Vero Beach II

December 24, 2019 - December 30, 2019

Since we were expecting to leave Vero (cruisers call it Velcro Beach which I now understand since we have been “stuck” here waiting for good weather) the day after Christmas we had  much to do.

On Christmas Eve we started the day with grocery shopping and spent almost $500 stocking up on items which we will need in the Bahamas for the next several months.  Because of import duty items imported from the US are at least twice the cost in the Bahamas.  After we got all of the groceries on board I returned the car we had rented for a few days.   Back at the boat I spent much of the afternoon finding places to stow all of the provisions we had bought - not an easy task.  

Very similar to what I would do on previous Christmas days when I was surrounded by my family, I spent the morning cooking for the covered dish get together that was held in the boater’s lounge and for our upcoming trip.  At  2:00 pm we brought our dishes of au gratin potatoes with ham and cranberry sauce to the boater’s lounge and enjoyed the food and fellowship of the many boaters that attended.  There were even funny games planned.  After dinner we returned to the boat which was still in a slip and relaxed.  I heard from all of my children and my sisters that day.  I do miss them all so much during the holidays.  Bob had checked the weather and found out that our weather window had disappeared so we would be staying in Vero for at least four more days.  

The weather while we have been here has been ugly, overcast skies with occasional bursts of sun and rain.  Some days have been completely rainy.  Not what we remember about the Treasure Coast on previous visits.  

On Saturday we had lunch at the Riverside Cafe while we watched the Cotton Bowl Game.  Penn State beat Memphis University 53-39.  It was a close game until the fourth quarter when PSU pulled ahead.

On Sunday our friends, Mike and Vickie, picked us up for breakfast at the Lemon Tree on Ocean Blvd.  It was great catching up with fellow boaters and renewing our friendship.  After breakfast they dropped us off at Publix so we could resupply the foods we had already eaten from our Bahamas stash.  Bob noticed that the weather window had changed again and we would cross to the Bahamas on New Year’s Day which gave us little time to complete our preparations.  I did laundry in the afternoon. Next we brought our bikes back to the boat and stowed them in the quarter berth.  All fun and games of course.  We will leave on Monday to make our way to Lake Worth where we will make our crossing.  Unfortunately, my Aunt Mary Ruth (my dad’s youngest sister) died last week and I won’t be able to manage attending her funeral next Sunday, unless the weather changes and we can’t cross to the Bahamas.

Sorry, no pictures this time.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Vero Beach FL

December 16, 2019 - December 23, 2019

We are on a mooring ball in Vero beach which has its advantages over anchoring out. One advantage is being able to use all of the marina facilities for minimal cost.  Also, grabbing a mooring ball is easier and more secure than anchoring.  Mooring is less convenient than being in a slip though.  Anytime you want to go to land you have to go by dinghy which greatly limits your freedom of movement and sometimes makes you feel trapped on the boat.  Our mooring in Vero is close to the dinghy dock making land more easily accessible.  Weighing the high cost of taking a slip (if one is even available) against some of the disadvantages of taking a mooring - the mooring usually wins out. Unfortunately, in Vero the mooring field is surrounded by mangroves which host millions of no-seeums.  When we have a strong breeze the bugs are not a problem, but lately it has been calm in the evening and Bob and I have numerous bites.  Thank goodness for benadryl.  

Vero Beach is the only place we have encountered
sharing a mooring with another boat, but it works!

Biking around Vero Beach (ocean side) is safe and easy.  We can take quiet neighborhood roads to get to most locations with traffic lights or four way stops at main intersections.  To get to larger shopping areas for provisions and boat supplies we would have to bike over a bridge to a very congested area.  Neither Bob or I want to do that so we take the Vero Beach free shuttle bus across the bridge.  This feature is one of the reasons Vero Beach is so popular with cruisers. 

The weather has been overcast and rainy and with the no-seeum issue we decided to splurge and get a slip at the marina for awhile.  We also needed to get a rental car.  We felt like we were civilized for a change. LOL   At the marina we had shore power and could run our air conditioner to dry out the humidity in the cabin making life more comfortable.  Our first trip in the car was to Petsmart to purchase a soft carrier for Lola to get her to her Vet appointment to get her an international health certificate.  We also got the chance to eat at some of our favorite Vero Beach Restaurants; Fishack and Georgio’s Pizzeria. Both were just a good as we had remembered.  

The weather was windy and overcast for
several days in a row ...

And that is why we took a slip at the marina.

