January 1-17, 2017 Loggerhead, Stuart Florida

Not bad waking up to 70 degrees and sun on New Years Day after all those years of 10 degrees, clouds and snow.

I did a double store walk again in preparation for tonight's party, a murder mystery thing that Susan and Brent are putting on.  This is where you play a character in a murder mystery play where each character has several bits of information which need to be shared with the others.

I wasn’t able to secure a saxophone, but did find a $1 recorder.  I taped a pvc 45 degree elbow on it so it sort of resembled a sax.  I tried practicing happy birthday (it was Brent's birthday) but the thing would only produce two notes reliably so it will be a two note happy birthday song,

Liz, Bob, Brent (standing), Steve, Mary and Lynette in Character 

The party began and we had really yummy Jambalaya by Steve.  And Hurricanes by Brent.  The play went well enough.  Funniest line of the night belonged to Steve (Chef Cayenne) who with absolutely the best timing declared, “I think I did it” when Brent asked each of us our thoughts on the murderer's identity.   Fun, evening.  Thanks Brent and Susan!

Steve, Mary (pregnant maid) and Brent

We declined an invite for some games after and instead went to bed after a failed attempt at getting a TV feed of the Packer game for Mary. 

We went out to breakfast with the gang to a place called Mickeys in south Ft. Pierce.  Really good omelettes and pretty cheap too.  I picked up the bill since everyone else has been carting us around and feeding us over the last few days.

We made it back before noon when we were supposed to vacate the slip.  Steve and Liz helped us get off and then we went a few miles to city Marina and fueled up and pumped out.  The pump out wasn't functioning at first.  I was a bit mystified and so was the dock hand until I realized I had the pumpout in fuel deck fitting, not the pumpout fitting.  Sheez ...

After we left there we noticed a Nav Aid broken and we called that in to the coast guard.

Slip F-131.  Jim put us here because there is enough room to lower the dinghy

The winds began picking up on the way down the ICW and we were heading right into it.  That hindered our progress.  But we managed to make it to Loggerhead and Slip F131 by 5PM.  Good old Jim was there to help us.  Sweet man, Jim.  He stayed late to see us in.

Our normal spot occupied by the second sailboat from the left

Later we took Bubbie for a walk and I ended up in a conversation with a Brian who owned an Evinrude 300hp 2-cycle outboard.  Futuristic design and a brilliant red color.   I had to ask about it. Interesting back story but its also the only 2-cycle you can buy here in the states.

Later we went to Taste of Brooklyn and had pizza.  They seemed to have experienced a staff defections though since many of the staff we knew are no longer there.   Now, it all dark haired young kids who make up for their lack of experience with boundless enthusiasm.  It took us almost 2 hours to eat.  Then back to the boat.

Tomorrow the work begins.

Not to busy today.  I'm still trying to shake this cough thing but I mount our 5ghz wifi booster.  Then helped Mary tote the substantial amount of laundry we had down to the laundry room.  She stayed up there enjoying the pool area while I returned here to the boat and spent 20 minutes talking to our neighbor, JC about boats.

Later went back to help Mary haul the laundry back, then went and walked the docks to see if I could exercise this cough away.  Saw Bulldog Sally, a Krogen 58 we met in solomons on the Chesapeake a few years ago.  Except then he had a Krogen 48 with the same name.  Turns out he still has the 48 and is trying to sell it at the boat show taking place here the following weekend.   Krogens are pricey. 

Also saw Lioness, a boat I read about years ago.  The owners then, had a previous Lionesse but it burned and sunk on the Mexican coast.  Undaunted they had another one built and I read that they sold it several years ago, evidently to the couple that owns it now.  It’s an 80 foot Cheoy Lee long range cruiser.

On the docks there are at least 5 new Flemmings, a dozen Krogens and another half dozen Hatteras motor yachts.  I'm pretty sure they are all being readied for sale.  Hope we’re here so I can go on a few.

I made arrangements to met the inflatable guys at Shepard Park tomorrow morning.  They drive over a trailer and I’ll meet them at the launch ramp. 

Later after we watched a few Frasier episodes, I went off on a shortened version of my usual Stuart walking route.  I only coughed a few times too.  On the mend maybe?

Also noted at Lyric theater Kathleen Madigan is here next week, and Lily Tomlin the following month.  We’ll probably miss Lilly but maybe we’ll catch Kathleen.  Funny people.

On the dock today I saw a man with a small dog on a leash out in front of him as he pushed a baby carriage with another small dog.  Yuk …

Stan, Carolynn, Allison and Jim are all here, but most other people we knew are gone here from Loggerhead.  The pool bar is changed too.   The previous manager, Mike, who did such a fine job had moved on to another position in the keys.  But he evidently had a heart attack down there  (he was only in his thirties) and now lives with his mother in Orlando.

Sailors Return, the restaurant at Sunset Marina, is still hopping and the marina is full.  Downtown Stuart is the same except for some bar changes, where old ones are being replaced with new ones.

This evening on my return trek from downtown I had to wait at the train crossing for a 3 engine, 142 car train.   It was moving maybe 5 mph.

But before that all happened I was up early and called Adam from the dinghy place and we agreed to meet at the Shepards Park launch ramp in 20 minutes.  I got the dinghy running (we had taken it down last night).  Aside from butt dialing Greg twice on the way there, it was a quick trip.

Heading up the creek at Shepards Park to the launch ramp

I did note that the mooring field was expanded quite a bit running past the park and the little creek where the launch ramp is located.

Adam arrived and we got the dinghy up and loaded on a trailer and we discussed what had to be done.  Then he was off I so I started walking back to the marina.

Back on the boat I did a bunch of little maintenance things and then started delving into the stereo issues.  Some of the speakers are very weak and I’m thinking to add a speaker switch to be able to shut them off individually.

Took the bike down and tried it out.  Seems to be working just fine now.  That disturbing cyclic groan had disappeared.  I rode to the Publix and got a few things and made it back just as the drizzle began.

We had a line of heavy rain blow through for about an hour and then it cleared up and the temps thankfully dropped.  Good sleeping tonight.

Later I helped a nice older couple into the slip next to us.  The have a Pacific Seacraft 34, one of those venerable old sailboats back from the 80’s.  

We went off to eat at Splash.  This is the poolside restaurant/bar reserved for the condo owners and people using the marina.  Dennis, who I raved about the last time we were here, hadn’t left.  He still makes the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.

Didn’t make it up in time for breakfast at Roosevelt's.  Maybe tomorrow.  I figure that 10:30 is about the latest we can walk over there because it'll be near 11AM by the time we order breakfast and the lunch crowd begins to gather.

Sewing fabric patches on the screen

Today Mary sewed with her new sewing machine.  It took … well, some time to set it up and then more time to sew 4 squares of fabric together on a screen we are using for out salon door.

Meanwhile I fixed a balky VHF PL259 plug.  Then discovered why the portside shift cable was so difficult to move (a loose anchoring screw).  Once I got that taken care of the it moved much easier which is a relief because it would not be fun snaking a new one down the small access hole.

