The last few days have been pure travelling days--no stopping to shop or sight see or just stretch our legs. There are a few good places to stop along the waterway that have everything we need, but then there are long stretches where conveniences are just not there. So we just travel through them. That routine means getting up early and having a quick breakfast and being underway by 8:00. Usually our anchoring spots are just under a high bridge where we can pull off, so to speak, and anchor in about 7-10 feet of water. We get a little wind protection from the bridge structure and sometimes there is a park and place to land the dingy on the causeway so we are able to get a walk at least. Once we pull up anchor in the morning, we just motor back out to the waterway, get in the right lane, and head north. The deepest section of the waterway is marked with red and green markers which sometimes are quite a distance apart so we then rely on our GPS which shows the deepest section like a highway with right and left lanes and a solid mid line. Someone always has to be steering to make sure we don't stray out of this area because that is when groundings occur. So far so good. No tow boats yet for us. John has made himself a perch on the back rail where he can have good visibility above the solar panels and dodger and steer with a pole to the wheel. We do adapt! So far we've had about 6 hour days which isn't too bad and the last 2 days we've had a following wind so we were able to put our head sail out to boost our speed. The waterway varies in width, sometimes being as wide as a lake, but still with a narrow deep section in the middle, and sometimes it narrows down and is more like a river. We find the narrower sections more scenic and interesting. On the east side of the waterway are the barrier islands and they tend to have the mansion size houses. They vary from the moderately wealth homes to the estate homes on large grounds with beautiful architecture (mostly Spanish style), groomed lawns and gardens, and some even with sculptures in the yard. You rarely see anyone who looks like they live there. Mainly you see the gardeners. One time I counted 5 of them working in one large patio area. And I feel guilty when I hire someone to cut my grass and weed whack. We are constantly amazed by the wealth in this country. I guess these are the 1% we keep hearing about.
There is a fair amount of wild life to be seen too. We have been surprised by the number of dolphins that we see every day, and, of course, a lot of bird life. We went through a reserve area where we saw several osprey and their large nests. The highlight though was seeing a pink flamingo the other day. We have been looking for them everywhere, and then one flew right past our boat. John broke down and bought a Florida fishing license, and has caught one that we had for dinner. He just has to catch 4 more to pay for it.
Right now we are near Cape Canaveral so we will try to get over to the facility before we leave. Will fill you in later on that.