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Another glorious morning greeted us. More sunshine and warm temps are expected today. We take the time to have a full breakfast so we can ride the incoming tide on the run to the St. Lucie Inlet. Hey, how else are you going to get rid of that can of Spam we opened last night. And what a breakfast it was, fired potato cakes, fried eggs and fried Spam. My cardiologist will love me for that.
Underway at 0845, we ride the incoming current southward toward Jensen Beach. It was a really pleasant day. Being a Monday, there was a lot less local traffic than yesterday. The other nice thing was the distance to travel today was short.
We arrived at the St Lucie Crossroads and turned up the river. Now we were fighting the outgoing current and our speed dropped. It took us another hour and a half to make it to the last opening bridge of this journey. The bridge tender was prompt with the opening and we never even slowed down as we passed through.
Just on the other side of the bridge was our destination, Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage. We called the marina on the radio, spoke with our old friend Buzz Billue and requested a mooring at the south end where we stayed in 2007/08. We were assigned mooring #66 and proceeded to tie on to the ball. Buddy came on deck as soon as the engine was shut down. He seemed to recognize the place and proceeded to make himself at home on top of the bimini.
We lowered the dinghy, attached the motor and headed in to register and take showers. On the way in our friend Maggie called and informed us we were dining with her and Walter that evening and she would pick us up at 1715. Wow, we haven’t even set foot on shore and activities are starting.
We had a lovely evening with Maggie, Walter and Mickey (their new dog). Wine, dinner and good friends, you can’t beat that.
Back at the boat, we both crashed and went to bed. It was a nice peaceful sleep knowing that we have arrived and tomorrow will be our first full day here in Stuart.
Location: Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart, FL MM 995
Started: 0845 Stopped: 1350
Distance Traveled: 31.3 mi, Avg Spd: 5.7 Max Spd: 8.1
Odometer Reading: 1038.3 (Total distance traveled Portsmouth, VA to Stuart, FL)
It was in the low 70s when I got up at 0600. It rained a couple of times during the night and there were still some low hanging clouds being blown northward. That meant the wind was out of the south. Yea! The sun started peeking through the clouds a little after 0700 and you could tell it was going to be a glorious day.
There were four boats in the anchorage and we were the first to depart. By 0930 I shed the usual sweatshirt and donned a T-shirt. Actually, the jeans I had on were a little warm, but I kept them on just in case one of those low clouds decided to dump some rain. We seemed to stay in the cloudy zone and chased the sun until we neared Vero Beach. Things really warmed up then and the temp shot up to 84F.
Our destination today was Ft. Pierce and we made it to the anchorage about 1515. The problem was the anchorage was slam full plus the depths were much less than noted on the charts. It took three tries to find a marina that had space for us. We got a slip at Harbortown Marina and refueled too. The slip is a bit oversized and we have long lines out everywhere. There is a restaurant here and it is really busy.
We won’t be dining there tonight because we’re having grilled Spam with pineapple, roasted garlic mashed potatoes and green peas. The galley stock must be getting low. That’s OK because tomorrow we will be in Stuart. Yeah!
Location: Harbortown Marina, Ft. Pierce, FL MM 965
Started: 0730 Stopped: 1600
Distance Traveled: 50.2 mi, Avg Spd: 5.9 Max Spd:6.8
It was rocky in the slip until sometime after midnight. When I got up around 0300, things had calmed down and the wind had shifted to the east.
I’m awake at 0600 and decide that we need to get underway ASAP. True to form it takes us until 0740 back out of the slip. Once out side of the marina harbor, we confront the first of two bridges that require opening for us to pass.
Another boat, Makani joins us and we travel together most of the day. On southward we go passing Titusville, the NASA Causeway Bridge, Cocoa, and Eau Gallie. The wind is just right for a port weather run. We reach speeds of 7.9 and make good time. We are approaching Melbourne when the warm front moving northward begins to pass over us. The winds pickup, the sky darkens and it starts to sprinkle just as we reach the area where we planned to anchor.
We got the hook down and it was only 1400. It was too far to make it to Vero Beach and there were no good anchorages between Melbourne and Vero Beach.
We open a bottle of red and enjoy the warm temps and the gentle rain. Buddy is out on deck and enjoying himself too. We get a call from our friend Maggie and we let her know we should be in Stuart on Monday.
We spend the rest of the afternoon just chilling.
Location: Anchored near the Melbourne High Rise Bridge, Melbourne, FL MM 918
Started: 0740 Stopped: 1402
Distance Traveled: 41 mi, Avg Spd: 6.2 Max Spd:7.9
Today, I pulled a classic. I forgot to untie a line and then tried to leave the slip. Oh, well, if the weather guessers can keep getting it wrong, I guess I’m entitled to screw up too.
Ok, the second attempt to depart was more successful. Back in the ICW, we rode the outgoing tide down to Ponce de Leon Inlet with good speed. As always, we got the reverse effect as we passed the inlet. I rolled out the jib and it did help overcome some of the effects of the adverse current there.
We departed the Halifax River and continued on through Mosquito Lagoon. The wind was increasing as we went. Actually it would have been great sailing except for keeping the boat within the confines of the dredged channel. Go outside the channel and you’ve got trouble big time. By the time we were half way down the lagoon, the combination of wind and fetch had things really churned up. At this point, Otto (autopilot) became useless and manual helm was required.
