HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Heading up the ICW

Day one ended just short of Canaveral. We dropped anchor, ate French toast and went to bed. When we got up, we just kept going...no waiting for the 4:17 pm launch, and good thing...it was scrubbed at 4p.m.

Day two was just as exciting...dropped anchor north of Daytona, ate some mystery fish that Tamaki [Serge & Diane...they're changing the name] gave us...either mackerel or snapper, they couldn't remember which was which. It was delicious.

We saw lots of stupid boats [and captains] a lovely paddle wheel steamer, lots of manatees and dolphins...probably more dolphins than we saw all winter in the Bahamas! And we're back in the land of crab pots with no line cutter on the prop...being VERY careful!

We are running 13-14 hour days...daylight to dark, to stay ahead of the rains that are predicted and just to get as far s we can. Still haven't decided if e are going t do overnights outside. If the winds switch like they're supposed to we can sail inside as well. Neither of us sees that well in the dark anymore, and for the sake of a couple of days, well...

So we'll see what today brings...anyone know what day it is? Oh yeah, Friday...thank goodness for telephones and Susan D's daily posts! LOL

SO ...I know I'm in a sailboat and they don't go fast, but when the butterflies pass you....geez!!!

Morning at Daytona

FLamingoes!! even pink ones..very left of pic

Lady DOlphin of Daytona

The rocket that didn't..love NASA

Bridge of Lions St.Augstine

Our visitors this morning on the river

One of those places you say"We should stop someday and explore this"

Boater's intersection and side street LOL

Day Three on the ICW

It's  6 am Saturday and you can hear the before you can see them. It's scary listening to the boats screaming up the river in the dawn. They have no regard for anyone else on the track.

We are anchored 3 miles south of the St. John River, barely off the channel. We had hoped to be across the river mouth to Sisters Creek last night and would have made it but this is where the drive broke and we had little choice but to drag ourselves out of the path of these maniacs into the grass on the edge. Unfortunately this is the deep side of the channel s everyone runs at 50 miles /hour up this side.

The water was calm all day yesterday but 3 times we felt like we hit something.  Once it was a piece of wood that was submerged but then we thought that it just might be fish or manatees bumping us...not too hard. This last time, it was serious and we stopped immediately. We checked the prop...it's tight and stable,. Rick was under the boat and watched as I put it n gear. It will move but something is definitely loose.  In reverse it sounds fine but I don't think it's an option to drive backwards the next 200 miles.

It's going to be difficult to work on this here with the weekend traffic flying up and down. And the water is too black to be able to retrieve anything we might drop.  Fingers crossed.

Yesterday, coming under the high bridge at Jacksonville an express cruiser came by throwing a wake so big we took water over the bow. I had called asking for a slow pass. Apparently he didn't hear me.

So for everyone wondering or asking "why do you need to go home?" ...here's your answer. This boat needs serious work. Maintenance is one thing but there are some things that just HAVE to be done. Anyone got a spare sail drive their not using and can bring down to Jacksonville? Sigh