Happy Thanksgiving to all, November 28, 2013

Last year at Thanksgiving time we were racing down the Intracoastal Waterway along the Georgia cost. We were running from winter and trying to make it to St. Mary's, Georgia for the annual cruiser's Thanksgiving celebration. We stayed ahead of the bitter cold and made it to the celebration and enjoyed dinner with a 150 other cruisers that were doing the same thing as we.



This year we are in Stuart, Florida, which is about 275 miles south of St. Marys, Georgia. We thought we were well ahead of the cold until we woke up this morning and it was 45 degrees. It was still much warmer than the reported 15 degrees at our home in Tawas, Michigan. By dinner time, it was 72 and very pleasant for our outside gathering.




We are staying at Sunset Bay marina and they put on a Thanksgiving feast that rivaled St. Marys. The marina provided turkey, ham, dressing, potatoes and gravy and the cruisers brought a dish to pass.




There were over 100 people in attendance and no one went away hungry.



The dinghy dock was crowed with inflatables as everyone gathered to enjoy the feast among the "cruising family." We shared the day with our friends, George and Jackie from Heritage, Guy and Louise from Miss Ellie and Chrissie from Chances. Everyone seemed to agree that if we could not be with family, it was good to be with friends. We all have much to be thankful for.


After too much food, wine and laughter, it was back to the boat in time to enjoy another Florida sunset.



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Location:Stuart, Florida

Life on the Intracoastal Waterway, November 22, 2013

Tonight we are at the city marina in Fort Pierce. This is the view from the back of our boat. It looks like each power boat gets two palm trees.

We stopped here because it is a convenient spot to access the airport and go to the U.S. Customs and Boarder Patrol office. We were told by other cruisers that if we went to CBP, we could enroll in the Small Vessel Reporting Program which would allow us to check in with Customs by phone when we return to the States and not have to go to a CBP office. We scheduled an appointment at the airport and arranged for a cab to take us there for our "individual interviews." The cab ride took longer than the "interview," which consisted of handing our passports to an officer and then waiting until he checked his computer to make sure we were not terrorists. When he was satisfied that we were "okay," he returned our passports and told us we could go. Now, when we return from the Bahamas, we can call CBP and not show up in person. It seems like a strange process, but if it somehow makes the country safer, we can put up with the inconvenience, and the $35 cab ride.

Since we left St. Augustine on November 14th, we have enjoyed a leisurely trip down the ICW. We anchored out the first two nights before arriving at Cocoa and the home of our friends, Bob and Donna.




This is the view from their condo, with Glory Days tied to their dock. While we were there, we were treated to incredible hospitality, great food and conversation. They loaned us their car to go to the grocery store and to Sam's Club to do our major provisioning in preparation for the Bahamas. We filled the back of their SUV and then loaded everything onto the boat.





While we were with Bob and Donna, went to dinner at Port Canaveral and watched three cruise ships leave the port. From our table we could see the passengers on the railings waving goodbye.

We left Cocoa on November 18th, which is the day the MAVEN was scheduled to be launched from Cape Canaveral. The MAVEN is an unmanned mission to Mars which will orbit the planet and collect data.

As we motored down the ICW we heard the Coast Guard on the radio directing boats away from the "restricted area" and we heard the countdown, but were too far away to really appreciate the launch.



This is a picture we took from the boat as the rocket was launched. Not too spectacular.

Next we stopped at Vero Beach. Many cruisers congregate at Vero as they migrate south. It is often referred to as Velcro Beach because it is hard to pull away from. We don't have the same fondness for Vero as others seem to and after three nights, we were ready to push on south.

We have had lots of discussions about where we want to spend Thanksgiving, and right now it looks like Stuart may be the place. For now, we continue to enjoy the relaxed cruising life and try not to plan too far ahead.



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Location:Fort Pierce, Florida

It's official, we love St. Augustine. November 3, 2013

There has been a long lag between blog posts, in large part because we have not moved the boat in nearly a month. Our life here has fallen into a pattern of working on boat projects and enjoying the city. We have really appreciated this relaxed pace which has allowed us to get a lot of things done without rushing.

Nearly every morning we get up and go for an hour long walk through the city's various neighborhoods. After the walk it is time for breakfast and then on to the project for the day. We have redone much of the exterior teak, cleaned and polished the stainless and the brass, re-wired a pump, replaced some water hoses, sanded and refinished the cockpit table and done other "sprucing up." The boat is once again looking pretty sharp and everything seems to be working. Dan also spent the better part of two days getting the dingy motor in working order.



We have also done some of the "touristy stuff" like riding the Green Trolly. The ride takes you through the city and is narrated by well informed drivers who describe what you are seeing in an entertaining way. The Trolly makes 15 stops at points of interests and you can hop off and explore and then re-board when you are ready.




We wandered the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. This is the spot where Ponce deLeon landed in 1513 and claimed Florida for Spain.



We both drank from the Fountain of Youth, and immediately felt refreshed and more youthful.




Peacocks roam freely around the park.



Leaving the park we went down Magnolia Drive. We were informed that National Geographic named this street the 6th most beautiful street in America. We were thinking, "10th at best." The Spanish Moss that hangs heavy from the trees was used by early settlers as stuffing for mattresses. Henry Ford also used it in the seats of the Model T cars he built. The settlers knew that the moss needed to be boiled before using it. Boiling kills the chiggers that live in the moss. Henry Ford didn't and this lead to the nation's first automotive recall.



We viewed the grand hotels that were built in St. Augustine by Henry Flagler.



We have found lots to do here, including the Greek Festival, a Blues Festival, Sangria Sunday and the First Friday Art Walk. We have enjoyed some great meals at local restaurants and a couple of Happy Hours at outdoor bars.

It looks like we will be here for a couple more weeks and this is going to be a tough place to leave.



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Location:Hidden Harbor Marina, St. Augustine, Florida