Marineland FL

Along the ICW, we see many ospreys

Between Daytona Beach & St Augustine is a small place called Marineland, which is the location of the original dolphin research and aquarium.  This place existed long before Sea World got in to the act; in fact, I remember visiting Marineland on a family vacation sometime around 1959 (yes, I know that I don’t look that old, but…)

Just over 2 years ago, when we spent the winter in Sanford FL on the St John’s River, we brought our granddaughter to Marineland for just one day.  As she watched the dolphins do their tricks, and watched the people swimming in the water with the dolphins, she just fell in love with the place & has been saving her money since then to be able to swim with the dolphins.  So next week, we’re meeting our son & his family half way, to pick up our granddaughter for a week.  And by next Tuesday, she’ll get her wish at Marineland.

Kayaks inside the marina getting ready to paddle
across the ICW to the estuary

The rest of the week, we’ll spoil her by swimming in the ocean (this marina is so close that we can hear the surf), going to LegoLand in Orlando, and teaching her about ocean tides and the marine estuary by means of a guided kayak trip.  We’ll wear her out (or, visa versa) before giving her back to her parents.  It should actually be the highlight of our summer.

After entertaining our granddaughter, we’ll head to Chattanooga for a couple days to check on Sue’s mother, then point the bow of the boat southbound to cross Florida at Lake O before heading to Orange Beach AL for the winter.  More about that later.

As the shade of our boat cools the dock in the evening
and the sea breeze kicks in before sunset, we got out our chairs,
put on a Jimmy Buffett CD, got our adult beverage in hand,and watched the sun set.
This cruising lifestyle is tough, but SOMEONE has to do it!

This is what we HAD to look at!

Ft Pierce to Daytona Beach

Ft Pierce turned out to be a nice little town, especially when the population swells   during the winter months (all those snow birds fly south).  But during the summer off-season, and especially on Mondays, they roll up the sidewalks of the town.  We did, however, see that the historic theater downtown was hosting the Ft Pierce Jazz & Blues Society, which turned in to a nice 3 hours of really good jazz.

At the SEAL museum, they had the actual survival capsule
from the Maersk Alabama, the star of the movie
"Captain Phillips"

The other venue we found was the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum.  Yes, I asked several folks why the heck it was located here on Hutchison Island, in the middle of nowhere!  Well, it seems that since way back in 1838, when the town itself got its first fort (built by Col Benjamin Pierce, who was the brother of President Franklin Pierce – but y’all probably already knew that), it has entertained a military presence.  During WWII the Navy was looking for a remote location to train some crazy guys called Frogmen, to clear the German mines and obstacles from the Normandy beaches prior to the D-Day landings.  So guess where they started training?

As the movie depicted, the Somali pirates were "dispatched"
by Navy SEAL sharpshooters from a nearby ship.  Inside the capsule,
the tan color just below the steering wheel are the bullet holes
for the pirate who was in the driving seat.

Farther north, we stopped at Titusville Marina, right across from Kennedy Space Center, where we had stayed exactly 3 years ago when we came through here.  We met some boaters who were planning to do the Loop (Looper wanna-bes), so we shared some of our sea stories (some of which we actually true!).  As we traveled farther north into Mosquito Lagoon, we met a large number of dolphins and manatees.  Several times, we had to shift into neutral as we passed right over the spot where a manatee had just surfaced (they are air-breathing mammals that surface every couple minutes for air, then go back to the bottom to feed).  On one occasion, a manatee surfaced not more than 10 feet off our port bow & we had to slam the shifters into neutral.

Along the ICW - Indian River, there were lots of sand bars
which the locals enjoyed

Anchored along the ICW,  There's a story
here, somewhere.

Hot travel days - 97 degrees in the shade on the helm.

