March 31, Day 279 – Eau Gallie/Melbourne to Cocoa Beach

We got a late start this morning, not raising the anchor until 10:30. We had less than 20 miles to travel today so we were in no hurry. It was a pretty easy trip with no wind, no waves and not much boat traffic. The weather was still a bit nippy underway, but there was bright sunshine so we weren’t bundled up like yesterday.

We anchored south of the bridge in Cocoa Beach with many other boats, mostly sail. The winds are supposed to be light over the next few days so we figured the anchorage would be acceptable. It is close to a dock where we can tie up the dinghy and go exploring. However, that will be left for tomorrow. Today we just hung out. Linda napped and read; Gerry put fishing line on his new reel. He also put a couple of patches on the dinghy. It has been losing a bit of air lately and there were a couple of “suspect” places where he thought it might have a small hole. Hopefully that will solve the problem.

After a spaghetti dinner, we watched a little TV and then called it an early night.

Shortly after our departure, we passed under the Palm Shores Bridge

This part of the Intercoastal follows the Indian River for approximately 100 nautical miles. The area we traveled through today was approximately a mile wide.

There are homes on both sides of the river, most of them modest compared to what we saw in the Ft. Lauderdale or Vero Beach area

Approaching Cocoa Beach and our anchorage for the next couple of days

Tonight's sunset as seen through sailboat masts and electrical poles

March 30, Day 278 – Vero Beach to Eau Gallie/Melbourne

We woke up early this morning, but took our time over coffee and breakfast and finally unhooked from the mooring ball and headed out around 9:30. It was quite windy, but the weather forecast was for diminishing winds by noon. We had a pleasant run and, for the most part, everyone was very polite on the waterway today – no boats going fast and no wakes. We planned on anchoring right after the Eau Gallie Bridge, but the winds were still quite strong when we arrived and we weren’t sure what kind of protection we would have. Second Star went in first to check it out and found that close to shore the waters were reasonably calm, so we followed them in and dropped anchor.

After settling in, we took the dinghy down and went in to town. There was a dinghy dock right at the town library. We walked the streets, stopping at the local hardware store and West Marine. Gerry was able to get a new reel for one of his poles. The town was very quaint with lots of artsy-crafty places. We finally ended up at a restaurant right on the water named Squid Lips. We had happy hour and then, because the view and weather were so nice, we stayed for dinner. Gerry moved the dinghy from the dock at the library to the shore of the restaurant so we could make our exit easily. By the time we left, the winds had decreased to nothing and we had a quiet evening on the hook.


Morning in the mooring field -- a couple of sailing cats off our starboard side
Another of the boats in the mooring field -- Grand Ole Gal

Underway today we saw lots of little islands along the Intercoastal. These are actually "spoil islands" and are made from the debris removed by dredging the Intercoastal. Over time, trees and shrubs have grown on them and they have become a popular place for boaters to hang out. Here you can see people walking from one island to the next.

Looking back at our wake and several of the "spoil islands" in the distance

Second Star approaching the Melbourne Bridge with the Eau Gallie Bridge in the distance

As we passed under the Eau Gallie Bridge it was still very windy and these pelicans were hunkered down to keep out of the breeze

The dinghy dock by the local library. It was a very short distance from our boat.

The town had several different unique bike racks -- this was one of them.

The entrance to Squid Lips. That's Gerry you see behind the door, plus Linda's reflection taking the picture.

Gerry, Michael and Jana at Squid Lips

Squid Lips was pretty good sized with lots of different seating areas, including tables on the beach

Gerry bringing the dinghy from the dock to the beach at the restaurant

A shot just before sunset. You can see Second Star and Monk's Vineyard on the right-hand side

A shot of the Eau Gallie Bridge from the restaurant

March 29, Day 277 – In Vero Beach

Last night we were deluged with well over 3 inches of rain, along with intense flashes of light and associated thunder that echoed simultaneously with the lighting. Taking into account the old adage that you are a mile away for every second between the time you see the lighting and then hear the thunder, we figured it was about 1/8 of a mile away. We were glad we were moored with many sailboats that had those big lightning rods sticking way up above our short mast.

This morning Gerry’s first chore was emptying water from the dinghy. Our mooring mates, Second Star, also had the same issue, even though there’s had a cover on it. Rain was predicted for most of the morning and it was very windy, so we decided to stay put today. It ended up being one of those “couch potato days”. Gerry worked on a schedule for us through summer of 2011 (gee, wonder how many times that will change) and Linda read a book Jana had loaned her, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. She just couldn’t put it down until she finished reading it (recommend it to anyone, but especially anyone female).

