October 29, 2008 - Wednesday

We left Capt. Hiram's Sebastian Marina around 8:15 am and arrived to North Palm Beach Marina around 4:30 pm. We made excellent time due to the favorable winds and currents. I have forgotten to mention that, but we have been pleased with how we've been catching the favorable currents, which help to glide us along. The morning started out cool, but by lunch, we were rolling up the stratus glass for a breeze. Our journey to Palm Beach Marina was like rolling through a canal that had some of the most luxurious homes I have ever seen. There was a constant view of gardeners and boat washers looking after the grounds and boats. It seems like the deeper we get into Florida and closer we get to Miami, the larger the boats but unfortunately the ruder the boaters. There is no such thing as a slow pass. It is eat or be eaten and if you're the larger boat than you rule. That's unfortunate but we're just passing through.
The marina we stayed at was also luxurious for the inventory of boats there. I have never seen such beautiful boats. They were huge. It made the Rhojo look like the Clampets. Ramone, our dockmaster was friendly and helpful. He drove a fast golf cart and was quick to help with a line.
We did not venture away from the dock. There was nothing close to the marina so we grilled our burgers and had cocktails on the back porch. We watched some tv and retired for the night. We want to be up early tomorrow, because we are getting anxious to get to the Keys. I am anxious about Biscayne Bay. I told Joey that if it got rough, then he will find me with my instant blow up life jacket on while sitting in the dingy.
Happy Boating

October 28, 2008, Tuesday

We left Titusville Marina around 11:00 that day. We left late due to the extreme cold temperatures. We arrived at Captain Hiram's Seabastian Marina around 5:15 pm. This is a great place to stop, but just the name tells you it's got to be interesting. The marina was named after the owner's uncle who was killed on Normandy beach. The brochure gives the complete history. This marina offers everything from a sandy beach with a pig pickin every Friday night to a great Tiki bar and restaurant. The restaurant is huge and seats up to 500 people. The people are very friendly. Joey and I walked out of the restaurant and up the road abit to see the town and we laughed because it reminded us of Kure Beach with the whitewashed block houses and neat lawns except there were giant coconut trees. We went to sleep that night as we were lulled by the piano player in the bar singing mostly Elton John songs and banging out the melody on the ivy. I loved it. It felt like a real authentic vacation.
We have not seen any dolphins as of late. Oh well - maybe they're waiting for us in the keys. We have seen beautiful islands with fantastic houses centered on them. What a way to live.
Happy Boating.

Oct 25th, 26th and 27th, 2008 Sat, Sun and Mon

We left Palm Coast this morning around 9:15 after getting fuel and mailing out some cards, books etc.. to family and friends.
We arrived at Titusville around 5:00 in the evening. It was a long day and we were very tired. We ate rice and beans for dinner and were glad to have it on the boat. Too tired to go out after spending so much on fuel - just didn't have the heart or gumption to spend any more money.
We met Captain Clark from the Bonnie Marie who was tied up a few slips down from us. The name BonnieMarie derived from his mother's name and his wife's mother's name. It's always fun to get info. about the names of boats. Captain Clark had a great cooking station on the back of his boat and usually that is where you will find him in the evenings. Cooking and looking out at the view on the back of his boat. He and his wife live aboard permanently.
We also found Santa Claus at the Titusville Municipal Marina. Yes there is always a supprise around every corner. Santa worked in the prison system for years as well as a Sheriff. He retired from Criminal Justice and began to work as a professional Santa in the malls around the country. He recently sold his camper and purchased a boat. He was a delight.
We stayed three days at this marina for many reasons. The wind was horrible and made it an issue to be out on the open water and there is a fix it yourself boatyard next door to this marina, so we took the opportunity to fix the trim tabs we tore off in our run aground situation at Jekyll Island. Sunday night we had to get out of bed several times and readjust the lines and fenders to the boat. Lots of fun in the freezing wind at 1:00 am in the morning, but hey ya got to take the good and bad as it comes to ya.
The marina was a very pleasant stay and we saw dolphins in the marina's harbour as well as many Manatee. We learned they love fresh water from the boat's discharge and they also love lettuce. To me they are like saltwater cows. They graze and move about slowly. There is a large park around the marina, so we took advantage of the area and had some nice brisk walks in the evening after dinner.
Happy Boating.

