Category: Uncategorized

Vero Beach Municipal Marina, Vero Beach, FL (mooring ball)

December 5-28, 2022

We were warned about Vero Beach – lots of cruisers call it “Velcro Beach” because once you get in there, you kind of get stuck. We also knew that it was good place for us to stay for a *few days* so I could do my last virtual visit and John could take advantage of everything in the area.

We didn’t plan on staying as long as we did, but it turned out to be a good decision.

This marina is really protected – there’s a series of islands between it and the main channel of the ICW. We took our dinghy for a ride on our first day just to get a glimpse of everything (and to cool off, because it was a really warm day).

There’s so many boats here so the marina has boats “raft up” – they share a mooring ball and are attached to one another with lines.

Serendipitously, our Delaware friends Ed and Krista were in Florida and drove over to meet us at the marina. After dinner Ed and Krista were able to spend some time on Lailia with us (we hardly ever get company). They also graciously took John to the grocery store while I was working the next day.

That night our friends Chris and Colin took us to dinner in Vero Beach “city”. Vero was already working its magic.

When I am completing virtual visits, I don’t get to do much during the day. John and I decided that we would tack on a day or two to our stay at Vero Beach so we could explore and unwind together before we went further south.

John needed some stainless steel wood screws to repair the rub rail that was damaged in Spanish Cay. Vero has a free bus service that picks up at the marina – we had to take it to the main hub and catch a second bus to get to a hardware store. We got lucky and were able to complete our purchase in the store in time to catch the same bus on a return trip. Publix is also on the bus route, so it’s really easy to grab groceries as needed.

Four days turned into six days that turned into another few days – there’s regular pickleball games with players from the marina here on Tuesdays and Thursdays and John wanted to play. We decided to leave around the 13th so we could head south to the Keys.

During a downpour, we were reminded that one of our scuppers was not draining well so water was backing up on the deck. This had been an issue since we were in Maryland and we were pretty sure that it was due to seeds (all that bird poop) that had gotten into the drain and either swollen or sprouted. There’s an elbow curve in the drain that makes it really difficult to clean out – but we tried with a collection of tools meant to clean out drains. We had little success shoving them down the scupper until we noticed that there was a piece of plastic stuck inside the drain. John fashioned a tool from an old wire hanger and pulled out the plastic zipper pull that had been blocking the drainage. It’s just another boat thing that took a bunch of time and cursing to fix.

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In preparation for heading south, we moved to a t-head where we filled our water tank and equalized the battery. That evening Christmas carolers boated through mooring field making it feel just a bit more festive.

We were in no hurry to cast off on the gray and rainy morning – we also started thinking about our timeline and the holidays. As much as we both wanted to spend some time in the Keys, we made the decision to stay in Vero Beach so we didn’t have to worry about weather windows (it’s not fun to HAVE to travel in crappy weather) and so we would be in a cruising community for the holidays rather than taking a chance that we would be anchored somewhere with no one near us to celebrate.

We headed back to the mooring ball and rafted up with the boat we’d been tied to.

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Three weeks in the same location provided lots of opportunities for interesting photos of the marina and mooring field, as well as the ocean (when we walked to that side of the island).

The winter “bomb cyclone” that dropped temperatures throughout the country impacted us, although not as much as folks further north. Overnight we had an incredible change in temperatures from the upper 70s to the upper 30s. We spent the last warm day outside and at the art museum.

At anchor, we use propane to heat Lailia (our ceramic heaters need a lot of electrical power to run) and were able to stay nice and cozy. It’s just a little difficult to have to jump out of bed to light the heater in the morning!

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We missed spending time with our boys so much this Christmas, our first that without at least one son in 30 years. That was a huge emotional struggle and I don’t know that I was really aware of how difficult that would be. John and I zoomed with the boys but we missed hugging our kids and spending time with them.

The marina cruising community had a small potluck which gave our day some light. A walk with two other ladies, plus some text messages from friends, also helped.

We’ll be heading north on the 28th so I can return to work in Charleston County School District in mid-January.

Titusville to Eau Gallie Bridge, Melbourne, FL (anchored)

December 4, 2022

Some days are just uneventful – not much happens and everything is the same. There’s lots of water, some nice sunshine, some dolphins, but nothing to write a blog about.

