May 4, 2014
Cold? Heck no I’m freezing. What a change. It was 58F at 0600. Forecast is for 80F today, but we start out in long pants and sweatshirts. Winds are cranking out of the North and right on our nose. No sailing today. Our destination now is New Smyrna or Daytona. As we passed the Titusville moorings, we spotted “El Lobo” and tried to call our friend Bill on the radio. He was either asleep or his radio was not on. Bet he had a rough night on that ball.

We buck the wind and tide at Ponce Inlet, but we trudge on to Halifax Harbor in Daytona. Being its Sunday, this is a hazardous boating section as all the locals decide to call it a day and head home at max speed and no courtesy whatsoever. It’s a relief to exit the ICW for the marina.

We take a slip and enjoy the first shore power we have had since last November. Donna used the microwave to make short work of dinner preparation. It was however, another “blanket” cool night.

Location: MM 830, Halifax Harbor Marina, Daytona, FL

Start: 0745
Stop: 1730

May 3, 2014

More rain! Front has stalled. We moved out heading for Titusville running into periods of rain. The forecast is calling for a powerful shift as the front finally moves off shore. Titusville marina and moorings are not our favorite places with the predicted northerly winds.  We’ve experienced the rollers and washing machine effect before.  So we decided to stop at Addison Point and anchor on the south side for protection. I was beginning to feel like I made a bad decision as the winds continued to be out of the south. Then suddenly it happened. The air started feeling cooler. Then the wind suddenly shifted and increased to 15 mph out of the north. We swung around nicely on our hook. Even with the causeway as protection, it was still a little lumpy. As the night wore on, the wind moved to the NW and decreased. Whew, thank you NWS, you got this one right.

Location: MM 885, Addison Point, FL

Start: 0830
Stop: 1430

May 2, 2014

We got underway with cloudy skies and a forecast calling for rain off and on. A big front moving very slowly eastward began to stall out. I guess we’ve made too many of these days in FL. Snowbird boat traffic seems lighter with us moving northward later than usual.

Today’s destination, depending on the weather, was somewhere north of Melbourne. We decided to anchor on the northwest side of the Eau Gallie causeway for protection from increasing S to SW winds.

Location: MM 914, Eau Gallie, FL

Start: 0815
Stop: 1430

May 1, 2014

We decided to stay another day. We’re suckers for cheap moorings! We showered and then caught the free bus and rode over to the beach. Not much interesting there. It seemed like there was a Charles Schwab or some other financial house on every corner. Catering to upscale visitors seemed to the prime purpose.  After a couple of hours and a Kilwins ice cream, we boarded the free bus again and went to a shopping center on the other side of town. We lunched at Too Jay’s Deli, visited a Fresh Market, a Publix, and TJ Maxx. We found a new rug for the boat…the old one needed to go!

Then it was back on the bus and a short ride to the marina for another battle with the “no-see-ems”.

April 30, 2014

We departed out winter “home”, getting underway with clear skies and warm temperatures. It was pretty much a boring day on the water. Our destination, some point north of Vero Beach, was not to be.  We opted instead to stop and take a mooring ball in Vero. The moorings were not crowded and we were able to get a ball all to ourselves.  Rafting up to 3 boats to a ball is not uncommon at Vero.

It was a hot, quiet night, just us and the “no-see-ems”. Wiping the screens with “Off” repellant helped to minimize their entry, but it also trapped those pesky varmints already inside. It was a fitful sleep for both of us.

Location: MM 951, Vero Beach, FL

Start: 0815
Stop: 1510
Max speed: 8.6 mph
Avg speed: 6.1