Oct 23, 2008/Oct 24, Thursday & Friday

Left this morning around 8:30 from Jacksonville and arrived in Palm Coast Marina in Palm Coast, Flordia around 4:30. It is a true paradise here. It is the nicest marina we have stayed at yet. The winds were tenacious today and thankfully we were greeted at the dock by a crowd of fellow boaters eager to help us dock in such windy conditions. We met Barbara and her husband who were sailing on the ICW. Barbara gave me great input about the different stops in Florida and where to go. She suggested the European Village just five minutes down the road. I took her advice and we headed for the Mezalunna pizzaria there for dinner that night. We ate at Barbara Jean's restaurant the next day for lunch and visited some of the specialty shops.
We also met Joanne and Bob Updegrave. They also are traveling to Marathon, Florida. We had hordeurves and drinks on the back of their boat the following evening.
We stayed at Palm Coast for two days due to the rainy weather. Not too much fun to travel in the rain.
Happy Boating until my next post.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

We left Golden Isles Marina around 9:15. It was an eventful day for us. We bumped aground in a tricky area around Jekyll Island where you have to go out to the entrance of the ocean and come around to the back side of the island. I was below when we bumped and it knocked me off my socks. Due to Captain's Joe's quick response we quickly rebounded and got back on track. Note - just because Shrimp boats are in shallow water - doesn't mean that's where your vessel should be. Ha Ha. The weather was blustery and cool. We crossed St. John's River and saw some of the largest boats we have ever seen. I took a great picture of one in dry dock. We arrived at Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville, Florida around 5:00 pm.
We missed a marker coming into the marina and scrubbed again. The greatest pro about this day was the majority of the time we were running with the wind and current which gave us better fuel economy and faster speed. Oh well Moma said there would be days like this Mama said, Mama said.
We ate at Restaurant 32 at the marina that night. We highly recommend this eatery. It was delicious. We had grilled Salmon with risotto rice and apple smoked port medallions with poached Shrimp. There is a true Chef in that kitchen.
When we got back to the boat, we tried to repair our air conditioner, which had sucked up debris through the raw water intake. Thank goodness for fans.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

We left Kilkenney Creek around 9:30 and arrived to the Golden Isles Marina near Jekyll Island, Georgia. It was the easiest docking so far. The water was like a pond. The marina is new, so everything is pristine and nice. The marina had a nice Captain's store, where we purchased a new bell for the boat. We grilled brats with peppers and onions on the back porch. We were tired and it was nice to watch all of the boats coming in and docking from their journeys. Not very eventful, but very fulfilling.

Monday, October 20, 2008

To catch up on our dates, the following happened. Saturday, Oct. 18th, we stayed in Beaufort for an extra day. It was rainy and cold that day, so we did not want to travel.
Sunday, October 19th, we arrived in Savannah, Georgia. Took the Trolley stop tour and learned many historical references of Savannah. We stayed until Monday afternoon. We docked at the city dock, which was in the heart of the downtown area. Thanks to a great Dockmaster, Chaze, who helped us dock and took our mail to the post office. Thanks Chaze, for all of your help.
We ate lunch at Paula Dean's restaurant. It was delicious! After a brisk walk back to the boat, we departed to go further into the Georgian coast. The Georgia sawgrass on the banks of the ICW is beautiful. It is almost prairie like. We docked this evening at Kilkenney Creek. It is a quaint country marina that looks like a gentlemen's fish camp. Danny helped us dock. He's lived on Kilkenney Creek all of his life. In fact his father bought the marina years ago and he is now the owner. The pace here is slow and easy. Even the otter we saw cross the creek this evening while sitting on the back of the boat was in no hurry. We are happy to be docked and there was a crossing called; "Hell's Gate," that we were nervous about. All notes and references we have read in regards to this spot stated boldly to cross on high tide only, "NO JOKING." We crossed this area and yes it was high tide. Hallelujah another difficult area accomplished. The weather is cool and the mosquitos on the back porch will tote you off. We ate leftovers from our Saturday night supper at Vic's and are now retiring for the night. As they say in Georgia:
I'll see yall later.