Approaching Daytona Beach, a mobile Tiki Hut with a
big sign that says "Rent Me"

We’re now in Daytona Beach, hoping to visit one of our US Power Squadrons friends, who previously lived in New Orleans.  He & his wife still live on their boat, and were taking care of her elderly mother, the last we heard (sound familiar?).  In another day or so, we’ll continue north to Marineland FL, home of the original dolphin exhibit (I remember visiting that place when I was about 10 years old – that’s almost pre-historic!).  Our wonderful, super, perfect granddaughter is coming from New Orleans to swim with the dolphins – something she’s wanted to do for several years.  We might even head over to Orlando to act like a tourist & spend some of our hard-earned Yankee greenbacks. 

Ft Lauderdale to Ft Pierce

Ft Lauderdale beach was just gorgeous, honey!

Lots of forts in this neck of the woods.

The city marina we stayed at in Ft Lauderdale was in a terrific location – only 4 blocks from the main road A1A and the ocean beaches.  And the price, even for a city marina, was surprisingly low.  All the shops, stores and activity were happening along a beautiful palm-tree-lined beach.  I guess that when Sue & I were college kids, we never made it down to Ft Lauderdale for spring break, but I can see why it’s so popular.

View from our restaurant, all open to the ocean

We walked the area & ate at some good restaurants.  One pleasant surprise was a free Friday night show, right on the beach, by a Samba group, all dressed up in costume.  We listened & watched for over an hour, amazed at the high energy of the dancing.  Most of the locals joined in, and it seemed they couldn’t stop dancing.  We got tired just watching.

The Samba dancing went on & on, at the end of Las Olas Blvd,
right on the beach

More mansions & mega-yachts along the ICW

We departed on Saturday for the two-day trip north to Ft Pierce.  The wind was blowing out on the ocean, so we defaulted to traveling the ICW.  But the day turned looong, hot, & almost tortuous.  We ran the 50 miles all at idle speed (or slower), passing under bridge after bridge after bridge (Clint, you would have gone insane on that route).  We had to wait for 8 of the bridges to open for us (either they were too low or we were too tall), and they all were on a timed schedule.  We had to calculate 60D=ST (or, for you non-USPS types, time-distance-speed) all day to adjust our speed to try to make the next opening.  It was frustrating when we’d miss the opening by mere minutes, then have to wait 30 minutes for the next one.

This mansion made me smile!  Read the sign carefully.
(click on photo to enlarge)

And yes, it’s hot in Florida in the summer.  On our helm, in the shade, it was normally 94-97 degrees.  The engine room measured 126 degrees, so when I did my engine room checks, I didn’t dally, Dilly.  We were sweating all day, and totally drained (pun intended) by the end of the day.  We decided to stay at Ft Pierce for several days, partly to let the air conditioning cool the boat down for a while.

Leaving our anchorage near Palm Beach, we find
an obstacle blocking the ICW

We saw big boats & little boats

So that’s where we is, doing a bit of sightseeing & enjoying the local craft beers.  Also doing lots of paperwork relating to the passing of Sue’s uncle.  We had agreed to be trustees of his trust, and you’d be amazed at all the paperwork that is needed.  Gives us something to do in our spare time!

The Upper Florida Keys

one of the narrow cuts thru a sandbar "on the inside"

On Monday July 11 we were finally able to cut loose our dock lines which had so tenaciously been holding our boat captive to the dock at Marathon.  Our boat had enjoyed a 2-month resort vacation here (even though Sue & I only had a month here), but has anyone ever told you that Florida gets HOT in the summertime?!?

Did I say that the cut was NARROW?

For those boaters who have been cruising down here, you’ll know that there are two routes to take eastbound from Marathon:  the Hawk Channel “on the outside” between the Keys and the outer reef; and the ICW route “on the inside” between the Keys and the Florida mainland.  We chose to go on the outside for about 30 miles and then cut to the inside at Channel Five to cruise the inside the rest of the way to Miami.  The weather forecast was good for going on the outside, but as we all know, the weather guessers are just that – guessers.  The wind went to 20 mph, we had 2-3’ waves on the beam so that we rolled like a puppy dog, and had sea spray everywhere.  We had not properly secured our gear below deck, so we got to clean up the mess that evening.