Today was one of those days until just before we went to bed, when we did see a cool thing.

We do have a plan and a timeline: we want to get to Vero Beach by the 5th so I can do a virtual visit from the marina there. The area is very accessible so John can get to shore and enjoy the area while I am working. We were there in June and loved how close the cafes are as well as the boater community in the marina itself.

The Eau Gallie Bridge anchorage is about halfway between Titusville and Vero, making each leg of the journey about 6 hours. It’s always a plus when we don’t have to leave at the crack of dawn and anchor at sunset!

This is one of the few places that we had to reset the anchor. The anchor chain was a little “sticky” (not a nautical term) when I first dropped it. By the time it was set, we felt that we were a a bit too close to another boat so we pulled it up. We couldn’t get the anchor to set the second time I dropped it, which is weird because the bottom is muddy and grassy (our anchor was coated the first time we pulled it up). Finally, the third time was right and the anchor set hard.

There are a lot of birds here hanging out on the Eau Gallie Bridge. We know this because they are really, really noisy at night. We think that they hang out on the concrete footings under the bridge and maybe the bridge lights keep them chatty.

We decided to get rid of some leftovers from dinner. As John dumped this over the side, he noticed a lot of activity – we had a giant school of catfish who really like cornbread! It’s not a huge thing, but it’s something different.

We’ll head to Vero tomorrow and meet with some of our friends who are in Florida from Delaware.

Comachee Cove to Halifax Harbor Marina, Daytona, FL (docked)

November 28 – December 2, 2022

(Yet another catch-up post)

Halifax Harbor Marina, with over 500 slips, is the largest marina in which John and I have ever stayed. It’s so large that the dock hand came over by dinghy to check us in. By boat, the marina office is not far – to walk, it’s about a mile.

While we are underway, we can use some small electric devices (we can’t use devices that have high power draws such as the toaster, though). Our crockpot is perfect for when we are traveling – and dinner is ready when we arrive! Today we had a pork and steak stew; we learned this recipe about 35 years ago (that’s really hard to think) when we lived in Illinois.

The best part about this marina is how close we are to Warren and Linda, John’s brother and sister-in-law. Warren and John had breakfast, then Warren took John to get some boat stuff while I was working. Warren and Linda met us for dinner then took us for a ride to get ice cream. We last saw them in January on our way south – this time it was much warmer.

My virtual school visit was with with some schools in Chicago and I had a very international team with colleagues in Mexico, Vietnam, Sweden and Oregon joining me. Time zone and temperature differences were part of our daily morning check-in!

We’ll head south again on Saturday morning – we want to get to Vero Beach in time for my next (and last for a long time) virtual visit that begins on Tuesday. The warm weather and sunshine delight us so much that it’s often difficult to remember it’s already December.

Daytona to Titusville Municipal Mooring Field, Titusville, FL (moored)

December 3, 2022

(Alnost caught up with posting)

Today was a hazy day with very calm water. We also traveled through one of the most magical stretched on the ICW – Haulover Canal, which is filled with cool critters.

While we were in Daytona we had a diver clean Lailia’s hull and replace the sacrificial anode. Sacrificial anodes are attached to propeller shaft where they protect it from galvanic corrosion because they oxidize more easily. When we were in the fresher water of the Chesapeake, we used an aluminum anode. Since we are in salt water now, we switched to a zinc one. I think it’s cool to see how the anodes decay.

Lailia made good time today as the current was behind us most of the way. The water was calm and we were able to see so many dolphins!

Today was the third time we were in the Haulover Canal and this time I was ready with my camera. There are loads of ospreys here but there are also manatees, which we saw in June. We saw more today!

Just outside the canal, in the Mosquito Lagoon, we came upon a pod of dolphins feeding. Their splashing and circling made it really clear that they had surrounded a school of fish. I envy the man on the kayak who had a front row seat to all of this (just as an FYI, the dolphins got close to him, instead of him getting close to them).

We grabbed one of the last mooring buoys at the Titusville Municipal Marina and dinghied to the marina for ice and showers.

We’re planning to anchor in Melbourne tomorrow. The trip won’t be very long and it will get us to Vero Beach on Monday, easily.

