After leaving No Name we headed for Rodriguez Key near Key Largo. Now heading west along Hawk Channel the main challenge is avoiding lobster pots. They are everywhere! The water is now very blue as we are over a sand bottom.

We arrived at Rodriguez Key and dropped the hook. Mary immediately donned her new wetsuit and snorkel gear and gave it a try. Water temperature is now between 76 and 80 degrees and the water is usually clear. No fish or other sights to see but she seemed to enjoy herself.

The following morning we chose to alter our plans and head for Marathon instead of Islamorada. There was a strong front coming and the anchorages at Islamorada were still questionable in my mind. Turns out it was a good decision.

We made it to Marathon and picked up a mooring. We will stay here at least a month.

The next morning it was dead calm and we were treated to a pod of very playful dolphins. There were 3 or 4 adults and a similar size group of kids. The young ones were rough housing and doing all sorts of jumps out of the water.

We moved closer to Miami Beach and reanchored in order to make a grocery run. After loading everything up we were on our way again. We needed some fuel and a pumpout and hoped to make No Name Harbor before dark. Well, sometimes plans don’t always work out. In a city the size of Miami and with all those boats you would think that services would be everywhere. Not so! It seems Miami Beach Marina allowed someone to tie up at the pump out dock so no one could get in. We headed to Miamarina where we could get a pump out but no fuel. What a disaster this was. Very tight quarters, no dock help and a DIY pump out! The pump required you to walk over to turn it on and then hustle back to the boat to pump. Well a little too much pressure built up and when we turned the ball valve on, Mary and I were covered in %#$*! Mary almost died on the spot and spent quite some time in the shower. I think she has been permanently traumatized!

After that we headed for Marine Stadium to anchor. All in all it took all day to get about 2 miles. Marine Stadium is an old water ski show facility that is been long out of business. The area was a little noisy till after dark but very well protected. We woke the next morning to a manatee slowly swimming by.

We still needed fuel so we headed over to Crandon Park Marina through some unmarked channels. What fun that is! Try to keep the deep appearing water in front of you and try not to panic when the sounder starts to quickly go to shallow. We got our fuel and headed to No Name Harbor, only 2 miles away. This is a very small manmade harbor with a narrow entrance. It is a favorite of those heading to the Bahamas. We managed to find a small space and dropped the hook.

The area is surrounded by a park and we got a chance to explore. Three boats left the next morning to cross over to the Bahamas. We went out a little later and wondered if they had mad the right decision as the wind had picked up and it was quite rough. As it turned out it kept getting rougher so I guess they made the right choice.

If you’re gonna get anywhere, you just have to keep moving, so early the day after Christmas we headed to Miami on the outside. No way was I going to spend another day in the ditch with a million more bridges and boats to deal with.

Seas 2 to 4 feet met us as we exited the channel at Palm Beach. We turned south and soon put up the sails and zipped right along. We kept the motor on to keep the speed up as we didn’t want to get there too far after dark. At times we were exceeding 9 knots!

Seas quieted down a bit and we had a pleasant sail into Government Cut arriving a little before 8:00 pm. We headed down the cut, turned north and anchored just north of the Venetian Causeway towards Miami Beach.

Goliath hadn’t been feeling too well so we started our morning by trying to find a vet on Christmas Eve. He had been vomiting and was starting to get dehydrated. We gave him some Gatorade, which he took a few slurps of. He started to perk up a bit so we decided to take a slip for the night just in case he got worse. He did all right and we took him for a long dinghy ride exploring the lakes and canals in the area. It was pretty cool watching hundreds of pelicans dive bombing head first into the water to catch their fill of mullet. Somewhere along the way Goliath got into something as he started to scratch like crazy. We couldn’t see anything on him but bathed him and generally tried to relieve his agitated state.

Mary had purchased a large whole chicken in Fort Pierce for our Christmas dinner so that afternoon she began preparing Christmas Eve dinner. While she was working on that I heard a call on the VHF from a boat we had seen several times in the last week. He was coming into the marina and was looking for directions. All staff was off for the holiday so I helped him in. He tied up in the slip next to us.

A nice young guy sailing solo who had set out for the Bahamas in questionable weather. His autopilot gave up on him and he missed the Bahamas by some 20+ miles to the north so he turned around and sailed back. We decided he needed some home cooking so invited him for dinner.

