To Stuart, FL
30 October 2006 | Location coordinates: 27 08.893'N, 80 11.666'W
Jeanne/Weather, lovely
Sunday, October 29.
In 1985 when we were still in Boston and sv Watermelon was moored in Westport, MA, a hurricane came through in October. We went down to the boat to put a second mooring line to the chain as a backup and we stripped the boat of everything; sails, dodger (tiny, then), anything that was loose and could blow away. When we returned to the boat the day after the hurricane we found her to be fine, though the marina mooring line was chafed almost completely through. Other boats had broken loose from their moorings and been driven up in the marsh. One boat's roller-furled jib was in tatters as the wind unrolled it and shredded it. We were feeling quite relieved, and perhaps a bit smug about our preparations, and then we noticed that the binnacle cover had blown away. We simply didn't notice it, didn't think about it, and it was lost.
This morning I went up on the fly bridge to take the boat out of our slip and noticed that, 21 years and 3 weeks later, we had done it again. Experience is one thing, remembering the lessons from that experience is another!
We left St. Augustine, Mile 780, and were on our way by 8:00. We were ready much earlier, but had trouble with the pumpout station -- we seem to do it wrong at least half the time, though the fellow on the dock said that the pumpout worked only about half the time (but he might have just been kind).
At 29 46.8'N, 81 16.8'W I saw a bald eagle on the ground looking over the water, and about 100 feet away was a second one! A pair, I assume, and no camera with me. Which reminds me that the whole idea of cruising is visiting what's on land.
We passed a sign, "Warning. Manatee area. Maximum speed 30 mph day, 25 mph night" 30 mph? We think we're going fast at 15 mph.
L. B. Knox Bridge, mi.816(?). Best bridge opening we've had, very professional. Woman, maybe that's why.
We made excellent time until just before noon, and then we were just poking along so that we wouldn't make my idea of a good stopping place. This time I'm the one who's pushing it.
I have finally gotten my computer navigation system set up. It has a small GPS receiver plugged into a USB port on my wide screen laptop, and it displays the progress of the boat on a chart on the computer screen. It is much nicer than the tiny display on the chart plotter, and it is also much, much easier to work with. I had been most unhappy that we "got taken" when we bought the chartpack for Florida, in that we didn't get a chart CD with the charts, but when I went to the MapTech web site they offer free downloads of US government charts. They downloaded quickly when I got to a fast internet connection, and I am delighted with how they are working. Because they have so much more detail than the tiny chart plotter screen, you can really see where things are, how close we are following the ICW, and I can plan so much better. This is worth expending the effort to set up.
I wonder if you can use up luck? If so, we might be in trouble because Peter has had three lucky escapes in one day. I don't think we should expect any more.
First, he wasn't paying attention and almost ran into a dock going full speed down the ICW. A short time later he wasn't paying attention and bounced, hard, off the bottom as he strayed outside the channel while looking at ???? through the binoculars. The third time he decided to leave the helm to pee over the side without telling me to watch, and he just missed hitting a channel marker. I told him after the second close call that I would take his toys away if he didn't pay attention. After the third near miss I went back up to the fly bridge and sat with him and nagged him for about a half hour. He was so sick of me that he behaved just to get rid of me. Part of the problem is that Peter hasn't installed the new electrical outlet so that I can run the computer and GPS from the new table he installed next to the inside helm station. From the new table I'll be able to work on the computer, read, whatever and still be able to see where we are going and keep an eye on everything. Right now I am at the saloon table which is about 18" lower and too low to see out of the windows.
We are in manatee territory and we have to be watchful of them. They are big and slow and as terrible as the injuries that power boats can inflict on the manatees, I can imagine that damage to our boat should we hit one would inflict significant damage to us as well.
We made reasonable time today, anchored in Cocoa, FL at 28 21.16'N, 80 43.155'W. We should have an easy run to Stuart tomorrow.
Monday, October 30, 2006.
It's taken a lot longer than in the past, but I think I might be getting into "passage mode". I made a carafe of coffee last night so we would have coffee immediately upon waking, and another pot made first thing on waking so we have coffee through the day. I haven't been so efficient before.
We left at 0700 from mile 887.5 (well, that's where the new waterway guide says we anchored).
Peter's doing a good job of pedaling. We covered 23 statute miles in the first hour. I can't believe that it is correct, but if not, the chart has an error. Who knows? I know we can't sustain it, but it would be nice if we could continue making such good time.
I find the constant drone of the engines and eagle eye on the depth to be very tiring. Working below, I'm sorting out storage galley systems sorted out. I have a basket on the cupboard door over the sink in which I put small dishes and cutlery to air dry. I needed to put more holes in the plastic basket so it drained quicker, and I also put a plastic bottle in one side with holes in the bottom so that I could put the cutlery in standing up.
We made excellent time, although it was getting quite windy the last hour or so, which made me want to get in and get settled soon. We reached Stuart and were anchored by 1:30 in the afternoon, that's 100 statute miles in a little over 6 hours, excellent time for the ICW. We are anchored at Statute Mile 988 in a little cove called Manatee Pocket, at 27 08.893'N, 80 11.666'W, surrounded by about a dozen marinas. Good TV reception here.
The next few days will be spent getting our davits installed and finding a secure place to leave the 'Melon while we are up north for the holidays.