STUART, FL
St. Lucie Cut

Tim's suffering with a headcold, so we slept in until 0700 this morning.  Sausage and bagels for breakfast and a 0800 departure.  35 miles to go today, but a parts stop midway through the day at Ft Pierce.  Harbortown Marina is there.  We stayed there last year and there is a West Marine and a Publix grocery store within walking distance.  Tim needed to get a couple of items and I picked up a few groceries.  If I had stock in West Marine, I would give them some advice on how they run their business.  They definitely need to upgrade their inventory procedures.  They need some help.  At least, the Ft Pierce store does. 
Our first lizard sighting this year.  He was angry at me because he kept flaring his neck at me.

We also took advantage of the marina restaurant for lunch.  Here we are headed back to the boat.  Tim had the new fuel sensor installed shortly thereafter and we were underway again.  We have a fuel sensor to return to Garmin, since it was purchased not long ago and is defective.

These two fisherman were standing on a sandbar.  The nearest shore they would have had to walk from was approximately 300+ feet away. 

 Joe spotted this pair of barges.  The one in the rear has several grass huts on it and a standard radar.  We still don't know what it is used for. Quite interesting.

I had to take a picture of the beautiful blue-green water for Jessica.  It's her favorite. 
Somewhere around this area, Tim was 'sunning' out on the dinghy on the bow.  He noticed 5 dolphin playing near the boat. They swam over and led the boat for about 5 minutes.  No pictures or video, but amazing nonetheless.  We've had such fun with them the past 2 days!!

How the 'poor' people live.  We saw many, many, many of these types of homes once we turned west into the St. Lucie cut.

Upon arrival at Loggerhead Marina, we met our neighbors for the evening.  This little girl's name is Port.

Her brother's name is Starboard, Star for short.  They were both rescued on the road by the boat owner's friend.

We went up for supper and this gentleman was entertaining the happy hour crowd at the lounge.  He was quite good!

 My yummy supper.

 The Roosevelt Bridge just west of the marina.  It is truly beautiful at night.

The main entrance to the marina. They recently changed their name and haven't changed the signage yet.

We  have about 75 miles to go tomorrow, which includes 3 locks.  The Captain says we will have a 0630 departure.  I'm hoping we'll get to watch the last episode of Downton Abbey, Season 1. :)
Until tomorrow......

VERO BEACH
Amazing dolphin encounter!!

Remembering that we had 72 miles to go today, we were up and on the way by 0645.  Once we got all the ropes off the boat, that is...  (inside joke)  We watched 3 episodes of Downton Abbey last night.  The guys are really getting into it!  We're 5 shows into Season One.  I REALLY don't like Ms. O'Brien or Thomas!!
The weather was cloudy most of the day.  Sprinkled a few times.   The picture below is only about half of the column of birds that were congregated on a submerged sandbar. 

 This picture, and the one below were from yesterday and just arrived today.  The Captain was washing the grime off the boat.  We are really anxious to get to a place where we have a couple of days and good weather to really give Maggie a good scrubbing/waxing. 

 This was taken while underway.  Tim is waxing the 'nose' of the boat.

The neatest, most amazing thing happened to us just a little before 3, this afternoon.  We were about 10 miles north of Vero Beach when 3 dolphins came alongside the boat.  I was at the helm, and the guys stood and watched in amazement as the dolphin rode our wake.  I suggested they get a video and Tim said I should get up and watch and let him drive.  I captured about 4 minutes of video and posted it on my Facebook page.  I couldn't get it to load on here, but may try a couple of other things.  After I stopped recording, they stayed with the boat another 4-5 minutes.  It appeared that what we thought was the mother and the calf dropped back and the bigger male (?) stayed with us.  Then another one joined him.  It was truly amazing and probably one of the neatest things we've seen on our adventures so far.
We arrived at Vero Beach about 4.  The guys cut the mounting post for the helm chair down a bit. They also got it leveled.  Ever since it was installed awhile back there was a slight lean to the right that drove some of us (me) crazy.  After the post was hacksawed off, there were lots of little metal clippings laying around.  Joe was inspired and got busy with the vacuum.  Cleaned the whole upper and aft decks!!  Yay!  They also started the installation of the swim platform undermount ladder, but had to stop, needing additional parts.
Tomorrow takes us to Stuart, FL.  About 32 miles.  It's where we take a turn to the west and cut across the state.  It will be all new for us!