Dinner was great with chicken, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Christmas on a boat is very uncomplicated. No presents, just enjoy the day. We stayed Christmas Day and enjoyed the peacefulness of a very quiet day.

The run to Lake Worth is a little longer than we usually make in a day so we decided to go only as far as Fort Pierce the first day. We anchored just south of the bridge and dinghied ashore to pick up a few things at West Marine. Unlike Vero Beach, this is a cruiser unfriendly town. We had to pay $12 to dock the dinghy, which they would gladly refund if we spent more than twelve bucks at their establishment. In all fairness, there are a lot of cruisers out there who sneak into marinas to get water and leave their garbage and I’m sure some marinas don’t take kindly to cleaning up after people who don’t spend any money with them. It turned out that the little restaurant at this marina had great food and the folks there were very nice. We split an artichoke appetizer that was stuffed with crabmeat. It was excellent!

This was another of those anchorages that are close to inlets and so have quite a bit of current. We did ok but there were some others who didn’t get much sleep as the winds picked up late and there was some sailing going on.

The next morning we were off again, this time headed for Lake Worth and North Palm Beach, a favorite spot to anchor while waiting for favorable weather to cross to the Bahamas. I broke a cardinal rule of mine and traveled through a VERY popular area on a Sunday. We first transited through the St. Lucie Inlet and then towards Hobie Sound. Hobie Sound is very popular with powerboats of all sizes and we met many who have no clue about what there wakes are capable of. One sent water over our decks. This stretch also has seven bridges with different opening schedules. The last six come in rather close succession. We hit Jupiter Inlet at low tide and high traffic. The 707 Bridge and Jupiter Federal Bridge are on demand so weren’t a problem. The next one opens on the hour and half hour and we just missed it. We waited knowing that at least we would hit the rest on time as they were well spaced for the timing. We waited almost a half hour and as the opening time came and went we got anxious. It seems that the car traffic wouldn’t stop for the bridge signals and the bridge tender couldn’t open. We got through there 5 or so minutes late which put us late for the Donald Ross Bridge. Well we finally got through there and made it through the PGA and Parker bridges and on into Lake Worth. WHAT A HASSLE! I was beat. We dropped the hook in a packed anchorage and chilled for the short remainder of the day.

Up early as usual to mush on to Vero Beach. Not a long day as it is only 25 miles or so. I’ve been a little lax lately in keeping an accurate log, so it’s just a guess for now.

This stretch of the ICW is very pretty as you close in on the urban areas of south Florida. I remembered this stretch from my trip north three years ago when bringing the boat north. My friend Mike and I were treated to quite the show by a pod of playful dolphins. We also saw quite a few dolphins this trip but they weren’t quite so playful.

No anchoring is allowed in Vero Beach so we had planned to take a mooring. It is the custom here to raft as many as 3 boats to one ball. We pulled in and were assigned to raft with a single boat, a Catalina 42 from Connecticut. The owners, Dave and Ginger are a very nice couple that we hope to see again soon as their destination is also the Keys. That’s us in the center of the picture below.

The cruising community here calls Vero Beach, “Velcro Beach” since so many who stop never leave or at least stay at lot longer than they originally intended. We stayed 3 nights. It is a very cruiser friendly town with free bus service and lots of friendly helpful people. We met quite a few folks and will plan to spend more time next time we are there.

Goliath enjoyed the stop here too. There is a public park nearby that allows the dogs to run free. Everyone comes by to run their pets. There are always half dozen or more dogs there. He got to run and meet quite a few friends. The size difference is still a problem as the big dogs still scare him. We gave him a treat by taking him for a ride in his dinghy through the mangroves. He enjoys taking in all the sights.

Just another day on the ditch! A little less confining as the Indian River is wide and a fairly constant depth for some width. Not much shallower than 6′ near the edges but maybe 9′ to 12′ in the channel. We make about 40 to 50+ miles per day. It gets light late and dark early so you can only get in 7 or 8 hours in. Hope to be in Vero Beach tomorrow. We’ve reserved a spot on a mooring but were advised that we will be rafting with others. Should be interesting.

