Tuesday 29 January 2013


January 27, 2013

We booked an extra night on the dock in Stuart, rather than going to the mooring field, because the engine had been running warmer than Dave liked and he hadn’t been able to find the problem.  He called a mechanic and left a message.  Before we got a call back, Vic and Wendy came over.  Vic had a look in the engine, while it was running, and poking around found a small hose that was leaking coolant.  A $5.00 piece of hose later, the engine was fixed, thankfully, rather than the hundreds of dollars Dave had  envisioned.  Cherie and Dan, Vic and Wendy’s friends, invited us to a picnic potluck in the park that night.  We went and also met another couple, Bonnie and Lonnie.  Had a nice time and said our good-byes to Vic and Wendy.  

Tuesday morning we moved out onto the mooring field to allow us time to catch up on some small jobs on the boat.  We also got talking about our plans and decided we would not go to the Bahamas this trip.  The weather windows for making the trip across have been short and very few and far between.  With the time we have left, before returning to Canada, we felt that we would use a lot of that time waiting for a weather window to go across, and one to come back.  

Wednesday morning we started heading south towards the Florida Keys.  This section of the ICW has a lot of bridges, most of which open at a specified time.  Most of the bridges we have dealt with so far, have opened ‘on demand’ by calling the Bridgemaster on channel 9.  We travelled through 8 bridges to get to Lake Worth Inlet Anchorage.  On the way there we passed Mile Marker #1000 (Norfolk, VA is Mile Marker #1).  It was a large anchorage and even with a large number of boats, there was a lot of room.  

Thirteen bridges later on Thursday, we arrived at Lake Boca Raton Anchorage.  This anchorage is  Florida’s version of Covered Portage Cove in the North Channel, but instead of being surrounded by granite cliffs and trees, you are surrounded by high rise hotels and condos (feels a little bit like a fish bowl).  

Our timing on Friday was better... of the 8 bridges, we only missed the opening time on one.  We arrived at Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale, at noon.  We planned on staying here for the weekend to avoid the heavy boat traffic on the ICW.  We tried to get in touch with friends, Liz, BA, and Judy from the 12th of Bruce that were vacationing in Fort Lauderdale.   We were unable to arrange anything since BA and Judy were leaving in the morning and had plans for that evening.   

Saturday morning we set out to go shopping.  We visited a really good nautical book store called Bluewater Books and Charts and as we were leaving, the phone rang and it was Liz.  On her way back from dropping Judy and BA at the airport, she decided to stop at a mall near where we were anchored and call us.  It turned out to be the same mall we were in and so we met up at the fountain a couple of minutes later.  We picked up a few supplies at the grocery store and then went back for a visit at Liz’s condo.  Later in the afternoon Liz brought us back to our dinghy and we took the dinghy across the ICW back to Time 2 Go.  
 We had planned Sunday to get things ready to go and work on our blog.  It just wasn’t meant to be.  Several large boats came into the anchorage to party - all with very powerful stereos and different tastes in music.  The large power boat that anchored near us had a party going on the back deck plus a photo shoot on the front deck.  The young models must have been Dental Assistants, as they were all wearing bikinis that looked to made of dental floss!   As the sun set and the air started to get cooler, the boats left.  
Ibis at the potluck dinner in Stuart.
  

We have seen lots of huge homes on the way down but
Palm Beach mansions are twice as big


In Palm Beach not only are the yachts bigger but they have
their own boats stored inside

Lake Sylvia anchorage, Fort Lauderdale



Some of the entertainment over the weekend.
Paddleboards seem really popular around here



January 20, 2013

Monday morning we said our good-byes to our friends we made on the dock and started heading south again.  The day started out nice and calm flat water, and we were able to travel 36 miles.  We arrived at Indian Harbor Beach anchorage, formerly known as Dragon’s Point, until the statue of the dragon fell down.  

The next morning we raised the anchor and headed 38 miles south to Vero Beach.  Vero Beach Municipal Marina is a very popular stop, some of the guide books refer to it as “Velcro Beach”.  There are very few docks available, but most people take a mooring ball.  It gets so crowded that the boats can be rafted together 2 to 3 boats to a mooring ball.  Fortunately, we had our own ball.  We had planned on staying 2 days, but a cold front was forecasted to come in, with wind gusts to gale force.  So we ended up staying 5 nights.  This enabled us to take advantage of their free bus service to explore the area down by the beach and go to a large grocery store for supplies.  Thursday afternoon the cruisers held a get-together at a picnic shelter at the marina and we met other boaters.  It was interesting to hear other experiences and get  advice for our trip.  Friday, our friends, Bob and Connie, from Tiverton, drove down to us from Zephyrhills.  We had a nice visit out for lunch with them.  They introduced us to Raspberry Sweet Tea, a yummy popular Florida drink.  They have a really nice Farmer’s Market, on the bus route, near the beach, on Saturday morning.  We saw a lot of different items that you wouldn’t find in a market back home, such as a large variety of orchids, fresh citrus fruit, and articles woven from palm fronds.  There was also the usual fresh produce and items that we would find at home.  

