December 2nd- Saint Augustine to Daytona Beach FL
Our last couple of days in St Augustine were characterized by a strong front moving through. We were devouring some Minorcan chowder and a shrimp po-boy sandwich when we noticed some really dark clouds on the horizon. We just made it back to Evergreen when the squall hit. We had winds gusting to 40mph and heavy rain for a brief period. Two boats dragged anchor and almost hit the Bridge of Lions. A very large catamaran came within 150 yards of the bridge before being boarded by a very heroic soul from another sailboat. He somehow managed to re-anchored the craft before disaster hit! Very exciting stuff.
Our final day in St Augustine was mostly spent aboard ship as wind and waves were too intense for shore leave.
Some scenes from St. Augustine.
Lunch at the St. Augustine Seafood Company.
Our mooring reservation ended on the 2nd so we moved further down the ICW to Daytona. The wind calmed and we were rewarded with some of that perfect Florida weather we sail south for. We had another exciting dolphin encounter during the passage. The dolphin raced along with us for a while and zig-zagged under the keel from port to starboard. At the end of this performance he/she leaped out of the water 5 to 6 times in quick succession. We were amazed. Clearly these are very intelligent animals that like to play and have fun.
We anchored near Bethune park. There is a convenient dock for Ollie’s evening commando raid. Hurricane Nicole did a lot of damage around here. Many boats are washed up in the mangroves others are just masts sticking out of the water.
Some scenes from Daytona.
Evergreen anchored on the Halifax River in Daytona Beach.
December 3rd- Daytona Beach to Titusville FL
Not much to report on. Perfect weather again. Crazy Ivan (our autopilot) did most of the steering, I just hit a button every now and then to adjust course. The autopilot is working well. The autopilot remote is absolute garbage and may wind up in the ocean someday. Titusville has around 10 boats washed up on shore or sunk. We both forgot to take pictures today (these things seem to happen down here).
December 4th- Titusville to Melbourne FL
We fueled up and filled the water tanks before leaving Titusville. Today was another day spent on the Indian River. The river is wide and mostly straight with almost no tidal current. We are able to roll out our genoa when there is enough of a breeze. Easy sailing for the pirates on SV Evergreen.
We had planned on anchoring at the town of Eau Gallie but the anchorage just didn’t feel right. We moved on to Melbourne. We’ve been to this anchorage before. It’s just a good, protected, spot on the side of a big bridge. The bridge has a park (common around here) which I bring Ollie to.
Sunset over Melbourne.
December 5th- Melbourne to Vero Beach FL
Another day basking in the sun on the Indian River. Lynne did some sewing repairs to our upholstery. I kept an eye on things and avoided hitting any navigational markers or pontoon boats.
The mangroves are getting thicker.
We weren’t sure what we were going to do once we got to Vero. I had some intel, from a friend, that the moorings were full. Vero Beach Municipal Marina has a rafting rule. Once the mooring field is full then multiple boats raft up on the same mooring. We were concerned that this might be a problem for us due to our hypervigilant Boarder Collie. Anchoring was a possibility but we decided to “go for it” and acquired a mooring assignment from the marina. We rafted up to SV Elan for a few days. Attaching Evergreen to Elan was a little complicated as the boat is empty. On the other hand it’s great to be here and Elan is empty so it’s like we are on our own private mooring anyway. No complaints from Ollie.
We are happy to be in “Velcro” Beach again. We spent so much time here on our last trip that it feels like a home away from home. Shore leave! We’re meeting up with our friend from SV Loon for breakfast. The frisbee will be deployed for Ollie. Beer and wine supplies are in the red so acquiring more is a priority. Perhaps a stop at Mr Manatees is warranted.
Some scenes from Vero Beach.
Evergreen rafted up in Vero Beach.