We left the carrier out for Lola to get used to, but she avoided it like the plague.  On Monday morning Bob had to grab her and we both shoved her into the carrier.  Fortunately, this carrier had an opening at the top so Bob was able to open it and comfort Lola on our trip to the vet.  She did remarkably well with the whole procedure considering her issues the last time we took her to the vet. 

Bob and Lola at the vet relaxing.
Notice the aviary in the background,
Lola loved it.

We finally have a weather window for our crossing to the Bahamas.  I’ll write about Christmas and leaving Vero in my next blog post.

Merry Christmas and thank you for reading my blog.

Daytona Beach FL to Vero Beach FL

December 9, 2019 - December 15, 2019

We hadn’t heard from the diver and we needed to drive to St. Augustine (a one hour drive by car) to pick up a package that had been delivered to the marina so I rented a car from Enterprise. While in St. Augustine we had lunch at Pizza Time and bought some pop corn at Kernel Poppers.  Back in Daytona we stopped at a Publix to get a few provisions and the liquor store nearby to replenish our supply of Tito’s and Sailor Jerry’s.  The diver called while we were shopping and Bob arranged for him to come by first thing in the morning to dive below the boat and find the life line gate. Let’s hope he can find it.

Unfortunately Daytona seems like a “has been” beach town.  I know their main season is in the summer, but there were very few shops and restaurants open.  We probably won’t stop here again.  Especially since we got hassled by a police officer for riding our bikes on the deserted sidewalk. You didn’t know Bob and I were such wild characters. :)

We got up early on Tuesday morning to take showers and get ready to leave our slip.  The diver got there around 8:30 and did his best to find our life line gate, but just couldn’t locate it in the two feet of mud under our boat.  We left our slip at 9:30 and had to slowly pass by the fuel dock so we could return our keys by placing them in the net the dock hand extended to us.  Unusual procedure!  After a long boring day motoring mostly in a straight line except for the canal between Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River we anchored just outside of Titusville just before sunset.

We anchored just in time to enjoy the sunset.

We left our Titusville  anchorage early only to run into fog so thick the visibility was down to about ten feet.  We decided to anchor near the J F Kennedy Space Center Bridge and wait for the fog to lift.  We sat there for about an hour but, better that then running into something! We spent the rest of the day motoring in a straight line down the Indian River - boring! We anchored at 3:00PM and braced for a possible thunderstorm.

The rain started during the night and continued throughout Thursday.  Our 28 mile trip to Vero Beach was just plain miserable.  Even with the enclosure we still get a few leaks. On the way into Vero I had to put on my foul weather gear to get the lines and fenders ready for docking at the fuel dock to get fuel, water, and ice before we went to our mooring ball.  I was outside in the pouring rain the whole time and even my foulies couldn’t keep me dry. I was truly soaked to the skin. We shared a mooring ball with another sailboat and were only feet away from the mangroves.  I knew no-seeums would be a problem here and they were.

 Lola stayed nice and dry inside the enclosure
while I ran around on deck getting us docked
 and then on the mooring.

The weather didn’t clear up until Friday and even then rain was still threatening. We did some chores and went out to lunch for the first time in awhile.  The Riverside Cafe is accessible by water so we took the dinghy over (after I bailed it out for the fourth time in 24 hours).  

Saturday morning was still rainy, but by lunch time it cleared up and we had a beautiful clear day.  We took our bikes into land and road to the beach, enjoying the clear air and the sound of the waves.  On our way back we stopped at a park that was having a craft show.  So many beautiful items were displayed.  We bought a harness and leash for Lola at one of the booths.  We’ll see how that works out.  Watch for pictures of Lola in her harness or me with scratches up my arms. LOL

Sunday was a lazy day.  After showers we rode our bikes to Cravings cafe for breakfast and a sweet treat.  Their Christmas cookies are almost as good as mine.  I stopped at the craft show again on my way back to the boat while Bob continued back to the marina. Back at the boat I took Lola out on the cabin top for some play time.  She loves to chase lines that I wave around.  

We will be here in Vero for at least a week looking for some good weather to head further south and then make our crossing to the Bahamas.

Thanks for reading my blog.  Sorry there weren’t many pictures.

