Tide change and currents are now becoming a daily challenge... the variance around here is close to 5 feet...and the currents are as strong as any we faced on the Mississippi...these photos show the little creek by our anchorage last night at high and low tide...can you see the difference?

We also saw white pelicans today. At first I thought maybe we were seeing swans. Floyd tells me they are originally from Texas...got blown here in a hurricane and decided to stay....they sure were pretty.

For those of you who remember the Larry Vaughn speech about skinny water...I so get it now...we have been there and seen some....I think of that crazy video with him drawing boat hulls on an overhead for us Kansans...we wondered what he was thinking...Florida is all about the skinny water....couldn't resist the reminder of days gone by...

We are at Oyster Creek Marina in St Augustine...a quirky place with some interesting folks. They invited us to a potluck tonight...great food, lots of story swapping, and I got to spend quality time with a sweet little Yorkie named Ladybug.

We arrived at St Augustine in time to walk to the local winery for a tour and some samples...Napa Valley it was not...we are planning to play tourist tomorrow...we'll visit the Fountain of Youth, another historic fort, and the historic downtown shopping district....woo hoo...

LB and BB... you visited this fort as well????...notice the graffiti we found....no hair comments, I've been on a boat with that fu fu hairdryer and no haircut since Feb 3....

Last night anchored at Fort Matanzas...this morning took the dinghy over to the visitor center and then rode the ferry across to visit....great photo opportunities...

This one is for Nan...lighthouse...and there are a couple of more, so stay tuned....

Moving from New Smyrna to Ft Matanzas was full of fun...we finally got the Coastal Explorer computer program to cooperate with the GPS and electronic maps...we had total success following the boat through the ICW with the computer on the flybridge...though I must admit we did have to call Clinton at Floyd's office to get advice on the screen light brightness...Last night proved challenging as we anchored a stones throw from the old fort and then the tidal currents arrived...we not only switched around on the anchor but the tide was flowing so fast that it caused our props to spin...we are hopeful that nothing is now wrong with the transmission...plan to visit the fort and move to St Augustine today...I'll post photos there...Home is 10 days...

Plans for this week include anchoring out at Ft Matanzas on Monday, then on into St Augustine on Tuesday. From there it is a two day run into Jacksonville. We will probably be there by Friday...Our plane for Wichita leaves on the 10th which gives us plenty of time to play and get the boat ready for a break in action. We'll be seeing you soon.

New Smyrna Beach is a quaint little community...we are at their Municipal dock in the heart of the downtown historical district and across from a carry out restaurant on the waterway. We walked around downtown last night and plan to ride the bikes to the grocery store when it stops raining.

Saturday we pulled up anchor and headed to New Smyrna Beach...windy windy windy... the weather for Sunday was to include thunderstorms and we wanted to be north and in a marina. It was a short day packed with Manatees, dolphins and fisherman. We were on the boating highway...what fun!

Thursday, March 26, we arrived in Titusville, dropped anchor and began planning our trip to the Kennedy Space Center. Literature that we had indicated that there was a shuttle bus...not true. Though we did discover that the Comfort Inn had a vendor for discount tickets. But how to get there...taxi was $56 round trip...then at the last minute the dock master suggested a U-Save rental...so for $45, we drove ourselves...what a deal. Dinghy ride to the Municipal Marina and we were good to go. What a great day to be at Cape Canaveral! The wind was still blowing but we were on land...and the sights were awesome. To see in person those launch pads and missiles was quite a thrill. Looking at items that are a part of the International Space Station brings the news to life. Lots of good video presentations. Plus they were preparing for the landing of the shuttle on Saturday...we even got to go inside a shuttle...The displays were top drawer. This is a stop we want to make again. The admission ticket was good for two days and you can visit the Astronaut Hall of Fame...we didn't even get there.

oh, and I did find a photo of Rich and Kim...though none of their pets...we still talk about the fun we had visiting their home. What a great evening!!!!

We met interesting folks walking the docks at Capt Hiram's. Three couples from Canada wintering in the area were most interested in our journey. One man was actually from the Newfoundland area...very familiar with the base where my dad was stationed during his stint in the Air Force...file that under small world...