We also re-embarked on using the stereo which we received as as Xmas gift some years ago.  I powered it up and it still works but for one set of speakers.  I’m wiring in a power switch and a 4 speaker selector switch so we can control which speakers the thing plays through. 

It seems to work with my Ipod.  And I just set up a Pandora account so we can stream music over Bluetooth.   

We discovered the frozen left overs we had anticipated eating tonight were, not so good.  Lots of freezer burn so it was fend for yourself night.

I walked over to see this DeFever 49 Carava and had a nice discussion with him.  They too live aboard and sold homes, cars etc.  

Walking through Stuart, tonight I was surprised to see the night life humming away as it was the previous two nights.  All the outside seating café’s were full and the sidewalks we crowded.

On the way there I usually walk or run through a few side streets and on one, a car honked at me and skidded to a stop before driving a little further on before making a U turn and heading back to me.

My first thought was Narc Squad?  As it turns out it was a stunning girl who thought I was her ex husband.  Really?  Well she seemed to think so, or I’m so handsome she couldn’t resist stopping to say hello.  The life of us terribly handsome men is a trial.

Roosevelt's slip away from us again this morning.  We definitely do sleep too late in the mornings, but let's be honest here.  It's the dog's fault.

Merci, the sailboat next to us, we're debating about leaving today.  While Mary walked the dog I walked with them over to this beautiful 90+ foot boat on the t-head and gawked a bit with them.

The boat we were gawking at with Carva in the background

Steve and his wife are an interesting couple.  She works, flying to all parts of the world to visit hospitals for what reason I never got to ask.  Steve stays behind (he’s retired).  They’re quite fun!  Hope we run into them down the road.

I tackled the stereo wiring today.   I hooked everything up and …. nothing.  It’s a setting on the radio I’m pretty sure but I deal with that tomorrow.  It's supposed to rain anyway.

Meanwhile Mary washed the boat.   Then we fitted the newly sewn door screen to the salon door. Fits like glove.  Once we add the snaps it wont pull of in brisk winds.

Had  another nice conversation with Carva across the way.  I went over to drop off a boat card.  Nice couple doing pretty much the same thing we are.

We grilled tonight, and when I walked into town later it was beehive of nighttime activity.  A good band at Sailor's Return tonight.

It was a warm night with building clouds and a good chance of rain.  We, or I should say Mary, mysteriously woke up at 8:30 so we were able to eat at Roosevelt's this morning.

Then for me it was back to the stereo, but not before noting that our efforts to adhere a square Velcro pad to the new screen failed.  So for sure it's going to be snaps I fear.

The stereo spaghetti wiring 

The stereo wiring on board is rather unique.  There are for sets of speakers and only 4 wires instead of the expected 8.  After some experiments I discovered that one pair of wires are for the salon speakers and the other pair of wires are for the stateroom, sundeck and flybridge speakers.  I couldn't trace where all these junction points are located.  Now I wonder if I can still utilize my $20 speaker switch.

So much for optimism.  The switch introduced so much distortion it was useless.  So now my only alternative is to fabricate a board to mount some DPST toggle switches so I can at least isolate some speakers.  To what purpose I’m not quite sure anymore.  It might just be too much work for whatever benefit there is.

The walk tonight was brief, only 2 miles because the wind was bitingly cold and strong.

Cold today.  And very windy.

49 degrees?  Yeah.  Like I'm getting up

The dock water was off, the story being there was a break in a line but they had no shutoff valves at each slip so the water had to be shut off for the whole dock.  We have a few hundred gallons on board so we’re ok.  And there are only three other couples staying here on their boats even though the dock is nearly full.

In fact the whole Marina is filling up with large boats.  I’m beginning to feel like a flea on an elephant here.  It’s the boat show that's drawing everyone here, mostly because the marina where they are tied up is being used for the boat show, thus they have to move for a few days.  The show is this weekend and it’s almost a sure bet we’ll still be here so maybe we can enjoy it if the weather turns warmer.

We got up late, took the dog for a walk, and then I hooked up the cable and noted that the splitter I was using to route either OTA broadcasts and/or Cable introduced to much interference it trashed many of the cable channels. 

Must be my week for interference related problems.  Once I took off  the antenna feed the cable channels were fine.  All this was, of course, preparation for the Packer game today.

It maybe cool here, only 60,   But up there in Green Bay it's what, 12? 

The Packers won.  I took an abbreviated walk to around to to see if it would help with this damnable cold/cough.  We’ll see tonight.

We rented a car from Enterprise this morning.  I was picked up at 9 and got back here to the marina with the car by near 11.  Traffic was backed up on Hwy 1 because of some utility work which brought the normal three lanes of traffic down to one.

80 year old guy was my driver and he was entertaining at least so the 30 minute ride to the car rental place wasn't unpleasant.

Enterprise used the 24 hour day which means I rented the car for a day, 24 hours from when I picked it up.  So technically I could keep the car until tomorrow 10:30AM.  But given all the traffic restrictions going into effect tomorrow for the boat show, and the influx of people and their cars making parking rather ify, I’m striving to return it tonight by 5PM.

Luxury transportation for a ride to WalMart

My reserved little subcompact car turned into a big Red Chrysler M300 because they didn’t have any small cars left.

We did a Walmart expedition but Mary wasn’t feeling well so it wasn’t a total re-stock, but enough to keep us going until Ft. Meyers the following week.

I made a stop at Harbor Freight to try and replace my little socket/screw driver set and more importantly my big crimping tool.   I can't seem to find either of these on board, or my new headlamp.  I don’t know if I just stuck them in some temporary storage nook or they were stolen.  Anyway I got the crimper and saved $20 over what Home Depot wanted.

Then we made a stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond to refill our SodaStream gas cartridges and for Mary to load up on flavor packets so she can make her own soda.

We headed back to the boat and lugged all the stuff up the dock and onboard.  Mary put a few things away and then went down for a nap joined by the other professional napper onboard. 

The dock water was back on so I cut over the water system on board to use that and then

drove off to Home Depot, for some buffing pads, snaps and replacement tools.  They had nothing.

Next I drove to Lowes and they had buffing bonnets but mighty expensive.

Next, West Marine because I couldn’t find any stainless button snaps anywhere else.  West Marine is such a nasty place to buy anything becasue they charge literally 50-500% more.  Their only saving grace is they have marine stuff and if you need it immediately it’s the only place you can get it.  So I paid $13.99 for six pairs of snaps.  I can get 100 pairs for $15 on line.  Grates me to no end but like I said, it’s the only game in town.

I went back to the boat and woke up the nappers when I dropped off the stuff I bought including wine because I stopped at Wine World where they sell this French Pinot which is cheap and, as I noted before, very good.  Well, good to me anyway.  Mary drinks most anything without complaint or judgement.

Then went to return the car.  5 miles in 15 minutes excluding the 10 minute wait for the Roosevelt Bridge opening.  Damn boaters …

Sophie was the nice lady at Enterprise who took care of me.  I had originally opted to select the gas option whereby I don’t have to fill up the car with fuel.  I wasn’t thinking.  We drove maybe 20 miles.  The  cost of that option was $42.

