Five Days on the Hook

Having spent over $600 in slip fees during the past seven days, the accountant/captain deemed that we will be anchoring out for the next five days. This is always fine with me because I really do love anchoring out as long as it is not too hot. In fact I have to say that I was really looking forward to some gentle rock and rolling in secluded locations. These were long days and by the time we ate dinner each evening, it was time for bed. Therefore, it seemed prudent to incorporate all five days at anchor into one blog entry.

Captain Mark has been intently listening to the weather reports as he is dying to travel in the Atlantic Ocean. There are two reasons why Mark wants to go up the Atlantic Coast rather than travel via the ICW during this next stretch through Florida. First of all, we will encounter several bridges that will need to be opened for us. Secondly, I think it was just a macho thing. So, northbound travel via the Atlantic was our goal when we left the huge slip in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday morning. We made our way out to the Atlantic only to find that the waves that were reported to be 2-3 feet were really 4-6 feet. For the short time that we were in the Atlantic, it was really really rough.

Here is the Lolligag going out to sea:



And here is the Lolligag returning from sea:





Palm Beach/Lake Worth Anchorage

It took us over an hour to make our way back to the spot were the Hall of Fame Marina was located in Fort Lauderdale, but that was okay because at least the waters were calm, but that was not to last very long. While our daughter Beth worries about our encounters with pirates, we have found that all of the pirates we have met have excellent boating manners. From our last experience of traveling the local waterways on a weekend we expected some rude boaters but we were not prepared for what we encountered as we traveled from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach. The channel is very narrow in most places and no wake postings were everywhere but this did not prevented quite a few boaters from acting like complete idiots. We were not almost hit like before but we have never seen or experienced such a total disregard for posted water rules and boater courtesy. As we reached the central area of Palm Beach, we discovered that there was a music concert and lakefront festival taking place. This area was very well policed and we got through the congestion without incident. The area of our anchorage was pretty much out in the open but at least 30 other boats had already taken their places at anchor so we knew we had the correct location. The day ended with a nice surprise of fireworks to close the lakefront festival. As we watched the fireworks, we both said at the same time how much we will miss the twice weekly fireworks in Chicago.

Fort Pierce Anchorage

When we were leaving the Palm Beach anchorage we saw two boats from Sea Tow trying to raise something from the water. As we approached we could see that it was a large part that had fallen from a commercial vessel.




Shortly after leaving Lake Worth we entered the Indian River. We will travel on the Indian River for approximately 150 miles.

As we made our way north we came upon my dream vessel. This boat has everything that I feel is needed on a boat. It looks fantastic, it is a powerboat, but has a mast with a sail, and a TV satellite dish. I could travel the world in a boat like this.

Then, we saw another Nordic approaching us. We were so excited because we had not seen another Nordic on the water since leaving Chicago. Just in Time (Nordic 37) was just as excited to see us and it was fun to talk with each other on the radio. They were on their way home to Long Boat Key on the western coast of Florida.








It looked like it was going to rain all day but the rain never did come. Storms were predicted for the evening so it was comforting that our anchorage was sheltered by a subdivision. We were literally anchored in a water cul-de-sac.




By golly, we are anchoring in Eau Gallie

First thing in the morning we entered Harbor Town Marina to fill up with fuel. As we were at the fuel dock, a couple came by to introduce themselves to us and let us know that they too owned a Nordic. Now, we have seen two Nordics in two days. Tug-A-Long is a Nordic 42 and they soon caught up with us as we both traveled north on the ICW.

These pictures are for our grandson William and Fireman Jim. We happened to pass this fireboat as they were practicing maneuvers.






Eau Gallie is pronounced Oh Golly and I could not stop laughing when Mark told me the name of the town. There is a RV park south of Indianapolis on US 37 that I make fun of each time I pass it because I can not imagine how or why anyone would want to stay overnight in an area that is next to a major highway.



Well, since spending the night at anchor underneath the I-57 bridge on Mississippi River, I have become accustomed to spending the night in plain sight and out in the open. So here I find myself anchored out next to a major highway in a town with a funny name …I guess I need to be more careful about what I make fun of in the future.





All silliness aside, this was a wonderful anchorage. The water was calm and the sunset gorgeous. We were so tired when reaching Eau Gallie, that we grilled some steak and fish and fell asleep very early.

Titusville Anchorage





Before reaching our anchorage area we came upon a swing bridge that opens on demand. It has been a while since we have seen a swing bridge as most of the bridges in Florida are bascule bridges which means that they lift open. The bridgemaster of this bridge was so charming and would wish each vessel a safe journey as they passed his bridge.

Titusville is the area that many boaters come to watch launches from Cape Canaveral. It is our hope that when we return to Florida in the fall that we will be passing through this area when a launch is scheduled.

Wild fires have been a problem while we have been traveling through this area. Several times we could smell the smoke but today was the first day that we could actually see the smoke.

Again it was a long day and we were exhausted when we reached our anchorage this evening which is just outside the opening of the Titusville Marina. The Titusville Marina is very accommodating to transient boaters in that they have a dinghy dock and a pump out service both of which are free to boats both inside the marina and anchored out in the basin. The marina staff were extremely friendly and helpful with suggestions about the town and shopping while in Titusville.

Shortly after we arrived the wind switched direction and a small craft advisory was issued so we decided to stay another day at anchor. The actual thunderstorms passed us by but the wind howled all night long. We bounced around at anchor more than we ever had before but the Bruce anchor held just fine. On Thursday since we were at anchor, we were limited on the chores that we could perform, so we decided not to do any at all. It was nice to have a whole day to just rest and relax.

Hours on the water: 27.5
Nautical miles traveled: 178
Number of bridges that needed to be opened: 9
Time spent waiting at bridges: 1.25 hours
Next Destination: New Smyrna Beach City Marina
What we're listening to: Finished Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
and started The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks
What we watched: Nothing
Lesson for the day: Our saturation limit for anchoring out is five days
Obligatory knitting report: Finished the hat and sweater for baby Maxwell