It has been a wild and crazy winter but you know that already. We are in our final week of boat travel for this year then off to see family, friends and back to Maine. I won't go into all the oohs and aahs about all the fun we had, but we did.
We left Ft. Myers on April 7th. We stayed in anchorages all but the two nights in Titusville Marina, a nice change from time spent at marinas. We arrived in Myrtle Beach on April 22nd. We stayed two nights at the Franklin Lock campground and marina, two nights on a mooring in Stuart and the two nights in Titusville. Anchorages are much harder to find on the East Coast. When we started this adventure we were going to anchor out all the time and never eat in restaurants and that is not how it has turned out. We spend more time at marinas, but still rarely eat out.
Since I last wrote we have crossed the Okeechobee with friends and traveled with them until we parted in Fort Pierce our friends stopped for a week at a new marina and attend the MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners Association) Rendezvous. We headed onto Titusville for two nights to sit out high winds.
Never a dull moment. We anchored in South Bay a very favorite anchorage along Okeechobee rim route. We took dinghy ride and the predicted winds came up sooner and more fierce than expected. We returned quickly to South Bay and started to haul the dinghy. As we did the anchor came loose and before we knew it we landed in the grass at the edge of the water. Wally hauled us out with this dinghy. We thought we might have to call BoatUS for a tow.
Did we tell you we hit something hard on the Okeechobee following the channel markers? It was a horrible day on the Okeechobee with 3 foot seas. We were trying to keep on the channel and the channel became shallow so we needed to be farther off shore than the marked channel. I was a little frightened because we were very close to shore having come most of the way on the rim route not the direct route across the lake. I looked at the rocky shore and wondered what would happen if we couldn't move ourselves out of the shallow water. We followed our friends course farther out in the lake and while heading east maintaining the bow directly into the waves as to diminish the roll from the seas.
We stopped at Fernandina Beach for ice cream before we moved on to Cumberland Island to anchor for the night. On our way there we were boarded by the Coast Guard for our first inspection of course Rob had everything in order.
We spent two nights In Titusville to wait out the winds while there we saw 6 or 7 manatee around the dock, we saw a large river boat in disrepair and walked a good distance to see the waves as they hit the shore. We also saw a shuttle take off.
TT, Tricia and Titus
Interesting sites along the way.
Floating dock
Long docks to walk to the water from their homes
Setting up the boat for summer is a chore. Everything from the bridge goes. The canvas and strata glass are stored in the v-berth, the cushions and captain's chairs are removed and put in the galley with the table from the bridge. The bicycles also are stored inside. The dehumidifier is placed near the sink, charcoal is set around the boat in aluminum pans to help with the moisture. Damprid is placed in lockers, vinegar in the heads, the dinghy is stored inside, and the refrigerator is cleaned out and defrosted. The batteries are filled with distilled water, the boat is fueled up and the water tanks are filled. Loads of items are packed into the truck and we hit the road.
We traveled long days to get to Myrtle Beach before it rained. We landed in Myrtle Beach where we keep the boat for the summer months. the boat doesn't need to be hauled it stays in the spring fed fresh water. Miles, the harbor master, takes very good care of the us while we are there, as does the rest of the staff.
While at Osprey Marina we met a young couple in a Grand Banks 46', a beautiful boat, but too much teak for me to take care of. We paid forward a trip to the grocery store for provisions and one night we all went out to dinner. A small world example happened. The couple is from Maine and they looked at our cousin's boat while for sale in Maine, they are from Maine as well.
Friday, April 27th we left for Raleigh then to Alexandria and home. Will was away at a swim camp, an honor to be able to go. The rest of the family had a great time. Maggie, Rob and I took a paddle boat out on a small pond.
Summer into Summer.
A fun winter and back to our lovely home for the next 6 months, I am glad to be home.
