Manatee Cove to Ponce DeLeon Inlet

Thursday, April 30, 2015

We woke up today well aware of how much difference a few degrees to the north can make in temperature!  We enjoyed a cooler dog walk, and tended to morning boat chores.

The pumpout at the marina is only open during office hours, so we waited until 9:00 to pump out, putting us underway about 0930, heading north on the Banana River.  The chart makes depths look a little iffy, but, I was assured there was enough water in the channel.  I left the channel a little before 6B to head directly for 12, a shortcut that I had been told I could take.  A trawler with a 5' draft was coming a little behind me, and he told me he lived near there.  When I got to the charted shallower depths, I just fell in behind him.  It is pretty simple and straightforward to stay in depths for a 5' draft.  After we passed under the Bennett Memorial Causeway bridge, we turned west, through the barge canal extension, and then turned north, back onto the ICW.  

I had been through the canal before (Harbourtown Marina has cheaper fuel) and it is fun looking at the manatee and the birds.

The wind was blowing from the NW around 15 as we transited up the Indian River, turning east to pass under the Allenhurst-Haulover bridge, and then turn NW up the Mosquito Lagoon.

As we passed through New Smyrna Beach, we watched some of the biggest manatee I've ever seen rolling on the surface.  It is a pretty area.

We anchored for the night in Rockhouse Creek with four other trawlers and a sailboat.  N29 03.6 W080 55.8.  Coming from the south on the ICW, which means right here you are heading west, be sure to clear the sand shoal on the eastern edge of Rockhouse Creek before turning towards the north.  Everyone else was anchored in a line on towards the western shore, but I tucked into the pocket to the north of the shoal.  There is water almost up to the bank.  We were in less current there, with plenty of swing room.  

The view is great!  This is the light at Ponce De Leon inlet.

Manatee Cove Marina

Wednesday April 29, 2015

We pretty well spent the day enjoying the facilities at Manatee Cove marina.  We watched manatees, walked the dogs a lot, went to the local commissary for a few provisions, and enjoyed the great staff and folks around the marina.

The forecast rain never showed, nor the high winds.  As a matter of fact, the weather was gorgeous today, and we enjoyed the dock electricity and showers.

We could stay here for a long time, but, our journey continues tomorrow.

Hobe Sound to Manatee Cove Marina

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Before daylight the Sound was glass calm, and the occasional house lights reflecting on the water was gorgeous.

We got underway around 0535, while still dark, to continue north with my brilliant idea to arrive in Vero Beach still early enough in the day to enjoy their transit system into town, and visit Wally-word and West Marine.

The area between Hobe Sound and the St. Lucie Inlet is pretty.  In the dawn hours we heard osprey screams and lost track of the nests in the trees along the waterway.  The closer we got to St. Lucie inlet, the more houses appeared.

By 0815 we were totally engulfed in rain, and when we got closer to Vero Beach, re-thought the decision to stop and "run around town," which didn't sound nearly as attractive in the pouring rain, 

We only met a few boats all day, as most sane people were hunkered down somewhere catching up on naps, or doing boat maintenance.  I commented that I suspected  most of the boats were either being re-located, folks running for the barn, or folks bound by a schedule.  And then there was us...

Houses along Banana River.

We pulled into Manatee Cove Marina at Patrick AFB at 4:15pm.  It had quit raining, the temperature was perfect, and for those with military privileges, this place is great!

Hollywood Beach to Hobe Sound

Monday, April 27, 2015

This morning, we picked up the anchor and went over to the Hollywood Beach Marina fuel dock, to take on diesel for $3.20/gal.  They let me top of the water tank (We probably hadn't used ten gallons) but told me their rules wouldn't let me rinse the boat off.  I did, however, accidentally spray my windows while talking the hose to where I could cut it off at the spigot!

We went back to the anchorage to take advantage of the free wi-fi for a few minutes, and then got underway about 0830, headed north.

What a difference a day makes!  For starters, all the week-end warriors were gone.  Not only were thousands of less boats on the waterway, but a higher percentage of them seemed to be helmed by a slightly more competent group.

The sweltering heat had subsided a little, making things a little more bearable.

My friends who told me the inside was too slow and tedious, will be glad to know that of the 30 bridges we passed under, we only had to open at three.  I held me breath on one and wiggled under.

Jupiter Inlet 

When we arrived at Hobe Sound, NOAA was broadcasting warnings about 68 kt thunderstorms and golf-ball sized hail coming from Lake Okeechobee.  We turned on the tv, and they said billiard sized hail.  We shut the tv off, and watched on the radar as the bulk of the storm went around us.  We probably saw 40 kt winds and rain to give us the badly needed boat rinse. 

We watched a trawler nearby re-anchor two or three times, before loosing sight of him until the rain subsided, and I was grateful for good anchoring tackle, and for having the time to circle my anchorage a few times before dropping and setting the hook,  We had this anchorage to ourselves, and that was nice, too.

The day was topped off with a gorgeous full rainbow, too big for me to capture on the iPad, and temperatures a dozen degrees cooler than last night.  It is slick calm now, and I'll call it a night, and enjoy the cooler weather.

Tavernier Creek to Hollywood Beach

Sunday, April 26, 2015

We departed our anchorage around 0740, and continued our journey north.  I always enjoy the couple of mangrove creeks we pass through.  There were a bunch of sailboats headed towards Miami, and it was interesting watching them on their downwind reach.  

