Magoolooping's Blog

We have some company enjoying our first Hilton Head sunset.

At 8am we left the docks of Savannah when the current was still with us.  This river has a very strong current (at 3+ knots) and even though we don’t have very far to go, we left early to utilize the tide/current.  –    We enjoyed our stay in Savannah with all its history and beautiful buildings not to mention great restaurants (Hueys and Dockside were our favorites).  But we won’t miss trying to sleep on the boat here.  There is so much waterway traffic going in and out of Savannah’s port that we have been rocking and rolling all night (and we  ain’t talking about Elvis).  –  We almost left Kyle here.  The door to his bedroom was closed this morning, so I figured we would let him sleep since last night was especially “rockin’ n roll’n” but Artie said no.  Get him up to help us ready the boat.  When I knocked on the door and opened it, Kyle was not there!!!  My first thought that he went into the hotel and checked in so he could get some sleep, but alas, he was in the gym working out and taking a shower.  –  Wouldn’t it have been funny if we left the dock without  Kyle (thinking that he was sleeping in the bedroom on the boat).   Only kidding Kyle .

At 9:15 we crossed into South Carolina (yeaahhh!! — only one state away from home). Arrived at Hilton Head Harbor Yacht Basin at noon.

First night sunset Hilton Island, SC

South Beach, Hilton Head

Hilton Head Island is often referred to as the second largest barrier island on the eastern seaboard after Long Island and is shaped like a shoe.  Its total area is 55.5 square miles.  The beginning of Hilton Head as a resort started in 1956.  The year-round population is 47,821, but during the peak of summer vacation the population swells to 275,000.  So, I think that visiting this island in March was absolutely perfect with a comfortable amount of people.  – What’s interesting about such a small island is the unusual number of cultural opportunities it offers (Broadway-quality plays, symphony orchestra, the largesst annual outdoor tented wine tasting even on the east coast and other annual community festivals).   —  Hilton Head is known for its commitment to the eco system.   An environmentalist (Charles Fraser) changed the configuration of the marina at Harbour Town to save an ancient live oak (we could see this tree from where we docked).  This oak is known as the Liberty Oak.  Generations of children have watched singer/song writer Gregg Russell perform under the tree for over 25 years.

Setting the toddler style wearing some groovy sunglasses w/Daddy looking on.

Enjoying lunch "Isabel style" as Mommy looks on (photo compliments of Cassie)

Looks like a "hairy" fun time!!

At 5:30 Steph, Isabel and Cassie arrived to spend the weekend with us before taking Kyle back “to the real world”.  –  We had a great visit and wonderful just to be together again (it has been a long trip).  Isabel enjoyed the huge playground and also had her own “chariot” to bike ride with us.  It was an enjoyable family outing on bikes and ended at the South Beach area of Hilton Head where we had a yummy lunch.  –  Kyle, Steph and Isabel stayed at the Harbor Town Inn where Cassie, Artie and Sandra joined them.  We all ordered room service.  Ahhhh, the bonuses of “civilization”.
This is one of the nicest stops of the trip (maybe it could have something to do with the company ).
Sunday noon we said our good-byes; “bye bye”.  It sure was quiet when our babies (young and old) left us by ourselves on Magoo.  Just you and me and Magoo again………………

Monday (rainy day) we did chores on the boat, got some provisions, laundry, and the blog (of course).  We are readying ourselves to start moving again tomorrow.  Rain has settled in and we’ll be making our way through the raindrops.  It’s all good though, cause we’re almost home.

The "Magoo Crew" at Hilton Head

Low Country Sunset, Walburg Creek anchorage, GA

Low Country Sunrise on Walburg Creek anchorage, GA

Low Country (GA)

Fenders have a second use on the hook (footstool).