Comachee Cove Marina, St. Augustine, FL (docked)

November 27, 2022

(Yet another catch-up post)

Since we can’t return the rental until tomorrow we made sure that we provisioned Lailia for the next week or so. It seems like a luxury to drive to the store!

John went to watch an Eagles game and I walked around this pretty marina. Although it’s considered St. Augustine, it’s not very close to the hubhub of downtown.

We’ll return the rental in the morning and then head south to the Daytona area. I have a three-day virtual visit that starts on Wednesday, so we’ll tuck into a marina for a few days.

Rosemary Beach, FL (housed)

November 23-26, 2022

(Yet another catch-up blog)

Kevin and Brianna were already at the house her folks rented in Rosemary Beach when we arrived yesterday; Eric arrived today with G, a friend of Kevin’s who picked up Eric in Birmingham yesterday. We are so very thankful be with our boys. Brianna’s folks are wonderful hosts who shared this beach house with our family.

I have never been to this part of Florida. We took some time to explore some nearby trails.

Camp Helen is Florida state park that was a former resort for the employees of an Alabama textile mill. It’s also the largest coastal sand dune lake in Florida. There’s a huge variety of biomes here – from sand dune to maritime forest.

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner was an all-day affair with some blended traditions: Lisa made sausage balls in the morning plus deviled eggs with our dinner. We cooked 10 lbs of potatoes for mashing and made macaroni and cheese, too. Of course we all agreed that the best cranberry sauce comes from the can and has ridges on it.

Thanksgiving dinner was on the screen porch of the beach house; the temperature was just right for us to be outside. Brianna decorated the table with natural items she’d collected on the way to the beach.

This area of Florida has a few ‘developer towns’ like Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach: developers bought the area and created family-friendly areas of residences and small shops. They have also set aside some land for nature trails.

We explored a trail in Alys Beach. It’s in the midst of a lot of residences but there were some cool wild things like carnivorous pitcher plants and a bear track.

We had heard that there are bears in the area. In fact, there was an information display at Camp Helen describing what to do if a bear is encountered. I’ve been on a mission to see a bear ever since we saw the bear crossing signs at the Alligator River Marina – I still haven’t seen one, but now we have evidence that one was near.

In addition to all of the cool nature things, the Alys Trail had a few public sculptures including a dragon on wheels and some running horses.

We also welcomed the holiday season with a visit from Santa and a tree-lighting.

It’s really never enough time to be with our boys, no matter how long we have.

St. Augustine Municipal Marina to Comachee Cove Marina, St. Augustine, FL (docked) to Rosemary Beach, FL (housed)

November 22, 2022

(Another catch-up post)

We left in time to make the 7:30 opening on this gray, dim day. The sea state is pretty decent which is always good.

Once we were near Comachee Cove, John called to see if, by any chance, the slip was open – and it was. We were able to get an earlier start to our roadtrip.

A last step before we leave Lailia for any length of time is to turn off the water pressure and the water heater. A few years ago we learned to take a photo of the electrical panel before we left so if we had any doubts about whether something was left on we could easily check (instead of driving back to the boat – which I had to do once).

It’s a misty gray day in St. Augustine but we’re both really anticipating seeing and hugging our boys. We have family text threads, phone calls, and Zooms but nothing takes place of seeing them in person.

We’ve got our trip snacks packed – along with some baking supplies (I have my mixer, flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, cookie dough, and a meat thermometer packed). Somehow we’ve managed to bring three ‘cheese-ish’ snacks.

As we got closer to Rosemary Beach (and our kids) the weather cleared up, which seems right.

St. Augustine Municipal Marina, FL (docked)

November 21, 2022

We got behind in blogging, so this is one of the catch up blogs.

This marina received some damage from the summer hurricanes and storms but they are doing a lot of work towards repairing the problems. When we arrived we could see a sailboat that had been pushed up against the north side of the Bridge of Lions. It was bashed around a lot and suffered a lot of damage.

This afternoon, the sailboat was towed from the bridge; the tow driver pulled up to the marina to get fuel and to document the damage. It’s pretty sad.

