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

Sunday, April 27, 2014
Well, we were in the process of getting ready to head northward when Murphy intervened. We took marina bikes and headed out to accomplish a few last minute things. Our first stop was Tropical Touch where I got a haircut and Donna got her hair done (shortened and color). We’re looking like respectable cruisers once again.

After haircuts, we headed for a nearby shopping center. Total Wine was the most important destination, but Donna also needed a Michael’s and Barnes and Noble fix. With the bike baskets now overflowing, we started the 3.5 mile trip back to he marina. Nearing the marina, we have to cross a narrow old draw bridge. It has a very narrow sidewalk that has a high curb which drops down to the roadway. We normally walk the bikes across, but not this time!

As we neared the bridge, Donna insisted I go first. I approached the incline applied max power, focused on a point on the other side of the bridge and continued to ride the bike, on the narrow sidewalk, across the bridge. Look back? No way, that’s a sure way to crash, I thought. Just focus and keep pedaling. Sometime in the crossing, Murphy showed up. Upon reaching the other side, I braked to a halt and looked back to check on Donna’s progress. At first I couldn’t see her because of auto traffic, but then I saw her walking and pushing the bike very very slowly. As she got closer, I noticed she was limping and there was blood streaming down the front of her left leg.

It seems she decided to follow my bad example and tried to ride the sidewalk. Overloaded basket? Slow speed up the incline? Probably the combo! The instability led to the bike leaving the sidewalk and dropping downward to the roadway. It was here Donna parted company with the bike and encountered the roadway in front of oncoming traffic. Fortunately, the traffic stopped and a gentleman helped her get up and move the bike out of the road and back onto the sidewalk. Totally embarrassed, she thanked the man, insisted she was OK and began to walk the bike, on the sidewalk, toward me and the marina.

Upon arrival at the marina, several ladies helped cleaned and dress the Donna’s wounds. She then sat on the porch and consumed some of her favorite pain killer…beer.

That was five days ago. She still says she’s OK, but she has some pain and the swelling comes back by late afternoon each day. The bruising is now very apparent and ugly to boot. Hey bartender, bring her an Aleve and another round.

What all this really means is we haven’t started for home yet. The weather has been great, except for the wind which is out of the north. So, we’re now thinking of departing about 1 May when the wind clocks around to the south and brings in a few T-storms and rain. We can’t have the return trip start out with good weather now can we!

More boring glimpses of our trip homeward to follow soon. Stay tuned.

　

　

　

Well, looks like I finally have some time to work on a catch-up for the blog. Yes, we’re still here in Stuart. It’s so hard to leave this wonderful place and all the great people who hang out here. A couple of our friends did leave and have made it to the Bahamas. Another friend likes it here so much, he leased a condo for a year and moved off his boat.

We’ve been having a great time. Socializing with old and new friends, exploring, walking and bicycling to places nearby, fixing things on the boat and of course the usual shopping. What with all the socials, talent shows (see below), meet and greets, etc. we stay so busy, that blog updates are the last thing (?) we ever think about.

 

Right now we’re on the boat waiting for the 20 mph and gusting 25-30 wind to lay down a bit so we can take the dinghy to shore without getting drenched. We went ashore early this AM and caught the “short” bus to Wal-Mart for some much needed supplies. When we returned, conditions had deteriorated and it was a rather damp ride back to the boat with the groceries. Had it not been for items that needed to be placed in the fridge, we might have elected to remain ashore until things settled down. Let me be clear, the only condition we don’t like is getting wet. Actually, it’s mostly cloudy and 75F, not bad considering conditions further north or back home.

Speaking of conditions, yesterday we waited all afternoon for a rather nasty front and squall line to reach us. Like a lot of warm fronts, it moved rather slowly and arrived late afternoon We found ourselves smack dab in the middle of not one but two tornado warning zones. Folks further north/south of us seemed to get the worst of it, but things were lively in the mooring field.

 

 

By-the-way, is there anybody else coming down to visit? We keep getting visits from folks who reside in Hampton Roads. With the winter going on back there, I don't blame them for seeking the warmer climes. David B. and Hye-Yun were the latest visitors and they reluctantly departed northward today.