Pulling the anchor up and leaving Walburg anchorage

March 22.  Woke up this morning at the Walburg Creek anchorage where Kyle made a magnificent breakfast.  Pancakes (with bananas, pears, and oatmeal added to the batter), and a boat in the “boon-docks” necessity, spam.  Yea, we had pancakes (healthy) and spam (well, spam is spam).  –  After that hardy breakfast, we pulled the anchor up and were on our way at 9:24am.  Our destination today is Isle of Hope Marina.  This marina is a member of the AGLCA, so it will be a welcoming port.  We were tied up by the owners of the marina at 1:30pm; red carpet treatment.  –  The name of this town is Isle of Hope, which can lead you to believe that it is an island, but it is not really an island.  It is a sandy peninsula with a high bluff looking over  Skidaway Island.   According to the web, the name Isle of Hope is biblical and means “house of mercy”.  The total area of this town is 2.1 sq. miles (kind of makes me wonder how we found it).  An interesting bit of history  back in the Civil War is that General Sherman and his troops came to town.   He had little respect for organized religion (according to historians) and so he had the bell of the town’s Methodist Church melted  in order to make some badly needed cannonballs.  –  Some film productions were made here and included:  ”Glory” (an Oscar winner), “Cape Fear” (the original), “Forrest Gump”, and “The Last Song”.
March 23.  At 8am we untied the lines from the docks of the marina (Isle of Hope) and we are on our way to Savannah, GA.  Beautiful morning, low wind.  The current is working with us by moving us forward to our destination (and saving fuel, too ).  We docked at the Hyatt in Savannah at noon, had lunch, then we hopped a trolley to get acquainted with the city.  Beautiful old buildings.  It was a small miracle that Sherman didn’t destroy this city with all its history.  Sherman wanted to make cannonballs out of the church bells here, too, but the ladies of Savannah contacted the President and that was the end of that!!  Sherman and his troops didn’t do too much damage; although they did mar the cemetery by breaking a  lot of the headstones.  –

The old and the new

Commercial traffic on the Savannah River

Kyle boat shopping on the downtown Savannah dock

Savannah is the largest city in Georgia (established in 1733), and people from here  are called “Savannahians”.   Today its downtown district is  one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the US attracting millions of tourist every year.  –  We learned that Johnny Mercer was born here; didn’t know that.  Thinking about the songs that he wrote were a very happy part of our youth:  ”Moon River”, “Jeepers Creepers”, “Days of Wine and Roses”.  –  Another  very famous lady was born here; Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of America).  Some believe that Savannah was named after the Shawnee Indians, the local Indians in this area.  Another belief is an English term “savanna”, which is a type of tropical grass.  –  One of Savannah’s largest employers is the  International Paper (we can attest to that company being here by the aroma when the wind blows a certain way–”phewww”), and Gulfstream Aerospace company (maker of private jets).  Of course, the port is big business here, too, maybe the biggest judging from the amount of big container ships going in and out of the port.

Talmadge Memorial Bridge - spans the Savannah River from Savannah, GA to South Carolina

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

Alter of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

March 24.  We slept a little later today.  When we woke up, who did we find as a neighbor to our starboard but a dredger.  It snuck in last night when we were asleep.  This river’s normal depth is 12 foot but with the all the container ships coming into port, they dredge the river to depth of approximately 40 feet.

River Street, Savannah at Sunrise (our last morning) -- Kyle took this beautiful picture.

Leaving Savannah -- what a GREAT stay!! Even with the rocking and rolling hindering our sleep on the river.

Low Country - Jekyll Island, GA

Jekyll Island

Co-Captains

Dolphins welcoming Kyle



Tow Boat US "Out of Service" -- Grounded -- Gotta wait for the next tide here in Jekyll Island, GA

3's Company -- Aaarrrggghhh!!!

Looks Like We Have Company.......