No doubt this boat had been someone’s happy place. I could see through the damage that there were still snacks and decorations on board, so it seems as if it was used fairly recently.

The marina’s outside floating concrete dock was also damaged by recent bad weather – that dock really protects the boats inside the marina from rough(er) waves. They have had to close off part of the marina so there are less slips available overall. We won’t be able to leave Laila in this marina when we travel.

Repairs began while we were there. In anticipation of this, boats were moved from the other side of “our” dock so they would not get blocked in or damaged.

We picked up the rental car today, giving John the opportunity to pick up the parts he needed to repair the dinghy’s outboard. He replaced the fuel import connector and the kill switch. It’s now running like a champ so John won’t have to row us around when we get off Lailia.

The Bridge of Lions does not open for boats during the morning rush hour (after 7:30 until 8:30) so we will get up early to make that 7:30 opening. It’s a short trip to Comachee Cove Marina where we’ll leave Lailia as we travel to see our kids for Thanksgiving. We may have to anchor outside the marina for a bit, since the folks in that slip don’t have to checkout until noon or so. That will give us time to eat breakfast and pack, though.

Sisters Creek to St. Augustine Municipal Marina, St. Augustine, FL (docked)

November 20, 2022

It’s another dreary, cold day in Florida. It’s so gray and dismal, although we know it could be colder and it could be raining…

The current at Sisters Creek is really strong and the north wind was pushing us up against the dock. John has developed a sense of physics when it comes to Lailia and was able to think through exactly how to use the current, the wind, Lailia’s motor and a spring line to get us off the dock. A boat neighbor assisted with the lines and made sure that the dinghy cleared as we turned into the current.

We have been passed pretty regularly by powerboats coming from behind and from in front of us. Usually the captains are really courteous and slow down so their wakes are minimal. Today we were passed by a boat that was pretty rude; it’s a reminder that a few folks in the boat community don’t really understand what community means. Later on, we heard a boater on the VHF call someone a moron for leaving a huge wake.

St. Augustine is very close to an ocean inlet. There were some largish waves as we crossed it but luckily the waves were behind us.

St. Augustine is a good place to walk. John and I found a great pizza place the last time we were here and enjoyed tonight’s selection of slices.

The old city is lit up for the holidays and is filled with people. We’ve been staying in places that are fairly remote so this is a treat. We have a few things to accomplish tomorrow, including picking up the rental car. This marina does not have space for us after Tuesday, so we’ll move Tuesday morning to another marina that’s not so close to downtown and then head off to see our boys.

Brunswick, GA to Plum Orchard, Cumberland Island, GA (anchored)

November 17-18, 2022

A day in Brunswick meant that we could go to a coffee shop to get breakfast and provision Lailia for the next few days. It’s feeling like autumn with daytime temps in the 50s.

Since we’re heading to Cumberland Island (my favorite anchorage in the US) which is a short distance away, we were able to have a leisurely morning, including a pancake breakfast (electricity at the dock opens up a lot of possibilities for cooking).

When we crossed St. Andrews Sound we could see tidelines – the demarcation between two bodies of water. In this case we saw brownish water meeting a bluer water. Many birds were feeding in the browner water (while we didn’t see any in the other).

When we anchored in Plum Island in June, we were the only boat there. Today we were the third. The bird tree that in June was full of roseate spoonbills was full of ibis (and a few spoonbills). There were a bunch of buzzards who were hanging out there, too. I am not sure what makes that tree so attractive to birds but I could spend hours watching takeoffs and landings from it.

The feral horses grazing by the mansion looked sort of shaggy – probably getting ready for the cooler temperatures, hopefully. Since the horses are feral, the National Park Service does not manage these animals in any way, so if they’re on their own as far as any illnesses.

In June there were a multitude of armadillos; this time we saw two. They were a lot less active on this 55 degree day than they were back in the warm summer months. They do like to eat grubs and bugs, so maybe the cooler weather provides less opportunities to find food.

We hit this trail at the exact perfect time to catch the sunlight hitting the Spanish moss hanging from the live oaks. It’s just a beautiful place to walk.

We’re in for a cool night but we have plenty of blankets and I have downloaded a few movies. Places like these remind us of why we live on Lailia – it’s a serene world when you are around so few people and so much nature.