 

Well, the sun is shining brightly again, time to brave the wind and head to shore for more fun and adventure! Later, DnD



 

Dec 16, 2013 - Sunset Bay Anchorage

A big hello and apology for the lack of posts to all those following our journey. We are still here at Sunset Bay Anchorage in Stuart, FL. These mooring balls have Super Industrial Velcro on them. Once you get here, its very hard to leave.

We’ve been enjoying the weather for the most part. Temperatures are definitely warmer than those back home. We’ve had lots of totally overcast and some partly sunny days. Lots of fronts moving through, first a cold and then a warm one, actually the same cold front moving back north. Bottom line, lots of people are complaining about the lack of sunny days for solar power to keep their batteries fully charged. Us folks with generators are resorting to the backup method of charging.

The stragglers, Larry B, and the Roses, got here on Thanksgiving day, but they are staying in slips at the Loggerhead Marina across the river. We asked them to join us at Sunset Bay's Thanksgiving feast, but they attended a similar yacht club function at Loggerhead.

Speaking of the Sunset Bay Thanksgiving, it was a wonderful. The marina furnished the turkey, ham, dressing and potatoes. The boaters furnished side dishes, deserts and BYOB. About 100 boaters attended. We ate outside in the courtyard and were seated with old friends. The tables were nicely decorated with tablecloths and lovely centerpieces made by the marina employees. The food was terrific and we had a great time.

We’ve visited some of our old haunts like Publix, Harbor Freight, Home Depot, West Marine, Stein Mart, Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware, just to name a few. Thank goodness the marina has a courtesy bus that makes runs on Tuesday and Friday.

We were also introduced to a new bakery/coffee shop that has terrific goodies and great coffee. It is about a half mile away, so it’s a good excuse for a morning walk. Unfortunately, the walk doesn’t burn the calories consumed at the bakery.

We’ve also met some of our old friends from previous stays here at the anchorage. Donna has gone to lunch and shopping with several of the ladies. The guys meet for morning coffee and occasionally a brew or two in the courtyard. We even went to the Stuart Christmas Parade one evening.

I have been working on a few improvements and repairs on the boat. I now have an improved method of transferring water from our 7 gal jug into the boat’s water tank. The Wifi Access Point that I never finished before leaving Portsmouth is up and working. Our Alfa adapter is now housed in a homemade enclosure mounted on the stern rail. It communicates with the ALFA access point located in the main salon. That means no more dragging out the equipment, setting it up, and no more cables draped everywhere in the salon. It also means Donna can be on her Kindle, I can be on the computer and we both have internet access at the same time. Life is Good!

. I do have one project to get to. The muffin fan on the refrigeration unit is going bad. It’s one of those cheap, sleeve bearing muffin fans like you find in desktop computers. I’ve got a better one with ball bearings ordered (the easy part). The hard part will be getting it installed inside the refrigeration unit.

Donna is busy wrapping presents for the nieces and nephews. When she’s done it will mean a trip to the post office (groan!). Oh, but wait, the bakery is right on the way…maybe we will try their lunch menu.

On Saturday, we rode our bikes 3.5 miles against the wind to the local flea market. Unfortunately the place was dead. We didn’t find much of what we went looking for. On a positive note, the ride back was with the wind and a lot easier. After the ride back we walked over to the Pelican Café and Beach. Their “café” is seating on a deck with wonderful views of the river, Loggerhead Marina and the Roosevelt Bridge. Their “beach” is an oversized sandbox with table seating in the sand and the same views with the addition of Flagler Park. We obviously chose the “beach” seating. We enjoyed a pitcher of beer and an order of nachos while watching a wedding party take group pictures on the RiverWalk at the park.

Nice to see some part of Virginia has some notoriety here. Sorry, Donny, we didn’t try the “Big Daddy Dog”, maybe next visit.

This morning we dinghied ashore early, did the laundry, took showers and were back at the boat by 10AM. Well, enough rambling, it's time to go find something else NOT to do!

D&D
Location: Stuart, FL
Skies: Mostly Cloudy
Temp: 70F
Solar: Charging 13.5V @ 5.2A