The theme today is BIRDS. Remember the movie? For a number of reasons, but perhaps most importantly, there is such an abundance of wildlife, particularly birds, and it is beautiful. They are everywhere, and there are so many different kinds. A birder's paradise, I should think. I particularly enjoy watching the egrets and herons hunting for fish in the shallows. They are stealthy, yet so quick. But the laugh of the day was the pelicans and the gulls. The gulls follow the pelicans around like flies, looking for scraps or fish the pelican misses. I laughed my ass off today when I saw a pelican floating with his beak half in the water, and a small gull was perched right on top of his head. I think the pelican was protecting what he had just caught and the gull literally had the pelican by the short hairs. I am laughing out loud now as I think of that image. In the end, the pelican won. Also, the fishermen are constantly pulling up traps marked by small buoys (which I have to watch out for so as not to get lines wrapped in the prop as these guys sometimes set their traps very close to the ICW marked channel) and flocks of pelicans and gulls will literally fly to follow them when the boat is going fast, and then float right next to the boat when the guys pull up the traps. I suppose they are throwing some things back they don't want, but the pelicans do! So one of today's pictures is of one of those moments.

Today was cooler with a fair amount of rain, but having travelled through the cold stuff up north, this was nothing. Strictly motored the first 1/3 of the day and then the wind picked up enough to motor sail. I was able to pick up from 1/2 to 1 kt of extra speed with the Genoa up making as much as 7 kts at times. Dick and Kay actually found me about 1100 and took some pictures as I sailed by them. We waved and talked on the phone - great fun. Travelled a total of about 55 miles in 10 hours. I am ready for a break.

The other thing that just amazes me is the wealth that must be down here. North of Vero Beach for miles are multimillion dollar homes stacked right next to each other. Unbelievable - there is hardly any shoreline down here that is not developed. So I included a picture of one of these houses. There are many like it just as nice, and nicer.

Lastly, DIRECTV has a blimp that I constantly find over my head, so you get a picture of that as well. I think this son-of-a-bitch is following me!

Time to go make some dinner. I think I will hang here through tomorrow night and then head south Sunday, but that is subject to change. I am in a marina tied up to a mooring ball. It's cheap and I don't need to worry about the anchor dragging in a big blow at night while I am sleeping. And besides which, there is no place around here to anchor!