These wild horses are called "Marsh Tackies" and were left long ago by the Spaniards. --Little Cumberland Island, GA

Sunset Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island), GA

March 19.  Kyle took the Amtrak from Cary to Jacksonville last night and arrived at the boat at 7am sharp.  After lots of hugs, we were under way.  Today is our last day in Florida.  It’s been a great state to visit with lots of diversity.  I can see why Carole and Sonny come back to Florida for several months every winter; and it’s more than just the warm weather.  –  We docked at Fernandina Harbor Marina, Fernandina Beach (Amelia Island) at 2:15pm.  Not too bad since we were bucking the current all the way.  –    WOW, there are 9 ft. tides here.  I’m glad to say that we have floating docks at this marina.  About a half hour before we arrived at the marina we hit ground several times.  The captain quickly backed off and moved to the side watching the 2nd depth finder very carefully.  It’s actually a fish finder which   shows the bottom and alerts us when the ground rises up or down.  We’re okay, but this area is tricky. —  Oh, oh, we’re in trouble.  Kyle and Artie are reading about the town of Fernandina Beach and found out that they are big on fudge here.  Oh, fudge!!!  –  We were good; no fudge today, but we did find a good restaurant and enjoyed the local fresh seafood.

Bridge Over Low Country -- Jekyll Island Bridge, GA

One of the quaint cottages on Jekyll Island (Jekyll Island Club)

Another Quaint Cottage on Jekyll Island

Kyle bidding farewell to Jekyll Island, GA

March 20.  We arrived at Jekyll Harbor Marina at approx. 2:30pm.  As soon as we filled up with fuel and docked, we rode bikes around the island for several hours.  The Jekyll Island is 7 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide.  –  The history here is interesting enough.  Beginning in the late 1800′s Jekyll Island became an island for the rich and famous (i.e. Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Pulitzers to name a few).  There is a historic area where there are many homes/buildings from that time in history (big ones).   —  This island was a playground for this elite group for about half a century.  Then, as the story goes, there were rumors that German U-Boats were off the coast of Georgia.  Then in 1942 a cargo ship was sunk nearby.  The elite population deserted the island and left it to weather away.  –  In 1947 Georgia purchased the island and various investors worked at restoring what was left.  Today Jekyll Island is alive and well and a great place to live and visit.
On the back of the boat Artie and Kyle bravely grilled the steaks for dinner.  I say bravely because here in Georgia there are no-see-ums.  As a matter of fact, I call them “GORILLA No-See-Ums” because you can definitely SEE these “NO-See-Ums”; that’s a fact!   Hmmmm, does this mean that they are “YES-SEE-UMS????  –  With 1,300 acres of tidal marshlands it’s easy to SEE why there are so many of these critters and why they are sooo big.

9' Tides Left These Boats High and Dry

March 21.  Kyle and Mama took the lines in and the Capt’n  revved up Magoo’s engine and pulled away from the docks.  We are on our way again (8am).  –  We need to anchor tonight because there are no marinas on this part of the waterway.  It was a long uneventful day and we are anchored at Walburg Creek (4pm).  We’re pretty satisfied with this anchorage for two reasons.  First, it is wide (away from the marshland and the no-see-ums).  Two, we have a 15 foot depth and only two hours to go until low tide; so we won’t find ourselves grounded in the morning.   We did good.  Most of the areas here are shallow and tricky with the 9 ft. tides.  :-)  No worries tonight!!

"I stand corrected. You're on Oak." (quote)

Low Country Shrimp Boats

Narrow Anchorage, "eh?"

Buffalo Bluff Bridge

Reflections of "Magoo" on the Snake River Cutoff

A Foggy Morning on Snake River Cutoff

March 14.  Last night (March 13) we anchored on Murphy Creek off of the St. Johns River.  It was a nicely protected anchorage and very quiet.  A few small fishing skiffs came through and waved.  Artie wanted to take a swim off the back of the boat; oh no…  he no sooner said that when a 6 ft. alligator swam by.  After that he agreed to stay in the boat.  Good decision!! —  We sat on the back of the boat and watched mother nature in her glory as the sun set; a quiet night on the river.  We got up early this morning (6:30am) to cruise 50 miles to River Forest Loop where we will anchor again.  –    It’s a beautiful but  a chilly morning.  –  Shortly after our setting under way we came to a railroad bridge (Buffalo Bluff Bridge).  Try saying that first thing in the morning on the radio to request an opening so that we could pass through.   —    This river is the longest in Florida and has springs that you can get to from there ( Alexander Springs, Salt Springs, Blue Springs to name a few).  Cruised across Lake George (the largest lake off of the St. Johns River).   The depths varied and caution is needed.   —  Are we on a jungle cruise??  That’s what it seems like with all the moss hanging from the trees, dense forest, alligators, and yes, we saw a snake, too.   Mmmmmm, sort of feels like “Deliverance”, there goes my imagination….  – We anchored 4:30pm, so it’s been a long day.  Snakes or no, we’ll sleep tonight.

