St Augustine

What a wonderful anchorage this turned out to be. Gloria and Maurice gave us a tour of their 53 foot Pearson sailboat, Cloud IX. They are getting ready to sail to Fort Myers and the Keys. They then leave by car to go to, Little Bay Islands in Newfoundland where they have a summer home. We will get together with them in Newfoundland this summer.
They took us shopping, to get propane and for a tour of the Lighthouse Museum. We had drinks and snacks at Betty and Bryce's beautiful home. They are friends of Gloria and Maurice. Everyone was so friendly and accommodating, it made our stay very special.
What a great view of he city from the lighthouse. St. Augustine is rich in history of shrimping and shrimp boat building. Maurice was a wonderful guide.
It is a beautiful day for travelling today, we should reach Jacksonville around lunch time. We found yet an other free dock that we need to reach at slack tide. If all is well we will stay in Jacksonville for a few days before going down the St. John's river.

Maurice and Gloria at their lovely home in ST Augustine

St Augustine Lighthouse

219 steps down

View of Nort Star and Cloud IX from the top of the lighhouse

on top of the lighthouse...I barely look scared

A fog bank rolling in from the Atlantic

St. Augustine

We arrived at 4:00 last night after a rainy day on the water. We covered 72 miles because there is not much to do when it is raining. It was a pleasant steam with little wind and narrow channels so there are lots of beautiful houses to admire.
We are anchored at Salt Run across from a lighthouse near the Atlantic Ocean. (N29 52.92 and W81 16.86) We can hear the surf on the beach other than that it is peaceful and quiet. The city of St. Augustine has installed mooring balls in all the former anchorages.  We were hard pressed to find a spot but we did it.  They want to discourage the locals from anchoring a boat and just leaving it to sink or drift in storms.  There are a lot of derelict boats and grounded boats around.
Some folks spotted our Newfoundland flag and came over by dinghy to meet us.  They stayed for a couple of drinks while we chatted about Newfoundland.  They own a place in the Bay of Islands and they have mutual acquaintances in Lewisporte.
We are staying an other day at this anchorage so we can reprovision, check out the lighthouse and see some of the town. I would also like to walk across t he dunes to the ocean but it may be further than I think. There is lots of history in this the oldest town in the US. but it is hard to see it all when you are travelling by boat.
More on this town tomorrow.

Decorated bridge in Daytona Beach

The ICW can be narrow and calm

One side was a sandbar and the other was mansions

St. Augustine

St. Augustine Bridge of Lions bascule bridge

St. Augustine Lighthouse at our anchorage

New Smyrna Beach

We stayed at New Smyrna Beach last night at a free dock.  The boardwalk is under construction and a sign said "Keep Out".  There is also a sign that says no overnight docking but that never stops us.  The Active Captain claims that these signs are seldom enforced. We had a very peaceful night's sleep but left early to make sure we would not interfere with the construction work.
There was an art festival going on in town but we arrived when the vendors were packing up.  It was a rainy evening so we went back to the boat for dinner and a movie.
This is the 3rd overcast day in a row but the weather is due to improve Wednesday. It is nice and warm at least and much less windy.
Today we hope to reach St. Augustine and find the Salt Run anchor and lighthouse.  If it is a nice as the ratings, we will stop for a couple of days and maybe visit St. Augustine.

Tagged dolphin

ICW can be big water

Free dock at New Smyrna

Georgiana on Merritt Island

We spent a lumpy night at anchor near Georgiana which is on Merritt Island. (N28 17.4 and W80 40.9)
It was a windy day with 2-3 foot seas on the ICW.  Luckily it was on our bow and North Star likes that. We were taking a lot of spray over the bow so visibility became an issue with the salt all over the glass.  We managed to go our planned 50 miles because after all it is protected water and not a great lake.
I have no pictures of the many dolphins that were swimming in our wake because the camera would have gotten wet. 
We did not have our hatch dogged down so we ended up with a wet bed.  We were able to dry it when we stopped since it was so windy. We washed our windows and spent the night on board getting ready for a repeat performance today since the weather is supposed to be much the same.  The wind has veered more to the East so now the seas are less lumpy.  We will be in skinnier water after the first 20 miles so we should have an easier time f it today. We should reach Jacksonville in 3 days and start heading south down the St. John River and hopefully nicer weather.