That's about all from here.  More tomorrow.....

TITUSVILLE, FL
Home of a bazillion manatee :)

I have a feeling Downton Abbey is going to be good!! (Not sure how the men feel about it ;)).
From Daytona Beach to Titusville is only about 40 miles, so the Captain decided we could sleep in today.  Up around 7:30.... The Laydens anyway.  Joe gets up early most every morning and has the coffee hot and ready by the time I stumble into the galley. THANKS JOE!!! We had done some grocery shopping in Jacksonville and there were a couple of meat items that needed to be cooked before they went bad.  SO.....we had pork chops and eggs for breakfast. Yum. Also fried up the hamburger, which is now simmering as spaghetti sauce as I type this. 
The guys checked for more fresh water leaks from the front fresh water fill.  You see, we have a front bilge (under Joe's bed) that every couple of days has to be turned on.  It's not automatic.  Anyway, every couple of days we get enough fresh water out of it to investigate further.  But, there was no leaking while filling the tanks this morning.  Now that that's been ruled out, they can try the next thing.
We finally got underway at 0845.  The skys were cloudy but the seas were very calm.  Below is the first manatee sighting for this leg of the trip. Hard to see. Speaking of hard to see, let me apologize for the quality of the pictures posted yesterday. Somehow, I changed a setting on my iphone and all the pictures I took yesterday were sepia. Ugh.

 This guy was airing out his wings. You'd be surprised how often you see birds sitting this way.  We think this is a merganser duck.  They are entertaining creatures.  We'll be traveling along and up they pop from underneath the water.  They aren't very social and fly off when we get close.

 Here are a bunch of them.  The reason I took the picture was for the sign, which warns boaters of the manatee.  The guys saw lots of them today.

 This is a picture taken through the front site of my binculars. I got it lined up and then Tim pressed the button on my iphone.  It's the launch pad for the space shuttle.  Not sure how much it gets used anymore.  Thanks, Mr. President.....

 Just a pretty shot on a very short, very narrow cut.  Joe always seems to be driving when we come across these areas. Hmmm.....

 A railroad bridge just short of Titusville.  It's only closed when in use and that's not very often.

 When we arrived at the Titusville Municipal Marina, the Captain expertly backed us into our slip, in spite of the strong, portside wind.  One marina employee and 2 other boaters were there to assist.  Since we were tied up on the port side, which as you may recall is Joe's side, Joe got busy washing down the boat.  Tim got busy sanding off the decal for the last hailing port that was on the boat. He was successful and then installed the new decal which says PERRY, KS.  It was raining most of the time they were working on the boat, so I don't have a picture, but will get one soon.
Below are a couple of manatee that are drinking from the dripping hose.  Ugly things, but really cool to watch.
OK, the guys may be getting hungry, so I need to get some noodles boiled and garlic bread made.  I'm hoping we get to watch some more Downton Abbey tonight!!
Until tomorrow......

DAYTONA BEACH, FL

Not much change in our daily morning routine.  No hot breakfast this morning because we wanted to get underway.  Successful at 0800.  The forecast called for a great day, weather-wise and it pretty much proved to be true.  Today was the first day that some of us wore shorts.  Also, the first day to have all the bridge windows open.  Below is Tim filling up the dinghy.  It has a very slow leak and periodically requires a refill.

The Captain likes getting his sun and was able to catch a few rays this afternoon.

Since I gained 7 pounds during our last excursion, I decided to try and get a little exercise each day.  Thankfully, Ramona, our exercise leader at the YWCA let me borrow a 60 minute workout CD, and although a little cramped, the aft deck provides adequate space.