Abandoned fish cabin

March 15.  We pulled the anchor up from River Forest Loop at 7:30pm and cruised a short distance to Snake Creek Cutoff just outside of Blue Springs Park (the largest spring in Florida).  After “mediterranean” anchoring (our first time anchoring this style), we put the dinghy in the water and went to the spring.  We spotted  a group of some interesting looking fish (Florida Gar fish) along with several manatees.  The water was beautifully clear with trees hanging over dripping with moss.  Very scenic.  The water was 72 degrees, a little chilly but refreshing.
March 16.  We pulled anchor up at 8:30am and we’re on our way again (Good bye Snake Creek).  We are returning to Jacksonville to meet with Kyle.  We have two days to get back, so “getty up Magoo.”  –  We anchored at 5:13pm (Murphy’s Creek again, it’s familiar and familiar is good after a long day).  Time to relax.

Looks like we found a favorite local swimming hole with rope swing and ladder. -- But from our observation, watch out for the gators!!

 

 

River Forest Cut-off Anchorage

A row team on the St. Johns River; reminiscent of the Charles River, Boston

Weekend warriors on the St. Johns River

A Green St. Patrick's Day, Jacksonville, FL

March 17.  Rise and shine at 7am sharp, pulled the anchor up and we’re on our way again. Weather was good with little wind.  We made good time and we pulled into Jacksonville at 5pm just in time for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities at downtown’s Landings.  The celebration is taking place just steps from the boat.

Springs

"Gorilla" Lily Pads

Two threesomes at Blue Springs Park

March 18.  Cleaning and reprovisioning the boat for “the rest” of the trip.  Kyle will be boarding tomorrow to see us through the rest of Florida, Georgia, and into South Carolina.  Georgia will be tricky with the 8 ft. tides, so Kyle is an especially welcomed addition to our crew of 2.

"Tick Tock, Tick Tock" -- "Where's Capt'n Hook?"

St. Augustine, FL - view from the waterway.

Just another pretty face

Lightner Museum and City Hall, Augustine, FL

St. Augustine Lighthouse

St. Augustine Cathedral (Basilica Tower)

St. Augustine Cathedral (it took five years to build and the construction was complete in 1797). It is now a historic landmark.

March 9-10.  Left the docks of Daytona Beach at 7:30am heading to St. Augustine.  We are cruising the Palm Coast.  We’ve never seen such a jungle of palm trees; they have grown so close together that you couldn’t walk through the wooded area.  Now that’s a lot of palm trees considering they have no branches on their sides (all their growth is on top).  –  The wind blew up as we approached St. Augustine at 2:30pm hitting 25mph making it bumpy to dock.
St. Augustine:

Inn and Restaurant, St. Augustine, FL

A doorway on St. George Street, St. Augustine, FL

A side street in St. Augustine, FL

Explored in 1513 and founded in 1565 by the Spanish it is the oldest continuously occupied European established city and port in the continental United States, earning its nickname “Ancient City”.  Officially Florida became a U.S. possession in 1821 and gained statehood in 1845.  There is so much history here with beautiful and well-maintained buildings.  –  Florida School for the Deaf and Blind is located here, and we heard an interesting story about Ray Charles.  He attended this school from 1937-45 learning classical music and Braille, but he was a bit of a rascal.   Charles was more interested in jazz.  He used to sneak out at night and get into “mischief” by playing at various bars which was frowned upon.  He did it so often they kicked him out, and it didn’t take him long to become famous with his wonderful new style of music.