Sometimes we wonder about what we’re doing. It’s pretty lonely out here and contrary to popular myth it can get pretty boring also. I guess when you finish the day like this you just gotta say, “what a life!”

Well, we almost left. After giving Per Hans back his Mini, we busily prepared for our long delayed departure. The water tanks were topped off and things were getting stowed when I noticed that thick fog had rolled into the ICW. Hmmm … what’s up with this? After a weather check and a discussion with others on the dock we decided to stay put for a couple more days. Rain was due on Saturday and a strong cold front passage was due early Sunday.

A day of relaxation was a welcome relief. Saturday we walked over to the Farmers Market to get some more fresh produce. We were a little late and most of the good stuff was gone. I was able to get one (of only two left) bunch of cilantro, some peppers and fresh tomatoes for salsa. We did a little shopping and Mary made quite a deal and walked away with a new pair of shoes. It seems she felt since she had given me a pair of her deck shoes, she was one pair short in her allotment. Shoe neutral! That’s a new one!

Saturday night was the Halifax River Boat Parade. We decided the best place to enjoy it would be from our dinghy. We took off and positioned ourselves by the Memorial Bridge. Just as the parade was underway, our stern light decided to give up the ghost. Oh well, we’re only a short way back to the marina. We enjoyed the parade and started to head back. It seems the “last” boat in the parade was a USCG inflatable. They pulled us over and with a “where’s your stern light, Bubba?” we figured we were busted for sure. I explained that it had just burned out and after visual affirmation that we had all the rest of the required stuff they said they would follow us so that no one ran us over. Cool, so we headed off. It gets pretty shallow outsdie the markers and especially near the channel to the marina. I hit and snagged a crab trap with the prop. It stopped us cold. The Coasties came over to see what the problem was and promptly ran aground. All they had to do was raise the engines and they were off but wouldn’t come any closer to us. I disengaged the trap from the prop and headed back to our slip. Turned out that the parade went right past our dock! We pulled in between two parade boats and motored in to the cheers of the crowd. “Merry Christmas”! What a treat!

The storms blew through early Sunday as promised and it has gotten real cold for here. We promise, we’re heading south tomorrow, (maybe).

Sometimes plans need to be flexible. That definitely was the case with our stop in Daytona.

The intentions were; stop in and say hello to my friends, Beckie and Per Hans and then continue on our way south. The Halifax Harbor Marina is very nice and welcoming. Operated by Skipper Bud’s (a familiar name to my Wisconsin friends) the marina is beautiful and reasonably priced. We decided to stay two days. We had been in touch with Per Hans several times since leaving St. Augustine and on our final call from our slip he suggested that we use his “extra” Mini Cooper since his son was on tour (more on that in a bit). I think it took several milliseconds before I said … “sure, that would be great”. He and Beckie drove down from Ormond Beach in SXE-MINI 2 (a Mini Cooper S Turbo) to pick us up for dinner. After dinner we picked up 1-SXE-MINI. Per Hans has tricked it up a bit for auto-crosses, rallies, etc; lowered with coil over springs, competition clutch and flywheel, racing exhaust and so on.

Needless to say it was hard giving it back. We decided to stay a week and get a few projects done on the boat and see a few sights.

Per Hans has taught photography in Volusia County for 30 years before retiring. He now teaches at Daytona Beach College in a facility that is unbelievable. It is a state of the art photo facility covering all aspects of photography. We received a tour that left us in awe. This was followed by special tour of the Southeast Museum of Photography where Per Hans’ daughter is assistant curator. Another unbelievable facility.

A day or two later we awoke to the sound of two men doing canvas work on a Hatteras across from us. Well if any of you recall what an ordeal I had getting a dodger built will know why I sprung from bed and approached the two workers. We needed a bimini and so far had found no one interested in our project. I asked if they would be willing to give an estimate and could they do it by the end of the week. They responded that sure they would be interested but could I give them till the end of next week. If the price was right, sure why not. We came to an agreement an today the final pieces of the bimini were installed. Yes, we stayed an extra week but it was well worth it.

This is Zac and Brett of MarineSeam. First class guys who delivered as promised. A terrific job!

The finished job. It’s tall but I needed to be able to stand on the cockpit seats to see out. I’m short, what can I say! It has provisions for a full enclosure.

