Day 5 Palm Coast to St. Augustine

26 Miles Travelled
Tuesday April 19th - Untied the lines from the dock and waved good-bye to Phil and Sarah Lowe. Our trip today was going to be a short run to St. Augustine Municipal Marina. This time we wanted to try their new mooring balls. Well we have to say the balls are massive, a great size for our 36' trawler. The current  which runs over 4 knots makes it tricky to try to pick up the pennant and trickier to get the lines secured to the pennant.  We work as a team to get things secure. For safety reasons we ran two heavy lines through eye of the pennant.
Shortly after tying up, we took the dinghy down from its davits. Working as a team makes this task easier.  Heading into the marina, just as I was to say something smells like its overheating, Dick said the motor is not working right and then it died. Thank goodness we were inside the marina docks because the current was taking the dinghy for a ride. We have oars aboard if that ever happened but now we really know how swift that current runs. Dick managed to get the motor started again while I hung onto the docks. Something must 've temporarily plugged up the motor but was released. Tied up the dinghy and inquired at the marina if our dinghy motor gives out can we get a tow to our boat because they have a small pontoon shuttle. The dock master said they would follow us out when/if we needed their assistance. So, feeling reassured we went for a walk into town. St. Augustine's is one of our favorite stops. It's very historic, and plenty of art shops and boutiques to walk through. On land we could feel the heat of the day, so we treated ourselves to an Ice Cream.
Returning to the dinghy we discovered that the winds have picked up just a "bit". The dinghy started perfectly and we followed the shuttle. Heading out to our boat, the dinghy was breaking through 1-2 foot choppy waves. We had a blast, crossing the waves and we were totally drenched by the time we reached the Summer Wind. As we were reaching our boat we noticed a 55 Flemming facing the wrong direction in the mooring field. We found out he ran over his pennant and had wrapped it around his stabilizer. YIKES!! The rest of the evening we sat on the back deck watching the diver making several attempts to release the line.

Passing Fort Matanzas on the Intercoastal

New Trees planted on the Marina Park

Lions in Position

Diver to the Rescue

Day 4 New Smyrna Beach to Palm Coast

43 Miles  travelled
We woke to a beautiful peaceful morning. The sun was shining and the air was calm and warm. Released the lines from the dock and began our morning travels. Turned up the Ponce De Leon Cut and the Intracoastal was like a sheet of glass. We enjoyed watching the small planes practicing their flying skills over the waterway.
 It's spring time and love was in the air, we were witnessing many dolphins frolicing in the water with one another. Several species of birds (Pelicans, Egrets, Cormorants, Herons)  were on small islands just before the Port Orange bridge and it was easy to tell which bird was looking for that special mate, their feathers were preened, such as the White Heron's feathers that flare, or the Cormorants  gets a tuft or crown of feathers.
Daytona Beach we joined a long train of boats heading north that were waiting for the bridges to open. Luckily with the new steaming light pole we only had to wait for 1 -2 bridges. We came across our friends aboard Monk's Vineyard and Second Star. They were stopping at Palm Coast. There are many MTOA members that live in the area and are very generous with finding travelling members dockage for the night. Our stop was going to be at a neighbour of Sarah and Phil Lowe. Sarah and Phil have won awards for being the Best Port Captains, they go the extra step in helping fellow members and they do it because they love to help.They are the most gracious hosts, Sarah called to tell us not to cook because she had a pot of delicious Corned Beef with Cabbage cooking. When we arrived Phil offered his car to go to the grocery store which we greatfully accepted. Our group for dinner included Herb (Sarah's brother) , Mia and her daughter MJ. Shortly after dinner around sunset, Phil pointed out that his Purple Martins were returning to their nests. Purple Martins fly all the way from Brazil. Each year Phil puts up these homes and they return like clockwork. Thanks so much Sarah and Phil, your wonderful hosts and we appreciate your welcoming us back like friends & family.