Sebastian has been fun...we've spent some time at the bar occupying Floyd's bar stools...Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum was small but absolutely packed with interesting items. I even came home with a coin pendant from Delores Fisher's personal collection. Since she died in January, the family is selling off some of her pieces. Pretty special...thanks, WFW...Notice in the photos of Captain Hiram's how the flags are standing...it has been windy windy windy...in fact, we are waiting to leave because of it...feels a lot like last summer when Hurricane Ike passed through Mississippi...

Kodak opportunities missed

We keep talking about it...so thought I'd better start a list before we forgot 'em...
People we didn't think to capture on camera...Bob and Ann Kallemeier, Rich and Kim (and their pets), Joan and Jack ( Floyd's instructors at Chapman's). Arch the dock master at Rock Harbor Marina ( Wynnoa Judd's ex).
Events we wished we had on film: Floyd stepping into the mud at Baschi Creek...up to his knees and then getting it all over the dinghy, swim platform, him...it was pretty funny.
Linda's crash and burn on the sidewalk in front of the liquor store at 11:30 in the morning...oh, and the red wine flowing around her from the broken bottle. If there hadn't been blood and pain involved, it would have been hysterical. We do laugh about it anyway. Docking at Hoppies on the first trip...we were so green...and it is a challenge for the pros. And then yesterday, as Floyd was trying to wash the mud off the anchor and the water hose nozzle wouldn't shut off...it was the snaky, water squirting in the face kind of deal. We could have won America's Funniest Home Videos....big time.

Tuesday dawned reeeeaaaalllllyyyy early. I set the alarm so that we could get up to view a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral 50 miles away. When the alarm went off at 4:10 am, we more than wondered what we were thinking. It was only a GPS satellite for the Air Force. As we sat out in the windy night, we even began to second guess if we'd really be able to see anything. But let me tell you, it was sooo worth it!!!! From the bow of the boat we watched the sky to the northeast light up like a HUGE bonfire right on schedule at 4:34...then a flaming rocket came up...ever so slowly arched toward us. We watched the stage two rockets fire. Then the booster rockets falling off, as tail of the rocket grew and then it faded into the horizon to the south. The whole thing took probably 5 minutes. We sat there like little kids on the Fourth of July...with our mouths open...and a few "Oh My Gods..." It was so cool...then we went back to bed...time 4:45....
We are off to see Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum...then cleaning chores while we can take advantage of marina water...tomorrow we head out to Titusville. We may anchor along the way...there is a trip to Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center on tap this week.

Monday was another windy day but we decided to poke out and see what happened. Are we ever glad we did. Made it all the way to Sebastian...we are in Captain Hiram's Marina and Resort. Floyd is grinning from ear to ear. Seems as though he has spent quality and quantity time here...what does it say when you recognize the bartender???...and has dreamed of coming here in his own boat...well, we did that!!!! Had beer and chicken wings on "his" bar stools yesterday afternoon then hiked up to Squid Lips for supper....slept good!!!!

Sunday was the downer and the upper...we were having a little pity party about the bad weather/traveling conditions when Rich (Floyd's Chapman's classmate) called. He and his wife Kim wanted to come see the boat. After the tour, they graciously invited us to their house for ribs. WHAT A TREAT!!! A comfy home, two dogs, a cat, a teenager, great food....we were in hog heaven. Can't begin to tell you what a lift it was to be treated like family for just a couple of hours!!!

Something is Fishy...I'm warning you...somehow, someone got into my address book and sent e-mails to everyone there about "SECURE SHOPPING"....wasn't me....don't need to go there. The other bad thing is it also wiped out my address book...My apologies about all that. So we aren't going today where we planned and I'm in a funk about this mass email and the loss of my addresses...guess I go bury myself in a book...geesshhh. Floyd is gonna play with power tools. To each his own!!!!

Sunsets here have been delightful. We are anchored in an area where we always have company. Usually it is sail boats...yesterday we even had a pod of about 5 dolphin moving through. Even though it is called Manatee Pocket...we haven't seen any.

We have brought rain to the dry lands of Florida. They were starting to worry because it hadn't rained since Christmas. We arrived and it has rained every day. Yesterday it rained most of the day and ruined our plans to spend a day of boating with Lindsay. We made one last shopping trip. But I must admit that Floyd and I had a thorough soaking getting back and forth in the dinghy...windy windy windy...in fact, today they have issued small craft warnings, saying it will be even be rough on the ICW...so we are choosing to stay put. Won't head to Sebastian until tomorrow.