We reached the Haul Over Canal and proceed through the bridge into the Indian River. There was a brief respite from the wind in the short canal due to trees on both sides. As we crossed the Indian River over to the western shore, the wind and fetch nailed us and things got uncomfortable again. The wind was now out of the north at 20 kt and gusting on the port quarter. A weather check told us that anchoring was out for the night. We called and got a slip at Titusville Municipal Marina. Seems like every time we pass this area we get forced into this marina by foul weather.
We are docked at 1530, but not without difficulties. As I write this entry, the wind is still out of the north at 20+ and is expected to last until late tomorrow morning. The boat is really rocking and Buddy is not happy. So much for the forecasted east at 5-10. Wonder what the weather guessers have in store for us tomorrow.
Oh well, two brews, chips and salsa and everything will be all right. I guess we’re better off than those trying to travel in the blizzards in the north.
Location: Titusville Municipal Marina, Titusville, FL MM 878
Started: 0745 Stopped: 1515
Distance Traveled: 49 mi
Talk about a change in the weather, it was 74F and there was no breeze when I got up. We headed to the shower and when we got back to the boat the temp was 62F and the wind was blowing 12 mph. Sheez!
We got away from the dock and headed back to the ICW. The plan for the day was ambiguous at best. We wanted to get as far as we can, but we also don’t want to push our safety if the weather goes sour. As usual the weather guessers get it wrong again. It was supposed to be warm with a chance of showers late in the day. What we got was cool and a deluge about 1100.
By the time we were nearing Daytona Beach, I had limited visibility and was running with navigation lights on. We decided to stop at Halifax Harbor and take the afternoon off.
We docked, secured the boat and then walked downtown to Stavro’s, a pizzeria we visited during our last trip. We enjoyed a pitcher of beer, salads, and a small pizza. Afterwards we walked the main drag, visited an antique mall and then went to CVS Pharmacy for a couple of items. On the way back to the boat we stopped at West Marine for some holding tank treatment. Extravagant shoppers aren’t we?
Sorry about no pictures lately. We haven’t had a wifi link lately and we’ve been using the air card. For some reason the air card connections seem to be slow and we can’t upload the picture files. Guess we’ll back fill the entries when we have a good wifi connection.
Location: Halifax Harbor, Daytona Beach, FL, MM 831
Started: 0830 Stopped: 1400
Distance Traveled: 28 mi
We depart St Augustine at 0830 with sunny skies and the temp already in the upper 70‘s. Although it’s the bottom of the tide, the current is still running hard against us. The wind is up too, blowing 15+ from the southwest which means there will be no sailing today. Let’s see, wind on the nose + current against us = going nowhere slowly. We proceed on hoping to get below the rain line.
Although our speed is less than 5 mph, we are enjoying the warmer temps and breezes. We come upon two sailboats hard aground and they tell us where to find the deeper water and we pass them safely. Later one of them gets himself free and passes us a few miles further south. We catch up to that same boat at Matanzas Inlet where there is another sailboat aground. We all do our little dance right, left, and up the middle and cannot find enough water to proceed. In desperation, Villianie tries to the right of the red buoy, in other words outside the channel. By this time we have been joined by two trawlers and another sailboat. Villianie finds enough water to get through and we all fall in behind him.
By the time we are through passing Matanzas Inlet, the wind is blowing 25+ and our speed drops some more. Our destination today was Daytona Beach, a total of 53 miles. At 1430 the GPS was telling us we would not reach Daytona until 2000. Since night time travel is not in my plans, we try to find an anchorage or marina that we can stop at before dark. Choices are slim and none. Slim being a marina a couple of miles away and none being no marinas or anchorages after that one marina until the Daytona marina. We opt for Palm Coast Marina and stop for the day.
Donna does some laundry, we do dinner and then chill. The weather forecast for tomorrow is more wind and rain and temps back in the 50‘s. Will the darn jet stream ever move northward again.
Location: Palm Coast Marina, MM 803
Started: 0830 Stopped: 1415
Distance Traveled: 25.4 mi, Avg spd: 4.6 Max spd: 6.2
Getting out of the anchorage wasn’t easy. We got underway at 0800 and eased out with the depth meter showing 4.9’ until we reached the channel. Whew!
Today’s destination, St Augustine, wasn’t far. We had planned to stop here and visit with Linda W., one of Donna’s old high school chums. Except for the chilly breeze, the temperature was almost nice and the best we had experienced so far this trip.
We arrived at the Bridge of Lions and had to wait about 10 minutes for the opening. Once we were through the bridge, it was a quick right into the municipal marina. A quick cleanup of the boat, a pump out, showers and we were ready for Linda‘s arrival. When she arrived, we had a glass of wine, talked for about an hour, and then walked into town and had a late lunch at Harry's. A short walk after lunch and Linda had to leave. Donna and I then walked some of the Historic (tourist) district.
Back on the boat, a check of the weather forecast confirmed plans for tomorrow. Continue south to find the warm weather.
Location: St. Augustine, FL, MM 778
Started: 0800 Stopped: 1100
Distance Traveled: 14.4 mi, Avg spd: 4.8 Max spd: 7.4
