FLORIDA, FLORIDA, FLORIDA

Sunrise as we left Titusville headed for Melbourne. 

We are only halfway down the coast of Florida but I’ve decided to post this blog entry now, before Christmas. Although we haven’t traveled much further than Titusville (only 2 stops and about 125 miles to Jensen Beach, we are finding that we really do love these coastal towns on the ICW.

Obsession Dockside at MBYC

The route we travel is pretty narrow, 50-100 ft wide and fairly shallow, usually less than 12 feet deep. Thus, the nickname “skinny water”. 

It gets skinnier if you leave the recommended route to enter an Inlet or anchorage area. We haven’t had any issues other than plowing our way through the entrance to Melbourne. 

But we are mindful that we may encounter even skinnier water as we travel further south. 

 

A glance back as we left Titusville 

We left Titusville, and headed towards Cocoa Beach only to find out there would be no way for us to go ashore. So we opted to move on to Melbourne. The anchorage area outside Crane Creek was not well protected, so I called MBYC and asked about dock space. They had a spot for us, and we braved the 4.7’ readings on the depth sounder to a perfect spot right in front of the bridge.

 We ended up staying 4 Days, wandering the town, taking an Uber to Eu Gallie for an afternoon. 

We Welcomed Santa to the Marina. 

and spent Sunday catching up on the news and Football. (The Patriots lost a heartbreaking game to Miami). 

Our next stop was Vero Beach. We had heard that it is often called “Velcro Beach”- you come here and have to pull yourself away. Why? 

Because it’s so pretty, it’s convenient, it’s full of sailboats/trawlers heading south, (probably many of whom you’ve seen/passed along the way) and it’s fun.

There’s a free bus that takes you to the beach, the Ritzy Ocean Front town, the restaurants, the Mall, the West Marine, the Publix-you name it! And on the bus you meet and talk with countless other sailors. 

We ended up staying 4 days. Mostly because David ordered a locking pin for our lifeline pelican hook from West Marine, and we also had meds to pick up at CVS. We enjoyed our trips to Publix, Walmart, Beall’s, Target, and Dollar Tree, our bus rides/conversations with other travelers, the clean facilities and dinghy rides around the harbor. 

Most of all we enjoy the people we meet along the way. We listen to others and talk about past  and next stops, we hear of misfortunes and great fortunes, and so much more.

In Vero Beach you have to raft (tie up) with other boats. The two boats nextvto us were from RI!

We are a community of ICW gypsies. We share sea stories, we share stories of our homes and families on dirt. 

We hibernate down below on our boats when it rains or pull out our colorful rain gear and trek into town. 

We gather at the laundry room, the fuel dock, the picnic area, the Captains lounge at the marina or the local pub and even on Facebook.

  

In the evening, and especially on nice days, you’ll find us in the cockpits of our boats enjoying a cocktail, dinner and usually a beautiful sunset. 

Vero Beach Sunset

We are also a group of people who are up at sunrise and ready for bed not long after sunset.  

Sunrise Vero Beach

Yes, 21st century has invaded our space, but I think in a positive way. Friendships can be longer lasting with the use of Facebook and e-mail.  

We still share boat cards-it is a ritual. 

We recognize each other despite the fact that we may not have even ever met. Is it the clothes we wear, the way we wear our hair, the way we walk, the way we talk? I don’t know, but we can spot each other a mile away. 

We are underway again, on our way to West Palm Beach to meet up with the Hauquitz clan of sailors, Kelly, Eric, Carl, Leslie, Tali and Chloe.

 

This is a Manatee Observation and Education Center. Off limits to boaters-only Manatees allowed! 

We will spend Christmas and probably New Year’s there and we might be staying there a bit longer since we have a few maintenance chores. 

Christmas decorating has started Aboard Obsession

Our Christmas present to each other is a new exhaust elbow. David is planning to replace it while we are there. The oil and filters have to be changed, the batteries need to be checked, and Obsession in general needs a good bath. 

We are reminded  everyday how fortunate we are to be able to travel this journey and share it with family and friends. We may be far away, but our thoughts are always with you. 

May peace, hope, love and joy 

be yours this joyous season 

and in the coming year