Oh my, here it is Saturday, April 25 and it is time to head north and start for home. One of the things I had said to Dick was I missed the lovely color of the water from the west coast. Even with several inlets along the way , the water is that dark tea color. Well, surprise, surprise! We hit Fort Pierce Inlet and the water lightened to that bluish-green. One great thing about the east coast is there is an abundance of dolphins that follow in our wake and we just love to watch them swim and play.
Our first stop was Vero Beach in which we pulled up a mooring. We had arrived shortly after noon. Usually at Vero your rafted with another boat. This time we enjoyed our own mooring as there were several empty mooring balls. We had a very relaxing evening on the boat and it was definitely much needed since we haven't stopped since leaving Punta Gorda.
On April ,26 our next stop was Dragon Point at the south point of Merritt Island. It was a glorious sunny day. Just north of Melbourne, Fl , we came across a large group of sailing vessels that were circling and clearly anticipating a race. Amidst the boats there was a lone Heritage East 36 of all things acting as committee boat. We later learned the Heritage East was newly purchased and her name was Banyan. The captain of Banyan had called us on the radio and we exchanged emails. That is how this trip has been all along. We have met and made friends with many cruisers and boaters.
Early the next morning we left for Titusville City Marina. This marina has a great view of the NASA shuttle building and we could see a few of the launch pads. One gantry had the shuttle attached and we found out it will be launched on May 11. Unfortunately we will be further north and out of the area to enjoy. Although the skies were blue and the temperatures warm, the East winds were kicking up and creating some waves on our beam. This is when Dick really gets a workout. The Indian River is quite wide in this area and the winds kick up a chop. The Summer Wind doesn't like winds on her beam or aft and that is exactly where they were coming from. Dick had all he could do to keep her steady. Upon entering the marina in Titusville we had gusts of approximately 25-30 knots. We surfed in and it was nice and calm inside. A little tricky getting into the slip but we managed without any nicks. As soon as we got ourselves comfortable and checked in I (Elle) said lets take a walk, so off we went and found a great bakery where we indulged in a wonderful pumpernickel/rye bread just baked. YUMMMMM.
To be continued.
Our first night in Georgia we anchored in the Frederica River across from Fort Frederica. It's one of our favorite anchorages because its very well protected. We had our first taste of what travelling through Georgia would be like, buggy!! That night we heard there were storm watches and with the high temps and humidity it made a perfect combination for storms. Although that night we were treated to a beautiful sunset any storms that were around passed over us.
On Tuesday May 5 , we left for our next anchoring spot the Wahoo River. Again, the temps were very warm in the morning and we opened all the vinyls. The ICW in Georgia goes through mostly marsh areas. Shortly into our journey, it seemed like the attack of the giant green headed horse flies. We're not exaggerating when we say there were hundreds dive bombing us as we were travelling. Dick was steering the boat and ducking, and Elle was swatting and shooing the flies, YUCK! After four hours we were both exhausted! That evening we closed the screens and had 3 other boats anchored down with us. We received a phone call from our good friends Mike and Jane who were in Savannah. They had their XM weather on, and there were severe thunderstorm warnings. They were concerned and wanted to make sure we were safe because the storms were hit and miss in our area. Well, we watched the skies coming closer going that eerie black and we could see the lightning, but we were safe, our boat was hardly rocking. The storm seemed to just skim our area. That evening we were tending our bug bites. We had purchased two different kinds of bug spray and they both didn't seem to work because we look like we have the measles!!! 
On Wednesday May 6, we headed for Savannah. Both of us were looking forward to seeing our good friends Mike and Jane. We pulled into our slip, two down from Blessings at Isle of Hope Marina. Jane was excited because her daughter Natasha was coming down to spend some time with them. We started our laundry and made arrangements to borrow the courtesy car to replenish some food. There was a super WalMart about a couple of miles away so off we went. Stocked up and returned to the marina to meet Natasha. The next day the 5 of us went into Savannah proper and got on a tour trolley for a great history lesson. The streets were made of ballast stones which came from the sailing vessels that used to bring in supplies.Went down to the waterfront to have lunch in the old cotton exchange. Toured the sweet shops, Mike and Jane and Natasha indulged in some delicious chocolate covered pecans, we of course chose our favorite,,, ICE CREAM! We visited some shops and churches and even wanted to tour a synagogue unfortunately that was closed by 4 pm. Had a nice day with Jane, Mike and Natasha. That evening we tried to sit out o enjoy a glass of wine on the back decks but the bugs were biting furiously.
The next morning we said our goodbyes and took off for our next port. But that is another story.
Took off the next day and went to our MTOA friends Sarah and Phil Lowe who act as port captains for the Palm Coast area.. They live in a pretty community and we tied up to their 55' Fleming, "Sarah G" right in back of their house. As usual they were great hosts and had planned an evening out with two other MTOA couples, John and Mary Slattery, and Chic and Mia. Happy Birthday again Phil and thanks!!!
