Now in St. Augustine

We departed Vero Beach, some cruisers call it Velcro Beach because it is hard to leave, on Tuesday. We didn't have any problem getting out into the ICW channel. We were planning on stopping at Melbourne but had some good current with us so we went all the way to Cocoa. The anchorage there was large and there were plenty of boats that stayed there for the night. The wind was really blowing but our trusty SuperMax anchor held us in place.

On Wednesday we had planned to stop at Daytona Beach but we didn't like the anchorage and the decided to go on to New Smyrna Beach. When we passed by the area on the ICW where the Ponce inlet is there was a lot of shoaling and we scraped bottom in just 4 feet 9 inches of water. Our boat draws about 4 feet 10 inches. Cruisers just call that dense water and plow through. We were able to get through it and into deeper water OK. We stopped for the night in a small creek named Rockhouse Creek just to the north of New Smyrna Beach. There were already 5 boats in the small anchorage and 3 more came in after us. The anchorage was very quiet and we had a beautiful sunset. We also had about 5 dolphins frolicking around the boat. Two of them looked as if they were putting on a show for us, jumping out of the water together and slapping their tails.

We were up at 6AM preparing to leave for St. Augustine. We raised anchor at 7:15 and departed. We had several bascule bridges that we had to have open for us on this leg. One particular bridge was having work done on it and we had to wait for about 3o minutes. The area to loiter was very small and it got shallow real fast as you got near shore. Two other sailboats came up behind us and that made things even crazier with all three of us waiting. Just past this bridge we saw 3 manatees. The only other manatees we had seen was the previous day in a small cove off of Haulover canal.

We had thought about anchoring in the Matanzas River where there is an old fort to visit but that area was terribly shoaled in. There were several new green buoys set out to guide us around the shoaling. The markers took us to about 100 feet from the western shore. The depth got down to about 5 feet 6 inches in the area we went over. It may have been a little deeper closer to shore but it was difficult wanting to go that close. Once we passed the Matanzas inlet we had a 1.5 knot current pushing us north. We were doing about 8.5 knots. We covered the last 15 miles to St. Augustine in less than 2 hours. Earlier in the day we had a 1.2 knot current against us and were only able to go 5.8 knots.

We are in a slip at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina and will be staying for a few days. There is so much history here and things to do. St. Augustine is the oldest permanently inhabited city in the U. S.

More experiences

We arrived in North Lake Worth around 6 PM on Tuesday. The anchorage is very large and open so we didn't have any problem finding a place to anchor. On Wednesday we were able to dinghy into a spot up a small creek by a bridge with a small beach to land the dinghy. Once up on the road it was a short walk to the Publix grocery store and some other shops in a strip mall. The anchorage was so nice we decided to stay for a few nights.

We left North Lake Worth on Friday and headed for Vero Beach. We didn't have as many bridges to contend with so our progress was pretty good. There were 4 bridges that opened on a schedule and 4 that opened on demand. We were averaging around 7 knots most of the way. At times we would be down to 5 or up to 8 depending on the current coming in or going out at the different inlets we would pass. We stopped overnight in Ft. Pierce and anchored to the south of Causeway Island. The wind was from the south and the anchorage was open so it was kind of choppy until the sun went down and the wind died down. There were about 7 other boats anchored there also.

On Saturday we awoke at 6 AM and prepared to make the run the final 17 miles to Vero Beach. This part of the ICW is made up of the Indian River and is quite wide, however the ICW channel is only about 100 feet wide at most points. In the channel the depths are anywhere from 9-16 feet. Just outside the channel the depths can be 4 feet or less. Our draft is around 5 feet so we definitely have to stay in the channel. There were lots of local power boats out and it seemed that they were racing to the Ft. Pierce inlet to see who could get out to catch the first fish. Only a few would slow down when they pass. The others go by with big wakes that cause us slow sailboats to rock and roll with the wakes.