St. Augustine, FL to Daytona Beach, FL

December 3, 2019 - December 8, 2019

We opted to stay in St. Augustine two more days so I had some time to enjoy the area.  The weather was chillier than I expected but bright and sunny.  One morning we woke up to 32 degrees, but the sun warmed us up by mid morning.  We had lunch a Pizza Time (voted the 2nd best pizza in the US by Travelocity) a couple of times and I purchased two large bags of popcorn from Kernal Poppers on St. George Street.  I like a mix of cheese and salt and vinegar.  Yum!  St. Augustine is a destination for Christmas lights.  Our last fall here we took the trolley tour one evening.  This year we enjoyed the lights on our excursions into town. Besides fun we had some chores to complete - laundry, grocery shopping, and hauling jugs of water from the fuel dock to the boat.  Our first trip for water (six gallon jug) proved to be too heavy for me to lift up to the deck of the boat from the dinghy and it slipped from my hands into the water.  In my frenzy to save it I almost went in the water too.  Fortunately, I only got my whole arm wet.  

A lovely courtyard in St. Augustine

A friendly egret that I watched
fishing for his meals.

The alter of the Basilica of St. Augustine
built 1793-1797 is located on Cathedral Street.

On Saturday morning we left St. Augustine at 7:00 am.  We were on a mooring ball and all I had to do is pull the line out of the loop on the mooring ball - no anchor muck to clean up and only one line to coil up - easy peasy!  We motored down the water way for seven hours passing through several high bridges and three opening bridges with no hold ups.  We docked at Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach at 3:00 pm and relaxed until the boat parade at 6:30 pm.  

This small boat was decorated with six trees.

A larger fishing boat decorated to the hilt

And my favorite ... the lights
say "Seas & Greetings".

On Sunday, Bob noticed that our life line gate had come off and fallen in the water.  He tried to locate it and bring it up with a net to no avail.  Our neighbor in the marina offered to drive us into the West Marine to buy the components for making a new one.  Unfortunately West Marine did not have what we needed so Bob decided to have a diver come in on Monday to retrieve the gate.  We’ll see how that goes.

We took a bike ride to Caribbean Jack's for a great seafood lunch.  Daytona Beach's season is from Memorial Day to Labor Day so many restaurants and shops weren't open at this time of year.  

I spent some time decorating the boat for Christmas.

Here's my Christmas galley towel!

Thank you for reading my blog.

St. Augustine, FL to Johnstown, PA and back

November 25, 2019 - December 2, 2019

We got up bright and early on Monday so I could meet the airport shuttle by 5:00 am.  It was cold and dark as we waited in front of the marina.  When the shuttle arrived it had a flat tire. AHHHHH! I quickly called for an Uber and one arrived in fifteen minutes.  I explained my dilemma  and the driver got me to the airport in time to get through security and make it to my gate just as boarding began for my flight to Baltimore. Once in Baltimore I had to exit security find the terminal for Boutique Airlines, go back through security, walk to the end of the terminal to find my gate. Once there I found out my flight was further delayed.  As it turned out the flight to Johnstown that was supposed to leave at 11:05 am left at 2:30 pm.  It was a tiring and frustrating day at the airport to say the least, but I arrived safe a sound at Jessica and Joe’s house around 3:30 pm.  After a quick nap Joe and I met Jessica at a restaurant famous for its wings.  Delicious!

My plan for Tuesday and Wednesday was to make matching sleepwear for everyone coming for Thanksgiving and help with the food preparation.  I got everything cut out on Tuesday and sewn on Wednesday.  Nightgowns for Jessica, Rachel, and me - a tunic and leggings for Lilli - PJ pants for Joe and Juan - it was lots of fun sewing and watching Netflix.  

Here are the ladies modeling their sleepwear!

Rachel, Juan, and Lili arrived Wednesday evening from Oak Park, IL.  What a great reunion and a fun night playing UNO and listening to Lili display her skill on the trumpet.  She started playing in September and is very good for a beginner.  Music has always been a big part of my life and I’m happy Lili is finding joy in music as well.  I wish I had a picture of Lili playing her trumpet.

Rachel and Juan relaxing in the living room

Thanksgiving was fabulous.  We started the day with a long walk/hike through the nearby park which covers many acres of land hoping to stimulate our appetite for the feast planned for later in the day.  The turkey wasn’t done until about 4:00 pm, but Jessica had planned for this with light snacks to stave off hunger.  While the turkey rested we baked corn casserole, mac and cheese, potato filling, and mashed potatoes followed by rolls. I used the drippings from the turkey and the broth from cooking the neck and giblets to make the gravy and made the cucumber salad. The table was set and decorated by Jessica and Lili.  It was a once in a life time feast followed by pumpkin and pecan pie (baked by Joe) topped by homemade vanilla ice cream.

Beautiful Table setting waiting for our turkey.