Homes on the Waterway between St. Augustine and Jacksonville, FL

St. Augustine Municipal Marina

A close-up

Flagler College, St. Augustine, FL

———————–

Jacksonville, FL skyline

Jacksonville's 15K race over Main Street Bridge (not sure if it's 15K "people" or "distance"

Jacksonville's port

A little local "color" --- "Hooping" (as in hula) at Jacksonville's Farmer's Market/Art Festival -- I like the hair!!

March 11.  At 7:15am we left the docks of St. Augustine.  The temperature has dipped to 30 degrees, “brrrrrrr.”  Where did the 70′s/80′s go??  –  After a bumpy cruise we arrived in Jacksonville, FL  2:30pm.  At last we are on the St. John’s River.  Oh my goodness, where have we docked.  After tying the lines, we got off the boat and lo and behold what should appear but a micro brewery.  Me thinks we are in trouble.  –  We got a call from “Breaking Away”, these are Loopers that we last saw on the Illinois River.  We had a reunion at guess where–  happy hour at the micro brewery (see, I knew we were in trouble).
March 12.  We decided to stay another day to see the sights of Jacksonville.  There is a 15K race (mini marathon), a farmers market where we were able to get some needed fresh produce (our timing is good since there’s no grocery store within biking distance), and a mall (Landings of Jacksonville).  What a wonderful bike ride along the shore of the St. Johns River.  Jacksonville, Florida (nickname is the River City) is the largest city in the state and the 13th largest in the U.S.  It  was named after Andrew Jackson who we know was President (7th), but he was also the first military governor of the Florida Territory.  Some of the oldest pottery was found here dating back to 2500 BC.
March 13.  At 8pm (but it’s really 7am since we turned the clocks ahead for daylight savings time last night) we left the docks of Jacksonville.  We are on our way to cruise and explore the St. Johns River.  This is something that we have talked about doing for 20 years but somehow never got to it.  Well, we’re getting to it now.  –  This river is the longest in Florida and has springs that you can get to from there ( Alexander Springs, Salt Springs, Silver Springs and Wekiwa Springs to name a few).  After 8 hours of travel we anchored on Murphy Creek off of the St. Johns River.

Our last view of Jacksonville as we leave at Sunrise

Sunset in Titusville, FL, and what a sunset!!

Merritt Island Refuge

Merritt Island Refuge

What is this red beauty?? Merritt Island Refuge, FL

"Snowy" is looking for lunch....

Merritt Island Refuge

A bunch of Coots! Honest!!!! (not Ol' Coots)

Merritt Island Refuge

Wood Stork (not Woodstock) -- Largest native U.S. wading bird with a 5' wing span.

A little Florida History:  The early pioneers in Florida were called “Crackers” and this term is still used for Floridians whose families trace back to the original settlers.  Some historians believe it was from the cattle industry that began in this state 500 years ago.  These ranchers had a unique way of herding the cattle.  They used long whips made of braided leather that made a loud “crack” sound to drive the cattle.  So Florida cowboys were called “Crackers”.  Today there is a breed of horse called a Florida Cracker horse with ancestry to the Spanish stock brought in the 1500′s.  –  Florida Crackers had their own pioneer culture and language.  Life was tough in the outposts of Florida at the turn of the century.  Mosquitoes were called “swamp angels.”  ”Low-bush-lightning” was the Cracker term for moonshine during Prohibition.  And supper for these Cracker pioneers included:  ”cooters” (soft-shelled turtles), “piney-woods rooter” (wild hog), and “scrub chicken” (gopher tortoises).  I say bon a petit — NOT.

Brown Pelican has an expected life span of 40 years. From fossil records we have learned that Pelicans have been around for 40 million years. -- Surely a good design.

March 2.  Left Melbourne docks at 8:30am.  Wind coming from the Northeast, which is good.  We won’t be getting the fumes from the fires to the North of us as we head to Titusville.
March 3. We picked up a rental a car and went to Merritt Island National Wildlife  Refuge (adjacent to Kennedy Space Center).  We saw some beautiful Florida birds, but we were disappointed that we didn’t see the Roseate Spoonbill (hope to see one before we leave Florida).
March 4.  Today we went to the Kennedy Space Center.  It rained, but we got through it fairly well.  We must admit that we enjoyed Huntsville, AL Rocket and Space Museum a little better (maybe it was the company–Cassie and Brent were with us ).  –

In 1965 when The Vehicle Assembly Building was constructed, it was the largest building in the world.  Each stripe on the American flag logo uses 6,000 gallons of paint.  Today, it is not the largest building, but it still claims the largest doors.

VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) at Kennedy Space Center, Titusville, FL

Apollo Rocket

March 6.  We woke up this morning and there was a manatee hanging around next to our boat.  It’s the first time we’ve seen one outside of a park setting.  Having said that, they are a little

tricky to spot since they spend quite a bit of time under water and only come up every so often to get some air.  If the water is very calm, you can see the water swirling, but the water has not been calm very often as of late.

Space Shuttle

External Fuel Tank and Solid Fuel Rocket for Space Shuttles

March 7.  Readying to move again tomorrow, but first we went to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame where we saw the largest collection  of personal astronaut memorabilia.  Then we took a ride to Port Canaveral and got acquainted with the area.

The Palm Coast -- Look at how thick the Palm trees are growing here. I wouldn't want to try to walk through this forest!

March 8.  We left the docks of Titusville at 7:30am trying to get a jump on the wind.  It has been blowing for a week now and it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up, but we have to get moving again.  We have a date with Kyle in Jacksonville after cruising the St. John’s River and we don’t want to be late.  –
Arrived at Daytona Beach and what timing.   It’s  ”Bike Week” here and I don’t mean the bicycle type of bike, but rather the big boys — “Motorcycles”.  We rode our bikes downtown and what a show of bikes!!

Can you tell that it's "Bike Week" in Daytona Beach, FL?

"Monkeying Around" -- Bike Week at Daytona Beach, FL

Looks like Redneck Fishin' !!!

Fog lingering at Fort Myers Yacht Basin Marina as we depart.

Anhinga, also called "SNAKEBIRD" -- Only its head and long curved black neck show above the water, looking like a dark upright snake. Another name for this bird is WATER TURKEY with their long fanned tail

February 23.  After being docked here for 2 1/2 months, we are leaving Fort Myers.  It was a great place to be with lots of diversity within the city itself, and close to interesting areas where we could drive to with a rental car (not to mention warm weather).  We may come back someday.  We left the docks of Fort Myers Yacht Basin at 8:30am allowing for the fog to dissipate to a safe level.   As we left Fort Myers and traveled the Okeechobee Waterway the landscape turned to more of a country setting.  Our destination is Moore Haven City.  We traversed two locks (W.P. Franklin and Ortona Locks) and arrived in Moore Haven at 5pm.  We met Lady Royal on the way (another Looper) and will probably travel with them for the next couple of days.  –  On this trip we have only three more locks to go.  I’m embarrassed to say that we have lost count, but on this trip we went through over 125 locks, some being 100 feet deep and we wondered “where’s the sun”.  When we look back on this trip we are amazed at all that we saw and did, and now it is coming to an end.  Is it really almost a year?

No, this is not a blooming bush in the water. It is a bunch of Egrets having a pow wow.

Hello Ms. Cow. Passed by many farms on the Okeechobee Waterway. (Okeechobee Waterway is man-made and extends from Fort Myers to Stuart or from the West Side of Florida to the East Side.)

February 24.  Left the docks of Moore Haven at 9:30pm; again we waited for the fog to lift.  It was a very enjoyable cruise down the Okeechobee Waterway with all the wild water birds and yes, lots and lots of alligators, too.  We could see the alligators on the rim route and when we approached, they ducked under the water.  It was great fun seeing how many alligators we could spot just above the surface of the water before they went under again.  We saw at least 25.  –   Needless to say, Artie didn’t go swimming this morning.  We took the rim route to Clewiston and then crossed the Lake Okeechobee toward Port Mayaca.  Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida and seventh largest in the United States covering 750 miles (half the size of Rhode Island).  It is exceptionally shallow with an average depth of 9 ft.  –  Indiantown Marina is our destination for tonight.  We went through two more locks today:  the Moore Haven and Port Mayaca Locks; docking at 3pm.  Around 5:00pm we were walking to the marina office and we saw a group of people and wondered why they were looking up at the sky.  And then we heard “there it is!”  It was purely by accident that we saw the last Discovery shuttle take off.    The space shuttle program is retiring and there’s at least one and perhaps two more shuttles left to go.