By late afternoon the sky had cleared and we had a beautiful, but still breezy, day. Gerry grilled the salmon we had picked up at the fish market on Saturday. Because of the wind, he had a hard time lighting the grill, but he persevered and soon we had delicious salmon for dinner.

We went to bed with the boats rocking a bit as it was still very windy, but no rain. The temperature is supposed to drop into the 40’s tonight. Where’s spring??

This morning Linda noted a stream of water coming off the boat ... oh no, what was Gerry doing? After all, we were in a mooring field with lots of other boats.

OH ..... thank goodness, it was the hose draining the water from the dinghy. She was afraid the source was from SOMEONE else.

In case you've never rafted up with another boat, this is what it looks like between the two boats ... lots and lots of fenders so the two boats don't rub together and damage the fiberglass. It can get kind of noisy though if there is a lot of wind or wave/wake action.

Lauderdale to Vero Beach - - Spot

Lauderdale to Vero Beach - - Spot

March 28, Day 276 – In Vero Beach

We slept late and then had a lazy Sunday morning. We were thinking about heading out, but after checking weather (rain and wind predicted) decided to stay put today. We did, however, switch the positions of the boats. The generator exhausts were facing each other, so we moved Monk's Vineyard to the port side of Second Star.

After rearranging the boats, we decided to take a walk to the ….. what else …. boat show that was a few blocks away. Fortunately, we didn’t find a single thing to buy. After that we walked the 3 or 4 blocks to the beach front and associated stores and restaurants. There was an arts festival in the park so we strolled through that and then to the beach. We stopped at Nino’s Pizza for lunch and had very yummy pizza with more than enough left over for a second meal. We finished walking through the town (lucky for us most of the shops were closed on Sunday) and then back to the marina. Very pleasant walk and it didn’t even rain on us.

Back at the boat Gerry napped and Linda read. Later, Gerry worked on the itinerary again and Linda did research in the guide books and on the computer for possible stops and associated attractions. One thing we have decided is to try to watch the space shuttle launch scheduled for April 5. If it goes forward as planned, we should see it. If not, we’ll just move on. We are also going to the MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners Association) rendezvous in St. Augustine, FL in mid-April. After the rendezvous we are going to take a couple of weeks and make a side trip on the St. John’s River. Little by little we are filling in the schedule with the time we would have spent in the Bahamas.

It finally started to rain around 8:00. It is supposed to rain through the night and most of tomorrow. If so, we will probably stay here another day.

On our walk to the beach we passed through a park area with very interesting old trees

..... many with low hanging moss

The town had several painted statues of turtles. This one was entitled Lawyer. Thought it was pretty cute considering I used to work for the courts. This little lawyer turtle had his law books, cell phone, the scales of justice and, of course, tie and suspenders.

Here's the jungle turtle ... painted with elephants, monkeys, tigers, etc.

Here's Gerry beside the International Turtle. It had paintings of the native dress and flags from countries all over the world (Note to former co-workers: maybe this could be the logo for the Court Interpreter Program)

A little boy building a sand castle just out of reach of the waves ... at least for now

A shot of the boardwalk and beach

This is the Ocean Grill. It received high marks in the guide books, but there was also mention that it was pretty pricey. We settled for pizza instead.

On the way back to the boat we walked through the older neighborhoods. This modest home had very nice landscaping. It seemed strange to see so many flowers ... it's only March (well almost April).

March 27, Day 275 – Causeway Island, Fort Pierce to Vero Beach

We raised anchor today at 9:30 and headed out for our short trip to Vero Beach. We had a pretty easy run, arriving around noon. It was a very nice day and, since it was a weekend, the waterway was a little busy. We radioed the marina to ask for our mooring assignment. In this mooring field they often put more than one boat on a mooring ball. We had asked to be moored together. However, they told us there were no empty ones and assigned each of us to pair up with two other boats. In the meantime, Second Star decided to cruise around the mooring field and spotted an empty ball. We asked if we could use that one and were told to “go ahead”. We got all settled in by about 1:00 and then dinghied ashore to wait for our friends, Steve and Karen, who were driving from Orlando.