Ponce De Leon Cut

Gaff Rigged Sailboat

Purple Martins returning at Sunset

Day 3 Titusville to New Smyrna Beach

32 Miles Titusville - New Smyrna Beach, Fl
Sunday April 17th - Shortly around 8 am we weighed anchor. Todays trip took from the Indian River through Mosquito Lagoon which has a lot of natural areas. Off in the distance on bird island we spotted a few Roseatta Spoonbills which a lot of people mistake for Flamingos, Snow white Pelicans, White and Grey Herons, Egrets and many other birds.  Many small Islands are also used for weekend camping, we saw several small boats beached and on shore we could spot several tents.The trip was also interesting because there are many "Slow Minimum Wake" signs but a speed limit posted of 25 MPH,,, hmmm does this mean when we went through Fort Lauderdale we could have maintained our 8 MPH speed??

Roseatta Spoon Bills

Fishing in Haulover Canal

Our stop today was the New Smyrnna Beach Municipal marina. We started our visit with a walk to find a bank. We didn't find the bank but enjoyed walking through town. It was interesting for us to discover most businesses were closed on a Sunday. In the evening we met our good friends Al and Fran. They had a cousin Jenny visiting and we all enjoyed a wonderful dinner at their very nice club. Thanks Fran, Jenny & Al for a great night. It's always great to catch up with friends!

Beautiful Stone Bridge

Day 2 Fuelling Up and Titusville

52.8 miles Cape Malibar - Titusville, Fl
Saturday April 16th - Weighed anchor and began our journey north. Our plan today was to anchor just outside of Titusville Marina but first we needed to refuel at the Canaveral Barge Canal. With fuel prices rising they were the best price at $3.87/gallon after taxes. Pricing for fuel in the vicinity is varied we found prices as high as $4.50 a gallon. Our tanks were showing us in the red but we only took on 230 gallons, Dick believes we had another 70 gallons left in the tanks. Like most cruisers we've throttled back to l700 rpms and our fuel consumption has reduced. As we were heading down the Canaveral Canal we came across our friends aboard Monk's Vineyard and Second Star. They were heading for fuel.

Linda & Gerry aboard Monk's Vineyard

Michael & Jana aboard Second Star

Later in the afternoon we dropped anchor just outside of the Titusville Marina. We could hear music playing from the park nearby but dinghying in just wasn't an option. The winds had picked up enough neither of us were comfortable leaving the boat. Shortly around sunset the winds settled down and we enjoyed watching the full moon rising as the sun was setting. Nights like this are what make boating worthwhile!

Full Moon in Titusville

Sunset in Titusville

And We're Off!! Day 1 of the 'Great Loop'

60 Miles Travelled Hutchinson Island to Cape Malibar
April 15th 2011 -  It's here our first official day of the Great Loop! What is the Great Loop? Check out the photo below, it's at least a 6000 mile trip and should take us about a year to complete and it began with a bang. Well not really a bang, but more like a jolting from our alarm clock waking us at 7:00 am! Excited we began preparing the Summer Wind for departure, but one look at the sky and we knew there was going to be a delay. Sure enough a front came barrelling through. The weather forecast today was calling for spotty showers so we decided to head out after the rain stopped. At times we were threading the needle of the weather showers but at times we were caught. We were prepared to steer from below if necessary but the showers didn't last long, it was just a nuisance. That evening we anchored in Cape Malibar near Melbourne Fl. At first it was a little choppy because the winds decided to pick up a bit but by evening everything settled and we enjoyed a great night on the hook. Both of us fell asleep relaxing in the evening, after the rendezvous we enjoyed the peaceful night.