Cypress Trees on the Rim Route of the Okeechobee Waterway

Orange Orchard along the Okeechobee Waterway. The smell of the blossoms is wonderful as we cruise along.

February 25.  Left the docks of Indiantown early morning with Lady Royal.

Last Lock on this trip (St. Lucie Lock). ---

Shipwreck? Or Perch on Lake Okeechobee..... (only 6 ft. depth)

Rim Route (Come on Magoo, we're going home).

Fishing Fleet on the Okeechobee Waterway

HOORAYYYYY!  WE WENT THROUGH THE LAST LOCK OF THIS TRIP (ST. LUCIE LOCK), we think….  We arrived at Stuart’s Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage with Sam greeting us and helping us with our lines.  This was an especially friendly Marina; it was a large marina, but they treated you like a small marina (personal attention).  We called Mrs. Greany to make a date for tomorrow.  She is the mother of our “best man” (best friend, Pete).

Love Birds

Mrs. Greany and the Captain

February 26.  We left the marina at 11:30am to meet Mrs. Greany.  Sam, the manager of the marina, made sure that we had a ride right to her door.  It has been 33 years since we have seen Mrs. Greany and we are so looking forward to our reunion.  When we knocked on the door, she opened it and it was big hugs all around.  What an incredible woman!!  She shared with us that she is now 91, and she’s just as bright as a new penny.  We had a wonderful visit with her and met her sister, Lois and her husband (Mike), who were in town from Massachusetts.  After a visit at her home, we left for the marina for lunch and a tour of “Magoo”.  We had a wonderful time and it didn’t seem like it’s been 33 years at all.

Sunset at the Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart, FL

February 27.  Carole and Sonny came to visit us.  Stuart is having an Art festival and Carole and I found some really nice jewelry and a fantastic clothing store (but everything we liked was not in our size or color which Artie and Sonny seemed pretty happy about).  Oh well, next time, right Carole!  :-)

A museum in Stuart, FL

Stuart, FL

Stuart, FL

February 28.  Left the docks of Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage, Stuart, Fl at 8:30am.  Today we have a 50 mile jaunt and hope to avoid the rain that is coming our way.  –  ”Phewww”  – that was a close one.  Just after we left Stuart we went under the Roosevelt Bridge, and then we got a radio call from the bridge attendant to adjust our course by taking a hard left NOWWWWWWW!  Which we did.  We were about to run aground.  What happened is buoy #23A was missing, which made our heading to the shallow water.  Wow!!  That was a close one.  Thank you bridge tender.  Shortly after this episode, we heard the coast guard call a securite that buoy #23A was missing; better late than never.  –  As we moved along and reading the charts, we found we were approaching “Hell Gate”.  Oh no, I thought we left all those zig zag narrow channels with its rocks up in Canada.  Time for another cup of coffee to keep us sharp!!  –  Arrived Vero Beach at 3pm.  Got our bikes off the boat and went to check out the beach.  Pretty nice.  We had a nice dinner on the beach at Mulligan’s Restaurant, after dinner we rode our bikes to Boardwalk Ice Cream.  The Boardwalk was there but the Ice Cream was closed  –  We ain’t in Canada anymore (ice cream at every stop, except anchorages, of course).

March 1.  We left the Vero Beach docks at 8:25am heading North.  When we got out onto the water we were surprised that it was windy so early in the day.  After 4 hours, we docked in Melbourne at 12:30pm where “Smiley” took our lines (enough said).  We took the bikes off the boat after lunch and explored the town.  Hey, we found ice cream!!

Artie at outside restaurant, Vero Beach, FL

Duct tape to the rescue!! Example of everyday living boat style!!

Vero Beach, FL