Sleeping pelican under the bridge.

More pelicans.

 There was this old, unusal boat along the intracostal.  It had a wheelchair on back. Who knows if it ever moves. Maybe just a fishing platform.


 Midway through my afternoon 1 hour shift a really nice Carver 396 appeared behind us.  It followed within 1/2 mile for quite some time.  As soon as I turned the helm over to Joe, the Carver decided to pass.  She hailed Joe on the radio wanting to pass.  He slowed to a crawl and she finally sped up and got by us. (Tim noticed there was a for sale sign on the boat and thus assumed that she was taking the boat out for a sea trial/test drive.)  Several times while in front of us she slowed way down, steered left and right, slowed down again, left and right again, etc.  One time as she maneuvered out of the channel, Joe was so mesmerized that he followed her out of the channel, only to be chastized by the Captain.  We had to pass under the bridge (below) and again she powered back to a crawl.  We noticed a large vessel approaching so Joe had to try and hurry her up so we could get through. Shortly after getting through the bridge, she completely stopped the boat, turned the engines off and drifted over to the right.  Tim told Joe to go to neutral to see if they possibly needed assistance.  The man who, we all assumed, was the boat broker came down to the swim platform, got down on his knees on the port side and appeared to be looking at the exhaust.  He then repeated this on the starboard side.  He then headed back up to the bridge, the engines fired and away they went.  She did call and say 'Thank you Maggie Mae. We needed to check something out'.  Our turnoff for the marina was just a little bit further and as we turned in we bid them fond farewell.  SMH :)

 The large vessel that was bearing down on the bridge. 

 

Another fixer-upper just before Daytona Beach.

We are staying at Adventure Yacht Harbor.  We stayed here last June on our way up the coast. 

When we pulled into the marina, the Dockmaster, Jim, told the guys that it had been a very bad/long day.  Apparently one of his yearly boat slip owners fell off his boat yesterday and drowned.  Not good.  Jim helped the guys get the boat tied up, pumped out and went on his way. Too bad.



They have a small restaurant, called Boondocks, that is very popular with the locals. We're thankful that most of the Daytona 500 traffic departed yesterday, so our wait for supper was very short. 

Once we returned to the boat, Tim climbed down in the engine compartment to repair a small fresh water leak that popped up yesterday.  Joe let Tim do it, claiming something about being 'too full from dinner to get down there'.

Before we retire for the evening, we're going to begin watching Season 1 of Downton Abbey.  None of us have ever seen it, so we're looking forward to it.  Tomorrow we plan on making it to Titusville, and weather permitting hope to get busy doing some cleaning on the outside of the boat.  It's also the place where there were SO many manatee in the water.  Hoping the water is warm enough for them to be there.

P.S. Joe is our official boat 'waver'....

Until tomorrow.....

ST. AUGUSTINE
How nice to see you again......

We were up at 0630, full breakfast of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, toast, coffee and orange juice by 0730, and underway by 0821.  The bridge below is the Ortega River Bridge, with a clearance of 9'.  It is a 1920s-vintage classic and is the most frequently opened draw-bridge in Florida, with about 15,000 openings per year.  The water was very calm this morning, making for a nice picture.  If you look closely you will see the buildings of Jacksonville in the background, amongst the fog.

 The railroad bridge, pictured below is normally open, unless in use.  When we approached this morning it was just being raised. A closer look at Jacksonville from the St John's River.

 One of the many interesting things we see while traveling America's river systems, is crab fishermen checking their traps.  Usually there is only 1 person on board and it's amazing how quickly he/she pulls the trap, checks the contents, and drops another trap in it's place.  There are usually 10-20 pelicans tagging along, hoping to get any of the unwanted trap contents that the fisherman throws their way.  Some are even so lazy that they ride on the back of the boat.

 This is one of six bridges we passed under on our way to St. Augustine today.  We had to share space with a tug boat coming under this one.

