We started at 6:30 am and ran for ten hours. The day was sunny and mild with a light breeze. Just before lunch, we stopped for fuel at the Vero Beach Municipal mooring field that we had heard so many good things about. There we met Bob and Deb Lacy aboard their Gemini, Ancient Mariner. Bob had been hurt riding the city bus the day before and had a couple of badly bruised ribs. Not to worry, his wife, Deb, a retired nurse, had plenty of pain medicine on board. Bob and Deb had owned their catamaran for a few years, but this was their first real voyage away from home and they were heading for the Bahamas for the winter.
We were impressed with the mooring field and could see why people enjoyed staying there. It was a little community within itself and very well protected from the wind and waves. We were told that the marina’s nickname was “Velcro Beach” since so many arrived with the intention of moving on, but stayed in the harbor instead.
When we left in the morning, we thought we might make it all the way to Stuart, however, at 4:30 pm we realized that was not going to happen and dropped the hook near Jensen Beach just off the ICW.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 – Melbourne, FL (ICW mile 918.5)
We left Mosquito Lagoon before 7 am and headed out into sunny skies, little wind and a temperature of 54°F. At the Jay Jay railroad bridge, mile 876.6, a barge was blocking our passage with some repair work was being done to the bridge. We dropped the anchor and waited just under an hour with three other boats for the barge to clear the way and allow us to pass.
It was such a lovely morning that we did not mind the break at all. In fact, we were expecting it to be another hour before we could get through and were slightly disappointed to be cleared so quickly.
We enjoyed the beautiful day on the waterway and arrived in Melbourne, Florida, late in the afternoon where we threw out the hook and still had about 45 minutes to sit out on the bow and watch the sun go down before dinner.
Monday, November 8, 2010 – Mosquito Lagoon, Florida (ICW mile 860)
We were up around 6:15 am and saw that last night’s late arrival had drifted past us and was now on our downstream side. How they went by without fouling our anchors or bumping into the boat was a mystery. We started up the engine to get the heater going and as we were about to hail our neighbor on the radio, we noticed they were up and about. They had a bit of difficulty retrieving the anchor, but soon had it aboard and motored out of the anchorage.
We had our own anchors up and headed into a sunny day with a very light north wind and a temperature of 47°F. A few miles down the way, we caught up with and talked to the folks on the sailboat that had left the anchorage before us, Mystical, and learned that their anchor had not tripped, but when the current switched during the night, the anchor rode (line) had become fouled around the keel. They had to work very hard to get things straightened out but the mishap turned out just fine – no equipment lost and no damage done.
The sun helped to warm things up to a comfortable 72°F by mid-afternoon and there was little or no wind all day. We traveled 70 miles and made it to Mosquito Lagoon just as the sun was setting. We had anchored here on our way to the Chesapeake and knew that it would be a good place to drop the hook if the wind wasn’t blowing. We relaxed for the evening, watched a little TV and enjoyed our hot dogs and Bush beans for dinner.
We had our own anchors up and headed into a sunny day with a very light north wind and a temperature of 47°F. A few miles down the way, we caught up with and talked to the folks on the sailboat that had left the anchorage before us, Mystical, and learned that their anchor had not tripped, but when the current switched during the night, the anchor rode (line) had become fouled around the keel. They had to work very hard to get things straightened out but the mishap turned out just fine – no equipment lost and no damage done.
The sun helped to warm things up to a comfortable 72°F by mid-afternoon and there was little or no wind all day. We traveled 70 miles and made it to Mosquito Lagoon just as the sun was setting. We had anchored here on our way to the Chesapeake and knew that it would be a good place to drop the hook if the wind wasn’t blowing. We relaxed for the evening, watched a little TV and enjoyed our hot dogs and Bush beans for dinner.
Sunday, November 7, 2010 – Ft. Matanzas inlet (ICW mile 792.4)
It was a cold and windy night and we awoke to a temperature that was barely 50°F. Daylight Savings Time ended overnight, so we were able to get an earlier start and left the mooring at 7 am. All day long we had a strong north wind and, at times, were able to move down the waterway at 10.5 knots with the motor and the sail.
