Tuesday 25 May 2010


NOV 2009
Sarah and I left St Augustine about an hour behind Randy and Ellen on Bella. At the first bridge south we came to a screeching halt as the depth board showed 61'! Sixty five is the supposed minimum height on all intercoastal bridges. We stood off for another half hour with a french boat that was around 63' mastheight. They had lost their electronics earlier on another low bridge. An hour or so later we slowly transited beneath the bridge as the frenchman talked us thru on his VHF. We continued on till we got about 68 miles and dropped a hook for evening. Next morning we continued on to Daytona Beach and anchored with Bella for the evening behind a spit in the ICW. The next morning Randy and I were tightening my belt and the mount cracked. I spent another day in Daytona getting it welded and the dinghy motor died. Sarah got it running and I cleared the water outlet and she ran fine the rest of the winter!. Sarah and I were getting weary of the low water and constant drone of the engine so we motored south to Titusville anchored off Cape Canaveral...a launch went right over us that afternoon. Next morning we fueled up in the Canaveral Canal...entered the locks with a manattee and headed out to sea south for West Palm. We set out around 11 from the Cape Canaveral inlet sea buoy with soft Northerly breeze. The day was beautiful and we wondered why we spent so much time motoring the ICW. That evening a few lines of squalls swept over us. Sarah was asleep as I sat in the cockpit while Alobar steered herself south in the tropical rains. Around 0300 I noticed a light east of me at sea racing north, she passed by a few miles out. A few minutes later it approached me from the North Lights flashing in the pooring rain, it was a Custums patrol. He motored alongside , asked a few questions and motored off wishing me a safe trip....Scared the shit out of me! We arrived at inlet to West Palm at dawn and took the sails down and motored into Lake Werth past Peanut island and grabbed an empty mooring of the pompous homes of the east side of West Palm. Sarah made breakfast and we went for a dinghy ride and a swim... We dicided to wait her for Randy and Ellen who were now a few days behind motoring down the ICW.

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