Gilberts Marina

I think I mentioned yesterday that SW and W winds are really unusual down here.  Well, the west wind made it REALLY hot.  I had traded texts with Casey and Mary, who complained they had gone too far north, too fast, and it was cold and rainy!  I just grumbled about how hot it was!  Mary amused with with a text of "acceptable" temperature overnight lows, for the cities between us.  When we turned the television on, we found out that Miami had experienced an all time record high, 96 I think.  

Anyhow, we crossed Card Sound and Biscayne Bay with all the sailboats and continued north up the ICW.  I had told Ellen before we didn't want to be in Miami on the week-end, due to all the boating traffic.  It seemed everybody, and all their friends were out on their boats this Sunday afternoon, I mean, with the record heat, isn't that the best place to be?

We had planned to stop at the anchorage near Haulover Inlet, by FIU, but, this is what the area looked like, so we kept going.  

The only place I've never been on the AICW is from Haulover Inlet north to Stuart.  I can't count the times I've been offshore, and all of my south Florida friends have told me I was nuts to run the AICW with all the bridges.  I've pulled my SSB antenna off for this years trip, so I don't have to contend with that antenna, and laying the others back to the height of the mast, meaning I can get under a bridge if I have 12' 11"  Determined to "check the box," I am also determined to enjoy it!

There are hi-rises on both sides of the waterway, and I was amazed to see depths over 40 feet in places along the waterway.  I'm not much of a city girl, but driving through by water is more interesting than by auto!

We anchored for the night in North Lake, across from the Hollywood Marina.  If I had realized before I dropped the hook that they were still open, I think we would have gotten a slip.  Next time I'll know.

N 26 00.979' W 080 07.184'  The shallow lake provided a calm area, in spite of 20kt winds out of the west. 

Florida Keys Newfound Harbour to Tavernier Creek

Saturday, April 25, 2015

I woke up about 0515 and realized we still had enough tide to get over the controlling depths if we left ASAP (you know, time and tide don't wait on women, either)  We pulled away from the house at 0520.  It wasn't until evening that Ellen complained she hadn't had coffee all day... what a way to treat friends!

We took the shortcut across the flat, rather than taking the long way around the channel, and eased out Newfound Harbour #2 into Hawks Channel.

The weather was nice, with a SW wind about 12 knots, a direction we don't see a lot of in the Keys.  We cruised easterly up Hawk's Channel to Mozier Channel, turning to the north, and passing under the 7 mile bridge, with plans to run the old ICW through the "backcountry" of the Florida Keys.

As we got to the east end of Duck Key, I had the sudden realization that we'd left all the boat keys on the key rack by the door.  I called my neighbors, Katrina and Ritchie, and pleaded my case.  They went to the house, picked up the sets of keys, and drove them to Marathon.  What great friends!

Meanwhile, we back-tracked just a little, to anchor long enough to launch the RIB and run into Capt. Hooks, where they let me tie up to await my friends, who arrived within ten minutes of the time I had.  Isn't it nice to have friends?

The rest of the afternoon we continued down the familiar run through the backcountry, which never presents any problems with MERCY's 4' 4" draft.  I recalled with sadness that it was about a year ago that I ran this way from Miami with a couple of friends on board who had driven to Miami to make the trip home with me.  The man, a few months later, dropped dead of a stroke, leaving his wife of over forty years a widow. I smiled with the sweet memories of the trip, and remembered.  It is hard to lose friends...

As we neared Cowpens Cut, approaching Tavernier Creek, we met a USCG safeboat from Islamorada, who circled around and decided to board us.  I offered to turn into the wind to simplify the process.  They asked if I'd ever been boarded before, and I thought of the scores (hundreds?) of Coasties who had conducted boarding training scenarios on a couple of the gov't vessels that I'd captained during my seventeen year stint at USCG base in Key West.  

One of the young men looked warily at Mocha, Ellen's chocolate lab, who thought it was wonderful three young men would come for a visit.  My yellow lab, Mercy, just plopped down by another's feet like it was an every day occurrence.

The guys did a pretty thorough vessel boarding, looking in the engine room, and forward below deck compartments, as well as checking flares, life jackets, fire extinguishers, placards, our toilet and sewage system, and document papers.

After they left, we went through the cut and anchored south of Tavernier Creek, N25 00.504' W080 32.833' where we grilled steaks and watched the myriad of small boat traffic that flanked us until dark.

What a great start to another adventure!

Ramrod Key begins a new adventure

Friday, April 24, 2015

I realize a lot boaters come to the southern US to enjoy their winter vacation here, and then return home to work on their vessels.  The MERCY's home is here, and the cooler winter weather is my maintenance period.

My friend, Ellen, looked forward to the days she could retire and join me on an adventure, and we picked a good one for this year... let's go to Maine!  I tried to tell Ellen that retirement just means hard work you don't get paid for, which she's realizing as we've both been busy getting ready for our trip to the north, and well as all the annual house and landscape maintenance!

I don't talk about boat maintenance much, since there seems to not be a lot of real adventure in scrubbing and sanding and painting and waxing or in crawling in bilges running wiring for a washdown pump, taking the ceiling down to run new antenna cabling for a shorted out antenna, changing impellers, zincs, fuel lines, cooling systems, oil changes, air conditioning maintenance... I digress.

Mercy, my yellow lab, now has a friend aboard (besides Ellen, who she loves!) with Mocha, a chocolate lab.  Mocha is still learning the ropes of boating.

We had planned to leave on the afternoon tide today, but weren't quite ready.  We did, however, spend the first night with the four of us aboard, at the home dock, plugged into electric, and enjoying the air conditioning!  The bright side of missing our planned departure date?  Familiar dockage in calm waters, with full household amenities and showers just a few steps away!