Sunset at Georgiana-not much protection from the wind

Anchored in Vero Beach

We are still at anchor behind the mooring field at Vero Beach Municipal Marina. (N27 39.9 and W80 22.4)
We went to reprovision yesterday and took advantage of the free bus that comes to the marina and drops you off at the plaza where one can find a West Marine and a Publix grocery store.
Some boaters who are in the mooring field invited us to join them at a gazebo at the marina for happy hour.  There was a guitar player and a mandolin player.  I managed to sing a song with them.  We met folks who completed the loop last year.  There all kinds of food.
We went to check out a restaurant across the way, by dinghy and had a happy hour drink there as well as gator tails.  They love their fried food in Florida.  It was a calm and hot night, perfect for outdoor eating and floating around.  There are no bugs here.
The harbour master came by this morning to tell us that we are not permitted to use the dinghy dock. Apparently someone turned us in.
We went to a nice park today which leads to the Atlantic Ocean and Vero Beach.  There is a nice long boardwalk for strolling.  It was a windy hot beach day.
Jerry took me out for lunch at the Riverside restaurant for my birthday.  We had the usual fish sandwich, it was flounder this time. We are having a quiet evening on the boat since we are banned from happy hour.
We are heading out tomorrow and should be in Jacksonville in 4 days unless we see something worthwhile stopping for.  The prices for marinas is higher on the east coast than the west coast.  There is a lot more boat traffic on this side as well. It pretty much looks the same with mansions and docks with boats on various canals.  The sand on the beach is a different colour and the sand is not as hard packed.  The colour of the water is much more topaz.

Happy hour at Vero Beach Marina

Vero Beach

Riverside Cafe Vero Beach

It feels cool at first

love those banyan trees

Vero Beach

We spent the night tied to the dock on Fraser Creek at Shepard Park in Stuart. There were some unsavoury characters lurking around until 8:00 but they did not bother us other than to ask for beer.
We walked to Publix to get a few things and returned to the boat for the night. A commercial fisherman in a small boat came by so I chased him down to the boat ramp to see if I could buy some fish from him. He said he didn't have a licence to sell fish to the public but since I was Canadian, he sold me some Goat fish for $2.50 per fish. We have a little over 2 pounds of fillets from 8 fish.  There was a fish cleaning station at the dock so the Captain had no trouble doing the dirty deed. We will have that for dinner tonight.
There is a nice river board walk so we were able to go watch the sunset. The water at the fish cleaning station is potable so we filled our tanks in the morning and off we went.
We had a pleasant day on the water today.  We travelled 45 miles to Vero Beach.  We are anchored outside the mooring field at Vero Beach City Marina. The shores are crowded by large expensive homes so there will be no going ashore. We could go to the dinghy dock for a small fee.  The Captain is finishing off his bow painting. I went and stepped in it while trying to take a picture.  That will be well appreciated. We now have the side decks to do and the back deck.
We are back in tidal waters and the shrimp are back to nibbling on our hull at night.  What they are eating, I can't guess since the hull is perfectly clean.  I hope they like copper paint.
We have now completed the Okeechobee Waterway and are going north On the Intracoastal Waterway.  This will take us 980 miles to Norfolk Virginia.  We have 3650 miles behind us, we are more than half way through the trip.

Fraser Creek free dock

Sunset on the ST Lucie River in Stuart

Vero Beach mooring field

Stuart Florida

We travelled 55 miles today which was the longest day since crossing the Gulf in November. The bridge tender at Torry island informed us that we had plenty of clearance so we only had to have the Port Mayaca lock opened and we drove straight through without a lift. The St. Lucie lock was open and waiting for us so it was an easy day.  The lake was nice and calm.  They were burning sugar cane today so lots of smoke and ash flying in the air.
We are tied up to a free dock at Sheppard Park on Fraser Creek in Stuart. They say only a 4 hour stop is allowed but we are told they do not enforce it.  We are planning to stay overnight. I need to get a few things at Publix and we need to top up our water.
We will soon go off to explore the city by bicycle so more on Stuart tomorrow.

Calm water at the entrance to Lake Okeechobee

The Captain is happy to be on the move

Lake Okeechobee can be nasty but not today

Burning sugar cane

Horses cooling off in the St Lucie canal

Lunch time on the St. Lucie canal

St. Lucie lock

Tory Island

Entrance to the lake across from Clewiston lock

It is a little cooler today(74) and the wind died down so we made our way to Tory Island, 16 miles east on the rim route. We are yet at an other free town dock. There is no power or water and provisioning is not good here but we don't need anything. The docks are new and many locals are sitting around fishing and catching blue gill and cat fish. Jerry can't fish because he only has a salt water licence and we are in fresh water. the first time we tried to come here in 2008, there was not enough water and there were trailers littering the water from a recent hurricane.
We strolled down to Roland Martin last night to check out the night life at the Tiki Bar. It was quite crowded with tourist, judging by the many different licence plates around. It was such a warm evening, perfect for sitting around in the open air bar.
There were not as many alligators as in previous visits here, it is earlier in the year and the water level is up. Lots of bird life. Ibis, Black Crowned Heron, Coots can be added to Saturday's sightings.
The weather looks good for being on the lake tomorrow so we will try to make an early start and reach Stuart or at least Port Mayatka. We have two locks if we go all the way to Stuart.

