Southward Bound 2015

Baby, it's cold down here. I'm talking 5 layers of clothes and 2 pr of socks cold. (I know...St Louis is FRIGID right now. I'll stop whining....but can someone mail gloves and long underwear please?) We left St Simon Island, GA on Mon. Jan. 5th and are slowly making it down the east coast of Florida to pick up our friends Jerry and Kak in Ft Lauderdale. That's a 300 mile trip....no biggie, right? In a car, that takes about 5 hours. In a sailboat, it will take 6 DAYS--traveling an average of 8 hours a day. Did I mention,it's cold and windy?

After a rollicking, practically sleepless night on the ocean, we dragged our tired selves into a charming marina just south of Daytona Beach. High winds were predicted, so we wanted to be tied into a dock for the night. Lucky for me, there were nature trails and lovely residential streets to roam while Barry did what he likes best--work on the boat! 

Because the waves on the ocean were predicted to be 10 footers, we stayed on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in FL--protected waters that run parallel to the ocean, providing a safe place to boat. Most bridges are high enough for our 55ft mast, but sometimes we get to stop traffic in order to go through a drawbridge. Just past this bridge, we found a small, protected cove with a fishing dock to tie up to. Manatee greeted us as we came in just before dark. 

We've been entertained by dolphin, diving pelicans, wayward crab pots, unexpected groundings in the channel, nesting osprey, starry nights, a delicious shrimp pasta prima vera in our galley, pine islands, and hot showers after a day on the water in 30 mph winds with temperatures in the 40s. Stay tuned...