We filled up in the rain, paid, and departed.
We always like to stay in St. Augustine just because of the proximity to the Fountain of Youth. Both Pam & I feel younger after a night or two in town!
Our course today took us past the Palm Coast Sea Ray plant, birthplace of Tourist.
Continuing on we went past Daytona Beach and on to Rockhouse Creek just north of New Smyrna Beach. A beautiful anchorage with a view of the Atlantic through Ponce Inlet but protected from the ocean by several bars. Even though the wind was out of the northwest between 15 & 20 mph we didn't notice. We were treated to a beautiful evening sky as the sun went down.
11/7/12 Wednesday We slept in today and didn't get going until 8:20. Of course we pulled out and immediately got in the southbound parade of boats headed to the first obstacle of the day. A bridge that most of them needed opened. We didn't! The wait was only going to be 5 minutes so being the nice guy that I am (Pam made me!) I waited in line and then passed them after we went through the bridge.
Of course the bridges require radio contact between boat & bridge which is often times either interesting or annoying. In this case annoying fits. Let me back up a few days and say that we have heard and passed one of the boats on and off since we left Port Royal Landing. One person is driving and the other mans the radio and never seems to monitor the vhf channel the bridges operate on until they're on top of the bridge thus missing any instructions the bridge tender has given requiring him to repeat. In addition this person has one of those annoying voices that drives me NUTS! Every bridge we've gone through with them or heard them go through is the same story and the same voice. Don't judge me. If you've run the ICW you know what I'm talking about.
Along the way we passed a few more boats, some moving, some that will never move again.
Through Mosquito Lagoon and into the Haulover Canal where we saw several manatee while we idled through. Elusive little buggers. Try as she might, Pam couldn't get any of them to pose for a picture!
On past Titusville and Cocoa, Kennedy Space Center and on to our anchorage near Melbourne. All day the wind has been blowing so we looked for a place with some protection. Once we arrived it wasn't as protected as we would have liked but still better than being out in the open. Let's see how we sleep.
11/8/12 Thursday Well, we made it through the night. The first few hours we were able to sleep in the master berth then the tide changed and our cabin sounded like someone was outside the bow of the boat beating on it with a rubber mallet. Not the best sleeping conditions. As we've done before we retreated to the salon where we have a pull out sofa and the noise level is much less. Hurry up daylight!
When you're trying to sleep and can't it seems like forever until it's time to get up. Finally the time came. On went the generator then the heat and finally the coffee! The wind is still blowing out of the north and the temperature at 6:30 am is 48 degrees. Brrrrrr! I thought we were in Florida. Once Tourist and crew were ready to go I called the Mathers bridge to request an opening. A positive response from the bridge tender and we were off. Through the bridge and around Dragon Point (named for a statue of a dragon that stood there for many years) and back into the ICW.
A pretty uneventful day. We passed 3 sailboats whose captains looked like they were dressed for snow skiing. Went by my parents old condo complex. Passed Vero Beach or Velcro Beach as it's referred to in the cruising community with it's large American flag waving proudly. And on into Harbortown Marina at Ft. Pierce. After topping off the fuel tank and pumping out we put Tourist in a slip and went into the restaurant to get the cheeseburger that both Pam & I have been craving for the past week. Yumm! We weren't disappointed. The rest of the day was spent hosing the salt off the boat and other cleaning projects.
11/9/12 Friday Off and running by 8:20 this morning being pushed by a 15 mph north wind. Past the Ft. Pierce Inlet that was our entry point back into the U.S. from the Bahamas last Spring. On past the City Marina where they are building a new breakwater around it.
And on to Stuart.
Our original thought was to stay in either the Manatee Pocket area or downtown Stuart on a mooring ball for a night or two. Remembering back to the last time we tried anchoring in the pocket and finding very shallow water that wasn't already occupied by other boats negated that idea. That is until I remembered something on the Looper Forum about Stuart Yacht Sales offering a free slip to members of AGLCA when passing through. I made the call and was told there was one slip available at this time that we could use. Great! "Now what are the dimensions of your boat?"
When I told them the dimensions there was a pause. Tourist is 15'3" wide and the slip is 15'4" plus we'd have to back in. I couldn't even use the pointy end of the boat to pry the pilings apart! Just a little too tight for comfort.
After some deliberation we graciously declined the offer and bypassed Manatee Pocket. On to the mooring field downtown. Through the Roosevelt Bridge and just past Sunset Bay Marina lies the field. Occupied mostly by sailboats and with the wind out of the north and increasing it looked a little lumpy. We took a pass through the field and thought that in addition to the wave action the balls were too close together for our comfort. Boating is supposed to be a non contact sport!
At this point we decided to skip Stuart completely and head west into the St. Lucie Canal. We passed through the St. Lucie Lock and entered the canal.
In the back of my mind I had been thinking about someday staying at Indiantown Marina. I think today is the day! A quick call confirmed that they had space available which we said we'd take. Our arrival was around 3:30 pm.
Indiantown is one of those places that if you're going too fast you'll scoot right past it. The opening to their harbor isn't much wider than Tourist and once inside you must make a 90 degree right turn. Of course there are boats tied to the bulkhead immediately in front of you as you start the turn. I'm sure I scared the bejesus out of one woman who was watching us since Tourist just doesn't move slow even at idle speed.
The basin is tight once inside but enough room to spin around in which is what we had to do to back into our slip. Two of the marina staff popped out of nowhere to help us in making it not much of a spectator sport which is a good thing!
Laid back friendly is the best way to describe the atmosphere at Indiantown. You get the feeling that there is no sense of urgency here. After check in we strolled around the yard looking at the many boats stored here. Some being readied for the cruising season and some that will never touch water again.
Along our walk I thought Pam was going to jump into my arms when I pointed out an Armadillo just a few feet away from her. Pam went into "Pamic" mode and tried to somehow become invisible. Meanwhile the armadillo had the same reaction and scurried under a boat. Crisis averted! Then we saw a bull staring at us as we walked along. This time though no "Pamic" from Pam. There was a barb wire fence separating us so all was good. We could talk to the bull without fear of being trampled.
After that heart pumping experience we returned to Tourist to settle in for the night.
11/10/12 Saturday 7 am found us pulling out of Indiantown headed for the Port Mayaca Lock and Lake Okeechobee.
We were able to lock through with little delay and onto the lake we went. With a strong northeast wind the lake's waves were hitting us from the side causing Tourist to roll from side to side. This could be a long ride.....or it could be a short one. Throttle up and get on top of the waves. We skipped across Lake O at 26 mph clearing the cobwebs out of the engines and making our ride more comfortable. In no time at all we were across the lake and slowing down as we approached Clewiston and the rim route to Moore Haven.
About half way between Clewiston and Moore Haven we met M/V Mon Ami. Mon Ami is Donnie's (M/V Kasey's Choice) brother Brian's boat. Brian was headed to Stuart for a few days.
We continued through Moore Haven Lock and Ortona Lock. Past Glades Boat Storage facility and through the Ft. Denaud Bridge where the bridge tender has to walk to the center of the bridge to open it.
Our day ended when we pulled in to the campground at the Franklin Lock run by the Corps of Engineers. A quiet, clean little place that has power, water, and a view for $24 a night! What a deal!
Man, you guys really move! No grass growing on Tourist.
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