I mentioned it to Sophie who, wanting to make me happy, gave me a card that comped the gas for my next rental.  Sweet youngster she is.  From the Philippines originally.  She was working for her mom until her mom insisted she get a different job.  She went to college in Manila before coming here.

After I took my usual walk and noted how depleted the social scene was on a Monday compared to Sunday.

Also watched the preparations for the boat show this weekend.  They are hauling many segments of floating piers over and vacating the marina (Allied Marina).

We finally were pumped out by the Martin County Pumpout boat, the MS Poop.  It's a pumpout boat that services any boat in Martin county that requests a pumpout.  

Martin county where Stuart is located, is quite the forward looking responsive county.  Other county governments we have experience with were almost repressive with environmental funding.  This pump out service is free and funded by the county.  Not sure the revenue stream but as I recall, the marine fuel tax of a few cents a gallon creates the bulk of the funding.

An Island Packet 45 pulled into the slip next to us today.  Terry explained he was forced to move because of the boat show.  He's from San Diego and are fitting out the boat for a caribbean cruise this summer.   He was in one of his Lazarettes this afternoon and the cover fell down, locking him in.  Mary heard the cried for help and I went over and let him out.  Rather chagrined but safe.  And thankfully he has a good sense of humor.

The Boat Show has the NW Dixie Highway shutdown until the 16^th so I have to walk on the big bridge for awhile.  The big bridge is the new New Roosevelt Bridge which was originally meant to replace the Old Roosevelt Bridge which I normally take into Stuart.   Public clamor superseded the plans to remove the old bridge and so it's still here.

Boats seem to be arriving here at Loggerhead all the time here.  The marina appears full.

Finally got the stereo all put back in and working fine with Bluetooth/Pandora.  But the right speaker on the flybridge still doesn’t work.  Probably a loose or corroded wire.

Mary is not feeling well so Bubbie and I had to do the walks today.  And we ran into a man and his Basenji who we first met back in 2012 when we purchased the boat here.  Back then Cleo was alive and did not take well to seeing another Basenji around.  This time Bubbie and his dog barely noticed each other.  He lives several miles away in Rio and walks here every morning.   

We put in snaps on the salon door screen where Mary had sewn corner patches.

New screen snapped on.

And then I put in snaps on the bulkhead so it’ll stay put, a big improvement over the sticky Velcro tabs we were using.

We were bouncing around today, a combination of the east wind and boat wakes.

Still cant find my new headlamp, wire cutter/ crimper or my mini tool set with the right angle ratcheting screwdriver and socket set.  And I have looked everywhere.

Walking tonight I tried to pass two ladies pushing a stroller but evidently I’m very stealthy and they didn’t hear me until I was right on them.  One lady was startled and almost screamed but then couldn’t catch her breath.  I tried patting he on her back which seems to help except I caught a fingernail in her dreadlocks.  While I was trying to clandestinely extract my finger from her hair their little one, maybe a year old started to giggle at me and point.  Quite  a funny scene.  It’s hard to recall the last time I left a woman breathless.

We attempted to work today.  Cleaned out the forward spaces including the shower and stowed everything.  The shower floor needs paint so I took up all wood trim on the floor and cleaned the floor up,  Mary is going to strip off the old sealant.

Thinking doing the same for the forward head which has a teak and holly sole under the grating but is pretty grimed up as well. 

Galley faucet brorke loose and is wiggling around.  A bolt which holds it to the counter basically rusted away and sheared off.  Can't replace it so I'm just going to replace the faucet.

While I was under there I checked the disposal and it leaking like a sieve.  There are several cracks in the case so I used good old duct tape as a temporary fix until I can get another one installed.  Home Depot here I come.

Cleaned out one of the sundeck cabinets with all the extra hardware but now I’m trying to find a logical place to stow it.

Wonderful 5 mile walk/run tonight on the big bridge.  Took a bit longer than the usual, but great overlooking views of the St. Lucie River.

The boat show is ready to open tomorrow at 10.   Meanwhile, here the marina, it's still filling up with 80-100 foot boats.  We've gone from sizable to miniscule in days.

Did a trial wax/clean test on the starboard side to see how effective it will be.  But in looking at it in the receding light I'm pretty sure we need to get a paint job for it.  The hull though is looking great. 

We made it to Roosevelt's this morning by 10:30 which is after the breakfast rush and before the lunch rush.  We chatted with the owner, Robson, a bit and he told us his son is doing well at Florida State and his daughter is in high school and fine.  Nice man!

After we returned Mary started in on cleaning off the forward shower floor molding (teak with gobs of caulk) while I got the bike down and chuckled at the flat front tire which was basically worn thru.  

So a change in plans.  I took the tire to the bike shop a few miles away and then continued another few miles to Home Depot where they didn’t have the faucet I wanted nor a vacuum cleaner or disposal.  I ended up buying a Moen faucet and on the way stopped at the Bike store to see if I could get the repaired tire earlier tomorrow morning.  Yup.

So back on board I opened the faucet box intending on getting it installed but immediately discovered it only had ¼ inlet fittings.  And I couldn't change them out to normal  ½ NPT fittings which we need..  When I bought it I asked the home depot guy and he said yes, standard household fittings which at least in my experiences are ½ inch.

I wasn’t too keen on exploring other shopping options so just did what comes naturally to many people.  Ordered everything from Amazon.  Free shipping and the cost was equal or better.  In 2 days I’ll have all the parts.

Helped a Canadian sailboater, Mike with his burned out power cable.  It was charred at both the receptacle and the cord.  Ouch.  The receptacle on the bat was at fault, at least in my opinion.

Also watched a demonstration of a Scottie walk off the boat on two, 2x6 planks.  Impressive.  He was on a 46 Grand Banks and followed the lady off.

Daisy, the last Krogen 42 ever made.

Later during cocktail hour I wandered over to see Jim and Rita on Daisy, the very last Krogen 42 ever made.  Sweet boat!  They know Rob and Sue which is how I know of them.  We talked for while and made plans to have a party when we arrive in Marathon.  They purchased the boat in Seattle and had it shipped on a yacht transfer ship from there to the east coast.  

On the way to the pool bar we saw this in the drivers seat of a fast boat.  Sammy?

We ended up going up to the pool bar and getting food to go.

Later, I took a short stroll around the docks lusting after all the Krogens here and then went to bed.

Tomorrow I walk to the bike store to get the repaired tire, and walk back to put it on the bike, then ride to Home Depot to return the faucet.  And finally to Walmart to buy a vacuum and a few other things.

We plan on going to the boat show Sunday after painting the shower stall.

Walking to ProCycles I had to navigate through legions of cars attempting to get into the boat show parking lot.  Guess this must be a popular boat show.  We’ll find out Sunday.

I walked up highway 1 on the non-sidewalk side because trying to cross this highway is near impossible and the bike shop was in this side.  I may have frazzled a few drivers walking along the roadway like that.  But I've reached the age of, "so what".

