out and paying back karmic kindness that came their way previously. Spent New Year's Eve with more of the same in the marina lounge even though we hadn't yet booked a slip! This is a sticky place. It seems there are quite a few folks who found this place and this town to be good enough for a long to very long term stop along their way. We had some rain as a stalled front finally moved through. It has been held off for weeks by a high pressure system in the Atlantic. The nasty flooding in the Appalachians and Tennessee Valley last month were all a result of this system, and so was the mild weather that we have been benefitting from since we started out. So we lounged and tinkered at anchor for a day or two, then took a slip for laundry & showers. Here we met some friends of friends that had tried to catch us on their way down the Chesapeake in October. The instruments came out and the lounge got lit up til way past cruiser's bedtime.  So another day or two clicked by because it was cold and windy behind that front, and the solar panels needed some attention,  and I had insulation for the fridge box waiting to be installed, and we were offered a ride into Hilton Head for an afternoon and before you know it, a week has been frittered away. With good seafood. 
Dang! We are Definitely leaving in the morning!!!