 Below is the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, built in 1672.  It is the oldest masonry fort in America, in the oldest city in America. 

 Just down the Intracostal Waterway from the fort is the St Augustine Municipal Marina, also know as the City Marina.  As we approached we saw the wonderful ship pictured below.  It is the El Galeon and is an exact replica of a ship that traveled the coasts of FL between the 16th and 18th centuries. The galleon was a large armed vessel used in transoceanic trade.  Pedro Menendez, founder of St. Augustine, along with Alvaro de Bazan, is credited with developing the galleon prototype. The El Galeon is a 170 foot, 495 ton authentic wooden replica of a Spanish galleon.  It is owned and operated by a company in Seville, Spain and is 'wintering' in St Augustine.  The folks at the City Marina are hoping that the ship returns next year to participate in the 450 year anniversary celebration of the city of St. Augustine.  It is an amazing vessel.

 Now, our old boat, good old Ju-Li IV required a bridge clearance of 18'.  Maggie Mae needs a minimum of 22'.  There are several ways to determine bridge clearance.  The cruising guides give a (mostly) up to date measurement and each bridge (usually) has a measurement guide located on the lower right approaching wall, consisting of large black numbers painted on a white background.  As the water rises and lowers the appropriate numbers are visible for reference. The book said the bridge below had a 25' clearance.  Now that's all well and good, but as we approach the Captain says, 'can anyone see the height guide numbers?'. We grab our binoculars and see that it appears the clearance at this time is 19'!  Tim grabs his binoculars and reads the small print that says there is an additional 4' of clearance in the middle.  So, as long as you are skilled enough to steer your boat right through the middle, you are OK.  As we pass under, both Joe and I hold our breath as we watch to see if our antennas are going to scrape, but 'psssh', our Captain is good!! No problems!!

The waters here contain some unusual creatures this time of year.  This guy is known as a cannonball jellyfish and so far we have see 4-5 of them.  The marina employee who helped up fill our gas tanks said that they don't usually bother people, but sometimes they get busted up on the shore and people will come out of the water itchy because they brushed up against their body parts.  Ewwww!!!

 This is a picture of the City Marina as we are heading into our slip.

 Jesse (left) and Sam (right) stopped by.  Jesse had to go home, but Sam drove us to her home where her husband John, her mother Fran, and her father, Joe had prepared a wonderful supper for us (once again!). Remember the great time we had last year with them?  They are such wonderful hosts, and always entertaining.

 Here is John cutting up the angelfood cake, for strawberry shortcake.  He made Sam so proud tonight.  John is truly a meat and potatoes man.  He refuses to eat anything green.  Well, tonight he had 2 servings of fresh green beans (4 beans each time!!).  Hey, it's a start!

 Remember last May when we were in The Keys and attending a beach wedding?  Well, Pete and Vickie were able to join us at John and Sam's for dinner.  Here Pete is 'finishing' up the strawberry shortcake.

 And, using the 'big boy' spoon!!

All in all, a very good day on the water.  The seas were calm, we saw 2 more eagles and were fed and entertained by some very good people.  The sun wasn't out much, but we hope to see more and more the farther south we go.
Also, we may have found our aft cabin (K-Mart) bench.  Sam, Vickie and John bird-dogged the internet and it appears they found one in stock in Fort Myers.  My brother, Dave, lives in North Fort Myers and is going to check it out for us.  Hopefully it will be awaiting us when we arrive there in a couple weeks. 
More tomorrow.........................

PROVISIONING, LAUNDRY and (oh, did I mention....) rain!

As is normal, for me anyway, the first night back on the boat is usually a tough night trying to get to sleep.  Don't know if it's the excitement of being back on board, the gentle swaying of the boat, the size of the bed, etc.  As a result, some of us (ahem) didn't arise until 0800.  Joe and I took advantage of the free laundry facilities and washed the boat's bedding.  Sunday must be a very popular day to do laundry.  There were many people vying for 3 machines/dryers.  I was lucky, because Joe got up there first (not the one sleeping in....) and let me know as soon as his washer was done.  I hurried up with our bedding! Thanks Joe!!
The picture below is part of the main Ortega Landing Marina complex.  The pool was a little chilly for us, but the hot tub was perfect!

