Happy Thanksgiving to all! I'm cooking a turkey and fixin's on the boat tomorrow. We'll be at anchor again, so no internet.
A decision has been made. We are Bahama bound as soon as weather looks right for a Gulf Stream crossing from here. We'll let you know where in the Bahamas as soon as we know. We have had cool mornings and evenings and warm days for a few days. We even broke out the shorts here in North Palm Beach. I now am wondering what to do with all the cold weather clothing we don't have room for on board!
Trying to do all the things necessary for a time on the Islands has become priority. I've been told to shop for as much food and liquor as a boat can handle, as the groceries are limited and not located where cruisers want to stay in the quiet, outlying anchorages. We'll be trying to figure out the way to import family and friends for a visit.
Dan and I have been thinking more and more about fishing, so we needed to recheck our supplies and purchase some new "can't fail" lures. They are beautiful, shiny with big eyes on the front nose part. Some are designed to swim under and some on the surface. Fishing off a sailboat will be a new experience.
We can't wait to be in and under the water. We purchased a Hawaiian Sling and a lobster loop in hopes of fun times and big game-
And I'm sure hoping for water warm enough to be inviting for a snorkle.
Today we stayed at North Palm Beach Marina. Dick Murrey finished the install of our Spectra MPC-5000 watermaker, so we should always have fresh water and plenty of it if all goes well. We had not had trouble with carrying water. Our Island Packet 440 sailboat carries 290 gallons at each fill. When it is warmer more showers and rinsing of our snorkle gear will use more. We had been limiting water used to maintain and clean the boat to only at marinas. Salt water needs to be rinsed off whenever possible.
I'll write more in a few days. It might be from Bahamas!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Vero Beach - November 21, 2008
November 21, 2008 VERO BEACH MOORING FIELD
We are on a mooring at Vero Beach in Central Florida. As I look off my stern I'm ten feet from mangrove type bushes and the field beyond. The field alarms Maggie because it is the dog walking area, and soo close! A short dinghy ride is Riverside bar and Restaurant. The marina- Vero Beach Municipal- is very cruiser friendly and provides bus service to everywhere for a reasonable fee, and moorings are $12 a day. The way things work here is rafting of as many as three boats to one mooring is expected. It seems safe enough in this creek to do that, and we are rafted, carrying another boat our size. It makes for new socializations and has been fun. We will move on toward Rivira Beach and commission our water maker on Wednesday. A water maker is a machine that makes fresh water so we do not have to find harbors to fill the water tank for drinking and cooking. A necessary upgrade for safer water, we think.
Some highlights have been watching the Space Shuttle go off last Thursday- a bright explosion of light followed by a long bright streak for about a full minute- wonderful! We were anchored in St. Augustine at the time, South of the Bridge of Lions, and yes we did twist our two anchors together! We will consider long and hard about the use of two anchors as we could not move the boat even in an emergency, unless we had untwisted the rode of the second anchor, first.
The Intracoastal Waterway has provided us with lots to see and the depths have been fine. Every day we travel there are dolphins, we saw a manatee and the bird life is spectacular; diving pelicans, white pelicans, osprey, a Bald Eagle, egrets, Woodstork. Seeing those things breaks up the intensity of staring at the red and green markers in the narrow channels. We have stopped at St. Augustine, Daytona Beach anchorage, Titusville, Eau Galle at a lovely park by marker 11, and now have spent two nights on mooring at Vero- whoops I mean VELCRO Beach. Vero is called velcro by cruisers because many just stay at this friendly, accomodating mooring field as long as possible! Some others such as Danand I used the busses to restock and are ready to move on. Also it is too cold for any beaching.
We are on a mooring at Vero Beach in Central Florida. As I look off my stern I'm ten feet from mangrove type bushes and the field beyond. The field alarms Maggie because it is the dog walking area, and soo close! A short dinghy ride is Riverside bar and Restaurant. The marina- Vero Beach Municipal- is very cruiser friendly and provides bus service to everywhere for a reasonable fee, and moorings are $12 a day. The way things work here is rafting of as many as three boats to one mooring is expected. It seems safe enough in this creek to do that, and we are rafted, carrying another boat our size. It makes for new socializations and has been fun. We will move on toward Rivira Beach and commission our water maker on Wednesday. A water maker is a machine that makes fresh water so we do not have to find harbors to fill the water tank for drinking and cooking. A necessary upgrade for safer water, we think.