We arrived at Vero Beach in about 2 1/2 hours. To get into the marina you have to go under a 65 foot bridge and then immediately turn into the marina channel. Right as we went under the bridge my Garmin chartplotter gave me an error message about losing satellite connection. That and a marina welcome sign diverted my attention from the channel and the south wind and current swept me right into the shoaling. Yep, hard aground. We tried for about 20 minutes to try and back off with no luck. I called TowBoatUS to come pull us off. They were there in about 30 minutes and pulled us right out of the mud. The TowBoatUS guy told us that if we would have grounded about 50 feet further to the east we would have been on some rocks instead of in the mud. Once in the marina we picked up a mooring and had a drink. Later when I was talking to the marina staff they told me that they call that corner Gold Mine Corner. I guess we weren't the first or be the last to ground there. And to top off all of that we were boarded by the Florida State Fish and Game officers to check our sewer system to make sure we aren't pumping anything overboard. I am actually surprised it took this long for us to get boarded. We have been in Florida waters for almost two months now.

Today we walked to the actual Beach. It is a very long beautiful sand beach. Not crowded at all. It was a vero pretty beach

We are staying here until Tuesday when we will leave to head further north.

Stay on the path boss there's gorillas in the woods!

You captain Ron fans will remember that line. Well, there aren't any gorillas or guerrillas that I know of anyway but there are some big freakin' lizards in the trees. No Name harbor is located in the Bill Baggs state park. When we walk to the grocery store we take a path thru the woods. These big iguanas hang in the trees and scurry around on the ground. Just makes you shiver.

We took a walk over to the park beach. It is listed in the guidebook as one of the United States top 10 beaches. If this beach is one of the top 10 this country is in big trouble. There was litter everywhere. The sand was mixed with tons of plastic bits from plastic cups, plastic utensils and just a lot of junk. We couldn't walk on it in our bare feet because it hurt and we were afraid of cutting ourselves. Very sad.

Well, we finally left No Name harbor and sailed 31 miles north to the Port Everglades inlet. That is located at Fort Lauderdale. The winds were east to southeast from 13-21 knots. It started out very rough with seas in the 3-5 feet range and them came down to the 2-4 range. Very uncomfortable but not dangerous. The seas were mostly from the starboard side to the starboard aft quarter. At one point a rouge wave hit us on the starboard side and sent water crashing into the cockpit. It was a lucky thing that I had the enclosure panel down that was right next to the helm or I would have gotten soaked. The Port Everglades inlet was extremely rough with confused seas. Sandy was the helms person on the way in and she had a very difficult time keeping the boat on a straight course. Being a Saturday there was a lot of local boat traffic and the wakes from them make things worse. Once inside the ICW was calm and we had to wait for a bascule bridge to open for us to go north on the ICW and into Lake Sylvia. We are staying here today, Sunday, and will head out for Palm Beach and Lake Worth on Monday. We will most likely take the ICW because the weather is still crappy. The bad thing about doing the ICW from here to there is that there are 20 bascule bridges we have to have opened for us. They open on a schedule but you have to be there at the right time or wait up to 30 minutes. Once past Palm Beach the number of bridges is drastically reduced.

Still in No Name Harbor

The weather has been terrible this past week. It has poured rain and the wind has been in the upper 20's with gusts in the 30's. We had planned to leave this past Monday and started out. The weather forecast for that day had looked pretty good but it wasn't as forecast when we got out into the ocean. We saw lightning and the wind was 25 right in our faces. After getting our butts kicked by 5-7 foot waves we retreated back into No Name. There is no shame in retreating. It is now looking like we will be able to leave this Saturday.

During the week this place is a serene little anchorage. On the weekends it is party harbor with a whole lot of million dollar power boats coming in. Loud music and lots of noise. I have never seen so many blond Cuban woman in all my life.