Part of today's activities included the relocation of the outboard engine mount on the aft deck.  The men tried several locations before finally deciding on the one pictured below. Starboard rear. It is about the only thing remaining on our aft deck, thanks again to Aletha and Rich.  We 'donated' several items (dock box, 2 step folding ladder, a somewhat rusty lounge chair and the aforementioned sewing machine) that they will either keep (ask Aletha in our comments...she may tell you about becoming a chicken magnet) or donate to others.

This picture is a 'panoramic' photo taken our last time down.  We had anchored out somewhere (it's been more than 2 days, you know?....) and the first thing I saw, when coming up from below, was the full moon to the west and the sun rising in the east.  Joe and I stood there, with our coffee and soaked it up.  Even though it was taken through the back eisenglass/screen, it was just too beautiful to pass up.  It may be difficult for you to see the beauty, but trust me, it was pretty awesome! God is good!

OK, another flash from home.  Elisha isn't eating solid food yet, but Pam says he loves to 'share' with his big brother.  Already miss them....

Always smiling, Joe making his bed, after laundry duty this morning. What a great friend!

We spent a couple of hours shopping this morning.  Target, West Marine, Publix.  We're searching for a particular bench seat, made by Suncast to put on the aft deck.  If you happen to see one, and are on our route south to the Keys, let us know.  K-Mart sells them at home, but most of their stores have closed in Florida, we have found out.

There is a rug that covers the aft deck.  It has had an ugly stain on it ever since we bought the boat.  Well, today we loaded it up and took it to the car wash.  Captain Tim did the honors and hopefully when it dries out, we'll have a stain-free rug.  If not, at least it will be clean!!

 Finally! Here's the picture I promised of Rich and Aletha, our Jacksonville angels, taken at dinner tonight. We dined at The Brick.  Thanks, SO MUCH, for all you have done for us.  Without friends like these, it would be difficult to say the least!!

 I guess this is the best place as any to insert a little unknown tidbit about Aletha's childhood.  She told us this little story, very eloquently I might add, while eating lunch yesterday.  Somehow we got on the topic of fried chicken.  It may have been because Saturday at Simply Sara's was 'fried chicken' day. Joe ordered it.  Anyway....while we were eating Aletha said she would 'never, ever eat chicken that had a bone in it!'.  Why, you might ask (I did, anyway).  As it turns out, when she was little and the family was served fried chicken, her portion was 1 chicken leg.  Her father made her eat EVERYTHING that was on that leg and the only, I repeat, ONLY thing that was to be left on her plate was that chicken bone.  And, it had better be dry!  As a result, I believe she hates even being near a chicken bone.  The best part of the story was witnessing Aletha 'tell it', in her humorous way.  What a hoot!!


My salmon (Joe had it too). Very yummy and very fresh.

Rich and Aletha both had baby back ribs. Fall off the bone, tender.

Tim's prime rib! Yum...

 After dinner, a little decaf coffee with dessert (no pictures).  When our server, John, asked Joe if he wanted cream in his coffee, Joe took it literally!  No, really, he said it was slippery :)

 Tim and I shared a very good slice of key lime pie. Don't we look full?

 Joe tried the carrot cake.  Needless to say, we were ALL full when we left the restaurant.

 

Tomorrow we leave for St. Augustine.  The Captain says we head out NLT 0830.  We have to wait for the office to open to return our 'key cards'.  Again, it's about 52 miles and we should arrive mid afternoon.  We have friends there, but are only planning on staying one night.  We want to get SOUTH to warmer waters!! Besides, we have a new under-platform swim ladder to install and you can bet your bottom dollar Captain Tim won't be getting in the water to install it until the water is at least 80 degrees!!  Hopefully, once underway, there will be more official boating news to share with you all.  Until tomorrow........