It was early when we came through St Augustine at 2:30 pm. We just missed the half-hour opening of the Bridge of Lions so we dropped the sail and waited for the bridge to open again at 3 pm. Since we still had over 2 hours of daylight remaining, we decided to move on towards the Ft. Matanzas anchorage. By then, the tide had turned and we were fighting a strong current that slowed us down considerably.
Sunset was at 5:35 pm and we arrived at the anchorage around 5:40 pm. We had no problem setting the anchors – we put a bow and stern anchor out since it was so windy. A small sailboat, Mystical, that we had passed along the way came into the anchorage about 30 minutes later when it was quite dark. We hailed them on the radio to offer information on the anchorage in case they had not been there before. They had not, so we directed them closer to the fort where we knew the holding was good.
It was another cold night.
It was early when we came through St Augustine at 2:30 pm. We just missed the half-hour opening of the Bridge of Lions so we dropped the sail and waited for the bridge to open again at 3 pm. Since we still had over 2 hours of daylight remaining, we decided to move on towards the Ft. Matanzas anchorage. By then, the tide had turned and we were fighting a strong current that slowed us down considerably.
Sunset was at 5:35 pm and we arrived at the anchorage around 5:40 pm. We had no problem setting the anchors – we put a bow and stern anchor out since it was so windy. A small sailboat, Mystical, that we had passed along the way came into the anchorage about 30 minutes later when it was quite dark. We hailed them on the radio to offer information on the anchorage in case they had not been there before. They had not, so we directed them closer to the fort where we knew the holding was good.
It was another cold night.
Saturday, November 6, 2010 – Fernandina Harbor Marina – mooring ball
It was colder but not quite as windy when we arose. Gale made a trip to shore in the afternoon while Maureen stayed on the boat. Gale visited Tom and Pat on Suncat, another Gemini, and learned a couple of secrets about keeping the hull clean from Tom. When he stepped on the main dock, he spoke to Norm and Vicky of Tide Hiker, who had just arrived. They invited us to spend some time with them tonight and tomorrow, but Gale had to decline because of a business meeting tonight and our plan to leave the area early tomorrow morning.
After a shower and a walk downtown to the hardware store and the convenience store, he was back on the boat to get ready for his meeting with two gentlemen who have a business conducting Captain’s school. They were looking for instructors with teaching experience, boating experience and captain’s credentials. The meeting was held at the Irish pub in downtown Fernandina Beach and the men enjoyed getting to know each other.
After a shower and a walk downtown to the hardware store and the convenience store, he was back on the boat to get ready for his meeting with two gentlemen who have a business conducting Captain’s school. They were looking for instructors with teaching experience, boating experience and captain’s credentials. The meeting was held at the Irish pub in downtown Fernandina Beach and the men enjoyed getting to know each other.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010 – Fernandina Harbor Marina – mooring ball
We stayed on the boat all day due to the wind and sea conditions. It was cold and nasty and the waves were doing about a two foot chop. It wasn’t a good idea to be out in the dinghy.
Gale spent his time on the computer following up on some business while Maureen read a book. During the evening hours, we watched a movie on TV then cuddled up with our comforter for the night.
Gale spent his time on the computer following up on some business while Maureen read a book. During the evening hours, we watched a movie on TV then cuddled up with our comforter for the night.
Thursday, November 4, 2010 – Fernandina Harbor Marina – mooring ball
September Song and Sea Pearl left the dock before 8 am. It was a cloudy day and looked like it might rain. Maureen got an early start on the laundry and had that chore finished by 10:30 am. During the late morning, we walked uptown to see if we could pick up some milk and fresh produce. We were able to find milk (2% rather than our preferred skim) but no produce could be found at either of the “groceries” we checked out. On our way back to the dock, we stopped at a coffee shop and shared a cinnamon roll and orange juice.
At 2 pm, at the lowest tide, we moved the boat from the slip out to a mooring ball in the harbor. We would have waited for a little more water under the keel, but the winds were kicking up and the sky was growing darker. A couple of the dock hands helped us get away safely and in no time at all, we had grabbed the assigned mooring ball’s pennant and were secured nicely once again just before the rain began and the wind really started blowing.
We were toasty and warm inside our cabin as we enjoyed our evening meal. Maureen prepared beef stroganoff with noodles – a crew favorite.
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