The tire was ready when I got there.  The old one was completely rotted away.  So I happily paid my $30 and walked back the same way I arrived only this time I was carrying a bike tire.

Back at the boat I put it on the bike and got ready for my ride to Walmart, about 7 miles away by the backroads.  I could save almost a mile by taking highway 1 but the traffic is so dense I figured the backroads would be more enjoyable and less risky.

First stop on the way was at Home Depot where I returned the ill gotten faucet yesterday.  They refunded the purchase and I was out the door and riding down Goldenrod Parkway in a few minutes.

How many times have a walked through these portals

Walmart wasn’t nearly as crowded as I thought it would be.   I got the last Eureka stick vacuum they had in stock, the same model we had to toss yesterday because it was so worn.  One might think we vacuum a lot.  Others may know that equipment deteriorates far quickr in salt water conditions.

Bought a few other things including a two for one 250 lumen flashlight with a 150 lumen headlamp.  Perfect!

Heading back to the boat I was riding against the wind.  It took a bit longer returning.

Back on board, Mary was doing laundry and I put together the vacuum and flashlights.  Then worked on the forward shower stall pan, prepping it for epoxy paint tomorrow morning.

I cleaned and waxed about half the portside superstructure before we left to take the dog for a walk and fetch the laundry.

Back on board together we engaged in a fun video conference with Aaron and Ashley, Kathy and Dave and my sister and mother.  My mother is 95 today!

The a few Frasier episodes, a short walk and to bed.  Tomorrow is the boat show!

The twice daily walkathon.

Our only task today was to get the forward shower pan painted.  So even though we slept until 10, Mary took the dog out for a walk and I painted the shower while she was gone.

  I used EZ-Poxy,  which is an epoxy paint.  Nasty stuff, but durable and it clings to just about any surface.  The whole job took maybe ten minutes.

Before paint.

After paint.

Once that was done we diddled around the boat until early afternoon before walking over to the Stuart Boat Show.  $12 to get in.  I was expecting lots of marine exhibitors selling waxes, and cleaners and general boat gadgets.  Not so  much here.  They did have three large docks filled with boats of all sizes including a new 80 Choy Lee yacht which I elected not to see.  I’ve been on several large yachts like this and they (my apologies to the builders) tend to be all pretty much the same.  Lots of shiny surfaces, exotic woods and granite counter tops all sprinkled among overstuffed furniture and perfect assortments of trinkets which complete the decorating scheme.  To me anyway, it's more like being in a 5 star resort lobby than on a boat.

Boat show temporary docks extending very far out

If we need a new engine ... Yikes!

While I was there I had a great discussion with some engine guys about our engines which have become increasingly smoky lately.  I’ll be adjusting the valves soon which may help but their general consensus is that the engine is just old.  They maintain our 5.9 BT Cummins are only 10,000 hour engines, while other experts scoff at that an say they’ll run near 20,000 hours before a rebuild is necessary.  In any case, these cannot be rebuilt because they don’t have slip out cylinder sleeves.  We’d be faced with a minimum of laying out $10,000 for a rebuilt short block.  The extraction of the old and the installation of the new would another several thousand to that.  Oh my.  But we are far from that point yet so no worries for a few years anyway.

Mary drank a diet coke and I had a beer.  We both munched on a salted pretzels which was prepared just like we used to do them years ago except he plopped them on a grill to heat them up while we used a microwave.

We spotted Carolyn from Loggerhead at their booth and stopped to talk with her awhile.  But other than that we didn’t see a whole lot that interested us.

Back at the boat Mary geared up for the Packer game and I checked on the shower paint job which is looking good.  Then I went off on a long trek around Stuart.

The dog, during Packer games with the sudden outbursts from certain fans aboard, dives under the dinette table to escape the noise.  When I came back aboard she wouldn’t leave my side.  I get to be the alpha for a little while at least.

Tomorrow we find out about the dinghy and then can make some scheduling decisions like when we are going to leave here. 

Big day.  We received a large box of dog food, but all the parts I ordered aren’t here yet due to the MLK holiday.

The dinghy tech and I talked about the dingy work.  He said he’ll clean it but that the hypalon fabric is getting pretty worn.  He suggested painting it with Haplon paint for  a few hundred dollars and I said sure.  It will keep it in workable condition for several more years.

It should be ready by the end of this week.

I think I have discovered the main water leak.  It’s the hot water heater, our 17 gallon stainless steel water heater that is now leaking out the bottom and is beginning to rust.  Say what?

Yup.  New ones, if I can repair this one, are around $1000.   I'll be making sure its leaking out of the tank though before we spring for a new one.

I finished up the forward head shower pan and removed all the old caulk around the seat and after I buy new caulk at West Marine (where I’ll bend over and pay $5 more per tube than places on line) so I can finish that project off.

We pretty much finished up waxing the superstructure.  We have really shiny old fiberglass that's beginning to craze badly in some areas.

We saw Terry off today as he returns to Apex marine back under the bridge in the North fork of the St. Lucie River.  We talked for a while and he told me of his son who's a world class gamer.  They have video game tournaments now where you can win money?  Sort of like that poker tournament thing they do on TV.  Who knew.

We will be here well into next week so I should have time to get the new faucet and disposal installed.  Still looking into alternatives for the hot water heater though.

I helped a large, 90 foot Hattress leave the dock this morning.  They were in front of us.  Mat and Mat where the crew.  Mat, the skipper on this one eased the big boat out of the very tight slip with a remote control similar to a TV remote while Mat the dock hand (he's also a licensed captain) told him how the bow as faring between the pilings.  Mat, the skipper did this maneuvering while walking on the side decks.  Tough life having bow and stern thrusters and a remote to control the engines and thruster.  Sheez …

It was early enough to go to Roosevelts for breakfast today.  So we did.  Guess we are working back into the cruising routine.

I rode over to Home Dept for some caulk and laminate repair stuff.  They didn’t have the laminated product but I bought something similar and also bought some silicone caulk for the forward shower seat.

Came back and did all the caulking while Mary waxed and struggled with the buffer which seems to fail when she uses it.  It was the extension cord she was using.

Had a nice talk with Mike and Rebecca, Canadians in a sailboat heading to the Bahamas.  He’s the one who had the burnout on his power cable and they’ve been waiting for several days for their inverter to be shipped back here.

We received (after 5PM) today all the parts I ordered.  Faucet and disposal too.  So tomorrow will be plumbing day after I return from the post office because the mini, satellite Post Office that was in the Shell station across the street no longer acts as a Post Office.  This evidently was a recent change.

All the boat show exhibits are gone.  Last night I was watching as a small boat acting as sort of a tug would bring towards the shore, a segment of floating dock.  These floating docks are usually planks set on top of floating boxes of either metal or concrete.  They are probably 75 feet long.

Once the dock segment was close to shore a large fork lift drove partially in the water and lifted the whole dock out and then drove it over to a large stack of them where presumably they will be loaded on the barge tied up there.