Travelling the Indian River

Sand Bar Reaching out into the Intracoastal

First Night Sunset at Cape Malibar, Melbourne, Fl

See Florida, Sea Florida MTOA Rendezvous

Friday April 8th-  Rose early in the morning to time our departure with slack tide around 8am. It's always an interesting event untying from the Riverwalk wall. Sometimes the current plays with the boats like toys in a bathtub. The MTOA ( Marine Trawlers Owners Association) is having a National Rendezvous in Stuart Florida beginning on Monday and we were very much looking forward to seeing our cruising friends. It was going to take us 2 days to reach Stuart so our first night we anchored in Lake Worth. It's a very nice protected anchorage. As we were putting our anchor down we heard ahoy Summer Wind, there was Bob and Helen our MTOA friends aboard Allez. That evening shortly around dinner time we heard another ahoy Summer Wind. It was Jerry and Linda aboard Monk's Vineyard and Michael and Jana aboard Second Star returning from their winter trip in the Bahamas and heading to the rendezvous. This was going to be a great gathering!

Bob & Helen aboard Allez

Saturday morning we raised anchor and headed for the Marriott Resort and Marina on Hutchinson Island where the event would be taking place. We spent six wonderful days at the rendezvous. There were many wonderful gatherings and reunions with our friends. The MTOA is one of the largest cruising communities.

Dick and I took a CPR & AED course where we earned our certificates. Each day the group gathers at 'cocktail' hour and we enjoy catching up with one another's adventures.One highlight of the rendezvous, Dick and I were "Secret Hug Look Out Spys for Hug Day! If we spotted a hug in action we gave out a raffle ticket. Wow we saw a lot of hugs and we received many!! Another highlight of this rendezvous was we earned our first Ruby Turtle Pin by chairing a committee. We organized the 'flea market' and for 2 mornings we were up by 6:30 am setting up to greet the happy flea shoppers. There was a fantastic See Florida - Sea Florida' Tshirt competition which we entered but didn't win, but there was great fun in seeing every one's creation. Dick entered the blind man dinghy competition with George from Jubilee and they tied for 3rd place! Way to go!! On our last day at the rendezvous we were treated with a visit from Tom Gilbert who owns Summer Wind 1 and is good friends with Summer Wind ll , what a very nice treat!

Enjoying that first morning coffee

George, Jane, Dick, George Kay, Roger

Our Ode to Sea/See Florida

Bob & Helen's Collage

More See Florida Creations!

CPR Class learning how to respond to choking

Cocktail hour with friends

Dick and George doing the Dinghy race

Dick and Tom aboard "Summer Wind II" according to Tom

It was hard to say good-bye to our friends, we had so much fun! However, another exciting adventure was going to begin for the crew of the Summer Wind!

Heading North for Fort Lauderdale

Sunday March 27th - 8:00am at Plantation Marina, Islamorada, we untied the lines at slack high tide. In order to get out of the marina Dick turns the boat 180* degrees,  there's not much room for drifting because the shallow area is very close. We are a single screw (engine) so thank goodness for a bow thruster (motorized propeller at the bow of the boat that pushes the water opposite what direction we'd like to turn. Our decision was made to try to get back to Fort Lauderdale in 2 days, so our first stop was going to be Boca Chita State Park. It's a small Island with several spaces to tie up on a wall for the night. We should have known better it was a gorgeous Sunday and every local boater was out. The wall was full and boats were rafting up ,, ok onto plan 2. No Name Harbor was only an hour away and we knew we could drop a hook for the night. Upon arriving to No Name Harbor we looked towards Key Biscayne and noticed hundreds of boats anchored out,,, oh oh this didn't look promising. There was a major Tennis Championship match going on  and every boat in Miami seemed to be vieing for a spot near the Island. When we entered No Name Harbor we were absolutely shocked, there was no room to be had anywhere. Dozens of  local boats were rafted up along the wall  in the small harbor. What made it very tricky for manuevering were the dozens of swimmers in the water around their boat. No there are no pictures, while the captain was on the wheel, I  (first mate)was on the bow as a Scout for stray swimmers,,, YIKES!! So we decided to anchor outside in the Bay for a few short hours until the 'locals' went home. Sure enough around 6 pm it was like a parade of boats exiting the harbor. We would have stayed put for the night but the winds were supposed to pick up so we decided to anchor back inside the harbor for more protection.

