Day 25-Dave's Birthday!!

The end of this chapter anyway. The morning consisted of: doing laundry, folding up the dinghy, securing the furniture on the deck, cleaning out the refrigerator and fixing the leaky seal in the forward hatch. We left for Port Everglades not knowing how long it would take us to get there. We were early, so we cruised up and down the port until it was time. When the other boat was lifted, we moved in. Dave brought the boat alongside the ship but it was a long way up to throw the lines! The diver had to come down to retrieve one of them.

The tender lady, Julie, drove up to the boat to take us away--No one is allowed on the docks of Port Everglades without security clearance. We waved good bye to Recess, but we weren't allowed to stay and watch her get lifted aboard.
Amy found a vegan restaurant and made a reservation. The restaurant, Sublime, was incredible! The whole menu was natural, organic and animal free!! We could order anything we wanted without having to make special requests. It was a beautiful restaurant and we enjoyed a leisurely meal. As we waited for desert, Dave realized he didn't have his cell phone. A bit paniced he called his number from the restaurant. The cab driver answered! He told Dave that he had received many calls for his birthday. The driver came back to pick us up and give back the phone. A birthday full of excitement!
Now we wait in the Fort Lauderdale airport waiting for our flight to JFK then on to Portland. This brings an end to this part...just one more. Recess is to arrive in Victoria, BC on August 5th.
We will go to meet her and bring her to her resting place under the bridge in Seattle.

Days 23 and 24

July 14-15

We finally arrived in Fort Lauderdale!! We are staying at Las Olas Municipal Marina until the ship arrives on the 16^th. We are cleaning up the boat, tying things down, stowing things away and trying to figure out what we need to take with us to Portland. The boat goes up on the ship tomorrow at 2:00pm. We will stay in a hotel then head to Portland on Monday. Not the birthday celebration Amy wanted for Dave, but we will do something to commemorate the day!

Day 22

July 13

The remaining miles have many bridges which we need opened. They all run on different schedules and have hours of restriction. The currents are strong and the channel is narrow which makes it difficult to sit and wait for an opening. The navigation program allows us to plug in points and figure out how fast we need to go to get to the next bridge in time for an opening.

We stopped at a public dock in Delray Beach for lunch and a grocery run. We anchored in Lake Boca Raton in view of the ICW. A nice man in a little runabout came over to give us advice on an anchor spot. A huge yacht had to maneuver around us since we were anchored in the deepest water in the lake—8 feet. Dave took a photo as it just about brushed our window. Our friend came back to check on us and told us the yacht hadn’t moved in five years!

Day 21

July 12

We waited until late in the morning hoping the wind would die down and the skies would clear. We finally decided to take off and hope for the best. Bad idea. We got caught in a torrential downpour that cut visibility to almost nothing. Dave was steering off the computer chart that shows where the boat is in relation to the route. Amy was pulling covers off the navigation lights and trying to trouble shoot why the horn suddenly stopped working. It was a twenty mile day. Thank goodness the ship is late!

Day 20

July 11

We anchored at Jensen Beach just off the ICW. We loaded up the dry bag and paddled over to the park. We grilled some veggies and “ribs”. We talked to some locals who live aboard their vessels anchored out in the cove. Nice folks drinking Busch, listening to a radio hooked up to a car battery with a beer can antenna.

The storm was coming in so we hopped back in the kayak for a wet and rocky paddle back to the boat. The wind howled all night!

Day 19

July 10

Pulled into Vero Beach Municipal Marina fairly early in the afternoon. We took off for the post office and a visit to the beach all the while trying to find a place to recycle. We have been carrying around our recyclables since Oriental, NC! We found an apartment building with labeled bins and made a plan to return after dark. As we were walking out of the marina with three garbage bags full of cans, bottles and plastic, the marina dude busted us!!

We did three loads of laundry, filled the water tanks and headed out into questionable seas. We stopped after 30 miles due to pending thunderstorms.

Day 18

July 9

We anchored again between Cocoa Beach and Rockledge. As we kayaked to shore, we saw a manatee rolling and playing in an inlet. We tied up to an abandoned dinghy dock and started out for Home Depot. After just a couple blocks, Amy had a VERY close call with a Cadillac making a right turn without regard to the pedestrians! Very rattled but relieved, we realized we feel much safer on the boat!

Made it to Home Depot for a fish tape (no one else knew what it was either!) and a head lamp for Amy to wear when we kayak after dusk. We found a nice Italian place for dinner then went across the street to Publix for groceries. We thought we had seen it all until we saw a grown man with a mohawk on an adult sized tricycle. We made a run for the kayak to get ourselves back to our haven!