Once on the inside, the waves were non-existent, but the water was SHALLOW!  For two days we traveled in 6-7’ depths (our boat draws 4.5’), and sometimes we had less than 12” of water below our keel.  But the water colors were beautiful and the scenery was gorgeous.  The water was so clear that we could see the dolphins crossing under the boat as they came to ride our wake, and saw the 3 manatee feeding at the bottom as we slowly passed above them.  We anchored the first night & went swimming in water so clear that you could see the anchor on the bottom.

View from our anchorage for the night

The ICW route cuts through the mangrove islands

The second day we continued north through the narrow cuts past the mangrove islands, up to Biscayne Bay to a little deserted island that we had been looking forward to visiting again.  Y’see, Boca Chita Key is now a National Park, but in the early 1900’s was owned by the Honeywell family (Honeywell Controls) who started building an estate on the island.  A few years later, his wife fell on the island & died from her injuries, so the estate was never finished.  What remains are a landmark lighthouse and a fabulous boat basin, which is a magnet for the Miami crowd on the weekends.

For Sue & me, we first visited Boca Chita Key in the fall of 2007 when we were just thinking about buying a boat.  We both had had much book-learning about boats from the US Power Squadrons, but I wanted Sue to get some hands-on experience before committing to living on a boat.  So we chartered a 42’ trawler (including the owner/captain) for 4 nights/3 days out of Dania Beach FL.  Sue had never driven such a boat, but within 10 minutes of leaving the dock, the captain grabbed Sue & said “Here.  You drive!”  The two of us drove & navigated for the next 3 days.  And, of course, we went to Boca Chita to spend the night & fell in love with it.  After that charter trip, I asked Sue whether she still wanted to buy a boat & live on it.  She replied “Not yes, but hell yes!!”  So here we is!

Approaching Boca Chita Key National Park

Paradise looks just like this!

View from atop the lighthouse.  You can see the
Atlantic Ocean in the background

One of our memories this time will be our evening swim at the small beach, keeping our mojito (with fresh mint leaves) above water, wading next to the mangrove trees, listening to the cacophony of bird calls from the wildlife preserve ¼ mile across the water, and seeing the Miami skyline on the horizon.  The contrast of being at such a remote place while looking at one of America’s largest cities was amazing.

The Miami skyline from Biscayne Bay

After 2 nights at Boca Chita, we continued north right past downtown Miami & the cruise ship terminals, into a very crowded ICW, continuing to a marina in Ft Lauderdale.  Again, the contrast from where we were, compared to where we had been, was significant.  From Miami northward, we basically saw nothing other than the “3-M” (mansions, mega-yachts and mangroves). We later saw that this pattern continued for 100 miles north.  Whoever said that there’s no money left in America, or that there is some kind of economic hardship?!?

Miami cruise ship terminals.  We're mixing it up with
the big boys!

One of many along the ICW

At the marina next to ours, the big boys come to play

The next leg of our travels is coming on the next posting.

On the Reef Again

Our second day in a row for snorkeling was even better than the first.  The dive boat had fewer people, even though the weather was better.  Sue’s mask actually fit, so she wasn’t sniffing in half the ocean water.  There seemed to be many more different types of reef fish to admire.  The captain of the tour boat was feeding the fish, so when we swam into the circling fish, they were so numerous that they seemed to bump into you as you floated on top.  Many times, the fish were within arms’ reach, but they were still quicker than my attempt to grab them.  The coral rocks and caves were amazing, with underwater visibility 100’+.  Did I say that we had another great time?!?

When we returned to the boat, our neighbor in front of us was cracking open a coconut which had fallen from one of the many coconut palm trees around here.  So Sue went over & had some fresh coconut milk & meat.  “We’re not in Kansas any more, Toto.”