Tonight there was no shoreline activity but there was dance activity on the stage set on the shore along the downtown riverwalk.  Several couples where out doing a jitterbug dance type thing to music from the 40’s I’d guess.  Quite the sight.

We are trying to alter our schedule so that we eat early enough that I can walk at night be back to shore before 9:30.  The impetus for the change?  The dog.  She has a difficult time staying up past 9.  And when I'm in the shore she runs out and hops up on to the dinette seat and waits until I'm done.  Then we coax her back to bed.  No.   I have no idea why.

December 16-31, 2016 Back to Jacksonville and on to Ft. Pierce

We said a hurried goodbye to the Hagens and left about 8:15 just as Jen next door was walking Jonah to the bus.  Had a short conversation with them and then left, stopping at the Kwik Trip in Johnson Creek as usual.

Cold when we left, in the teens.  By the time we were in Southern Illinois it was in the low 30’s.  In Paducah it was 41.  Ahhh …  and no snow. 

We checked in to the La Quinta which is superb!  Walked the dog who was enthusiastic with the mild temperatures and then tried the Outback Steakhouse where Mary was eagerly anticipating getting the 15% AARP discount.  Alas, it was way to busy so we had a quiet meal along with the other old folks at Bob Evans.  It was pretty good actually.

A dog down the hallway here in the doggy wing of the hotel started barking which got Bubbie up so Mary woke up and took her out for a full complement of dog duties which were successful.  We had breakfast at the hotel (free of course) and then packed and were on the road to Macon, Georgia before 9:30.

The temperatures went from a balmy 67 to mid thirties as we hit Nashville (surprisingly minimal traffic).  Then through Atalanta (horrible traffic) it went back up to high 60’s.  In Macon it was 68 when we got there.

The cold front is supposed to sink below Macon but not into Florida which means we should be basking in 60 degree weather tomorrow.

The hotel in Macon (off I-475) is also pretty nice.  It’s older but has been refurbished.   Actually all the La Quinta Inns we have stayed at are very nice and worth visiting again.

Tomorrow we have less the 300 miles to go to reach Huckins in Jacksonville.

We made a leisurely exit around 9:30 this morning.  We overslept and missed the hotel breakfast so it was another McDonald's sausage-egg McMuffin for us.

Uneventful drive.  We’ve driven I-75 a few dozens of times through the years.  Nothing really new.  Even I-10 was, well, familiar.

We exited at Cassert Avenue and pulled into Huckins.  Jerry the watchman greeted us and recognized me.  Not Mary though.  Our boat was in the basin backed in along one of the piers.

It sparkled where we had it waxed (hull).  The superstructure though … we’ll have to do that ourselves.  But it really needs to be painted.  Another large expense down the road.

The interior was pristine!   Only issues were the engine room lights which were left on and the start batteries were left paralleled to the house battery bank.   Otherwise everything was fine.  It looked like a new boat.

All ready to leave

New exhaust hose and new shaft tube below it

 We left the dog aboard and took Mary to the Minute Clinic at the closeby CVS where it was pronounced that she had a sinus infection.  But the NP didn’t want to prescribe anything.   Mary, I guess insisted, so she got some pills.

Next we went to Publix for a few necessary items and then back to the boat where I emptied the car and lugged it all back aboard.

We don’t have a water hookup so are using onboard water which I can replenish when necessary until we leave.

The new windows are all in but there are a few things left to do with that.  Tomorrow we talk with the guys and see what they did.  Meanwhile I went off for a walk around the river and then hit the Chinese food place for dinner.

I couldn’t get the internet working so we watched a football game and then some Donna Reed shows before going to bed.

Turned cooler overnight so we slept pretty well.  Mary is still sick though.  We took the dog out for a walk and then stopped in the office to see Patti and Tricia.  Good news... sorta.  The yard bill is less than what I was dreading.  But its still substantial.

Later I fiddled with the internet and finally got it working although it's like molasses.

Then, I went off to do some shopping while Mary napped.  I went to the Walmart we have visited several times before.  Disappointing.  Very crowded and not much of a selection left on the shelves.

I got a few things and escaped before traffic became too congested.  Once back aboard I took the new water hose I had purchased and hooked it up to the existing 60 foot water hose so we could get dockside water aboard.  

Then went off on a walk between rain showers.  After, I went over to Publix for dinner fixings and, as we expected, failed to get a Netflix connection.  So it was Donna Reed again tonight.   The media receiver keeps asking us to upgrade the firmware but the connection here is so rotten it never even starts.

The canvas guys will be here tomorrow I guess to finish the job.  We take the car back Wednesday and then plan to try and dock at Jacksonville Landing for a few days so Mary can get her Xmas fix in.

We, well Mary, hung festive lights on the sundeck.  We are beginning to look Holidayish.  They look quite good with the freshly waxed hull. 

Temps are plunging ito the 40’s tonight so I took out the extra blanket… for the dog J

Greg's birthday is today.  

And its cold out there today.   Not like in Wisconsin but in the mid 40's with north wind.  

I checked out the starter on the starboard engine and there was no indication of bad electrical connections, and the amp draw looks normal too.  So I ordered a new starter and they will install it tomorrow.  I can't squeeze in there to get at the bolts.  Well, I probably could but I'd pay a hefty price trying to walk the next day.

Mike, the canvas guy came today while we were gone and installed the snap doodads on the forward windows so we can open them without having to roll them up.

But we noticed the port side window which they replaced had a zipper that was separating.  They also have our hatch cover and were going to make another one for us to replace the one that blew off in the hurricane a few months ago.

We went to a different, and closer Walmart and stocked up.  A good place in comparison to the Walmart out by the airport.

Lots of laundry 

Then we took the majority of the laundry over to a laundromat and started those loads.  While Mary watched and read, I vacuumed out the rather filthy car and discovered some grandchildren debris.  And toys.

Superhero's in our car!

When I got back to the laundromat the power went out briefly but luckily we had everything dry by then.

Back to the boat and fed the dog.  Then we walked over to Panera to eat.  A quick stop at Publix for Xmas goodies for the boatyard guys and their Xmas party and then went to walk the dog.  It's cold (48).   And damp.  Just downright unpleasant.

Tomorrow morning they get the starter in and we talk with the canvas guy.  We might yet leave by Thursday.  The rest of the week is forecast to have 10-15 mph winds from the north.  Ugh …

Eventful Day.  I returned the rental car and failed to find a artificial grass mat for the dog to pee on when we can't go ashore.  The pee mat idea is in use by countless boaters with dogs so we figure to give it a try.  If,  I can find a grass mat.

Justin came aboard and installed a starter, something I certainly can do but not on the starboard engine which requires contortions I’m incapable of these days.  He's young and skinny.  And bendable.  He got it in and then Randy came back to get the old starter as a core replacement bringing the cost down.  Randy is the parts guy here who made the suggestion I ask Tricia for a "Captains Purchase" authorization.  I'm unclear as to what that really means, but it saved us a couple of hundred dollars.

Mike the canvas guy was here to finish up everything he had to do.  New windows are nice and he does really good work!  