Snacks in front of the fire

Beautiful turkey resting

On Friday morning Rachel made two of her famous apple pies to add to our wide variety of desserts.  Later in the day we were joined by Becky and Al (my sister and brother-in-law) and Melanie, Joe and their two boys Jack and Mathew (Jess and Joe’s dearest friends). What a wonderful day!!! For dinner Joe made his famous meat sauce over spaghetti noodles with garlic bread and salad.  What could be better.  Everyone had the best time ever.

Becky, Al, and I just before they had to leave.

On Saturday everyone, but Rachel, Juan and Lili had to leave.  We still had the core family members there for a great game of UNO and a fun evening.

Sunday, Rachel, Juan, and Lili had to drive back to Oak Park, IL  after a breakfast of scrapple and scrambled eggs with cheese.  On Monday I returned to St. Augustine where s/v Rainy Days has been moored.  It was such a great week with two of my daughters and their families (Jack and Mathew are Jess and Joe’s god sons) plus my sister and her husband.  I love Thanksgiving with family.

My next blog will be about our stay over in St. Augustine.

Thank you for reading my blog.

New River, SC to near St. Augustine, FL

November 18, 2019 - November 22, 2019

We left early Monday morning from our anchorage in New River so we would hit the trouble spots of the day close to high tide.  We were about five miles north of Fields Cut (where we went hard aground on our first trip down the ICW) which leads into the Savannah River. News from other cruisers indicated that Fields Cut had been dredged recently and we got through without touching bottom.  Savannah is one of the busiest ports around and we are always amazed at the number and size of the ships that pass in front of us as we cross the narrow river. 

See what I mean! We were just entering
the river and you can see how narrow it is.

Hell Gate was the next concern.  It is a short (less than a mile long) canal dug between the Little Ogeechee River and the Ogeechee River and has been treacherous for us on previous trips.  Bob let me navigate this area and the water was never lower than 21 feet.  We stopped for the night at Kilkenny Creek, one of our favorite anchorages,

 Lola was tormented by the water birds hiding in the spartina grass near our boat. 
When she was on deck the birds were screeching back and forth.

Killkenny Creek is a large anchorage
with room for other boats,

On Tuesday we were headed for Little Mud River about 40 miles away.   Apparently, the Army Core of Engineers had forgotten to dredge Little Mud River since it was still scary  even at high tide.  Given the 7-8 foot tidal range in this area anything under 14 feet at high tide is unpassable at low tide and we saw depths under 10 ft. 

 Bob and Lola relaxing while I’m at the helm.

We anchored in Wally’s Leg that night around 3:30 pm.  Just in time for a short photo shoot.

Whenever I see a flag I want to photograph it. 
This flag flies off the stern of our boat.

 Georgia low country is beautiful.

another beautiful sunset

Wednesday morning we only had 19 miles to travel to the Jekyll Island marina where we spent the night. 

We saw the wreck of the Golden Ray in
St. Simons Sound, GA on our way to Jekyll Island.
The Golden Ray had capsized on 9/8/19.
All 24 crew were rescued.

We arrived in time to get much needed showers and have lunch at Zachary's River Front Restaurant on the Marina grounds.  We borrowed a loaner golf cart to go to the Beach Side Village to get some groceries.  Shops and shops and shops tempted me to explore, but we had to get back to the boat to take care of boat chores.

These birds are resting on the bridge's fender and
painting it with what locals call "Georgia whitewash."

 I saw this egret sitting in the spartina grass near the marina.

Wednesday was our last day in Georgia.  I commented to Bob that Georgia hadn't been so bad this year. Soon after we went hard aground.  A power boat came along behind us and went aground close by.  We both put out fenders to prevent damage if the boats drifted into each other in the process of getting off the bottom.  Fortunately, it was dead low tide and the tide would soon lift us off the mud.  A friend of ours on "Sequel to" came along and showed us where we could find the deep water by getting through the area easily.  Both captains continued to try to back out of the mud and when the power boat broke free it drifted into us.  We helped to push it off (no damage to either boat) and it was on its way.  Bob tried once more to back out of the mud and we broke free.  Following our friend's example we made it into deeper water.  So much for Georgia not being so bad.

 These pelicans sat and watched us go aground.
I could almost hear them laughing.

We motored into Florida around 2:00 pm.

Shrimp boats docked at the Fernandina seafood plant.

The paper mill can be seen from afar
and is the first sign of Fernandina Beach.

That night we anchored in a new spot just off the ICW.

We enjoyed another spectacular sunset.

