Yesterday we took our tender and drove into La Paz through the channel to end of town. We visited all of the marinas in town and are very happy that we are in Costabaja. The other marinas are less expensive, but definitely have less security…
Homeward Bound!
Well, it’s April 13th and our last trip to Stuart was upon us! Off we flew with a one-way ticket, not knowing from which city we would be returning home (VERY adventurous for us Type A folks). We arrived as usual in Stuart on a Friday …
Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My!
Well I have got to tell you all it has been some cold down here in the sunshine state. This morning we awoke to a brisk wind and temperatures in the low thirties. I think I can see a line of Floridians forming a cue on the top of the Tampa Bay Bridge,&…
Aaarghh!
Why is working overhead always such fun? I just spent a couple of days making a start on the soon come bedroom deckhead (ceiling). This included waking up early on Sunday with such a severely cricked neck that I know how it feels to be stargazy pie. It…
Coconut Grove Day 2
Sunday, we had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants – Le Bouchon Du Grove. It was quite excellent and an authentic French bistro. Sherri had the duck special (Maigret) and Nick had the lamb. You will probably meet your dining neighbors because, in…
Split 3
Here Split 3 makes her way up the River Itchen, past Lady Jane, on a Friday evening.Split 3 is a regular visitor to these parts.This emphasises a big difference I’ve learned between coastal shipping in the US and shipping here – known as short sea I be…
Ft. Lauderdale
Monday, December 13, 2010, Day 78: We traveled the 6 miles from Pompano Beach to Ft. Lauderdale. The strong winds, 20 knots from the west, made maneuvering difficult. We tied up at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club. It was great to see Chris and Joyce (Celebrate, our sponsors here) when they visited in the afternoon. Kathy, an American Express/sailing friend of Linda’s for 28 years, and her friends Priscilla and Robert came for cocktails aboard. Wonderful to see them after Kathy’s many years in Asia. It is unusually cold here — the temperature range was 63/43, which is very cold for Ft. Lauderdale. The wind makes it feel even colder.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010, Day 79: Our Reston neighbor, Ray, who lives in Miami came to pick us up for lunch–a delicious lunch at Seasons 52 in the nearby Galleria. Then the fun really began. We needed to sign up for the Department of Homeland Security’s Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS), that allows us to leave and enter the country with a phone call vs. stopping by in person. I won’t go into all of the details, but this task (which is advertised as taking 15 minutes), actually required a day and a half, a $ 35 cab ride and, because that was absurdly expensive, a rental car. One note for those reading this blog, each crew member must sign up. This is a change. Before, only the captain needed to sign up.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010, Day 80: We finished the effort to sign up for the SVRS and provisioned Escapade. Kevin and Courtney arrived for a holiday visit in the evening. It is so nice seeing them and we look forward to their 10 day visit.
Titusville to Vero Beach to Okeechobee Waterway
Finally the sun broke through to shine on a gigantic USA flag |
St . Lucie Inlet |
Wall dripping with purple flowers |
Tight quarters through RR bridge and bascule bridge |
Finally through the bridges |
Entering the Okeechobee Waterway |
Just narrow canal |
St. Lucie Lock gates opening |
Grateful at sunset |
Dawn in the harboe |
Love these “bottle-brush” palms |
Titusville to Vero Beach to Okeechobee Waterway
December 9-13, 2010We left early from Titusville because we had 75 miles to go to Vero Beach. Titusville Municipal Marina has many resident ospreys. One had chosen the “soft” post on Grateful’s port side to eat its breakfast. As we were making …
Clearwater to Sarasota
(Friday, Dec. 10 – Dist: 57.6 mi; Avg Speed: 9.8 mph; TTT: 6:00 hrs)
After a relaxing and fun week in Clearwater, we fueled up and headed further south. This top up of 260 gallons was the biggest in quite awhile. That was the cost of crossing the G…