The end of the road for now...



Harbor Town Marina, Canaveral
This marina is only 2 miles from the Atlantic along the Canaveral Canal.
It is really well protected with very little current and no tides.


Our trip yesterday from Vero beach to Cape Canaveral was the longest in miles, 58, but it only took us a little over 7 hours. We did not have to go through any lift bridges and we were able to get our sails up to help. We tied up by 2:30 and started the packing up of stuff to bring home.  Our friends are picking us up so we should be home by Tuesday...just in time for St Patrick's Day.  We are off the water now until June when we move to Brunswick, GA for hurricane season.

We met a lot of wonderful people on this trip and hope to stay in touch with them.

We will have lots of visitors and a trip to England before we are back on board so stay tuned for our land adventures!!

Vero Beach...almost there

Peter was first up this morning at 6AM. By 6:30 we dropped docklines and proceeded through the lift bridge right outside the marina breakwater. You pass through the lift bridge, raised train bridge, and high rise Rt 1 bridge all in the span of less than 1/4 mile. Once through the high rise we rounded a green marker and found ourselves grounded. this is exactly the route we took in but today we left at low tide. Peter was able to move in reverse and we were able to move back and make a wider turn around the mark. OK.....not the best start to the day. We had 7 miles to the crossroads of the St Lucie River and the ICW with a few spots of concern. Jane spoke to one of the marina managers and got the more reliable local directions of which turns to watch for and which side of the channel to favor.  We followed these directions but also bumped once more on the way out of the river. Neither of these "bumps" were in places we were told to watch for!! The St Lucie River is definitely shoaling into the channel and you cannot trust the chart depths for low tide. If you have more than 4.5' of draft we recommend moving at high tide. There is only a 1 foot difference in tides so you need to be careful!  Once we were out into the ICW we still had some depths of only 3' under our keel before we moved out of the St Lucie River basin.  The rest of the trip was uneventful and we only had 2 bridges to lift today!!  By the time we made Vero beach (43 miles later) we pumped out, fueled up, and hooked to a mooring ball. It was 2PM.  The rest of the afternoon was spent de-stressing....again!  Tomorrow we leave at daylight....apx. 7:15-7:30 and will try to make 57 miles to our Canaveral marina.  Spring forward on the clocks tonight!!

Back in Stuart

Sailfish Fountain in down town Stuart.

We have anchored in Lantana 3 times now and never touched land. Next time we happen to stop here we have to cross the bridge and visit South Palm Beach. But we are moving on so anchor up at 6:45AM,  through the Lantana Bridge at the 7AM opening and had only 12 bridges to do.  It was not as easy as the 15 yesterday since a few were a half hour apart within a mile so there were 3-4 bridges we had a long wait for.  Since there is not an easy anchorage for our 5.5' depth along the way we decided to go back to Stuart, along the St Lucie River.  We reserved 2 nights at Sunset Bay Marina, the one we wanted to get into for last Nov.-Dec but it was full.  Around 2PM we came to the St Lucie Inlet and turned west toward Stuart.  The winds were blowing out of the east 30k so we were so happy to be on the ICW.  We actually "bumped" bottom turning into the river entrance!! We watched the depth meter go from about 3-5' to suddenly 5 inches. Peter felt the bump at the helm. Thank goodness we moved into deeper water right after that or we would have been grounded in 30k winds!  Our river trip to the marina was uneventful after that and we tied up at the dock by 3:15-3:30.

Office, store and club house at Sunset Bay Marina.

This is such a nice facility and Stuart is a beautiful town. We can see why it is so popular.  We are only 1 of 2 sailboats on this dock. Everything else is 30'+ motor yachts, and yachts for sale.  We have 2 large motor yachts on each side of us and one in front of us. They tend to block any wind so it was rather hot in the boat overnight.  After two long days of  motoring through 29-30 lift bridges we decided to treat ourselves to dinner. There is a beautiful restaurant here called "Sailor's Return."  It is more upscale than the typical marina restaurant and we had to call for a reservation.  Dinner was delicious and hot. It is not too many places where they deliver the plates too hot to touch! We had appetizers, salad, lobster entree, and creme brulee for dessert!
Today we did laundry early and walked into town for a bagel. We were planning to leave Pretzel for the afternoon and walk around the town.  Peter put his wet suit on and went under the boat to check out our rudder. He wanted to make sure there was no damage after getting the palm trunk caught in it 2 days ago. It was not fun because the water is not the cleanest and clarity was a little difficult. Everything seemed to be fine. As Peter was showering and getting dressed, Jane got the electric cord ready to hookup and noticed a really black, nasty sky in the southeast. Peter plugged the electric cord in as it started to blow and sprinkle.  Within 3 minutes we had one of the worst storms we can remember on the boat. It was pouring and the winds were blowing 40-45K. That is gale force.  We were really listing over (away from the dock thank goodness) so Peter decided to add extra lines from the boat to the dock. In the meantime the rain felt like ice and the wind was freezing! We both ended up soaked through.  This storm lasted about a half hour.  This is one time we are so happy to have had the motor yachts blocking the full broadside force of the wind. We can't imagine trying to hold our anchor in 45K winds!! Someone up above seems to be guiding our decisions.  So we are on the boat now for the day since the rain continues and the temperatures are dropping into the 40's overnight and will probably stay here tomorrow so we can visit the town.

