Velcro Beach

December 20 - 26, 2012 Thursday - Wednesday

People call it "Velcro" Beach because (they say), once you visit here, you never leave, (Vero Beach that is).  It did not take us long to understand why.  Suzanne fell in love with Vero Beach.  It will take a lot to pull her away.  Everything is here and accessible.  The city has a free bus service that will take us anywhere, and it stops right at the marina!  Parks, bike trails. easy access to the beach and shopping, are all accessible by bike, walking or bus.  The city is not built up, only 2 high rise condominiums, with a strict building code that will not let others be constructed.  The arts are plentiful with live theater, fine art shops, art festivals in the park and a beautiful art museum.  The marina has a friendly, helpful live aboard community.  Banyan trees cover the marina grounds.    We can get out to the Atlantic Ocean from Fort Pierce just south of Vero Beach, and it is only 60 miles to the Bahamas from there.  We were blessed with the hospitality and help of friends Bob and Carol Peterson who reside in Vero Beach.  They gave us the grand tour and helped us with just about everything we needed.
We were able to get our new raw water pump shipped in one day.  The marina diver, Peter Brocker, helped us install the pump.
This extended stay in Vero Beach was a good opportunity for getting a few more maintenance items done.  We decided to change the fuel filters.   Unknown to us (not in our boat owners manual), there was a (missed) fuel shut off valve.  While Terry was changing the Racor filter, the diesel was siphoning to an area where he could not see it.  The diesel spilled into the engine pan, then into some difficult areas under the floor boards where we could not reach without challenging yoga postures.  To make a long story short, all of Christmas Eve, and into Christmas Day, we were cleaning up diesel fuel. We will definitely  remember this Christmas! We will also remember the fuel shut off!!  "Fool me once..... fool me twice".....NOT!
Christmas day, the marina had a potluck. All of the cruisers contributed food items.  It was a treat not to have to prepare a big meal, and everyone did their own clean up.  After our early dinner, we walked to the beach with friends Tutty and Muriel, SV "Mistress".  Muriel was determined to go swimming in the Atlantic on Christmas day, well sort of (see photo).  We all went to the Vero Beach Tiki Bar and had a toast to Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Vero Beach Farmers Market, there is a violinist here serenading the shoppers

Vero Beach

ICW from a Vero Beach bridge

Vero Beach mooring field and marina

Things to do in Vero Beach

Artistic turtles in the city, sea turtles breed here starting in March

Beach scene at sunset

Successful hunt, flounder at the tip of his beak

Potluck line up

Muriel's attempt at an Atlantic dip on Christmas day

Beach bar break

Titusville to Vero Beach

December 16 -18, 2012 Monday - Wednesday

Still moving....reached Titusville on Monday, a nice marina and town.  We were in tank tops and shorts.  It was so warm we had our hatches open all night and slept in the night air - what a joy.  We were in the Mosquito Lagoon of the ICW and with it, what else, mosquitoes. We had not seen a mosquito for a long time!
Tuesday morning, before we shoved off for Eau Gallie, Terry was washing the salt off "Chasseur".  The dock faucet leaked water and was dripping through the dock boards.  Within minutes manatees were swarming, taking on as much water as they could.  One rolled on his back with fins up and mouth open letting the water fall into his mouth, a very experienced mammal (see photo).  Manatees not only love fresh water, they require it for osmoregulation.  They are like camels and can store it.   They are salt water mammals, but they will swim to wherever they can to get fresh water and then go on their merry way.
Manatees can measure up to 13 feet long and weigh as much as 1300 pounds.  They are generally herbivores.  These mammals spend half their day sleeping, surfacing for air about every 20 minutes.  The rest of the day they graze in shallow water eating up to 10% of their body weight.  They are intelligent and capable of understanding discrimination tasks, show signs of complex associated learning and  have advanced long term memory.   Manatees taste and smell, and communicate via sight, sound, and touch.  Incredible creatures! It is so sad that man is a threat to them.  They "hear" on a higher frequency.  Many large boats emit very low frequencies which confuse them and they become unaware of boats near them.  They are often injured by the prop of boats.  Large ships have cut them in half.
We arrived in Vero Beach on Wednesday afternoon.  We will be here for about a week to include Christmas.

