November 9, 2011 Wednesday Daytona to Titusville, FL

We said our good-byes to Ed and Patty Ann and Ed helped us get out of our slip.  We will reconnect in early January when we head down the coast to the Keys.

While much of the day was cloudy we still had plenty of sunshine at anchor here in Titusville.  Our 7 hour day on the water included some motor sailing, large wakes from the dark side and more dolphins than one can count!  Again, I have no pics of Flipper since they are only above the surface for a half second!  My auto-focus camera takes a full second to snap the pic!

Rian Syd

The windlass is acting up again.  What this means is I have to manually drop the anchor (45 lbs) plus pay out the chain!  Leather gloves are my best friend in this situation.  I think the electric motor is having an identity crisis!  The hardest part will be to pull up the anchor and pile the chain in the chain locker without incident!  There are only 50 feet of chain out since we are anchored in 8 feet of water with no noticeable tide change in this part of Florida.







 We will reach our goal tomorrow and arrive at Anchorage Yacht Basin in Eau Gallie by early afternoon.  We will work together to get Fiu back on line.  Bonnie returns home November 17 and I will stay to see that other necessary work is completed on Fiu for the second half of our adventure.  I return home December 6.

AJ

Thought you might like to see our granddaughters!  We miss them very much!








Captain Sid

November 6, 2011 Sunday St. Augustine, FL

We stayed an extra day due to the high winds (25-30kts) at Rivers Edge Marina.  I suppose sailors who are racers would enjoy the high steady winds! We need to feel comfortable with Fiu and these persistent winds take some of the fun out of our journey.

We walked about 4 miles today and managed to get a few necessary items off our list.  The exercise feels great and there are only so many laps to make on deck!  Getting off the boat periodically is important.

We will debark in the morning and try to get to Daytona before early evening.

Captain Sid

November 7-8, 2011 Monday Tuesday St. Augustine to Daytona, FL

Great location and break wall

 We had a wonderful day motor sailing from St Augustine to Daytona.  After all the wind it was fun to be in the sunshine!  Many of the homes and break walls were quite striking while some were just over the top.  The power boaters send wakes that are harsh treatment for any break wall!  Residents here tend to spend a lot of money and energy to build lasting waterfronts.

 The motor sail to Daytona took most of the day.  Ed and Patty Ann were gracious hosts and we slept away from Fiu for the first time since Charleston.  We took a slip at Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona.  The price was right and the services were above average!  Ed met us at the Fiu (his boat is docked here) and he drove us to their condo at Ormond Beach .

Condo view

 The surf has been rough and advisories warn against swimming and surfing!  The rip tides can be deadly!  This three week period of northeast winds has created high surf and many small craft advisories.  The beach is littered with seaweed!

Difficult to take a walk

I'm still waiting to get my "day at the beach!"  While some of the weather has been uncooperative we have had some fun and we did relax here on the beach for a short time!

End of a fine weather day!

 Captain Sid