The yard guys came by and washed the boat much to my surprise.  So now it's squeaky clean.

We leave on Friday.  Going to change the oil in the main engines tomorrow and the transmissions.  Its easier to do here because they have an old oil tank in the yard which I can use to dump the old oil.

Looks to be marginally mild the next few days with temps in the low 70 and high 60’s.  But in the low 50’s at night so when we are anchored it won't be toasty warm.  But on the positive side, it won't be stifling hot either so we should be able to sleep petty well.

Oil Change day, today.  Well, for the Cummins.  The generator has another 100 hours before I have to change its oil.  And the transmissions have another 300 hours before they need new oil.

It took four hours as usual, and 9+ gallons of oil.

Mary walked to Publix for a few last things and I took a last run because we’ll be anchord out for the next few days.

We paid our yard bill which was less than I thought, but still huge!

We grilled tonight and are planning on leaving around 9 if the RR bridge is open.  The anchorage is only 22 miles east of here, a 3 hour cruise for us.  Jacksonville Landing has damage to its docks from the hurricane and much of the dock is closed.   So we are bypassing it and anchoring on the east side of Blount Island.

I filled the water tanks tonight and sure enough the bilge pump was cycling on and off again which pretty much verifies we have a water tank leak.  I think its leaking from the clean out port on the bottom most tank. 

We have three water tanks arranged in a line from stern to bow.  The big tank under our bed drains into the smaller tanks.  When the big tank is full the pressure seems to be squeezing out water in the lower tank which has the inspection plate.  If that’s the actual leak, then it should be a relatively easy fix, although time consuming.  So our water capacity is closer to 250 gallons now, not the 300 when all the tanks are full and not leaking.

Departures can be exciting sometimes.  Just like today.   I was up early and took all the garbage and recycling out and said good bye to various people while Mary took the dog for a walk.

I got all the water hoses in and cut over the water system, then started the engines.  We shifted the electrical load and then started up the Nav computer.  But it went into the blue screen of death, A Windows event indicating the machine cannot start up.  It took several retires before I just gave up and brought up my tablet.

We untied all the lines but it was so calm (luckily) so we didn’t move far from the dock.  When I tried to push the port engine into Forward I rally had to push on it.  The control cable was binding on something.  So we quickly re-tied a few lines and I tried shifting a few times from the lower station and it was fine.   So instead of delaying any longer we cast off and went down the Ortega River to the St. Johns with a balky shifter and no functional Nav computer 

Jacksonville Landing.  Normally the dock would be full

We passed by Jacksonville Landing where we originally had planned to stay and confirmed the docks were mostly closed and you could see damage to them.

As luck would have it, we were catching the tail end of an ebb tidal current which pushed us along an 9 mph.  And we only had 21 miles to go.  We'd be anchored for lunch at this rate.

We went by a few ships, one a yacht carrier, and anchored around 12:30.  The sun peeked out briefly otherwise it was cloudy and brisk, but not really chilly.

Yacht carrier

We eventually got the dinghy dinghy down and it needed some prodding before it would start and stay running.  We got the dog in and rode to where there was a boat launch ramp where we could dock and let the dog out.  Nice big dock.

Launch ramp and the dock that doesn't connect to shore

We took a little ride so I could get the battery charged up as we watched a big, but odd looking ship leave the Blount Island restricted docks right behind where we anchored.

Us anchored and some odd government ship making its way out the River

We returned and after a few hours tried to feed the dog but she wouldn’t eat.  We got the dinghy going again and took her to the launch ramp where I let Mary and the dog off on the nice big dock.  Several seconds later Mary shouted there was no dock!  Huh??

As it turns out the nice big dock had no connecting segment to land.  It was just a big floating dock connected to nothing.

So I turned around and picked them up on the dock to no-where and then squeezed the dingy in the gap between the dock and a pier which was attached to the shore.  The current was running probably 4 mph.

It took a little pushing and lifting but Mary and the dog eventually managed to get out of the dinghy and start the walk.  The dog seemed unfazed by all the fuss.  But will she poop?

While they walked I took the dinghy out for a short joy ride to keep charging up the battery.

I eventually saw them coming back to the dock so got the dinghy back in the gap between the two docks.  Everyone piled in and we returned to the boat.

Wind is dying down so it should be a peaceful, if cool night.  We have 55 miles to go tomorrow so its going to be an early morning.  55 degrees … great weather for a boat ride especially with a dog who’s fondness for cool weather knows no bounds.  Right ....

Socked in with heavy fog this morning.  I waited until about 8AM before rousing the sleepers, and we made it to the launch ramp dock in the thick fog.

 We couldn't even see the bridge so I just went in the general direction towards the bridge from what I remembered last night.  The launch ramp is close enough to the bridge to make it a good landmark.  But we also had a gps map plotter.

They got out, and I held the dinghy to the pier and the dog did her thing.  It was a quick trip back to the boat.   We waited a few minutes watching the fog slowly begin to recede but we still could see the main river 1/2 mile away.  But I started up the engines  and hauled the dinghy aboard.

Next we hauled up the anchor but it was so foggy I still couldn’t see the River so had the radar on.  I’d forgotten how good this Furuno radar is, even though its old.  It was picking up buoys as targets making it pretty easy to run visually blind.  We just followed the chart plotter and radar exiting the anchorage into the St. Johns.

On the ICW we finally visually spotted  the first bridge!

In the river we couldn't see much past the bow.  Then, as we made the turn to enter the ICW from the River, the fog began to burn off much more quickly but we could still just barely make out the first bridge 1/2 mile away.

After a few more minutes we had a much more comfortable, albeit slow, trip fighting the strong current, to Ponte Vedra Beach were the ebbing tide began to flow towards St. Augustine, taking us with it.  Its interesting to see these mid points where a tidal flow, flowing in or out, will flow towards the nearest sea inlet.  It can be advantageous in some cases and a large drag in others.  Just depends where you are.

Ponte Vedra Beach borders the ICW for several miles.  Palatial homes, swimming pools and go fast boats on lifts.  Even a friendly wave from a few residents.  What was surprising was the absence of Xmas decorations facing the ICW.

A rare Xmas decoration sighting

Only a few out of 200 hundred homes lining the waterway, had any decorations out.   And the decorations I did see were mostly on the less ostentatious homes.

Once we were within 5 miles of St. Augustine the tide began flowing in and we were once again fighting the current but as soon as we made the turn into the inlet we were doing 9+ mph.  Nice.

No one in the anchorage as we made the turn to enter

As we neared Matanzas the push from the current dropped off and so did my concern about finding room to anchor here.  It’s a great spot.  And on this particular night, devoid of any boats I could see as we made the tricky turn to enter..

As Mary pointed out, "it's Xmas eve.  Who would be out?”. Turns out she was right.  Not another boat anywhere.  We had the place to ourselves.

We anchored in the swift current with 100 feet of chain and a snubber, then took the dinghy down to take the dog to shore.