Sunday morning we left for Stuart to meet up with our friends, Vic and Wendy, from Port Elgin.  As we got near to the St. Lucie River, boat traffic was a lot heavier.  The large mega yachts seem to show absolutely no regard for smaller boats.  One boat’s 4 foot bow wave knocked us right out of the channel!  Fortunately, we didn’t go aground.  Until we get at least south of Miami, we probably won’t travel on the weekends.  Eight miles up the river, 2 bridges later, we arrived at Sunset Bay Marina & Anchorage in Stuart.  Dave got a surprise when he radioed into the marina and Odyssey responded (Vic).  Vic and Wendy were there to greet us and help tie up, when we arrived at the dock, along with their friends, Dan and Cherie.  We enjoyed visiting with them all.  

The Mooring field at Titusville as we left Monday morning

Spanish Moss and plants growing on a Live Oak
really neat to see

View from our mooring ball in Vero Beach Marina

Live Oaks covered in Spanish Moss formed a tunnel all
down the street in Vero Beach 

Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart, Florida


January 13, 2013

Our first morning back in Titusville, we started re-stocking the boat.  To do this we had to catch the bus to the grocery store.  Dave checked the price of the tickets with Jimmy, the bus driver and he declared that it would only cost us $.60 each instead of the $1.25 each, we had paid before Christmas as we were now SENIORS.  We thought this was kind of funny until we stopped for a tea and coffee the next morning at the Burger King, and the price at the till didn’t match the price on the wall.  When we asked about the price, we were told that was the SENIORS price.  I guess it must be official. It is not to hard to take with half price bus tickets and half price tea and coffee.  

Our canvas top did not get done while we were away, but since we have been back, Bob the canvas guy, who lives on our dock, has been here everyday measuring and fitting the new piece.  Bob and his wife Evie, own a business called the Dock Dude, besides for doing canvass work they also sell used boat parts.          A really neat store to explore if you are looking for boating bargains.  We found a set of SCUBA gear at a really good price.

Most of the rest of our week was spent fixing all the little things that need looking at on any boat.  On Friday we rented a car for the weekend to finish off the odds and ends that were still left.  What a treat to be able to go some place  not on a bus route.  The buses have been good down here but a trip to Walmart and back took us 5 1/2 hours , it really slows down the restocking process.

Sunday was our last day in Titusville before starting south again and it was busy.  Early in the morning Bob came and did the final installation of our sun awning.  It is going to make a huge difference in our comfort heading south.  We are very pleased with it.  

We had postponed any visits with friends due to us both having colds when we arrived back to the boat.  So Sunday was our last opportunity to get together with friends in the area.  Gaetane and Jerry, friends from Port Elgin, arrived around noon and we went out for lunch at the Dixie Crossroads Restaurant, famous for their Rock Shrimp.  Later in the afternoon Ron and Mary, friends from Glammis, who have a winter home in Titusville, came for a visit.  We went out for supper with them to the Dixie Crossroads Restaurant - Dave can’t get enough of their Rock Shrimp!  We have met a lot of nice people on our trip south, but it is a real treat to meet up and visit with friends when you are almost 2000 miles from home! 

Dixie Crossroads Restaurant
Great shrimp and Dave got a belly full


January 6, 2013

We wanted to fill in the gap in time, since we stopped on November 1st to our return to Titusville on January 6, 2013.  

Staying in Titusville gave us a mailing address that allowed us to order a new raw water pump.  The rear seal leaking on the raw water pump has been our only major equipment failure.  The easy availability of parts down here has been great, 2 days after ordering it the new pump arrived and took about 15 minutes to install.  

With the boat fixed, we decided on a date to return to Canada.  There was a Titan rocket launch scheduled for Nov. 17th.  Our slip would have provided a spectacular view of the launch.  Our hope was to stay until after this, and still get a flight before the U.S. Thanksgiving rush.  However, the launch was postponed after we bought our tickets.   

The rest of our time, we used to visit the local attractions.  We saw many different species of birds at the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.  Although expensive and Disney-like, the Kennedy Space Center was very interesting.  The beach at the Canaveral National Seashore was miles long and the water was warm enough for swimming, if you were from Canada.  

November 19th we flew back to Buffalo, New York and then home to Port Elgin.   We were home just  long enough to have to put the snow tires on both vehicles and get the snow shovels out.  Winter is hard to take when you miss the fall.  We saw family and many friends and spent Christmas in the Niagara area. 

While we were home we purchased a Spot Satellite GPS Messenger that will allow us to let family know we are ok in areas where there is either poor, or no cell phone coverage.  The added feature with Spot is that when we are moving, we are going to be able to show our track on the map on our Blog.  
On Jan. 6th we went back to Buffalo, NY and flew via Atlanta, Georgia to Orlando, Fl.  and shuttle bus back to Titusville.


Kennedy Space Center
The rockets that they sent men into to space were not very big


Merrit Island Wildlife Refuge
Lots of different birds

Cape Canaveral National Seashore
Water was warm enough for Canadians

A Titusville neighbour stopping by for a drink