Wilson girls are healing nicely...what a surprise that Lindsay had injured her leg playing softball...we had a good laugh about our matching knees...though she thinks mine is not so pretty.

Lazy days ...full of fun and projects...Wednesday evening was spent at Sailfish Marina. We needed to refill the water tanks and get a pump out. Joan (one of Floyd's Chapman instructors) and Lindsay went to dinner with us at FINZ...found some crunchy grouper just like at Lake of the Ozarks. Thursday was projects and projects. Floyd took the plastic off the stairs leading into the salon...where several have almost died. It is so much safer. Then we started the fitting, cutting and installation of the heat shield insulating material on all windows. Floyd had ordered 8 yards of the fabric which looks like two layers of bubble wrap with aluminum foil covering. We wanted to have the large salon/galley windows covered on hotter days to help the air conditioning. So we made patterns, drew the plan to make it all happen with what we ordered. Finished with all the smaller windows and hatches today. Came out perfect. Now we've got a silvery finish to the outside windows and sun protection from the heat....now if it would just warm up a little.

For those of you who like the numbers, here's a few. ....we have traveled 2203 miles since leaving St Charles. St Charles to Demopolis was 1140. Demopolis to Ft Myers was 928. We've come three days since then. We have just 250 miles to travel from Stuart to Jacksonville. We were laughing with Lindsay last night that to get to Sebastian by boat would take us about 6 1/2 hours, yet you could get there in about 60 minutes by car. Gas prices have had an interesting affect on our travels. Last summer we paid an average of $3.98 per gallon...to the tune of 1241 gallons. This trip we are averaging about $2.44 for 842 gallons. When you figure the per mile cost, this trip is about half the fuel cost of our last leg. We've gone from $4.33 per mile to $2.22 per mile. I could probably put this on a lovely Excell spreadsheet and make some charts and graphs...but, thankfully, those days are behind me. In fact, I didn't even crunch these numbers...woo hoo...not my job....though I do continue to be amazed when observing bigger boats fuel. Most memorable so far was a boat at Ft Myers that was already at 450 gallons on the meter when they turned in order to fill the other side...we left before they were full. Lordy, that's a lot of gas.

Happy St Patrick's Day...hope you are wearing the green. We are having a blast in Stuart. Lindsay came aboard yesterday and then went to dinner with us. We were joined later by a Chapman's classmate and his wife. Lindsay has graciously volunteered to chauffeur us for some shopping and a trip to the grocery store this afternoon. We sorted clothes most of the morning...to donate, to take home, wintry things to store in some hidey hole. The weather is much warmer and since neither of us seem to be the size we were last summer...yes, we are needing a couple of go to shore apparel items. Imagine that. She is fun to be with and wants to spend time boating as well. We are still trying to get that worked out. A boatload of Chapman students stopped by mid morning to harass Floyd. He loved that. He is off now to lunch with Jack and I'm home alone. We are planning to stay here through the weekend then head off to Sebastian.

Tonight we are in Stuart...anchored in the Manatee Pocket of St Lucie River Inlet...just around the corner from Chapman's School of Seamanship...Floyd is grinning from ear to ear...He can't believe he is really here in his own BOAT. Last year he spent just a few hours maneuvering boats in and out of this little channel. He tells me there were always boats anchored here and he told himself that one day his would be here too. Now here it is. Dreams do come true. He has contacted several instructors and classmates. They are planning some sort of mini-reunion. Also, my niece, Lindsay Wilson (Terry's oldest), is living in Palm City and working in the Stuart Public School system. We are bringing her to the boat tomorrow afternoon. We are hoping she can work things out to cruise with us this weekend up to Sebastian. Yep, tomorrow is cleaning day...and we'll have to start with the storage/guest room.

Okeechobee Lake is not one you'd want to visit...miles and miles of water...two feet deep...swampy. The redeeming social value is bass...and Roland Martin...we are glad to be passed it. some of Floyd's friends followed us this morning for more than half the trip...I think they were hoping for another hand out...or that Tumbleweed would stir up some breakfast.