Hundreds of boats anchored for Tennis

Another Great Sunset

Monday morning we weighed anchor and slowly we made our way out of the harbor and into the bay. There were wind and waves, and we were glad that we made the decision to relocate because it would have been a very rocky night. From a distance we could see the storms approaching,, better make tracks as they say. Sure enough the storm front was moving faster then we were and it caught up to us as we were waiting for a bridge opening. Our destination today was Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale where we'll be able to plan our arrival at the River Walk for slack tide the next day. Early afternoon we dropped the hook and relaxed the rest of the day. Just before dinner time the skies opened up again into a ferocious wind and rainstorm. The downpour was so heavy we couldn't see the boats nearby until we noticed a person on a sailboat valiantly trying to re-anchor.

Miami Skyline

Fast Moving Front

Tuesday March 29th- Thursday April 7th  Slack tide was around noon so we enjoyed a relaxing morning. OK why are we back in Fort Lauderdale, well, we had discovered a few problems with the Summer Wind and our mechanic was scheduled to come and check it out. We discovered our holding tank had a leak, yes our one year new tank was leaking,, YUCK!!!! As most of you know the new tank had been placed under the generator , so you can't really see what's going on underneath, but there is one way to tell  and that's when something just doesn't smell right, EWWW. Very frustrating because the captain ordered a much more solid tank thinking about strength and permability, unfortunately it wasn't flexible enough with the movement of the boat and cracked at the seams.The second new tank was ordered and it is a little smaller to allow for room more movement and  then installed using a rubberized foam insulation  with braces. Keep your fingers crossed this one lasts longer then a year! We had our rudder stuffing box tightened and the 'burned wire that the first mate discovered turned out to be a gooey pliable tape,, who knew?

Big toys for big boats,, Helicopter on the Sundeck



Mango Tree

Flowering Bloom on the Mango Tree

Monkeying around on Las Olas

Monkey See Monkey Do?

A lot of Monkey Business

While we were waiting in Fort Lauderdale we enjoyed the Turkish festival and many walks on Las Olas Blvd.

Can you imagine having to wash this boat?

Florida Keys / Islamorada

March 23rd -  We enjoyed a relaxed morning breakfast before heading for our next destination. It's not surprising sometimes when raising the anchor to find that we've picked something up from the bottom. This morning we nabbed an old fishing line that was wrapped around the hook. To release the line, sometimes involves using a hook or  sometimes involves reaching through the bowsprit and trying to untangle it and bring it aboard for disposal. This can be tricky if the anchorage is rocky and rolly, No Name Harbor is one of the better spots 'if your going to pick something up'. Sometimes we've picked up a few 'icky' things (jelly fish that we may have speared with the hook)  and this is where the hose comes in real handy.
Our trip today took us down through Biscayne Bay. The draft on our boat is 4' which allows us to travel through the inside passage. After saying this, there were times when the depth sounder would show 1 foot under our keel in some narrow channels, a little too close for our comfort. With the clarity of the water we were able to see the plant life below.
 Our stop took us to an anchorage near a private isand called Pumpkin Key , just off Key Largo. There were no trespassing signs all over the small island, not very welcoming.
The weather was perfect, no winds or waves to worry about, otherwise we would have felt a little out in the open.  In the afternoon we relaxed on the bridge with a vey good book. We're currently reading, "A Pearl in the Storm" written by Tori Murden McClure. Tori wrote about her adventure, solo rowing a 23' rowboat named the 'American Pearl' across the Atlantic Ocean. Can you imagine rowing  alone across an ocean, what was she thinking? We're shuttering at the thought! An excellent story and we highly reccomend.
The evening sunset was amazing, as we journey further south for some reason the sun seems to be huge.At night we could hardly tell that the Summer Wind was at anchor. The seas were so calm and the night sky was clear. Unfortunately the tiny island where we were anchored next to was lit up like a nighttime football game.

The bottom seems to be getting closer!