Day 17

July 8, 2006

The houses along the ICW in Florida are something to behold. Huge mansions with screened in pools, boat docks and guest houses sitting next to trailers with dilapidated docks and yards full of dead cars. The polarity here is shocking.

We had a long day on the water, but we couldn’t ask for better weather. We anchored in the Halifax river in the middle of Daytona Beach. We are in a manatee zone and actually saw one come out of the water and create a big splash. Hopefully we will see more in the coming days.

We’re getting close! They say the ship will come in on the 13^th and we will load the 14^th and 15^th. We hope to be in Fort Lauderdale by the 12^th so we will have time to defrost the freezer, clean up the boat, store things away, etc.

Day 16

A couple hours in and we lose our GPS signal. It’s amazing how much we rely on our technology, but we were grateful that we have the paper charts and know how to use them! Most of the time, Dave drove while Amy read the chart.

There were some tough channels to navigate and not much room for error. We had a little mishap in a spot where the chart was confusing and it wasn’t clear where we were supposed to go. We ran aground. Dave was calm and cool as he tried to get us out of the mud. With the gears in forward, the boat was going in reverse. Amy was getting a little panicked. After a couple tries, Dave got us off the bottom and on our way again.

We decided we better call it quits early and try to find what we needed for the computer. Just as we pulled into Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville, FL, a huge rainstorm drenched us.

We changed clothes and headed out to find West Marine. After walking a mile or so, we found the West Marine, but not the part we were looking for. We found a grocery store with a great selection of vegan foods: Boca, Amy’s, Tofutti, etc. It was awesome!! Then we headed to Starbuck’s. On the way back to the boat, we got dumped on again.

Day 15

July 6

We pulled in to Jeckyll Harbor Marina on Jeckyll Island, GA just in time for the thunderstorm. Apparently Jeckyll Island used be an exclusive island for the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Morgans to take their yachts and spend the winter. Now it is a little resort town with a general store and bike rentals.

We met a really nice couple who had sold everything to buy their boat. They stopped at the marina two and a half years ago to do repairs and never left. They own a huge catamaran sailboat that never leaves the dock. It made us really appreciate what we are doing together.

Day 14

July 5

Lots of narrow channels and ‘skinny water’. Lots of biting flies. We entered Georgia and anchored about 30 miles south of Savannah in Redbird Creek. We worked on cleaning up the boat, waxing what we could reach, treating the chrome, etc. As soon as we finish, it seems it is time to start again.

Day 13

July 4

We tried to find an anchorage that would be a good vantage point for fireworks, but not knowing the area or the planned festivities, it proved a bit difficult. We were able to see a few over the tops of the trees from Beaufort, SC.

Day 12

July 3

Sarah found a Verizon store just a couple miles from the marina we stayed in, so we got there just after it opened. It was a huge ordeal getting our internet connection hooked up, but Gwen Davis at Verizon was incredible! She was past around from person to person, put on hold for 20-30 minutes at a time and was still managing other customers. We intend to write a letter commending her service.

We didn’t get on the water until around noon, so it was a short run. We anchored off Dewees Creek in some marshland. It was quiet but a little buggy! The biting flies are our nemesis!

Day 11

July 2, 2006

We made our way to Georgetown, SC. We stayed in a large marina a mile or so out of town. We took a taxi to the Super Wal-Mart for food and supplies then spent the evening doing laundry

Day 10

July 1, 2006

We finally got out of North Carolina!! We anchored just over the border in South Carolina and kayaked back into Calabash, NC. It was tough ride up current, and we were soaked by the time we got there, but it was nice to get out in the kayak…even if it was a pain to get back up on the boat.

They have their own “Calabash style seafood.” We had dinner in one of the many seafood restaurants along the waterfront. Dave had the catfish while Amy had a baked potato and salad bar. Finding vegan options has not been easy around these parts.

Day 9

June 30

We took off from Dudley’s Marina in Swansboro, NC and made our way to Carolina Beach. We anchored out in a crowded bay surrounded by condos and sport fish boats. We woke up early the next morning and got moving before a lot of water traffic started.

Day 8

June 29, 2006

About two hours out of Oriental, Dave noticed one of the engines was running hot. We called ahead to a boat yard on the route and found a Caterpillar mechanic who could take a look. Jerry spent over an hour looking at the engines, taking things apart, going on a ride, etc. In the end, Jerry found that our temperature gauges on the fly bridge are wrong. Good news that it wasn’t anything serious. We were willing to pay for the peace of mind.

About an hour later, the owner of the shop called to say he wasn’t going to charge us since all we did was take his guy on a boat ride. We promised to recommend them to anyone we met along the way. If you are ever passing through North Carolina and have trouble with your Caterpillars, stop in to Gregory Poole’s Cat shop at Jarrett Marina.