This little fellow spent the night with us. I spotted him about 30 feet off the port bow while Floyd was slipping the line on the dolphin...warned him not to tarry when it came to putting his arms in the water. The gator was there for anchoring, happy hour, dinner, canasta, Boston Legal, and the Captain's final check. He would occasionally change directions but he stayed right around those weeds. Somewhere during happy hour we decided to name him "Mohammad" Ali-gator. Sad to say, he must have caroused all night and we didn't get a chance to say good bye this morning. Sure do miss him....NOT.

Saturday night was another milestone for us. We anchored out at the dolphins just below the lock at Clewiston. Those big pilings had cleats...we tied the bow first. Then Floyd took the dinghy back to the one off the rear, wrapped a rope around that, and back to the boat. It is like having two anchors. Pretty tricky, but we managed. Then about 9:00 the wind died down and the odor arrived. Now we know why we were the only ones there. Stagnant swamp water or gator farts...we don't know which...but we lit the Creme brule' candle and all was well.

Saturday we cruised to Clewiston...and we are affectionately referring to the day as "Alligator Day". We turned the corner into Okeechobee canal and there he was...our first alligator...in the wild...a la natural...isn't he cute??? From there we saw bunches of them...all day long....not a day for swimming, that's for sure.

Those Swedes were sooooo cute...worked on that dinghy motor for hours and hours...into the night and then most of the morning...finally got it running...

Port LaBelle Marina is proving to be an interesting place...Brochure says don't let your dogs swim here because of alligators. As much as we'd like to say we've seen one, we're glad to report that we haven't. The hours are 9-1, M-F, closed on weekends. No electrical or water hook up...and just leave your money in the box outside the office door. Should be a dump...but docks are all pretty new and nice. But who runs a marina that's closed on weekends??? weird...plus I bet they wonder why they aren't making any money. Swede's sailboat is in photo on the left. Floyd is doing some wax on, wax off...weather is delightful and I think headed to 85 today. When he finishes we'll head to Clewiston. Should be there in time for happy hour...BTW, leg is healing nicely. The pharmacist I talked to wondered if I was wearing a helmet...like that would have helped my leg????? uuuhhhmmm?????

Remember that bug repellent lantern we talked about a couple of weeks ago...we finally had the chance to use it last night...We were amazed that we weren't bothered at all...This morning we discovered why...evidently it got 'em before they came in...though we did discover that the lit lantern should not be placed on the table under the smoke alarm...yep, the noise makes it hard to hear the TV ...hehehe

Well, it wasn't O-dark-thirty...but we did manage to pull out of Ft Myers and make it to lovely LaBelle, Fl. The marina closed at 1...told us to just pull up to the fuel dock, tie up and put money in the box by the front door....interesting place. We connected with a small group of young ones from Sweden. Seems they came here in January, bought this boat and are working to repair it so they can sail around the world. In fact, last night as we sat on the aft deck talking with Rick and Pam, a kid came up to ask about the code for the marina parking lot. Mumbled something about needing to leave a car as they were bringing up a boat from LaBelle on Saturday...it just seemed so weird...Pam thought maybe he was drunk...I thought he just didn't speak English...yep, turns out it was one of these guys...we'll take a photo of their boat before we leave tomorrow. Kids...what'll they think of next...We also saw our first, second and third orange orchards...must be about time to harvest. And a couple of HUGE turtles...couldn't resist...

Thursday night is pot luck night at Legacy Harbour...we joined the fun...Muriel had sent some dip mix that we made and I made a batch of deviled eggs...all were hits....It was great to be able to see and talk to all the folks we met there this week one last time...That's Gene in the yellow. He was master of ceremonies and hails from a BIG boat, FRONT PAGE. Yep, he's a newspaper publisher..Floyd in the orange, Rick in black and you can barely see Pam in the stripe shirt. Oh, and check out the Key lime pies...yummy....

The local schools had participated in a BUG project...this was my favorite...wonder why???

This is some sort of rubber tree that Edison planted to aid his experiments and inventions...notice the gecko in the close up ...they were everywhere.

And the trees...WOW...they grow 'em big in Florida...This banyan is listed as the largest in America...though I remember seeing some pretty big ones in Hawaii...probably a little conflict there...