Nice tree on the rim route with pelicans and cormorants

Tied up to the town dock at Tory Island

Tomatoes growing in a boat at Slim's Fish Camp-Tory Island

a small one

Air boat-it goes on swampy land

Clewiston

he best laid plans always change. We did get in the water on Friday but we stayed at Glades in the well Friday night. I needed a prescription renewed and I happen to call Doctor Bently who is a fellow boater we met at Glades five years ago.  He said he could help me but he had to see me.  It so happens he was coming to Glades so at 11:00 o'clock at night I had a Doctor's visit at the boat.  How is that for service?
We spent Friday going to visit old acquaintances by dinghy.  A lot of folks put their boats in the water and just stay around the boat yard at Glades RV Park or Turkey Creek. Our BC friends were not there so we left a calling card.  We did connect with our Alaskan friends as well as a couple from Michigan. I had time to walk the Corp of Engineer filed which is next to the boat yard.  I usually find shark teeth there.  I have at least 50 small ones that I have found over the last 3 years. Friday I found the biggest ever.  The folks at the boat yard were duly impressed.
Our Texas friends and Gregg and Dotty brought back some KFC for a farewell dinner at the boat yard.  Thanks folks, it was a lot of fun.
We left Saturday and are now docked at a free town dock in Clewiston. We are on the rim route that circles lake Okeechobee. This is where one decides if they are crossing 26 miles across the lake or continuing on the rim route.  We have been here before, up to the point where the rim takes you into the lake.  We have never crossed the lake. The winds are up and are supposed to stay that way for a couple more days so we are staying put today. We like the rim route because there is a lot of wild life.  We saw numerous alligators yesterday and we even have one swimming around in this basin. There are all kinds of Osprey, blue herons, little blue herons and of course Egrets and Anhingas. The scenery is boring to some but I like it. There was a forest fire some years ago so there are a lot of burned out trees which makes for an interesting landscape.
Jerry is painting again on deck while I do the obligatory laundry and household chores. They burn sugar cane around here and near Glades so the ashes get everywhere and can be quite messy.  They are not burning today so it is a good time to clean up.
We are close to Roland Martin Tiki Bar so we went there for a cold draft yesterday.  They have $1.00 draft at happy hour throughout the week.  The fare is the usual deep fried, gator bites, catfish, popcorn shrimp and the like. We may be here until Wednesday depending on the wind. Even if we take the rim route, we are on the lake for 2 hours. Randy had two foot waves on the beam when he crossed and it is just unpleasant so we will wait and see.
Internet connection is not the best here so using skype is a little difficult.  It is hit and miss.

Sunset from the well at Glades

calm on the Caloosahatchee River

burned tree on the south shore of the man made rim route

N

A large alligator on the rim route

Free town dock in Clewiston

Shark`s teeth

North shore of the rim route

Leaving the boat yard

The bottom is painted and North Star is ready to resume her journey.  The crew is anxious to get out there as well.
We had a fine time with our fellow boaters, Gregg and Dotty of Mint Julep and LS and Kay from Texas.  We ladies took turns getting munchies for the crowd at happy hour.  There are a lot of single guys working on their boats and they sure appreciated the snacks.
We went out for a short boat ride with Gregg and Dotty yesterday afternoon to make sure his motor and all systems were running right.  It looks like they will be able to push off shortly as well.
We will miss you folks but onto the next adventure.
We are most likely going as far as Clewiston today.  I found a free town dock. Does this sound familiar?

LS caught him in the men's room

The girls

LS and Kay from Texas

playing possum

Gregg and Dotty

Happy Hour at the Lanai

How long is an hour again? We gathered for happy hour from 4:00 to 9:00 with the boat yard crowd and were serenaded by some fine musicians. We sang and feasted on home made guacamole compliments of Kay from Texas.  Tonight I am making my nachos dip for the folks.
I put left over stew on the back deck last night because I am not able to do dishes in the sink since we are busy painting the bottom and the water running out would damage the paint job. I woke up at 5:00 to find raccoons eating tonight's dinner. I won't do that again.
Jerry finished the paint job today while Dotty took me shopping in La Belle.  I would run out of provisions before we get to Moore Haven since our stay here has been extended.

Gregg and Fred serenading the crowd

Bottom job is done

Happy hour in the lanai

Sunset at the boat yard

Possom coming to see what all the noise is about