Manatees under dock gorging on water

Another wreck , another story, derelict boats abound in Florida waters

Florida tomato, red and firm, best tomato we have seen in a very long time

Daytona Beach, FL

December 15 - 16, 2012 Saturday - Sunday

What a treat it was as we tied up to the gas dock at the Halifax Harbor Marina, a very friendly manatee followed us up to the dock (see photos).  Suzanne was able to bend over the dock and pet his "slimy" snout.  It was a WARM day!  We have been dreaming of warm, sunny days for a long time.  We can feel the difference every mile we travel further south.  The marina had a Christmas boat parade.  Some boats had very elaborate music pulsating lights.
We are still taking on "raw' water, more than we want to.  We will be in Vero Beach by mid week and have plans to have the raw water pump repaired.   This will be a good time to hire a diver to clean the bottom, check the sacrificial zinc anodes and get our knot meter working again as well.   If we are still in Vero Beach at Christmas, that will be our Christmas stop.
Sunday we transitted to New Smyrna Beach.  Monday we will be in Titusville, Tuesday in Eau Gallie, then onto Vero Beach.

Daytona bridge supports, elaborate decor, beautifully tiled

Our manatee friend 

Lead boat of the parade, with pulsated lights and music,
the lighted dolphins on the beam moved rapidly as if swimming toward the bow.

Pirate Christmas sailboat, had live music,
docked one T dock away from us and entertained the marina well into the evening

On our way to New Smyrna Beach, Ponce Inlet Lighthouse

Pelicans waiting for a free dinner, see below

Being fed by restaurant on shore

St. Augustine

December  10 - 14, 2012 Monday - Friday

Last year we visited St. Augustine by car.  We visited the Municipal Marina to talk with the Dock master and check out their facilities.  We went to the St. Augustine Fort and looked out on the harbor, trying to imagine ourselves arriving here by boat.  Well, here we were, bringing "Chasseur" into the harbor,  hard to believe we actually did it.  "Chasseur's" crew took a mooring ball, and hightailed into town for a walk down St. George Street.  We had planned only to stay over night since we have visited St. Augustine twice over the last 2 years.  We had some rain and high winds, but still had planned to move a little farther south for a visit with friends Duke and Ali Wellington.  We woke to more rain and wind Wednesday morning, but not enough to stop us.  As we rounded the mooring field, Terry called ahead to Marineland Marina just 17 nm south and doubled checked with the Dock master about their tide.  We had been getting conflicting and confusing information on their tide table.  The Dock master said we should wait. At high tide, it was only 8 feet in their channel (5 ft. at low), and we would not be making the channel at a good time.  We turned back and picked up the mooring ball for another night.  We left earlier Thursday morning, with the wind gusting 20 - 25+ kts from the north and the current swift, we were pushed down to Marineland in 2 hours with plenty of water waiting for us in the basin.
Before we reached the marina, we passed Duke and Ali's beautiful home on the ICW between markers red 68 and 70.  We radioed ahead to let them know we were close, and there they were waiting for us in their pajamas on the deck as we cruised by.  Terry blew his bugle to announce our arrival.
Duke and Ali picked us up from "Chasseur", and we had a lovely visit for 2 nights with them.  Ali prepared a delicious flounder dinner for Suzanne's birthday on Friday.  We enjoyed our visit.

"Great White Pelicans" on the shore of the ICW,
 never seen these before

Another ICW mishap

St. Augustine inlet, Atlantic in the distance

St. Augustine Lighthouse

Approaching the town of St. Augustine

St. Augustine Fort, from the water this time

"Chasseur" moored in the St. Augustine Harbor

St. George Street

Oldest Public space in America, 1573

Current at the docks

Dock friend

A close encounter on the ICW 

Cruising by Duke and Ali's house,
Duke wide armed in pajamas on top deck

FLORIDA!!!!!