Here are a couple of photos of the harbor during the week. There are 13 sailboats here and one power trawler. Most of the boats are waiting ot go north. At least one is waiting to cross to the Bahamas. They have been waiting for a couple of weeks now. This same boat was in Marathon when we were. A couple of the other boats were in Marathon too and have been here since we got here.

Heading North

Well, East first, but you get the idea. We left Marathon and Boot Key Harbor on Thursday. We left at 7:15 AM so we could arrive at Rodriquez Key while it was still daylight. The wind was blowing from the southeast between 20 and 25 knots with the seas running about 5-7 feet. We had to motor right into the seas to get out of the harbor and around some shoaling and into Hawke Channel. Since we hadn't been out for three weeks we did get a little queasy but not to the throwing up point. It wind was forecast to ease by midday and it did. By the time we were passing 5 mile bridge the wind was down to 15 and the seas were about 3 feet. That are is also more protected by the reef to the south. We had a nice sail with full sail from that point to Rodriquez key. we traveled 54 miles.

We woke early Friday morning and headed out for Key Biscayne and No Name Harbor. There were several other boats anchored at Rodriquez also. It seemed everyone left at the same time and it was like a convoy going north. The winds had started out from the southeast around 15 and then shifted to the south around 8. The first part was a good sail but after the winds shifted we were doing some more rocky-rolly. We motored for awhile and arrived at No Name Harbor around 3:00. We traveled 44 miles. During the trip we saw about 50 huge power yachts and big open fishing yachts heading south. It must have been the exitice from Miami. Don't know where everyone was going but they were probable going about 30 knots so they could make it all the way to Key West in about 5 hours. They would blow right between several of the sail boats and we would all go rocking. They didn't care.

Not sure why they call this place No Name Harbor. For having no name it sure is crowded. I see a couple of boats that were in Marathon but rest may be Miami weekenders. There is barely enough room to swing and the wind is going to shift tonight. Should get interesting.

Dinghy piloting styles

Our mooring is just off the channel leading to the marina and dinghy landing area. All of the people that go into the marina from the west side of the mooring field have to pass right by our boat. Being retired and all, we have a lot of time on our hands to just sit and watch them. This retirement gig is pretty neat, you all should give it a try. Mostly we just sit around all day on our fat asses and talk about what's for dinner. The conversation mostly goes like this: "what ya want for dinner tonight? I don't know what do you want? I don't know babe what do you want?" and that continues for a good hour, but I digress.

Anyhoo, the dinghys all drive by us. Most people sit on the side towards the rear of the tube in an inflatable or on a seat in a hard dinghy and handle the tiller from there. If there significant other is onboard they either sit in the front on the tube or seat. That is what we do when we go dinghy. Now there are a surprisingly number of individuals, couples or families that have a unique style. There is the Navy Seal secret mission style where they lay completely down in the dinghy floor with only there head showing. I actually saw a family of four doing this one. Dad, mom and two little kids all flat in the bottom. Then there is the Chariots of Fire style where the person stands up towards the front of the dinghy and uses an extension handle to steer. One couple had everyone beat with this style. They were both standing in the front of the dinghy cruising along with there chins held high, Looky us, looky us!! I can't wait to see a nice wave come by and knock them overboard. And of course there is the Look ma, no hands style. That is where they lock the engine so it won't turn, set the tension on the throttle and let it go. I actually saw a man that had combined the Chariots of Fire style and the Look ma, no hands style. He was standing in the front of the dinghy with no control of the outboard motor. He was steering by using his weight to go either left or right. Damn if he wasn't doing a good job at it also. I can just see him in the water and the dinghy heading for never, never land. And last, but not least there is doggie style. No, not that doggie style. You wouldn't believe how many boats have dogs on them. Some have multiple dogs. When the dogs are in the dinghy's they point the way. They are always standing in the bow or hanging over the bow to catch everything that is coming their way.

Well, so much for observations at the mooring field. Honey, what do you want for dinner tonight?