Miami to Lantana

On Monday morning we left the Miami marina and headed into the Atlantic, expecting NNW winds of 9-15k and seas of 2-4'.  Our trip to Ft Lauderdale was only 19.4NM as the crow flies on the outside. We were pleasantly surprised to find the seas less than 2-4' but the wind was on our bow so we could not put out any sail.  Back to motoring again.  We made it into Ft Lauderdale and picked up a mooring ball at the Las Olas Municipal marina by 11:30.  After lunch we left Pretzel and took a bus to Publix to stock up on more staples.  We had a nice relaxing evening and sleep.

We have decided that sailing is not for us anymore
so we are going to get something a little more comfortable!!!!!!!!

One of our favorite bridges on the ICW
if indeed we have any favorite one!!

Tuesday found us hoping to go 54 miles to the Lake Worth anchorage. We left our mooring at 6:45 and began the long trek motoring inside the ICW since we did not want to tackle 3-6' waves outside again. After passing through 15 bridges, on their own lifting schedule, we made it to Lantana for their 2PM opening. We were only 1/8 of a mile away but he did not hold it open for us. So we decided to drop anchor here again. this is our third time here but we are sharing it with 2 other sailboats. Along the way we were getting ready to pass through a bridge when "Thump"....we had hit something. That noise is NEVER good to hear on a sailboat!  We were still moving so we did not ground the boat. then we thought it was a manatee but did not see anything behind us.  Peter felt something resisting with the rudder so we went through the bridge then tried to address the problem. there is no place to tie up and it's too narrow to anchor so we were a little concerned!  Peter shifted into neutral to stop the prop and turned the wheel so we travelled around in a circle.  Jane leaned over the aft side and sure enough......eventually a large piece of 4-5' round palm bark floated to the surface. It had to have been submerged when we hit it but it was enough to make us sit up and take notice. A little further down Peter put the boat into reverse and circled. Nothing else came up.  After the fiasco entering Boot Key Harbor with a crab pot line entangled in our prop we are a leary of anything that makes a loud "thump" .

So we are having a nice afternoon de-stressing in Lantana and planning our next stop for tomorrow. The Admiral is planning pork curry for dinner, sounds good after a long day waiting for and passing through all those bridges.

Take Me To Miami!!

Weekend days in No Name is a free for all!  Motor boats, small and large, decide to arrive for the night and anchor or dock along the wall.  We had 4 boats anchor very close....too close for our comfort. Near the wall there were three 45' fishing boats who anchored and rafted together.  They think nothing of just dropping the hook and drifting until it catches.  We, on the other hand, plan our spot with enough swing room, then decide on the length of scope, and take care to get it set. then the GPS stays on to read the coordinates for an hour or so. We must be doing something wrong (or perhaps right?).  So we left the boat and had dinner ashore with our new friends and had a great last night. 

Picture of an ariel photograph of No Name Harbor in the foreground.
You can see just how tight it gets in there. Last night there were apx.25 boats.

 We were up and hauling the anchor by 6:30AM to get an early start to Ft Lauderdale. It was tricky with the anchor having boats so close by. They could have been over where our anchor lay! We came really close to 2 but finally the anchor was up and we were off.  This time we passed the Cape Florida Lighthouse from the ocean side.

Once out from the Key Biscayne Channel our course turned 25' north with winds out of the SE.  The weather forecast had been for 10-15K out of the SE with 2-4; waves. No problem since that's about what we had on our trip from Marathon. Well......the winds were 16-18k gusting to 20k out of the ESE and the waves were 4-6' every 8 seconds.  We were being hit broadside and rolling over and back furiously.  Everything below that was not tied down went falling. We did not relish doing this for another 33nautical miles so after 9 miles we turned west into Government Cut and headed into Miami. Our first stop was Miami Beach Marina for fuel then on to Miamarina Bayside Marina to dock for the night.


 This marina is in the center of downtown next to the Bayside Shopping center and where they host the Miami Boat Show.  After resting and having lunch we left Pretzel to sleep and went exploring. What fun!  There was live Cuban music on a stage and people of all ages dancing, playing chess, eating meals, and living!!  Peter found a shell shop and bought a conch which he can blow at sunset....long story if you don't know.  Returning to the boat we sat and watched the multitude of commercial boats going in and out for tours as well as 2 Carnival cruise ships rotate in the turning basin before leaving. So we hope to be able to make the trip to Ft Lauderdale tomorrow.

Bayside shopping

Musical Stage

Everyone was dancing!

There were 3 tables of chess playing.

Downtown Miami in the background.