One more short day to go before our long stop over in St. Augustine.  With the warmer weather we have been keeping the front window out and Lola has become very bold.  She waits for a time when Bob and I are distracted and prances out to the cabin top.  One time while chasing a bug I was sure she would go over board.  What a disaster that would be!
We arrived at our anchorage just 19 miles north of St. Augustine by 12:30 right after we enjoyed a delicious lunch of meat loaf, peas, and baked apple.  I've been cooking more elaborate lunches on this trip.  It's easy to cook while we are underway in quiet rivers and canals and Bob and I have gotten used to eating our biggest meal at noon and snacking for supper.

One canal we traversed today was lined 

with one mansion after another.

Tomorrow St. Augustine...


Thank you for reading my blog.

Georgetown, SC to Beaufort, SC and beyond

November 10, 2019 - November 17, 2019

We left Georgetown just after sunrise to start our three day trip to Beaufort, SC.  Our first day we planned to motor 50 miles, but stopped short of that goal and anchored in Capers Creek.  We were definitely back in the lush South Carolina low country as we were surrounded by marsh.  The familiar smell of the pluff mud and the beauty of the spartina grass were a welcome sight.  We spent last winter in the low country and most of the winter of 2016/2017 and it has become one of my favorite eco-systems.  Shrimp boats, pelicans, egrets, and dolphins are abundant in the low country waterways.

One advantage of getting up early
is seeing a beautiful sunrise!

A pelican resting on a day marker

A shrimp boat out early

On Monday we had planned to get a later start to hit Elliot Cut at slack tide, but Bob couldn’t wait.  We got through the Ben Sawyer Bridge at 10:00am and entered Charleston harbor.

The Ravenell Bridge connects Charleston with Mount Pleasant.

Boats are anchored in Charleston Harbor
just in front of the City Marina.

Because of Bob’s impatience we hit Elliot Cut when the tidal current was still about four knots  against us which slowed us down considerably.  Bob had to “white knuckle” it through the cut, but we safely made it into the Stono River.  We anchored off Stono River in Church Creek.

I finally photographed a beautiful sunset.

Tuesday dawned overcast and rain was predicted for later in the day.  We hoped we could make it to Beaufort before the deluge.  We had a few cuts (small dredged canals between rivers or creeks) to navigate, but high tide helped us through them without a problem.  We passed under the Ladies Island Bridge and docked at Bueafort Downtown Marina at 2:00 pm in the pouring rain.  I was soaked to the skin by the time we were settled in our slip.  Hot rum drinks helped us to warm up and relax after the stressful docking.  

Wednesday was sunny, but with a cold wind.  We braved the elements and had breakfast at Common Ground just off the harbor side park and later lunch at Plum’s.  I had Shrimp and Grits, one of my favorite low country offerings.

The park extends from the Ladies Island Bridge to the Downtown Marina.
 It has porch swing type seats and in warmer weather
I would have been swinging on one.

Bob wasn’t interested in looking in many of the stores on Bay Street (the first street away from the park) and after a while he headed back to the boat while I completed my exploration.  One shop that intrigued me was a kitchen store that had such a plethora of items it took me quite awhile to look at everything.

 I have started to collect kitchen towels and
found this one in the kitchen store.

  

One side of Bay street is mostly shops
and the other side is mostly restaurants.    

 Many of the historic homes have been converted
to Bed and Breakfast Inns.

Beaufort has several trading libraries
like this one all around town.
The policy is "take one - leave one".

Beaufort has some family history attached.  My in-laws (Sig and Claire Hanel) married here during WW II.  Sig was stationed at Parris Island at the time and later was deployed to the Pacific.

Thursday was cloudy and a light rain started in the morning.  I got the laundry done before the deluge that afternoon.  The rain continued all day, all day Friday and all day Saturday. Ugh!  We still managed to get groceries and rum. I got out some fabric and cut out the pieces for my next quilt. On Saturday we watched Penn State beat Indiana University 27-24.  

Sunday morning we left the marina at 9:00 am heading south on the Beaufort River past Port Royal and Parris Island.   

This is the water tower at Parris Island which states “We Make Marines”.

The wind and current were both strong causing a rocky ride.  The waves and wind calmed down once we got across Port Royal Sound and into Skull Creek.  The rest of the trip was calm with sunshine warming up the enclosure nicely. We anchored in New Creek around 2:30.

Lola relaxing in the cockpit after a long day of travel.

Tomorrow we leave South Carolina and enter Georgia which has some trouble spots on the ICW.

Thank you for reading my blog.