Florida Sea Grass

Florida is very proud of their sea weed, uh, I mean sea grass. So proud in fact that they value it above human life. There is a patch of sea grass just to the north of us. It is below the surface about 2 feet when the tide is at high tide and it is exposed when the tide is at low tide. The other day a Hunter 29.5 sailboat crewed by an older couple ran aground on the sea grass. The tide was up so it wasn't visible except by the color of the water. There are buoys marking the area and the helmsman did not heed the buoys. They were hard aground and could not back off. A couple in a hard dinghy came by and was using their dinghy to try and push the sailboat out to deeper water. At this time the harbor master comes out in a boat and we thought he was going to lend a hand to tow them off. But, no. All he did was yell at them and tell them they could be fined for being on the sea grass. In fact people have been fined tens of thousands of dollars for messing with the sea grass. It didn't appear the harbor master cared one bit about the boat or the couple on board.

Here are a few photos of the sea grass at low tide. When the wind is from the north we get a very strong odor that about chokes the breath out of you. Imagine filling a plastic bag with seaweed, dead rotting fish and putrid water. Now stick your head in the bag, close around your neck and take a deep breath. That is what it is like.

If you are coming to Florida, beware of the sea grass.

View from the boat in Marathon

Here are a few photos taken from the boat in Marathon. We are on a mooring ball pretty close to the marina.

You can click on a photo to enlarge it.

This is what the mooring ball looks like. It is a big plastic float that has a line running to a auger that is stuck in the bottom. It has a pennant with an eye that we put a line thru and attach to our forward cleats.












This is a view to the east. The mooring field goes for about a half mile in that direction. There are 255 mooring balls total and there are boats on everyone of them.









Looking west.









This is looking to the north at the marina. This is where we go in our dinghy to get to shore. They have two large areas to park the dinghy. There are also restrooms, showers and a laundry room available.

Some notes on our trip so far.

When we left Mobile Alabama it was cold for the time of year. That had been our experience the entire time we were in Mobile. We titled our trip leg to Panama City the "Freeze your buns off sail". The route down the Mobile ship channel was very easy. We only encountered two ships the entire 25 miles. When we sailed in Galveston Bay the ship traffic was much heavier. Once we reached Dauphin Island and the entrance to Mobile Bay we saw a whole bunch of oil platforms. They are not marked on the charts but stick out and are easily avoided. A person we met in Mobile that had left before us called to tell us about them and said you would have to be a moron to run into them, even at night. We had some dolphin visits in the bay. It seems like they are coming up next to the boat to look at the people. They are as interested in us as we are them.

On the course to Panama City we sailed mostly at night. The sky was as clear as can be and we could see stars all the way down to the horizon. They were so bright that you had to keep looking at them to make sure it wasn't another boat or ship. We were traveling from about 10-25 miles off the coast. Most of the way we could see lights on shore from the radio towers. When we passed Pensacola we could clearly see the Pensacola light flashing. In the morning as we approached Panama City we could see the highrise condos from about 16 miles out. They look so close but it still took another 3 hours for us to get there. The pass into Panama City was an easy one to transit, well marked with plenty of depth. The Panama City marina was very easy to get into. The restrooms and showers were very clean, it was upscale compared to the bathroom and showers at Turner Marine in Mobile.

On the trip leg to Clearwater the winds were mostly behind us and the seas were making the boat roll from side to side. No one got sick or even a little queasy but you had to plan your moves between the rolling. The first night out I was on watch from midnight to 4 AM. I was watching a couple of fishing boats off the port side to keep track of where they were going. I looked forward and there was a bright yellow light right in from of the bow. My heart really started to race, in other words it scared the crap out of me. there are huge yellow weather buoys out there and I knew there was one on our route. I looked through the binoculars but still couldn't make out what it was and it was getting bigger. I turned off the auto pilot and started taking evasive action. That's when I realized it was the moon cresting. I just sat there and laughed, what a relief. The next night I checked the Garmin to see when the moon rose and when it came up I was happy to see it.