A Relaxing Afternoon

Gorgeous Sunset off Key Largo

March 24th- Just before travelling Dick will check the engine room, and make sure that everything is as it should be. Lately he's been teaching me how to check the engine room, which I do find interesting. On my inspections I found a few things which I brought to his attention but more on that later.

We had heard so much about the Keys and decided to check out Plantation Key Marina. Our trip today was only about 29 miles . There are approximately 4500 islands considered to be the Keys of Southern Florida and they vary in sizes and habitation. Todays passage took us through several narrow canals with mangroves lining the shores. However there are some areas deep enough for dolphins. Check out the video below.

Dolphins in our Wake

The entrance to  Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina has a maximum depth of 5', so again our depth sounders were screaming. We were expecting the low water and just slowed down to make sure that the Summer Wind entered fine. Plantation Yacht Harbor is a small city run marina but they are located in Founders Park and offer many ammenities such as a beach area, pool, tennis courts, exercise paths and there are stations along the path that have bars to do stretch exercises.

Our plan was to spend a few days at the marina to scope out the area for next year. We rented a car for a day and drove down to Marathon. In one marina we came across a few MTOA members and they invited us to join them for their cocktail hour and had a lovely time.

The second day there was going to be a "Pops Concert" at the park. Well at 4:00 we found a nice shady spot to listen. After the concert we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Lazy Days restaurant where we walked away absolutely stuffed.

We had a great time at Plantation marina and if we end up going around the tip of Southern Florida we felt this would be an excellent place to spend a few days.

Shallow Canal

Mangrove lined Canals

Summer Wind in Plantation Harbor Marina

Fossils in the Rock

Fossilized Coral Rock

Heading For the Keys

Heading South on the Intracoastal

March 21st!! - Finally!! 0800 hrs and the Captain had our lines let loose and down the New River we ventured. Where too? After careful consideration about the Okeechobee and our time constraints ( yes we have a small schedule,, OOPS). We motored down the Intracoastal towards the Keys. The weather had been absolutely lovely with high 80* and sunny. We must inform you that our newly designed steaming light saved us quite a bit of time from bridge delays, now what to do about those weekend Manatees? The colour of the water changes from a brown tea to the aqua/teal color everyone expects to see when you think of Florida.

Water Taking on an Aqua Hue

The Smile Says it All!

Out into Biscayne Bay and our first stop for the day was No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. It's a wonderful anchorage (hurricane hole) and usually very busy. You can dinghy ashore and visit the Bill Baggs State Park  which is exactly what we did each day.Our first vist to the State Park we sat along the wall and looked down into the water where we noticed a conch making its way. The water was shallow and clear enough to take this little video below.

Can you carry your house too?

 Early  the next morning we jumped in the dinghy and "somewhat sputtered" to shore, hmmmm another project in the future perhaps? We love this park, there are trails to follow through the natural growth of Biscayne Bay. The weather promised to be in the low 90's in the afternoon , so we planned to spend the morning walking throughout the park. I (Elle) hate heights had for some strange reason  decided that I could climb the stairs of the lighthouse. Each step closer to the top the staircase literally shook, or was that my knees?  The captain waited patiently for me to climb from the comfort of the rocking chairs on the lightkeepers cottage.  After our walk we returned to the Summer Wind for a delightful lunch. The temperatures did indeed climb to a record 92* so an afternoon swim in the harbor water was indeed refreshing. Thank goodness for a good breeze in the evening, it would have been very muggy and the 'no seeums' would have been out in abundance.

Note: We discovered our ice maker draws too much electricity and really drains the battery down when on anchor. Remedy: Only run the ice maker when we're travelling or plugged into electricity. Provision the cooler with ice from a store if possible when on anchor 2 or more days. We keep a cooler with soda (pop for Canadians) , bottled water, and juice on the back deck. Easy access and very important to keep oneself hydrated.

Dinghying around Biscayne Bay

Cape Florida Lighthouse

Can You See the Captain?

Lightkeepers Cottage

Trail throughout Bill Baggs State Park

Looking out into the Bay