Back to our adventures…

We decided to take a trip to Green Cove Springs to visit our “home”, actually our mailing address. A 45 minute trip from Daytona by Mini, took us to our address.

That’s it just to the right of the green flag. Quaint old street paved in brick. Perfect! We ate across the street at The Top of the Reef. Fresh flounder and other quality items were a pleasant bonus.

A mentioned before that Per Hans’ son was on tour. He is the drummer for the alternative rock band “I Am The Avalanche”. Their tour was bringing them to north Florida so we decided to take in a show. The show would be in Ocala so we headed out early to take in some other sights. Blue Spring, near Orange City, is home to wintering manatees so it became a must see. What a beautiful place. The natural spring keeps the water at a constant temperature warm enough for the manatees so they come here to stay warm in the winter. There were all sorts of fish too. Tarpon, gar, tilipia and others we couldn’t identify.

From here we went to Ocala to see IATA. Ocala’s town square was all decorated for Christmas. Very nice.

Much later that night (past our bedtime) we went in to see the bands. It was a small venue (a converted bank complete with open vault). These are some shots of the band. The drummer is my friend’s son.

We had a great time in Daytona due to the generosity of our friends Beckie and Per Hans. It’ll be hard to turn in the 1 SXE MINI’s keys but we need to move south if we are to meet Mary’s kids in Islamorda by New Years.

The trip to St. Augustine was great. If all the ICW was this way, it wouldn’t be so stressfull. Florida has established a fund to keep the waterway maintained. It is very obvious after having traveled some of the touble areas in other states.

We dropped the hook north of the Bridge of Lions. There were not a lot of spaces so we were in 20′+ depth near the channel. I only put out about 75′ of chain after my experiences in St. Marys. The Bridge of Lions is being restored so another complete lift bridge was constructed while the original bridge is dismantled and rebuilt. The Bridge of Lions is really quite cool and it should be interesting to watch it being rebuilt. We’ll have a few more chances to see it as completion isn’t until 2010.

We dinghied ashore and explored the old section of St. Augustine. This is the oldest city in the US. Something like 1595 as the date of incorporation. The downtown area is nicely restored and maintained. We walked down Aviles Street, the oldest street in St. Augustine.

Much to Mary’s surprise we discovered a shop that served original Polish food; golombki’s and pierogi’s! So we had to go in and sample. Excellent!!! We were stuffed.

We explored a little more (to wear off some of that food) and then made our way back to the boat. As I explained in our post from St. Marys, these areas of large tidal swings produce swift currents that can hold the boat opposing the prevailing winds. This was the case that evening as the current switched and we had 25 knot winds from the north. The boats were sailing all over. We were worried (as was the owner of the black Whitby near us) that we were too close to this other boat. As it turns out we were fine and it was the two Whitby’s near us that would need to worry about each other. The other Whitby was white and they looked like those black and white Scotty magnets we had as kids. They’d sail away, reach the end of their rode, swing around and come cruising towards each other at about a knot. Just as they might touch the owners would fend off and then repeat the whole thing again. Finally the white boat shortened his rode to where they would come within 20′ and then swing away. What a night! The next morning most boats relocated as no one wanted to stay up all night again.

We moved closer to shore in very shallow water. The currents don’t seem to affect us as much in shallow water. We headed out for the day to become Floridians! We took the bus to the Government Center where we were amazed to find that we could get our drivers license, register to vote, register the boat and get a fishing license all at the same place, all with virtually no wait. A nice gal named Brenda helped us through all the paperwork. We didn’t have the papers for the boat so we came back the next day to do that.

St. Augustine is real easy to get around. We took the Sunshine bus everywhere. The people were very helpful and friendly. The eating was excellent. We stopped for a late lunch at the Colombian Restaurant, another very old but excellent establishment. The food was excellent and once again we ate too much.

We got back to the boat and noticed that it wasn’t moving much and wasn’t pointed the direction that the other boats were pointing. We were on the bottom. No big deal as the tide would come up almost six feet in the next six hours. That night we slept like babies.

We stayed one more night and then headed out for Daytona Beach. The trip down was cool and misty. The tides weren’t as severe but their cycle had changed so we hit some trouble spots at low tide but escaped any problems. We pulled into Halifax Harbor Marina late that afternoon for an extended stay in Daytona Beach.