We could see the lights from Clearwater from about 25 miles off. Sandy said she kept seeing this huge string of lights but could not figure out what it was. It turned out to be the Clearwater Causeway bridge. We were headed right for it which was a good thing because we had to go under it to get to the Clearwater marina. The Clearwater inlet was also very easy to enter and has a well marked channel all the way to the marina. We were in Clearwater for a week and walked around to see the sights. The beach was beautiful and crowded with spring breakers. Dale especially liked the hard bodies. Can't say that I minded them either! We ate the local grouper catch at a seafood restaurant right on the beach. The weekend after David arrived there was a huge beach volleyball tournament going on. There were at least 100 volleyball nets set up. The prize money for first place was $5000.

One the way to Marathon the wind was also from behind but we were able to sail 95% of the way. The boat motion was very rolly at some points. We had many more dolphin visits on this leg. We traveled from 15-20 miles offshore. There are lots of shoaling down around Marco Island and Cape Sable and we wanted to be sure and miss that tour. We crossed Florida Bay at night and had to be right on our navigation course to miss several shoaling area that come to within 2 feet of the surface. The wind wasn't giving us much speed if we kept on our course so we motored for about 7 hours. When daylight arrived it was raining but the visibility was still good so we didn't have any problem picking out the buoys. If it wasn't for the rope in the prop incident it would have been a good, but rolly, passage.

We spent a couple of nights on the sea wall at the Marathon City marina. David was supposed to leave on Friday the 19th but his father went into the hospital with heart problems on Thursday morning. He was able to change he flight arrangements and fly out that afternoon. Dale had to catch a shuttle to the Miami airport at 3:30 AM on Friday morning for a 7:00 AM flight.

We moved off the seawall and onto a mooring buoy Friday around noon. We are pretty close to the dinghy dock so it isn't a long dinghy ride. Some of the boats on moorings are up to a half mile away. We will be relaxing and exploring here for at least a month. We have to be north of Morehead City, NC by June 30th to satisfy our insurance requirements of being out of the hurricane zone during hurricane season.

Passage to Marathon in the Florida Keys

We left Clearwater on Monday the 15th around 11 AM and headed south to Marathon. It is located on Vaca Key in the middle keys. The winds were around 15-20 knots and the seas running 5-7 feet. The wind was from astern and we were rockin and rollin. The total trip time was 50 hours and we covered 243 nautical miles. We had good winds most of the way ranging from 10-20 knots. There were dolphins all along the route that breached next to the boat and played in the bow wave. There was an especially large pod when we were about 16 miles west of Marco Island that stayed with us for over an hour.

We crossed Florida Bay at night. The depths ranged from 7-30 feet and there are shoals everywhere one you get close to the Keys. The Garmin chartplotter and radar worked great showing us the way and allowing us to see fishing vessels and buoys at night. The auto pilot, with the new fluxgate compass, steered most of the way.

We were about to celebrate our passage just outside the entrance to Boot Key harbor, where Marathon is located, when our prop got fouled with a huge wad of poly line. It was probably from a crab pot that wasn't marked with a buoy. The engine died almost right away. We new something was in the prop from a prior experience with a line getting wrapped around the prop. We dropped the anchor right away. I donned my wet suit and snorkeling gear and went in for a look. That is when I first saw the wrapped prop. I had my dive knife with me and began the task of cutting it loose. That took me about 10 or so dives down to it. Once I was back aboard we raised anchor and entered the harbor where we are now tied up to the sea wall waiting for a mooring to become available.

Dale and David were great to have onboard and a big help in handling the boat. Going for 50 hours with 4 crew was tiring enough. With only two it would be tough. A lot of people do it though. Dale and David leave Friday to head home to Texas.

I have some photos and a short video of the dolphins that I will post later. We will be here for awhile exploring the keys before heading north to the Chesapeake Bay.