No Name harbor day 3 & 4

On Friday morning we went ashore to dump rubbish and give pretzel a walk. We spotted the Manatee foraging at the dock wall so we stood and watched for a few minutes. A small power boat arrived in the harbor and dropped anchor a short distance away. The kids on board immediately jumped into the water for a swim. The Manatee hearing the splash swam over to the boat and frolicked around looking for a hand out. We decided to go back to the boat and get some lettuce which the manatee love. We drifted over to where he was and soon he swam up to us and let us hand feed him the lettuce. Unbelievable experience. We patted him on the head and he looked to enjoy the experience as much as we did. We had one major problem, we forgot the camera in all the excitement so no pictures for the blog. They are really gentle giants. This one was as big as our dingy and probably as heavy as it and us on board. This is a picture from the net, not one of mine!

The one sad thing about the whole experience was observing all the injuries to the poor creature. He had some scars on his back and several chunks taken out of his tail.  Today it is easy to see why this happens. The quiet anchorage of the past few days is chuck-a-block full of all kinds of boats with all kinds of people enjoying the sun and surf. Some don't heed the signs at the entrance of the harbor and go too fast to avoid the manatee. It is rare for them to be hit but all it takes is one bad collision and they suffer a lot.

By the way they are not the only inhabitants of the harbor. Almost every day we see one or two large Dolphins chasing fish and popping up and down around the boats.  

Captain Ed with his FECKIN IRISH WHISKEY!!!!!!
As happens on a frequent basis we had cocktails on board our neighbors boat yesterday afternoon and as you can see he produced a tasteful treat, what a great name!!!

Sights in Bill Baggs State Park

Stiltsville

Handsome guy!



These were all over the park.





Cool tree

Cute garbage picker

Wild new guinea impatients

Walkway to lighthouse

In the upper left quadrant is the reflection of the new reef tower

Bill Baggs State Park

No Name Harbor is marked with an anchor on the right.

This anchorage in No Name Harbor is probably one of the best we have been in. It is not free...they ask for $20/night honor system. But it helps to keep the showers and laundry clean and in good shape.  there is room for 14 boats maximum, is protected in all directions, and just pretty. Yesterday we walked to the lighthouse, which is not a working one anymore because they built lighted towers along the reefs to warn boats of the hazard.  But they have done a beautiful job restoring the lighthouse and keepers quarters. There are hiking paths, bicycle paths, and fishing stations along the bay side. Lots of wildlife but we have noticed a lack of birds!!

Cape Florida Lighthouse

Replica of original keeper's quarters

New reef towers built to replace lighthouse

Key Biscayne

Yesterday morning we dropped our mooring in Marathon at 6.30am and set our course for home. Jane had checked the weather and it looked as if we would be stuck for a week if we did not leave. We decided that if the day remained half way decent we would travel as far as possible. Fourteen and a half hours later we dropped anchor in Key Biscayne outside the ‘Nixon White House’. Nixon bought this house with the help of renowned banker ‘Bebe’ Rebozo. That is food for thought. It has been reported that plans for the Watergate break-in were discussed here. It is the record that Nixon stayed here over 50 times during his presidency and spent a lot of time here licking his wounds after Watergate. It brought back memories for Jane and I, five or six years ago we took a sailing course in Ft Lauderdale and we anchored here on our first night of the course.


Just in case anybody got the crazy idea that the day was a walk in the park, it was not. The first 10 hours were beautiful. We cruised along at 7 or 8 knots with a following breeze and waves. The sea was full of Man-O-War jellyfish. As you may or may not know Turtles eat jellyfish so we were fortunate to spot 4 Loggerheads on the surface throughout the day.

Darkness overtook us about five miles from the entrance to Biscayne Bay. The channel is not very well defined so the anxiety level increased to a high level as we approached. Peter’s eyes were glued to the GPS and Jane sat at the edge of the cockpit with the spot light picking out channel markers. Of course Murphy’s Law took effect and the wind increased to over twenty knots. Just what we needed after fourteen hours on the go! The channel passed through an area known as Stiltsville. The area has many low lying land masses and people built houses on stilts there in the era of Capone and prohibition. The law stated you had to be one mile off shore to gamble so a large boat was run aground there and the gamblers ferried out from Miami to party and play. Wow, what a country!!! Several years ago most were destroyed by hurricane Andrew in 1993 and only half a dozen ruins remain. It was very eerie passing through the area in complete darkness and picturing what it must have been like when they were first built. Needless to say we were both relieved when we set the anchor and sat back and reflected on the day.

This is what the buildings looked like
in Stiltsville.

This morning we had our coffee and then moved just a short distance down the island to ‘No Name Harbor’ in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. We will hold up here for a few days to let the weather settle before moving on to Ft Lauderdale and points north. One of the sites we are going to visit while here is the 19th century working lighthouse, the oldest structure in Miami Dade County.  The park also has one of the top 10 beaches in the United States. And lest I forget, you are looking right across the bay at beautiful Miami and Miami Beach. The price is right...state park $15 per night, on the honor system!!

The harbor can hold about a dozen boats at anchor.
This restaurant is just at the dock.

We hope to keep the boat in Cape Canaveral for a month or so while we return home to do taxes and entertain some family visitors from the US and Ireland.