Some highlights have been watching the Space Shuttle go off last Thursday- a bright explosion of light followed by a long bright streak for about a full minute- wonderful! We were anchored in St. Augustine at the time, South of the Bridge of Lions, and yes we did twist our two anchors together! We will consider long and hard about the use of two anchors as we could not move the boat even in an emergency, unless we had untwisted the rode of the second anchor, first.
The Intracoastal Waterway has provided us with lots to see and the depths have been fine. Every day we travel there are dolphins, we saw a manatee and the bird life is spectacular; diving pelicans, white pelicans, osprey, a Bald Eagle, egrets, Woodstork. Seeing those things breaks up the intensity of staring at the red and green markers in the narrow channels. We have stopped at St. Augustine, Daytona Beach anchorage, Titusville, Eau Galle at a lovely park by marker 11, and now have spent two nights on mooring at Vero- whoops I mean VELCRO Beach. Vero is called velcro by cruisers because many just stay at this friendly, accomodating mooring field as long as possible! Some others such as Danand I used the busses to restock and are ready to move on. Also it is too cold for any beaching.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Saint Augustine Harbor- November 14, 2008- Friday evening
Hi Readers,
I have had very limited access to internet and I previously wanted the blog to be in order by sequence of where our visits have been since late June 2008. I've found it too difficult to post regularly, so I will post when I can from now on and add pictures as soon as I can.
FLORIDA
Hooray for the warmth of Florida. Dan and I have loved all the places we have been- but as many of you have heard from us we have been cold for a long time! For anyone just stumbling upon this blog, Dan and Kathy Chevalier retired in 2008. Our first leg of an undetermined trip was to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. There are some blog entries about those travels. Check 2008.
The next leg of the trip brought us back to the East Coast and we have traveled along the coast since early September 2008 using the intracoastal waterway and a few hops into the Atlantic along the way.
Our current position is St. Augustine, FL on the east coast. We are anchored south of the Bridge of Lions in 15kn wind and often opposing current. Today was lovely and warm from early morning until now as I sit in the cockpit writing. What I see is the lights of the city and Anastasi Island ringing us. There are probably fifty cruising boats here and a few that look like permanent fixtures-old and deteriorating.
We were cautioned our first night that two anchors, bow and stern were needed in here to keep the boat from dragging at the changing tides, and we have done that although we worry about our two anchors fouling. Wish us luck!
So what is next? We plan to spend tomorrow, Saturday, in St. Augustine ashore sightseeing.
I have had very limited access to internet and I previously wanted the blog to be in order by sequence of where our visits have been since late June 2008. I've found it too difficult to post regularly, so I will post when I can from now on and add pictures as soon as I can.
FLORIDA
Hooray for the warmth of Florida. Dan and I have loved all the places we have been- but as many of you have heard from us we have been cold for a long time! For anyone just stumbling upon this blog, Dan and Kathy Chevalier retired in 2008. Our first leg of an undetermined trip was to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. There are some blog entries about those travels. Check 2008.
The next leg of the trip brought us back to the East Coast and we have traveled along the coast since early September 2008 using the intracoastal waterway and a few hops into the Atlantic along the way.
Our current position is St. Augustine, FL on the east coast. We are anchored south of the Bridge of Lions in 15kn wind and often opposing current. Today was lovely and warm from early morning until now as I sit in the cockpit writing. What I see is the lights of the city and Anastasi Island ringing us. There are probably fifty cruising boats here and a few that look like permanent fixtures-old and deteriorating.
We were cautioned our first night that two anchors, bow and stern were needed in here to keep the boat from dragging at the changing tides, and we have done that although we worry about our two anchors fouling. Wish us luck!
So what is next? We plan to spend tomorrow, Saturday, in St. Augustine ashore sightseeing.
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