Easter, waiting for the Shuttle

We got up at 0400 to go to Sunrise service on the beach with Diane, Carlton and her visiting kids and grand children. We then went for breakfast, right on the beach. Everything was special. Since I have to advance my Treo to the new time, and it still remembers to do it on the old schedule; that is why we were up at 0400 instead of 0500. Two advances in three weeks. Bedtime will come early tonight, so we can get up early again to watch the Shuttle go up. We departed the dock at 1020 and arrived at anchorage off Titusville at 1420. Harry Richards joined up for the motor up, and Sue, his wife, drove to pick him up. Got a lot of catching up done with an old friend form Winchester, VA days. Nanc, Joe, and I walked around the City Marina after a dingy ride in and sat in a park for a while. There is a Cruiser pot luck dinner tonight in the marina for everyone; don't know whether we are going. Aviator has run ahead to New Smyrna, and we will probably catch him at St Augustine or St. Marys. We are going into a marina in Daytona to see Nanc's great nephew, Brent, who is going to Emery Riddle tomorrow night. S

Easter Weekend

We departed Vero Beach this morning at 0735 and arrived at Indialantic at 1145. We watched a crabber checking his pots with the attendant group of pelicans getting hand me downs. They follow him from pot to pot. We offloaded all our trash at the marina which is always a big consideration on how to store and handle refuse. We topped off the fuel and water tanks, and I washed the boat and waxed it while Nanc and Carlene/DK went to the store to replenish our food staples. We used 22 gals of diesel from Bimini to here for an average consumption of 1.21 gals per hour. First water top off in a week. Harry Richards came by and took them to a Publixs store, and Harry and Sue came by for dinner tonight. Many good stories were told as we watched the sun set over the water. We are going to a sunrise church service in the morning with Diane and Carlton and Diane's daughter Amy and son Rodney. We then plan on having breakfast and moving off the dock by 1100 to get abeam of the Cape for the Shuttle launch on Monday morning. We hope to be in St Augustine by Tue, and my Sisters Jeanne and Dottie are driving over from Tallahassee to see us. We are presently watching West Virgina and Duke play in the final four. Hope WV wins. Hope I can keep my eyes open after several Mount Gays and Diet Coke. My brother Ed is slowly improving. Five AM will come soon. Happy Easter. S

Vero Beach watching Hurt Locker

We went into the Immigrations office and cleared back into the USA. We had given all our boat info and passport numbers the night before, plus our boat customs decal number. We had 24 hours to report. Folks are walking across the border in the Southwest and not reporting to anyone. They get free health coverage, etc. but what do I know. Well I know we are legally in the country and tied up to a Grand Banks 45 in Vero Beach with a very nice couple on board. We could not find a mooring ball for ourselves as the sun was setting, and I ask if we could tie up to them. They had fenders down on their starboard side, and we put lines on their boat. Fella is from Solomons Island, MD, and his first boat was a Contest 25. Nanc and I bought our first boat in 90; a Contest 25 at Solomons! We sailed outside in the Atlantic to Fort Pierce and came inside to the Inter Coastal Waterway(ICW) to here. I just recd a phone call from DK, and they ran hard aground South of here, and are now anchored about 100 yard from me. We ran ahead to get here before sundown. I am tired of buying Nanc jewelry for running at night. Our daughter Kath sent an e-mail to report her 4.0 average for last semester. She sent a copy of the transcript; since she thought I would not believe it. I have always know she was a smart ass. We will make it to Indialantic tomorrow and go into a Telemar Marina for the night. We plan on doing laundry and adding water and fuel. We will join Harry Richards and his wife for dinner somewhere, and Diane and Carlton and their family for Sunrise services and breakfast on Sunday. Harry and his wife are also coming. We will then sail to Tittusville and anchor to watch the Shuttle launch on Monday. We will move on North to New Smyrna Beach, then St Augustine on Tue, St Marys on Wed/Thur, and Beaufort on Fri. Maybe Savanna on Sat at Steve's. Life is good. Happy Easter. Remember why we celebrate. May God bless all of you, our friends. S

Back in the good ole USA, HOORAY

We love to travel, and we love to come home. It is like some weight is lifted when you check back in. I have always had that feeling, especially when I flew for the Air Force. There is no place like home/USA. It took over a half hour on the phone to get our clearance number, so we could lower our yellow Q Flag or Quarantine Flag. We now have 24 hours to present ourselves to the Immigrations office here in Palm Beach. At least we can get off the boat now, if we want. The crossing was a motor sail, and we hit 12 knots speed over the ground or SOG in the middle of the Gulf Stream, with a 20 degree correction. DK called me as we approached the harbor and said Carleen had called Customs, and if we did not clear by 1600 there would be no clearance given until Monday. As my blood pressure rose, he said April Fool. What goes around comes around. I am thinking about how to get him back. Nanc and Joe are in the cockpit talking and watching the world go by,an we decided it is five o'clock somewhere; actually it is right here and the Mount Gay is smooth going down My brother Ed had a bone spur removed from his neck the day before yesterday and is OK. They went in thru the front of his neck. Between him and Nanc, I have a lot of trouble sleeping. Happy Easter as DK and Carlene tie up to the stern for a drink. Life is good. S

Bimini Sunrise on April Fool's Day

I told Joe and Nanc a Hurricane was coming. S

Bimini Wednesday

We departed Chub Cay at sunrise 0700 and motored on a mirror sea to Bimini and tied up at 1920. We got into shallow water about 10 miles out and touched bottom,then again as we entered the harbor here. Both times the chart plotter was showing over 10 feet of water. Raised the tension level the last hour. We ate at the Anchorage restaurant this evening and had a good meal. Carlene and DK were an hour behind us and anchored at Cat Cay for the night, about 10 miles South where we touched bottom. We brought Joe here to have one more experience. He spent part of the day on the fore deck acting like Leonardo de Caprio. We will meet Aviator in the ocean tomorrow morning. They will weigh anchor at 0630 and be here around 0800 about 4 miles off the coast. We will take on fuel and leave around 0745; the fuel dock opens at 0700. We have off loaded all the trash and are ready to return to the ole US of A. S

Tue and Cindy and John Hawkins have gone

Actually we left Devil Hoffman Cay with Aviator this morning, after spending a rolly, windy night, after a cold front passed thru. Cindy and John are spending another week there, and we are now at Chub Cay waiting to cross the Great Bahama Bank to Bimini tomorrow . Another change in plans; hey we are now retired. We will cross the Gulf Stream from Bimini to Lake Worth/ Palm Beach the following day to clear customs prior to Easter. We are afraid everyone will take vacation, and we would be stuck on the boat until Monday if we wait. The weather looks promising, according to Chris Parker, to make it across on Thursday. We will work North and try to see the Shuttle go up on Monday. We departed at 0730 on a rising tide to cross a sand bar and sailed to Chub in 3+20. Nanc, Carleen, and I walked the beach while Joe and DK went snorkeling and caught 4 lobster and a grouper. I saw two sharks, a barracuda, and two rays. Nanc already had steak thawing. "Good chuck wagon" tonight as Marty Kable says; steak and lobster. Well, I now have to take Nanc out with her lookie bucket to see what is under the sea! The meal is now over; it was super, and the full Moon on the water is impossible to describe. S