Along with all this fun, was the often seen during storms such as these – the “dragging boat follies”. One of the boats at anchor started dragging into the mooring field. To make matters worse – the dragging boat did not have anyone on board! All of a sudden dinghys were launched from the boats about to be hit and we were off to the games!! I radioed in to the marina to send their launch out to assist in the rescue. In the end, all was well – owner returned to assist in the re-anchor, lots of very wet dingy captains returned to their now safe vessels. All was well. The rain and wind continued not withstanding!
So the fair warm winds of the south have been replaced by breezy cold north winds with daytime temps now in the 60's and night temps down to the upper 40's but the sunny skies are wonderful. Temperatures will be returning to the upper 70's and low 80's in the next next few days and we are loving it! So we are relaxing here doing some boat projects and planning out what our next move might be. We are not sure – sort of depends on the weather and winds most importantly which are still not very conducive for a crossing to the Bahamas. We are thinking that if we do go, the crossing will be from Lake Worth, FL directly east to West End. Given the weird and wild weather this current El Nino year has produced, we may not go. We will see. But for now we are just enjoying no longer working on a “boat delivery” cruise!
What is really interesting about being here is that we have finally “caught up” with all the other cruisers doing the same trip as we have been doing. Believe it or not, a few of them are actually headed back north! And it has been interesting comparing notes with all the other cruisers. We have all been to almost all of the exact same places and we have all experienced the same problems with the crazy weather. Lots of people are not sure about going to the Bahamas – in fact, the weather there is not a big drawing card either! We have time to wait and see what develops.
How we got here:
When we were in Titusville, FL we met a wonderful couple from Ducksbury, VT – their boat aptly named - “Evergreen”. They were spending the winter there in their first ever live-aboard experience. We plan to see them on our return. We left from Titusville, FL and made it very easily (and early in the day) to Merritt Island. We had planned to go in to Harbor Square Marina, where we had been told we could get it to (it is a very, very small marina) but had to use a shoe horn to extricate ourselves when it became all to clear that we were not going to be able to get into the dock. So we called quickly to the next marina – Harbortown Marina – just about 1 mile further along – and they were able to accommodate us. This marina was great!! They had a great dog park and restaurant on site and were extremely friendly and helpful (not to mention the price was really very reasonable!) We wanted to get to a marina so that we could host Phil and Nancy Stewart – my high school drama teacher – easily.
Phil and Nancy were just so wonderful. We gave them a tour of Sweet Liberty and then headed off to see their house on Merritt Island where they have lived for the last 25+ years. In all of the years since I graduated from high school – Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY – I have spoken to Phil at least once a year. He is one of those “once in a lifetime people” you are blessed to know and so I have remained in contact with him all these years. He has been a mentor and friend for the last 46 years since I graduated!! After hosting us at their house, they graciously took us to dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant, Alfredo's Paradiso. Not only do Phil and Nancy know the owner extremely well, Nancy is taking cooking lessons from him! The Italian food was absolutely outrageous! Thank you Phil and Nancy – so much!! I can't believe, however, that we forgot to take a picture of them so I stole a great picture of the two of them from Phil's facebook page!!! And while I was at it I grabbed a picture of myself he posted when I was in Phil's first play at Horace Greeley H.S. - A Midsummer Night's Dream playing Duke Theseus. Phil told Joan all about my high school “creativity”!
We left Harbortown Marina and stayed the next night at anchor off the town pier in Melbourne Beach, FL. Thankfully it was an very calm afternoon and night because it is really a wide open area to anchor. We dinghied ashore and walked to town as well as to see the Atlantic ocean – about 4 blocks away- and did a little shopping. Early the next morning, after taking Gracie ashore for her morning constitutional we were off for Vero Beach, FL. And here we are!!
Heading in to Harbor Square Marina - which is where you see the masts just before this bascule bridge - you have to go down a canal that joins the ICW to Port Canaveral. We had to come back out, wait for the bridge, and then continue to the next marina...
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