When they arrived we sat at a picnic table and had a cold one and chatted for awhile. Then, the 6 of us piled into their car and they proceeded to cart us around town to run errands. It’s great to have friends that are willing to do that. We stopped for lunch, took a quick ride to the beach (so they could say they’d made it to the ocean) and then back to the marina. We all dinghied back to the boat where we had happy hour on the Vineyard’s flybridge. All too soon, it was time for them to leave. We tried to talk them into staying, but since Steve flies out tomorrow, they felt it best they get back to Orlando. We took them back to the marina (after a very short ride out to the Intercoastal) and said our goodbyes. We certainly enjoyed seeing them again and sharing stories.

Back at the boat we watched the sunset, did a few chores and then off to bed. It had been a great day.

Second Star in the glow of the morning sunrise

Dolphins at play. As we left our anchorage and started up the Intercoastal, we were joined by many dolphins swimming about

We passed under a couple of bridges before reaching the Vero Beach Municipal Marina

This power plant was right after the bridge

Here is Monk's Vineyard and Second Star in the mooring field. The marina has both slips and mooring balls. We choose the mooring balls (much cheaper, plus we'd recently spent several days in a marina)

Jana, Gerry, Steve, Karen and Michael -- having a little refreshment

The mooring field just before sunset

March 26, Day 274 – Peck Lake, Jupiter Island to Causeway Island, Fort Pierce

It rained during the night and this morning it was cloudy with a definite threat of rain in the air. We had a leisurely breakfast and raised the anchor around 10:00 and were underway to our next destination. At first we were only going to Jensen Beach, but decided to press on to the Fort Pierce area. It rained off and on most of the way, but was a relatively easy trip. We arrived at our anchorage for the day just before 2:00. A pretty short day.

We received word from our friends, Steve and Karen, that they were in the Orlando area and, that it we didn’t have a full day planned on Saturday, they would drive over and see us at Vero Beach. Well, we jumped at the chance to have them visit. They are the same couple that spent a week with us on the boat on the Trent Severn Waterway and Georgian Bay in Canada last summer. It will be great to see them again!!

We did a few chores, planned our itinerary for the next few weeks and then relaxed the rest of the day. By the time we went to bed it was clear outside and the stars were shining brightly. It is supposed to be a very nice weekend.

When we left this morning, the sky was very dark. This picture was taken around 10:30 a.m.

A shot along the Intercoastal. This area wasn't nearly as commercialized or built up as what we've seen the past several days.

Another shot of the shoreline

After about an hour we came to the Jensen Beach Bridge. It was quite pretty with a park and playground area.

Part of the old bridge had been left as a fishing pier

We passed the St. Lucie Inlet. You can almost make out a boat or two coming in from the ocean.

This is a dredge going up the St. Lucie River. This leads to the Okeechobee Waterway. Some people doing the Great Loop catch the Okeechobee at Ft. Myers on the western coast of Florida which comes out at Stuart, on the eastern coast. This eliminates going to the Keys.

A view of our wake and the sky behind

Gerry did a little fishing from the boat. Caught a couple of catfish and let them go.

By sunset, the sky was clear. The horizon did not lend itself to a particularly beautiful sunset, but it was quite colorful, especially compared to what the sky had looked like for most of the day. Red sky at night .... sailors delight. Yeah !!

March 25, Day 273 – In Peck Lake, Jupiter Island

We slept in this morning. It was a very lazy day. Late in the morning we decided to go to the beach. Gerry took his fishing pole, Linda took her book. It was a little overcast and a bit breezy, but the wind picked up significantly during the time we were there. Michael and Gerry fished and Michael actually caught a fish. They both decided they needed new poles – the kind for fishing in the surf. We’ll see!!

We spent the afternoon just hanging out; Gerry took a nap. Around 5:00 we jumped in the dinghy and headed over to Second Star to plan our next few days. We will probably go to Vero Beach for the weekend. Back at the boat, Gerry grilled hamburgers, we watched a little TV and then off to bed. It had been a nice relaxing day.

There was a colorful boat pulling out first thing this morning. We'd never seen a yellow trimmed boat before, along with a yellow dinghy.

At one end of the lake was a lone sailboat. It was obvious the boat had been there for quite some time. Since someone lived on the boat, it wasn't exactly derelict, but it definitely was run down.

This trail led to the beach

... and here's the dunes, with the ocean behind

Gerry down at the beach

The dunes had new grasses planted .... sort of looked like hair plugs.

The old man and the sea

Look, Mikey caught a fish

Everyone gathered around to take a look

The sea was "angry" today, but it had interesting colors

A shot of the sunset tonight in the anchorage.