Anchored near the Fort

The fort here has a nice dock with four signs stating that the dock is for Park Service personnel only.  “No Private Docking”.   We seem to have trouble reading these days.  I let Mary off and she and the dog wedged themselves through the gate and onto land. 

Trespassers! 

10 minutes later I picked them up.

Back to the boat and a Xmas drink under the festive glare of battery powered lights gaily strung around the sundeck with imagined ooo's and ahhh's from the more Xmas orientated creatures prowling the shoreline.

Festive lights!

Tomorrow we go to a resort marina which Mary has been trying to arrange by cajoling the dock master there.  Or Palm Coast Marina across the way which is just a marina, not a resort.  We’ll see how all this turns out.

Calm beautiful night

Meanwhile I lost the cover to the electrical connection for the dinghy davit.  Fell out of my pocket.  And the binding shift cable still escapes my attempts to fix it. 

The entire night we remain all alone in the anchorage.  It was dead calm, a perfect night.  The tide was on its ebb cycle when we woke up so we had to rush a little to get the dog ashore and back.   We were rushing because  I find it much less risky to go through this stretch of ICW facing the inlet at a higher tide level.  The shoals here move around and can make grounding a real possibility.

Once back aboard  we started the engines and got the dinghy hauled up and then the anchor which took some time to break out.  The current really had dug it in.

The entrance to the Matanzas anchorage can be a little tricky since there is a large, shallow area so I usually try and leave with, at minimum, a mid level tide.   We made it out just fine.

The port shifter continues to be difficult and I’m leery of it simply breaking at some point which would leave us with one engine, probably at an inopportune time.  We also still have that odd water inflow in the bilge.  So tomorrow we’ll check the stuffing boxes on the steering shafts.  I tested the water (a taste test) from the bilge outflow and it was slightly salty which reveals nothing since the water here is brackish and I can't discern the salinity level.  But it does cast suspicion on water ingress from those stuffing boxes.  Or maybe the boxes and the water tank.  Ugh ….

We’ll also fiddle with the shift cable tomorrow too.

Meanwhile we traversed the 9 miles in about 1.5 hours (fighting the tidal current) and pulled into the the Marina at Hammock Beach Resort.  Suzanne and her husband Bob were on the dock so we pulled in and side tied.  Interestingly enough I re-discovered that I could move the boat sideways to port in an opposing current by having the rudder hard over to port, and backing on the starboard shaft.  I discovered this when we were in a lock on the Illinois river a few years ago.  And now, with the starboard rudder blade straight, its very easy to do.

That's us, the small boat on the right

After we tied up, Mary bolted up to the lounge (the marina is part of a resort and has lots of resort type facilities) with the dog while I got the lines straightened out and hooked up our electrical.

They had a little party going with free food and drinks up there.  Mary ate.  The dog got loved up by everyone there.

I walked up 20 minutes later and had a bloody mary and sat with Mary who was talking with Clyde and Mary who are here for several months.  Clyde is a nuclear plant electrician who is semi retired and accepts jobs every so often.  Fun talking with them.

The dog was getting fidgety so I left, taking her with me and of course she pooped on some expensive looking plant thing.  That necessitated me getting a few doggy poop bags to pick it up lest we befoul the pristine grounds.  Ugh …

Mary came back soon after and then she and the dog took a nap.  I went out to explore the resort.  Turns out the resort proper is 2.99 miles away.  Surrounding the marina is a bunch of gated neighborhoods with their golf courses and pools.  And beach access.

 A nice guard at one of the gates gave me a brief rundown of the area.  Basically it's all private property 3 miles down the road which leads to the resort area.    

Being cooped up on the boat for a few days I decided to walk to the resort.  Nice walking trail.  The resort has 7 or 8 pools, and beach access, and a pool bar and some restaurants ranging from bar food to one with table cloths and high end dining.

The pools were quite the sight. Large, and with an accompaniment of myriad number of toys like slides, tubes, water jets etc.  The hot tub is immense.

Walking path between the resort and the marina

The indoor pool

One of the outdoor pools

I took a few pictures to share with Mary and the kids since this seems to be a potential 2017 family Xmas destination.  The paved bike/walking trail between the resort and the marina is really nice.  And they do have a shuttle that runs between the two.

We ate dinner aboard, and went to bed early after noting three boats with Xmas decorations and lights far, far better than our paltry battery powered lights.

We sort of had a lazy day.  I did some chart work to layout our stopping points between here and Ft. Pierce.  There is a cold front coming through Thursday night.  We would normally just anchor in a protected spot but we have the dog now and need a place to get to shore.  With a strong cold wind stirring up wind and spray one acquires a strong desire not to take the dinghy out especially with an old dog.  So instead, we are staying at Loggerhead in Vero Beach Thursday night.  If the weather is really bad we may stay another night. 

We also don’t have a slip at Harbortown Marina where we have been included in a New Years Eve party, a murder mystery thing.  Our characters in this thing are humorous.  I’m an eccentric New Orleans Jazz musician and Mary is a hotsy totsy dancer or singer.  We need to dig up some suitable costumes and I have to find a Saxophone.  

Mary spent a few hours in a phone call with a financial planner while I finished up the chart work.  Then took the creaky bike, and I do mean that in the literal sense, to the Publix near the resort area.   Ironically it’s the same Publix I biked to from the marina at Marineland last year.  Quite a surprise.

While I was gone Mary took a shuttle to see the resort area and then we met back at the boat.   Mary did some laundry and I fiddled with the generator starter, cleaning up the wires in a vain hope of solving the balky starting problem.  If one starter dies why not two?  I fear it's in the stars

Marina Lounge

We sat around up at the fashionable and comfy lounge, had a glass of wine before eating and taking the dog out.  The internet here is robust enough to let us watch NetFlix.  And that means Frazier episodes. 

Early to bed tonight because we have to be ready to leave by 9AM before the winds picks up.  And I still have to fill the water tanks.

Marina's outdoor pool.  

Speaking of water tanks, I'm sure now that there is a leak in the top of the last tank.  I checked the steering stuffing boxes and they weep a little water which is what they are supposed to do.  But the water tank cleanout port seems to be weeping water too which it isn't supposed to do.

Tomorrow we anchor at Rockhouse Creek near New Smyrna.

Left the dock before 9AM.  Wind was calm and the current minimal so turning the boat around was easy enough.  Only issue was the fog.  It was thick in some places and thinner in others but on average we had maybe ¼ mile visibility at best.  So I ran with the radar on almost all the way to Rockhouse.

We had to have two bridges open,  Knox Memorial and Main Street bridge in Daytona.

Rockhouse Creek was occupied by two sailboats so we squeezed in between them and should be just fine here except for the depths.

The anchorage at Rockhouse Creek is to the left somewhere

We are showing only a foot or so of water below us we we may indeed bottom out later when the tide begins running out.

Still very foggy here and cool.  The ballyhood 76 degrees never materialized.  It’s a noticeable 65.

Walking up the boat launch ramp

We ran the dog over to the local launch ramp.  In the fog.  Later while we were watching a Frazier episode the fog began to lift slight.  Still hard to see much pass a nearby sailboat though.

