Here I am. Who would have thought but on another adventure? And it involves warm weather and a boat.
I thought my last e-mail would be my last blog until the fall but the warm weather brings out the scribe in me. That and the fact things get different as you get south. The language changes, the shrubbery, and the light, not to mention the temperature. I look out of place wearing jeans and carrying a spring jacket.
Living in St Catharines makes it easy. There is a choice of flights south and different three airports to choose from. If there is nothing available at a good price at Hamilton or Toronto, then a half hour south to Buffalo airport puts you into West Palm Beach via Columbus, North Carolina. If nothing is available at a good price into West Palm, then go south a little further to Ft Lauderdale. Which is what I did this time; for $111.00 plus tax; all of $134.50. From airport by a free shuttle to the Tri-Rail, a $5.00 ticket, then a short train ride north to Palm Beach. Mike is there in a rental car to pick me up to go to Indiantown to Soulstice II and return to Toronto. Not everything is perfect here, but sitting on this inexpensive train ride I realize Toronto; my own favorite city, could learn a few things about how transportation of people is run. Maybe I should give Metro-links a call? If Rob Ford could see how they run things here maybe, just maybe....
Coming down the eastern seaboard at 33,000 feet, it is like following along on Google Earth. The coastal cities and a lot of the Intracoastal Waterway is distinguishable especially after the plane clears the Florida border and you know what you are looking for. The St John River where I turned west with Chances to leave her for the summer, was easily visible, as was the St Lucie Inlet. But before that; the Inlet to Ft Pierce; Cape Canaveral, the Mosquito Lagoon and the start of the Indian River. It's pretty well a straight line through Lake Worth to Ft Lauderdale, just feet from the Atlantic. It is really pretty geography from the air; this water highway, the Intracoastal, framed by the royal blue Atlantic. I sound like I'm reading from the Waterway Guide doesn't it? Three years ago I didn't even know how to pronounce Hobe Sound (Rhymes with Robe) or Rio (rhymes with Bio) and now I'm coming off like an expert. Not really, but you learn a lot from other sailors... and the Chart-plotter.
Mike meets me at the train station with provisions already in the back seat and we head out to Indiantown to see Soulstice before dark. It doesn't take long and we are loaded and prepped for him to leave in the morning while I take the rental car back to Stuart to drop it off and take a cab to the marina.
Will write the adventure back to Toronto aboard Soulstice II on another blog.