We’re setting sail tomorrow for 4-day trip to Miami & then points north along the ICW.  Good thing I read the USCG Notice to Mariners, because just north of Fort Lauderdale, the ICW is totally closed for a new bridge construction.  We’ll have to wait for good weather and then go on the outside to the next inlet to the ICW

Should feel good getting back into cruising.

Getting Ready to Get Ready to Depart

I thought of the contrast of our boat hailing from Lake Erie
yet now being as far south as you can get in the US

We’ve been in Marathon long enough that the barnacles & algae have started taking over the boat.  Had to pay a diver to scrape the hull of all the unwanted critters.  Planning a 2-week trip up the east coast of Florida, departing either Monday or Tuesday.  We’ll travel inside the Keys on the ICW, rather than outside the Keys but inside the reef, because we’ll anchor along the way.  We’d like to get to Boca Chita Key, a remote island in Biscayne Bay, where we visited about 8 years ago.  Communications may be spotty in that location.

A sign on the dock here in Marathon

Also on the dock here in Marathon, watch out for the iguanas!
They have been known to climb aboard sailboats to spend the night.

Had some miscellaneous photos that I thought were interesting, so here they are.

One of the adventures of the Keys is going out to the barrier reefs to either snorkel or scuba dive.  Yesterday Sue & I went on the tour boat (which was cheaper than taking our own boat) to Sombrero Lighthouse reef, which was only 2 miles offshore, to finally use our snorkel gear (after carrying it on board for several years).  The boat tied to the mooring ball & we spent a marvelous 1-1/2 hours on the living reef.  Many types of coral, coral rocks dropping off to sand bottoms, schools of reef fish everywhere!  Water was calm & crystal clear.  Bought a cheap underwater camera to prove that we were there.  Absolutely perfect conditions on a perfect reef – picture postcard perfect (for those of you who remember postcards!)  We enjoyed it so much that we’re going back again today!

The local radio station concludes their weather reports by saying “Another day in Paradise”.  I’d have to agree.

Driving across "Alligator Alley" through the Everglades
on our way back from Ohio, we need to watch for
Florida Black Panthers

Also in the Everglades, this gotta be the country's
smallest post office!  I like the mailbox around back!

4th of July

We wanted to get into the spirit of the weekend, so we strapped an American flag onto each of our bicycles, then rode the 2 miles to Sombrero Beach where the fireworks were to be held.  When we arrived about ½ hour before sunset, we were amazed at the 100+ boats which were anchored, rafted together, or just plain drifting just off the beach.  As the sun set, their lights formed a continuous line across the horizon, showing white, red, green, blue, yellow, and any color in between.  Some brave boaters even had sparklers going aboard intermittently.

We staked out our spot on the beach & then walked along the water’s edge to squish some sand between our toes.  As the night became darker, the stars came out everywhere, since it was a new moon that night.  The beach park was playing patriotic music over the speakers, getting the crowd ready for some lights & lots of noise.

Once the fireworks started, co-ordinated to the speaker music, it became a show worth remembering.  For 45 continuous minutes, the crowd ooh’d & aaww’d at a magnificent display of ostentation.  The thick humid air reverberated the sound back & forth to amplify the effect.  The finale seemed to go on forever, with at least 20 shells in the air at one time.  All in all, the Admiral said that the show was definitely in the top 5 fireworks shows she has seen.  It’s amazing that such a small town as Marathon could afford such a display.

On a more serious note, I received an email from the Wallbuilders (David Barton’s organization) which publicizes the original intent of the men who founded our country.  Wallbuilders summarized the main points of the Declaration of Independence, which I thought were worth repeating:

Ø   There is a Creator.

Ø  The Creator has given a certain set of inalienable rights to every individual.

Ø  The primary purpose of government is to protect those inalienable rights.

Ø  There is a fixed moral law ("the laws of Nature and of Nature's God").

Ø  Decisions below the level of inalienable rights and fixed morals are to be made with the consent of the governed.

Think about it.