Speaking of Frazier, I finally have a 5ghz wifi booster working with our router.  I can use my phone to grab an internet connection and have it shared on the local network we have here on board.   Thus Netflix is available through our media player.  Nice!  Except of course the data costs on our cell phone data plan which is 10Gigs.

Very calm tonight.  In fact dead calm.  Not even a ripple.  Lovely nights, these

The morning dingy run for the dog was back through thick fog again.   But it wasn’t nearly as dense as last night.  Lots of fisherman this morning at the launch ramp.

Foggy morning.  Our boat is anchored somewhere in the distance

Back at the boat we started up the engines, brought the dinghy up and lifted anchor before 9AM again.  As we left the anchorage the fog descended out of nowhere making visibility less than 100 yards.  Fun negotiating the twisty channel at New Symrna with no visibility.

I was 50 yards from the first bridge before we saw it.  Radar though had it 2 miles away.

Soon though the fog lifted and it was a warm sunny day all the way up through Mosquito Lagoon and past Titusville to Cocoa. 

As we passed through Haulover Canal, there were a few Manatees.  And lots of boat traffic.

All those people must not like Mary who waved at them.

In the canal there is sort of an open viewing spot and there were at least a hundred people there looking out at the canal.  Mary was on the bow and enthusiastically waved to them.    Not one waved back.

We anchored ½ mile south of the bridge in Cocoa in relatively calm winds out of the east.  Winds are supposed to turn more westerly tomorrow as the cold front approaches.

When the dinghy was down we all clamored in and rode the mile over to the Cocoa City free docks.  Nice setup there in a park and next to a launch ramp.  There are several docks but they are meant for smaller boats but our dinghy was just fine.

The city, although we didn't venture far into it, has the appearance of a typical beach town with bars and surf shops.  Seems like a good place to spend a few days.

At the free docks.  We are anchored about mile in the distance

Cocoa the town.  Well, one edge of it anyway

The dog walk, walkway.  I guess since it seems to be used that way

Walking in the large park I stopped to talk with a guy who had two Newfs, big hairy lovable dogs weighing in at 120 lbs each.  They love attention and the one nearly bowled me over in his excitement.  Funny.

He was originally from up north but decided to move to Cocoa permanently.  I asked about the dogs and the summer down here and he replied by pointing to the hair.  "They shed.  Alot!"

I wanted to hang around and watch him squeeze into a car with the dogs but we had to get back.

It was dead calm night and the wind was just beginning to pick up to zephyr speed when we took the dog to the Cocoa city free dock in the morning.  I should point out that Cocoa, and Cocoa Beach are two distinct cities.  We are in Cocoa.

Once back at the boat we hauled the dinghy aboard, raised the anchor (we needed to wash it down a bit this time) and headed out onto the ICW following a sailboat.

It was a hot day with the sun and high humidity reminiscent of the summer we spent here in the south.

Nothing much to break the monotony except as we approached Melbourne and points south the boat traffic noticeably picked up.   Most every boat except Kailua  ( a sailboat we passed!), was going far faster than we were.  

We eventually made it here to the marina and had to back the boat in. We usually try to avoid this maneuver because I have a hard time seeing where the boat is with respect to the dock.  But we did just fine.

Loggerhead at Vero Beach

I filled up the water tanks and connected everything (water and electric) and we were set.  Had to run the AC units though because it was hot.  The winds were beginning to shift more westerly and will eventually shift around through NW and to the north, forecast to blow in excess of 20mph.  That will pretty much pin us to the dock but I have a few tricks so I think we can get out of this smallish slip even in that kind of wind.

The slip allows us maybe 1/2 a foot of room on either side.  And we stick out a bit too.  The little finger pier is about 15 feet long which means we can just get off the boat using the side entrances.

The dog had three walks today and pooped all three times.  Now doesn’t that just make your day?  Sheez …

A cool morning.  Well, 55 and breezy.  I was expecting 55 and windy but the 20mph winds were probably blowing out on the ICW.  In the marina basin it was just gusty with strong winds.  But only occasionally.

We got up walked the dog and I disconnected water and electrical and started up the navigation stuff.  I had removed a few token lines earlier noting that the wind wasn’t nearly as bad and there was no strain on them.

Started up the engines and our friendly neighbor offered to help (after I asked him).  I never did get his name but know he is still working in Annapolis and they are here for a few months before he has to go back.  Normally he works from the boat.

We managed to slew our way out of the slip because the wind, increasing the frequency of heavy gusts, kept pushing us around.  But we made it out and turn into the channel leading out to the ICW.  From that vantage point we could see how rough it was.

But we have a big boat and didn’t really notice.  And the wind was directly on our stern.  I set the autopilot and let it steer the 19 miles to Ft. Pierce only twice having to manually steer through a bridge and maneuver around to avoid a passing boats large wake.

We came in to Harbortown and Brent and Susan were waiting for us along with a dock hand.

We got a bow line on and I backed down and slowly into the dock.  Done!

Tied up at Harbortown

Brent and I talked for a bit while Mary hauled out the dog and went to pay and then visit Liz and Steve.

I followed along with Brent after securing the boat.

We returned and did a few things and began to get ready for the fish fry tonight.  And cocktails.  Me thinks we have just hopped on the party merry-go-round again.

We went out to dinner at the VFW fish fry.  We drove with Steve and Liz.  Bev, Em, Bob, Lynette met us there.  After, we went to tour the Heathcote Botanical Gardens where there are some really cool Bonsai trees and lots of colored lights.  Festive.

Well fed botanical garden visitors posing for a picture 

But it was cold!!  58 degrees… Wimps.  We were all in jackets!

New Years Eve.  I’ve got some bug or other and actually took a nap today!  Liz stopped by and I guess we are having a cocktail party tonight.

I walked to the store and then had to return for Tonic Water.  So at least I got a few miles of walking in, but I’m so listless it seems like it's 10PM and bedtime.

Everyone arrived around 5:30 and it was like old times when we hosted more parties aboard than I can remember.

Charlie, a kid fishing on the dock a ways down from us came running up just before we had to leave and said he had hooked a pelican with his fishing line.  Steve and I went down to help and end ended up just cutting the line below the leader.  The pelican, much to young Charlie’s relief, flew off.

Then we went to Capones for dinner with Steve and liz.  We all met there and enjoyed a 3 hour dinner. 

We weren't the largest group here either.  Probably the loudest though.

I think we may have been the boisterous ones .  The food was ok for some, really bad for others as evidenced by Steve who mentioned that his and Liz’s lobster was pretty bad.  The waitress offered them two free desserts.

We had a wonderful time, laughing all the time much ,I think, to the consternation of a few other patrons.

We drove back with Steve and Liz and I went right to bed.  And no, we didn't sty up for the new year.  Heck we've seen enough of them come and go.  Besides we couldn't physically stay awake.  In fact no one in the groups stayed up.  Bob almost made it but conked out 15 minutes before midnight.

And my cold/flu thing lingers on... Ugh