December 6-9, 2012 Thursday - Sunday

Thursday was a big day for us...we crossed the border into Florida waters!!!  We were celebratory!    A mass email was sent out to friends and family as we entered Florida.  The response was overwhelming...Thank you to all.  We arrived at Fernandina Harbor Marina in the early afternoon, tied up at the dock and watched a monster roll into the harbor...FOG, dense fog.  We just made it!
We spent the rest of the day planning our next weeks travel, making reservations and studying what new challenges were ahead.  Feeling smug that we had a great plan for the week we took off by foot to explore lovely, historic Amelia Island.  The shops were staying open later into the evening to encourage Christmas shopping.  The streets were lighted beautifully and Carolers were roaming the street.  It was a charming evening.  We caught up with fellow sailors that we had met earlier in the Welland Canal, Jerry and Sonja on SV "Spirit Healer".  They have had a great adventure that included the St. Lawerence Route, Nova Scotia and northern eastern seaboard.  They were surprised that we were not further ahead of them.
We woke with great anticipation to continue our travels into Florida.  Here we go again......Mother Nature had changed our plans.....FOG.  It did not lift until well past our tide table window had closed.  Oh shucks....we were stuck on Amelia Island!   Terry took this opportunity to get the dinghy motor carburetor cleaned up.  Suzanne went shopping in town with Tutty and Muriel and a walk to see Fernandina Beach.
Saturday would be our day.......see FOG photo below.   The fog was so bad we could barely see the boats moored in the harbor... Welcome to the Sunny State of Florida.
We were "socked in" with fog for 4 days.  Every morning we woke with hopes of moving only to find more fog.  The day would clear up, but it had been too late for us to get to our next stop that required us to approach at high tide.  We spent our time enjoying Amelia Island Christmas festivities.  There was an evening Christmas parade, shops had a wine and cheese open house, carolers and Santa, of course.

U.S.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Base, on the ICW

Protectors of the nuclear submarine which is just tucked away behind them. As we passed "Black Powder" we had a good view of the submarine.  But there was a security boat that "escorted" us very closely until we were well past the submarine.  

Crossing the border

Clinch Fort, Fernandina Beach

Carolers in town

Saturday morning fog...our newest weather companion

Conquering Jekyll Creek

December 5, 2012 Wednesday

The last shallow to conquer in Georgia was Jekyll Creek.  It can be the shallowest, 1 foot at mean low tide.  We did not depart St. Simons Island until we were sure that we would approach at rising high tide.  For the record...Georgian tide tables can have as much as a 9 foot tide differential.  As long as we have been willing to wait for tides and not get frustrated with short trips we have been able to get through Georgia without incident, and so it was with Jekyll Creek.  This leg also included crossing the St. Andrew Sound that led us part way through the inlet to the Atlantic, then turning us back into the ICW.  The Sound was calm.  We approached Cumberland Island on our port with great anticipation that we would see the famous wild horses that roam the shore.....no horses for us : (.   We dropped our anchor in Brickhill River adjacent to the Cumberland Island National Park, as we motored up the river we came upon several pink flamingos on the shore.  This is our last night in Georgia.  We loved the natural, undisturbed beauty of Georgia.   Thursday we would be in Florida!!!!! (Getting  us closer to our winter "hideaway" at Boot Key Harbor, in Marathon Key.)

Our companion in the St. Simons Sound

Enter "Jekyll Creek"

Some people don't obey the rules, Sign says "Keep Off"

Cumberland Island shoreline on ICW

Green marker 29A, not so green, white washed by fine feather friends,
this marker guided us out toward Atlantic in the St. Andrew Sound

Pink Flamingos on the shore of Cumberland Island National Park
where we anchored for the night