Continuing Vero Beach to Titusville - 3/7
You may remember our carefree attitude toward the weather during our last posting. We did have fair winds and calm waters for most of the day but........when we reached the north end of Merritt Island we decided to continue onward to make it to Titusville before the end of the day. So, under the Beachline bridge we went and within a mile we picked up the high winds and choppy water the weatherman had promised us. We sloshed around for nearly two hours to make the seventeen mile trip - not as bad as St. Andrew's Sound at the end of our journey last year but exciting enough. We were very glad to sail into Titusville City Marina and tie up for the night. Our friend, Roger, stopped by there on his way home from work to say "hi" and "good-bye" and Marla and Al drove up for supper. Thanks to all of you. We've so much enjoyed our many chances to get together with you this winter.
Titusville to Palm Coast - 3/8
Next day we headed out early before the winds picked up again and made it into Mosquito Lagoon with good weather. We arrived at Hammock Beach Marina in Palm Coast after eight hours and tied up just as the winds began to pick up again. Wayne is beginning to think that we can expect not-so-good weather on the water in Florida the first part of March. I say two years does not a trend make but I may be changing my tune next year at this time. Once the boat was secured in a slip, we contacted the rental car agency and arranged to pick up a car so we could travel to Fort Myers on Friday the 9th to pick up our own car.
 |
| The Daytona Bridge features mosaics of manatees and dolphins on the columns. I think it's the most beautiful bridge we encounter |
 |
| Setting our ropes at Hammock Beach Marina - several times! |
For some unknown reason the two of us found ourselves awake at 3:30 AM the next morning. We lay in bed a while, trying to go back to sleep and, when that didn't work we said, "What the heck, let's head to Fort Myers." By 8:15 AM we'd made the 246 mile trip. We visited with friends on the dock and let the marina know the car was leaving. We were back on the road by 9:00 and returned to the boat around 2:00 - a total of 492 miles for the day. After all our slow travel on the boat of the previous 3-and-a-half months, we were a little discombobulated at this point.
 |
| Cool Change settled into her new mooring |
Saturday was pack and recovery day. Pam and Richard, old friends from our Florida boating days, came to visit and brought lunch over (thank you, thank you!); I made one last trip to Publix and we began stuffing the car full of sewing supplies, clothes, tools, dirty laundry and the contents of the refrigerator. We discovered an acquaintance from twenty years ago living near the marina we're in and had a wonderful last night meal with him and his wife and Pam and Richard.
 |
| Supper on shore with friends. - filet mignon, fingerling potatoes and fresh spinach. A fine way to end our trip. No photo of the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert! We gobbled it up too fast. |
We're home now. Even though we love settling back into our house just as spring has begun to bring green grass and flower blossoms to the Carolinas, it wasn't easy to leave Cool Change. Wayne is a wonderful travel companion, adventuresome and fun to spend time with. No more two minute showers for a while but also no more dolphins making graceful dives in front of our boat. I'm very happy to see my dishwasher and my washing machine but I will surely miss watching the flight of birds near the water and the slow pace of life on the Intracoastal. Until next winter............
 |
| Goodbye to serene blue waters, balmy weather, puffy clouds and Florida's beautiful skies |
 |
| The secret to a happy Colleen on a boat. My sewing cabinet is well stocked with the supplies I needed to finish two quilt tops, two baby quilts, four table runners, and many gifts for family and friends along the way. |
No comments:
Post a Comment